Eclipsed

Friday evening had settled over Hogwarts, casting long shadows in the corridors and giving the castle a peaceful, almost serene atmosphere. James was making his way towards the hospital wing, his footsteps echoing softly off the stone walls. As he turned a corner, he almost collided with Lily Evans, who was carrying a stack of notes.

“Evans!” James exclaimed, stepping back to avoid knocking the notes from her hands. He’d spilled on, dropped items, and collided with her enough times to last a lifetime. “Sorry about that, didn’t see you coming.”

“Potter,” Lily replied, her tone neutral but not unfriendly. “What are you doing here?”

“I was going to see Remus. Thought I'd check on him before walking Sirius back to the common room,” James explained, nodding towards the direction of the hospital wing doors directly down the hall from them. “And you?”

“I’ve got notes for Remus from the classes he missed today,” Lily said, holding up the stack she was carrying. “I would’ve waited until tomorrow, but I’m tutoring someone in Potions and I couldn't reschedule.”

James smiled, a genuine one that softened his usual cocky demeanor. “You go ahead then. I can wait.”

Lily shook her head, surprising herself with the ease with which she spoke. “No, it’s fine. We can go in together. I’m sure Remus would appreciate the company.”

James smiled, running a hand through his hair without even realizing it, and as they walked the rest of the way, it felt like they’d reached an unspoken agreement to put aside their recent arguments, if only just for the evening. 

“I’ve never visited Remus so soon after the… you-know-what,” she commented, “not that I knew what they were before, but I always waited. I figured he’d want a couple days to recover privately.” 

James sighed, seeming to be choosing his words carefully before speaking. “Well,” he began, pressing his lips together in thought before continuing, “I wouldn’t say this is Moon– Remus, sorry, it’s not Remus at his best. Just be a little… a little patient, I guess. He can be a bit... well, not himself.” They walked on a bit longer before James spoke again. “Just treat him the same as always, after you’ve seen him like this, won’t you?” 

Lily thought for a moment, not quite sure what James meant, then nodded, since it didn’t really matter. "I promise I will."

When they reached the hospital wing, and headed towards the door to Remus’ room, they hesitated for a moment, both raising their hands to knock. James smiled tightly and gestured for Lily to knock first. She did, and upon hearing a weak response, they stepped inside together.

Remus was laid out on the bed, looking painfully exhausted and frail. Over the past month, any semblance of normal weight he'd put on during the past school year had disappeared. His eyes fluttered open as they approached, and a faint smile appeared on his lips when he saw his friends.

“Hey, Moony,” James greeted softly, moving to sit beside his bed. “How are you feeling?”

Remus managed a weak chuckle. “ I’ve been better, I’ve been worse.” He was still partially immobilized, and James could tell from the glossy sheen over his eyes that he was on some powerful pain potions. 

Upon hearing Lily’s snort in response, Remus looked towards her and smiled, motivating  Lily to move from where she’d been frozen by the doorframe. She awkwardly shuffled over and placed the stack of notes on the bedside table. “I brought you the notes from today. I figured you would probably want to take a look at them this weekend.” She backed away, sitting on the foot of the bed. 

“Thanks, Lily,” Remus said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I appreciate it.” He started to adjust himself in bed, but immediately regretted it, and squeezed his eyes shut. 

James noticed the wince of pain that crossed Remus’s face and scooching his chair forward, reached out to take his hand. “You need anything? Water? Another pain potion?”

Remus shook his head. “I can’t. Too soon since the last one.” He turned his head to face James, eyes, blinking slowly. “ Just tired. So tired.”

"I know, Moony. I know. Just try to relax. Madam Pomfrey will take care of you," James said soothingly, brushing a little chunk of hair from Remus's feverish forehead. “Why don’t you close your eyes for a bit? We aren’t going anywhere.” 

“Okay.” 

James spoke softly to Remus for a bit, teasing little smiles out of the boy and helping him get as comfortable as possible in his state. 

Lily watched the interaction, struggling to recognize the person in front of her as the same James Potter who she’d met on the train on her first day of school. The way he was with Remus now, gentle and caring, was different from the brash and arrogant boy she often argued with. 

Remus’s eyes fluttered closed, but he forced them open again, looking at James and then at Lily. “I’m glad you’re both here. Makes it... easier to sleep… Less lonely.”

Gradually, Remus's breathing evened out, and he drifted into a restless sleep. James stayed by his side for a few moments longer, making sure he was comfortable before standing up.

"Thanks for being here, Lily," he said quietly. "I know it means a lot to him."

"Of course, James," she replied, her tone softening. "I care about Remus too." 

“Good. He needs people who care.” James gave her a small, grateful smile. As Lily watched James take care of Remus with such tenderness, she couldn't help but see him in a new light, realizing that perhaps there was more to James Potter than she had ever allowed herself to see. 

James squinted up at the clock. "I need to go grab Sirius from detention. Are you going to stay with him, or do you want to walk back with us?"

Lily nodded. "I'll stay. We have another hour until curfew."

"Thank you, Lily," he said again, and she looked at him, her green eyes softening. 

"You're a good friend, James. Remus is lucky to have you."

James smiled, a genuine smile that reached his eyes. "We all need each other. That's what friends are for."

For a second, they sat in companionable silence, the tension between them easing. “I think we could try to get along better, for Remus’ sake,” Lily said quietly, shifting her bag in her lap and avoiding James’ gaze.

“I’d be willing to try,” he answered neutrally, although out of the corner of her eye Lily could see his grin. James suddenly stood, stretching his arms above his head. “I’ve really got to go now. See you later, Evans.” 

As he got up to go, Lily took his seat by Remus's bed, pulling a textbook out of her bag and settling into the chair. James looked back, and she waved, a tiny smile on her lips.

Feeling better about leaving Remus now that Lily was there keeping him company, James made his way to where Sirius was serving his detention. He found him diligently cleaning potion bottles under Madam Pomfrey's watchful eye. Sirius looked up as he entered, a hint of annoyance in his eyes that softened when he saw James.

"Ready to go, Pads?" James asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"Yeah, just give me a second," Sirius replied, finishing up the last bottle. Madam Pomfrey gave him a nod of approval, and with a wave to the matron, they left the hospital wing together.

As they walked back to the common room, James couldn't shake the image of Remus's pained face from his mind. Sirius noticed his silence and nudged him. "What’s on your mind?"

James forced a smile. "Yeah, just worried about Moony."

Sirius's expression deflated. "I know. Me too.” He looked down, stopping in his tracks. “I think about what I did to him all the time and just hate myself. I hate myself so badly for it."

James sighed and pulled Sirius into a tight hug. “Don’t hate yourself, Sirius. It was a mistake, a really bad mistake, but a mistake."

“What kind of person makes that kind of mistake though?” Sirius muttered, his voice thick with self-loathing.

James pulled away, meeting Sirius's eyes. “A person who’s really hurting, Pads.”

Sirius nodded, starting to walk again. “I’m doing better now, though. A bit.”

“Oh?” James asked, genuinely curious. Sirius had been pretty quiet about how he’d been dealing with the issues that had caused the incident with Snape,  and his– their parents were not too keen to share what they’d discussed in their meeting with Dumbledore and Sirius. 

“Yeah,” Sirius said, glancing at James and taking in his encouraging expression. “I’ve been talking to Pomfrey a lot about... stuff. About Walburga, and Orion, and everything that happened to me there. And in the summer, I’ll go to a mind healer. Your—our parents are setting everything up.” Sirius shrugged. “I think it will help.”

“I think it will too,” James said, his voice filled with support.

They walked in companionable silence for a while before James cleared his throat. "Sirius," he started, hesitating slightly before asking the question that had been on his mind for weeks, "how are you going to fix things with Remus?"

Sirius sighed heavily, his fingers fiddling with a heavy ring on his left thumb. "I don't know, Prongs. I really don't. I messed up, and I don’t know how to make it right."

James nodded, his gaze steady. "You have to, Pads. Remus needs us. At this point, I think he might let the wolf kill him one day, you know? He needs to know he can trust us, especially you, so we don’t let that happen."

"I know," Sirius replied, his tone a mix of determination and defeat. "I'll figure it out, James. I promise."

James clapped a hand on Sirius's shoulder, offering a reassuring squeeze. "I know you will.”

As they got back to the tower, up the stairs, and into their beds, James couldn't help but think about the night he’d had. Seeing Remus so vulnerable had been tough, but with Lily’s unexpectedly open support and Sirius's promise, he felt a bit of hope that things wouldn’t always be so hard.