(A/N: The idea for this story came to me in Algebra a month ago; math class always makes me depressed.)
Dog Star
"Is that the best you can do?" Sirius Black sneered as he repelled a comparatively weak curse from his Death Eater relative.
The raven-haired woman growled and sent a jet of red light in Sirius's general direction. He ducked it easily and shook his head.
"Come on, love, you can do better than that!" he yelled.
He leapt up onto a great stone dais, which stood untouched amidst the chaos. Grasping the silky, fluttering curtain behind him with his free hand, Sirius glared at his cousin. It was a look of pure, unadulterated loathing; one that had been customary between them since childhood. She, of course, returned the favor.
Sirius Black smiled.
Twirling his wand between his fingers, he chanted quietly, so only the two of them could hear, "Bellatrix, Bellatrix, Voldemort's bitch."
Bellatrix's glare hardened and her cheeks grew a furious scarlet. She swore loudly and raised her wand high above her head.
Sirius smirked. "Kiss your Dark Lord with that mouth, eh, 'Trixie?
Then Sirius did something he hadn't done in years; not since his Hogwarts days.
He laughed.
Not a scoff or a grin, but hearty, full-fledged laughter that rang throughout the cavernous room and drowned out all other noise.
Consequently, Sirius never heard his cousin utter those two fatal words...
Avada Kedavra...
The curse struck him square in the chest...
...And wormed its way into his heart.
Sirius felt the coldness spread throughout every inch of his body; freezing his veins, chilling his bones, numbing the very tips of his fingers.
Paralyzed, Sirius's spine arched backwards, and the rest of his wasted body followed suit.
For anyone paying attention to the dying Sirius Black, it seemed he fell in slow-motion, as if he was perhaps stuck between the dimensions of flesh and spirit.
Physically impaired otherwise, Sirius was still able to see and hear; though both sight and sound were fading rapidly.
Bellatrix Lestrange cackled with maniacal glee.
"Sirius! Sirius!" Harry Potter raced down the stone steps, trying to reach his godfater in time. "Sirius!"
The tear that Sirius would have shed in other circumstances was frozen in the corner of his eye.
Harry Potter: his godson, his friend...
He was the last thing Sirius Black saw before his vision failed.
And he was the last thing Sirius Black heard before he fell through the Veil and over the stars.
Siri-i-i-u-u-u-s-s-s!!"
FIN