Sirius's Sick Pup
12 Grimmauld Place, once the childhood home of Sirius Black was now home to Harry Potter, Sirius's sixteen-year-old godson, Sirius, and Remus Lupin. Harry was currently home from Hogwarts for Christmas and Sirius was enjoying the holiday, especially the bonding time he got with his godson.
It was late at night on Christmas Day and they had spent the afternoon and evening at the home of the Weasleys, known commonly as the Burrow.
In the basement kitchen, Sirius and Remus sat with a cup of tea in front of them, deciding to take a moment to decompress before heading up to bed. Harry already headed up to bed and was asleep for a few hours. It was now a few minutes after midnight, Boxing Day.
"Molly out did her once again, didn't she Sirius?" Remus asked, before taking a sip of his tea.
"She did," Sirius agreed. "I feel stuffed myself. I know two boys who will be nursing a stomach ache tomorrow and one of them is upstairs."
"Did he get sick when you got home?" Remus asked. He had left before Sirius and Harry having taken Tonks home after the present exchange and a late night cup of tea before everyone started to leave. He knew how much Harry and Ron had eaten as well as every man who present at the Weasleys. No one said no to Molly's cooking.
Sirius chuckled. "I thought I was passed the stage of getting puked on. He threw up on me when we came home through the floo."
"At least he's eating better. Molly is always getting after him for being too thin," Remus reminded Sirius. "I can't really say anything because we both pigged out, although none more than Ron, Harry, Fred, and George."
There was a slight pause in conversation until Remus asked Sirius, "Did you see him and Ginny tonight?"
They both smiled at the memory of the young couple exchanging presents and kissing under the mistletoe.
"I did. I even got a picture of them under the mistletoe."
Remus chuckled at the memory. "I don't know about you, but when I see Harry with Ginny, I feel like I'm watching James and Lily all over again." Sirius hummed in agreement. "What is it with Potter men and redheads?" He asked.
"I never got to ask James about that, but I do know from James and his father that it's a Potter Family Curse that goes back generations before James's grandparents," Sirius said, sipping his tea.
Silence ascended on the kitchen with the sound of the fire in the fireplace crackling and the owls hooting in the owlery above them. Otherwise, it was quiet. That is until Remus broke the silence once again.
"Did you see the earrings he gave her?" He asked Sirius.
"I did. Did they look familiar to you?" Sirius asked.
Remus realized where he had seen the earrings before. On another redhead woman.
"They were Lily's!" he exclaimed, softly.
"They were," Sirius confirmed. "We went to Gringotts before Christmas. I decided to show Harry his family vault because it will be his when he turns seventeen in July." He paused to take a drink of the rest of his tea. "He found a note with them telling him they were the ones that James had given Lily for their first Christmas as a couple. Lily included a note for Harry that he should give them to a girl he loved. He basically was following his parent's instructions."
Sirius smiled, remembering Lily's face when she opened the box with earrings when James had given them to her that first Christmas. After they had gotten the earrings from the vault, Harry had taken them to a jewelry repair shop in Muggle London to clean them up and to repair one of the hooks.
Ginny's reaction was similar to that of Lily's. Remus smiled as he remembered Ginny's reaction to the earrings and especially the story behind it. They were silver teardrop earrings with an emerald in the middle. Ginny loved the earrings because of how special they were, and because of the emerald in the middle. The emerald reminded her of Harry and his emerald green eyes.
"Do you think they'll get married one day?" Remus asked.
"I say they will. He found Lily's engagement ring when he went looking through the vault. I imagine he was picturing it on Ginny's finger."
"What else did you find in the vault?" Remus inquired, wondering what else he and Harry found.
"Harry found their old love letters. He brought them home to read over. To my surprise, they were all there, from the moment they started dating to even after they got married. I found letters they wrote for us, and Harry in the event of their deaths. Lily had written one for when Harry turned seventeen, which I kept and I'll give it to him on his birthday."
"Lily must have written it on the day he was born," Remus murmured.
"Remember that heart-shaped necklace that James gave Lily for Valentine's Day when they first started dating, the silver one with the red ruby in the middle?"
Remus nodded, remembering it well. "James said that he had picked it because the red ruby in the middle reminded him of Lily's hair. I was with him when he bought it and you went with Lily to help her find something for James. What about the necklace?" he asked.
Sirius smiled. "Harry had it picked out for Ginny for Valentine's Day. This time there was a note from James, telling Harry to do the same with the earrings with the necklace. To give them to a girl he loved. I will be sending it to Hogwarts the first of February."
Remus smiled, already imagining Ginny's reaction.
Silence ascended on the kitchen once again, before Remus broke it once again.
"Is there an order meeting tomorrow night? Or I guess tonight now?" he asked.
"There is. It's the last one for the year," Sirius answered, looking towards the door, brows together in confusion. Was that footsteps, he heard?
Harry appeared in the kitchen, staggering slowly towards Sirius, clutching his stomach, a pained expression on his face and he looked a little pale.
"Hey, what's wrong Pup?" Sirius asked Harry confusion turning into concern.
Harry approached the table and pulled out a chair next to Sirius and slowly sat down. Once he scooted the chair close to the table, he laid his head down on the table.
Sirius shared a look of concern with Remus. He asked once more, "What's wrong?"
"I don't feel good, Sirius," Harry mumbled. "My stomach hurts."
Remus motioned to Sirius that he would be right back and he got up, heading towards the room off the kitchen where the extra potions were kept. He returned with a stomach potion and sat it down in front of Harry when he returned to the table.
"Here cub, this will help your stomach feel better," Remus said, as Sirius rubbed his back.
Harry lifted his head up and picked the vial up. He uncorked the vial and broke the seal before he brought it to his lips and swallowed the potion.
After some time had passed, Sirius had asked, "Are you feeling any better?"
"No," Harry groaned, wrapping his arms around his abdomen.
Sirius rubbed Harry's back in hopes of giving Harry some comfort. Remus handed Sirius a bucket in case Harry felt like he was going to be sick.
"I think you ate too much at dinner, that's why your stomach doesn't feel good. Do you feel you're going to be sick?" Sirius inquired. Harry shook his head slowly.
"I think he overdid it. Between him and Ron, they cleaned up the turkey….." Remus trailed off when Harry held his hand up. "What's wrong, cub?"
"Can we not talk about food right now? Please," Harry begged, his stomach rolling and he was trying not to throw up. Sirius and Remus nodded, telling him that they would talk about something else. Sirius kept rubbing Harry's back, hoping he was bringing some comfort.
Harry pressed a hand to his stomach and groaned when he felt it clench.
"What's wrong, Pup?" Sirius asked concerned.
"My stomach really hurts. The cramps are killing me," Harry whimpered. He couldn't help that at that moment he sounded like he was six years old and not sixteen years old.
This made Remus and Sirius exchanged a look of concern.
"The stomach soother should be working by now," Sirius said, glancing at Remus. Remus summoned another vial of stomach soother and gave it to Harry. After Harry swallowed the second potion, Harry laid his down on Sirius's shoulder.
"Is this more comfortable than laying your head on the hard table?" Sirius asked, soothingly. In response, Harry leaned into Sirius resting his head on his shoulder. He was never comforted or cared for when he was sick before. Only at Hogwarts was he ever taken care of when he was sick, but this was different. This was a parental love.
Harry's stomach chose that moment to let out a long and loud growl causing Harry to grimace and wince. He pressed his hand deeper into his stomach, which made the growling and bubbles he was feeling in his stomach all the more worse.
"Does your stomach still hurt?" Sirius asked.
Harry nodded, slowly, closing his eyes. After some time had passed, Sirius noticed Harry's breathing had evened out and he had fallen asleep.
Remus noticed this and said, "Let's get him back to bed."
Sirius picked up Harry carefully as to not wake him and hurt his back and carried him bridal style up to his room. Sirius's thoughts went to when he carried Harry when he was a baby and asleep in his arms. Fifteen years later and he still saw the same little sleeping face on his godson. The same relaxed face, eyes closed firmly, mouth hanging open and a small snore coming out of it. The only difference between Harry now and when he was a baby besides size and weight was the snore was a tad louder.
Sirius made it to Harry's room and laid him down on the bed, covering him up with the duvet. Harry curled up on his side, clutching his stomach, appearing to be still asleep. Remus placed the bucket next to the bed and placed a charm on it so it would automatically clean itself. After making sure Harry was comfortable and asleep, Sirius placed a charm on the room to alert him if Harry was any distress. He and Remus checked to see if Harry was asleep one more time before they left the room.
What they didn't know was that Harry's stomach ache was more than just overeating.
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Harry woke up the next morning, realizing that he was sick. This was more than eating too much. His stomach hurt and cramping and he felt nauseated. He knew he was definitely running a fever, judging by how warm he felt. He felt so bad that he didn't want to get up out of bed. He turned over to face the door just as Sirius came into the room.
"Are you okay, Pup?" Sirius asked as he crossed the room to Harry's bed.
"Sirius, I feel sick," Harry moaned.
Concerned, Sirius sat down on the edge of Harry's bed and placed his hand firmly on Harry's forehead. He moved his head and felt Harry's cheek. Both were hot.
"You're burning up, Pup!"
Sirius pulled out his wand and summoned the thermometer from Harry's bathroom. It flew into Sirius's hand and Sirius murmured a cleaning spell on the thermometer and then stuck it in Harry's mouth, waiting for it to beep.
Remus peeked into the room while he was waiting and came in, sitting down in Harry's armchair at the foot of his bed.
The thermometer beeped, finally, and Sirius pulled it out of Harry's mouth. He looked at the readout and said, "You have a fever of a 101.3."
"I'll go and get a fever reducer," Remus said, getting up from the chair.
Sirius nodded, telling Remus he heard him. Turning his attention to Harry, he asked, "What's wrong? Is it your stomach?"
Harry nodded. "My stomach hurts and I feel nauseous," Harry replied, wrapped his arms around his middle.
"You might have a bug," Sirius stated, thinking if he knew of any stomach bugs had been going around Hogwarts, but if Harry was going to come down with one, he would have already come down with it. He would need to give Molly some fair warning before Ron or the twins got sick.
Remus returned with the fever reducer and he handed it to Sirius. He was just about to uncork the vial when Harry groaned.
"I think I should wait a minute before I take that," Harry said, quickly.
"Why?" Remus asked.
Harry's stomach rolled as a wave of nausea hit him full force.
"Because I'm gonna be sick," Harry croaked, before sitting up quickly and turning his body towards the side of the bed. Sirius picked up the bucket to help keep the strain off of Harry's neck. Remus took it so Sirius could rub Harry's back to comfort the sick teen. Harry promptly released his stomach contents into the bucket until he was dry heaving.
Once he was done, Harry laid back down, holding his stomach and curled up on his side in a ball. Sirius sat down at the foot of Harry's bed, reaching up to rub his back in soothing circles, trying to provide the sick teen with some comfort.
"What's wrong?" Sirius asked when Harry groaned loudly.
"My stomach really hurts," Harry groaned.
Harry's statement concerned the two men. What if this was something more serious than a stomach bug.
Remus kneeled down at Harry's bedside and asked him to lie on his back. Once Harry was lying on his back, Remus slid his hand across Harry's middle and under his T-shirt on his right side.
"I'm going to press on your side. I want you to tell me if it hurts when I press," Remus warned. He pressed his fingers on Harry's side.
"It doesn't hurt," Harry said.
"Are you sure?" Sirius asked.
"I'm sure."
Remus relaxed and stood up. "It's not his appendix, so that eliminates appendicitis," Remus said. "Maybe we should take him to St. Mungo's?"
"Have Healer Morris look him over and see what's going on?" Sirius clarified.
"Yes," Remus replied. "I'll call them and see if they can work him in for the healer today."
Remus left, leaving Sirius with Harry. He sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Remus is going to see if we can't get you in to see Healer Morris," he said.
"Okay," Harry sighed.
Sirius reached over and given Harry the fever reducer and then helped him sit up to change clothes and get ready to leave for the healer. If in the event that Remus couldn't get Harry in with the healer, he would floo Madam Pomfrey.
Remus returned to Harry's bedroom ten minutes later with the verdict.
"They said to bring him to the hospital in twenty minutes and Healer Morris could work him in."
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
Sirius sat in a padded chair in the waiting room of Healer Amos Morris's office. He glanced at Harry, who was lying on the plush loveseat beside him and then at Remus, who was sitting in the chair on the opposite side of Harry. It wasn't easy to get Harry here, feeling like he did. They ended up apparating to the hospital and together, they led Harry into the waiting room.
"Harry Potter?" the mediwitch called. Thankfully the room was almost empty and no one noticed Harry was in the room.
Sirius helped Harry up from the loveseat and together they walked with the mediwitch back to an exam room.
Healer Morris was the healer that Sirius brought Harry to after he was given custody. Outside of Madam Pomfrey and a Muggle school nurse, Harry didn't have much medical care and never really seen a doctor or a healer before. He decided to get Harry checked out and to try and restore his health. Healer Morris had seen many patients over the years, mostly teenagers; none of them was as bad as Harry.
"Healer Morris will be right with you."
Harry and Sirius were left alone for just a few minutes when they were a knock on the door and Healer Morris walked in. He was a middle-aged, silvery gray-headed man. He was an excellent healer, which was the reason Sirius had chosen him to look after Harry.
"Hello, Sirius, Harry. I understand that Harry isn't feeling well."
"He's running a fever of 101.3, he's complaining of his stomach hurting, and he's suffering from stomach cramps and nausea. He's thrown up a few times as well," Sirius explained, and then went on to tell Healer Morris the events of the night before that lead them here.
Healer Morris hummed and waved his wand around Harry's head and his vitals appeared in glowing green numbers, except for the temperature which was red.
"He's now running a fever of 102.3. His other vitals are good," Healer Morris stated.
He made quick work of examining Harry's ears, eyes, nose, mouth, throat, and neck.
Harry had pulled off the hoodie he was wearing when they got in the exam room and was only wearing a lightweight long sleeve T-shirt and jeans. This made it easier to complete the rest of Healer Morris's examination.
"I'm going to check your lungs," The healer said. He placed the bell of the stethoscope on Harry's back. Harry breathed in and out deeply without being directed to. Then when the healer moved the bell to Harry's chest, he breathed normally.
He made notes in Harry's file, after listening to Harry's heart and lungs.
"Alright Harry, lie back on the table and let's see what's going on with your belly." Harry knew what was coming, his least favorite part of the physical exam. He pulled up his shirt, baring his stomach.
Healer Morris placed the bell of the stethoscope on Harry's abdomen and listened for any abnormal sounds. "His stomach is very unsettled, it's not too concerning, but it means that Harry might have a stomach bug."
Sirius groaned inwardly. Harry, getting sick was the last thing he needed.
Healer Morris finished listening to Harry's abdomen and made a note of what he heard in Harry's file.
"Now, I'm going to palpate or press in different areas of your abdomen. Tell me if it hurts anywhere I press or if you feel any pressure."
Harry felt the healer's hands, press lightly on his stomach, moving to the different areas of his abdomen. He tried to stay relaxed as it made the healer's job easier. Harry's head was slightly elevated and was able to watch the healer's hands press on his stomach.
"I'm going to start using deeper pressure," Healer Morris warned. "Tell me if you feel any tenderness or pain."
Sirius watched from his seat, as the healer's hands worked its way up and down and then across Harry's abdomen. He could see Harry's face and could tell that Harry was trying to relax. As Remus had done that morning, Healer Morris also checked Harry's right side.
Appendicitis was defiantly ruled out.
He made some notes in Harry's file before turning back to his patient. Because Harry was still lying on the exam table, Healer Morris did the diagnostic charm. He placed his hands on Harry's abdomen, adding slight pressure and telling Harry to relax for a minute. Then a piece of parchment appeared above Harry's stomach.
"He has a stomach bug," the healer confirmed.
"What can we do?" Sirius asked, getting up from his chair and stood beside Harry, helping him sit up.
"Keep him hydrated is one and I'll provide you with some maximum strength stomach soothers and stomach calmers as one tends to work better for cramps than the other with Harry. He should be feeling better within the next twenty-four to seventy-two hours, or one to three days. If he's not better by day four or his fever rises or he complains of severe stomach pain, bring him back here."
"Thank you, Healer Morris." He helped Harry down off the table, collected Remus from the waiting room and they went home.
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
An hour after they came home from St. Mungo's found Harry asleep in his room, having been since they got home and Sirius and Remus downstairs, in the sitting room. Sirius had stayed long enough to make sure Harry was asleep before joining Remus in the sitting room. He had helped Harry change into a clean pair of pajamas, given him all of the potions he needed to take and placed a cool washcloth on his forehead to bring down his fever, charming it to stay on his forehead.
"I flooed the Burrow, while you and Harry were back with Healer Morris and told Molly that Harry might be sick and maybe Ginny might need to stay home. Well, Ginny overheard and said that she would take the immunity potion, come with her parents as planned and take care of Harry if he was sick. I called them back to tell them that he was sick and what he had so Molly can make the immunity potion."
"So, Ginny is going to take care of Harry." Sirius smiled as a memory of a time that Lily had taken care of James when he was sick with a cold. "Remember when James had that cold and Lily took care of him?" He asked.
Remus chuckled. "Yes, I do. We didn't tell her what a big baby he was when he got sick. Harry isn't like that or I haven't noticed it."
Realizing why Sirius's face became red with anger.
"It was those blasted relatives of his!" Sirius exclaimed, careful with the volume as he didn't want to wake Harry. Like James, if Harry was woken up too early, he could be quite cranky. "They made him think he couldn't tell anyone if he was sick and he wasn't cared for if he did get sick. No wonder, it took him a while to get used to me taking care of him."
Remus understood why Sirius blamed Harry's relatives. It had taken all of the last summer for Harry to get used to having someone who cared about him. Sirius was the one who stayed up with Harry when the potions Healer Morris had given them to help Harry to restore his health caused his stomach to cramp so badly that Harry couldn't sleep.
The first time it happened Harry had suffered in agony for an hour alone before Sirius was awoken by the sound of Harry's pained groans. They grew louder the worst they got.
It was in the morning as the sun came up and as Sirius was rubbing soothing circles on Harry's stomach that Harry admitted that besides Ron and Hermione, he was never cared for when he was sick. After that, Sirius made a point to show Harry just how cared for and loved he was and Harry started telling him if he didn't feel good or if something hurt.
Glancing at the clock, Sirius noticed the time and headed upstairs to Harry's room. The afternoon had slipped away and the Order would be showing up any minute for the meeting. Sirius entered Harry's bedroom, finding the teen laying curled up on his side in his bed.
"How are you feeling, Pup?" Sirius asked.
Harry groaned, holding his stomach as a sharp cramp rolled through his abdomen. "A little better," Harry admitted. "My stomach still hurts and I still nauseated."
"Thought I'd check on you. We have an Order meeting tonight and I wanted to check on you before we got started."
"Will I be up here by myself?" Harry asked he figured that since Ron and Hermione were gone to London and he was sick, Ginny would be staying home.
"Maybe, maybe not. You'll have to wait and see," Sirius said, making Harry suspicious. "I'll have a surprise for you later."
Harry was still suspicious of his godfather, looking at him with an uplifted eyebrow.
"Fine. Can I have a potion for the cramping now?" he asked.
Sirius handed Harry the potion and Harry took it, swallowing it slowly.
"Thanks, Sirius," Harry said, handing the vial back. He laid back down on the bed, curling up on his side.
"I'll be downstairs if you need me," Sirius said, leaving the room. He headed downstairs and into the dining room where the meeting will be taking place. Remus was straightening up and looked up when Sirius entered the room.
"How is he?" Remus asked.
"He said his stomach still hurts," Sirius replied. "He asked for a stomach calmer while I was up there."
"Cramps?" Remus inquired. Sirius nodded.
Silence fell upon the dining room until Remus spoke.
"I hope he isn't too much trouble for Ginny," Remus said, breaking the silence.
"Remember when he wrote us to tell us how his date with Ginny to Hogsmeade went?" Remus nodded and Sirius continued. "Well, when I went up there for the Quidditch match, Harry told me he had gotten food poisoning after they came back. He had eaten the slaw that Ginny didn't want as they had ordered the chicken and chips meal. Ginny took care of him, really good care of him. So knowing this, I feel comfortable with leaving Ginny with Harry."
While the two men were downstairs, Harry lay in his bed, in the same position as he was when Sirius checked on him. Slowly turning to lie on his back, Harry soon realized it was a mistake to move when he felt his stomach roll angrily. Feeling as if he was going to throw up, he leaned over the side of the bed hovering over the bucket.
Nothing came.
He returned to lie on his back, wrapping his arms around his middle, when it cramped again.
"I can't take this," Harry moaned, turning on his side and pressing his face into his pillow to muffle a groan when he felt a particular sharp cramp in his belly.
A part of him wished for Ginny, wishing that she was there. She took good care of him when he got sick after their first date. He had gotten food poisoning from the slaw he had eaten at lunch. Ginny had helped him to and from the hospital wing and then stayed with him in his dorm, rubbing his back as he threw up and then rubbing his stomach in an attempt to help him feel better. Her hands felt wonderful on his abdomen and her massage had put him to sleep.
He managed to shuffle towards the bathroom when he needed to relieve himself and return to his bed as he heard the floo downstairs flare and voices besides Remus and Sirius were heard. He heard the pops of apparition and Sirius greeting Tonks, Mad-Eye Moody, and Kingsley. He sat up a little, thinking he heard the sweet voice that belonged to his girlfriend, but he figured his mind was playing games on him.
He heard footsteps coming up the stairs and towards his room. Was his mind playing tricks on him or was he hearing two sets of steps?
Sirius appeared at the open door and entered the room.
"Some of the order had arrived. We've got an hour before Molly will have supper ready. Do you feel like eating anything?"
Harry shook his head, a nauseous expression on his face. The mention of food sent his stomach churning.
"I'll take that look as a no," Sirius said. "We'll try something later that will be easy on your stomach such as porridge."
"Okay," Harry murmured.
"Now I have a surprise for you." Sirius left the room and then, Ginny appeared in the door. She rushed over to Harry's side and hugged her boyfriend. Harry didn't quite grasp it all until he returned Ginny's hug.
"Hi, Sweetie. How are you feeling?" Ginny asked before she placed a kiss on Harry's forehead and then ran her fingers through his messy hair.
"A little better, now that you're here. But Ginny, I don't want you to get sick. I…"Ginny cut off what Harry was going to say.
"Mum made the immunity potion and I took it before we came here. I can be without you for 24 hours before I have to take another dose," Ginny explained, continuing to run her fingers through Harry's hair.
Turning back to Sirius, who was leaning against the door frame to Harry's room, Harry gestured to Ginny and asked, "Is this my surprise?"
Sirius smiled and nodded. "She's staying with you while we have the meeting," Sirius explained and then told Ginny where she could find the potions and when Harry was to take them. Once he finished telling her what he needed to about the potions, he told her that he would bring up something for them to eat and to come and get him if she needed anything, including him.
Ginny told Sirius she would and once he was gone, Harry moved to allow Ginny to sit down on his bed and he could lay his head on her lap. She continued to run her fingers through his hair and then let him take her hand and place it on his stomach, wordlessly asking her to rub his stomach.
She slipped her hand under his shirt and started to rub his stomach in soothing circles.
"When did you get sick?" Ginny asked, looking down at her sick boyfriend.
"Last night," Harry answered. "My stomach started cramping pretty bad when I laid down to go to sleep. I knew something was wrong then and I went to find Sirius. I found him and Remus in the kitchen. As I was entering the kitchen, my stomach started to really hurt and cramp. Remus gave me two stomach soothers, one when I first went downstairs and the second when I told them that the first one wasn't working. Since I was still sick when I woke up this morning, they took me to the healer."
"Remus flooed us while you were at the healer and told us about you being sick, and I overheard him and Mum talking, so I said that I would take care of you. After Remus disconnected, I told Mum about when I took care of you when you had food poisoning when we got back from Hogsmeade. When Remus called back to tell us what you had, she told us that I would come and take care of you."
Harry relaxed under Ginny's hands as they rubbed soothing circles on his stomach. Ginny was careful not to add any pressure with her hands. When he was sick, Harry couldn't handle a lot of pressure on his stomach, only when there were gas bubbles to be released in his belly did he tolerate any pressure on his abdomen.
Just when he thought he was able to fall asleep, a wave of nausea hit Harry like a tidal wave. He whimpered as he felt his stomach roll queasily. He tried to fight the feeling, but it was a losing battle. He just hoped that Ginny didn't notice. But he should have known that Ginny did notice. She placed her hand on his shoulder and then felt her lean forward.
"Are you okay, sweetie?" Ginny asked, the concern evident in her voice.
"Ginny, I'm gonna be sick," Harry moaned. He was then hit with a stronger wave of nausea at the same time a strong cramp rolled through his abdomen, taking his breath.
Forgoing the bucket on the floor, Harry jumped off of the bed, his hand over his mouth and rushed to the back bathroom, with Ginny following behind him. She rushed into the bathroom in time to see Harry heave his stomach contents into the toilet. She was at his side in an instant, kneeling being him and rubbing his back in soothing circles, whispering some words of comfort.
When Harry finally stopped retching, he leaned back against Ginny, laying his head on her shoulder. She handed him a cup of water to rinse out his mouth. He sloshed the water around his mouth and spit it back out in the toilet. Ginny reached over and pulled on the chain to flush the toilet.
"When was the last time I told you I loved you?" Harry asked, looking up at Ginny with heavy eyelids.
"Last night," she said. "Underneath the mistletoe."
Harry hummed in response, leaning his head against her shoulder. He groaned as a strong lurch rolled in his stomach. He wrapped his arms around his middle, doubling over at the sudden cramp that hit his abdomen.
"Let's get you back to bed," Ginny said, softly. She helped Harry stand up from the floor and then led him back to his bed. He waited until Ginny was sitting down on the bed and her back was against the wall before lying down with his head in her lap. She returned her hand to Harry's abdomen and continued the soothing circles.
This time, Harry fell asleep.
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Sirius came upstairs as he said he would, with a bowl of porridge for Harry and a plate of food for Ginny. He paused at the doorway, watching as Ginny took care of his godson. He noticed that Harry was asleep and looked more relaxed than Sirius had seen him over the last twenty-four hours.
He walked over to the nightstand and sat down the bowl pulled out the bottles of water on the table.
"I think you're going to take care of him the next time he's sick. I haven't seen Harry that relaxed in his sleep over the twenty-four hours," Sirius said, handing Ginny the plate of food Molly had sent up. He reached down and pushed back some stray hair from Harry's face. "What did you do?"
"I just rubbed his stomach in the same soothing circles like I did back in October," Ginny explained.
"I know that works. It did when he was a baby. Did Harry tell you that you remind us so much of his Mum?" he asked.
Ginny nodded. "He did."
"She was a bright and talented witch and an uncommonly kind woman. She was a muggle-born and one of my closest friends once she and James got together. As his relationship grew, so did our friendship," he explained. "I wish that Harry had gotten to know his parents. They were good people."
Ginny handed Sirius the plate back as she had finished the sandwich Molly had sent up. "Thanks, Sirius, and pass along thanks to Mum for me."
"I will. I need to get back. I was given orders to bring food up here." Glancing at the clock he realized that it was time for Harry's potions and told Ginny that it was time for another dose of potions for Harry.
Once Sirius had left the room, Ginny shook his shoulder, gently. "Sweetie, wake up for me."
Harry's eyes opened and he looked up at Ginny, looking like he needed to sleep a little longer.
"What?"
"It's time for your potions," Ginny said. Harry sat up, holding himself up with one hand. He took the potions Ginny gave him and swallowed the potions and then the water that Sirius had brought up.
"Do you want to try and eat?" She asked. "Sirius brought up some porridge for you."
"Will you feed me?" Harry asked, giving Ginny his puppy dog eyes and puppy pout.
Ginny smiled at him and changed positions to be sitting at the edge of his bed to better feed him. She picked up the bowl from the table and sat down on the edge of the bed. She picked up the spoon and slowly started to feed Harry his porridge.
"Let me know if your stomach starts to hurt," she directed. Harry nodded. Much to Ginny's surprise, he ate nearly the whole bowl.
Ginny sat the empty bowl on the table and picked up the bottle of water. She slipped the straw inside the bottle and handed it to Harry.
"Slow sips," she cautioned. Harry obeyed her and sipped on the water slowly until he had enough.
Once he was done, he laid back down on his bed and took Ginny's hand and laid it on his stomach, wordlessly telling her to keep rubbing his stomach. Ginny complied and pulled up Harry's T-shirt and started to rub slow circles on his abdomen.
"Have I ever told you how good this feels?" Harry asked.
"No, but it's nice to know that I'm doing something to help you and it feels good."
She moved on from the circles and started doing a side to side stroke, caressing his middle abdomen. Then she swept her hands from his ribs to his lower abdomen.
"Does this feel still good?" Ginny asked, noticing that Harry was more relaxed.
"Very," Harry murmured. Ginny's stomach rub was putting Harry to sleep.
As Ginny continued to massage Harry's abdomen, she thought back to the first time she had rubbed Harry's stomach and it wasn't back in October. It was rather after one of the first Quidditch practices Harry had held after the first of the term. Harry had pulled a muscle in his abdomen and ended the evening with Ginny massaging Harry's abdomen.
The last time she had rubbed Harry's stomach was after the last Quidditch practice as Harry pulled a muscle in his abdomen once again, and she had spent the evening rubbing his abdomen.
She noticed as she returned to the soothing circles, that Harry was getting sleepy. To prove the point, Harry yawned.
"Are you getting sleepy?" Ginny asked.
Harry nodded, yawning once more. He repositioned himself to lie down in his bed and let Ginny tuck the duvet around him. Harry laid on his side, often sleeping on his side or his stomach, rarely sleeping on his back.
"Comfy?" Ginny asked, running her fingers through his hair. Harry yawned again and nodded.
Before Harry did fall asleep, Ginny leaned over and kissed her boyfriend's cheek. Harry kissed her on the cheek before their lips met and they kissed briefly.
"Try and get some sleep, baby. Do you need another dose of potions?" She asked.
Harry nodded and asked for the stomach calmer and stomach soother. He might be able to sleep tonight without feeling sick to his stomach and cramps. After swallowing the potions and then the water, Harry laid back down, lying on his stomach, this time. He took his glasses off and laid them on the bedside table.
"Good night, Harry. Try and get some sleep tonight."
"Okay," Harry mumbled.
Sirius came upstairs and knocked softly on the door. "Ginny, your Mum said it's time to go. You can come over tomorrow afternoon if Harry's feeling up to it," he said.
Ginny nodded and gave Harry one more kiss. "I love you," she whispered in his ear.
"I love you too," Harry replied, whispering as well. He was asleep in a matter of seconds, one of the effects of the stomach potions.
Ginny kissed his cheek once more and left the room. She followed Sirius down the stairs.
"Thank you for staying with him, Ginny," Sirius said, as they entered the sitting room. Remus was in the sitting room with Arthur and Molly.
"It was no problem. I'll see you tomorrow if Harry's up to it."
After Arthur, Molly, and Ginny left, Remus asked Sirius, "Is he asleep?"
"He is."
"What happened to the no girls in his room rule?"
"He's not going to do anything like that, especially with us a few floors down. He told me himself that he and Ginny decided to wait until they're older and ready."
Remus followed Sirius upstairs and to Harry's room. They decided to check on Harry one more time before they went to bed.
Harry was still asleep as he was when Sirius left him, on his stomach. The only change was his arm was hanging off the side of the bed. Sirius approached the bed quietly and gently picked up the arm and laid it down on the bed. He leaned down and kissed the top of Harry's head, followed by Remus before they headed out the door.
Sirius paused at the door and looked at his sleeping godson. He turned off the light and pulled the door to. He headed to his bedroom after saying goodnight to Remus and fell asleep, half listening for Harry in case he needed him in the night.
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
Sunlight from the mid-morning sun shined through the window woke Harry up the next morning. He took a stock of himself before he got up. His stomach felt sore, but he didn't feel sick and he didn't feel any cramps in his stomach. Harry turned to lie on his back, glad to know that the stomach bug had seemed to run its course and now he can enjoy the rest of his Christmas break.
He was about to get up and headed to the bathroom when the door to his room opened and a black shaggy dog entered the room and jumped the bed. Padfoot laid down, plopping on Harry's abdomen, making Harry jump.
"Did you have to do that?" Harry asked Padfoot. The dog just watched him, not really saying anything with his eyes.
"Padfoot please, get off of me," Harry said, as nicely as he could. Padfoot licked his hand in response. Remus peeked in and Harry asked him if he could get the dog off of him.
"I could, but he seems to be comfortable."
The dog's weight on his stomach was getting to be unbearable and Harry finally asked the dog to get up so he could get up.
Padfoot finally got up and off of Harry's stomach. Taking his chance, Harry sat up and turned to sit on the side of the bed. Padfoot transformed into his human form and Sirius sat down beside Harry.
"Good morning, Pup. How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Better. My stomach feels a little sore though," Harry replied.
He headed to the bathroom after Sirius said that he would go down and make breakfast and to give Harry a chance to wake up.
A few minutes later, Harry was downstairs and at the table, eating some eggs and toast.
The floo flared and Ginny came out, tumbling a little before she gained her footing. She dusted herself off and smiled appreciatively at Remus, who had waved his wand and banished the soot and ash.
She smiled as she approached her boyfriend.
"Good morning, Sweetie. Are you feeling better?"
"Yeah, I'm feeling better." They kissed briefly as Remus and Sirius were present and then Ginny sat down in the chair beside Harry.
"How long can you stay for Ginny?" Sirius asked.
"Mum said I could stay all day. If it's okay with you I can stay for supper."
Harry smiled at the idea of spending the whole day with Ginny.
After breakfast, Harry and Ginny headed up to the den that Remus and Sirius had charmed so they could have a Muggle television and other Muggle electronics. They had spent the morning and part of the afternoon, watching movies.
Harry laid sprawled on the couch with his head in Ginny's lap as they watched Four Weddings and a Funeral, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and The Addams Family, deciding to wait until after lunch to watch the other tapes they had selected before beginning the movie marathon. Sirius wanted to give Harry parts of his childhood that he had missed while living with his relatives. Harry had picked movies while they were out shopping that he thought Ginny would enjoy.
Ginny ran her hands through Harry's hair or rubbed his stomach soothingly as they sat and watched the movies. In between each movie, they paused for bathroom breaks and change sitting positions, sitting side by side on the couch.
"What type of a name is Fester?" Ginny asked.
"I don't know. Sirius was the one who picked out the movie when we went shopping," Harry replied.
When they came down for lunch, Ginny was still raving about The Addams Family.
"I mean, who names a child, Wednesday?" Ginny asked.
Sirius shared a look between Remus and Harry, knowing that Remus had said the same thing when they watched the same film.
"What did you think of Snow White?" Remus asked.
"I loved it," Ginny said, moving on to the movie about the princess who her stepmother wanted to kill because she was more beautiful than the stepmother.
"So I guess that getting Snow White was a good choice," Sirius said, leaning towards Harry.
"I think we're going to watch Cinderella next."
"Well, I hope you two enjoy the movie," Remus said when Ginny said they will be watching Cinderella and then a few other comedy movies Harry had picked.
When they returned upstairs to resume their movie marathon, Harry took Ginny's hand in his and pulled her gently towards him.
"What?" She asked.
"I forget to tell you, Gin. Thanks for taking care me last night," Harry said, tucking a piece of hair behind Ginny's ear.
"You're welcome."
They returned to the den and watched Cinderella. As Cinderella was leaving for the ball in the pumpkin turned carriage, Harry realized something.
He didn't tell Sirius and Remus thanks for taking care of him the night before. He decided to take care of that after supper and when Ginny left to go home.
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
Remus and Sirius were sitting in the sitting room, relaxing and listening to the wireless and reading the day's paper. This was where Harry found Sirius and Remus after seeing Ginny to the floo.
"Sirius? Remus?" Harry said, knocking on the door.
"What can we do for you, Harry?" Sirius asked, folding the paper.
"Thanks for taking care of me last night," Harry murmured.
Remus and Sirius glanced at each other, before turning back to the teenager.
"You're welcome, Cub," Remus said.
"It's just that I'm still getting used to having someone take care of me," Harry said, softly. But being an Animagus and a werewolf, Sirius and Remus's hearing picked it.
"Harry, come here," Sirius said, patting the spot on the couch beside him.
Harry obeyed and sat down beside his godfather. He didn't jump when Sirius wrapped his arm around him.
"Harry, I'll always take care of you. Whether it's because you're sick or hurt, I will take care of you."
Harry knew that Sirius was telling him the truth. The next time he got sick, he will have Sirius, Remus, and even Ginny taking care of him. Sirius knew that Ginny will take good care of Harry and he and Remus would take care of Harry, especially when he is sick.
Sirius would do anything for his pup, especially when his pup was sick.