The Return of Sirius Black

Sirius Black woke up in a daze. His head hurt. His chest hurt. But none of that mattered. All that mattered was Harry.

"HARRY! HARRY!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. But Harry did not answer him. Sirius then remembered what had happened.

They were the only couple still battling, and they were unaware that Albus had shown up in the Department of Mysteries. Sirius ducked Bellatrix's jet of red light and was laughing at her. 'Come on! You can do better than that!' he had yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room.

The next jet of light hit him squarely on the chest.

The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock.

Sirius could see Harry releasing Neville and running up the dais.

It seemed to take him an age to fall. His body curved into a graceful arc as he sank backward through the ragged veil hanging from the arch . . .

Harry must have seen the look of mingled fear and surprise on his wasted, once-handsome face as he fell through the ancient doorway and disappeared behind the veil.

Sirius could hear him yelling for him. He heard Bellatix's scream. He tried to yell back to Harry, to have him reach in and pull him out, but he knew that no one could hear him; that he was . . .

That was when he blacked out. He knew that they had forgotten all about him. He knew he was . . .

Wait a second, he thought. If I'm dead, how come I'm thinking?

It was then that Sirius realized that he was not dead at all. He was lying behind the veil. All he had to do was push it back and . . .

He walked out from behind the veil into the huge amphitheater. No one was there. Well, I expected this. Sirius covertly walked out of the room and into the hallway with all of the revolving doors. He picked the correct one by smelling it out, transformed into the dog Harry was so fond of, and ran through the Ministry. With all of the Death-Eater hunting going on, none of the workers had time to look at the "stray" dog. He made it to the hallway with all the fireplaces and succeeded in flooing himself to the Burrow.

"Arthur! A dog has flooed itself here again! Will you please get rid of it?" Molly Weasley called for her husband from the kitchen.

"Sure thing, when I'm done here. Actually, why don't you do it Ron? It'll be good for you, since you're over age now and all."

"Gee, I'd love to Dad." The tall red headed boy of 17 ran into the living room. He cursed under his breath and shouted, "Mum! Dad! Come quick!"

"Ron, if you can't get rid of it . . ."

"MUM! DAD! It's SIRIUS!"

Sirius had transformed back as soon as Ron came into view. He laid down in front of the fireplace and asked, "What is the date, Ron?"

"Uhhhh . . . uhhh . . . it's the 31^st. Of July. Yeah, July 31^st. It's Harry's 17^th birthday."

By this time Molly and Arthur had exclaimed their utter surprise and had hoisted Sirius on to a couch. Sirius didn't really care where he was. All he cared about was Harry.

"Where is he? Is he here? Is he at Grimmauld Place?"

"He's with the Dursleys," Molly answered matter-of-factly. "He and Hermione are supposed to be here later in the day. Remus and Tonks are coming too. It's going to be a real celebration."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Is anyone home?"

"It's Hermione and Harry!" Ron shouted.

"Don't tell them I'm here!" Sirius said as he ducked under the couch. He thought of a better idea, ad quickly whispered it to Arthur. Arthur nodded and Sirius ran into a closet as Ron showed his two best friends in.

It was hours later and Harry's birthday party had finally wound down enough for Molly to bring out the presents. There were books and sets of Quidditch balls, new quills and gold (something Harry did not need), and many other presents besides. But, Arthur called out just as everyone stood to continue with the party. "Wait! Wait! There is one more gift. This gift is very special."

He went over to the closet and pulled out a huge black dog. Harry gasped. He could not believe how much this dog looked like Sirius. It was uncanny. "Thank you," he stammered.

"Don't thank me," Arthur said, "thank him."

Sirius transformed back into himself and grabbed Harry in his arms. "I thought I would never see you again . . . . I love you so much Harry . . ."

Harry woke up to the sounds of his own sobs. Ever since Sirius had died he had been having this same dream over and over. It had felt real tonight. He looked around Ron's room at the Burrow and sighed. It had been a great party. But alas, no one was able to give him what he wanted.

"I thought I would never see you again too," he whispered to the darkness. "And I love you too, Sirius. I'll never forget you."

Harry laid back down and closed his eyes. He fell right back to sleep.

Outside his window, a dog howled at the empty sky. Down below, a dog transformed into a man. The man had very long unkempt hair and a very pale, once-handsome face. HE grabbed a broom from the shed and flew up to the window. It was Ron and Harry's room tonight. He gazed through at the Boy-Who-Lived and sighed. He then whispered, "I love you too Harry. I'll never leave you. Remember: The ones who love us never truly leave us. They'll always be found in here." He placed a hand over his heart as tears streamed down his face.

He flew to the ground and stored the broom away. Then Sirius Black transformed back into a dog and ran off into the night, howling with the pain of his heart all the way.