James worked an eyebrow in Remus' direction. "Maybe I will. I'd love to see what Poppy wrote about young Mr Black here." He gave Sirius another nudge with his foot. They had spent a fair amount of time in the hospital wing, after all, between all the jinxes, Quidditch injuries and, of course, full moons. Everything had been much easier back then.
But then Sirius spoke again and anything close to a smile fell away from James' face. He released a long breath, and it hissed tensely out his nose.
"I suppose," he said. "But we don't even know how we got here. I was just getting up to settle Harry and..." he waved a hand, miming something appearing out of thin air and ignoring the painful twist in the centre of his chest. "Harry - other Harry said something about the school doing it? And even if we do get back.. "
He sighed again. James never would have thought himself as the sighing type, but here they were. He felt his muscles sag, slumping back against the pillow and Remus' bony shoulder. There was something playing on his mind, ever since early this morning when the sunlight was only just starting to show under the curtain.
"How did we not notice? With Pete, I mean? Something must have happened to make him..."