Chapter 23 - Procyon Black. The five of them walked out the door and found them in the Forbidden Forest, they turned around but the room had gone. "Where are we?" Asked Harry. His scar was calming down now. Lupin and Sirius helped Procyon lay down on a log, which Voldemort had previously been sitting on when he put Snape under the imperious curse. "I don't know." Answered Lupin. Sirius had a tear in his eye, but he wiped it away, hoping no one had seen it. "Are you okay?" "I, I, I'm not sure." Procyon replied. Harry stood and watched Procyon lying there. The man who he had only just met, yet felt he had known for a lifetime. He looked so remarkably like Sirius. Harry couldn't find one difference between them. Even their voices were identical. "I need, w, water." He stumbled. "Please." Harry conjured up a glass of water and handed it to Procyon. Procyon held the glass in his hand, shaking terribly. He tried to hold it up to his mouth but dropped it on the floor. Sirius quickly picked it up and magically re-filled it. He was about to hand it to his brother, but noticed he was not moving. He checked his pulse, and his heartbeat. But he was dead. ***** Sirius sat there gazing at his dead, twin brother. Harry sat on a log opposite, trying to work out more about Procyon without help. Lupin leaned against a nearby tree, thinking about his diseased friend. Snape was pacing up and down between two trees, trying not to make eye contact with anyone, in case they noticed a slight tear in his eye. Lupin walked over to Harry and sat on the log next to him. "You need to talk to Sirius." "I can't." Harry replied. "What would I say?" "He's your Godfather, and he needs you to tell him that it's going to be alright." Lupin explained. "But I never knew Procyon. I only just found out he existed." Harry sighed. "Just go over and say something. Anything. It'll make him feel better. Trust me." Lupin stood up and leaned against the tree again. Gesturing for Harry to go over there. Harry walked over to his Godfather, and placed his hand on Sirius' shoulder. "Sirius. Are you alright?" Harry asked stupidly. "Yeah. Um, I'll be fine." He sniffed. "How come you never talked about Procyon. You know, about when you were little?" "Didn't have any time. If I did, then I'd have to talk about him for ages, and I never had that long with you." Sirius wiped another few tears back from his face. Harry bit his lip, it was so hard to watch his godfather cry like that. "I know," he whispered, hugging Sirius tightly. 'We've hardly had time to get to know each other. I wish I could comfort you better.' He thought desperately. He could feel the way Sirius was shaking as he cried and he held him tighter. Over Sirius' shoulder Harry could see Remus wrapping Procyon's cloak around the body and gently closing the dead man's eyes. Harry looked away feeling his own eyes begin to tear. He noticed suddenly that Sirius was now still and broke the embrace. Sirius was blinking furiously and wiping at his face but he seemed to have stemmed the tears. It hurt Harry to see the sadness in his godfather's eyes but he didn't miss the small grateful smile that was sent his way. "So am I going to get to see you at all during the summer?" Harry wondered, standing up straight. "I don't know." Sirius replied. "I'm still undercover." "So you don't think we could meet up anywhere safely?" Lupin walked over and interrupted. "We could all meet up. I mean if that's O.K." "Of course Lupin. Your always welcome." Harry said with a sarcastic smile. "Excuse me Potter." Snape snarled. "But I have a class to teach in one hour, and I think it best that we start making our way back to the castle."