minnow // sirius black

four

4: O

I was in the Hospital Wing for two days, bedridden. Within the six hours that was the train ride, my immune system had been so aggressively attacking James' blood that my WBC borrowed holes into the lining of my lungs.

Within a day, the entire summer of healing was undone, and James and I were extremely upset.

I insisted that Madam Pomfrey not tell my parents about this, as they'd force me to be admitted to St. Mungo's, so she sent them an Owl, telling them that I had gotten a bit worse, but was alright after a fresh transfusion, using Sirius' blood.

During breakfast on the third day back at Hogwarts, my first day out of the Wing, Dumbledore made an announcement.

"I apologize for having to interrupt your breakfast, but I have an important request. One of your fellow classmates, a fifth-year Gryffindor named Jemina Potter, has an auto-immune disease - which is not contagious - that causes her immune system to instruct white blood cells to attack themselves, thinking that they are invaders. The current treatment plan for this is blood transfusions, as her immune system only attacks her own blood. She has type A blood, so she can receive type A, and type O. Due to a lack of blood in our own storage, we will be holding a blood drive every semester - not only for Miss Potter, but because accidents happen often, and we don't have enough blood to help if someone needed it. We would especially like anyone with a blood type of O to donate - as it is the universal donor.

"It is absolutely not required, but it would extremely helpful. There will be a sign-up sheet on the boards in your Common Rooms, anyone who is on there by the end of the week will have a permission slip sent to their parents. Thank you, very much, and you may return to your breakfast."

I snorted, shaking my head. "He could've done that without announcing to the entire school that I was sick."

Lily snorted from beside me and nodded in agreement, "Prepare to get asked ten hundred questions a day, Jem."

I rolled my eyes as I sighed. After glancing down the table, I continued to eat.

The boys were sitting a few people down from us, Lily had wanted to sit with her friends from 6th Year, and wanted me to sit next to her.

"What's going on with you and Sirius? He hasn't left your side until this morning." She asked, turning her body towards me and whispering.

"Nothing is going on, he's worried about my health and doesn't care about classes this early in the year. I wish he didn't have that mindset, but, you know," I shrugged as I glanced down the table once more. As soon as I turned back, I choked, instinctively coughing. Immediately, Lily put a hand on my arm, while James and Sirius looked up the table at us. "It was just a piece of a roll, calm down."

"I don't believe you," I furrowed my brows. "About Sirius. I see the way he looks at you - he fancies you."

"No, he doesn't. He cares about me, but it doesn't go that deeply," I lied. "He's the Lily to my James, except I am not a git."

The few times that Sirius and I were alone were spent talking to one another about us. What we wanted in the future, what we needed, and how we wanted to handle a relationship.

We both agreed that while we want to be in one, it's truly best if it's secret for now. In addition to a certainty of being teased, neither of us wanted anyone to believe that Sirius was taking advantage of my weak state. We both knew that with our young age, no one would truly think that, but I wanted to be certain nobody could even fathom it.

We were going to take it slowly, even if Sirius was seen as a player. Right now, all I needed, and all I wanted, was someone I could truly tell everything to. And I knew Sirius was the only one who could be that right now. James was too reactive with me, too protective and worried to be objective. James was too much of a big brother to listen to me rant about how frustrating all of the extra measures my parents made my promise to take. He was on their side when it came to my health, and I understood. I needed more than just Lily, and since James couldn't be that, it was between Remus - who had too much on his plate already - and Sirius.