A/N) This is the second to last chapter of this story. Thank you for all the support and encouragement I have had throughout the writing of this story!

Twisting Time

Chapter 46

He was floating in a dark space, could feel the walls pushing down on him. The first thing he realised was that he was just above the floor and if he twisted forward he could correct his position. His feet landed on the hard ground though it was barely visible in the darkness. He wasn't breathing but unlike before the first time he was here, he could now move…

Sirius remembered being here before, many years ago…

A memory came to him, one that he had not remembered until now, for it had held the answers he had sought and though the James from the Resurrection Stone had told him he and Lily had been responsible for sending him back to the past, it still felt strange to remember that event, especially after so long since forgetting it.

I suppose I never really forgot it. It just lay buried deep down, blocked from my own memories.

It was dark. He couldn't see a thing and he wondered if he would be lost here forever, not moving forward and not moving back.

"You have a choice, brother."

The voice surprised him as he had not expected it, but when he turned around he saw Regulus standing there in green and silver robes, a sad expression on his face and his eyes were full of remorse. His body was emanated by a blue light that surrounded him. It was as if he was almost a ghost.

"I'm sorry it had to be this way… but it is not the end, Sirius. It's up to you." Regulus folded his arms across his chest, ignoring the strands of hair falling about his face.

"What do you mean?" Sirius voiced carefully. Did he have some sort of choice?

"Potentially," Regulus replied cryptically.

Sirius frowned. "Can you elaborate?"

"What do you remember about the last time you were here?"

"What's that got to do with anything?" Sirius barked.

Regulus chuckled. "Everything."

All Sirius wanted was answers but he would indulge Regulus. "Fine. I've only just remembered this so you had better tell me why I have no recollection of it until now. But I remember falling through darkness and then hearing two voices chanting 'Make It Right'. It was James and Lily. They sent me back so I could make everything right. Then I woke up in 1981, a week before James and Lily died, giving me enough time to change it. But when I woke up there, the last thing I remembered was falling through the Veil."

"Well then, you've made it right, haven't you?" queried Regulus. He held up a hand and started counting down his four fingers and a thumb. "First, you gave the Wizarding World the break it needed from the war." One finger went down. "You got Pettigrew and he's now a drooling mess in Azkaban." Another finger went down. "You saved James and Lily." The middle finger went down. "You stopped Harry from being the Boy-Who-Lived." The index finger retreated. "And finally, you stepped up and defeated Voldemort for good." The thumb closed Regulus' hand into a fist. "You've done what they wanted you to do."

Sirius shuffled on his feet. "And what has all that I've done got to do with this choice you have indicated I have?"

Regulus chuckled lightly. "James and Lily Potter didn't just send you back. They inserted you back into a piece of history that ensured you had the best chance possible of changing things for the better. But they also gave you a new tool that would aid you in protecting Harry. They instigated the bond you two share. It ties you to Harry. You know when each other are in danger, right? You can protect one another, yeah?"

Sirius nodded in confirmation. "It's been quite useful. So useful that Voldemort decided to take Jack instead of Harry to lure me in. We didn't really need to use our bond in the last battle. But… why not make the bond protections we can give each other immune to the killing curse?"

"Because it would be too easy. You'd be invincible. There has to be a point where the protection ends. A vulnerable point is needed with every advantage. If there wasn't, the two of you could be immortal. You never really got to explore every inch of your bond but you have the ability to heal wounds on each other that are considered mortal ones. You could have extended your lives, stop your bodies aging… The bond that you two have is too powerful for it not to have a weakness. It's the way these things work…"

Sirius could understand why the killing curse could get through. It was a fail-safe, to ensure that everyone still passed on. "Immortality doesn't suit us, does it?"

"Not yet…" smiled Regulus. "Maybe one day. But I'm here to help you with your choice. Your bond allows you to be in the unique position of being given a choice. Harry could bring you back. Right at this moment he is feeling the aftereffects of the bond shattering. He knows it is still there, broken but that it is also trying to heal. The magic within Harry is trying to bridge the gap, find you again. But he is in pain because of it. If you decide to go back, your bond will reconnect and then heal your body, bringing you back to life."

"Right…" said Sirius slowly. He could go back? That was a surprise. "The bond will reshape, linking us back together?"

Regulus nodded.

"The pain Harry is in now… Will he experience the same thing when I eventually die?"

"Yes. It's just the way this type of bond works. It is a very rare one, rarely seen in the magical world but occasionally happens. The pain will only get worse… He will recover from it whatever your choice is but not while you are still in limbo. You have to make a choice."

Sirius sighed. "When I do eventually…" he swallowed. "How long will Harry be in pain for after my death?"

"A few weeks… The loss of a bond is incredibly painful. But, as I said, he will heal."

Sirius bit his lip. He had sacrificed himself knowing that he would be saving Harry but in doing so he had forced this terrible pain on him. "No one is meant to be immortal. Even if Harry and I had discovered this on our own, I do not believe we would have used our bond to extend our lives beyond what is the norm for witches and wizards."

"No, you wouldn't…" smiled Regulus," but the opportunity is there, if you take it."

"You're making this very difficult, you know that right?" quipped Sirius, a slight smile pulling at the edge of his lips.

Regulus moved back on the balls of his feet. "Exactly my intention!"

"What about Leanne?" Sirius felt sadness well up inside him as he thought of her.

"She moved on."

"And the James and Lily who sent me back?"

"They still exist in this world until your new world catches up with the date of your passing originally," answered Regulus.

"I did what they wanted…" Sirius started to move around. He wanted to stretch his legs. He mulled over everything in his head. "And Voldemort? Where is he?"

"A broken spirit, unable to pass on. He is stuck in limbo for all eternity, forced to exist in between the worlds. Every piece of soul you destroyed and the main body cannot ever pass on."

"For someone who was afraid of death, he really got the short straw," marvelled Sirius. The Dark Lord deserved it after all. "At least he won't haunt me in death."

Regulus chuckled. "Even if he could, I doubt you would let him."

"No, I wouldn't," smirked Sirius.

Regulus titled his head to the side. "What is your choice? I sense you have made one…"

Sirius' head dropped to his chest. "I have."

"And?" his younger brother pressed.

"I was given the opportunity to do something amazing. I was sent back in time to correct the errors I made and I succeeded. I always knew I was likely to die in this war, more so when I became Voldemort's biggest target. I was given the tools I needed to defeat Voldemort and I sacrificed myself to save an innocent boy who did not deserve to become a part of this greater battle. When you told me I had a choice to make… that I could go back and live again…" Sirius looked up and stared straight into his brother's eyes. "I knew that was what my choice would be… going back…" His shoulders sagged.

"I sense 'but' coming…" Regulus pointed out.

Sirius snorted. "But then you told me Harry was in pain from the bond breaking and that it was trying to heal over. And that when I did eventually die, he would experience the same pain again. He's young enough to be terrified of that pain if he knew what it really was. Harry would always remember it… haunting him in his dreams and his memories. He would always fear losing me, knowing what he would experience…"

Sirius shook his head. "I can't do that to him. He's young enough for it to scar him for life, Gryffindor or not. I can't do that to him." He couldn't believe he was saying this but it felt right to do so. "Besides I'm tired… Tired of everything. I just want to rest… Knowing that I saved them all…"

"Are you sure you do not want to go back? You will not have another chance, brother."

Sirius nodded firmly. "I'm sure. I was sent back for a specific reason and I've done that. It would be selfish of me to go back. Maybe I would have done if Voldemort was still alive but he's gone now… There is no danger to any of those that I love…" He spread his arms wide. "No, I know what I want." He breathed in deeply. "I, Sirius Orion Black, choose death over life."

And then there was nothing.

To be concluded...

Please let me know what you think!

This was a difficult chapter to write. I promise you that I will be explaining my creative choices in a big author's note I intend to add when I post the last chapter. So hopefully any questions you have about Sirius' choice here will be answered when I post that author's note.

The final chapter of this story will be posted next week :)

Until then,

the-writer1988