𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙵𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗|| James Potter

18.

Sirius is sickly pale. Sweat is gathered on his forehead whether it be because of the weather outside and he's cocooned in the covers or he's really ill.

Rhea frowns as she tentatively steps over to him. She made sure to let him know someone was in the room with him when she first entered the guest bedroom. Which James told her on the way up would be Sirius' from now on.

Rhea doesn't know what to do. Neither does James who stands in the doorway watching the two cousins. When Rhea looks back at him he sends her an encouraging nod and a small smile.

"Sirius," Rhea walks over to the other side of the bed so she is in front of Sirius. He doesn't so much as blink as she crouches down in front of him. His cheeks are hollow and have lost all colour, red rimmed eyes and it's obvious he's been biting his lip with the little teeth marks.

Rhea swallows thickly. "Uncle Alphard's here." Sirius shifts slightly in the bed but doesn't say anything. Bile rises in her throat as he winces and his breathing comes out shallow for a second.

Looking over his shoulder Rhea makes eye contact with James who wears a similar expression to hers.

"Do you need anything?" Rhea asks. She hates seeing him like this, he looks so detached from everything around him. She is in his direct line of sight yet he looks straight through her as though he can't even see her.

"Food, water?" She suggests hoping he will at least nod. He needs to eat. And from what James tells her he lost a lot of blood last night, not eating won't help. And he definitely needs water.

"What about any potions?" Rhea tries again.

For the first time since she got there Sirius seems to realise someone else was with him. He blinks rapidly, staring at her in confusion. "Rhea?"

Both James and Rhea breathe in a tiny sigh of relief. "Yeah?" She answers gently.

"Reggie, is he okay?" Her heart breaks a little at the crack in his voice. Rhea nods at him. "Yeah, he's fine. He wrote to me this morning."

"Good." Sirius closes his eyes and turns away from Rhea. James hesitates at the door before quickly looking over to Rhea who looks just as lost as he does. "Siriu–"

His eyes are still tightly closed as he cuts her off, "Can you both leave." It isn't a choice, he doesn't want them there. Rhea has never felt more useless in her life, is she actually meant to leave him like this? But he wants them to leave and if they don't leave he'd make them. Yet she doesn't know whether that was a good thing, making him react with something other than misery.

James looks equally as dejected as her while he stares at Sirius. His fists are clenched as he tries to think of something he can do. Rhea realises she'd once had him all wrong.

She'd once believed him to be arrogant and selfish. Yet he cared for the ones he loved so fiercely that it hurt so much when he can't do something for them.

And if anyone has been selfish it's her. The only reason she never liked him was because in Rhea's eyes he'd 'stolen' her cousin from her when that was the furthest thing from the truth.

He'd been Sirius's best friend who'd comforted him when their family had been beyond cruel to him.

In fact, Rhea more or less owed James for being there for Sirius when she'd been ignorant of the fact her cousin needed someone.

James visibly swallows before jerking his head to the exit of the room. Rhea stands up and brushes her sweaty plans against the thick material of her cardigan and walks over to James.