Second Reality | Chapter 1

A Harry Potter Fanfiction By Majokai Yukiko

Pairing: Remus + Sirius

Warning: Slash. Slight spoilers to Order of The Phoenix and Prisoner of Azkaban

This is an amateur effort and does not intend to infringe on the rights of J K Rowling, Scholastic Books and their associates.

A/N: Alternate Universe. Okay? And the O Levels is one of the most important examinations that I have to take in my life (set by Cambridge), in case you are wondering.

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Beautiful white crystals shattered into many pieces. Sirius Black watched, in morbid fascination at how the sparkling bits of magical aura seemed to surround him as he fell through the veil. The pain in his chest was ebbed into a numbing sensation; the voices of his lover and godson were nothing but a muffled whisper in this dense environment.

Where was he going? Was he dead? Sirius wondered, realizing only then that these questions were of no importance in his mind. He was comfortable here, sheltered and protected, as if in a mother's womb. Suddenly, a bright white light enveloped his surroundings and blinded him. A gentle hand tugged at his arm, urging him onto some strange, unfamiliar place where he ought to be in.

A vision slowly unraveled himself before his eyes. He watched, like a moviegoer, as a distant part of his memory dredged itself forward.

Young Sirius Black leaned back on his elbow and watched the deep, emotive amber eyes of his lover. His long slender fingers were playing with Remus' hair, watching in awe how the thin smooth strands seemed to slip through his digits, like sand.

"What are we now, Sirius?" Remus asked.

Sirius remembered this piece of memory well enough. It was his first night with Remus, the night where they had lost their virginity to each other. He could remember exactly what he had said then. In a way, he was glad he had said what he said. He had not broken any of his promises to his lover.

"What do you mean?"

"Are we friends, lovers…or what? What promise hold us to each other, Sirius?"

The dark haired wizard watched his younger self sighed and propped himself higher up on his elbows, just how he had done so many years ago.

"I can promise you many things."

"But…" Sirius mouthed, repeating to himself the words he had spoken to the love of his life when he was younger. "I can't promise you forever."

"All I have for you now is my love, my attention, my passion, my desire and all that I can ever give. I don't know if this will change, or which one of us will leave the other. All I have is the present and everything that it encompasses. Are you willing to take that?"

Young Sirius bit on his lower lip nervously. He had laid out himself and his heart in the bare, waiting for his best friend, the one he was secretly in love with for the past five years, to read out his sentence and lower the judge's gavel.

Before Sirius could see young Remus' reply for the second time, he was pulled roughly from the pleasant emptiness and thrown into sudden awareness. A searing pain broke out from his lower back and from inside his head. Sirius squeezed his eyes shut against the light and tightened his fingers around the small hand in his.

Wait…a hand in his?

A light touch tenderly swept over his forehead, pushing wayward locks of jet-black hair away from his face.

"Wake up, Padfoot…please…"

Sirius wanted to bolt up on his bed upon hearing the strangled voice, choked with grief and tears. His mate was hurting, and he was the only one who could help. With a significant amount of effort, Sirius forced his eyes open and looked straight into the beautiful face of Remus Lupin.

"Moony…" His throat was hoarse, as if somebody had just rubbed sandpaper hard against it. But the pain was worth it. Anything was worth it to see an expression of pure happiness and relief spreading across Remus' face. It was as though the entire room had brightened suddenly.

Sunlight shone in from the window in the hospital ward, highlighting the dried silver tear streaks on those perfectly sculpted cheeks.

"I'll…I'll call the doctor, Sirius." Remus turned to run out of the room, only to be stopped by Sirius' tight grip around his wrist.

"Just…ring the bell. Don't leave me alone…Moony."

***

He was in St Mungo's, or at least, he thought he was in. It made sense; he was in a hospital, doctors and nurses rushing around from one room to another. The only thing that had not made sense to him was the irritating beep of a strange mechanism by his bed.

Remus was outside, talking to the doctor about his condition. Sirius did not understand why it could not be said in front of him. But since his lover had reentered the room with a brilliant smile on his face, Sirius assumed it could not be anything bad.

"Moony, mind shutting that thing up?"  Sirius whined, gesturing weakly at the maddening oscilloscope.

"I can't…" Remus started only to be interrupted by the sound of the door opening. A bespectacled man with messy black hair dashed into the room almost angrily, followed by a demurely beautiful woman with bright green eyes. The man marched straight towards Sirius and slapped him lightly across the face.

"What the hell happened to you, Padfoot? You worried the hell out of Lily and me."

"James…Lily…?" Sirius choked, unable to believe his eyes. What a strange dream he was having. James and Lily were dead. Voldemort killed them!! "How can it be…you are dead…"

That comment earned him another light slap across the face.

"Damn, Sirius, is cursing us the first thing you think of doing?" James chided. Lily frowned and was about to add something when the door opened again. A teenage boy came running into the room and threw himself on Sirius.

"Sirius!" Harry shouted, ruffling up his godfather's hair happily. Sirius blinked, his brain working hard to take in the information. James and Lily were alive? What happened to Peter then? Bellatrix? Voldemort?!

"Hey, take it easy, Harry?" Remus smiled, prying the boy off the bed.

"Don't, Moony." James rolled his eyes, arms akimbo while staring down at his best friend. "He deserved it. You are the one who decide to fall off the stairs, what makes you think Lily and I will die? Out of grief? Ha!"

Nevertheless, Remus got Harry off and pushed him towards Lily, who tenderly put her arms around her son's shoulders.

Sirius was confused. But he was not about to ask questions. He remembered fighting Bellatrix, falling behind the veil etc. So, he did the next thing that made sense. He pinched himself.

"Ouch!"

"What was that for?" Lily cried out.

"Just making sure that I'm not dreaming." He was not. What did this mean? James and Lily were alive, Remus was still his lover, and Harry was happy and well fed. So…Sirius took another look at the hospital room he was in. On the other bed, a nurse was preparing a syringe for another patient. Wizards never used syringes. Only muggles did. The dark haired man knew what that machine next to him was. It was a CRO. Wizards never used CRO, only muggles did.

If everything was as he suspected, then there was only one way to find out…

"Harry," Sirius turned to his godson with a smile. "How's school? You are taking your exams this year, right?"

"Oh, Sirius, is that the first thing you think of?" Harry groaned, smacking his forehead in a dramatic gesture. "Hermione never stopped reminding me that O Levels are just around the corner."

O Levels…not O.W.L.S…

Sirius gave a quick glance at the rest of his friends for any strange expression towards what the boy had just said. None.

Of course…there was no such thing as magic, right? So…whatever that had happened, it was just a dream or a very long and painful nightmare. In reality, James and Lily were not dead. Because there was no such thing as magic, no Dark Lords…

And he was just…Sirius wrecked his brain for memories of his life. He was just a…

***

End of Chapter 1

Continue to Chapter 2