Chapter Text
Sirius
Sirius' skin was glistening, tingling and hot. He was floating in a black void: he could feel that there were no walls around him, no floor under him, but there wasn't wind to relieve his face.
Sirius couldn't even remember how he got there. He was panting, anxiety raising as he tried to remember how he got himself into that situation. What happened before?
He knew he had to meet with Peter in the morning: they were going to find some escaped Death Eaters, Lord Voldemort's most loyal followers. Sirius and his friends had joined the Order of Phoenix, trying to stop the evil wizard from taking control of the Wizarding World. So, barely eighteen, Sirius, Peter and James had vowed to sacrifice themselves for the greater good, Dumbledore's cause.
So if he hadn't met with Peter he must have been attacked before. He couldn't recollect any battle taking place, and also, it was very strange for him to be taken by surprise. He was rather good in duels, so there must have been multiple people: not many people wanted to get on the wrong side of his wand.
My wand!
A sigh of relief escaped his lips when he found the stick in one of his long sleeves. "Lumos" he tried, with a twist of his wrist. Nothing happened. The wand didn't even vibrate with the usual magic, it was probably useless in there.
He started focusing again on his surroundings. Trying to squint his eyes, sniffing the air like a dog, and praying for his ears to listen to something else other than his heart beating. He was beginning to feel frustrated and bored.
He tried to talk, to listen to his own voice, but when he opened his mouth, nothing came out. Sound couldn't make it past his throat. He felt the warm stale air entering his system, and making him uncomfortable even on the inside. There was only a void around. Everything was perfectly still, in a pitch black of nothingness. Solitude was something he didn't cope well with, but he tried to keep his thoughts from spiralling. He couldn't help having a panic attack at this moment.
He could have been waiting for minutes or hours or days when he felt a sudden tug from his waist. Like an invisible rope was gently leading him somewhere and he let it.
Slowly a pale light was beginning to show, from the cracks of a door to which he was being guided. When he reached it, his feet touched the ground. Sirius stood there, suddenly out of breath. A breeze seemed to slightly open the door like it was nudging him to do so himself.
Okay, I get it. I hope I don't die trusting a door, in the fucking void.
He sighed. He was losing his mind, in invisible ropes and strangely lighted doors.
He slowly pushed the door, feeling its material warm under his fingers, like it was made of pure light. The light seemed only to intensify, until he found himself out the door in what seemed to be the back of an alley.
Where the hell am I? What has died here that smells like that? Am I going to die here too?
He pinched the bridge of his nose. The brick walls were dirty, and the stench was nauseating, like rotting meat.
Is that a cat?
He thought, looking at the strange grey balls of fur nipping rubbish in a corner. Without warning, one of the things- it was indeed a cat- turned to look at him with big yellow eyes. It snarled at him and hissed, so the others did too.
Sirius thought to back away in the void-door but he only found a solid wall behind him. He pushed himself against it. "Bad kitties, go back..." he said, but the animals only seemed to come nearer.
So he had two choices: be eaten by angry cat-devils or run for his life in the middle of the street.
He chose the second.
He would never back out from a fight -he was a proud Gryffindor. Except from a fight with cats. Sirius was no fan of cats.
After a few miles, he was feeling rather safe to stop. On his way there he had run into some people, with odd-looking clothes and mostly grey colored. He looked around to see that also the buildings seemed to be mostly grey-coloured and tall- probably as tall as the Astronomy Tower in Hogwarts. And the street was full of these iron machines in bright colours and different shapes, but also very fast. One of those almost took him out during his getaway.
Finally, he saw some shades of green: a garden or a park, with trees, and perfectly trimmed grass. He slowed down his run and wandered around until he found a wooden bench that looked over a lawn and the blue sky. Sirius sat down and breathed in the clean air, much different from the stench of the alley or the polluted air of the weird streets outside the park. It was peaceful. Only a few people were out there with their dogs or kids. He took a moment to think of how cool it would be to play Quidditch here with James, only to have his heart clench at the thought of his friend.
Where am I? Where is James? Can someone please explain what's happening?!?!?
Sirius waited and waited and waited, with his face hidden in the palms of his hands. No one was going to come there to save him, and he didn't need anyone. He huffed and got up from the bench, determined to make his best to return home. James needed him. The Order needed him.
What is the first place I would have to go to if I was stuck in an unknown strange world?
It wasn't an everyday question. He paced under a big tree. It reminded him a little of the Whomping Willow, back in Hogwarts, even though that tree could kill you instantly, while this one seemed to have a calming effect on him.
Hogwarts was the first place he could actually call home and have happy memories about. He got himself lost in memories, while the sky was beginning to turn dark. He so badly wanted to get drunk on Firewhiskey and go home to Hogwarts. The enormous castle that had an infinite number of secrets in it: the high towers, the dark dungeons, the comfortable dormitories, the numerous creatures of the Forbidden Forest, the overzealous elves in the kitchens, the...
OF COURSE.