Behind the Veil Continued

"Sirius."

James Potter watched his friend beat on the wall, his own frustration matching Sirius'. When Sirius had crashed into he and Lily's pleasant afterlife, they'd been startled to say the least. Time meant nothing to the dead, but despite Sirius' dreadfully haggard appearance, James knew not much time had truly passed in the world of the living.

"Sirius, it's no use, you can't go back."

Sirius gave one last frustrated shout and punch to the jelly-like wall he'd been beating his fists against helplessly. The wall that Sirius was trying to get through continued to quiver even though his fists no longer made contact. Sirius had sunk to the floor, breathing raggedly, almost in half-sobs.

"What happened? Why are you here? You don't look injured." James had been pleading with Sirius since his arrival for an explanation, but it had been to no avail.

"Death Eaters," Sirius finally breathed raggedly. "I was fighting Bellatrix Lestrange, the bitch. I was protecting Harry, like I promised I would."

James' stomach dropped like a rock. It was funny how that even in death some feelings still remained clear. "Did she -?"

"Bella hit me with a curse, I fell backward into...into..." Sirius drew another ragged breath. "The Veil."

James closed his hazel eyes in pain. So that explained why Sirius was in denial. Not many people that weren't supposed to die actually died without hope of some return. The Veil, however, was pretty final.

"I was protecting Harry, James." Sirius' haggard and bedraggled self stood up and stumbled to him, sagging into his best friend's arms. Sobbing shuddered both their bodies and James held Sirius tight, unsure what to do and what to say. "I was protecting Harry, James, just like I said I would. He thought Voldemort had captured me, he came to rescue me, God he's so much like you sometimes..."

James winced. He hoped there were a few things he'd not genetically passed on. Lily appeared next to him and they sat Sirius down and both tried to comfort their distraught friend, but it was no use. Sirius was determined to go back. James knew it would be a useless effort. Sirius hadn't thought the right thoughts as he fell; no ghostly manifestation for him, no haunting the halls of Hogwarts for him.

Lily's green eyes caught James' hazel ones. Without words, they communicated what needed to be said. Both of Harry's parents were dying to know about their son, pun not intended. What did he look like? Was he at Hogwarts yet? How old was he now? Something in Sirius' tones and some of his disjointed shouts had lent the idea that Sirius had nothing to do with rearing Harry after James and Lily's death; they wanted to know who raised their son.

"Sirius, please, this will get you nowhere, believe me, I've tried," soothed Lily, brushing back the long, ratty hair that used to be soft and shiny, probably Sirius' best asset apart from his flashing, devil-may-care smile. Lily remembered that all the girls wanted to run their hands through Sirius Black's hair.

Sirius fell suddenly quiet and then he said the one phrase that James and Lily never wanted to hear. "Voldemort came back."

They heard the whole sorry story from the moments of their deaths to when Sirius found himself in the afterlife. When he was finished, resignation fell on Sirius' form, hanging off him like a black aura. James and Lily clutched each other.

"It's up to Remus now," James said in a shaky voice.

"And Dumbledore," Lily added softly.

"And Harry." Sirius' own voice was respectful. "But I have faith in him. He will overcome and when he finally meets us again, we'll tell him how proud his family is of him."

"Yes, we will," James and Lily concurred. "Yes we will."