From Behind the Veil

By: Sailoranime

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Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling, and I most certainly don't own the Harry Potter series.

Author Notes: My old pride and joy: my parody. Even my mother, who has no knowledge of Harry Potter other than that I own all the books, thought it was funny. Any use of annoying nicknames like Siri was intentional, as were most blatant Americanisms. ^_^  

I’d also like to thank my beta, Elanor Gamgee, who came up with the last bit about the chili.

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Harry's heart was heavy with emotion as he entered the Department of Mysteries. His stomach was heavy with the chili he had stolen from Dudley's plate that morning. Yet, Harry felt good. The order, along with Harry and his friends had been allowed to go visit the DoM and say their last goodbyes to Sirius. Something like a funeral. Dumbledore turned to Harry.

"Are you sure you're all right, Harry?" he asked, his eyes missing their usual twinkle. Harry nodded. Did Dumbledore think he was going to burst into tears or something? The worst thing that could happen might be him running out of the room to go to the bathroom. He was really regretting that chili. Finally, they reached the room with the archway and the Veil. Harry wondered if they ever washed the Veil. Probably not. It looked pretty dirty and battered. Dumbledore motioned for all of them to stand in a half circle a few feet in front of the Veil.

"Well Sirius, look how many people turned up for this," Dumbledore began, "All these people are here because they've been mourning your death. In fact, I got a few owls from women asking for an invitation, but I had to refuse, After all, this room isn't large enough to accommodate them all." This got a few chuckles.

"Sirius, I can't believe you left," Lupin spoke, "You won't believe all the slash authors that are writing about me not realizing my feelings for you until you kicked the bucket. They're having a field day!"

"I regret what I implied before." Now it was Mrs. Weasley's turn. "You weren't an irresponsible godfather. You were just really reckless."

Hermione was about to speak, but Dumbledore raised a hand. Harry could hear voices from behind the Veil. At first they were muffled, but then they grew louder. Harry could almost make out what the person was saying.

"... Be back some day.... might have to wait a while... miss me... I know." It was like this for a minute, but then the voice became clear.

"Well, save me a seat anyhow." Harry's eyes widened. He recognized that voice! But it couldn't be....! Could it....?

"We will, Siri," a happy voice chirped from behind the Veil.

Harry watched in shock as his godfather stepped from behind the Veil, a brunette clinging to his right arm and a redhead on the other. The girls each gave Sirius a smile and quick kiss on the cheek and walked back into the Veil.

"Sirius?" Harry asked, incredulously. The chili was having a party in his stomach now.

"Harry!"

"You're dead!" Harry croaked, or rather, Harry said in a croaky voice. Otherwise he'd be dead, you see.

"I'm back!" Sirius exclaimed.

"I cried for you!" Harry said in an accusatory tone, as if he'd been cheated.

"It means you love me."

"But you needed to die. It gives me righteous anger! I need to think I indirectly killed you so I can kill Voldemort without regrets. You were sacrificed for the sake of the plot!"

"Him being evil doesn't justify killing him?" Sirius asked thoughtfully.

"Well, apparently not,"

"Says who?" Sirius asked with a frown. Harry shrugged.

"A higher power."

"Okay, Aren't you happy I'm back?"

"Yeah... but how... how did you do it?"

"Well, Harry, I think that will need to be explained later. Perhaps in your seventh year."

"But why?"

"'Cause you have to wait."

"Says who?" Harry demanded.

"A higher power."

"Why is it everyone else knows more about my life than I do?" Harry whined.

"Because of the higher power"

“This higher power is getting on my nerves."

"I think the higher power is getting on all our nerves," Sirius answered sagely.

"So what's next? Are you staying?"

"Well, I'm not sure. We'll find out in a couple of years, I think. When the higher power finishes writing. But for now, I'll be here for as long as I can avoid getting myself killed." Harry nodded his understanding.

"So how was it... you know... there?"

"Well, kind of warm, if you ask me... Oh! You mean heaven! It was ok." Sirius answered as Harry ran to him, almost knocking him back into the Veil, and gave him a hug. Sirius returned it.

Finally, all the others recovered from their state of shock. Most of them now had tears in their eyes at seeing Harry and Sirius re-united. Even Lupin ran towards them and joined the hug, knocking Kreacher, who had suddenly appeared there, into the Veil. Dumbledore cast an ancient spell onto the Veil so no one else could come out.

Dumbledore was the first to speak.

"Sirius, you do realize you are in the Ministry of Magic? And that they are still hunting for you?"

Sirius shrugged. "Well, just turn something into a Portkey and send me to Hogwarts or something."

"I would do that, but Fudge is still a little jumpy about me. He'll find out and try to put me in Azkaban for it... though that would be a good plot twist..."

"Fine. I'll Apparate to Grimmauld Place..." Sirius said with a scowl.

Harry looked at them a bit confused. "But what about my righteous anger? Now I don't feel like killing Voldemort. Sure, he slaughtered my parents and taunted me about it, but they're like strangers to me. I do love them on some level, but not enough to commit murder for them."

“What do you mean you don't love them enough to commit murder? You were about to kill me when you thought I had betrayed them!" Sirius yelped.

“Well, that's because you were their friend. But Voldemort was their enemy who just happened to succeed in his goal of killing them. It's totally different. Plus I thought there was something 'villain-ey' about you..." Harry reasoned. Sirius shrugged.

“Righteous anger... of course. You coming back may prove to be a bad thing, Sirius," Dumbledore said. Harry nodded; Sirius looked offended.

"I'll just go back in if you want," Sirius said sarcastically. Then his expression changed to one of thoughtfulness. "Though those girls did offer to do a stripte... never mind," he said as Mrs. Weasley glared at him. Mr. Weasley was wearing an amused expression; Lupin and Moody both looked envious, Moody sinisterly so, and Mundungus was clearly contemplating how stupid he would sound if he asked Sirius if he could have their addresses.

Harry shrugged. "I wanna go with Sirius," he said quickly. "I've been at the Dursleys’ for five weeks already, isn't it about time I leave them?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, of course. I'll make a Portkey then-" He was interrupted by Harry.

"Sorry, professor. I always exit in a very comical and unexpected fashion. I think I'll have to go back for a couple of hours and then Sirius and Professor Lupin can bust in and rescue me. I think that's about the only thing that would outdo my exit in my third and fourth years."

Sirius nodded eagerly. "Yeah! We can do that! Well, I'd better get going. Gotta plan the kidnapping... err... rescue mission." he said, and made to Apparate away. Harry grinned.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Wait, Sirius. Let me just inform you. Pettigrew is going to be caught a few weeks into term, and you will go to trial with him and be cleared. You will, of course, get your hopes up about Harry living with you, but I will need to remind you about the...circumstances. In the end, however, we will work out something about Harry staying with the Dursleys for most of the summer, but going home with you during the holidays." Everyone stared at him oddly.

Dumbledore’s eyebrows shot up. "What do you expect? I'm Trelawney's father. Why else do you think I keep her around? To make sure I'm the only one she makes prophecies about Voldemort to?" he said, opening a whole new world of possibilities.

"No wonder you knew about me stealing Dung's Playboy!" Fred burst out, but quickly regretted it as everyone looked shocked.

Sirius waved a hand impatiently. "Okay, he's a boy with hormones. Who cares? Can I go now?"

Harry bit his lip. "But what about my righteous anger?!" he almost screamed.

Dumbledore looked thoughtful. "Perhaps we can put one of your friends in danger next time you encounter Voldemort."

"Not 'Mione or Ron." Harry said quickly. Hermione gave small squeak of happiness and ran to give Harry a hug. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Voldemort Apparated. He stuck his leg out and tripped Hermione, causing her to fall into the Veil. Only part of her leg was visible now. Dumbledore gave it a discreet kick and it disappeared behind the Veil too as Voldemort laughed like a maniac and Disapparated.

"There's your righteous anger, Harry," Ron said, still looking at the Veil.

Harry nodded. "Fair enough. We should go now so I can get home and dwell on the fact that one of my friends died because I needed righteous anger," Harry said; the others nodded and Sirius Disapparated. Harry wished the chili would stop doing the tango in his stomach.

Dumbledore gave him a concerned look. “Are you feeling well, Harry? You have not been too overwhelmed by tonight’s events, have you?” he asked, completely ignoring the fact that it was mid-day.

Harry shook his head. “Er… no, Professor, but I think I really have to get out of here.”

Molly Weasley put her hand on his shoulder. “The poor dear,” she muttered, “this must bring back awful memories…”

“Uh, no, actually, I just really need to get to a toilet right now.”