*Book 5 Spoilers*
Disclaimer: These characters are not mine; I'm just borrowing them for a little while. The plot is mine.
*
Sirius opened his eyes, feeling more than a little disorientated. What the hell had just happened? He remembered going to Harry's aid, remembered Dumbledore's arrival, remembered duelling with that vile woman Bellatrix, and then - what? It was all a blank.
He looked around. This was nowhere that he'd ever been before, he was sure of it. There was a path, buildings in the distance, and everything seemed calm, peaceful. How did he get here? More importantly, how the hell would he get back? He needed to check if Harry was okay, if Harry - oh, God, Harry!
Sirius turned as if to walk back, but found the way behind him barred. He could see an archway in the distance but an invisible barrier was between him and it, stopping him from drawing near. He knew that the way back to Harry lay beyond the arch, and he was determined to reach it. He gritted his teeth in determination and patted his pockets for his wand . . .
"Sirius?" Sirius whipped around and his jaw dropped open. Lily and James Potter were running towards him, mixed expressions of joy, surprise and fear on their faces. "What happened?"
"I . . . don't know . . . I'm dead?" Sirius asked hoarsely. James nodded.
"This is Serenity, one of the Villages of the Dead. It's mainly for wizards who have perished at the hands of Dark Wizards," Lily confirmed. She bit her lip. "Harry?" Sirius shrugged.
"We were at the Department of Mysteries, battling the Death Eaters . . . that's all I can remember. Dumbledore was there."
"Dumbledore!" Lily's face broke into a smile of relief. "So he'll be all right?"
"I expect so," said James, putting his arm around his wife. "If anyone can drive the Death Eaters back it's old Albus." He grinned at Sirius. "It's good to see you, Padfoot, mate!"
"Yeah, good to see you, Prongs!" Sirius grinned, and turned to follow his friends back to the village, his mind was reeling. He was dead? Surely not? The curse Bellatrix had cast hadn't been the Killing Curse, had it? The presence of his best friends confirmed the fact that he was, but he still couldn't believe it. He couldn't be dead! He still had so much to do! He had to look after Harry!
"Lily, James, I'm sorry," he muttered. James spun around and gawped at his fellow Marauder.
"What for?"
"I failed. I promised to look after Harry if anything happened to you, and what do I do? I land myself in Azkaban and get myself killed, just when he needs me most!"
"Sirius, you did your best," whispered Lily, stepping in and giving him a hug. "It can't have been easy, but James and I appreciate what you've done for him."
"Yeah." James started laughing. "Snuffles!"
"How did you know that?" demanded Sirius.
"We've been watching. There's a room we can take you to. Do you want to see?"
*
Sirius gazed through the window down at the scene below, an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach. Harry was raging at Dumbledore and smashing his equipment.
"I - DON'T - WANT - TO - BE - HUMAN! I DON'T CARE! I'VE HAD ENOUGH, I'VE SEEN ENOUGH, I WANT OUT, I WANT IT TO END, I DON'T CARE ANYMORE . . ."
Sirius had seen enough. "Off," he muttered, and the picture from the window disappeared, to be replaced by the view down onto Serenity. He felt guilty. He knew he shouldn't feel guilty about dying, that wasn't his fault, but all the same . . . it wasn't fair on Harry, the poor boy had had enough hardship in his young life, without adding to his troubles already, and the prophecy hanging over his head didn't help . . .
Sirius got up, a determined expression on his face, and strode out into the sunshine, James and Lily following, Lily wiping tears from her eyes.
"Where are you going?" demanded James.
"Back. I need to get back. Harry needs me," explained Sirius, striding out of Serenity and back towards the archway.
"You can't!" Sirius turned to face James, a dangerous gleam in his eyes.
"James, you saw the state he was in! I can't leave him like that, I can't! I have to get back!"
"Sirius, it's no use trying! You're not allowed, you've passed over! Believe me, I tried!"
"Since when have I ever bothered about rules, eh?" Sirius was grinning now, but it was a dangerous grin, and to James he looked almost exactly like his Animagus form.
"I'm serious, Padfoot mate, they throw you into Limbo if you put a foot wrong." Sirius laughed.
"They have detentions on the Other Side too? That's just . . ."
"It's not like some school detention helping scrubbing down Snape's classroom, it's a lot more serious than that, it's . . ." James opened his mouth and closed it a couple of times, doing a passable impression of a goldfish, then shrugged lamely. Sirius' expression softened.
"I've got to try," he whispered. "I wouldn't be able to rest knowing that I hadn't tried."
Disclaimer: These characters are not mine; I'm just borrowing them for a little while. The plot is mine.
*
Sirius opened his eyes, feeling more than a little disorientated. What the hell had just happened? He remembered going to Harry's aid, remembered Dumbledore's arrival, remembered duelling with that vile woman Bellatrix, and then - what? It was all a blank.
He looked around. This was nowhere that he'd ever been before, he was sure of it. There was a path, buildings in the distance, and everything seemed calm, peaceful. How did he get here? More importantly, how the hell would he get back? He needed to check if Harry was okay, if Harry - oh, God, Harry!
Sirius turned as if to walk back, but found the way behind him barred. He could see an archway in the distance but an invisible barrier was between him and it, stopping him from drawing near. He knew that the way back to Harry lay beyond the arch, and he was determined to reach it. He gritted his teeth in determination and patted his pockets for his wand . . .
"Sirius?" Sirius whipped around and his jaw dropped open. Lily and James Potter were running towards him, mixed expressions of joy, surprise and fear on their faces. "What happened?"
"I . . . don't know . . . I'm dead?" Sirius asked hoarsely. James nodded.
"This is Serenity, one of the Villages of the Dead. It's mainly for wizards who have perished at the hands of Dark Wizards," Lily confirmed. She bit her lip. "Harry?" Sirius shrugged.
"We were at the Department of Mysteries, battling the Death Eaters . . . that's all I can remember. Dumbledore was there."
"Dumbledore!" Lily's face broke into a smile of relief. "So he'll be all right?"
"I expect so," said James, putting his arm around his wife. "If anyone can drive the Death Eaters back it's old Albus." He grinned at Sirius. "It's good to see you, Padfoot, mate!"
"Yeah, good to see you, Prongs!" Sirius grinned, and turned to follow his friends back to the village, his mind was reeling. He was dead? Surely not? The curse Bellatrix had cast hadn't been the Killing Curse, had it? The presence of his best friends confirmed the fact that he was, but he still couldn't believe it. He couldn't be dead! He still had so much to do! He had to look after Harry!
"Lily, James, I'm sorry," he muttered. James spun around and gawped at his fellow Marauder.
"What for?"
"I failed. I promised to look after Harry if anything happened to you, and what do I do? I land myself in Azkaban and get myself killed, just when he needs me most!"
"Sirius, you did your best," whispered Lily, stepping in and giving him a hug. "It can't have been easy, but James and I appreciate what you've done for him."
"Yeah." James started laughing. "Snuffles!"
"How did you know that?" demanded Sirius.
"We've been watching. There's a room we can take you to. Do you want to see?"
*
Sirius gazed through the window down at the scene below, an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach. Harry was raging at Dumbledore and smashing his equipment.
"I - DON'T - WANT - TO - BE - HUMAN! I DON'T CARE! I'VE HAD ENOUGH, I'VE SEEN ENOUGH, I WANT OUT, I WANT IT TO END, I DON'T CARE ANYMORE . . ."
Sirius had seen enough. "Off," he muttered, and the picture from the window disappeared, to be replaced by the view down onto Serenity. He felt guilty. He knew he shouldn't feel guilty about dying, that wasn't his fault, but all the same . . . it wasn't fair on Harry, the poor boy had had enough hardship in his young life, without adding to his troubles already, and the prophecy hanging over his head didn't help . . .
Sirius got up, a determined expression on his face, and strode out into the sunshine, James and Lily following, Lily wiping tears from her eyes.
"Where are you going?" demanded James.
"Back. I need to get back. Harry needs me," explained Sirius, striding out of Serenity and back towards the archway.
"You can't!" Sirius turned to face James, a dangerous gleam in his eyes.
"James, you saw the state he was in! I can't leave him like that, I can't! I have to get back!"
"Sirius, it's no use trying! You're not allowed, you've passed over! Believe me, I tried!"
"Since when have I ever bothered about rules, eh?" Sirius was grinning now, but it was a dangerous grin, and to James he looked almost exactly like his Animagus form.
"I'm serious, Padfoot mate, they throw you into Limbo if you put a foot wrong." Sirius laughed.
"They have detentions on the Other Side too? That's just . . ."
"It's not like some school detention helping scrubbing down Snape's classroom, it's a lot more serious than that, it's . . ." James opened his mouth and closed it a couple of times, doing a passable impression of a goldfish, then shrugged lamely. Sirius' expression softened.
"I've got to try," he whispered. "I wouldn't be able to rest knowing that I hadn't tried."