A/N I recently changed the description of this story to angst. All Harry Potter fans know it's all down hill from here. I won't blame you if you stop reading; though there are still some wonderful things to come. I know it's been awhile since the last update. I kept staring at the blank page, afraid to write down the thoughts in my head concerning this next year. The last chapter was quite long, this one is very short to make up for it.

January

I hate the cold. I hate the dark. And I hate this place. James rocked back and forth on his heels. He stood with his back against the wall of an abandoned building, on the corner, just like Dumbledore had instructed.

Where the hell is he? Meet someone, indeed. Anyone with a bit of sense would be home on a night like this. James shivered.

"Sorry I'm late," a voice said from around the corner.

"Padfoot?" James whipped around the corner.

"Prongs?" Sirius looked up into the dark sky. "I hate this! Why didn't Dumbledore just tell us? I could have stayed for dinner!"

James chuckled. "He does it on purpose, just to torment us." Sirius shook his head. "I need you to escort a man to this address and meet a third party," he said, imitating Dumbledore. "What'd he tell you?"

"Just to meet someone here and follow their instructions. You're ten minutes late, by the way." Sirius shrugged. "Well, escort, lead the way. I'm freezing."

"This way," he said, heading back the way he had come. James followed him. "Did Lily get Harry down okay?" he asked as they walked.

James nodded. "Yeah. He's been ornery lately. They say he's just teething."

"In here," Sirius said. He lifted a dilapidated door that was clinging to the building by one hinge. Sirius motioned James to crawl in first. He then followed after him.

"Now where?" James looked around. He was in a dank office building. An office building that had been abandoned ages ago; even by the rats. Sirius took him by the arm and led him deeper into the building. They stopped beside a table that had been tipped on its side. Sirius sat, his back against the table. James copied him.

Footsteps scuffed towards them, stopping near the table. A voice spoke from the shadows behind them. "Since you've never done this before, let me lay down the ground rules. Don't talk. Don't stand. All you have to do is sit and listen. I was assured that you could do this." The last sentence dripped with sarcasm. There was a long silence. The third person approached and sat down on the other side of the table. He spoke under his breath.

"A couple weeks ago, Sirius Black and James Potter were attacked coming out of a pub. They escaped and some Death Eaters were captured. This information comes from those captured Death Eaters.

"They knew in advance that Black and Potter were out and they knew where to find them. The Dark Lord had received a message saying where to find Black.

"By tomorrow, Black will be in hiding at an undisclosed location. Dumbledore has instructed him to choose his own hid-out. So that no one can betray him. But of course, Potter will know it. Potter may also be targeted in order to learn this information." James made to stand up. Sirius grabbed him, motioning him to stay put and listen.

"There was a second part to the message the Dark Lord received. He was very taken by the fact that Potter has a young son." Sirius' grip on James' arm tightened. The man on the other side of the table stood and left without another word. James looked at Sirius. Sirius signaled for silence. After another few minutes he nodded.

"So Voldemort's after you?" James asked, studying his friend.

"And he has had me followed."

"Padfoot, it's--"

"No. Don't you dare blame yourself, James. I took those jobs. I knew it was too many hits too close together." James looked down at his knees. Sirius laid his head in his hands. "Do you know who that was?" he asked.

"That guy?" James motioned to the other side of the table. Sirius nodded. "No. Do you?"

"Yes. It was that purple-cloaked guy we followed last year."

"The one that nearly got us killed?"

Sirius nodded again. "I recognized his voice."

"Maybe that was so that we'd know the messages came from Dumbledore. But he couldn't have known he was talking to us. That's why he kept referring to us by our names. He was just sent to deliver the messages."

Sirius stood and James followed him to his feet. "So, here's the worst part," Sirius said, "How could someone follow me without my knowing it?"

James gaped at him. "That's not the worst part," he hissed. "The worst part is Voldemort being interested in Harry. He has something to use against me now and he knows it!"

Sirius sighed. "You're right, Prongs. Sorry." They started for the door. "Speaking of Harry, do you think I can follow you home? I want to see him once more."

"Of course you can." They crawled from the building and Sirius disapparated. Now I really hate this night. James pulled out his wand and headed for home.