Re: Peter - Sirius - Onlookers? Referees?
James had spotted Peter and Sirius talking. Sirius looked less than cordial, and Peter was quickly getting the mutinous look James recognized from his own conversation with the man months ago. Clearly things weren't going very well. But James kept back. Maybe this confrontation needed to happen - and maybe it was better that it happen now, in a crowd of allies.
Unless 'it' meant Sirius blasting Peter in front of everyone. James knew the look on his best friend's face, and that was no Jelly-Legs Jinx Sirius was about to throw.
"Padfoot!" he snapped, but he wasn't sure Sirius was hearing him amid the low hum of conversation. Heck, he wasn't sure Sirius was hearing much of anything.
There wasn't room to Disarm Sirius from here. With a growled curse, James pushed his way past the couple of people blocking his way. He grabbed Peter's arm, yanking the younger man out of the path of Sirius's wand and planting himself in front of it.
"Put it away, Pads," he said, not so harshly but still with a thread of steel in his voice. He couldn't really understand everything Sirius had been through, but he knew why his friend had so much more trouble forgiving Peter than he did. Still, he couldn't let Padfoot hurt Peter. There were too many reasons why he couldn't. "Just put it away. Please."