Chapter 20: Hello, Sirius

The Potters and Sally were at the Ministry first thing the next morning. They came early so they would be the first to talk to Sirius. They were very concerned that Dumbledore would try to influence him. seeing as the old man was on the Wizengamot, it was in the realm of possibilities that he would get there first. That was the last thing they needed.

It was nine o'clock when Sirius showed up in the atrium. James immediately floated near him.

"Sirius," he said, his voice tinged with sadness. "Padfoot, it is good to see you again," he added, trying not to hold out his arms for a hug. It was painful to see the sad state his friend was in. Sirius looked like a skeleton with flesh. He was cleaned up, and his hair was trimmed. They had given him a nice, but plain robe.

The haunted look in his eyes made both the Potters wish they were flesh and blood. If only to hold the man and tell him that they loved him.

Sirius knew the Potters had come back as ghosts. Amelia informed him that it was them that saw that Peter was captured. So, it came as no surprise that they were there, but it was still hard to see them disembodied so. The grief and guilt he still felt was overwhelming. For years the memory of that last day played out in his head. Now, his best friend was standing in front of him, still dead.

"James," he croaked, his voice harsh from talking so much and years of disuse. He had been speaking to Bones all night, telling his side of the story and how he came to be captured and thrown in Azkaban. She was very upset that that had happened to him, and she vowed to find out the whys and wherefores, and see that justice was done.

"Sirius," Lily said, looking at her friend. She grabbed James' hand and they watched Sirius struggle with himself. James stepped closer to the man, Lily stood back, dropping her husband's hand.

"I am so, so sorry," the tired man cried, putting his hands over his face to hide the fact that he was crying.

"Padfoot, you have nothing to be sorry for," James said, putting his ghostly hand on his friend's shoulder. Sirius shivered but put one of his hands on his dead friend's, keeping the other over his eyes. They couldn't feel each other, but the emotions were there.

"But I…" was as far as Sirius got.

"No, you did what you thought was best," James said, interrupting what was sure to be a long apology. "Sure, you could have made better decisions, but we all make mistakes. Lily and I should have left the moment we knew that Harry was in danger. But we were too full of ourselves to run." He ran his hand down Sirius' arm, making the emaciated man shiver again.

"I regret so much," the dogman said, removing his hand from his face, tears still flowing liberally. He dropped both hands to his side. "I was just so angry, and I thought that Dumbledore would take care of Harry until I got the rat and made sure my name was clear," he explained with a weak smile.

"Dumbledore is on my shite list," James said, with a great deal of bite in his tone.

"What has he done?" the other man asked, looking around as if the headmaster was going to pop up any moment.

Which he did.

"Sirius, my boy," came the jovial tone of said headmaster. "I was hoping to talk to you," the old man stated, looking at James, Lily, and Sally with trepidation. He didn't like that they were already there and wondered if they had anything to do with Sirius getting free so fast. He had hoped that Amelia would investigate more.

"Albus," Sirius said, looking to his dead friend for guidance, since he had been away for so long. He still had no understanding of what was happening, insofar as the fact that James seemed to hate the man they once revered.

"Bugger off, you old fool," James said as Lily and Sally joined him. They had stood off to the side, letting James take the lead.

"Yes, Albus, kindly fuck off," Lily added, making everyone around her look at her in shock. Lily never cussed.

"Sirius," Sally said, getting the unsure man to look in her direction, "do you have somewhere to go?" she asked, not sure if they should stick around the Ministry. She would love to see the Potters take down Dumbles again, but Sirius looked so lost.

"No," the ex-prisoner stated, looking around for an answer to his problem. He was free, but not many knew he was innocent. He was sure that he shouldn't stay here. There might be a lynch mob forming if he hung around too long. Bones had told him that his story would be in the next day's Prophet, but until then he should keep a low profile.

"We can go to the manor," James said, knowing that his cottage had been pilfered by the Ministry. "I can still get us in," he added, looking to Sally for confirmation.

"That's a great idea," she said, and grabbed Sirius' hand. "I'll take us there," she added and with a smirk, she popped away with Sirius in tow. The Potters followed a minute later, long enough to give a nasty smirk to Albus.

"Blast and damnation," Albus muttered, careful not to say it too loudly. He had a reputation to protect.

Hphphp

They reappeared outside an ornate gate. It was tall and had the letter 'P' in an elaborate design on the wrought iron. The bushes and shrubbery were overgrown, and the lawn was waist high. Looking at it, one would know that it had been uninhabited for a long time. The last time someone lived there was James' parents, who had died from Dragon Pox when Harry was only a few months old.

James and Lily never lived here as a married couple. They had had their cottage and were content to stay there, rather than upend their lives at that time. It was soon after that, that they learned of the prophecy, and they decided to go under the Fidelus Charm.

"Well, here we are," the young woman said, letting Sirius' hand go. She bounced in place and was looking around at nature taking over. To her it was a beautiful sight.

"Who are you?" the man said, looking down at the young lady he had never met, who just did something that she should not have been able to do. That was not Apparation. It was too smooth, and she was too young to Apparate. She couldn't be more than twelve.

"I'm Sally," she chirped, which sounded different than when her persona was younger. "Or you can call me by my other name, Death," she said, morphing into her other form.

"Shite," Sirius said, looking at the skeletal man in long flowing tattered robes. His fear was great, seeing as he had just gotten away from the influence of the Dementors. His mind was so screwed up, that he was almost relieved that Death was there. However, he was free and didn't want to die just yet.

"Don't worry, you have a while yet. Well, now you do anyway," she said, going back to an eleven-year-old young lady. "I'm a friend of Harry's," she added, then pointed to the ghosts that had just joined them. "Therefore, I am a friend of theirs." She bounced again, making her ponytail sway.

"Still," the very worried Sirius said, not sure how to take the fact that his friends were hanging around a deity. No matter how perky she was.

"Let's get inside," Lily suggested, waving for James to open the gate.

James just tapped the lock on the gate, and it swung open. Even in death, he was still a Potter.

They walked up the path, which was lined with tall overgrown shrubbery, up to the large white house that was trimmed out in grey. It was three stories high and wide enough for three wings. It had seen better days; the paint was chipped and dull. The windows were dirty, and the draperies were filled with doxies.

"You can stay here with Harry," the male Potter said, opening up the door. They walked into a large receiving area, which had five exits, one to the stairs, one to the sunroom, one to the formal living room, one to the dining room, and the last to the kitchen. "Well, once we've got it cleaned up and ready." He looked around and was sad that the once stately estate was in such a condition.

"How are you two here?" Sirius finally asked the question that had been bugging him from the start. "I guess it has to do with her," he waved to Sally, "and Harry." He was exhausted and wanted to do nothing but rest. However, he still needed answers.

"Harry has not had a good life," Lily said, leading the way into the sunroom. "He was with my sister," she explained, sitting on one of the couches, not disturbing the years of dust, since she had no weight.

James sat next to her, and Sally took a chair with the same results. Sirius all but fell into another chair, causing dust to float up around him, making him cough a bit. However, he was too tired to care.

"Petunia," Sirius all but snarled, feeling more guilt than he had before. "Oh, gods, James, I am so sorry," he repeated, hanging his head in shame.

"Not your fault," James said, not leaving his chair, knowing that it would do little good.

"If I had only taken Harry and run," the morose man said, still looking at the floor.

"Yes, that might have worked, but we don't know what the outcome would have been. For all we know Dumbledore would have found a way to put Harry there anyway. You know how much influence he has," Lily said, kindness laced her tone. She hated seeing him this way. He was usually the more cheerful one of the Marauders.

"If only," Sirius started again, then stopped when Sally started speaking.

"Take it from me, Fate had plans for Harry. He wasn't in any danger, per se, when he lived with the Dursleys. Not to mention that I prevented it from escalating to out and out physical abuse. However, I truly believe that Fate would have found a way for him to be there," Death said, glaring at the ceiling as if to dare Fate to come and say different.

"I guess you would know," Sirius said, not totally convinced. Still, she was a deity, and she would know.

"Take my word for it," Sally said, looking back at the group. "I'm already in trouble with my boss," she said, gloomily. She would take the reprimand when it comes, but she didn't think it would be too harsh, more like a parent scolding siblings for fighting.

"Why?" Lily asked, tilting her head in confusion. She thought Sally was in command of her own self.

"Let's just say that I stepped on some toes since Harry entered Hogwarts," she offered as an explanation.

"Oh," said the still confused female Potter.

"Don't worry about it," Sally said, waving the concern away.

"Why did you wait until Hogwarts?" James asked the question they all wanted to know.

"His life wasn't in danger until then," was the answer.

"So, what now?" Sirius asked, looking to James like he had the answer.

"You take care of Harry," James said, like it was obvious.

"I'm not sure if I'm up to it," the dangerously thin man said, waving his hand up and down his body. "I'm not exactly a pinnacle of health."

"You have months to get better," Sally said, tapping her chin trying to think of a way to help him. She was death and couldn't heal. She did know a few deities that could but didn't know if they would. It was very rare that they interacted with humans. She only came to Harry because he was tied to the Perevells.

Not that that garbage about the Deathly Hallows was true, but they did make the implements related to her. A stone to call the dead, which was her domain. A deadly wand that was unbeatable, which was straight up bullshit. Not with how many times it changed hands. And a cloak to hide from her, which worked surprisingly well.

"Stay here a minute," she said, and disappeared. She reappeared in a different realm. "Fate," she called as she looked around at the swirling lights that made up her area. It was a waiting room, sorta. One could come here to talk to Fate, but they could go no further, unless they were a deity.

That being said, she skipped out of the psychedelic place and went to find her friend.

"Fate," she called again, going down some warped hallways. It didn't bother her; she was quite used to such things. "Come on, Betty, I know you're mad at me, but I need to talk to you," she said, looking through a doorway, and not seeing her target.

"Sally, I am so pissed, I can hardly look at you," a woman with long straight black hair said as she appeared in front of the young woman. She was wearing Roman garb of blue. "Why did you do it?" she asked, putting her fist on her hips, and leaning over the shorter woman.

"I had to. I'm sorry, I just reacted," Sally said, crocodile tears running down her face. She was in no way sorry she did what she did, but she did feel bad for making her friend mad at her.

"Oh, stop that," Betty said, turning and going down the hallway, leading Sally to a room at the end. "What could you possibly want from me? And what makes you think I'd do anything for you?" she asked, taking a seat behind a rather plain desk.

The office was simple, a desk, some chairs, and a filing cabinet that took up the rest of the room, and faded off into infinity.

"Look, I get I screwed up, but I got attached," Sally said, taking a seat in one of the two chairs. She started kicking her feet and had a small smile on her face. "I know, I know, I'm not supposed to, but he was so young and sweet. Come on, you'd do the same," she added with a smirk.

"I had such big plans for Harry Potter. He was going to be known as the next Merlin," Fate said, picking up Harry's file and flipping through it, reading what his fate was now.

"He still can be," Sally said, getting up and looking over Fate's shoulder, trying to see just how bad she had screwed up. "See," she said, pointing to the end, "he does alright."

"But, it wasn't my plan," Betty whinged, closing the folder and looking at her co-worker. "You ruined his fate," she accused, shooing the younger woman back to her chair.

"I know Harry can still be great, and I know how that could happen, without all the drama. Can you heal Sirius Black?" she asked, finally getting to why she was there.

"How will that help Harry?" Betty asked, folding her hands on her desk, and glaring at the other woman.

"So he can take over the care, and I can come home," Sally said, her tone tinged in sadness.

"You really did get attached," Fate said, looking at the grief in her friend's eyes.

"Yeah," the now gloomy Death said, letting her persona fade. Replacing it with her skeletal form. "I was only there to keep him from getting abused. I knew he was fated to greatness, and I wanted to help," he confessed in a firmer tone.

"It happens to the best of us," Betty said, waving the faux pas away. She had done it once or twice as well. "I'll help you, but you have to promise you will only visit Harry Potter and never change my plans for him again," she said, leaning over the desk to get in Death's face.

"Are you planning something that I would object to?" Death asked, getting up and making Fate back off.

"No, it'll be smooth sailing from here on out," Betty said, sitting back down and picking up the file again. She thumbed through it and changed a few things.

"I only have one concession," Sally said, going back to her young woman form.

"Oh, and what is that?"

Sally looked to her co-worker and got up again and whispered in her ear. Betty listened and then nodded. She made a few more changes in Harry's file and agreed.

They both nodded to one another, and then Fate snapped her fingers and Sirius Black III's file appeared. She made a few changes, making the man heal at an accelerated rate. He would be whole and hardy in only a few weeks. She even tweaked it to have the mental health improve. He would always remember the Dementors, but his mind would be clear.

"There," Fate said, putting the file down, and folding her hands again. "I'll take your promise now."

"I promise not to interfere with Harry's fate again," Sally said dutifully, holding up her hand and putting the other over her heart.

"Done and done. Now get out and leave me to my work," Betty said, making a shooing motion.

Sally, happy that things had gone her way, skipped down the hall back to the waiting area. She then popped back to the Potters' manor.

"There," she chirped as she appeared, scaring the life out of everyone, no pun intended, "You'll be right as rain in a few weeks," she said, taking a seat and looking at the already improved Sirius.

"I do feel better," the not so tired man said, looking around at the dirty room and sighing. He would have a lot of work ahead. At least he had his wand. They hadn't snapped it when they arrested him. Then again, he did have Kreacher. He could call that elf to clean the place. Maybe. He really didn't like the elf.

"So," Lily said, looking to Sally, "what now?"

"It's a secret," was all Sally said, winking at the dead woman.

"Bugger," Lily said, with a great deal of worry.

"Don't worry," Death said, getting into her male persona, "I'll make it all right," he stated, holding out his scythe like he was about to cleave something, or someone.

"Bugger."