Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything else that J.K. Rowling created.

Warning: This story is AU due to the fact that I've ignored book five, The Order of The Phoenix because the end of book four was a much better place to start this fan fiction.

Take Backs

Chapter 8: Worried Marauders

By Rhiane Raine

"Harry? Har-ry…"

Dark shapes blurred before Harry as he opened his eyes. His stomach felt as if it was trying to propel itself through his throat. He drunkenly rolled over to his left and retched while vaguely hoping that the dizziness that he was experiencing would be purged from as well as the meal he had eaten yesterday.

When there was nothing left for Harry to regurgitate, the boy's sides felt horribly sore and his entire body- especially his arms- felt tired, as if he could no longer support himself. In fact, it was two strong arms that wrapped around him from behind that kept him from becoming a jelly-like blob and from falling forward into his own pool of sickness.

Harry's arms went limp at his sides as the arms pulled him upright and into a warm lap. Harry closed his eyes against the blurry room and unknowingly leaned back against the chest behind him.

"Harry? Are you all right?

"Umm?" Harry's groaned miserably as he squirmed slightly, only just noticing how miserably hot he felt.

"Hang on," Remus said as he stood with the boy in his arms. When Harry was placed on his bed, he risked opening his eyes to find his dizziness subsiding but the fuzziness of his surroundings was still there.

"Remus?"

There was a dip in the bed that was from Remus sitting down next to him. "Yes?"

"Could you hand me my glasses?"

The frames were slipped onto his face a moment later. The first thing Harry noticed was the pale, calculating look of concern on Remus Lupin's face who pressed the back of his right hand against Harry's forehead.

"Sweet Merlin, Harry! You are absolutely burning up! It's no wonder you're ill! You shouldn't' have been out in the sun if you weren't feeling well to begin with!" Remus chastised.

"You're right Professor," Harry answered quickly, eager to allow Lupin to think that the cause of his sickness was only furthered by his presence in the sun for extended periods of time.

"Ye Hippogriffs! James is going to go sick with worry when he finds out that your relatives allowed you to get sick! I thought it was going to be hard enough keeping him from performing the forgivables on them…"

"Wait," Harry said weakly bolting up to a sitting position, "I thought I was dreaming!"

Remus looked into Harry's eyes and replied in a calm and sincere manner, "No, Harry. It's true. James is alive. I don't know how, nor do I know why. All I know is that on Saturday I answered the door to find a cold, wet, and muddy James Potter. Sirius and I questioned him about everything we could think about; he even transformed into Prongs for us. You can't fake an animagus form. Now, it's two days later and he's outside waiting to meet his son for the first time in fourteen years and you're, well, sick."

"But I feel fine!" Harry lied as he climbed out of bed.

"You are not fine," Remus hissed as Harry swayed dangerously, "and I can tell from the look in your eyes that you still think that you are dreaming."

"Wouldn't you?" he whispered.

"Most likely," Remus admitted as he gently pushed Harry to sit back down, who leaned forward, elbows on his knees and head in his hands.

After a couple moments of silence Harry tilted his head slightly the side to look at Remus from his leaning position. "Part of me feels like this is some sick joke and part of me is pleading for it to be true."

Remus Lupin sighed as he placed an arm on Harry's back to rub comforting circles on the boy's back. At first Harry stiffened but then relaxed into the touch.

"The only thing I can think of to help you understand is to let you talk to him yourself. Do you trust me Harry?"

This last question startled Harry. He sat up completely and turned so that he was looking straight into Remus's face.

"Yes," Harry said without a trace of doubt in his mind, "I trust you."

"Good," Remus murmured as he did something that Harry was not expecting him to do; he leaned forward and hugged the still not fully convinced teenager.

Yet again, Harry stayed tense until Remus drew back with a glint in his eyes.

"I think it's about time for phase 2 to-"

"What's phase 2"

"Oh, it's step two in our "kidnap Harry plan." Remus smiled.

"Well what do these "steps" include?"

"Now now, Harry! A good Marauder never reveals his secrets. I will tell you that phase 1 was my part of the plan, phase 2 is all Padfoot and Prongs."

With that, Remus patted Harry on the shoulder and strode over to the window. The werewolf opened the window as smoothly as one could before imitating the knock that Harry had heard earlier on the neatly painted shutters. After a couple of repetitions, Remus drew his head back into Harry's room with an uncharacteristic grin as he mouthed a count down while holding up a finger to indicate the number he was on. Three happened to be the number of fingers that were being held up on Remus's hand when a startling CRACK! startled Harry. Falling off of the bed as he gazed up to the source of the sound, Harry saw there was absolutely nothing but air.

'Moony? Where are we?" came a muffled voice from the space in the middle of Dudley's second bedroom.

"You guys might want to come out from under the cloak now," Remus suggested. "You are in Harry's bedroom by the way."

"WHAT! James's exclamation would have been a shout had it not been muffled greatly by Sirius's hand as he ripped the cloak away.

"Please keep your voice down, James! I don't think it would be wise for you to alert Petunia to your presence in her house. With you being an uninvited "dead" guest and all she might call the authorities. That would really muck up our plans." Remus stated in a calm yet pleading tone that reminded Harry of Hermione when she was warning him and Ron of the troubles that would befall them if they were to follow through with one of their hair brained schemes.

"Right as always Moony. I just can't believe this dump is Harry's room. There's barely enough room in here for a teenage boy! And what's up with the furniture?" Demanded James as he turned to examine the desk, unknowingly turning his back on his son who was still lying in the floor on his back in a state of semi-shock and a slight wave of nausea in his stomach.

"The shrieking shack had more sturdy furnishings in it even after Moony got through with it."

"James," Remus started in with a hint of warning in his voice.

"No, Remus! He's my son and if I want to complain about the sorry state of living his relatives have provided, I will! I may be a "dead" person but I can provide for Harry better than this!"

Harry closed his eyes in prayer that none of them would point out that the Dursleys could but wouldn't provide for Harry anymore than was necessary to keep him alive.

"While all of that may be true, I don't think it shouting about it is going to help any whatsoever. Also, I think that our plan needs some alterations. We need to proceed with the "kidnapping". Our discussions can wait till we reach the cottage." Remus stated as calmly as he could while staring intently at James.

Harry lay back against the floor feeling slightly nauseated from all of the apprehension and nerves coursing though him.

Silence sounded in the room just as soon as the back of his head touched the wood floor creating a soft 'thud'. Apparently one of the three men, whom had been speaking, had stopped in order to find the source of the odd noise. After a moment Harry opened his eyes to see the face of Padfoot above him, wearing a frown… well that is to say as much of an unhappy face that a dog can make. He was well aware of the silence in the room as his Godfather instantly transformed back into his human self.

"Harry! Are you all right?"

"Err, fine. I just-"

"Why in Merlin's name are you on the floor? You look a bit pale. Are you sure you're feeling all right."

"I'm fine! I guess you just startled me, apperating like that." Harry insisted.

Though Harry had seen Sirius at the end of the year, he was comforted by his presence in a way that he had never felt before. Sure, Lupin was a kind enough guy but he had always gave Harry the impression that he didn't want to become very close to him. As if being anything closer than a professor and a student would be like trying to be friends with James or something.

Of course now that James WAS back, apparently these rules were out the window. Things were very mixed up inside of Harry's head. His father was alive and in his room at that very moment, waiting on edge to see him. Lupin had abandoned the professional approach and was being a comforting uncle sort. He, Harry was sick due to unfair treatment of his relatives and there were three men in his room that were sure to figure it out. The only thought that made sense at the moment was that Sirius, his trusty Godfather was here and was concerned.

Not that Lupin wasn't or that his father might not be, but Harry liked that he could count on his Godfather to be Sirius at all times. True he could do with less worrying from on Sirius's part, it made him feel glad that he cared but slightly annoyed that people thought him weak and incapable.

Sirius reached underneath Harry and helped to lift him upright making the second time that day that Harry had needed help up off of the floor. Harry looked Sirius directly in the eyes. Sirius nodded as if to answer his silent question. His father was alive. A slight shadow loomed over Harry who looked up to see the tall form of his father, a shape he hadn't seen since Voldemort's rebirth. Instantly, Harry began to shake as he tried to discreetly edge away. His head was whirling with memories of Voldemort's rebirth. Words kept replaying over and over as Harry tried to shake them out. The faces of the three Marauders melded together. Harry's stomach churned as he remember what had happened just before the forms of his mother and father came out of Lord Voldemort's wand.

Harry weakly pushed Sirius aside before his stomach leapt out of his mouth. The room was becoming increasingly hot as Harry limply collapsed for the second time within an hour. This time however, he had fainted unknowingly into the startled arms of his father.