James is allowed to go back to the dorm after two days, but not without some conditions.
"You are to stay in bed until I say so, do you understand?" Pomfrey fixes him with a sharp look.
"Perfectly."
"James," there's warning in her tone.
"Listen, I am famously very good at doing what I'm told."
Her eyes narrow. "I'm friends with the portraits—"
"Don't worry Poppy, this is a judgement free zone, though you may want to try getting out a bit more."
"—if you move," she presses on, though James can see her fighting a smile. "I will know. So if you ever want to get on a broomstick again I suggest you listen to me."
Which James thinks is entirely unfair and certainly an abuse of power but since neither McGonagall nor Dumbledore agree with him, he finds himself confined to his bedroom. Which is made infinitely worse when Remus starts bringing him his coursework.
"But I'm injured!" he whines. "I'm supposed to be resting. Isn't that what you all keep saying? How am I supposed to rest AND write an essay on the seven uses of unicorn hair? Those two activities are completely incompatible. What, is Slughorn trying to kill me?
"James," Remus sighs, collapsing onto his bed. "I will literally pay you to shut-up."
"I'm just saying—"
"James."
He huffs, glaring at Remus and then glaring at his coursework. "I can't believe Pomfrey won't let me leave this fucking room but she's still going to make me—"
His rant is cut short by the pillow that collides with his face. Which, if Remus thinks is going to shut him up, he has another thing coming, because now James has a whole new rant about respecting the delicacy of his newly mended head.
Except, when he looks over Remus has curled onto his side, burying his face in his blankets.
"Uh—Moony? You okay over there?"
There's a long pause before Remus speaks, words muffled by the bedding. "Just having a bad day."
James's eyes automatically go to the window even though he knows the full moon is still two weeks off.
"You wanna talk about?" James asks.
Remus makes a noise that might be some kind of sad pathetic laugh but it's hard to tell from his current position. "No. I just want to wallow if that's okay."
"Sure Moons," James nods even though he knows Remus can't see him. "Whatever you want."
Remus doesn't emerge until it's time for him to go down to the great hall for supper. James, of course, doesn't get to go to the great hall for his meals but instead has to have them brought to him via house elf.
"Remus?" he calls to his friend as he's halfway out the door.
"Mmm?"
James fidgets with the words in his mouth. "If you want to talk, at some point, any point, I'm here."
Remus, James realizes for the first time, looks exhausted. "Sure Prongs, thanks." He gives James a weak smile before disappearing down the stairs.
That's the first time that James notices something is wrong.
The second time is when Sirius is doing his homework.
It's not that Sirius doesn't do his work. He does. Just usually he does it in a rush moments before it's due. James once watched him pen out a four page paper on the mating habits of the Hodag in the fifteen minutes it took them to walk to class. He's good enough that he passes, even with his illegible handwriting. Sirius's greatest strength has always been his ability to improvise.
