SMILE LIKE YOU MEAN IT | james potter

xvii. the pipe dream

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POLARIS WAKES TO A HAMMERING ON HER DOOR, she sleepily rolls over, reaching automatically for her wand.

   "It's open!" she calls, before she even thinks. James has woken up too, and in a panic he rolls off the bed and underneath it. Sirius bursts in, his eyes wide with panic.

   "There's been an accident," he says. "Arthur's been found on watch covered in snake bites, and Harry saw it in a dream. They're coming here as soon as it's safe but I can't find James."

   Polaris stumbles out of bed, blinking away her sleep. "Okay," she says. "Relax, he'll be in the loo. Go downstairs and I'll look for him. Be with Remus, before you lose your shit."

   Sirius can only nod, hurrying off. James barely waits for him to be out of the door before he rolls out from under the bed, covered in dust. He waves his wand and he's clean, and he pulls his tshirt over his head. Polaris hasn't even noticed that she's also in a tshirt of his, and they both hurry downstairs.

   "Dumbledore sent a patronus," Remus explains, handing James a mug of tea. "They'll get a portkey here as soon as he can."

   "Harry saw the attack?" James asks. Sirius raises a questioning eyebrow, to which James responds hastily "Polaris told me."

   "Yes, he saw Arthur's attack. The old painting of that prick headmaster Phineas woke me up and told me. I completely forgot about him, suspect Dumbledores been keeping tabs on all of us."

   Polaris is very thankful that there are no paintings in Sirius' old room.

   James sinks slowly into an armchair, his face pale. His glasses are askew on his nose, but he takes them off altogether and puts his head in his hands.

   "Will Arthur be alright?" he asks quietly.

   "We don't know much," Remus says, his hand on Sirius' shoulder, clenching so tightly his knuckles are white.

   "And Harry?"

   "We don't know," Remus says. "It's lucky he saw it, but we don't know how or why he did."

   "I'm going to Dumbledore right now," James says, rising angrily. "I'll collect Harry myself."

   "Umbridge has all of the floo network under surveillance," Sirius says hoarsely.

   "So? I'm not wanted or anything," James says.

   "Doesn't matter, Dumbledore doesn't want to raise suspicion," Remus says. "They'll be here soon."

   "Sit down Prongs," Sirius says. "You can't do anything until they get here."

   "To hell with that, I'll do what I please," James says angrily. "I have every right to go and collect my son after something like this."

   "No one's saying you don't," Remus says. "We just need to keep things on the down low, we don't need the Order gaining any attention."

   "The Order? Is that what you're worried about right now?"

   "Prongs," Remus sighs. "It'll do nobody any good if you go in all guns blazing alright. Just sit down."

   "James," Polaris says softly. "Sit down, we'll sort it out."

   James looks at her carefully for a second, before he sinks back down into the chair. Remus and Sirius both goggle at her as she sits down on the arm of his chair, taking his hand.