Author's Note: This is a story I have been wanting to write for a really long time. However, if ya'll don't like it or aren't interested in more chapters please let me know and I'll leave it as a one shot for now.

The crunching of the ground beneath the black trainers was the only sound on the otherwise quiet street.

Carefully and quietly the young boy wearing them climbed the large oak tree.

He had only been on the property once before, nearly a year prior. He hadn't even remembered the tree; it was pure luck that it had been planted years ago in the perfect spot. Until he had discovered it, he hadn't had a plan. It was rare that he planned anything though. He much preferred to take risks and let things work out along the way which they almost always did. He was lucky in that sense. Perhaps this had happened to make up for all the other situations in which he was not so lucky at all.

He swung his leg over the large branch before inching himself forward. It took him a good ten minutes to reach his destination and remain quiet doing so. Once there, he tapped the tips of his fingers on the window. A knock would have been too loud. It would risk waking up his best mate's parents and he could not risk that.

After several long moments he tapped the window once more just slightly harder. Of course he could whip out his wand and open the window with ease but he didn't want to scare the hell out of his sleeping friend.

He held his breath as he tapped once more and tried to think of a plan B. He hadn't calculated there being any problems.

He was just about to give up and climb back down the tree when a small light flickered on in the room.

He waited with bated breath for the curtains to move and when they finally did he exhaled a sigh of relief at the site of his best mate's unruly head of hair and confused face.

It took James a moment to realize exactly who he was seeing and another to come to his senses enough to push the window open.

"Sirius?" The name came out in a confused voice.

Sirius forced a toothy grin as he nodded.

"What are you doing here?" James asked, the confusion growing. "It's after midnight."

"Around one thirty actually," Sirius replied.

His bum was starting to go numb from sitting on the hard branch.

"What are you doing here?" James asked once more.

Sirius licked his lips. He had known this wouldn't be easy. "I need to crash for a day or two."

If possible, the perplexed look on James' face deepened.

"I need to hide," Sirius said quickly. "Just for a day or two and then I'll be gone, I swear it."

At these words James' expression changed. He leaned further out the window into the night air.

Sirius' eyes instantly went downcast on their own accord. He had known this moment would come, that James would see it; he hadn't expected it to feel so horrible though.

James reached his hand out, his fingers gently touching the large already purple bruise next to Sirius' left eye, his best friend winching in pain as he did.

"What happened?" The words came out of James mouth in a whisper.

"Can I come in?" Sirius hated his voice for cracking. For sounding as desperate as it did.

James nodded without hesitation as he moved out of the way.

He watched as Sirius climbed through his window and once he was inside allowed his eyes to roam over his best mate searching for any other damage.

"What happened?" He couldn't stop himself from repeating his question.

"Oh this?" Sirius asked pointing at his bruise. "It's no big deal. It's just that I'd rather not go home again."

"Ever?"

Sirius shrugged. "I hadn't thought about thirty years from now but in the immediate future, no."

Despite the fact that they had only been friends for roughly three years, they had accomplished something that took most people much longer…they knew each other. Sirius knew when James was in a real bad mood or when he was just over tired. James knew when Sirius was being rude to someone to see if they could take it and dish it back and he knew when he was being rude to someone because he truly didn't like them. They could read each other better than they could themselves and as a result of this James knew that Sirius was much more hurt than he was letting on.

"Look it's like I said, I just need to stay for two maybe three nights at the most and then I'll be gone."

"Gone where?"

Sirius shrugged hoping to appear nonchalant. "I'll figure it out."

"My parents aren't going to just let you leave without anywhere to go."

"They can't know I'm here."

James made a face at these words. "How am I going to hide you for three days?"

Sirius shrugged once more. "I'll stay in your closet."

James eyed his best mate.

"Please James." Again, Sirius hated his voice for betraying the demeanor he was trying to create.

"My parents will help," James practically whispered in what he hoped was a convincing voice. "They would never turn you away. Really Sirius I promise."

Sirius wanted to believe that the couple he had met only a handful of times were nice people. He wanted to believe that his best mate's words were true and just ask for help. He had plenty of experience with parents though. His own were absolutely vile. He wouldn't be practically begging James to hide him after running away if they weren't.

Sirius shook his head. "Forget it," he said as he turned on his heel and headed back towards the open window. "Forget I even asked."

James watched as Sirius prepared to climb out of his room. He wanted to believe that he was bluffing but he knew him well enough to know that he wasn't.

"Sirius wait," James said quickly.

Sirius made no attempt to get off of the window sill but paused looking back at his friend.

"I'll do it," James agreed.

A toothy grin spread across Sirius' face as his feet landed firmly on James' carpeted floor.

"But if your parents come looking for you-"

"Trust me, they won't."

"And you have to tell me what happened…the truth," James said. "Or you can't stay."

He hoped that Sirius wouldn't know he was bluffing but he knew he would, regardless he hoped it would work.

Sirius was silent as he eyed James before crossing the room and sitting on the edge of his friend's bed.

"My parents aren't the nicest people."

He foolishly hoped that would be enough and truthfully knew it wouldn't.

James took the two steps to his bed and sat down across from his best friend, their knees touching.

"I'm listening," he said softly.

James knew that Sirius didn't get along with his family. He knew that his parents were mad about his house placement at Hogwarts. He knew that they never sent him mail despite the fact that his brother's owl dropped something off almost weekly. He knew that his parents usually sent a wretched old house elf that worshiped Regulus and tortured Sirius, to pick him up at King's Cross. He knew that Sirius' home life was bad. He had never imagined that it was so bad that Sirius would show up in the middle of the night with a black eye though. Nor could he imagine a relationship with his parents that could involve him disappearing in the middle of the night and no one coming to look for him.

"My father likes to take his anger out on things…on me."

"On your face?" James asked. The amount of hatred he was feeling for a man he had never met was shocking him.

Sirius shrugged and then nodded.

"And your mum?" James couldn't help but ask.

"Hates me," Sirius replied.

James watched as his best friend struggled with his emotions. He could hear it in Sirius' voice, he wasn't exaggerating or lying… his mother truly did hate him.

James swallowed hard before speaking. "Listen Sirius my parents could help. They could talk to someone and-"

"No," Sirius quickly shook his head. "I don't want anyone to know."

"Okay," James agreed in a defeated voice. "I won't tell them and you can hide here for as long as you want."

"Thank you," Sirius said in a soft voice.

James nodded in reply. His emotions were running wild. He wanted to scream and hit something over the anger he was feeling at Sirius' parents and at the same time he wanted to hug his best friend. For a moment he contemplated how weird hugging Sirius would be. The two had never really done so before and James certainty didn't want to make him uncomfortable. In the end he decided to simply spring into action.

"You're going to have to sleep in my closet tonight but tomorrow when dad is at work and mum goes to the market, we can sneak you up into the attic."

James didn't wait for a reply and instead got up and walked across the room. He opened his closet door and pulled an extra pillow and fleece blanket from the top shelf quickly arranging a make shift bed on his closet floor.

"It's going to be a bit tight but it'll just be for tonight," James noted as he looked down at his work.

He turned around expecting to find Sirius still on his bed and was surprised to find Sirius only an inch behind him.

Without saying a word Sirius practically dove into James, embracing him in a tight hug.

The two best friends stood there in silence, embraced for far longer than a normal hug should last before Sirius pulled away quickly brushing a stray tear off of his cheek.

"Thanks," he said softly. "Really."

James nodded. "Anything for you."

TBC...