AN: Written for Round one of the Test Your Limits Competition II
Prompt:
Lethe
Lethe is the river of Forgetfulness where souls go to be washed clean of memories in preparation for reincarnation.
The main theme of your fic will be memory.
Bonus Prompts:
Dialogue: "We'll see what your mother has to say about that. (15 pts)
Title: Things Best Forgotten (5 pts)
Word: ephemeral (10 pts)
AND
written for The Wand Wood Challenge/Competition Prompt: Blackthorn - Alt: write about a member of the Order.
"We'll see what your mother has to say about that."
The words made their way through to Sirius' brain and he was confused, that was Bellatrix's voice, he was sure of it, but everything was so confusing. His mother was dead, she had died while he was in Azkaban, it didn't matter what she thought of his life, all she was now was a bitter and twisted painting that he couldn't remove from the wall.
"Well. Don't you have anything to say for yourself." Bellatrix spoke again, and Sirius found himself staring at her as he spoke, she was younger than he remembered.
"I'm moving out, I don't need your permission, I'm going to stay with James. Cousin Dorea already agreed."
Although still confused by the situation Sirius felt a burst of pure happiness flow through him as he saw James stood next to him, backing him up against their cousin. It was ephemeral though, James was dead and so was cousin Dorea, and Bellatrix was certainly not as young as she looked, it was a memory. One of his, from around the time that he walked out of the Black family to get away from the madness that was following a halfblood bent on world domination.
Sirius tried to focus, where was he and why was he viewing memories of his childhood, he couldn't remember. He had no idea where he was or what he had been doing, was it a spell that had caused this, a potion perhaps.
He was cold. Colder than he had ever been, both in body and soul. They were dead, and it was all his fault. James and Lily dead at the hand of Voldemort, and Harry had been taken to Dumbledore by Hagrid, he had nothing left but vengeance. Killing Pettigrew wouldn't have made things right in the world, it wouldn't bring his friends back, but it would make him feel better. It hadn't worked though, and now he was locked up in Azkaban with the dementors for betraying the Potter's and for committing a murder that he only wished he had done. He could feel it getting colder, a sign that the dementors were coming, and as they reached his cell he transformed on instinct, leaving a big black dog in his place.
Sirius shuddered, his memories of Azkaban were not his favourites, and to be viewing them in his mind while in some unknown location when he had no idea how he had gotten there did not instill him with confidence. He hoped for some nicer memories to bolster his spirits a bit while he tried to figure out where he was, but he doubted that he actually had any real power wherever he was. It was his mind and his memories though, so he should be able to affect them.
"God rest ye merry hippogryffs" Sirius sang, ignoring the chuckling that came from Remus in the corner, and bracing himself for the scolding that was sure to come from Mrs. Weasley for drinking in front of Harry and her children.
"Siri," Harry began, "Can we talk? You too, Professor Lupin."
Remus somehow managed to clear the room quickly and the three of them sat in front of the fire, Sirius abandoning his fire whiskey in favour of conversation with his godson.
"What is it pup?" Sirius questioned, getting a small smile from Harry at the name.
"Can you tell me about my parents?" Harry asked, staring at them both hopefully.
A grin crossed Sirius' face and he launched into a story about Lily chasing him and James for trying to take Harry out on a broom when he was a week old.
Sirius smiled as the memory flashed before his eyes, Harry was so like both Lily and James it made him miss his friends. The memories seemed to flow through his head quicker now, all jumbled up, ranging the entire span of his life, until he came on one that began to shed some light on the situation.
Bellatrix's cackle was something that Sirius would never forget, his cousin really was a mad harridan, and worse she was an obsessed mad harridan. It was worse that she had a cause, something to follow, because it just fuelled her madness. Jumping into battle to protect his godson Sirius soon found himself duelling his least favourite cousin.
She was rusty due to her time in Azkaban, but then again so was he, but he wasn't going to let her get the upper hand. He began to taunt her, knowing that it riled her up and made her sloppy, it was a tactic that he had used on her for years and one that had always worked. It made him overconfident and he underestimated her. He didn't see the beam of red light that hit him until it was too late. It was only a stunner, but he felt himself fall backwards, through something flimsy and black.
Sirius was startled to realise exactly what had happened, he had lost in a duel with Bellatrix and as a result was stuck. He knew all about the veil, it was something that the Black family knew quite a bit about. The veil of souls or death as the Ministry called it was an eternal prison from which there was no escape. Not only was there no escape from the place he had ended up, but there was no escape from his memories either. His memories would keep replaying over and over, the good ones paling in insignificance compared to the memories that he would gladly forget. His worst memories on a loop for the rest of eternity, it was like being back in Azkaban with the dementors, only this time there was no chance for an escape.