Chapter Two: The Point of No Return

"There's nothing you can do, Harry. Nothing… he's gone."

– Remus Lupin, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

"My—?" Sirius began, walking into the next room, looking perplexed.

But there was something different about Samara, no doubt. There was something different about her facial expression when she had said that. Her eyes seemed to widen, and the rest of her face became sterner. It was much different than the carefree look that had once lingered in her eyes. Samara's voice also became loud and harsh. Sirius almost jumped at all of this alone.

This room was huge. It was equally dark as all of them, but it was huge. It was, as expected, fully black, but this room was different, somehow. It gave Sirius an odd premonition, like he shouldn't be there or something. The walls were littered with thirteen black doors that all looked alike. And if Samara wasn't still holding open the door, he wouldn't be able to tell which of the thirteen doors they came through. In-between each of the doors was a bookcase, tall and black, reaching up to the gloomy ceiling. The books on the shelves were the only things that he had seen colored since his awakening in this—place.

"Samara?" Sirius whispered, feeling that if he spoke any louder he would be punished. "Where are we?" He was walking into the circular room now, looking around at all of the looming bookshelves that were taller than he.

"The main chamber," she answered, still in a different voice than usual, but less stern. Samara's face was definitely paler than it was when he first met her.

"The main chamber?" inquired Sirius, still whispering. "The main chamber of what? Samara, tell me about those evil men that made you come here. Tell me how I got here. Tell me where I am. Where are we?"

"I might not even know," she said, her young face not looking at him. Her voice faltered a bit as fear entered it. Then the sour voice came back as she said in a loud voice, echoing slightly in the large room, "One more has come ma'am, but I do not know yet why…."

Who was she talking to? What was in those books on the bookshelves? Questions gave him a headache like never before, but the one question he had wanted an answer to still remained. Where was he? Even when all of the black doors opened, his head and heart still throbbed painfully in the clothes that did not suit him.

The heavy doors opened with a bang. There was someone different standing in each doorway. The men in different doorways were wearing the same black robes as Sirius had found himself wearing, and the women wore the same too-long black dresses with something embroidered on its hem.

Sirius looked around at the faces. It seemed like there were so many of them, he had to keep turning to see them all. But one thing was certain—these people were not as young and welcoming as Samara Karpoon.

"So," one woman began. She looked very old, her hair was blonde but it had many streaks of gray intertwined in it. She started to walk out of her doorway towards Sirius. "The Ministry said that we were the only people to be sent to this place. Did they change their minds, or…"

She was very close to Sirius now. The door she had walked out of slammed shut, but no noise came from it. Just the sound of her voice chilled Sirius to the bone.

"Wh—who are you?" Sirius stammered, involuntarily taking a step backward.

"Who am I? Don't tell me you've never heard of me!" The woman let out a laugh, a high, cruel laugh that echoed throughout the room even when her laughter died. "Who sent you here? The Ministry? Trying to keep watch over what we're doing down here?" She asked more seriously.

"No one sent me here," Sirius said truthfully. "I—I fell." Sirius didn't want to relive how he got here.

The woman looked at him strangely. "Fell? You fell? Fell where?"

"Through the veil and the archway," Sirius answered.

She surveyed him like she didn't want to believe the words that came from his mouth. "I am Matilda Ramshen. Leader of the thirteen Death Eaters. Sit now, unwelcome guest."

As if they were summoned there, fourteen chairs appeared in the room. The people that were still standing in their separate doorways sat down in the closest chairs towards them. Sirius looked again at each of them in turn. Pale, white faces stared back at him as if they had never seemed a human being before. Sirius sat down in a chair that was feet behind him next to Samara. Samara's face was, as he looked at it, oddly blank. Her light eyes shone nothing as she looked around at all of the people in the room.

"What is your name?" Matilda asked her voice not as loud and demanding as it was before.

"Sirius Black," he obeyed.

"Well Mr. Black," she said quietly, letting his surname roll off of her tongue. "This must be your new home, if no body sent you. Stay seated, and let me tell you the story of us." Several of the thirteen people shot Matilda surprised looked. She looked taken aback. "What? If he's going to live here, and he's already past the point of no return, he ought to know the whole story…"

You read it—You loved it—Now review it!

I know I already told Moony that I would say the basic plot in Chapter two, but I think that a cliffhanger would do some good, as I don't use them often. Chapter Three will be up this weekend if all goes well! - Padfoot