OH HI. Yes, I realise you've given up on this fic being finished. But, um, surprise?! (Hey, I'm only…6 years late. Sorry sorry sorry)

I apologise in advance if there are any typos or grammar mistakes in this as I wanted to get it posted ASAP so I haven't done a full proofread.

There is smut in this chapter. The explicit kind. If that's not your thing (although I can't imagine why you would have read up to this point if it isn't), then you may want to skip reading this.

Sirius leaned back in his chair, felt Remus's grip on his shoulder tighten fractionally before relaxing. The other man hadn't let him out of his sight since they'd left the Manor.

Closing his eyes, Sirius let out a long, slow breath. He could barely believe that he had escaped, let alone that he was safely back at Grimmauld Place, with Remus and Harry both safe and sound. A sense of doom had primarily filled his last few hours, and he was still only adjusting to the fact that he had been successfully rescued – still alive. Remus had filled him in on what had happened while he had been captured. Apparently, Ron and Hermione had searched the rest of the Manor and managed to uncover Yaxley, who had been trying to escape. They had bound him and brought him to the Ministry, where under veritaserum, he had confessed what they had all suspected: it had been Rookwood, who had escaped after the end of the war and gone into hiding, who had performed the spell to bring back the Death Eaters from the Veil. The plan had been to gather as many of Voldemort's past followers as possible for another uprising with Rookwood leading the charge – and Rookwood had conveniently disappeared. He had not been at the Manor with the others.

Remus had also told him about Minerva's counter-spell. His stomach had felt like it was weighed down by stones by the time Remus was done. Since then, they had sat, silently, side by side.

Sirius wondered how much of a choice he had.

Footsteps sounded in the hallway and both Sirius and Remus looked up from where they had been sitting, Sirius in the large worn out armchair with Remus balancing on the arm. Harry, Hermione and Ron came in, each wearing a carefully blank face.

Great, thought Sirius wearily, bracing himself for bad news.

"How are you both doing?" Hermione asked, running a critical eye over them both. Sirius could imagine what they both looked like – disheveled, tired and barely coherent. The golden trio, on the other hand, looked barely worse for wear. Must be an age thing. I'm far too old for running around and fighting death eaters.

Remus cut through his thoughts sharply. "We're fine," he said, his voice tense. "Did you hear from Minerva?"

The three hesitated for a moment before Harry finally spoke. "Yes," he said reluctantly. "We're to meet her in her office at Hogwarts now, and a quote, 'unless Sirius has decided to run off again'."

Amused, one side of Sirius's mouth quirked upwards. "Just like I'm back at school," he said wryly.

Remus looked closely at Harry. "And has she mentioned… what did she say is going to happen once we get there?" There was a fierce determination to his tone that Harry had never heard before.

"Remus," Hermione jumped in, her voice reassuring. "Minerva said she had good news. Sort of. She said she's with Malfoy."

That stirred something in Sirius's mind. "Oh yes," he said, casting Harry a look. "Someone will have to explain that to me – gave me the shock of my life to see a Malfoy turning up to rescue me –"

"Harry can explain it later," Hermione said smoothly. Sirius frowned, trying to decipher the wide-eyed look of panic his godson was currently giving Hermione. "I think right now, it's suffice to say Malfoy's on our side, Sirius – he helped us identify where you were. We would never have found you if not for him."

Sirius tilted his head, still busy examining the rising blush in Harry's cheeks. Was it possible...?

"Er, shall we go, then?" Harry asked, gesturing towards the fireplace awkwardly and studiously avoiding Sirius's gaze. "I told Minerva we'd just floo in."

At Remus's nudge, Sirius stood up. He felt a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder as they headed towards the fireplace. He took a deep breath as he reached out to grasp a handful of floo powder, and hoped to the gods that it really was good news which awaited him.

When he emerged from Minerva's fireplace, coughing out a lungful of ash, he blinked in surprise to see Minerva McGonagall striding towards him, hands stretched out. "Sirius." To his even greater surprise, her eyes filled with tears. "It is, unbelievably, good to see you again."

He let himself be enveloped in her hug and tried not to sniffle. "You too, Minerva," he managed.

Minerva took a few steps back and gestured. "You know Draco Malfoy, I believe."

"I don't think we've actually formally met." Sirius studied the blonde, then cast a quick glance to Harry. His godson was trying ridiculously hard not to look at Malfoy. It was almost comical to watch.

He thrust out a hand and shook Malfoy's. "Thanks for your help in, you know, rescuing me and all."

Malfoy shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "I suppose Potter's savior complex was going to rub off eventually."

"You know, I think you're actually pretty good at heart, Draco," Harry said suddenly, with a shy smile. He looked suddenly self-conscious and avoided Sirius's eyes.

Minerva drew the group's attention with a sharp rap on her desk. "We've got work to do," she said pointedly. "Now, Malfoy has kindly provided us with a copy of a very rare book which will help us." She touched her fingers lightly to a thick book lying open on her desk.

Hermione perked up at once. "What book is it?"

"Secrets of the Veil," Minerva replied. "It's fascinating, actually, full of history and facts of how the Veil was created and what happens when one falls through—"

"I didn't find any book by that name," Hermione interrupted, looking crestfallen. "I searched pretty thoroughly for books about the Veil, too, how did—"

"It's a Dark book, Granger," Malfoy interrupted. "You wouldn't find it just lying about in any library." Just the library of an ex-death eater, thought Sirius.

That shut Hermione up.

"The point is," Minerva said, a hint of her I'm-a-Professor-and-you-must-listen tone emerging, "is that it gives us a spell that will allow us to send certain souls who have escaped from the Veil back. It differs from the counter-spell because it allows the spell caster to specify which souls, or a type of soul."

Remus frowned. "A type of soul? How does that work?"

Minerva looked at him for a moment. "Like this, Remus. In our case, we can have the spell return all souls who have been marked by the Dark Mark back to the Veil."

There was a short silence as everybody in the room absorbed this.

"But that's fantastic," Hermione cried. "Sirius will be able to stay, while all the Death Eaters get sent back!"

Minerva nodded, smiling. "That is the idea. I suggest that we cast the spell without delay. From the book, it looks like it will take the magic of more than one wizard. It says 'two or more wizards may be required for the accurate performance of this spell' – look—" She flipped the book around and pointed to a row of diagrams. "The spell casters will need to hold hands next to the Veil. The incantation is reditus animarum. Each wizard must have in their minds the specific type of soul that is to be returned – in our case, I would think we would each need to be thinking strongly and solely of the Dark Mark." She turned the book back around and read from its pages: "'The spell casters must acknowledge the damage which has been done by allowing these souls to escape from the Veil in the first place. As the magic which tears open the Veil to allow souls to pass back to humanity goes against the very element of nature itself and destroys the delicate balance of life and death, the spell casters must return this in order to bestow equanimity back to the universe.'"

"Return this," Sirius said slowly, looking at Minerva. "What does that mean?"

"That's the tricky part," Minerva sighed. "It's not clear. It's obviously a complex spell – perhaps it means by acknowledging the damage done, this can restore the balance?"

"How do we acknowledge it?" This came from Ron, who had been looking more and more nervous as Minerva read from the book.

"I was thinking," Minerva said slowly. "The main damage that has been done by allowing the Death Eaters back through the Veil is the harm and pain they would cause to the wizarding world – and death. If each spell caster thinks of someone close to them who has died at the hands of a Death Eater, this may be an acknowledgment of sorts."

There was a silence as each person in the room thought of an example they could use. Harry saw Malfoy turn away, one hand swiping inconspicuously at his cheek. He wondered who Malfoy's example would be.

"Let us decide on the spell casters," Minerva said sharply. "As one of the strongest spell casters here, I would like to volunteer to be one of the four."

"I agree," Harry said hastily. "I'm in, too."

"And me," Hermione said. She glanced over at Remus. "And I think Remus should complete the circle."

Remus met her eyes, then nodded once, firmly.

"All right then," Minerva snapped the book shut, ignoring the dust that fluttered out of its pages. "Let's do it."

###

It didn't work.

Harry felt a desperation gnawing at him from the inside as he released Minerva's and Hermione's hands on either side of him. The expression on the other's face reflected his feelings.

They were at the Ministry, in front of the Veil. A few paces to his right, Yaxley floated, bound, immobile and unconscious. It had been Hermione's idea to bring him. "To make sure it works," she said.

It was a good idea. And it wasn't working.

"One more time," Harry said, trying to insert an optimism he didn't feel into his tone.

Hermione pushed back sweaty hair from her forehead anxiously. "Harry—"

"One more time," Harry repeated, voice growing louder.

Even Remus looked defeated. Harry watched as Hermione avoided his gaze and sighed, scraping circles on the ground with her shoe.

"Please?" Harry whispered.

"Potter," Minerva's voice was firm, though kind. "We have already cast the spell five times. I think it's fair to say it hasn't worked. We must be missing something – or doing it wrong. Either way—"

"No," Harry said desperately.

"—we'll need to do the counter—"

"No," he was shouting now. "We can go and find all the other Death Eaters and kill them all. It won't take long. Yaxley, Rookwood—"

"Potter. Please listen. We don't know how many Death Eaters were released back from the Veil. We could ask him—" Minerva jabbed a finger backwards in Yaxley's direction, "—but even under veritaserum, he may not know the full extent. Rookwood may have the answers but we don't know where he is. Potter – Harry –" Harry felt his old Professor grasp his shoulders and forced himself to meet her eyes. "We don't have time to wait and figure it out. News of our attack at the Manor will have travelled by now. They will be consolidating, calculating, making plans. We have to act now."

Harry stayed silent, staring at the ground.

Minerva sighed. "Is it worth risking even one innocent life, Harry, where we know we could risk none?"

"Isn't Sirius an innocent life?" Harry countered.

Minerva paused. Then, gently, she said, "Harry. Sirius already died."

Harry spun around desperately, seeking our Remus. "Remus. Please. Help ."

Remus looked up slowly, meeting Harry's eyes, and Harry almost stepped back at the force of the utter sadness he could see reflected. Remus's shoulders were slumped, hands shoved deep in his pockets. Harry chewed on his bottom lip and prayed. Please don't say it, please don't—

"She's right, Harry." Remus's tone was low, quiet. "Sirius has been on borrowed time. We have to think of the wizarding community—"

Closing his eyes, Harry turned and headed towards the nearest fireplace, not waiting to hear the rest of what Remus had to say. He felt only vaguely aware of shouts calling him to return as he grasped a handful of floo powder and stepped blindly into the green flames.

###

Dinner was a silent affair.

Sirius pushed his pasta around the plate, glancing halfheartedly around the table. This was even worse than the pizza dinner nightmare that first night when Remus had found out he was alive. He wondered if Minerva was being kind by granting him one last night or if it was really some sort of twisted punishment.

Harry was sitting next to Malfoy, looking miserable. Sirius saw that the two of them were sitting very close together – far closer than he would have expected. He had a slight suspicion that if he peeked under the table right that second, he would see the a certain blonde haired boy's hand resting on his godson's knee.

I guess there is still room for surprises left in my life, he thought. Then, abruptly: not much of it left though.

He peered sideways at Remus, who was not even pretending to eat. He looked older, tired, and was staring out the window with a blank gaze.

He coughed lightly, drawing Remus's attention. He jerked his head towards the kitchen door and waited as Remus paused, then gave him a slight nod.

"Excuse us." Sirius said, pushing back from the table. When Remus also pushed back his chair, everyone's heads swiveled around to look at them and he saw Hermione give Ron a sharp nudge with her elbow when he started choking violently on a piece of pasta. Sirius pasted a smile across his face. "Don't want to leave the party early, but…" He trailed off weakly.

Harry got up abruptly as well and Sirius suddenly found himself enveloped in a fierce hug. "I haven't given up yet, Sirius," Harry said. "We'll figure it out. Ron, Hermione and I – and Draco"—Harry blushed at Sirius's raised eyebrow—"we're going to stay up all night."

Sirius patted his godson on the back, his mind running through and rejecting a million things he could say. "Harry—" he started, then stopped again. Finally, he said, "Thank you, Harry. But you should all get some rest as well." He met Harry's eyes and tried to convey what his words could not. "Whatever happens, happens. Yeah?"

Harry nodded, swallowing hard.

Sirius gave him a final pat then glanced at Remus. He snuck a glance at Ron, then flashed Remus a large grin. "My room, then, Moony?"

They left the kitchen together, smiling at the sounds of groans and Ron's muffled choking from the kitchen.

At the door to his room, Sirius stopped, hesitant. "Remus – I know we never talked about – what happened. I don't want to – if you don't – I mean, if you're not comfortable with—" He stopped, frustrated. Great. I won't be alive tomorrow and I still can't talk properly.

He was, however, saved from having to jumble his words up further when Remus suddenly leaned forward and captured his lips in a tentative kiss.

And it was back again – that feeling, the one that never left, the one that was like a million fireworks exploding all at once in his brain, the one that never ceased to amaze him, the one that felt like coming home.

And so he decided to stop thinking and wrapped his arms around Remus, kissing him back hungrily, biting lightly on his lower lip until Remus moaned, sliding his hands under Remus's shirt and drawing him closer. Sirius let out a rough groan as he felt Remus's hands slide over the crotch of his pants, already hard.

They stumbled into Sirius's bedroom. He was dimly aware of Remus – always the clearer thinker – slamming shut the door and locking it before tossing his wand aside. "You forgot something, Moony," Sirius murmured, picking up the wand again, and in a flash both their clothes vanished. Sirius began running a trail of kisses from Remus's jaw down to his chest.

Remus let out a soft laugh. "You never did like to waste time, Padfoot," he whispered.

Sirius let out a growl of assent as he continued making his way downward. He heard Remus's sharp intake of breath as his kisses traced lightly over his abdomen, then lower still. With a wicked gleam in his eye, Sirius leaned forward and suddenly licked the entire length of Remus's shaft.

"P-Padfoot," he heard Remus gasp. Smiling, Sirius opened his mouth and took Remus's entire length down his throat. The other man let out a long moan, his hands clenching in Sirius's hair.

Sirius sucked and licked, enjoying Remus's moans. He felt Remus's fingers tighten in his hair suddenly and his voice, rough and raw. "Wait. Stop. I going to—I want—"

Smiling, Sirius stood up again, drawing Remus in for a long, sweet kiss. "I know, Moony," Sirius smiled. "After so long, don't you think I know when you're about to come?"

He stepped backwards, pulling Remus with him onto the bed. He was already maddeningly hard and let out a sharp gasp as Remus's hands closed around him, stroking slowly. He bit back a loud moan as Remus ran a thumb over the tip of his shaft. He sucked in a breath, trying to regain control, his cock throbbing with need. He was going to come in a second if he didn't stop now.

Hands shaking slightly, Sirius pulled back from Remus's hand, then positioned himself between Remus's legs. He ran a finger around Remus's pucker and murmured a spell, smiling as his finger slicked easily inside.

Remus arched upwards with a gasp, fingers digging into Sirius's skin. Sirius stilled. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Remus had his eyes closed, but they fluttered open again at his words and Sirius felt his heart skip a beat at the raw desire he saw reflected in those eyes. "It's just been a while. Don't stop."

Sirius felt the smile tugging at his lips again and he removed his fingers. He positioned his cock into place then eased into Remus slowly, until the other man suddenly reached out and pulled Sirius's hip forwards, burying Sirius's cock to the hilt and drawing out a ragged gasp from Sirius.

"G -god, Moony," Sirius groaned, resting his forehead on Remus's chest. "Are you okay?"

"Padfoot, I swear to god, if you ask me that one more time—" Remus leaned up and nipped on Remus's ear, making Sirius's breath hitch. "Just move."

Drawing in a deep breath, Sirius obliged. He withdrew almost completely before sliding back into Remus, his eyes closing at the sensation. He did it again. "Merlin, Moony, I've missed you so much." He reached one hand out to wrap around Remus's cock and began to stroke.

He opened his eyes against at the touch of Remus's hand on his cheek. Remus smiled, caressing the lines around Sirius's jaw. "So have I, Padfoot."

The simple gentleness in Remus's touch undid him. Sirius drove into Remus one last time and then he could feel himself coming hard, like he couldn't stop, and was only dimly aware of Remus letting out a harsh cry as he reached his own peak. Sirius collapsed on top of him, catching his breath.

He felt Remus's hands stroking his hair and a soft chuckle reverberating through his chest. "Wow."

"Yeah. Wow." Sirius raised his head and grinned at the other man.

They stared at each other for a moment, reflecting on the past, how they had gotten to this point. Then Remus said, simply, "I love you, Sirius." He smiled. "I don't think I ever stopped."

And all Sirius could do was lean forward and kiss him again, pouring into him all the emotions he had held back in the last few days. "I love you too, Rem," he murmured, nestling his head into the crook of Remus's shoulder. He could feel his eyes closing as tiredness swept through him.

Then, as if through a fog, his words came back to him and he bolted upright.

"Sirius?" Remus said, hesitantly. "What's wrong?"

Sirius didn't answer as he sorted through his thoughts. It can't be that simple – can it?

"Padfoot?" Remus was frowning now. "Er, this isn't really the normal thing to be doing after one has—"

"I think I've got it, Moony," Sirius whispered.

"Got what?"

"How the spell works."

As Remus gaped, Sirius jumped off the bed and began pulling on his clothes. "Quick! We need to get the others and go back to the Veil. I know how to do it correctly." His fingers scrambled to button his shirt as he began shuffling towards the door, his pants still undone.

"Wait – what – Padfoot!" Remus called, a familiar fond exasperation in his voice. "Sirius, stop!"

He stopped, blinking. "Hmm?"

An ever patient expression on his face, Remus got up from the bed. "Explain."

"Oh." A slow grin spread across Sirius's face. "It's Dumbledore's favorite solution – it's love, Moony. To return order to the balance of life and death, to the darkness that goes against nature, we have to fight it with what is most natural thing for humans to do – love one another." He took a deep breath. "Meaning it should be you and I who has to do the spell."

"Us?"

"Yes. Together. You see? Of everyone in this house, our love is the strongest, has lasted the longest, since we were at school, for Godric's sake. If any love can make this spell work, ours can." He hesitates, then comes forward again to stand in front of Remus, who still hasn't moved. "And I think it will be stronger coming from us as well, as we both lost the same two people we cared deeply about at the hands of Voldemort."

Remus nodded slowly, understanding flooding his face. "James and Lily."

"Yes." Sirius's anxiety was palpable, mixed with growing excitement.

"It might work." Remus swallowed, looked at his feet. "But, Sirius—" He stopped, but Sirius could hear the unspoken words hang in the air between them. What if it doesn't work? What if I got my hopes up again, for nothing? What if we're wasting time we could be just spending together?

"Moony. Please. We have to at least try."

Remus hesitated only for another second before he nodded firmly. "Yes. We do." He turned around and began to locate his clothes. "You go tell the others. I'll be right behind you."

Relief flooded through him as Sirius smiled. He turned and headed towards the door, then paused, glancing back. "Remus?" He paused, thinking of the best words to use. "I'm—I'm really glad you're here with me tonight."

And the sincerity of the other man's returning smile gave Sirius the start of a feeling that he hadn't dared to feel since Harry and Malfoy had burst into the Manor to rescue him. Hope.

###

It was like déjà-vu, but not quite.

Instead of Harry, Hermione, Minerva and Remus, this time Remus and Sirius stood facing each other next to the Veil, holding each other's hands. Remus thought this was almost like a bonding ceremony, and it would have been funny if there wasn't so much at stake.

He grasped Sirius's hands tightly and saw the determination etched in the other man's face. He nodded, once, and watched as Sirius gave a tentative smile in return. "Ready?"

"If you are."

He felt the others stand back a little, giving them room. Remus closed his eyes and drew on his magic. He could feel Sirius doing the same, the force of their magic growing and joining together, projecting outwards. A faint pale glow surrounded the pair. He heard someone gasp.

With everything he could, Remus thought of James Potter and Lily Evans, and knew that Sirius was doing the same. He remembered befriending James, getting to know Lily, watching them dance around each other, getting bonded, Harry's birth – and then he remembered the feeling of emptiness, of horror, shock, terror, of being told of their death at Voldemort's hands. He felt, rather than saw, the magic that surrounded them turn dark, cold and bleak.

At Sirius's slight squeeze of his hands, Remus turned his thoughts away from James and Lily's deaths, and thought only of Sirius. He thought of meeting Sirius for the first time, of how his heart skipped a beat at the jet black hair and twinkling eyes, of watching as Sirius transformed into a dog for the first time knowing it was for him, of their first kiss, of falling deeply, so deeply in love, of the gut-wrenching agony as he watched Sirius fall through the Veil…

He felt the magic around him and Sirius change in response to their thoughts. Warmth crept into his skin and he dared to open his eyes a crack, almost blinded by the light that greeted him. He could barely see Sirius and held onto him tightly with his hands.

Now, finally, Remus isolated his thoughts and focused solely on the image of the Dark Mark. Taking a deep breath, Remus squeezed Sirius's hands twice, their pre-agreed signal. They spoke in unison: "Reditus animarum."

The light became so bright that Remus had to close his eyes again. He felt gusts of wind blow past him towards the direction of the Veil, then the force picked up and it was like a hurricane was blowing through the room. Remus felt Sirius's hands slip away from his and he fell to the floor, grabbing blindly at the stone tiles as the wind threatened to blow him away.

Then, as suddenly as it began, the wind stopped and the light disappeared. Remus sat up, blinking, adjusting to the regular light of the Ministry and staring around him. The others were mostly sprawled on the floor, Hermione had grabbed onto Ron's arm and—Remus was amused to note—Harry had an arm protectively around Malfoy. Yaxley had vanished.

Remus looked around the room once more, panic starting to rise in his chest, but relaxed when he saw the familiar dark-haired figure getting to his feet from the opposite corner of the room. Sirius stood and dusted off his trousers, then cast Remus a lopsided grin.

"Not bad work at all, eh, Moony?" He chuckled. "Although I thought your magic seemed a bit out of prac—" Sirius stopped talking with a surprised oomph as Remus launched himself at him and buried his face in Sirius's chest.

"Shut up, Padfoot." Remus mumbled, grabbing fistfuls of Sirius's shirt and inhaling deeply. He felt Sirius's arms wrap around him securely and smiled. For the first time in a long time, it seemed, there was light at the end of the tunnel.

I'm aiming to add an epilogue, but I think at this stage it's probably better not to promise anything?!