𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗣𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗢𝗻𝗲-𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘁𝘀

Tea, Tissues, & Tears

Credits to TheAmazingMaddy for sending the prompt in the RBDS group chat that inspired this. She's lovely, go follow her if you haven't already! 🏹

...

James wouldn't call himself remarkably wise. He was educated in quidditch and transfiguration. There was a bit of knowledge about charms and mischief.

Here he was in second-year and he had no idea how to comfort people. Maybe it was the fact that he had zero siblings that needed comforted and had lacked social skills because of interacting with old posh people, but his comforting skills needed work. So, here he was with a sad mate that needed cheering up, with no idea what to do.

Sirius had received a detention everyday for the next week because of a prank gone wrong in potions that ended with Marlene McKinnon covered in slime. Peter had been traveling to the Kitchens and had practically not left since they figured out how to get in a week ago.

Sirius had a knack for knowing the right things to say when it came to Remus and only Remus. So, when James was left alone with him, he had had no alternative than to do what his mother always did when he was upset. Make tea, grab tissues, and hope for the best.

"I'm off to the kitchens!" Peter yelled predictably the same time he had been for the past week.

"Pete, I'm coming with you!" James said running down the stairs two at a time, leaving Remus alone in the dorm with a book and a sad expression on his face.

On his way down the stairs, he knocked into a redhead, the same he had been arguing with an hour before.

"Merlin, watch where you're going, Potter," Lily said without her usual venom laced in,

"Sorry Evans!"

...

Soon the two prepubescent boys had made it into the kitchens and tickled the pear. James still felt that the way to enter was weird, so he made Peter do that bit.

"I'm just grabbing some tea for Remus. He looked sad," James stated.

"He always looks sad," Peter said with a shrug.

"And doesn't that bother you? I want him to be happy!" James replied before the house-elves came stumbling over.

Being the posh rich boy he is, James had grown up around house-elves. So, while their appearance was still growing on Peter, James was already used to it.

"Hello, my name's Joinkles, how can I help you?" The magical being asked James.

"Can I have two cups of tea?" He asked with his best manners.

...

On the way back from the kitchens he almost knocked the two glasses of tea straight into his favorite teacher.

"Mr. Potter! What are you doing levitating those two glasses of tea around the corridor?" McGonagall asked with a stern voice.

"Well, Remus was feeling a bit down, so I was bringing him some tea to make him feel better," James said innocently.

"Nice use of the charm, Flitwick should be proud," McGonagall said as she walked right past James.

...

"Reeeemuuusss! I brought you some tea from the kitchens, just the way you like it!" He said with a smiled on his face.

Remus looked up from his book and tried for a smile that didn''t come, for he was a monster that didn't deserve friends such as these and the deeds they completed to make him happy.

"Thanks James, did you do the charms homework yet?" Remus asked knowing full-well he hadn't.

"Nope, I plan on doing it later. Now, care to tell me why you're feeling down?" James looked pointedly at the boy trying to avoid this conversation.

Remus pondered what the best course of action was many times when explaining his "condition" and he never had come up with telling the truth. He lied and lied and lied because that's what he believed was the best plan, but maybe just maybe he was wrong.

"What would you say if I had a deep secret I've been hiding from you three for awhile?" Remus said after a long period of silence.

"Well," James felt caught off-guard by this statement and wasn't sure what to say.

"You don't have to answer, but I'm going to tell you something I've never told anyone myself and I understand if you would not want to be friends with me anymore," he spoke blinking back the tears that threatened to fall. He was strong, he could do this.

"There's nothing you could ever say that would make me not want to be friends with you, Remus," James said and upon seeing the amber eyes tear up, pulled a tissue box off his bed stand.

"Ever since I was four," he paused to draw in a shaky breath. "I've been a werewolf."

James looked Remus right in the eyes for a few moments before saying anything and then smiled a small smile.

"That took a lot of courage to tell me that, which is why you're a Gryffindor," James stood up and pretended to be a lion, earning a grin and laugh from his friend.

"So, you really don't care?" Remus asked disbelievingly.

"Yeah, besides, we've all got things we'd rather keep in the dark. Like I think Sirius has gone a bit insane, Peter eats too much chicken for one man to handle, and one of my eyebrows is actually a lighter shade of black than the other."

Remus felt safe for one of the first times in his life and James wasn't so bad at comforting people as he thought.

...

Author's Note:

Howdy y'all! I know I haven't updated this in awhile, which is another reason I took this prompt and ran with it. Expect some more one-shots in the upcoming future, along with some updates of Ladder of Life.

I absolutely adore the young Marauders, but then again, who doesn't?

Lmao anyways thanks for reading

-teddy ;)

(I am writing on my computer, so I can't use normal emojis.)