Warning: Angst ahead. Author's notes at the end.

Missing

Jack heard a knock on the front door. He knew it could only be a handful of people – Moody didn't let many people know where his cabin was. Jack curled up tighter on the bed, willing the visitor to leave him alone. Dumbledore's face, its blue eyes looking sad and defeated, appeared in his memory. 'Sirius is dead. He died last night in the Department of Mysteries.' Another person Jack loved…another person dead.

"Jack?" Corbin's voice echoed through the front room. Footsteps sounded on the bare wood floor, suddenly falling silent. "You haven't responded to any owls. Dumbledore asked me to check on you." Jack opened one eye to see Corbin leaning against the doorframe. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." Jack closed his eye again. He wasn't fine, but he wanted to be left alone…Sirius had left him alone. 'Harry was lured to the Ministry by Voldemort, Sirius went insisted on going there.' Jack felt hollow and cold. "Go report back to Dumbledore like a good little auror and leave me be."

"I brought food."

"I'll eat later." Jack could still feel Corbin's eyes on him. "Leave me alone."

"When is the last time you ate anything? Or showered?"

"Don't know." Jack turned his face into the pillow. 'Sirius is dead. He died last night.'

"You need to eat."

"Don't tell me what I need to do." Jack needed to get a time turner, he needed to protect Sirius. 'He was dueling with Bellatrix Lestrange.'

"Sirius wouldn't want-"

"How dare you!" Jack bolted upright and glared at Corbin, feeling a surge of white hot anger. "How dare you tell ME what he would want! You hardly ever talked to him!" His voice shook with fury and suppressed tears. "You weren't his friend! You didn't even like him! What do you know about how he felt?"

"I know he loved you very much." Corbin answered calmly. "I brought aloo palak. Take a shower, it'll stay warm 'til you're ready." He walked out of the room, leaving Jack alone again.

Jack collapsed onto the bed, feeling shaky and sick as the anger was replaced by sorrow. He laid down on the bed, feeling desperately lonely for the too thin body he'd become used to being curled around him. 'There is no body. He fell through an archway.'

The smell of food wafted slowly into the room making his stomach growl. Corbin had brought his favorite Indian dish, damn him. After several more protesting noises from his stomach, Jack got up, noticing he did indeed need a shower…badly. He stumbled into the bathroom, his legs stiff from being curled up for so long. He hadn't bathed in days, since he'd been told of Sirius's death. 'Jack, I have been waiting for you. There is some bad news.' He couldn't quite remember how many days that had been – three…or five…It wasn't important.

Just when he'd found someone, a wonderful someone, to share his life with, the person had been snatched away. It wasn't fair. All he wanted was someone to love, someone to be with him forever. Hot tears blended with the hot water of the shower. 'He died. The Department of Mysteries. Fell through. He is dead. I am sorry.' Jack stayed in the shower until the water started to turn cold. He found a worn flannel robe in the bathroom and wrapped it around himself tightly.

He walked into the small kitchen and sat down at the table. Corbin set a plate of food in front of him without saying a word.

"Do you think Sirius is in Heaven?" Jack said quietly, after he'd eaten everything on his plate.

"Of course," Corbin answered. "He was named after a star, after all, so he must be up there."

Jack felt fresh tears start to flow down his cheeks. He tried to stop them, he wanted to be strong, but something had broken inside.

"I thought…that was meant to be comforting." Corbin said in a low voice, sounding chagrined, "I'm sorry."

"It's just…I was horrible at Astronomy." Jack sank his head into his hands, trying to get his sobbing breath under control. 'He is dead. He is dead.' More tears came and his nose started to run. Jack hadn't felt this alone since his parents' death almost fifteen years ago. He thought after he had become an auror, no one else he loved would die – that he would be able to protect them. But Sirius had died anyway. He realized there was a gentle hand at his elbow and he looked up. He took in shaky breaths as Corbin wiped his face. "I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry about?"

Jack's answer was lost amidst another sobbing breath.

"Oh, Jack." Corbin pulled Jack into his arms and started rubbing his back. Jack buried his face in Corbin's shoulder and let all the tears out. All the tears he'd bottled up every time he missed his parents and all the tears from losing Sirius flowed out onto Corbin's shirt. "I know." Corbin murmured. "It's all right."

Finally Jack lifted his head, the tears coming more slowly now.

"Come outside." Corbin said softly. He helped Jack up and led him onto the beach. Corbin sat down on the sand. "I took NEWT Level Astronomy." He gave a wry smile before he tilted his face up to the sky. Jack sat down next to him, still sniffling. "There." He moved closer to Jack and pointed upwards. "That star there, the bright one. That's Sirius."

"Oh." Jack stared up at the star. He took a deep breath, and slowly he began feeling more at peace than he had for several days. He let Corbin's voice flow over him, not really listening.

"It's the brightest star in the night sky. The Egyptians worshiped it. They built their temples so the light of Sirius could be seen in the inner chambers.

"The Greeks said it was part of a constellation, Canis Major, one of Orion's hunting dogs. The other one is Canis Minor. See how it's close to Orion's Belt? Those three stars there?" Corbin pointed higher in the sky. "If you follow it down, it points towards Sirius."

After a pause, Jack nodded. They sat in silence for a long time. Corbin leaned back and propped himself up on his hands, stretching his legs out in front of him. Jack remained with his arms around his knees, hugging himself. Jack make out the faint smell of Corbin's shampoo mixing with the smell of the sand and sea. He looked up at the star, Sirius's star, as the waves washed up on the beach.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." Corbin said. "It's not always in the sky, as the seasons change, but it's always out there even if you can't see it."

They sat in silence again. Jack appreciated Corbin's quiet, solid presence, he didn't feel alone, and he didn't feel pressured to talk. Not that he needed to feel pressure to talk, he liked talking. After watching Sirius move slowly through the heavens, Jack felt the need to be listened to.

"I said good-bye. And I told him I loved him. But I thought I'd see him when I got back. If I'd been there – "

"You might not have been able to change anything." Corbin said firmly. "You can't think like that, Jack."

"But I could have done something."

"You could have." Corbin agreed reluctantly. "Maybe."

Jack watched several waves crash onto the beach. He wondered if the tide was moving in or out. Probably out, it seemed like everything was always leaving him.

"It's not public that we were together. I…I have to pretend I didn't even know him. Even though we were going to be married. We'd almost decided on a date. Sirius wanted to wait until we'd told Harry. And…And now…there can't even be a funeral. Because there's no body."

"You could still have a gravestone. Somewhere for you to visit. If you wanted."

"Do you think so?"

"I think…if it would make you happy."

Jack thought about that. He liked to visit his parents' graves in the Bartleby family mausoleum, he did it whenever he really missed them. He'd like to have somewhere similar to visit Sirius. "Not in the Black crypt." Jack shuddered to think of putting his memorial to Sirius among the other Blacks. He looked over at Corbin.

"No." Corbin agreed, staring out at the dark waves as they rolled in and out. "Someplace else."

Jack waited, watching Corbin's profile. Corbin would think of somewhere, somewhere perfect. It was comforting not to have to think anymore. He could just be, with the stars and the waves. He turned back to the sky and breathed in deeply, wondering if Sirius knew he was thinking of him, missing him. Corbin finally spoke.

"With James and Lily Potter."

"But no one knows where they're buried."

"Malfoy does. He said Remus took Sirius to visit on Halloween. Remus buried them, bought the plots, the stones, everything. Used up all the money he had at the time."

"How's Remus doing?"

"Bad." Corbin answered simply.

Jack sat for a long moment. Remus had been there and he'd been unable to stop Sirius from dying. He'd been friends with Sirius for over twenty years, he'd loved Sirius too. Remus had already buried two of his friends all alone. Jack would do it for Remus this time, it would give him a purpose. After all, Sirius was his fiancé.

"I'd like to put the gravestone there…without Remus knowing… then I'll take Remus there. Do you think that'd be okay?"

"Yes. I'll ask Malfoy where it is, if you want."

"Please." Jack answered.

"I'll do it tomorrow." Corbin got to his feet gracefully. "You're cold."

"No, M'not." Jack protested, although he'd been shivering for several minutes.

"I'm not going to let you catch a cold. The bedroom faces this way, you can see the star from inside." Corbin held out his hand. Jack took it and let Corbin help him up. They walked inside the cabin.

"Thank you, Corbin."

Corbin smiled. "You're welcome. I wish I could do more. There's breakfast for you when you wake up. And I brought other groceries too, things for sandwiches. I'll check on you tomorrow night, let you know what I find out from Malfoy."

Jack nodded. Corbin squeezed his hand gently and then let go.

"How have you been, Jack? We were worried about you." Clara asked, giving Jack a tight hug.

"Fine." Jack answered, sitting down next to Corbin at the table. "A few weeks at Moody's cabin was just what I needed." He picked up Corbin's fork and leaned over to steal a piece of Corbin's cake.

'Would you like a piece?" Clara asked, "I brought it over."

"No, thank you." Jack answered, licking the lemon frosting off the fork. "Fudge really has gone insane, sending us all over the place at the merest mention that You Know Who has been seen. I leave tomorrow morning for Germany."

"You only just ended your leave." Clara said with concern. Jack had spent the weeks since Sirius's death at Moody's cabin with only Corbin and Liam visiting.

Jack shrugged and took another bite of cake.

"I heard Cassie spent all day in a bog recently." Stevens laughed.

"He was in the Forbidden Forrest today, we both were. I've got bug bites everywhere." Corbin said with a grimace as Jack continued to eat his cake. Corbin's arm was resting on the back of Jack's chair, which had been moved right next to his own. "Could I have another piece of cake, Clara, it's delicious."

"How'd you know?" Clara asked in a low voice as she served another piece on to his plate. Corbin hadn't actually had any cake before Jack had started eating it.

"How's Harry settling in at Windy Corner?" Corbin asked, noticing Jack's fork froze momentarily in its progress towards the new piece of cake.

"All right, considering he wakes up screaming almost every night." Stevens said sadly. "He's taken to Cassie like a grindylow, Remus too. It's a good thing since...well." Stevens looked at Jack who had just picked up Corbin's cup of tea and was drinking it calmly. "Anyway, it's good for the kid to have a stable home."

"I'm glad to hear that." Jack said warmly. "It sounded like Harry had a rough life with those muggles."

"Well, we just stopped in to say hello." Clara stood abruptly.

"What?" Stevens stopped abruptly as Clara glared at him. "Yeah, have a good evening."

"Oh, I have to get home to pack." Jack stood as well. "Don't leave on my account."

"Oh, we're not." Clara shoved Stevens towards the fireplace. "We'll see you tomorrow, Corbin." In a flash of floo powder, they were gone.

"I should get home too." Jack hesitated by Corbin's chair, then sat back down.

"You're all settled now? I wish you'd have let me help you move." Corbin summoned another cup and poured himself a new cup of tea.

"I hadn't really unpacked my stuff at Grimmauld Place so it was easy enough to move it back out." Jack shifted closer, his arm pressing against Corbin's.

"Right." Corbin hesitated then put his hand on Jack's back. "You all right?"

"Of course I am. I wish everyone would stop asking me that." Jack said calmly.

"I think they'd stop asking if they really believed you were." Corbin replied. Jack hadn't cried since Corbin's first visit to Moody's cabin. Since then, he'd been stoic, not really talking about Sirius or his death. Corbin knew Jack was putting on a brave front and he was worried about what Jack was really feeling.

"I am." Jack leaned against Corbin's shoulder. "Honestly."

"Did you think about talking to that healer?"

"I can't. I can't talk about Sirius, it's not safe."

"Jack…you can talk to me about anything, any time, you know that, don't you?"

"Of course I do." Jack smiled slightly before pouring himself another cup of tea

"You wouldn't….do something….without telling me, would you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't know." Corbin shrugged, unable to admit his suspicions to Jack's face.

Jack stirred sugar into his tea silently.

"Your birthday is coming up."

"I know. Did you know that Harry's is the same day? I got an invitation to the party for Harry and Remus on August first."

"Are you going to go?"

"No."

"I know it must be difficult."

"Honestly, I don't mind. I'm glad Harry is happy with Remus and Cassius. And I'm glad they're throwing him a party."

"That's not what I was talking about."

"I was thinking we could go to a show, for my birthday." Jack turned bright eyes to Corbin. "If you didn't already have plans."

"Jack, what are you taking?"

"What?"

"You're on something." Corbin narrowed his eyes suspiciously and grabbed Jack's chin, tilting his face up to the light. The pupils didn't react to the light.

"I am not!" Jack pushed his hand away, his voice rising indignantly.

"You are. I thought I noticed something different these last few weeks."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Jack said scornfully as he stood up.

"So you won't mind if I search your flat." Corbin stood.

"You wouldn't."

"Try me."

Jack turned towards the fireplace. Corbin swore and grabbed his wand.

"Accio Jack." He had a second to think that he really should have braced himself before the full weight of Jack collided into him.

He stumbled back and fell to the floor, his arms tight around Jack.

"Let me go." Jack struggled. "Bastard."

"No. Not until you tell me what's wrong."

"Fuck off, Hill." Jack's head cracked into Corbin's chin as he struggled.

"Ouch! Damn it, Jack." Corbin rolled over and managed to pin Jack's arms down on the floor. "You are going to tell me what is wrong right now. I don't believe all this 'I'm fine' bullshit. It took me months to deal with Owen's death and I wasn't engaged to him. Tell me."

"I'm all alone! Are you happy now?" Jack yelled angrily. "Liam has a family. Bloody Malfoy has a family. Harry has a family. And I have no one. No one! Sirius was my family and we were going to have Harry and now…I have no one! And so what if I'm on something? It's better than feeling like I want to cry every moment of the day."

"Where'd you get it?" Corbin asked. Jack just shook his head. Corbin called on his auror training and used the voice and manner that usually got answers in the interrogation room. "Where did you get it?"

"Knockturn Alley." Jack muttered.

"Is it legal? Bartleby, answer me."

"No. Well, it was, but it isn't now."

"Well, you'll just be staying here until it's all out of your system. I'll owl Shacklebolt that you can't go to Germany. Then we'll destroy your stash and I'll tell Clara the patrols of Knockturn Alley need to be increased again." Corbin let go of Jack's shirt and stood up.

"No! You wouldn't! I don't want to feel that way again. Please, Corbin." Jack pleaded, scrambling to his feet, tears welling up in his light brown eyes. "I don't want to feel that way."

"Jack, you're not alone." Corbin said firmly, taking both of Jack's hands in his. "You have me. Whenever you need me, I'll be right here with you."

"Do you mean that?" Jack asked. At Corbin's words, the sharp ache in Jack's chest had eased but he needed more reassurance. He had been trying so hard to be strong, like his parents would have wanted him to be. He'd been on his own for so long – even with Sirius, he'd had to be the strong one. Now, looking at Corbin, Jack thought here was someone he could lean on.

"Of course, I do." Corbin brushed his hand over Jack's cheek, wiping away the tears Jack hadn't realized were flowing down his face. "You're my best friend. We helped each other survive Moody's torture during Auror training." Corbin smiled and Jack gave a watery smile in answer. "You helped me after my father died, and after my divorce. How could you think I would let you go through all this by yourself?"

"Oh." Jack stared at Corbin. He wasn't alone anymore and suddenly tomorrow, and all the days that stretched out in front of it, didn't look as daunting. He moved closer and hugged Corbin tightly.

Author's Note: I'm not sure if the star Sirius and constellation Orion can be seen from the Isle of Skye in May but we are just going to pretend. :-) All the other info about Sirius and Orion is true, I found it online – from seemingly reputable sites. :-)

The scene of Jack taking Remus to the cemetery to see Sirius's gravestone is in my story "Mourning Sirius"

As always, thanks to my reviewers! Banka, yes, Corbin's feelings for Jack are strong, he just has hidden them very well from Jack (and from himself for a time!) MoonyPadfootJr, I am so glad you liked the last chapter! I worked hard on it and I'm glad it showed. :-) I hope you liked this one! Assur, I'm glad you loved Cassius's bad spelling. He's a character, that one! There's another scene he's in, in a few chapters, that I think you'll like too.

Extra special thanks to Xaverii Jade for the beta!