A/N: Prompt - Lily and James are both chronically ill and befriend each other
Rating: K
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'No, like this.' James lifted his wand and waved it easily, multi-coloured bubbles bursting from the tip in great quantity.
The four year old on his lap giggled and tried to catch them, while the twelve year old boy sitting next to him – the boy that the bed actually belonged to - frowned and concentrated on his own wand. One quick wave later, and a squirt of soapy water spurted out of it and soaked the bed opposite. James' bed.
'Ooops.' The poor boy looked quite distraught, but James collapsed back onto the mattress as he roared with laughter.
'Don't worry about it kid.' He managed to get the words out finally, sitting up and removing the small child from his lap with a wink that made the little girl giggle furiously. 'It's all practice.'
Somewhere between his laughter and his attempts to soothe the upset boy, his eye was briefly drawn to the drawn curtain around the next bed, whose occupant he had yet to see. Whoever it was had been stretchered in last night, and he'd been unable to get so much as a glimpse.
He knew everyone on the ward – being here for six months solid would do that – and it was always a little uplifting when someone new arrived. Anything that changed the status quo was uplifting. But he was hoping for someone close to his age; he loved the kids, but he could do with someone to talk to who would understand him a little better. He missed Sirius, despite the fact that he visited as often as he could. He missed Remus and Peter too, but he was used to being separated from them for longer periods.
He crossed over to his bed and waved his wand over it a few times, the drying charms making quick work of the splashes left by David's enthusiastic, if misdirected, spellcasting. The sound of someone shifting around in the bed behind the curtain made him glance over curiously, wondering if anyone would be emerging soon. Then there was an outburst of coughing, long wracking coughs that made him grimace in sympathy. He picked up his empty glass and refilled it with a quick aguamenti spell, before crossing the ward and standing outside the closed curtain.
After a moment's hesitation, he spoke quietly but firmly. 'Er, knock knock?'
The coughing slowed down, and then a raspy voice spoke. 'Hello?'
Taking that as an invitation, James opened the curtain just a fraction and held the glass in eyeline. 'Thought you might want some water?'
'Thanks.' The voice was closer now, and then a small figure, swamped by a navy blue dressing gown that looked significantly too big, emerged through the little gap he'd made in the curtain and took the glass gratefully.
Whatever he'd been expecting, it hadn't been a petite girl with red hair and improbably green eyes. Even when her skin was paler than it should be, and her frame looked as if it has no meat left on it at all, she was very pretty, and more or less his age he thought.
She drained the glass and offered it back to him. 'Thanks. It helped.'
Her voice sounded better, though there was still a rustiness to it. 'You're welcome. After a while in here you end up knowing what to do to make most things feel better.'
She smiled weakly but was swaying a little on the spot, and James recognised a person who was exhausted when he saw one. 'You should probably lie down, you must be wiped out. I'll let you sleep.'
'No, wait.' She caught his hand as he went to step away, then blushed slightly as he turned to look at her curiously. 'I just…do you think you could sit and talk to me for a bit? I don't get to see many people these days. Infectious, you know?'
'I definitely do. Luckily for us, they just throw all of us infectious kids in here together so we don't have to wallow in our misery alone.'
The girl had turned around and pulled the curtain aside before collapsing back on her bed, not bothering to remove her dressing gown or get under the covers, and James followed her and sat down in the chair alongside it.
'I'm James.' He offered, and she looked slightly embarrassed.
'Lily.'
'So what are you in for Lily?'
'Chronic Scrofungulus.' She answered, a grumpy look passing across her face. 'People usually either die from it or recover completely, but a very small number react oddly to the infection; they just can't fully fight it off, and have repeated relapses. That's me.'
'Nice.' James nodded appreciatively . 'We enjoy having a variety of illnesses on the Magical Bugs Long Term Young Patients Ward.'
'Snappy.' Lily scoffed at the names. 'Is that where we are? I wasn't in much condition to notice.'
'Yep. And you're the first new patient for some time.'
Lily sighed. 'I hate hospitals.'
'Me too.'
She looked over at him as if she was suddenly realising something. 'What are you here for? You look…healthy, if that's the right word.'
'Looks can be deceiving.' He winked at her and lifted his left hand, wiggling his fingers. His four fingers.
Lily's eyebrows drew together in surprise, and James laughed, but it was a hollow one. He couldn't summon a real laugh when he was looking at his missing digit. 'Vanishing sickness. Lost a finger to it years ago, and can't quite get it out of my system. Constant treatment keeps it at bay, but there isn't a cure. Every now and again a body part starts to look a bit indistinct, and I land up in here with them panicking that this time they won't be able to stop it disappearing.'
'Wow.' Her voice was soft, and when he looked up her head was cocked to one side as she stared at him with sympathy. Sympathy, not pity, and he felt a huge swell of gratitude to her for that; he'd gotten used to people looking at him like he was a kicked puppy when they found out about it.
'Yeah, I know.'
She let her body flop back onto her pillows. 'Well, aren't we one hell of a pair?'
He felt the corners of his lips curve upwards in the most genuine smile he'd managed in weeks. Life on the ward seemed a little brighter suddenly.
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