S.O.R.R.Y seems to be the hardest word {Jam}

[Zane Lestrange]

Ok, so today hadn't been the best day for Zane Lestrange. No. He was back in the Hospital Wing again. And I say again, because he is a frequent visitor mainly due to Quidditch injuries. This time however, his visit was nothing to do with Quidditch. He had been teaching a small group of third years how to cast exploding jinxes. It had been going well, until one of them went dramatically off target. Luckily it hadn't been a direct hit, no. Just a quick visit to the hospital wing and everything would be sorted. Or so Zane had thought.

Zane's eyes flicked open as the last remains of sleep lifted. He was lying in the hospital wing, on one of the small white beds. His left leg was raised slightly by a cushion. Sitting up slowly, he glanced around the room. One of his third year students was in the bed opposite being treated for a nasty cut to the arm, but apart from that none of the other five third years seemed to have been harmed. Well that's a relief, the last thing I need is to get closed down due to 'dangerous practices'... He studied his leg which looked relatively normal from the outside. A nice 'clean' break as Madam Pomfrey had called it. Of course it wouldn't take long for her to fix it, but the elderly nurse was somewhat preoccupied with a fourth year further down the ward, who was breathing fire every time she sneezed. Zane couldn't help laughing the first time he saw her, but now at least, the girl seemed to be sneezing less and thus not causing anything else to catch fire.

Zane glanced at his watch which was lying on the bedside table, only quarter past four. I've only been here for an hour and anyway it won't be long until Madam Pomfrey comes to fix my leg. But still, it's so boring here. I could be outside playing Quidditch, or coaching smaller New Order members or spending time with Lily... His thoughts broke off as he thought of all the trouble he had caused. He thought of his best friend James, who Zane hadn't actually seen for a couple of days now. He must be avoiding me. Ok I guess I didn't give him enough warning, but he's still way too overprotective. Shifting his attention back to the bedside table, he noticed a small pile of chocolate frogs, each from a different person. Wow, news really does travel fast. Oh that means Charlotte knows...I'll never hear the end of this...

[James Sirius Potter]

He didn't know what made him do it, maybe meeting Lilah, but he found himself walking towards the hospital wing where he had heard that Zane was. He took deep breaths to steady himself as he got to the door. He stopped wanting to run away. He kept being reminded of the fact that he was with her but he knew that he had to man up and apologise.

He took a deep breath and opened the door with one hand and walked inside. He looked round and spotted him and walked towards him. When he got there he smiled and said "Hey what did you do this time?" he smiled and said "I knew that everyone would get you chocolate frogs so I got you somethig different." He leant towards him and showed him the plate of hot buttered crumpets he had brought.

[Zane Lestrange]

Zane looked away from the stack of chocolate frogs as he heard a familiar voice, one which he hadn't heard for a few days now. He looked up to see what the familiar stranger had brought, crumpets of course. "Hey James, hey thanks mate, I'm starving..." He smiled as he accepted the plate of crumpets. He breathed in deeply as the crumpety smell drifted across the room. He paused before tucking into the first crumpet, before offering the plate to James, "Cwumpet?" he managed to say without choking. Making sure to finish the crumpet before starting again, he said, "so where've you been these last few days? I haven't seen you at Quidditch..."

[James Sirius Potter]

James smiled at Zane's enthusiasm and took one of the crumpets and took a bite. He hesitated slightly as he had hoped that this question would not have been asked. He took a deep breath and said "I had to have some alone time, sorry" he felt really awkward saying that.

He watched Zane and took a deep breath "Look I'm sorry I was such a jerk when I saw you and Lily together. I knew that she liked you and I was waiting for it to happen, but I wasn't expecting it and I flipped out. I know I am too protective over Lily and I am trying to stop it." he said hoping that Zane would forgive him.

[Zane Lestrange]

Zane took another crumpet as James spoke, after all he didn't want to interupt him when he was in full flow. "That's ok, we all need some occasionally," Zane thoughts drifted to that night in the owlery with the dementor and Nikita, he shuddered at the thought. "It's alright, I forgive you, after all that's what best friends do, right?" He paused again, thinking back to that night in the common room, it hadn't exactly gone as expected. Well in fact it hadn't been expected at all, it just kind of happened, it well natural.

[James Sirius Potter]

James smiled sighing with relief at his friends acceptance. "I just overreacted and I will work on that. And, for the record I think that you and Lills are a really good couple." He looked away "you're a good guy and I know that you would never harm her, I dunno what came over me. I felt worse when she pulled me up on it a few days later." he said smiling slightly.

[Zane Lestrange]

Zane nodded, listening carefully to James' words. "Seriously, don't worry about it...Erm thanks," Zane said, not sure really how to reply to James' last comment. Zane smiled as James mentioned him being pulled up by his sister, "yeah I heard about that. You and Lilah, eh?" He couldn't stop smiling, yes he would admit that they were kind of similiar, very similiar in fact, more than he would care to admit. It had just seemed all very sudden as if something had sparked it off. At first Zane had thought that maybe Zoey had decided to go out with Noah Dale, so James went with Lilah to make her jealous, but no. It had lasted longer than he thought it would.

[James Sirius Potter]

James smiled and nodded "Yeah." he blushed slightly but feeling happy and proud. He looked away trying to stop himself blushing even more. He looked at Zane and said, trying to change the subject "so what happened to you?" he said indicating his leg.

[Zane Lestrange]

Zane laughed, "that was the most unsubtle change of subject ever, but I'll let it slide... He noticed James motion towards his leg. "Oh that, clean break just below the knee, exploding jinx missed sent by third year, yeah so nothing new really..." He said with another smile, before continuing, "Oh and you'll never guess what one of the third years suggested... muggle crutches..." Zane couldn't help laughing, of course he appreciated muggle medicine but seriously, why prolong the pain when you can have it fixed in under a minute?

[James Sirius Potter]

James smirked at Zane as he said the change of subject. "Nothing new." he laughed and when he heard it he laughed even harder "God you would think they were first years by the way some of them talk like they have never seen magic in their life." he said smiling whiping a tear of laughter out of his eye.

[Zane Lestrange]

"Yeah I know, it's actually crazy, hey James maybe you should try some muggle medicine, it works wonders according to the first years..." Zane said quietly, "hey maybe you should give them some lessons, seeing as though you're the master of magic, as I heard one of your stalkers say..." Zane couldn't help laughing when he thought back to earlier that morning. The girls had been admiring James' prowess on the Quidditch pitch and wondering if he would ask one of them to the Triwizard Ball.

[James Sirius Potter]

James blushed slightly and laughed "What?" he said smirking. He blushed harder at the thing that he said that one of his stalkers said "Who said that?" he asked turning scarlet.

[Zane Lestrange]

"One of your girls James, one of your girls," He smiled again trying not to laugh, which was proving extremely difficult as James turned scarlet. "It seems as though they've all got their eye on you, I'm sure they'll be bitterly disappointed that you won't ask any of them to the Ball. I assume the rumours are true and that you've asked Lilah?" News did travel fast around Hogwarts, but of course you couldn't always believe everything that you heard. If you did, there would be several acromantula living in the castle, the Quidditch players would be serious alcoholics and selling firewhiskey to the first years and the castle would be under attack from muggles with green technologies...

[James Sirius Potter]

James surpassed scarlet somehow. He smiled slightly and said "wow my girls." he laughed hard. He smiled slightly when he heard about the "rumor". Of course everyone would know by now. He forgot how fast news travelled in this place. He nodded "Yeah I asked her before Lily interrupted us. So do you think I should warn her about attacks by my stalkers?" he smirked slightly. He was really worried that now they had become public she would be attacked by the DE "Is she safe?" he muttered wondering whether he had made another mistake like Heather.

[Zane Lestrange]

Zane just nodded. Of course Lilah would be more likely to become a target now that she was officially with James. That was the way in which the DE in particular, worked, focusing in on the ones closest to the New Order, thus gaining complete influence over their loved one. "James, no one is really safe, but if you stick together, I'm sure she'll be fine, just make sure she doesn't go wandering anywhere alone, especially at night..." He said quietly. Of course it was true, the stalkers might also aim for Lilah, but they didn't pose as much of a threat as the DE did.