A dark figure appeared in front of the gate of Number Seven, Lurtward Lane. It appeared to be a boy, in his later teens. The heavy rain fell from the night sky and pattered onto the boy's jacket. He had dark hair hiding his face, but had there not been, anyone would see he was not in a good way. He had dark circles beneath his grey eyes, and his jeans were torn in several places and stained with blood. He was soaked through to the skin and his T-shirt clung to him in the wet. He appeared to be holding an old sort of travelling trunk beside him, and he had a stick of wood clenched tightly in his hand.

The boy stood there for a moment. He started to sway dangerously, right before he collapsed into the mud.

##

James Potter was jerked unceremoniously from his dreams by a loud rapping on his bedroom door. He sat up and ruffled his jet-black hair in confusion before reaching over to his bedside table and putting his glasses on. He turned the nob on his gas lamp and light flickered into life, spreading across his room.

"James!", called his mother from the other side of the door, "James, I need you to come downstairs for a minute. It's very important".

Concern suddenly filled James. His mother sounded anxious and worried. What had happened? His mind turned straight to thoughts of menacing Death Eaters, but a moment later, the thought seemed almost ridiculous. However, he grabbed his wand from the bedside table and walked over to the door. He opened it.

"Mum? What's wrong?" James asked.

"Nothing is wrong dear, but there is someone in the lounge room to see you", without any other explanation, James's mother beckoned him down the hall way.

James followed her downstairs to the second floor, where they entered the lounge room. He looked around in the semi-darkness to see his father sitting on a wooden stool next to the couch. The older man seemed worried. Lying on the couch, clearly unconscious, was-

"Sirius!" exclaimed James.

"Shhhh", warned his mother before whispering, "I was wondering if you knew what he is doing here".

"Did you invite him over without telling us?" asked James's father.

"No. I mean, I have no idea why he's here", James replied urgently, "Let alone why he got here at this time of the morning".

It was still dark outside, and since there was no glow of dawn on the horizon, it was probably about half past one in the morning. James walked over and examined the limp form of his best friend. He noticed that Sirius was sopping wet and dripping water all over the brown leather of the couch and the dark red carpet. His jeans were ripped and covered in blood. His face had a deep cut under his high left cheek bone. Sirius's trunk stood by the door, and his wand was on the little wooden coffee table in front of the couch.

"What happened?" he asked, shocked.

"We found him out the front by the gate", said his mother.

"I got up to get a glass of water", started James's father, "And I looked out the window. I thought I saw someone out there. I watched and saw that I was right. So I went out the door and was heading down the path with an umbrella. I was about to call out to him, but he collapsed. I only just brought him in".

"Anyway, no matter why he's here, we'd better get him cleaned up, he's in a right mess", observed James's mother.

James's father left the room and went down to the kitchen. He was going to bring up some food, in case Sirius was hungry when he woke up. James's mother set about her work. Euphemia Potter had been a Healer at Saint Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies before her retirement. She had seen far worse and was confident in her abilities. She started by healing the cuts and grazes on Sirius's legs. She then moved onto the gash in his face. James watched with interest as his mother used a spell to cover the wound, the skin knitting itself back together. She didn't close the wound fully, and James had learned that it was healthier if it healed some of itself. Apart from having the abrasions on his legs gone, Sirius looked like he had fallen down a mountain side that was covered in brambles. All without brushing his hair, or sleeping for the past two days.

After James's mother had done all she could, she left and went back up to bed. James's father brought up a plate of toast and bacon. James heard him stump off to his study, where he usually went to think.

James sat across the room from Sirius, on one of the chintz chairs. He slowly dozed off into an uneasy sleep. When he woke up, he saw the faint sunlight of the early morning shining through the curtains.

James sat bolt upright when he heard Sirius mumbling. His best friend rolled over and his eyes flickered open.