Title: Rain

Author: Jillian Knight (The Wolf of Were)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Summary: After Harry's fifth year, he's just spiraling downwards. He needs help, but where does one "mother-hen" owl turn to? No slash.

Reaching her destination fifteen minutes before her estimated time, Hedwig was quite pleased with herself. She flew though an old open window and looked around the vacant room. She landed on the back of a chair and waited. The owl needed to find her boy's protector quickly so she would not have to bother with all those strange other people. She wanted the protector, and by Phoenix, that was the only person she would accept.

Waiting in the large room was not a good idea, Hedwig did not like the idea of all those strange humans she did not know waking up her boy and taking him off in the middle of the night, like they did last year. One person was quite enough to fetch her boy, especially when he was ill.

Gracefully, similar to a swan, Hedwig flew back out the window and into the dark, drizzly night. She began her flight to the backside of the huge building where the sleeping quarters were. Pulling the memories of coming to and from this place forward in her mind, the large snowy owl instinctively knew that the fourth window to the left was the entrance to the room where the protector slept.

And there the protector was, sitting at his desk engrossed over the last letter she had brought him a week ago. Graying strands of hair fell over his face, causing Remus Lupin to look even older than he actually was. Harry was usually never late with his letters. The boy knew that the Order had requested him send letters ever so often. He did comply with this, sending a letter three days of each other. Hedwig knew that her boy was over a week late with a letter, and that the last two letters her boy had written had been short and seemed more apathetic.

Hating the feeling of being ignored by the man so long, she hooted from her spot on the owl perch that stood beside the desk. The young werewolf flinched slightly in his seat at the surprise, and looked up at the source of the noise.

"Hedwig," he breathed, "you startled me there, girl. I was beginning to become worried that Harry was—" the man stopped mid-sentence, his eyes locked on Hedwig's once white breasts. He lifted his hand; his mouth still opened in complete shock, and lightly fingered the drying blood on the owl.

Hedwig turned towards the window and hooted. When the werewolf did nothing except stare at the bird and fumble around with something in his desk drawer, Hedwig lifted her wings and began flying towards the window.

"No! Don't leave yet," Remus said quickly, the owl stopped on the windowsill and looked at her boy's protector questionably. The werewolf paused for a moment, his eyes locked with the owl's eyes. "Did a wizard to that—" The man spoke quietly, pointing at the drying blood.

Hedwig turned her head, citing 'no.' She watched as the man took a great sign of relief.

"I'll get him myself then, Hedwig," Remus stated, while patting his robe pocket. The large owl swooped off the window and landed on the man's arm. She showed her appreciation by hooting in a way that sounded much like a song. "Whatever's going down there at the Dursley's must be horrible; stay here and give yourself a bath. Merlin knows how upset Harry will be if he thinks you're hurt." With a flick of his wand, a small basin of water appeared for Hedwig to bathe in.

Hedwig watched as the protector pulled out a silvery cloth (like the one her boy sometimes used) and a yellow rubber ducky that her placed quickly into his other pocket. He turned to his desk and quickly wrote and sealed a letter.

"I'll be going now, and once you get done cleaning off, take this letter to Madam Pomfrey." Hedwig's eyes lit up, she knew this woman. She was the only one that had ever taken care of Harry. The owl hooted in appliance. Hedwig liked that woman, always fussed over her boy like the way she wanted to, but the woman never ignored her other owlets.

Quickly, not to upset her boy's protector, she began preening her bloodied feathers with the water. He smiled weakly at her, and with a swish of his cloak, the man had vanished.

He appeared again, only seconds later, right in front of Number Four. The sky was pitch black now, the stars shinning like little pinpricks in the night sky.

With a whisper and a flick of his wand, the front door cracked open, and the werewolf entered the house silently. Scanning around the house, Remus knew that the Dursleys would not be a problem, Mr. and Mrs. Dursleys were already ready for bed, and their son was in his room watching television. Using the same spell that opened the first door, the werewolf opened the small cupboard under the stairs.

"Typical," he whispered. The wizard had a feeling Dursley would try this stunt again. Harry's belongings were once again shoved in this small place. The stupid muggles were always doing something to hinder the poor boy. The huge truck that filled the cupboard suddenly began to shrink to the size of a small acubus. He pocketed the item and moved up the stairs to get Harry.

Harry was still in the same position sleeping as when Hedwig had left him, the only difference being that that his sleeping head was laying on his knees. Remus sat down on the bed beside Harry and looked the boy over for any obvious injuries. The werewolf was extremely relieved that Harry was not injured; he would personally wake up Dursley and give him the talk that the wolf inside him wanted to give him when Remus had seen him earlier that month.

Remus could not sense any other magic besides Harry and himself. "Harry, Harry, come on Harry; it's time to wake up." The werewolf whispered gently. Placing a hand on the teenager's shoulder to wake him, Remus could feel the heat emitting from the sick boy.

All Harry did, if he truly did anything when Remus touched him, was let out a weak moan and leaned into the werewolf's touch. It was only then that Remus was fully aware of the tremors running through Harry's body.

Before he would forgot, Remus quickly shrunk Hedwig's cage, levitated it to him, and placed it in the same pocket where the truck was. Harry was now leaning against Remus' shoulder, looking half his own age.

Remus wrapped a forgotten blanket around the sick boy. Shifting his weight, Remus gently placed his arms behind the boy's back and under his knees and lifted him carefully into his lap. Harry did not weigh much, which concerned the werewolf even more.

Looking down at the child's vulnerable position, Remus' eyes softened at the sight of Harry. The boy's eyes were rimmed red, by products of tears and sickness, and his face was unnaturally pale, even more accentuated by his black hair. The werewolf smiled down as Harry moved closer into his side. The adult wizard could tell that the younger one was starved, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

It was getting late, the clock beside Harry's bed read was two hours fast, but Remus knew the time. Remus sighed and slipped Harry's glasses into his tattered robe pocket and slowly stood.

Remus heard Harry mumble something, but paid no attention. Harry was running a high fever, and with high fevers, sometimes the ill would make delusional comments and sometimes go into delusional fits.

The werewolf slowly made his way out of the normal, boring house, and into the dark, rainy street. He stopped and pulled out the rubber ducky that he had brought with him from Number 12, Grimmuald Place. It was tricky, balancing the sick boy in his arms, and getting out the rubber ducky.

With a blink of an eye, Remus and Harry was gone. The portkey took them back to Number Twelve right into Remus' bedroom.

He laid Harry onto his bed. Hedwig was gone, he knew that she had hurried. He moved quickly into the bathroom, picking up the basin bowl along the way. Grabbing a towel from the linen closet, Remus spelled it wet and set it to cool temperature.

Remus paused at the doorway into the main room of his bedroom, he noticed the movements Harry had made. When he had originally laid Harry down, it had been on his back. Now the boy laid on his stomach, curled up in a small position. The blanket was thrown off him, and was laying on the floor by the bed.

Stripping Harry of his ratty shirt and baggy pants and letting him lay their in his tattered boxers, the werewolf began formally checking the boy over before Poppy came.

Like as he first checked at Number Four, Harry was not injured. But, that did not hide the fact that he was sick.

"Harry, Harry, wake up now," Remus said as he turned the boy over. Harry let out a little groan, and turned back towards the bed, tucking his head down.

Remus lifted Harry from the bed and onto his lap, and began wiping Harry's face and neck with the cloth. Slowly two green eyes opened. They closed quickly, and the werewolf used his wand to sent the lights to a lower level of brightness.

"Moony?"

Author's Note: Well, this chapter was definitely harder to write that the first. I'm so sorry that took so long, but at the last minute, I had to change it! You see, I had originally planed that if no one figured out that Remus was the one that Hedwig went to in help, I was going to make it sound like Dumbledore, or one of the other older characters was going to fetch Harry. But luckily to Ohio Grl-HP Fan, I decided to put Remus in from the beginning of the chapter! And good think too, this chapter would have been really weird and confusing... trust me, I had one of my friends read it during American History and he beta-ed it for me. Thanks to all that reviewed, and please send more! I did so bad this week, I already broke my fanfiction promise... But, please forgive me, I'll try harder! See if you can guys can guess what'll happen next!

Love,

Jilly (Wolfy)

P.S.: Please Review!