A/N: Harry Potter / Sandman crossover. For those who don't know, the seven Endless are Destiny, Death, Dream, Destruction, Desire, Despair, and Delirium. And just to avoid awkwardness...Desire isn't male or female, which is why I refer to it as It. It can choose whatever It wants to be. Weird, but... Anyway, Read, Review, and Enjoy!
She was back. He had certainly seen her often enough: in the war, in Azkaban…almost everywhere he went, she was there, as eternal as change. This was the first time he'd seen her in Grimmauld Place though, and this visit was different. He could tell.
"You're back," he whispered. She nodded and he sighed.
"Who is it?" The answer, when it came, was not entirely unexpected.
"You," Death said quietly.
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All wizards have second Sight. They can see spirits, ghosts, and other things invisible to Muggles. Only a few wizards, though, are granted third Sight. Sirius Black was one of them. That didn't mean he was telepathic, or telekinetic, or even particularly good at Divination. But he saw what others didn't, which included the seven Endless. He had seen Desire stalking the nightclubs, even when It wished to remain invisible. He'd seen Dream, wandering on business of his own. In Azkaban, Delirium and Despair had been his almost constant companions. And he had seen Death.
He'd seen her gently helping the Deatheaters' victims to their feet, or bringing peace to a prisoner whose wasted body simply couldn't sustain any more torture. They had even exchanged words and pleasantries, and he had found a grudging respect for her, eventually coming to regard her as a normal, necessary part of life. That didn't make her news any less disquieting.
When he left that night for the Department of Mysteries, Sirius knew he would almost certainly die. He knew…he just didn't care. If there was any chance he could help Harry, protect him, he would take it, regardless of the consequences.
Which was why he wasn't surprised when he felt his cousin's spell hit him, felt himself falling, felt the Veil enveloping him. He'd known when he entered the battle that he stood a good chance of dying. He'd known. He just hadn't cared. After all, he thought as he dusted himself off, on the wrong side of the Veil, no one lives forever. Besides, being dead might just be an adventure. And he set off into the swirling gray mist. Lily and James were just up ahead, beckoning him on, already planning their next prank.