The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix - Part Two

Definitely Evans

"Sirius?"

There was a hand on his shoulder.

"Sirius!"

The voice was but a whisper, persistent but hushed. The hand shook Sirius's shoulder and Sirius groaned in protest to waking up.

"Please, mate..."

Sirius opened his eyes ever so slightly, the slits minuscule and blocked by his lashes.

James Potter stood over him, face tear-stained and blotchy.

Sirius was up in a second. "Prongs?"

James wiped his face with a palm, his mouth opening and closing helplessly, no words coming out.

Sirius bent over and grabbed his pyjama pants from the floor, shimmied them on beneath the covers, and got up, grabbing hold of James and tugging him from the room, leaving Remus Lupin alone in their bed. He closed the door behind them and flicked his wand over the hallway to create a silencing charm so the sound of his and James's voices wouldn't carry and wake up their mates.

"Prongs, what's the matter?"

James was in the living room, he was pacing, shaking, tears streaming down his face again... Sirius stood for a moment, then crossed the room and grabbed hold of his mate and pulled him into a hug, holding him tight as he could possibly make his grip. He could feel the tension in James's body and it had nothing to do with love magic, there was just so bloody must emotion coming out of the boy that Sirius knew there was no way to not feel it.

"James?"

"Sirius, it's Regulus."

"What?" Sirius stared at James.

"Regulus is at Mungo's and he's really --"

"Regulus is dead." Sirius's voice was cold, hard, and all the softness and compassion that had been in his face seconds before were instantly gone.

"Sirius, I know what you said before, but -"

"No. James. It is the end of fucking March. It has been three months. I buried him. He is dead."

"Sirius --"

"No."

"Greyback practically ripped his arm off him, Sirius, and the mediwitches are having trouble healing it because the werewolf venom is just strong enough so close to the full moon that his skin is resisting their spellwork."

"I DON'T CARE!" Sirius bellowed. His voice shook. "I don't give a flying fuck what happened to him! He chose to let me think he was dead for three months! He chose the Dark Lord over ME! His own brother. What am I supposed to do? Drop everything and run to cater to the little sodcake's needs every time he fucks up?!"

"Yes that's exactly what you are supposed to do, Sirius, he is your brother!"

"You're my only brother."

"He is your BLOOD brother."

"Hey we did the thing back in second year, remember? We share blood too."

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK YOU WILL COME TO MUNGOS AND YOU WILL SEE YOUR BROTHER OR -- OR --" James stammered, furious, then spat, "-- OR I WILL TELL MUM AND LILY ON YOU!"

Sirius stared at James.

A long moment passed, then both boys laughed in spite of themselves.

"Did you just threaten to - to tell on me?" Sirius demanded, "Like we're children? And to your mum and your wife?"

"I wasn't sure which of them you'd be more afraid of."

"Oh definitely Evans."

"Sirius? For real, though, all kidding aside. Please come to Mungo's. If for nothing else, we need you to sign paperwork and that muck. And he needs you."