After two more days in the hospital, Remus felt trapped and after much persuading managed to convince Hope that he can be discharged.

Hope said she would tell the doctor.

Remus himself waited in the ward, next to the bed which sleep the old man that would probably never get out. Sometimes when he wakes up middle of the night, and looks at the man lying there, but cannot talk to him. He felt a bit of sadness but also that his life wasn't the worst it could be.

At this moment, the door of the ward opened. He thought it was Hope back, but a man in his thirties came in. At the sight of this man, Remus nearly fell off the bed.

James?

James Potter looked at him for a moment, then exclaimed in a surprised voice: "You, you, you... Are you… your awake?"

Remus blinked his eyes repeatedly, he was more shocked than James. He didn't expect that just after a few short days, he has run into one of his former friends. His best friend in fact.

James stepped in front of him. The man's face was flushed with excitement. He patted Remus's shoulder in that familiar way but with a little more force than necessary and said excitedly, "Mate, you don't know me, but I know you. That's my dad."

Pointing to the old man that has been keeping Remus company for the past few days. "He's been lying there for more than half a year. I see you every time I come here. Sigh, my father has no hope now, but you're still so young. If you'd stayed in that bed forever, your mother would be ruined. I didn't expect you to wake up, but I'm glad I was wrong" He patted Remus on the shoulder again and smiled widely.

Remus's heart was trembling. He grabbed James's arm and was so excited that he forgot how to speak. He wanted to hug him, he wanted him to reassure him in the way only James could, despite him being an idiot when it comes to emotions and feelings. He wanted to say "James" again, but to him, he was just a stranger that just coincidentally shared the same name.

James looked at it strangely, "What's wrong with you? Should I call a doctor for you?"

"No, no. Your dad… you shouldn't give up, maybe he can wake up one day."

James left the things at his father's side, then sat down in a chair and sighed. "I wish, but it's hopeless, stroke at his age... It's hard for the family to see him hanging like this, half dead." James looked at his father sadly. "Still alive though that's what matters, anyway."

His voice was dull and tired, which made Remus extremely unhappy. James was doing very well in the circle, he does many miscellaneous things, but has a wide network of contacts and friends, so many new people all have to listen to his orders. His income is also not bad, but raising his wife and children, and also having to take care of his old father, must have taken a toll on him. Only two years have passed, Remus felt that James have lost the chattiness and carefree nature that always surrounded him.

He wanted to comfort him, but he is too afraid that saying too much would reveal something. After all, which sane person would believe him.

James looked at him silently, then sighed heavily and a pained expression spread over his face.

Remus asked gingerly. "What's wrong?"

"Remus Lupin" James called him in the same tone as before. Remus's heart shuddered again. "You know, I used to have a friend… brother, also called Remus Lupin. If he's alive now, he would have turned thirty-five this year... Very young, very righteous, and a very good friend." There was a half-smile on James's face. His voice caught in reminiscence. "Your mom said that you had an accident two years ago? My brother, he had an accident two years ago too, but you woke up, and we couldn't even find the body. I was the one who introduced him to that job..." James sniffed. "If it wasn't for me..."

He couldn't say anything anymore, but his remorse and regret seemed to melt into the air, so much that Remus felt a suffocating suppression around them.

He desperately wanted to knock some sense into James and scream at him for his nonsense. What has my death got to do with you. When he first offended Lucius Malfoy, it was clear his place in the entertainment circle was in tyranny, only James, went out his way to introduce him into a cast, to the Shiru mountains to shoot a documentary. The horrible weather that day was simply his bad luck. If he really died, then he would have let it go, but now he's alive, knowing that James has blamed himself for his death, well let's just say James's pain was nothing compared to his own.

James doesn't usually talk about his personal feelings to a stranger, but this time he felt an unexplainable notch in his stomach, like the kind he feels when he missed something important and then his beautiful but equally scary wife would present him with a glare. This young man in front of him has caused a lot of sad memories and regret to arise. Embarrassed, he cleared his throat. "Don't mind me. Just some bad memories. Oh and my name is James Potter, just call me James. If there is anything that you need, you can ask me. Not meaning to brag, but I can be quite helpful sometimes."

Remus wanted to drag James to a small restaurant near the hospital, order a few dishes, get two bottles of beer and drink with him, just like they used to. When they were in sports school, James was three years above and always took good care of him. After graduation, he couldn't find a good job, so he shamelessly went and asked James. It was James who arranged for him to go into the film industry and do some random chores on various sets. They have always hit it off the most, whether it's their hobbies or topics of interest. In Remus's heart, James was really like his own brother.

James smiled. "I'm telling you, don't think any more about it, but the feeling you give me is very close and familiar, I don't know if it's because your name is also Remus, but I think you are really like him."

Remus also smiled, if James was to know the reason.

Just then, Hope came back. "James, come to see your father again."

"Ah, Hope, Remus here woke up and you didn't tell me, we have to celebrate. Oh yeah, when can you leave the hospital? Dinners on me."

"No, no, we can't possibly…"

James cut her off. "You helped to look after my dad, it's the least I can do"

"Okay then, if you have time you should come around more, maybe if all goes well, your father would also wake up."

"Yeah, maybe some of your good luck can rub off us, eh."

Hope face brightened up, you could see the youth that seem to have returned to her face since the day Remus woke up. She looked very pretty that day, her amber eyes sparkling.

The three sat and talked for a while. James stayed for more than an hour, changed his father's clothes, trimmed his hair, and then departed.

After he left, Hope said to Remus, "I didn't say anything in front of him because I didn't want to trouble him. But the doctor said you can leave the hospital tomorrow."

Remus was very relieved, "That's great. I'll get everything ready"