Keep Breathing ♢ James Potter

3 | Just like his sister

Harry Potter has lost a lot of people in his life. His mother, his father, Cedric. He'd been robbed of a life he never even had a chance to live. Whenever he got close to having someone he could call family, that person was ripped away from him.

"Get away from my godson!" Sirius shouted, leaping to Harry's side in the Department of Mysteries. After cursing the Death Eater, he quickly pulled Harry behind the nearest archway to take cover.

"Listen to me," Sirius said urgently. "Take the others and get out of here."

As stubborn as his father had been, Harry shook his head. "What? No, I'm staying with you."

"You've done beautifully," Sirius said, his voice firm. "Now let me take it from here." Despite how much he tried to convince Harry to leave, Sirius knew his godson wouldn't abandon him.

As they fought together, Sirius didn't see his godson beside him. He saw James—the same man he had lost fourteen years ago.

He didn't realize how much younger Harry was, or the fact that he had his mother's green eyes. In that moment, though, Sirius didn't think about any of that. He only thought one thing: he would not lose James again.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted, disarming Lucius Malfoy.

"Nice one, James," Sirius muttered without thinking. He didn't have time to process his words before a curse hit him square in the chest.

"Avada Kedavra."

For the first time in his life, Sirius wasn't afraid. As Bellatrix's spell hit him and he fell back into the veil, a surprising sense of comfort washed over him.

Sirius had been surrounded by death his entire life. Regulus Black. Marlene McKinnon. Lily Evans. James Potter. Everyone Sirius had ever loved, he eventually lost.

But it wasn't just the memory of those people that made him feel peaceful now. It was the memory of Astrid's death.

Before she died, Sirius loathed his perfect, little sister. Sirius was constantly reminded by his parents of how amazing his younger siblings were. Regulus followed the path of becoming a death eater and his younger sister had probably done the same. It wasn't until the day she died that Sirius's finally understood.

In her final moments, Astrid seemed more relaxed than Sirius had ever seen her. Throughout her life, she had always carried a burden of tension. She had faced harsh realities at a young age. Not everyone was meant to be a hero.

Watching Astrid slip away, Sirius learned something he'd never known: death wasn't something to fear. For Astrid, death was rest. She no longer had to fight to survive. She was at peace.

As she lay in James's arms, Astrid used her last breath to smile at Sirius and whisper softly, "We did it." Sirius never learned what she meant by that, but he knew she was at peace with her final moments. She had accepted her fate.

So, as he fell into the veil, Sirius made his peace. He decided to be like his little sister. Sirius Black would accept his death.

Because, let's be honest, what better way to die than fighting alongside his best friend...
one last time.