Harry Potter and his whole world belong to JK Rowling. I am borrowing a few characters from her. This is set in sixth year.

Through the Looking Glass

Harry was about halfway across the room before he realized he wasn't breathing. He took a deep breath and Ron exhaled.

"I thought I was going to have to kick you or something, to make you take a breath," he said quietly to Harry. Harry shook his head but said nothing.

He stopped about halfway up the room, staring up at the veil. Once more, he could hear the whispers behind it. He wondered if they were souls. He wondered if any of the voices behind the veil belonged to the people who'd been Kissed by the Dementors. He wondered how many of those people had been innocent. He wondered how many had been guilty.

He wondered if he was insane. This wasn't going to work.

Slowly he pulled the Invisibility Cloak off and walked forward. He heard Hermione make a strangled protest behind him, but ignored her. He stared up at the veil. Unwanted images filled his brain. Sirius, being struck with the jet of light. It hadn't stunned him, because there had been fear on his face as he'd gone through the veil. Sirius, falling so slowly, as though in slow motion. Sirius, just gone.

Harry bit his lip, shaking his head to clear those images from his head. This was going to work. He knew it. Remus believed it, therefore he would too.

Somewhere behind them a door slammed. Remus started.

"Harry," he hissed softly. "Get back under that Cloak! Now!"

Harry didn't need to be told twice. He dove under the Cloak with Ron; barely making sure it covered the two of them, when a door on the other side of the room opened. Harry squinted, trying to see who had entered.

It was a man he'd met once before. He'd walked by their tent at the Quidditch World Cup. Mr Weasley had told Harry only his last name, Croaker. He'd been by with another wizard from the Department of Mysteries, Bode. Bode had been strangled by a Devil's Snare plant the previous Christmas. Harry wondered what he was doing there.

"Lumos," he heard Croaker say. He started to walk down the stairs slowly, light shining from his lit wand.

"Why'd he light his wand?" Ron whispered, so softly that Harry barely heard him.

"I don't know," Harry answered truthfully. There was no need, really. The room was quite bright.

Croaker was still walking down the stairs, bent over, examining the floor slowly, as though searching for something. Harry held his breath once more. He heard Ron do the same. Croaker continued to search the floor, all the way around the room. Harry was feeling light headed by the time Croaker whispered "Nox," and the light at the end of his wand went out. The man took one more look around the room and then swept out.

"What was that all about?" Ron said quietly, looking over in the direction that the others had been.

"No idea," Hermione answered, from across the room. The Cloak came off their heads, and Harry saw with surprise that they were over by the door that Croaker had just exited. "He kept muttering to himself, something about how he was being reduced to a common guard, looking to find thieves and vandals, rather than something worthwhile."

"What are you doing over there?" Harry asked, also lowering the hood on his Cloak.

"Thought we'd see what he was up to, of course," Ginny answered matter of factly.

"Shall we get on with it, Harry?" Remus asked quietly. Harry swallowed, then nodded.

Again, he took the Cloak off, then moved to sit on one of the benches. He pulled his bag into his lap and started to search through it for the mirrors. He found them easily enough. It took a minute to pull the towels that he'd wrapped around them off. He hadn't wanted them to be damaged during the trip, and had wrapped them before they'd left. Leaving his bag on the bench, he stood and started toward the dais upon which the archway stood.

He felt his mind going blank as he moved toward it, holding the mirror with the tiny dogs running all over it. He stared up at the veil, hearing the whispers once more, only this time it seemed like they were whispering his name, rather than just the vague whispers he'd heard other times.

"Harry," he heard. "Come and play, Harry. Come join us."

He moved even slower toward the veil, his eyes glassing over as he got closer. He felt his mouth drop open slightly as he listened to the voices. He didn't close it.

"We've taken something you need, Harry. Come in and find it. Come in and see if you can't bring it back with you."

He nodded slowly, moving up on to the dais. The whispers grew louder, more excited. They whispered in his ear as though they were an old friend, urging him to come and join them. Harry bent slowly and set the mirror on the floor, then gave it a kick to send it through the veil. He watched until it went under the veil and then it disappeared. He straightened.

"No, Harry. We want you to come in and play. Come on in, the weather's great."

Harry nodded once more and raised his hand, ready to part the veil.

"HARRY!" He could hear people yelling behind him. He wanted them to go away. The people through the veil were still whispering, urging him to join them.

"HARRY, SNAP OUT OF IT! COME THIS WAY!" He thought he recognized Remus' voice in that group, but ignored him as well.

"HARRY, PLEASE!" That was Ginny. She'd grown so much since Harry had first met her.

"Enough!" someone else cried. "Petrificus Totalus!"

Harry felt his arms and legs snap together. He teetered precariously forward. Then somebody else yelled.

"Accio Harry!"

Harry felt himself fly backwards, off the dais. He came to a crashing halt on the ground. His head had cleared and started to throb from where he'd hit it on the floor.

"What in the hell was that about?" Ginny demanded angrily. Her face was so white that her freckles were standing out. Harry looked around and saw that everyone was white and shaking. Ron was furious, his wand at his side. Hermione was crying, her wand held in front of her. Only Remus was calm.

"Finite," he said, waving his wand. Harry felt his arms relax as the Body Bind Curse was lifted off him.

"The voices," he said quietly. "They kept telling me to come and join them. I guess…I guess I listened."

"It's okay Harry," Remus said gently. "I'd forgotten that you can hear them. Not everyone can. They can be very tricky. Not everyone in there is good."
Hermione still had not lowered her wand. Harry realized, horror rising up inside him, that it hadn't been Remus who had placed the Body Bind Curse on him. Or had he? Maybe Hermione had used the Summoning Charm.

"Did you use magic?" he demanded now. Hermione glared at him, tears still streaming down her face. She nodded, almost defiantly. "Why, Hermione? You could be expelled!"

Hermione let out a snort of almost hysterical laughter. "That's rich, coming from you! Don't you see? I don't care if I get expelled! Not if you're dead!"

Harry gaped at her.

"Don't look at me like that! Don't you realize that you're one of my best friends in the entire world? I would die before I let you die, Harry! Or you!" She rounded on Ron. "I'm not about to let you die, Harry, not if I can do something about it! I don't care if they do expel me for it!"

Remus walked over to Hermione, placing his hands on her shoulders. She relaxed almost instantly. He leaned down and spoke quietly to her for a moment. She nodded and then went to sit on the bench next to Harry's bag.

Harry, however, followed her. He stood in front of her and waited. She looked up at him, her face slightly pink.

"I would too," he said quietly, sitting down next to her and giving her a hug. "For anyone in this room, I would die."

"Let's pray that that won't happen, then," Remus said softly from across the room. Ginny had tears in her eyes and Ron was blinking fast.

"Shall we try these, then?" Remus held up the mirror, turning to Harry. Harry leapt up and crossed to him.

"Sirius Black," he said clearly and calmly. His insides were shaking. "Sirius Black," he tried again.

They waited. Harry could feel Remus beside him, barely breathing, listening with all his might, his body tense. There was no answer.

"Sirius Black," Harry tried again. Again, nothing. Harry sighed and moved back to the bench. He wasn't going to give up, not yet.

*

"Sirius Black," Remus said for what had to be the thousandth time. They must have been there for two hours, each taking a turn speaking into the mirror. Not only had Sirius not answered, but nobody had. Remus turned to Harry and the others. They were all sitting with their chins on their hands, looking at him hopefully.

"Let's take a break, shall we?" Remus said. He gave his wand a wave and a plate of sandwiches and a pot of tea materialized on the bench between them. Hermione and the two Weasleys took a sandwich right away, but Harry didn't move. Remus poured two cups of tea and moved to sit with Harry. He placed one in Harry's hands.

"We didn't know for sure if it would work, Harry," he said softly, blowing gently into his cup. His hands were very cold and his muscles ached. He'd been tense all evening, ever since Harry had first said Sirius' name.

"I'm not giving up yet," Harry said. "I'm just getting a little frustrated, I guess."

Remus nodded. He knew that feeling.

"I want him to answer so bad I can almost taste it," Harry said softly. "I know we're going to hear his voice again. I'm not leaving until we do."

Hermione moved down beside Harry and rested her head on his shoulder. She'd been a little embarrassed by her outburst later, but now was glad that she'd said it. Remus knew that she would have made a fine Marauder. And she would have given James and Sirius a run for their money as the most clever students in the school.

"Maybe we should stop for tonight," she suggested quietly. Harry turned to stare at her. She bit her lip, but looked at him determinedly. "We're all getting discouraged. I'm sure it will work, Harry," she added quickly when Harry opened his mouth to speak. "But tonight, we're tired, and it's late, and we're frustrated. It might be better if we left it. You don't have to be here for it to work."

Harry looked at her and then nodded shortly. He looked at Remus.

"We'll try for a bit more, and then we'll go. It must be well past midnight by now, but I can't give up. Not yet."

Remus nodded, almost seeing James staring at him from out of Lily's eyes. It was scary, how much Harry reminded him of both of his parents sometimes. Harry swallowed his tea with one gulp and then grabbed up a sandwich. He picked up the mirror and moved to the other side of the room, not looking up at the dais, keeping his eyes on the mirror. He stuffed the sandwich into his mouth, swallowed and then nearly yelled,

"Sirius Black!"

He kept both his eyes on the mirror. He could feel everyone's eyes on him and wondered if they all thought him insane as well. He crossed his fingers inside his pocket, hoping beyond all hope that Sirius would answer. Yet there was no change. No face appeared in the mirror in his hand.

"Sirius Black!" he said again, almost desperately. He wondered why nobody would answer him. He knew they must be able to hear him. Harry began to pace, still keeping his eyes on the mirror.

"Sirius Black!" he said once more, his voice cracking this time. He continued to pace, up and down the stairs. Watching. Waiting. Nothing.

"Harry-" Hermione began. He ignored her and kept pacing, kept yelling Sirius' name. His chest started to constrict once more.

"Harry-" Ron said quietly. Harry ignored him too. They weren't going to tell him to stop. Now his throat was getting tight.

"Harry, it's not working," Ginny said softly. Harry tore his eyes away from the mirror to shoot a furious glare at her, and then looked back down. Went on pacing. Calling for Sirius.

Waiting for an answer that would probably never come.

He shouted for another half hour. His throat was raw, both from yelling and from holding tears back. It hadn't worked.

"Harry," Remus whispered, taking a step toward him. "Maybe you should stop."

Harry glared at Remus as well, but knew the truth behind his words. It wasn't going to work. Harry uncrossed his now numb fingers and reached up to rub his eyes, almost trying to force the tears back in.

"Sirius Black!" he said one last time, his fingers still jammed in his eyes, unable to keep the tears out of his voice. His breath caught and he fought with all his strength to not break down. Not here. Not in front of the others. He felt a tear slip down his cheek and swiped at it angrily. He looked up and saw the others moving closer to him and, trying to hide his tears, looked back down to the mirror. He let out a shout of surprise.

Sirius was there, a huge smile on his face. "Well, it took you long enough!"