Title: Second Chance

Rating: T for now, though that may change in the future

Summary: Sirius returns from the veil years later to find everything completely different, including himself and a certain bookworm who was 15 when he left.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and am doing this just for fun!

Author's Note: This first chapter is just the introduction to the story and so is quite short…future chapters will definitely be longer!

Somehow when Sirius Black found himself standing outside the haunting black veil, he knew that nothing was the same as when he had gone in. He couldn't entirely explain the feeling of complete panic, yet strangely at the same time remarkable joy, he had upon realizing where he was. Down in the depths of the Ministry of Magic, in the Department of Mysteries, nothing felt the same as when he went in, and it wasn't just that he was no longer surrounded by his godson, Harry's friends, and the Order battling the Death Eaters. There was an unexplainable air of difference that even he felt so far removed from the rest of the wizarding world. He inexplicably knew that time had passed and with it had come some sort of change. He looked around his black surroundings, at the stone tiers, the veil still fluttering innocently and almost invitingly to the unsuspecting, and the otherwise empty room. He needed to get out.

Before leaving what had been his temporary tomb, he sent out his patronus to alert Remus that his old friend was back and would be finding him shortly. Before making the venture through the Ministry of Magic, he morphed into Padfoot (it felt good to do that after what felt like so long) and padded quickly up to the main level, skirting the walls of the lobby, hoping not to catch attention. He was almost even with the golden forms of the fountain when he noticed the looks of the wizards and witches around him. A gray-haired witch with spectacles was rapidly poking the arm of the old wizard next to her, who was just finishing a memo and sent it zooming through the air. Turning with an annoyed look at the woman, he froze upon laying eyes on Sirius.

He wished he could use his paw to smooth the hair on the top of his head. He thought he couldn't look that bad - definitely not as grimy as he had looked back when he had been scrounging for rats to eat. He was just about to continue on his path through the lobby when he heard something that made him stop mid-step.

"He was an animagus – it could be him." A middle-aged wizard dressed in deep purple robes murmured to the witch standing beside him. At his words, her face turned to shock as she eyed the black dog standing in the middle of the Ministry.

"Kentley, are you sure he was described as being that big? It looks like the Grim!" Her expression turned slightly fearful and Sirius resisted the strong urge to roll his eyes.

"I'd bet all the galleons I have in Gringott's that it's Sirius Black! And everyone knows he disappeared here within the Ministry itself!"

Sirius couldn't help his eyes growing large and developing the stance of a dog that has suddenly been cornered. He knew he might run into some trouble since he was pretty sure Fudge didn't allow dogs to go gallivanting through his Ministry, but hadn't expected word to be out that he was an illegal animagus, let alone that his animagus form was a large black dog. Although already shocked at what he was hearing and the possibility of being found out and sent back to Azkaban, at the woman's next words, he knew if he were in his human form his face would have drained of all color.

"But that was seven years ago!"

Seven years? He had been missing for seven years? What had happened in that time? Where was the wizarding world on the war against Voldemort? Had Dumbledore helped Harry with his connection to Voldemort? How old was Harry at this point? He had been 15 when he'd gone into the veil…which meant that he was 22 now. A lump rose in his throat, not wanting the thoughts that pervaded his mind to be a legitimate concern. Had Harry lived to be 22 years old now or had…? Not giving in to the fear quickly spreading through him with that thought, after quick surveillance of the lobby he began to run directly through the crowd of witches and wizards, bounding past the Ministry employees and visitors who were too stunned to even try to stop him. He didn't have time to enjoy the fresh air upon leaving the building but instead kept running until the businesses and stone streets made way to trees and gravel road. Changing to his human form, he plopped down, his body heaving with deep breaths and mind racing. He had to get to Harry but had absolutely no idea where to find him. He was surprised Moony hadn't sent his patronus back – he had to know it was Sirius. Maybe he was taking time to alert the other Order members of his return. After seven years, they had to have assumed he wasn't coming back. So where would everyone be now? If the Order was still active, he had to think that Grimmauld Place would have continued to serve as headquarters since it was passed to Harry upon his...his what? His passing? He supposed that's how they saw it. Sirius almost hoped that his old home wasn't headquarters anymore and that Harry had been free to burn the place down, or at least vacate it. It was too dark and morose in that house for Harry or his friends. Again, that was assuming that in seven years things hadn't changed, the Order was still intact and Harry was still – Sirius swallowed another large lump in his throat – alive. The chance of things being the exact same after 7 years, however, was an improbability Sirius had to contend with. If word was out in the wizarding world that Sirius Black had been an animagus, he'd have to be extremely cautious from now on. He could no longer trot along as a canine, safe to assume that no one would identify him. "Well," he dryly said out loud to no one, "You've got to give me credit – 20 some years without anyone finding out."

Wisps of dust rose at his feet as he paced to and fro, working to wrap his mind around all he had learned in the past hour. The only place he could be sure to encounter people who knew he was innocent would be at Hogwarts. There were at least three people there who would give him safe haven and should be able to provide him some answers – Professor Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape at least. Dumbledore almost assuredly would know where Harry was, as well as the whereabouts of Remus, Hermione, Ron, and the rest of the Order.

Nodding his head resolutely to himself, Sirius stood, transformed to Padfoot, and set out for Hogwarts.