I am so, so, so very extremely sorry that this took so long. I feel like I owe you all an explanation. I honestly intended for this to be posted about two and a half weeks ago. But the day I sat down to start writing, there was family emergency. A relative of mine was put in the hospital and it has been a very, very rough three weeks. I don't want to sound like I'm complaining or making excuses but you can probably imagine why I wasn't exactly able to write a chapter about someone suffering from a life threatening illness/injury in a hospital. That is also why I haven't responded to reviews or private messages in a while. I am running around with school and band and then dealing with that on top of everything else...

But know this, I am going to try my hardest to get the next chapter up in about a week. This is just a portion of what I wanted to write but it just felt right to end it where I did.

I hope you all enjoy this horrifically overdue update.


"I've never seen James be still for so long," Peter mused out loud as he sat next to James's bed while Elyse leaned against a nearby wall, "He's always moving, you know? He's running this way and that and causing mayhem over there while messing around with Sirius somewhere else. Even in his sleep I've never seen him this still."

"Make a habit ov watchin' yer friends sleep?" Elyse quipped sarcastic, trying to accommodating to Peter's need in the situation. He had only just stopped shaking. She thought that maybe he just needed to speak out loud but his comments were getting to be annoying.

Peter didn't seem to hear her comment and continued on with his commentary, "It's weird seeing him look so weak. He's so powerful, magically and physically, that he seems invincible. But he's just as weak as the rest of us. The craziest part is that his friend caused this; two of them. It was his friends who are less powerful and strong as him yet they were still able to bring him down. I mean, Remus almost killed him. Remus! I've seen them duel in Defense and James bests him every time. It just took Sirius messing up and James almost died. And it wasn't even like he tried to defend himself – he just let this happen to him. He's quick to forget his own life when protecting the life of someone he cares about, not that he would ever admit it. He's so predictable and weak"

"Peter!" Elyse barked, disturbed and angered by where his musings had taken him. Peter started, like he forgot she was there. He flushed red and nervously shuffled his feet against the floor.

"S-s-sorry, my thoughts got away from me."

"Obviously," Elyse muttered. She turned away from Peter and looked down at James's pale face. His eyes were scrunched up in slight pain and there was a still fading scar running down the side of his face. James was lucky in that sense. Most of the cuts he had received would fade with time or at least be unnoticeable unless someone was looking for them.

Elyse shuddered when she remembered seeing his blood soaked body being carried into the hospital wing. She had barely told Madame Pomfrey what was going on when the doors slammed open and Dumbledore and McGonagall had run in levitating two stretchers between them. Elyse gagged when she saw James's leg. Bits of bone were visible under the tattered remains of the skin and there were bits and scraps of what looked like muscle hanging out of the wound. There were three parallel claw marks that stretched from his left shoulder to a few inches above his right hip bone. It seemed like all his appendages were covered in horrible scratches and bruises. His pallor skin made him look like a corpse. If it wasn't for the ragged and gurgled breaths he struggled to take, Elyse might have mistaken him for dead.

Ursula was in no better condition. She had been lying perfectly still, her arm at an odd angle but even more concerning was blood covering half of her face, originating from somewhere under her hair. But what Elyse couldn't understand was why it seemed like she was lying in a pool of blood that continued to get deeper and deeper.

They found out soon enough when James regained consciousness for a few moments and muttered Ursula's name and "Bites, head." After a quick examination, Pomfrey discovered Ursula was suffering from a severe concussion and possible bleeding in the brain. But that wasn't the worst. On her back, in two perfect half moons, the imprint of Moony's teeth was clear under all the blood.

Elyse was brought out of her memory of the previous night when the hospital door flew open and Lily came running over.

"What's going on?" Lily demanded worriedly. "Professor McGonagall showed up this morning and took Sirius and Severus to see Dumbledore. Then we heard rumors that Ursula and James were on the brink of death after trying to kill Sev last night."

Elyse shook her head, mentally cursing the Hogwarts rumor mill. For a bunch of gossips, they occasionally got alarming close to the actual truth. "That's not woot happened, Lily. I swear ter yeh, it may've looked like it, but woot actually happened is far from 'at. James n' Ursula saved Snape's life."

Lily looked down at James's prone state, her pitying gaze intensifying as he started struggling to breath in his sleep. Elyse immediately went over to the nightstand and gave him a bit of the potion Madame Pomfrey issued to him to help him breath. She had been given permission to give him small dosages while Pomfrey had to step out.

"Where's Madame Pomfrey?" Lily asked, knowing the nurse rarely allowed students near sick students, let alone allowing them to administer medicine. She looked with growing concern around the room when she didn't see her other roommate resting in one of the beds, "Where's Ursula? Why isn't Remus here with you both?"

Elyse gulped and fought off the intense worry that had plagued her all night, "She's not 'ere. She had ter be taken ter Mungo's. Remus transformed last night…"

Lily paled considerably at that, "You don't mean…?" Lily trailed off.

"She was bitten." Elyse admitted softly.

"Oh my God." Lily gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes widening in shock. "Do her parents know?"

"It might be alright," Elyse quickly added, "Mrs. Potter showed oop last night wit Mr. Potter 'n she went wit 'em ter teh hospital. Mrs. Potter's been a healer fer so long, she might have a chance." Neither of the girls even considered Ursula's biological parents, knowing that the Potters were more her parents.

"James's lucky he only got it in the leg," Peter piped up from the side of the bed.

Lily looked at James as if she never realized that the rumors did hold some truth, a great deal of truth, "What?"

"His leg. Moony got a nice swipe at his leg. Madame Pomfrey said that one of his claws tore the muscle clear off the bone and severed some major nerves. They don't know if he'll be able to walk normally again."

"What?" Lily asked in shock as she moved a little closer towards James's prone form.

Peter nodded, "From what I heard them telling his dad it looks like he definitely won't be going back to the Quidditch team this year. Then there's the blood loss they need to worry about plus the internal damage that he sustained and then they were talking about the scars and if they will cause him any problems in the future."

"What about Ursula?" Lily asked, although she never took her eyes off of James.

Elyse shook her head sadly, "We don't know."

There was silence in the hospital room. The only sound was the occasional ragged breathing from James. Lily would flinch every time he began to struggle until she finally broke the silence, "Could you tell me what happened? At least, what you know?"

And so Elyse did. She explained all of the events that had transpired the previous day. She of course left out certain details, such as the animagus change, but for the most part she told the truth to Lily. Because Lily knew the truth about Remus, Elyse even mentioned that it was a werewolf that they fought to make sure Snape got out. She shuddered when she recounted the condition of James and Ursula when they were brought into the castle. The arrival of James's parents was one of the most difficult things to mention.

His parents had apparated into the hospital wing (Dumbledore lifted the wards to allow transport from there to St. Mungo's) right before the healers transported Ursula out. Mrs. Potter had nearly fallen apart at the sight of her son and the girl she loved as a daughter. Then for her to make a choice to stay with one of her children…Elyse could barely imagine being in that situation. Seeing as Ursula's situation was slightly more serious, Mrs. Potter went with the healers and Ursula to St. Mungo's while Mr. Potter stayed with James. He had just left a few hours earlier to have a meeting with Dumbledore and Sirius, before planning to switch places with Mrs. Potter.

"James…James did that for Severus?" Lily asked is shock, still not able to believe that the bullying toe-rag risked his life to save someone he openly loathed.

Elyse nodded, "He didn't want anyone 'urt. 'N he wanted ter protect Remus."

Lily chuckled lightly as she looked down at James in what might be considered a proud expression, "Who would have thought? He actually has a heart."

"And it belongs to one person." Elyse added.

"What do you mean?" Lily asked tepidly.

"Nothing. Nothing," Elyse trailed off with a slightly mischievous grin.

A light snoring sound caused them both to jump. Peter had fallen asleep in the chair. His neck was bent at an odd angle and he looked horribly uncomfortable. Lily looked up at Elyse and seemed to notice for the first time how exhausted the pair looked. They were still wearing their clothes from yesterday and there were dark circles under their bloodshot eyes.

"Have you two had any rest?" Lily asked astonished.

Elyse shook her head slowly, blinking rapidly as the sleep finally caught up to her. "We wanted ter stay wit 'im."

"You two will get sick from exhaustion!" Lily chided in a gently way. "Go rest. I'll sit with James."

"Are yeh sure?" Elyse asked incredulously.

Lily nodded. "I was just going to work on a potion with Sev today. It's actually a very interesting theory we wanted to test, adding a slight bit of peppermint to the Elixir to Induce Euphoria. We believe it might lessen the effect of the shrivelfig reacting with the castor beans so the drinker doesn't get so loopy but we are concerned about the consistency of the potion…oh never mind. I assume Professor Slughorn figures we won't be there but if you would just let him know somehow?"

Elyse, who had been nodding through Lily's miniature potion lesson, nodded once more decisively. She trusted Lily and she was exhausted. "Will do, Lils."

After shoving Peter in the shoulder, jolting him awake, the pair disappeared from the hospital wing to get some much needed sleep.

Lily claimed the chair that Peter had just recently vacated, settling herself in. Realizing that she didn't have anything to work on and she couldn't just get up leave, she decided to examine the potions sitting on the side table.

Most were basic healing potions; some of them were ones she had brewed under the supervision of Professor Slughorn. She found no fault in any of the potions but when she was observing the Calming Drought. After a quick sniff of the vapors, Lily instantly felt her senses dull. She shook her head to clear it, surprised by the potency of it. Making sure James wasn't showing signs of needing immediate medical care, Lily walked over to the cabinet and grabbed a pinch of ginger.

As she walked back over to his bed, she explained, "This is the main ingredient in the wit-sharpening potion. Lord knows you don't need any of that but if you add a bit of ginger to the calming drought," she sprinkled a little into the calming drought before swirling it around, "it should keep you mind active while you can't move and allow you to sense what is going on around you."

Gently, she lifted his head up and fed him a little bit of the drought. She waited until she saw the muscles in his throat contract as he instinctively swallowed the potion before resting his head back against the pillows. "See? That wasn't so horrible."

James's mouth at that very moment twitched into a grimace. Lily rolled her eyes, "You're incorrigible, you know that right? So bloody infuriating." She shook her head, thinking of all the times he had driven her mad or bullied someone. "But still, after knowing what you just did," she reached out and tried to flatten out his hair which looked even wilder than it ever had before, "I can't be mad at you. You risked your life to save my friend. I never thought I would say this and maybe that's why I'm saying it when you're unconscious, but I think deep, deep, deep down, you are one of the most brilliant, kindest people I have ever met."

She continued running her hand through his hair, trying to flatten it, just staring at his face. There was a scratch on the tip of his nose, still pink but healing quickly. It was an odd injury since the cut seemed to start under the tip of his nose and move up.

The door opened and Lily jerked back, spinning around to see who entered. Madame Pomfrey was supporting Remus, who was barely conscious. The nurse quickly put Remus in the nearest bed, where he instantly fell asleep, before rushing over to James's bed. At that moment, she seemed to realize that the red hair she saw currently was not the same red she left.

"Miss Evans! I wasn't expecting you here," she said as she quickly bustled around her to check over James's vitals.

"I heard what happened. Madame Pomfrey, if you don't mind me asking, why is James still here? From what Elyse said he just has a lot of cuts and bruises. You can usually heal that in seconds."

Madame Pomfrey hesitated and Lily quickly interjected, "I know he was attacked by Remus last night during the full moon."

"You know of Mr. Lupin's condition?" She asked astonished.

Lily nodded, "I figured it out a few years ago. I've never told anyone." She assured.

She didn't seem all that surprised that Lily figured it out. "He was injured by a magical creature. The wounds cannot be healed by simple spells or potions. The degree and number of the cuts make it even more difficult. It's a miracle. I don't understand how he got that close enough to a werewolf to be slashed by the claws yet not be bitten. Even the placements of the cuts don't make sense."

"What do you mean?"

"He has claw marks on his back that go from his lower back to his shoulder, like the werewolf reached over his shoulder and pulled up. There are cuts on the insides of his arms that are all equally deep. Almost all of his injuries are exclusively to his back, the outside of his legs, and his arms. There was almost nothing in his chest and the only mark on his face was one scratch on his nose. I just don't understand how he got those injuries."

"What about Ursula? Is she infected?"

"I don't know but I fear the worst."

There were footsteps at the door and a greatly aged and borderline decrepit Mr. Potter hobbled through the door, leaning heavily on a cane. However, when he saw Lily sitting at his son's bedside, his face lit up, "Ah, Miss Lily Evans, I presume? It is nice to get a face to match the name."

"How…?"

Mr. Potter laughed as he walked closer, "James never stops talking about you. I must say, you are one remarkable witch."

Lily blushed at the compliment. "Thank you Mr. Potter."

"Don't thank me," he said as he slowly settled himself into a nearby chair, "thank James and Ursula. From what I understand, they saved your friend's life even though they personally hate the lad."

"What did exactly happen?" Lily tentatively asked. "I know what Elyse told me, but that's just one side of this. She couldn't explain why this all happened."

Mr. Potter sighed, "It was truly a misunderstanding on James's part. He and Sirius had been planning a simple prank for the last few weeks that involved dumping a bucket of some cleaning solution on his head. But yesterday your friend made a comment about Ursula being a slag and Sirius snapped and wanted revenge. So Sirius went on his own and told Snape how to get into the Whomping Willow, thinking that Snape would just have a scare and run. Obviously, that isn't what would have happened. When James and Ursula found out, they rushed to the Whomping Willow to get your friend out. Snape says that he saw only James and a some sort of wolf dog but that's it. Ursula must have joined later."

"Have you heard any news about Ursula's condition?" Lily asked.

He nodded, a look of deep concern settling over his already worried eyes. "Eva contacted me by floo and said that by some miracle Ursula is showing no signs of developing lycanthropy. She's prepping her for transportation and so Ursula should be back within the hour."

Lily was just about to ask how on Earth it was possible for Ursula to not be infected when she was bitten by a werewolf when James moved his hand up and down slightly, like he was looking for something, "Lie—lee. Lie—lee" He muttered.

Mr. Potter smiled when Lily instantly slipped her hand underneath his son's. James's hand tightened slightly and he settled back into a peaceful sleep. Lily looked back at Mr. Potter with a questioning glance. Mr. Potter waved her off, "I'll just leave you two alone. I doubt the kitchens have moved since I've been here. Would you like anything?"

"No thank you sir."

"Chocolate covered strawberries it is."

Lily's mouth dropped slightly in shock that he somehow knew her favorite desert. He chuckled to himself, a glint of mischief that was prevalent in James's eyes twinkled in his own, before hobbling out the doors and leaving the pair of teenagers alone.


It was almost midnight when Elyse awoke from her 'nap' that only felt like five minutes. In reality, it had almost been eight hours. When she left the hospital wing, she had been so wired from everything happening, she simply couldn't fall asleep. She wasn't sure if she dreamed it or not, but she remembered hearing Lily speaking to Alice about Ursula being brought back to Hogwarts under request of her mother. Mrs. Potter had demanded that both her children be in the same place and she be allowed to care for them.

Wanting to know if that was true or not, Elyse snuck out of her dorm and into the boy's to steal the invisibility cloak. She felt a stab of guilt taking James's possession when he was unconscious in the hospital wing but she knew that he would approve of her use of it.

When she finally got to the hospital wing, she was surprised to see a figure holding vigil next to Ursula's bed, which was to the left of James's. In the pale moonlight she wasn't able to distinguish any characteristics. When she slowly walked to the other side to face him, she nearly squeaked in surprise.

"Ben," Elyse said in shock as she took off the invisibility cloak.

Ben jumped, his head snapping up and his entire body tensing as if he was under attack. The second he saw it was Elyse, he settled back down into his chair. "'Ello Lucky." He said monotonously. He looked at her for just a second before he went back to watching over Ursula.

Elyse was silent as she took the chair between James and Ursula. The only sound was the long and faint breaths of the two hospital patients.

"I feel like this is partially my fault," Ben admitted softly, breaking the silence.

Elyse stared at him in confusion, "How do yeh figure 'at? Yeh'd nothin' ter do wit 'is."

Ben shook his head, "They went up against a werewolf in animagus forms; just the two of them and that is why they look like hell."

"Woot does 'at've ter do wit yeh?"

"I've made my transformation, Elyse. Imagine if there was a lion with them. Do you think they would still be in this condition, barely hanging onto life?"

Elyse didn't even hesitate, "Yeh'd be in teh next bed over. Yeh can't blame yerself. None o' us saw 'is comin', even me."

Ben shook his head, his face clearly saying that he blamed himself. Elyse, knowing that he would never accept any of her explanations, stayed silent until she decided to switch topics.

"She missed yeh, yeh know?" Elyse mentioned casually, breaking the silence. Ben's head snapped up. "She was destroyed after teh funeral. It killed 'er inside."

Ben nodded once, his chest constricting at the painful truth of her words, "I know." He admitted softly.

"She were just so sad but she 'id it well boot not well enough. Sometimes she'd cast silencin' charms on 'erself o' around 'er 'n just cry at night. She didn't know 'at teh spell wore off after she fell asleep. 'en we woke up teh next mornin' 'n she pretended 'at nothing was wrong."

He reached out and took Ursula's hand, "You have no idea how sorry I am. It was just so angry after Annabelle died…I just couldn't. It took me until this summer to realize how wrong I was. My dad sat me down after I used magic on that muggle kid and I just snapped out of it. Every day, every moment, I wish I could take back what I said and apologize. But where do you being? Ursula would hide under beds to avoid me, Sirius would attack me, I'm terrified of what James would do, Remus couldn't even look at me. My best friend and I couldn't look him in the eyes."

"Yeh start here," Elyse said. "If 'is tragedy's good fer anythin', 'en it's good ter show us 'at life's too short. Woot would've 'appened if somethin' 'appened ter one o' 'em. A stupid, petty grudge isn't worth it."

"When I heard about what happened, just the vague details, I was terrified. I thought to myself that I had lost her for good and I had to see with my own eyes she was alive."

Elyse smiled at the barely repressed emotion in Ben's voice. He looked down at Ursula tenderly and gently moved a piece of hair off her forehead. "Yeh still care fer 'er."

Ben nodded, "I never truly stopped."

"Teh same goes fer 'er. Look at woot's around 'er neck."

Around her neck, somehow, the necklace he gave her for Christmas the previous year was still visible. He smiled, hope and happiness filling his eyes, "She still wears it?"

"Never took it off."

Ben laughed softly to himself as he realized the truth in her observation. He lifted Ursula's hand and kissed the back of it, "She's got to get better soon so I can apologize properly. It's not fair to her."

"Not it's not."

He nodded decisively, "I'm going to fix this, Elyse."

"I knew yeh're."

The reconciled friends just sat there, looking over their two friends who were sleeping. Elyse had to give James a little more of his potion to calm his breathing and at one point, Ben started to hum a lullaby when Ursula appeared to start having a nightmare. Even though the chairs were more uncomfortable than a broomstick, she found herself starting to doze off. She pulled her feet up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, using her knees as a pillow. She closed her eyes when an unexpected breeze from an open window caused her to shiver. She heard footsteps walk towards her and soon she was enveloped in a warm cocoon.

She opened her eyes and saw Ben standing there jumperless. He pulled the blankets up a little higher around James and Ursula before returning to his own seat settling himself in his own chair.

"Ben?" Elyse said lazily as she snuggled into the warm fabric of Ben's jumper.

"Hmm?"

"It's nice ter've yeh back." She muttered before her eyes fluttered closed.

Ben smiled; the relief of knowing that at least one of his friends forgave him made it feel like the weight of the world was lifted off his shoulders.

"It's nice to be back." He said before he too joined the other three in sleep.


The gang is finally all back together! I didn't want to have Ben just thrown back in and I imagine that Elyse would be the most accepting one since she has seen the future and knows that they all end up forgiving him. The thing with Peter's little rant at the beginning was just too perfect in my mind. For the first time, Peter is realizing that his friends aren't invincible and that their only weaknesses are literally each other. It is a textbook case of foreshadowing and it just had too many parallels for me to ignore.

That's all I have to say. Until next time (which will hopefully be sooner than the last time)