Regulus Black's Journey Through Time

4

POTTER MANOR

July 6th-1975

James Potter was sitting in the family room with his parents, having a thrilling discussion about pranks with his father while they both tried not to let his knitting mother know what they were discussing, when they heard two loud thumps outside and felt the wards alert them of someone entering through a portkey. James immediately perked up, assuring his parents."I'm sure it's just padfoot. I gave him a portkey here in case he needed it."
He paused, realizing that he didn't get their permission. " I hope that's ok?" He asks with a slightly guilty look.

His father just gives his shoulder a pat with a hearty laugh, as they make their way outside. " That's quite alright, my boy. We don't mind your friends coming over, they're good kids." His mother shakes her head with a quiet chuckle, before looking at him slightly concerned. "You don't think he's in trouble do you? Something might have happened. "

James thinks back to the scars he's seen on his mates body in the instances they've changed together and a wave of concern travels through him. "Maybe…" he quietly says while furrowing his brows. He quickens his pace slightly and his parents follow. "I'm sure he's fine, he probably just wanted to visit his best mate… or get out of the house." He says with a slightly forced smile, not knowing if he's trying to convince his parents or himself. They look at him with sympathy as he rushes ahead through the door.

He looks around, expecting to see Sirius, but it takes him a second to identify the heap on the lawn as his best mate's collapsed body. Once he does he immediately breaks into a run, going faster then he feels he's ever gone. His parents jump into action, following as fast as they can while scanning the area for threats.

As James's knees hit the ground next to Sirius' unresponsive form, he immediately starts trying to wake him, but he is unsuccessful. He's so focused on Sirius that everything else just became muted, sounds seemed like they were underwater and his vision was tunneled to Sirius' form.
He didn't notice his parents approaching until his mother's gentle hand was on his shoulder. He looked up at her desperately but he couldn't make out the gentle words she was saying. He only noticed they were talking when he felt his father try to drag him to his feet, his mother immediately starting on diagnostic charms, and healing spells.

He tried fighting his father's hold, but was clumsy in his shock. The only thoughts in his head was a jumble of . 'I have to help him, pads- he needs me. Why are you taking me away? Help him. Sirius.  Wake up pads! Wake up. Why won't he wake up? Mom fix it. Please-Mom, help him.'

He only snaps out of it to the feeling of a potion brought to his lips. And he realizes with a start that he's not breathing. Once he gets his lungs to start working he takes in a shuddering breath and realizes he's inside and starts looking for Sirius, asking his father where he is. His father looks at him with sympathy and gently rubs up and down his biceps, something that has always calmed him down since he was a small child, before softly telling him that his mother is healing him.

He takes a few more minutes to come down from his panic attack, trying to sort out his thoughts. He looks at his father, who is looking at him with nothing but worry and love, and he wonders, not for the first time, how parents could even think about doing anything but love and care for their child. The being they brought into this world.

He is broken out of his musing by his mother coming inside, he snaps his head up and sees her levitating Sirius through the door and down the hall to the medical room that is in the east wing of the Manor. He moves to follow them when his shoulder is grabbed and he's pushed back down into his chair.

He looks to his father, a protest on his lips, when the look in his eyes gives him pause. "Listen son, I know the only place you want to be right now is by his side, but you need to let your mother work on him. We don't know his condition, and right now, I hate to say it, but you'll only be in her way."

James wants to fight his father's decision but ultimately knows he's right. His shoulders slump as he really thinks about the truth in what his father is saying. He doesn't know many healing spells, and even if he did, he would be too distracted to be of any help. "Can I at least see him when mums done?" He quietly asks his father, whose eyes soften. "Of course Jamie. But for now we need to wait for your mother to be finished."

James lets out a huff. " I know. It's just… I feel like it makes me a bad friend to just sit here, doing nothing. " his dad shakes his head with a quiet huff of a laugh. "I don't think it makes you a bad friend, if anything it makes you better, you're putting his needs before your feelings.  Doing what you don't want to do because you know it will help him is exactly what a good friend does, but if you really don't want to 'just sit here' as you put it,  I think I saw that Sirius brought a trunk with him, do you think you'd be up for going with, to help me bring it in?" James perks up realizing Sirius probably would have brought a trunk with him. "Sure, I'll help. You'd probably break a hip or something, ya old man." He finally cracks a smile at the affronted look his father makes. And with one final look towards the direction his mother and Sirius went,  he follows his father outside to collect Sirius' trunk.