Author's Notes:

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I have been a reader of Harry Potter fanfiction for a long time. I love to write, and though I am not published I have in some form or another been writing fiction all my life. You wouldn't believe the number of notebooks and journals and lost computer documents I have floating around. It saddens me that some of my earliest work is lost to the dust bins of history and only lives now in my memory. When JK Rowling wrote the Harry Potter books and created the world of Harry Potter I actually felt cheated. Her works awakened and inspired me, but every time I tried to put pen to paper I found myself using the term muggle or conjuring Dumbledore when I needed an elder wizard character in one of my stories. So for me, JK Rowling has created a foundational world that is so hard to one up! How can you outdo Diagon Alley? I wish I could make money with this story, (Who couldn't use a few extra Galleons in their vault?) but I wrote it for the pure pleasure of playing in JK Rowling's sandbox. I wish it was my sandbox. But if wishes came true, I'd actually live above Flourish and Blotts.

As to the specifics of this story, I want to say that Sirius Black is my hero. My muse who whispers stories in my ear. I share my pillow with the man. I always wondered, what happened to Sirius Black after he fell through the veil. And because he had a body, did that change things? I must admit that some of the inspiration for this story comes from other stories I have read too numerous to mention. Some of the ideas I just downright stole. The magical trunk was inspired by a story I had read about Harry coming into possession of the Pruitt brother's trunks. I don't remember the name of the story or anything else, but it was a really imaginative fic. I will give credit, where credit is due. A Marauders Plan by Cats are Cool is my all-time favorite Harry Potter Fanfiction. I've read it -A LOT- I've read it aloud to my kids, and I probably will read it again. That story brought Sirius Black alive for me. If there are similarities between my fic and that one, it should be viewed as complementary to Cats are Cool. Read that fanfic if you haven't. It's the long slow burn and worth every word.

I foresee this being a very long fanfiction. I have about a quarter of it written and that is why I'm publishing chapters at a fast pace. Reading through what I have published so far I've been disappointed to catch some grammatical errors. I hope to fix those soon. Most of the issues are formatting issues rather than grammatical, but they bother me. That pace will slow as I get to the actual writing stage again.

Please leave reviews. I really would love to hear from you!

Home is Where the Heart Is

Chapter 1: Through The Veil

It was the last moment. The last time... for everything. He felt three things before darkness took him; Love, Loss, and Regret before he surrendered to its embrace. He could have floated in that colorless void for seconds or a billion years. He had no sense of time passing. He just was. And he wasn't. But HIS voice wouldn't leave him alone. He wanted to float in this bubble of nothing. But 'HE' wouldn't be ignored.

"Come now Padfoot, time to wake up! You're dead and you've made a bloody mess of things!" The yelling man growled in frustration and then pain lanced through Sirius's skull causing his bubble of nothing to burst and he screamed like a girl.

"Owww! That's my hair!" Leaping to his feet instinctively to come face to face with his tormentor. Gray eyes met hazel and Sirius's further protests died on his lips as he stared in shock at his best mate. His adopted brother, "...J James?" Sirius's voice was a broken whisper. It was a trick. A new form of torture. Guilt at his failures and thoughts of Harry almost drove him to his knees but James was there, his strong arms holding him up. "Oh, God... Harry."

"Harry is fine. He's fine Sirius. He's... Okay, he's sad. He's blaming himself. But you have a chance to fix this! You can change all of it. Or maybe just the worst parts of it. Please, Sirius!" James was begging now... "You have to go back!"

"Right! Sirius straightened and took his first look around and all he could see was gray mist. The only color, himself and James who was watching him anxiously. "Uhm…," Sirius, always ready to leap into danger, was lost. "What is this place?" Subconsciously gripping his wand tighter, pointing it outward and moving protectively closer to his friend.

"Well, Heaven is as good a description as any I suppose." James's marauder smile came out to play, a smile that tore into Sirius's heart.

"It's kinda bland for heaven don't you think? Boring?" He shrugged a bit and then dismissed it with a wave of his hand, "How do I get back to Harry?" Sirius asked, looking for the arched doorway that had brought him to this barren landscape.

"You, my friend, are different," James stated. Sirius lifted a brow and smirked but before he could come up with a smart-ass reply, James cut across his thoughts by saying, "You have a physical body."

Sirius blinked at him, "You don't exactly look like a ghost Prongs. I mean you feel pretty real to me." And maybe because he needed reassurance that James really was standing right in front of him and he wasn't dreaming, he poked him in the ribs.

James chuckled and shook his head, "No. This body is my new body. You still got your old one. You came through the veil, Sirius." Sirius nodded, not really getting the significance. What did it matter how you died? Dead was dead, though he didn't feel much different from before the veil.

"Okaaay?" Sirius frowned, "And?"

James sighed. "And that makes you different. It means that you get to break the rules because you already are breaking the rules. You shouldn't be here... like this." James tried to explain. "Most people, when they die, leave their bodies behind. Their spirits arrive and they get new bodies. Mostly bodies that look a lot like themselves, but during the prime of their lives. Sometimes there are differences. Like, I have all my hair and it's not so messy." He chuckled "And my eyesight is perfect but I don't feel right without the glasses." His expression darkened and he opened up a pocket watch that magically appeared in his hand. Sirius could see a moving picture but not what it was showing. James sighed and said, "It's Harry. He's destroying Dumbledore's office."

Sirius's eyes widened and he crowded next to James to get a better look at the watch and he gasped as he recognized Harry. A grieving, angry, violent Harry. Sirius felt his stomach drop at the horrible pain his godson must be feeling to completely trash the headmaster's office, and once again he felt guilt at his monumental failure. "I need a drink."

"There's a pub not far from here. Come on." James turned and started walking and Sirius looked around again and thought perhaps he could just make out a few large shapes. It reminded him of an impressionist painting. Gray on gray or something. He hurried after his friend, suddenly afraid to be left alone in this sterile and empty world. James glanced over his shoulder and matched his pace to the war-weary wizard beside him. "Im sorry you went to Azkaban." James said. "The problem with being dead is... you can't change any of it. You just get to watch. It's quite painful really." He shook his head. "I hate that more than anything. You didn't fail us, Sirius. I did that all on my own. You told us we should leave Europe. Change our names and go into hiding. I thought you were being paranoid." He sighed. "We both trusted the wrong person." James glanced at Sirius and was surprised to see tears streaming down his friend's face. "Sirius?" James placed his hand on Sirius's shoulder and could feel his friend shaking with emotion.

Sirius shook his head and then drew James into a hard hug that said everything. James understood and the two friends held each other for a long moment. Finally, pulling away Sirius swiped away the tears and said, "Now where did you say that pub was? All I see is bloody gray..." Sirius confessed.

James slapped his forehead and said, "Sorry mate. I forgot to tell you. This place will become whatever you want it to become. Not unlike Harry's Room of Requirement." He grinned boyishly, "Brilliant really." James leaned into Sirius's side and gave him the magical key, and said, "I see Diagon Alley." The moment James mentioned the famous landmark it was as if a wind blew in and drove away all the gray and color bloomed around him, as well as noise. Witches and Wizards passed by, some making eye contact, nodding good day, or smiling. A few kept their heads down intent on business rather than being neighborly. Sirius flashed a curious glance towards James who preened a bit. "I am quite the world builder. The place... likes me. And make others endure the chaos that is yours truly."

Sirius digested this for a moment before barking out a laugh. "Leave it to you Prongs to suck up to heaven."