Hey everyone! Here's a ficlet (4 chapters) – my first in English yay! I hope you'll enjoy. It's a Hermione/Sirius since I've been kind of obsessing over this ship lately...

This fic is a post-DH (well, i still do not take in consideration the last chap for… well, obvious reasons.)

Disclamer : I own nothing – characters and universe are the property of J.K. Rowling

UPDATE : Here's the edited version of the first chapter. Thanks a billion times to my beta: cookie pirate face !!!

Beyond

°-Prologue – Beyond the Veil-°

"Hell is more bearable than nothingness."

- Philip James Bailey

Black. Everything was black. The deepest darkness that could be fathomed. He could not see, could not even guess at what lay in the blackness – not a single silhouette, not a shadow, not the slightest nuance. At first, he tried to wave his hand in front of his eyes, thinking he would grow accustomed to the suffocating obscurity. But there was nothing to see.

Empty. Nothing surrounding him. No ground, no walls, no roof. There was no air. There was no time. Not the even the slightest movement.

Cold. It was a continuous sensation. It was not glacial; it was just…cold. But it was a vicious and disturbing cold that reminded him of his numb body, forcing him into consciousness, refusing him the relief of denial, of ignorance.

Fear. He had to admit it; he was afraid. Far more than he thought he'd ever be able to bear. That fear had immediately ensnared him, and he knew it wouldn't go away. It suffocated him, surrounded him, would soon drive him mad. He could not stand it indefinitely.

Voices. Even though there was no one, he could hear voices. Constant whispers. Never a single word uttered louder than any others. He could not understand, identify, localize those voices but he knew they were talking to preserve their memory… their language, their story, their death.

Eternity. If time did not exist in here, neither did death. But was he really dead? How long would he be wandering in this non-world? Would no one free him? Days, months, years? Would this torture ever know an end?

Here will be his new prison. He smiled bitterly, unable to prevent it.

He looked around, naively hoping that this once, he would be able to distinguish something – anything. It was no surprise that he did not. He was alone, facing darkness, despite those fixating voices with their regular whispers. Infinite and incomprehensible complains.

He did not wish to forget either: the one he'd been, those he loved, the things he'd done. He couldn't give up, couldn't give in into the sweet and easy madness seducing him. He reminded himself of his own story – without uttering it, though; he was worth more than the voices.

He closed his eyes. From darkness, he fell into darkness. He'd wait: for the other to come and find him, or for his mind to break. He would keep fighting nevertheless. He wouldn't give up: this hell would eventually know an end.

* * *

The large circular room had not changed in the past ten years. Some ruins, forming an arc, stood in the centre of the place, a ragged veil desolately hanging from it. Although there was no wind, it swayed slightly, as if the nonexistent breeze affected nothing but the mystical cloth. She'd heard people speak of voices coming from it and, this time, she could actually hear the vague and forlorn murmurs.

Suddenly, a strong wind blew through the veil and a man fell from behind it - it almost looked like he'd just been waiting on the other side before passing through again. She ran to him - he was lying on the floor, unconscious - and seized his wrist, checking his pulse. Once she was certain he was alive and not in any danger, she allowed herself a nervous chuckle.

"I'm bloody brilliant," she sighed in relief.

To be continued...

The prologue really is short but upcoming regular parts are going to be a bit longer.

Reviews are very, very much appreciated!!!