The Other Side

This story is about what is really behind the veil. Is it all the souls of everyone who's died? Is it a completely different universe? Or is it something else? Something no one had even thought was possible? Inspired by this picture, and this picture.

The Other Side

Chapter 1

Sirius saw himself fall as though from far away. His expression was one of shock, and yet he felt like laughing on this inside. So this is what it's like to die? Why, he felt as alive and kicking as he had that morning! Suddenly he was back in himself, and he saw the veil pass as he fell through.

He seemed to fall for quite a while, and then suddenly - "Oomph!" - he landed on something... something that felt oddly like grass... He gazed around himself in mingled shock and disbelief. "I'm not dead?" he wondered aloud as he stood up.

:No, you're not.: Sirius jumped at the sound, but the only creature within sight was a shaggy black dog standing quite a distance away.

"I'm hearing things," he told himself. "That 'voice' is just a figment of my imagination. It will go away as soon as I convince myself it's not there."

:Wrong again.:

Sirius shook his head. He looked at his surroundings again. The dog was still there, though it had moved closer to him. Other than some grass covered hills and a small river here and there, the landscape was featureless. He looked up, because he had definitely fallen, hoping to see the Veil, and a way out, but the sky was just as featureless, besides a gray cloud off in the distance, which surely meant rain.

Sirius folded himself up on the ground where he stood, realizing what must have happened. Oh, god! Harry's probably in hysterics, and Remus - well, he'll be acting all sensible, and then when he thinks nobody's watching, he'll break down, too. Sirius put his face in his hands. Oh, god, how could have I let this happen?! I wasn't paying enough attention to where I placed my feet! Yes, that's it! Ah, who am I kidding? I underestimated her - something I should have known never to do! He went on like this for a while, and tears slowly leaked out of his yes. He thought he heard an echo of some kind, but the echo sounded oddly like Harry shouting his name. SIRIUS! SIRIUS! But Sirius didn't answer, because he knew somehow that Harry wouldn't hear him.

Meanwhile, the dog had been edging its way towards Sirius, until it was standing practically next to him. It sat there for quite a while before Sirius finally looked up, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. The dog nudged Sirius in the shoulder, and looked at him endearingly.

Sirius half-smiled at the look the dog was giving him. "And what, may I ask, do you want?" he said, scratching the dog behind the ears.

:I want to talk to you.:

"There goes that voice again. I thought it was gone."

:I'm not a 'voice,' as you put it, I'm you.:

"And the voice isn't even making sense. I'm just talking to myself."

:In a way, you are, but I'm not inside your mind.: By now, Sirius was perfectly sure that he had gone mad. Was the voice the dog? That seemed the only possibility, and yet, even that sounded crazy!

:You're not crazy,: said the voice firmly. :Look, my name is Padfoot. I'm your animagus form, and - G-d dammit, man, stop thinking that! You are not crazy!:

Great a dog is talking to me, but it doesn't have a voice, because I'm pretty I'm only hearing it in my head, and it says it's me in my animagus form. I mean, he certainly does look like in my dog form, but that doesn't mean anything, and in any case, what would I be doing in dog form when I'm right here as me, and WHY can that dog read my thoughts?!

The dog was wearing what Sirius swore was an amused expression. :You're rambling, you know. It was entertaining at first, but it's getting quite annoying now.:

Sirius shook his head again. "Tell me something I don't know."

:All right. How about this? There are three people here you might be interested in seeing. One died this time last year, and the others died 14 years ago, on Halloween night.:

"What did you say?" Sirius couldn't believe his ears. Surely he couldn't mean Lily and James?

:That's exactly what I mean.: Sirius just stared at his dog-self. He was astonished to find himself thinking that he must have heard wrong, when he wasn't sure he had even heard at all.

* * * * *

James Potter looked up when he heard galloping hooves coming closer. He got up silently so as not to wake Lily, and stepped towards the edge of the clearing, where he was met by a tall stag. "'Lo, Prongs."

:Hello, James. Padfoot's told me that Sirius is here. He's running a little late, but then again, he was in Azkaban for 12 years.:

"I suppose. How far are they from here?" James was eager to see his friend again, but how much had he changed from the man James had known? What had 12 years in Azkaban done to him?

:Don't worry so much. He's also nervous about seeing you again.You're supposed to have been dead for 14 years, remember?: James had to smile at that. :Climb on, I'll take you to him. He needs to see you, or he won't believe Padfoot. Apparently, he is in denial of the fact that Padfoot is talking to him.:

James couldn't help himself. He laughed, because that was just like Sirius - don't believe anything until it's been proven. He hadn't always been like that. Prongs and Padfoot said that Sirius didn't believe that Dumbledore had sent Hagrid to get Harry until Hagrid showed him some kind of note with the Hogwarts Crest on it, and Dumbledore's personal signature. So, he climbed up, and held on for dear life as Prongs covered the distance between himself and Sirius at a ground-eating pace.

James held onto Prongs' antlers and tried to ignore the hair flying into his face as he looked around for some sign of Sirius. It had grown quite dark, so he had to see by starlight and moonlight. He was at the base of one of the larger hills when Prongs slowed down, and stopped. :He's up there.:

James got off and thanked his stag-self, and started up the hill. As he reached the top he saw a large black dog sitting next to a man with his back to James. James walked as quietly as he could towards the pair, though he was sure Padfoot at least had heard him approach.

"'Lo, Sirius, 'lo, Padfoot." Sirius jumped about a foot in the air (quite hard when you're sitting down) and turned around.

"J - James?!" he asked in astonishment. James half smirked, and half grinned at the expression on Sirius' face.

"You're late."