James awoke the next morning in a haze, unsure of where he was or how he had gotten there. His face hurt where he had been beaten, as well as his left ribs. But the fiercest pain was coming from the area of his right lung, and for some reason it hurt every time he took a breath.
He opened his eyes and found himself in one of St. Mungos private wards, lying in a somewhat comfortable bed near a snow-darkened window. There were holiday decorations about the place in a vain attempt at holiday spirit, but James felt awful at the moment. No Quiddich injury had prepared him for the licking that a drunken Death Eater could produce, and he winced at the memory.
I actually got into a bar fight with two grown men, Death Eaters, in front of Lily. And I was so hoping that was just a bad dream. James groaned, but a wicked grin spread across his face. But I lived to tell the tale. Wonder what the Marauders will make of it?
As though on cue, James’ wardroom door opened, and in sauntered Sirius carrying a bottle of butterbeer and looking as though he hadn’t got much sleep. His eyes widened as they spotted that James was awake, and he rushed to the bed.
“Well, you’ve finally awoken,” said Sirius, cracking into a smile and conjuring up a chair to sit in.
James nodded and rubbed his temple. “How long was I out?”
“Three days. Today is Christmas Eve, so... happy Christmas Eve.”
“Three days?” exclaimed James, sitting up in bed. He winced, but otherwise ignored his aches and pains. In an attempt at a joke, he said, “Well, I’m glad I got my shopping done and everything wrapped. What was wrong with me, then?”
Sirius squinted up his face. “You were pretty messed up. Cracked ribs on the left side, gashes everywhere else from your little fight. They aren’t sure what you got hit with, but whatever it was, it was nasty. It slashed your right lung, which slowly filled up with blood. It was close to collapsing when they got you here. Lily said something about you passing out from asphyxia, whatever that means.”
“And how is she?” James asked with just a bit of trepidation. Sirius sensed this.
“She’s fine mate, only a bit sore. She’s at home with your parents to rest, but they say they’ll be back later. She doesn’t blame you in the least. In fact, congratulations, she considers you her right little hero,” said Sirius, his eyes flashing as he teased James.
James wasn’t amused. “That was the second time I let something happen to her.”
Sirius rolled his eyes. “Nothing happened to her. Don’t worry, we’re taking good care of your girlfriend.”
James caught Sirius’ eye and grinned. “Didn’t even need to torture her into it, either.”
“Yes, but I would have thought you’d tell me. I mean, I’m supposed to be your best mate!” said Sirius, his voice thick with mock pain.
“Sorry, I’ve been a little unconscious.”
Sirius sniffed. “That’s no excuse,” he said. Then he burst out laughing. “So, I heard you gave my brother the beating he deserved. Knocked him clean out.”
James smiled proudly, clutching his left side in memory of that hook. “It’s been coming to him. My only regret is that you weren’t there to see it. Or do it.”
Sirius waved his comment away. “My only regret is that he woke up and ran off before he could be brought in to the Ministry.”
James sighed. “Fair point,” he hesitated, then went ahead and brought up the subject completely. “Speaking of your family...”
“Yes?”
“Well, how did the meeting go? Did your uncle... you know?”
“Yes, he gave me the gold. Enough to rent out my own place next summer,” said Sirius brightly. “He’s one of the only decent ones left in the family.”
“But, isn’t he afraid of what your mum’ll do when she finds out?” asked James pointedly.
Sirius shrugged. “He said he knows the old hag will blast him off the family lineage tapestry, but he doesn’t care. Said that’s all it is: a blasted tapestry.”
James smirked.
“Well mate,” said Sirius, standing up and vanishing his chair. “I just spoke to your Healer, and she says that you’re pretty much fine now. You just have to take this potion” “ Sirius pulled a flask from his pocket to show to James, then plopped it back in “ “twice a day until the pains go away.”
“Brilliant,” said James dully, the grin completely gone from his face after hearing that. “Well, can I check myself out then?” he asked, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed in preparation to leave.
Sirius barked out a laugh and handed James his clothes. “Forget about the family coming to visit. I don’t know about you, Mr. Prongs, but I’d much rather bring you to the family.”
Lily stood in front of the full-length mirror in her room, primping. The Healers guessed that James would be awake by the time they arrived to visit him that night, and she wanted to look her best for him. She had braided her glossy, dark red hair into a long plait, leaving out a few wispy strands to frame her face, and hung dangling white earrings that looked like snowflakes in her ears, which matched the small snowflakes woven into her sweater. Her sweater was a dark green that really brought out the color of her eyes, and she also had on khaki pants. For fun and color, she placed a sprig of holly behind her left ear and tied a red ribbon around her waist as a belt. Thus attired, and with her wand secure in her back pocket, Lily went to find the Potters.
She found them on the second story, taking time to relax (Merlin knows Mr. Potter was rarely able to do that anymore) by playing each other a competitive game of wizard’s chess. Lily watched James’ parents play as animatedly as though they were teenagers again, and Lily knew at once where James got his competitive streak and even a bit of his arrogance. Apparently James’ improvement had set them in good spirits.
“Oh come on, trounce him! He’s a bloody rook!” Thomas Potter was commanding his bishop, which seemed unwilling to make the move. Elise Potter tutted, and her husband looked sheepishly up at her. “I meant, he’s only a rook.”
“Thank you dear,” Elise said as she took that bishop with her next move.
“I knew you would do that,” said Thomas, scratching his chin and glaring at the chess bored.
Lily laughed, drawing their attention from the game.
“Ah, Lily dear!” said Elise happily. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yes Mrs. Potter,” Lily answered, going over to sit with them.
“Well, we’ll apparate there as soon as we finish this game “ “ Elise started, but Thomas finished her sentence.
“And I win,” he concluded, moving his knight into position to check the king. “Check!”
Elise crushed his knight with her queen, and gave her husband a pointed look. “Mate,” she added.
“And, the women sweep the bored,” said Lily joking. Thomas Potter looked up at her, shocked.
“You’re supposed to be on my side!” he exclaimed good naturedly as he stood and cleared the chess bored with a flick of his wand.
“No, that’s your son’s job,” said Elise, taking her winter cloak from the timid house elf Mally. Lily liked Mally, though she didn’t see her often as Mrs. Potter sent her out on errands often.
“And speaking of your son...” called a voice from down stairs. “He’s just arrived.”
Lily ran to the balcony and looked over it, followed closely by Mally. Sirius had just entered the room, ushering in a worn out, sore James.
“Master James is being home!” cried Mally in an overjoyed voice. With a crack, she disappeared and turned up at James side. “Can Mally get yous anything Sir?”
“Butterbeer, thanks Mally,” said James as he handed her his cloak. He gazed up at the balcony, still clutching his left side, and tears sprung into Lily’s eyes at the sight of him. She hurried down the stairs and flung her arms around him neck, and though he protested on the pretense of being in pain, Lily still held on. She whispered into his ear before she released him, “I tried to stay, and hold you until you got better, but the Healers wouldn’t let me.”
He laughed, then embraced his (also tearful) mum and clapped his dad on the back.
“We were about to come visit you, Son,” said Thomas, ushering James into a sitting room chair across from the tree. Lily knelt on the floor to the side of the chair as Mally appeared with James’ drink. “But I had to show your mum a thing or two about chess first.”
They laughed. “I doubt that’s how it turned out, was it Mrs. Potter?” asked Sirius, taking a seat next to James.
She blushed and shrugged, then looked sternly at her son. “How dare you! You take this young lady out with no protection, then get into a brawl with two men at a pub “ “
“Mum, it wasn’t just any two men! They were Death Eaters!” said James, trying to defend himself. Mally looked in horror between her Mistress and Master, then turned back to the kitchen to finish cooking. “In order to protect Lily, I had to fight them.”
“I don’t care, it was an unnecessary risk. And the fact that they were Death Eaters makes it ten times worse “ “
“I have the highest grades in Defense Against the Dark Arts at school mum, it’s not as though I’m completely helpless!”
“At school James!” she said, not yelling but certainly raising her voice. “This isn’t school. It’s the real world! One of you could have died, could have been kidnapped... And you certainly are helpless now. What sort of protection can a broken wand give you?” she stopped, breathing hard. “You aren’t an Auror yet, James Thomas Potter, no matter how much you want to be one.”
James simply stared at his mother after her insult, and Lily felt sorry for him. It hadn’t been his fault. When he spoke, he spoke quietly. “You think I don’t know that? You think I don’t know that something terrible could have happened to Lily, the girl I love, and it would have been my fault?” He started rising out if his chair, but Lily forced him back, blushing at how he had so boldly stated that he loved her. He raised his voice instead. “You can’t possibly think that I wanted this to happen, to show off, can you?”
“Now, now, James, of course your mother doesn’t mean that. She was just very worried,” interjected Thomas. “Now, it’s Christmas Eve. You’re home, safe, let’s have a nice dinner shall we? We can worry about your wand tomorrow.”
Elise nodded. “Of course. I’m very sorry James, I just.... everyone into the dining room,” she said briskly, wiping a tear from her eye. “Mally is that dinner ready yet?
Both of James' parents left, leaving the three teenagers awkwardly behind them.
“Went off on you a bit, didn’t she?” asked Sirius, trying to cheer him up. Lily shook her head at him, not knowing how James would react to his mother’s scolding as she had never seen him scolded before (besides when she did it), but what he had said appeared not to bother James.
“Yea, well, I’ll consider myself lucky that dad intervened,” said James, rolling his eyes, though he still looked shaken her from her lecture. Elise Potter seemed the only person to be able to put her son in his place, other than Lily that is. “Help me up, would you?”
Lily and Sirius each took a hold of one of his arms and pulled him up. Sirius clapped James on the back as they steering him into the dining room. “For what it’s worth mate, I think overcoming two Death Eaters a pretty formidably feat. Even if they were drunk and one of them was my good-for-less-than-nothing brother.”
Lily was inclined to agree.
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Hope you liked it, though it was somewhat of a filler.
BTW, I've just realized that Regulus was a year younger than Sirius, not older than him, but as Regulus isn't exactly a big part of this story I suppose it's not that important. I appologize if the fact that I messed that up really irks you, but does anyone really care about Regulus? I mean, honestly. :-p