Last chapter question was answered by... AnnieDiAngelo1237. No surprise there!
***
James sighed as the students complained about Snape's homework.
"-nape. You don’t have to do the essay," Professor Lupin smiled. Everyone cheered except Hermione who frowned and complained about how she had already finished her work.
They had an enjoyable lesson but James mostly ignored Lupin because he was one of those who had, in a way, betrayed him.
When the bell rang, everyone gathered up their things and headed for the door, James among them, but -
"Wait a moment, Harry," Lupin called. "I'd like a word."
James stopped immediately.. What did Moony want with his son? So he did the most logical thing in this situation. James decided to eavesdrop.
Running out of the class, he wore his invisibility cloak and swept back in.
"-thing to do with weakness," Lupin was saying. "The dementors affect you worse than the others because there are horrors in your past that the others don’t have."
James stiffened. After the incident in the empty classroom with Sirius, he had done a whole lot of research on Harry. James had found out how Harry had faced Voldemort in his first year and how the Chamber Of Secrets had reopened, his son being the one who closed it.
"Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them. Even Muggles feel their presence, though they can’t see them."
"Get too near a dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you. If it can, the dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself... soul-less and evil. You’ll be left with nothing but the worst experiences of your life. And the worst that happened to you, Harry, is enough to make anyone fall off their broom. You have nothing to feel ashamed of."
Sirius was in Azkaban for twelve long years...
James felt a pang of hurt for him. But immediately shook it off when -
"When they get near me-" Harry stared at Lupin’s desk, his throat tight. “I can hear Voldemort murdering my mum."
James inhaled, and closed his eyes.
Lily Evans. Gods knew how much he loved her... The thought of her screaming and begging for Voldemort to stop-
James zoned out from the conversation.
But when Harry requested for classes to learn how to conjure a patronus, James decided to let Remus have a chance to make up.
He was his friend after all.
***
Harry left soon after.
Just when James was about to follow, Moony surprised him.
"I know you are in here, James," He silently said, his voice hoarse. "Spending time with you under that invisibility cloak taught me a few things." Then, in a different, softer and sadder voice, he asked, "Please come out, Prongs."
James, stubborn at first, decided to just leave.
Then, James thought about how he was dead in this timeline. He thought that maybe, maybe Remus missed his friend. The one he hadn't seen for twelve long years.
"There we go," James removed his cloak and carefully put it in his pocket.
"Hey, he- Uh... Wow," Remus gaped awkwardly. "I- Well, I just don't know what to say right now... Er... Hey!"
Lupin had no one. His only friends back in Hogwarts were James, Sirius and Peter. Two dead. One, an ax-murderer.
He was alone. Right now, seeing James...
"Can I hug you?" Remus asked quickly.
This was not what James had expected. Now-a-days, nothing was predictable. He just went with the flow.
James nodded, immediately regretted it.
Feeling himself crushed in a bone hug, James groaned. "Merlin's beard, Moony!"
James felt his shoulders get wet. Remus was crying, sobbing.
"It's okay, buddy," James comforted the now-crying-professor. "I'm here now... I will always be here. Right here."
***
Who is Remus's Wife? And Son?