Written For:
Life - Prompts used: maple, and marigold
Stratego - Prompt: Write a story where Sirius ends up in an AU after falling through the Veil.
Comings and Goings
It was as though he was falling slowly, his eyes locked onto Remus' amber ones as they widened in horror, and Sirius knew where he was going. He knew, as Remus rushed forward, he wouldn't be there to stop him in time.
He was going through the Veil on the dais, next to which he had been duelling Lucius Malfoy.
Sirius knew about the veil – his father had mentioned it when Sirius was younger. Part of his teachings. Sirius knew a lot of secrets about the Ministry. The veil... well, no-one knew what was on the other side of it. No books had shown him what he needed to know.
Some people thought it would lead to death. He had listened to the conversations at the parties his parents threw and even some conversations during his Ministry visits in his teenage years. Some heard voices calling from it, but Sirius thought it was an adventure. A whole unknown place hidden behind a curtain. He knew all about hidden places – he had explored the whole of Hogwarts and found hidden rooms in Grimmauld Place that he'd never tell any of his family about.
There was no fear about falling through the veil – his fear was leaving Remus again. Abandoning Harry to this new adventure.
As much as his life had sucked, he didn't want this adventure to end. He needed Remus as much as Remus needed him. Remus was his soulmate, his everything.
And Harry. Harry understood him more than he would have liked. The boy should never have been brought up in such a cruel family – Harry needed him. Harry needed him and Remus.
As they faded from view, Sirius knew that Remus would take care of Harry until he somehow found his way back.
...oOo...
The sun was burning down when Sirius opened his eyes. He let them adjust to the light for a few moments before looking around. He appeared to be in a clearing in the forest... though he wasn't entirely sure which forest he was in. It seemed too calm and peaceful to be the Forbidden forest.
Not wanting to chance it, he stood up and focused hard. He didn't want to return to Grimmauld Place, and there was no guard... Order Member with him.
That only left two places where he had ever felt like home.
Hogwarts was a no-go, but he could go to their cottage – their true home.
The cottage where, only days before, the couple had discussed what their lives would be like when they returned there.
Picturing the cottage in his mind, he apparated.
...oOo...
Sirius stared at the beautiful cottage in the distance. As he approached, his eyes fell on the maple trees surrounding the place.
The cottage was even more beautiful than the last time he had come home. When he had been told to lay low with Remus and travelled this far. The slightly run down place had been the most beautiful sight to him.
But this looked like it had been freshly painted. Marigolds were growing outside. Maybe Remus had been fixing the place up like they had whispered about during the nights at Grimmauld Place – the thought made him smile.
He strode confidently towards the cottage. When he got in, the first thing he would do would be to floo Remus at Grimmauld Place – assuming they had all returned there already, and –
"Who are you?" a man asked, pulling the door open and staring at him suspiciously.
Sirius froze in his tracks.
"How did you get through the wards? I should have been alerted to someone entering or tampering with them."
"I'm..." Sirius stared in shock at the man he knew to be dead. "Mr. Lupin, I come on Order business."
The man stared at him in suspicion.
"I believe there is no Order," he finally said. "There is no threat."
"Yet," Sirius said.
"My son is not going about that Order business again," John stated. "It's too dangerous, he's been through too much now."
"Let's just say that I have information that will help him," Sirius said. "I can bring back something he's lost."
"I don't see –"
"It's fine, Dad. Let him in," came a tired voice from inside the house. John stepped aside, offering Sirius entrance to the house, though Sirius could see his hand hovering protectively near where his wand rested.
"Kitchen's straight through," John said. Sirius nodded, not wanting to explain that he knew. He was very aware of the kitchen; it was his favourite room... the kitchen table was years old and the strongest piece of furniture Sirius had ever had the pleasure of laying his boyfriend on.
Inside, he finally glimpsed Remus and tried to work out his age. Remus looked exhausted and too thin. Sirius knew these were the effects from being separated from his mate. Remus would slowly manage to cope, but he'd suffer for a long time at first.
Remus looked at him curiously and took a deep breath and froze, his eyes narrowing.
"Polyjuice doesn't disguise your smell," he said.
"It's a good thing I'm not polyjuiced, isn't it," Sirius replied, pulling out a chair and sitting down.
"I'm not stupid; I know who you are."
"And yet, if you were to call Azkaban, there is still a man in the cell. I'm not the same person," Sirius offered.
Remus glanced at his parents, who were lingering in the door.
"Mr. and Mrs. Lupin, why don't you both take a seat?" he said, before turning his gaze to Remus.
"Time travel?"
"I'm... I'm not sure," Sirius said, running a hand through his hair. "Was duelling and fell through the veil at the Ministry."
"Someone trying to put an end to you?" Remus spat.
Sirius' eyes moved down to where Remus' hand was curled around his wand under the table. He slowly withdrew his own, watching Remus do the same, and placed his on the table to show Remus he wasn't planning on attacking him.
"What would you say if I told you I could prove Sirius Black's innocence today?" Sirius asked. "If I told you that Sirius Black didn't betray the Potters and that he didn't kill Peter or those muggles."
"I'd say that you finally let your family madness get to your head," Remus snapped. "He... you... Sirius Black..."
"You can't even say it, can you?" Sirius asked, leaning forward. "You can't even call me a murderer."
"I don't need to say the words to know what you are."
"Harry James Potter is being raised by Vernon and Petunia Dursley, and he's living in a cupboard under their stairs," Sirius said. "He's starved and treated as badly as a Malfoy would treat a house-elf. I can prove Sirius' innocence. You will get Sirius Black back, you'll get Harry and raise him together."
"I don't see how –"
"Voldemort isn't dead," Sirius interrupted. "He returns. He will not stop until Harry is dead. Harry needs us. They need us."
"This just sounds like nonsense," John said, looking between the pair. "I know we all want Sirius Black to be innocent, but there is no way you could prove this."
Sirius grinned.
"Actually, I can prove it," he replied.
...oOo...
Sirius knocked on the door of the house. It wasn't as big as he remembered, but Ron and Ginny were only babies at this point. They wouldn't have their own rooms.
"Can I help you?" The door opened to reveal Arthur Weasley.
"I was hoping you could," Sirius said. "Order business," he mouthed.
"I'm not sure I know what you are talking –" Arthur began, closing the door.
"There is a threat in your house," Sirius hissed, not wanting the rat to hear him.
"A threat?" Arthur froze.
"Arthur. Look, this is going to sound insane, but..." he hesitated. "Do you have somewhere we can go to talk without anyone hearing us?"
Arthur looked behind him where his two oldest sons were gathering.
"Inside boys," he said, walking out of the house and closing the door behind him. Sirius fell into step next to him, and they moved to a shed in the garden.
Sirius walked in first.
"Silencing charms, wards, and please check there is nothing in here. No animals or rodents."
Moments later, Arthur lowered his wand.
"This is going to sound insane, but I'm from the future... or from another world," Sirius said.
He saw the disbelief on Arthur's face.
"My name is Sirius Black."
The wand raised.
Sirius smiled. "If you believe my name, you'll need to believe the rest, because how could I have aged so quickly? Let's start with the fact that Peter Pettigrew is alive, and he's inside your house at this very moment."
Arthur snorted, looking quite dangerous, his wand pointed at Sirius. Sirius didn't blame him – a convicted murderer was sitting in his shed, and his wife and children were inside the house – so close. Of course Arthur Weasley was dangerous.
"I won't hold this against you since in the future we're friends," Sirius said. "I'll escape Azkaban and come after Peter at Hogwarts, but he'll escape. He'll run back to his master. He'll return to Voldemort."
"Voldemort is gone."
"He'll return. In Ginny's first year at Hogwarts, she'll almost die at his hand. What if you had information that would prevent that?" Sirius asked. "What if I told you that Barty Crouch Junior isn't dead?"
Arthur looked uncertain by this point.
"You know, I've spent time with your sons back in my own time... or world. They are good men, all of them," he said. "A couple of head boys, most of them are prefects too. You raise them well. I was supposed to raise someone – I was supposed to raise Harry."
"Until you sold –"
"Do you know where he is right now?" Sirius asked. "He's living with his Aunt and Uncle. Do you know that they have a three bedroom house, but Harry's bedroom is the cupboard under the stairs? He'll grow up with his Uncle trying to beat the magic out of him. Harry won't know he's a Wizard. Harry will be starved and treated like a house-elf. He won't be treated to ice-cream on days out. He won't have new clothes. He'll be bullied and mistreated and laughed at."
"Under the stairs?" Arthur repeated, aghast.
"You take him in though," Sirius said, smiling as he recalled the stories. "You all look after him. He thinks of you like his family because he's never grown up with one that cares for him or loves him."
"What do you need?" Arthur finally asked, his voice still filled with doubt.
"The veil either threw me back in time or to some other world," Sirius said. "I want to go through it again. I have a mate waiting for me." His fingers went to his neck and he smiled again. "I need the rat – your son's rat."
"The rat?"
"The rat that's missing a finger," Sirius said. "If I wanted to harm your family, I wouldn't have asked for a private word, I would have just attacked immediately. If I wanted to hurt my Godson, I know exactly where he lives. I'm not who everyone thinks I am."
"I'm warding this shed," Arthur warned. "I'll know if you step outside of the wards."
Sirius nodded, and Arthur quickly headed into the house.
...oOo...
Sirius stared at the younger version of himself across the dining table at the Lupin's house. He had only been freed an hour before, into John Lupin's custody.
Remus lingered in the doorway, watching the two men, listening to Sirius tell his story to the younger version of himself.
"Voldemort is going to return," Sirius said. "Harry needs to be brought up in a safe home with a family that he loves. He needs you and Remus to care for him now – to be his parents."
"What are you going to do?" younger Sirius asked.
"Me?" He said. "Well, I have a friend who is going to take me to the Ministry tomorrow, and I'm going to walk through that veil again and hope that I'm home with my Remus."
"You have a Remus too?" younger Sirius asked, glancing towards the door.
"We're his mate," Sirius said. "No matter what world we're in, Sirius and Remus are destined to be together."
"What if it takes years?" Sirius asked.
"Then the reunion sex will be even more amazing," Sirius said, wiggling his eyebrows. He leaned in closer. "His favourite place will be this dining table, and trust me, it's stronger than the bed."
Younger Sirius let out a laugh. "I'll keep that in mind."
"One more thing... Don't hold a grudge," Sirius said. "I know you want to, but all this started with mistrust and grudges. We thought he was the spy and didn't trust him with the secret. We pulled away and gave him reason to doubt us. It's not just Remus. If we trusted him, he wouldn't have doubted your innocence."
"I... I guess."
"And Harry needs loving parents, not ones with grudges," Sirius continued. "Now, Remus is always going to be the best thing that ever happened to you. Also, the Weasleys are good people. Arthur is a very good friend in the future and he knows what happened. His son is owed a rat; I'm sure you can sort that."
Sirius hesitated.
"And he needs you to teach him. Because he'll be going to Hogwarts, and let's just say that his Potions Professor is going to be a greasy-haired bat with a grudge," Sirius continued.
"Snape?" Remus asked. "He's the Potions Professor?"
Sirius nodded, enjoying the looks of disbelief on both men's faces.
"Before I leave, I would like a rucksack or bag... maybe a change of clothes."
"I'll have it sorted for you before you leave tomorrow," younger Sirius promised.
"If you have any more questions, let me know," Sirius said, standing up from the table and leaving the room to give the younger pair a chance to talk.
...oOo...
Sirius stood at the veil with Arthur and Kingsley Shacklebolt. He quickly grasped that Arthur had filled Kingsley in to get access to the chamber.
"Is there anything you need?" Arthur asked.
"Nope," Sirius replied, looking down at the jeans and jumper he was wearing. Remus always had a thing for oversized jumpers and now Sirius owned one of them. "Black sorted me out with a rucksack and a change of clothes."
"Good luck, Sirius," Arthur said.
"Thank you. You still have the list I gave you?" Sirius asked.
"The death eaters list and all the information on you-know-who's return attempts?" Arthur asked. He patted his pocket. "Got it all. I've already sent a copy to Dumbledore."
"Well, keep an eye on my younger self, he has no clue how to raise a child," Sirius said, turning to the veil. He took a step forward and closed his eyes.
...oOo...
Sirius sat on the empty street and opened the bag, looking for a sandwich. Rather than apparating straight to the cottage, he had decided to find a shop and work out the year.
It was clear that he hadn't been thrown back in time, as it was 1991. He dug through the rucksack, and his gaze fell on a heavy pouch.
He opened it to find that it was filled with galleons, and his eyes widened in shock. He withdrew a note and unfolded it.
'Every Moony needs a Padfoot, and we both know that every Padfoot needs his Moony too. I hope this helps to bring you back to him.
Thank you for everything.
Sirius.'
Sirius smiled, forgetting about the sandwich. He would travel through hundreds of veils if that's what it took, just to be reunited with his love again.
Thanks to Firefly81 for betaing for me.
I'm debating making this an MC, but I'm not sure whether to do that yet. (There's a poll on my profile page about this.)
I've written a chapter for the following story:
Seven Deadly Sins of the Marauder Era by MontroseMagpies (under my favourites).
It's a team fic for Quidditch League, and I've written the first chapter. (Lust)
Review please :)