Chapter 6 - Revelations

Sirius felt ice drop into his stomach. In the room was large bed, medical monitors beeped and clicked and a drip administering various potions into the patients arm. That patient, dwarfed in the bed, was Jessamin. She was pale, her skin almost translucent, except for the heaving bags under her eyes and her eyes were closed.

James approached quietly and took one of Jess's hands. "Hey Minnie, you awake?"

Jess's eyes fluttered open and her eyes caught James's and she smiled.

"Hey Jamie." She said weakly, tightening her grip on his hand, as if she sensed Sirius her eyes swung till they landed on him.

She scowled, but her eyes showed she didn't mean it. "You just couldn't help yourself could you?" She asked.

"Jamie help me sit up please." At James's worried glance, her scowl deepened, "For Merlin's sake James, I'm tired, sitting up won't kill me."

James stuck his tongue out at her but complied, he then glanced to the pillows on the floor of the other side of her bed. "Ummm… do you mind?" he said awkwardly to Sirius.

Sirius hurried to comply, he could almost swear there was smoke coming out of his ears his face felt so hot as he put the pillows behind Jess to prop her up.

"So…" Sirius said awkwardly clasping his hands behind his back,

"I'm sure you want an explanation." Jess said evenly,

Sirius shuffled, he felt guilty but his burning desire to know what was going on was currently outweighing that guilt.

"Sirius I warn you, you tell anyone and it's not just my life you're threatening but my whole family."

Sirius's head snapped up at this, "I love your family Jess, I won't tell. Ever."

Jess locked eyes with him and studied him, he didn't break eye contact until Jess blinked and nodded. "It's a bit of a long story."

"I've got time."

Jess laughed weakly, and patted the bed indicating that James and Sirius should sit. Sirius sat at the foot of the bed and James gently manoeuvred himself next to Jess and clasped her hand and gave her a small reassuring smile.

Jess took a steadying breath,

"As you know, I'm adopted. My dad was Bartholomew and Rothwyne Potter. My mama was from Romania, a desendant of gypsies and she strove to protect them from persecution. It ultimately… It well… she died.

Sirius looked confused, "I thought your mum died of some muggle disease? They say there's no wizard cure and she caught it and then she wasted away and she…" Sirius broke off when James's kicked him, or as best as he could kick him from his position on the bed.

"Oh Merlin, I'm an idiot. I'm sorry Jess, I didn't mean…"

"It's ok Sirius. I know the rumours. In actuality, Mama got in the way between a group of muggles and some wizards who were persecuting them. One of them was Voldemort," All three of them shivered at his name, the ministry was keeping his actions a secret. For the most part he wasn't active in England but he was gaining followers fast and Sirius knew for a fact that his parents funded him and his 'Deatheaters'.

"He cursed Mama, no one knows the curse, it's very ancient and dark. Essentially it strips you of the magic in your cells. Mama just started wasting away. She was pregnant with me when she was cursed and it got transferred to me too."

Sirius looked shocked. "Wait! You're not dying are you?"

Jess rolled her eyes, "Oh such tact Sirius. No, I'm not dying, despite what over-protective brothers might say." She said elbowing James lightly.

Sirius thought the overall statement didn't stick that well seeing how badly her arms shook when she lifted them.

"I'm not usually like this Sirius. There is a potion; it was created by extracting some of my magical essence and duplicating it. Essentially, tricking the curse into feeding on the potion and not of my own magical reserves, I have to take it three times a day during meals. Sometimes more depending on how much magic I use, the more magic I use the less magic is keeping the curse at bay and the less amount of work it has to do to kill me. Tastes just awful, Healer Makaw he developed it, and he constantly is trying to improve it. So here I am, being poked and prodded to try it out."

As Jess had talked she had sunk deeper and deeper into the pillows, and her voice was starting to slow.

"oookkk…" Sirius said confused, "Why is this such a secret? I mean I get people don't like curses but…"

Jess took a deep breath. She glanced at James who shrugged. "It's up to you, but for what it's worth, I trust him."

"My mama's name was Rothwyne Rowena Ramirez, but a long time ago her family changed their last name, her parents only confessed to her on their death bed, her real last name is Radclyffe."

Sirius's jaw dropped open. Jessamin Potter's mum was a mystery to wizarding society, her dad Bartholomew had met her on a random expedition to Romania and returned with her already married. All that was known was she came from an old Romanian pure-blood family but their records were sealed in the Romanian Ministry of Magic. But Radclyffe, that was a name Sirius knew. From his home pure-blood studies, his parents had told him that the Radclyffe family were the last of the Ravenclaw line, but they had all died in the late 1800's.

Jess smiled weakly at Sirius's face. "You understand then."

Sirius swallowed, his mouth dry.

"You're the last descendant of Ravenclaw, and a descendant of Gryffindor. Your blood is… wow. What my parents wouldn't do to…"

"Alrightly, that's enough." James looked uncomfortable and angry at the same time, "Bed time Minnie, you need your rest." James gently extracted himself and began to remove some of the pillows and lower Jess down.

She mewled protests but her drooping eyelids gave her away and James smiled and kissed her on the forehead and turned to Sirius.

His best mate was staring at the purple potion in one of the drip bags.

"So that's what's in that vile round your neck. I saw you take it off to shower, thought it was a weird trinket, but this is so much worse."

James sighed, "Come on mate, we gotta go before my parents get here and Jess needs to rest.

Sirius shook his head and followed James out, his heart heavy. Part of him was overjoyed they had trusted him, the other wished deeply that he had never known.

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The next week James and Sirius were sitting on their broomsticks, lazily floating in the sky. Below them Jess read sat in the stands reading, she was thoroughly enwrapped in blankets and was layered in warming charms. She had begged to go outside but she wasn't allowed to fly.

"So why the sudden desire to fly Sirius? Not avoiding my sister are you?" James asked, leaning on the handle of his broom,

"Why you wound me! Can't I just want to enjoy the fresh breeze?"

"Mate, it's freaking freezing, my fingers are about to turn into icicles on my broom.

"Ok you got me. I wanted to run something by you." And with that Sirius drew a small dagger from his pocket.

"Ummm mate…"

"No. Nothing bad. Just… well I thought. Jess's secret is big and my parents… well they would kill to know it. So I thought we could make a vow."

James looked shocked. "Are you serious?"

"I'm always Sirius."

"No… serio… I mean… you understand what that means right? You get that you die if you break your vow?"

"I know. Truly I get it. But you and Jess trusted me with your lives. I want to prove to you that you were right to do so. And this way I will be your family too.

James grinned.

"Ok let's do it."

And in a moment of young adolescence they spoke the words and clasped wrists.

That day, two boys, best friends became family and would forever have matching scars on their right wrists to show that they were more than friends, they were now brothers in blood, forever. Each would die for the other and take their secrets to the grave.

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Ok hope you liked it! Please review! PLEASE PLEASE! I know I sound desperate but this is my very first fanfiction so eager to get some feedback so I can improve :P Sorry for the delay have a major assignment due. Just submitted it! 3am so exhausted :P Saw Radclyffe on a list of old Romanian names and couldn't resist :P

Also I'm not really sure on the length of chapters and have been aiming to stick to 1500 words or less. Is this ok? Or would you guys prefer shorter chapters or longer ones? Let me know! I've been splitting chapters in two coz I wasn't sure :/