Chapter Text
The jet of red light flew from Bellatrix's wand and hit Sirius square in the chest. He fell through the veil, his last thoughts being of Remus and Harry.
'You're it, Moony,' he thought. 'Good luck.'
It wasn't long after falling through the veil that Sirius realized he wasn't alone. There were others around him, but none seemed to notice him. Deciding to explore, he picked a direction and set off.
All of a sudden, the world seemed to freeze around him and time slowed to a stop. Then he heard a voice.
"Sirius Black," the voice said. "The Wayward Son of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. I've been waiting for you."
"And who are you?" Sirius asked into the void. "Where are you? Where am I?"
"Yes, I suppose an introduction is in order." The voice seemed much closer, as if it belonged to someone standing directly next to Sirius, or potentially in his head. A thick, dense fog appeared from out of nowhere, and when it dissipated, a man stood before Sirius. He was tall and gaunt, with a pale complexion and sunken eyes. His thin hair was combed neatly back, and he wore a tailored black suit. "Hello Sirius Black. I am Death."
"Death?" Sirius's eyes widened in shock. "So that means, I'm most definitely-"
"Well," Death took a deep breath. "That is entirely up to you. If you agree to help me, you will return to the living. If you refuse, however, you will remain here for eternity."
Sirius froze in place. A chance to go back. Back to Harry, to Remus. A chance to clear his name. Or... He could remain in the Veil world for eternity. The choice was almost too easy.
"What do I need to do?"
Death smirked. "I am going to impart upon you knowledge, Lord Black. Tell me, have you ever heard of Horcruxes?"
"The term sounds familiar," Sirius admitted after a moment. "Why do you ask?"
Death launched into an explanation, telling Sirius about Voldemort's horcruxes. "He has cheated me for almost half a century," Death growled. "I want his soul, or what remains of it, sooner rather than later."
"And you expect me to do what, exactly?"
"Find Tom Riddle's Horcruxes and destroy them. I will provide you with the locations of each. Should you succeed, you will have more time with your Godson. You can spare him from years of abuse at the hands of his relatives."
Sirius took a deep, rattling breath. "I'm in."
Death nodded. "Perfect. I will send you back to the night that Lily and James Potter die: October 31st, 1981. You will be in your twenty-one-year-old body, but you will retain all of your memories. I will be checking on you periodically, Lord Black. Do you have any questions?"
"Just one. Why are you referring to me as 'Lord Black'? I was disowned by my mother when I was sixteen."
Death eyed Sirius. "On November 3rd, go into Gringotts. Inform the goblins that you are there to claim the Black Lordship. We'll see if you were disowned."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "As you wish. So, how does this whole 'going back' work exactly? Do I just close my eyes and click my heels three times?"
In spite of himself, Death chuckled, raising his hand. "No, it's much simpler than that. I snap my fingers, and off you pop. Are you ready?"
Sirius nodded. "I'm ready."
"Close your eyes, Lord Black."
Sirius closed his eyes, heard the snap of fingers, and felt his stomach lurch. When he opened his eyes again, it was Halloween, 1981, and he was at Wormtail's safe house. Wormtail was missing, and the familiar feeling of dread washed over Sirius. He left the safe house, ran to his motorcycle, and made a beeline for Godric's Hollow.
The Potters' cottage lay in ruins. He knew immediately that the Fidelus Charm had been broken. In the ruins of the cottage, he heard a baby screaming.
"Harry," he breathed. He ran past the gate and through what remained of the front door. He saw James's body in a heap on the floor, his wand still on the couch. With tears in his eyes, in between sobs, he said, "I'm sorry, Prongs. I'm sorry, my brother. Wormtail will pay for this. I promise you." He rose from James's side and bolted up the stairs. He followed the trail of destruction to Harry's nursery and the sight that met his eyes made him physically sick. Lily dead, and Harry in his crib, screaming, crying, with the lightning bolt scar fresh on his forehead. Composing himself, he reached into the crib and lifted his godson into his arms.
"It's just you and me now, Prongslet," Sirius whispered, holding Harry close to his chest. A crash downstairs drew Sirius's attention, and his wand dropped into his hand. "Who's there? I warn you, any attempts to harm my Godson will not end well for you!"
"Sirius Black? Tha' you?"
Sirius kept his wand up, pointed towards the door. "Hagrid? What are you doing here?"
Hagrid ambled up the stairs to the nursery, keeping his hands raised. "I've come ter take Harry ter his aunt 'n' uncle. Dumbledore's orders."
Sirius's wand didn't lower. "That's not happening. Harry is my Godson, my responsibility. If Albus wants him with the Dursleys, he'll have to pry him from my cold, dead fingers."
Hagrid advanced on Sirius. "You don' understan', Sirius. With You-Know-Who gone, Dumbledore reckons tha' his supporters will be lookin' fer Harry. Dumbledore reckons it's safer fer Harry ter be with his blood kin."
Sirius set Harry back down in the crib and drew himself to full height, which was not an easy feat next to a half-giant like Hagrid. "Rubeus, you go to Dumbledore. Tell him to come to my flat in London tomorrow afternoon, where I will be with Harry. We will talk about this then."
With that, Sirius picked Harry back up from the crib and left the house with Hagrid hot on his heels. Out the front door, through the garden gate, and into the street. Once clear of the house, Sirius transfigured his coat into a blanket for Harry, wrapping the toddler in it. He was about to get his motorcycle in the air when he heard a faint pop and Albus Dumbledore was standing in front of him.
"Sirius," Dumbledore said. "I cannot let you take Harry. The safest place for him will be with the Dursleys. Until we find out who sold James and Lily-"
"Pettigrew," Sirius snapped at Dumbledore. "He was their Secret-Keeper. I urged them to use him because I knew Voldemort would come after me. I never thought that sniveling rat would betray them. Come to my flat tomorrow and we can track him down. Until then, I am taking Harry. Oh, and Albus?"
"Hmm?"
"Seventh floor, the tapestry of Barabas the Barmy. Think about the Room of Hidden Things. There's a bust with a tiara in that room. Destroy the tiara and use Fiendfyre to do it." Sirius departed on his motorcycle, leaving Dumbledore and Hagrid in his wake.
"Wha' was tha' abou', Professor?" Hagrid asked.
"I haven't a clue," Dumbledore replied. "But it does seem worth investigating."