Chapter Text
James
James had always been pretty athletic. He was the football team captain that was always chosen and had only ever won gold medals in competitions. And right now, James was using all that training to get back home as soon as possible.
After his mum had ended that call, James broke the only rule she had given him. Do not come home. James probably should’ve listened. He probably should’ve gone to Monty’s house. But he couldn’t.
His mum was one of the most important people in his life and if she was at risk, he had to do whatever it took to keep her safe. Even if that meant risking himself.
Rain had started to heavily pour but James didn’t slow down. He pushed past people and muttered a few apologies here and there. He felt bad for leaving Remus there, but James was sure he would understand.
James’ clothes were drenched by the time he walked into his building and up the stairs. He could feel water droplets on the back of his neck and his clothes were too tight.
As he was about to open the door, his downstairs neighbour, Pandora, appeared.
“Your mum is making a lot of noise, James,” her voice was tranquil and calmed James down slightly. “If she needs to move things around, get that man here. You know, Monty?” She didn’t let James answer. Instead, she turned around and her long, white skirt grazed James’ leg.
Pandora was strange. That was the only way James could describe her right now.
He shook his head and went to push the door open. It was unlocked. James knew he should turn back and call the police. But he just couldn’t.
Slowly, he stepped into the apartment and held back a gasp.
Everything was a mess. The shelves, couch, and even the tv had been thrown across the room. Shattered glass covered the floor and James was sure there were blood splatters next to them.
He stepped around a broken vase and fully entered the house, leaving the door open behind him.
The lights had been switched off and since it was getting dark outside, no light entered the house. James breathed slowly. He was scared there was still someone in the house, waiting. Lurking. Before he carried on looking around, James grabbed a shard of glass sharp enough to hurt someone.
It was obvious his mother had fought back. Books were on the other side of the living room and a knife had been taken from its stand. Tears welled up in his eyes. He was uncertain if Euphemia had been strong enough to take down what had broken in.
“Mum,” James whispered as he pushed the bathroom door open.
It seemed like the person who had broken in had searched everywhere. The sink cupboard door had been torn off its hinges and thrown into the bathtub. All the products that had been sitting there had been thrown out.
The robber had been looking for something specific. It was obvious with how thorough they had been.
James left the bathroom and suddenly something felt different. The aura of the room had changed. There was still someone in the house. And that someone, or something, had disrupted the peace.
James’ grip on the shard tightened and he could feel it cut through his skin like it was paper. Blood slowly gathered around the palm of his hand but James ignored that disgusting feeling and walked towards his bedroom.
The door was slightly ajar and no light came from it. James must’ve forgotten to open his curtains to let some form of light in. Suddenly, he heard a noise. It was quiet. But it was something. A rustling came from the other side. And then, a growl. Wait, what? James thought.
His bedroom then slammed open, shoving him back and forcing him to trip on the broken table and land on the pile of glass. James groaned in pain and grabbed his back. He hissed at the sudden contact and felt blood droplets on his finger.
“What the fuck?” James attempted to push himself up as he saw a beast step out of his room.
Scales covered its back like a dragon and its mouth was large with thousands of teeth in it. Clicking noises came from its mouth as it crawled closer towards James, who was still half lying on the floor.
Quickly, James pushed himself up, ignoring the shooting pains in his hands from the glass that had pushed through his skin. James ran and retreated back to the kitchen to grab the only knife left. Uncertainty filled him because he knew a knife could not pierce through the scales of such a beast.
The beast gave James no time to prepare himself anymore. Instead, it ran through the glass and broken objects straight to James. Its long tongue came out and James then set off towards the door. Just before he was about to reach it, the demon grabbed the back of his neck and threw him across the room.
James’ back slammed against the wall and then he felt his head connect with the ground. He could no longer ignore the pains coming from his body. His vision began to blur and his legs felt numb.
This was it. James was going to die today. Fuck, he should’ve dressed better.
The beast stood above him and reached its arm out. James felt himself be pulled up and hot breaths hit his face like wind. Another clicking noise. It opened its mouth and brought James closer to him.
As James got closer, he could hear the beast hissing the words ‘Riddle’. He didn’t know what that meant and he didn't care much. He was about to die.
But just as it was about to rip James’ face clear off, it made another clicking noise. This one was deeper. It was unusual. James looked down and saw a sword had pierced through its stomach and was slightly touching James’ thigh.
The beast turned to ash. It withered away in front of James and let him fall straight to his knees. But instead of falling face first into the floor, a set of long, pale hands grabbed his arms and brought him to their chest.
James’ shuffled slightly and let himself fall into the nice smelling person that was holding him up.
“It’s okay,” the voice whispered. It sounded familiar. It wasn’t Remus, no. Regulus. “You’re okay now. You’re safe.” Regulus’ cold hands felt warm against James’ face. It soothed him.
Tears fell from James’ eyes and onto Regulus’ lap. He wasn’t crying because he nearly died. James wept for his mother. There were no signs about where she had gone. And that was if she was gone and not dead. The beast could’ve already killed her. She could truly be dead and James hadn’t even told her that he loved her.
James sobbed and gripped onto Regulus even tighter. The other boy whispered comforting words into James’ ear but James didn’t feel comforted. He felt worse.
The feeling that James was too late ate at him. His mother’s location was unknown but if he had just stayed home, she may have still been there. She may still be alive.
“We’ll find your mother,” Regulus told him like he knew what James was thinking. “A demon like that doesn’t kill, it tracks. The only reason it seemed like it was going to kill you, was because it thought you knew what it was looking for. What we have to do is figure out what it was looking for and why your mother may have had that thing, understand?”
James only cried harder. Nothing was making sense to him. In a space of two days, he had been given more information that was wrong but felt so right.
All the stories were true.
The bedtime stories his mother had once told him were no longer a figment of his imagination, but reality. Demons, werewolves, vampires, and even fairies walked this earth. People who hunt demons using powers from their runes walked the same streets he did, and probably went to the same places he had gone to. His mother had been attacked by a demon that wanted something off her. Now, she was missing.
James wasn’t supposed to see all this. It was wrong. He was a muggle. James had no blood but human coursing through his veins. And that meant he was not supposed to bear witness to these things. James was the one the Shadowhunters were supposed to protect without his knowledge. But now, James had seen something that would be engraved in his mind forever. Every time he would shut his eyes, the beast that had taken his mother would be the only thing James saw. He hated knowing that.
More tears fell from his eyes and onto Regulus, who didn’t seem to care much. Instead, Regulus was tilting his head as far as possible to get a good view of everything.
“Do you have any idea why a demon would come for your mother?” Regulus asked.
James could only shake his head, “I don’t know. I didn’t even know they existed until yesterday, so I doubt she knew.”
“No.” James looked up to Regulus. “She must’ve known something. It wouldn’t have come after her for no reason.” Regulus’ voice left no room for argument.
James wiped his face with his sleeve, “She never told me anything.”
Regulus looked at the shattered glass on the floor. “Your mother must have been trying to protect you from what she knew. Look, I’lll try and help you find her. But we need more information.”
“What do you want me to do?”
Gently, Regulus let go of James. He stood up and James could barely hold himself up on the floor, “Come back with me to the institute. Talk to my tutor, he may know some things that can help us. I’ll do whatever it takes, James. I swear on the Angel.”
Regulus stuck out his long, slender hands for James to grab. Once he did, James pulled himself up but quickly found himself feeling heavy on his feet.
His mind was moving at a hundred miles per hour, every thought was passing through. What if she was dead? What if they could never find her?
It was like Regulus could tell James’ every move. So when James abruptly let go of Regulus’ hand and found himself falling to the ground, Regulus was quick to catch him and pick him up.
“I’ve got you,” Regulus murmured and those were the last words James heard before his consciousness left him.
★
James was dreaming. He knew that because his mother was there.
Her hair was long and fell on one side and she was wearing a white, silk dress that fell down just to her ankles. A chiffon veil covered her hair and went up to her eyes, which were staring at James with a soft gaze.
Now that James was looking at her, he realised how much she looked like a warrior. Her arms were slightly muscular and covered in a few faded scars. In the dream, she even had a rune on her upper-arm. One that seemed to be shared between all Shadowhunters.
“James,” her voice was broken and quiet. “James.” Effie repeated.
“Mum,” James’ voice cracked. “Mum, where are you?” She didn’t answer. “Mum, please. Tell me something!”
She stepped forward and the veil shifted slightly, showing off another scar that was red and looked recent. “Run,” was the only thing said to James’ question. “Run while you still can. Shadowhunters cannot protect you. They will only hurt you, do you understand?”
“Mum,” James dropped to his knees and grabbed the bottom of her dress. “Where are you?”
“Shadowhunters are not demon-hunters. They are tragic heroes. Ones who are cursed for eternity to serve the Angel. An angel who does not exist,” Effie looked down at him. “Leave them before they leave you with a scar so deep it will never fade.”
Her words were making no sense to James at the moment. How did she know all this? Why was she not telling James where she was?
James shook his head, “Where are you? I can help you if you just tell me where you are, please.”
She shook her head, “That’s not right. James, wake up.”
James frowned, “What?”
“Wake up, James. Wake up!”
James sat up and felt his head connect with someone else.
“Ow,” he whispered and rubbed his head. “What the hell?”
James opened his eyes and saw Sirius sitting in front of him. He was dressed up in a see-through, black turtleneck that stuck to him tightly. The black curls, that were out the night James had first seen him, were in a messy bun held up by a…dagger?
“That hurt,” Sirius rubbed his head. “What was that for?”
James shuffled backwards, “I’m sorry. So sorry.” A rush of pain went through his head, “Fuck.”
Sirius stood up, “Wait here.” James nodded, even though he knew he couldn’t move at all. He walked over to a table nearby James and grabbed a cup of something. As Sirius walked over, he smelt the liquid in his hands and made a face. “Here you go.”
Quickly, James grabbed the cup out of his hands and thanked him. “What is it?”
Sirius shrugged, “No clue. But, Peter told me to give it to you and I trust Peter.” James didn’t trust Peter very much. Probably because James didn’t know Peter and Sirius must’ve figured that one out, “Peter is my tutor. He’s really smart and good with plants. That is supposed to help with pain.”
James stared at the green liquid in the cup that was thick and looked sickly.
“Drink it,” a voice from the doorway said.
Regulus.
He had changed his clothes since the last time James had seen him, whenever that was, and was now dressed in black pyjamas. His hair was tied up in a small bun with two pieces sticking out at the front.
“Do you own any other colours except for black?” James said instead of drinking the juice. James had only ever seen Regulus three times and in those three times he was only wearing black and the only colour that was visible was the blue in his eyes.
Sirius snorted, “Have you not heard our motto?” James shook his head, “Shadowhunters: Looking Better in Black Than The Widows of our Enemies since 1234.”
“Stop being stupid, Sirius,” Regulus stepped fully into the infirmary place James was in. “The Shadowhunters motto is Descensus facilis Averno est. The descent into Hell is easy.”
“What type of fucking motto is that?” James looked at both of them. “It’s not very motivational.” He joked.
Regulus ignored his question, “Drink that. You will feel better.” His voice scared James slightly and James downed the green liquid in a few gulps.
The drink was disgusting. It made James feel nauseous and worse rather than better. But a few minutes later, the head pains he was having disappeared and the dull ache in his back vanished.
Now that the pain was gone, James looked around and took in his surroundings. The infirmary he was sitting in was designed in a way a castle would be. Engraved pillars held the room up and the glass was stained red with an angel in the middle. The angel was holding a golden cup that had a red liquid in it.
“Raziel,” Sirius looked at the same window James was staring at. “Our Angel. He blessed us with our powers and his blood. We serve him.”
“You hunt demons,” James stated rather than asked. “With the runes he gave you, right?”
Sirius nodded, “Yeah. During a violent demon invasion a thousand years ago, a warlock called on the Angel Raziel for assistance. The Warlock mixed his blood with Raziel’s in the mortal cup and drank it. After that, Shadowhunters were created and their duty was to protect the upperworld and the downworld from demons.”
James nodded. Now, after the events of his home and the club, this information didn’t sound suspicious or unusual to him. James could no longer not believe what they were saying as he had seen it with his own eyes. He had seen the demons that haunted the earth and knew that there were people that protected them.
All the stories were true.
Every single one.
“We used a rune on you,” Sirius told him. James looked down to his arm and saw the rune that covered his wrist. It was a collection of black, curved lines that were slowly fading away.
“Which is why you need to come with me,” Regulus got his attention. “Peter wants to talk to you as soon as possible.”
“Why?” James asked.
Regulus looked down at him on the bed, “Muggles don’t survive the use of a rune.” James’ face dropped. “You aren’t a muggle and Peter wants to know what’s going on.”
James was quick to stand up. Regulus had to grab his hand to stop him from falling again. “Okay.” He wanted answers as soon as possible and if Peter could give those to him, then James wanted to see him.
Sirius cleared his throat, “You need to change.”
At that moment, James felt everything. His clothes were still damp and covered in dry blood. “Oh. I don’t have anything on me.”
Sirius stood up, “Don’t worry. Barty’s around your size so I stole some of his clothes.” He handed James a set of clothes and new shoes. “I hope those shoes are your size.” James nodded, unsure of what to say. “I’ll close the curtains.”
Sirius and Regulus stepped away from the bed and closed the curtains behind him. He heard them shuffle away slightly and whisper a few words to each other.
Barty must’ve been the other boy that was with them in the club. If James could remember correctly, he was the one with green hair.
The clothes James had been given fit fine. He had put on a dark green t-shirt and a pair of black joggers. Seriously, what is with the black? The trainers were exactly his size and James felt much more comfortable now he was in clean clothes. However, he really needed a shower.
James stepped out of the curtains and the brothers immediately stepped away from each other. Whatever they had been saying could’ve been said later.
“Peter?” James asked and Regulus nodded.
“Where are we?” James asked as he realised he had no clue where he was.
Regulus took him down a corridor, “The London institute of Shadowhunters. It is a place where Shadowhunters can come and pass through if needed, it is a part of our pledge. It is our home away from home.”
“So, do you guys live here or are you just passing through?” James asked.
“Me, Sirius, and Barty live here. So do my parents and another Shadowhunter called Marlene. But, they are in Idris dealing with the accords right now. They’ll be here later,” Regulus explained as they walked.
James followed right behind him, “Is Idris a Shadowhunter city or something?” Regulus nodded. “What are the accords?” James couldn’t help his curious nature. It was something that his mum and Monty had always pointed out.
Monty.
James stopped as he remembered that Monty was still there and he was probably wondering what had happened. Same with Remus. James felt so sick knowing he had so easily forgotten about them.
“What’s wrong?” Regulus turned and asked.
James felt his heart speed up and his legs go weak. “Remus and Monty. I haven’t called them or talked to them since the other day. They’re probably fucking worried and confused! I need to talk to them.”
Regulus ran a hand through his hair and sighed, “Look, we need to figure out this thing first. You can call your friend later and tell him you're fine.”
James shook his head and repeated the word ‘no’ over and over again. “They’ve probably called the police and they’re looking for me. I mean, if they have seen the state of the house they’ve definitely called the police.”
Regulus stared at him, annoyed.
“Look, I don’t care, James. I don’t care if they have called the police or if they’re searching for you. I care about you and your mother. Not because I like you,” Regulus’ voice was cold, “But because you are an anomaly. We need to find out what is going on. Everything else comes later, understand?”
James stepped back. He was unsure of what to say. “Okay.”
Regulus nodded and carried on walking towards their location, James was right behind him.
They ended up in a library that was larger than anything James had ever seen. There was more stained glass with Raziel drawn on. Books were not only on shelves but also covered the desks. There was even one in a glass case that was open on a page with a drawing.
An angel towered over a man with a cup in his hands.
It was the story that Sirius had told him about. The Warlock and the Angel. The creation of Shadowhunters.
Regulus looked over James’ shoulder and saw the drawing that James was looking at.
“Raziel,” the name rolled off Regulus’ tongue in a satisfying way. “Interesting, right?” James nodded.
“Telling him about our history, Regulus?” Someone from the second floor asked.
James looked up and saw a short man. He had dirty blonde hair and was wearing a light yellow jumper. Finally, someone with a bit of colour in their clothes.
Regulus straightened up, “Peter.” His voice was filled with respect. It was obvious Peter was quite important to him.
James gasped once he looked at him properly. Not because there was something off about him, but because there was a huge bird perched on his shoulder. A large, brown bird stared down at James before leaping off Peter’s shoulder and flying around and out the library.
“That was Wormtail. And I am Peter Pettigrew, a History and Herbology teacher,” Peter walked down the stairs as he introduced himself. “And you are James Potter.”
James came face-to-face with him, “Yes, I am.”
Peter smiled at him and sat down on a velvet armchair, “You are an odd boy, James Potter.” James didn’t know what to say to that, “Not in a bad way. Just in a way that makes us confused.”
They went silent for a moment and the only noise was their breathing. James looked over to Regulus, who seemed to be communicating with Peter, and James felt slightly out of place.
The silence ended soon after as Sirius and the green haired boy, Barty, walked in.
“Hello, family!” Barty greeted everyone, “And new boy.” James waved slightly.
“By the Angels, you are so loud sometimes,” Sirius laid across a couch and closed his eyes. His hair was no longer in the bun and instead fell over the couch and nearly touched the floor.
Barty rolled his eyes and threw his jacket on Sirius, who was quick to throw it on the floor. “You’re that boy Regulus won’t stop talking about. The muggle who isn’t actually a muggle.”
“Uhm, yeah?” James stepped back a bit, not wanting to be too close to the family. Barty nodded and leapt onto Sirius’ stomach.
“Fuck off!” Sirius screamed and shoved him off. The other boy only laughed at Sirius’ reaction. “That hurt, you fucking bastard!”
Barty stuck his tongue out and it seemed like Sirius had enough. They began to fight, pulling each other's hair and even biting each other. Regulus stood, watching. It was obvious that this scene wasn’t unusual to Regulus with the way he was staring at them.
“Boys,” Peter’s voice cut through their screams. “We have a guest. Please be respectful.”
Barty rolled his eyes as he crawled off Sirius, who still looked beautiful despite the mini-fight he had just been involved in.
“I think he’s lying,” Barty said and James’ face just dropped. “He’s hiding something from us, it’s obvious.”
James stepped forward, “What are you talking about?”
“I think you know more than you’re letting on,” Barty shrugged.
James wasn’t that much of a violent person. Not anymore, anyway. He had been known as quite aggressive in school. However, he had grown and learned to keep himself calm in situations which annoyed him. But right now, James was close to punching Barty in the face with no regrets, even if Barty was trained and James wasn’t.
“My mother has gone missing,” James looked up at Barty. “If I knew more, I would fucking tell you, you absolute-”
“Let’s calm down,” Sirius had stood up and grabbed onto Barty’s wrist. “Barty, stop saying stupid things, okay?”
Barty shook his head, “What? You expect me to believe there was a muggle out there who is actually a Shadowhunter and just never knew? That’s not possible.”
“Barty,” Regulus finally said something. “Think before you speak.” Barty made a face, “James is proof that has happened and we must figure out what is going on, understand?”
Barty only rolled his eyes and sat down on one of the couches. He seemed unbothered about the entire situation. It didn’t affect him, so why should he care? In fact, it seemed like only Regulus cared much about the entire situation, even if for the wrong reasons.
But James understood where they were coming from. He had only just met these people recently and nothing had outwardly happened to them, so it wasn’t unusual for them to not care.
“James,” Peter spoke again and gained James’ attention. “Tell me, what do you know about Shadowhunters?”
James cleared his throat, “I only know what Regulus has told me. You know, demon hunters and downworlders.” Peter nodded. “No one else has told me anything.”
“Your mother never mentioned anything about these things to you?” Peter asked but James only shook his head. “Not even any fairytales about vampires or werewolves?”
James looked down, “She would tell me little stories about things like that. But those were rare because she hated them. She thought they were weird and childish.”
Peter scratched his head, “How unusual.”
“My mother is one of the most normal people in the world. She wasn’t unusual,” James thought back to the moments he had spent with his mum.
“Normal people don’t find their house being broken into by a hunter demon,” Sirius looked at his nails as he said that. “Did it say anything to you? The demon?”
James thought about the moment he had been lifted into the air, the beast's breath being hot and too close to his face. It had hissed something. Something he had heard before.
“Riddle,” James said. “It hissed the word Riddle to me.”
The room tensed up. Everyone was staring at James, shocked. But Barty, on the other hand, looked disgusted.
Barty rose from the couch and stepped up to James, “You are sick. Do you think you can come here and lie about everything to waste our time? We have more important shit to do, so why don’t you fuck off?” He was yelling now.
No one stopped him.
“Riddle’s dead. He’s in the ground and it’s good he’s there. Stop spreading fucked up rumours to scare us and go back home,” James felt tears form. But he couldn’t cry, not in front of all of them.
“Are you sure?” Regulus asked, his voice stern. “Is that what the demon said to you?”
James quickly nodded, “I’m sure.” No one spoke for a few minutes.
“It may be someone else using his name to send a message or something,” Sirius said, breaking the silence. “It would be a good time to do it.”
“Why?” James asked.
“The accords. A peace negotiation between Shadowhunters and downworlders,” James felt slightly confused at Sirius’ explanation.
Peter stood up from his chair, “I’m sure someone else has already explained everything about Shadowhunters and downworlders, am I correct?”
“Shadowhunters are half-angels, right? Nephilims,” James felt proud about remembering everything he had been told in this situation.
“Yes. And downworlders share the shadowworld with us. However, we don’t have a very stable relationship. These accords will be the second set that will be signed to create peace.” Sirius told him.
James frowned, “Second?”
Peter cleared his throat, “The first time we attempted to sign them, a revolution came upon us. That revolution was led by Riddle. He didn’t agree that Shadowhunters and downworlders should live in peace and that they, the downworlders, were below us and that is where they belonged. So, he took a group of Shadowhunters and fought against the Ministry.”
“He went against his own people,” James whispered.
“Yes, but he failed. The Ministry took him and his group down. After that, he set himself and his entire family on fire, including his wife and son. And now, it seems like someone is using his name for these ideologies again.”
James shook his head, “But what does my mum have to do with this?”
Peter shrugged and stepped closer, “I am unsure. However, I will contact the Ministry and the Silent Brothers to ask for assistance in this case. We will try our hardest to find out what is going on, I swear on the Angel.”
James nodded and muttered a quick thank you. “Do you think I could maybe…go back home? Look around a bit?”
“It won’t be safe. Not at all,” Peter was quick to say. “If a demon was sent there the first time and was incapable of finding what they were looking for, another will be sent soon. I’m sure of it.”
To be honest, James didn’t care. He wanted to go home and look. There must be another sign about her location. Something that gave him some sort of idea.
“I don’t care,” James said. “I need to go home and look. There may be something there about where she is.”
Peter looked at him disapprovingly, “You cannot go alone. It is not safe.”
But James still stood his ground. “Can you take me?” He turned to Regulus, who had moved to sit next to his brother. “Please?”
Sirius looked at Regulus, who seemed to be plotting away.
“If Regulus agrees, you may go,” Peter looked over to Regulus.
The room was quiet for another few moments before Regulus spoke. He sighed, “Okay, I will take you.”
James smiled, “Thank you! When can we go?”
“I’ll go change and then we can go. You can also grab some clothes and things as you’ll need to stay with us for a bit, okay?” Regulus rose from his seat.
James nodded.
Barty looked over to Regulus, “Do you want me to come with you?” Sirius watched Barty speak like he was waiting for something to happen.
Regulus only shook his head, “No, we will be fine.”
“I only care about your wellbeing, not his,” Barty pointed out. “You are my parabatai.”
Regulus ignored the first statement, “I will be fine, Barty.” The green-haired boy nodded at his response and sent James a look so poisonous, he felt like Snow White.
“Keep an eye out for whatever may give us some knowledge,” Peter told them. “I’ll call the Ministry and The Silent Brothers to see what they say.” Barty and Sirius flinched at the mention of The Silent Brothers.
Regulus agreed before leaving the room. James was left alone with basically three strangers.