Hello All.

I'm very glad you all enjoyed the first chapter of this, and are now ready for some more. Haha smores… anyway I'd like to say thank you to my betas: the weirdness (original beta) and Noel-Cullen- who is currently helping me re-fix everything

Here you go, hope you enjoy Chapter two, and remember if your confused about anything your more than welcome to ask.

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Hermione sat on the cold marble floor in front of the veil in the Department of Mysteries. She had spent the last 2 months trying to figure out the veil's secrets… she was less than successful.

Her problems started virtually the second the war stopped. Ron had finally grown a brain, and asked her out… unfortunately that didn't last long. Two weeks after they had gotten together they realized that their relationship was better when it didn't involve the awkward kissing and touching. They had quickly slipped back into the roles of friends and left the dating to other people. As she thought about it now she realized that their friendship had grown stronger now that they knew it wasn't meant to be. Neither had to worry about what would happen if they touched or hugged because there were no secret feelings anymore.

Even though she had figured out the romantic side of her life to some point, it left her facing the other aspects of her life without so much as a compass to direct her. She almost wished she were more like Harry.

He knew where he wanted to be. Currently, he was working on becoming an Auror, and doing wonderfully at it. He was back together with Ginny, and all was well in his life. He had even moved into Number 12 Grimuald Place. It seemed like everyone was moving on without her.

Ron had entered himself into the Quidditch pool, which anyone could enter into and after a year of training and practicing with different teams you got the opportunity to be drafted by them. Ron was only a month in, and was already having the time of his life.

That left her alone. After she had retrieved her family and lifted the memory charms, she realized that she couldn't go back. She didn't belong in the muggle world, not after everything she'd been through. Magic was her whole life, and now that she knew what she could do with it, she wasn't giving it up. So she left. She took the reward that she had received from the Ministry for helping in the downfall of Riddle, and bought a fairly large house. But even after she had moved all of her things in, including her massive library, she still wasn't content.

So she had gone to Kingsley, who had been named Minister of Magic since the fall of Voldemort, and asked for a favor. Considering their past relationship with the order and her role over the last year it really wasn't a surprise when her favor was granted.

She threw herself into research, a defensive mechanism that she employed any time her life wasn't going as planned. She found every book she could that had to do with death, returning from death, and any possible "veil" in history or myth. She had even taken the time to go to Hogwarts and, with permission from McGonagall, search through the restricted section of the library. She had found many different prospects, different veils or possibilities of bringing back the dead. But every time she gone to the room, climbed down those stairs and tried her newfound theory on the veil, nothing happened.

The veil mocked her, standing there, the cloth swaying to a non-existent breeze, reminding her of her failures in life.

So that's where she sat, staring at that damned archway, cursing her bloody life, and everything in it. She had read every book she could find, and nothing held the answer - she wasn't used to not knowing the answer. Books held facts. Facts held answers. Those books had helped her get out of every sticky situation in life and now, when she needed them the most, they failed her.

No one understood why this meant so much to her. She wasn't particularly close with Sirius, before he had died; in fact they rarely talked, so why did she spend so much time and energy on trying to bring him back? When she had told Ron, he looked at her for a few seconds and then shrugged; he frankly didn't care much either way. Sure, it would be cool to have Sirius back, but he wasn't going to mourn anymore for the man if she failed.

Harry's reaction had been different. He had dropped his head into his hands and sat down on the couch of his house. Taking several breaths and seconds to calm himself down, he asked one question…

"Why?"

She pondered that question for quite a while, wondering "why" herself. Was it because ever since they had rescued him in their third year, she had felt a connection? Was it because she wanted Harry and herself to have one less thing to feel guilty over? Could it be that the world was simply a better place when Sirius was in it?

She had taken his hand, making him raise his own head to look into her eyes, and simply answered, "It's just something I think I need to do… for many reasons and for no reasons at all."

Harry had nodded at this, "So you feel it too?"

She sat down next to him and laid her head on his shoulder, letting him wrap a strong arm around her, "The pull? Yeah… there's something that has to be done about the veil, like its begging us to come and solve it…"

They stayed silent for a few more moments, breathing in and out; simply existing in each others presence before Harry looked at her, "If you need anything… I mean I'm not that good at research, but I do have connections and all…"

She nodded, "Thanks, and I'll let you know anything I figure out."

Harry had smiled at her then, a smile he usually reserved for Ginny, and she had returned the smile with a genuine one of her own.

And Harry had come through for her, getting her books that were so rare she hadn't even heard of them before, and introducing her to people who had extensive knowledge on the life after death, or so they claimed, but none of it had worked, no spell, no potion, no tricks, nothing had worked and it seemed as if Sirius was going to be stuck behind that damned veil forever.

Kingsley had asked her, what made her think that she could bring him back? When Harry had grabbed the stone, which brought people from the dead back to life, it had brought Sirius… meaning that he must be dead right? But she had just shaken her head; there was something different about his death that gave her hope. Sirius hadn't died by the killing curse; he was still alive when he fell through the veil. (A/N In my opinion at least…) Hermione had read enough Greek Mythology to know that simply going into the underworld or afterlife or whatever you wanted to call it, didn't always make you dead. Stuck? Yes, you could definitely be stuck down there, but there was always something different about those people who had gone into the afterlife, while they were still alive, and that gave her hope.

"GODDAMN IT!" she yelled and threw the book currently at her side as hard as she could at the veil, which was a really stupid mistake on her part cause now she was never going to get it back. When she realized this she broke down, clutching her face in her hands and sobbed, letting all of her frustration pour out in the heaving of her body as she gasped for air and let the tears over take her. "Why the hell can't I figure this out?" she asked in between sobs, "Why can't you just walk back through the DAMN VEIL, SIRIUS?"

"You know it's not nice to throw books… and its even ruder to yell at a person after he has just returned from the dead…" Sirius said as he stepped out of the veil along with Remus and Tonks.

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"It's almost time, were going to leave before it happens so that you don't miss it by trying to say good-bye." James said, standing up in front of Sirius, Remus and Tonks.

Everyone else got to their feet, and looked at James and Lily.

"You sure you can't come with us Prongs?" Remus asked, wishing that this time his answer wouldn't be "no", that this one time he would look at them and say, "Sure, we'd love to come back with you."

But as the old saying goes, "If wishes were horses then beggars would ride."

"We can't, we belong here… just do us favor, okay?" James asked, letting silent, manly tears fall down his cheeks, "Take care of Harry… and let him know that we've never stopped missing him."

The three of them nodded, and Remus took a step forward, "Watch our backs, alright?"

James pulled him into a hug, "Always and forever Moony… it's the maurader way."

Tonks was speaking quietly to Lily when Remus stepped back, leaving James' eyes to fall on Sirius. Sirius looked James dead in the eye. "I don't know what to say Prongs…"

James nodded and walked forward pulling Sirius into a hug, both men standing wordlessly for a few moments, tears streaming down their faces. They were brothers in all but blood, and it was just wrong that they had to say good-bye again.

"Sirius?"

"Yeah, James?"

"I want you… I want you to listen to your heart. I know that sounds all emotional and wimpy right now, but you'll understand what I'm saying in a few weeks… save yourself and others around you the trouble and just listen to it… things have changed, certain taboo's aren't taboo anymore. Don't let others keep you from what you want… Ok?"

Sirius had moved his head back, his arms holding on to James upper arms, and James was in the same position. "You know, everything would be a hell of a lot easier if you would just tell me what's going to happen…"

James smiled, "But where would the fun be in that… Lily has to have some amusement, your brother is funny and all, but his jokes about Voldemort's Underwear are getting kind of lame…"

Sirius snorted at this, "Could you say hi to him for me?"

"Yeah Pads…" James let go of his shoulders then, and Lily moved between them, reaching up and wrapping her arms around Sirius' neck giving him a hug.

"I love you Sirius," Lily said lightly.

"I always knew you had a soft spot for me Lily… so why'd you go and marry this bloke?" he asked, James laughed and Lily just looked up at him with a stern look, "Ok, ok, jeez, I love you too." He leaned down and kissed her softly on the forehead, "Take care of James for me, I know he's just itching for me to come to the afterlife for an eternity of pranks, so if you could keep him in line that would be great…"

Lily laughed and gave Sirius one last hug before stepping back, "Will do Sirius, will do."

Lily moved over and hugged Remus and Tonks, telling them to take care of little Teddy, and keep an eye on Sirius, which they both laughed and agreed to.

Tonks moved over to stand by the veil and Remus and Sirius moved one last time towards James. "Do you two solemnly swear to remain up to no good until meeting me on the other side of the door?"

Both laughed and the three shared a three-way hug.

"I do so solemnly swear," said Remus.

"I do so solemnly swear," repeated Sirius.

"And I do so solemnly swear," said James.

"Boys its time to go…" Lily said, not wanting to break up the moment, but having looked down at her watch and realized that they needed to hurry up and leave.

James nodded and moved over to Lily, pulling her into his arms and moving toward the door. James opened it, but before walking through turned around, "We don't want to see any of you again for at least another 75 years ok?""

"Sounds like a decent plan," answered Remus.

Lily and James nodded before stepping through the door, and pulling it shut behind them.

Just then a book came flying through the veil and hit Sirius in the back. He turned around and picked it up, knowing that it was the sign to go through.

"You two ready?" He asked.

"As we'll ever be," answered Tonks.

He nodded and looked around the room one last second, thinking of every single day he spent screaming for someone to help him, he quickly shook his head to get rid of those thoughts and stepped through the veil.

"You know its not nice to throw books… and its even ruder to yell at a person after they've just returned from the dead…" Sirius said as he stepped out of the veil along with Remus and Tonks.

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