Pure Sinners

James was out of leads.

This was not a new fact to anyone working in the precinct, least of all to James himself. He ran a tired hand over his eyes, pressing down until stars ebbed behind his lids.

Samuels smacked his lips together across the desk; a harsh noise only dampened by the crumbling bread of his turkey sandwich as it attached itself to his greying beard.  James closed his eyes, mentally throwing his curled fist into Samuels's masticating mouth. 

The violent urge passed eventually and James worked up the energy to rise from his desk. It was getting harder every time he stood from the crooked office furniture. Samuels did him the service of keeping his eyes directly on his unfilled paperwork as James struggled to find his footing after a night in front of his desk. The precinct was quiet; the holding cell at the end of the room was empty save for one spotty teenager and drunk tank holdout. Of the few officers still in the office, only three of them turned their eyes to James as he passed their desks. He smiled at them, that awkward little upturn of the lips most colleges do when passing each other in the office.

 James’s footsteps were steady, his eyes fixed on the door to the captain’s office as his mind replayed the facts of his current case.

The case was supposed to be relatively simple in the beginning it was classified as a small-scale drug ring, nothing fancy just some bored kids with connections trying to make some cash. All James needed was the name of their supplier and they could have walked with a slap on the wrist and a little community service. The problem came when each dealer he apprehended named someone else, who then named someone else. The ring grew and grew, James’s suspect list tripling in as many months. They eventually connected the dealers to a gang, which seemed to be growing in size and confidence rapidly.  The deeper James got in his investigation, the bolder the gang became, no longer just dealing drugs.

The gang who had nicknamed themselves ‘the Death Eaters’ were indiscriminate in the laws they broke, engaging in everything from intimidation to grand larceny.

The gang tag had begun appearing at crime scenes in early August, the graffiti the latest ‘F U’ to the London police. But the worst part about the investigation for James was the openness of their leader. 

Tom Riddle was in James’s opinion the biggest dickhead in the whole of England. 

Riddle was a local politician from an old family, who maintained his political standing through empty promises and under-table threats. Riddle's use of blackmail was well known in political circles as were his connections to the exposed members of ‘the Death Eaters’, who conveniently became unable to testify whenever Riddle's name arose. 

Tom Riddle was smart. He knew just the line to toe, he knew how far he could push the public and the police. He knew how to buy silence and ensure it held; It was because of this terrible trait that James could do nothing but grip at straws when trying to link Riddle to the criminal organisation. 

The captain's door was shut, though a light was glowing from the inside. James glanced at the clock on the wall; quarter to ten. He put his hand on the door handle and pushed lightly, stepping into the room quickly.

Albus Dumbledore was perhaps the oldest officer James had ever seen. He was tall enough, with grey hair and a bald spot everyone gallantly refused to mention. His skin was wrinkled and liver spots littered his exposed flesh. His eyes were of a dark blue and held an air of superiority which he made little effort to hide.

The door to Dumbledore’s office shut loudly and James looked to the walls, eager to delay Dumbledore’s displeasure at the meeting James had just interrupted. The paint on the walls was the same colour as Dumbledore’s hair and awards hung across all the available space. Diplomas and letters, framed in dark wood beside photos of Dumbledore alongside many political figures and elderly men James had no hope of naming.

James was counting the leaves on the dying plant beside the window when Dumbledore finally spoke.

“James” His voice was smooth, that of a man half his age.

“Sorry Sir, I should have knocked,” James said hurriedly, tail tucked between his legs as he span in the doorway. His hand rose towards the doorknob and he began resigning himself to having this conversation tomorrow. 

Or perhaps never, James could work with never.

His eager escape was halted as Dumbledore coughed, “What is it James?” He asked, with the kind of reluctance only a man of that generation could find. James sighed, most definitely not looking at Dumbledore's bald patch as he tried to find the right words.

“I give up” James almost face palmed as his mouth once again moved faster than his brain.

“I’ve got nothing on Riddle. I'm back where I started two years ago, with nothing to show for it except a handful of drug-dependent teenagers and permanent bags under my eyes! So I give up, I'm out. Give me something else, anything else and hand this case to Samuels.” James looked everywhere but Dumbledore's eyes as he spoke. His breath was coming in a little choppy and his heart was smashing against the side of his ribs. 

Dumbledore drew his eyes from a rather suspicious stain on the carpet with a chuckle and a wave of his pruned hand. 

“James, this is Pandora. Pandora this is the dedicated officer I was just telling you about”. Dumbledore’s straw beard moved as he spoke, smiling at the blonde James had not registered beyond his initial entry. 

“Hi” James said, a weak smile returning to his face as he waved his hand in a small arch. Her eyes widened and the blood drained from her face as she turned back to Dumbledore. 

“We’re going to die.” she declared eyes darting between James and the captain. 

“You're going to get me killed,” she said, eyes now locked on Dumbledore although James suspected the words had much more to do with himself.

“What’s going on captain?” James asked, grimacing slightly as Dumbledore gestured for him to sit beside the clearly uneasy girl. 

“James, this is Pandora Rosier. She has just gotten you an in into the Death Eaters.” Dumbledore paused as James’s eyes widened comically and he fought to keep his mouth shut. 

“Unless of course i must go inform Samuels of his new case” The captain finished, raising an eyebrow as his mouth soured around Samuels's name. James shook his head wildly, already hanging on Dumbledore’s every word. 

“Pandora and I have been in talks for a few weeks, She is a low-level member in Riddle’s operation. She has been trying to build enough of a repour to suggest a new member.” James held his breath, too enthused by the news to be bothered about being left out of the loop until now. “Yesterday Riddle asked to meet the respective member at the next meeting. Tomorrow. I was hoping that you’d be willing to..” James cut the old man off

“Of course!” his voice was likely a little to enthusiastic given the dangerous nature of the gang he was attempting to infiltrate but James didn’t care. He’d been waiting for a lead like this for the last two years and he’ll be damned if anyone but him gets to follow it. 

“Good.” Dumbledore declared, looking at his watch before standing slowly. “I’ll leave you two to get acquainted. When I return we will discuss communication channels and the evidence I need you to collect.” Dumbledore informed the two leaving the room swiftly, despite his patented loafers. 

James liked Pandora, she was a little shy and obviously in over her head. But she was detail-oriented, polite and eager to help so James gave her the benefit of the doubt. In Dumbledore’s absence, Pandora showed him the map that she and the chief had created of the Death eater headquarters and told him what she knew of the initiation process. Which James thought sounded a little too easy.

“How did you even get mixed up in this?” James asked the 18-year-old kid. 

“M-my brother. He got in some trouble a couple of years ago." she paused, "I thought I could help, but I was wrong.” Pandora answered, her left hand rising up to rub at the back of her neck. 

She was an earnest girl, with pale blonde hair and almond eyes. She had a strange way of dress, it reminded James of his old art teacher.  

James thought she seemed brave.

By the time Dumbledore returned, James found himself reluctantly impressed with Pandora and her insights into ‘The DE’. The discussion of emergency protocols and communication requirements was brief, with most of the initial communication falling to Pandora as surveillance on her would be much less than on James. The real trouble began when Dumbledore began discussing James’s new identity. Dumbledore was set against the idea of James keeping his first name but James was quite sure he would forget a false first name instantly. 

“Fine.” Dumbledore snarled “You’ll keep your first name and your time in the academy, we’ll have a dishonourable discharge from service on your record as well as some petty crime.” James internally recoiled at the idea of sullying his perfectly clean record as well as the implication that he’d been caught for his misdeeds but he said nothing, more afraid of Dumbledore’s rising eyebrow than he’d admit. 

Pandora was biting her nails as they spoke, the small pink Stubbs getting shorter with each word Dumbledore spoke. 

“Can i be an arsonist?” James asked suddenly, his eyes moving from Pandora’s hands to the electric blue eye shadow she had smudged around her eyes.

“I've always wanted to be an arsonist,” he said, leaning to her conspiratorially as Dumbledore glared across the table. Pandora giggled, her eyes brightening briefly as she pulled her hands into her lap. 

“Pandora says they tend to put those with fighting and medical higher up. When was your last first aid course?” Dumbledore asked him, nodding slightly as James reminded him the trainer came in every three months. “Field medical experience as well then, that way they’ll be sure to put you with an active team.” Dumbledore thought out loud, and James nodded. 

His knee was shaking with a strange mixture of anxiety and excitement. ‘Adrenaline junkie’ that's what his mother calls him, whenever she tells the ladies in her bridge club about his childhood antics. He was a boisterous child, always running into trouble and then running away from whoever caught him. His father had laughed himself silly when James had told him he was joining the academy, saying that he had always thought James would end up in a police station one way or another. 

Dumbledore had already offered to check in with James’s mother personally throughout the duration of his cover. The chief already a staple at their Sunday lunches after his longstanding partnership with James’s late father. 

Dumbledore sent Pandora home eventually, with strict instructions for the meet-up tomorrow and a burner phone to stash at her home.  

“Are you sure about this James? I can send someone else, it doesn’t have to be you” Dumbledore offered in a lull after Pandora’s departure. It wasn't a real offer, they both knew it would be disastrous to select another officer now but it was unusually kind of Dumbledore to ask. James nodded, strangely thankful for his superior. 

“Yes sir, I’m sure” James said with a smile a little too wide before he exited the office, eager to get home. 

It was decided that he would spend the first week or so without a way of communicating with Dumbledore and then once he was settled and the surveillance had stopped, he would collect a burner phone and some recording devices from Pandora. This meant that James needed to make a good impression tomorrow, so if he were to be killed, it would be later in the assignment, and they could at least have it as evidence.

Once he got home, James threw a couple of outfits into a black duffle bag, along with a little bit of cash and a half bottle of 'good' scotch that he hoped would survive the bag search.

A thump sounded against James’s front door, the sound was followed by another two in quick succession. Picking up his cricket bat from the hallway, he approached the front door. His eye pressed against the peephole as he tried to make out the blonde blur on the other side.

“Let me in arsehole” came a voice from the other side as James finally made out Marlene’s face. James sighed, resigning himself to his fate as he opened the door.  

Her hair was freshly dyed, some obscenely bright box blonde pixy cut that likely cost more than James wanted to know. “You could have put some trousers on before you opened the door, you know” she informed him icily, but James merely shrugged, walking slowly into his kitchen, not caring if she followed. She did, padding quietly behind him before making herself comfortable on his countertop as James pulled open the fridge. The beer was cold in his hands and he fumbled in the kitchen drawer for an opener before he handed the drink to Marlene.

The silence was thick, filled only by the sound of his bottle opener as he popped the top off his bottle. 

“I take it you heard then” he inquired, already cursing himself for bringing up the one thing he didn't want to talk about with her. 

Their eyes locked, neither one wanting to lose the battle of will. Marlene broke first, taking a long sip of her drink. “I did.“ Her voice was chilled, as she lowered her bottle from her lips. A thick red ring of lipstick coating the top.  “I get that this assignment is important. I just don’t see why it has to be you”. 

James sighed. He shuffled his bare feet against the wooden floor. James wasn't surprised that Marlene couldn’t see why it had to be him. He and his sister didn't see eye to eye on much, in fact, they didn't see eye to eye on anything. Their arguments were famous in his childhood village, the neighbours often slipping bets to his mother on who would win. 

It was always Marlene. 

“Why couldn't Smith do it, or Samuels?” She asked, staring into James’s soul. 

“Samuels really?” James couldn't help but parrot, outraged at the very suggestion. 

“Samuels couldn't be undercover in Helen Keller’s house” He watched her from under his lashes as he brought his beer to his lips. Marlene's frown deepened and she bit her bottom lip, trying to hold on to her righteous anger. “It’s not funny,” she said, shaking her head.

James sighed again, wishing he’d just left her banging on his door. “Look if mum sent you into bulling me out of it..” she scoffed loudly. 

“Mum doesn’t know” Marlene told him graciously, “Dorcas told me about some super secret meeting in Dumbledore’s office and Martin. You remember Martin don’t you?” Marlene paused briefly, not waiting for an answer before she continued. “Anyway, Martin said he’d seen a girl leave Dumbledore’s office and that he’d booked her a couple of months ago for possession but that Dumbledore had dropped the charges.” Her eyes raked in James's tapping foot and she smiled. “Was pretty easy to put together after that, and Dumbledore calling Mum and explaining you’re needed on an out-of-office duty and may be unreachable, was highly suspicious on its own.” 

“What time you got work?” James inquired half an eye on the kitchen clock.

Marlene shrugged, “Got a booking for 12 but not much else”. James nodded, leading his sister into the sitting room. 

Marlene's work was much more lucrative than his own, She was what they called a ‘mystic’ and made her money reading tarot cards, palms and futures to weirdos. James thought it was all a little mad but as long as people were paying he supposed she could be doing worse. 

The TV tuned into some abhorrent sitcom, which James was sure had been on air for the last 20 years.

”I have to do this, Mars”, James said to the TV after stewing in his thoughts for a little while. “Alright” She said simply, turning to face him “I’m still telling Mum” she finished and James felt a smile lift his lips. “Or you could not?” He whined, drawing out the vowels. Marlene snorted loudly as she stood, storming into his kitchen and helping herself to his food. 

 The two spent the next few hours catching up and watching tv before James kicked her out to get some sleep. 

Ready for his new life to begin.

Pandora looked pale.

She was swaying in place with her eyes closed when James turned into the mouth of the alley. Her back was pressed against a grimy brick wall which belonged to an out-of-business warehouse. Her fingers were shaking, her dark green polish showed chips which James struggled not to mention as he approached.

She paused, staying so still James was sure her breathing had stopped before she shook her head. She swallowed hard before she opened her eyes. “This way,” she said, moving further into the alleyway on shaky legs. The streets all looked the same the only discernible difference being the wonderful graffiti James could see littering the walls. The walk wasn't long but each step echoed in James’s head, something like a drumbeat in his skull.

Pandora stopped abruptly, her head swinging quickly to the left where a small metal service door lay half hidden by rubbish. A rusted fire assembly point sign the only indication that the building had at one point been habitable. Pandora approached the door with small steps, her fist knocking a little too hard into the metal. James tried and failed to find a pattern in it. 

Freckled fingers wrapped around the edge of the door as it swung inwards.  He tensed, stepping towards Pandora with clumsy footsteps.

“Pandora” came a distinctly female voice from the doorway and James watched as Pandora took a deep breath. The tension fell slightly from her shoulders as she smiled into the opening doorway. 

The girl was tall, taller than Pandora by quite a bit. Her hair was ginger, with thick, voluminous strands that formed slight curls about her ears. Her eyes were a startling green, captivating James as she caught him staring. Her eyes roved over his frame quickly, and James felt more self-conscious than he ought. She quickly turned back to Pandora and James was left with the distinct impression he’d failed a test he didn't know he was taking. 

“This the newbie you were talking about” Her voice was tempered but her green eyes held a slight warmth as she looked to Pandora. Pandora nodded and smiled, revealing straight white teeth James hadn’t known she possessed. The woman turned around walking back into the building as Pandora scurried after her, a light blush covering her cheeks. James turned his head, taking one last breath of the stale alley air before following the girls through the doorway.

The building was dark, lighted only by a series of yellow fluorescent bulbs hanging from the ceiling in what must have been a serious health code violation. The floor was cement and painted the same blue-grey as the walls, the whole space gave James the distinct impression of a hospital. He forced his mind to focus as the woman approached a set of double doors, she turned back to them briefly ensuring they had followed before she pushed the door open.  

The room was huge, with a curved ceiling and dark wooden floors. Rectangular windows lined the uppermost edge of the wide stone wall. The thick outline of rust suggested they had not been open for some time. Blue-grey walls were littered with small circular dents and patches of discolouration covered most of the floor.

As James walked further into the space he saw a series of weights, a brownish-yellow punching bag and a broken basketball hoop; which lay on the floor in an unceremonious heap. 

A man in a dark grey suit seemed to be holding court in the centre of the room, uncaring of the suspicious burgundy stain beside his feet. The girl with firey hair continued her strides towards the group. Pandora and James followed a few paces until the blonde urged him to stop. James shifted awkwardly not quite knowing what else to do as his eyes skated over the room’s inhabitance. 

There were perhaps thirty or so people, all forming a small sort of huddle before the man in the suit. One man at the back of the room was picking his nose, and another was trying his best to text without looking at his phone. The curly-haired girl averted her eyes from the man in the suit and quickly slipped into a gap in the front row.

To her left, a large man, covered in tattoos sent his eyes over her scalp, locking with those of the lanky-looking lad to her right. The man was dressed casually, in a long pair of black joggers and a hoodie, his shoulders hunched in slightly. The action doing little to hide his towering stature. Perhaps sensing his attention, the tall man turned his face towards James allowing him a chance to observe the large burn scar that covered the right side of his face. The rippled skin was a marble of purple and pink, reaching from the side of his jaw - right by his ear - all the way to his temple. Although missing the tail end of his eyebrow, the stranger still managed to shoot James a scowl so fierce he adverted his eyes immediately.

The man in the suit gestured towards Pandora, and James finally looked at his face. His whole body tensed, each muscle tightening as James watched Riddle's mouth move with sickening grace. “Miss Rosier, I see you have finally brought your friend to meet with us” His voice was smooth, and James wanted nothing more than to run at the man, crushing him into the floor and beating him bloody. 

He imagined the way Riddle's nose would feel breaking under his knuckles. The way his warm hot blood would pool above his lips as James would rear back. He pictured the pitiful look in Riddle's eye as James pushed forward, his fist finding Riddle's cheekbone with a practised ease. 

Pandora’s elbow found his side and James opened his mouth. “James Brown,” He said trying to channel his anger into nervous energy.

Riddle stared at him for a moment, taking in the wave of his Black hair and the almond shape of his eyes. Just as James began to fear his resemblance to his father's family may land him in an early grave Riddle smiled. “Very well boy” He said with his teeth “Miss Rosier has been very adamant in her beliefs that you would be good for our cause”.

James heard a whistling sound from the audience as someone blew air through their teeth, James fought to keep his head still, eyes focused on Riddle’s tensing jaw.

“You have something to say Sirius” The way Riddle spoke without looking towards the group suggested to James that this was not an uncommon occurrence. A thud sounded throughout the room and James turned his head to see the tattooed man on his knees.

His hair was long enough to hide his eyes from James but his smile was blinding. Sharp white canines, flashed as he spoke. “Not at all” His voice was scratchy, deep and throaty, the kind of voice you heard in movies. His dark chuckle ended abruptly at the girl from the door kicked him in the ribs, a heeled boot James hadn't noticed sure to leave a bruise on ‘Sirius’s’ side.

“Why don't we see if Miss Rosier was being too generous in her tales?” Riddle's voice instantly had James bouncing on his toes. Pandora had warned him that he’d likely be expected to do some form of strength test right off the bat. They’d decided quickly that he’d have to win. Pandora theorised that the better James performed here, the better team they’d put him with.  He had rolled his eyes and told her whatever the initial ask was, it would be nothing to the testing once he was initiated. But now, as Riddle directed the fallen man to stand, James thought he might have been mistaken.

‘Sirius’ as Riddle had called him was huge.

 His shoulders were wide, supporting muscled arms and large hands which flexed under James’s watchful eyes. James briefly heard Riddle tell them they were to fight. Here, on the hardwood floor, no gloves, no rules. Sirius smiled and looked to Pandora, who was quietly taking his place in the crowd.  He winked obnoxiously at her before pulling his Black t-shirt over his head. 

Pandora wrinkled her nose and looked to the girl beside her, she didn't notice, her eyes locked on James’s scrawny form with a look he couldn’t decipher. Sirius's torso was also covered in dark black tattoos, depicting scenes James couldn't distinguish from this far away. Artwork of varying sizes littered his skin from pelvis to shoulders before connecting with the sleeves on each of his arms. It was only in his inspection of Sirius's tattoos that James saw the abs under the ink. 

Sirius’s abs only solidified James’s inevitable death in his mind. He himself, was much leaner than Sirius and had much less muscle to rely on. James tried to focus on his breathing as Sirius took up position opposite him. Yes, he was much smaller than Sirius but he was likely quicker and from the relaxed posture of Sirius’s shoulders he was sure he wanted the win more than his opponent.

Sirius looked to Riddle once more, before pushing onto his left foot and swinging his fist into James’s face. 

The blow ricochetted through James’s skull, and down his spine. A sickening sound of skin on skin, filled the hall as James attempted to lock his knees in order to keep himself standing. Sirius’s head tilted slightly, eagle eyes catching the motion before he quickly swept his leg behind James’s. The pain shot through each nerve in James’s body as he hit the ground. The air fled quickly from his lungs as his unfocused eyes stared at the flickering bulbs above. 

The crowd was jeering and James looked up to see Sirius bowing above his prone form. James’s mind struggled to work as he attempted to pull himself to his feet. He managed to get onto his knees before Sirius noticed and reached out one arm, using James’s body weight to flip him onto his back.

Sirius's smile was looming over him as James’s vision faded back in, his eyes moving between James and the crowd. James looked too, unable to resist the quiet cheers of the group. 

His eyes immediately found her in the crowd, the girl whose name he still didn't know. She was looking at him, it shouldn't have been important - everyone in that room was looking at him, at the sight of his body by Sirius's feet.

They were staring at his messy hair and the blood he could feel dripping from his nose, but she wasn’t. She was staring, silently in the jostling crowd, staring right at his lips. 

James’s tired mind latched onto the fact, although he couldn't figure out why. He wasn't smiling, after all, that was Sirius - Sirius who was above him, shouting to the crowd. Sirius who just wouldn't stop talking.

“O-oi” James forced the words out of his dry mouth. Pulling himself to his knees as Sirius searched the crowd for the speaker. His attacker's eyes found James as he stumbled to his feet, a heavy cough forcing its way out of his throat. 

 If possible Sirius’s smile widened, sharklike and mischievous. He said nothing, simply pushing his hand to the sky to quiet the crowd. James fought for something to say but his world was fuzzy at the edges from the man's blows. “Nice right hook” He offered, blandly before flinching at the sound of Sirius's outlandish laughter. 

The man was cackling, his hands on his knees as he gasped for breath. James blinked, watching as his hand lingered over his rib. - The left one. James risked a glance too the crowd as Sirius fought another round of laughter. His eyes found her before he’d realised he was looking. The girl with the green eyes wasn't looking at him anymore, but it hardly mattered now.

“You’re funny” Sirius declared, drawing James’s attention back to his opponent. “Am i?” James asked, stepping left as Sirius moved right.

“Oh definitely,” Sirius confirmed, cracking his bloody knuckles as he spoke.

“Funny enough for you not to beat my face in,” James asked, somewhere between sarcastic and hopeful. Sirius laughed again, quickly this time as he lunged for James. 

James stepped quickly to the side, putting distance between himself and Sirius's iron fists. Sirius blinked, obviously surprised by James’s dodge. He extended his arms and in a stage whisper spoke to James. “Funny enough, I hit you cold this time” His words were joking but his eyes seemed genuine. 

“bet that’s what you say to all your fighting partners” James snarked, eyes watching Sirius’s feet. “Just the pretty ones” Sirius said, not missing a beat. The crowd cheered and Sirius's footwork faltered, just for a second - barely noticeable at all. If James wasn't looking, he would have ended the fight the way it began - with Sirius's fist in his face. But he was looking. He saw the hitch in Sirius's step and he moved. 

He moved faster than he had in any training at the academy, he moved faster than he had when he beat the shit out of Liam Bell when they were ten and he most definitely moved faster than Sirius. 

The giant swung out at the empty air just as James kicked out for his legs. Sirius teetered where he stood, barely finding his balance as James crashed into him, sending them both to the floor.

 James scrambled as soon as his knees hit the floor, throwing his leg over Sirius before the shock had even passed through his bones. 

He pulled back his fist and sent it flying, straight into Sirius’s nose. Blood sprayed across his hand, as James pulled back again. 

and again..

and again..

Someone was telling him to stop. 

To get off him, ‘for the love of god’. But James couldn’t hear them. 

He couldn’t hear anything. 

All he could see was Sirius’s swollen face and his bloody smile. 

James twisted wildly as a pair of strong hands pulled him away from the still-smiling body. 

“Enough” Riddle's voice was strong as he strode into James’s view. He couldn't see much and his right eye stung as he tried to open it wider. Riddle stood in his grey suit, staring at Sirius. He lay on the floor still, unmoving except for the unsteady rise and fall of his chest. 

James felt the fight leave him, his anger evaporating from his body like it was never there. His body sagged, forcing his captor to adjust his hold as he became deadweight in his arms.

Riddle poked him with his leather loafer, before speaking to James. “Good show” He offered, looking away to someone James couldn’t see.

“Deal with this mess won't you, Kitten?” Riddle asked someone behind him before looking at the man holding James upright “Medical”, He ordered swiftly before walking towards the exit.

The last thing James saw before he blacked out was Sirius flipping off the most prolific gang leader in London, sticking his tongue out between crimson teeth.

His eyes were heavy and his breathing was shallow as James awoke on a thin mattress.  The cotton sheets were starched, a soft yellow tinge hinting at the expected maintenance of the fabric. 

The song of soft rustling and aboard breathing registered as James stared at the low ceilings of what he presumed to be the medical wing. 

“About time you woke up,” said a voice beside him as James attempted to sit up on his elbows. Pain flooded his body, forcing him back to the bed.

He struggled for a moment, trying to find the strength to pull himself up against the headboard. The task was arduous, forcing James to bite his lip in an effort to keep quiet. 

By the time he had made it into a half-slouched position against the headboard, the voice was speaking again.  “Was beginning to think I’d killed ya” The man had greedy black hair, tied into a scraggly bun at the base of his skull. His cheekbones were bruised on each side, his nose was bandaged and a trail of dried blood leaked from the left nostril. His temple was blooming a sickly green and he had a nasty slash running through his lower lip. James didn't recognise Sirius until he smiled. 

His smile was white again, kinder despite his split lip and brutal appearance. 

As James looked at him in his makeshift hospital bed he thought Sirius looked a lot less scary. In the dim lighting, his jaw looked less harsh, his shoulders looked smaller and as his hands softly passed over one another James was sure they could never have inflicted the pain he could feel still blooming on his face. 

James's observation was cut short as a snorting sound echoed from the edge of the room. The tree-like man smiled, shaking his head at Sirius before walking slowly to the space in between their beds. “You're kidding, right? you look ten times worse than he does” His accent was thick, something northern perhaps. Sirius let out an undignified whine before his eyes flicked to the space behind James. 

“Lils” He called, dragging out the name the way a child would.

The girl from the door was bent over a drawer organising different strips of white bandage into rows. She dutifully ignored Sirius’s whining, simply waving her arm behind her back in a way that made the man beside James chuckle. 

His hair was a dirty blonde, airing on brown, cropped rather close to his head. The unmarred side of his face was freckled, small dots on his forehead and chin growing into a cluster over the bridge of his nose. He was frowning now, eyes meeting James’s in his perusal of the undamaged half of his face.

The girl sighed, ears picking up the silence in the room before she turned towards the beds. Yes?” she said, raising a dark eyebrow in Sirius’s direction. 

Her boots clicked on the tiled floor as she strode over to Sirius’s bed. Sirius dutifully pulled his legs to the side, giving her room to sit at the end of the mattress.

“What do you want?” She asked not unkindly, but with the kind of weariness a parent might display. 

“I’m injured and Remus’s making fun of me” The boy tattled with a pout that did nothing to hide the joy in his eyes.

“Are you?” The girl asked the boy beside him. The man straightened immediately, his shoulders filling with tension as he ran a hand through his hair. James saw the tall man’s demeanour change as he caught the smirk on her face; his shoulders rolling as he smiled and lifted it in front of him.

“Honestly you two, play nice.” She scolded lightly, eyes rolling before they caught James’s. “We have company remember” she reminded them quickly, each member of the trio seeming to finally register James’s watchful eyes.

“Enjoying the show,” The girl asked, her voice filled with snark and her eyes still locked to James’s.

“Lils” Sirius scolded, a hard set in his jaw. 

'Lils' stood quickly, running her hand once over Sirius’s covered leg before looking between ‘Remus’ and the door. The seemingly gentle giant followed her without comment, shooting James an apologetic look as he shut the door behind him.

“Sorry about her” Sirius apologised with a small smile. “She gets a little protective”.  James nodded softly back to the boy.

“It’s alright.” James began “Sorry your girlfriend watched you bite the dust like that” There was a smile in his voice, intent on making a friend out of the blue-eyed boy. He smiled wider as Sirius dissolved into a fit of giggles. The sound somehow fitting with his burly demeanour better than his biting laugh in the ring.

In between bouts of laughter, Sirius attempted to explain “God..N-ne..i..mean..”

James waited patiently for Sirius's breathing to even out and stared resolutely at the bed sheet below him until Sirius spoke again. “That’s my sister” He deadpanned and James blinked, finding no real resemblance between the pair. Sirius had dark hair like him, as opposed to the girl's ginger strands, her skin though pale held a soft summer tan that would look strange on Sirius's porcelain complexion. 

Sirius must have caught on to James’s confusion as he swiftly clarified “Not blood-related, but as good as. I can't wait to tell her you thought we were dating” James cringed at the idea and Sirius’s lips parted at the look on his face. “Lils isn't usually like that. I mean she kinda is, but you learn to love her protective streak.” Sirius was talking like this was important and James did his best to believe him.

“Lils?” He said, for a lack of anything else to say.

“Lily. She's.." he paused, pulling a face James couldn't decipher before continuing "The guy who was in here just now, that’s. He’s alright..good sort. He’s the one who pulled you off me” Sirius must have seen James’s eyebrows lift because he continued. 

“Yeh. Hell of a lot stronger than he looks but with how much he rolls his eyes at me you think he’d just let you kill me”. Sirius steamrolled James wince, “He cares really, he's just a bit of a prick. And I'm Sirius.” Thrusting his hand out across the gap between the beds he smiled “Lovely to meet ya”. 

James’s head was throbbing and he wanted nothing more than to lay back down on this awfully uncomfortable bed and sleep but Sirius had been kind to him since he’d woken up. Kinder than anyone had been to him in a long time and James didn't want to let that go right now. He reached his hand out into the gap, aching fingers gripping Sirius's. 

“James.” He offered, despite Sirius already knowing his name. “The Pleasures all mine,”

They laughed together as their hands parted, each flexing stiff fingers. 

“Sirius what?” James asked a moment later, disappointed when the only question he could think to ask removed the upturn from Sirius's lips.

“Black. Sirius Black” He offered quickly, as though he were struggling to force the words out.

 “but I prefer Sirius” he said, eyes looking further than James could see.

“Alright.” James confirmed, “Sirius it is”. 

James smiled and Sirius smiled back.