Sirius forgot how exhilarating a battle could be. After months of being cooped up in Grimmauld Place, he finally felt alive again as he fought against the Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries. He had just taken on Dolohov, who admittedly had the upper-hand in their duel. Thankfully Harry threw a body-bind at the Death Eater, immobilizing him for the time being.

"Nice one!" Sirius said to his godson, as they ducked to avoid a stray Stunner. "Now I want you to get out of –". He didn't finish his sentence as a stream of green light flew closely past his head. He looked across the room and saw an unconscious Tonks, with Bellatrix gleefully running away from her and into the centre of the chamber, looking around for her next victim. Seething, Sirius ran towards Bellatrix, calling over his shoulder, "Harry, take the prophecy, grab Neville and run!"

In the middle of the chamber, on the raised dias, Sirius engaged Bellatrix. He hadn't seen his estranged cousin in years and, as he took in her dull hair and crazed eyes, he could tell that Azkaban had been as cruel to her as it was to him.

"Come on, you can do better than that!" Sirius yelled taunting Bellatrix as her Stunner sailed past him.

Sirius fired a Leg-Locker Curse at her which she easily deflected and then quickly countered with another curse. This time he wasn't so lucky; Sirius saw the jet of red light leave her wand but wasn't quick enough to dodge it.

The spell hit him directly on the chest, feeling as though someone had delivered a brutal punch. The force of it sent him backwards, his body falling through the strange archway and past the ragged black veil that hung there. Sirius sank into darkness, falling into a void of nothingness. From a great distance he heard someone calling his name.

"Sirius!"

He vaguely wondered why he was still conscious after being hit with the Stunning Spell. A part of him knew the answer, though he was afraid to admit it. He squeezed his eyes shut, not knowing what would happen when he stopped falling.

"SIRIUS!"

After what felt like an eternity, Sirius felt a strange sensation and realized that he was laying flat on his back, on a soft surface. He opened his eyes, but all he saw was darkness, making it impossible to see where he was. Laying still, he willed himself to remain calm as he listened for any sound that may tell him where he was. He thought he could still hear someone calling his name, but it sounded far away, and he wondered if it was just in his head.

He thought he knew what the archway and veil was. Long ago, in his childhood, he remembered his grandfather talking about an old form of execution, where people were put through the to the "Other Side". Sirius wondered if that was where he was now – the "Other Side"… or, the afterlife, as some may call it. But, of all the theories he had ever heard about what happens to you when you die, Sirius had not expected it to be so dark.

Suddenly a nearby voice called out his name and he looked around startled, but still couldn't see anything through the impenetrable darkness.

"Master Sirius must get up!" the voice said again

"What?" Sirius asked, the words coming out muffled. "Who's there?"

Without warning, a weight that he hadn't noticed pressing on him was lifted and bright daylight assaulted his eyes.

"Master Sirius must get out of bed! Kreacher has laid out his school robes."

Sirius quickly sat up and stared in shock at his house-elf, Kreacher, who was standing before him, clutching a heavy black duvet in his hands. Looking down, Sirius realized that he had been laying on a bed – his bed at Grimmauld Place, to be exact.

"Kreacher?!" Sirius exclaimed, feeling a mixture of surprise and revulsion. What was the nasty elf doing in his afterlife? "How did you get here? Did you die too?"

Kreacher cocked his head to the side, considering the question.

"Kreacher does not understand what Young Master is saying," he replied slowly. "Maybe Master Sirius had a bad dream? But Young Master needs to get dressed and down to breakfast. Kreacher's Mistress is getting impatient."

"She's a portrait, how impatient can she be?" Sirius muttered incoherently, as Kreacher quickly left the room.

Sirius closed his eyes for a moment, feeling more confused by this turn of events than he was by the darkness. How did he get back to Grimmauld Place? Had Remus or one of the others brought him back here to recuperate after the battle?

Opening his eyes again, he looked around his old bedroom, noticing immediately that something was wrong. Someone had redecorated it – or maybe it was more accurate to say un-decorated it. The old Gryffindor banners were missing and so were the pictures of the Muggle bikini models that he had plastered up in this youth. He looked for the picture on his wall – the one of him, James, Lupin and the traitor, but it was gone too. Assuming Kreacher was to blame for this, Sirius wondered why the elf would change his room now, after leaving it untouched for so many years.

Pushing the thought aside, he decided it didn't matter right now. There were more pressing issues to deal with at the moment – like how he was still alive. If that strange veil was what he thought it was, he didn't see how he could have survived. On the other hand, he didn't think any form of afterlife would involve returning him to Grimmauld Place with Kreacher. Surely fate wouldn't play such a cruel joke on him and condemn him to living in this abysmal house for an eternity.

Sirius knew that he needed to locate someone from the Order to answer his questions. He had to find out what happened to everyone at the Ministry after his duel with Bellatrix. Had Harry and his friends got away unscathed? Were all the other Order members still alive?

As he got out of bed, he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror and a wave of shock overtook him. Staring back at him was the astonished face of his much-younger self. Walking slowly towards the mirror, Sirius raised a hand to his cheek, feeling smooth skin instead the days-old stubble that had been there earlier. His dark hair was shorter too and had a fullness to it that he hadn't seen in years. Looking into the scared eyes in the mirror, Sirius didn't think he looked any older than twelve.

Shaking with fear and disbelief, Sirius unsteadily returned to his bed and wondered what had happened to him. Had the archway been some sort of portal that sent him back in time?

Loud footsteps caught Sirius' attention and before he had another moment to collect his thoughts, Walburga Black stormed into his room. "What in the world are you doing up here?" she demanded. "Kreacher told us you were on your way twenty minutes ago!"

"Mother?" Sirius gasped, staring at the woman in front of him in disbelief.

"What's wrong with you? Are you ill?" She walked over and put her hand on his forehead.

"I'm…. I just… no," Sirius finally said, hearing the juvenile tone of his voice. "I'm confused. What's the date today?"

"The first day of September, as you very well know, Sirius," his mother replied, sounding impatient. "We have to catch that blasted train in less than three hours. Now, stop lazing around and come join us for breakfast!"

Sirius watched as his mother turned and strode from the room, calling to him over her shoulder. "If you aren't at the table in five minutes, I'm sending your father up!"

Father? Sirius wondered dazedly, as he reached for the robes that lay next to his bed. He's here too?

His mind was still racing when he reached the dining room and stopped short at the sight of his mother, father and younger brother sitting at the handsome oak table. They all looked unconcerned as they ate their breakfast, acting as if this were just another day. As though they didn't all suddenly return from the dead.

"Stop dawdling and sit down, Sirius," his mother called over.

Sirius took his seat at the table, to the right of his father. Orion Black offered a brief nod to his eldest son before turning back to the morning paper he was reading. Across from him, Regulus gave him a half smile and continued to eat in silence.

Kreacher placed a plate of in front of Sirius, topped with eggs, bacon, sausages, baked beans and toast. He dug in, not realizing how hungry he was until right now.

When Sirius was halfway through his breakfast, his mother cleared her throat. "I want to go over the proceedings for today once more before you leave, Sirius," she said.

Sirius looked at her questioningly while, to his left, Orion folded the Prophet and laid it on the table, giving his full attention to this conversation.

"You are to act appropriately at all times during your time at Hogwarts," his mother began said, her eyes boring into Sirius'. "You will be representing the House of Black and will not do anything to bring shame to this family. Merlin help you if I receive a single owl from that school saying that you were getting into mischief."

"Pay attention to who you are associating with," his father added, as Sirius turned to him. "Since that old fool took over as Headmaster, the place seems to be overrun with Mudbloods."

"It's disgusting," his mother interrupted, her voice rising slightly. "Who knows what other creatures he is letting through the doors. They will be wanting to educate goblins and werewolves next!"

"Sirius will be fine as long as he sticks to his own kind," Orion said calmly, trying to placate his wife before she got herself worked into a frenzy. "Luckily, Salazar knew what he was doing when he created his house and kept the filth out. As long as Sirius sticks close to the other Slytherins, he will be fine."

"Slytherin?" Sirius choked on a piece of bacon that he had just took a bite of. "But I'm not in Slytherin!"

His father looked at his disparagingly. "I'm aware the sorting hasn't happened yet, Sirius, but you will be in Slytherin. Every Black has been sorted into Slytherin's House."

It was then that Sirius realized this was his first day of school – his very first day. He hadn't been sorted into Gryffindor yet. The lifelong feud with his family hadn't started yet. It would come later, once news of his sorting reached his parents' ears.

Feeling a bit reckless, Sirius asked, "What if I'm not in Slytherin, though? What if the Sorting Hat puts me in… oh, I don't know… Gryffindor?"

Sirius watched with satisfaction as his mother's eyes widened. "No son of mine will be put in that godforsaken house!" she shouted, slamming her hand on the table, causing the china to rattle and Regulus to flinch slightly.

"Sirius, don't upset your mother," Orion said sternly, getting up from the table as Kreacher rushed over to clean up after him. "Once you've finished eating, go upstairs and make sure you have everything packed."

Sirius finished his breakfast without another word, and then returned his room. He sat on his bed and tried to run his current situation through his head again. He had already lived his life, that much he knew for sure. He had gone to Hogwarts, was sorted into Gryffindor, and befriended James Potter, Remus Lupin and… the other one. At sixteen, he left home and was unofficially adopted by the Potter family. He had joined the Order of Phoenix to fight against Voldemort and his army. He was best man at James and Lily's wedding and later named godfather to Harry. Then everything went horribly wrong, and he had ended up in Azkaban. He eventually got out, found Harry, rejoined the Order and fought against the Death Eaters.

At this point his head started aching. All of his previous memories were still vividly there, but, for whatever the reason, he had sent back to his childhood. More specifically, to the day he started school.

How long was this going to play out? Would he have to relive his entire life again, beginning from this point?

There was a soft knock on the door.

"Enter," Sirius said distractedly, still trying to piece this mystery together. "I'm all packed – oh." He looked over as Regulus walked into the room. "Sorry, I figured you were Mother."

Regulus sat on the chair next to the large desk and looked sullenly at Sirius' trunk. "I wish I could go to Hogwarts with you," he said, pouting slightly.

Sirius gazed at his brother, realizing how young he was now. The last time they had spoken, Regulus had been sixteen and they had had a furious argument. Sirius had accused him of being a Death Eater, which Regulus hadn't denied.

"You better not meet me on the battlefield," Sirius had warned. "Because if you're fighting against me, I won't hesitate to curse you."

"Not if I curse you first," Regulus had replied harshly, before walking away.

Sirius never had come face to face with his brother after that, something he was secretly relieved about. The two brothers had come to loathe each other over the years, but Death Eater or not, Sirius would have a very hard time raising his wand against Regulus. Though, he wasn't sure that Regulus had the same reservations. It was hard to think of that now, though, with Regulus being only nine years old and looking up at him with saddened eyes.

If he had re-live his life again, Sirius wondered if he could save Regulus from a life of darkness and a premature death. Maybe he could convince Regulus to abandon the family and their prejudiced ideals before they brainwashed him into joining Voldemort.

"You get to go to Hogwarts next year," Sirius said, trying to cheer him up. "And when its time for your sorting, you should ask for Gryffindor too, then we could be together!"

Regulus rolled his eyes. "What is your sudden fascination with Gryffindor? You know everyone in our family has gone to Slytherin."

"Yeah, well, someone has to break the tradition. Besides, Slytherin is full of slimy gits."

"Narcissa and Andromeda are there," Regulus pointed out, before continuing, "but I don't want to have to wait for another year! What am I going to do every day while you're away?"

"Lessons with the tutor, reading, memorizing family history," Sirius replied dully. "The same thing you've been doing every day since you learned to walk and talk."

"Yes, but I always had you here to liven things up."

"I know," Sirius said. "But the time will fly by. And I'll write to you. At least once a week."

"Promise?" Regulus asked.

"Yeah, of course."

Sirius had a sudden, sinking feeling in his stomach. He remembered having this conversation Regulus years ago and making the same promise—a promise that he didn't keep. In fact, Sirius barely thought of his brother once he met his friends at school.

It will be better this time, Sirius vowed to himself. He was going to stay on friendly terms with Regulus and save him. In fact, if he had to go through his life again, he was going to save a lot of people. This time, Voldemort would be stopped early, and James and Lily would not die. And he, Sirius, would never step foot in Azkaban prison again. This time, everything would be different.