A/N: I'm back! Yup, here's another chapter. 100 reviews guys? THAT'S AMAZING! Thank you so much! I never thought I'd get this much response for this story! Sorry I made you wait so long for this chapter! It's here now! I hope you like it! It sort of wraps things up here so we can move on to the next hurtle.

Harry twisted in his blankets, clawing at the tentacle-like grip they had around him. He was too hot. His skin felt like it was burning. The dark room (Mrs. Weasley had drawn the curtains) disoriented his foggy brain and he felt rather ill. Confused images swam in front of his eyes, carrying over form fevered dreams. Flashes of green light and someone calling his name in a dark forest… other things he couldn't recognize or remember, but which left his heart pounding. And then suddenly there was nothing underneath him and he was falling, smacking into the ground with a thud, still tangled in blankets.

"Harry? Harry!"

Someone was beside him, trying to pick him up, and Harry thought he could hear the thundering footfalls of his uncle or that high cackling voice that haunted his nightmares, and he struggled all the harder. One of his knees came up and smacked him in the mouth, his flailing hand scraped against the underside of his bed. A shadowy figure loomed over him.

"Harry! Calm down, it's alright."

The voice was soothing and familiar and something in it made him stop fighting. Harry lay limply on the hard wooden floor, tangled in sheets and panting hard.

"It's alright," the voice was saying and suddenly Harry realized that it was Remus who knelt beside him.

Cautiously, Remus scooped Harry up and lifted him back onto the bed. Harry whimpered softly as the movement rubbed his pajamas over the welts Mrs. Weasley had smeared that stingy paste over. He wished she hadn't. They hurt ten times worse with that on them. He felt Remus push his bangs back and lay a cold hand on his forehead. Harry shivered hard at the cold touch and Remus pulled the blankets back onto the bed and tucked them around Harry again. Then he sat down on the edge of the mattress.

"How do you feel?" Remus asked.

Harry considered the question. Right now how he felt was to hot and too cold and too achy and too tired to explain it all, so he stayed quiet, gazing blearily up at Remus in the dim light from the hallway.

"Are you thirsty?"

Remus raised his wand and a few seconds later a cup soared through the open door and into his hand, but Harry was too disoriented to marvel at the magic. Another flick and the cup was full of water. Remus helped Harry sit up and held the cup to his lips. The water was delicious and Harry lapped at it eagerly, until he inhaled some of it right into his lungs and started coughing. Remus set the cup down, and grabbed a tissue to wipe away the water that had spilled down Harry's chin and chest.

"Let's try again," Remus coaxed as he helped Harry slide back down in bed. "How do you feel? Hot, cold, hungry, sick?"

Harry shrugged. All of it really. He just wanted to go back to sleep. Sleep made it all go away, that was one thing Harry knew better than anything. Sleep made it all go away.

"Tired," he mumbled.

"You probably will be very tired for a while," Remus nodded. "But I've got to keep waking you up so you can eat and drink and so I can take your temperature."

Harry barely heard him. His eyes were already drifting shut, confused visions swirling in his mind. He rolled over and pulled the sheets up over his head, and Remus got up off the bed. But something was off. Harry couldn't tell what it was, but it made him uneasy. He rolled back over, breathing hard as the welts all over his body seared. Then he realized what it was and struggled against the sheets to sit up. Helios wasn't on his bed like always was, yowling and making Harry sneeze five-hundred times before he could fall asleep.

"What's the matter?" Remus asked worriedly, turning quickly back to the bed.

"He-Helios," Harry panted, "Where is he?"

He wasn't sure why, but suddenly it seemed very important. He was worried

Remus pushed Harry gently back down and left his hand lightly on the boy's shoulder.

"Helios is fine," he assured him soothingly.

"But what's going to happen to him?" Harry insisted breathlessly.

"I thought Mrs. Figg might like to take him," Remus explained.

"Oh," Harry choked. He could not explain the tears that were suddenly slipping down his cheeks. He wasn't going to miss Helios and Helios wasn't going to miss him and he was extremely relieved that it was the cat that was going and not him, but still the tears streamed.

"Hey, it's okay," Remus soothed, sitting back down on the bed and pulling Harry into his arms. "Helios will like going to Mrs. Figg's, and we can even go visit once in a while if you miss him so much."

Harry shook his head, sniffling as more tears cascaded down his cheeks. "I – I'm S-sor-ry," he hiccoughed.

"Whatever for?" Remus asked, looking down at him in bewilderment.

"Y-you ha-have to give your c-cat away – because of – because of me," Harry sobbed, his little body shaking violently in Remus's arms.

"Oh Harry," said Remus, smiling sadly and tightening his grip on the little boy. "It's okay. Shh… It's okay. It's not your fault."

"But it is," Harry sniffled miserably, running the back of his hand under his streaming nose. "It's because of m-me that he-he's got to go away."

"Is it your fault that he makes you sick?" Remus asked, tipping Harry's face up to look into his swimming eyes. "Hmm? Is it?"

"N-no. I guess not," Harry mumbled.

"Exactly. Having him in this house makes you ill, and your health comes first, understand?" Remus said firmly, but gently. "He'll be fine with Mrs. Figg. Don't you worry about that. You just worry about feeling better, alright?"

"Alright," Harry repeated obediently.

Remus plucked a tissue from the box beside Harry's bed and wiped the tears off his face with it, then handed Harry another one for his nose, which didn't seem to want to stop running.

"There now. Think you can get some sleep?" he asked, helping Harry slide back under the covers.

Harry's eyes were closed before the words were out of Remus's mouth.

XxXxX

Remus woke Harry up around noon to make him eat some soup. It was challenge. Harry didn't want to eat anything was so exhausted that Remus had to hold him upright and spoon the soup into his mouth like he'd had to do when Harry was a baby.

The rest of the day Remus spent cleaning as quietly as he could. He was amazed at how much cat hair there was everywhere and was surprised Harry had been able to breathe at all with it all floating around.

Helios was not thrilled about being stuck outside and spent a great deal of time yowling at the backdoor until Remus, afraid he'd keep Harry awake, put a silencing charm on him. Helios shot a furious glare up at Remus and disappeared into the brush after that.

Around five in the evening, Remus was pulled from his work by a small, horse voice calling his name from upstairs. Leaving the couch cushions he'd been cleaning scattered on the floor, Remus hurried up to Harry's bedroom.

"What's up?" he asked, pushing the door wide.

"I feel yucky," Harry mumbled, moaning softly as Remus sat down on the edge of his mattress and his stomach swooped with the movement.

Remus was instantly anxious. He lay a hand on Harry's sweaty forehead, frowning at how hot it was.

"What kind of yucky?" Remus asked with concern.

"My tummy…" Harry groaned, breathing in quick little gasps. The room spun dizzyingly.

Remus reached over and turned the lamp on to get a better look at him and Harry whimpered at the bright light. A moment later he rolled to the edge of the mattress and retched.

"I'm sorry," Harry choked, trying to sit up and casting scared looks at Remus.

"It's alright," he murmured, rubbing soothing circles into Harry's back.

Remus vanished the sick with a flick of his wand and helped Harry sit up against the pillows. Then he handed him the cup of water from the bedside table and instructed him just to rinse his mouth and not to swallow, summoning a basin for Harry to spit into. He raised his wand to Harry's temple and muttered "Therma Revelio"

Harry flinched away from the luminescent red numbers that hovered an inch above his brow, blinking at them dazedly as they dispersed into nothing.

"101.7" Remus muttered, worriedly feeling Harry's forehead again. "I think we better get Molly."

XxXxX

Mrs. Weasley bent over Harry, a hand on his forehead and crease between her eyes. It was nearly nine o'clock. Harry had drifted in and out of sleep, staying coherent just long enough to take a few swallows of water only to be sick a half hour later. His fever wavered, going down a few points of a degree only to creep back up again. He couldn't hold down any of the potions Mrs. Weasley gave him for very long.

He had finally slipped back into sleep for the moment, and Mrs. Weasley straightened up. Remus stepped forward from where he'd been hovering against the wall, looking very worried.

"Is he – "

Mrs. Weasley put a finger to her lips and ushered him out of the dimly lit bedroom, leaving the door cracked so they could hear Harry's heavy breathing.

"What's wrong with him?" Remus asked in a hush.

"I've told you," Mrs. Weasley said patiently. "It's just side effects from the healing I had to do. There might have been deeper damage than I thought and it's just hard on his body, that's all."

"But you said he shouldn't have gotten sick like that," Remus objected, pushing the door a little wider so he could see Harry's pale, drawn face against the pillow.

"Well, things were a bit worse than I expected, but as long as we keep a close eye on him, he'll be fine," Mrs. Weasley said calmly.

"He can't even keep water down," Remus pressed. He'd been growing more and more anxious by the hour, more than a little freaked out by his first real glimpse of an ill child. It was scary. Yes, Remus Lupin, werewolf and veteran of the last war, admitted that seeing Harry so sick so suddenly was one of the scariest things he'd ever faced. It was just that the little boy was so… well, little. And Remus was the one responsible for him, and he couldn't do anything to make him better.

"Children take fevers hard, but they get over it quickly," Mrs. Weasley told him. "So long as you keep a close eye on it. Ron got the flu just before Halloween and he couldn't hold anything down for three days, but then the fever broke and he was fine by the next morning. Give it a little time. If he's still this sick this time tomorrow or if he gets much worse, we'll send for a mediwitch."

"Alright, alright," Remus agreed, taking a calming breath. "I suppose you ought to be heading home," he added, glancing at the hall clock with regret and more than a little fear.

"Yes, I ought to," Mrs. Weasley agreed. "Ginny's a handful to put to bed when I'm not around to tuck her in and Ronnie was in tears from the twins when I got home this morning. You'll be fine, Remus," she added comfortingly, patting him on the shoulder. "Just do what we've been doing all evening. Stay with him until the fever breaks. Either sleep in his room or bring him into yours."

"Right," Remus mumbled.

"He'll be alright. They're tougher than you think," Mrs. Weasley said bracingly. "And if you need anything, send for me. Don't worry about the time."

XxXxX

The night passed in a haze. Remus didn't sleep at all. He sat beside Harry's bed, checking his temperature and whipping his face with a cool cloth. Harry woke up every hour or so, sometimes mumbling or whimpering form fevered dreams. Remus spooned water into his mouth like Mrs. Weasley had instructed and sometimes he held it down, sometimes he didn't.

Sometime around three in the morning Harry woke up crying, the healing welts were hurting him so much from all the tossing and turning. Remus pulled up his pajama sleeves and found a few of the worse ones looking bloody. He found some gauze in the bathroom and bandaged them as best he could, using the paste Mrs. Weasley had left.

It wasn't until the sky had begun to lighten that Harry fell into a heavy sleep and Remus was able to doze.

XxXxX

"Remus?"

The hoarse whisper jerked him awake in a second. Bright morning light blazed through the curtains, making them glow brightly. Harry's eyes were open, and he was looking at him intently from where he lay on the bed.

"Harry," Remus croaked, sliding off the chair he'd pulled over to kneel at the edge of the mattress. "How do you feel? Any better?"

Harry shrugged, tentatively pushing himself up on his elbows. Remus raised the basin beside him questioningly and Harry shook his head, swallowing. "Not sick," he muttered. "Just funny."

"Well, that's an improvement over yucky," Remus said lightly, pushing back Harry's damp bangs to feel his brow. "Your fevers gone down," he said, amazed by how casual his voice sounded when waves of relief were washing over him. "Think you can handle a little water?"

Harry nodded and lapped thirstily at the water in the cup Remus held to his lips.

"Easy there," Remus smiled, pulling the cup away after a minute. "Let's see how you do with that for now."

Harry pushed himself up into a sitting position, staring around the room dazedly, as if he hadn't seen it before.

"How does the rest of you feel?" Remus asked cautiously.

Harry blinked and looked down at himself. "Alright," he said, but Remus didn't miss the wince when he ran a hand over his chest.

"Are you sure?"

The little boy shrugged.

Remus carefully unbuttoned his pajama shirt to look at the injuries himself. He sagged with relief when he saw the fading bruises that had, only a day ago, been dark and black. The welts were receding into thin, white scars, as well, although they still looked painful.

"Much better," he said, smiling at Harry. "Of course we'll wait until Molly gives her final opinion, but I'd say you'll be right as rain in no time."

Mrs. Weasley came back around midmorning to check on Harry. She was very pleased to find him sitting up, sipping juice and even happier to find the bruises fading fast.

"You'll be up and running around and wearing Remus out in no time," she told him, dropping a kiss on the top of his head. "But you gave us quite the scare last night, young man. You were awfully sick."

"I was?" Harry asked quietly, glancing shyly up at the woman.

"Oh yes. We were awfully worried about you. But you're doing much better now. And why don't we try to keep it that way, hmm? You'll have to stay in bed until tomorrow morning, I think, but after that you can get up if you've got the energy."

Mrs. Weasley stayed a little longer, talking to Harry as she redid the bandages on his arms. Harry didn't talk much. His eyes were already drooping by the time Mrs. Weasley finished.

"You just get yourself some sleep, now, dear," she said gently, tucking the blankets back around him. "I'll be back to check on you tomorrow, so mind you rest up."

XxXxX

Harry's fever broke for good that evening. He managed to keep down some dinner, and Remus managed to catch up on his sleep while Harry slept soundly, though he dragged a camp bed out of the closet and slept on the floor of Harry's bedroom rather than going into his own room.

The next morning, Mrs. Weasley pulled off Harry's pajama shirt to reveal only pale scars left to mark his skin. It was by no means a happy sight, but both she and Remus were exceptionally glad to see it.

"I can get out of bed now, right?" Harry asked timidly.

"Yes, love, you most certainly can," Mrs. Weasley said, giving him a watery sort of smile.

Harry spent most of the day on the couch, sleeping or looking at picture books, still lacking energy or much of an appetite. Remus sat with him, reading to him or playing games of I-spy (something Harry had never played before and was thrilled with) to pass the time.

Remus was surprised how happy he was just to see the little boy smiling and looking not quite so pale.

"Remus?" Harry said hesitantly that afternoon.

"Hm?"

"Can I ask you something? Did – did you stay with me when I was sick? All night?"

Harry looked embarrassed at the question, a faint pink rising in his cheeks.

"Of course," Remus smiled. "Like Mrs. Weasley said, we were worried about you."

"Did you sleep in that chair?" Harry asked quietly.

"Sort of. I didn't get a lot of sleep, but neither did you."

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered. "For being so much trouble."

"You're no trouble at all!" Remus exclaimed, though being careful to keep his voice soft. "You've nothing to apologize for, Harry. I was glad to do it. That's what adults are supposed to do when children are sick; take care of them."

Harry nodded.

"Thanks," he whispered, throwing a look at Remus. He shifted on the sofa as if he wanted to nestle into Remus's side or something, but stayed where he was, carefully apart from Remus, shoulders hunched and head down.

"You're very welcome," Remus told him kindly, pulling Harry onto his lap.

A/N: What did you think? I used degrees F, I know. It should be Celsius. I could have converted it, but I'd already had Mrs. Weasley say in the last chapter "if his fever gets above a hundred" so I figured I ought to be consistent. Just consider it the 'Americanized' version. Sorry!

Well, now we can more or less move on to resuming ordinary life. That is, falling into routine with work and school and things. Now I have a very important question. When Harry starts going to school, I've been wondering if he should meet one of his muggle-born classmates, like Hermione or Dean. I know what I think about it, but I just thought I'd see what you all think. It doesn't necessarily mean that he would be friends with them, but I wondered if you might like to see a young Hermione since the Weasleys will eventually all come into the story. Just an idea. Please let me know what you think!