"Check." Sirius muttered, as he checked his list again. Tomorrow he could escape this place, everything would be fine again. He would be at peace, away from his wretched mother, father, and dreadful brother.

"Sirius?" his mother's rang up the stairs. "Lunch!"

Mother never thought of him as the eleven year old he was, she treated him as if he were a dog, helpless and alone. He could take care of himself.

"Coming, mum." he called.

He stood up, putting his stuff on his bed, and left the room, descended the stairs into the basement, where the kitchen was. He sat at the table. His brother sat across from him, jeering dirty looks at him.

"Scared about school?" he jeered.

"Nope." Sirius muttered with a certain disdain.

Sirius climbed into bed that night without a care or worry. He lay in his underclothing, dreaming awake, about the letter that came. A letter from Hogwarts.

He drifted off to sleep, and his thoughts strayed. He began to dream.

It was a world up in the clouds. Two angels stood looking at him, fields of cloud behind them. One had the sweet, smooth face of an angel's that's face had been formed by the Lord Almighty himself, and clothed in white robes. Its gender was a female, and resembled Amy. The other was horribly ugly, but had smooth skin, no blemishes, no impurities, just darkness. He was clothed in black robes.

"Who are you?" Sirius inquired.

"We are angels." The white one said. "An angel of light, and an angel of dark."

"And what do you want?" Sirius asked.

"We want you Sirius, because you are the one we need. Your fate will make the history of the wizard world." The white angel stated.

"How so?"

"Come with me." The white angel said again.

"What will you show me?" Sirius asked, as the angel crept toward him and took his hand. "I will show you how important you are."

"What will I do in my life that will help all humankind?"

White light, ever shining, always blinding surrounded them, Sirius covered his eyes from the light.

"Where are we?" he asked quietly.

"In your deepest dreams. Where battles rage and no one ever dies, but that is not real. This part of your dreams will affect the real world. What I will show you is something you must figure it out for yourself. Your destiny is about to be revealed. Prepare yourself, Sirius Black."

The white angel finished, sending a cooling shiver down his back.

"What is about to happen?" Sirius asked, worried about - death. "Will I die?"

"No, my young child. It will change you. You need this. Or else the Wizard World will collapse."

"But why now - I'm only sixteen?"

"You need to make your choice now. So when the time comes, you will be ready to laugh in the face of danger."

The light faded. A forest loomed, desolate of life forms. A wide, arching entrance was billowing above them, the angel and Sirius.

"Enter." The angel said, the words echoing off everything.

Sirius put his first foot forward, then the next. He stopped.

"What lies beyond the entrance?" he inquired, looking at the seraph.

"Nothing you can't handle." She replied with a small smile. "I won't need to collect a carcass - at least not yours."

So he had to kill something. What could it be?

He closed his eyes for a moment, breathed in, and entered. A chill took him. It was cold here. Cold and dark. Sirius wrapped his arms around himself to warm up his body. He wished for more than a pair of jeans and a worn T-shirt.

Something dropped into his pocket. He reached in as he forked a right in the path. His wand. Sirius' eyes were still adjusting to the light, but something moved. He heard it. He could feel it brushing up against his leg. He gulped and continued.

"Ah, help me, please." He muttered under his breath and cursed. He moved to a large, dark clearing, where little light came in.

The thing moving around him hissed. A dark, evil hiss. It flew into the heights of the trees, away from Sirius. That was good. For now. Everything will be fine again, one day.

He gripped his wand tight. .

"Sirius. I know where you linger. I know your deepest thoughts." The creature could speak. "I know your every move." It chuckled slowly, harshly. "You've come to my domain, and I must kill you. You're just another hopeful wanting to put my head on a pike. So try your best, you'll need it."

"We do this the fair way. You show yourself, then we do battle."

"Fair is for losers who want to play fair. I'm no loser. I will rejoice when you're finally dead. You've been ruining my life for as long as you've been alive."

The thing came out of the tree. It appeared human, and was still shadowed by the trees. It pulled two enormously long blades.

"What are you?" Sirius asked.

"I'm not human, and I'm not a demon. And I'm definitely not a vampire. Cerdic's the name."

"What are you?" he demanded.

The answer was merely a whisper. "I'm dead."

"Are you all talk, or do you fight?" Sirius jeered.

"Oh, I fight like hell. Like hell broke out. Ready boy, ready to die?"

"No," Sirius began. "I'm ready to kill."

Cerdic chuckled.

"EXPELLIARMUS!" Sirius roared, as the dead man flew back, swords flying into the hearts of two different trees. The words he didn't know, they just, they left his mouth...

"Ah, a bastard." Cerdic muttered, as he climbed to his feet. "You're worth killing. Didya know?"

"The only one to die here tonight is you, Cerdic." he cried, taking stance for another spell. "INCENDIO!" The words again came out.

The fire leaped from the wand, and Cerdic the Dead Man stood neutral, his head bowed, his hands outstretched in front of him, fingers pointing upwards. The flame withered and died out.

"What the hell are you?" Sirius asked.

"Oh, much more than a dead man."

"You do not scare me." Sirius muttered.

"Oh, I should, boy. I'm the last damn thing you'll ever see."

"No! Accio swords!" Sirius yelled, as Cerdic's blades flew out of his hands, into Sirius'. "Thanks." Sirius said with a grin.

"Oh, I may be without weapon, but I'm not going to lose."

"Bring it on." Sirius said, the grin becoming pure determination. Cerdic rushed towards him, cloak flapping in the wind. Ten meters, nine, eight, seven, six, five. He leaped into the air, and began to twirl in a circle, and Sirius reached up with his blades and cut the man along his mid abdominal area, the other slicing diagonally across his chest.

"Damn." Cerdic muttered, the wounds began pouring out blueish black liquid. He landed behind Sirius, and faced the woods behind him. "Oh, damn!" Sirius yelled, and Sirius turned, to see the white angel in the trees, a long, plain, golden staff in her hands. She was kneeling, and she stood, outstretched her left foot, closed her eyes, serenity overcoming her. She cried out, a harsh battle-cry, and leaped out of the trees, her foot outstretched. She flew with speed, and brought the staff right in the dead centre of Cerdic's chest. He cried out, fell to his knees, then back, screaming in pain, as the blueish black liquid poured out faster than a landslide. A white light poured out, then faded.

Sirius stood amazed at the angel, standing on the dead man's chest. Now he was conquered.

"Who are you?" Sirius asked.

"My name is Serenus"

"What was that, Serenus?" Sirius inquired.

"That was Cerdic, lord of the dead. We have conquered him. It is a test, to test if you are the one we want. Sirius - if you choose to continue, there is no turning back. Will you continue?"

Sirius took a minute to think about it.

"Yes."

"Good." A white nimbus surrounded them again. When it faded, they were back with the dark angel.

"I, Sirius, am Caliga. I will take you on. Do you wish to see it? It is not something you will desire to see, but it is something that will help you on your journey. Will you come?"

"Yes."

"Good. Any questions?"

"Will - will it answer who I am?"

"Somewhat."

"I suggest we move on."

A nimbus, this time black, surrounded them. It faded, and this is what Sirius experienced.

Sirius fell through the veil, and it swayed slowly. He closed his eyes, the effect of Bellatrix's spell fading slowly. He closed his eyes. A cold wind whipped over his face. Wherever he was, it wasn't a bad place

He opened his eyes. It was cloudy, and shadows were cast over the ground. Sirius was laying under an enormous oak, full in bloom. In an exotic garden. An exotic garden with a large, tan stone wall around it. Flowers in bloom, peach trees; it was beautiful.

"Stand." came a voice behind him. A voice neither male nor female, neither deep nor high pitched, loud nor quiet, but a mixture of all. He got up and turned slowly.

A tall person stood there, wearing a black robe, gloves, and suede boots. It had a face formed by estrogen and testosterone, yet white and dry like parchment. It had shoulder length red hair that only blanched his complexion more, and deep gray eyes.

"Come to us, Sirius."

"NO!"

"Your mission cannot be saved now, the war is begun. This-"

Sirius whipped out his wand and pointed it at the person's chest.

"Don't repeat it. I damn well know what the mission is. My mission."

"Join me, Sirius."

"Who the hell are you?" Sirius rasped.

"Me? I am Ragioslav, leader of the dead.

"Harry cannot be saved now. His fate is sealed. The time is come. You cannot save him. He must fight his own battles. You cannot help him anymore."

"I will not join you!" Sirius yelled.

Ragioslav turned and bent, and started hacking, then straightened, as if it had never happened.

"Ragioslav?" Sirius asked meekly.

The man turned, his eyes blood red, his canine teeth long fangs, thick, rubbery wings sprouting from his back. Ragioslav roared.

"VAMPIRE!" Sirius yelled, as he dove into a row of raspberry bushes, and knelt. He sighted Ragioslav.

"Why have I been sent here?" Sirius yelled.

"So I can kill you!" Ragioslav roared, diving at Black.

Sirius aimed his wand at the demon, and yelled "EXPELLIARMUS!"

Ragioslav whirled ten feet back as the spell hit him. The vampire launched at Sirius, and with extreme strength, threw Black into the tan walls, a trickle of blood running down his forehead.

"Damn you!" yelled Sirius.

"You're welcome." Ragioslav said, twirling into the air, and doing a bow in mid-air.

"INCENDIO!" shouted Sirius, Ragioslav's robe catching fire. The vampire tore it off, revealing white underclothes.

Sirius launched the spell again, and Ragioslav missed it. He dove at Sirius, and picked him up. He bent to his neck, and bit into it.

Sirius felt all the blood flow out into the vampire

Maybe, he thought, I'd still be alive. If I hadn't chose to play hero. My breath is getting shorter. If I hadn't chosen to be a stupid, freaking, hero. All a stupid thing. Hero to zero in three seconds flat. Harry - be careful! I have failed you and my mission. Don't be rash.

I wish that could say, I love you, Amy! So I love you and good-bye.

Darkness took his view. I love you.