p 'He speaks!'

p 'He speaks!'

p The husky whisper seemed to course through the shadows sirius could barely see. It was silent, though somewhere, in his own mind, he could hear echoes. Like on stone.

p 'He's passed on...'

p 'He has passed through.'

p 'He has died by passing over...'

p 'He lies!'

p 'He cannot be.'

p Furious whispers coursed through the small place. One turned around sharply. Sirius felt the air brush his face. Or /i it air?

p 'It is not /i!' said a shadow in his ear. 'It is the livings last breaths.'

p 'Oh,' said Sirius icily. 'I should have known, do you have a mint?'

p 'Enough,' said the shadow finally. 'Do not gutter our home with your thoughts.'

p 'Your... er, home?'

p 'Our home!' snarled the shadow, nettled. The whispering was starting to grow quieter and more controlled. 'The passing gate between those who breath, and those who don't - and you have crossed it with your breath. You cannot go back, and you cannot got forward.'

p 'What... er, happened to the whole, up and down thing - er, you know. Heaven and Hell?'

p 'Silly boy!' cried the cloak, his voice suddenly not so quiet and soft. 'You are living in hell at this moment! The one way passing gate for the damned! You will rot in our world! You are damned to our paradise of black souls and corrupt half minds.'

p 'Why?' he shouted.

p 'WHY? /i Because you dare to pass into the homeland of souls with your body! You passed through with life at your heels and a soul that loved it! That is why! You should be damned!'

p 'I won't let you,' Sirius snarled. 'If there's anyway - /i to get out of here - I'll find it!'

p 'There is only one way out of here, Sirius Black. And you cannot get back through the veil. Its eyes let you through as you know death, feel death and have felt worse than it. Death is yours, Sirius Black you must welcome it.'

p 'Damn you!' he swore. 'Then the whole world who live in Voldemort's reign will come here!'

p 'Indeed the murderers will, Sirius Black,' said the shadow. 'But how many of the innocents pass through the veil. How many will come like you have come, a living soul among those dead ones? None Sirius Black, because you are the first, and the last. Do you not think, that our baron souls like being confined to rotting despair?'

p 'You said it not me,' Sirius snapped, drawing his wand.

p 'What good will your tricks do you know? Death has settled upon you.'

p 'There is a way,' said Sirius stubbornly. 'And I will find it.'

p 'Good luck, Sirius Black,' cackled the cloak. 'You will need it. You are surrounded by death.'

p 'p Sirius walked, and the shadows shrank away from him and the light. He didn't seemed to be welcome, and he was still slightly shaken from the inot being able to breath/i thing.

p 'I can get Sirius Black out.'

p Sirius whipped around. 'Who's that?'

p 'Take the light away,' it said gently. 'I can get Sirius Black out. I cannot give him life, but I can help him.'

p Sirius muttered 'nox' begrudgingly, though keeping a firm grip around his wand in case it was a trick.

p 'Tell me.'

p 'You know death?'

p 'p 'You have been surrounded by death?'

p 'p 'You have felt the aftermath of death?'

p 'p 'But have you ever caused death?'

p 'Almost - p 'Sirius Black; in your whole life, have you ever seen someone p Sirius thought about all the pain he'd felt, what he'd endured throughout his lifetime, memories he'd stored away of hurt. The coldness and loneliness. iBut had he ever actually i death?p 'No.'

p 'Good bye, Sirius Black.'