Harry shoved his backpack into his trunk and locked it. Ron came into the
room. Hermione wasn't with him. He shut the door. Harry tried to get past
him.
"Harry..." Ron said quietly.
"Can I get by?" Harry asked, annoyed.
"No. You tell me what happened to you!" Ron demanded. His voice was
shaking.
"It's nothing, really." Harry muttered. He tried to get past Ron again. Ron
grabbed at Harry's shirt. The blue long t-shirt lifted up a bit. Ron
gasped. He was staring at the bandages. Some of them had blood coming
through.
"Harry!" Ron gasped. Harry pulled his shirt down.
"Just leave it, okay?" Harry said angrily. Ron was staring, open mouthed at
him. Harry pushed past and shuffled out of the room. He bumped into
Hermione on the staircase.
"Sorry..." She apologized. Harry just kept on walking. He went out the
backdoor and out into the yard.
Padfoot scowered the house looking for Harry. He wasn't there. He was about to go outside, when two sets of hands grabbed him. Ron and Hermione lifted the dog off the ground and dragged him up the stairs. Padfoot was squirming wildly. Someone, the two managed to hold on. They let him go in Ron's room. Ron and Hermione blocked the door. Padfoot became Sirius. "Come on...I need to find Harry." He said hastily. Ron shook his head. "Tell us what happened!" He said forcefully. Sirius sighed. "I can't...it's not my place." He muttered. Hermione started to go off on him. Sirius glanced out the window. He saw Harry. He was walking in the shade of the tree. His head was bowed and his hands were shoved into his pockets. Sirius noticed his limp. He felt a pang of sadness for Harry. So young and he had to deal with so much.... Harry walked around under the big oak tree. He looked up into it's several branches. Many birds were nesting there. Harry reached up and grabbed a sturdy branch. He held his left arm close to him and pulled himself up with his right. Harry wrapped his left arm around the branch, above the elbow. He pulled himself up. Harry was now sitting on the branch. He slid down it, to the trunk of the tree. There was a little dip. Harry settled himself there and closed his eys. He had so much to worry about right now. Thoughts of Voldemort hadn't even entered his mind. On top of everything else, it was just too much. Harry hear footsteps. He peered through the leaved of the tree. Ron and Hermione were walking towards him. Their heads were bowed and they were talking quietly. Harry held his breath as they stopped under the tree and continued their conversation. "You can't say that though Ron, think of what happened to him last year!" Hermione protested. Ron shook his head. "I know, but still..." He trailed off. "And why won't he tell us what happened?" Ron asked angrily. "Maybe it was something really painful...something that hurts him to talk about." Hermione said quietly. "It's just not like him! He tells us everything!" Ron growled. "I don't know...I really want to know why he's taking all those pills..." Hermione said quietly. "I'm more concerned about all those cuts he has." Ron said. "Me too, but I want to know about the pills..." Hermione muttered. "I was bitten by a werewolf." Harry said quietly. Ron jumped back. He peered through the leaves and spotted Harry. "What?!" Hermione squealed. Harry lowered himself to the ground. He straightened. "I was bitten by a werewolf." He repeated. Ron instantly took a step back. "S-so you're a..." He began. Harry was a little hurt by Ron's retreat. "Don't know yet. I'm on two mixers of pills. That's why I've been sick, that's why I fainted. Side effects." Harry explained. Hermione's eyes are bugging out of her head. "Wh-what about your cuts?" She asked nervously. A lump developed in Harry's throat. He began to sway, but caught himself. Ron was taking a few more steps back. Harry noticed. "This is why I didn't tell you." He said, his voice shaking. Harry limped off towards the house, not bothering to try and hide his injury. Hermione stared after him. Then, she rounded on Ron. She slapped his shoulder. "Why did you do that?!" She asked shrilly. "He's a-a-a werewolf!" Ron spluttered. "No, he's our friend!" Hermione spat. She stormed off after Harry.
Harry hobbled into the kitchen. Mrs Weasley was doing the dishes. She glanced at Harry and saw how upset he was. She opened her mouth to say something, but Harry just limped up the stairs. A minute later, Hermione dashed into the kitchen. She tore off, up the stairs. A minute later, Ron came in. He was pale and shaking. "He's a werewolf!" He said shakily. Mrs Weasley stared at him. "You better hope you weren't like that when he told you..." Mrs Weasley said, her lips pursed. Ron just stood there, shaking.
Harry was going to go into Ron's room, but changed his mind. He went into the bathroom. He quickly locked the door. He heard footsteps and then... "Harry?" It was Hermione. Harry bit his lip and sat down on the floor. He leaned against the bathtub. "Harry!" Hermione tried the doorknob. "Open the door Harry!" She said nervously. She continued to pound on the door. Then, Harry heard a dog bark. He closed his eyes. There was a scratching on a door...like a dog scratching with his paws. Harry felt his eyes sting as he heard a whimper. Hermione banged on the door. "Harry, please open up!" She begged. "Ron was being a git! I don't care if you're a - Ow! - I mean...I just don't care!" She said. It sounded like Padfoot had nipped her to prevent her from saying 'werewolf'. Harry then heard light but strict footsteps. There was a quiet tap on the door. "Harry dear, why don't you open up?" Mrs Weasley called softly. Harry grabbed his stomach. It seemed his pills from earlier were kicking in. Harry crawled over to the toilet. On the other side of the door, they heard Harry gagging. Padfoot started whimpering even louder and scratching frantically at the door. They heard a toilet flush. Harry collapsed on the floor. He was sweating and shaking. "Harry! Open the door!" Hermione cried. Mrs Weasley clucked her tongue. "Well, this is just a bit ridiculous." She said. She whipped out her wand and waved it. "Alohamora!" She muttered. The door opened a little. Padfoot pushed through and went over to Harry. Hermione gasped when she saw him. The dog ran into the hall to check if there was anyone there, then he returned to the bathroom. He turned back into himself. He lifted Harry off the floor. Mrs Weasley and Hermione moved aside as Sirius hurried past.
Sirius carried Harry into Ron's room and layed him on the camp bed. Harry was still sweating and he was still very pale. Sirius knelt down beside him. "Is it getting worse?" He asked quietly. Harry nodded weakly. Hermione and Mrs Weasley hurried into the room. "Hermione, can you stay with him? I want to talk to Ron's Mum." Sirius said quietly. Hermione nodded nervously and knelt down beside Harry as Sirius and Mrs Weasley left the room. Harry closed his eyes. Hermione could see the little beads of sweat on his forehead. Harry opened his eyes and glanced at her nervously. "It's okay...I don't care." She said quietly. Harry bit his lip and closed his eyes again. Hermione had been sitting with Harry for fifteen minutes when they heard a horrible scream and then a minute later, a loud thud. Hermione stood up quickly. Harry got up too. He swayed a little. Hermione grabbed his arm. They slowly left the room. At the end of the hall, Mrs Weasley was bent over someone...Sirius.
Harry gripped the doorframe while Hermione hurried forward. Bill was standing in the hall, clutching his wand. Mrs Weasley was talking to him, trying to explain all about Sirius. She waved her wand and Sirius woke up. He blinked a couple of time and the quickly got to his feet. He saw Harry standing in the doorway, looking quite nervous. "It's okay Harry...go lay down." Sirius said quietly. Harry bit his lip and nodded. He staggered back into Ron's room and sat down on the camp bed. A couple of minutes later, Sirius, Hermione and Mrs Weasley returned. "Eveything's okay." Mrs Weasley forced a smile. Hermione glanced at Harry's shirt and gasped. Harry looked down. There were a couple of red spots on his shirt. Blood. Sirius rushed forward. Mrs Weasley closed the door. Sirius lifted Harry's shirt and looked at the bandages. He bit his lip. "Harry, where's the key to your trunk?" He asked quietly. Harry pulled a key out of his pocket and handed it to Sirius. Sirius handed it to Mrs Weasley. "The black packpack." He muttered. Mrs Weasley nodded and fumbled with the trunk. He extracted the backpack and handed it to Sirius. Sirius rested the bag on the bed. "Harry..." He said quietly. Harry nodded. He peeled off his shirt. He blushed when he saw Hermione staring at him. Sirius started removing the bloody bandages. When Hermione gasped, Mrs Weasley ushered her out of the room. Harry leaned back on the bed, propping himself up with his elbows. Sirius extracted a black bottle from the bag. "This is gonna hurt...alot." He said quietly. Harry nodded. Sirius handed him a thick piece of black plastic. "Bite down on that." He said quietly. Harry was getting a little scared. He placed the plastic in his mouth, between his teeth. Sirius removed the cap from the bottle. Smoke started to billow out. He dampened a cloth with a black substance and stared nervously at Harry. Their eyes locked and Sirius saw the fear in Harry's eyes. He took a deep breath....
Sirius quickly swiped the cloth across one of Harry's cuts. It was pain like Harry had never felt. His fists clenched, his abs contracted, his face screwed up and Sirius saw the plastic bending in Harry's mouth. The cut was smoking. Once the smoke cleared, there was no blood. "It stops the bleeding for a couple of hours." Sirius explained shakily. He dampened the cloth again and swiped another cut. This time, Harry let out a muffled cry. Sirius felt so bad for doing this, but it had to be done! They continued on. Sirius kept avoiding the deep cut across Harry's abs. Finally, there were no more cuts to apply the liquid to...except that big one. Just as Sirius dampened the cloth, Ron and Hermione came in. Ron shifted nervously and backed up against the wall. "You guys shouldn't be here." Sirius said shakily. Hermione shook her head. She closed the door and stood beside Ron. Sirius took a deep breath and turned back to Harry. "Deep breath..." He said quietly. Harry closed his eyes. Tears were mingling with sweat on his face. Sirius quickly swiped the cut. Harry let out a muffled cry of pain. He clenched his fists and closed his eyes tightly. Even his toes curled. Hermione stiffled a sob and turned around. She couldn't watch! After a minute, Harry relaxed. He was shaking though. Sirius removed the plastic from his mouth. "I'm so sorry..." He whispered. Harry shook his head. "Gotta do...watcha gotta do." He said weakly. Sirius nodded. He pulled a roll of gauze from the backpack and wrapped it around Harry's stomach. He re-wrapped the tensor bandage that was holding Harry's ribs, as well. Harry grabbed a clean shirt and pulled it on. Ron was staring at him, but Harry wouldn't meet his gaze. He just curled up on his camp bed, Padfoot at his feet and his back to Ron and Hermione.
TWO DAYS BEFORE BACK TO HOGWARTS **************************************** Harry hobbled into the kitchen in his pajamas. The table was full of delicious foods, but Harry didn't eat. He realized that the less he ate, the less his threw up. Mrs Weasley didn't like that Harry wasn't eating, but didn't push the issue. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Bill and Mr and Mrs Weasley were still the only ones who knew about Sirius. The others did find it strange that this big black dog followed Harry everywhere... Ron and Harry weren't doing too well. Ron was terrified that Harry might transform at any minute. It was a pretty warm day when Harry sat under the big oak tree, all alone. Padfoot was running around the yard, chasing the knomes. Harry was quite surprised to see Ron making his way towards him. Ron looked nervous, but sat down across from Harry on the ground. "I...I'm sorry." He said quietly. Harry glanced at Ron. "Sorry for what?" He asked. Ron sighed. "For being such a bloke!" He cried angrily. A smile danced across Harry's face, then quickly disappeared. "Yeah, you should be." He said quietly. Ron stared at him. "It's just...I was so surprised. And you haven't been yourself at all this summer." Ron explained hastily. "You wouldn't be yourself if you had gone what I went through." Harry said quietly. Ron stared at him. "How do you know? You won't tell us what happened!" He protested. "I..I can't." Harry said in a hoarse whisper. "Why? Why can't you tell your best friends what happened to you?" Ron demanded. Harry looked into his friend's eyes. Harry own eyes were beginning to sting. "Cause it's too freaking embarrassing!" He growled. Harry got to his feet and walked away. Ron stared after him.
Padfoot scowered the house looking for Harry. He wasn't there. He was about to go outside, when two sets of hands grabbed him. Ron and Hermione lifted the dog off the ground and dragged him up the stairs. Padfoot was squirming wildly. Someone, the two managed to hold on. They let him go in Ron's room. Ron and Hermione blocked the door. Padfoot became Sirius. "Come on...I need to find Harry." He said hastily. Ron shook his head. "Tell us what happened!" He said forcefully. Sirius sighed. "I can't...it's not my place." He muttered. Hermione started to go off on him. Sirius glanced out the window. He saw Harry. He was walking in the shade of the tree. His head was bowed and his hands were shoved into his pockets. Sirius noticed his limp. He felt a pang of sadness for Harry. So young and he had to deal with so much.... Harry walked around under the big oak tree. He looked up into it's several branches. Many birds were nesting there. Harry reached up and grabbed a sturdy branch. He held his left arm close to him and pulled himself up with his right. Harry wrapped his left arm around the branch, above the elbow. He pulled himself up. Harry was now sitting on the branch. He slid down it, to the trunk of the tree. There was a little dip. Harry settled himself there and closed his eys. He had so much to worry about right now. Thoughts of Voldemort hadn't even entered his mind. On top of everything else, it was just too much. Harry hear footsteps. He peered through the leaved of the tree. Ron and Hermione were walking towards him. Their heads were bowed and they were talking quietly. Harry held his breath as they stopped under the tree and continued their conversation. "You can't say that though Ron, think of what happened to him last year!" Hermione protested. Ron shook his head. "I know, but still..." He trailed off. "And why won't he tell us what happened?" Ron asked angrily. "Maybe it was something really painful...something that hurts him to talk about." Hermione said quietly. "It's just not like him! He tells us everything!" Ron growled. "I don't know...I really want to know why he's taking all those pills..." Hermione said quietly. "I'm more concerned about all those cuts he has." Ron said. "Me too, but I want to know about the pills..." Hermione muttered. "I was bitten by a werewolf." Harry said quietly. Ron jumped back. He peered through the leaves and spotted Harry. "What?!" Hermione squealed. Harry lowered himself to the ground. He straightened. "I was bitten by a werewolf." He repeated. Ron instantly took a step back. "S-so you're a..." He began. Harry was a little hurt by Ron's retreat. "Don't know yet. I'm on two mixers of pills. That's why I've been sick, that's why I fainted. Side effects." Harry explained. Hermione's eyes are bugging out of her head. "Wh-what about your cuts?" She asked nervously. A lump developed in Harry's throat. He began to sway, but caught himself. Ron was taking a few more steps back. Harry noticed. "This is why I didn't tell you." He said, his voice shaking. Harry limped off towards the house, not bothering to try and hide his injury. Hermione stared after him. Then, she rounded on Ron. She slapped his shoulder. "Why did you do that?!" She asked shrilly. "He's a-a-a werewolf!" Ron spluttered. "No, he's our friend!" Hermione spat. She stormed off after Harry.
Harry hobbled into the kitchen. Mrs Weasley was doing the dishes. She glanced at Harry and saw how upset he was. She opened her mouth to say something, but Harry just limped up the stairs. A minute later, Hermione dashed into the kitchen. She tore off, up the stairs. A minute later, Ron came in. He was pale and shaking. "He's a werewolf!" He said shakily. Mrs Weasley stared at him. "You better hope you weren't like that when he told you..." Mrs Weasley said, her lips pursed. Ron just stood there, shaking.
Harry was going to go into Ron's room, but changed his mind. He went into the bathroom. He quickly locked the door. He heard footsteps and then... "Harry?" It was Hermione. Harry bit his lip and sat down on the floor. He leaned against the bathtub. "Harry!" Hermione tried the doorknob. "Open the door Harry!" She said nervously. She continued to pound on the door. Then, Harry heard a dog bark. He closed his eyes. There was a scratching on a door...like a dog scratching with his paws. Harry felt his eyes sting as he heard a whimper. Hermione banged on the door. "Harry, please open up!" She begged. "Ron was being a git! I don't care if you're a - Ow! - I mean...I just don't care!" She said. It sounded like Padfoot had nipped her to prevent her from saying 'werewolf'. Harry then heard light but strict footsteps. There was a quiet tap on the door. "Harry dear, why don't you open up?" Mrs Weasley called softly. Harry grabbed his stomach. It seemed his pills from earlier were kicking in. Harry crawled over to the toilet. On the other side of the door, they heard Harry gagging. Padfoot started whimpering even louder and scratching frantically at the door. They heard a toilet flush. Harry collapsed on the floor. He was sweating and shaking. "Harry! Open the door!" Hermione cried. Mrs Weasley clucked her tongue. "Well, this is just a bit ridiculous." She said. She whipped out her wand and waved it. "Alohamora!" She muttered. The door opened a little. Padfoot pushed through and went over to Harry. Hermione gasped when she saw him. The dog ran into the hall to check if there was anyone there, then he returned to the bathroom. He turned back into himself. He lifted Harry off the floor. Mrs Weasley and Hermione moved aside as Sirius hurried past.
Sirius carried Harry into Ron's room and layed him on the camp bed. Harry was still sweating and he was still very pale. Sirius knelt down beside him. "Is it getting worse?" He asked quietly. Harry nodded weakly. Hermione and Mrs Weasley hurried into the room. "Hermione, can you stay with him? I want to talk to Ron's Mum." Sirius said quietly. Hermione nodded nervously and knelt down beside Harry as Sirius and Mrs Weasley left the room. Harry closed his eyes. Hermione could see the little beads of sweat on his forehead. Harry opened his eyes and glanced at her nervously. "It's okay...I don't care." She said quietly. Harry bit his lip and closed his eyes again. Hermione had been sitting with Harry for fifteen minutes when they heard a horrible scream and then a minute later, a loud thud. Hermione stood up quickly. Harry got up too. He swayed a little. Hermione grabbed his arm. They slowly left the room. At the end of the hall, Mrs Weasley was bent over someone...Sirius.
Harry gripped the doorframe while Hermione hurried forward. Bill was standing in the hall, clutching his wand. Mrs Weasley was talking to him, trying to explain all about Sirius. She waved her wand and Sirius woke up. He blinked a couple of time and the quickly got to his feet. He saw Harry standing in the doorway, looking quite nervous. "It's okay Harry...go lay down." Sirius said quietly. Harry bit his lip and nodded. He staggered back into Ron's room and sat down on the camp bed. A couple of minutes later, Sirius, Hermione and Mrs Weasley returned. "Eveything's okay." Mrs Weasley forced a smile. Hermione glanced at Harry's shirt and gasped. Harry looked down. There were a couple of red spots on his shirt. Blood. Sirius rushed forward. Mrs Weasley closed the door. Sirius lifted Harry's shirt and looked at the bandages. He bit his lip. "Harry, where's the key to your trunk?" He asked quietly. Harry pulled a key out of his pocket and handed it to Sirius. Sirius handed it to Mrs Weasley. "The black packpack." He muttered. Mrs Weasley nodded and fumbled with the trunk. He extracted the backpack and handed it to Sirius. Sirius rested the bag on the bed. "Harry..." He said quietly. Harry nodded. He peeled off his shirt. He blushed when he saw Hermione staring at him. Sirius started removing the bloody bandages. When Hermione gasped, Mrs Weasley ushered her out of the room. Harry leaned back on the bed, propping himself up with his elbows. Sirius extracted a black bottle from the bag. "This is gonna hurt...alot." He said quietly. Harry nodded. Sirius handed him a thick piece of black plastic. "Bite down on that." He said quietly. Harry was getting a little scared. He placed the plastic in his mouth, between his teeth. Sirius removed the cap from the bottle. Smoke started to billow out. He dampened a cloth with a black substance and stared nervously at Harry. Their eyes locked and Sirius saw the fear in Harry's eyes. He took a deep breath....
Sirius quickly swiped the cloth across one of Harry's cuts. It was pain like Harry had never felt. His fists clenched, his abs contracted, his face screwed up and Sirius saw the plastic bending in Harry's mouth. The cut was smoking. Once the smoke cleared, there was no blood. "It stops the bleeding for a couple of hours." Sirius explained shakily. He dampened the cloth again and swiped another cut. This time, Harry let out a muffled cry. Sirius felt so bad for doing this, but it had to be done! They continued on. Sirius kept avoiding the deep cut across Harry's abs. Finally, there were no more cuts to apply the liquid to...except that big one. Just as Sirius dampened the cloth, Ron and Hermione came in. Ron shifted nervously and backed up against the wall. "You guys shouldn't be here." Sirius said shakily. Hermione shook her head. She closed the door and stood beside Ron. Sirius took a deep breath and turned back to Harry. "Deep breath..." He said quietly. Harry closed his eyes. Tears were mingling with sweat on his face. Sirius quickly swiped the cut. Harry let out a muffled cry of pain. He clenched his fists and closed his eyes tightly. Even his toes curled. Hermione stiffled a sob and turned around. She couldn't watch! After a minute, Harry relaxed. He was shaking though. Sirius removed the plastic from his mouth. "I'm so sorry..." He whispered. Harry shook his head. "Gotta do...watcha gotta do." He said weakly. Sirius nodded. He pulled a roll of gauze from the backpack and wrapped it around Harry's stomach. He re-wrapped the tensor bandage that was holding Harry's ribs, as well. Harry grabbed a clean shirt and pulled it on. Ron was staring at him, but Harry wouldn't meet his gaze. He just curled up on his camp bed, Padfoot at his feet and his back to Ron and Hermione.
TWO DAYS BEFORE BACK TO HOGWARTS **************************************** Harry hobbled into the kitchen in his pajamas. The table was full of delicious foods, but Harry didn't eat. He realized that the less he ate, the less his threw up. Mrs Weasley didn't like that Harry wasn't eating, but didn't push the issue. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Bill and Mr and Mrs Weasley were still the only ones who knew about Sirius. The others did find it strange that this big black dog followed Harry everywhere... Ron and Harry weren't doing too well. Ron was terrified that Harry might transform at any minute. It was a pretty warm day when Harry sat under the big oak tree, all alone. Padfoot was running around the yard, chasing the knomes. Harry was quite surprised to see Ron making his way towards him. Ron looked nervous, but sat down across from Harry on the ground. "I...I'm sorry." He said quietly. Harry glanced at Ron. "Sorry for what?" He asked. Ron sighed. "For being such a bloke!" He cried angrily. A smile danced across Harry's face, then quickly disappeared. "Yeah, you should be." He said quietly. Ron stared at him. "It's just...I was so surprised. And you haven't been yourself at all this summer." Ron explained hastily. "You wouldn't be yourself if you had gone what I went through." Harry said quietly. Ron stared at him. "How do you know? You won't tell us what happened!" He protested. "I..I can't." Harry said in a hoarse whisper. "Why? Why can't you tell your best friends what happened to you?" Ron demanded. Harry looked into his friend's eyes. Harry own eyes were beginning to sting. "Cause it's too freaking embarrassing!" He growled. Harry got to his feet and walked away. Ron stared after him.