A/N: James wishes he stopped Sirius when he had the chance. Marauder's Era.
Submission for:
The Marauder's Era Competition: Round 1 - Your character in a near-death experience - Sirius Black. Prompts: emerging, soft, a hundred
DECEMBER Fanfiction Scavenger Hunt Competition: Marauder's Era
New Years Millionaire Fanfiction Resolutions & Goals Competition!: Sirius getting his motorcycle.
The Crayola Colours Prompt Challenge: Sunglow - Potion: Dreamless Sleep
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
James sat in the chair next to Sirius' bedside in one of the small, pale-blue rooms of St Mungo's. The boy was still unconscious, but the healers said he should be waking up from the Dreamless Sleep Potion soon. He shook his head probably for the tenth time before he thought of how idiotic Sirius had been, and how negligent he himself had been for not making sure Sirius didn't do something stupid.
Just about an hour ago, James had run outside his front door with his wand out when he heard the strange loud roar coming up his drive. Sirius was practically in stitches as he took off his helmet and showed James his new motorcycle.
It was all laughs and jokes as usual, just Prongs and Padfoot enjoying seeing one of Sirius' childhood dreams come true, but then Sirius had an idea. The voice in James head, which sounded surprisingly like Lily when it wanted to be, told him to stop his best friend, to invite him inside and put the bike around the back.
But the voice wasn't loud enough. He watched as Sirius revved the bike and sped down the lane so that he could come back up at higher speed. He was going to do a 'wheelie' like the man in the Muggle magazine he had shown him. It wasn't until Sirius was going a hundred kilometres per hour did James notice he had thrown his helmet down on the front porch.
Sirius lost control, he wasn't used to riding that fast yet, and the bike ran straight into one of the many trees on the edge of the lane. James stood there for a moment too long, waiting to see Sirius emerging from the wreckage with a laugh and a horrible joke, but there was no movement from the crash.
James ran up to Sirius, trying not to flinch at the awkward angle of Sirius' leg and the large piece of metal sticking out of his chest. He screamed Sirius' name but he had been knocked out from the crash.
He had broken his leg and the metal almost punctured his lung the healers said. If James had brought him a minute later, Sirius could have drowned in his own blood. James could have prevented this. They would have been drinking butterbeers and Sirius would be fine.
"James," he heard a soft voice say.
He looked up into the handsome face of his best friend, currently in a not so attractive grimace.
"The bike?" he asked.
"You break your leg and almost die and you ask about the bike?" James asked incredulously.
Sirius shrugged, "Just trying to lighten the mood, Prongs." Then he looked down at his cast and said, "A broken leg, huh?"
"And a large piece of metal in your chest," James said as he gestured to the bandage wrapped around his friend's body.
Sirius just nodded, the grimace coming back as he shifted again. Then he sighed, "Maybe I should stick to flying vehicles."