For the QL Reserve League, S7, R4, Seeker: "We're a clumsy family. We make mistakes."
Word Count: 1084
Quidditch can be a dangerous sport. Sirius knows that; how many times has he watched James get knocked on his ass? Accidents happen.
But as the Bludger soars through the air toward James, Sirius feels his stomach tighten itself into painful knots. James' movements are not as quick and nimble today. He is sluggish and off his game, and it only takes one maneuver that's just a little too sharp, and everything goes wrong.
Sirius is on his feet, holding Remus and Peter's arms in an iron grip. Maybe James could have pulled through it and maintained his balance, but the Bludger crashes violently into the tail of the broomstick, and James loses his grip and plummets to the ground.
Sirius gasps. "I can't breathe," he says, panic refusing to let his lungs expand. "I can't… I…"
He doesn't know who pulls him along, only that Remus and Peter are there and guiding him, and he is so bloody scared. They aren't kids anymore; they aren't invincible.
"Sirius?" Peter's voice cuts through the haze somehow. "Sirius? You look like you're gonna puke, mate."
"I feel…" Sirius looks around, blinking slowly and trying to take it all in. They aren't in the stands anymore. They aren't even outside. They're in the corridor outside the hospital wing. Sirius suspects Pomfrey won't let them in yet while she treats James.
James.
"It's my fault," Sirius groans. He leans back against the wall, sliding downward and drawing his knees to his chest.
Remus stares at him with raised brows. "Your fault?" he echoes. "Amazing. I wasn't aware that you're the Beater for Ravenclaw. I've always assumed you were a Gryffindor."
"It's the tie," Peter adds, grinning. "The tie fools everyone."
While the two of them laugh, Sirius just scowls. "Oh, hilarious," he says. "But it's true. Well… Not the part about me being a Ravenclaw Beater." He rolls his eyes. "But it really is my fault that James is hurt."
"How do you figure?" Remus asks, frowning as he seems to realize how much this really does bother Sirius.
"He wasn't feeling well," Sirius explains. "At breakfast, he said he was sick to his stomach and a bit dizzy. I assumed he was just a bit nervous, you know?"
He pinches the bridge of his nose, exhaling heavily. Ravenclaw's team is amazing this year. They've hidden out in the stands and watched their practices (not as spies, of course, just as curious spectators). As much as Sirius believes in his House's team, he suspects Ravenclaw will win the Quidditch Cup this year. He hasn't said as much to James, but he thinks James already knows.
"I told him he needs to play." Sirius bumps the back of his head against the wall. "I told him there was no need to be nervous because he was a great player, and he was going to single-handedly ensure our victory."
Remus sits beside him on his right. A moment later, Peter joins him on his left. For several moments, neither of them speak, and Sirius feels a pressure in his chest like he's going to cry. Why do they have to be so nice to him?
"So… It's your fault because you told James Potter, stubborn idiot extraordinaire, to do something, and he did?" Remus asks.
"Yes."
"Sirius… You do realize James would have gone whether you said he should or not, right?" Peter chimes in. "Remember when he got the whole team sick because he went to practice with the flu?"
"I shouldn't have pushed him," Sirius insists.
Remus sighs, resting a hand on Sirius' knee. "Don't be so stubborn," he says. "We're a clumsy family. We make mistakes. Maybe you shouldn't have pushed him and stroked his massive ego, but come on… James has a brain. He is perfectly capable of thinking for himself. Unfortunately, that means every team is some great nemesis he needs to defeat, but hey! He's human and can make mistakes too."
Sirius shifts and squirms. It should reassure him, but it doesn't. Not completely. Remus has some good points, but it does nothing to relieve the guilt that gnaws at his insides.
But one word sticks out to him. Family.
He looks from side to side, first at Peter, then at Remus. His eyes flicker to the door to the hospital wing where James is. They really are a little patchwork family, four friends from different walks of life who have found one another and, against all odds, have held on through the good times and the bad.
It brings him some comfort. Grinning, he climbs to his feet. "You two wait here," he instructs. "Gotta make sure someone is here when Pomfrey opens the door."
"Where are you going?" Remus asks.
"To get a gift for my brother whenever he wakes."
…
"How did I get so lucky?" James asks, sitting through the small mountain of Chocolate Frogs that Sirius has piled on his hospital bed. "My right hand man never disappoints."
Sirius just grins at him, looking quite pleased with himself. "Anything for you," he says.
"While we're all together, I think we should stage an intervention," Remus says with a chuckle. "James, we think the next time you don't feel well, you should go to the hospital wing before you play Quidditch."
James laughs, peeling away the wrapper of a Chocolate Frog and popping it into his mouth. "And where's the fun in that?"
"It would spare us all a lot of anxiety," Peter says.
James considers for a moment before shrugging. He grabs another Chocolate Frog, his fifth in the past ten minutes. Sirius makes a mental note to make sure he keeps a dental potion on hand.
"So, tell me again what Evans said when she was asking about me," James says.
Sirius rolls his eyes. Of course he would come back to that. His crush on Evans is ridiculous, but Sirius thinks it's kind of cute. He'll never tell James because it might only fan the flames.
"She asked if you were alive, then she said she was glad you didn't die," Sirius responds.
"She loves me."
"Peter," Remus says, "run and fetch Madam Pomfrey. I think the Bludger might have actually knocked James' whole brain out."
It's amazing how easy it is to laugh now. All the panic and fear has faded. It is just Sirius and his three most favorite people in the world, and this will one day be just another story to tell.