Christmas eve everyone! I'm so excited!

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James flinched as the grandfather clock in the living room rang out, two long reverberating gongs that echoed throughout the empty house.

His eyes never moved from the large map of London he had spread out over the kitchen counter, red ink slowly spreading across it as he marked off areas he had checked.

Two in the morning and his parents weren't back yet. He would have been worried but they specifically told him they wouldn't be back till four at least, the Ministry Christmas Eve party was known for getting out of hand.

Sirius was missing and James was running out of ideas. He didn't think Sirius would have left London...and he had been going throw the long list of contacts Sirius had built up over the years of being a good looking delinquent on the streets but so far there was no sign of him. Which wasn't...terribly surprising, just worrying. Because when Sirius didn't want to be found no one in the world could find him, but...James needed to find him. And soon.

His head was about ready to explode with that painful pounding that happened whenever Sirius was in trouble, and let's not even get into how his heart was feeling...

True to his word, James had been searching London every day since Regulus broke the news...but even James wasn't dumb enough to search London at night, not in these times.

He stared the red, covering the map and felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. The gnawing worry growing as he began to doubt himself.

What if Sirius wasn't in London? What if he wasn't even in Britain anymore...? What if something had happened to him? What if he was hurt? Or worse...dead?

James was jarred out of those sick thought by three sharp knocks at his door and he jumped off of the chair, sock covered feet padding across the floor as he went to the door. His parent must have left early.

He checked the wards and then peered out through the peep hole, only to see a hunched figure on the other side...with shockingly familiar hair.

Throwing the door open James stared, "Sirius!"

Sirius stood on the doorstep, leaning against the wall. He looked up at James, shaggy hair and dirt and gave a two fingered wave, almost a salute.

"Eh Prongs."

Reaching out James pulled Sirius into the house quickly, fingers curling around his friend's thin bony arm catching him as he stumbled.

"What are you doing here?! How did you get here!?" He hissed, whispering even though they were still the only people in the house.

"Walked didn't I?" Sirius mumbled, one arm was snaked around his stomach and his shoulders hunched. He kept his head down and James pushed him onto a chair as soon as he could.

"We live on opposite side of the country Sirius."

"Eh...took me awhile." Sirius slurred his eyelids dropping down and James snapped his fingers.

"Sirius!"

Sirius made a nondescript noise and James shoved a leftover piece of toast under the other boys nose.

"Eat."

The toast disappeared instantly and James dug around, pulling out some leftover soup and Sirius inhaled it.

"You reek." He said finally, watching Sirius carefully. The way he moved, stiffly, the thick layer of dirt and what might have been dried blood that covered his clothes and face.

As soon as Sirius finished the soup James herded him up to the bathroom.

"I..uh...can't.." Sirius whispered distractedly, using one arm to gesture to the other that he had wrapped around his stomach. "It's..uhh..."

"Right." James said after a moment, figuring it out and he paused for a moment. "We're going to throw these clothes out anyway..."

And he started cutting the filthy shirt off Sirius' back.

"Ouch! Watch it!" Sirius snapped as James got to a particularly dirty spot, which turned out to be dried blood from the flayed looking wound on Sirius back. His friend's body was littered with bruises and cuts and James knew exactly what curses had been used as he got a closer look. Though he doubted they were the only curses Sirius had endured.

"Shit Sirius...what happened...?"

He got a grunt in response as Sirius awkwardly shed his pants and underwear and headed to the shower. Once the hot water got going he gingerly sat down on the floor, streams of brown and red water flowed away from him. His head tipped back and water dripped down his nose.

"I left."

James opened his mouth but Sirius continued.

"And I'm never going back."

So...what do you think?