4: A Trip Behind The Veil

June Sullivan was almost ready. She had taken the potions Snape had prepared for her and all equipment was also ready. She was proud of her newly bought broomstick, not as fast as Harry's firebolt, but able to carry heavier mass. And was beautiful, June had forgotten the happiness connected with buying something so wonderful (and so useless) as a broom. She took several rounds around London and was waiting impatiently to use it behind the veil.

They decided to begin the action on August, 1st; Moony had checked the star charts and they could have a positive influence on the result of action. It was decided that to the Ministry, except for June, would go Snape, Lupin, Mr. Weasley and Johansson - the healer. Dumbledore was to be informed as soon as June would be back.

The night before the planned trip, June was invited once again to a dinner by Snape. She was positively shocked that she enjoyed his company and felt that he liked being with her either.

'So' began Snape when they emptied second bottle of wine. 'tell me frankly, why you didn't like Black.'

'I still don't like him. Such things do not change...' she smiled.

'But you used to be together, didn't you? Don't look at me like that, June' he added when spotted her slightly shocked frown 'Mister Lupin told me, but that was obvious.'

'Huh! Even for you. God, it's terrible people can't really hide any past relationship.'

'Why did you split up? I know he's a dickhead, but... is said to be handsome.'

'Oh, please! Don't tell me you think I shag every pretty guy!' June smiled and Severus blushed. 'But, according to your question... Let's say we had different opinion about a crucial...thing...'

She stopped apprehensively. Was it a good idea to speak with Snape, with greasy-haired, egoistic Snape? And he always smiled so... so sneeringly when talked about Black. And when he talked about her relations with him, too.

'What "crucial" thing?'

'Well... we answered differently the "Do you love me" question.'

Snape was silent for a while and then asked calmly, not at all curiously.

'He didn't say "yes"?'

'Let's put it straight. He said "no"' she said bitterly.

'What an asshole!' laughed Snape. 'I knew he was arrogant, but stupid?'

June laughed too. It was fun, in a way, to discuss the so called relationship with a dead-to-be man with his worst enemy.

'What about you, Severus? Do you love someone?' she asked casually, playing with him. She was quite sure she was not interested, and even though Snape looked like somebody who could have considered her as a lover, she could have promised, he didn't. He didn't reply quickly, for he was quite flabbergasted with her simple question. It was all right when he inquired, but when she did it was embarrassing. He gazed into his eyes. She just wanted to know.

'Yes...' he answered slowly and waited for June's reply. When it didn't come, he continued. 'But she left me.'

'Oh! Sorry!'

'There's nothing to be sorry for. I even like living on my own. Alone!' he tried to sound amusingly, but didn't. He was sad. He thought... 'Helen was all beauty I had in life. Funny, she said she loved me...'

'Lucky you' said June grimly. 'Why did she leave?'

'she said that she was tired of the life here, the danger... She used to write books, really good books. And she wanted to do it still... It's been the worst half a year in my life, June'

'I'm glad' said June and winked at him 'you tell me this. Maybe it's not all over?'

'I don't know. What about you?' he asked, taking her by her hand and looking carefully into her green, theoretically hopeful eyes.

'It's a different situation, Sev. We don't love each other.'



'Are you sure you're ready?' asked Remus when the rescue team entered the Department of Mysteries and they all stopped a step from the waving veil.

'Are you worried about me or about your mate?' asked June Sullivan, who wore black, worn-out jeans and comfortable, greyish jumper. She had her new broomstick in her hand, a special mask to breath in the different atmosphere and a small bag of first aid.

'Of course, about you, June' he said and looked into her eyes so carefully, that June's cold mood disappeared and she had to turn away, embarrassed.

'We should prepare' said June, watching the veil. She did not want to look at any of them. Snape was still amused with the whole idea; Ally Johansson was nervous if it was safe; Weasley looked at June with mixture of amazement and pity and Remus... Remus looked at her as if he knew something she didn't.

'Arthur, can I ask you to switch on the camera-box. You will be able to watch my way down there. Rem, Sev, can you put the invisible string into the broom and to the home-box. With this you will be able to take us out of there if I... er... couldn't to it by myself... Ally, please prepare the medicines we should take the moment we get here. And guys, make sure we'll have a portkey to get to St Mungo's.'

'June...' began Weasley with a shy smile.

'What?' she turned to him. Now she was working and wan not to be interrupted.

'Sorry...' he laughed briefly. 'You've amazing professionalism.'

'Yeah' added remus with a sad smile, however. 'And you're much nicer when you're not working.'

June gazed at him seriously.

'I'm always at work.'

They all went silent. June didn't want to continue the another sad and bitter talk abot how she felt and guys all realised that. Snap was finished with the string and al of them seemed ready. June took the broom; it whirred wonderfully under her touch and Sullivan felt long forgotten excitement. She got used to typical trips behind portals, ut this trip, a trip behind the veil was so much different and she felt it even though she did not want it to be so special. For there was nothing so special about going behind the veil to save ex-lover.

She put on her mask and breathed deeply. Everything worked. She showed her fingers up to the rest of the team and stepped to the edge of the arch. The veil moved angrily. June made her broom go upwards a little and then dived straight into the tunnel. The team felt cold wind of their faces and they saw June no more.

- - - -

It was completely dark. Darker than June had expected, because the recording from the orbs was always lighter on the screen mirror. Shit. June took out a small, pocket lamp and placed it on the front of the broom. The corridor was brighter now, but it didn't help because she could now see how awful dirty, full of fungicides, dirt, and oily stinky stuff the walls were. The flew fast, trying not to think about the dangers that surrounded her fragile body, trying to ignore the risk of breaking down the pretty, but still a human made, mask to breathe in this atmosphere, full of carbon dioxide and some acid gases. She wanted not to think what if she had to use the mask she had taken for S... Black.

She approached the place where the roads divided and had to take (with a sigh of sorrow she couldn't choose the highway to the forest) the even smaller, dirtier, wetter way that lead, she hoped, to Si...rius.

The way there was so awful that she couldn't consider reasonably, why the hell she named him in her thoughts "Sirius" again and again though he was like a stranger to her and she had thought she got over the past.

The tunnel was falling down and down, and suddenly it became almost vertical. Then it ended, even more suddenly and June Sullivan found herself in a large, cold, dark cave, as huge as a hall. If she had time to adore it, she would find there wonderful stalactites, stalagmites and other wonderful, calcium carbonate miracles. But she didn't. She flew few times around it and wondered where to land or go. There was only one other way out of the cave except the tunnel she came there and June choose it, for she couldn't find any sign of Sirius there.

The other way was a river. It was a surprise to June. A funny surprise. She wasn't used to wet areas and was always cold when wasn't dry as sand. On the bottom of the cave was a small lake and the water from the lake fled slowly down to somewhere. June laughed and followed. She laughed because she wondered why the hell Dumbledore thought he was alive. If the atmosphere there hadn't kill him, the fall from the tunnel would have. And if he had miraculously survived, he would have drown.

June pressed a signal button on the end of the miracle string once. "One" was to mean "I'm OK, no sign of Sirius". They decided that "two" was to mean "I found him" and "three" : "get me out of here!!!". Men up there (especially Severus and Lupin) insisted on the last signal. June wondered why.

The river was small and calm. It wouldn't look out of place in a calm, sunny forest or across yellow fields. But it was somewhere underground and was leading June to...

"Fuck! Where am I going!' June swore, because the river fled upwards and there was now a little place for June to occupy. Luckily she was small and wasn't fat at all. But she felt water on her knees and her black clothes were wet. She cursed the river, and couldn't notice, that the river led her to another, greater cave, where she, to her surprise (or even shock) found the body of Sirius Black.

The river divided into two: one was following another tunnel and June wanted to know if there was heaven, a place where those who really died went, but resisted and stayed by the other river that was now fleeing round some kind of island and on the island June saw Sirius.

She landed on the edge of it and watched his body. Well, it was definitely older. And thinner. And weaker. Well, he must have been weak, 'cos he was dead, she thought and came closer. She wanted not to feel it but couldn't notice an uncomfortable ache in her stomach and pity (only pity?) in her heart. He looked so miserable, his face, white on the stones, his clothes torn, his hair a mess. He still clutched his wand in his hand and had a slightly shocked grimace on his face. And his lips were half open... His wonderful, wonderful lips, June recalled and swore again. She wanted...wrong. She had no memories!!

She sat beside him and checked his pulse. It was very weak but still recognisable. She sighed with relief and smiled. She stroked gently his hair. She fucked all her past promised that she wouldn't feel anything towards him and that one and only time she allowed herself to feel. Oh, why! Why a man, whose even motionless and vulnerable body made her still shiver and hot, had done so many dreadful things towards her, had changed her life forever.

She opened her bag. First thing was an oxygen mask. Than she had to put all the secret potions, Sanpe had prepared for the moment and Ally had given her from her personal collection. Anti-fungicides, anti-bacterial, anti- virus, and so on. But she couldn't wash him there and he had lots of greenish mud behind his nails. Awful, June thought and looked at her fingers. They were dirty, too, and god only knows what sort of dangerous stuff could be hidden in the dust. She swore at the thought, how many days of medical treatment would the risky trip cause. Even if she used the water (that could have been poisoned, too), she would have to take several antibiotic and she hated needles above all.

She finally finished with the first aid and made Sirius levitate next to the broom. She made sure he was safe (if safety was possible there where they were) and decided to take the way back. She pressed the button twice and said.

'Let's go.'

She watched him a little while and added, sneering visibly: 'Babe.'

And they went up, up, up to the Ministry where a group of, now five (Dumbledore), people was waiting impatiently for them.

AN: !!!!!!!!! What will happen next? Wanna know???? REVIEW!!!!!