Remus came to see Harry later on that evening, but he had no more success at getting anything out of Harry than Andrew had. Remus told him all about the afternoon and the tour around the school that Minerva and Poppy had organised but Harry said not a word. He lay on his back staring at the ceiling for the whole visit.

"Has he been sulking the whole time?" Remus asked when he returned to the Healer's office.

"Yes. He's not said a word since I told him he couldn't go. His last comment to me was "thanks for nothing." That was several hours ago now."

"Give him another day and then get Poppy to talk some sense into him. He did have his heart set on this trip today Andrew, he probably thinks we all betrayed him by agreeing that he couldn't go. He'll come round."

When Remus left Andrew went back out to see Harry. The lung potion he had left was still there, untouched. Checking his watch he realised it was time for evening checks anyway.

"How are you feeling Harry?" he questioned. No response.

"Your lungs are looking a little better. Can you take your shirt off so I can listen to them please?"

Harry didn't move from the position he was in but Andrew knew he was awake.

"Harry I know you're upset that you couldn't go to Hogwarts today but ignoring me isn't going to make it better."

Harry did move then - he turned further away.

"Fine." Andrew flicked his wand and Harry was dressed in only a hospital gown allowing full access to his chest and back.

Finding that he had got hold of the chest infection and the lung potion was doing its job, Andrew turned his attention to the rest of Harry's health. Casting his usual diagnostic charms he found that Harry was suffering a slight headache but nothing else significant. Fetching Harry's potions and adding a headache reliever to them he came around to where Harry was staring.

"Harry there's a headache potion here for you if you wish. The rest are the usual but I'm afraid they're not optional. You have to take them."

These potions were the ones that prevented the crystals in his bloodstream from doing any more damage. The crystals reacted with the potion rather than Harry and without them, Harry could be back to square one quickly.

Harry still said nothing and Andrew decided to be sympathetic. He had denied Harry the trip today after all. He spelled all but the headache potion into Harry's system. If Harry wanted to have a headache then it was his prerogative. Andrew had provided the potion and Harry was old enough and well enough to make his own decisions on non life threatening matters.

He hoped that Harry would stop sulking soon.

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Over the next two days neither Remus nor Andrew could get a word out of Harry. He lay staring at the wall or ceiling all day and paid no attention to the fact he had a visitor. At the end of the second day after the missed memorial, Andrew decided to call Poppy.

"Good evening Poppy" he started.

"Andrew! This is a surprise! Is something wrong with Harry?"

Andrew's head nodded in the fireplace. "I'm sorry to have to ask this, but I need your help. Harry's not talking to anyone and we think that you may be the best to try and knock some sense into him. If you can get some potions in him as well then that would be wonderful."

Poppy gasped. "He's been refusing things? What kind?"

"Lung repair and headache reliefs so far. I've been spelling the others into him, but that's not nearly so effective as if he takes them."

"I'll come right over. Sounds like I have a boy who needs a good talking to."

Poppy went up to Harry as calmly as she could. "Harry?"

Harry jumped at the new voice but did not break his concentration from the wall in front of him.

"Harry it's Poppy. Andrew asked me to come and see if there was anything wrong he could help with."

"No" came the muffled answer.

"No there's nothing wrong, or no he can't help?" Silence again.

Poppy moved around into Harry's view, bodily blocking off his view of the wall. She knelt down and positioned herself so that she was staring him straight in the eye.

"Listen to me Harry. Hogwarts isn't going to go anywhere. You can pay your respects as soon as you have recovered. I know you wanted to be there on the day but you couldn't be. You can't change the past. It's over, done with. It feels good to sulk but you can have to much of a good thing. You need to get on with your life Harry and stop behaving like a spoilt child."

Poppy scrutinised his face for any emotion and found it blank. She just hoped some of what she had said got through to him. Looking up she saw Andrew carrying a tray of potions, now to see if any of that had worked.

"Harry it's time for your potions" she said in her no nonsense tone. If logic didn't work, maybe orders would. "Drink."

Harry gave no sign of acknowledgement.

"Harry James Potter if you do not pull yourself together and drink these, you will not like the consequences."

"You're not my Healer. You can't make me do anything" Harry replied.

"Harry drink the potions" Andrew said sternly.

Harry ignored him.

"Harry if you don't drink them we shall have to force feed you them through your bottom and that is not a comfortable thing" Poppy said.

Andrew vanished and returned a minute later with a plastic tube which he handed to Poppy. He'd used this technique before: show the patient the alternative and offer them the choice of drinking the potion or having it put up their backside. Attitudes changed quickly with that choice.

Poppy held up the tube making sure Harry got a good look at it. It was half a metre long and two centimetres wide.

"You can't do that!" he blurted out, eyes wide.

"Believe it or not Harry, it's one of the best methods if a patient refuses things by mouth" Andrew said.

"But it's huge!"

"Drink your potions and we won't have to."

Harry thought about that but he remained silent for too long.

"Fine have it your way then. Turn over" Andrew said.

A flick of his wand later and Harry was lying on his stomach, his bottom exposed. Poppy and Andrew worked slowly giving Harry time to say something or put his hand out and also giving time for the apprehension to increase. Fear could be a useful game changer.

As Harry felt the tube go in he crumbled. He couldn't take this, it was painful!

"Andrew?" he said quietly.

"Yes Harry?"

"I'll take the potions."

The two healers heaved a sigh of relief.

"Well done Harry."

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After that experience Harry spoke not a word. He drank the potions because Andrew stood there until he had, but he did not speak to him or Poppy or anyone else.

When Andrew went in to check on him just after one lunch time he found Harry's lunch tray still untouched.

"Harry are you ill? Why have you not eaten your lunch?" He pointed his wand to Harry's head to take his temperature but it was normal. As Andrew half-expected, Harry didn't reply.

"Harry you need to keep your strength up. You need to eat. Will you take a nutritive potion instead?" Andrew brought one and left it next to the bed. "Please have some food or the potion Harry."

Harry made no move for either and Andrew sighed. "I will add it onto your evening potions if you do not. You know the consequences of not taking those. However you can avoid that by eating something or telling me why you do not wish to."

Harry stayed silent but did take the potion with good grace in the evening.

Another week passed like this and it was now getting towards the end of May. Harry refused everyone and almost everything and Andrew was really worried. Harry drank his evening potions without a fuss but that was it. He wouldn't talk, he wouldn't eat and Andrew knew that soon nutritive potions would stop working and he would have to resort to a drip if he couldn't get any food in him. Nutritive potions were to supplement, not replace a person's diet.

He'd called in Mind Healers, analysed everything that had happened over the last month and a half, run countless diagnostics to check for physiological influences and still could come up with nothing more than Harry was upset and sulking because of not being able to go to Hogwarts for the memorial. He'd offered trips to the castle since but even that hadn't got a response. Harry just didn't care about anything anymore it appeared.

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Whilst Andrew was analysing Harry and ways he could help him, so was Harry himself. Rather than just the last month though Harry was looking back on the whole war, starting from the time he'd gone to the cave with Dumbledore to retrieve the locket. His self imposed silence meant that he had lots of time to think and relive events, although he was beginning to pick up a more anxious air to Andrew each time the Healer came over to him.

It wasn't that he didn't want to talk - he did. He knew that talking would be the best way to get through it. He just hadn't sorted it out in his head yet, let alone be able to put it into words. The year since the war had been filled with Remus's recovery, the school and getting on with life. He hadn't ever properly grieved for the war victims, instead choosing to ignore that it happened in the hope that it would go away. Now it seemed that that idea was kicking him in the backside - all of the anniversary events had reopened wounds he had forgotten about and all of the pain had come flooding back, just as sharp as it was before. Harry realised that he needed to sort out his thoughts and accept what had happened to him before he could truly move past it.

Unfortunately that wasn't an easy thing to do and always having someone around asking questions, talking or generally just doing something was not making it any easier. He was also still intensely annoyed at having missed the memorial but he was sure Andrew wouldn't understand why it was such a big deal to him. No-one would. Just like no-one knew how it felt to be the saviour, no-one knew how much it took to shoulder that responsibility and no-one knew quite how much pain he endured on each step during that walk through the forest. He knew there could be more trips to Hogwarts but there would never be a first year memorial again and he had been kept from it.

The trip being denied was what sent him over the edge. He truly believed for several days that he wouldn't be able to live his own life even now, that people would always be doing what "was best" for him and that it didn't matter what he said or did because everyone would do what they wanted with him anyway. Once the anger had cleared he realised that that may not be the case, and he could see a little more clearly Andrew's reasons, but he refused to believe that he had been too unwell to attend the memorial.

Harry was jolted from his thoughts by the sounds of approaching footsteps. Looking up he couldn't help but smile at seeing Remus.

"Afternoon Harry. You're looking well today."

"I'm really annoyed at him" Harry whispered. He didn't know why he said that, but it felt right.

The comment was so quiet and unexpected that without his werewolf hearing he would have missed it. Judging by Harry's expression that was entirely intentional.

"At Andrew? Why?" He saw Harry struggling to reply and placed his hand on the younger man's arm. "Take your time. I'll wait" he said.

Harry wanted to hug Remus then and there. This was all he wanted wasn't it? Someone who would give him the time and space to answer and not judge him on what that answer was. Why then did it feel so difficult?

"I couldn't go to the memorial" he said eventually. "And he doesn't give me time to think or explain anything."

"He's just worried about you Harry. We all are. You know that he's thinking he might have to put you on a drip if you don't start eating? If you want control of your life back, you've got to get out of hospital first."

Remus waited to see if Harry would reply, but it appeared he was happy to be quiet again so Remus continued.

"I've just come from Mario's. Minerva was asking whether I thought you'd be able to come to the school opening ceremony. She wanted to ask you herself but Andrew has been particularly awkward this week. It's taken me four days to wear him down enough to say yes! Poppy said that she thought it might be best to postpone opening until after Christmas though given how you are at the moment." Remus wasn't sure why he was blabbing this to Harry, but something was telling him to keep going. "She said it would take four months at least, even if you started fully cooperating tomorrow and there's only three until September. Even then you could probably do with a couple of weeks to get used to being at home first don't you think? Not to mention how reluctant Andrew will be about you going! Minerva really wants you there so we've decided to go for mid January in the hopes that you might be fully recovered by then."

"How much?" Harry whispered.

"Sorry Harry?"

"How much do you want to bet that I can't open my school in September?"

"Oh I don't know Harry. Poppy was very adamant and you have to admit, being a Healer she would know these things. I wouldn't like to rush you and put back your recovery just on a whim."

"How much?"

There was excitement on Harry's face and Remus felt a rush of relief at the return of the old Harry he knew. But to play along or not? He really had no idea how long Harry would take to recover but he did want it to be as quickly as possible. Would this hinder that? An inspired wager he could use flashed across his brain and Remus had his answer. There wasn't a chance he was leaving this one behind.

"Perhaps dinner and a room for two for the winner and Ginny Weasley, paid for by the loser? At any hotel or restaurant the winner wishes." Harry looked at him skeptically. "Oh and I forgot the best bit, the kiss! The winner gets a kiss before and after the meal from the lovely woman as well. It would be wonderful, don't you agree?"

Harry might not admit it but he wanted to take that bet. It would give him a goal, a reason to sort himself out, a reason to get out of here. He really wanted to be involved with the school again. But he needed to sort his thoughts out first.

"Ask me again in a week when I've got my head straight. I'll know then" Harry replied with a slight smile. "But don't tell Andrew any of this. He wouldn't approve!"

"Ok, I won't. Do you want to talk about anything? I've got a few demons from the war as well if it's that."

"Thanks Remus but not right now. I need to sort it all in my head first. Maybe later?"

"Whenever, Harry. Just get Andrew to call me. Would you like to do anything else whilst I'm here?"

"Not really. I'm sorry you've come for so little but I'd really just like to think now if that's alright?"

"Not a problem Harry. I'll see you soon, don't forget about that dinner!"

"Haha I won't. Thankyou for everything Remus."

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"How did it go?" Andrew asked when Remus entered the office.

"Well. We had a very pleasant conversation." Remus's expression along with his emphasis on the word conversation made Andrew think that something important had happened.

"What happened?"

"Not much, we just chatted for a bit." Remus shrugged.

"Chatted? As in dialogue? Harry spoke to you?"

"Yes" Remus replied simply. "He has a mouth and a tongue like everybody else. We chatted about some stuff and then he asked to be left alone for a bit. I think he's beginning to accept that the Battle happened now, but he wants to come to terms with it in his own way and at his own speed. Not being allowed to go to the memorial threw him and he didn't know how to deal with it. He is only eighteen after all."

"Done a damn site more than I had at eighteen though!"

"Yes, but most of it not through choice. He's only learned in this last year that if someone says "jump" he is not obliged to return with "how high?" He will be fine if you just give him some space for a few days. You'll be back to having to remove his chair to keep him in one place before you know it!"

Andrew chuckled. "Well he'd better start eating then!"

"He will do. Once he's sorted his head out and you apologise for making him miss the memorial."

"Me? Why do I need to apologise? He had a chest infection!"

"To Harry it is your fault. You've not seen him enough to know how stubbornly he holds onto ideas he believes are the truth, even if there is evidence to the contrary. Apologise to him and you'll see what I mean."

Andrew looked unconvinced but nodded his head slowly anyway.

"Oh by Merlin's holey socks I should have left nearly ten minutes ago if I want to make this meeting!" Remus suddenly exclaimed to a snort from Andrew. "It was my mother's favourite when we were younger. May I use your floo?"

"Of course."

Once Remus had gone Andrew allowed himself a deep laugh. That exclamation was great, he would have to remember it.