Unmasking the Past

Chapter 1 - Prologue

This was an accident
Not the kind where sirens sound
Never even noticed
We're suddenly crumbling

Tell me nothing ever counts
Lashing out or breaking down
Still somebody loses 'cause
There's no way to turn around

Show Me Love-t.A.T.u.

Sirius could hear the sudden gasps and shouts from the others; he searched quickly for his godson in the mist of the little crowd in the death room. Harry was still standing at a corner with a plumb boy, unaccompanied by any potential harm. Sirius blew air from the corners of his mouth and turned back to his cousin.

It was lucky Sirius turned a second earlier than Bellatrix had hoped, he duck the spell she had sent him in time. Looking at her sullen face, the once beautiful face that he hadn't seen in twenty years, he laughed triumphantly, "Come on, you can do better than that!" His voice echoed around the cavernous room.

Bellatrix didn't seem discouraged in the least; she shot another spell at him. But this spell hit him squarely in the chest. Sirius widened his eyes in surprise as he fell backward. He could almost feel the cool surface of the veil on his back. He could smell the grave. His eyes suddenly clouded over, he couldn't see anything, there's only whiteness. The blinding white light was hurting his eyes, but as sudden as the light had appeared, it was gone.

What had replaced the white light was something like films. And the scenes kept flashing like mad; it was like someone invisible with a million hands was rolling the films up. Sirius willed himself to open his eyes wider and he soon understood what the hell was happening.

He was going to die; he had once heard someone saying that before one dies, the person would first review his whole life again. And that's exactly that. He could see his parents bringing him along to a dinner with the other pureblood families, forcing him to play with Bellatrix and Narcissa, scolding him for his under-standard behaviour... Then he saw James.

He saw James and himself dealing in their first encounter... both of them bullying Snape... Padfoot, Prongs, Wormtail and Moony striding across the Hogwarts ground under a full moon... their graduation feast... James and Lily's wedding night... and the stunning face.

They had just come back from Lily and James' wedding. As she progressed to the bedroom to change her dress, Sirius pulled her gently back by the wrist. He pushed her into a corner and started kissing her passionately. He could feel her kissing back with as much enthusiasm until they both got out of breath.

Sirius stroke her hair lovingly and whispered in her ears, "Can you possibly guess how jealous I am, seeing James so happily married?" She opened her mouth to speak, but Sirius placed a finger on her lips to silent her. "Do you love me, Rainzzi?" She nodded, thinking it a silly question. "Of course I love you, Sirius. Very much."

"Me too. So... " Then he inhaled deeply, "Will you marry me?"

She dropped her jaw and stared at him blankly. She blinked once and twice, she closed her eyes for a few seconds and opened them again. Sirius was still there. He was watching her quietly, had he not been so nervous he would have burst out laughing at her lovely face. "What?"

"Will you marry me?" Sirius took out a black velvet little box from the pocket, opened it and revealed a sapphire ring. "I want you to be the second luckiest person in this universe."

"The second?" she asked curiously, carefully avoided looking at the ring.

"Because if you marry me, I'll be the luckiest! Now, answer me, will you marry me?" Sirius waited for her answer, secretly praying to God. She turned pale and then... nodded furiously. Sirius could feel the stone slide off his shoulder and he punched the air. He put the ring on her finger and gestured to kiss her again.

But she pulled away and pouted, "Have you been planning it?" Sirius tapped his toes on the floor impatiently, like a thief being caught red-handed. "No."

"So you have been bringing a ring along with you everyday and prepare to propose to any girl you meet when you feel like it, haven't you, Sirius Black?" she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

Sirius cupped her face in his hands and put on an insulted countenance. "Do you know how rude it is, calling your fiance his full name?" Rainzzi smirked.

"Okay, I have been planning it, alright?" Sirius admitted, "Now can I kiss Rainzzi Delanuit?"

She giggled happily and brushed her lips on his.

Sirius closed his eyes tight forcefully. He could not bear to review his life anymore, watching his cheerful early life made him feel frustrated. The happiness was exactly what he deserved, but what now? He was going to die when light had come at the end of the tunnel. He should be cleared of all accuses, instead of falling through the damn veil. He forbade himself to do what fate wanted him to, for Sirius Black would never resign to his fate.

He grabbed hold of the collar of Bellatrix's robe. His grin was as wide as hers. He tightened his grip on her. For a moment, it seemed as though Sirius was just trying to pull her together with him to the coffin. But the predominance was turned dramatically when he shifted over their positions with mild difficulty and released her at the last second. Bellatrix was the one falling now.

Her body curved in a graceful arc as she sank backwards. What was left on her young face was nothing other than mingled fear and hatred when she fell through the ancient doorway and disappeared behind the veil, which fluttered for a moment as though in a high wind, then fell back into place.

Sirius descended onto the floor instead. Panting, he glared at the no longer existing figure and hastily stood up again. Remus was restraining Harry from running towards him, Sirius stopped Harry with a look of disapproval, "Stay where you are, Harry!"

He skimmed the room for the first time after Dumbledore's arrival. Ten or so death eaters were tied up in the middle of the room with invisible strings. In the heart of the small crowd, he could see Roldophus Lestrange shouting soundlessly at him.

Standing no farer than fifteen feet from Sirius, Dumbledore closed his eyes and appeared to be sensing hard of something. When he spoke again, his old face was lit up with his sparkling blue eyes. "Remus, Alastor, kindly help me to find the other kids and escort them back to Hogwarts by a portkey. Stay with them until I go back. Sirius, Tonks, Kingsley, station here and keep an eye on the death eaters. I will meet Voldemort up at the entrance."

Sirius, Tonks and Kingsley said in unison, "We'll come too."

Dumbledore shook his head, "That will be a battle between me and Voldemort only. Now, please follow my instructions." They nodded simultaneously. Dumbledore left without another word. Tonks got up from where she had been lying and Kingsley helped the plumb little boy to do the counter-curse. Moody put his magical eye back to its place and rubbed his arms.

He frowned, "You okay, Potter?" Harry nodded immediately. "Lead the way to retrieve the other kids."

"But I want to stay." Harry looked at his godfather for support, which didn't come.

"Just do what you are told," Sirius snapped harshly.

"I won't be hindering anything here!" Harry said hotly.

Sirius looked stern and commanded, "Look Harry, Ron and Hermione are still lying somewhere! Are you going to stay here and ignore them? Just lead Remus and Moody to find the others and go back to Hogwarts now."

Harry glared at him, Sirius felt a twinge of guilt as he remembered the reason Harry was lured here. "Harry, you don't need to worry about me. And be careful, there maybe some of them on the loose," he nudged one of the death eaters with his toes.

Harry nodded with a discontented pout, "You're going to write to me as soon as you can, aren't you?"

"Of course," Sirius gave Harry the most assuring smile he could manage.

After one last glance at Sirius, Harry left the room with the over-fed boy, closely followed by Remus and Moody.

Sirius, Tonks and Kingsley pointed their wands at the death eaters who were still struggling unsuccessfully. They didn't talk among themselves but just kept exchanging tense glances every now and then.

Time seemed to be passing a hundred times slower than it used to be when Dumbledore battled against Voldemort single-handedly. Although they didn't really worry about Dumbledore's safe being, they couldn't help tensing fretfully. For every minute they had to wait for Dumbledore, it meant that Voldemort was still surviving.

The sound of rushing footsteps came after some time, but it was not Dumbledore who walked in. It was Dawlish and Williamson instead. They kicked open the door and burst in. They looked at the little crowd in the middle with bemused frightened looks. Seeing the death eaters were all tied up securely in the strings, they glanced around at the standing figures.

"Sirius Black?" Dawlish gawked and looked at Williamson. He raised his wand at Sirius, but Sirius had got the better of him, "Expelliarmus!" Dawlish was knocked off his feet, he landed hard on the stone floor and slide until his head collided into the solid wall.

Williamson leapt towards Sirius immediately, but Tonks and Kingsley had seized him firmly under his arms, "Let go! What're you doing here, Tonks, Kingsley?"

"They are on my order here," said a booming authoritative voice. Albus Dumbledore finally returned. However, he wasn't the only one walking in. Cornelius Fudge ensued him, and there were a few more serene-looking people, each of them was holding their wand steadily.

"Tonks and Shacklebolt belong to the Auror Department under the Ministry of Magic, you don't have the authority to order them anywhere!" Fudge protested indignantly.

"They have the freedom to do anything they want in their leisure hours, Cornelius," replied Dumbledore coldly. Fudge glared him a bit, but he was unable to meet his stare directly.

"Minister! Black! Sirius Black!" Dawlish puffed loudly on the floor, massaging his head, which was bleeding, shakily.

Fudge turned towards him and took notice of Sirius for the first time, he pointed a shaking finger at him. He seemed to have lost his ability to speak. "Si... Si..."

"Sirius Black," Sirius nodded nonchalantly.

"Tie him up!" Fudge bellowed at the accompanying aurors furiously.

"He is not to be tied up. He's on our side," said Dumbledore calmly. The aurors hesitated in their course, they looked forth and back from Dumbledore to the Minister for Magic uncomfortably.

"Dumbledore, there's something you haven't explained to me! Sirius Black, honestly, of all people, convicted murder of twelve muggles and a wizard!" Fudge glowered at Dumbledore, visibly scandalized.

"He didn't kill anyone. He wasn't the secret keeper of Lily and James Potter. He's innocent."

"How very logical! You were the evidence. You yourself claimed that he was the secret keeper, Dumbledore!"

"Cornelius, I think the most urgent thing for us to do now is to inform the public of Voldemort's return. I can guarantee with my life that Sirius Black is on our side."

Fudge looked at Dumbledore skeptically but he did not dare to challenge him, "I won't release him without retrial." Sirius looked at Dumbledore, Dumbledore nodded. Sirius cursed inwardly, for a whole year Dumbledore had kept him in denial and now he was giving him in to the Ministry!

"That is of course up to you, but this is of no immediate importance. We are to let the public know Voldemort's back as soon as possible first," Dumbledore said with an oblivious tone of supremacy.

Fudge watched the death eaters silently with knitted brows, his distaste seemed to be most pronounced when he saw Lucius Malfoy among the arrested. "Lucius?"

"I think I've elaborated to you clear enough just a while ago, Cornelius. They were caught here on a mission ordered by Voldemort. I've reiterated the fact he has come back again and again throughout the year, but you have refused to believe it, saying there's no proof. You saw Voldemort up at the entrance, I rather think that's enough of a proof," said Dumbledore indifferently, staring at the Minister for Magic through his half-moon spectacles.

Fudge turned his back to Dumbledore and faced the aurors. "Williamson, arrange for me a promptest retrial for Sirius Black. Delanuit, lock him up in a top-security suspect room and closely guard him day and night until he got the retrial. The others, send the death eaters straight to Azkaban and stay guarding them until further notice," he ordered with the last prestige he could master. "Not you two, Tonks, Shacklebolt. Kindly enjoy doing what you want to in your leisure hours!" he added furiously to Tonks and Kingsley who let go of Williamson and progressed to help their colleagues.

Sirius froze, he was torn between the shock of having heard the name Delanuit and amusement of meeting the actual person. But had he heard the name right? Or it's just an aftereffect of his earlier reminisce of her? The aurors all followed the Minister's command. A dark haired witch in her early thirties walked forward and gently took away Sirius' wand. She conjured up a handcuff and chained it to his wrist.

Sirius could feel the longing desire in the deepest of his heart when their eyes met for a very brief second. "This way please, Mr. Black," she said politely, but her scrutinizing stare didn't quite match her civility. It was almost with contempt.

"Rainzzi." He touched her hand tentatively but she swiftly withdrew from him. She didn't look surprised for the slightest, she just stared at him blankly.

Despite the fact that Rainzzi Delanuit, Sirius' fiancée looked just as she used to, she didn't seem to recognize him at all.