marlene feels nothing but pure and utter terror like never before as she watched james fall from his broom, his head hitting the ground with a sickening thud.
fuck oh fuck
he’s not getting up, she realises moments later, and flies faster than she’s ever gone before.
it’s just practice. just stupid fucking quidditch practice, not even a game.. and yet james is on the ground.
james who she’s known her whole life, james who was the first one to know that marlene was queer, james who had held her and told her that her parents were wrong, that liking a girl did not make her wrong.
who had confided in her first when he realised he loved regulus black.
james who she loves like a brother and who she would protect to the end of the earth.
james who had hit the ground and was not getting up.
landing on the ground next to him, she pushed through the small crowd of concerned griffyndoor players to kneel next to james’ head, and oh god is that blood in his hair??
but he was awake, though just barely.
turning her head she looked at her frozen teammates with wide eyes, “someone get pomfrey!!” she yelled, outraged that nobody had done so already.
“james, hey hey, eyes open… eyes open potter.” she fretted at her friend, watching as his glazed over eyes started to slip shut.
marlene placed a hand on his cheek gently, patting it slightly when he blinked his eyes open, before almost letting them slip shut again.
fuck fuck fuck.
her mind reeled as she tried to figure out what to do next,
okay okay think think think just keep him awake okay okay oh!!
“james!! hey look at me,”
the slightly pale faced boy blinked his eyes open, tiredly looking up at his first friend he had ever made.
“can you tell me what colour regulus’ eyes are?” marlene asked firmly,
usually she would know better than to mention regulus around james at quidditch practice, because then he’d just spend the whole time talking about his lovely boyfriend.
she actually thought it was rather sweet at first, (though she would never admit it) the way james sung regulus praises like he had hung the stars in the sky, or the way he would prattle on about how good his hair had looked earlier that day.
now she joins the team in a collective sigh as james would somehow fit another fact about his regulus into one of his captain speeches.
but in this moment? she knew the only thing that could keep him focused and awake was the way he loved his boyfriend.
it works too, and marlene lets out a quiet sigh of relief when james seems to smile weakly, starting to ramble out a slightly confused answer
“mm.. they um, they’re sliver.. like a um like beautiful thing, caus’ they aren’t grey like he says, they’re like so much brighter and i love love them”
he’s still smiling as he finished slurring out his words, letting his eyes almost shut before marlene chimes in again.
“and what did you say happens when he smiles?”
he’s still slurring his words and not making much sense at all, but he’s awake and that’s all that matters.
“reg has um.. he’s got uh, dimples ands they’re so so um, makes me happy and um..”
he pauses for a moment as exhaustion threatens to overwhelm him but marlene keeps going, running a hand through his sweaty hair to push it from his eyes
“what about that book he was reading last week ?”
marlene hadn’t been told anything about a book, but being regulus she thought it was probably a fair shot in the dark.
though james seemed to finally be registering the pain from the fall as he scrunched up his eyebrows in pain, answering a bit slower than before,
“s a muggle book..”
“yeah? do you know what it was called?” marlene prompts
his eyes are closed again but james continues to slur out his words
“..err,um.. nonon can’t member- reg was readin it to me tho,.. pretty voice”
he pauses for a moment, eyes blinking open sluggishly as he attempts to turn his head to look around.
“hey hey hey, lay still james” marlene speaks firmly, hands moving to immobilise his head.
james whines at that, scrunching his face up as the pain slashes through him.
“where’s reg?… sposed to go to li- library with me..”he asks, cleary confused. his eyes glossy and slightly unfocused.
marlene isn’t quite sure if james knows what’s going on at all at that point, and as much as that scares her, she knows that james has had worse injuries.. even worse head ones and he’s always pulled through.
“you can find him soon, but you have to stay still for now james.” she tried softly, (a voice she usually reserved for dorcas) as she looked around for a sign of madam pomfrey arriving.
she’s prompting him to keep on rambling when she hears the relieving pop of apperation, madame pomfrey then coming quickly into view.
“oh mr potter what have you done now” she sighs, flicking her wand quickly as a stretcher appeared next to james.
at the sight of james being levitated onto the stretcher slowly, marlene feels herself getting a bit choked up, (not like she would admit that to anyone though)
without any warning, madam pomfrey apperates the pair of them away, leaving marlene shocked on her knees, staring at the spot james was moments earlier.
marlene races to the hospital wing.
because of course she does, it’s james.
james whose an annoying little shit but has never let marlene down. not once.
by the time she had gotten there, madame pomfrey had wrapped a bandage around his head, and was speaking to him softly as he drank a purple potion.
the healers head snaps around at her entrance, smiling at her tired student who had obviously run all that way for her friend.
“hello dear, are you alright?” the older women spoke to marlene,
who had opened her mouth to answer when a voice sounded loudly from the hospital wings entrance.
“where is he?!”
thank merlin.
marlene watched as james perked up on the bed, recognising the voice immediately.
“reg?!” he croaked out, unable to speak very loud without wincing.
regulus seemed to of heard him anyway, moving quickly towards the bed surrounded in curtains, ripping them open dramatically with a familiar scowl on his face.
“you idiot.” he sighed loudly, though he still moved quickly towards james’ side, and marlene couldn’t help notice the way his hands shook ever so slightly.
“oops?” james shrugged, a pained grin on his face as he reached a hand out towards him. the relief evident on his face.
“no fucking shit oops” regulus said outraged, throwing his hands on the air before mumbling a quick apology to their healer for his language, rubbing at his temples at the boyfriend induced headache marlene was sure was forming.
taking a dramatic deep breath, regulus turns to marlene, who was trying not show how amused she was a his dramatics.
“what happend? all i was told was that he hit his head?”
marlene let out a sigh, realising regulus’ pissyness was about to get worse.
“some third year hit a bludger at his broom” she tried to shrug nonchalantly.
regulus whipped his head around once more, “wait what?”
he looks between marlene and james for a moment, opening his mouth to speak when madame pomfrey beat him too it.
“mr potter you told me you got distracted and tripped?”
james winces guiltily,
“i’m sorry okay!!” he says eventually, avoiding eye contact as he does so,
though marlene knows that he could definitely feel the unimpressed gazes from around the room, as he continues quickly after
“it was an accident- he didn’t mean it and i didn’t want anyone to get in trouble!!”
regulus sighs deeply one more, but in a moment he’s gently holding james’ hand and everyone knows he’s not really mad.
“mr potter while i’m sure the student is very thankful, i do need you to tell me the truth when you are injured” madam pomfrey scolds softly,
james smiles weakly, “okay i will i promise”
and if marlene is holding back a smile, maybe that’s just for her and the boy she calls her best friend.