JK Rowling owns the HP universe and all its characters. I merely play.

The shock had still not worn off. James was still in utter disbelief at what his best mate had actually done. He just couldn't believe it. This was Sirius—funny, charming, caring, and most of all, loyal Sirius. Well, so James had thought. Apparently he had thought wrong. James had to admire the fact that Sirius had owned up to it; a lesser man would have put off the confrontation for as long as possible, and avoided the friends he had hurt. But Sirius had always been gutsy. Why else would he be put in Gryffindor? Because as far as James was concerned, after the stunt Sirius had just pulled, he had been wrongly sorted. He shouldn't be in the house of the brave. He should have been in Slytherin, the house for the cunning. Sirius was a Black after all, no matter how much he tried to defy his family.

The four were in the Hospital Wing, surrounded by silence. Remus was glaring at Sirius from his cot, jaw set in fury. Peter's eyes were darting from Remus to Sirius to James to Sirius and then back to Remus, trying to decide what to do. Sirius's hands were shoved deep inside his pockets, and he hung his head, hiding his face behind his bangs. James was lost in his own thoughts, wondering what had happened to the boy in front of them, wondering when he had changed.

Remus was the first to break the silence. "So, you just told him? You told Snape my biggest secret, one that could have gotten him killed and me thrown into Azkaban? Just like that?" Remus looked terrible, the result of spending a full moon alone, something he had not done in years. He had fresh cuts on his arms and a marred ankle that Moony had apparently attempted to gnaw off. Purple bags surrounded sleepless eyes, which were only more noticeable in contrast ghostly pale skin. And his anger at Sirius's actions only seemed to further exhaust him. His amber eyes were burning in anger, desperately trying to understand what had gone through his friend's head.

"I didn't mean—" Sirius started, his voice strained, but Remus stopped him.

"Yes or no. Answer the question, Black."

There was a pause before Sirius whispered a quiet, ashamed, "Yes."

Remus sighed and looked away from him, swallowing heavily. He just couldn't look at the boy he had known for six years, the boy he had confided in for six years, the boy he had loved being friends with for every second of six years. Peter shook his head at Sirius and remained silent, obviously unable to understand how Sirius had let their friend's secret slip. But James—James was absolutely seething.

"So, what? Have you joined the Death Eaters now, too?" he hissed. His former best mate looked up at him with wide eyes, confused and guilty. "Because if you haven't by now, believe me, you're well on your way!"

"James, please, I—" Sirius pleaded, but James would have none of it.

"NO! No, you don't get to talk Black! Because that's exactly what you are—a Black!" Sirius winced and dropped his gaze to the floor as James continued to scream at him. "You're always the one that talks about loyalty and trust and friendship. How have you proved your loyalty, trustworthiness, and friendship lately? By blabbing Remus's secret and almost getting Snape killed?"

Suddenly Sirius looked up, clenching his fists, his face flushed with shame. "I never meant for it to get that far!" he shouted over James, effectively silencing him. Sirius took a deep breath and continued in a softer tone. "I'm not trying to make excuses, and I'm sorry. Merlin, I'm so sorry. Believe me; I'm just as disgusted with myself, if not more." James snorted at this but Sirius ignored him and pushed on. "I'm sorry. I was angry and… and I wasn't thinking. I didn't mean for it to get out of hand. It's no excuse, I know, but… that's what happened. I'm sorry," he finished in a whisper.

James growled low in his throat but clenched his jaw to keep it in. Instead, he turned to Remus, raising his eyebrows in question. Sirius shifted his gaze to the bedridden boy as well, straightening his spine in anticipation of his sentence. Remus stared at Sirius hard, holding his breath before sighing and shaking his head, closing his eyes. "That's not good enough. Not nearly." He opened his eyes, his expression sour. "Please," he whispered, "just get out."

Sirius swallowed hard, paler than normal. He shifted his gaze from Remus to Peter to James before dropping his eyes quickly. Nodding stiffly, he backed away slowly, turned, and trudged out of the Hospital Wing. The door made a heavy thudding noise as it shut behind him.

James continued to glare after Sirius. His anger was dissipating, giving way to disappointment. He had thought that Sirius was better than that, that he was different from his parents. How could James have been so blind? Once a Black, always a Black.

A muffled sniff interrupted his thoughts. Turning, he realized it had come from Remus; the lycanthrope had buried his face in his hands, trying to hide tears. Peter sat down on the cot next to him and wrapped an arm around him, but he looked to James with wide eyes, begging for help. "Forget him," James said soothingly, sitting on Remus' other side and placing a hand on his uninjured shin. "He's not worth it."

Remus shook his head and moved his hands from his face to wrap his arms around himself tightly, protectively. He looked small, fragile. James' anger toward Sirius increased tenfold. "I trusted him," Remus managed to choke out. "I trusted him."

AN: Please review and give me constructive feedback. Updates will be kind of sporadic, but I'll try to be timely