Eclipsed

The office was quiet, save for the soft ticking of the clock and the gentle breathing of Poppy Pomfrey and Minerva McGonagall.

Suddenly, the door burst open with a loud crash, jolting both women awake. Seemingly out of nowhere, Sirius appeared in the doorway, his face a mask of anger and worry.

"What happened to James?" he demanded, his voice shaking slightly, hand grasping the doorframe. "I need to know right now!"

McGonagall rubbed her eyes and stood up, trying to compose herself. "Mr. Black, please lower your voice. James is resting now in the hospital wing. We are doing everything we can for him."

Sirius stepped further into the room, his hands clenching and unclenching. "Resting? He's hurt, isn’t he? Really hurt. What did those bastards do to him?"

Pomfrey, sensing Sirius's distress, stood, and as if she were addressing an injured animal, spoke softly and gently. "Sirius, love, please calm down. We'll tell you everything, but you need to calm down first."

"You need to tell me everything," he demanded, his voice angry and desperate. He was swaying a bit, and his eyes were a bit red. "Every detail. I need to know how bad it is."

“Mr. Black, sit down and take a breath right now, or I will escort you back to Gryffindor tower myself!” McGonagall said sternly, ignoring the way his lip began to tremble.

Sirius took a deep, shaky breath and sat down, his eyes flitting back to Pomfrey and staying fixed on her face. "Please," he said quietly. "I need to know."

Pomfrey exchanged a glance with McGonagall before scooting her chair up across from Sirius’, taking his hands before speaking. "Sirius, James was attacked by a group of students in the corridors, down near the library. We’ve done everything possible to try and prevent further damage, and a specialist from St. Mungo’s was here to treat him… probably about three or four hours ago."

Sirius's face fell, his anger giving way to concern, feeling grounded by Madam Pomfrey’s hands holding his. "How bad is it?"

Pomfrey exchanged a glance with McGonagall before speaking. "The attackers used the Conjunctivitis Curse, which causes severe inflammation and pain in the eyes. Given James’s pre-existing condition, we’re particularly concerned about potential scarring on his corneas."

Sirius frowned, trying to process the information. "Scarring? What does that mean for him?"

"It means his vision could become even blurrier and more sensitive to light than it already is," Pomfrey explained. "We don’t know how long he was lying in the corridor, and the longer the spell affects the eyes, the more damage it can cause."

Sirius nodded slowly, his face a mix of worry and determination. "Who did this? I’ll—"

"That's not important right now," McGonagall interrupted firmly. "What's important is James's recovery."

"But it is important!" Sirius argued, pulling away from Pomfrey and pushing his chair away, standing up abruptly. "They need to pay for what they've done!"

"And they will," McGonagall assured him, her tone leaving no room for argument. "But for now, our focus has to be on James."

Sirius took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. "Can I see him?"

Pomfrey nodded. "Of course. But you need to be calm and quiet. He needs rest."

Sirius nodded, his expression resolute. "I can do that. I just... I need to see him."

True to his word, Sirius followed quietly as they left the office and made their way to the dimly lit hospital wing, where James lay sleeping. The room was eerily quiet, save for the soft rustling of their robes and the gentle beeping of magical monitoring equipment.

As they approached James's bed, Sirius's heart clenched at the sight of his best friend. James's eyes were still swollen shut, his face paler than Sirius had ever seen him and drawn. Sirius took a deep breath, trying to steady himself.

"Is he going to get better?" Sirius whispered, his voice barely audible. 

Pomfrey sighed and looked away from James and back to Sirius. "We've done everything we can to mitigate the damage. The specialist, Healer Dedworth, has treated him as best as possible, but..."

"But what?" Sirius pressed, his voice tinged with desperation.

“We've done our best, but there's a chance his vision may not return to what it was before," Pomfrey explained softly.

Sirius's fists clenched at his sides, anger and frustration bubbling up inside him. "He wasn't supposed to be out alone at night," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. "Especially not with his difficulty seeing in the dark. He knew that. He should’ve… he should’ve asked me to come with him, or I could’ve..."

Pomfrey placed a gentle hand on Sirius's shoulder, her touch both comforting and firm. "What's done is done, Sirius. Blaming him or yourself won't change what happened.” 

Sirius took a deep breath, trying to reign in the storm of emotions raging within him. He looked back at James, his heart aching. "I just... I just want him to be okay," he said, his voice breaking slightly.

Pomfrey nodded, her expression softening. "We all do, Sirius. And we’ll do everything in our power to ensure that he recovers as fully as possible. But for now, you need to be strong for him. He'll need your support more than ever."

Sirius swallowed hard and nodded. "Have you told his– our parents?"

Pomfrey sighed. "We’ve drafted a letter to Effie, but we’re debating whether or not to send it.” Sirius gave her a questioning look. “Sirius, has James talked to you about his father being unwell?” 

“Yes, his mum mentioned that he wasn’t feeling quite well, which is why we stayed for the spring holiday.” Suddenly, Sirius's expression shifted, concern flickering in his eyes. "Is he okay?" he asked, his voice laced with worry. “Did something happen?” 

"He's been dealing with a condition called Phoenix Fire Syndrome," Pomfrey explained softly. "It's been a difficult time for him, but the healers at St. Mungo's are optimistic about his recovery."

Sirius's shoulders sagged with relief, though his concern remained. "But why didn't you tell us sooner?" he asked, furrowing his brow.

“We only found out tonight,” McGonagall replied. “So to answer your question, we haven’t told his parents yet.” 

Sirius nodded slowly, his mind racing with thoughts. He knew Effie deserved to know about Fleamont's condition, even with everything else she was dealing with. “They should know. They won’t be bothered. They love him." 

A dark shadow passed over his face as he slumped against Madam Pomfrey’s shoulder, and the two exchanged a knowing glance, silently acknowledging their suspicion. 

“Sirius, are you alright? You seem a bit... off."

Sirius blinked, realizing that he was probably not as composed as he thought. "I'm fine," he said quickly, though he knew it was a feeble attempt to deflect their concern.

“How about you stay here with James? Keep an eye on him for us?” Pomfrey said, directing him towards a chair by James’ bed. “We’re going to send off this letter to Effie now.”

She had seen enough students under the influence to recognize the signs, and with Sirius' history, she preferred to have him close by. 

Sirius nodded, and settled into the chair beside James's bed, determined to keep watch over his friend throughout the night. 

"Hey, Jamie," Sirius whispered, leaning forward so his head nearly touched the mattress. "I'm here, mate. You’re going to be okay.”

The morning light filtered gently through the windows of the hospital wing, casting a soft glow over the stillness of the room. Sirius, slumped in the chair beside James's bed, stirred and blinked groggily. His head throbbed slightly, a dull reminder of the previous night's tension and the lingering effects of whatever he'd had to drink. The quietness of the early hour was almost surreal, but it was soon broken by the sound of raised voices outside the curtains.

Effie Potter's voice cut through the silence, filled with worry and frustration. "Why wasn't I notified immediately?" she demanded, her tone leaving no room for evasion. "This is my son, Albus. You should have contacted me the moment this happened."

"Mrs. Potter, please understand—" Pomfrey began, but Effie interrupted her, not ready to be placated.

"I understand that my son was attacked and left lying in a corridor for hours. I have every right to be upset," she retorted, her voice cracking slightly with emotion.

Pushing aside the curtain, Sirius peeked out to see Effie arguing with Pomfrey and Dumbledore. She looked as poised as ever, her colorful robes perfectly pressed, and her hair neatly pulled up beneath a green silk scarf. She wore heavy gold jewelry in her ears and her nose ring glinted as it caught the morining light shining through the hospital wing windows. Sirius knew better, though could see the strain in her face, the exhaustion etched in the lines around her eyes. Whatever had been going on with Fleamont had taken so much out of her, and now with James…  

"Effie," he called out softly.

Effie's head snapped towards him, and in an instant, she was at his side, wrapping him in a tight hug. "Oh, Sirius," she murmured, her voice breaking slightly. "Sirius, dear, how are you holding up?" she asked, her voice softer now, filled with concern. 

"I'm alright, Mrs. Potter," Sirius replied, his own voice thick with emotion. He could feel the weariness in her embrace and saw it in her eyes as she pulled back, looking into his face and studying it for a moment. "I missed you." 

Effie kissed him on his temple and nodded, her gaze shifting to James's bed. "And how is he?" she asked, her eyes filling with tears as she looked at her son, who lay sleeping with his eyes still swollen and shut.

"He's going to be okay, Effie," he tried to reassure her, though his own voice wavered.

The commotion of her arrival stirred James. He blinked blearily, his swollen eyes making it hard to focus. "Mum?" he croaked, his voice weak.

Effie rushed to his side, trying to maintain a calm demeanor despite the distress evident in her eyes. "I'm here, James. I'm here," she said softly, brushing a hand through his hair. "How are you feeling?"

James winced as he tried to open his eyes. "Hurts... Can't see..." he muttered, frustration evident in his tone.

Effie swallowed hard, doing her best to keep her voice steady as she leaned over the bed, smoothing back the sweaty hair stuck to his face. "It's going to be alright, darling. We're getting you the best help we can." Sirius could see the poorly-masked worry on her face as she took in how terrible James looked, the after effects of the conjunctivitis leaving him looking grimy and crusty. 

James's mind, still groggy and unfocused, suddenly flickered with worry. "Where's Dad?" he asked, his voice tinged with concern.

Effie hesitated, a shadow crossing her face. "He's... resting, James. He hasn't been well, but he's getting better," she said, the half-truth heavy on her tongue.

James seemed too drained to probe further, simply nodding before closing his eyes again, exhaustion taking over as Effie encouraged him to get some more rest. Once he was asleep, Pomfrey gently placed a hand on Effie's back. "Mrs. Potter, why don't you join us in my office? We can discuss the situation in more detail."

Effie looked torn, glancing back at James before Sirius intervened. "I'll stay with him, Mrs. Potter. Go with Pomfrey and McGonagall. He'll be alright with me."

Effie nodded, giving Sirius's hand a grateful squeeze before following Pomfrey and Dumbledore out of the room, McGonagall trailing at the end, having entered at some point. Sirius watched them go, his heart heavy with worry for his friend and for Effie. 

The morning light had grown warmer over the hospital wing as the conversation continued in the office. True to his word, Sirius sat vigil by James's bed, his mind a whirlwind of worry and fatigue. The quiet was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Remus, Peter, and Lily entered, their faces etched with concern.

Remus's eyes briefly met Sirius's, a flicker of disappointment passing between them. Sirius had stormed out of the dormitory the previous night and done something he probably wouldn’t be proud of, but now was not the time to address it. They needed to focus on James.

"How is he?" Remus asked quietly, stepping closer to the bed and laying a careful hand on Sirius’ shoulder.

Sirius sighed, leaning into the touch. "He's sleeping. They did what they could. We just have to wait now and see how badly they fucked him up."

Peter, looking pale and anxious, hesitated before moving closer. The James they saw in the bed, looking strange and vulnerable, was a stark contrast to their handsome, confident, lively friend. "Is he gonna be okay?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly.

Sirius's eyes filled with emotion, but he quickly composed himself. "He will be. He has to be," he said insistently, his voice wavering a bit.

Lily, standing near the foot of the bed, looked at Sirius with concern. "Are the Potters here?" she asked gently.

Sirius nodded. "Effie's here. Fleamont... he's not well. Effie's handling everything on her own," he said, brushing off any further questions about Fleamont.

Remus noticed the strain in Sirius's voice and decided to shift the conversation. "So, how's Herbology going for you three?" he asked, forcing a lighter tone. “You’ve got Professor Sprout, right? I only had her for the O.W.L. year, what’s she like?”  

Lily and Peter exchanged glances before Lily spoke up. "It's fine. Professor Sprout is as enthusiastic as ever," she said, attempting a small smile. “Having a young teacher can be kind of fun, you know.” 

Peter nodded, though his eyes kept drifting back to James. "Yeah, we’re working on some new magical plants. It's pretty interesting."

Sirius, grateful for the distraction, chimed in weakly. "Yeah, I heard we're supposed to start on Venomous Tentacula soon. Should be fun."

Remus took a seat on the edge of the bed next to James, trying to act as normally as possible. "Sounds like you’ll need all the help you can get with those. They’re tricky."

Lily, sensing the effort Remus was making, joined in. "Right… Sirius, I bet you and James will probably be the first to try to break into the greenhouses again once she brings them in, see if you can wrestle them into the Slytherin common rooms."

They all chuckled softly, the tension easing slightly. Sirius glanced at James, then back at his friends. "We will. He'll be back on his feet, ready to prank the Slytherins in no time."

The door to the hospital wing opened again, and Madame Pomfrey stepped in, followed closely by Effie Potter. Effie looked tired but composed, her eyes filled with determination. After greeting each of the teens, and getting a long hug from Peter, who'd practically been raised by her as well, she took the seat Sirius offered her. 

"How is he?" she asked, her gaze moving from Sirius to the others.

"Still sleeping," Sirius replied. "But he's strong. He'll pull through."

Effie nodded, her shoulders relaxing slightly. "Thank you for being here," she said softly. "I know it would mean a lot to him. To all of us."

As the group settled into a more comfortable silence, Remus's hand found Sirius', giving it a reassuring squeeze. They were in this together, ready to support James through whatever came next.