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Their hands were shaking. They were thinner, veins more pronounced than Sirius was used to. Thin bands of silver wrapping around several of their fingers, including their ring finger. A thin band of silver with a black diamond in the middle. Sirius' mind provided the facts before they could look away. One carat, round cut, natural AA, milgrain detailing. Some of their families' upbringing they can never unlearn, but being able to look at a ring and tell you at least three things about it immediately is one of the oddest.
They don't recognize the house in front of them. It looked to be two stories with hedges surrounding it. The house seemed to be in good condition besides for one spot. The right side of the top floor had been blown apart, pieces of wood hanging out and dangerously tipping back and forth in the wind. Small bits of blames hung to the edges, flickering to nothing.
Sirius forced their legs to move. A heavy weight sat in their heart and they started to rush for the door. Sirius didn't understand why their heart was beating hard against their chest, but they were sure it was close to being overworked and stopping.
The door hung open and they could see the debris sitting on the wooden floor. They barely took another step before seeing him. A body laid on the floor, eyes empty as they stared. Their hair was just as wild as it was how Sirius knew it to be. Sirius didn't want to believe it. After all, their James lived at Hogwarts and wouldn't be living on his own for years. Definitely not in a house. He and Sirius would share an apartment for a few years while working before they would marry someone.
But his face was almost the same. Some of the baby fat that still hung onto the face of their James was gone, but their face was young. Too young. Too young for the empty stare. Sirius knew, they knew, but they still knelt besides him. With two fingers, they pressed against the underside of his jaw, right where their neck started. There was no pulse.
James was dead.
In a panicked flurry, Sirius stood up and began searching. Throwing papers to the side for some hint of what day it was. What year it was. Something.
James clearly wasn't organized because he didn't even have a damn calendar in their kitchen. Who doesn't keep a calendar in their kitchen? The table was filled with useless papers that meant nothing to Sirius. Names of people they didn't know and details of different species. A letter from Remus about a mission he was going on. Was Remus an auror in the future? A letter from Marlene that sat in pristine condition, like nobody has touched it for months. Not what I'm looking for. A short message from Minnie, a congratulations and happy birthday message. Who's birthday? James? It's not cold enough outside for it to be February.
Then they saw it. Thick, with pen marks scribbling in the crossword puzzle before giving up. Half of the letters were in James' morning handwriting when he forgot how to use their hand to make his writing legible. Sirius couldn't tell who else wrote in the letters before they both gave up. On the paper, the date sat in bold letters. 31 OCTOBER, 1981.
Sirius woke up screaming. Air refused to fill their lungs as their hands scrambled against their chest. Nails digging into their flesh as panic overtook their senses.
"Sirius! Sirius, stop!"
James was going to die. James was going to die. James was going to die at twenty-one years old.
"Sirius!"
Their best friend was going to die.
"Sirius! Breathe, please stop."
Arms wrapped around their chest, hands encasing theirs and protecting his neck and chest from further damage. A voice whispered in their ear, but all Sirius could hear was the blood rushing to their head. An echoing message of how the future couldn't be changed. Sirius had always let their images play out. When they were sorted into Gryffindor, they didn't argue with the hat. When James fell off his broom and broke their wrist, Sirius let it happen. When their mother enacted the crucio curse because they took the fall for Regulus' mistake, Sirius let it happen. The future would always play out. If you tried to change it, it could become worse.
But Sirius couldn't let their best friend die.
They couldn't let their best friend be murdered.
"I need to see more," Sirius choked out.
"What?"
"I need to stop it. I need more information. I need to see more."
"Sirius, it's okay. Everything is okay."
They blinked up at the figure behind them. Still held closely to their chest and hands holding theirs. James' eyes, hazel, staring, alive.
"No, it's not, but I'll fix it. I'll fix it." I need to see more.
