James was engrossed in a game of wizard chess with his mother when someone began to rap on their door downstairs: knock, knock, knock-knock, knock. It was the Marauders' secret knock, used by them to identify each other when the need arose. James went tense at the sound of it.
"I'll get it," his mother said, pulling herself to her feet with a soft groan.
But James pushed his way past her. "No, Mum, it's all right." He left his mother staring after him as he slid down the banister to the first floor of the house and ran to get the door. Who the hell would be using the Marauders' knock at his home in the middle of the night?
He opened the door and quickly got his answer: Sirius was waiting on his front porch, soaked and shivering in the rain. He looked alarmingly pale and sickly, and his shirt was torn and stained with lost blood.
For a minute James stood frozen, unsure of what to think or what to do. He'd been so angry with Sirius when they'd left Hogwarts—he had torn apart the Marauders and almost gotten himself expelled and nearly pushed Remus to his breaking point. He still had no idea how Sirius could have done what he did, but he also knew that Sirius regretted it more than anything. And here he was at James's doorstep, all alone and looking like he was trying very hard not to cry. Clearly he had nowhere else to go.
"James," he said. His voice was laden with emotion James knew he wasn't able to put into words. "James, I—I can't—"
James stepped forward, out into the rain. He met Sirius's eyes, holding his gaze silently for a moment; then he reached forward and pulled his best friend into a fierce, crushing hug. Sirius hugged him back, startled, and buried his face in James's shoulder.
"Come on," James murmured. "Let's get you inside."
