Poppy burst into Albus' office, her face lined with worry. "The boy's gone," she managed to gasp out. "His bed's empty."

Albus rose immediately, his usually twinkling blue eyes now grave. Pouring a handful of floo powder into the roaring fire, he summoned Severus.

"Phineas, alert the portraits, I need their help to see if any of them have seen Harry," Albus instructed the sleeping portrait. "It's urgent." He added curtly.

Severus soon arrived at Dumbledore's office and started pacing. He looked up at Phineas' empty frame every few seconds, checking to see if he had returned.

"He couldn't have woken up, my monitoring spells would have alerted me. Unless he got abducted…" Albus' voice trailed off, not daring to imagine what would happen. Severus' pacing got faster.

Finally, Phineas reappeared. "He's in the tallest Astronomy tower, sleeping, I think. Some portraits saw him walking there last night. But he seemed to be oblivious to where he was going…"

Severus immediately yanked open the door, black robes swishing around him as he hurried towards the tower. Albus was close on his heels.

His eyes fell on the prone figure on the cold stone floor of the tower. The boy seemed to be unconscious. Probably sleepwalking, Severus thought.

He lifted Harry gently. He was so light from his refusal to eat. The boy's forehead was burning from a high fever. Relieved, Severus headed towards hospital wing.

---

Albus had put the boy on a constant watch. Poppy, Severus and himself took turns to watch over him.

"Sirius, please, don't leave me… I'm so sorry… No, don't leave me, Sirius, please, I beg you…" Harry cried out in his delirium. He thrashed about in the sheets, his voice pleading and desperate.

Severus looked up at the boy from his chair, contemplating if he should summon Albus.

"No!" Harry cried out, before jolting awake. His green eyes landed on Severus before roving around the room, realising that he was once again in Hogwarts.

Albus strode into the room, alerted by his monitoring spells that Harry was awake. "Harry, dear boy, how are you?"

"Why… why did you save me?" croaked Harry, his voice hoarse from lack of use.

Severus opened his mouth to speak, but quickly stopped when he saw Harry pinching the bridge of his nose. He recognized the beginnings of a headache.

Albus quickly reached over to massage Harry's temples, as Severus took out a familiar vial full of purple liquid.

"Open," he commanded. Harry stared at Severus suspiciously, before a wave of pain shot through his head and he gasped.

Severus, seizing the chance, poured the liquid down the boy's throat before he could protest. Harry sighed as the headache disappeared, and he dropped off to sleep.