A/N - Merry Christmas, everyone! I'm terribly sorry I haven't posted in a while, but I had major writer's block for all of my stories for the better part of a month. Not fun. I got quite a few people telling me that last chapter was confusing - hopefully this chapter will wrap up all loose ends. If it doesn't then, well, sorry!

Wow - this feels so weird, finishing this story. Very nice feeling of accomplishment : )I 'm not too sure what I think about this chapter, so I'd appreciate any and all feedback. Gracias!

Oh, one more quick thing - I love happy endings. Really, I'm a sucker for them. Just a quick warning for any incredibly angsty people out there ; )

Disclaimer - JK Rowling owns everything you recognize - the quotes are courtesy of Epicurus and Douglas Adams, respectively.

Death Is Nothing

Death is nothing to us, since when we are, death has not come, and when death has come, we are not.

- Epicurus

Chapter 6: Where I Intended to Go

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be.
-Douglas Adams

"Who are you?" he whispered again, his hands trembling. The man backed up slowly, though he was still staring at him avidly.

"I'm not one of Them." he said softly – his voice was no longer shaky and hesitant. "We have to go."

"Who are you?" asked Harry again, this time more loudly. He stumbled backwards, clutching at the rock wall behind him…then he stiffened, turning around slowly. There hadn't been a wall there earlier…

"That's not important." said the man – the man who looked so much like Sirius, and at the same time so different. Harry spun back around, his breath hitching. "They already know I'm here, so we have to hurry…,"

"You're not Sirius." said Harry, his voice wavering slightly as he stared, transfixed, at the man before him. "You, your eyes, they look like –"

"Sirius has his own battles to fight." interrupted the man – his voice was still quiet, but his eyes were flashing. "He has already stayed here far too long….But we don't have time to talk now, we have to go. They are coming."

Harry closed his eyes, willing the man's face, the pain – everything – to go away. Because this was all some really bad dream, wasn't it? Soon he would wake up, and the floor would be shaking as Dudley lumbered downstairs, and Hedwig would be waiting for him, perhaps with a letter from Hermione, or Ron…because this was a dream, it had to be, and he had never really passed through the curtain, and there wasn't a man standing before him with Sirius' face and James' eyes, because Sirius Black and James Potter were dead….

But the pain didn't go away, and he could feel those familiar hazel eyes staring at him, and he knew that he wasn't going to wake up – he knew that somehow this was all real; this land of nightmares he was trapped in was real, and somehow James Potter was standing in front of him, trying to take him home….

He swallowed and opened his eyes, clutching once more at the rock wall as he willed the world to steady.

"You're my dad," he whispered, his voice trembling and a few tears slipping unbidden down his face. "You, you're –"

The man – James? – made as though to smile, but then he stiffened, a strange, desperate look coming onto his face before he whirled around, shoving Harry roughly behind him.

"You will not have him."

:::::Sirius' POV:::::

He recoiled, writhing away from the darkness that was bleeding into his mind. They were so close now, so close that every breath was filled with raw fire. He now secretly longed to hear the voice in his head, because if he did then he might have something to cling to…if he did then maybe he could keep holding on…to what end, he no longer knew.

His soul felt as though it was burning, and he screamed - but no one was listening anymore. Though who would be listening, he no longer knew – he couldn't remember sunlight, or laughter, or the wind…no faces, no memories of happier times, no…anything.

Sirius?

He wanted to cry out, to say something – but he could only draw farther back as another wave of searing fire washed over him.

Sirius, I need you back now. We don't have any more time, They've come, They're here to take you and Harry....You are stronger than them, Sirius, and you need to fight them now.

He shrank back involuntarily. "H-how…"

I need you, Sirius! The voice sounded desperate now, and Sirius had a sudden, strange feeling – he knew whoever it was who was talking to him… Please remember, Sirius – remember Remus, and Harry, and everyone else. Can you see them? They are here, Padfoot, and They are going to take that from you…They are trying to create darkness from light, and They will succeed unless you defy Them! Stand by me, Sirius. Stand by me, and defy Them, and I swear I will bring you back home.

Home….

:::::Harry's POV:::::

He tried to breath, but couldn't – this was worse than the dementors, worse than anything he could remember. He couldn't see them, but he could feel them – tall, shadowed beings of fire and darkness, thousands upon thousands of them, cloaked in mist and fear. He could distantly hear the man say again, "You will not have him!" – But that no longer made sense. They already had him, didn't They? And even if They didn't, They would soon enough – he would let Them take him, just so long as all of it ended….

He shuddered, gasping as a tendril of chilling, icy fear snaked into his mind. Hello, Mr. Potter, said a coldly amused voice – he bent over, covering his ears with his hands, but the voice didn't go away. I had hoped to be the one to break you, after all the trouble your father has caused me…you know, Mr. Potter, I think he actually believed he could save you and Mr. Black. A mistaken notion, of course, but he came back from the higher lands to try and rescue you. He even took over Mr. Black's body rather than inhabiting his own, as though that would make you trust him more…but of course you didn't listen to him, Mr. Potter, when he said to leave, and now we will take all three of you…

"NO!" Harry screamed, trying vainly to push the darkness away from him. "Take me, I don't care, but let my, my dad and Sirius go, please…"

The voice laughed. Oh, but Mr. Potter, it is such fun to break you, to watch you scream…do not worry, though. You will not feel guilty for long – soon you will have no memory of anything. You will not remember the taste of food, or the feel of sunlight, or the touch of the wind…you will know nothing but pain, Mr. Potter, and that pain will never end, because here there is neither life nor death. Welcome to Hell, Mr. Potter. "This is not Hell."

Harry's head snapped up. There were two men in front of him now, one crouched on the ground, his hazel eyes flashing beneath a mess of untidy, jet-black hair as he slowly straightened up, glaring at the tall, shadowed figures before him. The other had staggered back and was leaning against the stone wall, his eyes closed and his breathing harsh and uneven. "This is not Hell," he said again, his voice low and rasping. "I've – been to Hell, and – this is – not – it." He coughed, shaking uncontrollably. "Let us – go."

Harry cried out, bent over and clutching his head as James and Sirius turned to look at him. Tell them, whispered the voice harshly, no longer sounding amused. Tell them that they will never leave, not until they feel the weight of over a thousand year's pain. Not until they know what it is to exist without food, without water, without life…tell them that, Mr. Potter. Tell them!

"Let him go!" said James, sounding panicked. "Let Sirius and Harry go home, and you can take me instead!"

"T-They said," whimpered Harry, flinching as a pair of hands grabbed his wrists, "T-They said that, that w-we can't leave, that we c-c-can never l-leave…."

Tell them, shouted the voice, its words now sounding like a thrashing gale, That we will take all of you, that none of you will escape – tell them!

"W-we can, can't escape, Th-They said s-so…pl-please stop, please…." He couldn't see anymore – unconsciousness was threatening to overwhelm him, and at last he let it take him. "Please stop…."

:::::Sirius' POV:::::

He fell to the ground, his nails digging into his clenched hands so hard blood was starting to ooze from his fists….A sea of mist-wreathed figures was standing before him, towering over him and flickering with barely concealed ebony fire. Them.

But he was still here, and Harry was still here, and – somehow – James was here; They hadn't taken them yet. What was it that he had said? That this was not Hell…what was, then?

Azkaban. He watched with fevered eyes as one of the figures before him changed….And now he was staring at Bartemius Crouch, a self-satisfied leer on his face as he pointed behind him and stepped aside; and then Lily and James were lying on the ground – James' glasses were broken, and crimson blood was dripping slowly from a gash across his cheek….

And then they too disappeared, and Peter was there, his hands behind his back as he opened his mouth to shout something – then Remus was slowly turning around to look at him, a look of betrayal and hurt burning in his eyes….

And then he laughed. He reached up for the rock wall, grabbing onto it and pulling himself up…and, still laughing, he limped over to where James was crouched in front of Harry, his hazel eyes wide with anger and fear.

"I've been to Hell," he said again, dropping heavily to the ground beside James. "And I escaped. Now let us GO!"

oooooooooo

He moaned, screwing his eyes shut as something cool grabbed his arm. "Lemme go…," he mumbled, trying to turn away. "It was James' fault…."

Somewhere above him someone laughed, and a second later the cool grip on his arm was gone. He smiled, then frowned as something wet brushed against his face. Opening his eyes cautiously, he found himself face to face with a large stag, a stag with unusual black markings around bright, hazel eyes….

Yelping, he scuttled backwards, brushing a tangled strand of black hair out of his face as he stared, wide-eyed, at Prongs. The stag tilted its head slightly, its hazel eyes wide and innocent-looking, and a second later James was gazing at him, smiling as he leaned back against a smooth, marble wall. "Feeling better?"

Sirius gaped at him. "I – you, you're –"

"Dead." finished James, his smile fading slightly. "Yeah, I am. And, er, at the moment, so are you. Not for long, though," he added hastily, as Sirius opened his mouth to say something. "But, well, when you were helping draw us out you kind of…overdid yourself a bit, mate. Don't worry, though – I'll send you home in a second, and then you'll be – well, you'll be alive again…."

Sirius shook his head slowly, looking exceptionally confused. "I'm dreaming, aren't I…." James grinned but didn't say anything. "Look, if you really are James and this isn't some exceptionally bizarre nightmare, then how did you, how did you come and, and help against Them…," Sirius' voice trailed off, but James just shook his head, looking unusually serious.

"You needed help. I came." he said simply. "And you did most of the work against Them, not me – I just gave you a bit of a nudge." Sirius gave him another bewildered look, and he elaborated further. "They were like the dementors, Sirius – They ruled by fear, but They could be fought. You cast Them off, you didn't let Them hold you – They had nothing left to fed upon and break, so They became weaker. They weren't strong enough to hold us there, so I brought us up here. C'mon, though – it's time for you and Harry to go home."

"James?"

James looked up from where he was kneeling over Harry's limp, unconscious body – Sirius' dark grey eyes were distant, as though they were staring at something beyond him. "I'm dead, right?" he said slowly, focusing on James, who nodded slightly. "So, if I wanted to – I mean, if you wouldn't mind – I, I could just, just stay here with you, couldn't I?"

In one swift, sudden movement James stood up, strode over to where Sirius was standing, and grabbed him in a bone-crushing hug. "I missed you, Padfoot," he whispered, his voice slightly muffled and tears falling slowly from his eyes, "But now it's time for you to go home."

oooooooooo

:::::Remus' POV:::::

He stood up, not bothering to wipe his eyes as he turned around and began to walk slowly towards the door. Every step felt like it cost him everything he had – how would he be able to tell Dumbledore this, tell Dumbledore that it was his fault Harry had passed through the Veil? How could he explain that he had been too late to save his best friend's son?

He reached out to grasp the doorknob, then stopped. There was a strange feeling in the back of his mind, a feeling that he should wait for –

Thunk.

:::::Harry's POV:::::

He groaned, rolling onto his side and pushing himself to his feet. It felt as though he had been beaten and bruised and trampled – every single part of him ached fiercely, but he couldn't remember why….All he could remember were vague feelings of fear and pain, and he shuddered, not trying to probe deeper.

He opened his eyes, blinking through a haze of blood and sweat as he tried to focus on the person stumbling, as though in a daze, towards him. When he finally realized who it was he smiled weakly. "Hullo, Professor Lupin….We're back."

A/N - The End.

Just in case anyone asks - no sequel is planned (to be honest I don't have any time to write a sequel) - however, if anyone else would like to write one...

Many, many, MANY thanks to:

nicc - Visceral? You really think so? Thanks!

Lynn-50670 - Thankee much. : )

loonygrl90 - Yay! I love it when I find out people added me to their fav list - brightens my day : ) I'm glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for the compliments!

aither - Yeah, everyone seemed a bit confused on that front : ) I'm glad you think it's original, I try hard to make it so!

Eagle - Well, it was supposed to be a bit confusing, but not too much...oh well, hopefully it's all sorted out by now.

Nethwen - Well, at least someone thought it was confusing in a good way : ). Sorry it has to end now, though...now I feel guilty...

Ligia Elena - Yep, made perfect sense. Thanks so much for the constructive criticism - I love getting it but no one seems to want to give any. Sad. I'm thinking about going back sometime soon and revising the beginning chapters, because I'm sure they're full of loads of problems like that.

Redluxx - Aw, I felt so bad when I read your review! Of course I read it...and had every intention of updating soon...well, anywho, this review was the one which really spurred me into finishing this chapter. Thanks SO much! ::hugs::

Whew! TONS of reviews for that last chapter - I love you guys! ::sniffles:: I'm gonna miss you so much....

Bye : (