A Reflection of Himself

Draco would have fallen over from sheer shock had he been material. He was not prepared in the least for what happened within seconds of Bellatrix falling through the veil. He thought his eyes to be deceiving him for sure. Floating back, wordless, from the dais, Draco was awestruck.

From within the depths of darkness surrounding the veil emerged the form of a tall, ragged man. His long, black hair was wild, and his face was gaunt and stunned.

"Y- you!" Draco gasped, her eyes overly large.

The man standing on the dais extended his arms, feeling like a curse had been lifted from him. Staring down at his hands, he laughed, barklike and full of insane mirth.

"Is it true... ? Tell me this isn't a dream," he whispered in awe.

"If I were alive, I'd ask you to pinch me," Draco said.

Grey eyes met grey eyes. "What happened?" the man asked, his voice croaking as if he were parched.

"I pushed her through the veil... my aunt Bellatrix," Draco explained. "She was gloating about having sent you-"

"Through the veil," the man said grimly, suddenly realizing how tired, hungry, and thirty he felt. It was as if all the time he had spent away from the world of the living had caught up with him. "I don't understand how, but... it seems like some sort of trade off. She sent me through this strange veil," he gestured toward the archway and took a couple steps away from it, not wanting to be near it any longer than necessary. "Now she went through it. Maybe it freed me in exchange for her."

Draco was speechless. "I guess. Well, uh... now what?" He honestly didn't know what to do next.

"We must leave immediately," the man suddenly ground out. "If the Ministry finds out I'm in here..." He didn't even want to finish that thought.

"All right, just follow me... Sirius Black." Draco smirked, shaking his head. He supposed that stranger things had been known to happen, but as the ghost and the ex-sort-of-dead man made it out of the confines of the Ministry of Magic, he couldn't think of anything.

When they reached the point where Bellatrix had entered, Sirius and Draco could see the Death Eater guard.

"Do you have your wand?" Draco whispered.

"Yeah, d'you want me to take him down?" Sirius asked. "I'd gladly do so." He regarded the dark figure eagerly.

"No, wait," Draco hissed. "Probably not a good idea, what with you still being a wanted man and all... I've got a better idea."

A mischievous, malicious grin spreading across his ghostly face, Draco sped away from the shadows at an alarming rate, taking the guard by surprise. The man didn't have any time to react as the ghostly figure moved menacingly toward him and right through him. The utter chill of feeling a spirit move through a living person is not a pleasant one. For a moment, the man thought he had been stunned or frozen, but once Draco was on the other side of him, he soon enough regained his composure and whirled around, facing Draco. He went for his wand, holding it up shakily.

"Who- who are you?" the man stuttered, unable to recognize Draco in the darkness. "Wh- what do you want?"

Draco replied in an echoey voice that didn't sound like his own, "It doesn't matter who I am. You would do wise to leave now, before I do something truly frightening to you."

Giving the man no indication that he had any idea about Death Eaters or Voldemort, Draco wanted to keep his identity a secret. It wouldn't do for Voldemort to find out that he was a ghost and for Draco to lose the advantage he held over the Dark Lord's pale head.

The man was a rather pathetic excuse for a Death Eater, nodding and babbling like an idiot as he began to run away. When he was out of sight, Draco, satisfied with his work, motioned for Sirius to followed him.

"Good job," Sirius said, impressed.

"Thanks," Draco replied smugly. "Let's go."

They apparated to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and from that point, Sirius gazed longingly at Hogwarts in the distance. His heart ached to stroll right up to the front doors, enter, find Harry immediately, and pull him into a bone-crushing embrace... something he had been wishing to have the ability to do for a long time.

"You'd better wait here," Draco said. "Besides, the wards are insanely strong around the castle now, and ghosts are one of the few types of creatures able to penetrate them without problems."

"Are you going to get Harry?" Sirius asked rather desperately.

Draco rolled his eyes. "I suppose... eventually," he said sarcastically. "I thought it more important, however, to inform Dumbledore first of my victory."

"Well, of course, but don't forget to tell Harry... and Remus. Last thing I knew, I was talking with them through my portrait. They're probably worried sick."

"How sweet," Draco muttered, rolling his eyes.

Annoyed, Sirius barked, "Well? Don't you have somewhere to be and someone to see? Get going!"

"Yeah, yeah," groused Draco. "So ungrateful."

Sirius growled at him, much like a dog, but Draco ignored him and headed for the castle. While anxiously awaiting Draco's return, or anyone to come back for that matter, Sirius began to pace. Finally, heaving a long, drawn-out sigh, he transformed into his dog form and began running the length of the edge of the forest. He wondered if he should take his chances in trying to get through the wards as Padfoot. Feeling free for the first time in ages, Sirius bounded toward the boundary and was immediately hit with an unpleasant sensation that he was hitting a solid rock wall. He growled and continued to pace.

Eventually, he had tired himself out and was beginning to wonder when and if anyone would return for him. Whimpering, Sirius sat down and gazed at the castle. He wanted to be truly free and not have to be forced to hide out. He wished to come and go as he pleased, to finally be a constant figure in Harry's life.

With his dog eyes, he could see better in the night than if he were human, and he thought he now saw three solid figures and one translucent figure approaching rather hastily from the castle. Standing up and resuming his pacing, Padfoot barked happily. When the four figures came close enough, Sirius could see that they were indeed Harry, Lupin, Dumbledore, and Draco.

Dumbledore murmured a couple of incomprehensible words that let down the wards long enough for them to pass through. Without thinking, Padfoot bounded toward Harry, knocking the boy over. The great black dog was licking his face affectionately, non-stop, and Harry was laughing, patting the dog and scratching him behind his ears. Realizing that he would probably be able to better communicate with them, Sirius turned back into his human form, now embracing Harry like he would never let go.

"I can't believe-" Harry was saying in between breaths. "You're... you're really back, Sirius. I never thought in a million years-"

"I know, Harry... Trust me, I know," Sirius said sincerely. "There wasn't a day that passed that I didn't long to jump out of the blasted portrait and be a man again, walking among my friends." Here, he smiled at Dumbledore and Lupin. Finally releasing Harry, Sirius clamped his hand firmly and affectionately on Lupin's arm. "It's so good to be back."

Lupin seemed to be at a loss for words, but on his face was a smile that couldn't have said more exactly how happy he was. Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling in the moonlight. "I had a hard time believing it myself," he mused. "I figured I had to come out here with you all and see for myself if what Draco told me was really true. It's so good to have you truly back, my boy."

"Thank you, sir," Sirius replied. Gesturing toward Draco, he added, "But I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for this brave young man."

For once in his life/afterlife, Draco felt modest. If a ghost could blush, he would have. "Just doing my job," he said, without a trace of smugness in his tone, which really surprised Harry.

"Thanks, Draco," Harry told the ghost. He had said the words so fast, he hadn't realized he had called Draco by his given name.

"Well, that's a first... on two accounts, Pot- er, Harry," Draco said with a hint of sarcasm. "Thanking me and saying my first name. Is the world ending or something?"

Harry frowned at the last sentence. "Maybe it is," he murmured.

"Nonsense, Harry," Sirius insisted firmly, turning the boy to face him squarely in the face. "Listen, we'll all be there with you on that day, don't you even doubt it."

"But, Sirius," Harry protested, "you just came back. I don't want to lose you again..."

"If you think I'm gonna spend my days hiding like some sort of bloody coward, you're wrong, Harry," Sirius stated with growing anger in his voice. "I'm not going to live my life like some sort of caged animal." Here, he couldn't help but to glance over at Dumbledore.

"Nobody wants you to, either," Dumbledore mildly interjected, "but, as I'm quite sure you realize, Sirius, you are still a wanted man. Your childhood home is no longer safe for habitation, but it would be strongly advisable for you to remain hidden."

"Where?" Sirius asked, not liking the idea, but feeling that he may have no choice. After all, if he wanted to be able to be free (as much as a wanted man could), he would have to hide.

"What about the Shrieking Shack?" Lupin suddenly suggested. "No one in their right mind would go in there."

"Hmmm," Dumbledore said, stroking his beard thoughtfully, "that seems as good an idea as any. What do you say, Sirius?"

"I guess so," Sirius mumbled, not too thrilled by a long shot. "There is that secret passageway to Hogwarts and all."

"I'm afraid it's been magically sealed off with wards ever since it was no longer safe for the students to visit Hogsmeade," Dumbledore explained.

Sirius frowned. "Well, I don't suppose an exception could be made?"

"That is possible," Dumbledore confirmed. "Very well, but the wards will only drop for you, Sirius." He looked sternly at Harry as he said this. "I strongly suggest you only use the passageway when absolutely necessary, however."

"Of course."

"What's he supposed to do there all day?" Harry asked in a somewhat accusatory manner. "He'll be bored out of his mind. And what's he supposed to eat? Surely not rats!" Harry wrinkled his nose, thinking back to his fourth year when Sirius was on the run and had been living off rats and such similar disgusting vermin. Here, Draco sent a questioning, grossed-out look at Harry.

"We can supply Sirius with some food from Hogwarts and make arrangements for a house elf to drop off more food whenever it runs low," Dumbledore explained patiently. "As for what you do in your time there, Sirius, that is up to you."

Sirius scowled deeply, not too happy about the situation. It seemed like he would be confined once again. No matter where he went, he felt like a prisoner (or was a prisoner) - his childhood home, Azkaban, hiding in caves, back at Grimmauld Place again, beyond the veil, and now this. "I'll manage," was all he said.

"I've some games you can borrow," Harry suggested.

"I could let you borrow some of my books," Lupin added.

Sirius's scowl lessened, realizing that his friends were only trying to help. "That would be nice. Thanks."

Deciding that he had nothing more to offer to the conversation, Draco headed back to the castle before them, as he had grown uncomfortable in the presence of four Gryffindors who obviously knew what true friendship felt like. He had not really known such a thing in his life, and now, forever forced to live as a ghost, he felt like he was being forced to live vicariously through the full lives of others.

Dumbledore made the necessary arrangements with the house elves and placed enough food to get Sirius through the week in a bag and shrunk it down. The books and games were also shrunk down. Everything was brought back outside to Sirius. The wards were dropped, allowing Sirius entry onto the grounds, but only for him to head for the Whomping Willow and into hiding. When they reached that spot, the tree was immobilized by touching the correct notch on the correct root.

"I want to go with you," Harry blurted out.

"Harry," Dumbledore said firmly, yet sadly. "You know you cannot leave the grounds. It's too dangerous."

"I'm allowed to leave for Order meetings," Harry pointed out, annoyed.

"That is the only exception that can be made. I'm sorry, my boy. I'm afraid you must say your good byes here."

Harry was too angry at Dumbledore to look at him. Taking a couple of steps toward Sirius, Harry murmured, "I wish you could stay here with us."

"So do I, Harry," Sirius agreed. "Things are not so easy, though. Maybe soon, when all this is over, I'll finally be a free man, and not just me, but no one will have to live their lives hiding anymore."

Harry nodded solemnly. "I'll see you soon, then."

"I won't be far away, Harry, not at all."

"I wish you had your mirror. I wish I hadn't broken mine."

"Broken?"

"Last year... I stupidly threw it into my trunk. I was so angry at the world, Sirius. You- you have no idea." His words were coming out shaky as his body was shaking.

Sirius immediately went to Harry and placed his arms around him. "Forget all that, Harry. It's over now. It's in the past. What happened, happened. You do yourself no good in blaming yourself or anyone for what happened to me two years ago. I chose to come to the Department of Mysteries, against everyone's approval. I would do anything, all over again, even die, if it meant fighting alongside you."

"Don't-" Harry began.

Sirius shushed him and then released him. With the light of the moon shining on his eyes, Sirius looked a desperate, lost man. Harry couldn't place the look on his godfather's face as he turned and went toward the opening. Dumbledore gently held Harry back as he watched the backs of Sirius and Lupin disappear into the ground.

"It's not fair," he found himself whispering.

"Few things are," Dumbledore murmured. "You know this, Harry."

Yanking himself away from Dumbledore's grip, Harry said harshly, "I know, but that doesn't change how I feel."

"You should be happy that Sirius is back."

"I am," Harry continued, dropping his tone, "but I'm not happy that his situation hasn't changed. Maybe he had more freedom in moving through those portraits in the castle than he does now."

"Nonsense, Harry. He was still trapped then."

Trapped, Harry thought. Just like us all.