A/N: Thanks reviewers, I love my reviews so much! From this point on I think the chapters get progressively longer as I get into the flow of it. Well, minimal author's blabbing this chap, on with the story!

CHAPTER 5- BURNED

Feeling weak and tired, Harry fell asleep on the table and was awoken fifteen minutes later by the sound of a door swinging shut heavily. He groggily looked towards the sound of footsteps entering the room. The sight he was met with was not at all what he expected.

"Aagh!" he yelled, sitting up straight and wide-eyed, staring at his former professor in shock.

Remus Lupin was standing at the kitchen doorway, absolutely soaking, and caked with mud. Harry could tell as much from the wet smell, the sound of dripping on the kitchen tiles and the fact that Remus' blurred figure was spattered with large brown blurs. He held what looked to be half of Harry's beloved broomstick in his right hand. Despite all this, the one thing that was completely un-missable was that half of Remus left arm was missing from the elbow down.

"Wh-wha… you… arm…" Harry spluttered in horror.

Remus looked slightly puzzled at Harry's reaction. He looked down at himself. Then, oddly enough, he grinned. He looked back at Harry who was still wide-eyed with shock, and started chuckling.

"I found your cloak," he said, laughing and tossing the muddy invisibility cloak onto the table, revealing underneath it a notably whole arm and an equally whole broom.

Harry too started laughing when he finally figured out what was going on. He noted in his amusement that he had never heard Remus laugh before. It was a good sound, and it was that sound alone which had managed to bring a smile to Harry's face.

"Oh," said Remus, wiping a tear of mirth from his eye. "You should have seen your face!"

Harry just grinned. It seemed that the awkward moment only a short while ago was already forgotten. On further thought, Harry wasn't sure whether that was a good or a bad thing, but it was enough to wipe the smile from his face.

Remus was also looking sombre again and he muttered a cleaning and a drying spell at both Harry's belongings and himself.

"Repairo," he said, handing Harry a familiar item. "Your glasses."

"Thanks," said Harry, but as he reached up to put them on, a terrible pain ripped through his arm and he cried out. Remus was by his side in a second, kneeling beside Harry who was still sitting in the kitchen chair.

"What's wrong? Is it your arm? It looked pretty bad when I put the bandages on…" he said, wincing at the memory.

"N-no, it's fine, I mean I couldn't move it at all yesterday."

The statement did nothing to placate Remus, it only seemed to make him more worried.

"Here," he said, closing his hand over Harry's own, though only to take the glasses from them. He reached up towards Harry's face and gently placed his glasses on, staring into the green eyes as he did so.

Harry couldn't help the small intake of breath as suddenly Remus came into completely clear focus. He could see the worried look, the shadows under his light golden eyes, the eyes themselves that drew Harry in completely. /Completely beautiful/ he thought. And the man's hand was still lingering on the side of Harry's face, as Remus gazed back.

Remus moved his hand against the warmth of Harry's skin, moving it further back and gently cupping the side of his face, fingers lacing through the raven hair.

Then Remus drew his hand away, and Harry let out the breath he had been holding. No different than last time.

"One minute," The older man said, looking not at Harry but at the floor, and he stood and hurried out the room.

Harry closed his eyes. He couldn't do this. He knew he would feel the same way every time Remus was near.

Surprisingly, Remus came back quickly, carrying another potion and his muggle first aid kit. He drew up a char beside Harry and placed the items on the table, though still not looking at him.

"Right, I'm just going to… see how you're healing up," his tone was forced and businesslike, and Harry didn't like it.

"Yes sir," he replied bitterly, and didn't notice the hurt expression on Remus' face.

"Umm, drink this, another healing potion. And I'm gonna… take the bandages off."

Harry nodded distractedly, picking up the potion with his good arm and drinking it down quickly. He tried not to notice Remus hands on him and round him as they worked to take the bandages off. Instead he found himself wondering if he had looked anything like an Egyptian mummy as more and more bandages came off.

"How does it look?" Harry asked once Remus' hands had not returned. He wasn't vain, he just wanted to know if there was any lasting damage.

"Looks good," Remus breathed, and Harry felt hands on his skin once more, sending a tingle through him and he shuddered. Remus seemed to come to his senses and coughed. "I-I mean it looks alright. Your arm still needs some healing, and you have a few scars-"

Harry groaned. More scars, great. But then he suddenly thought of something. If the scars were bad then people would notice, and he really didn't want people to know. Remus seemed to read his mind and spoke again.

"Oh they aren't bad, you only have a few," he said quickly, and seemed to have dropped his attempt at a professional façade. "Well you have one here," Remus gently brushed his fingers against a tender-feeling area above Harry's left Temple, where his hair would usually hide it.

"And here," he continued, bringing his hand down further and touching below the right shoulder. Remus' touch was sending tingles through Harry once more.

"And here," he barely whispered, bringing his hand down further still to brush against the right of Harry's stomach. This time Harry couldn't repress the shiver but Remus didn't seem to notice.

"They aren't bad, they'll barely be noticeable by the time the healing potion has taken effect, and the others will have completely disappeared."

Harry captured Remus' hand in his own before he could draw it completely away. He looked into his eyes again, and Remus looked back. He willed Remus not to pull away this time, with everything he had in him.

Remus pulled his hand away, and Harry felt his heart break. Three times burned… He lowered his head so Remus would not see the slight wetness of his eyes.

"Harry," Remus sighed. "You… you can't stay here."

"W-wha?" Harry spluttered. Had he ruined everything?

"I should make arrangements for you to stay somewhere else,"

"You're sending me away? Because of… Why? Please, you can't!" Harry was almost begging now. Remus looked torn apart.

"The full moon is tonight, it's too dangerous," Remus said shakily.

"Dangerous?" Harry asked, his voice rising. "What do you mean by dangerous? Considering the Dursleys' was my safe haven I don't really think there's much to be said about matters of danger!"

"Harry, I'm a werewolf!"

"I don't care! That never bothered me before, why would it bother me now? I'll stay inside while you transform, you can go outside on the moor or whatever it is you do…" Harry pleaded. "You have your wolfsbane potion, you're not going to hurt me!"

Remus winced, and then the look on his face suggested to Harry that that was entirely the wrong thing to say. But the look was not one of sadness, or hurt, it was one Harry would never have associated with the usually mild mannered man- one of anger. But still when he spoke it was with deathly calm.

 "I suppose you think that's all there is to it. Well I don't know what I expected, after all you are just a child."

Remus walked out, and Harry was left sitting in shock, a comment never having hurt him so much as the one that was just uttered.

Elsewhere, having walked out the room, unknown to Harry, the only anger Remus was feeling was towards himself.

A/N: Eep! Complications… Well can anyone guess what the stuff there is to it is that Remus is referring to? Anyway tell me what you think, suggest stuff, ask questions etc. Same as usual- want to know what happens next? REVIEW! :)