Waiting
Regulus stood in the waiting room, his back pressed against the cold, sterile wall, his fingers nervously tracing the edges of his sleeve. Lily sat beside him, hunched over with her elbows on her knees, staring blankly at the floor. The silence between them was suffocating, the kind that was heavy with all the unspoken fears they didn’t dare voice. It was taking everything for Regulus to not burst open the doors of the room, demanding to see for himself whether James was still alive or not.
The quiet tick of the clock on the wall was the only sound in the room, but each tick felt like a hammer to Regulus’ chest. He kept replaying the scene in his head—the blood, the stillness of James’ body, the way his skin had been too cold. He had always known that one day something like this might happen. James was an Auror, constantly in the line of fire. But knowing it didn’t make it any easier to bear.
He glanced at Lily. Her hands were trembling, and he could see the tension in her jaw. He had no doubts the same thoughts running through his head were also running through hers. James Potter was integral to their lives, and they would not know how to function without him.
“He’ll be okay,” Regulus murmured, the words weak and almost hollow. He wasn’t sure if he believed them, but Lily needed to hear them. Maybe he did too.
Lily let out a shaky breath, closing her eyes. “He has to be. I—” Her voice cracked, and she pressed a hand to her mouth, as if trying to stop the sobs that were threatening to spill over. “We can’t lose him, Reg. Not like this. Not when… not when we finally have something good.”
Regulus knelt down in front of her, taking her trembling hands in his. His heart ached at the sight of her so broken, but he didn’t know how to fix it—didn’t know how to fix himself in this moment. “Lily, listen to me.” His voice was soft but steady, trying to give her something to hold onto. “James is a fighter. He’s always been stubborn as hell, and he’s not going to leave us like this. He won’t.”
But the truth was, Regulus was terrified. He could still feel the ghost of James’ cold skin on his hands, the weight of his body in his arms. The image of him lying there, bleeding out on the forest floor, was seared into his memory. And Regulus had never felt so powerless.
For a moment, Lily just stared at him, her green eyes glistening with unshed tears. Then she leaned forward, burying her face in his shoulder, and Regulus wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. She was shaking, and he could feel her sobs against his chest. Regulus pressed his face into her hair, closing his eyes against the tears that threatened to fall.
They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, clinging to each other in the sterile, cold room, both too scared to let go.
Finally, the door creaked open, and a healer stepped into the room. Both Regulus and Lily immediately snapped to attention, their eyes wide and filled with hope and fear all at once.
“He’s stable,” the healer said, her voice soft but firm. “We’ve managed to heal the worst of his injuries, and he’s responding to treatment. He’s not fully out of the woods yet, but he’s holding on.”
Lily let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding, and Regulus felt his knees go weak with relief. He wanted to cry, to laugh, to scream—all at once—but instead he just gripped Lily’s hand tighter.
“Please let us see him,” Lily said, her voice still shaky but laced with determination. She needed to see James, needed to feel that he was still there, still alive.
The healer nodded. “He’s resting now, but you can sit with him.”
They followed the healer down the hall, their hearts pounding in their chests. The sterile smell of St. Mungo’s was overwhelming, but neither of them cared. All they wanted was to see James.
When they stepped into the room, Regulus felt his breath catch in his throat. James lay in the bed, pale and still, but his chest was rising and falling steadily. His face was bruised and battered, and the scar from his gash was still angry and raw, but he was breathing.
Lily moved first, rushing to James’ side and taking his hand in hers. She ran her thumb gently over his knuckles, her tears spilling over as she whispered, “Please wake up, Jamie. Please.”
Regulus stood frozen for a moment, just staring at the man who had stolen his heart so effortlessly. The thought of losing him, of never seeing his bright, mischievous smile again, had nearly broken him. Slowly, he moved to the other side of the bed, reaching out to brush his fingers through James’ messy hair, his touch light and reverent.
“Stubborn idiot,” he whispered, though the words were laced with affection. “You’re not allowed to do that again. Not ever.”
James looked like he was simply in a deep sleep, if not for how still he was. There’s none of the movements that made James James. How he would cuddle them in his sleep, putting his long arm around them, nuzzling their backs. Regulus and Lily continued to sit on either side of him, their hands never leaving his, as if the warmth of their touch could keep him tethered to them.
Regulus leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on James’ face. The cuts and bruises were a painful reminder of how close they’d come to losing him, but the steady rise and fall of James’ chest was enough to keep Regulus grounded. He tried to ignore the knot of dread that still lingered in his stomach, but every time he blinked, he saw James lying in that forest again, pale and broken.
Lily’s quiet sniffles pulled him from his thoughts. She was wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, trying to keep herself together, but her eyes were still red from crying. Regulus reached across the bed, gently squeezing her hand.
“He’s going to be okay, love,” Regulus said, his voice softer now, but there was a quiet strength in it. “He’s already starting to heal.”
Lily nodded, but her expression was still pained. “I know,” she whispered, her fingers trembling against James’ skin. “I just—Merlin, Reg, I keep thinking what if we hadn’t gotten there in time? What if…” Her voice cracked, and she looked away, unable to finish the thought.
Regulus knew exactly what she was thinking—he’d been haunted by the same fears all night. “We did get there,” he said firmly, his voice steady. “And he’s still with us. That’s what matters.”
Lily squeezed James’ hand a little tighter, as if she could will him to stay with them through sheer force of love. “I know,” she said again, but the tears kept falling.
Regulus leaned forward, brushing a strand of hair out of Lily’s face, his touch gentle. “We’ll get through this, Red. He’ll get through this. He’s strong. He always comes back to us.” He paused, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “James wouldn’t let go that easily. You know he loves us too much to leave.”
——-
It was hours later when the two of them suddenly noticed some movement in James’ fingers. “Jamie? You awake?” Lily said worriedly, squeezing James’ hand in hers.
James stirred slightly at their touch, his eyelids fluttering, and Regulus’ heart leapt in his chest. Slowly, James’ eyes cracked open, just a sliver, but enough to see the familiar warmth in them. He looked between Regulus and Lily, his voice weak but filled with love. “Hi you two…” he croaked.
Regulus let out a breathless laugh, his chest tight with emotion. “Don’t you ever do that to me again.”
Lily blinked away her tears and leaned down to press a soft kiss to James’ forehead. “You scared us half to death, Sunshine, you know that?”
James’ lips quirked into a faint smile, though he still looked so fragile. “Sorry,” he murmured, his voice barely more than a whisper.
Regulus leaned down, pressing a kiss to James’ temple, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath his lips. “Just focus on getting better, Jamie. We’re not going anywhere.”
As they held each other, the three of them, the fear that had gripped Regulus and Lily so tightly began to loosen, replaced by the quiet but fierce hope that James was going to be okay. And in that moment, with James alive and breathing between them, they held onto the only thing that mattered—they were together, and they always would be.