Disclaimer: JKR owns Sirius, Remus, Harry, etc. I just kidnap them...er,
invite them over to play once in a while.
I own Alexandra and Celina, who are from my fic Remembrance. If you don't like OCs in general, or, heaven forbid, don't like these two for some reason...you probably won't like this story. Tough.
A.N: Okay. So. A character in a book about *magic* gets hit with a curse that, while not specified in nature, is definitely *not* Aveda Kedavra, and subsequently falls backwards through a mysterious veil in the Department of Big Crazy Magical Secret Things, and promptly vanishes.
...Since when is a situation like that a death scene? *walks off, shaking her head in bewilderment*
There And Back Again
Prologue
His fall knocked the breath from him, and he was still in pain from taking the full blast of Bellatrix Lestrange's curse, so it was several moments before he could move or speak. Recovering somewhat, he rubbed his aching chest with his hand and growled, "I owe you for that one, Bella..."
Sitting up, he opened his eyes, then blinked, squeezed them shut for a moment, and tried again. Why the hell couldn't he see anything? But wait- something was coming visible in front of him. A stone archway, with an old ragged-looking curtain hanging from it. That was the archway he'd fallen through! And beyond it, he could hear Harry calling his name, though his voice sounded strangely distant, as if he were calling from miles away.
"Harry-" Sirius called in response, rising and stepping toward the curtain with his hand outstretched. "It's okay, I'm alri-" he stopped short as his hand met the curtain and tried to push it back. It didn't move. It was as if it was carved out of stone, but he could feel the softness of the fabric beneath his fingers, he just couldn't move it. He pushed at it harder, and then again with all his strength. Nothing. On the other side of the archway, he could hear Remus now. "There's nothing you can do, Harry...he's gone..."
"No!" he shouted. Couldn't they hear him calling? And why was it so hard for him to hear them? "Remus, Harry, I-I'm alright, I just-can't get back through the curtain!" He pounded his fist against the fabric; it didn't so much as budge.
"They can't hear you, you know." said a querulous voice behind him. "And you may as well stop banging on the Veil, because you can't get through it- not that way."
Sirius spun around. His surroundings were still in almost total gloom, making it hard to see anything, but one clearly defined figure stood in front of him. A tall, elderly wizard with a long gray beard, wearing silver robes and surveying Sirius like a disapproving teacher.
"Who're you?" Sirius asked, looking him up and down.
"Who am I?" The old wizard said, looking faintly shocked. "Such impertentince! You fall through my Veil, make all this racket, and then want to know who I am? The question is, young man, who are you?"
Sirius might have found this old man amusing, if he hadn't been so confused and so eager to get back through the Veil. "Sirius Black. Now, if it's not too much trouble, would you mind telling me who you are, where I am, because it definitely looks like I'm not in the Ministry anymore, and, most importantly, how I get back?"
"One thing at a time, young man! One thing at a time." The wizard made a sweeping bow. "I am-do you know, I don't believe I can remember what my name was when I was in the Land of the Living? Shame...oh well...around here, anyway, they've always called me Morpheus."
"Right. And, like I said-where is 'here'?"
"Why, the Land of the Dead, of course! I would think that, having fallen through the Veil in the Death Chamber, you would realize-"
"Land of the Dead?!"
"Oh, don't worry-Sirius, did you say? You're quite alive. I must say this is very exciting-it's been centuries since I built that Archway, and you're the first actually living person to come through here...well, besides myself, of course."
Alright, so he wasn't dead, at least...that was comforting. "So that archway is a portal to the Land of the Dead, and my falling through it sent me here even though I'm still alive?"
"Exactly, dear boy. It's quite a simple concept, really."
"So why can't I just go back through?"
"Because this is the entrance Archway! You see-wait, let me make sure I can remember all this before I start...ah, yes. You see, Sirius, in the Land of the Dead there are two Archways, each corresponding to a different side of the Archway in the Death Chamber. You enter the Veil there, you come out here, at the entrance Archway. To get back, you have to find the exit Archway in here, which will put you back out on the other side of the Veil in the Death Chamber."
"Alright...well, that doesn't sound too difficult." Bending down, Sirius grabbed his wand from where it had fallen beside him. "Where's the exit Archway?"
Morpheus opened his mouth, paused suddenly, and closed his mouth. "I...err...can't remember..." he said sheepishly.
Sirius sighed. "Great, just great..."
"I...err...I think it was over that way..." Morpheus said feebly, pointing to the left.
"Guess I'm heading that way, then...I don't suppose there's anything else you can help me with?" There was a slight note of sarcasm in his voice, but the elderly wizard didn't seem to catch it.
"Not I...but I have no doubt you will be helped in this journey, Sirius Black."
Sirius paused, having been about to set out. "What makes you say that?"
Morpheus flashed a slight grin at him. "I've just remembered why your name sounded familiar...you have many friends in this realm, do you not, Sirius Black?" Sirius's stomach flip-flopped at the sudden thought that he might see James and Lily here. The old man continued. "Of course, I don't know where any of them are...but I'm sure that, once they catch wind that you are here, alive, they will do all they can to help you return to the Land of the Living."
Sirius nodded. "Thanks." Looking into the darkness ahead of him, he muttered "Lumos." And held his wand in front of him like a torch.
"Good luck, Sirius Black!" Morpheus called as he walked away. Already, his voice was beginning to sound distant, as Harry's and Remus's had. "And remember!"
"Remember what?" Sirius called absently over his shoulder. Getting no answer, he turned. "Remember what? Morpheus?"
But the old wizard was gone.
A.N: This would be where I put the usual stay tuned for the next chapter bit...but the next chapter is already written, and I would be an evil author and wait until this got some reviews to put the next bit up, but I'm too eager to share it, so...yeah...
I own Alexandra and Celina, who are from my fic Remembrance. If you don't like OCs in general, or, heaven forbid, don't like these two for some reason...you probably won't like this story. Tough.
A.N: Okay. So. A character in a book about *magic* gets hit with a curse that, while not specified in nature, is definitely *not* Aveda Kedavra, and subsequently falls backwards through a mysterious veil in the Department of Big Crazy Magical Secret Things, and promptly vanishes.
...Since when is a situation like that a death scene? *walks off, shaking her head in bewilderment*
There And Back Again
Prologue
His fall knocked the breath from him, and he was still in pain from taking the full blast of Bellatrix Lestrange's curse, so it was several moments before he could move or speak. Recovering somewhat, he rubbed his aching chest with his hand and growled, "I owe you for that one, Bella..."
Sitting up, he opened his eyes, then blinked, squeezed them shut for a moment, and tried again. Why the hell couldn't he see anything? But wait- something was coming visible in front of him. A stone archway, with an old ragged-looking curtain hanging from it. That was the archway he'd fallen through! And beyond it, he could hear Harry calling his name, though his voice sounded strangely distant, as if he were calling from miles away.
"Harry-" Sirius called in response, rising and stepping toward the curtain with his hand outstretched. "It's okay, I'm alri-" he stopped short as his hand met the curtain and tried to push it back. It didn't move. It was as if it was carved out of stone, but he could feel the softness of the fabric beneath his fingers, he just couldn't move it. He pushed at it harder, and then again with all his strength. Nothing. On the other side of the archway, he could hear Remus now. "There's nothing you can do, Harry...he's gone..."
"No!" he shouted. Couldn't they hear him calling? And why was it so hard for him to hear them? "Remus, Harry, I-I'm alright, I just-can't get back through the curtain!" He pounded his fist against the fabric; it didn't so much as budge.
"They can't hear you, you know." said a querulous voice behind him. "And you may as well stop banging on the Veil, because you can't get through it- not that way."
Sirius spun around. His surroundings were still in almost total gloom, making it hard to see anything, but one clearly defined figure stood in front of him. A tall, elderly wizard with a long gray beard, wearing silver robes and surveying Sirius like a disapproving teacher.
"Who're you?" Sirius asked, looking him up and down.
"Who am I?" The old wizard said, looking faintly shocked. "Such impertentince! You fall through my Veil, make all this racket, and then want to know who I am? The question is, young man, who are you?"
Sirius might have found this old man amusing, if he hadn't been so confused and so eager to get back through the Veil. "Sirius Black. Now, if it's not too much trouble, would you mind telling me who you are, where I am, because it definitely looks like I'm not in the Ministry anymore, and, most importantly, how I get back?"
"One thing at a time, young man! One thing at a time." The wizard made a sweeping bow. "I am-do you know, I don't believe I can remember what my name was when I was in the Land of the Living? Shame...oh well...around here, anyway, they've always called me Morpheus."
"Right. And, like I said-where is 'here'?"
"Why, the Land of the Dead, of course! I would think that, having fallen through the Veil in the Death Chamber, you would realize-"
"Land of the Dead?!"
"Oh, don't worry-Sirius, did you say? You're quite alive. I must say this is very exciting-it's been centuries since I built that Archway, and you're the first actually living person to come through here...well, besides myself, of course."
Alright, so he wasn't dead, at least...that was comforting. "So that archway is a portal to the Land of the Dead, and my falling through it sent me here even though I'm still alive?"
"Exactly, dear boy. It's quite a simple concept, really."
"So why can't I just go back through?"
"Because this is the entrance Archway! You see-wait, let me make sure I can remember all this before I start...ah, yes. You see, Sirius, in the Land of the Dead there are two Archways, each corresponding to a different side of the Archway in the Death Chamber. You enter the Veil there, you come out here, at the entrance Archway. To get back, you have to find the exit Archway in here, which will put you back out on the other side of the Veil in the Death Chamber."
"Alright...well, that doesn't sound too difficult." Bending down, Sirius grabbed his wand from where it had fallen beside him. "Where's the exit Archway?"
Morpheus opened his mouth, paused suddenly, and closed his mouth. "I...err...can't remember..." he said sheepishly.
Sirius sighed. "Great, just great..."
"I...err...I think it was over that way..." Morpheus said feebly, pointing to the left.
"Guess I'm heading that way, then...I don't suppose there's anything else you can help me with?" There was a slight note of sarcasm in his voice, but the elderly wizard didn't seem to catch it.
"Not I...but I have no doubt you will be helped in this journey, Sirius Black."
Sirius paused, having been about to set out. "What makes you say that?"
Morpheus flashed a slight grin at him. "I've just remembered why your name sounded familiar...you have many friends in this realm, do you not, Sirius Black?" Sirius's stomach flip-flopped at the sudden thought that he might see James and Lily here. The old man continued. "Of course, I don't know where any of them are...but I'm sure that, once they catch wind that you are here, alive, they will do all they can to help you return to the Land of the Living."
Sirius nodded. "Thanks." Looking into the darkness ahead of him, he muttered "Lumos." And held his wand in front of him like a torch.
"Good luck, Sirius Black!" Morpheus called as he walked away. Already, his voice was beginning to sound distant, as Harry's and Remus's had. "And remember!"
"Remember what?" Sirius called absently over his shoulder. Getting no answer, he turned. "Remember what? Morpheus?"
But the old wizard was gone.
A.N: This would be where I put the usual stay tuned for the next chapter bit...but the next chapter is already written, and I would be an evil author and wait until this got some reviews to put the next bit up, but I'm too eager to share it, so...yeah...