ha-ha-ha-chooooo!
The sneeze brake the relative quiet of the common room and everyone turns to look. James Potter covers his red nose rather embarrassedly and attempts to stop his face turning a lovely shade of beetroot to match it. He's not sick, he tells himself sternly, because sick people aren't allowed to play in the Quidditch cup finals and so James cannot be sick.
He tries unsuccessfully to do his Ancient Runes homework but his eyes keep watering and he can't focus properly. He attempts to play exploding snap but ends up sneezing all over Peter who decides he has somewhere else he needs to be very soon. Sirius hides behind his upside down copy of Unfogging the Future and Remus covers his nose and mouth to stop breathing in any of the germs that James most defiantly doesn't have.
"I don't want to be a werewolf and have a cold." Remus tells him firmly when James accuses him of being an unfriendly, from behind Sirius's upside down book there is a barking laugh and James is really beginning to hate his friends – the whole fair weather bunch of them.
He stalks off to sneeze his germs in private near the fire and a small cotton handkerchief is thrust at him baring the initials L.E. in green embroidery.
"Blow your nose, Potter," Lily tells him and then looks at the soggy mess he's left in her hankie. "You can keep it." James rushed back over to thrust the snot covered hankie at a truly disgusted Sirius and a slightly too interested Peter as proof that Evans loves him.
After all she nursed him when he was sick and gave him a token of her love and James is going to treasure it forever and never wash it.
He is surprised when he finds himself locked out of the dormitory for the rest of the week.