Epilogue- Through the Veil
And I'd give up forever to touch you
Cause I know that you feel me somehow
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be
And I don't want to go home right now
And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
Cause sooner or later it's over
I just don't want to miss you tonight
Iris- The Goo Goo Dolls
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Sirius and I were engaged, James and Lily were expecting their first child, and Zoey was dating a guy she met through Remus. Life was going as it should have, but nothing good lasts for long. Voldemort was after the Potters and they had to go into hiding. However, that's when everything started to fall apart.
I'd moved in with Sirius and it was Halloween of 1981, Sirius was checking on Lily and James seeing as he was their secret keeper- or so everyone thought. What happened in the next few hours was a blur and all I can remember was hearing that Sirius Black had been arrested for passing the information that led to James and Lily's deaths. I couldn't believe what was happening- James and Lily dead, Sirius arrested for helping…none of it added up. And yet there wasn't any other possible explanation.
The years passed and I found myself in a rut. I'd go to work at St. Mungo's and then go back home- to the same flat Sirius and I had bought- to do work for Dumbledore. I'd gone to him about two weeks after everything and insisted that I keep working for the Order, even if wasn't going to be active. And that was how I found myself helping Dumbledore pinpoint places that Voldemort could be hiding or tracking down Death Eaters in hiding. As the years wore on, I found myself obsessed with finding out exactly what had happened on that Halloween night so long ago.
And then Sirius escaped- he'd done the impossible and broken out of Azkaban. I'd been moved to the Caribbean Islands by St. Mungo's by then and wasn't the least bit surprised. The rumors were that Sirius must have had to know some serious- no pun intended- dark magic to break out. Nobody seemed to realize that he was just brilliantly smart and dark magic had nothing to with it. Indeed, that next June, Sirius showed up on a hippogriff begging to explain himself.
He looked gaunt and not at all like the man I'd fallen in love with. But I saw the scar that ran from his eyebrow to his cheekbone and knew it was really him. He was much too thin and his cheeks were hollow with the malnutrition of the previous twelve years.
He was never the secret keeper, Peter was and it was Peter that had betrayed James and Lily to Voldemort. Sirius had broken out to get Peter when he'd saw him in his rat form on the shoulder of a boy who went to Hogwarts. Harry, James and Lily's son, now knew the truth, even though Peter had gotten away. But Sirius said that was better than nothing.
"So what are you going to do now?" I had asked after he finished the long story.
"Well, I had to flee the country for a while, just until I can get the hype in England to subside so that Harry isn't being watched at all times." He replied with a tired, sad sigh. "So I decided to go somewhere nice and warm- I figured it'd be a nice change from the dank, dark cell I've called home for twelve years." He added and I smiled at the fact that his humor hadn't entirely left him.
"How did you find me?" I pressed on, asking the question I'd wanted answered since I'd opened the door.
"Dumbledore- he told me that if I was able to get away I should try going to the Caribbean and looking up a healer there to check me over," He said with a small smile. "I didn't understand what he was talking about until I got here and looked up all the healers on the island. I was surprised when I saw your name and now here I am."
"Well, you're welcome to stay for as long as you need," I said walking over to him and wrapping my arms around him. He tensed for a second before encircling his arms around my body and clinging to me for dear life.
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The next couple of years were one disaster after another. I put in a request to be moved back to London after Sirius said he needed to go back to be closer to Harry. He refused to stay with me, just in case the Ministry got wind of him being back, but he always popped in and out for food and a chat. It was by no means the perfect relationship- no where near anything of the sort- but for right then that was alright.
Once Voldemort had come back and tried to kill Harry for the millionth time Dumbledore called the Order of the Phoenix back together. Our headquarters were the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black- Sirius' old house. I was quite familiar with the place and could just imagine how miserable Sirius must have been to be living there once more. He was on house arrest seeing as he was still at large, but I tried to stop in as often as possible to cheer him up. I knew he was usually just putting on a show for my benefit, but there were times when I knew he was happy to see me.
"Hey, how are you?" I asked as I walked into his room one day, to see him brooding.
"Bloody fantastic," He snapped glaring at the opposite wall.
"Look, I don't need that attitude, I'm only here for you," I replied shortly and he glanced over at me.
"Sorry. I'm alright, but I'd be better if I was out of here and able to do something," He said in a softer tone, scooting over on his bed and patting a spot for me to sit next to him.
"I know, love, I know, but until we've cleared your name and killed that rat of a traitor you've got to stay here." I told him, settling into the crook of his arm, leaning my head on his shoulder.
"I promise you, once we've got this whole bloody mess figured out and I'm a free man the first thing I'm going to do is marry you. The second is to take Harry from his unfit relatives." He said, kissing my temple and pulling me tighter to him. "We're gonna be happy and leave this whole war behind us."
"That sounds great, Sirius, absolutely perfect," I said closing my eyes and just living in that moment.
But as I've said good things- or even things that are as good as they'll get- never last. Sirius was killed by Bella and that was when it was hard to get back up. I'd already lost Sirius once and now I had to go through it all again. The only thing that kept me going was the fact that I'd promised Sirius I'd look out for Harry if anything happened to him. Harry had no idea who I was, nor was it important that he did, but I did look out for him. I was the first to volunteer for his guard and watches and I always made sure that I had tabs on him. He didn't need to know me, only that there was someone watching out for him.
Now that the war's over and Harry is safe I can do what I've been planning on doing for three years now. I have nothing left to live for, truly, except for people who don't know me as well as they think they do- both Zoey and Remus died in the final battle.
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I had a connection to the Department of Mysteries and that was how I knew how to get in and which door to go through. I found myself standing in front of the veil that had snatched Sirius from the living. I stood in front of it, listening to the voices that seemed to be whispering from just behind it. I knew what I had to do and strangely I wasn't scared.
I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and steeled myself. Then I walked through the veil, to the other side where, hopefully, Sirius was waiting with that world famous smirk of his and joke to crack about death finally getting him.
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A/N: well, there you are, the end...this kind of sad for me because I've enjoyed writing this story so much. I hope you guys that have stuck through it like the ending- I personally love it! haha but I have been working on this fic for almost a year and now it's done...so thanks to all those who have read, reviewed, and enjoyed this fic- it's you who have made this worth writing! and if you would, for one last time, click the little review button and let me know what ya think about the ending and the story all around! thanks!!
-madpoet08