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Chapter 8: Coming Back

"I'm telling you, Ginny, nothing is going on with me and Hermione!" Ron's voice was half angry, half amused as he looked at his sister's playful face. "She's just worried about Harry like the rest of us, and since she can't be here, someone has to tell her what's going on!"

"Yeah, but you've been writing every day! Come on, just let me see one of her letters to you! If it's all about Harry, what do you have to hide?" Ginny teased.

"Don't be stupid, Ginny, you don't go around reading other people's mail!"

"Why not? She's saying the same things to you that she's saying to me, right? That she's glad to be with her parents, but would rather be here...that she's worried about Harry and she's been reading loads of books about losing someone you love. That's all she's saying to you, right? I'll make you a deal. You can read my letters from Hermione if I can read /yours/."

Ron's ears were beginning to take on a red glow, and Ginny knew she was getting to him. She hadn't hung around with six older brothers her entire life without learning how to get under their skins.

"Get off it, Ginny. You're not going anywhere near my letters from Hermione," he said defensively.

"OK, then," Ginny said cheerfully. "I guess I'll just write to her and ask her what's going on. You know, we're girlfriends...we tell each other everything!" She smiled wickedly.

"That's a brilliant idea," said a hoarse voice from the bed in the middle of the room.

"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed, hurrying over to his bedside. This was the first time she had seen him awake since he had arrived at headquarters five days before.

"Harry!" Ron echoed, going to the other side of the bed. "How are you, mate? It's about time you woke up."

Harry smiled at his two friends, the first real smile on his face since the beginning of the summer. "I'm...a bit thirsty, actually."

Ginny hurried off to get Harry a glass of water, and Ron rolled his eyes. "Oh, I see how it's going to be, then. You get to lie around and we get to do all the work. Right. What else can I get for you, sir?"

Harry grinned again. "Well," he said, pretending to think about it, "I could use some good reading material. Been writing any letters lately?"

Ron gaped at him. Here they had all been, worried sick about Harry since the beginning of the holidays, and the first thing he says to Ron is to tease him about letters from Hermione?

"Just kidding," Harry said, actually enjoying Ron's disbelief. It felt good to be with his friends, to be talking about something fun rather than the dark, foreboding conversations he had been having since he woke up. The dreamless sleep potion Remus had given him had done him a world of good. For the first time all summer, he had been able to sleep restfully and peacefully for close to ten hours...no voices, no nightmares, just blissfully quiet sleep. To wake up in the middle of a playful argument between Ron and Ginny made him feel that much better.

Ginny came back into the room with a tall glass of water, and she was closely followed by Mrs. Weasley, who had a kind smile on her motherly face.

"Harry, dear," she said, stooping to give him a gentle hug. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thanks, Mrs. Weasley." Harry took a sip of the water Ginny offered him and found that, rather than making him feel sick as it had when he was at the Dursleys, it felt cool and refreshing going down his throat. He was still very weak, though, and his hands shook so that the water spilled a bit. Mrs. Weasley took the glass from him.

"There now, let's just take it one step at a time, shall we?" She turned to the side table and picked up the steaming plate of sausage and eggs she had made for him that morning. It was still hot and fresh due to the warming charm she had cast. "How about a spot of breakfast, then?"

"Breakfast!" Ron snorted. "Mum, it's five o'clock in the evening!"

"I know that, dear," Mrs. Weasley answered him. "But Harry's only just woken up. I thought that breakfast food might still sound good. Does it, Harry? If not, I'm pleased to make you anything else you would like to eat."

Harry suddenly looked uncertain. "Uh, thanks, Mrs. Weasley," he answered hesitantly. "But I don't think I can eat all that much." He still didn't feel hungry, although the potions that Madam Pomfrey had given him had restored quite a lot of his strength.

"Nonsense," Mrs. Weasley almost snapped at him, remembering her vow that she would get him healthy again, no matter what. "Harry, you will eat something. You don't have to eat much to start, but I insist you eat something. Those potions help you feel stronger, but every body needs good meals to stay strong and healthy." She sounded almost like the mother of a three-year-old who has refused to eat anything but chocolate. "Now," she said, "You just name what sounds good to you, and I'll have it made in a jiffy."

Harry remembered what Professor Lupin had said that morning about Mrs. Weasley's determination to feed him, and knew that this was a battle he would not win. "This looks fine, Mrs. Weasley. Thanks." He reached for the plate, but to his surprise, Ginny took it from her mother and held it slightly away from him.

"Don't be silly, Harry. You need help," she said gently, sounding remarkably like her mother.

"I can lift a fork, can't I?" said Harry indignantly.

"Ginny, Harry's not going to let you feed him like some invalid," Ron said, almost laughing at Ginny's motherly ministrations. "Why don't we help him sit up a bit straighter and put the plate in his lap? Then he can do it himself."

"Quite right," Mrs. Weasley said approvingly. She added more pillows behind Harry's back, and took the plate from Ginny, settling it squarely on Harry's thin legs. "Now eat up, Harry."

Harry could tell Ginny was embarrassed, and he wanted to keep the conversation light. "Thanks anyway, Ginny. If I ever need someone to feed me, though, you'll be the first person I ask, OK?" He blushed suddenly. What on earth had made him say /that/? He glanced sideways at Ginny and saw that she was blushing too.

"I'd better, uh..." she stammered, her cheeks flaming. "Go send an owl to Hermione. You know, so she'll know you're better." Ginny left the room quickly, Ron's astonished gaze following her out.

"What in the world was that all about?" Ron said wonderingly, and exchanged a glance with Harry that plainly said, "/Girls/."

Mrs. Weasley was beginning to have an idea what was happening, but she held her peace. Ginny and Harry would have to figure this one out on their own. "Right, Harry," she said firmly, settling back into the old armchair. "/Eat/."

*

Half an hour later, Molly nearly ran into Remus Lupin as she came out of Harry's room with his plate and glass. Knowing that Ron and Ginny would be with Harry when he woke up, and that seeing his friends would be good for him, Remus had finally gone up to his third-floor bedroom to get a much-needed rest.

"Remus!" Molly said, stopping short and almost dropping the dishes. "Did you have a good rest? You look better." He did look better. The bags under his eyes had diminished and they seemed to be a bit brighter and less sad than they had been before.

"I did, Molly, thank you. I see you finally got Harry to eat something," he said, indicating the plate.

"Yes," Molly said in relief. "He couldn't eat all of it, but he managed about half of his eggs, a piece of sausage, and some toast."

"That's wonderful," Remus smiled, knowing how important it was to Molly that Harry begin eating normally. He lowered his voice, "and how does he seem? He hasn't had any...problems...since he woke up, then?"

"No," answered Molly. "He seemed happy to see Ron and Ginny, and he and Ron have been arguing about Quidditch again, so I assume that's a good sign."

"It is indeed."

"I told the children to keep the conversation light for now. Harry doesn't need to be made to talk about his experiences until he is considerably stronger."

"That is probably a good idea. He will talk to them when he is ready to do so."

Molly nodded. "Are you going in to see him now?"

"Yes," Remus answered. "Tomorrow's the full moon, so I wanted to spend as much time with Harry as I can before I have to leave for a couple of days."

Molly nodded again, feeling pity for Remus as she always did when the full moon came. She had heard that werewolf transformations were extremely painful, and knew that the man hated what he became once a month. "Have you been taking the Wolfsbane potion this week?"

"Yes, Severus has been kind enough to provide it for me. I've never been much at potions. Tomorrow night I will go up into my room and sleep away the time as a wolf, but I won't be allowing Harry or anyone else to see me, just in case." He shuddered.

They both jumped a bit when they heard a large crack coming from Harry's room as the twins apparated there from the kitchen, where they had arrived from the fire in their shop on Diagon Alley, which had probably just closed for the evening. Molly smiled. She was used to her sons' choice of professions now, even proud of them, and knew that their boisterous presence could only cheer Harry up even more. Nothing was dull when Fred and George were around.

"Have you spoken to Arthur today?" Remus asked.

"Not today. He's been dealing with some situation involving a Muggle eclectic lamp enchanted to burn so brightly that it gives anyone near it a bad sunburn."

Remus grimaced. Anti-muggle pranks had been on the rise lately and had become more vicious, from what he could gather from Arthur's news from his job in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry of Magic. "I'm sure he'll get everything sorted out; he always does."

Their conversation came to an abrupt halt at the sound of a hoarse yell from inside Harry's bedroom. Remus pushed past Molly and hurried into the room, expecting to find Harry in the throes of another mental attack from Voldemort. Instead, he was surprised to find Fred, George, and Ron doubled over in silent laughter as Harry rubbed his nose with one hand and held a struggling china teacup in the other, his lap covered in tea. He had yelled, but only in surprise and slight pain from the teacup's bite. Now that he had recovered from the shock, he was grinning.

"That was wicked, guys!" he complimented the twins. "I had no idea you had made one of these. This is so much better than the Zonko's one!"

"Fred! George!" Everyone turned at the sound of Mrs. Weasley's furious voice from the doorway. "What in the world were you thinking? Harry needs calm, he needs rest...he is in no condition to play test dummy for your joke shop!"

"Sorry, Mum," said George, plainly struggling to keep a straight face. "We just thought he could do with a bit of a laugh."

"Then tell him a joke! Honestly, where's your sense of responsibility? You come in here where Harry is still lying sick in bed, and you play this kind of prank on him! He needs his rest! Now all of you, OUT!" She bellowed the last word, and, knowing that she was going to keep ranting at them if they stayed, Fred and George apparated back out of the room with another loud /crack/.

"You too, Ron! I can't believe you let them do this! Now go and find something to do until dinner, and leave Harry in peace!"

"But, Mum..."

"No buts, Ronald Weasley. I want you out of this room. Now!" With a disgusted look at his mother, Ron left to go find Ginny. He had some of his own teasing to do now.

"Now, Harry, dear, are you alright? Did you get burned?"

"No, Mrs. Weasley," answered Harry, still grinning. "I reckon they made sure the tea was cool before they gave it to me."

"Alright, dear. Why don't you have a rest for a while, then. I'll bring you up a spot of dinner in a couple of hours. Remus, will you stay until then?" Remus nodded, and took his usual place in the old armchair once again. Molly picked up the dishes again and left to go do a bit of housework and start on dinner.

"Do you need sleep, Harry?" Remus asked him after he had helped Harry change into another pair of pajama pants and given him a dry blanket.

"No, I'm not feeling tired right now. Was one of those potions you gave me this morning for dreamless sleep?"

Remus nodded. "Sorry, Harry, but I thought you could use a real bit of rest."

"Thanks," Harry said softly. He was still feeling happier than he had in weeks, but seeing his former professor brought back some of the pain he had forgotten while he was joking around with the Weasleys.

Remus began, "Harry - "just as Harry said, "Professor - "

Harry gestured that Remus should go first. He began, "Harry, how about if we drop the 'Professor' bit. I haven't been your teacher in over two years. You can call me Remus...or even 'Moony' if you prefer."

Harry smiled slightly at him. It would be weird to call his old professor by his first name, but he knew it was something he could get used to. "OK...Moony," he said, trying it out. He found he liked the sound of it.

Remus patted him on the arm. "There, that wasn't so hard, now was it?" he said lightly. "Now, there is something I would like you to know, and to agree to."

Harry was curious. What was it that Moony wanted him to agree to? "Okay," he said.

"Sirius, like all of the members of the Order, had a will, and he was very definite on a few points."

At the mention of Sirius, Harry's slight grin faded completely to be replaced by the sad look Remus had already come to know all too well.

"I know it's hard, kid. But you need to know a few things."

Harry nodded that he should go on, knowing that there was nothing he could say to make Moony stop talking about Sirius.

"The most important thing he wrote in his will had to do with you."

"With me?" Harry asked.

"Yes...concerning your guardianship."

Harry was surprised. He knew Sirius was his godfather, of course, but he had always thought the Dursleys were his guardians. He must have had a confused look on his face, because Remus continued, "Yes, the Dursleys have always taken care of you, if you could call it that," he paused, trying to quell the anger he always felt at the thought of the Dursleys. "But in the magical world, wills are binding and cannot be questioned. In your parents' will, they specified that Sirius was to be your guardian if anything happened to them. Sirius signed the will, and that made it binding. Sirius was your legal guardian, even though you had to live with the Dursleys all those years. Even if he hadn't been sent to Azkaban," Remus and Harry both winced, "Even if he had been there, you most likely would still have had to go to the Dursleys, for your own protection."

Harry nodded; he knew all about the blood protection now, and since Sirius hadn't been related to him by blood, it would not have been in effect if Harry had stayed with him. Still, he couldn't help but wonder how different things would have been if Sirius had been around while he was growing up.

"In Sirius' will, he specified that if anything were to happen to him, I would become your guardian, and I agreed."

Harry stared at him. This was certainly not what he had expected when Remus said he wanted to talk to him, mainly because he had not known that Sirius was legally responsible for him. When he thought about it, though, it made sense. Remus was Sirius' closest friend, and was the last remaining Marauder, because no one considered Peter Pettigrew to be one anymore.

"Harry, I am now legally your guardian until you reach the age of 17. I signed Sirius' will, and it is a binding magical contract. However, I wanted to see what you thought of it. If you would rather the Weasleys..." his voice trailed off.

"No, Moony," Harry cut in. "You were my Godfather's best friend. If Sirius wanted you to be my guardian, then that is what I want, too. Only..."

"Only what, Harry?"

"Only, do I have to go back to the Dursleys? Voldemort got to me there, you know he did, so I don't know what protection they still offer me...maybe after Voldemort took my blood in the graveyard fourth year, it doesn't work anymore or something..."

Remus sighed. He certainly didn't want Harry to have to go back to Privet Drive, but he knew that he could not promise that he wouldn't have to go back. "Let's cross that bridge when we come to it, OK? I just don't know the answer to that question."

Harry nodded. It was the answer he had expected, even if it was not the one he had hoped for.

"There's also the question of Sirius' personal belongings, and his money," Remus continued, wanting to get the subject off of the Dursleys.

"His money?" Harry asked blankly. He had known that Sirius' family had been wealthy, but he had never even given it a thought, before or after Sirius' death.

"He left you everything, Harry," Remus said with a trace of a smile. "Well, almost everything. He left a tidy sum of gold for me, and some for the Weasleys. But you were his main beneficiary."

"But I don't need Sirius' money," Harry protested. "My parents already left me more than I need." Talking about Sirius' fortune had made Harry feel like he had profited off Sirius' death, and it was an uncomfortable feeling that he did not care for one bit.

"Harry, I know how you feel. I felt the same way when I first found out what he had left for me," Remus said softly. "However, if you don't accept the inheritance, it will automatically go to his next of kin. In this case, that means that the Black fortune would be split between the Malfoys and the Lestranges."

"No!" exclaimed Harry. "Sirius would never have wanted that."

"Precisely, which is why he left everything to you. You're a wealthy man, now, Harry. And I know that would make Sirius happy - he wanted to make sure you were always taken care of."

Harry nodded, knowing that he had little choice. He could never let Narcissa Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange get their hands on anything that had belonged to his godfather.

"The money has been left in trust for you at Gringotts until you come of age. All you need to do to access it is talk to me. I'm the executor."

"I don't think I'll be needing it right now. I still have most of the money my parents left me."

"That's fine, Harry. Just know that it is there if you need it, and that you have nothing to feel bad about in using it. This is what Sirius wanted."

Harry cast about for a change of subject. He couldn't bear to talk about Sirius any longer. "So, when am I allowed to get out of bed?" he asked his guardian.

"Madam Pomfrey will come tomorrow morning to check you out. She'll let us know, but I daresay it won't be too long now that you're getting your strength back."

Harry nodded, but the talk about Sirius' will had made the lead weight in his heart grow even heavier than it had been before, and he felt the despair rising up inside of him again. Almost as if it had been waiting for Harry to feel this way, his scar suddenly burned like fire, and he clapped his hands over it, what color he had draining from his face.

Remus started, and stood up quickly, grabbing Harry's chin and forcing the boy's troubled eyes to look up into his own. "Harry, look at me...Harry, are you alright?"

Harry's eyes rolled back up into his head, and his entire body started to tremble. Lupin sat down on the bed next to him and took him by both his shoulders.

"Harry, fight this! You have to fight it. Listen to me! It's Moony, I'm here with you. You're going to be alright, but you have to fight!"

Harry could vaguely hear Moony's voice, but his words were drowned out in the hateful hiss that now filled his mind. "The werewolf will be next, Potter. Are you ready? And after that, it's the Mudblood, and the blood traitors. None will survive...they will all die at my hand...I look forward to it. Oh yes, the pleasure of taking them down is something I have been anticipating for a long time...almost as much as the pleasure of destroying you. Give yourself up, Potter, and I may spare their lives..."

Harry's entire body jerked, and Remus watched, horrified, and Harry began to moan, "No...you can have me...but leave...them...alone..."

"Harry, no!" Remus shouted, desperate to get through to him. "Fight! Push him out of your mind. It's all a trick, Harry! Don't give him what he wants! Fight it!" He shook Harry's shoulders slightly as Harry tossed his head back and forth, his scar feeling like it was going to burn a hole straight through his head.

"It's all down to you, Potter. Your dog didn't have to die, you know. If you had just given me what I wanted, he would never have had to come for you. It's your love of playing the hero that killed him...don't be so foolish again. You will never defeat me."

"Harry!" Remus shouted again, terrified of what this attack was doing to his charge. "Fight it, Harry. You're stronger than this! You have to fight!"

The attack lifted as suddenly as it had begun, and Harry fell back onto his pillows, completely limp, his eyes closed. Remus took a cool cloth from a bowl of water and mopped Harry's sweaty forehead with it. Harry had fainted.

Remus never heard the soft whimper coming from the door, which had been left open a crack. Ginny Weasley stood on the other side of it with a deck of Exploding Snap cards in her hands, her face white and tears running down her cheeks. She had come just in time to see the whole thing.