Sorry about the delay, folks!  I was away for a few days.

StrangeEmily—Your comment made my morning!  I definitely wasn't expecting anyone to pick up on my little Les Miz nod.  Woo!

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Sirius blinked at the ghost until recognition dawned.

            "Hey, Nearly Headless Nick!"

Sir Nicolas de Mimsy-Porpington was thunderstruck.  He would have blanched had he any blood in his face to begin with.

            "How's it hanging, Nick?  Still by a thread I see."

Nick stared at the new ghost.

            "You… you decided to… to come back?!"

            "Come on, Nick, you know me.  I was a Gryffindor!  Brave as they come, and all that rot.  Couldn't leave Harry alone, now, could I?"

            "But I… I told Harry you wouldn't."

            "Told Harry I wouldn't what?"

            "Come back!  Sirius, after you… after Harry got back to Hogwarts, he asked me if you could come back.  Like I did."

            "Really?  Oh that's great, Nick!  That means Harry hasn't been thinking I abandoned him, he knows I'm coming!"

Nick covered his face for a moment and turned away.

            "Mysedjooundt."

            "Pardon?"

            "I said you wouldn't.  Come back.  I told Harry that you would go on."

            "But…  Why?  What made you think you knew what I'd do?"

Nick was still looking away, wringing his transparent hands.

            "I just don't understand what would possess you!   So to speak.  You don't still think I'm a murdering coward, do you?"

            "No no, of course not…  Hey look at this!" Nick was staring at the magazine rack.  "They've actually got a recent copy of something!  Spirits for Spirits.  Hmm, from April 1789, I haven't read this one, even if it is a sommelier's magazine…"

            "Nick?"

            "Okay, I'm sorry Sirius.  I really did think you would stay on the other side," the ghost lowered his voice.  "I didn't think you'd cop out, like I had."

            "Well listen, no harm done really, Nick.  I mean, you were wrong, I'm here now aren't I?  Just make it up to me by helping me get a hang of this ghost gig."

The other ghost beamed.

            "Sir Nicolas is at your service, Sirius!

            Three hours later they had almost completed Sirius's forms.  The Department of Ghosts, Ghouls, and Poltergeists required strict documentation of all the newly undead.  Sirius actually got off lucky; vampires and demons and other, more dangerous undead had hundreds of pages of forms to complete.  It would be bad public relations for the Ministry to let blood-sucking types run around without proper documentation, of course.

            Sirius and Nick presented the mostly-finished forms to the secretary, who promptly dripped nail polish on the top page.  After completing a fresh version of the first page to replace the red-splattered original, the pair of ghosts headed towards the exit and entered the lift.

            The first thing Sirius noticed was that the wavery column of light was back.  The strange disturbance in the air was floating around the lift just as before.  Sirius had quite forgotten about it while in the Department, but now he couldn't help wondering whether the… the thing was following him.

            "Hey Nick," Sirius said quietly.  "Do you see that funny light in the corner?  What do you suppose that is?  Nick?  Hey, Nick!"

Sirius was alone in the lift.  Nearly Headless Nick was gone.