Written In the Stars | s.b |

FIFTY-SEVEN

Sirius laid in his new bed in James' room, staring at the ceiling above him. He was still reeling from the events that took place the night before. The fear, the anxiety, the anger, the hurt, and embarrassment as he retold the Potter's of how he had been treated for the last sixteen years.

He contemplated not saying anything of too much value. But when he had arrived; bruised and scarred and already crying — well he couldn't tell them it was nothing. Besides, Ariah thought it better for an adult to know, and Ariah was usually right when it came to emotional healing. He admired her emotional strength she acquired over the years and wished he could even half as strong as she was.

There was also the fact of James being near silent all day. From the minute Sirius sobbed and confessed early that morning to the current second the two boys laid in separate beds; James had not uttered a word to Sirius.

Sirius wondered if his friend saw him as weak. Weak for staying as long as he did or maybe even weak for running away. No matter which way Sirius looked at it, he saw himself as so — he could only imagine how James must see him.

"Sirius...." James said into the darkness. "Are you awake?"

Sirius rolled his head to the right to look at James, but the darkness hid his friend from him. "Yeah," Sirius said.

".... why didn't you tell me?" James asked. "I have known you for five, almost six years. I consider you my brother.... and yet you never told me....?"

Sirius sighed, looking back to the ceiling. "I don't know.... I guess... I guess I just... couldn't... it's not easy to tell people that your parents hate you so much they'd rather inflict pain on you than accept you for who you are...."

He cleared his throat as his voice cracked. He was sick of crying.

"If you had just told me—"

"Nothing would have changed, James," Sirius said. "I was too stubborn — Ariah tried for years.... I just couldn't leave my brother..."

"Ariah knew?" James asked. "You told her?"

"No, she figured it out," Sirius responded.

"I'm sorry," James said after a long pause. "I wish I had known.... maybe if I figured it out —"

"Don't beat yourself up about it," Sirius said. "Nothing you could have done would have changed my mind. I'm safe now."

"Yes," James said. "You are. And I would sooner die than see you unsafe again."

"Don't be so dramatic," Sirius said with a smirk. "Also, if you die, I'll bring you back to kill you myself."

James chuckled into the dark. "I die for you and you bring me back to kill me yourself? How's that fair?"

"It just is," Sirius said, yawning as he spoke. He hugged his blanket closer to him, taking in the scent of dittany and mint.

"Goodnight Sirius," James said. "Sleep well."

"I will," Sirius responded. "For now on, I believe I will."

New Years Eve came up on the group rather quickly. Remus and Ariah had convinced their father to let them, Meeka and Dylan, take the knight bus to Potter's. Lyall was allowing the children to stay for New Year's Eve on the pretense that Mrs. and Mr. Potter would also be there.

"How'd you get your dad to just accept that they would be here?" Peter asked.

Ariah shrugged. "We simply wrote to James telling him our dad would be writing to his parents."