Brotherly Love

No Regrets

He heard the tap on the window as he brought the fork to his mouth. He'd been waiting all day to nosh on the plate of roasted beef he had set before himself. His eyes slitted and he felt his brow rise; he turned his head and glanced at the window. He sipped on the ale, swallowing the half-masticated bovine substance in his mouth. His left hand ached at the scar that Lily had placed on his palm from the blood-binding spell they had performed for Harry a year prior and he shook at it; earlier in the day, he'd grabbed at a blade wielded by a Death Eater who'd been aiming for his throat, cutting him exactly where Lily's scar was...He thought he was a gonner for sure...He looked at his palm where the charmed blade had cut at his flesh...the healed cut was angry-looking.

The owl tapped on the window again.

"What the hell, Albus! I need a day off, mate...Damn!"

He opened the window and stared at the sad-looking owl perched on the window sill...James' owl. He felt his chest tighten as he shook his head at having seen that the bird was carrying a rolled parchment suspended by a black ribbon...it had not been tied to the bird's leg. "No."

Suddenly, he no longer felt half-starved.

With shaking hands, he brought the bird in and lowered the window, then removed the ribbon from the owl's beak; he tenderly stroked the owl and it lit for the perch in the corner. He untied the parchment and unrolled it. His eyes glanced over the familiar handwriting, but his mind fought the validity of it.

Sirius stared at the pre-written note that James had written in the event the unimaginable came to pass:

Padfoot,

Well, I reckon it happened, so I've one more favor to ask of you: I've learned that it's Harry and me that he wants...and if you're receiving this owl, then it's me, he has.

I can tell you now that Lily made me tweak the charm a bit so that you can see everything, been like this since before Harry's birthday and she forbade me from telling you because you'd have been here all the time and she didn't want you in the middle of this mess...you know how she is. Ha ha!

Forgive me for burdening you with this mate, but I need you to come and get Lily and Harry out of here for me? Continue to protect them, as I would have done, only please do a better job at it and keep yourself ALIVE? You need to know that you cannot perform a side-along  disapparition with Harry in tow from here, he's too young, but time is precious so get on that charmed bike of yours and fly...Please hurry!

I feel that I have to tell you this just in case that you're ever in doubt: just always know that you're loved, Padfoot and I've never regretted having you as my mucker, not one day! And  I want you to know that I'll always be with you...someone's got to look after you. after all...I wish you'd get back with Moony...you're both so lost without the other. TRUST HIM PADFOOT. I DO!!

You've always been loved by all of us. Never, EVER forget that. I will look in on you from time to time.

Prongs

PS: Oh and I promise that I won't look in on you while you're in the middle of a good shag. That would be embarrassing as hell!  ~JFP

He felt his chest tighten and he ran to the bathroom and vomited what food he managed to get down, his fingers still clutching the precious letter.

Lily had made James write the note for Sirius; James insisted that it wasn't needed, but to calm his wife, he wrote it and charmed it to levitate before his owl should the worst come to pass. It was to be Sirius' cue to journey to the house to look for survivors...

Sirius sat on the floor of his bathroom after having vomiting his supper, still stunned. He looked at the note again...James loved a good joke, but this was too much...it pained his soul to see it. Even if James were cross with him fir not visiting, he knew that the man wouldn't stoop this low...He understood why Lily forbade James from telling him that he had tweaked the charm...she was right. He would have damned near been living there...and to her, having another wand in attendance wasn't worth him risking his life.