Unexpected Findings

Chapter 2 - In which Sirius talks to a door

The kitchen was completely silent.

It took a few seconds for Sirius to work out what had just happened. Him and Remus. And then James was there, yelling. Oh no, James...

Before he had time to think, Sirius had sprinted across the kitchen towards the door. He was much faster than James, despite his speed on the Qudditch pitch, he could catch him. He could catch him and explain.

"Sirius, wait!" He was almost out the door, when Remus' hand on his arm stopped him. He turned to stare at him angrily, annoyed that Remus was preventing him from getting to James. He had to get to James. "L-Let him be for a bit. Let him get over the shock."

Sirius was ready to pull his arm out of Remus' grip and rush after James anyway. He stared defiantly into his face but Remus held his gaze, the pressure on his arm firm despite the waver in his voice. Eventually it was Sirius who looked away. Remus was half-expecting him to bolt anyway so he kept his grip on Sirius' arm a little after he had diverted his gaze and said quietly, "He'll come back, just give him time."

Sirius nodded sullenly, still not looking at Remus, who sighed and let go of his arm, turning away.

The back door swung open again for the second time in minutes and Sirius, noticing this time, spun around. His hopeful expression vanished, however, when Peter entered, round face gleaming red from the sun.

"What's going on?" he asked, his brow furrowed with his customary look of confusion. "I just saw Prongs legging it down the garden like he'd seen a werewolf!"

Sirius looked as if what he would like to do most just at that minute was beat the crap out of the small, plump boy standing in front of him. He mouth set in a mulish line and he was just about to open it to give a retort, when Remus caught his eye. He shook his head wearily. Peter hadn't realised what he'd said; there was no point.

Sirius contented himself by huffing loudly and slumping down in one of the kitchen chairs. Remus watched him as he ripped a bite out of one of the sandwiches in a very Padfoot-like way.

Remus sighed again and turned to Peter, who was looking at him hopefully. He was normally the one to fill Peter in on what he had missed or, more commonly, what he didn't understand. However, he had no desire to explain to Peter what had happened right now.

"James is just a little, erm, upset," Remus said. "He's gone out for a bit. He'll be back later." Peter still looked confused so Remus tried to change the subject. "Let's have some lunch, shall we? I'm sure James won't mind us starting without him."

******

There would have been a problem if James did mind them eating lunch without him, for he didn't return until past dark. Remus was beginning to get worried as the hour got later and later. Sirius had spent most of the evening pacing up and down the living room and Remus was sure that when Sirius ceased (if he ever did) he would see a worn stretch in the carpet which marked Sirius' promenade.

Peter yawned and stretched and Remus dragged his eyes (regrettably) away from Sirius.

"I don't know why Prongs invited us to stay over if he's not even going to be here!" he exclaimed around a yawn. "What time are his parents getting back tomorrow?"

"I don't know," Remus replied distractedly, his eyes now on the darkness outside. "I hope he gets back before then. I don't fancy explaining to Mr and Mrs Potter why their son disappeared." But that wasn't the only reason Remus wanted James to return soon. He was concerned about where James had got to and what he might do. He was unpredictable at the best of times, let alone when he was upset. And Remus was also concerned about what Sirius might do if Peter's oblivious cheerfulness were to continue much longer.

"Why exactly did he run out?" Peter enquired, but fell silent when Sirius growled menacingly.

It was at this moment that the front door banged open and the three friends heard footsteps as someone entered the house in a less than careful way. Remus stood up abruptly and Sirius, suddenly apprehensive, looked out through the living room door towards the hall. They waited in solicitous silence as they heard someone hang up their coat - an action which would normally have caused Sirius great amusement, as he was used to dumping his clothes wherever in their dormitory and insisted that James did the same - and kick off their shoes. Peter, who was naturally a little confused by his friends' strange behaviour, was the one to break the silent vigil by calling loudly, "Prongs! We're in here!"

James, however, didn't respond to his salutations. He came noiselessly down the hall and to the door of the sitting room, looking them all over with a grim expression on his face: from Peter, who was smiling broadly up at him; to Remus, whose forehead was creased with worry; and finally to Sirius who was looking, for the first time James had ever seen, anxious.

He stared at Sirius, unblinkingly. The animagus shifted nervously under his unfaltering gaze, but summoned all his courage - the courage he used when they were about to pull a particularly risky prank, the courage he used to use when his father raised his belt to him, and the courage he had relied on when he had finally told Remus that his feelings towards him weren't entirely platonic anymore - and started towards him, saying, in what he had hoped would be an understanding tone of voice, but which actually sounded more pleading, "James."

But it seemed that James could not bear it, for he turned on his heel and fled, for the second time that day.

"James!" Sirius called after him in a voice that now sounded quite desperate. He followed his friend at a run; out of the room and up the stairs where he had the door to James' bedroom promptly slammed in his face.

Sirius stood there for several minutes, panting, staring at the door in front of him. Why was James being so unreasonable? Sirius was supposed to be his best friend, wasn't he? So why couldn't he just talk to him?

Some of his normal vigour returning to him at the thought of this injustice, Sirius hammered on the door and yelled, "James! Won't you at least listen to me?" This was met by silence, so Sirius tried again. "James!" He was sure that he heard James kick something but there was still no reply. Slumping down on the floor with his back against the wall and his arms on his knees, Sirius took a steadying breath. Clearly getting angry wasn't going to work. Unfortunately, talking reasonably to people when he was so worked up was not Sirius' forte. Normally he just jinxed them. But he needed to try so, faltering a little and unsure exactly what to say, Sirius began to talk to the door to James' bedroom.

"I know this is probably a bit of a shock, mate. It was a shock to me, you know. But I'm not going to go into that. You probably don't want to know the details, considering how you just acted when you just saw us kissing. Because, you know, kissing isn't really a big deal for us anymore. I mean it's still fantastic! What I'm saying is we've been doing it for so long and stuff..." Oh, way to go, Sirius, I've bet you've made him feel so much better, said that annoying voice in his head that sounded a lot like his younger brother. Sirius took another steadying breath and went on, "Look we should have told you, but we-- I was afraid how you would act. You're my best mate and I didn't want - oh man, this is going to sound so cliché - I didn't want to scare you off." This was met by a snort from inside the room, but James didn't expand on that. "I'm sorry," he said, a lot more quietly.

Sirius heard James' bed creak and he could tell that he was sitting down. Probably leaning his elbows on his knees and burying his head in his hands, black hair tousled and eyes now more weary than angry. It's funny, Sirius thought, how we know each other so well but he didn't work out, didn't even suspect, what was going on right underneath his nose. And suddenly Sirius felt like crying. He meant what he had said, he should have told James because James was more than his friend, he was like a brother to him. He had been there through thick and thin, from when Sirius got his first crush to when he left his parent's house alone and desolate. I guess we really are growing up, he thought.

"H-how long has it been going on?" asked a quaky voice that sounded nothing like the confident, self-assured James that Sirius knew. He was pulled out of his reverie and almost stumbled over his words in his hurry to get them out; now James was talking to him he wasn't going to let the opportunity pass.

"About, erm, seven months. It started in the Christmas holidays when you and Peter went home and Remus and I stayed at school."

"So you and Remus are-- are sort-of dating?"

"Kind of, yeah. Except we don't really go on dates, not like you would with a girl. Because, well, people would start to ask questions if we were seen in Madam Puddifoot's holding hands and snogging over our coffee. But it's just the same as with a girl, 'cept a bit different when it comes to, erm, 'getting physical'."

"So you're serious about each other then? It's not just fooling about?"

"Yes, we're serious."

"Okay." There was silence for a moment and then Sirius heard movement. The floorboards creaked as James got up and walked across the room to the door. He opened it and Sirius jumped up, looking both hopeful and apprehensive. Was James going to deck him? "You have to understand, this is a lot for me to take in."

"I know," he replied, shifting nervously.

"And it may take some time for me to get used to it, so don't go telling me loads of gross details and snogging in front of me and stuff."

"I won't, I promise."

"Okay, then." James smiled and extended his hand towards Sirius.

Sirius shook it, grinning broadly. "Okay," he said, relief flooding through him. "Thanks."

~ The End ~