Another World

By Moony

JKR owns everything you recognize.

Author Notes: Ahhh. Sorry for some lack of update for like three days. I was busy a bit. But I hope to be updating more regularly now. –Moony

Chapter 5

334.6 hours seemed to pass by in a blur. Remus laughed as he thought this. A normal person would think 334. But no, he had to think 334.6, because he always insisted a day was 23.9 hours instead of 24. Then again, no normal person would try to calculate how many hours there were in two weeks. But the day was finally here. The day he might die. How morbid that thought was; waking up and knowing you might die. But Remus had never been much of an optimist. Well, if he died, he hoped the Spirit World had no full moons. And he hoped he would get sent to Hell. But he probably couldn't. Seeing as angels took you to hell or Spirit World, and he would already be in the Spirit World.

Yawning slightly, he stepped out of bed. As he walked out the door, Tonks was standing there. She smiled nervously, but it seemed that her eyes were getting extra shiny for some reason. Remus knew she was about to cry.

"Aww, come on, what's wrong?" Remus asked.

"It's just that… something might screw up today."

"I'm aware of that."

"And… you might… you might be gone forever."

"Thanks for the encouragement."

"It's not funny!"

"Sorry."

"Remus, Sirius gave me something… his Two-Way Mirror. He said to keep it, and give it back to him when he got back from the Department of Mysteries. Only he never did, did he? And I want to give it back to him. And… you might get to see him. And I'm not sure if things from the Living go to the Spirit World, but try won't you?"

Remus nodded, taking the parcel from her.

"I'll make sure I do it…" he said. Then frowned a bit. "If I don't die."

"Stop it!"

"I'm sorry. I'm just a pessimist."

"And when you do, please, can I trust you not to read the letter I've written to him? It's just for him, ok?"

"Sure," he said casually.

Remus really wanted to just run in the bathroom and throw up. It didn't seem possible that in a few hours, he might be dead, or searching around another world he didn't know for Sirius.

Without a word, Tonks ran out of sight.

Frowning slightly, he headed for the bathroom. The parcel was large and the brown paper rustled softly. He always knew about that Two-Way Mirror. He used to hate it, he disapproved of it, he always tried to get James and Sirius to stop using. But now it was sort of a memory… a little reminder of the old days, the light that used to burn softly inside him. The light that brought him to happiness. The light of the Marauders. There were other reminders too. Photos, the cloak, and James' old wand… but they were all stowed away somewhere, so that Remus wouldn't ever have to look at them.

He stared at his reflection in the mirror. He hadn't changed much.

Remus was quite a handsome man, though he was getting old, he hadn't lost much of his looks. He had always been a cute boy, and a handsome young man. And now, looking at him, he could still see the little eleven-year-old in him, he could still see himself like that. But that eleven-year-old seemed to be another person, who lived in a different world.

He sighed, bent down, and began to brush his teeth and splash some water on his face.

He made up his mind to take a walk around this whole mansion. He might never see it again. But what he didn't want was to say good-bye. He wasn't really good at the whole 'good-bye' thingy.

So it was what he did for the morning, and then he ate breakfast. He chuckled to himself, as he kept saying – "This might be the last time I get to do this". It was really morbid. What was to say that in the Spirit World, you couldn't eat or something?

I doubt it. Remus thought. For, if ghosts couldn't eat, how could spirits? Spirits didn't even need to eat. They were already dead. Like ghosts. Suppose he got stuck there, he might never taste anything again. Oh this assignment was really stupid. It had him thinking like someone who had cancer or something. But nevertheless, he resolved to eat a whole box of ice cream. So he'd never forget about it. And Butterbeer. So – Remus John Lupin ate more food than he had ever had in his life.

Harry walked in at this moment, and his eyes flickered from the six bottles of Butterbeer, to bacon that had been sizzling in a pan, and pancakes that had been bubbling, to an empty box of ice cream.

Remus gave him a sheepish smile. But as he did, something in his gut squirmed. It was like staring at James all over again.

"What did you do?" he said, stifling giggles.

Remus smiled slightly. Harry hadn't know his assignment, and he wasn't going to tell him. It might hurt him, maybe he wasn't ready for that. But it was cruel, because Harry had been grieving as much as he had, and Remus knew Harry would give anything to see him.

"I dunno. Full moon's coming soon. Thought I might enjoy myself," he said, smiling. "A treat for myself dealing with my painful transformations."

Harry smiled.

"Can I join you?" she asked.

"Certainly."

He sat down and helped himself to some more ice cream.

"I've wondering… Professor Lupin, do you miss Sirius these days?"

The Butterbeer in his hand fell to the floor, and Butterbeer spat out from his mouth.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I just thought…" Harry said.

"No it's ok. Of course I miss Sirius. He was one of the best friends I ever had."

Remus looked at the sad look in Harry's extraordinarily green eyes.

"I miss him. A lot. It seems like… like everyone who's like a parent to me is leaving. I mean, he was my dad's best friend, and my godfather…"

Remus looked at him. He wished Harry saw him like James' best friend.

"But you know, you're still here. And Mrs. Weasley. I want to show you something…" he said suddenly.

Remus looked at his watch. It was early, he still had time.

"All right."

He thought Harry would take him somewhere, but instead, Harry withdrew something from his pocket. Well, some things actually. They appeared to be shards of broken glass, jagged and shiny. Remus took one and examined it. It appeared to be broken shards of a mirror. But why would Harry want to show him mirror shards? Unless…

"Harry… what exactly was this?" he asked.

"A… a Two-Way Mirror," he stammered.

What? Harry had posession of James' mirror? But – he had thought Sirius had it!

"And how'd you get this?"

"Sirius gave it to me. Before I left for school after Christmas," Harry said, looking at his feet.

Remus was slowly realizing something, but he didn't think Harry would want to hear. If Harry had had this, why had he used the fire to contact Sirius? Why didn't he use the mirror? Then couldn't all this have been avoided?

He opened his mouth to say something, but then he saw the horrible look of wrenching guilt on Harry's face. Was this the reason he hadn't spoken for six weeks? Did he think he was responsible for Sirius's death?

"And… it was all my fault that this all happened! If I hadn't been so stupid… if I had just listened and practiced Occlumency… or if I had just opened the stupid parcel he gave me – then Sirius would still be here!"

"Harry, nothing can change fate, things happen for a reason."

But Remus knew Sirius wasn't supposed to die. But he couldn't say it was his fault. The poor kid had enough on his shoulders already.

"You think so? Professor… do you think you can fix this mirror?" Harry asked.

"I believe I can. Give me a few days, ok?" he said, taking all the shards.

"Thanks. I'm… I'm gonna go now."

Remus frowned. He knew it would be a while, until those shards were pieced together into a mirror. Maybe even never. Great. Harry might lose another one of his Dad's close friends. Didn't Dumbledore think it was enough on the kid?

He knew he could fix a Two-Way Mirror The matter was, it might not ever get back to Harry. That was the guilty part. But no doubt Sirius would like it back – if he even saw him that was.

As he thought long and hard, he didn't notice Dumbledore silently stride in.

"Are you ready?" he asked quietly.

Remus lookd up.

"Oh sure!" he said, a bit flustered. The bottles and the box were still out.

"Had a large breakfast, I suppose?" Dumbledore said, casting an amused eye over the contents on the table. "I assure you, that the chances of you not making it back to the Living is very unlikely. Without Sirius, but you not, is not very probable."

Remus nodded. Though he quite disagreed.

He hopped up and put the shards of the mirror into the pocket of his robes.

"I'll meet you there," Dumbledore said.

Remus nodded, once more, and closed his eyes. He concentrated on the Ministry and disapparated with a crack!

The Ministry's front lobby came into view, and Dumbledore apparated next to him.

The witch at the desk peered at them.

"Visitors?" she asked.

Dumbledore nodded. "We have an important meeting with the angel council in the Department of Mysteries."

Remus wasn't sure whether this witch would buy it. The Ministry of course, had been listening more to the Order now, but that didn't mean there were people in it who thought they were trying to gain power.

The witch rasied her eyebrows, but gave them badges.

"Please let me check in your wands," she said.

"There is no need for that."

"But the Ministry – "

"Then tell the Ministry that Albus Dumbledore said there was no need for it."

The witch smiled weakly, and said, "You may proceed."

So the two of them stepped into the elevator, punched in number 9, and it sped up.

A cool female voice spoke as the doors opened, "Department of Mysteries."

They strode down a dark corridor, and Remus had stabs of memories. This was where Sirius had gone. This was where everything had happened. Dumbledore seemed to know which door it was, though Remus could not remember.

They threw it open, and there it was. The stone dais, the moth-eaten veil still and not moving. Remus looked at it achingly. That was where Sirius had gone. The memories seemed to be swallowing him whole. After that scene, he had never… never expected he'd be back. Nor would he have expected he would be going behind that veil after Sirius.

All six of the council were there, Irene, Georgia, Aura, Talo, Anson, and Ernan.

"Are you absolutely positive you want to do this? You do not have to, if you do not absolutely want to, or if you are too apprehensive," Dumbledore said quietly.

"I'm sure," Remus said, though he didn't think he was. His heart seemed to be speeding and slowing and speeding and slowing, and his knees and arms seemed to be shaking. Cold sweat was breaking from his neck. But he had to do this. For Sirius. For the Order. For the world.

Irene gave Sirius a small little vial of silvery stuff. But it wasn't a normal ear piece, it was golden and seemed to be made of a substance Sirius didn't know of.

"You must put this in your ear, and then we will have contact with you. We will guide you through the world, and help you best to find Sirius. With this substance in your ear, you will be fine, and you will be able to come back into the Living. However, we cannot guarantee it will stay in your ear. Because, we do not know what goes on behind that veil," Irene said.

So there was a huge risk that he might not make it back. Well, he'd come back to haunt the Ministry if he didn't make it back. If he could. Who knew what was behind that veil?

"Are you ready?" Irene asked him.

No. He was not ready. He would never be ready. He wanted to bolt, he wanted to run, he wanted to hide. He wanted time to go back. He wanted everything to be as it was when he was eleven. When the world was just filled with the stupid worries of not having friends, or being a werewolf. Transforming into a werewolf was nothing, compared to this.

But Remus felt cowardly at these thoughts, and his tongue moved to let out a small and defiant… "Yes."

Sorry I couldn't fix the mirror for you, Harry. Hopefully I'll make it back. Remus thought.

The substance swirled in his ear, and Irene nodded at him.

The room swirled dangerously around him. It was impossible. How could someone know they would be walking into death. It was appalling. Closing his eyes, Remus let himself fall. And he felt himself falling. Falling through blackness and air. Remus opened his eyes, but he might as well have kept them closed, for there was nothing to see.

Just as he hit the bottom, something slammed into his heart, something like a knife. A cold, biting knife that hurt more than a Cruciatus Curse could ever conjure.

Remus let out a scream heard by no one. The last thing he heard from Irene was,

"Mr. Lupin? Are you all right? Can you hear me? I think we're losing connection. Something's ripping your body away….. I'm sorry sir, be careful. Try to find Mr. Black. Everything might work out if you're on your guard…"

And Remus blacked out.

SHOUTOUTS:

IamSiriusgrl: YAY! More compliments! Thank you!

Sirius-Black-SFan: Yay again! I'm trying to put cliffhangers. But I'm not very good at them, I'm afraid.

ShOrTnSwEeT9013: Thank you!

Lily-James14: Well, I dunno. I already created that little image, so I don't think I'll change it. But, thanks for constructive criticism. I love constructive criticism some times. And good, I hope I continue to do it right!

Dragon of Apocalypse: Hi Erin! Sorry, that was random. Anyways, thanks, see you on the boards:)