18th June, 1996

As Remus, with the other members of the Order, fought to protect the kids from the Death Eaters, he heard a familiar voice.

"Nice one, Harry!"

So Sirius had come after all, in spite of Dumbledore's repeated warnings to stay inside the house.

But Remus knew that his friend could never bear sitting aside when the others fought. During the 1st Wizarding War, too, Sirius had always been in the thick of it all.

Kingsley and Tonks had gone down, and Sirius took on his cousin Bellatrix.

Then suddenly, Albus Dumbledore arrived, his eyes blazing with rage, and every pair in the room stopped fighting, except one.

There was far too much hatred between the two cousins, pent up for years.

Sirius was laughing, as he dodged another of Bella's curses. "Come on, you can do better than that!" he called mockingly.

The next curse hit him squarely on the chest. Remus saw the look of mingled fear and surprise on his face. Time seemed to freeze as Sirius fell backwards through the veil-the one-way veil from which no one could come back.

Remus' heart stood still.

He couldn't lose Sirius now, not so soon after getting him back again.

"SIRIUS! SIRIUS!" shouted Harry, and his voice mirrored the despair Remus felt.

Harry ran towards the veil. Remus quickly recovered his wits and caught Harry around his chest. With Sirius gone, it was his duty to protect Harry.

Harry struggled and screamed Sirius' name.

"He can't come back, Harry," said Remus, his voice ragged. "He can't come back, because he's gone."

--------------------

Sirius woke up in a dazzling white place, empty except for one person standing over him.

"Harry, where d'you think we-"

Then suddenly he stopped. The eyes staring into his weren't green at all.

They were hazel.

"James?"

"Sirius."

As James helped him up and they walked away together, Sirius smiled.

He was home at last.