swim || remus lupin

champagne problems

It was clear that Lily and James were in no state to return home.

With news that the most powerful dark wizard was targeting their ten month old son, Lily's inability to stop crying, and the amount of alcohol coursing through James's bloodstream, the last thing that Remus and I were about to let them do was Apparate back to their empty house with too much room for nightmares and fears and darkness.

So we set them up in our guest room and moved Harry's crib into our room for the night, giving them space to sleep and to try their absolute hardest to forget their meeting.

The following morning, though, it was also clear that their state had not changed.

Harry woke Remus and I up bright and early, but I quickly fed him some mush from a jar and put him back into his crib, where he drifted instantly back to sleep.

There was no shot that we were falling back asleep, though.

"He's just a baby," I said softly, peering into the crib and over Harry's soft face and untidy hair.

"I know," Remus replied, rubbing circles over my back.

"He hasn't even done anything," I said, watching Harry's little chest rise and fall evenly.

"I know," Remus replied again.

I fell back onto our bed and faced Remus, who had dark circles under his eyes from lying awake for the better part of the night.

"Do you think James and Lily got any sleep?" I asked.

"No shot," Remus answered.

I sighed and looked back over to Harry's crib for a moment before sliding out of bed and walking towards the door. Remus got up, too, and followed me downstairs.

Remus immediately began making food and I slid into a seat at the kitchen island, pulling out a roll of parchment and a quill.

Dear Sirius,

Breakfast at ours ASAP.

x Syd

I slipped the letter into a small envelope and wrote four more, addressed to Alice and Frank, Peter, Dorcas, and Marlene.

I tied the letters to the leg of Remus and my owl and watched as he flew out the window and off towards its differing destinations.

"Writing letters?" James asked lightly as he plopped down into the stool beside me.

He still seemed so dark. His eyes were hollow and bloodshot behind his tilted glasses, he had his shirt sleeves pushed up over his elbows to reveal pale and leathery skin, and his hair fell neatly over his forehead, which I can't say I've ever seen before.

"I asked the others to come for breakfast," I said quietly. James's face stiffened and he nodded.

"Here," said Remus, pushing a plate of toast in front of James. "Eat it."