The healer brought James and Sirius to Fleamont's room. James drew a deep breath before entering. The room was big. There was a huge bed, a closet and a private bathroom. There were two comfortable chairs next to bed, in which Fleamont Potter was lying. At the sound of the opening door he perked up. "Hello son! I should have known that your mother informed you about all of this" He said, while pushing himself up on the pillows. James quickly stepped to his father, ready to hug him tightly. "Umpf! Be careful with your old man there, James." He said jokingly while returning the hug. "I am happy you're here and this also goes for you, Sirius." Sirius had only taken two steps into the room, standing a bit uneasy there. "It is my pleasure, Fleamont. How are you doing?" Fleamont smiled. "Quite good at the moment, luckily. There is no need to worry about me! But please, come closer. Let me hug you and then take a seat." Sirius blushed a little bit, but walked over. He put his arms around Fleamont and James could see that Sirius closed his eyes enjoying it.
Both James and Sirius took a seat next to the bed. "Where is mum?" James asks. "I would have thought she would be here." "Well, she is! She is just finishing up dinner in the cafeteria. She could be back any moment now." James nodded. "And how are you? How long do you have to stay here?" Fleamont was silent for a moment. "I am doing good. But I am afraid I am not done here yet." He looked a bit sad. "Are you still sick?" Sirius asked. "Because you do look really good. I didn't expect you to look like this, to be honest." James laughed out loud. "Yeah, I also thought it would be worse." Fleamont grinned. "You boys almost sound disappointed." He winked at them. "No, I don't have the Dragon Pox anymore. But due to my age they want to keep for at least three days. To see if the aftermath isn't worrying. If it was up to me, though, I would already be home. But you know your mother, she insists that I stay here." Fleamont mimics Euphemia. "The healers don't say this for no reason. There is no discussion, you are staying here until they give the green light."
At that moment the door opens and James heard a delightful squeak. "My boys!" Euphemia said, while quickly walking over to greet them. She hugged James tightly, while kissing him on his cheek. After that she did the same thing to Sirius, who's face was as red as James it had ever seen. "Have you been here long?" "No, mother! Maybe a minute or five. Father was just telling us he has to stay here." Euphemia looked at her husband, quite stern if you asked James. "Yes, the healers think that is best. The Dragon Pox might be out of his body by now, but we have no idea if has left any damages. Better safe than sorry." She added harsh. Fleamont kept his mouth wisely shut. "Those damn Dragon Pox won't get me down, that is for sure." Euphemia wove her wand and another chair appeared on the other side of the bed. "That is indeed the case, honey." She took his hand and smiled at him. "In three days you'll be back home eating your favorite chicken potpie again. But enough about this! James, dear! You are here with us, on your birthday. I am so sorry that these are circumstances!"
James shook his head. "Don't worry, mother. I am happy that you send a letter. Even if it was on my birthday. And to be honest, I also forgot about it today. I was just worried about dad, but now that I see him, I feel a lot better." Euphemia nodded. "Of course, love. And if I'd only knew that you'd come, I would have saved your presents and bring them." James smiled. "Only you could worry about gifts in moments like this. Don't worry, mother. I am happy to see you and dad, let's enjoy that now."
The rest of the visit they were talking about school, work, the upcoming summer and Quidditch. And before James knew it the healer came back in to summon him and Sirius. "That was fast." He said disappointed. Both his parents looked sad, but smiled. "It is for the best, boys. Before you know it, you'll be back home. And the same goes for you, Sirius." Sirius nodded happily. "You will see me shortly after the summer starts." Both of them said their goodbyes and walked back with the healer. Neither of them said anything, both in their own thoughts.
The Floo Network took them back to Hogwarts. James stepped out the fireplace and was greeted by Dumbledore and McGonagall. "Forgive me for my curiosity, but, how is your father, Mr. Potter?" Dumbledore asked as soon as James was cleared of dust and ashes. Before he could answer, the flames turned green again. Sirius stepped out of the fireplace. "He is doing fine, thank you. They will keep him there for a few more days to make sure he is indeed healthy." Dumbledore nodded. "A wise decision. Don't overestimate yourself, especially when it comes to your health." He turned around to professor McGonagall. "Professor, if you would be so kind to escort James and Sirius back to your office and then to the Gryffindor Tower." McGonagall nodded. "Follow me now." Sirius and James said their goodbyes, but at the door James turned around. He sought eye contact with professor Dumbledore. "Thank you, sir." Dumbledore stood there, his eyes twinkling, and he nodded. James turned around and walked quickly after McGonagall and Sirius. They gathered their bags from her office and quickly walked to the tower. In front of the portrait McGonagall wished them a good night and left. "Asphodel." Sirius said and the portrait swung open. As soon as they were inside they searched for Remus and Peter. They found them sitting close the staircase, playing some Exploding Snaps.
It took them only 15 minutes to update Remus and Peter about the whole situation. Peter looked impressed. He whistled. "So Dumbledore sneaked you out of the castle! That is impressive!" Remus looked a little bit more reserved. "I am happy that you could see your dad. But what if the Ministry finds out?" James shrugged. "I don't think they will. But if they do, we will cross that bridge once we get there." The rest of the evening was spend with Exploding Snaps until almost everyone went to bed and the common room was almost empty. "Well, I guess that this would be as good as a time to give you your presents." Sirius said. James sighed deep. Once again he completely forgot that today was indeed his birthday. He felt tired. Worrying about his dad, the visit, a very long day with classes and now this. He was happy that his friends got him something, but he really just wanted to go to bed soon. While Sirius was going upstairs to get his presents, he secretly hoped that he didn't came back down with his invisibility cloak to roam around the castle.
When Sirius came down he had a big box with him. "Well, we had no idea that your father would get sick. But after everything we all think that you could use something fun." He hands James the box, that was quite heavy. He opened he lids and looked inside. It was stuffed with products from Zonko's. "Wow!" James was impressed. There were five Dungbombs, fanged frisbees and so much more. "Thank you guys! This is amazing!" Remus, Peter and Sirius smiled at him. "You deserve it mate. Go have some fun with this! Prank Pringle or annoy some Slytherins." Peter grinned. "Deal, mate!" James gave him a high-five. "I will use this for some greatness! But hey, guys, do you maybe mind if I go to bed? I am tired." Everybody shook their heads. "No problem at all, mate. Go get some rest!" James went upstairs. He placed the box under his poster-bed and changed into his PJ's. He laid his head down and within a minute he was asleep. A dreamless, deep, re-charging sleep.
XXX
At the end of the week James received another letter from his parents. Included in the small package was also some candy, which he gave to Peter. Now that Quidditch practices were over, James watched what he was eating. He opened the letter and read it thoroughly.
Our dearest James,
I am happy to announce you that your father is back home since tonight. You will probably receive this letter the next morning, but I am writing it while your father is in the shower. He was happy to leave St. Mungo's and cannot wait until he returns to work. Luckily he listened to the advice to take tomorrow and this weekend off and start coming Monday.
I think the whole situation has scared your father a bit. Usually he is as stubborn as it can be, but now he didn't even argue when the healer said to take the weekend off. I am happy that he will be home, but I wish he would talk to me about it.
Once again, it was lovely to see you and also Sirius of course. If you see Professor McGonagall or Professor Dumbledore, please thank them for me and your father. Without them this would have never happened. We also miss Remus and Peter! Could you let them know they are more then welcome to stay at our house during the summer if they want to.
I included some candy as well, so please enjoy it. Don't worry about your father. He is healthy and back home. We are looking forward to see you once summer starts and we'll be waiting for you at Platform 9¾.
Take care of yourself, enjoy your last couple of weeks and know that we love you very much.
Many hugs and kisses,
Mum and dad
James smiled when he put the note down. "My dad is back home! he came back last night." Remus, Peter and Sirius all whooped and cheered. "That is great news! He must me happy to be in his own bed and house." Remus said while helping himself to some breakfast. James nodded. "I imagine him drinking his favorite fire whiskey while sitting in his favorite chair, watching my mother preparing his notes and managing his calendar." Peter chuckled. "What a life! Hopefully I have something like that too one day." Sirius clapped him on his shoulder. "I am sure you will! We just need to find a nice lass! How about maybe McGonagall or Pomfrey? I can see you sitting in a living room while one of them is doing your calendar!" The four of laughed quite hard.
XXX
The last couple of weeks flew by and before they knew it, they were taking their last exam. It was Potions ad it was quite difficult this time. They had to make a cure for boils and it was a tricky list of ingredients and steps. Every few minutes Peter sighed heavily. Remus was going through his notes and reciting the steps, hoping he would know them by heart. Sirius had is eyes closed and was mouthing the ingredients underneath his breath. James looked around. The Common Room was unusually quiet for the amount of people whom were present. Everybody was studying for their last exam, not trying to look out of the window. The weather was amazing, but being outside was no option. Gamekeeper Hagrid accidentally let some Nifflers loose and he didn't find all of them yet. Even though they were no danger for humans, they were still quite annoying. So everybody who needed to study either was in the Common Room or in the library.
"I think I can eat, sleep and breathe these instructions." Remus said while laying back in his chair. "I don't think my brains can absorb anymore information right now. "Why don't you quiz me?" James said, while passing him his book. "Ask me about the steps and the tricky parts." Remus nodded. "Okay, let me see." He was scanning the pages. "What is very important to do, after you added the 4 horned slugs in step 2?" James thought for a few seconds. "You take the cauldron off the fire before adding the next ingredient!" Remus nodded. "Correct. And what is the next step?" James was hesitant. Was it now time to add the porcupine quills or was it time to stir? "Eh, I am guessing this one. But I think you have to add two porcupine quills." Remus nodded again. "Again correct. Those are the most important steps." Remus asked a couple more questions about the ingredients and measurements before calling it a night.
"I am off to bed, blokes. My brain is fried!" Remus stood up and gathered his things. Peter was rubbing his eyes, trying to stay awake. "I want to join you, but I can't leave yet! I have the feeling I have to study more, that I don't know it yet." Sirius shook his head. "Bullocks! You do know it. I get it, you are stressed. But I am convinced that you will do fine tomorrow, so why don't we all go to bed now?" Peter looked at Sirius a bit taken back. After a couple of seconds he smiled. "Yeah, you're right. It won't do my result any good if I push myself to stay awake right now." Peter and Sirius both stood up. "You coming, James?" But James wasn't listening. Lily Evans had just walked in with her friends and they were looking for a table. "Hey Evans, over here!" James stood up and waved his arm. "This table is free!" Why did I do that in Merlins name? James asked himself. And his friends must have thought the same thing. They were looking at him like he just went mental. Lily said something to Marlene, they both giggled and walked to the table. "Hi everyone. Are you guys leaving?" Lily asked when she arrived. Remus nodded. "Well, us thee are off to bed for sure. But I don't know about James." He gave James a knowing look. "He just said something about wanting to study a bit more." Lily smiled at James. "That is a smart move, Potter. We will also be studying, maybe or half an hour to an hour. Thank you for letting us sit with you." James nodded, not really knowing what to say. "Sure thing." He turned towards his friends. "Guess I'll see you guys upstairs later then." The three of them grinned broadly while walking to the stairs. James was a 100% sure that they were talking about him once they were upstairs. About him and his stupid action of waving Lily Evans over.
"So, ready for tomorrow?" Alice asked, who had taken a seat next to James. James shrugged. "Yeah, I think so. I know all the steps and ingredients. So you would say I would pass, right?" Alice nodded. "U-hu, I think so. What more can you do? You're not allowed to make a potion outside of the classroom, so it's not like you can practice or something like that." "Exactly!" James said loudly. "We did it once in the class this year. I honestly had no idea they would ask this potion on our exam. if I knew I would've paid more attention." Marlene snickered. "Same here! Luckily we have Lily, our Potions Queen!" Lily's cheeks flushed red. "That is not true, I am not a Potion Queen." Mary rolled her eyes at this comment. "Nah-ah, yes you are! Slughorn adores you. Even if you screw up or you would make a complete different potion, he would still let you pass." Lily shook her head. "You keep saying that, but he isn't like that. Sure, he has a few favorites. But he would never let somebody pass who would screw up the whole assignment." James listened to the four girls arguing with each other. Lily was sitting in front of him and he was watching her and her movements. He could tell that when she was passionate about something or defending herself, she talked with a lot of hand motions. Her hair would wave a little bit left and right and her cheeks flushed a deep red, but that wasn't really noticeable. This color reminded James of his Quidditch robes. It made him happy.
"Fine!" Lily threw her hands up in the air. "I'll just say you three are right if it stops this discussion. I do want to study a little bit more before I go to bed." She grabbed her book and a parchment with some notes and started comparing these two. James grabbed his own book and started reading for probably the eleventh time about the side-effects of this potion when made wrongly. He got a creepy feeling with some of these side-effects. Vicious boils? What kind of effect was this? It was made for curing boils and if you didn't do it right, you would create even more boils. James was happy that the color and smell of a potion could tell if it was done right or not. What if you had to test it on someone? Where would you find someone with boils? Or who would want to get boils for a few minutes just to test this potion? You could end up with more boils that were probably also painfuller.
"Are you thinking about the boils?" Lily asked all of the sudden. James grimaced. "Is it that obvious?" "Well, I saw you shudder out of nowhere and when I watched you I saw your face screwing up. I know I had the same facial expression today, since I am a very vicious thinker. I see it in my head how something must look like. And those boils aren't looking pretty." James couldn't help but laugh. "I know, right? And one of the side-effects is even more boils. I was just thinking about how messed up that is." Lily shook her head. "It is! I didn't even think about that part yet. Can you imagine?" James and Lily had a conversation for a few minutes about weird potions. Both of them showing a few from the book and laughing about it. "This one gives you memory loss?" Lily was bend over the book, her hair hanging close to James his face. He could smell her shampoo and it smelled like roses. "What kind of memory loss?" James needed a few seconds to clear his head, it was full with a fog that smelled like roses and looked pinkish. He shook his head and shrugged. "I think it depends on how the long the potion sits. The shorter the time is between finishing the potion and taking some of it, the less you will forget. Maybe only what you had for breakfast that day. But taking after a couple of hours or maybe even days or weeks, who knows what you forget! And it says nowhere if you ever get your memory back."
Lily nodded slowly, looking impressed. "And this is something for first years? We never had it!" James confirmed this. "True! Remus says it's because students nicked some once they were done and were pulling pranks on other students. Pranks as putting it in their drink during dinner or breakfast. This created a lot of chaos. As soon as the teachers found out, they banned it until further notice." Lily was listening to James in awe. "Wow, okay. That is crazy! Why would you do something like that? That is an awful prank." James didn't agree with Lily. He thought it was quite funny and genius. Can you imagine giving a Slytherin this before an exam or a Quidditch match? They would totally ruin it! But James made the wise decision of keeping this opinion to himself. Instead he decided to go to bed. He had already yawned four times in the last two minutes. "Well, this was lovely, ladies. Thank you for studying with me! But I'm off to bed now. I wish you luck for the rest of the evening and I will see you four tomorrow. Goodnight!" The four of them wished him goodnight and James went up to his dorm. He couldn't help but smile the whole time about how well that conversation went. His couldn't shake the smile of his face, not even when he tried to fall asleep.