To guest: Thank you so much! I'm so flattered, I too read chapters too fast and then reread whole chunks of the fic and it's mind boggling to me others do for what I write! Thank you so much and I hope the fall out below is to your satisfaction!

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"Shit," James whispered as he once again tumbled blindly around a new location without a care, all he knew was that Sirius had been torn away from him again!

"Shit," he said firmly as he saw Sirius had shut down, again. Whatever life James hadn't even been able to really revel in that had come back to his brother in that place had vanished without a trace as Sirius stayed slumped against a wall, Remus shaking him gently to rouse a response and not getting even a fake one this time. James didn't look twice at the cubicles with various pictures of Sirius throughout his life hung on the walls, surrounded on multiple sides by that ghastly prisoner photo, eyes only on the real one.

He grabbed up Sirius and made to pull him away, Padfoot only seemed able to stay on his feet because James was moving him. They were fixing this now! "Shit!" He cussed at the top of his lungs as the elevator once more refused to open, and he didn't care. He knew nor cared where anyone else was right now, let anyone else see!

"Sirius!" He held tight to his shoulders and ignored the way his voice cracked pitifully when Sirius was right back to not meeting his eyes. "Sirius, please, hit me if you have to! Shout, bloody hell sing if you must, but snap out of it!"

Nothing happened for so very long, the world may as well have really ended. James was crying now, but he brushed at his eyes impatiently with one hand and pressed the other to Sirius's still beating heart. James was beyond angry, beyond scared, he wasn't even sure how to fix this. Sirius hadn't shut down like this since his fight with Remus, and James had done nothing to fix that, just hoping they'd work it out!

The two had patched up though, and he'd thought everything had been okay. He'd known something had always been off, but some stupid insecurity for how he'd handled Peter had him asking Remus instead! He'd never have guessed Sirius would go back to this! Through every trial and catastrophe they'd faced during all of this, even during the Azkaban mess James had been there for him every step of the way to promise that would never change.

For every problem that they'd ever faced, they'd always done it together with a smile because they'd never let the world keep them down. A joke just wasn't going to fix this though, James couldn't have even if he thought it would help. All he could do was leave his hand in place and be as brutally honest as he ever could. "Please, Sirius, I won't do this without you."

He meant it, in whatever way he could. He would not damn the others to this void of empty, haunted locations forever and burn that book like he so wanted to, they'd keep going along until they were free of this or died trying, but James would not and could not keep it together without him.

James had been loved by his doting parents and given everything he could ever ask for, except a brother. Euphemia and Fleamont had tried their best, but they hadn't been capable of keeping up with their energetic child nor producing any others, so while he hadn't exactly been alone or lonely, the moment he'd stepped onto that train he'd latched onto Sirius with that fierce energy of his, the two connecting as if they were two parts of a whole instantly. He loved Remus and Peter, he couldn't ask for better friends and wouldn't trade them for anyone in the castle, but Sirius was his brother, practically his twin in all the ways that mattered.

Something finally flickered to life in those dark gray eyes as he seemed to realize James wasn't moving away. It was slow at first, but building quickly as he started gasping. Like a shroud being ripped away, every single thing he'd been avoiding came slamming down on him all at once. "I'm sorry, I-" and then he screamed. A deep ball of guilt and sorrow for everything he'd caused, ever since Remus had told him to clear off and not come back finally came loose and rattled free now. James just pulled him into his chest and held on even if his ears started bleeding.

Sirius held tight to James even as his knees gave out on him and he started falling to the floor, so James just went with him and they stayed slumped against the lift as Sirius started uttering every kind of apology imaginable in a barely strung together voice. Like a film flickering in his head, his life really flashing before his eyes and he'd done everything the worst way humanly possible!

"It's alright, just get it out," James promised, holding him all the tighter. "You didn't fuck up, nobody hates you, alright? I don't, Harry won't, we'll stop all of this, I promise, just breathe."

He let his head rest on top of Sirius's as he let his own words really resonate in him, closing his eyes as he accepted the loss of what he was saying. If he had to give up on the idea of Lily Evans, if Harry really not being born would somehow stop this happening to Sirius, it was a price he'd just have to pay. Peter was already drawing away from them, Merlin knew what was up with Remus in this future and they didn't seem likely to get an answer for that! He was not losing Sirius.

Time still did not move around them, Sirius had no idea how long it took to wring himself out but it inevitably happened. He was forced to take in this place and embarrassment began to overpower his own shame at how he'd handled himself the previous month as well as this future.

He'd never cried in front of anyone before, now he found himself still coughing wetly practically in James's lap in front of five people he didn't particularly want to be around for various reasons right now as they all stood semi-visible throughout the Auror Office. He was done with putting anything else off for later though.

Untangling the various levels of guilt still left one predominantly at the top, and it wasn't hard at all to find Remus hovering very close by, his hand outstretched like he wanted to help and wasn't allowing himself to interfere all at once. He'd never spoken more sincerely in his life when he told him, "I'm sorry, for Snape. I shouldn't have ever said that, never as a joke or anything, and I won't ever let anyone around Moony again."

"I know that," Remus actually smiled of all things, he looked almost like he was trying not to laugh. "You've more than proven that Sirius, I said I forgave you and I do." He reached out gently and placed his hand on Sirius's side, those horrible scars.

Sirius licked his lips, shamefully aware how he'd been trying to make it up to Remus in the meantime felt pathetic right now. The new scars in his side didn't feel like repayment enough either, but he'd still find some way to prove it to Moony just by being there the rest of his life and holding to that promise.

He nodded and shifted, just enough he was leaning against James rather than completely on top of him, the two staying against the golden doors. Sirius closed his eyes in exhaustion, but then opened them again almost at once to find the book. Harry. His godson had just witnessed something nobody ever should have, let alone this fifteen-year-old who had already lost so much. James may not blame him for dying like that, but if Harry did... was there even any way to make up for that?

Peter had the book. It had landed on a desk, knocking over the nameplate of someone named Scrimgeour who had a detailed map of the London underground with locations marked off. He'd been holding it this entire time, unsure how to help but still wishing he could. He'd never have wished for Sirius to break down like that, it had been so heartbreaking to watch and know he could do nothing to help. Sirius finally met his eyes again though. Unguarded, for the first time since his betrayal had been revealed, and whispered, "go."

Not needing to be told twice and just as worried how Harry was going to deal with all of this, Peter read, "The Only One He Ever Feared."

James kept an arm tight around Sirius through the whole unbearable ordeal, he didn't even look twice at the wedding picture on display, nor have a look through Kingsley's desk or Moody's for that matter, instead he kept his eyes closed and let a few more tears fall as Harry fought off Remus and made a run after Bellatrix Lestrange.

Alice's heart rattled in her chest as she bypassed everything around her in search of Frank. The Quibbler she must have knocked off of Kingsley's desk, he must be a real fan if he kept up with every article, her mind absently noted. The recent photo of Tonks and her parents she kicked across the room, not even entertaining where in this place her and her future husband would have their desks, she was so desperate to find him and unfreeze him.

Half her worry was evaporated when she did find him sitting up with a dazed expression, leaning in confusion against Moody's chair. She only knew it as such for his name plaque, and didn't care enough to look farther as she tackled him in a relieved hug when he smiled upon seeing her.

"I'm fine darling," he promised at once as she searched his face for any sign of lingering desperation. He shivered still, he could perfectly recall the whispers growing stronger by the moment, a nearly forgotten memory of his dad calling out to him he wasn't sure he was happy to get back in this way.

He listened in horror as Harry actually began the mad attempt of fighting Bellatrix, Sirius still had his face covered in shame as he stayed huddled close to his best friend even when Dumbledore and You-Know-Who arrived as he whispered ardent apologies for the whole room as he clearly still blamed himself for Harry ending up in this situation just because he couldn't keep his arse in that house.

Lily couldn't really blame him though, as the battle between the two most powerful wizards cascaded around her son. She remembered those golden statues in vivid detail from their time in that Atrium, James Potter's attempts to comfort her.

She wished she could return the same to the two now, but it would feel disingenuous at best, she was well aware who hadn't been in the Order's party to help with any of this, Severus. Was it any consolation to the two Pettigrew hadn't been with the Death Eaters as well, or just yet more insulting to them as it was to her nobody was there for Harry when he needed them except Albus Dumbledore. What could she say to the two, to anyone except an apology they all felt for this disaster of a future.

The intensity of the battle made the very air feel hot around them, even James's vivid imagination struggled to keep up with every description while holding tight to what still mattered to him, and Harry's involvement nearly did doom him as Voldemort tried to play his last card in possessing his son. Fully invading his mind and body, he shivered in revulsion and still wouldn't allow Sirius to pull away as he gagged for the idea as well, still unable to stop apologizing fluently as for a moment they were all convinced they were hearing Harry's last thoughts.

All he wanted was to see Sirius again.

Like a funnel forcing everything into one tight feeling, Voldemort didn't seem able to stay in Harry's presence and was blasted free of their guide through this time. Sirius made a weak, pathetic little laugh that he still felt all the same, he stopped digging his knuckles into his sternum for too much hitting him at once and just basked in it. Even in death, at least he'd done something to help Harry one last time.

Prongs still held tight to him as Peter softly promised this chapter was almost done, like he was determined to stop that wrenching apart from happening to them this time as Fudge arrived to the same plane of existence as the rest of them rather forcibly and Harry was blessedly sent back to school.

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Oh, did I happen to not mention someone in particular during this? Wait for it...