CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

[Medicine]

HARRY

The old photographs felt brittle in his hands, almost like they'll fall in on themselves if he stared too long. It didn't matter that they were in near perfect condition, it was the memories they held. Remus was all that was left of them and even then he didn't look like the same person. He was smiling in these photo's and it only brought to attention how sad the man must really be if he could have looked so carefree once. And his father and Sirius - he knew the two were pranksters but the years of Azkaban had taken their toll on his now-dead godfather. He just wasn't the same man. The two teens here were dancing at some party, drinking, laughing, breathing. It was distant to him. He wanted so badly to be a part of it. How could you miss something you never truly had?

The next picture was his parents, Sirius, and Remus all sitting together in a booth that looked like The Three Broomsticks. They all had to be in their last year because his parents were holding hands and leaning on each other. His father said something to cause Sirius to bark with laughter and turn towards Remus with a grin Harry would have missed entirely had he not known. Harry's fingers brushed over it carefully as if it was a ghost.

"I have more photos in the album on the shelf if you'd like, Harry. They're on top. They were Sirius' before. I found them in his vault."

Harry nodded carefully, not looking up from the picture. He had never seen these ones before. He only had some of his parents but none of all of them together. Well, somewhat all of them. Peter had only shown up in one or two but Harry couldn't care less about him. He couldn't take his attention off how natural they all fell together and how much more alive it made them all seem.

He flipped the page. It was only halfway through the album yet the pictures had come to a sudden stop. Harry's heart goes numb thinking about why.

The last photo was one of just Sirius and Remus. Remus was nursing a bottle of firewhisky up to his mouth with Sirius's chin on top of his head, an awkward position as Remus was taller, making wild faces at the camera. Sirius poked and prodded at him until he looked up, causing Remus to playfully push him onto the floor and the brunet to bust out in laughter. At the bottom of the picture, there were words scribbled. 'Sirius' 21st Birthday, November 3rd, 1980'.

"You alright?"

"I'm fine." Harry shuts the book a little harder than necessary and looks up to where Remus was holding a cup of tea and leaning against the kitchen island. The man had been treating him like a ticking time bomb since his outbreak yesterday morning. It almost made him wish he had kept it all bottled up inside despite the relief it had given him. He hadn't even broken down because of the gay part, though it wasn't like he has going to tell him what really happened either. He'll probably be thrown at the nearest shrink possible.

"Tea?"

"No thank you." He laid his head on the counter and rubbed his temples before pausing. "Actually- do you have hot chocolate?"

Remus raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. "Not at the moment, no. Would cocoa suffice?"

Harry made a face to show his disgust. "What do you mean 'would cocoa suffice?' They are not the same thing. You're the chocoholic. You out of all people should know the difference."

"I've never tasted a difference myself actually."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"No?"

Harry's eyes quirked upwards. "Cocoa is more powdery. All you do is add it to hot milk. That's weird and gross. Real hot chocolate you have to use real chocolate and melt it down and mix it with vanilla, milk, and cream. It doesn't taste right if you don't."

"Right," Remus said with a light laugh at his lips, "do you want me to make some? You'll have to show me how apparently. I'm not much of a cook. I can make tea and that's it."

"Yes please." He said and laid his forehead on the counter and closed his eyes. His head was pounding for some reason. Probably from the stress from yesterday catching up on him. Aunt Petunia always forced him to make some for Dudley when he was suffering from one. He'd hoped it would have the same effect on him as well.

Remembering the other album, Harry perked up. He didn't care what condition he was in, pictures always cheered him up.

The headache only worsened as he stood up. Flecks of darkness flashed in his vision and his feet felt like jelly. Before he could fall he grabbed onto the counter but not without a loud bang that alerted Remus.

"Harry?"

Harry couldn't respond. It was when the first wave of nausea hit when he knew he had tremendously fucked up. His stomach felt like it was being stretched and let go like an elastic band.

He stumbled out of the room using the wall as support, each step his stomach tightening and aching all the more. He kept swallowing, and his throat kept clenching, but no matter what he could not stop the warm feeling rising through his chest. Then Harry could taste it at the back of his mouth.

Remus was right behind him trying to help but Harry lazily swatted him away. It was embarrassing enough that Draco, Ron, and Hermione all knew about this. Dragging Remus in as well on top of everything else he has to worry about was a big no-no line.

"I"m fi-" he gagged again, putting a hand to his mouth. "-fine."

"Don't speak. You'll make yourself worse." Remus ignored him. He grabbed Harry by the arm and helped him up the stairs. Harry tried to wiggle out of it at the uncomfortable closeness. The shame of it all added to the pounding in his skull.

The next wave of nausea that hit him was so intense that they hardly made it to the toilet bowl before Harry emptied his stomach. Porcelain clashed with olive green which only made more vomit stream from his mouth. Vomiting was already a nasty thought but actually seeing it only made it worse. It burst from his throat, practically choking him.

Remus rubbed his back and said some things that Harry guessed were supposed to be comforting if they didn't go in one ear and out the other. He knew the cycle by now. The headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, then exhaustion. He cursed his stupidity for not realizing sooner and leaving Hogwarts without thinking about the consequences.

Against his will, he turned and leaned his head on Remus to catch his breath as he was the closest source of heat. It was returned with a tight hug and a tissue which he accepted graciously. Harry knew he would faint when his stomach gave out. It felt like his innards were being replaced by some kind of black hole. And yet, it was still oddly unnerving when the nausea crept from his abdomen to his head causing the world to go black.

He knew where he was before he even opened his eyes. The hospital wing was practically his home at this point.

"...do you think it's lethal, Poppy? He seemed fine yesterday. I should have seen it coming. He had a headache this morning, but I just thought..."

"It's not your fault. You had no idea so don't start blaming yourself." Poppy ridiculed Remus. "Besides, I haven't seen anything like it before... how long has this been going on Mr. Weasley?"

There was a shuffling followed by a scraping of chairs. "I... since term started. But he didn't tell us till last week! He made us promise not to tell anybody!"

"I don't care what he made you promise, this is a matter of life-or-death. You should have alerted me as soon as you found out. Now, did he tell you how he got it?"

"He mentioned the death eater attack before term started. He wouldn't elaborate on what happened. He was very closed off about the entire thing..."

There was a curse in Remus' direction. "Dark magic. I knew it. Do you think Dumbledore would know what it is?"

"Perhaps. He knows more about this than I do."

At the mention of his headmaster's name, Harry's eyes cracked open. The three of them were standing at the foot of his bed. Both Remus' and Poppy's face were pulled into concerned grimaces as they conversed. Ron has pulled up a chair and sitting right next to him. He was the first to notice Harry's awareness.

"Harry!"

He jumped up from his seat and moved to give Harry a hug but hesitated. Harry gave him a sheepish smile back. "...good morning."

"It's night actually."

Harry turned to face Remus. He gulped slightly, hoping he wouldn't notice his hesitance. It was just Harry's luck to have a fit in front of one of the worst people possible. And now Madam Pompfery knew as well. He nearly groaned aloud and covered his crimson face. He couldn't think of a worse possible situation.

"Mr. Potter! What were you thinking! A dark curse and you never once sought to tell anyone? You're lucky if I ever let you leave this room again-"

Remus laid a hand on her shoulder. "Poppy. Maybe you should let him explain first?"

She huffed but looked down at him with a raise of her eyebrow that dared him to protest. Harry stared between the two adults anxiously. They wouldn't possibly understand why he didn't want to tell anybody. No one ever did and it was kind of annoying. There was no point in telling someone if they were just going to deny all his reasons before he could even get them all out.

"Please don't tell Dumbledore." Is all that he can say. Remus tilts his head in confusion.

"And why is that?"

Harry's throat closes up. The eye contact quickly becomes unbearable and Harry stares at his hands tapping on his thigh instead.

"I'm sorry mate. I had to tell them what happened. They made me." Ron blurts before Harry can be lectured again.

"It's alright, Ron. They were going to figure it out anyway."

Ron nodded, yet gave him a guilty frown nonetheless. "Hermione was just here by the way. She had to go to arithmancy. She'll be back soon." Harry nods.

"Never in all my years-" Pomfrey starts. She grabs a collection of potion bottles from his bedside table and shoves them in his hands. "Drink Mr. Potter. I'll conjure them in your stomach myself if I have to."

And so he does. He recognizes the taste of the Pepper-up and Corporis potion immediately. He could have laughed when Remus hands him a steaming mug of hot chocolate to wash them down with had it not been for the tension in the air.

"Now, how on earth did this happen?"

Harry shrugs. Couldn't they see he didn't want to talk about this with them?

"Harry," Remus urges, making him wince. He was once again unwillingly reminded that telling would have been what Sirius would have wanted. Harry takes in a long breath before sighing deeply and closing his eyes. There truly was no way out of this.

"I got hit. By a curse."

"Ron told us already. He said it was at the death eater attack in Knockturn alley?"

He nods timidly before continuing. He didn't know how much he should leave out. Where did he draw the line?

"I already told you some at the train platform. That's somewhat of the true story. The Durselys had finally decided to uh... kick me out after some accidental magic happened. Or they would have. I left before they could."

Remus' eyebrow quirked, as did Ron's. He hadn't heard this part of the story yet. Pomfrey was scribbling hastily on her clipboard which made his stomach squirm.

"It was just Dudley and I home. I said some things and he tried to attack me. Some accidental magic happened and he got a little scuffed up. So I took my trunk and left. A couple days later death eaters attacked the inn I stayed at. I was trying to help people get out when I got hit."

"Did you see who it was? The portkey you sent with the death eaters had us worried. The order has Lucius Malfoy and Antonin Dolohov captured. If it was one of them we might be able to question them before sending them off to the ministry."

Harry's ears picked up at the mention of Draco's father. He had mentioned once his concerns about his parents' silence. Even if his father was a dick, he didn't enjoy the thought of breaking the news.

"I... don't know. It was dark. I got hit by a bunch of spells that day."

"How many others were there? We questioned a few survivors as well. They thought they saw a couple others too." Remus suddenly clears his throat. "If I tell you something, will you promise to be responsible about it?"

Ron and Harry both nodded furiously.

"A couple survivors and bystanders said they saw Lucius Malfoy's son there as well. Draco Malfoy. The order suspects that he's following in his father's footsteps to become a death eater, that is if he isn't one already. Do you remember seeing him there? Is he the one that cursed you?"

Harry momentarily forgets how to breathe. "I... don't know. I don't think he was. All of them were adults. I haven't seen him in my dreams either. "

"Enough of this Remus. Harry can answer questions for the Order later. Right now he needs rest and some food in him." Pomfrey breaks them up. Remus backs away looking slightly guilty. "And you young man are not to leave this wing until we find exactly what is happening to you."

Ron sputters next to him before Harry can think to. His mind is still frozen from the topic of Draco. "B-but that can take forever! What about lessons?! And quidditch?!"

"Well, he should have thought about that before delaying coming to me. It's his life we're talking about here, Weasley. You can bring him his notes and classwork if you're so worried about him falling. If I remember correctly you have transfiguration in ten minutes."

To his credit, Ron doesn't argue back. Instead, he sits up straighter and grabs a hold of Harry's wrist. "I'm not leaving him."

"It's fine, Ron. You should go to class."

"No, you're bloody well not. You always say and you aren't. I'm sick of it. Even last year you refused to get help. Excuse me if I don't trust you to get help for yourself anymore."

Harry gawks at him silently. He opens and closes his mouth not knowing what to say. He hadn't expected Ron to go off on him like that. "But-"

"No."

Remus watched the exchange in the background with a reminiscent smile.