A/N: An ADDICTION, I say.
NEWS FLASH!!! Ya' remember how I always said I'd post on Sunday's and Wednesdays? Well, guess what? P.A.R. has no control over computer problems. (Computer got sick.) I did post as soon as I was able. But just a word of warning for the future. It does happen, folks. Sorry. But look on the bright side of life, Brian. You only have one day to wait until I post again.
Anyhow...., man, I am so in for it from you people. You thought chapter six was short? Chapter seven is going to teach you the meaning of the word. So, how's this? P.A.R. promises a really good chapter eight and no more short ones. Just don't b**** at me anymore, people. Please. I'm sorry. If you like, I can throw in a bunch of meaningless stuff and make it longer. My editor swears I'm good at doing that.
Hermione Gulliver, girl, you're up first this time because you addressed a matter I want to get right to.
People, P.A.R. doesn't write slash. That's not to say P.A.R. would never write slash (Hey, I'm open to requests), or that P.A.R. never has. I'm just saying that it's sort of like a nude dancer coming out on stage and stripping for the first time. You're bound to be nervous about it and it might take a while. But in the end, you either take it all off and make a thousand bucks a night in tips, or you go home broke. But as far as P.A.R. is concerned, the stage lights haven't even come on yet.
What am I saying here, folks? No slash in FEVER. Sorry to disappoint any of you. There is no Severus/Remus slash in this story, I leave that to the master of Severus/Remus slash, Reggibar. Go read his stuff if you need your Severus/Remus fix for the day.
However, is you wish to interpret anything between Snape and Lupin as anything more than, as Hermione Gulliver put it, just 'proper friends', be my guest.
O.K.. Time to jump off the soap box and get on with answering the rest of your review.
Actually, there's a lot of good stories behind Remus being shot. As he told Snape, someday he'd show him the scars.
The bullet would not have killed Remus, since it wasn't silver. No one caught that. As for the bullet (silver or no) inside him hurt? What do you think?
I have nothing to argue about your assessment of Uncle Vernon.
Julianna Black: That was cute. I have to admit, I never thought of that in relation to the scene you described, but it was cute.
I'm sort of frightened now to get flamed by you.
Extremely Sorry Unicorn Whisperer: HeeHeeHee. I should write a story where Lupin actually is the prime suspect. See how you handle that one!
You said Snape turned out too good. Was that a bad thing?
Hang in there. Sirius and Harry are back in this chapter and after chapter eight they pretty much dominate the rest of the story. Enjoy.
Oh, you can come out of your room now. But only if you're really sorry.
Rupert Grint or Ronald Weasley: Ahhh, sorry. But due to the present circumstances, no Ron or Hermione as yet. Why? Because currently Harry is with Sirius, who is in hiding. Harry is also sick and somewhat out of it. Not up to writing letters, in other words. As was he when Sirius took him from the Dursley's. So Ron and Hermione have no idea at present where their friend is.
But I'll see what I can do.
Leandra: At my current pay, after I've paid off the bills for the month, I'm afraid you'd have to make me a loan to pay you off.
Continuity errors. What can you do?
Well, Severus can't do anything to the Dursley's. He promised Remus he wouldn't. So, that does still leave Sirius. And that's all I'm saying for now.
Dumbledore's True Love: She's back!!! P.A.R. is very happy. P.A.R. was afraid she scared you off.
All right, already! It's short! Get over it, people. It happens. *P.A.R. looks over the next chapter.* Oh, look, it happened again.
Testimony, folks, to how much P.A.R. was lacking in time getting Chapter Six up. A bit of history. (Half the reviewers fall asleep. The other half skim down past this part.)
While P.A.R. was writing Family Life, she was pretty darn sure it was R-E-M-E-S. While P.A.R. was looking something up one day, (yes, P.A.R. does do research), she discovered it was R-E-M-U-S. Problem was that not only was this story mostly completed at the time of the discovery, Family Life was thoroughly completed. So, every time Remus came up in either story, P.A.R. had some serious editing to do. While P.A.R. did discover some easy ways to do this, which involved the REPLACE ALL function under the EDIT window, it was still a pain. But P.A.R. got them all done for Family Life. But when P.A.R. got to FEVER, she said 'no way am I doing that again, I'll just edit them as I put them up'. P.A.R. forgot in Chapter Six. Hence, you got R-E-M-E-S instead of R-E-M-U-S. And I'm not swearing you won't see it again.
I hope you feel better now, by the way. When I realized the error after posting it up, I cringed. I couldn't believe I forgot to edit that part.
Anyway, glad to have you back.
Kiara Black: Let me asked you something. You're reading Family Life, and you're past the birthday chapters. Did you like them? I get comments on everything but them,(well, that and Snape's girlfriend. You're gonna see her again, by the way.) I'm just curious.
Anyway, I'll have to look for the specific review and the story it was attached to and let you know next time. This was not one of my stories. It was a review you did for someone elses story. (Traitor!) You made a comment in it and I was just wondering. If it was aimed at me, then all I can say is 'Awwwwwwwwwwwww. Thank you!'.
And 'THANK YOU!!!!' for saying I'm entitled to short chapters. There are kind, understanding people in the world. Thank you, kind, understanding person.
Aziraphale: Go back and check my response to Lotesse on Chapter Five. I think 'not killing Remus' is in the rules somewhere for writing Harry Potter Fanfictions. Not many people are brave enough to kill him off. It causes mass rioting and civil unrest.
Yes, yes. I know. R-E-M-U-S, not R-E-M-E-S. Go read Dumbledore's True Love's answer. She noted the same thing. There is a reason for it.
LadySaturn: Caffeine is bad for you. Go drink a 7-UP. Or better yet, a Mountain Dew. Come on, if you're going to be bad, be BAD!
Silverfox: Actually, I have no interest in getting rid of Fudge. Every story needs at least one village idiot in a place of power.
It shows no restraint at all on Sirius' part. It shows he doesn't know yet! (Really! Black----restraint? Why don't those words go together?)
Wolf Of Solitude: THAT'S the best I get!? A moldy old chicken bone! You did not learn from Unicorn Whisperer's mistakes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here we go!
BAD Wolf Of Solitude! BAD! BAD! Giving the author a moldy chicken bone!!! Go to your room!!!!! Go on!!!!!! Go!
Oh, and I'll take that chicken bone, by the way. Just leave it on the counter on your way out.
Now go on! Off to your room! AND NO SUPPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Glad not killing off Remus so far pleased you. (Of course, he's still in surgery and people are still running up to the betting window on this one.)
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Thank you! What high praise! I'm glad you like the Severus/Remus relationship. It's a little twisted. Definitely complicated, as later chapters will show. The hardest part is keeping it on track and trying to keep the characters as 'in-character' as I can while getting the story to go where I want it to. But you write. You know about this stuff.
Sirius' reaction to Remus' being shot is coming up later. Hang in there.
What about Harry? That's coming up as well.
VMR: Thank you.
Ostia: Thank you! Your review was lovely. I'm glad you like the story. So far most everyone likes the interaction between Sirius and his godson. However, I have had a few unfavorable reactions to the Severus/Remus relationship. (Not here, folks. Somewhere else. Don't worry.) People feel this is a very unlikely friendship. I disagree. I think it's the most likely one of all.
She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named: O.K.. In order.
Yup!
Nope!
Most likely.
Currently I am not seeking a Beta-reader. But I'll keep you in mind.
Sorry about you and the OP table. But at least you can keep Remus company. (Now, is that all that bad a situation, I ask you!?)
Hayleyhedwig11: All right! All right! Here you go! Calm down.
Lin-z: Thank you. I appreciate the review. While you're waiting, go read Family Life. That would keep anyone busy for a few months. And I'd love more reviews on it.
Marie Potter: I will. Right to the end. Thank you.
To all who asked and I had no answer at the time. Fever is currently twelve chapters long.
Answers are to reviews as of 12102001.
On with the story.
Chapter Seven: The Cure
Snape returned straight to the castle and, after a brief meeting with Dumbledore in his office to explain what had happened at the Dursley's and to let him know where Lupin was, had quickly retired to his dungeons. Back in the peaceful seclusion he was most comfortable in, Snape immediately set about working to try and find what poison had been used on Harry.
Several hours later Snape finally collapsed into the large wing-backed chair in his private rooms, smiling to himself in satisfaction. Voldemort was getting more clever, that was true. But he had yet to come up with a plan that involved potions that Snape couldn't crack.
But the smile quickly faded into a frown. 'Clever' wasn't exactly the word for this one. 'Insidious', as he had suggested to Lupin before, was much closer to the truth. But at least now they knew for sure what the poison was and what it did. But at the moment Snape had no idea how they were going to fight it. He sat for several minutes pondering the effects of the poison.
Effects.
Snape leapt to his feet.
Black was giving the boy fever reducing potions practically every other hour.
Snape ran from the dungeons, headed for the infirmary.
Sitting next to Harry's side, where he had spent the last several days, Sirius lifted Harry in his arms as he prepared to give him the fever reducing potion once again. He frowned slightly at how pale and haggard looking Harry had gotten, and how light he felt now in his arms. Dark lashes rested over the pale skin of his face. Only a slight discoloration remained now of the bruises. Madam Pomfrey had worked wonders on repairing most of the damage that madman uncle of his had inflicted on the helpless teenager.
Sirius carefully lifted a cup of the fever reducing potion to his godson's lips. Thankfully, Sirius thought, it was taking less and less effort each time to get Harry to take the potion. And it did work. At least initially. It didn't seem to fight the fever for more than a few minutes at best. But Sirius reasoned that even a few minutes was better than none at all. And each time the potion seemed to fight the fever a little longer.
Carefully he nudged the cup against Harry's lips. His godson made the usual protest, trying to turn his head away to avoid the potion going into his mouth. But slowly, a bit of it past his lips.
But just as Sirius was tilting the cup a bit more, he suddenly found it slapped out of his hand.
The cup landed with a loud clatter, the contents spilling out across the floor.
Sirius looked up to see Snape standing next to him, breathing heavily.
"Have you lost your mind completely now?" Sirius hissed at him, trying to keep his voice down so as not to disturb Harry. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Trying to save your miserable godson's life." Snape replied, matching Sirius tone.
"What are you babbling about? That was the fever reducing potion we've been giving Harry for days now."
"And it might as well be poison to the boy, Black."
"Severus?" Dumbledore asked coming into the infirmary. "I take it you've been successful in identifying the poison then?"
Snape turned his attention to the Headmaster. "The boy was most definitely poisoned. While we were at the muggles house we found a bag of cookies, as I told you, Headmaster."
Dumbledore nodded.
"The cookies contained Carvera, a very rare poison. It works by reversing the effects of any potion given to the victim."
"Reversing?" Sirius asked, staring at Snape, then turning slowly to the spilled potion seeping across the floor.
"Yes." Snape sneered at him. "Every time you've given the boy fever reducing potion, the poison has turned it into a potion that will cause fevers instead."
Sirius turned back to Snape, staring at him in disbelief.
"What has happened every time you gave Potter some of the fever reducing potion, Black?"
Sirius thought for a moment, the shook his head. He hadn't been poisoning his godson.
"This is impossible. You've made some mistake. The potions did work, Snape. The fever returned, but they did work. The fever stayed away a little longer each time." Sirius looked about for support in his conclusions. "Where's Remus? He went with you. What does he say about this lunacy?"
Without hesitation Dumbledore spoke up. "Remus is checking Severus' conclusion about the poison against some old text in the library, Sirius. Seeing if the described effects are what we're seeing in Harry."
"I want to hear what Remus has to say on this." Sirius stated, staring fixedly at Snape, challenging his position on the matter.
Snape's irritation was clearly evident in his expression. "That may be a while, Black." He stated, a small smile creeping across his features. "You see, Lupin...." But Snape faltered, catching Dumbledore's stare from behind Sirius, which was very pointed. Snape took a breath and sighed quietly. "You know how thorough the werewolf likes to be. Especially if there's a chance in it for him to prove me wrong. He'll have his head buried in a stack of books for days, second guessing every one of my conclusions. And in the end, he'll reach the same ones."
Sirius stared up at Snape, his fear growing by the second. "If the poison isn't stopped," he asked in a quiet tone, "what will it do to him?"
"Eventually?" Snape replied, looking as solemn as Sirius had every seen the man. "The poison will kill him."
Sirius turned back to Harry, a worried expression on his tired face. "Then what do we do?"
"We have to think of a way to beat the poison without harming the boy." Snape replied.
"But surely there's a cure for this poison?"
Snape paused, thinking. "I don't recall one off hand. But I'll have to check a few books. In the meantime," he added, "don't give the boy anything but water and food if he'll eat it. He needs to build back his strength as much as he can."
Sirius nodded silently as he watched Dumbledore and Snape leave the infirmary. Slowly he turned his attention back to his godson. For days he thought he had been doing everything he could for Harry. Instead he had been slowly helping the poison to do it's work.
"I am so sorry, Harry." He whispered, gently brushing the dampened hair off the boy's forehead. "I haven't done very well as a godfather, have I? Couldn't even protect you from this."
Harry simply moaned softly in his sleep and curled back up in Sirius arms. A small contented smile crept across his lips as he wrapped his hand about the sleeve of Sirius robe.
Sirius sighed quietly to himself and pulled Harry tighter into his embrace.
"We'll find the answer, Harry." He promised. "I swear to you, we'll find the answer."
