~ROAC~ (incomplete)

~NINETEEN~

"Stop the world.
Seize the moment."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

James Potter was wearied.

Yesterday evening had been incredibly frightful and worrisome. After he, Remus, and Peter had left the strangely-unconscious Sirius in Bell's care, they'd rushed down the Grand Staircase, out the side door, past the Herbology greenhouses, and down the hill to the Whomping Willow. They scrambled through the tunnel, Remus going first and panicking about being late, and James hadn't even noticed when little roots poked out of the dirt walls and scratched his face or the tree above them started to shake itself back awake and sent soil falling onto their faces and into their hair.

The storm above gave them an extra few minutes, and thank Merlin for it, for just as they'd finished sealing up the basement of the Shrieking Shack, Remus started shaking and Peter and James shared a glance, knowing tonight would be a rough one without Sirius. As a dog, he was the most effective at keeping Remus' werewolf form at bay because of the paws, teeth, and all-around strength. If Bell had ever wondered how Sirius was as muscular as he was without ever 'working out' or playing Quidditch, she might have been surprised to know it was because of these monthly excursions.

That night had, indeed, been tough on Peter and James, and when Remus finally came to, he started crying at how beaten up his friends looked. They always seemed drained after a full moon, but Peter had a broken finger and James had a long scratch on his cheek as well as various bruises all around. He also sported a series of scratches along his left side, but didn't let either of his friends know because he knew Remus would feel even guiltier. As the minute hand on James' watch turned to five am, the three of them stumbled into the Hospital Wing. Remus had crawled up on one of the beds nearest to the door, across from the bed Sirius was recovering in (though he didn't seem to notice his friend in his exhaustion) and promptly passed out, whereas Peter had stayed awake for another half-hour to get his finger mended by Madam Pomfrey, and James didn't sleep at all.

As the sun started the brighten up the Hospital Wing around six-thirty that morning, James leaned back on the bed beside Sirius'. Bell had woken when he and the others had arrived, having fallen asleep in a chair beside him, and James couldn't help but smile despite his fatigue when he saw she was holding his hand and didn't let go even when she woke. They'd talked in hushed voices for some time about that night, and James was furious when he learned of the wicked trick Bellatrix had pulled. He would have described her with considerably colorful language had Bell not beaten him to it in a flurry of curses and snapped words of anger.

Though James was careful not to say anything about why he, Remus, and Peter had needed to leave so urgently, he noticed Bell didn't ask either and only questioned if the three of them were alright. After they'd both run out of things to say and James saw that Bell seemed just as tired as Remus was that night, he told her to go back to the dorm, get some sleep, but she refused, saying she wanted to be there when Sirius woke. James insisted, Bell pushed right back, but after a few minutes, they reached a compromise.

Now, as James looked to Bell and Sirius, he smiled to himself. His mate would have one hell of a thing to thank him for later when he woke up with the girl of his longtime affections curled up next to him in that hospital bed. They looked so peaceful like that, and James gave a soft sigh. He wished two things in that moment- firstly, that Bell would just hurry up and fall for Sirius already or, if she already had, admit it to him, and secondly, that one day he'd be able to wake up with his dear Lily in his arms. He imagined how her hair would look spread out on the pillow, and how her dreams would be only sweet, and they would be content.

His eyes, along with his spirits, dropped to the floor. At this rate, that wasn't about to happen anytime soon. Sure, he'd had that one moment when on Head Girl and Boy patrol with her a week or so ago, but since then, she'd acted rather standoffish and reacted even more annoyed to his flirting attempts and requests of a date than she ever had in the past. He worried there was something he'd said, or a negative rumor she'd heard about him, or worst of all, that she'd just decided enough was enough and was trying to get rid of him from her life. Merlin, he hoped not.