Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)

Chapter 2

James was a little drunk the next time he arrived at St Mungo's.

It was some time after midnight. He stumbled around underneath the invisibility cloak. His feet were a little too fast for his brain to keep track of, and they kept moving in different directions than where James had originally intended to go. Damn... Sirius... must have cast a Jelly Legs Jinx on me, he thought as he more or less collapsed against the locked door that separated this wing from the rest of the hospital. All it took was a simple Alohomora to unlock it, and James wondered at that, that it should be so easy, but then he found himself standing in the middle of the Janus Thickey Ward.

The lights were off, and it was quiet. The patients were asleep. They were lined up one after the other in a long hallway with no privacy save for a thin curtain around their beds. The walls were taped over with photographs and Get Well Soon! cards. What a laugh. The only way they would ever leave this place was in a coffin. They were lifers.

James slunk past the nurse's station, heading up one floor above. This place was a little nicer. There were private rooms for the patients, in addition to a dining hall, a gym, and even an art room. Snape's living the high life, James thought with a snort as he passed by each room, a placard with the patient's name taped to every door.

He came to a stop when he spotted S. Snape.

James knocked and waited. Then he knocked again, a little louder this time. "Snape. It's me. James Potter." No answer.

"Look, you're probably wondering why I'm here," he said. He hoped he wasn't mumbling. Was he mumbling? "I wanted to keep it a secret. Anonymous, you know? But I have to talk to you. I'm the one paying your bill. Did you know that? Did the nurse tell you? It's true. See? I'm not a bad person."

No answer. James let his forehead rest against the cool wood. It soothed the headache that had suddenly bloomed between his eyes. "You're probably wondering why I'm bothering. Truth is, I don't really know either. I just... It was weird, having you disappear like that all of a sudden. You're not supposed to do that. You always gave as good as you got. Come on, what's the matter? You can't handle a couple of pranks anymore?"

Silence. "You've missed your exams. The great Severus Snape – the child prodigy – has flunked all his classes," James taunted when his earlier words proved ineffective. "You'll have to repeat sixth year when you go back in the fall. You'll be back, of course. You're probably only here because you're sick of whatever gutter you live in during the summer. I read Oliver Twist once. Is that how some Muggles really live? Did your house even have running water? You always came back to school looking greasier than usual. Well, my money's paying for everything here. This is your chance to live it up. Have fun. Go wild. Buy some new clothes. Order lobster thermidor for dinner. Have you ever had lobster thermidor? No, I don't suppose you have.

"I've always admired your backbone," James continued, huffing out a little laugh. "I know you probably don't believe me, but it's true. You came up with some good pranks too. Do you remember when you charmed Sirius's bag to hold a literal lake? He nearly drowned trying to find his homework, and when he turned his bag inside out and the entire Transfiguration classroom flooded– that was really advanced magic. It was inspired. Sirius is still pissed about it. Snape? Can you hear me?"

James pressed his ear against the door. Not a sound came from it. He tried the knob only to find it was locked and this time Alohomora did nothing to rectify it. "Snape!" He banged on the door with his fist. "I know you're in there! I'm paying for this, the least you can do is talk to me face to face!" Still no answer. "Maybe I'll change my mind! Is that what you want? Do you want to be downstairs, squeezed in-between forty other patients all crammed together!? You should be kissing my boots!" He pounded on the door for another minute, before giving up.