Author's Note: I won't give you any of this first story crap. No, I have never published anything else on this site, but I have written stories before. No need to be gentle. If you want to review, please be honest. And please review.
And please enjoy.
The characters belong to J.K. Rowling and, whatever I say, it's good they do. I would have messed up so bad if I owned them.
The woods were empty.
At least they looked empty. From experience James knew that they were never empty. Peasants and soldiers and beggars and thieves were always there, but it was incredible how empty they could feel at times, even with Sirius and Remus walking next to him at all times.
He shifted his pack. It was surprisingly heavy, although all it contained was his life, and he had never had much of that.
They didn't have much luck today. It was nightfall and they had yet to find a place to stay, even if it was in the woods. He shuddered. Winter was approaching, even though Summer hadn't been over for pretty long. Winter was tough, tougher than anything here, and Summer wasn't much better. The cold stayed with you wherever you went.
He could hear the horses on a path not quite far from here. Sometimes he thought life must be better for travellers with horses, other times he thought it was silly. Horses attracted thieves and...well. Other not so nice people.
He looked at Sirius, who was smiling at him, bright as ever. James had no idea how he did it, and Remus obviously neither, but sometimes it was uplifting that at least one of them was in a good mood.
James would have been fine with spending the night in the woods, but with the government refusing to see that...bad people existed, it was becoming more and more dangerous. One of them not only had to patrol while the others slept, he also had to be on constant alert. Before, their guard just fell asleep somewhere in between and it was fine.
All of them knew these woods. They stretched along the entire land, which they had walked several times over the last few years.
Then they saw it.
James liked to think he saw things before the others did. He probably didn't, but it meant he was the one to protect the others. He didn't know if the others thought the same way.
Before them, down the hill they had just walked up, the whole floor was covered in blood.
Several horses had been slaughtered. They probably oozed the most blood. But there were several humans there, too.
"Fifteen," Remus said. James nodded.
The sight of seeing a group robbed and killed had become a normal, almost everyday occurrence. It was still terrible, but just about like seeing the starving children on the way when they passed through a city or village. It was terrible, but they were used to it.
James wondered if the government felt the same, which was why they weren't doing anything.
There were not as many children as he'd expected. They usually preferred groups including children, because they were more vulnerable. This time, there was only one, and he wasn't even sure if the stabbed fourteen-year-old boy counted as a real vulnerability. It was their style, though. The killings and the ripped clothes.
"Shall we see if there's something left?" Sirius asked. At least he was respectful enough not to make a joke about it. The first time they were forced to look through the bodies for anything worth anything, James felt like he was stealing from the poor to give to the rich. Now it had become way to normal.
He nodded. They divided the work and James bent down over the fourteen-year-old. Nothing, not even his clothes. Next.
Old lady. Everything taken, even parts of her ponytail. Who does that? Next.
Soldier, probably escorting them. Uniform ripped to pieces, covered in blood. Sword taken. Next.
Pretty red-head. Probably poor. Blouse torn and shredded, skirt soaked. No pack. Moving.
Wait. Moving?
James stared at the last body he was forced to inspect. The girl was groaning weakly in the back of her throat.
They never left anyone alive. Never.
He blinked. Sirius and Remus seemed to be through, James always took a little more time, trying to be respectful with the bodies.
The girl moaned and shifted. Maybe she was in pain. And she was alive.
Okay, what the hell was he going to do now?
"Prongs, I know pretty girls are great, but this one's dead. If she doesn't have anything, let's move."
Sirius was calling, even using their childhood nickname for him.
He could only blink.
Remus came over. James could feel that he desperately wanted to leave, too. Remus didn't deal too well with death.
"She's alive," he whispered when Remus had reached him. She was alive. How could that be? She must have wounds somewhere, deadly wounds.
"What?"
"She's alive, Moony." He looked up into Remus' disbelieving face. "I don't know how, but she is."
Remus carefully stepped over the soldier and leaned over the girl. He stretched his hand out and felt her pulse. Then he nodded.
"Her pulse is incredibly strong. Not dead, not even dying. I don't know how, but...God."
"What do we do now?"
"We take her with us, idiots. She can have our babies." Sirius had managed not only to turn up out of the blue, but turn the conversation into a joke. James glared at him, but was secretly impressed.
"What, Prongs? We can't just leave her here, and she has to be good for something."
James looked at Remus. Remus shrugged. He looked back at Sirius. Sirius grinned.
"We deserve a little fun from time to time."
"Alright," James said. "But you," he pointed at Sirius, "keep your hands off of her. You are also not allowed to help check her for wounds."
"Aww," Sirius said. "She hasn't even woken up and you're already calling dips on her. It's scary how fast you move."
James grumbled under his breath. Only Remus heard.
