*Thanks to everyone still with me on this story or just starting it. This is my first fanfiction and I really love & appreciate all the feedback I've gotten and can't wait to hear more about what everyone thinks!*

It was now a half hour before 5 as by Embry led Lupin, Harry, Hermione and Ron through the Ministry of Magic. Most of the workers had gone home for the night, but several people still rushed through the halls with arms full of paperwork looking flustered. Harry, Hermione, and Ron were hidden safely from their sight under the invisibility cloak so no one looked their way for it appeared as if only Embry who was a Ministry worker was walking with Lupin. Harry hardly dared to breathe when a ministry worker would pass by closely to them, his heart was thumping in his chest for they were so very close to reaching Sirius now.

They eventually made their way to the ninth floor, were the Department of Mysteries was located. Harry felt sick to his stomach to be back in this familiar place, with the black tiled windowless walls and the dim blue light casting over them all. Embry pulled open the door at the end of eerie hallway and led them into the circular room with many doors to choose from.

"You can take the cloak off now, no one will be in the department at this hour." She said quietly and Harry obeyed and pulled off the cloak revealing Ron, Hermione, and himself. He was glad to be out from underneath the cloak for he was sweating from the nerves, his hands clammy and shaking as he placed the cloak back into his bag.

"Oh, I just feel so awfully unnerved to be back in this place." Hermione whispered her face was white and her eyes wide. Ron nodded in agreement with a grim look upon his face as he looked around.

"I know." Harry said simply for the Department itself was unsettling alone with its low lighting and uncomfortable silence, but they had history here. Last time they had entered they had been met by the Death Eaters waiting for them all.

Embry led them through another door, having obvious knowledge of the mapping of this department for she worked within it. Harry's heart nearly stopped as they reached the place that he was both desperately eager and tentative to have reached after days now of anticipation. They walked into square dimly lit room, with the stone tiers leading down to stone floor in the middle of room upon which the veil stood. The stone arch way looked as horrible as Harry remembered with its tattered black curtain hanging from it. This is where it had all happened just a few weeks back, he could picture Sirius falling through the veil with laughter dying from his face. Chills ran up and down Harry's spine.

"It's a quarter to 5 now" Lupin said in a shaky voice as he glanced down at what appeared to be an old shabby muggle watch strapped to his wrist underneath his robes.

"Someone should stay behind to alert someone if we don't return after the 5:30 mark, I'm not saying this to worry anyone but perhaps it's the safer thing to do." Embry said looking around at them all, she too looked mildly nervous.

"Hermione and Ron…" Harry began to say but he was interrupted by Hermione and Ron both opening crying out protests at this, but Harry held up his hands to stop them.

"It's true guys, there really is no reason for all 5 of us to go through at once, you'll serve better help to us here if we need to get word to Dumbledore that somethings gone wrong." Harry said feeling guilty and sad at the awful looks on Hermione and Ron's faces.

"Harry… we've always been there with you." Hermione said tears welling in her eyes.

"I went to the graveyard alone during the Triwizard tournament alone, and I made it back okay. You know it's the truth Hermione, you can do more good here." Harry said and after a moment she slowly nodded the tears spilling down her cheeks now. Ron nodded slowly as well giving Harry a significant look that said more than words could. Harry turned away towards Lupin, feeling strangely relieved to know his two best friends were remaining back somewhere much safer than the place he would be diving into momentarily.

"Are you ready?" Lupin asked and Harry nodded slowly turning towards the veil with Lupin and Embry. They all linked hands and on the count of three they stepped through to the unknown.

Harry felt the strangest feeling he had ever felt before in his years in the wizarding world. He felt himself being pulled quickly through the darkness, the feeling was something like a mixture of apparating and traveling by floo powder, but so very different all in the same. After moments of this he felt the rushing stop and he slammed onto something cold and hard, he heard rustling beside him and reached over and felt the robes of someone else moving around.

"Lupin?" Harry asked quietly his heart was beating out of his chest now before he felt himself being momentarily calmed by hearing lupin answer him back. So, he wasn't alone, and he surely wasn't dead for everything felt the same as it had moments before he dived through the veil. He reached for his wand blindly in the pocket of his robes for the place they had landed was pitch black and silent.

"Lumos!" he cried as he pointed his wand out in front of him revealing Lupin and Embry clambering to their feet and following suit with their wands. As they pointed their lights around the place they were Harry realized that it appeared to be the Department of Mysteries still but things were different.

The walls were not tiled with the shinning black but made of stone that looked to be extremely aged, and a large coating of dust layered the walls and floor. Ron and Hermione were nowhere to be seen, in fact there didn't appear to be a door even in the place it should have been like he was used to from the other side of the veil. Lupin walked forward flashing his wand around, Embry to the right doing the same, so Harry turned to the left shinning his wand in front of himself looking around for a sign of Sirius or anything really at this point.

Walking forward he saw something in the corner ahead, a large mound of black was all Harry could make out. Edging further with anxiety bubbling up inside of him Harry nearly forgot to breathe for he realized it wasn't just a mound of black. They were black robes, and familiar long black hair spilling out over the dusty stone floor around the man.

"Sirius." Harry breathed abandoning all caution and rushing forward to the crumpled form on the floor.