We Were

Reckless

September 1st- 1974

The train whistle howled loud and clear, and the wheel's began pulling off. James, Peter, and Remus exchanged very uneasy looks as they scanned the platform that was beginning to move beneath their feet, then glanced back into their usual compartment that now held an empty seat. Had Sirius simply gotten on the train without their noticing? He must have, since the Black's had been seen dropping off Regulus. Sirius' friends had been expecting the last surly Black to make his entrance as far behind his supposed family as possible, but now it seemed they must have just missed him in the crowd.

"He was still alive last you saw him, right James?" Peter kept biting at his nails rather than look to him as he eyed the barrier.

"Was totally normal the three weeks he was around," James agreed. He bit his lip rather than keep going, the pang of why he'd had to voluntarily return home this summer had his mind spinning in all sorts of awful directions. Had his parents grown suspicious of their animagus practice and done something to him?

As the train started to really pick up speed, they backed in and began to pull the door shut, when Peter shouted, "Wait!"

Startled and turning back around at once, they saw quite clearly what he'd noticed. Sirius was running towards the train at full speed, his trunk under one hand, and his owl clutched tightly in the other. James reacted first, pulling his wand out and summoning his friend. Clearly startled, Sirius lost his footing as he sailed forward, tumbling into him face first, luggage and all, James' back now unpleasantly melded to the stairs.

They groaned miserably as Remus and Peter made quick work of disentangling the pair. Sirius sat back, red-faced and tousled, and only after his stuff had been stored away and he plopped down on a seat did he huff, "Thanks. Could have been a little more subtle about telling me how much you wanted me-"

"Shut up Sirius," James groaned, still rubbing at his abused rib cage, "and tell me why the bloody hell you were so late."

"Can't do both now can I?" He grumbled, pushing his hair out of his face, and finally sitting himself up in a more dignified fashion. Then immediately slouching in his seat and rubbing at his right arm.

"You all right there?" Remus asked in concern.

Sirius eyed them all wearily, and waited long after they had taken their seats and the trolley had come around before saying, "It hurts."

Peter snorted and snapped, "Well thank you for that, we thought you were rubbing it for fun."

Sirius opened his mouth with a very crude look on his face, but James wasn't going to let him deflect with raunchy humor. "Come on Sirius, why did you almost miss the train, and what's wrong with your arm?"

He sighed, let his head fall back against the cushion and answered the ceiling, "Cause my parents are off their rocker."

"We discovered that several years ago," James nodded, "but I'd like specifics if you don't mind."

"What'd they do this time?" Remus asked in sympathy.

His head lolled back to stare them all down for a moment before he sighed and said, "They decided against informing me they were leaving this morning. Basically been ignoring my existence all summer, so I shouldn't have been too surprised, and since I couldn't apparate with them to the platform I had to ride my broom here. I'll be lucky if I wasn't seen, and fined for it!"

Peter, Remus, and James all called his parents a different curse word each, and Sirius smiled indulgently at them after saying that he had been far more colorful when he realized their actions.