“What’s that?” asked Remus, because someone had to ask it and Sirius was in far too foul a mood (extra Transfiguration homework again) to do so.
“How about a little visit to Hogsmeade tomorrow?” she said quietly.
“Brilliant!” exclaimed Sirius, grinning for the first time in days.
When they arrived at The Three Broomsticks Sirius at once spotted just what he was trying to avoid: James. He was by himself in a corner, reading. Sirius ignored him, ordered their drinks, and sat as far from James as possible. Jocelyn and Remus made very forced conversation but Sirius didn’t pay attention. Instead he watched James.
Stupid prat. Well, it’s not my fault he’s too thick to realize things.
James stood and exited the pub without looking at Sirius.
Yes, go, Sirius thought bitterly. Go, and see if I care. Stupid git, can’t even wait for a simple explanation! Why can’t boys talk to each other the way girls do?
He saw a jet of red light outside the window and heard a yell.
I know it’s sappy, and Prongs would probably laugh at me if he could “
A hooded figure passed the window and it registered. The jet of light, the shout….
“James!” Sirius whispered, standing abruptly, suddenly alert.
Remus and Jocelyn looked at him, startled.
“What “?”
“Sorry “?”
“James, Death Eaters, help, fight!” Sirius was rambling. Jocelyn and Remus stared at him in confusion.
“James is a Death Eater?” asked Jocelyn perplexedly and rather stupidly.
“Help who?” questioned Remus, since that seemed a more urgent and less bizarre question.
“James!” Sirius shouted impatiently.
“Do what?” Remus asked, but apparently he understood even as he asked because his eyes got very big. “Aw, no!” he whispered disbelievingly.
“Boys,” said Jocelyn, looking from one frightened face to the other, “what’s going on?”
“James is being attacked by Death Eaters,” Remus explained calmly, never taking his eyes off Sirius.
“What?” said Jocelyn, looking at Sirius as well.
Sirius gave a frustrated snarl. Didn’t they understand? His best mate was being attacked! Why were they standing around talking about it?
“We need to help him!” he growled.
That seemed to be the cue Jocelyn and Remus had been waiting for. They followed him as he rushed outside. Tall, hooded figures were emerging from every shadow. James was standing alone in the middle of the street, blocking spells.
Sirius pushed Jocelyn behind him.
“Get her out of here!” he shouted at Remus.
“I can fight!” said Jocelyn indignantly.
“No!” yelled Sirius. They looked at each other for a moment that seemed to last an eternity. “This isn’t your battle,” Sirius whispered finally. “I love you too much to make you a part of it.”
Remus’s arm was around Jocelyn’s waist, he was pulling her away from Sirius.
“Sirius,” she whispered frantically. “Sirius, I love you!”
Sirius’s eyes snapped back onto hers.
“I know,” he mouthed.
A Death Eater lunged at Remus.
“Stupefy!” Remus shouted.
Two more came out of the darkness.
“Stupefy! Stupefy!”
Remus was jerking her along, they were almost to the door of Honeydukes. Jocelyn turned for a desperate last glance at Sirius, but a circle of Death Eaters had closed in around him and James, blocking them from her sight.
Sirius and James stood back to back, their wands raised.
“What do we do now?” Sirius hissed.
“Dunno. Fight. Run. Get captured. Die,” James suggested. “Any last words, Padfoot?”
“I hate you,” Sirius muttered and lunged out at the nearest Death Eater. “Stupefy!”
The Death Eater hit the ground, but three more Death Eaters were still advancing toward him.
“Protego!” he shouted, and three spells rebounded onto their creators. Behind him he could hear James fighting off others, but he knew he couldn’t help him, there were too many. Why in the name of Merlin had he let Remus leave? Oh, it had all sounded very fine when he was talking to Jocelyn, saving her from certain wounds and almost certain death, playing the part of the hero, but now he wished he hadn’t declined her help. He was honest with himself enough to realize that he and James couldn’t hold out against the Death Eaters much longer without some kind of assistance. He fought his way over to James for an impromptu conference.
“We can’t hold out much longer,” gasped James as they passed each other, James dueling furiously with a Death Eater.
“I know,” muttered Sirius, dodging a jet of light. “We need help.”
“Good luck finding that around here,” snapped James, frustrated.
Sirius frowned. He was forgetting something, he knew. Something important. A signal? No, that would just make the Death Eaters more dangerous, everyone knew that. A maneuver, something to make him more difficult to hit? No, he’d never heard of anything like that. A spell? Probably, but there were thousands of spells, he couldn’t possibly remember them all, just like he couldn’t possibly disarm all these Death Eaters, and “
Sirius froze. James blocked the jet of red light that had been aimed at him, but Sirius didn’t even notice. Of course. How could he have been so stupid? The mass disarming spell. It was considered a mild form of Dark Magic, and consequently not taught at Hogwarts, due to the fact that it injured and/or maimed the disarmed. Sirius had learned it from his parents. He was surprised none of the Death Eaters had used it yet, but he had noticed that, ironically, many of them weren’t nearly as skilled in the Dark Arts as he was. At any rate, he ought to use it before one of them thought to.
“Get behind me, get behind me!” he shouted at James. The nice thing about James, Sirius reflected, was that he didn’t question Sirius on things like that. Whereas Jocelyn would have demanded to know why before submitting, James simply and immediately darted behind him.
“TOTRUNCO EXPELLIARMUS!” bellowed Sirius.
Whatever the Death Eaters had been expecting, they had not been expecting that. The force of the spell threw back their hoods to reveal looks of mingled shock and fear as they were thrown to the ground, their bodies contorting into painful, unnatural shapes. Over two dozen wands soared through the air, landing in a pile at Sirius’s feet.
“Incendio,” muttered Sirius, burning them with a wave of his wand.
James darted out from behind him, muttered something, then turned.
“That was bloody brilliant, Padfoot,” he said complimentarily.
“Thanks,” said Sirius modestly. “You put the Anti-Disapparation Jinx on them, then?”
James nodded.
“Excellent,” said Sirius briskly. “Remus and Jocelyn should have reached the castle by now, Dumbledore’ll be here any moment.”
“I am already here, Mr. Black,” said Dumbledore, striding into view. “Excellent work, both of you. The Ministry is on its way now and will be most pleased.”
“Thank you, Professor,” said Sirius and James together at once.
“Are either of you injured?” Dumbledore questioned.
Sirius shook his head.
“Just a small burn,” James shrugged. “Nothing serious.”
“Excellent.”
“Er “ Professor,” said Sirius awkwardly. “We “”
“I have absolutely no desire to know how you came to be in Hogsmeade, Mr. Black,” said Dumbledore, smiling. “And I am sure the Ministry will overlook your offense when they see what a fine job you did. They will, in all likelihood, wish to speak to you about it and congratulate you personally, but I am sure the party your housemates are throwing for you will be much more fun. Therefore, I suggest you make your way back to the castle if you do not wish to be detained. I will call for you in the morning.”
“Yes sir,” they said together.
The two began the long trek back to the castle. There was a rather awkward silence.
“Er “” said James, when they reached the castle gate. “Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it,” Sirius muttered, staring down at his feet.
They continued on, neither looking at the other.
“Look, James,” said Sirius abruptly. “I’m sorry about “”
“It’s all right,” James interrupted. “I’m sorry I was “”
“It’s fine,” said Sirius.
They looked at each other, both grinning.
“I hope Jocelyn and Remus thought to grab some things from Honeydukes,” said Sirius.
“Probably not,” James reasoned. “And you know what that means, don’t you Padfoot?”
“It’s time to raid the kitchens?” Sirius questioned as they slipped into the entrance hall.
James nodded, and the two headed toward the bright corridor together.
A/N: Well, they’re friends again! Twelve reviews (from different people) = update!