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Chapter 8Harry woke the next morning fairly early, despite the lateness and fatigue of the night before. He crawled out of bed and dressed quietly so as not to wake Ron, who was snoring into the wall. Harry was pleased to note that while he was still rather groggy, his body seemed to be functioning normally again, and the tiredness was normal for mornings, not excessive.
He washed up and made his way down to the kitchen, unsure if anyone else would be up at this hour. It was only eight, so not too terribly early, but the clock had said sometime after four when he'd fallen asleep the previous night. He wouldn't be surprised if everyone slept till noon.
The sight of Mrs. Weasley sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and reading the paper made Harry smile. He'd known that if anyone was up, it would have been the Weasley matriarch.
She looked up at him with some sort of 'mum-sense' he thought, because he hadn't made a sound. She frowned, "You should be in bed, sweetheart."
Harry shook his head, "No, I want to get back to the hospital and make sure everything is ok there. I was a little out of sorts last night, and I want to make sure all the blasted paperwork is correct so Remus gets proper care."
Mrs. Weasley had a sad, but proud, look on her face. "You shouldn't have to deal with all that. Why don't we call Albus, I'm sure he can take care of that for you. In fact, he probably already has." She stopped for a minute and seemed to be debating whether to say her next words. "You nearly dropped from exhaustion last night, and you've barely had three hours of sleep. You mustn't neglect your own health in your worry."
Harry looked at the floor, "I know, Mrs. Weasley, but I have to go. I have to be sure he's really there and alright. Last night was such a blur. I just need some time with him. I promise I'll lie down later for a while. I won't over do it. Thanks for everything, Mrs. Weasley."
After nearly a minute of thinking about his words, she finally nodded. "Good day, dear," she said with a hug. She looked like she wanted to make him stay, but she understood that he had to go. Whether or not he wanted the responsibility, right now he was in charge of Remus's care, and he would make sure he got the best of it.
Harry Flooed home to get a quick shower and change of clothes. He decided to have some toast as well when his stomach started to dance. He took a small sip of an anti-nausea potion and ate two pieces of toast. He decided that would have to be enough for now.
Harry walked up to the Welcome Witch and asked if Remus had been moved. He was still in the room from the previous night, so Harry was able to get there without asking for directions. He passed Hestia Jones standing guard outside the room with a wave and a nod.
When he entered Remus's room, there was a man in a lime green uniform bent over the bed with his wand out. Harry had to suppress the urge to disarm the healer. He had to keep reminding himself that the man wasn't hurting but helping his father-figure.
The man turned around with a pleasant smile. "Hello, Mr. Potter. I am Healer Tigs. I'll be looking after Mr. Lupin until he is well enough to be released."
Harry's heart lifted at that statement. The healer believed Remus would live and recuperate. Harry smiled back, "Thank you. How is he?"
"In all honesty, he is much better than I would have predicted at this stage. We often underestimate the healing advantages of lycanthropes. I guess if you wanted to find a positive side to their curse, that would be one. I expect, at this rate, he will wake sometime today. However, I don't want you to be overly-concerned if he does not. Some patients stay unconscious much longer into the healing process. We'll just have to wait and see what Mr. Lupin does. Do you have any questions?"
"Well, I'd like to get the administrative part out of the way. Are all of his documents filled out, and everything else taken care of in that aspect?"
The healer looked slightly surprised. "My, but you are a grown up young man, aren't you. Yes, I believe Albus Dumbledore has taken charge of all of that, as well as becoming Mr. Lupin's sponsor."
Harry nodded. That made sense, since Remus was on official Order business when he was taken. "I didn't have a lot of choice in growing up early," Harry muttered in response. "So, can I stay here for a while?" he asked hopefully.
"Of course, Mr. Potter. If you need anything, the nurses are just down the hall, or tap the red brick with your wand for emergencies. I'm afraid I have other patients to see to, but I will be around if needed. It was nice to meet you," he said with a nod and walked out.
Harry pulled up a chair and held Remus's hand in his own. Remus's was so cold. It was summertime. He shouldn't be so cold. So, Harry tried to warm it with his own hands. He began talking to Remus, rambling about everything from N.E.W.T.s to his new dog, Simon. He didn't talk about fighting Voldemort, though. He didn't want to bring up any of the violence that had shadowed their lives for so long.
Soon, it was noon, and Tonks came in with long, flowing turquoise hair. Harry just shook his head. He didn't know how anyone could look good in half the colors she used every day, but somehow she could manage it.
"Hi, Tonks. I like the hair. It has a certain aquatic feel to it. Can I add some fish?"
"I think not, Mr. Potter. The squid has already demanded admittance to my head, so there will be no room for fish." Harry laughed at her strange sense of humor. She gave him a hug and smiled softly, "How are you holding up?"
"Me? I'm fine. The Healer, ah, Tigs said Remus was going to be ok. He said he might even wake up today, but not to worry if he doesn't. He was impressed with how fast Remus was healing."
"That's our Moony," said Tonks quietly.
"How are you doing? You were up late last night, too, if I remember correctly."
"Yep, but at least I slept in like any sane witch," she teased.
"Well, I'm not a witch, so I can get up when I want."
"Kid, you're so sleep deprived you're not even making sense. Although, I'm hard-pressed to find a difference from the norm with you."
Harry couldn't think properly to form a response, so he changed the subject. "Did Mrs. Weasley send you here to check up on me?"
"No, I was coming to see Remus. Checking on you was just an added bonus to my visit." She winked. "Do you need anything? Want to go grab something to eat?"
Harry hesitated. He didn't want to leave Remus, but he was hungry and could do with a walk after sitting so long.
Tonks seemed to see the argument on his face. "Look, Bill is on watch, now. He won't let anything happen. You know that."
Harry put a mock-confused look on his face. "Which Bill is that? The one you said looked like 'a supremely wrapped specimen of wizard worthy of all of your attentions'? Or the curse breaker that could 'break into your vault anytime'?"
Harry laughed when she glared and lunged at him. "You're gonna get it, Potter. That's it, no more Ms. Nice-Tonks. And where did you learn to speak so inappropriately?"
"I don't know. I seem to recall a certain metamorphmagus making inappropriate comments about certain Order members. Can't for the life of me think who it was, though. Damn."
"Prat. It's not my fault that the Weasleys are such a fine looking family. Too bad they're my third cousins twice removed or something like that."
"Er, Tonks, that's probably far enough removed to be acceptable," said Harry.
"Maybe to some, but just knowing we're related really puts me off them entirely. Speaking of good looking Weasleys, I heard you and Ginny were caught snogging on the kitchen table at the Burrow."
"What?!" Harry exclaimed. "Where did you hear that? It's not true!"
"Not sure. I might have made it up," she said with a glint in her eye.
"You're cruel."
She just laughed. "You should have seen your face, though. But seriously," she said after she'd settled her laughs somewhat. "It's about time you two got together. I'm happy for you."
"Er, thanks, I suppose," Harry smiled. He wasn't sure if this was another joke or not, but when no more was said he smiled even wider.
They left Remus's room in search of food. On the way out the door, Bill called, "Tonks, you're pretty sexy for a third cousin twice removed, too." They all burst out laughing in the hallway, earning sharp glares from nurses around them.
After Harry and Tonks finished lunch, they went back down to Remus's room, and Tonks got ready to leave. She had to report into work that afternoon. She'd been given the morning off because of the previous night.
That reminded Harry of the Three Broomsticks. "Oh no! I have to get going soon too," he muttered.
"Why's that?" she asked.
"I have to work tonight. I completely forgot with everything going on."
"I'm sure Rosie would let you have the day off, Harry. There's bound to be little business tonight, it's a Tuesday. Want me to fill her in on the story before I go to work?"
Harry thought about it. "Will you get in trouble for being late?"
"Nah, I was told to come in around one or two, nothing specific. It's only a quarter after one now; I have plenty of time."
"I guess, if you're sure… If she needs me, tell her she can just call someone here to get me. Will that be ok?"
"I'm sure it'll be fine, Harry. See ya!"
"Bye!"
Harry was dozing in the stiff chair near Remus's bed when a chilled, rough hand squeezed his fingers weakly. His eyes popped open, and he sat up on the edge of the chair.
"Remus?" he breathed when he looked into the amber-brown eyes staring at him.
Remus gave him a small smile. "Good to see you, Harry," he whispered, then coughed faintly.
Harry smiled with tears in his eyes. "It's good to see you too." He swallowed a few times, trying to withhold the flood of emotions welling up in his chest. He leaned over and hugged Remus as tightly as he dared and murmured, "I thought I'd lost you."
Remus hugged him back as well as he could and rubbed light circles on Harry's back. He needed this, the reassurance that Remus was truly back and going to be ok. He pulled himself back together and sat up, still holding the man's hand.
"How are you feeling?"
"Much better than I remember," he grimaced. "How did I get here?"
"I brought you," was Harry's short reply. He looked down at their joined hands. Remus brought up his other hand and turned Harry's head to face him again.
"What happened?" he asked gently but firmly.
Harry closed his eyes for a few moments. There was too much to explain. So much had happened in the last eight weeks. What should he say?
"You've been missing for about eight weeks. I found you last night. It's July, er, twelfth, I think. Are you sure you want to hear about this? Maybe I should call the healer…" He didn't want to think about all that had happened, not right now. He just wanted to be with Remus.
"Harry, it's ok. I need to know what happened, but if you're not ready to talk about it, that's fine. Come here," he motioned Harry forward into another hug. Harry felt so young and overwhelmed being hugged by his long-missing father-figure.
A few small sobs broke through, and he was shaking, but the fragile arms around him were comforting. He could feel tears falling out of his eyes, but he didn't try to stop them. He just held on to Remus and silently cried for Merlin knows how long. Harry hadn't realized until the man woke up just how much his absence, and possible death, had crushed him. He had cried a few times, alone, at night, but never like this. He was glad Remus didn't say anything, just held him until he stopped.
Harry pulled away and wiped his eyes with a nearby tissue. He looked up with bloodshot eyes and said, "I got your shirt wet." He pointed to a small wet patch where he'd been crying.
Remus smiled, and Harry could tell by his eyes that he'd been crying too. "It's not made of sugar, so I think it's ok."
Harry puffed out a laugh. He wanted to keep the conversation light, and he thought of Ginny. "You were right."
"About what?"
"Ginny," Harry said simply with a small smile.
Remus grinned. "Finally figured out you like her?"
Harry nodded with a blush. "I told her the other night… I thought she was going to yell at me or something." He smiled wider. "She just kissed me instead."
Remus laughed. "I knew you had that Gryffindor courage somewhere in there when it came to her."
"I told Mr. Weasley and her brothers last night… actually, when I was waiting to hear about you." Harry stopped and his face darkened as he remembered the fear of almost losing the man before him. He shook it off and continued. "They were all ok with it. I thought they would kill me! They're always so overprotective of her. Wait, you don't think they're plotting in secret, do you?"
Remus laughed. "I don't know a Weasley that wouldn't speak his mind to your face, Harry. Well, I'm glad to hear that your love life is taking off. Do we need to have a certain talk?" he asked with a slight smirk. Harry blushed and shook his head frantically.
Remus closed his eyes for a moment and took a few deep breaths. Harry could tell he was in pain, and cursed himself for not getting the healer as soon as Remus awoke.
"I'll be right back, just hold on, ok?"
Remus nodded and kept taking slow, steady breaths.
Harry found Healer Tigs signing some forms at the nurses' desk.
"Healer Tigs, Remus is awake. He's in pain."
The middle-aged man looked at him slightly surprised. "He's awake already?"
"Actually, sir, he's been up for a little while… I-I didn't want to leave him right away." The healer nodded with an understanding look on his face.
They found Remus just as Harry had left him. Harry hated seeing the man in pain. If he could switch places with him, he would in an instant, even if it meant spending more time as a patient, which he strongly disliked.
"Hello, Mr. Lupin. I must say I'm a bit surprised that you're already awake. I'm going to give you a pain numbing potion. It will likely make you drowsy, so don't try to fight sleep if you feel it."
Remus nodded, "Thank you." A few seconds later, the pained look lessened, and Remus started to look sleepy. "Harry, you should go home and get some rest. I'll be fine here. You can come back later, but you look like you haven't slept in days."
Harry looked down guiltily, "I don't want to leave you, but Mrs. Weasley did make me promise to get some rest…"
"Mr. Potter, you may lie down on the other bed if you wish. I believe Albus Dumbledore has designated this as a private room unless needed," Healer Tigs informed them.
Harry smiled gratefully. "Thank you again, sir."
The healer smiled. "You don't have to call me 'sir,' Mr. Potter. You can call me simply 'Tigs' if you wish."
"Thanks, call me 'Harry.'"
"And me, 'Remus,'" said the man in the bed.
The healer nodded. "Get some sleep, both of you, and I'll see you later."
Harry made sure Remus was comfortable and didn't need anything before climbing into bed himself. He was asleep as soon as he pulled the blanket over himself.
.
He awoke to voices nearby, happy and quiet. After swimming through the darkness a little longer, he concluded that they belonged to Remus and Tonks. He smiled, filled with joy over having his guardian back. He stretched and yawned the remaining tiredness out and rolled out of bed.
"Hey, sleepy head," said Remus with a fond smile.
"Mornin'," Harry replied with another yawn.
Remus and Tonks chuckled, and the witch said, "it's eight in the evening, kid. You want some supper?"
Harry shrugged. "I'd rather just stay here."
Tonks sighed severely. "Fine, if you must be so difficult," she grumbled, but Harry could see the humor in her face. "Rosie sent some food with me for you." She pointed to a plate on the table next to the bed.
"Oh. So she didn't mind that I didn't show up today?" Harry asked.
"No, of course not. She said not to come back until you're ready. She's cleared you for the rest of the week, unless you feel like you can go back. You can have as long as you need."
Harry nodded without saying anything, as his mouth was filled with potatoes. He was glad that he wasn't needed at Honeydukes until the following week. He had a feeling of guilt as he thought about the orphans at the children's home. He didn't want them to think he was abandoning them. He wondered if he should go in the next day and explain things. Then he realized that he was extremely fortunate in having Remus. The kids in the home were there because they had no one else. This only caused him to feel more guilty. Not guilty that Remus was alive and getting well, but guilty for having something he wasn't sure he deserved.
"Harry," Remus said sternly, interrupting his thought pattern. "What are you thinking about?" he asked in a tone that prevented dishonest answers.
Harry swallowed. "I've been visiting a children's home, orphans from the war. I just noticed how lucky I am to have you…" he trailed off.
"And," Remus prompted.
Harry closed his eyes with his head bowed. "And… I don't deserve to have you when they don't have anyone, not after what I've done."
"Harry, you deserve every happiness in the world, muggle or magical. And you're stuck with me, so you might as well not dwell on whether you deserve me or not. You have me. I'm not going anywhere."
Harry nodded, not wanting to speak. His eyes were still closed and his fingers were fiddling with the hem of his shirt. He jumped when a hand squeezed his shoulder. He looked up to find Tonks' caring eyes and sad smile.
"Should we fill him in on the past couple months?" she asked.
Harry nodded hesitantly. He still didn't want to talk about it, but Tonks would help, and Remus would be there when he needed him. He settled into his chair a little more and held a cup of tea in his hands.
"After you were taken, I had a vision. I don't know if it was the same day you were captured or if you'd been held for a while before the vision, since you were on a mission and no one knew you'd been caught. At first I thought it was another trick, like with S-Sirius," he choked. "I ran to Professor Dumbledore's office. He couldn't contact you. He was waiting up for Professor Snape, who'd been summoned. When he finally got back, he said that Voldemort had you. He wasn't told where you were being taken, because you know he wasn't really trusted then." Remus nodded. Snape had been falling out of favor with the Dark Lord in the last few months of his attempted accent to power.
"I didn't see enough in my vision to know where you were. All we could do was wait, but Professor Snape didn't get called again until almost a week later. Voldemort and his Death Eaters attacked Hogsmeade on their way to Hogwarts. They never made it past the gates of the school, but the village was pretty badly demolished. It's been fixed up now, though…" he trailed off. He had to force his thoughts away from the memories and try to focus on the facts. "It was a huge battle… The older students wanted to help. I had them stand guard just inside the gates as a sort of last defense, and also to keep the younger students from getting out."
Harry took a drink of tea and was embarrassed to see his hands were shaking. He put the cold cup down on the table and pressed his hands to his eyes before looking at Tonks. She nodded slightly and began speaking.
"The aurors were called early enough to get there and attack from behind, while the professors and some other Order members were fighting Death Eaters in front of the school gates. I didn't know Harry was out there until everything was over. I didn't know Voldemort was there either for that matter. We just kept fighting the Death Eaters, hoping for reinforcements. Finally, we got a break, no more help, but the Death Eaters all fell to the ground screaming. That was when we figured out something must have happened with Harry and Voldemort. I didn't know if it was good or bad though. The scary part was that Albus didn't know either. I could see it on his face. He found Snape and talked to him for a few minutes. By the time his pain let up, we had all the other Death Eaters stunned and bound, ready to take into custody.
"I saw Snape lift his sleeve, and he smiled. Weirdest thing I've ever seen, but it happened! Snape smiled!" she joked. "Albus and everyone else was relieved. We knew what it meant. The mark was gone, so Voldemort must have been gone, but we had no idea where he or Harry had been fighting.
"Hermione turned up with Hedwig. I swear that girl is too smart to be only seventeen years old! She put a tracking spell on Hedwig and told her to find Harry.
"She didn't have to go far. You know that cave outside Hogsmeade?" It was the cave Sirius had stayed in during Harry's fourth year. Harry sat silently, dreading the moment when it would be his turn to take over the tale. Remus nodded, so Tonks continued. "We got there and found Harry unconscious on the ground. Voldemort's body was still there, but it decomposed in only a few hours to nothing but ash. Luckily that was long enough for Dumbledore and the Ministry to confirm it was the bastard's body, and it seemed to be completely destroyed." She gave Remus a relieved smile, which he returned to her and Harry. For his part, Harry tried to smile back but couldn't quite manage it. His stomach felt like it would twist inside-out through his belly button any minute.
Tonks finished her part of the story sooner than Harry would have liked. "We kept looking for you, but you were presumed dead, and the Ministry was dragging their feet. I really wanted to morph into someone unrecognizable and just punch Fudge in the nose, but I didn't think he'd be worth the effort." Remus laughed lightly at the young auror.
He turned to Harry. "Do you want to tell me about what happened?"
Harry kept his gaze on his shoes, which could use replacing, he noted. The sole was starting to separate on the left foot under his big toe. He didn't want to ruin the nice socks he'd received from both Dobby and Dumbledore. They were an odd combination, those two.
"Harry?" Remus asked with a hand on his arm.
Harry finally looked up. "I-I…" he stuttered and went silent once more.
"It's ok, Harry. I don't need to hear it right now. I'm just glad it's over and that you're safe and healthy. You can tell me the story some other time."
Harry smiled gratefully at his guardian. "Thanks."
"No problem. So, what have you been up to since school let out?" Remus asked.
Harry grinned and told him about his various jobs: the pub, the candy store, and the children's home. He told him about the young werewolf and how he was going to pay Snape to make the Wolfsbane potion for him. Remus seemed excited to meet the boy, and Harry was happy to see the enthusiasm in the man's eyes.
He didn't know what Remus had been through for the past eight weeks, but it hadn't broken him. He knew it had to be terrible, nothing involving Death Eaters was ever fun, but the older wizard seemed to take it all in stride. Perhaps his years of dealing with monthly transformations had helped him to tolerate the various forms of torture used. It was both a disturbing and comforting thought. He hated knowing what Remus had to go through, but if it helped him live through his capture with his sanity in tact, it seemed like a necessary hardship.
Harry felt better as he drifted to sleep that night in his own bed than he had in a long while. Remus had told him to go to the children's home the next day. He'd said it was silly to make the kids miss out on a friend just to have Harry sit with him while he would likely nap. Harry eventually agreed to go, but promised he'd be back in the afternoon.
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A/N: Alright, my internet is out at home, which is the biggest pain in the butt… so, I'm updating this in a computer lab and hoping it works. These computers can be a bit… temperamental at times. I think I had some comments about this chapter, but I'm too irked at our internet people to think straight at the moment. So, review replies won't happen (since I can't see them to type out ahead of time) until I can get my internet access back. I was just going to wait to post this, but it could be Monday or later by the time it's fixed, so I decided to do it now, since it's been so long. Please send me lots of reviews to make me feel better! : ) No, I'm not ashamed at all for begging…