A/N: Short and sweet. And I'm warning you, if you haven't read the fifth
book, don't read this. It's not my fault if I give everything away, all
right? You can't blame me! Reviews are appreciated. Come on, tell me how
I did!
Disclaimer: Again, no book series. Not yet, anyway. Certainly not this one.
Beyond the Veil
Sirius lay immobile. An odd feeling passed over him; he felt a heavy weight cover him that a stunner should not have produced.
There were sounds of shuffling feet and screams of spells, but it wasn't right. It was muffled.
Sirius tried to open his eyes, but soon realized his eyes were already open. Then why was it dark? Had Bella's spell blinded him? Is that why everything was heavy and muffled? Had the spell affected his senses?
He felt as though he could lie there for days, but as he resigned himself to doing just that, a voice broke through the muffled din surrounding him.
"SIRIUS!"
It was Harry.
"SIRIUS!"
Harry sounded desperate for answer. Why did he sound so panicked? Sirius had only been stunned.
Sirius then heard the quiet voice of Remus - though he was too quiet and Sirius's hearing too impaired to make out what he said, Sirius felt certain Remus would explain that Sirius would be fine. He stopped pushing his body to move. Remus would take care of it.
Shouldn't the stunner wear off now?
Harry and Remus's voices were lost in the din until:
"He hasn't gone!"
Remus was not doing a very good job.
Sirius pulled himself upright and rubbed his eyes.
"SIRIUS! SIRIUS!"
Why was Harry still yelling? Sirius was moving again!
"Sirius."
Sirius jumped and yelped. The voice that had said his name was real. It wasn't muffled like Harry and Remus's. The voice was unfamiliar to him. Sirius opened his eyes again. Still, everything was black.
"HE-IS-NOT-DEAD!"
This was going much too far. Sirius was most certainly not dead. Why would Harry think him dead? He was moving!
"Sirius." Said the real voice, and Sirius jumped again. "You are dead."
Sirius opened his mouth to protest. He was not dead! He would know if he were dead! But Sirius couldn't make a sound.
"You are dead." The voice repeated. "You know you are dead. That is why you can not see. That is why you can not hear, or speak. You are dead."
He wasn't! Sirius still had so much to do - he had to catch Wormtail! He had to keep Moony company! He had to help the Order! He had to take care of Harry! He'd promised James he'd take care of Harry. He'd already failed in so much, he couldn't fail James. Sirius couldn't bear it.
"James Potter will not be angry with you, Sirius. He will understand. You do not choose your life. Nor do you choose your death. He understands this. Here."
Sirius felt a cold hand touch his chest. His eyes and ears and throat cleared. Sirius stood facing the veil. He moved to the side and saw Harry, Remus, and another boy Harry's age that might have been Neville Longbottom were sitting on the lowest step surrounding the dais. Remus had a grip on Harry's arm. Harry was staring at the veil. Neville was dancing.
Remus pointed his wand at Neville, and Neville stopped. Breathing hard, he put a hand on Harry's shoulder in comfort.
There was a yell of pain behind Sirius. He spun around and saw Kingsley fall - Bella was running straight at Sirius, but her eyes were looking beyond him at someone else. Sirius turned.
Dumbledore!
Sirius felt like smacking himself. He'd decided to go and get himself killed just as Dumbledore arrived!
"I have told you, Sirius. You do not choose your death. You do not decide your death."
"You're annoying." Said Sirius. He looked around, but couldn't see the source of the voice.
"SHE KILLED HIM - SHE KILLED HIM." Shouted Harry. Sirius spun around and saw Harry pull loose from Remus's grip. He ran after Bella's disappearing heels. "I'LL KILL HER!"
Remus and Neville yelled for him to return. Dumbledore secured the captured Death Eaters and strode after him.
Sirius moved to follow him - he couldn't let anything happen to Harry. But a cold hand on his arm held him back with ease.
"You are dead." Repeated the voice and now Sirius saw a black-cloaked figure standing beside him.
"Are you Death?" asked Sirius.
"If you would like to think of me as Death, it would be appropriate." Replied Death.
Sirius looked around. Remus had his head in his hands. Neville sat beside him looking scared and confused.
"I'm dead?"
"You are dead." Said Death.
Sirius watched as Remus followed Neville to another room.
"So what now?" he asked Death.
"You must choose."
"Choose?" said Sirius. "I thought you said I couldn't choose?"
"You must choose to stay or choose to move on." Replied Death.
"Stay? How do you mean?" asked Sirius.
"You may stay as a mark of your former self upon the earth."
"You mean a ghost."
"Yes." Said Death.
Sirius thought, but not long.
"I don't want that." Said Sirius.
"Very well." Said Death.
There was a flash of light. Sirius saw Remus leaning against the doorway, staring at the veil that had taken his last friend. Sirius was confident that Harry would be taken care of. Another flash and the veil, Death, and Remus disappeared.
There was silence. Not only around him, but within him as well. What Sirius felt was indescribable. He felt the life lift from him and in its place was a peace Sirius had never known. The pains of his life were lifted. The taint upon his mind that Azkaban had left him was gone. For the first time in his existence, Sirius experience peace.
Noise soon returned to Sirius's ears. He felt a pressure upon his back. He lay in peace for hours without opening his eyes. He was not tired, but he feared the feeling would lift if he awakened.
As he grew aware of his surroundings, he heard singing. He felt a hand clasped in each of his own. They were warm and smooth - a finger caressed his palm. Sirius opened his eyes.
Light brown and a mass of untidy black greeted him. Sirius would have recognized him in an instant.
James grinned at him.
A/N: It's just that, if you're going to take the time to read the story, how much longer could it possibly take to type in "I hate it!" or "You rock!"?
Disclaimer: Again, no book series. Not yet, anyway. Certainly not this one.
Beyond the Veil
Sirius lay immobile. An odd feeling passed over him; he felt a heavy weight cover him that a stunner should not have produced.
There were sounds of shuffling feet and screams of spells, but it wasn't right. It was muffled.
Sirius tried to open his eyes, but soon realized his eyes were already open. Then why was it dark? Had Bella's spell blinded him? Is that why everything was heavy and muffled? Had the spell affected his senses?
He felt as though he could lie there for days, but as he resigned himself to doing just that, a voice broke through the muffled din surrounding him.
"SIRIUS!"
It was Harry.
"SIRIUS!"
Harry sounded desperate for answer. Why did he sound so panicked? Sirius had only been stunned.
Sirius then heard the quiet voice of Remus - though he was too quiet and Sirius's hearing too impaired to make out what he said, Sirius felt certain Remus would explain that Sirius would be fine. He stopped pushing his body to move. Remus would take care of it.
Shouldn't the stunner wear off now?
Harry and Remus's voices were lost in the din until:
"He hasn't gone!"
Remus was not doing a very good job.
Sirius pulled himself upright and rubbed his eyes.
"SIRIUS! SIRIUS!"
Why was Harry still yelling? Sirius was moving again!
"Sirius."
Sirius jumped and yelped. The voice that had said his name was real. It wasn't muffled like Harry and Remus's. The voice was unfamiliar to him. Sirius opened his eyes again. Still, everything was black.
"HE-IS-NOT-DEAD!"
This was going much too far. Sirius was most certainly not dead. Why would Harry think him dead? He was moving!
"Sirius." Said the real voice, and Sirius jumped again. "You are dead."
Sirius opened his mouth to protest. He was not dead! He would know if he were dead! But Sirius couldn't make a sound.
"You are dead." The voice repeated. "You know you are dead. That is why you can not see. That is why you can not hear, or speak. You are dead."
He wasn't! Sirius still had so much to do - he had to catch Wormtail! He had to keep Moony company! He had to help the Order! He had to take care of Harry! He'd promised James he'd take care of Harry. He'd already failed in so much, he couldn't fail James. Sirius couldn't bear it.
"James Potter will not be angry with you, Sirius. He will understand. You do not choose your life. Nor do you choose your death. He understands this. Here."
Sirius felt a cold hand touch his chest. His eyes and ears and throat cleared. Sirius stood facing the veil. He moved to the side and saw Harry, Remus, and another boy Harry's age that might have been Neville Longbottom were sitting on the lowest step surrounding the dais. Remus had a grip on Harry's arm. Harry was staring at the veil. Neville was dancing.
Remus pointed his wand at Neville, and Neville stopped. Breathing hard, he put a hand on Harry's shoulder in comfort.
There was a yell of pain behind Sirius. He spun around and saw Kingsley fall - Bella was running straight at Sirius, but her eyes were looking beyond him at someone else. Sirius turned.
Dumbledore!
Sirius felt like smacking himself. He'd decided to go and get himself killed just as Dumbledore arrived!
"I have told you, Sirius. You do not choose your death. You do not decide your death."
"You're annoying." Said Sirius. He looked around, but couldn't see the source of the voice.
"SHE KILLED HIM - SHE KILLED HIM." Shouted Harry. Sirius spun around and saw Harry pull loose from Remus's grip. He ran after Bella's disappearing heels. "I'LL KILL HER!"
Remus and Neville yelled for him to return. Dumbledore secured the captured Death Eaters and strode after him.
Sirius moved to follow him - he couldn't let anything happen to Harry. But a cold hand on his arm held him back with ease.
"You are dead." Repeated the voice and now Sirius saw a black-cloaked figure standing beside him.
"Are you Death?" asked Sirius.
"If you would like to think of me as Death, it would be appropriate." Replied Death.
Sirius looked around. Remus had his head in his hands. Neville sat beside him looking scared and confused.
"I'm dead?"
"You are dead." Said Death.
Sirius watched as Remus followed Neville to another room.
"So what now?" he asked Death.
"You must choose."
"Choose?" said Sirius. "I thought you said I couldn't choose?"
"You must choose to stay or choose to move on." Replied Death.
"Stay? How do you mean?" asked Sirius.
"You may stay as a mark of your former self upon the earth."
"You mean a ghost."
"Yes." Said Death.
Sirius thought, but not long.
"I don't want that." Said Sirius.
"Very well." Said Death.
There was a flash of light. Sirius saw Remus leaning against the doorway, staring at the veil that had taken his last friend. Sirius was confident that Harry would be taken care of. Another flash and the veil, Death, and Remus disappeared.
There was silence. Not only around him, but within him as well. What Sirius felt was indescribable. He felt the life lift from him and in its place was a peace Sirius had never known. The pains of his life were lifted. The taint upon his mind that Azkaban had left him was gone. For the first time in his existence, Sirius experience peace.
Noise soon returned to Sirius's ears. He felt a pressure upon his back. He lay in peace for hours without opening his eyes. He was not tired, but he feared the feeling would lift if he awakened.
As he grew aware of his surroundings, he heard singing. He felt a hand clasped in each of his own. They were warm and smooth - a finger caressed his palm. Sirius opened his eyes.
Light brown and a mass of untidy black greeted him. Sirius would have recognized him in an instant.
James grinned at him.
A/N: It's just that, if you're going to take the time to read the story, how much longer could it possibly take to type in "I hate it!" or "You rock!"?