Return From The Veil
Chapter 2 – They're Back
A/N: Hey guys, wow it's been two beautiful years of writing Fanfiction and I can honestly say I have loved every second of it. And now :::rubs hands gleefully::: time to get serious – ON WITH THE STORY!
With shaky legs, the trio got to their feet disbelieving of the sight in front of them. Sirius Black looked exactly the way he did when they last saw him right down to the robes and stubble on his chin. That in itself would've been enough to shock them but what else had emerged from the veil brought tears to their eyes and rendered them still and speechless. Remus and Tonks stood to Sirius's right, Fred on his immediate left, and finally Lily and James Potter beside Fred.
"Harry? Is that you?" Sirius asked again.
Harry couldn't believe it, "Sirius…" His breathing became heavier and a moment later they were hugging each other tightly. "Sirius my god you're back!" Harry sobbed. This unexpected reunion with his godfather brought all the old emotions right up to the surface. "I'm so sorry Sirius! I was an idiot, I -"
"Enough," Sirius stopped him. "What happened, happened and no harm done now apparently," they chuckled lightly. "But I never blamed you," Sirius pulled away to look his godson in the eye, "it was never your fault. But I think there are some people you should meet," Sirius smiled and redirected Harry's attention to his parents
"Hello Harry," Lily said timidly, taking a small step forward.
"Mum? Dad?" Harry could've shouted for joy.
"My son," Lily opened her arms and he didn't hesitate to step in. "My baby boy, let me look at you." Lily held his face, brushing his hair away. "So handsome, and so grown up."
"Very grown up," James amended holding Harry's left hand that bore his wedding ring.
"Congratulations Harry," Remus grinned.
"Remus, Tonks," Harry turned to them, embracing both.
"Welcome back," Hermione greeted while receiving a hug from Sirius.
"Blimey you're old," Fred poked his little brother.
"Shut up Fred," Ron half-laughed, half-cried and then they too were holding each other. He let go to take Hermione's hand, "Thank you love." He kissed her soundly, "Thank you so much."
"Thanks Mya," Harry stepped up too and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You are the greatest witch of all time."
"You're welcome," Hermione wiped her eyes. "At running the risk of killing the moment, we shouldn't get too excited. We ought to have you guys checked out, make sure you're really back. Plus we can't have it get out that we can raise the dead."
"Good point," Tonks nodded.
"This is an impressive piece of magic," Remus examined the veil. "Is that the Cloak?"
"Yeah," Hermione nodded. "And believe it or not, the arch is actually Dumbledore's wand. In combination with a stone, they make this. It took me years to work it out but obviously, I got there in the end."
"Any way to get them back?" James asked.
"I'm sure there is a way to disassemble it but I don't know how as yet," Hermione answered. "I'll figure it out."
"Wait did you just say years?" Tonks's gaze widened.
"The war ended six years ago," Ron supplied.
"So how long have we been gone?" Lily inquired.
Hermione did the mental math, "Remus, Tonks, and Fred, you all died the day the war ended so six years for you. That means Sirius has been away for eight, and Lily and James, you were gone for…give or take about twenty-two years."
James whistled lowly, "Hell of a long time."
"The only thing that matters is that you're back," Harry put in. "You've got all the time in the world, you'll catch up eventually." Hermione however was worried, there was still too much they weren't sure about.
Case in point. "Guys," Sirius called. "I think something is wrong, it's shaking." Sure enough, the veil had sprung to vibrate violently, so much so that the floor shook and the Cloak.
The gusting wind came back and the trio screamed, "GET DOWN!" They all dived to the side, shielding their faces, more thumps shook the floor and voices filled the air. The winds died down and they looked up not knowing who to expect this time and when they did, Hermione had to clap a hand over her mouth to stop the scream horror, Harry's blood chilled, and Ron went pale. The newly returned were filled with dread, afraid of what would happen next. Lucius Malfoy who had died in prison not six months before was now in the room looking like he had never faced death. Fenrir Greyback struggled to his feet somewhat disoriented. Bellatrix Lestrange held her brother in-law's hand as she rose, taking in the surroundings. Peter Pettigrew only had eyes for the marauders as they stared each other down with a mixture of fear, hate, and shock. Barty Crouch Jr. dusted himself off arrogantly because at the center was the one man that very few ever wanted to see again; Lord Voldemort had risen…again.
A/N: Yup heeeeeeeeeee'sssssssss baaaaaaaccckkkkk, come on, you can't have a story with characters that rise from the dead without including the guy whose name literally means 'fly from death'. If you guys are following me from Tick In Time, you know I don't get too dark so relax and ENJOY! R&R PLZ!
