A/N: Thanks to all reviewers. This chapter will have spoilers for War for the World (which I have yet to write….) as well as HBP, so just a warning. Oh, and for this chapter all spoken language is in English unless specified as otherwise.

Also, as you know from last chapter the animagus transformation is somewhat important to the plotline. So at the end of the chapter I'm going to explain how I think it's done; 'cause there are some fics where you can choose the animal you become, others where you can have multiple forms, etc, etc. So if you want a better understanding of the story I suggest you read the end notes on animagi.

P.S. - I'm still looking for a beta.

Enjoy

Orthanc, Isengard
November 28, 2564 Third Age

Sirius stared at Remus in shock. What was he doing here?! His mind couldn't seem to process the fact that this was real. Oh God, Remus was really here.

"Thank Merlin you're alive! When you fell through the veil, we were all sure you were dead! I had to hold Harry back from going in after you! But then we were sentenced to death and Harry had to watch and we just thought it was the end, but we woke up here, wherever here is, and I thought if we weren't dead maybe you weren't either and -"

"Stop! Just hold on a minute Remus!" Sirius interrupted Remus mid-babble. He had to let his mind catch up to the situation. Circe, Remus was really here! Suddenly some of Remus' panicked ramblings penetrated through Sirius' thoughts.

"What do you mean you were sentenced to death?! And what about Harry? And who do you mean, we?"

Remus took a deep breath and visibly calmed himself down. When he next looked up Sirius saw the cool and collected friend he knew 5 years ago.

"Come inside Sirius, we're blocking the door. I think we both have a lot of catching up to do."

Sirius looked back as Remus went inside the tower. He had forgotten Gandalf was there in his shock of seeing Remus again.

(The following conversation is in Westron)

"How did you know Remus was here?"

"I told you I received summons to meet here. I just didn't tell you the summons were because two others from your world have entered Arda."

"Wait, but how did you know that the new travelers were my friends?"

"Simple, I didn't."

"Then why did you say that I'd find the reason for the summons a pleasant surprise?"

"Well, I knew that someone from you're world entered ours. And as we've already figured out, it must be someone magical to cross through the portal. Since from what you've told me the magical creatures are quite private and isolated, it means that a witch or wizard made the journey. And since you mentioned that the wizarding society was quite small, I assumed that you might know them. And to whether you liked them or not; lucky guess. It seems I was quite right."

And with that Gandalf strode through the doors ahead of Sirius.

Sometimes Sirius really couldn't stand Gandalf.

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Once inside Gandalf went to talk to Saruman, leaving Sirius to follow Remus to his temporary quarters. Once they arrived Sirius found out the mysterious identity of the second dimension traveler.

"Wotcher Sirius! I hoped you were around here somewhere. It sure is a relief to see you!"

"Tonks!" Sirius wasn't sure whether to be happy or not to see her. Sure he was glad to see her; she was nice, funny and energetic, not to mention family (his second cousin to be precise). Also when he left, Remus had a slight crush on the young auror. A crush that grew into something more judging by the way Remus slung his arm around her when he sat down beside her.

In fact there weren't many people Sirius would rather be here with him than Remus and Tonks, so the fact that the two new travelers happened to be them was quite lucky indeed. But Sirius would be lying if he denied the fact that he was disappointed in seeing Tonks here in Arda instead of Harry.

Trying to cover up his disappointment, and desperate for news from the world he was suddenly ejected from 5 years ago, Sirius started questioning his old friend.

"So what's happening in Earth? Is Harry happy? Did Voldemort kick the bucket yet? Do people believe Harry?"

Sirius was anything but comforted after the dark looks Tonks and Remus exchanged with each other.

"What? What is it? Is it Harry? Is he alright? Fudge believes him now right? There's no way Voldemort was quiet after 5 years! He was in the ministry of magic itself the day I ended up here for Circe's sake!"

"Calm down Sirius. Yes, the world knows about Voldemort. As for Harry….he grew up so much these past 5 years. You would be so proud of him. So would Lily and James. Sigh…a lot happened after you died...um, disappeared. Where to begin?

4 years ago Dumbledore died. Killed by Snape no less. Harry begun studying anything and everything he could get his hands on. Ron and Hermione seemed to have taken after Harry's example, and for the most part we were glad that they were taking their school work so seriously. Which is why it was such a shock to learn that he, Hermione and Ron didn't plan on going back to Hogwarts for their 7th year. Instead they received training from Order members and traveled around a lot. They refused to tell us why, just that it was important for some reason. The only thing we knew was that they were intent to go through all the Black family things that you were trying to get rid of. Especially if it had belonged to your brother.

Finally a year later the ministry fell. There was mass panic in the wizarding world, but other nations refused to help us; they saw Voldemort as Britain's problem and the fall of the ministry as a simple government usurping. It didn't help that Voldemort signed treaties with many magical ministries as well. Even 3 years later and he still hasn't attacked anyone outside of England!

It was the year that the Burrow was attacked; thankfully Harry and Hermione where at Hogwarts at the time, going through Albus' private library (with McGonagall's permission of course). Unfortunately Ron, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were home (Ginny was still at Hogwarts, and Fred and George at their shop). All three died. Harry and Hermione were devastated.

It wasn't until Hermione died the next year that Harry relented to the Order's demands to know what he had been up to since his sixth year. It turns out that the reason that Voldemort didn't die when the killing curse rebounded on him was that he had split his soul and tied the bits of his soul to items called horcruxes, so if anyone ever tried to kill him, even if his body was destroyed his soul was tied to the land of the living through the horcruxes. Apparently Voldemort made 6 of these horcruxes and they have to be destroyed before we have any chance at all of killing Voldemort himself.

Harry already destroyed two. One was actually a locket your brother stole from Voldemort after finding out what it was. Which explained why Harry was so interested in Regulus. Another was destroyed by Dumbledore before he died. Before we ended up here Harry, Tonks, Bill Weasley, Minerva McGonagall, Hestia Jones and I were sneaking into the former ministry of magic building on a hunch looking for the fourth horcrux. I'm not sure if there actually was a horcrux or not; we didn't get very far into the building before the place was swarming with death eaters. The rest of us stayed back to hold them off while Harry, Bill and Minerva went ahead to find and destroy the horcrux.

The next thing I knew I was in the death room where you disappeared. I was tied up and held by death eaters by the veil. Tonks and Hestia were in the same position as me, but off to the side of the room. I didn't see McGonagall, but I saw Bill's badly burned body on the ground, dead. And Harry….Harry was fighting and swearing up a storm despite being more tightly tied up and guarded than anyone else. He had a magic-suppressing collar on, attached to a chain that Voldemort himself held…"

Flashback

"You fucking psycho! You think that you can rule the world! You're nothing but a bastard half-blood pretending to be something you're not. You're nothing but a fucking pathetic lunatic who needs to kill others to make himself feel better about the fact that his daddy didn't love him!"

Remus felt very groggy. What the hell happened? The last thing he remembered was…was a flash of red light. A stunning spell! But why…the horcrux! That's right; he was trying to hold back the death eaters. He became aware of his tied hands and feet. He looked around and noticed Tonks and Hestia in a similar situation by the wall. Why was he in the middle of the room? Then he noticed the familiar veil right behind him. He had a very bad feeling about this.

"I'll never kneel for you, you delusional maniac! The only thing I'll ever do for you is help you find your way to hell, you bloody wanker!"

At the sound of the familiar voice, Remus' head snapped around so quickly his neck cracked. There on a makeshift thrown, sat Voldemort. He was as terrible as Harry had always described him; merciless red eyes surveyed the room and those present without blinking, his skin was scaly and unnaturally pale, bringing to mind the scales of a snake more so than human skin (an image even more prominent after noticing his flat nose), and his lipless mouth was turned up in a cruel smirk.

But what really caught Remus' attention was about 3 feet away from Voldemort, struggling with all his might. Attached to a chain held in Voldemort's hands was Harry. He was swearing up a storm and struggling to get away despite the magic-suppressing collar, his tied hands and feet, and the two death eaters who each had a hold of one of his arms.

No! This couldn't be happening! This couldn't be real! Then Remus remembered about the other two members of the team who had come; Bill and Minerva. A further survey of the room found Bill's body, face down and covered with curse and hex marks. Remus was pleased to note that there were at least six death eaters who were also down and obviously dead. However, there was no sign of McGonagall.

"Ah, the werewolf is awake. We may now proceed."

Harry's head spun around with Voldemort's words. The death eaters holding him took advantage of his distraction to gag him and drag him back to Voldemort's feet. Voldemort then motioned for the death eaters close to Remus to usher him toward the veil.

"No!! Remus! Get away from him you bastards!"

It seemed that Harry wasn't the only one fighting his captors. Tonks was fighting tooth and nail to get to her boyfriend of 3 years. Voldemort observed this all with a cruel sneer.

"Bring the young woman to the werewolf. It was my original intent to only have the werewolf go through the veil; so the two mutts may suffer the same fate. But if the young woman would rather suffer the veil rather than stand trial for her transgressions with the chance of survival, well never let it be said that Lord Voldemort is not magnanimous."

With that both Tonks and Remus were pushed to the veil. They only had the chance to have a quick look at Harry's helpless face before they were shoved through.

End Flashback

"…and then the next thing we knew, we're in some stone room with an old man who doesn't speak a word of English."

Sirius was quiet after Remus' story to process all that he heard. It seemed that the Valar didn't deem it necessary to talk to Remus and Tonks; maybe since someone already has made the journey to Arda and could inform others of what he knew.

But Sirius felt even worse now than he did before Remus and Tonks came; then he had no idea what the situation on Earth was, so he could delude himself into thinking that everything was fine, that Voldemort was gone and Harry was happy. But now, to find out that they were losing the war and Harry was in Voldemort's grasp…Sirius was torn between being happy from seeing Remus again and knowing about home, and crying and yelling at the unfairness of it all.

After a while of contemplative silence between Sirius and Remus (with no sign of stopping), Tonks decided to interrupt.

"I'm sorry Sirius. But don't give up hope, Harry's a tough kid. He's gotten away from Voldemort before, he can do it again."

Tonks unfortunately didn't really believe that, but she had to try. Over the past 5 years Harry had become like a younger brother to her. At first she was just curious about him, he was the Boy-Who-lived after all and she had heard a lot of stories about him (she was only 7 years older than him, so she had heard a lot about his exploits in Hogwarts from friends in younger years). Then the more she got to know him, the more she liked him. They both (and Remus) became closer after Sirius' 'death' since they were the main benefactors from the will and knew Sirius the most. The bond only became stronger in time; she was one of Harry's main instructors while he was training outside of Hogwarts. And it was Harry that got Tonks and Remus to stop dancing around each other and finally start dating. Even if he did tease them about it at every opportunity.

Sirius, Remus and Tonks passed the rest of the night in silence, gaining strength through each other's presences.

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Gap of Rohan, Isengard
February 6, 2568 Third Age

Sirius was riding as fast as he could along the River Isen, to get to Orthanc. Over 8 years ago he found himself in this strange land believing he would never see anyone he cared about ever again. Then just over 3 years ago the impossible happened; not only did someone else from his world come but it was two people who were both important to him; his best friend Remus and Remus' girlfriend (and his second cousin) Nymphadora (call-me-Nymphadora-and-you-die) Tonks.

The past 3 years passed much the same as the first 5 years for Sirius; except this time he was the one laughing as someone else acquired a collection of bruises and injuries while learning the basics of horseback riding and sword fighting. Or at least he was laughing when he wasn't getting hurt himself (9 years hardly taught him everything he needs to learn, though he was now at least proficient in both).

To his annoyance, Remus and Tonks didn't have as hard of a time adjusting as he had. Then again when he came to Arda, he was alone and absolutely no one spoke any English; he had to learn everything from scratch. Remus and Tonks got the benefit of having Sirius able to translate and teach them the basics of Westron and help them learn the language faster. And darn it if Remus, who came to Arda 5 years after Sirius, was almost just as good as Sirius was at speaking Westron. Not to mention the few phrases of Sindarin that Gandalf was teaching him. Remus always was good at languages.

Thankfully for Sirius' ego Tonks was learning the language at about the same rate Sirius had, usually leaving the talking to him or Remus. Maybe being bad at languages was in their genes.

Unfortunately for Sirius' ego however, as clumsy as Tonks was on the ground, she was truly magnificent on a horse. Rohan was easily her favorite place in middle earth (though she found hobbits undeniably cute and charming).

This was disappointing to Remus, whose favorite place was Rivendell (they had to drag him away from Erestor's and Elrond's library despite the fact Remus knew next to nothing about the written language). Not only was there no library in Rohan (for it was a new country, therefore not much history and the fact that the country is founded by nomad horse masters), the fact that Remus was absolutely dreadful on a horse didn't endear him much to Rohan either. It was only recently that Remus managed to stay on a horse for long periods of time without getting thrown off; though he still was extremely uncomfortable and awkward while riding.

Sirius looked over at his three companions. Gandalf still looked the same as ever; Sirius doubted he would ever look any different. The other two, like him, seemed healthier and younger since coming to Arda (well, not so much Tonks). It was a given that Sirius would look healthier; he spent 12 years in Azkaban and even when he got out he constantly had to look over his shoulder and was always too concerned about Harry to really worry about his own health and looks. Now that he had the time and means to properly recuperate, it was no wonder he looked younger and healthier than he did when he left earth 8 years ago. As for Remus, he was ostracized from society, forced to live in poverty and recently has been living in a war torn world; it was no wonder he also became healthier after arriving in Arda.

Another change in appearance was due to their transformations into magical creatures when passing from one world to the next.

Tonks' animagus was that of a panther chameleon; which wasn't too big of a surprise considering her metamorphagus abilities, her energetic disposition and her affinity for bright colours. She now had keener eyesight, was a bit stronger and could change her appearance at will. Unfortunately it wasn't to the same degree that she used to be able to change. She can't change her bone structure or size; basically the only thing she can alter is the colour of her eyes, skin and hair. Even then, she can't yet get the same results she used to. Instead of an instantaneous change, it's a slower gradual change which can take up to a week to do. Also, the bright hair colours that had been her trademark in Earth were too hard to get and maintain here. The most she's been able to do was turn her hair a very light pink for half an hour. But she's getting better with time.

As for Remus, his animagus animal is a red wolf. Red wolves are like any other wolves except are generally more shy and wary, have smaller tight-knit packs (without the hierarchy of alpha and beta wolves) and mate for life. All and all a suitable form for the quiet and reserved Remus. As for the physical changes, his light brown (and grey specked) hair gained a reddish hue to it, and besides that the other changes are similar to those that Sirius experienced; a heightened sense of smell and hearing, he became stronger and has more endurance. And most importantly, he longer suffered from the werewolf transformation.

The last change was still up for debate; everyone agreed it was too early to tell if it was in fact a result of crossing realms or not yet. It seemed that not only were the companions healthier since coming to Arda, but they also haven't aged a day. Granted, Sirius, Tonks' and Remus were each only 35, 26 and 39 respectively when they came to this realm which wasn't too old, especially for wizards. However after 8 years (3 for Remus and Tonks) you'd think there would be some sign of aging. Sirius assumes that they look so young since they were allowed to properly regain their health and rest from the war, but Gandalf suspects there's more to it than just that. Gandalf thinks that their magic might have taken it one step further when altering them and has made them ageless. Gandalf believes that they can be injured, can get sick and can die; they just can't age past the time they entered middle earth (therefore past the ages of 35, 26 and 39 respectively). Sirius can't tell whether he wants that to be the case or not. Either way only time will tell.

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Orthanc, Isengard
February 7, 2568 Third Age

Finally! Sirius dismounted from his horse. If his arse wasn't so sore from riding over a week straight he'd be jumping around all over the place. He was already running as fast as he could to the door of Orthanc as it was.

While in Rivendell, they received a message that 2 more dimension travelers have found their way to Arda. No one had to say it to know all three of them were thinking it: 'God I hope its Harry.'

The whole ride here Sirius, Remus and Tonks tried convincing themselves not to get their hopes up. After all there was no way to know who the travelers were. It could be Voldemort himself for all they knew. And as much as they tried telling themselves this, they couldn't help but listen to the constant little voice at the back of their head 'But it could be Harry.'

Tonks hurried after Sirius after he had run passed her. Even though she got there first (she was the better rider after all), she knew how important this was to Sirius and respected his unspoken wish of being the first to greet their new companions. That, and she didn't think she could handle finding out if it was Harry or not without Remus by her side.

Sirius practically ripped the door of its hinges in his hurry (not an easy feat considering the size and strength of the door). He kept running until he reached the main room, the same one he had appeared in.

Once there, he looked around wildly for any sign of the travelers. They should have seen them coming miles ago from the tower. Then the door opened revealing the identities of Sirius' new companions.

As Sirius saw the identities of the travelers, he felt his knees give out and he sagged to the floor. He felt silent tears running down his cheeks. He knew he shouldn't have expected Harry. He knew that there was only the slimmest chance one of the travelers could be him. But that didn't stop the fact that Sirius felt his heart break when he caught no sight of the familiar jet black messy hair, or emerald green eyes. Instead he found himself looking at the identical freckled faces of Fred and George Weasley.

Just a note, as to their ages, these are the days I am having them born:

Sirius was born December 8th, 1959 (2523 T.A.). Therefore he was 35 turning 36 when he came to Arda.
Remus was born March 10th, 1960 (2524 T.A.). Therefore he was 39 turning 40 when he came to Arda.
Tonks was born May 24th, 1973 (2537 T.A.). Therefore she was 26 turning 27 when she came to Arda.
The Twins were born April 1st, 1978 (2542 T.A.). Therefore they are 25 turning 26.

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Last chance to vote for pairings:

Haldir/Sirius (2 votes so far)
Random female elf/Sirius (1 vote so far)
Haldir/Random female elf/Sirius
Erestor/Glorfindel/Sirius (1 vote so far)
Nobody/Sirius
Other/Sirius

Again, if I don't get many votes for a specific pairing I'll have Sirius with no one.

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Here's what I think on animagi:

You can't choose your form. You can't have multiple forms. You can have magical or non-magical animals. In simplest terms, the animagus form is the form that the individual most identifies with (on a subconscious level).

Gaining a form:

1) The most influential factor for what form a witch or wizard will have is their personality. The animal would share many (if not all) the same traits as the animal. For example, someone who is very hyper and easily excitable would never get a sloth as an animagus form.

2) The individual's knowledge; since it's a form that represents themselves, an individual would at least have heard of, if not intimately familiar with, the said animal. Therefore there aren't going to be many extremely rare and unheard of animals.

3) On the same vein as #2, how they see the animal is important too. For example, in the western world the rat is a symbol of cowardice and betrayal. However in other areas, the rat is given a more agreeable personality: hardworking, perfectionists with a lot of ambition.

4) The individual's talents also can affect the animagus form. For example, let's say there's someone who is energetic, sociable and has a playful disposition. Whether they are an avid flyer, a strong swimmer, or just prefer having their feet on the ground can make the difference between being a hummingbird, a dolphin or a monkey.

Why so many witches/wizards aren't animagus:

1) They don't have the skill. Face it; you have to be a master at transfiguration to do this. You're not only transforming your body into an animal, your becoming the animal, with the animal's talents and instincts.

2) They don't have enough power. Self explanatory.

3) This is sort of a combination of #1 and 2. Some people have a form that fits them completely, while others can sort of see themselves in different aspects from different animals. Therefore the more suited an individual is to their form, the less skill and power is required to make the transformation work.

That's all I can think of right now. If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave a review or send me a message.