Matthew was right, really: there was nothing much good about the flat - certainly not the door. If the people within were near it, and particularly if they had their voices raised as Diana did, you could get a fair idea of what they were saying - so James, his hand on the doorknob, caught 'Dolohov', 'shagged' and 'sister', and certainly Diana's tone ... It hardly sounded as though she was working.
Since he'd acquired a wand of his own, James had altered his routine a little: skulking in the shadows, waiting for an opportune moment to slip inside had always been a risky business and all too likely to arouse suspicion if he were ever detected. Now, he just took more care with his appearance.
Today his hair was lighter and less unruly than it had ever been, and he'd poked and prodded at his face until he no longer resembled himself: for a start his nose was somewhat shorter and definitely a different shape and he'd done away with a bit of chin. Working all day in such an elaborate disguise was uncomfortable - in some ways, Transfiguring your face was even more unpleasant than wearing a mask - but it was both safer and good practice for more dangerous expeditions. And anyway, Diana's work made the whole thing fairly natural - no one kept track of the strange men who wandered in and out of her flat.
He'd been relatively optimistic, lately: just a little longer and he and Diana would be miles away from this place. They were armed with fresh wands and they were very nearly prepared. The thought of action was both reassuring and exciting, which was what made what he was hearing from inside the flat so very disturbing. It sounded like an argument - and that was the last thing they needed now.
As nonchalantly as he was able, James opened the door and stepped inside, one hand gripping the wand concealed in his pocket in case things were even worse than they sounded. He gave Diana a quick wink in case she was too preoccupied to know him in his new state - although, given the circumstances, a stranger might interpret it as lewd - and eased his way past the quarrelling pair.
"All right?" The question doubled both as a fairly neutral greeting and an attempt to assess the situation.