Chapter 5 One by one

Sleep did not come as easily as either teenager would have liked that night. Due to his quite stuffy nose, Harry snored loudly for the most part, and no amount of nudging from Hermione could get it to stop. These were times she desparately wished she could use magic outside of school, which would have given her the option of putting a silencing spell on him. She'd been tempted several times to wake Sirius at , but refrained from doing so, and used her music instead. Eventually she fell asleep long past one o'clock in the morning.

The doctor's office was not very crowded when they arrived for their appointment; Hermione allowed Harry to lean against her while she flipped through a magazine. Muggle reading material was so boring, due to the fact that neither of the pictures moved. Funny, because I grew up with this before I went to Hogwarts, she thought, sighing softly, and watching as Sirius sat staring blankly at the wall, tapping his shoe on the worn carpet.

When the nurse called Harry's name, Hermione nudged her boyfriend's shoulder, aiding him in standing up and heading over to the desk. "Follow me, please," the young woman in the white labcoat ordered kindly, and they headed down a hallway. They went into a small room about half the size of a classroom at Hogwarts, and the nurse introduced herself as Sarah. Sirius peered at the strange muggle instruments on the table, and Hermione whispered to him which each item was used for.

"It just seems so much easier when you can just use magic," Sirius muttered to himself when the nurse had gone out to get something, and Hermione giggled.

"We get along all right, too," she said. "of course, these remedies usually take time." he stared at her in disbelief, and she shrugged, just as Harry let out another sneeze.

"Bless you," they told him at once, and he thanked them softly, rubbing his nose with the back of his wrist. Sarah returned shortly after she'd gone out, and encouraged Harry to hold out his arm for her. Hermione scooted off to the side so the nurse could take care of what she had to without interruption, and watched as alcohol was rubbed onto Harry's skin. He wrinkled his nose at the strong smell, and his eyes widened when she held up an instrument with four small needles poking out.

"What's that?" he asked, and Sarah smiled at him.

"This is what we use to test for allergies," she explained, "you'll just feel a little pinch, and if the small circular spot on your arm swells, that will mean the test has come out positive."

Harry swallowed and glanced at Sirius, who was listening to Hermione explain about allergies, and what muggles normally did to help relieve symptoms. "Though I'm sure the school nurse has something he could take when we get there that'll work much more effectively," she said, trying not to give away the idea that they were not normal human beings.

Once Harry's arm was pricked, they had to sit and wait, which was quite boring. As they waited, Harry's sneezes were sometimes so powerful, that the lights in the doctor's office dimmed, even though the weather was perfectly clear outside.

"Very strange!" Sarah cried when the power flickered for the fifth time, and Hermione's eyes were wide. "I should speak with the doctor and see if he can't find an electrician to figure out what's going on. We've never had a problem like this before."

Harry blushed; he had a feeling Sirius used magical protection on his own electrical devices in the flat to prevent this from happening at home.

Sure enough, the small round prick on his arm swelled, causing the skin around the spot to itch. Sirius groaned softly as Sarah explained the situaton, and began to test her patient on certain allergens. "Dust and pollen are most common," she promised when he reacted to both of those items. "Given his symptoms, his allergies seem to be somewhat serious, but again he is not the first I have seen in this situation. While they aren't entirely treatable, there are plenty of medications availible in pharmacies that he may take to relieve the sneezing."

Sirius asked how long the medicines usually took to work, and Sarah replied, "Oh...it depends on the person," she replied. "The average amount of time I would say is about a half an hour to an hour. but again, everyone is different, and he could feel a difference in less."

Harry sniffed and accepted a tissue from Hermione, who scolded him for using the side of his wrist. He blew his nose, coughing slightly, and she patted him on the back.

"I see," Sirius replied. "Well, thank you."

Sarah nodded in reply, and led them out of the office to pay for the visit. Hermione offered to help with the payment, but Sirius immediately refused. "I could never take money from you," he said, and she bit her lip. "But I do appreciate the offer, Hermione."

She glanced at Harry who looked ready to fall over with exhaustion, and reached down to lace her fingers through his. "Well, at least we know why you've been so miserable these past few weeks," she whispered, and he made a face, causing her to laugh. "And at least it's not a fatal illness. My father has hay fever also, and he's still perfectly alive," she added, and Harry smirked.

"Good to know," he croaked, and she ruffled his hair.

When they left, Sirius asked if either of them wanted to go out for a bit of food before returning home. "No thank you," Harry replied. "Not all that hungry."

Sirius then took them back to the flat, and encouraged his godson to head upstairs to bed and rest again. When he and Hermione were alone, they sat down at the kitchen table eating fresh toast and butter for lunch.

For quite a while, neither spoke. Hermione didn't trust her own voice, for she felt a lump forming in her throat, and feared she would cry at any given moment. "This has just been an uphill battle for Harry," Sirius finally spoke. "Ever since Voldemort's attack, he's never been the same." Hermione turned to him, and realized his eyes were filled with tears as well. "It just seems like no matter what we do, he keeps getting weaker."

Hermione wet her lips. "I know," she replied. "It's just strange. Harry's been attacked before by him before, and usually he's come out all right."

Sirius smiled at her. "He wasn't sick first those other times," he pointed out. "Harry's condition wasn't the best to begin with, and no doubt Voldemort took full advantage."

Hermione hugged herself, tears filling her eyes again. "I just...I wish we could do something for him," she whispered. "Anything."

"We're doing everything we can," Sirius said. They both heard coughing from Harry's room a few moments later. "I want to take him to St. Mungos, but he's definitely not up for the journey. Besides, I have to work...I'm barely making enough to pay rent and support the two of us while working for Gringotts. I know Harry's offered to let me use the money his parents left behind, but I just can't...he needs it for the next two years at school."

Hermione finally couldn't hold it in any longer. She burried her face in her hands and cried at last, allowing Sirius to hug her. "Shhhh-it's all right, Hermione," he insisted. "soon you'll both be back at Hogwarts, and Professor Dumbledore will be able to help."

Hermione lifted her head. "I'm going to see if Harry's all right," She said in a quiet voice. Sirius nodded and watched as she headed down the hallway. Hermione opened the door to Harry's room, which was now dark with the exception of a small nightlight.

"Harry?" Hermione asked, creeping over to the side of his bed. Harry opened his eyes and looked over.

"Hermione?"

"Do you need anything? How are you feeling?" Hermione sat down on his bed beside him.

"I have a horrible headache. Other than that, I don't feel too bad. That medicine we got did help," he replied. The nurse had drugged Harry up with a sample of the allergy medicine she recommended, so that was probably the cause of Harry's drowsiness and his headache. Hermione stroked Harry's forehead with the tips of her fingers before she lay down, placing her arms around him.

"Sirius is so frightened, Harry. So am I. It's just...you-know-who's been vanquished before, but he's never officially died. I'm so scared that he's just in hiding again, waiting for the right time to come and destroy you."

Harry nodded in understanding. "Maybe," he whispered, giving another yawn. "I'm sorry, Hermione...I understand what you're going on about, but do you mind if I go back to sleep?"

Hermione kissed him, shaking her head. "Of course not," she replied. "You definitely need it."

Harry thanked her, turning over in his bed and bundling beneath the covers. She stroked his hair lovingly, listening as his breathing began to relax somewhat. When he finally seemed to be out, she kissed his cheek and tiptoed out of the bedroom.