Aria Ashborn and the Deathly Hallows (A Harry Potter fanfic)

Chapter 13: The Wandmaker

Harry, Aria, Ron, and Hermione all sat on the sofa in the sitting room of Shell Cottage while Sirius took a seat in the armchair across from them as if on trial. Harry's eyes were narrow but not as narrow as Hermione's whose eyes were basically slits. Bill and Fleur listened at the doorway to the kitchen.

"I understand you're suspicious of me." Sirius started, "I would be too if I were you, so I'll get right to it. I didn't die."

"But we saw you fall through the Veil." said Aria.

"No one can survive that." Hermione added. Aria looked over at Harry. She wondered how he felt about all this...

"When I fell through, I fell right to the other side as if nothing had happened." Sirius explained and the others listened intently, "The only thing was, everyone had gone. I was completely alone in the chamber. When I went looking for people, I overheard some Snatchers, I believe they're called, talking about how you four had been captured and brought to Malfoy Manor."

Ron blinked, "You mean to say you traveled through time?"

"But that's impossible." Hermione stated, "Only a time-turner could do that. It's a Veil of Death--"

"No, it's a Veil of Time. At least, that's my theory." said Sirius. Hermione seemed at a loss for words. "It was down in the chamber because it was considered unstable and they were still gathering information on it. My theory is, when a person falls through the Veil, they are transported randomly in time."

"Why do you say randomly?" asked Aria, narrowing her eyes.

"There had to be a reason people thought them dead." said Sirius, "I was transported a year and a half into the future. Another may have been transported 30 years. It would take the Ministry 30 years to figure out that the person wasn't truly dead."

"Alright." said Hermione, "Say the Veil is actually of Time rather than Death. How did you escape from the Ministry?"

"Right." Sirius went on, "There was a swarm of dementors being kept in the larger courtrooms, down by the Department of Mysteries. Once they caught my scent, they broke free and chased after me. I managed to get away and in the chaos, snuck into Pius Thicknesse office and used his private Floo Network to escape and then apparated here." Aria and the others barely had time to process this last bit Sirius had said it so quickly.

"I apologize. I realize this isn't a very believable story." Sirius sighed.

"It isn't very believable at all." said Aria, crossing her arms wishing she had a vial of Veritaserum.

"I--I have my wand?" Sirius offered, indeed producing the dark wand with carvings in it. Hermione shifted slightly.

Harry did not look so unconvinced. "Tell me--Tell me--what did the rest of this letter say? What couldn't my Mum believe about Dumbledore?" From his pocket, Harry pulled a piece of parchment with cursive writing on it and passed it to Sirius. Aria made a mental note to ask Harry about this later.

"Let's see..." said Sirius, his eyes scanning the letter many times through, "I received many letters from Lily but I believe that she was saying that she couldn't believe Dumbledore had ever been friends with Gellert Grindelwald."

"Anyone could've found that letter and read it." said Ron to Harry.

"Or have guessed." added Aria.

"Tell me something only you would know." said Harry. His voice was unwavering but Aria knew in his heart that Harry was desperately hoping Sirius would answer correctly.

Sirius pondered a moment before speaking. "When you had the vision of Aria's father being attacked by the snake. Do you remember what you told me? You told me that in the vision, you were the snake." he said. Aria remembered this conversation clear as day. She had overheard it through the wall at Christmas time at Grimmauld Place. "And I told you, that we both have light and dark inside. What matters is--"