this one is sort of a companion piece to the second chapter of lily's realisation i just uploaded (and which is definitely much better + longer, at over 6k words) and im posting this here because it works for this collection. but, i would def ask you to check out that one after this (it has fun moments like what james' and sirius' patroni are)

hope you like it!

James has been able to produce a patronus for a long time.

It's a stag, to no one's surprise (well no one who knew anyway). He learnt it for Sirius, who'd have frequent nightmares and no way to get out of them. James had tried everything-waking him up, holding him through it, slapping him away-and nothing seemed to be effective. So he'd pored over all the books he could get his hands on to find a solution until he came across the passage containing a detailed description about the patronus charm. Nowhere in it did it mention being useful as a nightmare deterrent but James could read well enough between the lines to form his own conclusion. A patronus was a protector, a guardian, made up of one's most potent happy memories. It was the literal embodiment of hope, joy. If that wasn't enough to help a person, then well, nothing was. And so he spent the whole summer practicing and practicing the charm. For once, he even included his parents in his (slightly illegal) endeavour, and though they were concerned about why he was dabbling in magic too advanced for him, they easily relented once he told them why (an abridged version, of course. Sirius didn't appreciate everyone knowing his business and James wasn't about to break his trust just like that) because they cared for him just as much as James did.

And so, one day before he had to leave for Hogwarts, James had successfully learnt how to cast a mostly-there patronus charm. It wasn't the best, to be fair. Could only stay for a few seconds in a vague shape (though he wasn't sure what yet) before it dissolved into mist, but it was still a huge accomplishment for someone his age. And he was damned proud of that.

When they were all back at Hogwarts, it didn't take long, only the first week, for Sirius' nightmares to start up, just as James could have predicted. In all the time he'd known his best mate, his nightmares were always the worst in the first and last weeks of school. (James didn't want to dwell on why—he could guess well enough and it always made him upset and angry)

He carefully got up from his bunk, casting a quick Silencing spell to ensure the others didn't wake up (it was an almost unnecessary precaution. Sirius never made too much noise, but better safe than sorry) and made his way to the bed on the other side. He could see the curtains fluttering slightly, the occasional elbow or knee peeking out through the gaps, jerking around. For all that Sirius didn't make a lot of sound, he did move around quite a bit, army and feet tense as if fighting off an invisible attacker. James was always too upset in these instances to think about why that was.

Without wasting any more time, he pulled the curtains back just enough to slide in. He didn't look at Sirius as he brought his memory to the fore, he knew he wouldn't be able to put his mind to this if he looked at his best friend like that—thrashing and mouthing in silent agony.

And so he closed his eyes, wand held loosely in his left hand. Thought of Potter Manor, the scent of cinnamon and brown sugar that was present in their house all year round; the baked goods his mum constantly experimented with laid out on the kitchen counter; pictured his parents dancing in the living room in front of a fire; Rani with her little hands on her hips, trying to maintain a stern face but failing. He thinks of Sirius, in all his posh, asshole-y glory. Pictures him in that same living room, a helplessly fond smile on his face, and his grey eyes lit up with delight, looking more at home than he'd ever been anywhere else.

He thinks of Sirius, and casts his Patronus.