𝕝𝕖𝕘𝕒𝕔𝕪 ⟡ ᴊᴀᴍᴇs ᴘᴏᴛᴛᴇʀ¹

seventy nine: who's baby

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

JAMES SIGHED AS he turned to leave his parent's room. Fleamont and Euphemia have been sick for a couple of weeks now, neither showing much signs of getting better. It worried him far more than he let on. What if one of them didn't make it? Or worse, both? How was he meant to carry on without them? He didn't want to think about that now. It's been a few days since Lyra and him arrived. She spent a lot of time with his parents, reading them stories and telling them about their past relationship that neither him or her had the heart to admit to them was over. James just knew his parents would fuss over it and neither were really in the condition to do so.

He was thankful for her presence, though. It kept him from succumbing to any sort of depression he knew he would've fallen into. And he found it absolutely adorable that she wanted to spend so much time with them. It's one of the reasons why he fell in love with her. The care and empathy that she showed towards other people. It was beautiful.

There was only a couple more days until New Year's Eve, and he figured they should probably head back to Hogwarts before then. It would be nice to see his mates, especially because they probably think he's dead or something. He would have written a letter but his owl was still at school.

Lyra was currently showering in the bathroom connected to his room. What could've been considered 'their' room. Merlin, it really hurt to think about the fact that they weren't together anymore. That they were never going to be together ever again.

He shook his head slightly, trying to get his mind off of it. He headed downstairs into the kitchen, wanting to prepare lunch for everyone. Lyra's done a lot of the cooking since her arrival because she claimed to 'like doing it'. It was only fair that he made them lunch this time, however.

What he didn't expect though, was to see Mason and Regulus standing by the dining table, leaning against the counters.

"Seven hells! Couldn't you have knocked!?" James whisper shouted, having to catch his breath. "We did knock" Mason shrugged. "After like a minute we figured we should just go in" The Potter pursed his lips, giving them a short nod. How else was he meant to respond to that? "Welcome into my home then" he said, gesturing his arms out to the side.

The two Slytherins watched as he began grabbing a few pans out from beneath the oven. "Where's Lyra?" the Burke asked, raising an eyebrow. James looked over at him, returning the gesture. "Shower. Upstairs, third door on your left. Bathroom's connected to the bedroom" he quickly explained, already knowing he most likely wanted to speak with her.

Mason released a hum of approval as he headed towards the staircase. That left just James and Regulus in the kitchen together. Nothing could have been more awkward. The only thing filling the silence between them was the sound of eggs being cracked, and the gas of the stove.

Regulus wasn't sure how to approach the situation. What was he meant to say to him? The way he felt was hard to put into words. He's tried before. All he knows is simply what it feels like. The full aching pain that appears in his heart every time he sees James' face. Every time he hears his name.

But he needed to do this. For Lyra, but mainly for the sake of himself. He needed his own closure. In order to be at peace with what he feels he needs to confront it. Keeping it in only proved to make things worse.

"You know, your staring is really loud" James commented, plating the eggs and setting them aside. He glanced back towards the boy after receiving no response. He sighed realizing the Black probably didn't want to speak with him so that they could avoid another situation like the last.

Regulus observed the chaser carefully. He didn't know how to start this conversation. His brain was telling him not to do it. Not to admit it out loud and least of all to James. But his heart was telling him otherwise. It couldn't take so much hurt on its own. He needed a release.