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Sirius Black lay staring at the ceiling of his cell. A whole year came and went, and just like that, it was Halloween once again. He had tried to fall asleep, but, much to his dismay, it wouldn't happen. So here he was lying on his thin mattress with the moonlight shining on his face. It was a full tonight, and he wondered if Remus was doing okay. He lay thinking until sleep finally took him.
"Do you know how to dust? This place is filthy."
Sirius's eyes snapped open as he sat up, turning towards the voice.
"Regulus?"
"The one and only," he replied dryly, looking at his ghostly finger in disgust. "Should we get this over with?"
"Get what over with? You... you're..."
Regulus looked at his brother, who was staring with wide eyes and his mouth gaping like a fish.
"I'm dead, yes," Regulus answered the unasked question. "But that's neither here nor there; we have a mission to do, and then I can get back to my afterlife."
Sirius didn't react until Regulus started to move closer to him. He began shuffling back against the wall but soon ran out of room. Regulus looked at him curiously.
"Are you scared? Of me?"
Sirius didn't respond.
"Sirius, I'm not here to hurt you. The others are working behind the scenes; we just need you to see." He held out his hand. "I thought you were braver than this." That did it. Sirius grabbed his brother's hand, and they faded away.
They appeared back in their childhood home. Sirius looked down at his hands to see them the same misty see-through as last time. "Why are we... here?" he motioned to the open air.
"I was just told to bring you here," he shrugged.
"Told? Who told you? Reg-"
Come on, Reggie! This way!
Sirius was cut off by two tiny kids running almost right through them if you know they were not misty floating objects ...
"I have little legs! You are running too fast!"
"I remember this day..." Sirius stared at the two as they rounded the corner. It was the day their lovely mother decided to lock them in a tiny room (if you could call it that) so as to not disturb the party guests. "It's the reason I'm not too fond of tight spaces."
"Sirius" Regulus started as Sirius walked around the corner to watch the scene unfold at the sound of their mother stomping her way in the direction they had just run. "Look, we're not allowed to tell you anything specific that would be breaking the rules set in place. We are however allowed to show you things and hope you put them together on your own."
"Who are we? You keep saying we?"
Regulus looked at him with a blank expression. "
"Let me guess. That's something you can't tell me."
"Correct, but you will find out soon enough. "We do have to go back now though." Sirius didn't get a chance to speak before he was brought back to his cold, dark, damp cell.
Sirius jumped out of bed at the loud bang of his cell door slamming shut.
"Uh hi"
Sirius sat staring too stunned to speak as the figure cleared his throat.
"Nice place you got here..."
Sirius was speechless. For the first time in his life, he was speechless. The figure cleared his throat.
"Let's try again... Hello, Pads" The ghost of James Potter smiled at him. "I missed you."
Sirius leaped out of bed and rushed towards the figure, only to remember he was a ghostly apparition and ran into the cell wall.
James cringed as Sirius rubbed his head. "Now now don't go trying to join us yet you got a loooooooong...Forget I said that. Anywho ready to go?
Sirius held his hand that wasn't holding his head out, and James grabbed it and then faded away.
When they reappeared again, Sirius went to grab his head to stop the dizzy sensation flowing through his body, but his hand passed right through.
"Woah there, buddy," James patted Sirius's back. "Must have really hit your head hard back there."
"James, how can you touch me, but I can't touch me?" Don't worry about it; you'll find out when you die. Now come on." James started towards a row of houses. Sirius followed close behind.
They stopped before a plain-tan home. The lights were on, and Sirius could make out a large man sitting on the sofa. James grabbed his hand. "Ready?"
"For what?"
"This," James said, floating both of them through the door.
Sirius flinched as he went through the door, still not used to being essentially mist.
"James, where are we?"
James didn't answer, floating them over to the cupboard under the stairs. This had to be some weird dream. First his dead brother, and now his dead best friend? There was no way any of this was actually happening. Floating through yet another door, the ghostly pair joined the lone occupant under the stairs, who was playing with a ratty old stuffed animal. He looked like he was due for a bath a week ago and had more stains on it than clean fabric. You couldn't even tell what it was anymore. Turning his head and noticing the two new occupants, he waved at them with a smile. "Dada" "Pafoo."
"Harry?" Sirius stared in awe before whipping his head to his best friend. "James, where are we? Why is Harry in the closest? Why can he see us?" James looked like he was ready to commit a murder but gathered himself as he waved back at his very much alive baby.
"Lily's sister's house, her husband is a monster, and I don't know how babies work. I only had like 15 months of experience... remember?" He mined dying, and Sirius went to swat him over the head.
"Still too soon, man."
James laughed, and Sirius smiled, shaking his head. James's ghostly robe pocket started to blink green. James grabbed Sirius's arm again, and in a flash, they were back in the cold cell on the island.
"What the fuck?"
"Sorry," James winced. "I got a message to bring you back, but good news: your next visitor should be here soon!" As he faded away, Sirius hurled a slew of questions at him. "Why did you bring me there? What happened? What was going on? Who was the next visitor? When would they be here?
Sirius sat on his cot to collect his thoughts. What was going on? Why was this happening to him? Was he finally succumbing to the whole family madness thing? Why was Harry being locked in a tiny cupboard? He looked filthy.
The next time Sirius woke, it was to a female voice. That left him very confused. She had a calming, gentle voice, and if his confusion didn't outweigh his tiredness, he would have easily drifted back off to sleep.
"Sirius? You gotta wake up; time is running out. You can sleep once this is over. Please, Sirius."
Sirius relented, opening his eyes. She may be a ghost, but he would recognize those eyes and that hair anywhere.
"Lily?"
She smiled at him. "Rise and shine. We have just one more stop to make. I'll let you gather yourself first if you do it quickly. James told me about your meeting with the wall earlier." Sirius felt his head in memory of that incident.
After a minute, he stood up and grabbed her hand, and they faded away.
Hogwarts? Why were they back here? Sirius looked around at the grounds. Did he see... himself? Was that? No, it had to be Harry. Looking back at Lily for confirmation, she nodded. "But..."
He saw Peter turn into a rat and run off.
Next, they were in a graveyard, and Sirius was watching Voldemort being reborn using Harry. Peter was there. "Disgusting," Sirius grumbled. He looked at Lily, who was watching with sad eyes. "I'm sorry."
She gave him a sad smile. "You couldn't have known. We don't blame you, you know?" She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not allowed to tell you much of anything, but I am allowed to ask you something." Sirius nodded for her to continue. "Do you know what must be done?"
One last glance at the scene before them, and he nodded once more.
Sirius Black escaped Azkaban at the age of twenty-two and was once again a free man.
The ministry had an anonymous tip as to where Peter was hiding out and that he was an animagus. They called off the search for Black, and he came out of hiding.
After the trial and Peter were taken away, Sirius exited the ministry and saw Remus waiting for him. He was holding a beautiful two-year-old boy. Behind them, three spirits stood smiling at him before they faded back to the afterlife.
He hadn't been this happy in a while.