They had a plan. Theyd spent days carefully constructing every detail. Everything had to work and everything would. The plan had no flaws.
Except for the fact that James wouldn't be able to help if anything went wrong.
He hadn't seen regulus in three weeks, he was due back today. If the plan had worked, regulus would be in his arms tonight. If he isn't then he's dead and James might be next.
"James? Mate? You alright?" Sirius called across the dinner table, snapping James from his thoughts. He looked up to find the entire table looking at him. His mum, dad, Sirius and Remus, Lily, Marlene and Peter. All the same look of curiosity and concern.
"I...umm- I'm not that hungry." James picked up his plate and took it to the kitchen, dropping it in the sink before climbing the stairs to his room. He opened the window, like he and Regulus had agreed and sat on the window seat, looking out into the dark winter night.
About twenty minutes later, Lily knocked on James' door and stepped inside, a hand resting ontop of her bump.
"Is he here yet?" She asked, sitting beside James and placing a hand on his knee. "He'll be here, Jamie. I can feel it."
James lay his head on his girlfriends shoulder and took her hand in his, leaving the other still on his thigh.
A black cat padded past the tree line and up the hill that led to Potter Manor. It was late now and the full house was in darkness except from the window that he had climbed through so many times as a teenager. As he got closer, he noticed two figures in the window. James and Lily. Cuddled up. Lily looked right at him and shook James awake.
They jumped up and both looked down at him with relief all over their faces as Regulus transformed.
"He's alive." Lily whispered just loud enough for regulus to hear and he began climbing the vines, the locket heavy around his neck, the loves of his life waiting for him.