Repost chapter 3. Again, I cannot thank Ambush99 for betaing both my new and old chapters!

Chapter 3

"James the burden is draining him. He's trying to fight for you, Lily and Harry, as well as himself. He can't do that anymore, it's killing him."

"Why, Sirius? Why did you have to be our secret keeper?" James said to no one in particular.

"Because you trusted him above anyone else."

"I-I, I never wanted anything like this to happen. I never wanted you to get hurt because of me," James whispered, knowing his words were ridiculous. They had been at war for fuck's sake. What the hell had he expected?

Flashback

"Padfoot!" James said with a grin, swinging the door open.

"For fuck's sake, James, what part of 'Voldemort's hunting you' do you not understand?!"

"Well hello to you too mate," James said, still grinning. "Seriously mate, you have to go through the protective wards."

Sirius sighed and rubbed a hand over his weary face. "Mate, this isn't some run of the mill random death eater. This is Lord Voldemort. You need more than a 'couple of protective wards'. You need-"

"No Padfoot!"

"I don't like it either but I've run every scenario in my head and this is the best one. It's the one where we all might come out of this war alive."

"Sirius, I can't ask you to do this."

"You're not, I'm offering."

"Padfoot!"

Sirius leant back against the kitchen counter and eyed his closest friend carefully. "Do you trust me?"

"What?" James exclaimed. "Of course I do. I trust you with my life. I'd trust you with my family's lives."

Sirius nodded slowly. "I think you've answered your question. You know what needs to be done. If you don't do it for yourself, then do it for Lily and Harry."

James sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. How have we become so old?"

"War," Sirius replied tiredly. He walked across the room and pulled out a bottle of firewhisky and two glasses. Handing one to James, he raised his. "To peace and friendship."

James mirrored the action. "To brothers," he added.

The two friends eyed each other for a moment before draining the drink.

End flashback

The Fidelius Charm had been performed the very next day. It had been the last he'd seen of Sirius, until his friend had collapsed through his door what had felt like hours ago, but was probably only fifteen minutes before. A few weeks after the charm had been performed, Remus had arrived on a night he just wanted to forget, that cold, wet, windy night, to deliver that fateful news. Peter and Sirius had gone, and it looked like Sirius had killed Peter, along with twelve muggles, before disappearing.

He looked down at the broken, barely alive man and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Keep fighting Padfoot, you're safe now. You're not alone anymore, we're all here for you." He swallowed a couple of times as he tried to regain his composure. "I need you to perform the Fidelius Charm on Sirius and me. I'll be his secret keeper."

"I can't," Dumbledore replied.

"Why? He needs protecting. I can't imagine the death eaters are going to be overly pleased their favourite prisoner has escaped. Unless, well, you think he's Voldemort's lap dog and did this to himself," James said bitterly.

"No," Dumbledore said softly, as he bent down and pulled a clump of matted hair off Sirius' face. "I don't think he's Voldemort's lap dog. The theory of him killing Peter and those muggles never sat right with me. I just don't want to perform any unnecessary magic on him."

"Why?!" James exclaimed. He watched Dumbledore for a moment, and knew why. Sirius was dying.

Professor McGonagall couldn't help but gasp when she saw her former pupil. The Sirius Black she knew had a mischievous, a fiery spirit with a good heart. It pained her to see the man she had observed grow into a strong, powerful auror look so weak and broken.

"James, come on. You need to move," Lily said gently.

"No! No, I'm not leaving him!"

"I know, but Madam Pomfrey needs to look at him. She needs to help him."

James looked at Dumbledore for a moment before returning his attention back to his oldest friend. A friend who had given up everything to ensure he and his family could survive. A friend who had damn near killed himself to help them. A friend who still might die, just so he could warn them. His best friend had been tortured trying to protect him and he had not broken. He had never given his tormentors the information. His best mate, his brother, had been tortured for thirteen years to ensure his, Lily's and Harry's safety. A decision he had argued with Sirius about when they had been twenty-one year olds. 'As children, seven years older than Harry!' his thirty-four year old self thought. Right now he didn't care about the years, or the perhaps immaturity when they had made that promise; when his friend had made that ultimate sacrifice. He knew how much his stylish friend would hate the state he was in now. He fought the urge to cast a spell making his friend more presentable, but he knew he couldn't. He understood the weight behind Dumbledore's words. Sirius was dying. He knew his best friend would need every fibre of his strength to survive. To make him look smart, presentable, was pointless. He shook his head, he didn't give a damn what his friend looked like just as long as he was healthy, happy and alive.

James nodded reluctantly. "Padfoot, I've got to talk to Dumbledore, okay." He told the unresponsive figure. "I'm just going to be over there, if you need anything. You're not alone anymore mate; we're all here for you. You're going to be fine, okay."

"James, I need to know everything that happened tonight," Dumbledore said as he watched a distracted man sit in front of his desk.

"Can't it wait?" James replied sharply, his eyes never leaving the still form of his best friend.

"James, Sirius fought with every fibre of his body to get back here and warn us. He can't tell me right now, but you can. You need to be his voice."

He looked over at his oldest friend. "He is brave. He was-". James took at breath as he began to tell what Sirius had told him. Once he had finished he stared Dumbledore down. "No," James said firmly. "No, if you for one moment think I am going to leave my brother in his hour of need you are sorely mistaken."

"James, we are unsure of who the traitor is and what disguise they are taking."

"It's fucking Wormtail and he's a bloody rat in every sense of the word."

"James?"

"Sweetie, he needs to know. You are not betraying the oath you all made. This is going to help Harry, Sirius and it might prevent another war," Lily encouraged.

"James, who's Wormtail?"

James swallowed a couple of times. He knew what Sirius had said. Tears threatened when he looked at the state he was in and as he thought what he had been through. The Marauders had made an oath, but they had been betrayed by one of their own. "Sirius, Peter and myself are animagi," he confessed.

"I presume this was to help Mr. Lupin," Dumbledore replied mildly. "What animals were you?"

"I'm a stag; Sirius is a dog and Peter..." James paused as he felt bile rise in his throat as he mentioned the name. "Peter is a rat."

"You and Sirius could control Remus when he had transformed. And Peter?" Dumbledore asked.

"He could stop the willow. Look, Professor, I don't want to be rude but I've told you everything I know. You haven't told me what's happening with my son. Is he okay? Does he need to compete in the competition?" James demanded. His eyes flickered towards his still friend.

"I've been informed that, as his name was pulled from the goblet, he's entered a binding magical contract and he has to compete."

James let his head fall into his hands and raked them through his dishevelled hair. "He did everything he could to stop it, but it still happened."

"But he did help. He warned us, we know Voldemort is growing stronger and he is more than likely involved in this," Dumbledore reasoned.

"Oh god," James replied, holding his hand over his mouth feeling slightly sick. "What the hell do I do?"

"Harry will be fine, the competition has far more safeguards than it ever did," Lily replied, looking sharply at Dumbledore. "It's not like before. Harry is strong. He has good friends and I will talk to him. He's going to be fine. Sirius needs someone."

"I-I," James stuttered.

"I know," Lily finished. "Your son or your brother? I know you feel conflicted and I know you want to be there for your son, but he has people around him, who does Sirius have?"

James Potter had never been a patient man. Through his job he had learnt to control his impulsive nature, but this was testing his training to its very core. He had merely nodded at Dumbledore's reassurances, too conflicted to do anything else, that the tri-wizard competition was safer than it had ever been, that there were numerous safeguards in place. But it didn't change the fact his son was fourteen not seventeen. The magic he had learnt, either in the classroom or with the Marauders, had been unfathomable. He doubted that it was any different with the older competitors. Then there was the reason he was standing outside the hospital wing feeling sick. Even before this he knew his friend had been strong, tough and stubborn, but he never knew to what extent. Now he knew, he thought bitterly. He just hoped his friend had enough fight left in him to fight this battle. Madam Pomfrey had demanded he stay out of the hospital wing whilst she worked. He thought for a moment before nodding, knowing Madam Pomfrey could have him thrown out of the castle as well.

Upon hearing Sirius scream, he couldn't take it any longer and burst into the hospital wing, racing over to his friend. Not bothering to seek Madam Pomfrey's approval, he took his friend's hand and started talking to him. "Sirius!" he said urgently. "Padfoot, Padfoot. Mate, you're okay. You're not there anymore. You're safe; you're at Hogwarts like you asked. I know it hurts but it won't hurt for long, Madam Pomfrey needs to heal you."

He looked up at Madam Pomfrey as though challenging her to make him leave. His eyes met hers and he knew he had won the battle. And that's how it was: night after night he'd sat with his unconscious friend; sometimes talking about their friends, or Harry, reading the Daily Prophet or just talking about life in general. It was always a one-sided conversation but he hoped Sirius drew as much comfort from it as he did. He and Lily had taken the decision not to tell Harry his godfather was alive. But then, when he had met his father, he had broken down and eventually confessed Sirius was alive. His parents were elderly but they loved Sirius as though he was their son. They had been as devastated as he when Sirius had disappeared. He had ended by promising his father as soon as it was possible he would let him visit Sirius and, if that fateful time came, they would hold a funeral in the grounds of Potter Manor and respectfully honour the brave man Sirius was.

"I can't believe they still have Hough as Seeker," James moaned. "Seriously, a troll would do better." He put down the newspaper when he heard Sirius whimper. After sitting next to his comatose friend for a month he'd gotten used to these, though it still didn't make it any easier. "Padfoot, it's okay mate. It's okay, you're at Hogwarts." James frowned as Sirius' hand began to curl and his eyes dart beneath their lids.

"Padfoot! Come on mate, you've been sleeping for way too long, you need to wake up."

Very slowly but surely, James watched his friend's eyes flicker before finally focusing on him. Tears began to stream uncontrollably down his face. "Welcome back, mate."

"Prongs, why are you crying?" Sirius managed in a hoarse voice, almost as if he had forgotten how to use it.

"I'm not," James replied, not bothering to wipe the tears from his face. "Just bored of waiting for my stupid sod of a brother to wake up."