Set in fifth year. Sorry it's short.
Harry could feel the hole in his chest. Sirius was dead. Dead, with no ghost or shadow or echo left – only broken possibilities. With Cedric, Harry had had closure; he had spent the summer enduring nightmares and regret, but his grief was quickly turned to righteous anger.
Sirius's death was worse: it was all Harry's fault.
Harry had found the hand mirror in his trunk, and a fresh wave of guilt had overcome him. If only's, and what if's passed through his mind, over and over. With Cedric there had been anger, but with Sirius there was only pain. Harry tried not to dwell – Sirius wouldn't want Harry to mope around – but it was useless.
In desperation, Harry had sought out Nearly-Headless Nick, but that too had provided no comfort. Nick was a dead end, retreating swiftly, and leaving Harry alone in the fourth floor corridor. Without thinking, Harry walked dejectedly into the room with the Mirror of Erised.
Another person gone. Another family member lost. Another part of being Harry Potter.
Harry stepped up to the mirror and a new wave of heartache overtook him. Sirius was standing beside James and Lily, returned to his formerly handsome state before Azkaban – like the man that had stood beside them at their wedding. How could anyone have doubted his loyalty? How could the wizarding world think, even now, that he was a murderer? How could he be gone?
The tears, that had refused to fall before, fell swiftly as Harry sank to his knees. He sat before the mirror, like he had done the first night he had seen the family he had never known, and wept. When his tears ran dry, Harry stood, his legs trembling. He knew, finally, what everyone was afraid of.
There wasn't even energy left for anger, which was fine. Harry had been angry all year, and he was tired. Tired of being angry. Tired of being scared. Tired of waiting for something that would never come...
Sirius was gone and he wasn't coming back. The dead could never come back, but life would continue on. There was no point in wasting time on anger and regrets.
Because Voldemort would continue.
Sirius was gone...
But Harry was still here.
