Six days passed and no one saw hide or hair of Harry. He didn't come to meals, he didn't attend Order meetings even though he was now allowed to, and he didn't sleep in his room. They only way Remus and Sirius knew he was there still was the quiet sound of muffled crying, which disturbed them beyond words.

Sirius and Remus told no one about what had happened – sticking to the story that Harry was having a difficult time at the moment and wished to be left alone. The story satisfied everyone else and they didn't feel so guilty as it was only a not fully divulged truth rather than a lie; Harry was going through a difficult time and he did want to be left alone- they just omitted the delicate fact it was because he had caught Remus and Sirius doing something they probably –in Harry's book at least- shouldn't have been.

Yes, this stated everyone else's concern but Sirius and Remus were going out of their minds with the worry. Mind you, if the worry didn't drive them to insanity the guilt would do it.

This unpleasant sensation was only added to by the fact they knew he had stopped eating – no food had gone missing from the kitchens in the time Harry had failed to attend any meals. And they still couldn't find him. They had been searching desperately but he had managed to evade them for a whole week nearly, no doubt with the help of a certain cloak.

"It's hopeless!" Sirius exclaimed, throwing his hands up exasperatedly, "We'll never find him! What if something awful has happened to him? What if he's fallen somewhere and knocked himself out or something? What if he has fallen out a window? What if he jumped? Oh Christ, what if-"

"Calm down Padfoot," Remus said lightly, although he felt far from 'calm' himself, "he'll be okay, we just need to talk to him and he'll be fine. Now, no more of this 'what if-ing'; you're going to make yourself ill." He sat down on the moth-eaten sofa next to Sirius who had slumped forward, burying his face in his hands.

"I just wish I'd had time to explain to him properly, you know? I want to know why he reacted the way he did…I want to say sorry. I need to understand." He whispered.

"Sirius, all I ask is that you remember what you're sorry for. You aren't sorry about who you are. You are not sorry that you're gay. All you have to be regretful of is the fact you hid this from Harry, Okay?" Remus reminded him softly but firmly as he rubbed Sirius' back in small, reassuring circles.

"What would I do without you?" Sirius laughed quietly,

"Oh, I'd reckon you would live. True, your life would be nothing without fantastic, glamorous, amazing little me," Remus rolled his eyes dramatically, "But I think you'd survive."

"But you are all those things, to me at any rate," Sirius said; honesty had never been so present in his voice – except for when he told Remus he loved him. Remus blushed slightly and Sirius pulled him into a hug, holding him close, their hearts beating next to one another in perfectly syncopated rhythm.

"Why?" a tiny voice asked. A flash of slivery fabric dropped to the floor and the figure of a thin, shaking Harry was revealed in the doorway. He looked utterly wretched and as though he had washed or slept in ages. But then again - he hadn't. Grimy tear tracks were left on both cheeks and he had an unpleasant bruised look about his eyes, which were also red and irritated from obvious crying. He was in a very bad way.

Sirius head jerked up so fast Remus thought he may suffer whiplash. Both men were also on their feet in seconds,

"Harry! Thank Goodness!" Sirius exclaimed, rushing toward Harry. Harry stepped back out the door into the hallway,

"Don't." He whispered.

"Harry, we were so worried! You've gotten so thin, where have you been all this time? Have you slept at all? You look ready to collapse." Sirius spoke frantically; thanking any God listening that Harry was here.

As if on cue, Harry wavered on his feet as though about to collapse. Sirius leapt forward to catch him, taking hold of Harry's arms. All he could feel was bone. Harry slapped at his hands,

"Get away from me!" He practically screamed, causing a violent cough to start somewhere deep in his chest and rise horribly, uncontrollably in his throat.

Sirius snatched his hands away as though burned and Harry staggered again, clutching the banister for support. All Sirius and Remus could do was watch in horror as Harry suffered. Eventually it subsided and Harry straightened up again, pain, not necessarily from the coughing fit, was the only emotion visible in his eyes. Harry closed his eyes and took a ragged, deeper breath. When he opened them seconds later, the visible agony was gone – replaced by a stony barrier of nothing. It was so un-Harry like. Sirius was terrified.

"Why?" Harry said again, desperation clear in his voice.

"Harry, what we have is not wrong. I love Remus," Harry shuddered as Sirius said it, " there is nothing sick or twisted about it. We've been together since I returned from Azkaban and we were a couple from seventh year until my arrest. We understand each other. We care about each other. There is nothing wrong about that." Sirius bravely took Remus hand and entwined his fingers with the other man's.

Harry's eyes flickered from Sirius' face to Remus' to their joint hands and back again. His face crumpled and so did his legs. He sank miserably to the floor, tears following the tracks many others had already laid for them.

"But you'll go to hell. I don't want you to, I love you both." His breathing was very heavy as he tried to stay in control, "They'll take you away if they find out," He was hysterical, his voice high and shaky, his breath coming in short gasps, "Just like they did to Nathan. They'll get you too." Vicious coughs racked his body and Sirius dropped to his knees next to Harry's shuddering form.

"Harry don't worry, you're not very well is all," Sirius couldn't stop the panic leaking into his voice, "No one is going to take us away, alright? I'm right here. I will not leave you." He looked at Remus frantically and Remus instantly agreed with what Sirius was saying.

"But Nathan…he promised too…they took him anyway…" Harry muttered before slipping into the comfortable darkness calling him.

"Nathan? Who's Nathan? Harry? Harry talk to me!" Sirius cried cradling Harry's limp, unconscious body in his arms, desperately rocking him. Tears dripped down his face, falling onto Harry – he didn't react to them. Remus softly rested a hand upon Sirius' arm and the other man looked up his face a mask of desperation.

"Sirius let me take a look at him, okay?" Remus said quietly and Sirius nodded, shifting to give him room. Remus knelt down and checked Harry's vitals, his pulse was weaker than normally expected but it was his breathing that was cause for concern. Remus had basic medical knowledge; it had been something he'd been interested in as a younger man, and could tell Harry had contracted a rather serious respiratory infection. He was also more underweight than usual, a.k.a. critically so. Feeling his forehead, Remus found him to be highly feverish. All in all: Harry was an utter mess.

"Sirius, this is…not good. You go and put him in bed and I'll get Molly, she'll know better than me what to do." Remus couldn't stop himself speaking quickly, panicking. Harry was really ill. He leapt to his feet not prepared to waste a second in making him better,

"Sirius!" He snapped at Sirius who was still frozen staring at Harry. Sirius jerked slightly and finally seemed to digest what Remus had said. He lifted Harry easily and carried him upstairs without a word, tears still streaking down his cheeks all the while.

Remus bolted to the kitchen, snatching a handful of floo powder from the pot upon the mantle, stepping into the flames the second they turned acid green, yelling the burrow as he stepped forward.

"Molly!" He yelled, striding from the Weasley's fireplace seconds later, hurrying to the kitchen where he could hear activity,

"Molly!" Flinging open the door he burst in upon the Weasley family eating their evening meal.

"Remus, where's the fire?" Arthur Weasley asked jokingly.

"Molly, it's Harry." Remus said, panic raising his voice.

Molly Weasley took in Remus' terrified expression, trembling hands and frantic tone, before dropping the soup ladle and whipping off her apron.

At Remus' words Ron sprang to his feet but his father grabbed his arm. Loud protests from Ron ensued, mixing unpleasantly in the air with Ginny's desperate questions and their father's attempts at calming the pair of them while their mother left the kitchen with Remus.

Meanwhile, Sirius was gently tucking the blanket around Harry's chin; the child had now begun to shiver uncontrollably. Because, Sirius was beginning to realise as he spent more and more time with the boy, that that was all Harry really was. He was just a child - A lost boy, in desperate need of some small sign of affection. And he was also realising that few people saw Harry for what he was, they all saw the hero, the scar - or the bane of their existence, in a few cases. None of them saw what they really had, a troubled, thoughtful, brave yet confused child - Nothing more, nothing less.

And this was yet more proof that Harry was a victim of circumstance and situation, who was this Nathan person? What did he have to do with Sirius and Remus being together? Was he Harry's…? No, Sirius shook the thought from his mind; Harry had a crush on Cho Chang. So why was he cropping up now?

Harry shuddered violently, jolting Sirius from his thoughts. He scooped the boy's torso up so he was laid across Sirius' lap. The spasms grew in strength and Sirius clutched Harry to him desperately. Harry couldn't even recognise that Sirius was there. He didn't make a sound as his body tremored horribly. Suddenly, it stopped and Harry went limp again. Sirius shook him, anything to get some response, how did you check a pulse? Sirius had no clue. Oh God, he thought, Harry is dead, he's gone.

Seconds later Remus burst into the room with Molly Weasley hot on his heels, to find Sirius with Harry half in his lap, half laid out upon the bed, tears streaming down the older man's face as Harry lay there motionless.

Remus pulled Sirius away with a lot of difficulty while Molly took his place at the beside, checking Harry's basic vitals. She proceeded to conjured a scarlet potion and Sirius sobbed helplessly into Remus' shoulder convinced Harry was dead.

"You two," She called without looking over her shoulder, "this is not going to be pleasant, poor dear has a serious chest infection among other things, it can happen when deprived of sleep – cells in the throat stop regeneration. Now I'll need you to hold him down Sirius, Okay? It will take a few minutes for the pain to pass. Just be there for him, let him know you're here. Remus, would you go and get some damp towels for his temperature, we need to keep it down," Remus nodded hurriedly then after giving Sirius a comforting kiss on the cheek then left the room.

"Dear? Harry will be fine, but he needs you to help him now," Molly said kindly to Sirius turning to notice his tears and beckoning him forward. Sirius dipped his head weakly in a would-be nod stepped up to bed. He carefully tilted Harry head up and opened the fragile boy's mouth. Molly poured the blood red liquid into his mouths.

Nothing happened for several seconds and Sirius was utterly conviced it wasn't working until suddenly Harry spluttered and gasped, his face twisting into a sudden mask of pure agony.

"Sirius!" The boy cried and Sirius heart leapt. No matter what Harry had said, he wanted Sirius there with him, to protect him.

"Harry, don't be afraid, I'm hear. The pain will all go away soon, Molly is making you better," Sirius whispered, holding his shoulders as softly as possible.

"It hurts," Harry whimpered miserably, tears trickling down his face, "Make it stop."

"It's alright, it will stop in a second." Sirius whispered in response but the boy's body began to twist and contort in horribly unnatural ways. Harry's painfilled screams filled the house and Remus rushed back carrying damp, white towels which he promptly applied to Harrys forehead and chest.

Eventually after several, agonizingly long minutes the pain did fade and Harry's whole being seemed to sag as did Sirius' although the latter was simply out of pure relief.

"Oh, Harry," Sirius sighed quietly, pushing back the boy's messy fringe from his perspiring forehead. Harry groaned softly and curled up on his side, pain outlined in every heart-wrenching contortion of his face. Sirius took hold of Harry's hand, as gently as possible and stroked his thumb calmingly across the ridges of Harry's knuckles.

"Sirius…you didn't leave…" Harry whispered, barely regaining consciousness long enough to recognise his Godfather's face before he slipped away again. Sirius released a breath he'd been secretly holding for goodness knew how long as Harry, ever so slightly, tightened his fingers around Sirius'.

Remus gently pulled Sirius back as Molly began to deal with Harry,

"He'll be okay, Molly will sort him out." Remus whispered in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. Sirius however, was already calm, regardless of the tears flowing from his eyes,
"He knows I didn't leave him. I won't leave him, not ever." He said, slumping into Remus' side. Remus held onto him firmly round the waist,

"Of course he knows, you love him and he loves you. We'll sort this whole situation out when Harry's better, I promise. It'll all be okay from now on." Remus reiterated but it wasn't necessary.

"I know." Sirius said simply hugging him back.