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Part 1- Discovery * Part 2- Breakfast * Part 3- Chamomile Tea * Part 4- A Potion * Part 5- Chicken Soup * Part 6- The Black Ledger * Part 7- Apples * Part 8- Exercise * Part 9- Hot Shower* Part 10- Sleepy Time Tea * Part 11- Fever Rising * Part 12- Breakfast in Bed * Part 13- Yarrow Tea * Part 14- Honey * Part 15- Garlic * Part 16- Cinnamon
Same ratings apply to this part

Too Many Cooks
Part 17: Crystals

“I’b sorry,” said James. “I dod’t thig… ah-hehh… ahhhChoo! Sniff! Dod’t thig this is workig. Got adythig else?”

“Don’t be sorry,” Remus said, passing James the tissues. “It’s just a nasty little head cold.”

Sirius added, “But we’ll show it who’s boss.”

“That would be you,” Peter claimed, in case James didn’t get it. “How about trying the crystals next?”

James blinked, worried. There he was, lying in bed on a sunny Saturday morning with honey smeared thick on his chest, the fierce taste of garlic in his nose, and the smell of cinnamon in his nose. Compared to that, crystals seemed pretty tame. “Yeah,” he said. “Let’s try the crystals dext.”

He saw Remus and Sirius exchange a look and suddenly got worried. “Oh do. I dod’t hab to have theb ub by dose do I? Or stuck id by ears? Or… Berlid’s Badts… I dod’t have to stick crystals ub by arse, do I?” When no one immediately responded, James summoned his energy and threw off the covers to make his escape.

“Hold on there, Prongs, old boy.” Sirius grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him back again. Remus went for the blankets before James could get a chill, but James was having none of it. He struggled and complained and didn’t stop until Sirius clapped a hand over James’ mouth. “Hear us out first, all right? And nothing will be going up your arse, I promise. Can’t say the same about mine or Remus’, but yours is safe.” Sirius jabbed his elbow into his boyfriend’s side.

Remus was blushing furiously. It was one thing to snog in public and another to talk about the details of their sex life. James couldn’t blame him for feeling strange to be on display. He knew Remus didn’t like to call attention to himself. That was how James felt whenever he imagined showing up for a date with Lily looking and sounding positively dreadful. He could imagine her expression of revulsion so well as she inspected him. “So… crystals?” he asked, relaxing and trusting his best friends.

“We did find a few remedies that involved suppositories but we didn’t add those to the list,” Peter told him.

“Thadg you for that,” James said, sounding stuffy, wary, and miserable.

Remus pressed his hand to James’ warm forehead, then got the thermometer out to take his temperature again as they talked.“The problem is that there are quite a few things we came across that aren’t really very clear about how they’re supposed to work. Peter reckons that there are healing crystals and all you have to do it hold onto them and they’ll make you feel better.”

“They’re powerful,” Peter said, trying to justify it.

Remus helped himself to the pocket watch in Sirius’ pocket and then slid the thermometer into James’ mouth. “That sounds dodgy to me, I’m sorry,” said Remus, shrugging.

“Fine,” snapped Peter. “Then what else could it mean?”

Sirius jumped in with a possibility. “Well, there are crystals you can add to water that dissolve for a foot bath that’s supposed to help cure a cold.”

Peter shook his head. “Why wouldn’t the sources say ‘foot bath’ specifically then? It’s not always mentioned like that.”

“Why would just holding onto a crystal do anything?” Sirius replied, just a bit more annoyed than he should have sounded.

“Why would sticking your feet in something help your nose?” said Peter, loudly and defensively.

“I don’t understand how you’ve never heard of this,” said Sirius. “What are you—ignorant? Tons of people soak their feet when they’re not feeling well. It’s listed in all the books, with pictures and—”

Spitefully, “Crystals are magical, Sirius. You must have slept through that class. Or maybe you were just too busy gawking at our classmates.”

Remus had had enough, and not just because Peter’s last comment had hurt him a bit; Sirius had always had his pick of the school and Remus feared reminding him of that fact because Remus was the least attractive option available to him. But, more importantly, the arguing looked like it was making James uncomfortable. James couldn’t say anything, as the thermometer was still in his mouth, but he didn’t look particularly pleased to be between the two of them. “Hush,” Remus said. He put his hand on Sirius’ shoulder to quit him and leaned forward to slide the thermometer out of James’ mouth. “Still a little bit of fever, Prongs,” Remus said. He made a note in the ledger. “You take it easy while I deal with these two, all right?”

Sometimes, Remus thought it might be easier just to take care of James by himself. Though Sirius and Peter didn’t usually fight, they had picked an inopportune moment to do so. They seemed to have forgotten the whole reason they were there.

When James nodded, Remus yanked both boys back to the other side of the dormitory room. Remus spoke softly, so James, who was blowing his nose anyway, definitely would not hear. “What are you trying to do, make him worse? We’ll try both methods, you prats. Now go get the crystals or whatever. And be quick about it.” He shoved them both to get them going, no time for objecting, then he went back to James with a sigh. “I’m sorry about those two. We’re all just worried about you, you know?” He placed his hand on James’ forehead and kept it there for a little while longer since James seemed to like the feeling.

James coughed and smiled at Remus. “He loves you, you dow.”

Remus went red hot in the cheeks once again and looked away, highly embarrassed. “James… I…”

“He would’t tell you, but he does. He’s told be.”

Immediately, Remus’ head snapped back over, eyes wide. “Really?”

James nodded. Then he sneezed. Suddenly, uncovered, unrestrainedly, wetly. “ehhhptahChoo! Uhghhh… uh…” James lifted a few tissues to his face and wiped up with them.

Remus waited until James was done, took the tissues from him, and threw them away. Then he took hold of James’ hand and squeezed it reassuringly. “I promise you, James, that I’ll make sure you get your shot with Lily Evans. Whatever it takes.”

James gave a little cough but squeezed Remus’ hand back.

Soon enough, the other Marauders returned with supplies and soon James was sitting on the edge of his bed, clutching a somewhat cloudy-looking crystal in one hand and immersing his feet in a basin of menthol-scented warm water.

He had a tissue box on his lap and a small trash bag beside him for him to drop tissues into. He rubbed his runny nose repeatedly as he leaned over, the steam rising up to meet his face. Then he shivered a little.

So Remus draped a blanket around James’ shoulders and wrapped it around the front, trapping one of his arms beneath and leaving the other free. He rubbed his hand up and down his friend’s back.

James fingered the crystal in his hand and wiggled his toes in the water. “I feel better,” he whispered.

“Yeah?” Sirius asked, looking pleased. Before he could ask if it was the foot soak that had done it, James pitched forward with another volley of sneezes.

“Ah-ahChoo! Ahchoo-choo! AhhhhChoo! Sniffsniff…” He wiped his nose and left the tissues there. “ahChoo! AhChoo! Ah…ahhhh… ahhChoo! Kahchoo! Sniff!”

“Only you don’t really sound better, mate,” Sirius pointed out.

Though his shoulders were under the blanket, James shrugged so that they’d notice and he smiled. He looked at his friends. “You’ll get be there,” he said. “You’ll helb be get well.” For the first time, he said it as if he truly believed it. “Try adythig you wadt. I trust you all.”



Next up- Part 18: Lemon Tea