Back from behind the Veil

Author note: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter posted but I was distracted by HBP, Harry Potter Book Six, which I loved.

Just so my readers know this story takes place after OotP, book five. I will not be using any of the events of book 6. So there are NO HBP spoilers is this story.

Thanks for all the great reviews; I'm glad most of you like it.

This chapter might be a little boring because I have to cover a lot of facts so that the rest of the story will make sense. Don't worry. Chapter 3 will have lots of humor and action for you.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything associated with it. Anything that you recognize from another publishing I do not own. I make no profit from this.

Chapter Two: Jumping Dimensions

(Flashback to when Sirius fell through the Veil.)

Before his cheeky grin could quite fade from his face, Sirius Black had fallen out of the veil and laded hard on his backside. For a second he paused, confused, because he wasn't in the Department of Mysteries any more. He sat up slowly and looked around. Where was he? There in front of him was the veil with its curtain swaying slightly. Maybe this is some kind of Death Eater trap he thought to himself. He stood up quickly and poised his wand ready to fight. Turing around he saw he was in some kind of lab. All over the room were weird devices, books and piles upon piles of parchment. He walked over and picked up the top sheet of one of the bigger stacks of parchment. It appeared to be a log.

February 27, 2061

The new spell is working as expected. When shot in we are immediately sent back scientific data.

Previously modified Summoning charm is still working.

Started Experiment # 1033, the testing and gathering of information from dimensions using the new spell and modified summoning charm.

Experiment # 1033 Day one:

11:28am: The spells were shot into Dimension # 622.

Believed Year 2004.

Believed Veil Location: Canada.

Notes: This is a new dimension to us. It has now been numbered and cataloged. Collected a muggle newspaper. Gave to Perkins to study. Will have a detailed report in a few days.

11:33am: The spells were shot into Dimension # 107.

Believed Year 3583.

Believed Veil Location: England.

Notes: This is the 2nd recorded time we have come across this dimension. Spell came in contact with a wizard. We believe he attempted to fire a form of a stunning spell back through the Veil. Attempt failed. Will make note to use shield charm if this dimension comes up again.

11:38am: The spells were shot into Dimension # 507.

Believed Year, before recorded time.

Believed Veil Location: Ireland.

Notes: This is the 2nd recorded time we have come across this dimension. Samples taken pre-date recorded time.

The whole page was filled with entries like these, one ever five minutes.

Sirius looked up and raised his wand when he heard the door on the other side of the room open. In walked an old woman. Her gray hair was pulled back into a bun and she wore a light blue set of robes. Behind her floated a sheet of parchment and a quill. The woman was dictating to the quill as she walked. She walked over to a desk and sat down, still talking to the quill.

"Excuse me…" began Sirius.

The old lady looked up, started. "Who are you? This is a restricted area, how did you get in here?" she yelled at him.

"Umm…. through that." Sirius said as he pointed behind himself to the veil.

"Did you really?" She walked over him and study him closely. "Would your name be Sirius Black?" she asked. This startled Sirius so much that he raised his wand at her. "How do you know who I am, are you a Death Eater?"

"I'm sorry you must be very confused. Please come sit and I will explain. You can put your wand down." Sirius didn't lower his wand. "Very well, at least take a seat." She said with an exasperated sigh. Sirius moved forward and sat, still keeping his wand on her.

"First let me introduce myself, or reintroduce myself, whatever the case my be. I am Hermione Granger." Sirius sat in stunned silence. He didn't know what to say, so he just let her continue uninterrupted. "The year is 2061, but this is not your future. You are in a different dimension from your own. You traveled here through the Veil. I knew who you were because you were a part of my life here in this dimension." She sat back and watched him as all she had said sunk in.

"So you are Hermione Granger, friend of my Godson Harry Potter?" he asked.

"Yes."

"I don't understand, if you are Hermione then why are you so old?"

"That is what is so fascinating about the Veil and the different dimensions, each one is in a different year in time. But I am getting ahead of myself. Let me start at the beginning. After I graduated from Hogwarts I came here to work for the Ministry in the Department of Mysteries. I was assigned to what we call "The Veil Project", which is the study of this Veil. It has become my life's work. Originally we believed it had something to do with death since no one who went in ever came back. Now we know that it is actually a gateway between hundreds of different dimensions. We have studied and cataloged over 620 different dimensions. As I said before, each dimension is in a different year, we have not found any two to be in the same year as of yet. But the fascinating thing about this is time flows the same in each dimension. A month is a month, a year is a year, and so fourth." From the blank look on Sirius' face she could tell he wasn't following. "Think of it this way. It is like ever dimension started at a different time, but time is the same in each. For every minute you have spent here in this dimension the same amount of time has passed in yours, but it is as if my dimension started over 60 years before yours. Understand?" Sirius nodded, finally getting it. "Very good. Now we also know that the Veil …" she struggled with a way to explain this part. "Flips channels, changes dimensions, every five minutes. So we have a doorway to that dimension for only 5 minutes." At this statement Sirius looked horror struck. Guessing at what he was thinking she rushed to finish her explanation. "But don't worry the Veil does repeat dimensions." Sirius relaxed back into his chair. "Though I must worn you that the Veil is very random. We have seen some dimensions more then 5 times already yet we have found other ones just in this month that we have never seen in the 40 years of cataloging them. Because of the curtain on the Veil there is no way for us to see what the dimension is until you go through. I am sorry to say but it is very unlikely you will ever get back to your dimension."

"But I have to try, Harry needs me." Sirius said. Hermione looked shocked by this statement.

"Why? Is Harry in some kind of trouble in your dimension?" she asked.

"I think having Voldemort always trying to kill him counts as trouble don't you?" Snapped Sirius.

"Who is Voldemort?" Hermione asked pulling out a quill and parchment.

"Only the most evil Dark Wizard ever. How can you not know about him, he's been trying to kill Harry since he was a baby? He killed Harry's parents! Harry is famous because of it."

"Not in this dimension." Said Hermione without looking up from her parchment where she was taking down everything Sirius said. "Now Sirius I want you to tell me all about this Dark Wizard and Harry's life."

"I can't I have to get back to my Harry." Said Sirius with a new urgency in his voice.

"You can't. I need to study you. I may never have an opportunity like this again. You have to stay and tell me more!" argued Hermione.

"I'm sorry but I can't stay." With that said Sirius got up and jumped back into the veil.

XXXXXX

Sirius came flying out of the veil and landed on a thick patch of moss. "Okay, no more diving into the veil at full speed." He mumbled to himself as he got up and dusted off his robes. He looked around and saw he was in a jungle. The veil itself was so overgrown with vines it was hard to see what it was. "Well this obviously isn't my dimension." After waiting five minutes Sirius walked, a little more slowly, back into the veil.

XXXXXX

He stepped out of the veil onto a metal platform. "Wrong again." He said to himself with a sigh.

"Drop the stick, put your hands above your head and step away from the archway." Sirius looked to see a muggle pointing one of those metal weapons at him, a gun he though Arthur had called them.

"I don't have time for this." Sirius said as he lifted his wand "Petrificus Totalus". The muggle froze and fell to the floor. Sirius walked over to him and crouched down. "Don't worry, I'll unfreeze you in five minutes and you'll never have to see me again. Of course you won't remember ever seeing me in the first place since I have to wipe your memory of this whole incident. Now I'm going to unfreeze your mouth and you are going to tell me where I am." With a wave of his wand the man was able to speak.

"What are you?" the man asked with obvious fear in his voice.

"That doesn't matter. Tell me where we are." Said Sirius with his wand pointed right between the guy's eyes.

"A-Area 51" The man stuttered.

"What country?" asked Sirius

"The United States of America."

"And what year is it?" Now the man was looking at Sirius as if he was crazy.

"1972"

"Thank you" said Sirius. "Obliviate". With that said Sirius stepped back into the veil.