Chapter one: Surprises

Sirius sat up with sweat pouring down his face. His head was pounding and his sight and everything in his vision was spinning slowly round. He felt a little nauseous because of this. He tried to stand, but the effort made his head spin even more, causing him to violently throw up. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and slowly tried again to climb to his feet. He succeeded this time and began to look around, sweeping his black hair out of his dark, chocolaty gaze.

He was in the room where he had been sent through the curtain. He took a step forward and immediately he felt the memory of everything start to slip inexorably away. He took a step back sharply. It flooded back to him.

"Funny feeling that isn't it?" A voice which was strangely familiar came from his left. He turned and saw his old school companion. Sirius' eyes widened in shock. He tried to speak, but could only make incoherent sound. The person laughed.

"Yes, Padfoot. It is me. But it's not. If you understood any of that." Padfoot looked around again. He tried to piece it together again what had happened. It made his head hurt. He looked up at James again. He was still the same tall, thin man with the long thin face and the pointed noise and glasses over his brown eyes. His shock of black messy hair was still the same as ever. James smiled at Sirius again. Sirius tried to talk again. He opened his mouth to talk and found he did actually own a voice in this place.

"James? Is that really you? I thought you were dead? No offence for being blunt" Sirius smiled sheepishly. James looked at him with a touch of sadness in his warm brown eyes.

"You don't know what's happened do you? Padfoot, old friend, would it help if I told you that you are in a virtual world to the one you know. You passed behind the veil. This place which you unhappily stand in is behind the veil. Don't you understand?" Suddenly it dawned on Sirius.

"I'm…….dead?" James dropped his eyes. Sirius began to breathe a lot quicker as he began to panic and the shock of what had happened finally hit him.

"I knew I'd gone behind the curtain but I thought I was on the side where the fight actually occurred. I can't be dead. This cannot be happening to me. I don't allow it too. This is just a very vivid dream. It's happened to me before. I dreamt I was a…well what does it matter what I dreamt. I won't be dead!" James smiled against his will.

"Sirius…..I'm sorry. I know how it feels." Sirius spun to face his friend desperately.

"Is there no way that I can get back to the exact time that I was about to be struck and so thrown into here. Let me go back to that please. People need me. Like….Harry for example. And Moony. I can't leave Moony to this battle alone. I've done that too many times." James looked desperate for a minute at the mention of Harry. James looked around, and then he sighed.

"I know that feeling as well. Don't forget that I had died first. I had the awesome pleasure of watching that….that evil bastard kill my wife and then try to kill my son. I wanted to be there to throw myself between him and my family again and again no matter what the pain." Sirius sighed and dropped his eyes.

"I need to get back." James nodded. He shrugged and then said in a hopeless voice,

"I'll do what I can, but don't hold your hopes out on me or anything. OK?" Sirius simply nodded, satisfied that his friend was willing to try for him. James smiled at Sirius one last time, before slowly fading from sight. Sirius sat down, preparing for the long wait. His thoughts drifted back to his and James' school days at Hogwarts. Distant memories plaguing him, he slept.

After what felt like at least 3 days, Sirius woke up to find he was in a different place. It looked a lot like the ministry of magic workplace. James was sat beside him. He grinned when he saw Sirius stirring.

"You're still as hard to wake up as you used to be in school. I nearly used that charm to get you up like I did back then. Anyway, the boss guy here has listened to your case and he's making his decision today." Sirius nodded. He yawned and stood up and stretched to his full muscular, lean height of 6ft. Sirius arranged himself so he didn't look that bad and then stood with James.

Soon, a door opened and a witch with short blonde hair, blue eyes and a goofy smile told them that Greythrush would see them. Sirius followed James in and awaited the Minister's decision. He was an aged man, with a lined and wrinkled face. His eyes were bright green and his hair was pure white. He spoke in a reedy voice which sounded like it would snap at any moment.

"Mr. Sirius Black?" Sirius nodded. The minister looked at him for a couple of seconds, then continued.

"I have heard your case and have therefore decided that you may go back to your "real" world as you call it, but you will go back with none of your past memories. All you will remember is your name. Only a certain event will trigger the rest of your thoughts and memories. You will remember no magic until this event has triggered your thoughts and feelings to people. Now, say your goodbyes." Sirius turned to James. They gave each other a one armed hug and then Sirius said,

"See you mate. Even when your down here, you still help me out. Cheers mate. I'll make sure I'll remember all what you have done for me here. Or as much as I can." He then turned to the minister.

"So basically, you're saying I'll have an amnesia type of thing? When this even occurs, I'll remember everything I forgot to get back up to the world? Still the same? No memories having been tampered with some person's benefit?" The minister nodded, then replied,

"All memories will be transferred back to you as they were. Everything. You'll maybe even remember this. Although if you told anyone they would think you mad." Sirius nodded. He gave James one last grin and a hug, and then turned to the mister again. The minister clicked his fingers and everything went black.

Ok guys. New story. Or beginning of. What do you think? Let me know and I ll update as soon as possible. I ve got this already written so it's a case of typing it up and then posting it. Should be able to keep this one updated better than the other story.

Cheers. Lauren

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