With a pop, two cloaked figures Apparated to Godric's Hollow. They gazed upon the simple two story house. Harry looked at Sirius, who seemed horrified. His eyes were wide, and his mouth was hanging open.

"This is it?" Harry asked, nearly whispering. Sirius nodded. "But... but everyone said it was destroyed completely, nothing left."

"Things can be rebuilt in sixteen years, Harry." his godfather replied, unable to hide the pain from his voice.

"Can we... Can we go in?" Harry asked.

"I think some one might be home," Sirius said quietly. "But, if you want to, you can..." He's afraid, Harry thought. He's afraid that he might start crying or something... He nodded to Sirius, and took a step towards the house. He opened the door, which, surprisingly, was unlocked.

"Who's there?" A male voice asked, startling Harry. His voice was raspy, but Harry could have sworn he'd heard the voice before.

"Um... My name is Harry Potter," Harry said. "My godfather, Sirius Black, is standing outside. This used to be my parents home, but it was destroyed when they died.." Harry explained.

The man, who was sitting in a high-backed chair, turned, and looked at Harry, who gasped. It was as if he were staring into a mirror!

"Harry?" he said softly, standing up. "Yo-You said Sirius is outside?" he asked. Harry nodded, taking a step backward. He had imagined this moment his entire life, but... When it came... he wanted to run straight back to Sirius, and never let him go. Was he afraid? Yes. His biggest dream had come true.

James Potter was...

Alive.

The man, James, looked out the window, as did Harry. Sirius had removed his cloak, revealing a t-shirt that read, "I put the 'fun' in funeral', and a pair of black pants. Harry looked at Sirius's arms, having never known anyone in his life with that many tattoos. There was a reddish glow from Sirius's mouth, revealing a cigarette.

"They said he died, too." James breathed, his breath fogging up the window. For some reason, Harry felt uneasy around his father.

"He did." he said. "Well, everyone thought he did. But the veil wound up being a portal to the American Department of Magic. But he's alive, and right there."

"Yeah... He's alive..." James said. Through the window, Sirius rubbed his arms, as the air was rather chilly, even if it was the beginning of July. He put his hand to the glass, and, almost as if Sirius heard it, he turned towards the house.

"Harry, stop fucking around with mirrors," he called. Harry blinked. He hadn't heard Sirius swear much, but hearing him swear, and having it directed at him was slightly shocking. But he could almost see the hamsters turning the wheels in Sirius's head. Inaudibly, Sirius murmured, "Fuck." Harry turned, and watched James walk outside, towards Sirius.

"Padfoot!" he said. Sirius began walking away.

"Get away from me," he breathed, drawing his wand. "I'll... I'll hex you!"

"Sirius, its James." James said, stopping.

"Yeah? And how do I know if you are who you say you are?" Sirius asked.

"You don't," James said. "But that white bracelet on your left wrist isn't a bracelet. It's a flea collar I got you for your sixteenth birthday." Sirius looked at his wrist. The white band that wrapped twice around his arm, and buckled with a white, plastic buckle reinforced by magic was, indeed, a flea collar. And only James knew that. Sirius slowly looked up at James, realizing this was the God's honest truth. And something else hit him. But James's jaw punched Sirius's fist.

"You were alive this whole time, and you let me ROT in Hell?" he screamed. James fell backwards, looking up at his friend. He had never seen Sirius look so menacing. "And not only that, no. Harry, you ever ONCE think about your son? HE WAS BEING TORTURED BY MUGGLES!" James looked at Sirius, who stepped up to him, his wand pointed down at him.

"And while you were in Azkaban, you flea bitten mongrel, did you ever think about Harry?" James asked. "Or about me? Or Lily?"

"What else was there to think about?" Sirius breathed, his nostrils flaring. Harry, who had walked out, noted that Sirius could look quite frightening when he was angry. "I kept seeing your eyes, staring at me in my sleep. I heard Harry crying, I heard Lily screaming! And what could I do? I screamed with her. I screamed, I went mad, James. Not in a sense that most people think of the term 'mad', but I am quite insane."

Screaming at the window

watch me die another day

hopeless situation,

endless price I have to pay

Sanity, now its beyond me

there's no choice.

Diary Of a Mad Man,

Walk the line again today.

Entries of confusion,

Dear Diary,

I'm here to stay.

Manic Depression befriends me,

Hear his voice?

Sanity, now its beyond me.

There're no choice.

A sickened mind and spirit.

The mirror tells me lies.

Could I mistake myself for some one

Who lives behind my eyes?

Will he escape my soul?

Or will he live in me?

Is he tryin' to get out, or tryin' to enter me?

Sirius looked away long enough for Harry to draw his wand.

"Expelliarmus!" he cried. Sirius fell over, the wand flying in a perfect arc towards James.

"Voices... in the darkness," Sirius whispered. "Scream away my mental health. Can I ask a question? To help me save me, from myself."

"What?" Harry asked.

"Enemies fill up the pages... are they me?" Sirius continued, not looking at either of them. "Monday to Sunday in stages." He looked from Harry to James. "Set me free."

James stood up, and went to Sirius. "We'll try, mate. Honestly, we will."

"I solemnly swear," Sirius said. James grinned.

"That I'm up to no good."