170 ‘The Man Who Pierced The Veil’

Standing motionless I wait as I watch the two creatures wrap around my side slowing down as they approach my ring of fire. Slowly I turn my head to see the figures, two black-as-night Thestrals are approaching me with curious eyes.

My calmness shatters as I see the leading thestral step into the flaming ring without pause. I quickly motion to cancel the spell but am surprised to see that the thestral steps through unharmed and the one behind it quickly follows suit.

As it nears me it lowers its head before bobbing it up and down as if asking me to stroke its mane. I smile as I oblige and gently pat its head as the thestral leans into my head as if insisting on me.

"Hey buddy, are you one of Hagrid's? Why are you so far from your herd?"

As if following the lead of the first the second thestral lowers its head to me waiting for pats. Of course I use my other hand to pat its head as well. I know thestrals are smart enough to understand what someone means by their intentions but these two haven't responded.

'Are these two not a part of the herd Hagrid watches?'

After thinking for a second I realize I was supposed to sneak a book out of the restricted section tonight.

Moving my hand to their chins I speak again, "Sorry, I have to go, otherwise I wouldn't mind keeping you two company."

The eyes of the thestrals seem to show intelligence as they understand my words. With a horse-like neigh the first one turns around and softly flaps its wings once, the second quickly follows suit. After a small hop, the two propel themselves into the air at a speed that rivals my fastest in dementor form.

I sigh with a bit of regret as I dismiss the ring of fire and transform into my dementor form. Covering myself in my shroud I fly towards the school and head towards the library.

Even with access to the restricted section, there are some things I don't want people to know I'm looking at. I saw it while looking through rune books but didn't grab it.

Once inside I quickly find the book on the shelf where I left it, 'The Man Who Pierced The Veil'. Reading the title I drop it on a table and transform back to human form. The book is thin with a simple black cover and plain twine bindings.

Pulling up a chair I open the book and read the first few pages.

"My name may be unimportant but I am not. I am the man who has stepped beyond the gate, a man who has entered the realm of death and returned alive. I am a man who met DEATH.

This book is not to expose my work in the department of mysteries, but to tell the story I have desperately held within. I am a member of the department of mysteries, an Unspeakable. I was the leader of project GATE, a project meant to find the mysteries behind the veil between life and death.

As all Unspeakables know, peering into the veil will show you the visages of the dead. Those who walk beside you even after death, be they friend or foe. I myself only see my grandmother and grandfather, but my colleague is able to see the dark wizard he killed in his days as an Auror.

The thought behind project GATE, is that if we can perhaps see the dead through the gate, we may be able to retrieve them as well. It is a simple premise, but difficult in practice. It seems that walking into the Veil is easily accomplished but returning… that was where the problem stemmed.

Throughout our project, the new minister of magic Harold Minchum, was putting pressure on us to bring him more results. Some nonsense about the rise of a new dark lord. His and the ministry's job was unrelated to me, as my only goal was the Veil. Though I do admit his pressure was a factor in my dull-witted actions, I do not blame him in the least as it was my choice.

On Friday the 9th, of January 1976 I decided to give the ultimate sacrifice for the project. I myself would give my life to find a semblance of truth behind the veil. My obsession had gotten a bit out of hand, I admit, but my life is nothing in exchange for the knowledge of death.

Many times we tied a rope around the neck of an animal and tossed it in. Each time the line would go slack and we would rein in nothing. But we have never done the experiment on a person and I was willing to try, so on that day I wrapped the rope around my waist and gave my lessers a nod of gratitude.

As I stepped onto the dais I felt my blood run cold, a place I had stood a hundred times before became a place of fear. I stepped forward towards my death, the Veil appeared particularly frightening that day as its ethereal stands of light shifted and faded along the nearly transparent gateway.

Within a step of the Veil, I could see my grandparents giving me a smile as if greeting me. Their smiles quickly faded as my hand reached out towards the Veil and I continued forward. As my hand entered the realm of death I felt an immediate cold pain down to my very bones but I continued forward.

Quickly I stepped forward pushing my whole body into the Veil. A shock ran through my body along with a spark of pain that quickly faded, I fell to my knees as the cold feeling swept through my whole body and I felt unable to breath or move. The rope connecting me to the land of the living fell slack as it phased through my body as if I was no longer a physical being.

All feelings of inhibition and emotion left my body as I struggled to feel anything around me, there was no air, no breeze, only stagnation. As if I were in a viscous ocean of nothing, the world around me seemed to bear a weight itself. Looking up I saw the ethereal visages of my grandparents, they seemed unable to speak. Instead, they looked off into the darkness with fear present in their eyes.

'How are they feeling fear?' I thought as almost no feelings were left in my body. No longer caring about the world of the living I peered forward towards the infinite expanse of darkness. The longer I peered the more clear the figures became until I felt as if I were looking at an object only a few feet away.

On a throne built out of stone sat a shadow-cloaked man with blonde hair and a chiseled face; although he was not much larger than me, he felt powerful, as if I must bow before his presence. He sat leaned forward peering down at a boy with his head resting on his fist and an arrogant expression on his face, no, perhaps it was disgust?

The kid appeared to be no older than a Hogwarts graduate, the boy's eyes were closed but a shadow very visibly rested on top of him as if protecting him from the gaze of the man. Trying to stand I got up to a knee trying to remain as silent as possible. Without me noticing my grandparents had disappeared from my sides and I knelt alone in front of the shadow-clad man.

As I moved to raise myself again the man's eyes snapped towards me and the emotions I had just lost rushed back to me. Fear. 'I must run, I must escape, this is Death, I have made a grave error!' My mind screamed as my mouth was unable to speak. As Death's eyes met mine I could see an infinite expanse of light behind the green irises, a grin slowly crossed his face, and I felt my nonexistent blood run cold.

'A wise man, to kneel before a God.' His soul-shattering voice echoed through my ears.

My ethereal form trembled as I felt the fear shoot through my body. I lowered my head, not allowing my eyes to meet him. Instead, I looked at the infinite black nothing of the 'floor'.

I wasn't able to see it but I could feel his grin growing at my actions. 'I have no need for a second servant… Ĺ̷̘̗̠́̾E̴͖̗̣̾̽̏Ȃ̴̘̀V̸̻͔̼͐͊͑E̵͔̠̐̓͘!' At his yell, I felt as if my soul was being torn asunder, I looked up at him in fear. This black misty cloak projected from his body and pushed me back through the Veil.

Light returned to the world as I gasped for air as black tendrils blasted me out of the Veil. Landing back on the stone dais I heard the yells of my lessers as I watched the tendrils slowly creep back into the Veil leaving not a trace. My body ached as if it was just broken in every place imaginable but the pain is not what I thought of. The only thing I could think was:

'This is not a gate… this is a Throne."

Closing the book I pause for a long moment unable to take in the information I just read. The only thing I can think about is the wonder of what is the Veil, and if that was really Death? And if it was then was that me at his feet? So many questions with no way to answer them, I have to go to the ministry of magic to find them…