Over the years, the wizarding world has lost some of the greatest ever to walk the earth. There is not a person or family who is unable to easily name several witches and wizards who have either been killed in the wars that have decimated the population, or have been lost to age or illness. Brilliant minds have disappeared but have not been forgotten. These names can range from the well known, such asAlbus Dumbledore, to the obscure, like Laverne de Montmorency. It is common now to read about several deaths and disappearances in the papers each week.

Amazingly enough however, over the past few months there are have been reappearances from those considered lost. Names and faces have emerged from the ether, persons the wizarding world as a whole regarded as gone. Some of these names carry famous stories, such as that of Sirius Black, convicted and pardoned murderer who spent thirteen years in Azkaban for crimes he was eventually cleared of. Others, like that of Percy Weasley and TheodoreNott , are less well known but equally as mysterious. One has to wonder where these men were for the months or years they were absent from our world.

Sirius Black's story is both well known as well as shrouded in myth. His tale is riddled with half-truths and outright lies, and it can become hard to separate the fact from fiction. It takes some sifting to find the light through the murky waters surrounding his life.

Born to a prominent pure-blood family, Black grew up in an affluent home. His family were vehemently proud of their blood status, and made no attempt to hide their dislike of non-magical people. Sorted into Gryffindor when he reached Hogwarts, it soon became clear that Black did not share the same views of his family, and it is rumored that at an early age he severed his ties with his family and moved in with best friend, James Potter.

"The Blacks were depressingly typical for an old pureblood family - stern, rigid, unforgiving... bigoted." Black shook his head, a look of wonder on his face as he recalled his childhood in the oppressive Black household. "I shudder to think how I might have turned out it I hadn't have had James [Potter] about growing up, or Remus [Lupin] and Hestia [Jones] later."

The rest of Sirius Black's life has been retold in books, novels, and even children's stories. As the tale goes, Black gave the location of his best friend and his wife, Lily Potter, to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. This information resulted in the couple's death, but also in the downfall of the dark wizard by the future Boy Who Lived Twice, Harry Potter. When an arrest attempt was made by the Ministry of Magic, Black destroyed an entire street, killing twelve muggles as well as childhood friend PeterPettigrew . He spent the next thirteen years in Azkaban before escaping from the fortress in 1993. A mere two years later, Black was killed at the Ministry of Magic during a battle between escaped Death Eaters including current escapee Bellatrix Lestrange, and The Order Of The Phoenix.

How much of this tale was truth and how much was lies became clear soon after the final defeat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named at the hands of Harry Potter. Sirius Black was posthumously pardoned of all crimes he'd previously been convicted of when Potter, as well as several high ranking members of the Ministry of Magic, vouched for his innocence. Though not all the details of his absolution are known, it is knowledge that Black was not the one who turned on the Potters, resulting in their deaths. His years spent in Azkaban were on false and trumped up charges. He spent the two years after his escape hiding from the Ministry, who were intent on hauling him back to the wizarding prison.

His death in 1996 was hard on Potter, the godson he'd finally begun to form a relationship with. Luckily, the man was able to connect with the boy before his death during those two years.

"It was wonderful and heartbreaking at the same time. Getting to know [Harry] was amazing. It was as if someone had taken the best of James and Lily, and created this amazing little person." For two years while Black was on the run from the Ministry of Magic, he and Harry grew close. Their relationship, however, came to an end during a battle in the Ministry of Magic.

Black does not remember much of the night he was declared dead. "I remember dueling [his cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, nee Black] in the Death Room. I had her beat, but instead of putting her down like I should have, I played with her like an idiot. One bludgeoning hex later, and I was sailing through that damned Veil."

The specifics of his return from the dead can only be discovered from asking the man himself. When asked where he was for the eight years he was considered deceased, Black remarks: "It was three very long days of gray, surrounded by the dessicated husks of the others who'd been tossed through. From what the researchers at the Department of Mysteries said, the Veil was just an early experiment in space expansion charms. I'm not sure of the mechanics, but they said that it apparently expanded time as well." Black laughs. "I spent eight years in what was basically amounted to a prehistoric larder."

He goes on to say, "I spent three days walking toward the exit. It was basically a monstrously huge, featureless gray room. Near the end, I was getting a bit nervous. Three days without food or water, and the exit was still a long way off. Then suddenly, the light at the exit started rushing towards me... It ejected me and the rest of the unfortunate [expletives] at fairly high speed."

Returning to a world in which eight years have passed was not easy on the Gryffindor. "[Returning was] disconcerting," Sirius said, his expression thoughtful and considering. "Pretty good though, on the whole. Voldemort is gone. I've been exonerated, at least to an extent, so I'm not on the run anymore."

Pardoned during the time he was considered dead, Black is now faced with a future in which he has no criminal record to hold him back from his goals and aspirations. For a forty-three year old, who looks no older than the thirty-five year old who disappeared behind the veil, almost anything is possible. What does Black plan to do with his limitless future?

"Aside from getting my things back from the Ministry? I hadn't really thought too much about it yet, to be honest."

Luckily, Sirius Black has plenty of time to decide.

Eight years is a formidable time for one to be lost before they are found. For some, however, even a few months can seem like a lifetime.

In a world that has already been ravaged by two long and bloody wars, it comes as a shock to think that we may be on the cusp of another battle. As in the past, the Ministry has gone out of their way to make sure the wizarding public is unafraid of what is lurking in the dark, rumbling just under the surface of the seemingly peaceful times we are currently living in. However, more and more evidence is emerging that our bloodless calm may be a front for a much quieter and dangerous foe.

Perhaps no one knows this better than Theodore Nott. Officially, Theodore Nott, a twenty-four year old who is currently working at the clinic Healing Hands in the town of Hogsmeade, died in a muggle automobile accident on December 24th of 2002. For nearly seven months, those who knew Nott mourned his loss and slowly began to move on from their grief.

Nott, however, was unable to move on. For seven months, the healer and Slytherin graduate from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was held prisoner by persons uncertain and unclear to him. Cursed with hexes meant to disorient, he slowly began to understand what had happened to him. "I don't know how long it was before I figured out no one was looking for me. I figured out fairly quickly what happened."

The months Nott spent in what some could consider a labor camp were harsh. "I was in a room with three others. We slept on the dirt floor at night and made cauldrons by hand during the day." The reasons for his abduction were foggy at first, but became clear over time. "When they tried to correct my behavior through memory charms and mind-altering potions, I figured it out pretty quickly. I was not behaving like a properpureblood, but I'm resistant to obliviations and stuff like that. They worked us all hard and punished resisters. Luckily for me, I learned silent resistance in Slytherin house... Nothing much was ever said, but I have always been able to read between the lines."

While the existence of the camp has not been confirmed by the Ministry publicly, records from the archives confirm that several people were liberated and 're-discovered' in mid-July. Unfortunately, the names of witches and wizards who were lost or killed on that day have greater numbers. During his months as a captive,Nott said survival itself became important. "I just watched, collected. I knew if I survived anything I had seen would be of use to their enemies later. You know that saying? The enemy of my enemy is my friend? Exactly."

Since Theodore Nott's return, he has done nothing more than wish for his life to return to normal. This, however, is easier said than done. The healer, who spends his days fixing the ills of people who are also at risk of being abducted, simply wishes for people to know what he, and many others, have gone through. "It really happened... there were so many times I dreamed other stuff that seemed real only to wake up there... [having] pure blood doesn't make you better. I saw the worst in humanity on some of the most pure blood this year."

While discussing the return of people previous thought deceased, one name has nothing but whispers surrounding it. Percy Weasley, son of Molly and Arthur Weasley, was considered dead for the past six and a half years before his sudden reappearance. His return is mysterious, to be sure. However, Mr. Weasley has declined to comment on where he was during the time his grave sat empty. He has requested this privacy be maintained. The Herald respects his request and have made no further attempts to intrude in Mr. Weasley's life.

Whatever the reasons for their mysterious returns, the wizarding world has been gifted with the restoration of these notorious and talented men.