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Chapter Four: In Excellent Care

Molly, Arthur, Ron, and Ginny Weasley sat silently around the kitchen table at Number 12, Grimmauld Place. Every few minutes, someone would try to start a conversation, but they were all so consumed with wondering what was happening in Little Whinging that any conversation soon fizzled out.

"Mum?" Ron asked. "Do you think Harry will tell Professor Lupin what's been bothering him? I know him, Mum. He doesn't like to tell anyone anything."

"I don't know, dear. Dumbledore sent Lupin because he was also close to Sirius, so maybe he knows a bit about what Harry is going through."

"He has to talk to someone!" Ginny exclaimed. "He won't even send any owls! He can't deal with this all by himself."

"I know, dear. If he will talk to anyone, I think he will talk to Remus."

No one else spoke for a few minutes.

"Mum? You don't think anything has happened to Harry, do you?" Ron asked. "Even last summer, after everything that happened in that graveyard, he talked to us! He was angry, but he /talked/."

It was Arthur who answered. "The Order has been keeping a watch on Privet Drive since Harry's return. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened there, but Harry has not been outside of the house."

"But Mum, didn't he tell you in his letter that he had been outside walking?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, dear, that is what he said, but I think he was trying to make me believe that he was OK. He doesn't want us to know how he is feeling right now."

"Bloody git," Ron said, the merest trace of a grin flickering across his face. "He thinks he's responsible for everything that happens to everybody, but when it comes to him, he doesn't want our help."

"Are they going to be bringing Harry back with them?" Ginny asked hopefully.

"I don't think so," Molly answered. "Professor Dumbledore just wanted Professor Lupin to check on Harry, to talk to him. The blood protection is still essential, and as long as Harry is in that house, he is safe. Let's not forget how important that is."

Ron and Ginny exchanged a glance. Of course, their mother didn't know that they had listened in on the meeting, but because they had they knew that she wanted Harry to be here as much as they did.

"Ron, Ginny..." Arthur began, "it's been a long day. Why don't the two of you go up to bed and you can talk to Professor Lupin in the morning. I know he'll tell us how Harry is."

One glance at Ron and Ginny's faces and he knew that idea was out the window. He sighed. "Well, then...how about a cup of tea while we wait?"

Molly got up and went to the kettle in the fireplace. She removed it to fill it with water, and was just about to put it back on the trivet when the fireplace erupted in bright green flames and Kingsley Shacklebolt stepped into the kitchen.

Ron and Ginny gasped. Kingsley was part of the Advance Guard! If he was coming back without the others, it could not be good news. They both started to speak at once, but Molly snapped at them to be quiet.

"Molly, Arthur," he said. "I need to talk to the both of you. Perhaps it would be best if Ron and Ginny left the room for a moment."

"Mr. Shacklebolt, has Harry been attacked?" Ron asked the question that he knew was on Ginny's mind as well.

"Ron! Ginny! Upstairs and to bed with both of you. We'll talk in the morning."

"No, Ron, Harry has not been attacked. I just need to talk to your parents for a few minutes. Order business."

Ron and Ginny were about to protest, for even though they were relieved that Harry had not been attacked, they knew still that something was not right. One look into their mother's stern face, however, and they knew it was no good. They just hoped that she would forget to charm the door again.

No such luck. A few seconds after they had closed the door behind them, Ginny threw her slipper at the door, and it bounced back through the air without ever making contact. She swore.

*

"What is it, Kingsley? What's happened?" Molly's face had gone pale, and she had to sit down.

"Harry, as we knew, was still at the Dursley's house. We would have known if he had left, or if anyone had found him." Kingsley stopped. He knew he didn't have long to tell this story before Remus arrived with Harry, but he was not looking forward to Molly's reaction to Harry's condition.

"Yes, we know," Arthur answered, feeling almost as anxious as his wife. "Go on."

"When Remus talked to Vernon Dursley, he found out that none of the Dursleys had seen Harry for a few days, said he was sulking in his room and wouldn't come out. Said Petunia had to bring his meals to him up there.

"When Vernon called Harry, Harry did not come. Remus went up to his room, and..." he trailed off, but Molly could see no sign of emotion on his face.

"And what, Kingsley? /What/?" Molly demanded. She felt as if the world had gone into slow motion, and a terrible fear had gripped her heart. She knew something terrible had happened, but since he said there had been no attack, she didn't know what could have.

"Molly..." Kingsley looked down at her and she saw a hint of sadness in his dark, stoic eyes. Arthur took her hand.

"When we found Harry, he was unconscious in his bed. His face was bruised, and someone had tied an old t-shirt around his mouth like a gag."

Arthur felt Molly begin to shake uncontrollably and he leaned over to put his arms around her. "Oh my God," he whispered.

"Harry looked as though he hadn't had anything to eat or drink in days, maybe even a week. We couldn't rouse him, no matter what we tried to do. From the looks of his bedroom, he'd been in that state for at least a couple of days. The letters you all had written were unopened on his bed and on the floor. The owls must have dropped them off and then left."

"You...couldn't rouse him..." Molly whispered.

"He's still alive, Molly, but he is in very bad shape." Kingsley answered the question she couldn't bear to ask.

"How...why?"

"We're not sure what happened. Moody is talking to the Dursleys right now, but they say that they have been giving him food three times daily, even though he refused to come down for meals, and that they do not know why he was gagged, or bruised."

Molly stood up on the spot, but she was so distraught that Arthur had to support her. "Where is he?" she demanded. "Where is he? I want him here. I want him brought here. Do you hear me, Kingsley Shacklebolt? I want him right here, right now!" Her voice rose to an almost hysterical level.

"Shhh...Molly, don't," Arthur coaxed.

"No! No, Arthur! Look what's happened to him! You call this safe? I want him here, Kingsley. I don't care what Dumbledore says. You bring him to me!"

Kingsley held up his hand and spoke in his most calming voice. "Molly, he's on his way. Remus is taking him to Figg's house and will floo with him here as soon as he can. I've sent Tonks to find Poppy Pomfrey and Dedalus to find Albus. I expect them any minute now."

At that very moment, the fire burned green again and the Hogwarts school nurse emerged from the flames. She looked around, then said brusquely, "Where is he? Potter?"

"He's not here yet, Poppy," Kingsley answered. "We are expecting him shortly."

"He's not coming by floo?"

"It's the quickest way to get him here, and his injuries are not of the traumatic nature. Remus Lupin has him; it will be OK."

Madam Pomfrey huffed her displeasure. From the sound of things, Potter belonged in St. Mungo's this time, but she knew that he was too vulnerable there. She would have to do what she could here.

Tonks emerged from the fireplace next. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and Molly immediately went to her. "Tonks, what is it?"

"It's...oh, Molly...you should have seen him..." Tonks burst into tears, which was very unlike her. She couldn't speak anymore through her sobs, and Molly hugged her, now more worried than ever.

They all turned as the fireplace burned green again, and this time, Lupin emerged, carrying Harry as effortlessly as if he were a baby. Molly gasped at Harry's appearance. Whatever she had been expecting, it wasn't this...he looked like he was about to die.

Madam Pomfrey hurried over to them. As she looked at Harry's face, pulling up his eyelids to see his eyes, her stomach seemed to drop. She had been the nurse at Hogwarts for a long time, and she had seen almost every kind of injury one could imagine. But she had never seen anything that disturbed her as greatly as this.

"We need to get him into a bed," she said, her tone clipped. "Now."

"Remus, cover yourself and Harry in the invisibility cloak," Kingsley advised. "We can take him up to Sirius' old room. Ron and Ginny and the other boys need to be warned before they see him. The shock would be too much."

Remus nodded, and donned the cloak once again. They filed out of the room, and sure enough, Ron and Ginny were waiting just outside the door.

"Mum, is Professor Lupin here yet?" Ginny asked, and then gasped as Tonks and Madam Pomfrey came out the door. "Why is Madam Pomfrey here? What's happened, Mum? /Where's Harry/?"

Ron stood mute, seemingly incapable of speech, his freckles standing out plainly from his pale face.

"Ron, Ginny, go get Fred and George, please," Molly requested quietly. "I want to talk to all of you in the kitchen."

For once, her children did not argue, but ran up the stairs to do as their mother asked. Less than two minutes later, the four youngest Weasleys, Molly, and Arthur were once again seated around the large old table.

"Ron, Ginny, Fred, George..." Molly began, but she choked on her words and her children were alarmed to see tears fill her eyes.

"Mum?" Ron whispered.

Arthur saw that Molly was not going to be able to tell her children what happened.
"They found Harry at the Dursley's, but he's in pretty bad shape," Arthur said with difficulty.

"But Kingsley said he wasn't attacked," Ginny said disbelievingly.

"He wasn't. At least, not as far as we could tell. Harry is unconscious right now. It looks as though he has been for awhile. We don't know much, but we know that he had not eaten for days."

"Not eaten?" Ron asked. "What do you mean?"

"Ron, Harry is very sick. We won't really know what happened until he wakes up."

"But he'll be alright, won't he?" Ginny asked. The answer was apparent in her mother's face, and she reached out for Molly's hand.

"We don't know yet," Molly whispered through the tears that were now flowing down her face.

"But...but...I thought you said they would take care of him!" Fred interjected angrily. "How can he not have eaten? Were those people starving him?"

"We don't know, but we don't think so. We think that Harry chose not to eat, or couldn't eat for some other reason. It doesn't look as though he has had water, either," Arthur answered.

"Those...those..." George sputtered angrily, not being able to find a word bad enough for the Dursleys. "How could they just let him get that sick? How come they didn't contact us, or take him to hospital, or ... or something."

"We don't have those answers, George." Arthur didn't tell his children about the gag, or about the bruise. They had enough to deal with as it was.

"Where is he?" Ginny asked softly.

"He's here," Arthur answered. "Remus took him up to Sirius' room. Madam Pomfrey is with him right now."

Before they could demand to see him or ask how he had gotten to Sirius' room without their knowledge, they all heard a soft popping noise and Albus Dumbledore appeared on the other side of the kitchen.

"Where is he?" he asked without preamble.

"In Sirius' room," Molly answered. "Madam Pomfrey is with him."

Without another word, Dumbledore strode out of the room.

"Mum, I need to see him," Ginny whispered. Everyone at the table looked at her. Why had she said "I" and not "we"?

"You can see him after Madam Pomfrey is finished working," Arthur answered. "If she says it is alright to do so."

Ginny nodded, and began to cry.

*

Upstairs, Remus took off the invisibility cloak and lay the still-unconscious Harry gingerly on top of the coverlet of Sirius' bed, then found a blanket and covered him. Madam Pomfrey all but pushed him out of the way as soon as he had done that, and he crossed to the other side of the room, sat down weakly in an armchair and began to silently pray that Harry would be alright, that he would survive.

Madam Pomfrey took out her wand and touched it softly to Harry's throat, muttering an incantation that Remus couldn't hear. She waited a moment, and then sighed. She rummaged in her bag and took out several different vials.

"I need a fire, Lupin," she said without looking at him. "Quickly. We've no time to lose."

Remus crossed to the grate and quickly lit the fire with his wand. Madam Pomfrey took out a very small cauldron, poured the contents of two of the vials into it, and took it to the fire, placing it in a pair of tongs and holding it over the flames until it began to steam. She hurried back over to Harry.

"Hold him up," she ordered. Remus moved quickly to the bed and sat down next to Harry, pulling the lifeless body into a sitting position and holding him close. Madam Pomfrey put the steaming cauldron as close to Harry's face as it could get without burning him, and waited for him to inhale some of the light purple steam.

Some of the color returned to Harry's face, but he did not stir. "That should have brought him around enough so that he will swallow involuntarily the potions that I need him to take."

Remus nodded.

"The first thing to do is to get some water into him," Madam Pomfrey said. "He is extremely dehydrated, so much so that I am astounded that he is still alive."

Remus started at the harsh statement, but lay Harry gently down again, went to the washroom, and filled a glass full of cool water. He returned it to Madam Pomfrey, who asked him to hold Harry up again. Instead of putting the glass to his swollen lips, she took a teaspoon out of her bag and began to slowly trickle the water into his mouth. When she had gotten three or four spoonfuls into Harry, she began feeding him the potions she had taken out of her bag. Through it all, Harry remained limp in Remus' arms. When she had finally finished doing what she needed to do, she nodded to Remus, who lay Harry back down just as Dumbledore entered the room.

*

Down in the cellar kitchen, Molly was holding Ginny close as she cried. Fred had taken to pacing up and down the length of the kitchen, running his hands through his hair. Ron sat at his place at the table, still as a statue, staring into space. George sat across from him, his face buried in his hands, and Arthur took Molly's usual spot of minding the teakettle.

When the kitchen door opened, they turned as one and stared as Remus Lupin walked into the room and dropped into one of the kitchen chairs.

"He's going to make it," Remus said quietly, and then put his head down on the table and sobbed into his arms.


~~~*~