To be Loved Once More

The last thing Sirius remembered was falling, falling back into that seemingly endless void. When he finally opened his eyes, it felt as though an eternity had passed. Swirling smoke filled his vision at first, causing alarm. Sitting up, he looked in all directions. There was smoke swirling across the endless field that he sat in, no mountains and not even a horizon was in sight. Just a black void met his eyes.

"I see you've awoken." Sirius jumped as a voice spoke behind him. He turned to see her. The woman he never thought he would see again. Yet there she stood, a sparkling black witches hat atop her head, a deep purple cloak around her shoulders, and a broom in her right hand.

"Asteria…" It came out as all but a whisper, but he knew she heard when a peaceful smile found its way to her lips. Her green eyes sparkled just as he remembered.

"Hello Sirius, it's been- oh!" He cut her off, practically tackling her in a hug. "Well I missed you too." She admitted as her arms wrapped around his back.

"I'm so sorry." He whimpered into her neck. Pulling away, the tears shining in the moonlight were clear in his eyes. Falling to his knees, his shoulders shaking with sobs, he placed his head down in his hands. She knelt beside him, still smiling as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"And what are you sorry for?" She placed her delicate fingers under his chin and brought his eyes up to meet her own.

"Because of me, you died. If I had been faster…. I could have saved you." He looked so heartbroken right now, so unlike the cocky man she had remembered.

"Because of you, I died? Surely you jest." Standing back to her full height, she offered him a hand to stand up. When he took it she continued, "I died so that you could live to care for our Godson." Placing a hand on his cheek she let out a sad sigh. "Things did not go according to my plan at all. For that, I apologize. But we are wasting time here, so we should get going." She mounted her broom and motioned for him to get on as well.

"Wait, this isn't the afterlife?"

"No, I have to take you there. I took on this job when I died." She motioned once more for him to get on, and sighed when he stubbornly stood rooted to the ground.

"Job? What job?!" he choked out.

"I am a Shinigami Sirius. Now please get on the broom." Shaking his head, he stayed in his place. "I am being serious Sirius, get on the broom. The others are waiting for you on the other side!"

"What is a shiny gomi?" Getting off her broom, she let out an irritated huff.

"It means that I am a Death God, a reaper, someone who collects the souls of the living when they pass on and takes them to the correct part of the afterlife. Now get on the broom!" As impatient as she was, she just wanted to get him to his new home. It was no lie that the others were waiting. As he silently processed the new information he got onto the broom and she quickly took off, not giving him a chance to stall any longer. They flew into the silent nighttime sky, heading for the moon. As they neared it, the moon transformed into a swirling tunnel of colors.

"What is this?" Sirius asked in awe.

"The portal to the afterlife from Limbo. That's where we were, and where souls often get lost if they refuse to come with us at the time of their death." Feeling him nod against her back, Asteria continued to fly through this seemingly endless place. When they emerged, they came out into the night sky above Hogwarts.

"We're back!" Sirius yelled

"No!" Asteria firmly stated

"No?" He calmed considerably, confused by her statement.

"The afterlife mimics the living world Sirius, only those who have died are here as this is the place that the witches and wizards who went to school here feel the most at home." Landing by the entrance Sirius dismounted the broom and looked all around him. He started to head into the doors when he noticed Asteria wasn't following.

"Aster?" she smiled once more and waved to him.

"This is where I must leave you Sirius, I am not allowed inside those walls." Panicking, he ran back to her.

"What do you mean you aren't allowed?! You can't leave I just,… I just got you back." What started as shouting ended as a whisper. Torn between his friends and her.

"I am a Reaper, only the souls that we ferry are allowed passed that door. I ferried James and Lily and left them at this point as well. I must now do the same with you." A small and sad smile found its way to her lips. "When I took on this job I knew what was waiting for me, that someday I would ferry you, my brother and his wife, all of our friends. I will be able to join you when the people I knew in my life are gone. We only ferry those we loved in our mortal lives. We are then free to move on with them, to spend the afterlife as we please." Hugging her tightly he let out a ragged breath.

"But I love you, those are words you never heard from me, even though I should have said them everyday since I realized it. I. Love. You." Firmly looking her in the eyes, he brushed her blonde curls away from her face.

"And I love you, more than you ever knew." Asteria stood on the tips of her toes to reach his face, and pulled him down the rest of the way to place a gentle kiss on his lips. "And I will continue to love you while we are apart." She whispered. Slowly taking a step back, her eyes were glistening. "Go now Sirius, I will see you in around sixty years. The years will pass quickly, after all. The dead have no clock to track." He nodded and turned to the entrance. Placing his hand on the wood he turned one more time to see her mounted on her broom, hovering a few feet above the ground.

"I love you. See you later." She nodded in acceptance as he turned to the doors. He faintly heard her whisper Love you too, before he opened the doors fully to be greeted by his best friends. He was finally home, with only a little wait before his heart was whole once more.

Well, what do you think? Too corny? Had this idea floating in my head so I decided to make it a one-shot. I really just wanted to get it out of my head and onto "paper" so it would stop bugging me. Rate and review if you like.

PS I was listening to Homecoming by Audiomachine while writing this if you want to get the feeling i had at the end of this story