Beyond the Veil; Part One
Title: Beyond the Veil - working title
Author: Melisus the Wee (melisus)
Genre: supernatural horror
Rating: PG 13 for frightening imagery
Character(s): Sirius Black and James Potter, with various other character appearances
Summary: Upon falling through the veil in the Department of Mysteries, Sirius' soul is ripped from his body. Reduced to little more than spirit, Sirius finds himself lost in the world beyond the dark veil: the Land of the Dead. With the help of his loyal spirit guide, James Potter, Sirius must pass through the darkest parts of this Netherworld to be reunited with his body and pass back into the realm of the Living. Based upon Dante's Inferno.
Chapter Summary: After falling through the veil in the Department of Mysteries, Sirius finds himself lost in a dark and endless forest.
Disclaimer: The characters appearing in this fic are the sole property of J.K. Rowling. I'm just having a little fun with them right now.
Chapter Index
I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI | XII | XIII | XIV | XV | XVI | XVII | XVIII | XIX | XX | XXI | XXII | XXIII | XXIV | XXV | XXVI | XXVII | XXVIII | XXIX | XXX | XXXI | XXXII | XXXIII | XXXIV
Beyond the Veil
Canto I
In the midway of this our mortal life,
I found me in a gloomy wood, astray.
The Inferno, Canto I, Lines 1-2.
Darkness was all he knew. It was everywhere, surrounding him on all sides. Where was he? Was he lost? He felt around him… solid… flat… maybe a little crumbly… Was this ground? Yes, yes that’s what it was. Ground - earth of some sort. But why? And how?
Red light. Yes, Bellatrix and her spell! Now it was coming back. A dark room… smooth stone floor and… a curtain? The veil - that tattered black veil. He had fallen. Fallen through that curtain. Done in by drapery? Wow, was that unfortunate. Not quite the ending he had hoped for. But then why was he still aware? Why was he still thinking? All these questions and no answers were coming.
Sirius slowly opened his eyes, blinking back at the rush of… there was no rush. Nothing at all. Sirius sat up. Not even a head rush. What was going on?
Getting to his feet, Sirius expected to come face to face with the archway he had stumbled through. Instead he saw a tree. Well, part of a tree anyway. The trunk rose before him like a wall as the great gnarled roots twisted along the ground around him. Looking up and around, Sirius saw more trees reaching towards the sky. Or at least he assumed there was a sky. He couldn’t quite see the canopy above him; a dense mesh of shadows and leaves.
“This is not good,” he said aloud to the echoing silence. “In fact, I would say this is bad. Even horrible. No matter… that veil must be nearby.”
Sirius began to pick his way through the forest, watching carefully for any sign of the ancient archway. He had to get back through. He had to get back to Harry. What was going on at the Ministry? Was everyone all right? Sirius frowned slightly, deciding he had gone too far in this direction and aught to try another. But everything looked identical to him. In fact, Sirius wasn’t even sure if he was moving at all.
Sighing, he brought his hand up to brush a few strands of hair out of his face and paused. Perhaps it was just the light but his hand looked different. Paler… no, that wasn’t it… it looked… misty…? It was just his eyes. He was tired and couldn’t see straight.
“I think I should sit down for a bit.” Sirius had no idea who he was talking to, if anyone. But talking to a nameless someone who wasn’t there was something he had become accustomed to doing in Grimmauld Place over the past year. A wry smile crept across his lips as he thought about that dark house. Despite being lost, he was decidedly sure that this forest was infinitely cheerier than that hellhole confinement. Now that he thought about it, why should he rush to find his way back? If he stayed then he could forever roam this glade. If we went back he would once again find himself locked away amongst dark walls and even darker memories.
But Harry needed him. Remus did too, he thought. But they had each other, didn’t they? Remus would look after Harry and Sirius could stumble along in here all he wanted… until James smote him from beyond. Sirius sighed. He had to find that veil and he had to get back to Harry for the sake of James and Lily. He was Harry’s godfather; he had to be there for him.
Motivated by this, Sirius rose to his feet and once again began to pick his way through the forest, determined as ever to find that damnable archway. But once again he found nothing and once again he felt as if he were going in an endless circle, trapped in this place. Now he was starting to get frustrated. Just how big was this forest? And why weren’t there any paths? Where the hell was he?!
“I can sniff my way out,” Sirius deduced, thinking Padfoot could run much faster and with greater ease through the underbrush. But Sirius found he couldn’t change. He knew the magic but again and again and again nothing happened. He was human.
The last straw of Sirius’ temper snapped and he sank to his knees with a cry of frustration. Irritated and beginning to panic, he pounded his fist onto the ground, feeling the uncomfortable shock run up his arm. That’s when he noticed his hand the second time and try as he might to explain what he saw as being tired, Sirius could not bring himself to believe that poor eyesight was the reason he could see the leaves beneath his hand… through his hand.
Slowly the pieces fit themselves together inside Sirius’ head. Pale… misty… transparent… like a…
“Ghost,” he said simply, staring at his hand. He began to laugh, a great mad barking sound. He was a ghost - or at least it seemed to be that way. He was dead. Sirius Black, heir to the Black fortune and last of the ancient line was dead. And with that thought playing over and over again in what surely wasn’t really his mind, Sirius fell softly to the forest floor and into the darkness he had arrived in.
Someone was trying to disturb his sleep. Perhaps if he kept still and showed no sign of waking they would give up and go away. Still the shaking continued. Whoever it was most certainly was a persistent bugger. Grumbling, Sirius opened his eyes and came face to face with a startlingly familiar shock of black hair, thin-rimmed glasses, and warm hazel eyes. Sirius thought he was about to have a heart attack and die from what he saw but then remembered he was already dead.
“It’s about bloody time you decided to wake up,” the premonition spoke. He was pale like Sirius, misty like Sirius, and ever so slightly transparent like Sirius. Now he knew he was definitely dead or else that was certainly not James Potter bending over him.
James… Fear flooded through Sirius immediately. He was not ready for this - was not prepared for this moment. It was his fault James was dead. He, Sirius, had killed him by convincing James to confide in Peter. He had been haunted for years at the thought of what his best friend thought of him. Did he blame him for his death? How could Sirius plead his case and ask for forgiveness? Sirius had not yet come to an answer. And he was not ready to face this problem.
“James… I…” was all he managed to say.
“I wouldn’t believe it until I saw it all myself,” James said. “But here you are. Fancy that. Amazing, really. And in the middle of nowhere.” He frowned. “So, Sirius, what’s your explanation?”
Sirius felt like he was in front of the firing squad. Now, at the end of the line, he was faced by a very unhappy James Potter. This was becoming more and more like a bad dream.
“James… I…” Sirius could still not get past those words. His voice was cracking. He was on the verge of tears.
James’ expression softened. “Padfoot…”
“I didn’t know it was Peter!” cried Sirius. “I didn’t know it was him! I’m sorry, James. I was a coward and everything is my fault!”
James looked taken aback but then a look of understanding washed over his face. He crouched, levelling himself with Sirius.
“It isn’t fair to blame that on one person, Sirius,” replied James slowly. “What happened was unfortunate but you can’t change the past. And there are more important matters at hand. What are you doing here?”
Sirius blinked, sniffling quietly. He thought the events of Halloween were important to be discussed… to clear his conscience. But James seemed to think there were bigger things to look at.
“I’m… l-looking for the veil,” said Sirius quietly. “I fell through and now I’m here. And I don’t know where it is to get back.”
“You’re a long way from that veil,” said James darkly, “and the better for it, I think.”
“But I need to get back to it so I can go through,” explained Sirius.
James shook his head. “We don’t go down to that veil and we don’t go through it. We can’t; it’s untouchable.”
“But Harry needs me,” insisted Sirius, “I promised I’d look after him for you and if I don’t get back…” Sirius trailed off, wondering why he was bothering to argue with his godson’s father over returning. If James didn’t want him to be there for Harry anymore then… well then that was that.
But James had fallen backwards, sitting flatly on the forest floor, gazing at the ground. His brow was furrowed in deep thought. He looked troubled.
“You shouldn’t be here after all,” he said thoughtfully, “that much I know. You are supposed to be seeing to Harry. But that veil… Sirius, you’re not whole here. Look at you; you’re like me.”
“I don’t understand…”
“This is the Great Beyond… you know, the place which comes after death. Or at least this is a part of it. You’re dead, Sirius, nothing is left of you but spirit. And as spirit you can’t go waltzing back through that veil and to the Living. I’m sorry…”
“But I didn’t come here as spirit,” Sirius said. “I was me. So where’s my body?”
James shrugged. “Damned if I know, Padfoot. I imagine it’s somewhere around here.”
“What if we found it?”
“Then I suppose you could go back. But that’s bending the rules.” James looked at Sirius meaningfully. “And we don’t touch the rules here.”
“But it’s for Harry.”
“This is a very big place.”
“We have all of eternity to search.”
James smiled slightly. “Well… you aren’t supposed to be here in the first place so… I guess we will.” He got to his feet. “Come.”
“This forest never ends, James,” said Sirius, rising as well. “Perhaps you could give me a boost up one of these trees so I could look around.”
“I know my way out,” replied James, smiling. “Keep close, Sirius, you don’t want to be alone here.” Not wanting to discover whether or not James was only teasing, Sirius hurried after his misty friend, once again wandering hopelessly amongst the towering trees.
Onward he mov’d, I close his steps pursu’d.
>>Canto II
Author: Melisus the Wee (melisus)
Genre: supernatural horror
Rating: PG 13 for frightening imagery
Character(s): Sirius Black and James Potter, with various other character appearances
Summary: Upon falling through the veil in the Department of Mysteries, Sirius' soul is ripped from his body. Reduced to little more than spirit, Sirius finds himself lost in the world beyond the dark veil: the Land of the Dead. With the help of his loyal spirit guide, James Potter, Sirius must pass through the darkest parts of this Netherworld to be reunited with his body and pass back into the realm of the Living. Based upon Dante's Inferno.
Chapter Summary: After falling through the veil in the Department of Mysteries, Sirius finds himself lost in a dark and endless forest.
Disclaimer: The characters appearing in this fic are the sole property of J.K. Rowling. I'm just having a little fun with them right now.
Chapter Index
I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI | XII | XIII | XIV | XV | XVI | XVII | XVIII | XIX | XX | XXI | XXII | XXIII | XXIV | XXV | XXVI | XXVII | XXVIII | XXIX | XXX | XXXI | XXXII | XXXIII | XXXIV
Beyond the Veil
Canto I
In the midway of this our mortal life,
I found me in a gloomy wood, astray.
The Inferno, Canto I, Lines 1-2.
Darkness was all he knew. It was everywhere, surrounding him on all sides. Where was he? Was he lost? He felt around him… solid… flat… maybe a little crumbly… Was this ground? Yes, yes that’s what it was. Ground - earth of some sort. But why? And how?
Red light. Yes, Bellatrix and her spell! Now it was coming back. A dark room… smooth stone floor and… a curtain? The veil - that tattered black veil. He had fallen. Fallen through that curtain. Done in by drapery? Wow, was that unfortunate. Not quite the ending he had hoped for. But then why was he still aware? Why was he still thinking? All these questions and no answers were coming.
Sirius slowly opened his eyes, blinking back at the rush of… there was no rush. Nothing at all. Sirius sat up. Not even a head rush. What was going on?
Getting to his feet, Sirius expected to come face to face with the archway he had stumbled through. Instead he saw a tree. Well, part of a tree anyway. The trunk rose before him like a wall as the great gnarled roots twisted along the ground around him. Looking up and around, Sirius saw more trees reaching towards the sky. Or at least he assumed there was a sky. He couldn’t quite see the canopy above him; a dense mesh of shadows and leaves.
“This is not good,” he said aloud to the echoing silence. “In fact, I would say this is bad. Even horrible. No matter… that veil must be nearby.”
Sirius began to pick his way through the forest, watching carefully for any sign of the ancient archway. He had to get back through. He had to get back to Harry. What was going on at the Ministry? Was everyone all right? Sirius frowned slightly, deciding he had gone too far in this direction and aught to try another. But everything looked identical to him. In fact, Sirius wasn’t even sure if he was moving at all.
Sighing, he brought his hand up to brush a few strands of hair out of his face and paused. Perhaps it was just the light but his hand looked different. Paler… no, that wasn’t it… it looked… misty…? It was just his eyes. He was tired and couldn’t see straight.
“I think I should sit down for a bit.” Sirius had no idea who he was talking to, if anyone. But talking to a nameless someone who wasn’t there was something he had become accustomed to doing in Grimmauld Place over the past year. A wry smile crept across his lips as he thought about that dark house. Despite being lost, he was decidedly sure that this forest was infinitely cheerier than that hellhole confinement. Now that he thought about it, why should he rush to find his way back? If he stayed then he could forever roam this glade. If we went back he would once again find himself locked away amongst dark walls and even darker memories.
But Harry needed him. Remus did too, he thought. But they had each other, didn’t they? Remus would look after Harry and Sirius could stumble along in here all he wanted… until James smote him from beyond. Sirius sighed. He had to find that veil and he had to get back to Harry for the sake of James and Lily. He was Harry’s godfather; he had to be there for him.
Motivated by this, Sirius rose to his feet and once again began to pick his way through the forest, determined as ever to find that damnable archway. But once again he found nothing and once again he felt as if he were going in an endless circle, trapped in this place. Now he was starting to get frustrated. Just how big was this forest? And why weren’t there any paths? Where the hell was he?!
“I can sniff my way out,” Sirius deduced, thinking Padfoot could run much faster and with greater ease through the underbrush. But Sirius found he couldn’t change. He knew the magic but again and again and again nothing happened. He was human.
The last straw of Sirius’ temper snapped and he sank to his knees with a cry of frustration. Irritated and beginning to panic, he pounded his fist onto the ground, feeling the uncomfortable shock run up his arm. That’s when he noticed his hand the second time and try as he might to explain what he saw as being tired, Sirius could not bring himself to believe that poor eyesight was the reason he could see the leaves beneath his hand… through his hand.
Slowly the pieces fit themselves together inside Sirius’ head. Pale… misty… transparent… like a…
“Ghost,” he said simply, staring at his hand. He began to laugh, a great mad barking sound. He was a ghost - or at least it seemed to be that way. He was dead. Sirius Black, heir to the Black fortune and last of the ancient line was dead. And with that thought playing over and over again in what surely wasn’t really his mind, Sirius fell softly to the forest floor and into the darkness he had arrived in.
Someone was trying to disturb his sleep. Perhaps if he kept still and showed no sign of waking they would give up and go away. Still the shaking continued. Whoever it was most certainly was a persistent bugger. Grumbling, Sirius opened his eyes and came face to face with a startlingly familiar shock of black hair, thin-rimmed glasses, and warm hazel eyes. Sirius thought he was about to have a heart attack and die from what he saw but then remembered he was already dead.
“It’s about bloody time you decided to wake up,” the premonition spoke. He was pale like Sirius, misty like Sirius, and ever so slightly transparent like Sirius. Now he knew he was definitely dead or else that was certainly not James Potter bending over him.
James… Fear flooded through Sirius immediately. He was not ready for this - was not prepared for this moment. It was his fault James was dead. He, Sirius, had killed him by convincing James to confide in Peter. He had been haunted for years at the thought of what his best friend thought of him. Did he blame him for his death? How could Sirius plead his case and ask for forgiveness? Sirius had not yet come to an answer. And he was not ready to face this problem.
“James… I…” was all he managed to say.
“I wouldn’t believe it until I saw it all myself,” James said. “But here you are. Fancy that. Amazing, really. And in the middle of nowhere.” He frowned. “So, Sirius, what’s your explanation?”
Sirius felt like he was in front of the firing squad. Now, at the end of the line, he was faced by a very unhappy James Potter. This was becoming more and more like a bad dream.
“James… I…” Sirius could still not get past those words. His voice was cracking. He was on the verge of tears.
James’ expression softened. “Padfoot…”
“I didn’t know it was Peter!” cried Sirius. “I didn’t know it was him! I’m sorry, James. I was a coward and everything is my fault!”
James looked taken aback but then a look of understanding washed over his face. He crouched, levelling himself with Sirius.
“It isn’t fair to blame that on one person, Sirius,” replied James slowly. “What happened was unfortunate but you can’t change the past. And there are more important matters at hand. What are you doing here?”
Sirius blinked, sniffling quietly. He thought the events of Halloween were important to be discussed… to clear his conscience. But James seemed to think there were bigger things to look at.
“I’m… l-looking for the veil,” said Sirius quietly. “I fell through and now I’m here. And I don’t know where it is to get back.”
“You’re a long way from that veil,” said James darkly, “and the better for it, I think.”
“But I need to get back to it so I can go through,” explained Sirius.
James shook his head. “We don’t go down to that veil and we don’t go through it. We can’t; it’s untouchable.”
“But Harry needs me,” insisted Sirius, “I promised I’d look after him for you and if I don’t get back…” Sirius trailed off, wondering why he was bothering to argue with his godson’s father over returning. If James didn’t want him to be there for Harry anymore then… well then that was that.
But James had fallen backwards, sitting flatly on the forest floor, gazing at the ground. His brow was furrowed in deep thought. He looked troubled.
“You shouldn’t be here after all,” he said thoughtfully, “that much I know. You are supposed to be seeing to Harry. But that veil… Sirius, you’re not whole here. Look at you; you’re like me.”
“I don’t understand…”
“This is the Great Beyond… you know, the place which comes after death. Or at least this is a part of it. You’re dead, Sirius, nothing is left of you but spirit. And as spirit you can’t go waltzing back through that veil and to the Living. I’m sorry…”
“But I didn’t come here as spirit,” Sirius said. “I was me. So where’s my body?”
James shrugged. “Damned if I know, Padfoot. I imagine it’s somewhere around here.”
“What if we found it?”
“Then I suppose you could go back. But that’s bending the rules.” James looked at Sirius meaningfully. “And we don’t touch the rules here.”
“But it’s for Harry.”
“This is a very big place.”
“We have all of eternity to search.”
James smiled slightly. “Well… you aren’t supposed to be here in the first place so… I guess we will.” He got to his feet. “Come.”
“This forest never ends, James,” said Sirius, rising as well. “Perhaps you could give me a boost up one of these trees so I could look around.”
“I know my way out,” replied James, smiling. “Keep close, Sirius, you don’t want to be alone here.” Not wanting to discover whether or not James was only teasing, Sirius hurried after his misty friend, once again wandering hopelessly amongst the towering trees.
Onward he mov’d, I close his steps pursu’d.
>>Canto II