"Okay, everyone! We have a new member joining our group tonight. So I want you all to give a warm welcome to our new friend, Sirius Black!"

Casually waving his hand at the few people in attendance, noticing that they lacked the same level of enthusiasm as the perky hotel owner, or the popcorning eating chap who in a rather twisted way reminded him of James, Sirius did his best to contain his feelings of anxiety as Charlie shot him an encouraging smile.

"Now Sirius. I know that you're probably still adjusting to your new circumstances. Most humans find it difficult to process that there is not only an afterlife but also that they were sentenced to come down here instead of living in Heaven. But even though it might be difficult, if you're willing, could you please describe why do you think you're here with us today?"

Having spent the last ten years with nothing but his regrets, and the hope that maybe one day he could make up for them, Sirius didn't waste much time in giving his answer.

"It's because I'm responsible for the death of those I considered to be my family. If I didn't think I was smarter than I actually was, not only would two of my closest friends still be alive today, but their son wouldn't have suffered years of abuse and neglect."

The former Gryffindor wasn't sure which was worse.

The fact that his little confession had earned him a sympathetic look from a girl who clearly didn't belong in Hell. Even if she did bear a rather strong resemblance to the sharked tooth dandy that was supposedly Lucifer himself.

Or the fact that his answer caused the grinning freak in the corner to burst out into laughter.

Something which caused him to all but bark in anger at the highly amused Demon.

"You find something funny, Freak!?"

Luckily his comment was enough to cause the cane-wielding bloke to stop his laughter.

Though judging by the grin that was frightening similar to his more deranged cousin's, especially when she knew that she had something over him, Sirius could only frown as the man answered his question.

"Actually I am finding numerous things funny my shaggy canine fellow. The self-loathing. The desire to make good on your wrongs. That all pales in comparison to the use of THAT particular word. Though I suspect that a certain green-eyed eleven-year-old would fail to find the humor in that word as I do."

Growling in anger, for even if he didn't get the context he had a pretty good idea who this red-wearing weirdo was referring to, it was only thanks to Charlie's swift intervention that he didn't try to go all feral on the smirking Demon.

"Al stop it! I've told you before that this is a place of safety and understanding. It takes great strength to talk about one's shame. And I will not have you belittle that. Understand?"

For a moment, Sirius was reminded of all the times Lily had angrily berated the Marauders for their largely justified, at least in their eyes, treatment of Snivellus.

Of course, after he had revealed his true nature, the fiery redhead no longer stood up for the greasy little Slytherin. But that same passion to defend those who she thought couldn't protect themselves remained with her until her dying day. And it was precisely that vibe that he was currently picking up from the clearly angry blond girl.

And funnily enough, just like James during the months where he had begun to see progress in his attempts to woo Lily, the bespectacled Demon wordlessly nodded his head in agreement.

A response that sadly ensured that the previous topic could be returned to.

But while he would talk about his past misdeeds, painful though they were, Sirius was caught quite unprepared when Charlie asked him a question that he was still asking himself ever since he arrived in Hell.

"Why don't we start with something simple? Can you recall the immediate events preceding you're…arrival here? If you don't want to answer, we can move to another topic. But, I always believed that if you want to move on to something new, you have to first consider how something ended."

Frowning before he gave a hesitant nod, if only because he somehow doubted that analyzing the events of the past few weeks would help him with his goal, Sirius began to speak.

"Well, to start off, before I…made my way down here, I was in prison. Doing my best to pass the time with my fellow inmates..."

(Flashback)

"YOU TAKE ONE DOWN.

CHUG IT DOWN.

NO MORE BOTTLES OF BEER ON THE WALL."

Though singing in his current condition would ensure he would barely even whisper for the next couple of days, unless of course the prison staff actually managed to give him something that wasn't foul-tasting gruel and water, the imprisoned animagus could nevertheless derive a sense of pride in his musical ability as his audience voiced their opinions.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, BLACK!"

"KEEP YOUR YAP SHUT ASSHOLE!"

"WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE, I'M GONNA RIP OUT YOUR TONGUE, BLOOD TRAITOR SCUM!"

Hoarsely snickering at that last bit, for in the past decade his dear cousin had yet to show any signs of coming up with something more original, Sirius did what he always did when he wasn't obsessing over his role in the deaths of his best friends. Or doing his best to retain some degree of sanity when the Dementors were doing their rounds.

He racked his brain to decide which song he would sing to annoy the bootlicking groupies of Lord Moldybutt.

It couldn't be too complicated, since his living conditions had greatly affected his ability to sing for more than a couple of minutes before he started to cough up a lung. Though certain songs did allow him a brief moment's respite before the next verse.

And it had to be something the Muggles came up with since their tunes were not only more catchy but also more likely to irritate the Death Eaters since they hated anything that reminded them that they were not as superior as that they thought they were.

He could sing one of the songs from that boy band Lily had introduced him to. But the only ones he could currently think of involved either something to do with Moscow girls, yellow submarines, or paperback writing. And since he only remembered a few lyrics about a song about a walrus, Sirius thought that he should keep those songs in reserve.

The constantly repeating song about a Muggle king, Henry the….he couldn't recall if it was the eighth or ninth, he had done the previous week. Which meant that he would have to wait at least a month before using it again.

And since he knew his dear old mum would probably have loved her eldest and disinherited son to sing a song about killing a man, even if he used a gun to do it, that left out the Bavarian Rhapsody. Or was it Belgian?

But he supposed that he could go with the one about finding somebody to love him.

The high notes would be a bit of a problem. And would probably bum him out a bit since he had no doubt that none of his friends, or past girlfriends, were in a mood to love him. But he was confident that his fellow inmates would be more upset with his selection than he would be.

Grabbing one of the small pebbles that laid about his cell, for the prison warden was quite thorough in making sure that the prisoners lacked anything that could be used as a stabbing weapon, Sirius began to write down the lyrics in the dust.

However, just as he got to the bit about working until his bones ached, the hallway that existed outside his cell was filled with the return of a voice that he hadn't heard in months.

Of course, given his deranged state, it was quite possible that he had merely imagined the whole thing. But since he knew that Rookwood was alive before the voices came and dead after they had departed, Sirius thought that it would best to pay attention to this conversation.

Even if the context made no sense to him.

"Is it just me, or is this place even more depressing than the last time we were here?"

"Looks the same to me, sir."

"Oh what would you know Moxx? You're an assassin. Not a décor critic."

"What does that have to do with.."

"I mean, just think about it. The last time we were here the place was covered in cobwebs, there was some sort of fungus on the floor, and the place smelt worse than that time I clogged your toilet."

"Wait a minute! That was yo.."

"But now just look at it. The webs have been washed away by the winter rains if they weren't turned into some twisted treat for the prisoners. The atmosphere is more chilly than it was last time, which means we have to be careful that we don't slip on some ice. And perhaps the most important of all, it doesn't smell quite as much as your septic tank."

"That's not the poin..."

"Hush up Moxx. We're here to do a job. And Lucifer willing, we're going to do it right."

"I still think that maybe we should have discuss..."

"Shut up Moxxie. If your wife wants to use her once-a-year employee discount, that's her business. And speaking of business, we should probably hurry this up."

His mind trying its best to understand the nature of this conversation, Sirius couldn't help but snicker as the more…eccentric member of this trio decided to annoy his charmingly deranged cousin in a manner that he would never have dared to do during his childhood.

"Hey, you! Skeletal Skank. You alive in there, or have the crabs and other parasites in your disease-ridden fun hole of yours finally do you in?"

Cackling as he heard Bellatrix's shriek of outrage, the imprisoned Marauder felt his amusement only heighten as his cousin reacted in a manner that was quite similar to his mother.

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF WHO I AM? I AM THE DARK LORD'S MOST TRUSTED S.."

"Sex slave? I dunno. Kind of hard to see how you can get any man to get it up unless they're a necrophiliac. But hey, love is love. I just need you to answer one question for me, ok? You do that, and I'll..."

"WHAT RIGHT DOES A CREATURE LIKE YOU HAVE TO ASK A QUESTION OF ME?!"

"Well, considering my lovely female employee here is nearly drooling at the prospect of chopping one of you freaks into little pieces, I would have to say that I have the right to ask questions since I am allowing your STD-ridden body intact. So just tell us where this Serious White is, and we'll be on our way."

"Uh sir, the guy we want is named Sirius Black. Not Serious White."

Perking up a little at the mention of his name, for it had been quite some time since he had proper company, the brief visit by his youngest cousin's snake of a husband didn't really count, Sirius decided to help them along.

"OI! I'm Sirius Black. Over here!"

Sticking his arm out of his cell in order to gain their attention, the canine Animagus felt his excitement quickly vanish as his instincts started to scream at him that he was in danger.

For even if his visitors looked like someone had taken a house-elf, turned it red, gave it horns and some characteristics that might convince some to try their luck in mixing the species, the grin he was getting from the black-haired female, not to mention the glare from the scrawny looking male and the smirk from the taller one, was enough to make him believe that this wouldn't end well for him.

Especially since the suit-wearing one started to ask him a bunch of questions that would only compound his misery.

"Just to clear up a few things before we get to it. But you are Serious White? Best friend and betrayer of one James Potter, murderer of some guy named Pointer Potingrew, and dog walker of the kid formerly known as Harry Potter?"

Reluctantly nodding his head, Sirius opened his mouth to correct them. As well as ask some questions of his own.

"I'm Sirius Black, yes. And what do you mean, the kid formerly known as.."

BANG

Thanks to Lily's influence, the imprisoned Black was somewhat familiar with the smoking weapon that was currently being held by the manically grinning female.

What he wasn't familiar with was the fact that he no longer seemed to have any feeling below his waist. Which coincidentally was now sporting a rather large, and bleeding hole.

"Not exactly your best shot, Mills. I mean, were you trying to sever his spinal cord with that shot? If you were, then full points for accuracy. But I thought you wanted him to suffer a bi..."

Hearing a noise that in all honestly sounded like a farting dragon, at least until it somehow gained speed, the last thing Sirius heard before his world ended in pain and darkness was…

"This is for Harry, you fucking traitor!"

(Flashback Ends)

While it was undeniable that his end was rather painful, even if he had been unable to feel the pain of a chain saw blade cutting off his leg, Sirius had to confess that it wasn't the worst pain he had ever experienced.

At least physically.

But he had a feeling that Charlie, who had been listening to his tale with tears in her eyes, wouldn't appreciate his attempt to minimize his suffering by comparing to being under Voldemort's torture curse.

Of course Alastor had to pick up on his hesitance.

"Quite the theatrical end to your mortal life my dear fellow. Comedy! Music! The miserable conditions of your current residence from which death was your only escape! High quality entertainment as it's finest!"

Growling at the laughing Demon, which naturally sounded more canine in nature due to his 'transformation', Sirius quickly sported a grin as he watched the blond-haired girl get violent.

Of course given that Alastor was obviously a powerful in his own right, he merely conjured some sort of shadowy wall to absorbed the violently lobbed fireball.

Fortunately however, the intent to do him harm seemed to be sufficient enough to make him settle down.

"Apologises my dear. I promise that from here on out, I'll hold my tongue."

While it was obvious that she was still angry, the slightly sharper fangs and lingering flames doing much to remind him that this was not a girl you wanted to cross, Sirius was still surprised that Charlie accepted the apology.

"Good. Cause I think we're making progress here. Sirius, first of all I want to thank you for sharing that with us. Hopefully, if it's not too much to ask, I wanna revisit why you were in that miserable place to begin with. Regardless of the reason, I want you to know that there is no judgement here."

Believing in the sincerity of her words, though he suspected that he was one of the few not to mock her for it, Sirius continued his story.

"Thanks Ms. Charlie. Anyways, after I…regained consciousness, I could tell that things were rather different. Though I have to admit that I greeted my new surroundings with a little bit of, dare I say it, happiness."

(Flashback)

The first thing he noticed when he woke up was that for the first time in over a decade, he wasn't cold.

Whether it was due to the fact that Azkaban Prison was located in the middle of the North Sea, or caused by the Dementor's ability to do more than feed off the happiness of others, Sirius didn't really know.

Nor did he care.

Because for the first time since his disastrous confrontation with Peter, he now felt that his thin, grime-covered prison uniform was more than sufficient to not only maintain his modesty - malnourished as it was - but also keep him warm.

In fact, he was a little too warm.

Moving his hand to push up his sleeves, Sirius immediately noticed that something was wrong.

For one thing, his arm had never been that hairy. At least not since the days when he was still learning how to completely change from man to dog and back again.

And for another, his hand, rather than the nearly pale, fleshless spider it had become, felt not only heavier, but also thicker and, dare he say it, more sensitive.

Steeling himself for what he may find, Sirius would have been shocked to know that his reaction to his discovery was in fact a rarity for newly arrived sinners.

If only because the sight of him possessing a fur-covered arm, with hands that were closer to paws, but not all the way, than anything a normal human would possess, was something that he had seen before.

Looking about for some sort of reflective surface, for he wanted to see just how widespread the effects of his partial transformation were, the understandably nervous man quickly spotted a cracked and discarded mirror sitting in an alleyway he had never before seen.

And while he was stunned by his appearance, the sight that greeted him was enough to spark something that had long since been lost since his first few months in prison.

Vanity.

He now had the ears, and tail of a German Sheppard.

Not to mention the fact that most of his body was covered in black fur.

But the face, while still mostly human, minus some teeth that were more like fangs, and eyes that were somewhat yellow, was still that of a man who had caused the ladies to swoon whenever he wanted to get some action.

And his body, while lean, no longer looked like he was a meal or two from becoming a skeleton.

However, this feeling of pride was soon replaced with another indicator that he had inherited more than just the appearance of a dog.

His sense of smell, and to a lesser extent his hearing, was far greater than what it had been.

This meant that as soon as he took in a deep breath of air, he had to fight the urge to gag as he detected an overwhelming scent of blood, sulfur, and, to his great disgust, the inadequately washed bodies of everyone within almost a mile's radius.

Taking a moment to adjust, which passed a lot quicker than he thought considering his newly heightened senses, Sirius tried to make sense of his current situation.

"Ok, Sirius old chap. Calm down and think this through. You have a new body, don't know where you are except that it's not your cell. And have no idea how you…"

It was at that moment that the memories hit him with the full force of a bludger.

Of course given that he could both move and feel his lower body, which he was pleased to note included a bit of an upgrade for his 'little wizard', he no longer suffered the consequences of having a piece of metal lodged into his spine.

But the memory of the pain of his demise was dwarfed by the last words he had heard before it all cut to black.

'This is for Harry!'

Those little...Demons, for there was no better word, not only knew his godson, but seemed quite willing, and perhaps overly enthusiastic, to punish anyone who they believed to have hurt James and Lily's son.

Closing his eyes as the familiar sense of remorse washed over him, for one of his biggest mistakes was choosing revenge over his duty to a newly orphaned child, Sirius felt himself tense, in a manner that was frighteningly similar to a startled canine, as a voice spoke out from behind him.

"Hey man. You alright?"

Turning around to confront the man, for judging by the voice, and dare he say it the smell, his new acquaintance was male, Sirius couldn't help but release a slight whine as he realized that his current appearance might not help with the ladies if everyone was as buff as this guy.

For not only did this guy possess muscles that were bigger than his head, but the scar over his eye, not to mention that his voice was like something he had once heard on one of Lily's Muggle records, meant that he was the near-perfect definition of, as Mooney called it, Alpha wolf.

And to top it all off, he was also a considerate guy.

"You hear me okay, buddy? I know that Humans sometimes need a moment to process their new surroundings, especially when they just suffering something as traumatic as dying. But you can't stay here. Follow me. You might not be a wolf, but us dogs gotta stick together, right?"

(Flashback ends)

"Awwwww, you made a friend!"

Though slightly embarrassed by Charlie's reaction to this piece of news, Sirius nevertheless had to admit that meeting the buff Hellhound had been a stroke of luck on his part.

"I suppose you could call him that. I mean, Vortex did give me the rundown on the basics of Hell. And actually offered me a job since he could tell that I had some skills."

His answer caused the blonde girl to instantly wear a nearly blinding smile. Yet the black-furred Sinner wasn't sure how he should feel as Alastor once again made his presence known.

"And just what sort of employment would this noble hound be offering one such as yourself?"

Though he detected a bit of mockery in his tone, Sirius nevertheless answered the question as if it was genuine.

"Just some bodyguard work. I have to wait a bit since he needs the final ok from his employer, who I haven't met yet since until tonight she's been in Lust for the past few weeks, but Vortex is pretty confident that she won't say no."

Briefly wondering what his potential employer would be like in person, because his new Hellhound buddy had said that she was demanding, compassionate, and hardworking, with the type of body that any straight man would want, Sirius felt some of his good cheer vanish as the deer Demon commented on his answer.

"Hmmm. While it does the spirit good to see the benefits of pack mentality, my suggestion to you is that you temper your optimism. Like most idols and celebrities, your potential employer prefers to see if you are indeed capable of…performing to her satisfaction. And from what you've said, it's been some time since you've gotten the chance to do so."

Frowning at that particular comment, if only because it sounded like he was mocking his ability to do something other than bodyguard work, Sirius opened his mouth to give what he thought would be a witty retort.

Only to shut it as Charlie sought to get the conversation back on track.

"So what inspired you to join us today? Because from where I'm sitting it looks like you've been very lucky compared to most Sinners who arrive in Hell. A kind and patient mentor and the possibility for employment to boot. Don't get me wrong, I'm more than happy to help you seek redemption, but I'm curious as to how you made you're way here."

Sighing with a noticeable degree of reluctance, for this was the part of his story that continued to remind him of just how badly he had screwed up, the black-furred dog Sinner summoned up his Gryffindor courage before he began his tale.

"Well, as hard as it is to admit, it all started when I saw this TV commercial..."

(Flashback)

Despite trusting the instructions given to him by Tex, for the wolfman had yet to steer him wrong, Sirius nevertheless found himself doubting that THIS was the headquarters of a prestigious killing firm.

Even if Imps were considered to be the lowest members of Hell's society, with Hellhounds occupying a place that seemed to be either just above or below it, he would have thought that a company with the means to regularly access the living world would have had enough customers to purchase their own building.

Of course, that thought quickly vanished when he remembered Tex telling him about the eccentric nature of I.M.P.'s founder and boss, who coincidentally was also the much-hated ex of their hopefully mutual employer, but it still took some time to comprehend that this run down skyscraper was the headquarters of a potentially profitable business.

He was still leery about killing people, even if his fellow canine had told him that death was a temporary thing down here, unless of course you ran afoul of someone with angelic weaponry or magical powers that would make even Voldemort shit his pants, but that still didn't mean he couldn't recognize the money that could be made with that type of magic.

But, since he was a man/dog on a mission, thoughts of making money were quickly pushed aside as he walked through the dirty corridors of the building.

Gathering his nerve as he stood outside the door of the Immediate Murder Professionals, Sirius ensured that his tone was polite but firm as he pushed his way in.

"Hello. Is this I.M….P?"

His words failed him in a way that hadn't happened since his first attempt to ask out a certain curvy eighteen-year-old barmaid during his first visit to the Three Broomsticks, Sirius could only stare as his question was answered by a creature that put any Veela to shame.

"That's what it says on the door. Dumbass."

Nervously chuckling at the rather sharp wit of the female hound, whose choice in clothing ensured that he got a nice look at both her decent size bosom, not as big as Rosmerta's but still quite sizable, and her finely muscled thighs, Sirius was snapped out of his daze by a warning growl from the ponytail wearing girl.

"Eyes up here perv. The first look is free, but anything else is gonna require a trip to the vet. Understand?"

Rapidly nodding his head as he stared into the crimson-colored gaze of the canine girl, Sirius did his best to recover from his obvious faux pas.

"Apologises. I haven't been done here that long. So I'm still getting used to the different types of…people I come across."

Judging by the way her eyebrow raised, the black-furred Sinner correctly guessed that his excuse was insufficient.

"Really? So you just start getting a boner every time you meet a different person huh? Well, beat it. I'm too busy to deal with sad and pathetic virgins like you."

Allowing a small frown to cross his face, not just because he was being called a virgin when he was anything but, even if this wasn't the body that had done the deed, but also because he hardly counted reading a magazine as being busy, Sirius attempted to try again.

"Actually I'm here to talk about what your company does. You see, I was…"

"Fill out the provided form. And if the boss needs some cash to stay in the black this week, we might call you in."

Though pleased to see that he was now being treated as a customer, albeit one that was clearly not really welcomed, the former Animagus nevertheless refused to touch the offered form as he tried to explain his situation.

"Look I don't really have time for this. My friend Vortex said that…"

"Wait. Your friends with Tex?"

And just like that, the bored expression on the otherwise sexy canine girl's face morphed into something that was, while not necessarily friendly, still miles better than what she had before.

And he was going to take advantage of that.

"I mean yeah. The guy found me in the gutter. Taught me the basics about Hell. And even got me a job interview with his boss. If that's not a friend I don't know what is."

Seeing a frown come over her face, though he was pleased not that it lacked its previous venom, Sirius was somewhat surprised by her hushed reply.

"Listen, if you don't want my da…I mean boss to screw you over, do NOT mention that you're going to be working with Tex. His boss and mine used to date, and let's just say that they parted on bad terms is like saying herpes is just a little rash."

Nodding to show that he understood the warning, even if he wouldn't have used such an analogy, Sirius wasted no time in reassuring the attractive canine.

"That's fine. I mean, all I really want to do is talk to him about Harry bu.."

"What the fuck did you just say?"

Surprised by the reaction caused by the mere mention of his Godson's name, and holding up his hands in a futile effort to placate the now pissed looking wolf girl, the black furred Sinner was luckily spared from what looked like a potential disembowelling thanks to a voice that he had first heard in Azkaban.

"Hey Looney Tuney. I need to ask a favor. My therapist has decided to go on one of her unexpected vacations. So can you track her down for me? I have a lot of issues to off load this week, and I can't wai…."

For a moment, the newly arrived Imp didn't say anything as he beheld the sight in front of him.

But luckily such moments passed.

Even if he wished that it hadn't.

"What's his deal Loons? Customer? New delivery boy? Homeless guy looking for a handout? Well I'm sorry buddy, but I donated all my spare change and shitty booze to the bums around my apartment. But if you want, I can put in a good word for you down by Lucifer avenue and Beelzebub drive. The Hobo Wrestling Circuit is always looking for new members, and though you're a bit scrawny, I'm sure that someone will take you on."

Though he understood the words that were being said to him, Sirius still had trouble comprehending them. Even if he had heard rumors of an underground, inhuman fighting ring in Knockturn Alley.

"Guy's here asking after the Kid Blitz. So I suggest we…"

"Charge him extra since he wants our youngest employee to perform a hit? Good thinking Looney. Now lets see, the amount of bullets added to the damage Millie will do to my office, subtracted by the amount of extortion I can earn from Moxxie for allowing him to supervised comes to aro…"

"I don't want to kill anyone!"

This of course was enough to make Blitzo loose his interest.

"Then get the fuck out of my office. The only people allowed here who DON'T have to pay for the pleasure of our company is the landlord, my drug dealer, the members of my newly created Little Pony fan club, which if you want to join involves a hefty initiation fee. And of course, those with the magical mojo to turn me inside out. So unless your any one of those things, try not to let the door hit you on the way out."

Feeling angry at this rather crass dismissal, Sirius prepared himself for what was sure to be an angry filled tirade about how he was here for.

Only to have the wind knocked out of his sails by the currently grinning vixen.

"What about mangy Sinners who think that they have a shot with getting with all this? Not that he ever had a shot mind you, but he did make it pretty clear that he wouldn't say no to a little dog on dog action."

Gulping in terror as he was confronted with a gaze that was a weird, yet perfect blend of his deranged cousin's AND Lily after she found Harry crying on the floor after her had crashed the toy broom he had gotten him, Sirius tried to placate the clearly pissed Imp.

"That is not what happened. I mean, yeah she's attractive, extremely so if I may say, but since she's a friend of my good friend Vortex, I would nev.."

"YOUR FRIENDS WITH THAT WHORE'S MUTT TOO?!"

Deciding that it was probably best to come at another time, or at least make his questions known through the use of a telephone since it greatly reduced the threat of being shot by the suddenly heavily armed Imp, Sirius quickly turned tail and ran.

He wasn't proud of it. Especially when he heard the barking laughter of the gray furred vixen.

But he supposed it could be worse.

He now knew for a fact that these people knew Harry.

And by God, or Satan since his Hellhound buddy had told him it was unwise to use the G word down in Hell, he wouldn't rest til he was sure that the kid was ok.

(Flash back ends)

For a moment the only thing that greeted his story was the heavy snoring of some of the less respectful members of the sharing circle.

But the silence was soon broken by the suspiciously supportive tones of the Radio Demon.

"Not to worry my shaggy canine friend. While your first attempt ended in failure, you will doubtless have numerous opportunities to try again. Persistence is key after all. Especially when your…objective is jealously guarded by a violent Hellhound."

Frowning since he was certain that there was some form of hidden mockery in Alastor's words, Sirius was prevented from responding thanks to Charlie's intervention.

"Alastor's right Sirius. The fact that you want to keep trying, despite your first setback, is a for sure sign that you'll eventually succeed."

Shooting the blond a grateful smile, for having someone believe in him was still a rare concept given that he was slowly getting used to again, Sirius let out a tired, yet still good natured sigh as it became apparent that they weren't done.

"Now, tell us how you first heard about the Happy Hotel."

….

ANNNNNNNND that is another chapter out of the way.

Pleased to see that the last chapter gained such a reaction from everybody, if only because it shows that I still have a talent for emotional roller coasters lol.

But while I did not intend to send Sirius 'downwards' when I first started this story, I believe that I covered the bit where death is cheap in this universe. Once you know that there is an afterlife, dying isn't exactly a big deal. Or seen as a big deal, which is troubling in its own way.

Anyways, hopefully this chapter filled in the blanks of how Sirius got to Hell.

Also to clarify time wise….Sirius was killed immediately after I.M.P's meeting with Dumbledore, but the scene were he showed up at the Hotel happened a few weeks after that.

The idea to have him friends with Vortex was a recent one, but I think it works out.

Big thanks to Darkscythe Drake and StarDustDragonknight for their editing.

Plz review. No flames.

Til next time.

Til next time.