A Very Sick Werewolf
a Harry Potter story
by kangaroo

---

Remus didn't get ill. Well, rarely got ill. Very rarely. He'd been undecided the night before about whether he was just tired, which he most definitely was, or coming down with something as well. Now he knew.

Remus did sneeze frequently. It was a result of having a very sensitive (but handy) nose. There was a specific sneeze Remus usually had, and it didn't leave him with a hollow feeling between his eyes. He shook his head to clear the feeling and pinched the bridge of his nose. His head felt rather watery as he tripped slightly on the bottom step down to the kitchen at No 12.

"Oh!" Tonks jumped as he appeared leaning in the doorframe, smiling at the sight of her in bare feet and a dressing gown, looking considerably more attractive in the get-up than he currently did. Molly was there cooking bacon with one hand and absent mindedly washing pots with her wand in the other. "Good morning dear." She said.

"KSHUH! Kff..CHHHUUHHG...ffsn..." Sneezing didn't usually sneak up on Remus either. "Good bordig."

Molly glanced over her shoulder to bless him and saw a rather pale and flushed looking Remus rubbing his nose with the back of his hand.

"Goodness! Remus, are you feeling alright?" she asked sweeping over to him in a wave of maternal concern and worry. She took him by a hand, pushed him into a seat and pressed a cool hand to his forehead.

Remus ducked his head away. "I'm fine, Molly. AkSHOO!!!" He sneezed again.

"Well you don't look very fine to me." she muttered. He heard it anyway, due to keen werewolf hearing made sensitive thanks to a headache. This time he didn't pull away, when Molly rested the backs of her fingers against his forehead. "You're very warm, dear." Molly soothed and stroked his hair.

Remus sighed heavily. "Really, I'm fine." He said. "Just tired."

"You are very pale..." said Tonks sitting down next to him, spilling a little milk and cereal in the process, and took his hand, wrapping their fingers together under the table. "Would you like some tea?"

He nodded, and rubbed his temple with his free hand. "I'm just tired." He reiterated.

Tonks stood up and pulled Remus favourite cup from the cupboard. "Maybe I better do that." Said Molly, pouring tea from the pot before Tonks had the chance.

Tonks laughed and sat down again. "Mum says I'll grow out of being clumsy. But I stopped growing when I was 16 so..."

"I think she was being metaphorical dear." Molly replied handing Remus his tea and a plate of bacon and sausages, his favourite.

"Oh." He said. "No thank you, Molly. I'm not really hungry."

Simultaneously, Tonks and Molly frowned. The older woman gently tipped Remus face up for her to see. She flashed a light from her wand in his eyes and pulled his bottom eyelid down slightly. "There's a definite sign of fever in your eyes..."

"Maybe you should go back up to bed, I'll bring your tea and some toast up for you." Said Tonks, squeezing his hand, noting how cold and thin his fingers were.

"No...I have things to do. I'm fine, honestly." He protested, untangling his fingers from Tonks'. He pushed his chair back from the table and stood up shakily. He paused, gripping the table, while he had strict words with his legs, which felt rubbery and uncooperative beneath him.

"Remus..." Molly barely opened her mouth before he cut her off.

"I'm fine!" he insisted, beginning to loose his patience. He hadn't slept terribly well, his back and bad leg had ached persistently into the early hours of the morning and his stomach felt like rocks had swollen it uncomfortably.

Tonks rubbed his upper arm with a friendly smile. "Please, just for an hour or so...I'll bring you your work. You weren't going out today, were you? So what's the harm?" He shook his head. "Please?" she repeated, stepping close to him, so close their bare toes almost touched. Molly turned back to her pan and washing up. "For me." She said quietly.

Remus gave her a lopsided smile, "Will you come and keep me company?" he whispered, so Molly's super-mother ears wouldn't hear.

"I will if you go right now. Go on...shoo." She pushed him gently towards the stairs.

"Alright...alright." He acquiesced. "Bloody women."

Tonks watched him make his way up the stairs slowly and sighed with a small sigh to herself. By the time she'd followed him up, miraculously without spilling his tea, dropping the toast or stubbing her toe, he'd fallen fast asleep on top of the covers, dressing gown still on. Tonks chuckled and put the plates down quietly as was possible. She was about to turn to leave, when she noticed his bare feet, which looked very cold. After a certain amount of rummaging in drawers, clearly the man had no system of storage in here, she found a thick pair of socks.

"Tonks?" his voice made her jump.

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." She threw him the socks. "You look cold." She added and shrugged.

Remus laughed, "Thank you. You didn't wake me..."

"Here...your tea." She handed him the cup and the plate. He picked up a piece of toast and nibbled the edge of it. He really didn't feel like eating toast, his throat was scratchy enough. Tonks clambered up onto his bed and sat beside him, legs folded beneath her.

He watched her, bemused, over the edge of his cup. "I thought you were going to get that book and scroll I was using to work from?"

"I thought you wanted me to keep you company?" she retorted.

"Ah, yes. Lets see...stuffy old book and parchment.....pretty lady to talk to." He held up his hands to weigh his options. "'fraid it's going to have to be the book." He deadpanned.

Tonks slapped his shoulder. "Cheek, I could leave..."

"No...no. You can....Ah...ah...kshoo....stay. Sorry about that." He grinned apologetically.

"Don't apologise, it's physically impossible to stop a sneeze apparently. If you try, your brains drip out of your ears or something."

"Lovely." He drawled, and then sneezed again. "AHHHmmph!"

"Remus." Tonks said softly and stroked his hair. "You're not really fine are you?"

"It's probably just a cold." He said, leaning into her tender ministrations.

"I didn't think werewolves could get colds."

"Neither did I."

"You're under a lot of stress...maybe that's it, you're just tired like you said." She said,

He nodded. Tonks continued to stroke his hair and pulled his head down a tad, so he could rest it on her shoulder if he wanted. To her surprise, he did.

"You were out in the snow the other day, in the freezing cold and fog."

He nodded again against her shoulder and sniffed.

"And you're hopeless at taking care of yourself. I'm sure you forgot to eat yesterday. You never sleep." When he didn't respond, she looked down. His eyes were closed, fast asleep again. She carefully extracted her arm and clambered off the bed. Then she found a blanket, tucked it around the sleeping man before creeping back downstairs.

She popped her head in the door several times during the morning, and also dropped off the book and parchments he'd wanted true to her word. Once she'd heard him coughing in his sleep, and almost crawled onto the bed with him to hug it better, but didn't for fear of waking him. At lunchtime she found Molly mounting the stairs with a laden tray heading for Remus' room. Knowing better than to offer to carry the tray, she simply held the door for her, and chuckled when she got a good look at Molly's tray. Talk about a mother's intuition, thought Tonks, still chuckling. In addition to a bowl of soup and bread, were several Healing potions and medicines...including the dreaded Pepper Up. In the very centre of the tray, next to Molly's wand was a glass thermometer.

"Remus, dear. Wake up." Molly shook his shoulder gently. Remus blinked, clearly dazed and rolled onto his back to look at them both. Molly felt his head, shook her own and asked Tonks for the thermometer.

"Open." She instructed. Remus did so obediently, still dazed. "Hold this under your tongue." She popped the thermometer in his mouth, and without thinking Remus did as he was told.

"Molly..." He began to protest, mumbling slightly.

"Try not to talk." She soothed as she felt his glands under his jaw. He rolled his eyes and indulged her. With a glance at her watch Molly removed the thermometer and read it carefully. "39.4ºC. Well, you're definitely running a temperature." She said and stroked his hair in a motherly fashion. "Come on. Into bed."

"Really Molly...I..." He protested.

"Hush Remus. I won't have you whizzing about, making yourself worse. Now bed."

He moaned and sat up, intending to ignore both Molly and Tonks, but as he went to stand he swayed dizzily and caught hold of Tonks' arm. "Whoa..." he moaned again, this time in pain, he seemed to feel worse now he'd woken up a second time. Tonks pulled him into her arms as Molly turned the bed down and helped Remus to slip his dressing gown off, and a proper pajama top on (which he never usually wore). She helped him into bed and smoothed the covers down over him, then perched on the edge of his bed, next to his legs. Tonks watched from behind worry written across her pretty, usually cheerful face.

Molly smiled sympathetically, "Will you stay put now? Open wide." Molly coaxed with a gentle hand on his chin. "Oh, your throat is very red and sore, your glands are swollen too. High temperature, coughing, sneezing, flushed...you've come down with the works alright. You must feel awful Remus, you poor thing." He closed his eyes and smiled patiently. "Do you feel sick?" she asked.

"No. Just not hungry." He replied quietly, somewhat embarrassed. His pallor was paler now than it had been at breakfast. Two spots of high colour were in his cheeks and he looked flushed.

"And dizzy?"

"Yes." He didn't want to nod because of afore mentioned dizziness.

Molly caressed the side of his face. "I'll give you some Pepper Up then. It should help with the fever, the coughing and the sneezing and the fatigue in general. You really have been pushing your..."

"No." Remus croaked quickly.

"No? What do you mean no?" Molly asked, frowning.

"No Pepper Up....I can't, I'm allergic to it." He explained. "They use wolfsbane as a binding agent to make the different parts of the potion work together. Throat swells up an everything."

"Oh. I see. I'm sorry Remus, I just didn't think about it." He waved her apologies away with one hand as he used the other to cough into. "Well, I could give you a fever reducer separately and something for your throat. I haven't anything for the cough at the moment I'm afraid."

"Don't worry Molly. You've done quite enough really." He patted her hand, which lay on his leg. "Thank you."

"You're welcome dear." She poured a large dose of something blue into a big spoon.

"It'll help lower your temperature Remus." He took the spoon in his mouth, drinking the medicine gratefully. "There's soup, you should try and eat some. But failing that, resting would be just as good." She ruffled his hair as she turned to walk out, holding the door for Tonks.

"I thought I'd stay, keep him company, make sure he doesn't need anything." She said.

"Alright. I'm going to pop out, I'll be back within an hour, but I'll leave you the thermometer, if his temperature rises use a cold rag on his forehead. It might not bring his temperature down, but it might make him more comfortable. He really should eat that soup, if you can coax him." Molly said, handing Tonks the thermometer. "If he's in pain, there's a mild painkiller on the bedstand. A large spoonful should be fine. But most of all, make sure he stays in that bed!!"

"I'm still here you know. I may have my eyes shut and I can still hear you. I'm perfectly capable of doing all that for myself." Remus commented dryly. The effect of his wit was blunted somewhat by the nasal quality to his voice, and the punctuating sneeze.

Both women ignored him. "OK. I'll try. Can I use handcuffs?" Tonks asked with a cheeky grin.

"What you two do in that bed is entirely up to you...no details, thank you very much!!"

Remus sneezed again.

"I think it might just be cuddling and tissue holder actually." Tonks said with a wry, but happy grin.

After Molly left, Tonks clambered over Remus to sit beside him on his bed.

"Oh Rem. You really aren't feeling well at all are you?" murmured Tonks as she stroked his hand.

"I suppose not, no."

"See if you'd said you were ill this morning Molly could have given you something so you wouldn't feel quite so dreadful now." She chided gently.

"And missed your hair scratches and neck tickles?" his cheeky grin entirely lost it's effect with the following fit of coughing. "Ow." He groaned and lay back in bed.

"Do you want a cuddle?" Tonks asked, rubbing his back gently.

He nodded and let Tonks pull him half into her lap where he could wrap his long arms around her. He pulled back suddenly to cough again.

"Tonks! I'm sorry, I should have thought...you shouldn't be in here. You could catch what I've got. And if it got me then...." He covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve.

"What and miss out on a day in bed, you taking care of me and tickling my back?"

Remus glared at her over his pyjama sleeve. It didn't look very threatening with the red rimmed eyes, pink nose and flush of colour on his cheeks. From the looks of the shadows around his eyes, he'd already not been sleeping well. "I'm serious, Tonks."

Instead of argueing, or coming up with yet another endless `serious' joke she pulled his arm away from his mouth and kissed him firmly on the lips. He was so stunned he hadn't even had chance to kiss her back. Before he could say or do anything, she'd made herself comfortable leaning against the headboard and held out her arms for him. Surprise still written across his handsome face, he lay down hesitantly and propped his head in her lap, facing her knees, and curled on his side so his stomach didn't hurt so much.

He turned and looked up at her. "Bloody women." He grumbled. She laughed.

After a moment, he dozed off, and she must have done too because when she looked out of the window again, the sun had jumped across the pale grey sky.

Remus was awake, but his eyes looked glazed and heavy. Reaching over him, Tonks plucked the thermometer off the nightstand and shook it vigourously, then put it gently in Remus' mouth to take his temperature. "Again?" he sighed.

"Again." She nodded and timed how long it had been in for on her watch. She inspected it carefully, it was very high.

That can't be right, she thought to herself as her heart began to pound with worry. She shook it again and slid it under Remus' tongue once more.

Despite her worry, she grinned. "You look adorable with the thermometer sticking out of your mouth like that. Makes you look poorly, like you need taking care of."

"I am poor'y." he mumbled.

She felt his forehead as the thermometer did it's time, worrying how fast it seemed to have come on. She removed the thermometer and read the scale again.

She must have frowned because Remus asked "What is it?" with a guarded expression.

"Your temperature is so high, 42.2. I thought that was really dangerous!" she cried, panic tinting her voice. Death Eaters she could handle. Hostage situations she was trained for. 5 on 1 fist fights and explosions didn't bother her. But this one man with a fever lying quietly next to her filled her with dread.

"Don't worry." He closed his eyes and reached out, slowly, for her hand. "That's alright for a werewolf. We run a little bit hotter than humans do usually anyway. It's been 45 before." He said. Reassuring though his explanation was, he had slurred his words slightly and spoken slowly, as if he were having a hard time thinking.

"I'll be right back." She whispered and darted into the bathroom. She returned with a cold flannel, which she smoothed over his forehead. "Is that better?" he nodded carefully, smiling sweetly up at her.

"Does it hurt? Do you want some painkiller? Do you want me to get Molly?" she asked, still unnerved. He shook his head no. He was half sitting in the bed, leaning sideways from the position he'd been in before she got up. She pushed him onto his back and lay him down so the flannel would stay put. "Should I just hold you then?" she did, wrapping his arms around his slim torso and rubbing one hand over his chest.

"Calm down." He whispered.

He must be able to feel my heart hammering, she thought as his arm wrapped around her to rub her back soothingly.

"Shh." He murmured. "I'm alright. You're alright. We're alright." She thought she might cry as she look up into his young face, his jaw set into a painful grimace.

It was a while before he fell asleep again, every time he'd nearly dropped off he'd have to sit up and sneeze or cough. Finallly after the 10th time he sat up, Tonks held him down gently.

"You don't have to sit up to protect me or anything...lie back and try to go to sleep."

She ran her fingers through his thick hair. It soft and a little bit fluffy, it almost felt like fur. Remus started to cough again but gasped in pain as he was on his back and the convulsions made his back spasm painfully.

"Would you be more comfortable on your side?" Tonks asked. She removed the flannel and dashed off into the bathroom to rewet it, it was now some what dry. She brought a bowl of cool water back with her to see Remus had sat up and was watching her carefully. "Get comfortable." She instructed. "I'll be back up there in a second."

"You don't have to stay...you must have better things to be doing. In fact I really should get on with something if I'm going to lie here all day." He flung the covers off his legs.

"Don't be ridiculous Remus." Said Tonks, catching his legs before they could touch the floor and putting them back in the covers. "You can barely see straight, let alone read anything without giving yourself a headache."

"Well, alright, but you really don't have to stay..." he continued, allowing her to push him back onto the pillows. "I'll just try and sleep. I must be terrible company at the moment..."

She looked up from smoothing the blankets over his chest. "I want to stay...unless that is, you want me to go..." she added hurriedly.

"No...no. I'd love you to stay...but only if you really want to I mean, not because..."

"Shh. You're rambling." She pressed a finger to his lips. "There's no where else I'd rather be." Her eyes were blue today he noticed, paler than his own deep, bright blue ones, very similar to Sirius' in fact.

"Your eyes..." he began as she sat down next to him again. "Is that their proper colour, what they are naturally?"

Tonks giggled. "I think you're delirious." She reached onto the night stand and wrung out her flannel.

"No really...is that their natural colour?" he asked catching her wrist before the flannel reached his head.

"Yes. Why?" he released her wrist and she dabbed his forehead gently.

"I was just wondering...there very like Sirius' but slightly...different somehow. They're the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen." He said, his face was sincere.

"Now I know you're delirious." She giggled again, and began to concentrate on her ministrations with the cloth.

"Really, I mean it. Don't you like them? I've never seen you...wear...use...
them before." His hand found her free one and covered it with his. She was leaning over him, a bridge formed over his chest by her arm and shoulder.

"I like them. I think they're my favourites, so I only use them for special occasions. When I need to be me..." she explained. Her face glowed slightly under his admiring gaze. He noticed now, for the first time although her hair was still short and spiky, it wasn't pink today, but a dark brown with just a hint of purple in there too.

"I think you've got the hang of the purple look." He said, reaching up to twizzle a slightly curling lock around one finger. She put the cloth down for a moment, and returned the gesture, caressing his dark red-brown hair. The moment was ruined by Remus sitting forward suddenly, hacking painfully into his hands. "Oh." He said and looked at her apologetically.

"Come on." She said, "Lie on your side, I'll come sit by the headboard so you can use me as a pillow." She clambered over him, sat cross legged and gently lay his head in her lap. Reaching over him again, she picked up the bowl and flannel and began to daub his hot face once again.

The coughing and sneezing was more frequent now, he was only able to rest or sleep for a few moments at a time before "Aitchoo!" he sneezed again. Tonks had never been able to appreciate the sound of a sneeze before, especially Remus' as he didn't sneeze properly. He managed to do it with his mouth closed, it must hurt she thought, and wondered why he did it. Unlike most men, Remus' sneezes weren't loud and honking, his were rather cute...the little intake of breath and the whine in his nose before, and then a little huff of air. In fact, they were so short and fast, they sounded very much like a dog would sneeze, or a wolf, for that matter.

The fever began to drop as darkness fell, but Remus became restless and unable to sleep, and felt infinitely worse. Tonks sat quietly stroking the bridge of his nose and willing him to sleep so long that she fell asleep herself. Molly paid a visit late in the evening, intending to examine Remus to make sure he was no worse, but couldn't bear the thought of waking either of them and gently laid Tonks down on the pillows and covered them both with blankets.

Remus regretted waking the following morning. It hurt to swallow and his neck felt stiff and sore because his glands were so swollen. White spots had appeared on the back on his throat when Molly examined him. Eyes rimmed red and face white as a sheet, coloured only by the high red flush of his cheeks, Remus didn't look healthy at all. Tonk's heart contracted and fluttered disconcertingly whenever she looked at him. His eyes were surprisingly dark, over dilated, tired and rimmed with red and heavily shadowed, the blue seemed to glow with intensity and could pierce through all her defences and make her weak at all joints and points of her body, never mind the knees. How could she still be so attracted to him, ill, sniffling and coughing as he was.

"Well it could be the flu, but there's also a nasty bug Poppy told me has been going around the school. Sneezing, spots on the tonsils, sore throat, high temperature and persistant coughing she said."

Remus groaned and rolled his eyes as he went through another session with the thermometer, which was somewhat uncomfortable thanks to the restricted airflow through his nose.

"Is it hurting your ears to swallow?" Molly asked, watching Remus wince as he did so. Remus nodded and rubbed his left ear. "Just on the left?" Another nod. "Let me feel..." Molly tipped Remus' head back slightly, and gently probed the soft tissue under his jaw. He grimaced in pain when her fingers pressed a tender spot below his ear. "Oh yes. Much more enlarged on that side." She smiled sympathetically and petted his hair soothingly before checking her watch and easing the thermometer from Remus lips. "41 degrees. That's an improvement on yesterday at least, although I expect that will deteriorate again. Well, I'm sorry Remus but that's another day in bed I'm afraid."

Remus looked like he'd been kicked and pouted slightly. "I'm sorry dear, it's not fair being ill on top of everything but I'll make you some nice soup..."

"It's alright, don't worry Molly. I won't try and make an escape attempt just yet. Thank you anyway...but I'm not very hungry so don't trouble yourself or anything." Remus said in a hoarse voice.

"Don't be silly, Remus. It's no trouble...you just stay put and try and sleep."

"Yes sir."

Molly chuckled, and excused herself. The door clicked shut and Remus slumped down his pillows with a heartfelt groan. Tonks who had been sitting quietly on the other side of the bed crawled over to him and rubbed his arm.

"Are you alright?" she asked, lying along side him.

"Doh." He tried to sniff and found complete obstruction. "Ungh...could you pass be that...HpKSHmph!...hadkie, blease?"

Tonks rolled over to the bedside table on her side of the bed and picked up a pile of neatly folded handkerchiefs she suspected Molly had left there. While Remus blew his nose, Tonks considered the fact that she suddenly had `a side of the bed'. "Here, there's some of that vapour rub Molly left...it will help."

Remus lay back and unbuttoned his pajama top and watched as Tonks rubbed the cream across his chest.

"Thanks." Said a much clearer Remus, breaking into her musings. "I'm sorry...."

"For what? For sounding like you've been talking with a peg on your nose? Or for snotting all over that hankie and then leaving it on the bed?" she giggled.

Remus grinned and threw the offending hankie on the floor. "All of that. And for complaining and whining and being ill in general."

Tonks smacked him on the arm. "You haven't complained once, and you're not whiny. You are ill which is nothing to be sorry for, and it's quite amazing that you haven't turned into a baby or a grump because of it."

"Ha. Give me chance." She didn't end up giving him chance to do anything, because a strange look stole over his face and he rolled over onto his front to endure a harsh, long lasting coughing fit. Tonks, rubbing between his proud shoulder blades, winced at the awful sound. Remus finished, heaved in a breath and flopped face down into the pillows.

Tonks chuckled. "Come on...get up. You'll suffocate yourself."

"Good." Came the muffled reply.

Tonks took a hold of his shoulder and was about to turn him over when a tentative knock at the door made her jump.

"Err...come in?" she said hesistantly when Remus offered no response.

Sirius poked his head around the door. "Hello."

"Hi Sirius. Remus is trying to suffocate himself."

"Yes I can see that. Otherwise how is our patient?"

Remus rolled over to glare at Sirius.

"Molly says you're confined to bed again."

"I don't think I would get very far if I tried to leave it." Said Remus as he shuffled around to sit up in bed and let Sirius perch on the end of the bed.

"You're that ill?" Sirius frowned.

Remus shook his head, "No...I don't know what's wrong....just so...dizzy and tired."

Sirius and Tonks shared a look. Sirius rubbed one of Remus' calves. "The last time you were this sick was at school..."

Tuesday always started with Ancient Runes, followed by Transfiguration which although on the same floor, was at almost the far end of the castle which meant it took almost 10 minutes to walk between the two. Remus and Sirius were currently making their way along the first 3 minutes of the corridor, and due to meet up with James who'd had Arithmancy and Peter who'd had Divination at 5 minutes along. They were more or less alone in the corridor and as such rather surprised when the place filled with a thick, acrid and pungent smelling smoke.

"Remus?"

"Sirius?"

"Where are you?"

"Here."

"Where's here?"

"AHH!!" someone screamed.

"I'm here!"

"James?"

"Sirius? Remus?"

"Yes. Somewhere around here."

"Well can whoever it is standing on my foot, stop?"

"Sorry.."

"Right! Enough of this...Pointus!"

A bright, floating speck of light appeared in the gloom illuminating the smoke in it's immediate vicinity.

"That way..." said Remus, whose face was just visible, half lit by the speck and half in the shadow of thick smoke.

It took several minutes to navigate their way out of the smoke, and along the way they found Peter milling around slightly confused. When it finally cleared they stopped, and looked at each other.

"What exactly was that?" said Peter.

"Smelt like a dung bomb."

"Dung bombs don't make that much smoke." Said Sirius, who would definitely know.

"Must have been one of those new ones they've got on sale, with Impenetrable Mist inside. Although it wasn't that impenetrable."

"Well I wanna know who threw it! We're late for Transfiguration now."

Which they were, McGonagall looked very severe indeed, lips drawn into a white thin line. "Would you care to explain yourselves."

"Wel what it is...we got trapped on the fifth floor corridor by a smokebomb."

"I can smell that much Mr Potter. Take your seats I will see you, all of you, after lessons."

So they endured the glaring and cold shouldering through out the lesson, explained themselves and were completely disbelieved so ended up in detention yet again the following evening. Which meant all the homework they had, had to be done tonight as they wouldn't have time because of the detention.

Their day was otherwise relatively normal and mundane until after dinner when sitting around their table, closest to the fire they began the copious amount of work generally afforded to fifth years.

"Let's start with Potions, get it out of the way..." said Remus who disliked the subject because of the strong smells and ingredients which got up his sensitive nose. Today they'd been making Dreamless Sleep, and even though the ingredients hadn't been powdered or all that strong smelling, Remus had been coughing on and off ever since.

"Alright, `Name the active ingredients in a Dreamless Sleep Potion, describe their contribution to the potion and their interaction with each other and the binding ingredients of the potion'."

They had a fairly good list going and half the descriptions as well until Remus began to cough quite harshly and interrupted their train of thought.

"You alright?" asked Sirius patting him on the back.

"Yeah...just...*cough*..went down the wrong way..."

They continued the essay, pausing more and more frequently as things went down Remus' throat the wrong way again.

As they began Transfiguration and Remus once again turned away to hack into his hands Sirius had put down his quill and gave Remus a severe look.

"Are you sure you're alright? You might be coming down with something."

To which Remus responded with a sardonically raised eyebrow. "That's not...likely...is it?" he hissed between coughing, "Werewolves don't get ill..." he added, dropiin his voice to a whisper.

"Well you don't sound very healthy to me..." Sirius pointed out as James agreed.

"I told you, I just got something from Potions in my throat."

Ignoring him, James reached out and felt Remus' forehead. "I think you feel warm...why don't we go down to Madame Pomfrey to be sure, won't hurt."

Remus expression suggested he did not agree and vehemently cried out. "What are you? My mother? I'm fine. Now can we please get on with this before the sun come up!" raising his voice wasn't a good idea and he started coughing again. Sirius reached out to feel Remus' head as well, but Remus ducked his head away and growled.

Lily who'd been watching them since she'd walked in the common several minutes ago came over to them, concern written across her face.

"Are you alright Remus? You look very pale."

"For Merlin's sake!!! There's nothing wrong with me!"

Lily looked shocked at his outburst and opened her mouth to snap back, but Remus' fierce expression fell away and he looked abashed and apologetic. "I'm sorry Lils...I just..."

"It's alright, I don't blame you if you're not feeling well." She sat next to him on the sofa, and to Sirius' surprise, Remus let her feel his forehead. "I think you might have a temperature..."

"That's what I said," said James as Lily switched seats from next to Remus to James' knee.

"I'm fine." Said Remus, rubbing his temples.

"Well, if you're sure..."

"I am..."

Much to Remus gratitude, they more or less left him alone the rest of the night but he did notice them shooting him concerned looks whenever he coughed and sharing glances when he insisted he was fine.

He struggled to get to sleep that night, he couldn't get comfortable and felt cold despite his blankets. His chest was aching, probably from coughing and when he finally did nod off it wasn't for long before he jerked awake again, coughing like mad. This wasn't like he'd been coughing before, he couldn't draw in breath properly and the cough pulled so hard at him, his belly was starting to hurt. He stumbled out of bed, and into the bathroom just in time to wrap himself around the toilet, and pay his respects to the porcelain god.

That was how Sirius found him, half an hour later. He'd woken up, when Remus dived out of his bed and became concerned when he didn't return.

"Rem? Are you alright?"

The room was dark, and Remus face looked ghostly in the weak moonlight filtering, glowing with a sheen of sweat.

"Mmm...just...getting reacquainted with this toilet...." He whispered, his throat hurt and speaking triggered a tickle in his throat so he had to cough again, which hurt his stomach and he threw up again. "Ow..."

"I knew you weren't alright earlier...don't you try telling me it's something you ate, you have a stomach of iron."

"I don't feel sick...just coughing so hard it makes me retch..." which he did again, but as his stomach was empty he only ended up dry heaving.

"You're shivering, let's get you back to bed." Sirius helped him up, and held him while he brushed his teeth. Remus wouldn't stand upright, and held his stomach loosely with one arm. Sirius was aware it would have been faster to just pick him up and carry him, but doubted Remus would appreciate it and let Remus stagger to his bed and flop down onto it. Sirius sat beside him as Remus curled up into a ball. "Do you want me to get Madame Pomfrey?"

"No. I'll be alright in the morning."

Expecting that answer though he'd been, Sirius didn't agree but nodded anyway. "Alright...can I get you anything?"

Remus shook his head, and curled in on himself. Sirius sighed, and pulled the covers over his friend. He spent a long moment watching him, before turning and heading back to his own bed.

He automatically looked at Remus' bed when opened his eyes the next morning, and found Remus curled in the exact same position Sirius had left him in the night before. Sirius left him as he was, and let him sleep for a bit longer as he himself stumbled towards the shower. By the time he got back James and Peter were standing looking at Remus, who still hadn't moved.

"Is he alright do you think?" said Peter.

"I don't know...I found him coughing so hard last night it made him sick. He insisted he'd be alright in the morning."

James went over and sat down on the edge of Remus' bed. "Rem? Wake up mate, it's time for school." Gently he shook Remus' shoulder.

Remus blinked slowly and turned to look up at James.

"Jamie?"

"Yeah, bud. How are you feeling?" James smiled encouragingly.

"Erm...alright..." he sat up and rubbed his eyes. "What time is it?"

"Quarter past eight."

"Bugger...better hurry up otherwise we'll miss breakfast." He pushed himself up to get out of bed.

"Are you sure Remus...you feel better?" asked Sirius sitting on his other side, he reached out a hand to brushed his fingers over Remus' forehead. "You're really hot, mate."

"I'll be alright. Come on we'll be late." Remus climbed out of bed, via the end as James and Sirius we're blocking the sides, holding onto the posts for support. He managed to get dressed as the others sorted out their books.

Downstairs in the common room, Sirius kept a beady eye on Remus who did not look as stable as he insisted. Lily spied them from across the room, and came rushing over.

She bypassed James and went straight to Remus instead, hand quickly pressed against his forehead. "You don't look well at all...and, yes, you're burning up." She said, matter of factly as though she;d full well known this fact. Turning to James she said "You should have taken him to the hospital wing straight away!"

"Yes but he insisted he was fine..."

"Well he's clearly not!"

"I know but you try telling him that. He won't go if he doesn't want to!"

"He's got a really high temperature, that's really dangerous!" James felt something tug his sleeve.

Sirius took his turn and pointed out that, worried though they were, Remus wasn't a child and could decide for himself whether he was alright or not. Lily seemed to take offence at this and a heated argument began to form.

Remus, who had been observing the whole exchange with mild amusement now squeezed James arm hard and with some urgency.

"Guys...I really don't feel..." and that was as far as he got before his knees gave out and he collapsed. James caught with chaser-reflexes and lifted him easily.

"Well, that's that decided I suppose." And without waiting for a response from either Lily or Sirius marched out of the common room, watched by several pairs of eyes.

Remus started to stir as they walked, Sirius, Lily and Peter too, down the fourth floor corridor. He lifted his head, and gazed up at James' set, determined expression.

"Wha'?"

"We're taking to the hospital wing."

"If you even try to protest I'll petrify you." Said Sirius, Remus looked down to see Sirius wand pointed at his chest.

"Alright...alright..." he said. "But I can walk."

All four of them gave him a very disbelieving look. "Honestly...please let me down."

Sighing, James paused and let Remus' drop his legs to the floor. Almost immediately Remus swayed and started to sink down.

"Whoa..." Sirius grabbed Remus' arm and slung it over his shoulders.

Remus smiled sheepishly. "Um...could you just...help...thanks."

James took a firm hold of his other elbow and progress was slowly made towards the infirmary. It would have been much faster had they just carried Remus, but he seemed determined and insistent so despite the frequent stops as he started to cough they eventually made it into Madame Pomfrey's domain.

The matron swooped down on them as soon as she saw Remus' pallid face and ushered them in onto the bed at the end of the ward. James and Sirius sat down either side of Remus, flanking him, as Sirius related the events of the night before.

"I better go tell Professor McGonagall why we're all late." Said Lily when Sirius had finished. She lent over, and gave Remus a quick peck on the cheek, and received a soft smile in return. "I hope you feel better soon."

Without Lily to stand beside, Peter suddenly felt very alone and shifted nervously from foot to foot while Madame Pomfrey peered into Remus eyes, ears and mouth. She pulled a thermometer from her top pocket and with a brisk flick of her wrist, shook it and slid it under Remus' tongue. As both James and Sirius had a firm hold of both his hands there was little Remus could do about it, but was sure their grip was more for comfort than restraint.

After several minutes of quizzing from Madame Pomfrey, the majority of which James, Sirius or Peter answered for him, the nurse checked her watch and took the thermometer form his lips. Taking the reading carefully she said "Your temperature is104, it's no wonder you're feeling ill. I'm afraid you'll have to stay in bed until it comes down."

Remus would have groaned out loud were it not the duel hand squeezes from James and Sirius. Feeling deflated and depressed, he squeezed back.

"You certainly have a nasty cough, but I'd like to listen to your chest, just to be sure it hasn't settled in your lungs." She said.

James and Sirius had to let go of Remus' hands so he could unbutton his robes and shirt, and stood watching awkwardly while Peter frowned. "I thought...you know...werewolves...didn't get ill." He said.

Madame Pomfrey shook her head. "They don't, usually. That's why I'd like to keep you in for some tests, Remus. I'll need to do a bit of reading, to see if there's anything to cause it." Now with his shirt hanging open, Madame Pomfrey placed the tip of her wand against his chest, with the handle against her ear and said, "Take a deep breath in...and out. Again. Alright. Cough for me," which Remus did, painfully. "Right, well you do have some fluid on your lungs but you don't sound too congested just yet. Still, like I said, I'd like to keep you in overnight."

Remus nodded miserably. "You three better get to lessons, or Minerva will have my head."

"Can we come back tonight?"

"We'll see."

Dejected, the three of them trooped out, waving at Remus at the doors and calling well wishes and promises of chocolate as they went.

Once out of sight, Remus flopped backwards onto his bed, and prayed the room would stop spinning. Madame Pomfrey sat down beside him. "Remus," she began, "is it hurting when you cough?"

He nodded. "Whereabouts?"

"My stomach...it makes me feel sick and inside my chest it...aches I suppose."

Madame Pomfrey nodded slowly. "I'm sorry you don't feel well dear. I can give you something for the pain if it gets too bad, but for now I'd just like to monitor you." She stood up and went to a cupboard opposite the bed. She handed him the standard issue hospital wing pajamas. With a sigh Remus changed into them. He'd not really been ill many times before and always felt a bit ridiculous and silly in the hospital wing himself, because of what he turned into each month. Particularly when having his temperature taken, he always ended up with an image of his wolf self in pajamas, tucked in up to his chin with a thermometer poking jauntily from one side of his jaws and Madame Pomfrey with a spoonful of medicine on the other. The whole thing upset his sense of balance.

He settled into his bed and watched the ceiling spin above him, or himself spin under it, until he either passed out or fell asleep.

Remus nodded slowly.

"What happened?" asked Tonks, curiosity written across her face.

"Remus was p..."

"I breathed in some powdered aconite." Remus jumped in, speaking over Sirius.

"Remus." Sirius growled.

"Sirius."

"What, how did that happen?"

Sirius adopted a smug look and looked pointedly at Remus, who sighed deeply. "Alright...fine...someone dropped a phial of it inside a dungbomb in one of the corridors we happened to be walking down. No one realised until later that the smoke was more than just smoke until the dungbomb was tested later..."

"It was deliberate?" She looked appalled.

"Yes." Sirius replied before Remus had chance.

"Who?"

Sirius looked at her in a definitely significant way.

"Sirius..." there was a seriously warning note to Remus' hoarse voice.

"Snape? Snape tried to poison you?"

Remus thorough up his hands. "May as well just tell her now Sirius. Just remember this was a lot of years ago..."

"He didn't try, he bloody well succeeded. You almost died Remus!"

"Thank you for reminding me. I'd almost forgotten. It was 20 years ago Sirius." Said Remus sarcastically.

"I know...but..."

"Can you just get on with it!" cried Tonks frustrated at the morsels of juicy information dangling just beyond her reach.

"This was after the incident with the Whomping Willow, Snape already knew I was a werewolf...it was...revenge for almost killing him. Dumbledore had forbidden Snape to say anything, but given our history for pranks and aiming them at Snape and the other Slytherins Snape saw an opportunity. I don't think he knew how ill it would make me."

"What makes you say that?"

"He helped find an...er... antidote, for want of a better word."

"So what happened?"

Sirius took over the telling while Remus coughed, and settled himself more comfortably with a glass of water.

"Like Remus said, we didn't know there was anything else in the dung bomb at the time, Remus had a bit of a cough in the evening, said his throat was sore but other than that, we didn't have a clue anything was wrong until James woke up in the middle of the night to find Remus wrapped aroung the toilet, coughing so hard he'd been sick. Remus, being the sensible person he is, refused to see Madame Pomfrey despite the fact he could barely breathe and was running a temperature of about 106 so it wasn't until the following morning when he collapsed in the common room we got him down to the infirmary. Madame Pomfrey wouldn't let us see him until that evening..."

"I can barely remember anything that happened from the evening before for all of that day, until I woke up with Madame Pomfrey standing over me wielding a thermometer."

"It got worse, because of the damage aconite causes to a werewolf it left Remus vulnerable to other illnesses so even after the damage was healed and the aconite neutralised he came down with the flu, as did I for that matter, and it just took longer to get over than it should have done."

Tonks was woken during the night by a sudden shudder of the bed. Blinking in the half light, she glanced over at Remus who had just shot bolt upright in bed.

"Rem?" she whispered, in the tone of voice everyone does at 3 in the morning. "What's the matter?" she sat up and touched his back gently, realising his pajamas were soaked. Further investigation showed the sheets and covers on his side to be drenched.

Worry making her heart contract strangely she felt his skin, asking "Did you have a nightmare?"

"Sorry...sorry..." he murmured. "Just got a bit...um..."

"Disorientated?"

He nodded and leaned into her touch as caressed his cheek. "You're as hot as a kettle sweetie...come on, let's get you in the showers and tucked in before you start to chill." Remus nodded, and let her lead him into the bathroom.

"Are you coming in with me?" he asked with a wolfish grin, pulling Tonks towards his naked self and the running water. She yelped and pulled away, laughing.

"In a minute, I'm going to sort the bed out...be right back. Will you be alright there?"

"Yes...I can still manage to wash myself."

Chuckling to herself Tonks found a clean pair of pajamas which certainly weren't Remus' (as he rarely slept in them) which Molly must have left and dried the sheets with a quick spell. They weren't exactly clean, she thought as she remade the bed by hand, but it would do until the morning.

By the time she'd made it back to the bathroom Remus was leaning against the wall, water beating down on his chest and eyes shut, clearly half asleep.

"Charming," she whispered, "Invite me in for a shower and then fall asleep."

The corners of his lips turned up slightly, and he blinked in the spray. "Sorry..."

"Come on...back to bed." Holding tightly on to his hand, terrified he'd fall or faint, she guided him out of the shower and into a towel. Depositing him on the end of the bed to get dried Tonks fetched his pajamas and some bits and pieces from the bathroom. He scrambled up the bed and got under the covers, coughing into his fist strongly for several seconds. "Finished? Alright..." he nodded and closed his eyes, frowning in pain. "You can have a drink and go back to sleep in a minute, I want to take your temperature first."

Remus groaned and tried to hide under the covers. "Don't...really don't need to..."

Unpertrubed, Tonks snaked an arm into the nest of blankets and found Remus lips, deftly slipping the thermometer between them. Sighing through his nose, Remus sat up properly and blinked at Tonks. He looked exhausted.

"104..." Tonks winced. "If it's any higher in the morning you'll have to take some cooling potion."

"I know." Said Remus groaning, "Hate it..."

"I know sweetie..." she got into her side of the bed and snuggled into his chest, feeling the heat through his body even through the pajamas.

It was higher in the morning. Molly wouldn't let him out of bed, and as hia coughing turned from dry and barking to wet and crackly her worrying and fussing increased exponentially. Confined to bed as he was, Tonks loyally stayed by his side, despite his assurances he wouldn't mind too much if she needed to leave for a bit. Remus refused to eat and could only drink if persuaded despite being desperately thirsty. Pain creased his forehead, eliciting Tonks to frequently place feathery kisses along it and onto his temples. His fever fluctuated through out the morning, steadily increasing through the afternoon – Tonks had been dubbed temperature monitor, something which was beginning to concern her as each time she took it, he protested less and less as exhaustion drained his stubbornness away. She'd been hinting at calling a Healer or doctor for the better part of 2 hours and was met with resistance, which is why a feeling of dread set in after Molly's evening examination.

Molly felt Remus' forehead, cheeks and neck with a tender hand as the thermometer camped out under his tongue. As soon as it was removed, he bent over to relieve the coughing waiting to be released from his chest. He could feel the phlegm and it disgusted him.

"108º. Werewolf or not that's extremely dangerous, and you're still burning up." Molly's anxiety was palpable and was rapidly rubbing off on Tonks."I think it's too late to call a Healer. We need to take you to the hospital, Remus."

Amazingly, Remus' mind was still there and retained a degree of his usual sharpness through the fever haze. "No..." his voice sounded thick, as if he was speaking through treacle. "Please...no hospitals."

"Remus please. I'm out of my depth .Your coughings no better...worse in fact. The infection's settled in your lungs. You could be seriously ill...you could...." Molly's voice was faint and afraid. "Arthur can lift you...we'll all come, make sure you're taken care of. It's not for long."

Tonks could feel her chest heave, she was going to either cry or hyper ventilate. Molly continued, getting more and more frustrated and angry until Remus grabbed her wrist with an unnervingly tight grip. "No hospitals." Despite the fact his voice had no strength or volume, it was laced with a dangerous threat. Nothing personal, it said, but I won't be responsible for myself in one of those places. Tears spilled over Tonks cheeks.

Molly left hurriedly, white and terrified, without another word to Remus or Tonks. Scared and confused Tonks climbed onto the bed and knelt by Remus hip, taking his hand between both of hers. It was limp, his eyes were closed and his brow creased as he concentrated on breathing.

"Rem." Tonks whispered.

He opened his eyes and blinked slowly. He smiled vaguely.

"Rem. We need to go to the hospital."

He shook his head slowly. "No."

"I know, you hate hospitals. Me too. But, it won't be for long...we'll be with you...I'll be with you."

Remus didn't reply, turning his head to the side.

"Rem?"

He turned back to face her, "Please..." his voice was quiet, pleading.

"Why? Why are you so afraid?"

"'m not `fraid. I don't want to go...I'm not weak."

"Oh....Remus! Of course you're not weak, you're ill. People get ill, you get ill and you need care and medicine that we can't give you here!"

Remus failed to reply again, but his eyes were still open, gazing, dazed, at Tonks.

"Remus!" Tonks cried, exasperation overwhelming her emotional, distraught state. "Listen to ME!"

Remus blinked slowly, confusion clouding his fever fuddled gaze. "Ton's?"

Tonk's anger swiftly abated. Clearly, Remus' lucidity was rapidly fading and as an idea struck her, she abruptly changed tracks and took charge.

"Yes Remus. It's Tonks...we're going to St Mungoes so you need to be up and ready." She climbed off the bed, somehow instinctively feeling Remus' incomprehension at both her words and the sudden change in her tone. Deliberately, she didn't look at his face in case her heart skipped a beat and threw her off her performance. She quickly found a jumper and a scarf and put them on the bed, unhooked Remus' robes from the door and lay them next to the jumper. Remus' wand was on the dresser and she stowed it safely with hers in the long pocket of her robes, which were hanging over a chair. She picked them up, and, business-like, threw them over her shoulders and stuffed her arms in.

"Come on, lazy bones. Sit up."

Remus did so, slowly, and reached for the jumper Tonk's passed him. The door opened purposefully and Molly strode in with both Sirius and Arthur in tow.

"You convinced him?" Molly asked surprise. Shock was more obvious on Sirius' open mouthed expression as he immediately crossed the room to help Remus swing his leg out of bed.

"Not exactly..." Tonks shook her head minutely and took Remus' opposite elbow to Sirius so Remus could stand up, or try to. Verticality was not long sustained, and Remus collapsed against Sirius immediately.

Without missing a beat, and half expecting it, Sirius picked him up easily – one arm holding his legs, and the other hugging Remus' shoulders to his chest – and swiftly moved out of the room and downstairs to the kitchen fireplace.

"Sirius! Wait!" Cried Molly before Sirius could step into the grate. "Arthur can take him. You stay here."

"No." said Sirius, with the same conviction and force Remus'd had earlier concerning hospitals. "He's my best friend."

"But..." Molly tried to protest, but Sirius had never been one to see reason.

"Transfigure me. Come on! Tonks I know you can." He looked at her imploringly. Next to her, Tonks felt Molly begin to object, and inside her a split second conscience wrestling match was fought and won. She drew her wand. "Alright. Stand still."

After transforming her cousin from tall, black haired and fine featured into a short, scruffy blond with a puffy face and red nose and cheeks, Tonks found herself whipped along like dust in a gust of wind. They were quickly admitted and swept off to the appropriate ward where Remus was prised from the transfigured Sirius and rushed off to another room. A nurse ushered them into a waiting room and dashed out again. Arthur disappeared to contact Dumbledore and work some sort of Ministry magic to keep Remus' admission under wraps, just in case. Sirius paced, like an upset animal, and Molly fussed over a catatonic Tonks and worried her pinny over Remus.

When Arthur returned, to tell them Dumbledore was on his way, he persuaded Molly to return to Headquarters and prepare dinner for the Order and an overnight bag for Remus. Tonks, somewhere in the recesses of her still functioning brain marvelled at how a man like Arthur Weasley content in his little job and for the most part benign and good humoured personality could take control over a greatly emotional situation and do what was best for all involved. Molly disappeared to keep herself distracted with work, and somehow Tonks suspected whole rooms of Grimmauld Place were seeing the business end of a duster. Arthur remained behind, and took Sirius by the shoulders, forced Sirius into a chair and spoke rapidly to him about remaining calm and collected – like on assignment for the Aurors in the old days. A queer look stole across Sirius' face, a sort of robotic serentity and his jumping legs stilled. For a moment, Tonks thought he was in a trance or had gone a bit mad, until it clicked and she recognised the stillness and quiet observations of an Auror on stake out. Arthur really was a very clever man, she thought as he approached her. He didn't say anything, but sat down close to her, intuitively knowing that she wanted silence and proximity and above all news of Remus.

For the next hour, the three of them would jump up each time someone entered the room, and every 10 minutes Arthur would disappear to pursue any possible information and interrogate the arrogant and unhelpful receptionist. Tonks could see her reflection in the coffee table, and as time passed, her fuschia hair faded to pastel pink.

When they were finally allowed to see Remus Sirius immediately jumped up, snapping out of his trance and quickly followed Tonks, Arthur and the Healer through a series of corridors to a brightly lit, but quiet ward.

Remus was sitting up in bed, looking paler than ever but conscious and lucid. Seeing Tonks' dull hair and upset expression, and Sirius wild eyed look he opened his arms for them to immediately rush into and share in a much needed three-way hug. Arthur chuckled, and as if remembering he was there, Sirius threw out an arm and dragged Arthur in as well. The hug ended, and Sirius and Arthur took seats either side of Remus' bed, whilst Tonks chose to stay cross legged on the bed, sharing the space with Remus, unwilling to give up touching and proximity just yet.

"Hello." Said Remus, with a bemused expression. His voice was a breathless whisper, but expressed his gratitude at seeing them. "I have to say I was a bit surprised to wake up and find myself here...
last I remember was falling asleep after lunch."

"You've been ill." Said Tonks, who greatly appreciated the firmness of Remus' grip around her own hand.

"Gathered that." It was difficult to discern Remus' words, and resorted to lip reading.

""You scared us."

Remus seemed to be drifting, his eyes had closed and there was a delay before he nodded. "Sorry..." he whispered.

Tonks felt him relax against her, and indicated to Sirius, who was so greatly relieved tears rolled down his transfigured cheeks. Tactfully, Arthur stood and nodded to Tonks motioning that he was going to talk to the Healers.

He returned after a few minutes and sat down quietly.

"He's fast off, nothing short of a stampede could wake him now..." she said.

"What's the matter with him?" asked Sirius.

"Pneumonia, a deep infection that settled in his lungs. There's not many potions they can give him, because of the wolfsbane and silver elements used in many healing potions. He'll just have to fight it off on his own. He's had a powerful Cooling Potion, but it might...and apparently has...made him drowsy."

"When can he come home?"

"They need to see some improvement...as there's not a lot they can do it's just a precaution, you know in case he gets so bad again, there are things they can do to keep him....well, alive. Dumbledore has sorted it so there shouldn't be any problems, security wise."

"I didn't realise how tense I was until I relaxed just now..." said pseudo-Sirius, his newly portly frame floppily draped over a chair.

"Gosh! Yes, I'd totally forgotten in the stress...how on earth did you do that?"

Tonks explained in due time, away from the hospital, how it was she'd transfigured Sirius to look totally different without the use of Polyjuice Potion. The magic which enabled her to change her appearance at will was practically the same as the magic which allowed an animagus to change into an animal, the mystery about her ability was why it was so rare, anyone could be an animagus, it was just very advanced magic, but a metamorphmagus was born not learnt. Because Sirius already had the magic within him to take on another form, it was more a matter of dislocation for Tonks to transfer her ability to him temporarily. His appearance changed but entirely at her will. It could not be maintained for long, and Tonks and Sirius had to be near one another, but it could be done. It also meant that while Tonks was `changing' someone else, she herself no longer could and over time would slowly start to `revert' to her natural form.

It had been difficult to leave Remus alone in St Mungoes, even though he was fast asleep and would probably remain so until they returned, but the Healers were insistent and threw them out. Back at Grimmauld Place Molly was simultaneously relieved and newly worried about Remus and itching to get back to the hospital to make sure he was being taken care of.