Sick Day

A Strange Choice of Venue

     James was too tired to focus on what he was writing. At this point, he just needed something to hand in, and, given the time crunch, he wagered he'd be lucky to break a D. He glanced down at his passage

   Veritaserum, a truth-telling potion notoriously difficult to brew, has been subjected to much controversy over the years due to its common use in courtrooms and auror offices. While current policy is somewhat undecided about the morality of its use, the potential benefits reaped oft outweigh the concern of rights, specifically the right to privacy. The use of Veritaserum in an ideal and perfect government poses no danger, for one can only tell the truth under the influence of the serum and if one is truly innocent, can help to verify alibis and give irrefutable testimony. However, in the hands of a corrupt government, the serum may do more harm then good harm then good harm then good harm then good harm then good

    He groaned, looking at the mistake. There was simply no way for him to get this done before the start of potions. And to make matters worse, he could barely keep his eyes open, much less focused. He began to wish he'd made some time to go see Madam Pomfrey that morning. His head was pounding. Gritting his teeth, he decided to finish the paragraph. It wasn't an essay, but it was better than nothing.

     He awoke seemingly just a moment later to Lily, shaking his arm. He blinked groggily and sat up, stars dancing in his vision. Lily smiled lightly and pulled his unfinished essay off his cheek, chuckling softly when she saw the words had come off onto his face. She pulled out her wand and wiped the ink from his face. "Can't do much about your hair, I'm afraid," Lily sighed. C'mon, you slept through Charms and we're halfway through History of Magic. I figured we better wake you up before Transfiguration starts. You gotta see McGonagall a lot more than the rest of us do. It's probably best you stay on her good side."

     James stared up at her, dazed, "Hmm?" His eyes began to drift closed, and he mumbled something she didn't catch sleepily. Lily frowned and snapped her fingers under his nose. He snapped awake. "James. C'mon. I'll help you finish this passage, but we've got to go. I know you want to sleep, but you're Head Boy. Let's just get through the rest of the day. Deal?"

    "Deal," he murmured, eyes still unfocused. She sighed, and sat down next to him, reading through his essay. She scribbled our a few mistakes and glanced up. "Well?! I'm not going to do this for you, Potter. What do you want it to say?"

    "Vertaswrm . . . twol . . . usful . . . tims . . ." He continued to murmur incoherently. Lily studied James' face. He looked like hell. He hadn't looked quite so bad this morning, tired, sure, but now, his eyes were bloodshot and his skin had an almost grey pallor to it. She slipped her hand across his forehead. No fever. She couldn't justify pulling him from class for looking tired. James still appeared to have no idea what was going on, but his eyes widened at her touch. Lily sighed.

     "James," she said softly, "Promise me when we get back to the common room, you'll go to sleep. Please, you're running yourself ragged. Right when we get back from Potions. You need to go to bed."

    James rubbed his eyes, "What about the prefect meeting tonight? I'm supposed to help you with that. I can't go leaving you to do all the work for the position we're both responsible for."

     She grabbed his face in her hands, not quite sure why it made her heart race the way it did. But that wasn't important. What was was making sure James took care of himself. "You need sleep." James open his mouth to protest. "-but if it makes you feel better, call it an IOU. You can fill in for me some time, but please, let's make it through the day and then you are going to bed," she interceded sternly.

    James grinned, "Yes ma'am."

     "It's Evans to you, sir. Now c'mon, let's finish this essay. What were you saying earlier?" She said, picking up his quill.

     "Evans, I got it, you don't have to write for me-" James fell silent at the withering look Lily shot him. If looks could kill . . . "-okay. . . er . . . Veritaserum is a tool, with equal potential of malevolence and benevolence. The determining factor is intent of the witch or wizard that utilizes it, just like many spells used daily by aurors and dark wizards alike." He paused, letting her scribble down what he'd just dictated. "Therefore, the morality behind the use of Veritaserum is dependent on the circumstances of its use, not the qualities of the potion itself." He massaged his head, trying to ease the pounding behind his temples, only just missing the look of concern that flashed across Lily's face.

     "Well, don't you sound clever? You know, it may be a rush job, but the content is really good. I'd be surprised if you got less than an A." A light blush rose to her cheeks as she spoke.

"I'm just happy if I pass at this rate," he replied wearily.

"Let's go to class, eh?" She said, checking her watch. "Binns ought to be done lecturing now. And while I wouldn't put it passed you to skip," Lily raised her eyebrows, "the boys were a little concerned that the library was your sanctuary of choice."

He shrugged, "It's quiet here." He stood quickly, and had to grab onto the table to steady himself as a wave of dizziness caught him by surprise. He blinked quickly, and stood still for a moment, trying to reestablish his bearing. Lily slid her arm around his waist for extra support. 

"Classes, then sleep!" She said firmly.