James was running late for class when he was held up by a crowd in the stairwell. The fourth-year next to him, shoving her way through, suddenly let out a cry.

"Sirius!"

James moved behind her and caught a glimpse of Sirius, before the backs of the people in front of him shifted and blocked his view. He was lying at the foot of the steps, his skin a sickly shade of blue, a crowd watching him die. James shoved after the girl, and got down in time to see her drop to her knees beside Sirius.

"What the hell did you do to yourself?"

He didn't move. She punched him in the gut. "You fucking asshole. What do you think you're doing?"

James tried to drag her off, but she was fighting like a wildcat and punching at Sirius. He let out a hacking cough and was breathing, almost. The girl was holding him close, stroking his hair and murmuring to him. He got up the strength to lift an arm, shove at her.

"Get off me," he said. She backed away.

"You're alright?"

He pulled himself upright and slumped so that his head was supported on his knees. "Sure. Get out of here."

She turned to go. James blocked her way. "What are you playing at, you filthy bitch? Are you trying to kill him?"

"Leave off, James," Sirius said, and retched. He threw up on the floor. James moved to get Sirius up, and with a wave of his wand the floor was clean. Sirius got shakily to his feet and looked out from under his hair to see the corridor packed with wondering faces. He waved a little sheepishly.

"Hi, guys," he said. "Please continue to your classes as the moment has passed and is no longer interesting. Where are we going, James?"

"Hospital wing," he grunted.

"No."

"Dorms, then."

Sirius let James half-carry him up to the Gryffindor common room. One more flight of stairs was too much for him. He collapsed onto a couch and let his head fall back over the arm.

"Whew."

"What happened?"

"Had too much to drink," Sirius said. "Be careful, Prongs, you don't want to turn out like me."

"In many months when I'm as old as you are." He dropped onto the carpet in front of the fire.

"You never will be, you know."

"Not unless you die first."

"Oh, well," Sirius said. "If I stop aging then, I suppose."

"What, will you shrink in some hypothetical afterlife until there's nothing left of you?"

Sirius barked a laugh, hacked a cough, rolled over with a hand to his chest. When he could speak he said, "I'll make sure to die in my prime and stay put there."

"Don't," James said. Sirius pressed his lips together. His skin pulled at the bones in his cheeks, making him look desperately thin.

"If you ever, ever go near drugs," he said, his voice strangled, "I will kill you."

James looked up sharply. "What makes you say that?"

Sirius stared into the fire for a minute, not hearing him. Suddenly he shook himself, pulled himself back over and said, "Nothing in particular. This stuff gets around, you know."

"Yeah."

"And it's awful – from what I've seen – for your health, which comes to light with my latest episode –" Here Sirius grimaced comically, and James managed a vague smile "- so don't."

"Or you'll kill me."

"Right."

"I'll kill you too, should the circumstance arise," James said cheerfully, "have no fear of that."

Sirius laughed again. He didn't find it very funny.