Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. The song "Desperado" is by The Eagles and I do not own it in any way.
Desperado
Introduction
January 1980
With a happy sigh, Sirius fell back into the old leather chair that, after years of use, seemed to have finally reached the perfect level of comfort. Being the only one home, the house was eerily still, which made him a bit uncomfortable. Shaking off the feeling, he leaned back, his feet resting on the matching ottoman, and opened his book, Utopia.
Try as he might, Sirius was unable to concentrate on the words in front of him. He breathed deeply, smelling the still tacky paint that was drifting down the hall from the guest room turned nursery. His gaze drifted out the window and he could see the snow lazily falling to the ground, illuminated by the neighbours Christmas lights. 'Muggles,' Sirius thought with an amused look on his face.
Suddenly, a crack filled the room, causing Sirius to jump and his young beagle puppy to begin barking. Before he could reach his wand, Sirius realized that it was only James and his heart rate returned to normal.
"Prongs, you - what happened?"
"Listen, Sirius, we need to talk," James interrupted, his normally joking eyes deadly serious.
"What is going on?" Sirius asked, his heart rate accelerating again as he began to assume the worst.
James gave Sirius a pained look, running his hand through his hair, allowing Sirius to glimpse a deep gash that ran down his forearm. Sirius took a moment to take in James's appearance - from the crack through one of the lenses in his glasses to his ripped robes that revealed a deep purple bruise forming underneath on his chest.
"What - " Sirius began again, but James put up a hand to silence him.
"Sirius, it's…," he glanced around the room, for once not being able to find the words to say to his best mate. "It's about Marly."