The last thing Sirius saw was Harry being held back by Remus. Sirius didn't want to go but he figured he had no choice. Plus he'd been too shocked by what was happening to stop himself. Though he didn't know if he would actually have been able to. Sirius was confused. He had fallen through a veil, and had been pushed through by Bellatrix. Sirius had never really gotten along with her but too be killed by his own cousin was almost too much for Sirius to bear. He had never believed that Bellatrix would kill him. She had threatened him enough times but that was completely different to her doing it. Had Bellatrix even used the killing curse? He couldn't remember a flash of green light. Maybe he really had simply fallen through a veil and died. Could a veil kill a person? Remus would know, Sirius thought slightly bitter. Sirius had never quite understood these things and Remus often had. Sirius had never wanted to know about the different, more "mystical", forms of death. Such as a piece of material.

Darkness surrounded Sirius and he no longer felt as though he were falling. It felt more like floating or flying. It seemed, to Sirius, that the years were flying away from him. It felt as though he were getting younger and younger. It was a strange feeling. Sirius reached up and ran a hand over his face. There were no lines and his face felt fuller than it had in years. Sirius knew he would look more like he did before he went to Azkaban. Sirius could also feel his hair getting thicker and less matted. It would probably have its old shine back, Sirius thought oddly happy. His muscles were loosening and there was less tension in his back and arms. He was leaving behind all those years wasted in Azkaban. Eventually Sirius' body felt as though he were in his early twenties again. It was a nice feeling.

Suddenly Sirius found himself lying on his back in the warm sunshine. Sirius slowly opened his eyes and looked up at the bright, brilliant, blue sky. A lazy breeze was blowing in the air and Sirius could smell something remarkably like a forest. Sirius breathed deeply and enjoyed the warmth of the sun. Sirius became acutely aware of the fact that he was entirely naked and found that he didn't particularly care. Then again, he had slept naked for many years before going to Azkaban. Sirius sat up and found that he was no longer outside. Instead he was sitting on the carpeted floor of what was no doubt the Head's office at Hogwarts. Sirius stood up and looked around the room. It was empty save for a desk and four chairs on one side. Sitting atop the desk were some plain black robes. Sirius pulled them on, just in case he ran into anyone and turned around. Sirius nearly fell over. Standing in front of him were four people. Two men and two women. Sirius could guess who they were. The four founders of Hogwarts: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. It was also clear who was who as each of them were wearing their own House colours and emblems. No one of them said anything to him as they sat down in the four chairs behind the desk. Sirius watched them and waited for them to speak. But, soon, it became apparent that they were all waiting for him to speak first.

'So, Hogwarts is Heaven, then?'

'No,' Gryffindor answered. He had long black hair and a strong jaw. Sirius liked him immediately. The hair reminded Sirius of James and Harry. 'Hogwarts is merely the beginning of your journey.'

'Ah, death is only the beginning.'

'Quite right.' Ravenclaw spoke up. Sirius smiled warmly at her and was surprised when she only raised an eyebrow in what appeared to be disgust. She had her black hair pulled back into a bun on the top of her head and it didn't look as though she was one to mess with. Ravenclaw strongly reminded Sirius of McGonagall.

'So, what happens from here?'

'That is up to you, Black.' Slytherin had spoken. Slytherin had short dark brown hair and had a nasty look about him. He definitely looked like someone who would trap a giant snake in the bowels of a school.

'Slytherin, you sly snake,' Sirius had decided it was time for a bit of fun. 'A Basilisk in a school? I mean, honestly, couldn't you think of anything more imaginative. So very predictable.' Slytherin scowled at Sirius and Godric laughed loudly. Ravenclaw rolled her eyes and Helga smiled brightly at him. Helga, Sirius thought, was attractive. She had a kind face, a bright smile and shoulder length blonde hair. Sirius turned his attention back to Slytherin. 'You know the thing is dead, don't you?'

'Yes, Black, I am aware of what your godson did to it. We have been watching.'

'That sounds creepy.' Sirius smirked. Slytherin rolled his eyes and Ravenclaw took over.

'There are several rooms here which allow people to check in on their loved ones whenever they need to. We have been using these devices to watch Harry Potter throughout his life. Including the incident in the Chamber of Secrets.' Here Ravenclaw sent a nasty look at Slytherin and Sirius got the distinct impression that none of the other founders were very happy with Slytherin's parting gift to Hogwarts.

'Still sounds a little creepy,' Sirius muttered. There was silence for several minutes, then 'So, I'm finally dead than, am I?'

'Yes, Sirius, you are dead.' Helga said kindly, smiling warmly at him.

'Right. And I'm at Hogwarts?'

'Yes, but without the lessons.' Godric laughed.

'Good, I don't think I could've handled an eternity of lessons.' Sirius said rolling his eyes. 'So, then what is this place if it's not Heaven?'

'It acts as a kind of in-between place,' Helga jumped in before the others could. 'All witches and wizards who attended Hogwarts in their youth come here. From here they go on to Heaven or Hell, whichever one suits them. Of course, Heaven and Hell differ from person to person and you will not know in advance where you are heading or what you will find there.'

'I see,' Sirius lied, though he got the gist of it. 'So do I move on now?'

'No, you get to choose when and if you move on. The choice is entirely yours, Sirius.' Godric replied simply. Sirius figured he had said it so many times that he was getting bored with saying it.

'So, how come you four haven't moved on? Why're you still here?' Sirius asked.

'Because Merlin decided that we should be his "representatives" for Britain. There are different reps for each school, usually it is the founder, or founders.' Ravenclaw answered.

'What does Merlin do then?'

'Merlin is the one who determines where you go if you move on and what you find there.' Ravenclaw spoke again, and Sirius wished she wouldn't. Her voice was very annoying.

'If I move on will I be able to watch what happens on Earth?'

'Depends on what your version of Heaven or Hell is.' Godric answered in that same bored voice he had used before. Sirius couldn't blame him.

'But if I stay here I'll be able to keep an eye on Remus and Harry/'

'Yes, though you won't be able to contact them or help them.'

'Yeah, I figured,' Sirius fell silent thinking. Then, as he thought of watching Remus and Harry, an idea occurred to him. 'Is James Potter still here?'

'We can't tell you that, Sirius.' Helga said, nodding slightly. Sirius pretended not to notice and continued with his questioning.

'And why not? He's my brother,' another thought occurred to Sirius then. 'What about Regulus? Is he here?'

'Sirius, we can't tell you if they're here,' Helga said again. This time she gave no indication in answer to Sirius queries. 'We don't want anything influencing your decision. This is also why we can't tell you what will happen if you decide to move on.'

'Right, fair enough, I suppose,' Sirius fell silent and turned his back on the founders. Sirius was considering whether or not he should move on. Besides the fact that he didn't know what would happen, Sirius wasn't sure what his versions of the two places would be. Sirius fully believed that his version of Heaven would be Hogwarts exactly how he had known it, along with James, Remus and Lily. Sirius wasn't sure if this would be possible, especially seeing as Remus was, thankfully, still alive. Plus James and Lily's ideas of Heaven may not be the same as Sirius'. The version of Hell that popped up into Sirius' mind was of Grimmauld Place as it was when he was growing up there. Sirius knew that he wouldn't be able to handle that kind of eternity. He'd end up killing himself, if that were actually possible. Sirius was beginning to think that moving on may not be worth it. Then again, he was very tired. After all those years shut up in a cell in Azkaban Sirius had been incredibly tired since he had escaped. Sirius closed his eyes and concentrated on his muscles. As he went through each separate muscle, Sirius found that the tension and the tiredness just weren't there. Sirius sighed happily and his eyes flew open and he turned around.

'Tell me one thing. And don't give me any crap about not wanting to influence my decision,' Sirius waited until they all nodded and almost laughed when Godric sat up straighter. Apparently he hadn't had this demand before. 'If I stay here, will I see Remus when he comes here?'

For a second, Sirius thought that they weren't going to answer him. Then, typically, Godric spoke up 'If he decides to stay, then yes, you will see him. But if he decides to move on immediately, then no, you won't get to see him.'

'Right.' Sirius closed his eyes again. Would Remus stay? Or would he move on to the unknown? Sirius' eyes flashed open. Remus wouldn't move on; he didn't like the unknown and never had. 'I'm staying.'

'Are you sure?'

'Abso-frickin'-lutely. I ain't leaving for nothing. Not yet anyway.' Sirius grinned.

'Very well,' Godric smiled at him. 'You may leave then.' Godric indicated the door behind Sirius.

'One thing. Am I still able to transform here?'

'Yes, you are.'

'Excellent.' Sirius grinned at them again and raced from the room and down the spiral staircase, hoping that this Hogwarts was the same as the one he knew. When he reached the corridor outside the Head's office Sirius knew that it was. There was no doubt about that. Sirius wondered if it would have the same secret passageways, trick walls and stairs, and all of the other things that Sirius had discovered during his school days there. He doubted if the passageways into Hogsmeade would be there in the same capacity.

Sirius raced through the halls at almost breakneck speed. He couldn't stop. He needed to find his friends. He needed to find James, Lily and Regulus. Sirius didn't even stop to think about whether or not they would actually be there. Sirius burst out the doors of the castle and back into the bright sunshine. Sirius stopped for barely a second to look around. There were hundreds of people milling around the grounds, and it was only now that Sirius realised he had passed a lot of people inside the actual castle. Sirius continued running, and didn't particularly feel like stopping until someone yelled out his name. Sirius froze. He knew that voice.

'Sirius? Is it really you?'

Sirius turned around slowly and faced the man. 'Hey, Regulus.' Sirius smiled at his little brother, who looked exactly how he had done the last time Sirius had seen him.

'Hey, Sirius.' Regulus smiled back at him brightly. 'How you been?'

'Not bad. In Azkaban for a while.'

'Yeah, I saw that,' Regulus grimaced. 'Can't believe they actually that you were capable of killing any one, especially Muggles.'

'Yeah, well they did.' Sirius shrugged suddenly unsure what to say.

'So, how'd you end up here?'

'Bellatrix.' Sirius said simply.

'Really? I didn't see that. Wow, she finally killed you.

'Yeah, took her bloody long enough. What about you, Reg? Did Voldemort kill you?'

'Kind of,' And so Regulus explained to Sirius about the cave and the potion. Sirius couldn't believe it. His brother, the Death Eater, had died trying to stop Voldemort.

'Wow, Reg. You actually are a good guy after all.' Sirius smiled at his brother, who smiled back at him.

'You can ask me now, Sirius.' Regulus said.

'Ask you what?' Sirius attempted to feign innocence but it didn't work very well.

'Just ask me, Sirius.' Regulus laughed.

'Alright, alright. Do you know where James and Lily are?'

'Course I do. Come on, follow me.' Regulus led Sirius away from the castle and down towards the Forbidden Forest. Regulus motioned at the Forest. 'You'll find them in there. I'm not sure exactly where they are, but I don't think you'll have any trouble finding them, you mutt.'

'What? Wait, how'd you know about that?'

'I watched you escape Azkaban. And James told me.' Regulus smiled and walked away leaving Sirius to transform alone. Sirius faced the Forest and allowed his form to shift into the black dog. Padfoot sniffed the ground, hoping to catch James' scent. He couldn't smell anything and ventured further into the Forest, keeping his nose close to the ground. After what seemed like hours, Padfoot picked up a familiar scent and began moving faster. After a few minutes Padfoot burst into a clearing and stopped. Standing before him was a large, handsome, and incredibly familiar stag. Sirius quickly transformed and stared at the animal he had not seen in such a long time. Slowly, slowly, the stag transformed into James Potter, who was grinning madly at Sirius.

'Well, Padfoot, it's been a long time.'

'Long time… yeah…' Sirius stared at his best friend. He was having trouble believing that James was standing right in front of him. 'James?'

James' smile turned sad and he carefully approached Sirius. 'I forgive you, buddy. You weren't to know that Pete was a traitor. I forgive you.'

'Thank you…' Sirius said quietly, still not believing. Sirius then did something that he had not done for a long time. He broke down. Sirius' sobs reverberated around the Forest as he fell to his knees. James, who had been expecting this, knelt down beside his friend and placed an arm around Sirius' shoulders and simply waited for his friend. Finally, the sobs stopped and Sirius looked up at James. 'Thank you, James.'

'Course. Lily forgives you as well, but you probably want to hear her say that,' James smiled at Sirius and pulled him to his feet. 'You seen Regulus?'

'Yeah, I did. He told me how he really died. He actually did the right thing in the end.'

'Well, you never left him alone to fully believe in Voldemort for long. I'm just surprised it took him so long.' James shrugged and started leading Sirius further into the Forest. 'Lily'll kill me if we take any longer. She's dying to see you, mate.'

'Really?'

'Yeah,' James glanced back at Sirius. 'I'm sorry you went to Azkaban, Padfoot. Though that escape was something.'

'Not your fault. It took me ages to work out that Dementors don't affect animals.' Sirius grimaced. 'Even though I'm pretty sure Moony told us once or twice.'

'He probably told us more times than that.' James laughed. 'Almost there.'

Silence fell as the two men came to the edge of yet another clearing. James pushed his way through but Sirius hung back. He was nervous again. Taking a deep breath Sirius pushed through the dense foliage and saw one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen. Lily was standing before in a shaft of bright sunlight. Her bright red hair was shining and she was smiling happily at Sirius. Before Sirius had a chance to say anything Lily had rushed forward and thrown her arms around him. Sirius hugged her back tightly as Lily whispered 'I forgive you' in his ear. Sirius almost broke down again but he managed to hold the tears back. When Lily finally let him go Sirius could see James laughing at him.

'Oh, Sirius I'm so glad you're here. I mean, I'm not glad that you're dead and all, just that you're here with us,' Lily smiled. 'And thank you for looking after Harry.'

'Not that I could at first.' Sirius said bitterly.

'Sirius, it isn't your fault. You couldn't have known that Pete was a traitor,' James said sternly. 'And besides, Dumbledore still would have made Harry live with Petunia and Vernon.'

'Which I will never forgive him for.' Lily said through her teeth. 'I can't believe how Petunia treated him just because he's my son.' Lily continued muttering under her breath, but James and Sirius, who were used to this kind of behaviour, paid her no attention.

'Anyway, we can still keep an eye on Moony and Harry and see what they're up to. And what old Voldie's up to.'

Sirius grinned, truly happy for the first time in a long time. 'Sounds like a good way to spend a few years.'