A Friend in the Night
a Harry Potter story
by Tina
Remus Lupin made his way slowly up the steps to Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, he paused on the top step, fumbling in the pocket of his robes. He quickly withdrew a well used handkerchief and brought it to his face to contain several wet sneezes, "Heshhooooo!!! ISHOOOOOO!!!!! Ishhhhhhhhh!!!!" He blew his nose loudly and returned the handkerchief to his pocket.
He then turned his attention to the front door. He retrieved his wand from another pocket(hastily stowed there during the search for his handkerchief) and hoarsely uttered the spell to unlock the door. He stepped soundlessly into the foyer and pulled the door closed behind him. He made his way silently passed the portrait of Sirius' mother and headed towards the kitchen.
It was the middle of the night, and it appeared that no one was awake. However Remus knew that Sirius often had trouble sleeping and that when he was away on Order business, Sirius had the tendency to spend the night up and roaming about the house. He had come home many mornings to find Sirius dozing on a couch or chair, or after an especially rough night, face down at the kitchen table with an empty bottle of firewhiskey beside him.
His nose was itching and tickling furiously and he fought to hold back the impending sneezes as he made his way down the hallway, knowing if he let them escape in the hallway he was likely to wake the other occupants of the house, or at the very least rouse the portrait of Mrs. Black. He slipped into the darkened kitchen, pulling the door quickly closed behind him. He quickly retrieved his handkerchief and managed to smother the first sneeze quietly into the cloth, "Issssshhhht."
He knew however, from the experience of the last several days, that once the first sneeze escaped there would certainly be more to follow. He looked quickly around the room to confirm that he was alone, and then braced himself against the counter to prepare for the onslaught. He didn't have long to wait. "Ehhhhhhh SHOOOOOOO!!!!!! ISHOOOOOOO!!!!!! Etchoooooo Ehhhhhkishoooooo!!!!!" He wiped at his nose during a pause between sneezes and struggled to catch his breath. His reprieve was short-lived however as the sneezes quickly resumed.
"Heshoooooo!!! Ishooooooo!!!! Ehhhhh HESHOOOOO!!!!!! ISHHHOOOOOOO!!! Ehhhhhcht!!" He brought the damp handkerchief to his nose once again as the sneezes finally subsided. He blew his nose with a long gurgling blow and slumped back against the counter for a minute, catching his breath.
He decided to make a quick pass through the downstairs to be sure that Sirius wasn't about. He was however fairly certain that he wouldn't find him. If he had been downstairs Sirius most definitely would've heard his fit and known he was home. After confirming that Sirius must indeed be up in bed Remus settled himself in an old leather armchair in a small sitting room near the kitchen. He would've liked nothing more than to go upstairs to Sirius' room and climb into bed beside him, but it was so rare for Sirius to get a good night's sleep the last thing that he wanted to do was wake him.
He shivered at the chill he felt, though he wasn't sure if it was the room itself, or the slight fever he had been running since early in the evening. He waved his wand at the fireplace and croaked, "Incendio". The fire sprang to life just as the irritation in Remus' throat set him off on a long coughing spell. He struggled to catch his breath for several minutes before the coughing finally passed and he slumped back into the chair. He could think of nothing he desired more than a hot cup of tea, but he was just too exhausted to make his way back to the kitchen to brew some.
He tried to close his eyes and sleep but he was kept awake by recurrent sneezing, and small fits of coughing. His nose ran almost continuously and his handkerchief was a soggy mess. He looked about the room for a blanket or pillow to help make himself more comfortable , but of course there were none. This was the Black family home after all, he thought to himself, certainly comfort had never been a priority.
After a particularly violent bout of sneezing he was startled to hear a voice beside him. "Bless you Prof.... er Remus..."
He opened his eyes and was surprised to see Harry standing in the dim light holding a steaming mug. "I thought you might want a cup of tea?" He offered hesitantly.
The initial embarrassment Remus felt at Harry witnessing his fit was quickly overcome by the gratitude he felt for the tea. "Why yes Harry, thank you. I'd love some," He tried to clear his throat before continuing but his voice remained hoarse. "I'm so sorry if I woke you...."
"Oh no, you didn't," Harry quickly assured him. "I was awake anyway, and I heard..... well you sounded a bit under the weather..."
Remus smiled at the boy as he sipped the tea. He became aware of the honey and lemon that Harry had added and immediately felt it's soothing effects on his raw throat. "That I am Harry, and this tea is just what I needed. It was so kind of you to bring it for me."
"It's no problem, " Harry replied looking critically at the older man, "Is there anything else I can get you?"
Remus shook his head, "No this is just perfect Harry, I don't want to keep you up any longer..."
"I was up anyways reading," Harry told him, "I just came down for a snack before I went to sleep. Are you hungry?" Remus was going to say no, he certainly didn't want Harry to have to be waiting on him in the middle of the night, but Harry sensed his hesitation, and turned to head to the kitchen without waiting for Remus' reply. "I'll be back in a minute, Mrs Weasley's been baking all week, I'll bring us a tray."
Even though he didn't want Harry to be up all night tending to him, the idea of Molly Weasley's baking filled him with anticipation. He hadn't had a bite to eat since breakfast the previous morning, and he had been so distracted by his cold that he hadn't realized how hungry he was. He finished his tea and then retrieved the damp handkerchief from his pocket to tend to his running nose. After a long blow he concluded that the handkerchief was now far to soggy to be of any use.
Harry returned after several minutes carrying a large tray, which he placed on the coffee table. Remus was happy to note a large tea pot, in addition to a selection of small cakes and other baked goods. He then noticed that Harry had also made several sandwiches and placed them on the tray as well.
"I'm sorry there isn't any soup or anything...." Harry apologized. " And I wasn't sure what kind of sandwiches you liked, so I made one of everything we had."
Remus smiled gratefully, "This is divine Harry, thank you so much. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until you offered."
The two ate mainly in silence for several minutes, Remus hungrily devoured three sandwiches and several tea cakes, in addition to drinking almost the entire pot of tea. He smiled sleepily at Harry. "I feel like a new man, thank you again Harry."
Harry cleared the tray and returned to the sitting room to find Remus once again in the midst of sneezing. "HESHOOOO!!! Ishoooooooo!!! Etchhhhhhoooooo!!! Excuse me Harry, " Remus mumbled, fumbling again for the handkerchief as Harry blessed him. One look at it convinced Remus that it had definitely outlived it's usefulness for that evening at least. Harry sensing the problem, reached into his own pocket to retrieve the clean handkerchief that Mrs Weasley always insisted he carry and offered it to Remus. "Thank you Harry..." He added breathlessly as the sneezes continued. "Ishoooooo!! Heshhhhhh!!!!! Ehhhh CHOOO!!!"
Finally they subsided and he blew his nose wetly. "Excuse me Harry, I am sorry about that." Remus apologized hoarsely.
"Don't worry about it, ` Harry waved him off. "Are you heading to bed now?"He asked once again looking at the older man with concern and frowned as Remus shook his head.
"I assume that Sirius must be sleeping?" He asked and Harry nodded.
"I think I actually heard him snoring in there when I passed his room."
Remus smiled faintly at that, Sirius always insisted that he did not snore."Well, it's so unusual for him to get a good night's rest that I certainly don't want to disturb his sleep."
Harry smiled at the concern for his godfather, and not for the first time Remus marveled at how readily Harry had accepted the relationship between Sirius and himself. They had been afraid to tell him at first, but hadn't wanted him to hear it from someone else. Harry had clearly taken the view that if it made Sirius happy, which so few things did, then it was fine with him. He and Remus had also developed a great deal of mutual respect and fondness by that time, which hadn't hurt things either.
Harry thought for a moment, "You could have my bed, I was thinking of staying up and reading some more..."
"That's very kind Harry, but I'm sure my constant sneezing and nose blowing would keep Ron awake. I'm fine right here."
"But... you're sick, you really should be in bed...."
Remus smiled at the boy's concern, "I'll be fine here for now. Once Sirius is awake in a couple of hours I'll head up to bed and get a few hours sleep."
Harry did not look convinced that this was a good plan but knew that there was no point in arguing. "Be right back," He called slipping out of the room.
He returned several minutes later with a large soft quilt and a stack of fresh handkerchiefs. He placed the handkerchiefs on a table beside him and helped Remus cover himself with the quilt. He also brought a large glass of ice water and placed it on the table as well.
Remus once again looked the boy, well young man really, he mentally corrected himself, before him. After all the things that Harry had endured, was still enduring even, he had gone out of his way to take the time to worry about Remus and make him comfortable. It said a great deal about his character, he could have just as easily woken Sirius, or even Molly to tend to him but he had done it himself willingly. "Harry, I can't thank you enough for all you've done this evening. I am feeling so much better than I was after my arrival and I owe it all to you. Now, you really should get to bed, you need your sleep as well."
Harry felt that he should stay, but knew Remus would refuse. He said goodnight and headed back upstairs to the room he shared with Ron. He tried to go to sleep, but his thoughts kept returning to the sitting room. He crept silently downstairs after a time to check on Remus. He was pleased to hear him snoring loudly before he even entered the room. He silently settled himself on the couch, wanting to be available should Remus get any worse during the night.
A short time later he was startled by the sounds of footsteps on the stairs. He looked up to see Sirius, wand drawn, peering in to the room. "Sirius," He called softly and gestured towards the arm chair where Remus was sleeping. He saw a wide smile overtake his godfather's face. That smile warmed him much more than the fire's flames had.
Sirius made his way over to the sofa and sat beside Harry. "Why is he down here?" He whispered.
"He knew that you were sleeping and didn't want to wake you." Harry whispered back.
"Is he all right Harry?" Sirius asked with some concern, "He looks so pale."
Harry nodded, "He's go a rotten cold, but he seems okay. I made him some tea and sandwiches, he ate 3 sandwiches and plenty of tea cakes."
Sirius smiled again, "Well, as long as he has his appetite, I know he's okay."
"Should we wake him?" Harry asked, "He said he'd head up to bed once you were awake...."
"I dunno, " Sirius shrugged, "He looks so peaceful sleeping, I'd hate to disturb him." He paused thoughtfully, "Maybe I'll let him sleep just a bit longer....."
"Do you want me to go?" Harry asked
"If you want to head to go bed Harry go on ahead, otherwise I wouldn't mind the company."
"I'll stay then...."
Sirius reached out to Harry's arm, "Thanks for taking care of him Harry, it means a lot to me you know..."
"I know, "Harry smiled, "Your welcome. It wasn't any trouble."
"I'm not sure I believe that, but just so you know, it does mean a lot. And I'm sure to Remus as well." He leaned in and hugged the boy quickly before settling back on the couch.
The two sat in companionable silence watching the sleeping man until both drifted off to sleep. And several hours later when Remus awoke it was to the sight of Sirius and Harry curled closely together and sleeping soundly.
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