Author's Note: TW: References to self-harm, panic attack, and PTSD. I also broke this chapter into 2 parts so I'm excited to see what you think about the next chapter (when I post it) as well! This chapter title is referencing a song my mom used to sing to me and it is You've Got a Friend by Carole King.
"Winter, spring, summer, or fall, all you have to do is call. And I'll be there, yes I will, you've got a friend."
Please remember that you are loved and I am always here for you. You have a friend (in me)!
Guest Reviews where I bare my soul this time (also a TW on these so feel free to skip them, as always:)):
Urgwaew: Thank you so much for your wonderful review! You did review right away, I was shocked! It was also nice to know that someone liked my chapter right away. Thank you! I appreciate it each and every time you review! I can't tell you how much your kind words mean to me! Neville is such a great friend and I'm glad you like that! I also know that it is so hard to feel like you need to handle things yourself. You are absolutely right that I do tend to put my own experiences, emotions, and thoughts into these chapters and your care is so appreciated and thoughtful! I have been in therapy for over 8 years now so know that I am not suffering in complete silence! I do, however, need to take your words to heart and reach out to some people. I just keep reading your review and it makes my heart smile every time. Thank you, thank you! Feel free to PM me at any point if you want any more details. xo!
Hai: I was so excited to see a new review! And such kind words! My goodness, my heart! Thank you so much! I appreciate it so much! I'm also so happy you read this and I can't believe you read it in two days! You are amazing! I am not actively hurting myself, but it was something I struggled with a few years ago and while the urge has never gone away, when I started writing this story (and a bit before), the urge has come back tenfold. I'm doing a bit better than when I started this story, but I'm working on it. It's certainly a complicated topic and there is such a spectrum that self-harm is (maybe I'll explore that in later chapters). Anyway, your praise and care is appreciated beyond words. Thank you!
As they landed, Harry worked out his physical issues quickly but wasn't as quick on the mental ones.
Ever since the Triwizard tournament, portkeys have been difficult for Harry. Remus worked with Harry on getting used to them a bit later in the summer and did a couple of portkeys with him to work with him on it. They didn't want Harry's next experience with a portkey to be a life or death situation and have his trauma response take over because he wasn't re-exposed to it again. So, with Harry's permission and consent, of course, they helped ease Harry back into expected portkey travel. While Harry has used a portkey since the tournament, they're still not the easiest thing for him.
"You okay, Cub?" Remus asked, watching Harry with concern.
"I- I just need a minute," Harry said, staggering back a few steps. Harry had his hand out and hit a tree. He slid down the trunk of it and sat down, trying to catch his breath and calm down. Harry was doing his best to stay in reality and not let his PTSD overtake him. Unfortunately, trauma can be relentless, and doesn't care how hard one works. Harry spent a minute trying to regulate himself before realizing that his panic attack was getting worse.
"Dad," Harry croaked out, his breathing getting faster. All he could think about was the tournament and being back in the graveyard.
Remus and Sirius were already closely watching Harry and immediately stepped in. Remus got behind him and wrapped his arms around him. Sirius became Padfoot and nuzzled himself onto Harry's lap.
"You're safe, Harry. Moony Da is here. Dadfoot is here. You are safe with us." Remus said softly, holding tight onto Harry.
Harry sucked in the air quickly, not feeling like there was enough oxygen for him.
Remus noticed this and said, "You're safe, Harry. Take some deep breaths with me. Follow my breathing. Let's do this together." Remus started to fix his breathing so Harry could feel the rise and fall of his chest. "You try with me, now. Deep breath in... and out. Deep breath in... and out. Good! Let's do it again. In... and out. Excellent, Cub." Remus praised softly. Remus took a few more deep breaths with Harry until Harry was breathing normally on his own. Remus felt better when he saw Harry's shaky hands rake through Padfoot's fur.
"You alright there, Cub?" Remus asked gently.
Harry nodded but didn't trust his voice to say anything yet.
"You just take all the time you need. No one can see us, you're safe and okay. We're right here. You are safe. No rush, love." Remus told him gently.
Harry let out a sigh of relief, thankful his godparents took care of anyone noticing them.
Harry stayed there petting Padfoot. Harry relaxed against Remus and let his brain work itself out back to normal. Occasionally Remus said soft words to Harry but mostly stayed silent, giving Harry the time he needs to come back to reality.
After about 5 minutes, Harry said, "I'm mostly back, but this is really nice right now,"
Remus smiled. He was also a bit pleasantly surprised. Harry is much better with physical contact than he was when they first rescued him, but he doesn't always like it. He does hug both of them (thank Merlin), but he is not always comfortable in holds or minor restraints.
"You can stay here as long as you need. I daresay, with Padfoot here it'll be the quietest you get."
Padfoot whined and looked up, giving Remus a dirty look.
Harry smiled and continued to pet the dog and lean against Remus, slowly coming back into reality. It was nice to not have to rush or feel embarrassed. Another three minutes later, Harry realized why he was so comfortable.
"It-It's warm here?" Harry said quizically.
Remus smiled from behind Harry. "It is. When you're ready we can explain."
"I'm ready!" Harry said, the excitement obvious in his voice.
Remus chuckled. "Take a few more breaths, Harry. We'll move in a minute. There's no rush."
Harry gave a small huff in reply but did as Remus said. Harry spent the time becoming more aware of his surroundings and focusing on what he can smell, feel, hear, and see.
A couple of minutes later, Harry much more calmly said, "Okay, Moony Da, I'm ready."
"Okay, Cub. I'm going to move now and so is Padfoot, okay?"
"Yes, Sir."
Remus slowly moved from behind Harry, making sure he was still steady, and Padfoot got off of Harry's lap and popped into Sirius. Both men sat next to Harry so that they were in a circle of sorts.
"Where are we?" Harry asked, breaking the silence first.
Remus and Sirius smiled and exchanged a look.
"Australia," Sirius replied, grinning at Harry.
"You have property down here, too? How?" Harry asked, flabbergasted.
"Harry, do you remember how Australia was founded?"
"Well, Professor Black," Harry began cheekily, "Australia was used as a prison and a dumping ground basically for prisoners from England. Eventually, some of the prisoners decided to make it their home and actually founded cities."
"Exactly," Sirius said, nodding.
Harry looked at him confused until a lightbulb went off in his head. "OH! Are you saying that there was a Black who was dumped here way back when?"
"That's right!" Sirius affirmed him, grinning still.
"My gosh, you all are rich and troublemakers!" Harry cried.
Sirius leaned over and ruffled his hair, but didn't say anything.
"As you know, Harry, Australia's summer is during our winter, which is why it's warm here," Remus told him.
"Guess what we can do when it's warm that we can't do in the snow?" Sirius asked, raising his eyebrows. At Harry's blank look he added, "We were just talking about this."
Harry gasped and said, "Flying? No way!"
Sirius beamed and nodded.
"Let's go!" Harry said, hurrying to get up. Remus immediately put his hands on him to help him up, making sure that he didn't hurt himself or move too fast.
"Are you sure you're okay, Cub?" Remus asked.
"Yes, Moony Da. I'm alright now."
"Okay, just let us know."
"I will, I will. Now let's go flying!"
Remus chuckled and shook his head, but it was so good to see Harry actually excited about something.
"WHOO HOO!" Harry cried for the countless time. They had been flying for over an hour now. Remus had flown with them in the beginning, but it had been Sirius and Harry for a while now.
"Having fun, Prongslet?" Sirius asked, pulling up alongside him.
"This is amazing!" Harry said, doing a small flip in the air and zooming away.
Sirius chuckled and then sped off, following his godson. He was so happy he was having fun.
Remus watched them from the ground. They had gone to the Black estate in Australia and (of course) Sirius had his own quidditch pitch there. Remus happily watched his two favorite boys for another half an hour before calling them down.
"What's up, Moony Da?" Harry asked, slightly out of breath.
"It's time for a break," Remus replied with a smile.
"Moony Da!" Harry whined, "I'm having fun!"
Remus and Sirius don't put up with whining, but hearing Harry say he was having fun was almost enough for Remus to give in.
Unfortunately for Harry, it was only almost enough.
"Sorry, Cub. It's time for a drink and snack break. Come on, let's sit down."
Remus, Harry, and Sirius went over to the picnic blanket and sat down. Harry quickly grabbed a goblet of pumpkin juice and then started on the grapes, cheese, and crackers.
"I thought you wanted to keep flying?" Remus asked, clearly amused with the seemingly ravenous teenager.
"Well if you're going to make me stop, I might as well take advantage of it," Harry replied, his mouth full of food.
Remus chuckled and shook his head. Sirius lightly tapped Harry on the arm and said, "Hey, chew and swallow. We don't need Moony saving a choking teenager."
Harry nodded and did as Sirius said. Besides, if he was choking he'd probably be done flying and he didn't want that.
The three of them idly chatted for another twenty minutes until the snacking had let up a bit.
"Harry," Remus began lightly.
"Yes?" Harry asked, sipping his juice.
"I want to talk to you about everything going on."
Harry groaned and threw his head back. "Can't we just enjoy this?!" Harry whined again.
Remus gave him a small, apologetic smile and slightly shook his head. "Sorry, Cub. We have to talk."
"Okay, go ahead," Harry said, waving his hand.
"Harry, my love, you need to know that Dadfoot and I love you very much."
"I know that," Harry said in a small voice, sounding younger than his age.
"Good," Remus praised with an encouraging smile. "And you need to know that we would do anything for you."
Harry gave a small nod.
"You can come to us at any time," Remus continued.
"I know that! I just," Harry huffed and ran his hand through his hair. "I just don't want to bother or interrupt you."
Sirius decided to chime in now. "Harry, if you decide to come into one of my classes simply to say hello, I'd love it. Don't ever think that you're not important enough to get us at any point. We would drop anything."
"But that's the problem! I don't want you to drop anything! What if what you're dealing with is more important?!"
"Nothing is more important than you, Harry. Nothing." Sirius said firmly.
"Sirius is correct, Harry. Nothing is more important than you. I do, however, think I know what you're saying," Remus began.
"Harry, do you remember when you were 10? We were going to go to Diagon Alley just the two of us."
Harry scrunched his face, thinking back, and then nodded.
Remus smiled and continued, "You were so excited, and to be honest, so was I. However, that morning there was an emergency with a student. I told you we had to reschedule our time together for the next week."
"I remember that. I was so disappointed back then. I mean, I understood now! I'm not mad or anything." Harry quickly clarified.
"You were disappointed. And do you remember us making it up the next week?"
"Yeah," Harry grinned. "It was a great day."
"It was." Remus agreed. "Harry, that is an example of you always being our first priority and the most important thing in our life to us. However, I had to take care of a student emergency. Although you couldn't understand it then, that was really important for me to take care of. We want you to come to us any time. If there is something more major going on we will tell you. You know that we have pretty open communication between the three of us. Harry, there is never any harm in approaching us. We can decide if whatever it is needs immediate attention. You just come to us. We will never, ever be angry or annoyed. I promise."
"I understand. That makes me feel better." Harry replied after thinking for a moment.
"And Harry?" Remus added.
"Yeah?"
"If, at any point, we think that something is more important and you don't, tell us. We can't read your mind. If you ever absolutely need us, you get us. We've had that rule since you were little. Okay?"
Harry nodded.
"Ha!" Sirius said, obviously in his thoughts.
"Care to share with the class, Mr. Black?" Remus asked dryly.
Sirius rolled his eyes at Professor Lupin and said, "Harry did get us once when he had just come and joined us. It was our second day back at work, I believe. Harry was in the Great Hall for the second time as well. He saw a ghost and he sprinted out of the hall, away from Dumbledore, and to my classroom. I still don't know how you managed to remember which one it was," Sirius told Harry.
4-year-old Harry was running through the halls and made a sharp turn into his Dadfoot's classroom.
"Dadfoot!" Harry cried, out of breath.
Sirius was teaching his sixth years, but the sight of his clearly upset godson stopped him in his tracks. They spent months together and had recently come back to Hogwarts after their leave of absence. Harry was in the care of Dumbledore, but here was Harry and Dumbledore was nowhere to be found.
"Harry?! Are you okay?" Sirius asked, rushing towards his godson.
"Th-there are GHOSTS!" Harry cried, bursting into tears.
Sirius' face softened as he picked up Harry.
"Oh, Puppy, you're okay. They're not going to hurt you. They're nice ghosts." Sirus felt like this wasn't the time to talk about Peeves.
"Y-You know?" Harry asked, leaning back to look into his godfather's eyes.
"Yes, Harry. Hogwarts has ghosts. I'm so sorry we didn't introduce you," Sirius said, truly apologetic.
"b-But ghosts!" Harry said, starting his crying again, burying his head into Sirius' shoulder.
Sirius sighed and rubbed Harry's small back. He then remembered his class. He turned to them and said, "Start reading chapter 6. We'll go over questions together."
Sirius brought Harry to his seat and held him close, softly talking to him, calming him down.
About 5 minutes later, a slightly out-of-breath headmaster came into the room.
Sirius stood up and brought Harry to Dumbledore.
"Harry, I was so worried," Dumbledore said lightly, reaching a hand out to lovingly touch Harry's arm.
"Harry was worried about the ghosts," Sirius told Albus with a look.
Albus nodded in understanding. "Ah, I see. That does seem rather scary. Would you like to go back to my office? There are no ghosts there." Dumbledore said lightly.
"I need Dadfoot," Harry mumbled.
"Harry, love, I have a class to teach. I can join you when I'm done."
"No!" Harry cried. He stuck his head up defiantly. "I need you! And Moony Da! I need you!"
Sirius was surprised. They had talked to Harry for a long time about saying when he needed them and before they went back to work they made sure that Harry could do it unprompted. Sirius wasn't expecting Harry to do it now, but he did.
Sirius looked up at Albus. "Thank you, Professor. I guess I'll just have an assistant right now. If you could let Professor Lupin know that we will be headed his way later, I would appreciate it."
Albus smiled at Sirius. "Of course. I'll see you later, Harry?"
Harry nodded shyly before turning away.
"Say, 'bye', Puppy," Sirius reminded Harry softly.
"Bye, P'fesso'," Harry muttered shyly.
Dumbledore gave Harry a smile and snuck a lolli into his hand before walking out.
Sirius sighed. He certainly didn't imagine this but here they were. He rubbed Harry's back again before walking to the front of the classroom.
"Alright, what questions do you have?" Sirius asked his sixth years.
The students just stared at him, their eyes darting back and forth between him and Harry.
"This is Harry, everyone. We are going to have another class where he can introduce himself. Right now, we are going to give him his space. Does that make sense?"
While Sirius kept his tone light for Harry, all of the students heard the edge of his voice and didn't dare to cross him. They all nodded wordlessly.
"Good. Now, what questions do you have?"
The class asked questions as Harry stayed glued to Sirius' hip, his head nestled in the crook of his neck. When the class was over, Sirius quickly shooed the students out and made his way towards Remus' office where the werewolf was waiting.
"Hi, Harry," Remus said kindly, standing at his door.
"Hi Moony Da," Harry mumbled.
Remus softly shut the door behind them. Sirius sat down on the couch with Harry and Remus sat next to them.
"I heard you had a scary morning," Remus said, his voice kind and sympathetic.
"Did you know that there are ghosts!" Harry said, wide-eyed at Remus.
Remus gave him an apologetic smile. "I did. I'm so sorry you were scared. That is an uncomfortable feeling."
Harry nodded and put his head back on Sirius. "I didn't like it."
"Oh, I'm sure you didn't. How are you feeling after spending some time with Dadfoot?"
"Better," Harry replied honestly.
"Good!" Remus praised, reaching out to brush a piece of Harry's hair away from his face.
Harry yawned and closed his eyes, comfortable with his godparents.
"Harry, love, are you tired?" Remus asked gently.
"Maybe a wittle, but I'll be 'kay," Harry replied, not wanting to be in trouble.
Remus knew this and his face softened. "Harry, you are allowed to be tired. I'd be tired after the day you had. You can take a nap. We love you. You are not i trouble. Let's put you down for a nap, okay?"
"B-but I don't wanna leave you!" Harry said, his green eyes welling up with tears.
"We'll stay with you, Cub. We promise. Can we take you back now for a nap?"
Harry still seemed hesitant and Sirius stepped in now. "You're not in trouble, Harry. We want you to rest."
That seemed to convince him. "Kay," Harry said shyly, clutching onto Sirius.
"Okay then," Remus said with a soft smile, "let's get back to our quarters and take a rest."
Remus and Sirius brought Harry back to the Marauder Quarters where he quickly fell asleep. Both men stayed with Harry for the rest of the day. Later on that week, they introduced Harry to some of the ghosts (starting with the very kind Fat Friar, of course). Within a couple of weeks, Harry would seek out The Fat Friar, often talking to him and playing with him. Remus and Sirius were very thankful Harry didn't stay scared of the ghosts and were relieved that he was continuing to heal after all he'd been through.
"I remember that," Harry said, a small blush on his face as well as a smile.
"If you need us, you tell us. We are always there for you," Sirius assured him.
"I understand. I love you both," Harry said.
"We love you so much, Harry James," Remus said. Both Remus and Sirius leaned in and hugged Harry.
"Now, come on, let's fly some more before we have to go back," Sirius said when they were done hugging.
Harry got up and said, "Race you!"
"Oh, you Pup!" Sirius cried, quickly mounting his broom and following Harry.
They flew for another 45 minutes before they had to head back to Hogwarts. Harry was disappointed that they had to return, but very thankful for the break. "Thank you, Moony Da and Dadfoot. That really helped."
"I'm so glad, Cub. You deserve it," Remus said when they were back in their sitting room.
"I guess I have to study now, huh?" Harry weakly joked. It seemed horrible to sit alone in his room after the fun he just had.
"Come study out here. We'll help you," Sirius said, patting the spot on the couch next to him.
"A-are you sure? You're really busy," Harry said anxiously.
"Cub," Remus said softly, "accept the help. We wouldn't offer it if we didn't have time."
Harry thought back to all the events of that day and nodded. "Okay, let me grab my stuff."
"Merlin," Sirius said as Harry disappeared into his room, "he's stubborn!"
"I wonder where he got that from," Remus replied dryly, glaring at Sirius.
"Hey!" Sirius said, putting a hand to his heart. "I am insulted Mr. Moony!"
"Between you and James, the poor kid never had a chance."
"Had a chance about what?" Harry asked, coming back into the room carrying his things.
"Had a chance about how good-looking you are! You get it from me," Sirius said, tossing his hair back.
"Moony Da! I was gone for two seconds! How did Dadfoot's head get even bigger?" Harry asked, mock-glaring at Remus.
"Not you too! What is this, rag on Padfoot day?" Sirius cried.
Harry and Remus rolled their eyes and Harry said, "Dadfoot!"
Sirius chuckled and ruffled Harry's hair. "Aw, I'm just teasing you. I'll take it out on your exam grade!"
"No, you wouldn't! I have another staff witness who wouldn't let you!" Harry cried triumphantly.
"Moony wouldn't betray me, would you?" Sirius asked sweetly, batting his eyelashes.
Remus sighed dramatically. "I'd side with Harry on this one."
Sirius threw himself to the floor as if he was wounded, "Oh! The horror! All alone!"
Harry chuckled and Remus just rolled his eyes again and threw a pillow at him. "That's enough theatrics, you prat. Come on, we said we'd help Harry study."
"Aaand scene!" Sirius said, standing up and bowing. "Thank you, thank you." Now, what are we studying?" Sirius asked, sitting down next to Harry.
"Well since I have both of you, take your pick. Charms or Herbology?" Harry asked.
Sirius and Remus looked at each other, not caring. Both felt good about both of those subjects.
"Herbology," Remus said, making a decision.
"Great! Here we go," Harry said, pulling out some parchment and a textbook.
Harry, Remus, and Sirius studied for a few hours until dinner where they ate in their quarters and then went back to studying, but independently this time. Remus and Sirius worked closely with Harry as exams got closer, keeping an eye on him and making sure he was making good choices.
During midterms, Remus made sure he kept his weekly appointment with Harry.
Harry knocked on Remus' door as it was half shut. "Professor?" Harry asked, poking his head in.
"Harry!" Remus said, looking up from his desk. "Come in!"
Harry smiled at Remus and shut the door behind him. Harry set his stuff down and sat on the couch, utterly exhausted.
"How are you doing?" Remus kindly asked Harry.
Harry glared at Remus. "I think you can tell."
Remus bit his lip to keep from chuckling. "Spell it out for me."
"I'm bloody exhausted! Why do we even have to do this anyway?! It's stupid!"
Before Remus could say anything, Harry said, "I know why we do it. I don't need to hear it again. I'm just annoyed with it all."
Remus gave Harry an apologetic smile. "How have you been sleeping? I know you had a nightmare a couple of nights ago. Have there been any more?"
Harry opened his mouth to lie to Remus and tell him he hasn't had any before looking at his godmother's face. Harry shut his mouth and thought for a minute before quietly saying, "I don't really want to talk about them right now if that's okay?"
Remus wasn't expecting that response but was incredibly proud of Harry for speaking up. He has talked to Harry his whole life about setting boundaries and that it's okay not to talk about something if you don't want to. While therapy is different, Remus still, very early on in Harry's sessions, made sure Harry knew that while therapy is for exploring things that are often difficult, it's okay to not want to talk about things sometimes. It's okay to revisit them later.
Remus smiled at Harry. "Of course it's okay. We can talk about it another time. I'm really proud of you for speaking up. That takes a lot of courage. Just know that if you ever change your mind, I'm here for you."
"I know, thanks Moony Da," Harry replied, blushing. It was quiet for a moment before Harry said, "It's just that with exams I can't really handle talking about my nightmares, too. I just want one thing at a time. Exams are a lot."
Remus nodded. "I totally understand. How have you been doing with them?"
"You ask me this at home!" Harry protested.
Remus just smiled at Harry.
Harry sighed and said, "I think they're going okay. I'm doing my best. My dad, Sirius Black, really helped me study."
"And what about your other father?" Remus asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Nope, no help at all! He just turns away!" Harry teased him, cheekily.
Remus rolled his eyes and chuckled, as did Harry.
"But seriously, Moony Da, you've been a big help. Thank you so much."
"Of course, Cub. I want the best for you."
"I know," Harry replied softly, his hands running along the fringe of a blanket.
Remus watched Harry quietly for a moment; the boy was in his own mind. Remus broke the silence saying, "Harry, I want to ask about how you've been coping with all this stress."
Harry didn't look up but still acknowledged him by nodding.
"I know exams can be a lot, just like you said. Have you hurt yourself at all?"
"No, Moony Da. Nothing since the quill incident."
"That was an accident, don't beat yourself up," Remus chided softly.
"Thanks," Harry mumbled.
Remus bit back a sigh but knew that that topic needed to be addressed later. He decided to move on to the next question. "Have you had thoughts of hurting yourself?"
Harry froze now. His hands eventually went back to running over the fringe, but Harry didn't know how to respond.
"It's okay, Harry. You're not in trouble. You're not going to be taken away. I'm just asking about your thoughts. Remember, we can't control those. They don't define you," Remus reminded Harry gently.
Harry soaked in what Remus was saying. He eventually gave a small nod and said, "Yeah, I have. I'm just really overwhelmed."
Remus nodded empathetically. While Harry wasn't looking at him, Remus could tell that he could still see him through his fringe. "I understand. Those thoughts are really uncomfortable and hard to have. I am so proud of you for fighting them. That's really big, Harry."
Harry blushed, grateful for Remus' praise.
"What have you done instead?" Remus asked.
Harry shrugged. He played with the fringe for a moment and sat in silence before speaking up about 20 seconds later. "Different things. I used fidgets and took a nap. I even got hot chocolate one time and another time I went to the potions lab and made a potion."
Remus smiled at Harry's variety of coping mechanisms. Merlin, he was so incredibly beyond proud of him.
Harry's head snapped up now and he grinned at Remus. "Oh yeah! Guess what I did yesterday?!"
"What did you do?"
"I went to the kitchen and Dobby was there and we made cookies together!"
Remus smiled at Harry and before he could even reply, Harry put his hands over his mouth. "Bloody hell, that sounded even more childish than I thought it would. Just forget I said anything."
Remus shook his head and went over to Harry. "Harry, that doesn't sound childish at all. Cookies are delicious and I think that sounds like an amazing strategy. You thought of that all yourself. I am so proud of you! Wow! I am so impressed!" Remus praised softly, cupping Harry's cheek.
"Really? You don't think it's stupid?" Harry asked shyly.
"Not at all! I think it's bloody brilliant!"
Harry smiled at Remus' language as he isn't one to swear.
"Harry, a coping strategy I recommend to some people is finger painting. It might seem like an activity for young children, but it helps them. There is nothing childish or young about self-harm and fighting that urge is a very brave and grown-up thing to do, no matter how you do it."
"The cookies were really good," Harry added, whispering.
"And why didn't I get some?" Remus asked.
"Dadfoot ate the rest," Harry said, looking up at Remus and smiling wickedly.
"Next time you just deliver them to my office, okay?" Remus said, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, Sir!" Harry said with a mock salute.
Remus chuckled and ruffled Harry's hair. They sat in silence for a minute until Harry leaned on Remus. Reus stayed there for several minutes, combing his fingers through Harry's hair.
"You tired, Cub?" Remus asked gently.
"Yeah," Harry simply replied.
"Just rest now. I'm right here," Remus assured Harry gently.
Harry and Remus stayed there for another half an hour until Harry jolted awake. He quickly sat up from his nightmare and Remus put his hands firmly on Harry's arms. "You're safe, Harry. You're safe. You're with Moony Da at Hogwarts. You are safe."
Harry looked around, releasing a breath. After a moment he said, "Oh, okay. Thanks, Moony Da."
"Of course," Remus replied, clearly concerned for his son. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Harry shook his head.
"Do you want to be distracted?" Remus tried again.
"Y-yes please," Harry said, his voice a bit shaky.
"Alright. First, take a sip of the water that's on my desk." Remus said, grabbing the water and giving it to Harry who sipped it.
"Good. Now, I need to restock my medical box. Do you feel well enough to come with me?"
"Yeah," Harry said, color returning to his face.
"Alright. I'm going to grab it and we can go."
Remus grabbed his medical box and then he and Harry walked to the hospital wing together. It was quiet, but they eventually started up a light conversation. As they were almost at the hospital wing, however, they were interrupted by a student running up to them.
"Professor Lupin! Professor Lupin!" It was a third-year Hufflepuff.
"Yes, Marie? Are you okay?" Lupin asked kindly.
"I'm okay, but there's a first-year that needs your help. I think they're having a panic attack and nothing is calming her down. Can you please help?"
Remus looked at Harry who quickly said, "Go! I'm good, I promise. Go!"
Remus nodded and then turned back to the Hufflepuff. "Of course, I'm right behind you." Remus handed Harry the medical box and hurried away.
Harry smiled as Remus went away, thankful to have such a great dad. He was almost at the medical wing already but was surprised by the sight that greeted him.
"Malfoy?" Harry asked a few steps into the wing.
Draco looked up from the bed he was at. "Oh, hi, Potter."
Harry walked toward his classmate. "Are you helping out Madame Pomfrey?"
"Yeah, she's really busy during exams. It's been great to help her out."
"I'm so glad to hear that you're working with her! That's brilliant!"
"Thanks," Draco replied. "Are you okay?"
"Me? Oh yeah, I'm fine. I just have to restock the medical box for Professor Lupin."
"Oh, I can help with that! Follow me." Draco led Harry to the back of the wing and into their supply room.
Draco opened up the box and started muttering to himself, "Let's see, gauze, tape, calming draught vials," Harry zoned out as Draco started to grab things and look around. This closet was huge and Harry hadn't seen it before.
"This is wicked," Harry finally spoke, looking around.
"It is pretty cool, isn't it," Draco said, looking behind his shoulder as he reached for a vial.
"And how do you already know all this stuff?" Harry asked.
Draco shrugged. "It just takes studying, I guess."
The boys stood there for a few more minutes as Draco packed everything up. "There you go Potter, all refilled."
"Thanks, Malfoy," Harry replied as they started to walk away. "And Malfoy," Harry added, "It's exams. I love that you're helping Madame Pomfrey and everything but, just remember to take care of yourself too, okay?"
Draco gave Harry a genuine smile. "I will. Thanks, Potter, you too."
Harry nodded his thanks and the two boys broke away.
As Harry went back to return the medical box and then go back to studying, he had no idea what was going through Draco's mind.
Draco kept working but was surprised and grateful for that interaction. Harry was concerned about his well-being. Huh. Draco knew, as Snape had taught him once, that most of the time the people who care about your well-being (who aren't your guardians or very close friends) struggle with themselves. Draco decided he would have to keep an eye out for Potter.
By Merlin, if Harry wouldn't take care of himself Draco would find someone who would.
Alternatives to Harming Yourself:
1. Talk to someone you care about and/or trust
2. Exercise
3. Get outside and get some fresh air
4. Have a warm beverage
5. Write something down
6. Go to therapy/ contact your therapist
7. Be with your pet or another animal
8. Take a nap
9. Play or fiddle with a fidget
10. Do something artistic (draw, paint, use clay, play-doh, fingerpaint, etc)
11. Play a game
12. Bake or cook something you like to eat