Happy late Halloween! I wish I were up to the point where I could write a Halloween based chapter, but that will have to wait until we're further along.

"Is something the matter, Sirius?"

On the eleventh day of his stay, Sirius had explained to Albus his conversation with the ghost known by the students as "Horrible Hornby," and the difference between their respective timelines. Albus was, understandably, excited. He thought that maybe his new friend could find some happiness at the prospect of changing a perhaps dark and terrible future. However, when looking into the eyes of the man before him, he could tell that not all was well.

The pair were sitting as they were on that first night, though one looked noticeably different. Sirius no longer had bags beneath his eyes, and he was dressed in a way that made him look much more comfortable than he had been before. He was wearing a long blue cloak that fit him to form, and underneath were a pair of soft looking trousers and a similarly navy colored jumper. He wasn't dressed as a pureblood, but the average wizard, and Albus could tell that he was more relaxed in that state. Unfortunately, his eyes remained the same stormy gray, and not once did Albus even dare to use Legilimency to see what Sirius was thinking. He didn't think he wanted to know.

Although Sirius should have looked thrilled at the news, Albus could tell that there was something else weighing on the man's mind.

"It's nothing really, Professor, it's just that-" he paused, trying to convey his mixed emotions with words. "I know I should be happy. I was. I really was after my conversation with Olive. I couldn't stop grinning." He sighed heavily. "But then I thought of our own conversation; how I'll never make it home again, and just…. what if I really never do?"

Albus was confused. "Sirius, I thought I explained it to you. There is no chance that you can make it back. I'm sorry."

Sirius almost looked angry, his mouth barely twitching into a scowl. "No, Dumbledore, I understand perfectly well that I won't ever return in this lifetime." He looked to the ground as he shakily asked. "But what if I never get back period, huh? Never see my Lily and James ever again, not even after my death? That's what terrifies me."

Albus contemplated the meaning of Sirius' words; he could tell that he had not seen Lily and James for a very long time. He dared to ask the question, "What happened to Lily and James, Sirius?"

Sirius looked up, and barked out a humorless laugh. "How much have you guessed at, Professor? You're an intuitive old coot, so I know you suspect at least a few things."

This wasn't a surprising turn. Albus had purposely neglected asking Sirius any important questions other than "who are you?" and "are you a Death Eater?" for fear of knowing too much about future events that were, at the time, so clearly going to be out of his control. But now that he knew that those events could be changed and prevented from even occurring, he thought it best to start questioning Sirius Black.

"It's obvious to me that you've gone though a lot, Mr. Black, some things that I probably wouldn't even wish upon my greatest enemy." Sirius beckoned him to go on. "But it seems clear to me that you were in Azkaban, though for just how long I cannot tell."

Sirius smiled. "Is it really that obvious, Professor?"

Albus was stoic; he had been correct. "No one has eyes like yours without being in that wretched place. How long?"

Sirius muttered something, though Albus could not hear what it was. He asked him to speak up, and could clearly make out the words "twelve years" coming almost unidentifiably from Sirius' mouth.

Albus didn't think he wanted to know, but he asked away. "Why?"

Sirius threw his hands up in the air, and yelled forcefully. "For what else? For helping Voldemort find and kill Lily and James Potter, and for causing the explosion that killed thirteen muggles. Who else but Sirius Black, known member of a dark family? Never mind the fact that he was in Gryffindor! Let's ignore the fact that he made it his life goal to go against his family! Let's forget that he considered James Potter a brother in all but blood!" By this point he was panting, rage clear in his voice.

Albus had grabbed for his wand after hearing his proclamation, but by the end of Sirius' rant, he had dropped it just as quickly. Who could suspect that Sirius Black, the biggest blood traitor of them all, could commit such a heinous crime? That he could even think of betraying James Potter was something that no one who knew him could even say. Albus felt ashamed that he had immediately jumped to conclusions, but wondered who in their right mind would want to be this man's enemy.

Contemplating these enormous implications, Albus asked, "So you yourself were betrayed? Set-up by someone then?"

Sirius looked ready to hit something. "You're damn right I was betrayed."

"By who?"

Sirius sneered. "The rat. Peter Pettigrew."

To say he was surprised would have been an understatement. Albus was utterly shocked. Quiet little Peter; who would have guessed that he could commit such a crime. It was almost as unlikely as Sirius performing the act himself, and as Albus was about to tell him exactly that, he thought of Peter's known personality. His animagus was a rat. He was known to hang around those who were clearly smarter and stronger than he was. And he would always cower behind those who had the most power, which is why becoming a marauder was so appealing to a scared and feeble boy.

It all made so much sense, after putting the pieces together.

Peter would one day betray one of his best friends in exchange for power.

Albus sunk back into his seat, already weary from what he knew was going to be a very long conversation. "Tell me everything, Sirius."

And so he did.

When Sirius left for something to eat, it gave Albus some time to become familiar with the tale that he had just heard.

Lily Evans and James Potter got together. Well, that isn't much of a surprise, Albus mused. Whether he paired them together as Head Boy and Head Girl to reach that ultimate goal was probably suspected by much of the staff. Minerva had even confronted him about it after the letters were sent out, and all he had said about his decision is that it would make for a "very interesting year." He chuckled. Indeed it will be.

Then his mind drifted to more somber topics of discussion. A prophecy; those were never a good sign. The fact that the war would get even worse and that even more Order members would die was not a good sign. And probably the most important part: Voldemort being defeated by a one-year-old little boy by the name of Harry Potter.

As Sirius had mentioned the name, Albus could see the sadness etch itself further into the young man's features, and it wasn't too long after that that Sirius excused himself for a bite to eat, leaving Albus alone in his office.

He would make sure not to mention Harry anymore than he needed to; clearly this was a sore spot for Sirius.

He wondered what to do with the man. He couldn't just hide him away and hope for the best. Sirius was needed in order to bring about change, especially when he had ominously told him that Voldemort would rise again after his downfall. This, too, was another worrying thought, and it made Albus think of ways that that could even be possible. His eyes widened.

No. It can't be…

"Okay, Dumbledore, what do I do now?"

Sirius had snapped Albus out of his reverie as he stormed carelessly back into his office. Albus noticed that Sirius seemed to be in better spirits after getting something to eat from the kitchens and letting some of his worry off of his chest. Though, he was certain that the thought of never seeing the people of his own world ever again, not even after his death, was still in the back of his mind. Albus wished there were a way to quell those fears, but he did not want to lie to poor Sirius.

Thinking on Sirius' question, he came to a shaky resolution. "If you aren't comfortable with this, you can always say no."

Sirius perked up, just as excitable as he was in his youth. "Oh, so you do have a plan for me? Let's hear it then, I'm all ears!"

Before answering, Albus worried a bit over this obvious change in mood. The fact that Sirius' emotions drastically changed with every passing second were concerning, for it showed that he wasn't completely stable. He wondered whether this meant his plan was not a good idea after all, but then remembered that he needed to keep an eye on him. Besides, having him close by would allow him to more accurately monitor the man's psyche.

"We don't yet have a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for this upcoming year. I was going to ask one of my retired Auror friends, but you may know more about fighting off the dark arts than even he." Sirius was quiet, realizing that Albus wasn't just talking about fighting off physical representations of the dark.

Albus could see how conflicted Sirius was about staying so close to people he knew. He wondered if Sirius was really capable of being near so many of the dead. But confliction quickly turned to resolve, and Sirius said fiercely, "I'm in."

And so it was that, on September 1st of the year 1977, two Sirius Blacks graced the halls of Hogwarts. One was young, his only thoughts being snogging with as many girls as possible, pissing off his family, and pulling pranks with his three best friends. The other was older, wiser, and determined to stop a dark future from occurring in a world that was not entirely his own.

A/N I'm hoping to make some of Sirius' mood swings and series of PTSD-esque issues more noticeable as this fic goes on. He's a scarred man, and I want to explore that more later on. And his relationship with his past self will be interesting to write about.

Thanks for reading!

~M