A/N: THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU for all the reviews. You people have NO IDEA
how much they mean to me (okay, maybe you do… but that's not my point).
See this is the first thing I've ever written that people that I have never
met have read. So it's REALLY important to me what you think!
Ped: Sorry I didn't get to reply sooner, I posted Ch. 4 and 5 before I saw your reviews. Anyway, yes Harry's illness is a common one. He has the flu which, (as I have been shown the hard way… twice) very easily turns into pneumonia. Muggle illness, yes, but I for one do not envy him in any way.
Lin-z: Actually if you read over the last line of chapter 5 you'll see that someone already HAS come to save him… no more said there. Read on and see. But first I want to thank you for reviewing (4 times!!! :D ) and *gasp * I am on your fave stories!?!?!?!? That is one of the coolest things in the world. 'Specially cuz I have read Gryffindor's Secret which, (am I correct?) that you wrote and I LOVE it.
Anyway…
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, I never HAVE owned Harry Potter and I never WILL own Harry Potter. He belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. I just get random inspirations at the dumbest possible times and like to have fun with them. No infringement is intended.
Somewhere the black mist surrounding him parted, and through it Harry could hear hushed whispers. They sounded afraid, and far away like a soothing breeze teasing the leaves in a forest miles away. Harry didn't want to reach them, for he knew that the pain would return as soon as he left his sanctuary in the darkness. So he stayed where he was, quiet and very, very still.
A hand reached down from beyond the darkness and pulled him up. The voices grew louder and clearer as he rose through the fog, but with them came the pain. Deep, sharp throbs in the side of his head and an awful soreness weighing in and upon his chest. His breath came in short gasps for air that tore open his throat and ripped apart his lungs. Had he the strength to he would have writhed in pain, but as it was he was only able to produce a weak and raspy groan.
The voices immediately stopped.
"Is he waking up?" A man's voice. Whose? Harry's mind was not working properly enough to place the sound with a name.
"I think so." Another man. He, too, was familiar. The sound of his voice was comforting.
"Harry?" A third man. His voice was closer, but quieter and gentler. "Harry, can you hear me?" The voice was soothing; the man whispered as though taking great care not to hurt him. It was from that that Harry realized that these men must be wizards.
He tried to answer. Nothing came out his mouth but another raspy moan that sent him into a furious fit of excruciating coughs.
A hand came to his forehead and pushed his sweaty bangs from his eyes. Harry turned away; the hand was cold. It quickly withdrew.
"Here, give him this." One of the other voices ~ was it the first or the second? Harry couldn't remember.
"What is it?"
"It's just water."
"Here, Harry," said the closest voice after Harry stopped coughing, "Drink this." Strong but gentle arms helped him sit up, taking great care to support his head completely.
Something cold pressed to his lips. Harry drank greedily, savoring the cool liquid as it calmed the flames in his throat and soothed him from the inside.
"There you go, Harry," whispered the voice in his ear, "Its going to be all right."
"Harry," said one of the other voices as Harry felt himself being returned to the cool grass, "Don't try to talk. Can you show me where he hit you?"
Harry's hand very slowly moved to his temple.
"Your head?"
Harry nodded.
"Anywhere else?"
Harry shook his head slowly. It hurt. He groaned in agony.
There was a sharp intake of breath near his head.
"Are you in pain?" asked the voice that had questioned him.
He nodded as lightly as he could.
"I'll kill him," said the close voice gruffly, "Hit him with his own stick. Teach him to try that again."
"Now, now, that's all very well," said a man who, judging by how far away he sounded, seemed to be standing up, "But as the Ministry only knows I'm here, it will become much more complicated if we harm them now. Right now we need to get Harry out of here."
"Are any more of them on their way?"
"No. I had my son Percy contact them just before I apparated, so they would know in case I needed to use magic while I was here. Harry never responded to my youngest son's last letter. Molly's been so worried. We sent him another owl saying I would be arriving tonight. I'm not sure if he got it or not."
"Let me take him, Arthur," said the closest voice. "I'm his godfather, I have a responsibility for the boy. I'm not going to leave him now."
Sirius. Harry smiled weakly.
"Where will you go? Molly's been almost in tears these past few days- "
"He can come to my place," said the last voice, "That's were he's been staying, anyway. Molly and Ron can come visit him anytime they like."
"Molly… knows about me… right?" said Sirius cautiously.
"Yes, she does. She and Ron and I," replied Arthur.
"Then that settles it," by this time Harry had worked out the third voice to be a man he knew named Remus Lupin. "Sirius, take him on Buckbeak. I'll get his stuff and bring it."
"Do you want help?"
"Just gathering it, thank you. I can shrink it and put it in my pocket before I disapparate."
"Harry," said Sirius quietly, "I'm going to have to lift you. Is that all right?"
Harry nodded weakly. He pried his eyes open and met the gaunt, waxy face he knew as his godfather. Worry lines were at the moment crossing his brow. They relaxed when he saw Harry's eyes open.
"It'll be all right," he said, "We're going to get a doctor for you. An old classmate of ours ~ and your parents. She'll come to Remus's so I can stay by your side the whole time."
Harry smiled.
"Thanks," he managed to gasp. He almost automatically began to cough again.
He felt himself rise off the ground into his Sirius's sheltering arms.
"Hush, now," whispered the voice after the terrible coughing had subsided, "Don't say anything ~ good lord, you're burning up with fever ~ just try to sleep."
Harry relaxed. He gave a small, contented sigh, closed his eyes and let himself drift off, safe in Sirius's protective embrace.
Ped: Sorry I didn't get to reply sooner, I posted Ch. 4 and 5 before I saw your reviews. Anyway, yes Harry's illness is a common one. He has the flu which, (as I have been shown the hard way… twice) very easily turns into pneumonia. Muggle illness, yes, but I for one do not envy him in any way.
Lin-z: Actually if you read over the last line of chapter 5 you'll see that someone already HAS come to save him… no more said there. Read on and see. But first I want to thank you for reviewing (4 times!!! :D ) and *gasp * I am on your fave stories!?!?!?!? That is one of the coolest things in the world. 'Specially cuz I have read Gryffindor's Secret which, (am I correct?) that you wrote and I LOVE it.
Anyway…
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, I never HAVE owned Harry Potter and I never WILL own Harry Potter. He belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. I just get random inspirations at the dumbest possible times and like to have fun with them. No infringement is intended.
Somewhere the black mist surrounding him parted, and through it Harry could hear hushed whispers. They sounded afraid, and far away like a soothing breeze teasing the leaves in a forest miles away. Harry didn't want to reach them, for he knew that the pain would return as soon as he left his sanctuary in the darkness. So he stayed where he was, quiet and very, very still.
A hand reached down from beyond the darkness and pulled him up. The voices grew louder and clearer as he rose through the fog, but with them came the pain. Deep, sharp throbs in the side of his head and an awful soreness weighing in and upon his chest. His breath came in short gasps for air that tore open his throat and ripped apart his lungs. Had he the strength to he would have writhed in pain, but as it was he was only able to produce a weak and raspy groan.
The voices immediately stopped.
"Is he waking up?" A man's voice. Whose? Harry's mind was not working properly enough to place the sound with a name.
"I think so." Another man. He, too, was familiar. The sound of his voice was comforting.
"Harry?" A third man. His voice was closer, but quieter and gentler. "Harry, can you hear me?" The voice was soothing; the man whispered as though taking great care not to hurt him. It was from that that Harry realized that these men must be wizards.
He tried to answer. Nothing came out his mouth but another raspy moan that sent him into a furious fit of excruciating coughs.
A hand came to his forehead and pushed his sweaty bangs from his eyes. Harry turned away; the hand was cold. It quickly withdrew.
"Here, give him this." One of the other voices ~ was it the first or the second? Harry couldn't remember.
"What is it?"
"It's just water."
"Here, Harry," said the closest voice after Harry stopped coughing, "Drink this." Strong but gentle arms helped him sit up, taking great care to support his head completely.
Something cold pressed to his lips. Harry drank greedily, savoring the cool liquid as it calmed the flames in his throat and soothed him from the inside.
"There you go, Harry," whispered the voice in his ear, "Its going to be all right."
"Harry," said one of the other voices as Harry felt himself being returned to the cool grass, "Don't try to talk. Can you show me where he hit you?"
Harry's hand very slowly moved to his temple.
"Your head?"
Harry nodded.
"Anywhere else?"
Harry shook his head slowly. It hurt. He groaned in agony.
There was a sharp intake of breath near his head.
"Are you in pain?" asked the voice that had questioned him.
He nodded as lightly as he could.
"I'll kill him," said the close voice gruffly, "Hit him with his own stick. Teach him to try that again."
"Now, now, that's all very well," said a man who, judging by how far away he sounded, seemed to be standing up, "But as the Ministry only knows I'm here, it will become much more complicated if we harm them now. Right now we need to get Harry out of here."
"Are any more of them on their way?"
"No. I had my son Percy contact them just before I apparated, so they would know in case I needed to use magic while I was here. Harry never responded to my youngest son's last letter. Molly's been so worried. We sent him another owl saying I would be arriving tonight. I'm not sure if he got it or not."
"Let me take him, Arthur," said the closest voice. "I'm his godfather, I have a responsibility for the boy. I'm not going to leave him now."
Sirius. Harry smiled weakly.
"Where will you go? Molly's been almost in tears these past few days- "
"He can come to my place," said the last voice, "That's were he's been staying, anyway. Molly and Ron can come visit him anytime they like."
"Molly… knows about me… right?" said Sirius cautiously.
"Yes, she does. She and Ron and I," replied Arthur.
"Then that settles it," by this time Harry had worked out the third voice to be a man he knew named Remus Lupin. "Sirius, take him on Buckbeak. I'll get his stuff and bring it."
"Do you want help?"
"Just gathering it, thank you. I can shrink it and put it in my pocket before I disapparate."
"Harry," said Sirius quietly, "I'm going to have to lift you. Is that all right?"
Harry nodded weakly. He pried his eyes open and met the gaunt, waxy face he knew as his godfather. Worry lines were at the moment crossing his brow. They relaxed when he saw Harry's eyes open.
"It'll be all right," he said, "We're going to get a doctor for you. An old classmate of ours ~ and your parents. She'll come to Remus's so I can stay by your side the whole time."
Harry smiled.
"Thanks," he managed to gasp. He almost automatically began to cough again.
He felt himself rise off the ground into his Sirius's sheltering arms.
"Hush, now," whispered the voice after the terrible coughing had subsided, "Don't say anything ~ good lord, you're burning up with fever ~ just try to sleep."
Harry relaxed. He gave a small, contented sigh, closed his eyes and let himself drift off, safe in Sirius's protective embrace.