Disclaimer: I still don't own. =(

The Other Side of the Veil

Chapter 2

It was dark. Dark and silent. Eerily silent. He opened his eyes and looked around. Still silent, but not nearly as dark. What had happened?

"Bellatrix happened."

His body tensed. That voice … it sounded so familiar. Who was it?

"You don't remember me How depressing, Padfoot!"

Sirius' eyes widened. It was James! He's supposed to be dead!

"Thanks, buddy, for that. But technically you're dead, too!"

What? No he wasn't. He's just hearing voices. That sounded like his dead best friend. He was just at the Ministry, saving Harry. He had been fighting his insane cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, and he had fallen … oh. Damn. He was dead.

"Where are you, Jamesie?"

There was a chuckle. "Behind you, dumbass."

Sirius spun around to see James and Lily Potter standing there with him in this strange grayness.

"Oh."

James' arm was around Lily's waist and Lily had a slightly amuse look on her face as she leaned into her husband's arms, looking very content.

"You're not supposed to be here, Black. You're supposed to be out there helping my son fight his way through life when we couldn't," Lily said softly.

A pained expression came over that animagus' face.

"Harry."

James smiled. Lily smiled. He knew those smiles. Sirius narrowed his eyes at them. "What?" he asked, not knowing if he really wanted to know what they were thinking. They knew something that he did not.

"Harry will be joining us soon, Sirius." Sirius' eyes widened a considerable amount. "What? No! Not-"

"Hush, Black," Lily said softly. Sirius turned his astonished gaze to the fiery haired woman. "Don't worry, you'll get wrinkles." Just as Sirius was about to yell at her about 'how she could not be worried, this was her son, and he's going to die!', she smiled and started again. "He'll be going back. With you. He has an unfortunate duty to fulfill, and he'll only be able to fulfill it with someone to love him.' At this point, she giggled and said, "You could say that he's just taking a visit to his parents." She then turned to James. "I can't wait to see him in person! He's grown up to be such a handsome young man!"

James grinned at his wife. "He has you eyes, too!" Sirius watched the two fawn over the boy with a look of disbelief plastered across his face. Just as Sirius was about to voice his thoughts on how crazy the two had gotten since their deaths, he was barreled over by a young, skinny, raven-haired boy.

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK, WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, DYING ON ME LIKE THAT?" Harry bellowed into the older man's ear. Sirius winced at the hurt and volume in the boy's voice. "I'm sorry, Harry, really! But - eh - Uhm, it wasn't, uh… it wasn't my fault?"

Harry pulled away from the animagus and rolled his eyes. "I know it's not your fault, Siri, but you scared me. And besides, I think I killed Bellatrix, so all that revenge shite should be all sorted out now, even for Neville's parents, 'cos he can kill her husband… whose name I've seemed to have forgotten … Anyway, it's all good Siri."

Sirius smiled at his godson. He was too cute sometimes, the way he could ramble on for days. Then he realized something. "Wait, you killed Bellatrix?" Sirius' eyes were wide with wonder. Harry nodded tentatively.

"No fair! I've been trying to do that for years! Lucky kid!" Harry blinked. Sirius wasn't mad at him for killing? Huh.

"Wait a minute! I'm not a fucking kid, Sirius!"

A soft giggle sounded and Harry looked up to see his mum giggling into his dad's shoulder.

Harry's eyes widened a considerable amount.

James smiled.

Lily stopped giggling.

Harry blinked.

Sirius coughed.

Lily started giggling again and Harry looked down and realized the… er … compromising situation he was in with Sirius.

Sirius was lying on the floor with Harry sitting very close to his groin region and Harry had his wrists pinned to the floor above his head.

Harry's eyes widened again as he leaped back and let Sirius sit up. Harry blushed brightly and helped the older man stand and turned back to his parents.

Harry smiled and tackled the couple.

"Mum, Dad!" The emerald-eyed boy pulled away, still clinging to his father like a toddler would. His arms were around James' neck, his legs around the man's waist, James supporting him by holding his son's waist.

Lily and James smiled at the childish aura that rivaled Sirius'. "We've missed you, darling!" Lily said with a soft smile as she ran her fingers through the boy's silky raven hair. Harry smile grew wider and he laid his head on his dad's chest.

James placed a kiss on top of Harry's head and set him down. "Yes, we've missed you a lot. Sit down, Harry, we've things to discuss."

***

Remus' knees gave out as he watched his last lifeline dissolve into the veil. He had known something like this would happen sooner or later, but he still wasn't prepared for the pain and sense of emptiness that came with it. No one could prepare for that.

Remus sat there. He sat before that wispy veil and cried.

The man's fingers trembled as he thought of how close he had been to saving Harry from dying. From killing himself.

"I'm sorry, James, Lily. I've failed you again," Remus whispered to the veil, as curled up into a ball on the dirty cement floor.

Lupin's last thought before falling into the land of unconsciousness was how he could hear the whispers the wispy veil was sounding off.

tbc

(A/N:) Hey people who are reading this! Thanks a lot to Fizzy-Flo, SecretsToldAtMidnight, Talia Gea, and cubye4. You guys rock my soul for reviewing and I can't thank you enough, really. Also thanks to the people who favorite and add this to their story alerts. You guys rock, too. :)Thank you for reading my second chapter!

And before I forget, I would like to know if you would want a side pairing of Remus/Severus in here. I need a lot of people to say, cos I want to get the next chapter done by Wensday. Thank you! :)

~Izzy