{irreplaceable}

16

Shaking my hair out of my eyes, I plop down into the familiar plastic chair next to Sirius. "We won today." I say softly, grabbing his hand and squeezing it lightly. Madame Pomfrey comes bustling over, smiling kindly at me. "Congratulations on your win, sweetheart!" I thank her, tying my sweaty hair back with a hair tie. I'm still in his uniform from the game hours prior. 

"So, I expect he'll be waking up pretty soon. All of the cuts are healing nicely, and his heart rate is  going back to normal. Not as pale, as you can see." I look down at Sirius. His black hair is spilling over his shoulders, a peaceful look on his face. He's been out for a couple days now, I've lost track. 

Okay, I'm lying. 

It's been 3 days, 20 hours and 12 minutes. What can I say, I'm pretty worried about him.

I help Madame Pomfrey replace his bandages, wincing when my cool fingertips touch his warm skin. "He doesn't have a fever anymore, right?" I ask anxiously, placing the back of my hand on his forehead. She shakes his head. "It's gone down, but lingering a bit. I'm sure it will be gone in a few days." She says reassuringly. We finish the bandages, folding the blankets back down over his legs gently. "Don't worry, honey. He will wake up." 

"I certainly hope so." I say tiredly, sinking back into the chair. The door creaks open and I see James's mop of messy hair peering around the corner. "Can I come in?" He asks, whispering loudly. I sigh. "Yes, James. You can come in." He bounds around the corner, a silly grin on his face. It fades when he sees Sirius. "Still not awake, huh?" I sigh again. "No. He should be waking up soon though." James nods, dragging a chair over to Sirius's other side. "He's such an ass." I exhale loudly, the breath whistling through my teeth. "Yup. He sure is." Madame Pomfrey sticks her head out from her office. 

"MISTER POTTER! I know for a fact you are supposed to be in Double Potions today!" She exclaims shrilly. James slaps a silly smile on his face. "Poppy! You've memorized my schedule, I'm so flattered!" She glares at him some more and he grabs his bag with a sigh. "You'll let me know if anything changes?" I nod. "As always." I watch him disappear around the corner and close my eyes for a minute, listening to the familiar rattle of the ceiling fan. I squeeze his hand, brushing a piece of hair out of his face. "Good morning baby." I open my eyes and whip my head around so fast there's a crick in it. Sirius attempts a smile, squeezing my hand. 

"Your ray of sarcastic sunshine has arrived." I exhale in a short breath, hugging him tightly. "You're such an ass." I tell him, holding onto him. He wraps his arms around me and I press myself closer to him, craving his touch. "I know, baby. But I'm awake now." When I lean back, his shoulder is wet with my tears. He grabs my hands gently and pulls me back towards him and I press my lips to his. It's full of desperation and love, and I almost fall over at his touch. I don't know how people do long distance relationships. 3 days, and I'm like a freaking dying man. We pull apart and I sigh in contempt, looking at him. He grins. "Sorry I kept you waiting." I laugh in disbelief, climbing off the bed. "You better be sorry for the next century." Madame Pomfrey peeks around the corner and perks up visibly. 

"Oh Sirius, you're awake!" She exclaims. "You gave us quite the fright." He grins cheekily. "Aw Poppy, were you worried about me?" She hits his arm lightly. "Stop with the cheek, young man." But there's no malice behind her words. We check his bandages like we always did, settling into the framed routine. Ignoring his constant questioning and badgering, she tells him that as long as no cuts reopen, he can go down at dinner. She looks at me pointedly. "I'm assuming now that Mister Black is awake, you can actually go back to class?" 

Sirius squeezes my hand tightly. Just by that motion I can tell he doesn't want me to go. I look at her innocently. "Well, I've already missed part of the day so it really would be silly for me to go back now, wouldn't it?" She sighs. "You're going back tomorrow. Understand?" I nod quickly. She walks back into her office, mumbling something about manipulative kids. I settle back into the familiar plastic chair, tightening my grip on his hand. "So you feel okay? Nothing's hurting right?" I ask anxiously. He shakes his head, bushing a piece of my hair behind my ears. "I'm fine, baby girl. Stop your worrying." He looks at me, obviously concerned. "Have you seriously been hanging out her for the past 3 days?" I blush. "Lily's been bringing me work. I kinda was Madame Pomfrey's assistant. I replaced bandages, fetched potions. I refused to leave in case you needed anything." He brings my hand up to his mouth and kisses it. "I love you, you know that?" "I love you too." I said, resting my elbows on his bed. His eyes widen and he starts to moves over quickly and winces. I stand up, stopping him from moving. "What are you doing?" I exclaim in a whisper, untangling the sheets and his bandages.