An Exchange

Sirius Black felt nothing as he fell back. No pain, no vertigo....nothing. Then suddenly he was on his back looking up at a female who was watching him curiously. He remembered the battle and looked sharply to the place where he had seemingly fallen from only to see an open closet door and subsequent closet.

He rose quickly, momentarily forgetting the female watching him as he got up and searched the area for signs of magic and a way back. *Harry! He must have seen and be sick at heart!* How could he get back?? He looked about and saw an apartment decorated in tasteful colours. A muggle apartment! It reminded him of many a wizard’s home though with the things that were in there.…tapestries, crystals, and bottles of heaven knew what…

“What were you doing in my closet?”

What was that? A closet?? The female! Who was she? Oh Hell! This must be her home. What does she know about all this? Couldn’t he just apparate back? Maybe….but not now. Not in front of her.

“Never mind that. I need to get back home. Who are you, where am I and what do you know about all of this?”

“I am Kes Mills, this is my home and I have no idea WHAT you are talking about! “ Kes was getting angry at this point. How dare he interrogate her in her own home? “Who are you, how did you get into my closet and what the HELL is this all about?”

American. She was American by her accent. That meant he was…..but how did he get here?? Good lord! How long had he been gone? It didn’t feel like more than a few minutes at the most!

“I’m waiting….” This was said in tones that reminded him strongly of Molly.

“My name is Sirius Black, I have no idea how I got in your closet and as for what is going on….we’ll see. Won’t we? Are there any….wizards in your family? Or witches?”

“I am the closest thing to a witch in my family and what has that to do with the price of tea in China Mr. Black?”

“You’re a m..... with no knowledge of wizards and witches. Wonderful.” Sirius ran his fingers through his hair thinking hard and fast. He still had his wand and he knew how to contact the others if need be. Hell! He needed to Obliviate the poor girl and get back to the fight! They would need him in the up and coming war! He Apparated to just outside the Ministry. Everything seemed….different somehow. He got inside the phone booth and dialed the right number but the operator on the other end said that the number was out of service. How could that be?? He tried everything he could think of! He tried communicating with Hogwarts, Lupin, Moody, Tonks…..everyone. He Apparated back to the girl’s apartment in shock. What else was he to do right now? Where else was he to go? The girl accepted his presence back into her home quietly and without question setting a meal in front of him along with a cup of tea. He was grateful for all of this and was faintly curious as to why she didn’t ask more questions but his mind went back to the battle at the Ministry and his cousin. He kept mulling over everything that had happened, trying to find out what could have happened and why he could no longer contact anyone. Was he dead?
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Kes watched the stranger disappear as though by magic. *Magic? Hmmm…..magic.* She had recently become a pagan and magic was therefore something on her mind a lot. That and coupled with the Harry Potter sensation that had swept the nation. *Sirius Black? Was that what he said his name was? Could it be? Could it really BE?? No….*

A growing hope blossomed and bloomed within her. She quickly got it under control before it ran rampant within her mind and became her only thought.

*Think it through Kes! Think it through! How could he have gotten into your closet? The Veil??* A little voice prompted her. *Could be. How else?* Her mind drew blanks. *Well, we will simply have to wait and see if he returns. Won’t we?*

Kes began making dinner for herself and for her guest whom she hoped would return soon. She concentrated on hetiontions, purposely doing everything in a precise and measured way in order to keep herself calm. She concentrated on cooking the steaks and vegetables, making the salad and making sure everything he might want with his food was out and ready. He returned after about an hour and from the look on his face, now was not the time to ask a lot of questions. Questions that burned inside. Her curiosity would simply have to wait. She set the food in front of him and made him a cup of tea to go with it. He ate, but seemed not to taste the food or the tea when it got to him. Poor guy! She thought again of this evenings events. *He had just…..reappeared. Out of thin air…..Apparated.* She grinned to herself.

Despite the tragedy of Sirius having lost his entire world….she was thrilled! She couldn’t help it!! Sirius Black was right here in her apartment! She knew now was not the time to bother him with details, but she fully intended to take advantage of this situation as soon as circumstances permitted! She’d had the hots for this boy ever since she’d read about him in book three. She giggled girlishly in her mind. Oh she was terrible! She knew that….she just couldn’t help it! There he was all gorgeous and sexy…..the tragic hero and sitting in her living room eating her food. The poor little innocent lamb wouldn’t know what hit him! She’d take it slow but she fully intended to have him.

He was done sooner than she had thought, as she had been lost in thought and found him watching her as though trying to guess her thoughts.

“Yes Mr. Black? Would you like a shower before bed?”

“Bed.” *Merlin! Where was he going to sleep? On the couch?* His body protested this idea but it seemed like the only option. “I….yeah. Thanks. I really do….Why… HOW are you taking this so well? Do you know something I don’t? This doesn’t seem to be phasing you after all and I know that muggles usually don’t accept things like this so……nonchalantly!”

“AH-HA!!”

Sirius jumped back a bit at Kes’s outburst. *What in the world had gotten into the girl?*

“Muggle!! You called me a muggle! That just proves it! You are from the Harry Potter universe! I knew it! YES!! Oh my god! It’s real!! Sirius Black! Oh my *fucking* god!”

*The girl was obviously mad! Harry Potter ‘universe’?? What in the hell? No! No!! It couldn’t mean…..* “What do you mean Harry Potter ‘universe’? KES! Stop and quiet down a moment! What do you mean??”

“It means Sirius Black….that you are in another quantum….a different universe! One that watches…. documents, if you will, the goings on in your home universe. That can be the only explanation! See?” Kes ran over to her bookshelves and plucked one up for him to look at. “This is ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’. This deals with his second year at Hogwarts! I just got done reading ‘Harry Potter and the Order Of The Phoenix’ which is year five……you went tumbling through a mysterious veil in the Department of Mysteries! You were sent….here! Good, bad or indifferent Sirius….I believe that is what happened. I can think of no other explanation for what occurred and why you can disappear and reappear. You must be Apparating.” She shoving the book underneath his nose as his eyes widened in bewilderment. She seemed so….excited.

“Then…..why does this all seem to excite you so much? t yot you realize the reputation I have?”

“Of course I do you silly boy! I also know you didn’t do those things they said you did! It was Wormtail! Taking in Sirius’ dumbfounded look. “that was all covered in book three. Look I am happy because that means that you all exist! No…I am not happy that some tragic things happened but…..the fact that you exist at all is a wonder to me and thrills me to no end! You cannot understand what a wonderful thing it is to have proof that magic exists right in front of you! You’ve lived with it all your life! You have no idea what it is like to be a muggle who desperately wants to be able to do magic and longs to be in a world like yours!” Kes sighed in exasperation. *How could she get him to see?* “Look…just come and take a shower. We’ll talk about it all you want after that. All night if you want but I think a shower will make you feel better. We’ll also need to feed you up. You have been on your own and in dire need of food for too long!”

*This feels….unreal.* Sirius felt as though he were walking through a bad dream. One in which his entire world was turned upside down and inside out. Parallel universes? It had been theorized of course! Here was proof it seemed.