"YOU WANTED ME TO BEG?" James roared.
Sirius's lips twitched as if he was going to snarl. "You lose, Potter."
"WHY?"
"So you'd know what it feels like!"
"TO BEG?" The anger blinded him to the pain in his friend's eyes.
"Yes, to beg!" Sirius stood up, the book he was holding dropping to the floor. "To beg because you have NO FUCKING CHOICE!"
"I'm your friend, why would you want to do that to me?"
"Because I had to!" Sirius was snarling with rage now, black hair flying as he shook his head passionately like an angry dog. "I had to beg! Get on my knees and beg, and you didn't give a damn, did you?"
"Who did you ever have to beg to?" James demanded.
"My father."
James stopped dead. "What? Why?"
"Because he was drunk. Drunk on wine and power. He cornered Regulus in the kitchen and was beating him black and blue." Sirius bared his teeth.
"I still don't understand," cried James defensively.
"Have you met my father?" Sirius asked. "He's huge. Everyone goes on and on about how he's so good looking and charming. But he's just a mean son of a bitch. He drinks and then he beats whoever he can get his hands on. Regulus was just trying to eat dinner."
James shook his head, still angry with Sirius.
"I couldn't stop him-," snarled the young man as if disappointed in himself. "I had to get on my knees and beg."
"So what," James tried to say. "You had to beg him to stop?"
Sirius gave a bark of derisive laughter. "Beg him to stop? No, you don't understand how that son of bitch operates. I had to beg him to hit me instead. I BEGGED FOR THIS!" he pointed at the fading bruises on his face.
James recoiled. "So…so what?" his voice faded to nothing.
Sirius stared at him, obviously in pain.
"So what?" Sirius hissed.
"Why'd you make me beg…I'm mean—Lily? Really?"
"Why should your life be perfect? Why should you get the girl of your dreams and a loving home to go back to when I have to beg my father for this," he gestured at his face again, "just so that my little brother doesn't wind up half dead?"
"Just let him hit your brother, then!" James started to back away. "Don't whine like a bitch."
"HE'S TOO SMALL! IT'S KILL HIM!" Sirius screamed after him.
"You've got issues," James managed to say, feeling his body start to shake as he began to walk away.
"What, you don't wanna see my face? You wanna see what he did to me?" Sirius called mockingly after him.
"I'm done—I'm not listening to you!" James plugged his ears and hurried down the hall.
