Writer: Azure K Mello

Title: A Bond Never Dies

Part: 39?

Words: 661 (damn that's long)

Warnings: Angst. Non-canon.

He remembered when he hated the Potters. He knew that James loved them but he couldn't understand it. They were never rude to their son but they were always afraid of his powers and what he was capable of. James had shrugged it off saying, "They fear the power, not me. They fear a mage, not their son." James said that they loved him but often the only contact he got with them was when they were shouting at him for a loss of control.

But then one day he finally saw it. When they were seventeen Dumbledore had called James and Lily into his office to tell them of a prophecy that said they had to wed and have a son. He said there was one other couple that had to do so as well but he hadn't named them. He told them that there wasn't an option, they would have to marry when they turned 22. Lily had raged and James had just said calmly, "I can't. I'm bonded to Sirius." Lily had looked shocked. Apparently, Dumbledore said that it wouldn't matter as they would wed in a muggle church. Lily had done more raging while James sat near catatonic.

He had left the office incapable of speech and it took close to an hour to get the story out of him. Sirius was horrified and could think of no way to help his lover so he brought him to the one place he knew James felt safe in, the Potter estate. He had led the boy out of the castle and apparated to the grounds of the old house. In quick, harried words he told Mrs. Potter what James had told him. The woman said softly. "He can't marry her. I know you two are bonded. I know that I'm not supposed to know but I do. So I don't understand how they're going to get married." Sirius had blushed deeply and told her that Dumbledore had said that didn't matter.

The woman had nodded slowly and he saw her jaw ticking as she said, "There's only one thing to do, come into the kitchen." They had sat down the table as she reached for the kettle, "Sirius, dear, I can never remember, do you take sugar?"

She had busied herself making tea as Sirius stroked James' hand. A red glow started to come off of him. It scorched the flesh of Sirius' fingers and he said softly, "Jimmy, you're hurting me. Coming back to me. Don't go there right now I need you to stay here."

The boy's eyes had cleared at his lover's words and he seemed to take in the surroundings for the first time. The red mist retreated into his body and his mother shot Sirius an approving look. She kneeled down in front of her son as she placed the tray of tea on the table and said, "James, don't worry. You'll get through this." And when her son silently started to cry she just leaned up and wrapped her arms around, stroking the back of his head. Parents have shortcomings just like everyone else. Perhaps in moments of distress she had said that she was ashamed of James because he was a mage but she loved him. And in that moment Sirius would have happily called her a goddess and proclaimed her as Queen.

It was because of this that he was glad James was going home. But he couldn't face the woman just yet knowing that she had really believed he could have killed James.

James slid into bed and said softly, "Are you really tired or are you up to ravishing me?" The question was so absurdly casual. The tone said that James could have just as easily been asking the newsagent if they had a Daily Prophet.

Sirius laughed happily as he pulled James to him for a searing kiss. "I'm never too tired when it comes to you."