The Waiting Room

By Puss

G-One Shot

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or any characters, places, plots, and objects affiliated with the books.

Sirius frowned. He did not recognize the place in front of him; everything was abnormally white, like a ward at St. Mungo's. In front of him was a circle of people, some Muggle, some wizard, gathered around a game of some sort. He swore that he had seen one or two of them before, but he could not put the faces to names.

There was a gentle laugh from behind him. "Hello Padfoot. I missed you." came a voice; it was familiar, higher than his own, yet masculine in its own right. Sirius tore his eyes away from the chatting group in front of him to turn towards the voice. He sighed.
"I'm dreaming again." he said, sounding rather fed up with himself.

"Wonderful to see you too." said James, a cheeky grin flitting across his face. "And no, you are not dreaming. Remember?" Sirius frowned. Remember what? He screwed up his face, trying to think of what ever it was James wanted him to think of. Funny, everything was so hazy, almost as if something did not want him to remember. He chased down little memories, but as soon as he got a good look at them they slipped through his hands, dancing away into the void in his mind, leaving him with a flash of hair or a single chuckle.

James rolled his eyes, his lips still pulled up into a smirk. "Come on Sirius. It's not that hard." He reached over and tapped the side of Sirius's head with one long finger. Sirius nearly threw up as the last hour of his life played before his eyes; he did not realize that he had lost his balance until he slowly drifted back to reality (or whatever passed for reality in this place) to find the smaller man holding him up. He steadied himself, tears filled up in his eyes.
"James? Jamie? I'm so, so sorry...Harry..." James laughed again.

"Siri, Siri, Siri, you silly pup. Stop apologizing." Sirius shut his mouth with a snap. James suddenly wrapped him in an embrace; Sirius did not know how long they stood there, wrapped up in each other's arms, James's glasses digging into his shoulder and his nose lost in James's wild hair. He felt incomplete when James pulled away, leaving him standing alone. The smaller man took a step back, and looked him up and down, studying him with an intensity that nearly made Sirius blush.

"Is this the underworld?" asked Sirius, desperate to break the silence.

"No." replied James. "I don't know what the underworld looks like. I haven't been there yet. We're in Waiting right now."

"You've been dead fifteen years, James! You've been waiting? What? Is there a big line for entry?" asked Sirius, looking exasperated. James shook his head.

"No, there is no line. I could go to the Underworld whenever I want. But once you go there you can never return to the Waiting." explained James, something strange in his tone. "That's what everyone here is for. They are waiting for someone."

"Who are you waiting for?" asked Sirius, crossing his arms.

"You."

"Oh." Sirius quieted. James had been waiting for fifteen years...for him?
"Well, you must excuse me. I've got an appointment to play Muggle monopoly with the Patersons." Said James, sounding pained. Sirius caught him by the arm.

"Wait! Wait! Play monopoly? Are you mad? Don't leave me! I'm here, shouldn't we go to the Underworld? Aren't you done waiting?" James's smiled, but it was soft, and a hint of sorrow played behind it instead of amusement.

"No Sirius. I still have a long while to wait." He turned to face his friend once more. "Say hello to Harry for me."

"What? I don't understand!" cried Sirius, suddenly terrified, his fingers diggin into James's forearm.

"Sirius, dear silly Sirius," James put a hand to Sirius's face, gently cupping his cheek. "It's not your time yet." The hand dropped to Sirius's chest, and it pushed. Sirius's fingers passed through James's arm, and suddenly, he was falling.

Falling back to life.