Just tie the string to the archway, werewolf, and walk through it.
Remus stared down at the ball of red string he held in his hand-Voldemort himself had created it, muttering a strange incantation, as the string snaked from his wandtip. Even touching the string burned Remus' fingers-he couldn't tell if this was only psychological or not.
He threw off the Invisibility Cloak, and stepped onto the dais. With trembling fingers, he tied one end of the string tightly around one side of the archway. He could hear the dead whispering to him from within.
Holding the string tightly in his left hand, his wand in the right, Remus closed his eyes, took a deep breath and stepped through the archway.
For a few seconds, the veil fluttered over his head, and he passed into complete darkness. What sounded like water roared in his ears, and he had no voice with which to call out. Panic was rising in his chest-had Voldemort tricked him? Had he walked right into a trap? Was he, too, dead now?
But then, as suddenly as it had begun, the roaring noise stopped, and Remus was standing in a brightly-lit place, still clutching the string and his wand tightly. He exhaled loudly, immense relief washing over him. He looked around in awe;
The place where Remus stood had no definite boundaries-an infinite, bright space, with no visible floor, ceiling or walls, stretched out around him. He felt like he was walking on air. Every now and then, he thought the place took shape; once, it was the seashore; a few seconds later, a beautiful castle shimmered into view, before it too disintegrated in the light. It was nothingness, but Remus felt it could be anything. Even as he thought this, it made no sense to him. Voldemort had explained briefly that the world beyond the veil took a different shape every time a soul crossed the archway. Remus, who was protected by a potion which Voldemort had told him to drink, was obviously disturbing the atmosphere-it could not settle on any one form.
But he had no time to wonder at the world beyond the veil. Voldemort had told him that he would have half an hour at most to find Sirius and bring him back. With every moment that passed, Sirius would become more lost beyond the veil...those who fell through still kept their bodies for a short while after their death. Voldemort had estimated that any day now, Sirius would be lost for good.
His heart pounding against his ribcage, Remus stepped forwards, unravelling the string, holding his wand aloft.
Then, they started to come.
Remus saw several shapes coming towards him; they were greyish in colour, and so stood out against the whiteness around him. They were people; people who had died, and were not used to living visitors in their realm. Voldemort told Remus that the images he would see were in fact the souls of the dead-they looked like ghosts, but they were solid. If Remus touched anyone besides Sirius, he would be trapped beyond the veil, and the whole mission would have been futile.
Some of the souls that wandered close to him looked happy; others, scared. Two or three brave souls approached him, eager to speak to one who was still living, but Remus produced a Patronus-this, Voldemort had told him, would stop the souls from coming too close to him.
'I'm sorry', he whispered softly, as his wolf patronus herded a small girl away, 'I'm so sorry.'
As Remus moved further from the archway, he began to see people he knew. He recognised Regulus Black, who was crying alone, away from everyone else. Remus wanted to ask him what was wrong, but time was ticking, and there was still no sign of Sirius.
'Sirius!' He called desperately, 'where are you?'
'Remus...'
Remus Lupin spun around, looking about him wildly to see who had addressed him.
'No', he murmured softly, as his eyes fell on the speaker, 'I hoped I wouldn't see you...'
The souls of James and Lily Potter stood several feet to his left, arm in arm, watching him. James beckoned him forwards. Trembling, his mind whirling, Remus approached.
'James', he whispered, 'Lily...'
Lily placed a finger on her lips and smiled gently at her old friend.
'Harry', Remus continued, his voice catching in his throat, 'he...he reminds of you. Both of you. He has your kindness, Lily. And your courage, James.'
Even as he spoke, his eyes filled with tears. It was heartbreaking to see his old friends, mere shadows of themselves, trapped here beyond the veil.
'Sirius is this way', James said softly, 'come. Follow us.'
And so Remus followed the Potters, his mind in a turmoil. He didn't know if he could bear to leave James and Lily, but what choice did he have? Maybe Voldemort was wrong, maybe there was some way to bring them back...
'We are fine here, Remus', Lily whispered, reading his mind, 'take Sirius back with you. It's not his time yet. You made a good choice. And tell Harry...tell him we love him so very much, and no matter what he does, we are proud of him.'
'But-' Remus began to reply, but stopped dead. Lily and James had disappeared.
He turned around the spot, searching for them, but this whole area was deserted. Except for a bundle of robes that lay at Remus' feet, moaning softly.
'Sirius!' Remus exclaimed anxiously, dropping to his knees, 'Sirius! Are you okay?'
Remus rolled Sirius onto his back. He was very pale and Remus even thought he seemed to be fading, although he could not be certain this wasn't his imagination. Sirius groaned again, and murmured something under his breath that Remus just managed to catch.
'Must save Harry', Sirius breathed, 'can't stay here...must get back. Can't find a way out...'
Without wasting a moment, Remus picked Sirius up-he was as ligth as a feather, another factor which only served to worry Remus. 'Keep fighting Sirius', he said loudly and confidently, beginning to follow the string back to the archway, 'remember, Harry needs you!'
He strode past the other souls, sending his Patronus to keep them back, and in a few short minutes, he was at the archway.
This was it; either he and Sirius would go through and be fine, or they would be unable to get out, and they would die. 'Nothing for it', he murmured, 'I may as well find out now...'
And Remus Lupin stepped through the archway, back into the Department of Mysteries, Ministry of Magic basement, London, still carrying an unconscious Sirius Black in his arms.
As soon as they stepped through, Sirius suddenly regained his body weight, and Remus almost dropped him. Quickly but carefully, he put his friend down on the dais, and murmured 'Enervate.'
Sirius made an odd sort of choking noise, gasped and opened his eyes.
'Wh-what happened?' He asked breathlessly, staring up at Remus, his eyes wide, 'where's Harry? Am I alive?'
Remus grinned. And as he began to explain to Sirius that he had brought him back from beyond the veil (though without mentioning Voldemort), he knew that it had been worth it.
No matter what Voldemort would do to him, it had been worth it, to see Sirius alive again.
Remus stared down at the ball of red string he held in his hand-Voldemort himself had created it, muttering a strange incantation, as the string snaked from his wandtip. Even touching the string burned Remus' fingers-he couldn't tell if this was only psychological or not.
He threw off the Invisibility Cloak, and stepped onto the dais. With trembling fingers, he tied one end of the string tightly around one side of the archway. He could hear the dead whispering to him from within.
Holding the string tightly in his left hand, his wand in the right, Remus closed his eyes, took a deep breath and stepped through the archway.
For a few seconds, the veil fluttered over his head, and he passed into complete darkness. What sounded like water roared in his ears, and he had no voice with which to call out. Panic was rising in his chest-had Voldemort tricked him? Had he walked right into a trap? Was he, too, dead now?
But then, as suddenly as it had begun, the roaring noise stopped, and Remus was standing in a brightly-lit place, still clutching the string and his wand tightly. He exhaled loudly, immense relief washing over him. He looked around in awe;
The place where Remus stood had no definite boundaries-an infinite, bright space, with no visible floor, ceiling or walls, stretched out around him. He felt like he was walking on air. Every now and then, he thought the place took shape; once, it was the seashore; a few seconds later, a beautiful castle shimmered into view, before it too disintegrated in the light. It was nothingness, but Remus felt it could be anything. Even as he thought this, it made no sense to him. Voldemort had explained briefly that the world beyond the veil took a different shape every time a soul crossed the archway. Remus, who was protected by a potion which Voldemort had told him to drink, was obviously disturbing the atmosphere-it could not settle on any one form.
But he had no time to wonder at the world beyond the veil. Voldemort had told him that he would have half an hour at most to find Sirius and bring him back. With every moment that passed, Sirius would become more lost beyond the veil...those who fell through still kept their bodies for a short while after their death. Voldemort had estimated that any day now, Sirius would be lost for good.
His heart pounding against his ribcage, Remus stepped forwards, unravelling the string, holding his wand aloft.
Then, they started to come.
Remus saw several shapes coming towards him; they were greyish in colour, and so stood out against the whiteness around him. They were people; people who had died, and were not used to living visitors in their realm. Voldemort told Remus that the images he would see were in fact the souls of the dead-they looked like ghosts, but they were solid. If Remus touched anyone besides Sirius, he would be trapped beyond the veil, and the whole mission would have been futile.
Some of the souls that wandered close to him looked happy; others, scared. Two or three brave souls approached him, eager to speak to one who was still living, but Remus produced a Patronus-this, Voldemort had told him, would stop the souls from coming too close to him.
'I'm sorry', he whispered softly, as his wolf patronus herded a small girl away, 'I'm so sorry.'
As Remus moved further from the archway, he began to see people he knew. He recognised Regulus Black, who was crying alone, away from everyone else. Remus wanted to ask him what was wrong, but time was ticking, and there was still no sign of Sirius.
'Sirius!' He called desperately, 'where are you?'
'Remus...'
Remus Lupin spun around, looking about him wildly to see who had addressed him.
'No', he murmured softly, as his eyes fell on the speaker, 'I hoped I wouldn't see you...'
The souls of James and Lily Potter stood several feet to his left, arm in arm, watching him. James beckoned him forwards. Trembling, his mind whirling, Remus approached.
'James', he whispered, 'Lily...'
Lily placed a finger on her lips and smiled gently at her old friend.
'Harry', Remus continued, his voice catching in his throat, 'he...he reminds of you. Both of you. He has your kindness, Lily. And your courage, James.'
Even as he spoke, his eyes filled with tears. It was heartbreaking to see his old friends, mere shadows of themselves, trapped here beyond the veil.
'Sirius is this way', James said softly, 'come. Follow us.'
And so Remus followed the Potters, his mind in a turmoil. He didn't know if he could bear to leave James and Lily, but what choice did he have? Maybe Voldemort was wrong, maybe there was some way to bring them back...
'We are fine here, Remus', Lily whispered, reading his mind, 'take Sirius back with you. It's not his time yet. You made a good choice. And tell Harry...tell him we love him so very much, and no matter what he does, we are proud of him.'
'But-' Remus began to reply, but stopped dead. Lily and James had disappeared.
He turned around the spot, searching for them, but this whole area was deserted. Except for a bundle of robes that lay at Remus' feet, moaning softly.
'Sirius!' Remus exclaimed anxiously, dropping to his knees, 'Sirius! Are you okay?'
Remus rolled Sirius onto his back. He was very pale and Remus even thought he seemed to be fading, although he could not be certain this wasn't his imagination. Sirius groaned again, and murmured something under his breath that Remus just managed to catch.
'Must save Harry', Sirius breathed, 'can't stay here...must get back. Can't find a way out...'
Without wasting a moment, Remus picked Sirius up-he was as ligth as a feather, another factor which only served to worry Remus. 'Keep fighting Sirius', he said loudly and confidently, beginning to follow the string back to the archway, 'remember, Harry needs you!'
He strode past the other souls, sending his Patronus to keep them back, and in a few short minutes, he was at the archway.
This was it; either he and Sirius would go through and be fine, or they would be unable to get out, and they would die. 'Nothing for it', he murmured, 'I may as well find out now...'
And Remus Lupin stepped through the archway, back into the Department of Mysteries, Ministry of Magic basement, London, still carrying an unconscious Sirius Black in his arms.
As soon as they stepped through, Sirius suddenly regained his body weight, and Remus almost dropped him. Quickly but carefully, he put his friend down on the dais, and murmured 'Enervate.'
Sirius made an odd sort of choking noise, gasped and opened his eyes.
'Wh-what happened?' He asked breathlessly, staring up at Remus, his eyes wide, 'where's Harry? Am I alive?'
Remus grinned. And as he began to explain to Sirius that he had brought him back from beyond the veil (though without mentioning Voldemort), he knew that it had been worth it.
No matter what Voldemort would do to him, it had been worth it, to see Sirius alive again.