Sirius groaned. He ached all over from the force of Bellatrix's curse. Bella! Harry! He snapped open his eyes and jumped up, only to hit the ceiling of the Hogwarts Express.
"Bloody hell!" He cried. "Why am I here?" The last thing he remembered was falling in a curtain-like thing. He collapsed down in one of the seats, and pondered his predicament. He knew he had to somehow get back to the Ministry; Harry was in trouble.
He apparated to the Ministry's telephone box entrance, entered the code, but then paused. It was the middle of the day. Harry couldn't possibly still be fighting. The Order would have sent him back to Hogwarts. Glad to have at least a semi-concrete plan, Sirius swiftly apparated to the Forbidden Forest.
He began to walk towards Hagrid's, knowing that in his weakened state he would never be able to run. He gingerly felt his ribs, then snapped his hand back with a cry of pain. Bellatrix was certainly a powerful Dark witch.
Sirius was jolted from his reminiscing as he came upon the wreckage. There was rubble, and gigantic footprints. "What in the name if Merlin happened?" He screamed.
He knit his brows in utter confusion as he saw the disgusting house-elf Kreacher. He seemed to be wielding a butcher knife, and leading what looked like the entire population of Hogwarts house elves into the castle.
"Oi, Kreacher!" He called. Kreacher started.
He turned to his master with bulging eyes. "Master?" He croaked. Sirius motioned for Kreacher to join him at the edge of the forest, and Kreacher came running as fast as he could.
Sirius was about to ask him what had happened, when Kreacher burst into tears. "Oh Master!" He cried. "I is so sorry, Miss Cissy says to tell Harry that you is not there, so I says to Harry so. And then you goes to fight with the Order and you is killed, and kind Master Harry, he was so angry and sad. Kreacher is ashamed now, Master Sirius! I is so sorry. But what is you doing here anyway, Master Sirius, they's been saying you died two years ago. Is you a ghost?" He said between sobs.
Sirius blanched. "Kreacher, what day is today? And I can't be a ghost. I'm solid, aren't i?" He placed a hand on Kreacher's head.
"Yes Master. You is solid. Today is... May the third. "
"Er, of what year?"
"1998, Master. "
Sirius shook his head in bewilderment. "What has happened here?" He asked, indicating the rubble that surrounded them.
"Today Harry Potter has vanquished the Dark Lord, Master Sirius! The house elves and I be helping too, Master Sirius."
Sirius had to grab onto a tree trunk to stop himself from falling over. "Harry, is he all right? He killed Voldemort? Is everyone okay?" Sirius sputtered.
Kreacher looked at the ground. "Many died today Master. But Master Harry was not one of them. Master Harry is sleeping in the infirmary now, Master. "
Sirius nodded. He remembered having a dream in which he, James, Lily and Remus came and talked to Harry. It had reminded him of something that had happened to Harry when he dueled with Voldemort in his fourth year.
The man vaguely recalled telling Harry about the painlessness of death, and encouraging him -something about knowing that Harry would have to die in order to vanquish Voldemort. Sirius closed his eyes. None of this made any sense.
"I need to see Harry." He told Kreacher decisively.
The crabbed house elf nodded and led him into the castle. They walked down the hallways that held so many sweet memories for the thoroughly befuddled man. He was startled out of his reverie when Kreacher opened the door to Madam Pomfrey's infirmary.
Ronald Weasley saw him first. "Bloo-!" "Shhh!" Shushed Hermione, as she turned to see what Ron was looking at. She gasped and almost fell out of her chair, but recovered her composure quite quickly, unlike Ron, who was staring open mouthed At Sirius, a look of utter shock plastered on his features.
"S-Sirius?" She whispered. The man nodded. "Kreacher must go now" said Kreacher. The man nodded again. He had eyes only for the messy haired boy sleeping soundly on a cot.
As Kreacher left, Hermione began to speak.