Chapter 11
Fever
A/N: Again, thank you so much for your lovely reviews! *blushes & then bows* trust me, i dont discourage easily over flames, though i have been flamed NASTILY before, but that didn't stop me from writing. :o) every writer gets some criticism after all, & they just have to put up with that. anyway--i wrote this while @ work (during the dead times since I work in retail--Hallmark to be precise & it's getting towards our busy season but we do have some down time) & hope you like it! Again, any feedback is welcome!
Sirius lifted Harry's unconscious form into his arms, and rushed the boy into the pub. Hermione was in tears as she followed them upstairs to theroom Tom had set up. "He's burning,' said Hermione, taking her boyfriend's hand between her own, and grimaced as his skin felt like it was on fire. "We may have to get him to a hospital, Sirius."
Sirius felt his godsons' forehead, noting how sweatsoaked Harry's hair was.
"We ought to contact Professor Dumbledore," said Ron, aiding Sirius as Harry was placed into bed and covered with just a sheet. "He may know what to do. He usually does."
Harry moaned, and his eyes fluttered open.
"I wish you had told me that you didn't feel good," Hermione whispered, kissing him.
Harry closed his eyes again and felt very dizzy. This feeling caused his stomach to churn and before he could prevent from doing so, Sirius had the waste basket under his head and he began to throw up. Hermione rubbed his back until the fit ended, feeling horrible for him. Harry gasped and lifted his head.
"It's all right, sweetheart." Hermione whispered, letting Harry lean against her shoulder.
"Tom--could you spare us an owl?" asked Sirius. "I need to send an emergency message to Dumbledore."
Tom nodded. "Certainly sir." He hurried off to get the owl and left Sirius, Ron and Hermione with Harry.
" 'M-sorry," Harry whispered hoarsely, unable to fight back his tears.
Hermione looked at Ron who stood on the opposite side of his friend's bed. "It's okay, mate." Ron insisted. "Don't worry about it.
"I'm going to go and empty this," Sirius told them, wrinkling his nose as he lifted the trashcan. "Hold a fresh one by him in case he has to get sick again. I think there's a trashcan in the bathroom too. Ron, go and get that."
Ron obeyed and Sirius hurried downstairs to toss the contents of the wastepaper basket into the dumpster in the back of the store. When he returned, he quickly scribbled a note to Dumbledore:
Professor Dumbledore,
Bad news--Harry is very sick and we are in Diagon Alley. He fainted outside of the Leaky Cauldron and Tom very kindly took us into one of the open rooms. We need your help--perhaps you can provide us with a quick and easy way to get to Hogwarts that would not be too taxing for Harry. Anything you could do would be appreciated.
Thank You,
Sirius
He read the letter aloud and Hermione nodded in approval, just as Tom returned with a scrawny-looking barn owl with gray and white feathers. "Here yeh are. She should run just fine. I'd just keep Harry in bed and blott his face with a damp rag. This is the first time I've had sick 'uns in my pub, but if you need anything, don hesitate to ask."
Sirius smiled as he tied the note around the owls' leg. "Thank you. We appreciate that very much." He replied, and sent the owl out the window. "Harry usually likes a nice mug of camomile tea once his stomach calms down, so could you go and make one?"
"Of course." Tom hurried back out again.
Hermione watched Harry drift back to sleep, and turned to Sirius, her eyes filling with tears yet again. "What is happening to him?" She whispered. "Voldemort's gone--"
"YOU-KNOW-WHO," Ron snapped.
"Oh come now. He's dead, Ron--we can say "Voldemort" now." Sirius chuckled, ruffling Ron's head of flaming red hair.
"Oh fine."
"And if you don't mind my saying so," Hermione added, "You said the word Voldemort quite a few times last year without thinking."
Ron turned crimson. "I did not," he snapped.
"You did so."
"That's enough. We have to think of Harry here." Sirius told them with warning looks.
"Right--sorry." Hermione turned to look at Harry's pale face. "I just wish we could help him. He's in so much pain." She caressed his forehead and cheek with her fingertips and then lowered her head so that she could whisper in his ear. "I love you so much, Harry. We're here for you." She was pleased when she saw a small smile appear on Harry's lips, which meant he had heard what she said. All of his life, Harry had been mistreated by his Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and cousin Dudley (his only living relatives). They always thought he was just one big burden to them, and the fact that he was a wizard turned them even further away. Now he had people who cared and he was very happy.
Sirius filled a bowl with water and took a washcloth from the bathroom, and sat down beside Harry on the bed. "Let's see if we can't draw the fever from his head. This usually helps a little bit, or else we'll have to give him ice baths again. And that is not something I would like to experience a second time."
When Harry had come down with bronchitis earlier that summer, his temperature had gone up to 103.5, and the nurse at the hospital had drawn an ice-water bath. They had lowered Harry's boiling body into it and he had cried in protest several times, and the cries turned to yells and then he had gone slack and silent--they had almost lost him. But Ice water baths were one of the only ways to get a fever down, especially since Madame Pomfrey's cooling potion was not availible at the time.
"Poor kid," Sirius sighed. "We're going to help you get better, bud. Just hang in there for us." He begged.
Fever
A/N: Again, thank you so much for your lovely reviews! *blushes & then bows* trust me, i dont discourage easily over flames, though i have been flamed NASTILY before, but that didn't stop me from writing. :o) every writer gets some criticism after all, & they just have to put up with that. anyway--i wrote this while @ work (during the dead times since I work in retail--Hallmark to be precise & it's getting towards our busy season but we do have some down time) & hope you like it! Again, any feedback is welcome!
Sirius lifted Harry's unconscious form into his arms, and rushed the boy into the pub. Hermione was in tears as she followed them upstairs to theroom Tom had set up. "He's burning,' said Hermione, taking her boyfriend's hand between her own, and grimaced as his skin felt like it was on fire. "We may have to get him to a hospital, Sirius."
Sirius felt his godsons' forehead, noting how sweatsoaked Harry's hair was.
"We ought to contact Professor Dumbledore," said Ron, aiding Sirius as Harry was placed into bed and covered with just a sheet. "He may know what to do. He usually does."
Harry moaned, and his eyes fluttered open.
"I wish you had told me that you didn't feel good," Hermione whispered, kissing him.
Harry closed his eyes again and felt very dizzy. This feeling caused his stomach to churn and before he could prevent from doing so, Sirius had the waste basket under his head and he began to throw up. Hermione rubbed his back until the fit ended, feeling horrible for him. Harry gasped and lifted his head.
"It's all right, sweetheart." Hermione whispered, letting Harry lean against her shoulder.
"Tom--could you spare us an owl?" asked Sirius. "I need to send an emergency message to Dumbledore."
Tom nodded. "Certainly sir." He hurried off to get the owl and left Sirius, Ron and Hermione with Harry.
" 'M-sorry," Harry whispered hoarsely, unable to fight back his tears.
Hermione looked at Ron who stood on the opposite side of his friend's bed. "It's okay, mate." Ron insisted. "Don't worry about it.
"I'm going to go and empty this," Sirius told them, wrinkling his nose as he lifted the trashcan. "Hold a fresh one by him in case he has to get sick again. I think there's a trashcan in the bathroom too. Ron, go and get that."
Ron obeyed and Sirius hurried downstairs to toss the contents of the wastepaper basket into the dumpster in the back of the store. When he returned, he quickly scribbled a note to Dumbledore:
Professor Dumbledore,
Bad news--Harry is very sick and we are in Diagon Alley. He fainted outside of the Leaky Cauldron and Tom very kindly took us into one of the open rooms. We need your help--perhaps you can provide us with a quick and easy way to get to Hogwarts that would not be too taxing for Harry. Anything you could do would be appreciated.
Thank You,
Sirius
He read the letter aloud and Hermione nodded in approval, just as Tom returned with a scrawny-looking barn owl with gray and white feathers. "Here yeh are. She should run just fine. I'd just keep Harry in bed and blott his face with a damp rag. This is the first time I've had sick 'uns in my pub, but if you need anything, don hesitate to ask."
Sirius smiled as he tied the note around the owls' leg. "Thank you. We appreciate that very much." He replied, and sent the owl out the window. "Harry usually likes a nice mug of camomile tea once his stomach calms down, so could you go and make one?"
"Of course." Tom hurried back out again.
Hermione watched Harry drift back to sleep, and turned to Sirius, her eyes filling with tears yet again. "What is happening to him?" She whispered. "Voldemort's gone--"
"YOU-KNOW-WHO," Ron snapped.
"Oh come now. He's dead, Ron--we can say "Voldemort" now." Sirius chuckled, ruffling Ron's head of flaming red hair.
"Oh fine."
"And if you don't mind my saying so," Hermione added, "You said the word Voldemort quite a few times last year without thinking."
Ron turned crimson. "I did not," he snapped.
"You did so."
"That's enough. We have to think of Harry here." Sirius told them with warning looks.
"Right--sorry." Hermione turned to look at Harry's pale face. "I just wish we could help him. He's in so much pain." She caressed his forehead and cheek with her fingertips and then lowered her head so that she could whisper in his ear. "I love you so much, Harry. We're here for you." She was pleased when she saw a small smile appear on Harry's lips, which meant he had heard what she said. All of his life, Harry had been mistreated by his Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and cousin Dudley (his only living relatives). They always thought he was just one big burden to them, and the fact that he was a wizard turned them even further away. Now he had people who cared and he was very happy.
Sirius filled a bowl with water and took a washcloth from the bathroom, and sat down beside Harry on the bed. "Let's see if we can't draw the fever from his head. This usually helps a little bit, or else we'll have to give him ice baths again. And that is not something I would like to experience a second time."
When Harry had come down with bronchitis earlier that summer, his temperature had gone up to 103.5, and the nurse at the hospital had drawn an ice-water bath. They had lowered Harry's boiling body into it and he had cried in protest several times, and the cries turned to yells and then he had gone slack and silent--they had almost lost him. But Ice water baths were one of the only ways to get a fever down, especially since Madame Pomfrey's cooling potion was not availible at the time.
"Poor kid," Sirius sighed. "We're going to help you get better, bud. Just hang in there for us." He begged.