Disclaimer:Anything that is in any way affiliated with Harry Potter (I'm talking characters, setting etc.) belongs to JKR. I just like to play with her ideas.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

If everyone cared and nobody cried

If everyone loved and nobody lied

If everyone shared and swallowed their pride

Then we'd see the day, when nobody died

And I'm singing

Amen… I'm alive

- If Everyone Cared, Nickelback

The Most Natural Thing in the World

25 May 1996

A young woman stood, hands twisted anxiously, in the main terminal. The hall buzzed with activity as the new arrivals rolled in, a steady flow of people who appeared either relieved or reluctant - sometimes both.

She smiled, her eyes following lost individuals, as she saw them swept into their family's embrace. Sooner or later, all these people would disappear through another door – although it was more of a gate, really – toward home.

It was peak hour of course.

He always had been the most impractical of travelers, the young man thought ruefully as he fought to move forward to the arrivals gate through the influx of human traffic.

Ruffling his unruly black hair in impatience, the young man reached the turnstiles, found a tiny pocket of empty space, and settled in for the wait.

- - - - - - - - - - -

There were raised voices at the desk. This was not uncommon, except that this new person appeared to be livid with rage. He flung the coloured brochure back into the welcome-woman's face and tried to fight his way back to the arrivals gate. Several metres away, leaning on a turnstile, the young man with messy black hair bit back a laugh, instantly recognizing the stubborn character struggling back through the curtained archway.

"HARRY!" the would be escapee bellowed at the top of his voice. "HARRY!"

The young man bit his lip, breath catching in his chest. Lightly he vaulted the turnstiles and raced over to the figure, intent on shutting him up. He was beginning to upset the other arrivals. Grasping the madman's shoulders, he tugged him around, frowning. The facial hair was new: the young man wasn't sure if he liked it.

The bearded man blinked. "Harry?" he asked.

Shocked, all he received in return was a stare.

Finally, the young man croaked, in what appeared to be a wounded sort of way, "Really Sirius, I would have thought you'd recognise your best mate."

The bearded man – evidently called Sirius – gaped.

"Merlin," he breathed. "Is that you, James?"

James simply nodded and bit his lip, struggling to hold back the sudden onslaught of tears that wanted to cascade down his cheeks. Sirius was having much less luck. His beard already wet, he launched himself onto James, sobbing.

"Fourteen years," he gasped. "Fourteen years too long, old friend."

James gave up trying to hold back the tears, but he smiled.

"How's my boy?" he asked quietly.

Sirius grinned then, his eyes shining. "You'd be so proud of him, Prongs. Spitting image of you."

"Except for his mother's eyes," James finished, also grinning. "Chip off the old block?"

Sirius nodded, gripping James' shoulder as though worried he might finally vanish. "Naturally. And speaking of Lily…?"

"Oh, she's here," James nodded, sounding nonchalant. "She didn't particularly fancy braving the crowd, so she's back further. I imagine she's rather anxious to see you, so lets get you signed in and then we can find her."

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Signed in?" he shook his head. "So I guess I am dead, then?"

James shrugged. "Do you feel dead? I don't. You don't look dead. This is just the next step, Padfoot. Nobody really dies, in the traditional sense. We just… continue to exist, somewhere else."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "You know philosophy bores me, Prongs. I was just wondering why no one had arrested me yet, but that must be because I'm-"

"Moved on," James told him firmly. "Hang on – did you say arrest?"

The welcome-woman thrust a form forward with a grateful look to James, relieved that someone had made him calm down. Pointedly ignoring James, Sirius flashed her a smile of apology and meekly filled in his name.

- - - - - - - - - - -

"This is the arrivals terminal," James explained cheerfully, sounding very much like one of those Muggle tour guides. "To your left is where all the Muggles go. I think Lily said they call it Helen, although for the life of me I don't understand why."

James and Sirius exchanged identical looks, a lament to the apparently infinite stupidity of Muggles.

"We take that door every so often when Lily wants to see her family," James added.

Suddenly they were out of the crowd flowing into the gateway to 'Helen' and were making their way further down the long hall toward another door.

"That's our door. Lily says you have to be magical to see it, but I think everyone's just blind, really."

Sirius shrugged. He was having problems processing all this. He was dead. He knew it, but he didn't feel it, and even stranger, he didn't feel sad. James certainly didn't look terribly sorry to see him.

Suddenly he noticed a lone figure leaning against a stone pillar. Her flaming hair was neatly pulled back into a casual ponytail and she was smiling – as beautiful as the last time he'd seen her.

James, oblivious to Sirius' halted progress, trotted happily over, smiling, and Sirius watched fondly as he embraced and kissed his wife.

"I'm seeing ghosts," Sirius realised, entranced.

Except that they weren't ghosts. They weren't pearly and transparent, and they didn't drift around Hogwarts. They stood on their own two feet, as solid as life itself, looking perfectly... normal.

Lily and James were regarding him curiously. Then, grinning, Lily stepped forward, toward him. Sirius met her halfway, as always, and picked her petite form up into a hug, spinning her round as she laughed delightedly.

As if it were the most natural thing in the world to die.

And, lets face it: it is.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A/N: Well… That's a little happy installment for you all. So what did you think? This kinda reminds me of the beginning and end of Love Actually, at the airports. I love that movie...

Next: Regulus?

Thanks for reading, reviews are always appreciated!

Lexie xx