A/N: This is NOT the final chapter. There was a little more to the story than I anticipated so I am going to have another chapter or two. Please review :)
Yours,
MofDA
…
It felt as if it had been a few minutes since the initial impact. Perhaps only five minutes of overwhelming darkness. Darkness so thick he could feel it. Then he was abruptly thrown out and landed with a smack on the hard tiled floor in the Department of Mysteries. Sirius Black lifted his head, which was aching, and squinted around the room. Everyone was gone. How long had the battle there been over? It couldn't have been long - he was sure he'd only been gone a few minutes. He pushed himself clumsily up to his knees with muscles that felt as if he hadn't used them in years. The need to pause and stretch overpowered his desire to run from the room and find Harry to make sure he was safe. When he finally felt stable enough to stand he got shakily to his feet and saw his wand had also been tossed out with him off to the side. Sirius picked it up, twirled it between his fingers, and noticed that something else was wrong. What it was exactly he couldn't place. He stood there, filled with confusion, with an aching and swimming head, when three Ministry officials entered. Reacting on pure instinct he brought his wand up and cast a quick Shield between them and himself.
"Easy there, Mr. Black," said one of the workers as they all raised their hands to show they were unarmed.
"I want to speak with Albus Dumbledore." His voice was hoarse, as if unused, but at least it was steady.
"You can't, Sir," the same Ministry of Magic employee replied. "Albus Dumbledore is dead."
"No..." Sirius gasped. Not...not DUMBLEDORE! Surely there had been a mistake. If the Headmaster of Hogwarts was dead then it would have had to have been Voldemort who killed him. Not to mention, Dumbledore had been his one hope. The entire population still thought Sirius was a murderer. The only chance he had of getting out of this mess was with Dumbledore's help. But if Dumbledore was dead then had they lost the fight? "Where's Harry Potter?" He asked anxiously. He took a few steps closer to the three men and they all looked even more wary.
"We just want to escort you upstairs," said the second man, "The Minister will explain everything to you."
"Oh no, I'm not speaking to Fudge! You can tell him to go to hell!"
"Sirius," a deep booming voice sounded through the room a moment before Kingsley Shacklebolt came striding in.
"Kingsley," said Sirius half in relief and half in shock. "Godric! What happened to you, man? You look as if you've aged twenty years!"
"Yes, well," Kingsley was appraising Sirius in just as much shock as Sirius was appraising him. "Minerva said this was a possibility, but I never thought..." Kinglsey trailed off uncertainly. "Come on up to my office and we can chat. I know Minerva said she wanted to speak with you right away before you run off and do something stupid."
"Just...tell me that Harry's alright."
Kingsley smiled and clapped a large hand on Sirius's shoulder. "Harry is just fine. I imagine you'll be off to see him soon enough. After you talk with Minerva and I. She has more details on the situation than I do."
Uneasily, Sirius passed by the three ministry workers. None of them attempted to attack him. Escorted by Shacklebolt he made his way up through the Ministry to an office with a plaque that read, "Kingsley Shacklebolt: Minister of Magic."
"You...but...what?" Sirius shook his head, still feeling like more was off than he was noticing, and sat in the empty chair on one side of the Minister's desk. Kingsley sat in his seat behind the desk and eyed Sirius over templed fingers.
"What are the last things that you remember?"
Sirius blew out a big breath of air before launching into his story. "We were all in a fight with Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries. I was dueling Bellatrix when she hit me with a Stunner. I fell into the veil. I was in the veil for maybe five or ten minutes. Then I was being thrown from the veil back into the Department of Mysteries."
"Oh," Kingsley leaned back in his seat. "I think it's best that I let Minerva explain what happened during those...five to ten minutes."
They waited in an uneasy silence until Minerva McGonagall appeared in the fireplace. "What is wrong, Kingsley? I was over at Harry's place when I received your Patronus..." she saw Sirius and stopped in her tracks. A smile spread across her usually stern face and she embraced him tightly. "I knew...I always knew..." she half-sobbed.
"What happened to everyone? When did you all get so...old?"
"We're not the only ones who've changed…"
"Fan-fucking-tastic! This day just keeps getting better! Did some idiotic Death Eater put some kind of charm on all of us to age us? And Minerva, Kingsley told me that Dumbledore...that he's dead."
Minerva's smile thinned into a tight line and she nodded her head once in acknowledgement. "Yes, Albus is dead. But no, there is no charm or spell which aged us. If you would take a moment to look at your reflection, Mr. Black, you'd realize that you have not aged; you have de-aged."
He used his wand to conjure a mirror which proved to him that he was, in fact, several years younger than when he'd last seen his reflection. "I don't…I'm not sure I understand what has happened."
"You were not in the veil for mere minutes, Sirius, you were gone for many years. It is now the year 2025," if it had been anyone else who had told him this he would not have believed it. But Minerva McGonagall would never have teased him or joked with him. Not when everything was so serious.
"But…but the war! And Voldemort!" he cried angrily.
"It is over," Kingsley said in his deep reassuring voice. "Harry defeated Voldemort on the Hogwarts grounds in 1998. Dumbledore died the year before, we lost many others…Fred Weasley, Mad-Eye, Nymphadora Tonks, and Remus."
Sirius was trying hard at this point not to cry. Men like him didn't cry. He hadn't cried in so long he couldn't remember the last time he'd shed a tear. Maybe when James had died or maybe when Luna had left…Luna! 2025…was this her time?
"My wife," he said looking sternly at Minerva. "Is she here?"
Minerva's tongue darted out to wet her lips before she told him honestly. "She is not in the Ministry, no, but this is her time, yes."
The Minister of Magic was looking profoundly confused at the turn of the conversation. "Where is she?" asked Sirius at once.
"I will take you to her only after I explain what has happened to you and how. Albus told me that there was a chance you'd return. He also confided in me that there was a chance you would return to a more youthful age. But it's important that you know exactly what has happened to you-"
She was cut off by a head suddenly appearing in the fireplace. "Minerva!" shouted Neville Longbottom. "I need you to come here immediately!"
"Can't it wait, Neville?" she argued hotly. He had occasionally called on her for assistance as he was the new Headmaster in her place but never had he had worse timing than now.
"No, it cannot wait. I would not have tracked you down at the Minister's office if this were not an absolute emergency! I need you, quickly as possible, hurry!"
"Merlin's pants!" she stomped her foot angrily. "Sirius Black, don't you move from this office until I return. Don't go hunting down your wife because things have changed in the past thirty years."
With another angry noise Minerva used the Floo network to travel to Hogwarts.
"Well," said Kingsley heavily. "Would you like a drink?"
Sirius smirked his devilish smirk. "Oh, I think not, Mr. Minister. I'm going to find my wife."
"But…you heard Minerva!"
"Oh, is she my mum now?" Sirius was on cloud nine. He was in the year 2025! He thought he'd never see his wife ever again and now, somehow, miraculously, he'd ended up in her time and looking as young as he had the day she'd left 1978. "So sorry to leave you, mate, but I have a bird to find!"
Sirius Disapparated on the spot, leaving a swearing Shacklebolt to face the wrath of McGonagall alone whenever she returned.
….
"Daddy, will you please owl Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione? I want them, Rose, and Hugo to come over today. Hugo should be on winter break now and it's time that I tell all of you the truth about everything."
The eggs on Harry Potter's fork fell back onto his plate as he gaped at his daughter, mouth hanging open, staring at Lily who was across the breakfast table from him.
"Of course!" Ginny was shoving a quill and parchment at him before he'd even moved. "They'll be here right away, dear!"
"Good. I'll go get dressed. Yell for me when they arrive. It's a…long story, so I hope nobody had anything planned for today. I know you'll all have a lot of questions."
Lily scooted her chair back away from the table, grabbed her last bit of toast, and waddled on up the stairs to her bedroom. Harry and Ginny grinned at each other happily. This was what they'd been waiting for.
….
Sirius Black first went to Potter Manor which recognized him as owner and Master of the Manor since he was now married to a Potter and magically bonded with her. However it was obvious that she wasn't there and that she didn't live there. He was sure that by now, if she lived there, she would have added her own personal touches but everything was the same as he remembered.
His next stop was Godric's Hollow. That was where her parents lived, he knew. Harry had returned to the town in which he'd lived as a baby. It was sweet, nostalgic, and very Harry of him. Beaming more broadly than he had in decades, feeling muscles in his face move in ways they hadn't in so many years, he practically skipped up and down the streets of Godric's Hollow until he found it.
The Potter residence. This must be where Harry and Ginny lived now. As he approached he watched a tall man with receding red hair get out of a car along with a bushy haired woman and one younger boy with reddish-brown hair as if someone had mixed the colors of Ron's and Hermione's to make this exact shade.
The family entered the house, not evening noticing Sirius walking up that way, and he followed them into the house. He found himself alone in a small foyer. A doorway on his left looked like it went into a sitting room and a doorway on his right looked like it might be a kitchen or dining area. Straight ahead of him was a flight of stairs. Not knowing which way to go, he called out loudly, "LUNA!"
There was a thump from upstairs and a smattering of footsteps. A girl, the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen in his entire life, appeared at the top of the steps. She descended a few stairs and stared at him in shock.
"Lu-Lu," he whispered, sounding breathless, not even noticing the crowd that had gathered in both doorways. Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, James, Albus, Rose, Hugo, and Scorpius were staring at this stranger. Harry was the only one to show a flicker of recognition.
Sirius took two quick steps toward the stairs before he was thrown back by a strong and violent Shield charm. "Stay back!" screamed his wife, still toward the top of the staircase, her wand hand steady as she pointed it directly at him. "You stay away from me!"
"Luna…" her name was a caress and she clapped her free hand over her left ear.
"Don't call me that!" She commanded. "I don't know who you are or how you look like…like that…but if this is some sort of joke then it is cruel and if you are trying to trick me for any sinister reason I will castrate you where you stand. Do you understand me?" she hissed in a rage.
"It's me," he claimed honestly. "Luna, it's me, your husband-"
"MY HUSBAND IS DEAD!" she roared with tears rolling down her soft rosy cheeks.
"Husband…" murmured someone off to the side. "Dead…" came another whisper.
"I…I was dead," he acknowledged. "But somehow, today, I wasn't anymore. I promise, it is me. You can ask Minerva, I just saw her a bit ago-"
"Shut up!" Without taking her eyes off of the stranger who was wearing Sirius's face, she asked, "Dad, do you have any Veritaserum? I think that this…person…may be using Polyjuice potion or some other magical means to change his appearance because he is not who he claims to be."
"I am!" Sirius argued desperately.
"I – ah –no, I'm afraid I don't have any here at the house," Harry answered.
At the sound of his godson's voice Sirius turned away from Luna to look at Harry. "Godric…you look so old," he winced as he saw the grey streaks in Harry's hair and the laugh lines around his mouth.
Harry frowned as he studied this young man closer. He recognized that voice. He knew that face. But there was no way. It wasn't possible. It had to be coincidence….had Sirius had children without Harry knowing? Was this a Black family descendant? It would make sense because the baby's father was pureblood…
"You're even more beautiful than I remember. Merlin, how is that possible?" Sirius said to Luna.
Angrily she flicked her wand at him and he dodged the jet of red light. "Easy there, love, almost got me with that one," he chided with a waggle of his finger. There was something more than just his looks, though, that told Luna he might be telling the truth. It was in his eyes, his smile, the waggle of his finger.
"Prove it. Prove to me that you are who you say you are," she glanced around at her family. "Nobody let him get away. If he's lying I want him thrown in Azkaban for this."
Sirius sighed. "How can I prove it to you, Lu-Lu?"
"Tell me something…something that only he would know."
Her family was watching the conversation like a ping-pong match, looking from Lily to Sirius in turn, not knowing who this mysterious man was.
"We didn't have a wedding. We eloped," it was the first thing that came to mind – a moment with only the two of them present. "It was a Hogsmeade weekend and we knew we didn't have much time so we eloped."
"Anyone could have known that, try again," her words were firm but her wand lowered an inch.
"It was Lily who punched me when we told our friends that we were married."
A little laugh escaped her before she forced her features back into a stern expression. "Maybe something that the entire common room didn't witness?"
"Alright," he raised his eyebrows at the challenge. "The first time we had sex was in Potter Manor. It was the same night that you told me who you really were. When you finally agreed to date me you came barging into the common room and threw things at me. You screamed at me angrily and hit me when you admitted your feelings. You're a crazy, arrogant, feisty witch, but you're mine and I love you more deeply than I can even put into words."
She was almost swayed by his words. But it was just too good to be true. Her wand lowered another few inches and Sirius noticed her hesitation. "You visited me when I was in Azkaban. You knew I was innocent and you loved me even then. And the journal-" here he extracted something from his pocket. "-you gave to me on my eighteenth birthday. It was in my pocket when I died. But I wrote in it, to you, every chance that I had."
She motioned with one hand to see it so Sirius tossed it to her. It was proof, though he'd had suspicion before, that she'd taken down her Shield charm, when the journal sailed through the air directly to Lily's outstretched hand. As she examined it closely Sirius added, "I followed you to the cemetery in Godric's Hollow on Halloween night. You visited empty graves that would one day be the grave site of your grandparents."
"Your marriage bonds match," offered Hermione, who looked as though she couldn't help herself from piping in. "You wanted to know if he was lying, but Lily, no disguise – muggle or magical – could fake marriage bonds and your marriage bonds match his."
Crying heavily now, Lily tossed the journal down at her feet, rushed down the remaining stairs, and launched herself into Sirius's waiting arms. For many long moments they held each other, kissed passionately, and whispered sweet endearments to each other. Those who witnessed this caught occasional words or phrases. "Never thought I'd see…" "You look so…" "It's been so long…"
It wasn't until his emotions began to calm down that Sirius realized something was different. The girl in his arms didn't feel like the girl he remembered holding. His gaze, which had been on her face, flicked down and he felt his heart drop when he saw her protruding stomach. "I'm too late," he said and jumped back from her as if he'd been scorched.
"What?" she asked in confusion, upset that he'd left her standing there on her own.
"You…you're pregnant," he clarified. "I can't…oh, Merlin, Luna, I'm so sorry, but I can't get in the way of you and whoever this bloke is…"
Sirius felt like everything was a cruel joke. He'd come this far only to discover that his wife had done just as he'd wanted her to do – she'd moved on and found love with another. How could he fault her for that?
"Oh no. Sirius, no," she hiccupped, "it's yours. The baby is yours," she grabbed his hand and put it on her stomach. "It's been six months since I left you. I got pregnant when I visited you in Azkaban."
The awe and wonder and sheer delight in Sirius's eyes made Luna feel in that moment like the luckiest woman on earth. "Mine?" he asked and she nodded firmly.
"Sirius Black?" asked her Uncle Ron and that was when they were reminded of their audience.
Luna squeaked and spun around to stare at her family. "This is my husband, the father of my baby, Sirius Orion Black."
"It seems I've missed quite a bit," said Sirius as he had one arm slung confidently over Luna's shoulders and the other motioning to Harry's other children. "You must be James Sirius and Albus Severus. Lu-Lu told me all about you, of course. Named after me," he winked at James.
"What the hell is going on?" Harry demanded.
"Ginevra!" Sirius exclaimed, ignoring Harry and stepping forward to hug Ginny. "Lovely as ever."
"Maybe we should all sit down," Luna suggested. Everyone moved, uneasily, to the sitting room. Sirius couldn't seem to keep his hands off of Lily or his eyes off of her stomach. In one day he'd regained not only his wife but also his youth and a child.
"Start from the beginning," Hermione prompted as everyone gathered and took seats.
Sirius helped Luna easily into a chair and he sat himself on the arm of it, constantly touching her – her shoulders, her hair, her hand. And he was looking at her as if she were a precious treasure.
"I'm not sure if you're all going to believe me or not but I'll tell you the truth anyway. It started back in June on Hugo's birthday. I went up to the attic, which I know I wasn't supposed to do, and I found-"
"My Time Turner!" Hermione, it seemed, couldn't just sit back and let Lily explain. Because she was putting the pieces together just before Lily was revealing them.
Lily fished in the pocket of her robes and pulled out the one that she'd brought back with her from the past. "This one is not yours. I lost yours and I'm sorry but I'll give you this one in return if you'll accept it."
"How did you lose it?" Hermione wondered as she delicately accepted the new one.
"Albus and I were arguing over it because he thought it was dangerous and I just thought it was a pretty necklace that someone had forgotten in the bottom of a trunk. I accidentally spun it and it wouldn't stop spinning. Almost as if it had a mind of it's own. I got scared and dizzy so I wrenched it off of my neck and threw it away. That was when I stopped spinning. I'd been in Hogsmeade with Albus because I Disapparated from Hugo's birthday party in a childish attempt to keep the necklace. I fainted from the trip and woke up in the Hogwart's infirmary."
Sirius sprinted out of the room quickly and returned with his journal. "I added pictures," he explained, "I thought that at certain points in the story they may be helpful."
Luna smiled, reached out to touch his face and run her hand along the stubble on his jaw, then continued her story. "I didn't realize that I had even traveled through time until I spoke with Professor Dumbledore we pieced together what had happened. Time Turners hadn't been invented yet, of course, and since I'd lost mine he decided to work alongside the Ministry to speed along the process. Once they were created he would have to take one and alter it so it would travel into the future instead of the past and years instead of hours. So be careful with that one, Aunt Hermione, spin it once and you'll be in December of 2026."
Hermione paled and delicately set the Time Turner on the coffee table.
"This is ridiculous," said James Sirius Potter, "you expect us to believe that you traveled into the past and married…Sirius Black?"
"It's true," said Sirius in her defense. "I was walking through Hogsmeade, minding my own business, when this bird appeared out of nowhere. She was unconscious. So James, Remus, Peter, and I rushed her to the hospital wing at Hogwarts. Godric, that was ages ago for me…"
"Then you knew!" said Harry angrily. "You knew all along that we were going to win the war against Voldemort! You knew that I was going to survive and have children! You never told me."
The accusation stung Sirius but he sighed, closed his eyes, and said, "Just as your daughter knew what would happen to us in the future and didn't say more than she could. Luna never told us that Peter would betray us or that I was going to end up in Azkaban. I could never be mad at her because I knew why she didn't say it – because it would have changed everything. I couldn't tell you the future, Harry, but I tried to show you through my actions how much I loved you."
"Why do you call her Luna?" asked Albus.
"It's a habit. It started because it was too easy to get her confused with Lily Evans," Sirius explained with a wave of his hand.
Something else clicked in Harry's mind then. "You met them?" he asked his daughter.
Luna's head dipped in a slight nod. "I did. I met them just before they started dating. Your parents…my grandparents…they were incredible," she laughed a little at the memories. "I've wanted to tell you everything but it just hurt so much. I couldn't bring myself to talk about them."
"That's why you've been visiting Alice," said Ginny.
"Yes. I was in the past for a total of fourteen months and during that time my best friends were Lily Evans, Alice Fortescue, and Mary MacDonald. I lost them all. I lost Remus, Severus, James, and Sirius."
"If you were there then how did you not get tangled up in the war?" asked Hermione.
"Oh I did. Sirius tried to keep me out of it but I wasn't about to let my friends and family put their lives in danger while I did nothing. I joined the Order of the Phoenix. Death Eaters kidnapped us at one point and we were brought before Voldemort. He wanted to recruit us. He asked us, politely, if we would join him. When we declined he let us go as a show of good will but then later tried to kill our families," Lily spit out bitterly.
"You fought Death Eaters?" asked James with an air of reverence for his little sister.
"I did. That's when I got hit with the spell that made me lose my voice. I was in St. Mungo's for a while. Sirius and I both know sign language because that's how we would communicate."
"She was brilliant," Sirius recalled cheerfully. "Fought Death Eaters like a pro. You would have been so proud, Harry. She was a natural, like you. I've never met another woman so brave and stubborn. She's perfect," he cooed as he nuzzled her neck.
"Could we keep the touching of my little sister to a minimum, please?" James griped. "It's weird enough that you're the Sirius Black. And that you're my brother-in-law."
"I'm not sure how I even feel about this relationship," Harry admitted grudgingly as he watched the comfortable interactions between Luna and Sirius. "This is not normal."
"We realize that it is an extremely unconventional relationship," Luna said.
"I daresay one of a kind," Sirius noted with a smirk.
"But we love each other very much and do not need your approval."
"Obviously not," Hermione agreed at once. "You two are already married with a baby on the way! You've each suffered enough. I think what Harry meant was that you've both, Sirius especially, have been through a lot since you were last together and it may be difficult for you two to work through those times and experiences. You may not now be the people you once were."
Sirius and Luna smiled at each other confidently. "No," they both said at the same time. Sirius added, "She is where my life has been and also where my life has always been heading. I begin and end with her and I know she feels the same about me. We do not need to work through anything because we were with each other through it all," he placed his hand over his heart. "She was always here. She even visited me while I was in Azkaban. My supporter, my rock, my friend, my lover. She's a part of me, Hermione." He addressed her directly since it had been her statement.
Luna was nodding vehemently beside her husband. "I know he has been through hell. I know that I have changed and been through a lot just in these six months without him. But he was always with me, and nothing has changed for either of us."
"I want to hear everything," Harry said in a thinly veiled attempt to change the subject. "I want to hear about everyone you met and about my parents and what sort of dangers you encountered and the Order of the Phoenix meetings…"
"Many stories for many times," Lily said vaguely. "What I want to know is how Sirius is here now."
As if on cue Minerva McGonagall came spiraling into the room from the fireplace with a look on her face that was impossible to read. She looked both terrifyingly angry and yet surprisingly joyful. "Sirius! Didn't I tell you to stay in Kingsley's office?"
"Since when have I ever listened to you, Minerva?" Sirius asked in a friendly tone.
"There is still so much I need to explain-"
"Yes," Harry interrupted, "Like how did he come back to life?"
"It's a rather interesting and somewhat confusing explanation," Minerva admitted while wringing her hands together. Ron leapt up so that Minerva could sit down in her favorite chair. She thanked him politely and once she was settled began the tale.
"When you and your friends broke into the Department of Mysteries the night that Sirius fell through the veil you and Luna Lovegood were the only two who reported hearing voices from the veil. Dumbledore and I questioned each of you about the events of that night. Neville reported that he'd been too scared and not paying enough attention to notice if he heard voices from beyond the veil or not. You assumed, Harry, that it was a veil of death because it was so similar to your experience with the Thestrals when only you and Ms. Lovegood could see them. Dumbledore wished to let you believe this false truth because he knew that you needed closure and he couldn't give you hope that Sirius might one day return because what if he did not?"
"I don't understand," said Hermione. "If it's not a veil connecting the dead with the living then what is it?"
"Does the frame and structure remind you of anything?" Minerva asked Harry shrewdly.
"No," said Harry immediately but there was a look on his face as if he were making a connection somewhere.
"After your first year of Hogwarts, when professor Quirrell died, Dumbledore sent the Mirror of Erised to the Ministry of Magic for safekeeping. It was a magical object of much mystery so naturally the Department of Mysteries studied it. Specifically, they wanted to create a way to make whatever you saw in the mirror a reality. However not everybody's deepest desires are plausible so the veil might only work for wishes that could come true."
"But then why could only Luna and I hear the voices?" Harry pressed.
"Because you were the only two in your group whose deepest desires could be granted by the veil. You see, your biggest wish was to meet your family and I'm not sure what the mirror would have done with you. It could have killed you so you would be able to meet your family in the afterlife or it could have sent you into the past."
"How did I get so – so young?" asked Sirius.
"I suppose it was another part of your wish – you wanted to live your life with your wife from exactly where you'd left off. Now, as we all know, no spell can reawaken the dead. But there is another part of your deepest wishes, Sirius, that has taken place this morning."
Here Minerva smiled widely and let everyone hold their breath a moment before she told them the good news. "Frank and Alice Longbottom have made a full, sudden, and nearly miraculous recovery. That was why Neville needed me so urgently in his office. Your specific wish must have been to have your wife back along with any other surviving friends of yours. It was a wish specific enough to bring you here but vague enough to work fully in it's wish-granting magic."
Lily was crying softly. "Allie? And Frank? They're…they're back?"
"Yes," said Minerva with conviction; she knew how much this would mean to Lily. "They will be released from St. Mungo's soon and I imagine this will be the first place they visit. Neville is with them and he can bring them here."
"Minerva, if the veil is designed like the Mirror of Erised then why isn't it being used more often?" Ginny inquired.
"Several reasons, my dear. First of all it is still risky. You never know how the veil will grant your wishes. Secondly, as previously stated, it doesn't always work. If you decide to jump through the veil and there is no way of granting your wish then you will die or, worse, be in some sort of suspended animation for the rest of eternity. Thirdly, the people of the magical world would be rioting outside in an attempt to get in if it became common knowledge that the Ministry may have the ability to fulfill your deepest desires."
"Why did Sirius appear when I used the Resurrection Stone if he wasn't really dead?"
"Because he was dead. At least, dead enough to be brought back by the Resurrection Stone. From what the Department of Mysteries has been able to determine, Sirius, who remains the only person to fully submerse his entire body in the veil, was held in a suspended animation sort of way. He simply did not exist in this world until it was time to grant his wish. Which is why you could inherit the things he left to you in his will. Magically speaking, if he still existed you would not have been able to take true ownership of Grimmauld Place or Kreacher."
"If nobody else has tried using the veil then how do they know so much about it?" asked the ever-curious Hermione.
"It was designed to work like the Mirror of Erised but also a bit like a Pensieve. You were to put your face only into the veil to be told or shown exactly how to attain whatever it was that you wanted. When certain Ministry people put their faces into the veil some of them saw nothing but blackness. Two of the five went insane and are still in St. Mungo's."
"Well I was already insane to begin with so the veil probably didn't know what to do with me," Sirius joked.
"I have not seen you this happy in a very long time," Minerva commented to Sirius. "You've no idea how happy I am to see the two of you reunited. I do not believe I have ever met a couple with more determination to be together."
"I want to hear everything," Lily turned to face her husband, studying his face closely as she spoke. "Everything that happened to you from the moment that I left you."
"That's a very long story, love."
"We have time," Luna reminded him. "Finally, for the first time in our life together, we have time," she kissed his jaw briefly before saying to her family, "We have a lot to catch up on and then I think I'd fancy a nap. If you'll excuse us," she stood, took Sirius's hand and led him directly up to her bedroom.
…..