A/N Sorry this took so long, but I went to the beach, and couldn't type it... I did write the chapter outlines though. (Riding in a car for six hours is really inspirering for some reason.)
A/N2 Don't have illusions of getting a tan when your skin is naturally pale.
A/N3 Thanks to those who reviewed! *Dances* To the people who asked about a mailing list, there isn't one, but if enough people ask for one, there can be. To people who think Harry has appendicitus... well, he did origionally, but then I changed the whole plot of the story... but the stomach thing is important, so don't forget about it.
A/N4 Reviews are appriciated (hint, hint)
A/N5 Enough with the A/N's and on with the story!
Chapter Two
Sirius and Remus stared at the two redheads in disbelief.
"What are you doing here?" Remus finally asked.
"Checking on Harry. Arthur replied. I see you've beat us to it."
Mrs. Weasley stared at the slight figure in Sirius's arms.
"Is that Harry?" She whispered.
Sirius and Remus nodded.
Mrs. Weasley paled, and came over to examine him, while Remus explained what had been going on.
"…We're taking him back to my home, and contacting Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore, why don't you come with us, I'm sure Harry will be glad to see you when he wakes up." Remus finished.
The two Weasleys nodded, and together, the group apparated to Remus's home in Manchester.
Remus's house was a small split-level cottage, hidden away from the road, with few neighbors in sight. The was a sturdy red barn in the large back yard, which Remus used during the times he couldn't obtain the wolfsbane potion.
As the group walked up the front steps, Mrs. Weasley admired the neatly kept garden and yard, and then mentally shook herself. This was no time to be marvel at flowers and grass.
When Sirius got inside, he gently laid Harry down on the nearest couch and covered him with a blanket, and sat down next to him. The paler Harry grew, the more worried Sirius became. He wished Harry could wake up, and wondered, with a note of panic, what the Dursley's had done to him.
Sirius felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up into the kind eyes of Arthur Weasley.
"Molly's just called on Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore. They should be here soon. In the meantime, he said briskly, try not to wind yourself up into too much of a panic. It won't do Harry any good to have you in St. Mungo's, recovering from a heart attack."
Sirius smiled faintly, but didn't move from his place beside Harry.
Ten minutes later, Madam Pomfrey and Albus Dumbledore arrived in the kitchen with a pop.
"What's he got into now?" Madam Pomfrey asked bustling into the front room. "Another quidditch accident I suppose."
"Poppy, it's the middle of the night. I don't think Harry was playing quidditch." Dumbledore said calmly, before Sirius broke in.
"No." He said glaring angrily at the mediwitch, "It was that horrible muggle!"
"What Sirius is trying to say, is that we think Harry's uncle did this." Remus said Indicating to the form huddled on the couch. "Neither Sirius, or any of Harry's friends had gotten any owls from him all summer, which is very unusual for him. Then, He sent his owl to Ron Weasley's house and asked him to take care of her for the rest of the summer- so everyone suspected something was wrong with Harry, then Dumbledore took down the ward around his house, and Sirius and I went to check on him."
"Then, when we got there, he wasn't looking good at all, so, we decided to bring him back here, but on the way to the apparation point, he started feeling really sick, and practically passed out."
Sirius looked up. "We think he might have appendicitis. He's acting just like Lily, when she had it."
"Oh dear." Madam Pomfrey murmured, looking out Harry. "I'd better get to work then. Alone she finished pointedly.
The Weasleys, Dumbledore, Sirius, and Remus reluctantly went into the kitchen to wait. Suddenly, Dumbledore turned to the Weasley, and amused smile playing around his eyes.
"I imagine you two gave Sirius and Remus quite a shock when they met up with you?"
Mrs. Weasley looked abashed. "We thought they were death eaters at first."
"We thought you were death eaters too! And it didn't help when you tried to curse us." Sirius exclaimed. "By the way, you never really explained why you two were on Privet Drive."
"Ron begged us for days to do something- ever since Hedwig came. Finally he threatened to run away and get Harry himself. By that time we were getting worried about Harry ourselves, so we decided to check up on him." Mr. Weasley explained.
Dumbledore chuckled, but was interrupted when Madam Pomfrey stuck her head in the doorway.
"You can come back in the room now, I'm done with my exam, but he's not awake yet."
Sirius stood up quickly. "Is he going to be ok?" He asked.
The mediwitch sighed, and then sat down at the table, looking tired.
"Well, he has four broken ribs, a slight concussion, severe malnutrition, and a fever, but I'm not sure what it's from yet, and is generally pretty bruised. I was able to fix most of it, but he'll be sore for a few days, and his strength will have to be built back up."
"What about his stomach?" Remus asked.
"Must have been from the lack of food, because I did a magical scan on him, and didn't detect appendicitis."
"That's a relief. Mrs. Weasley sighed. "I could just kill those Dursley's. I always knew they were trouble."
"Harry never actually admitted, that it was them." Remus cautioned. "But, I'd go on a date with Snape if it wasn't."
Everyone snorted at the thought. Then Sirius, who had been positively howling with laughter, stopped and pricked his ears up.
"I think I heard something in there." He said pointing to the adjacent room.
Everyone turned toward the front room. Suddenly, they heard a rustling sound, and a muffled moan.
The group rushed into the room to find Harry trying to get off the couch.
Madam Pomfrey was in her element. "Harry Potter, get back on that couch right now!" She ordered.
Sirius helped a sheepish looking Harry back onto the couch.
"How're you feeling?" He asked.
Harry shrugged, "I'm ok."
Sirius raised his eyebrows and gave Harry a look that very sarcastically stated, "Right, you look up to running a marathon right now." But before anyone could comment on this, Madam Pomfrey looked at the clock and exclaimed,
"Look at the time! I'd better be getting back to the hospital wing- Severus should be back from his meeting soon… it's nearly 5:00AM. I'll leave Harry some strengthening potions in the kitchen, which he should take twice a day, for the next week." With that, she turned on her heel, strode into the kitchen, and disapparated.
Sirius turned back to Harry, who was starting to drift off again, and brushed the hair off his forehead.
"Go back to sleep, Harry, we'll be here when you wake up." He said softly, before Harry fell back into an uneasy sleep.
***************************
Back in the kitchen, Remus and Dumbledore were talking quietly, having just finished saying goodbye to the Weasley's, who had disapparated to the Burrow.
"Ah, Sirius, we were just talking about Harry's living situation." He said, when Sirius walked in.
"Where's he going to live? Obviously he can't go back to his relatives."
"If Harry wants to, we were thinking that he could live here, with us. I know he'd love to be around you, Sirius, and since you've taken over my house…" Remus broke off smiling.
"Hey! You said you didn't mind me living here for awhile." Sirius exclaimed indignantly.
Dumbledore cleared his throat, and interrupted the playfully bickering marauders. "Boys, back to the subject, please."
Remus laughed. "Anyway, I would love to have Harry here too, so if it's alright with him, he'll stay here for the rest of the summer."
"In that case, we will have to set up some protection wards around the house, like at the Dursley's." Dumbledore explained. "And keep in mind Harry's state of mind, things have been hard on him, he may be… different." He finished cryptically.
"What exactly do you mean?"
"We'll see, I'm not even sure… we should just be aware of Harry's emotional needs right now." Dumbledore explained.
Remus and Sirius looked at each other, still not positive about what Dumbledore was talking about, but they knew they would never get a straight answer out of him when he was in one of his cryptic moods.
"I'd better leave too." Dumbledore said. "I have an appointment with Severus in a few hours." The old wizard stood up, stretched, then disapparated.
After drinking a strong cup of tea, Remus went upstairs to take a shower, and to try and get some sleep, but Sirius went back into the front room to watch over his godson. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep after everything that had happened during the night- and he was too guilty and worried about Harry.
He couldn't believe no one had noticed the abuse before. Thinking about it made Sirius want to smash something. Harry had already been through so much; didn't life ever cut him a break?
The thought made Sirius determined to be a better godfather to Harry, and to be there for him.
Meanwhile on the couch, Harry shifted on the couch. He hadn't fallen back to sleep, since waking up in Remus's house. He was to busy thinking over things. He was, of course, grateful that Sirius and Remus had rescued him from the Dursley's, but a part of him wondered why. He knew he didn't deserve to live in peace after what he did to Cedric, and the rest of the world, by letting Voldemort resurrect. Harry knew in his heart that he deserved his uncle's punishments, and a small part of him wished that Sirius and Remus had left him at the Dursley's.
A/N2 Don't have illusions of getting a tan when your skin is naturally pale.
A/N3 Thanks to those who reviewed! *Dances* To the people who asked about a mailing list, there isn't one, but if enough people ask for one, there can be. To people who think Harry has appendicitus... well, he did origionally, but then I changed the whole plot of the story... but the stomach thing is important, so don't forget about it.
A/N4 Reviews are appriciated (hint, hint)
A/N5 Enough with the A/N's and on with the story!
Chapter Two
Sirius and Remus stared at the two redheads in disbelief.
"What are you doing here?" Remus finally asked.
"Checking on Harry. Arthur replied. I see you've beat us to it."
Mrs. Weasley stared at the slight figure in Sirius's arms.
"Is that Harry?" She whispered.
Sirius and Remus nodded.
Mrs. Weasley paled, and came over to examine him, while Remus explained what had been going on.
"…We're taking him back to my home, and contacting Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore, why don't you come with us, I'm sure Harry will be glad to see you when he wakes up." Remus finished.
The two Weasleys nodded, and together, the group apparated to Remus's home in Manchester.
Remus's house was a small split-level cottage, hidden away from the road, with few neighbors in sight. The was a sturdy red barn in the large back yard, which Remus used during the times he couldn't obtain the wolfsbane potion.
As the group walked up the front steps, Mrs. Weasley admired the neatly kept garden and yard, and then mentally shook herself. This was no time to be marvel at flowers and grass.
When Sirius got inside, he gently laid Harry down on the nearest couch and covered him with a blanket, and sat down next to him. The paler Harry grew, the more worried Sirius became. He wished Harry could wake up, and wondered, with a note of panic, what the Dursley's had done to him.
Sirius felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up into the kind eyes of Arthur Weasley.
"Molly's just called on Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore. They should be here soon. In the meantime, he said briskly, try not to wind yourself up into too much of a panic. It won't do Harry any good to have you in St. Mungo's, recovering from a heart attack."
Sirius smiled faintly, but didn't move from his place beside Harry.
Ten minutes later, Madam Pomfrey and Albus Dumbledore arrived in the kitchen with a pop.
"What's he got into now?" Madam Pomfrey asked bustling into the front room. "Another quidditch accident I suppose."
"Poppy, it's the middle of the night. I don't think Harry was playing quidditch." Dumbledore said calmly, before Sirius broke in.
"No." He said glaring angrily at the mediwitch, "It was that horrible muggle!"
"What Sirius is trying to say, is that we think Harry's uncle did this." Remus said Indicating to the form huddled on the couch. "Neither Sirius, or any of Harry's friends had gotten any owls from him all summer, which is very unusual for him. Then, He sent his owl to Ron Weasley's house and asked him to take care of her for the rest of the summer- so everyone suspected something was wrong with Harry, then Dumbledore took down the ward around his house, and Sirius and I went to check on him."
"Then, when we got there, he wasn't looking good at all, so, we decided to bring him back here, but on the way to the apparation point, he started feeling really sick, and practically passed out."
Sirius looked up. "We think he might have appendicitis. He's acting just like Lily, when she had it."
"Oh dear." Madam Pomfrey murmured, looking out Harry. "I'd better get to work then. Alone she finished pointedly.
The Weasleys, Dumbledore, Sirius, and Remus reluctantly went into the kitchen to wait. Suddenly, Dumbledore turned to the Weasley, and amused smile playing around his eyes.
"I imagine you two gave Sirius and Remus quite a shock when they met up with you?"
Mrs. Weasley looked abashed. "We thought they were death eaters at first."
"We thought you were death eaters too! And it didn't help when you tried to curse us." Sirius exclaimed. "By the way, you never really explained why you two were on Privet Drive."
"Ron begged us for days to do something- ever since Hedwig came. Finally he threatened to run away and get Harry himself. By that time we were getting worried about Harry ourselves, so we decided to check up on him." Mr. Weasley explained.
Dumbledore chuckled, but was interrupted when Madam Pomfrey stuck her head in the doorway.
"You can come back in the room now, I'm done with my exam, but he's not awake yet."
Sirius stood up quickly. "Is he going to be ok?" He asked.
The mediwitch sighed, and then sat down at the table, looking tired.
"Well, he has four broken ribs, a slight concussion, severe malnutrition, and a fever, but I'm not sure what it's from yet, and is generally pretty bruised. I was able to fix most of it, but he'll be sore for a few days, and his strength will have to be built back up."
"What about his stomach?" Remus asked.
"Must have been from the lack of food, because I did a magical scan on him, and didn't detect appendicitis."
"That's a relief. Mrs. Weasley sighed. "I could just kill those Dursley's. I always knew they were trouble."
"Harry never actually admitted, that it was them." Remus cautioned. "But, I'd go on a date with Snape if it wasn't."
Everyone snorted at the thought. Then Sirius, who had been positively howling with laughter, stopped and pricked his ears up.
"I think I heard something in there." He said pointing to the adjacent room.
Everyone turned toward the front room. Suddenly, they heard a rustling sound, and a muffled moan.
The group rushed into the room to find Harry trying to get off the couch.
Madam Pomfrey was in her element. "Harry Potter, get back on that couch right now!" She ordered.
Sirius helped a sheepish looking Harry back onto the couch.
"How're you feeling?" He asked.
Harry shrugged, "I'm ok."
Sirius raised his eyebrows and gave Harry a look that very sarcastically stated, "Right, you look up to running a marathon right now." But before anyone could comment on this, Madam Pomfrey looked at the clock and exclaimed,
"Look at the time! I'd better be getting back to the hospital wing- Severus should be back from his meeting soon… it's nearly 5:00AM. I'll leave Harry some strengthening potions in the kitchen, which he should take twice a day, for the next week." With that, she turned on her heel, strode into the kitchen, and disapparated.
Sirius turned back to Harry, who was starting to drift off again, and brushed the hair off his forehead.
"Go back to sleep, Harry, we'll be here when you wake up." He said softly, before Harry fell back into an uneasy sleep.
***************************
Back in the kitchen, Remus and Dumbledore were talking quietly, having just finished saying goodbye to the Weasley's, who had disapparated to the Burrow.
"Ah, Sirius, we were just talking about Harry's living situation." He said, when Sirius walked in.
"Where's he going to live? Obviously he can't go back to his relatives."
"If Harry wants to, we were thinking that he could live here, with us. I know he'd love to be around you, Sirius, and since you've taken over my house…" Remus broke off smiling.
"Hey! You said you didn't mind me living here for awhile." Sirius exclaimed indignantly.
Dumbledore cleared his throat, and interrupted the playfully bickering marauders. "Boys, back to the subject, please."
Remus laughed. "Anyway, I would love to have Harry here too, so if it's alright with him, he'll stay here for the rest of the summer."
"In that case, we will have to set up some protection wards around the house, like at the Dursley's." Dumbledore explained. "And keep in mind Harry's state of mind, things have been hard on him, he may be… different." He finished cryptically.
"What exactly do you mean?"
"We'll see, I'm not even sure… we should just be aware of Harry's emotional needs right now." Dumbledore explained.
Remus and Sirius looked at each other, still not positive about what Dumbledore was talking about, but they knew they would never get a straight answer out of him when he was in one of his cryptic moods.
"I'd better leave too." Dumbledore said. "I have an appointment with Severus in a few hours." The old wizard stood up, stretched, then disapparated.
After drinking a strong cup of tea, Remus went upstairs to take a shower, and to try and get some sleep, but Sirius went back into the front room to watch over his godson. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep after everything that had happened during the night- and he was too guilty and worried about Harry.
He couldn't believe no one had noticed the abuse before. Thinking about it made Sirius want to smash something. Harry had already been through so much; didn't life ever cut him a break?
The thought made Sirius determined to be a better godfather to Harry, and to be there for him.
Meanwhile on the couch, Harry shifted on the couch. He hadn't fallen back to sleep, since waking up in Remus's house. He was to busy thinking over things. He was, of course, grateful that Sirius and Remus had rescued him from the Dursley's, but a part of him wondered why. He knew he didn't deserve to live in peace after what he did to Cedric, and the rest of the world, by letting Voldemort resurrect. Harry knew in his heart that he deserved his uncle's punishments, and a small part of him wished that Sirius and Remus had left him at the Dursley's.