The Figure Clothed in Black

Chapter 10.Explanations I

Alarms went off and someone screamed. Sirius stared at the bleeding man on the floor and couldn't help thinking that he deserved it. Everywhere it was chaos. Everyone was trying to figure out who had shot him. It took a good five minutes before one of the store employees saw the gun that Sirius had yet to release. The store manager told him to put down the gun, which he did so willingly, not wanting to hurt any of the employees. He was then led into a back room of the store until the police could arrive.

He was seated in a hard cold metal chair while David, the store manager, leaned against the wall. Sirius stayed silent thinking. He was thinking about Remus hoping that he was all right and that his "death" hadn't pushed him over the edge. Harry then came to his mind. He hoped that Harry hadn't done anything drastic either.

His thoughts then turned to what he had done and, as the blind rage wore off, worry started to set in. What if he got sent to jail for doing this? What if Wormtail died (not that he didn't deserve it) and he was convicted of murder- again? I'm in the muggle world. No one's recognized me yet for who I really am, maybe they still won't. Maybe I can plead insanity and get off. He didn't have to think much longer when he heard the door open. He turned around in his seat to find, much to his surprise, Kingsley standing in the doorway.

He turned to David and said, "Is this the man seen with the gun?" David nodded sadly.

"I'm afraid I have to take you in," Kingsley said. He came forward and placed handcuffs on him while reading him his rights.

He led him out to a waiting police car and put him in back before getting in on the passenger side in the front. He nodded at the woman at the wheel, who Sirius recognized as Tonks, and she started the car and they drove off.

*~*

Everyone stared in silence at the old man before him or her trying to take in what he had just said.

Remus was the first to find his voice and said, "So you brewed the potion, drank it, and then when Grindlewald hit with the killing curse you became a ghost with a human appearance?"

"Yes," Dumbledore said.

"And you've been like this for what, over fifty years?" Remus asked.

Dumbledore nodded.

"Can you die at all?" Alastor asked.

"Yes. Eventually the potion will wear off and weaken, but even then I will have to die of natural causes. I am afraid to say that time is approaching. The potion will wear completely off in probably a year and half, two years at the most," he said.

Everyone was again silent trying to process what he or she had heard.

Kayla coming downstairs, breathless saying, "Harry, Dustin, and Kirsten aren't here," broke the silence. "I've searched the whole house and they're not here! And there's blood on the floor in Harry's room!"

~*~

Kirsten and Dustin were still on either side of Harry. They had tried to get him to talk, but had no success. The nurse had told them this was common after someone had tried to commit suicide and they shouldn't be too worried. She had said that most patients started talking again about a week or two later. This had done little to reassure them and both were still worried for him.

Harry was currently sleeping; one of the Healers having given him something that would help his wrists and had made him drowsy in the process.

Kirsten suddenly looked up from where she had laid her head on the bed and said, "We haven't gone back to tell the others what happened. We didn't leave a note in our haste and haven't been back since."

Dustin looked at her and sighed. Kirsten said, "I'll do it. You stay with Harry," and left the room heading for the flooing section of the hospital.

*~*

Sirius was seated across from Kingsley and Tonks. They were back at the police station in a private room that was sound proof.

Tonks turned to him and said, "Sirius? Is it you? Are you really here and we're not imagining things?"

Sirius nodded and said, "Yes, it's me. Are Harry and Remus okay? I mean, you know, neither one of them has done anything drastic have they?"

Kingsley shook his head and said, "No, Remus looked like he was there for a while, but we managed to get him through that, and he bought a house next to Harry's aunt and uncle. Harry is living with Remus and Harry hasn't done anything either to my knowledge. If he has we haven't heard anything about it. We thought Harry was going to try to kill himself those first couple of weeks he was with Remus, but he seems to be doing better."

Sirius sighed relieved. At least Harry was safe.

"What happened? Were you stunned and just fell through that veil thingy? What happened Sirius? Explain and we'll answer any more questions you have. After this is done we're both going to insist that you be given a proper trial to try to get you free so Harry can live with you," Tonks said.

Sirius felt a rush of gratitude toward the people in front of him that showed in his eyes. He smiled thinking of finally being able to offer Harry a home no matter how short of a time it was. He realized suddenly that it was only a week until Hogwarts started back.

He pushed these thoughts aside and started to explain, "Bellatrix Lestrange sent the stunning curse at me, and I fell through the veil. I heard Harry screaming for me, but I couldn't move, I tried to believe me, but couldn't get to him, or give any kind sign that I was alive. It confuses me now that I think about it. I shouldn't have been able to hear him screaming, I was stunned, but then again no one knows a lot about the veil so maybe you can hear things even you're stunned, and don't get knocked unconscious immediately or something. It's all very confusing. Everything went black after I heard him screaming. I don't know what happened, but when I came to I found that the stunning spell had weakened, and with some struggling I was able to break the spell and able to walk. I could see a small opening up ahead and walked toward it. It took a long time to reach it, but I did and stepped out. I didn't remember who I was, or where I was. One of the few things I knew was that for some reason I needed to disguise myself somehow. I remembered that I could be a dog and transformed and left the Ministry. I walked around in my dog form for a while until I found a good place to apparate. I thankfully remembered how to do that. I went, I think, to Greenland and stole some clothed from a store. I remembered some appearance altering spells and did those to change my hair color to dark brown instead of black and some other things. Like I said before I didn't remember who I was, or anything about myself. I remembered someone names; Harry and Remus and Moony.I thought Remus and Moony were the same people for some unknown reason. I told everyone that I had been recently divorced and had moved away. The name I had come up with was Harry Moony Remus. I found a job at a department store, the one you arrested me at, near Little Whinging, one of the few other things I remembered. Wormtail came into the store and everything came back. I remembered everything; him betraying Lily and James, Harry, Remus, everything. I had been carrying a gun with me, a lot of the muggles are because of the "terroist group" and I believed the same thing. It was the only thing I had to use as a weapon and I shot him. I was blinded by fury. I could only see him and what he did and what he deserved and I did it. Is he dead?"

"No, the doctors think he'll live so you won't be charged with murder. But if things go as planned, and we get you free, you won't have to worry about Pettigrew since he will get the Dementor's Kiss," Tonks said.

"How did you know it was me? I still have the appearance altering spells on," Sirius said.

"I can see through them," Tonks replied.

"So now we go to the Ministry? Won't someone think it suspicious, or something?" Sirius asked.

"No, the head officer here knows about us and no one argues with her so we'll be fine," Kingsley said.

"When can I see Harry?"

"Not now. We want to wait until we've got you declared innocent," Tonks said.

*~*

Kirsten walked out of the fireplace and sighed hearing the voices in the house yelling for her, Harry, and Dustin.

"I'm down here!" she called out.

Immediately everyone ran back into the living room and started bombarding her with questions until Dumbledore quieted everyone down and asked, "Where are Harry and Dustin and why is there blood on the floor in Harry's room?

"Harry and Dustin are at St. Mungo's because Harry tried to commit suicide," she said stunning everyone into silence.

"We got him there in time so that they were able to stop the bleeding and he is in no danger of dying. He's been asleep most of the time because of the medicine they're giving him to help his wrists heal. He isn't talking at all and will hardly look at us. The nurse said that was common and that he should be willing to talk in a couple of weeks, that's what most patients did. I remembered that you didn't have any way to tell where we were and came back to tell you."

"Can we see him? He hasn't been answering anything I've sent him telepathically, but you said he was asleep most of the time. So can we see him?" Kayla asked.

"Yes, but not everyone at one time. The hospital won't allow it. Remus, Kayla, Britta, and Josh you can all come," Kirsten said.

They were about to leave when Kingsley, Tonks, and Sirius come out of the fireplace. They all stood up and brushed their selves off. Remus's eyes were focused on Sirius not believing who was standing in front of him.

Sirius felt Remus's eyes on him and locked gazes with him and gave him a smile. Remus walked toward him and when he got to him he said, "Sirius? Is it really you? Are you really alive?"

Sirius nodded. "Yes, Remus, it's really me. I got out of the veil."

Remus stared at him before moving forward and embracing him. The two friends pulled apart a few minutes later smiling.

Remus looked at him and said, "Do you know about Harry?" a worried expression on his face.

"Did something happen?" Sirius asked anxiously.

Remus nodded and then slapped himself on the forehead and said, "Of course you don't anything about Harry! You came in just as Kayla, Britta, Josh, and Kirsten were about to leave."

"What happened? I asked Tonks and Kingsley at the station and they said he was alright considering," he said concerned.

"That's because they didn't know. No one knew until just a few minutes ago. He... he tried to commit suicide. I had thought he had been doing better and that he could get past your "death", but he tried to kill himself and is in St. Mungo's though they got the bleeding to stop and there isn't any chance of him dying as long as he'll eat, but I don't think he will even consider dying now that you're alive," Remus said.

Sirius stared at him shocked at the news and after a few seconds he said, "I have to see him. I have to go to St. Mungo's now."

Tonks had came up behind Sirius while he had been saying this and said, "I just heard about Harry and I know you want to see him, but we need to get you to the Ministry first and get you declared innocent before you go see Harry. You can't go to St. Mungo's now, you'd be killed."

"She's right you know. I know that Harry seeing you would help, but not if you get go and get yourself hurt or something. And the whole wizarding world knows about you being an animagus so that's out of the question," Remus said.

"But I have to see Harry. He's in the hospital because he tried to kill himself. I have to see him," Sirius said.

They argued for a few more minutes, but Sirius was eventually convinced, well really he was dragged to the fireplace and forced to go to the ministry, and go to the hospital later.

Right after he left Kirsten, Kayla, Josh, Britta, and Remus went to the hospital. Kirsten led them to Harry's room, 411, and Kayla immediately went over to Harry's side and gave him a gentle hug that he didn't return. She sat down on the edge of the bed as her parents and Remus came over. Her parents gave Harry a smile and Remus gave him a gentle hug.

Kayla tried to get him to tell her why he did what he did, but he wouldn't talk and she eventually gave up. Everyone talked to him and tried to get him to talk back, but gave up eventually all waiting for Sirius to arrive, Tonks, or Kingsley to arrive to tell them about Sirius's trial.