Losing Game/// James Potter

Chapter 60

Elsie's eyelids fluttered open the next day at precisely 12:03 pm, her head pounding and her body feeling weak. She slowly lifted her head and tried to sit up, but she was physically too strained to do so. As she slumped back down into the pillow, the echos of distant voices and a pungent potion smell reminded her that she wasn't in her own bed...she was in the hospital wing. And, that's when she remembered everything that happened yesterday.

Mulciber, the spell, blood, James.

She pushed the bloody thoughts to the back of her mind as flashes of the words James had said to her danced in her head. For the very first time, James had soberly admitted that he loved Elsie. And even though she had a lot more to think about, the only thoughts inhabiting her brain right now were the ones where James was holding her tightly and crying out sweet everythings into her ear. "It'll be me and you forever, Els..."

Butterflies erupted in her stomach as a wide grin grew on her face while thinking about James' words. She knew she had to worry about Mulciber and what to do about what he did, but she would do that later. Elsie wouldn't let someone like him take away her happiness, even if it was temporary. Even if it took a near-death experience for her to find it, she was not letting this slim bit of happiness go. Not when it's all she had left.

So, she once again tried sitting up, a groan escaping her mouth at the amount of energy it took for her frail body to do so. She needed to find James. Ignoring the soreness begging her to lay back down, Elsie slowly forced herself to sit up. Painfully, she swung her legs around the side of the bed in order to get out of it, coming face-to-face with a slightly chuckling boy.

"You sure know how to give a group of boys a huge fright," Remus shook his head and let out a small laugh as he placed his hands on Elsie's legs, "Madam Pomfrey left you a potion to take for your soreness."

"Remmy," she gave him a genuine smile because she was happy to have someone by her side when she woke up, placing her hands on top of his, "You're here."

"Of course I am, you're always here when I wake up," he smiled back at her, handing her the potion and a chocolate frog.

"And I always will be," she promised gratefully.

She swigged the potion and forced it down her throat in one sip, before feeling a tingling sensation throughout her body replace the soreness in her legs. Then, she took a bite out of the chocolate frog with glowing eyes.

"It really does make everything better. Thanks, Remmy," she moaned out while letting the chocolate melt in her mouth, causing a laugh to escape Remus' lips, "Anyways, where's...erm...,"

"James?" The scar-faced boy finished her sentence with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

A blush rose to Elsie's face as she playfully rolled her eyes and slapped his shoulder, "I was going to ask where everyone was...not just James."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure," Remus sarcastically answered before continuing on, shooting her an apologetic smile, "Well, the Quidditch match started an hour ago. McGonagall had to drag James and Sirius out of here, quite literally because they refused to leave you. Sirius is commenting and James is playing, so they kind of had to go. I was supposed to meet Peter in the stands, but I couldn't leave you."

Elsie groaned out while slightly slumping her shoulders in disappointment, "I forgot about the game, I can't believe I'm missing it."

"I'm sure they'll understand why you couldn't be there," Remus tried to make her feel better, giving her hand a tight squeeze.

"I know, I-I just wish...," she trailed off from her sentence as her eyes landed on a heap of clothes next to Remus' chair. She curiously stared up at him while pointing at the pile, "What's that for?"