A/N: Ok, so here it is! Based on a bit of demand, and the fact that I'd rather write what happens before Fair Trade than afterward (don't really trust myself with horcruxes and things like that…) :

The prequel to Fair Trade, a.k.a. what happens to Sirius in the land behind the mysterious veil! Yes, I know it's been done, leave me alone.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. Even the title of the fic was taken from the chapter in OotP where Sirius falls through the veil. lifts glass Cheers to J.K. Rowling! Any quotes are cited from the books.

Note: I was thinking of italicizing Sirius' thoughts, but there are a lot of those. When you're alone in a dark place, you have a lot to think about. Sorry if that makes things unclear!

Not much action in this chapter, more him figuring things out, I'm afraid. And some random thoughts and memories. Enjoy!

Beyond The Veil

Chapter One: Getting the Hang of Things

"It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall. His body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backward through the ragged veil hanging from the arch. . .

And Harry saw the look of mingled fear and surprise on his godfather's wasted, once-handsome face as he fell through the ancient doorway and disappeared behind the veil, which fluttered for a moment as though in a high wind and then fell back into place." ---Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, page 806

"Open your eyes, brother…"

Sirius Black shifted; he felt as if he had been lying there for an eternity. His eyes opened in shock, and he cried out.

"Harry? Remus? Are you there? HARRY!"

But it was no use.

Where am I? The last thing I remember… Bellatrix. Oh, I'm going to make sure I get back at her for that one. But I can't do that unless I find her. Got to get my bearings, who knows which part of the Department of Mysteries I'm in.

Sirius tried to focus his eyes, but there was nothing to see. The room, or wherever he was, was pitch black.

Ok, let's list all of the rooms of the Department I know about.

The one with the prophecies, that's the one where the Death Eaters were waiting with the trap for Harry. Good thing I ordered Kreacher to tell me everything.

The one with the brains, saw Ron dealing with one of those things when I came in looking for that lot.

The planet one, almost went in there before I realized no one was inside, must be some kind of charm on that one.

The one with the Veil, that's the last one I was in, the one where I was fighting that piece of Death Eater crap.

Wait. The veil. I've heard of that one before. One of those Aurors in Azkaban was talking about it… what did he say? Ah… something about a portal to the world of the dead…

The world of the dead? The world of the dead! I'm dead? I must have fallen in there when she hit me…

Hm. How fitting, a black death for a Black man.

…

Oh Merlin. Even my puns are dead. Well, I suppose they always were.

(A/N: Flashback)

"I am being Sirius, Moony! I always have been, haven't I?"

"…That's not what I meant, and that pun was overused since the first time you said it. In first year, Padfoot. First year!"

Yeah, my puns haven't ever been that good. But what can you expect, with a name like Sirius? I've got to use that, come on! Remus could have made jokes about having a twin brother or something! He probably wouldn' t make any wolfish remarks though. Too scared someone might catch on.

Moony. Wonder how he's taking this. He's the only one of us left now, other than that gross ugly rat, Wormtail. Hope he's taking care of Harry.

Oh, gosh. Harry! He went nuts after Cedric died, and Harry didn't even know him that well! I'd like to think I was closer to Harry than Cedric. I hope he's doing OK.

OK? How can he be doing OK, you oaf? He knows about the prophecy now, most likely. Dumbledore must've told him. How can he deal with that on his own?

Well, he's got Ron and Hermione, if he's told them about it by now. Maybe Ginny as well… he seemed to get a bit closer with her this year. Potters always have a thing for redheads, didn't James always tell me? Hm… Harry could use Ginny. She's a feisty one, she won't put up with his moodiness.

So. This is death, huh? Pretty bleak. At least there aren't any burning pits of fire. Though I'd prefer a gorgeous angel feeding me grapes. Or Bertie Bott's Beans. Maybe some Firewhiskey. That'd be wicked.

Or if I could catch up with some old friends. James and Lily… they'd probably want me to tell them all about Harry. Merlin knows I wouldn't like to be the one who has to tell Lily her only son's brushed death about five times. Or that he lived with her Muggle sister. Patricia, her name was? P. It started with a P. Pimple. If only her name was Pimple. I'd get a good few laughs out of that one.

Hmm…

Ooh, wasn't it a flower name? Like Lily. Peony? No… Petunia! That's the one!

That's one thing Lily and I've got in common. Siblings with names like ours who we hate like there's no tomorrow. Sirius and Regulus, the two stars. Like most of my family. But we were brothers.

That voice, the one that woke me up. It said…

Brother. Was it Regulus? If it was, then I must be in hell. Damn it. I should have been nicer to Snivellus.

Sirius sniggered.

Like that'd ever happen! It wouldn't work anyway, every time I look at the greasy-haired snot I have to make a comment. Besides, that'd take all the fun out of life.

A voice that sounded suspiciously like the matronly voice of Molly Weasley when she was scolding her children flew from the back of his mind and told him,

Well, it would have been better than taking the fun out of death! You've got to deal with it forever now, don't you, Sirius!

Yes, Mother. Molly Weasley. I spent too much time with that woman at Headquarters, and now her voice's penetrated my mind! I must be going nuts. I lasted all that time in Azkaban, and spending a year with one person made me crazy. Ironic.

Well. What should I do now? I mean, this is going to last forever. I'm already bored out of my mind, what am I going to do later on? Maybe James is here… Nope, Lily had turned him over to the good side… they're probably both up there behind the pearly gates.

Suddenly, Sirius had the oddest sensation, like he hadn't felt anything for the longest time and was just now leaving the numbness.

Ouch. My back hurts. Am I supposed to feel pain? Thought I was dead!

It seemed as though Sirius were laying on a hard surface. He stood up quite hesitantly, and had a rude awakening when his knees gave in. He face-planted into the cold, solid floor. He tried again, perseverant as he was, prepared this time. Sirius succeeded, much to his delight. He pounded the ground with both feet, jumping as hard and high as he could.

Huh. Sturdy.

The curious wizard stuck his arms out and attempted to feel for a wall to guide him; no luck. So he just started walking.

And walking…

And walking…

Merlin's Beard, this goes on forever! I wish there were somewhere I could sit down and rest, maybe somewhere with a little light. Is that too much to ask?

And with that, Sirius could see a white spark in the distance.

A/N: Just thought you'd like to know when this is, corresponding to the canon timeline!

" 'Well, Harry… time for us to be off,' said Dumbledore at last, standing up and straightening his long black cloak. 'Until we meet again,' he said to the Dursleys, who looked as though that moment could wait forever as far as they were concerned, and after doffing his hat, he swept from the room."

---Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, page 56

Hope you liked. Bit of a cliffhanger there, isn't it? Just thought it was the best way to end things before Sirius makes some big discoveries! And I'm sorry I haven't written in a while, I had a fifteen page paper for math due, and it was on the most insignificant topic ever. I could barely find enough information on it!

Now I have midterms. But I should be able to write more after Thursday, that's my last midterm… The MATH A REGENTS! Yeah, NYS schools are awesome, but the Regents suck. So hard… uhh. Yeah. So I'm off on Friday cause it's a midterm day and I don't have anything. Hopefully I can write then and on the weekend, maybe updating by next Monday? I hope, don't hold me too fast to my word. That is, if you even want me to continue the story!

If you do, you know what to do! Review and let me know! I need the feedback, don't care if it's bad. If you have nothing to say, just type "I reviewed." Or something. Anything! Please! You can tell, I'm desperate. And on that note, I have to go watch Desperate Housewives! I'm posting this now. Any review responses will be on my profile, and look out for chapter two (if I get reviews!): It's A Big World Out There!

---Rosie. (otherwise known as signoritarosa)

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