Takes place during Chapter 7 of Power of Hogwarts.

A Rough Awakening

Pain…confusion…pain…a voice…Something was pulling him, urging him through the excruciating pain that consumed his body. Remus wanted to fight it and fall back to oblivion, away from the pain, but his body wouldn't obey. The pull intensified as a familiar smell filled the air. It was a smell that calmed him and welcomed him without hesitation. The pain lessened slightly as he focused on nothing other than the scent belonging to someone he loved as a son.

There was a slight pressure on his chest as the scent intensified. Remus wanted reach out and wrap his arms around Harry but his body wouldn't cooperate. Uneven breathing filled his ears and panic immediately set in. Dampness soaking through his shirt only increased his fear. Harry? Harry, please talk to me. Please tell me you're okay.

The door opened and another familiar scent washed over him. Padfoot. Remus desperately wanted to open his eyes and convey that something was wrong with Harry. Other scents hit him but he didn't care about those. A member of his pack was here and he needed to know the cub of the pack needed help. Why couldn't he move? What had happened? Why couldn't he remember?

Padfoot's smell intensified. Remus tried once again to move and managed to squeeze the hands holding his slightly. It wasn't much but it was something. He heard a soft gasp before the head resting on his chest and the hands holding his were quickly pulled away. Trapped between relief and panic, Remus could only listen to Harry's labored breathing and wait for someone to say something, anything that would let him know that Harry was all right.

"You three stay here with him," Sirius ordered firmly. "I have to call Poppy. If anything happens, come and get me immediately."

Remus' panic was even worse now. Hurried footsteps pounded in his ears as two familiar feminine scents became stronger while Padfoot's scent slowly vanished. What's going on? Someone please say something! His need to open his eyes and move intensified. He hated feeling so helpless. He hated not knowing, especially when Harry was concerned.

The bed shifted slightly as Remus felt someone sit down by his thigh. A different familiar scent overpowered all the others. It was certainly male and was similar to one of the females. Ron and Ginny. Gathering all of the energy he had, Remus managed to move his hand and touch Ron's arm. There was a loud shout as Ron moved out of reach. Remus could feel exhaustion setting in but he fought against it, reaching out to touch Ron again.

The pull to darkness was getting stronger. In a final act of desperation, Remus forced his mouth to open. "Harry?" he said weakly before darkness claimed him completely only to be pulled back to consciousness a moment later. He was still in pain but it wasn't as intense. He was still weak but he was now able to move and open his eyes to see Padfoot and Madam Pomfrey staring down at him.

"How are you feeling, Remus?" Madam Pomfrey asked immediately.

Remus blinked. That was a loaded question. Harry's scent was just as strong as Padfoot and Madam Pomfrey's. Turning his head slightly, Remus saw Harry sleeping soundly beside him. Harry looked extremely pale and had a faint aroma of potions supplies. "What happened to me?" Remus asked as he turned his gaze back to Padfoot and Madam Pomfrey.

Padfoot and Madam Pomfrey shared a concerned look. "It was silver poisoning, Moony," Padfoot said cautiously. "Do you remember going to the Ministry to rescue Harry?"

Remus nodded slightly and slowly remembered what happened after arriving at the Ministry. They had gone to the Department of Mysteries only to find their path blocked by Death Eaters. An intense battle had broken out only to suddenly stop when Barty Crouch, Jr. had taken Harry as a hostage. Thankfully, Harry had received one of his magical outbursts, allowing the fight to continue. Remus remembered dueling one of the Lestrange brothers when someone grabbed him by the arm, spun him around and wrapped strong fingers around his neck. The pain that had coursed through his body had been indescribable. He had thought he was dying.

Letting out a shaky breath, Remus met Padfoot's gaze. "Was anyone else hurt?" he asked.

Padfoot and Madam Pomfrey shared another look before Madam Pomfrey silently packed up her supplies and left them alone. The moment the door closed, Padfoot sat down on the edge of the bed and ran a shaky hand through his hair. "I guess we were lucky," Padfoot said quietly. "Sturgis Podmore was killed before we got there and Harry was nearly killed by Voldemort. You've been in an Enchanted Sleep for a month, Moony, and technically should still be in one for at least another two."

Remus slowly closed his eyes and he took everything in. He had lost a month because of a stupid mistake. He had let his guard down. "What about Harry?" asked Remus. "How bad is he?"

Padfoot hesitated. "He's recovering," he said at last.

Remus' eyes opened quickly before narrowing at Padfoot. "Don't you dare try to be evasive with me, Sirius Black," he warned. "Tell me the truth. What happened to Harry that has taken him over a month to recover from?"

Padfoot let out a sigh as he ran a hand over his face. "It's complicated, Moony," he said softly. "Harry's had a hard month. He faced Voldemort by himself to protect us and would have died if Dumbledore hadn't stepped in. No one really knows what exactly happened between Harry and Voldemort but rumors state that it was a magical and physical duel with swords as the weapons."

Remus' eyes widened. "What have you been teaching that kid?" he asked in shock.

"Apparently not enough," Padfoot said bitterly. "When Dumbledore brought him back to Hogwarts…it wasn't good. Poppy worked on him for hours and nearly lost him twice. I honestly don't know how he managed to fight as long as he did with as many injuries that he had." Padfoot let out a sigh as his gaze fell. "I lost it that night. Both of you nearly died and there was nothing I could do so I took it out on those I could. Dumbledore and Poppy received the majority of it so Dumbledore retaliated by slipping a sleeping potion in my drink."

Remus winced slightly. That was probably the worst mistake Dumbledore could have made. Padfoot always overreacted at first but calmed to a more manageable level after he took his frustrations out on those around him for a few hours. Everyone who knew Padfoot had been aware of that for years. Accepting guardianship of Harry had been the turning point for Padfoot. It was extremely difficult to be the carefree jokester when your charge was constantly fighting for his life.

"You can imagine how well I took it when I woke up," Padfoot added then let out a long breath. "It also didn't help that when I checked on you two, Harry was missing." Remus' eyes widened in shock. "Precautions had been taken to ensure that no one could enter or leave the private room without Dumbledore, Poppy or myself unlocking it but Harry got out and vanished. We couldn't find him and couldn't ask for help outside of the Order since we couldn't risk the Ministry or Voldemort finding out that he was missing."

"How did he get out?" Remus asked quietly.

"The castle and Dumbledore's bloody pigeon," Padfoot said bitterly. "They helped Harry run away into Muggle London."

Remus immediately tried to sit up but failed. "You better hurry up and finish the story because you are certainly failing at keeping me calm," he growled.

Padfoot winced. "Sorry," he said softly, "but the rest isn't going to be any easier to hear. Do you want me to wait—" Remus' glare was all that Padfoot needed to continue. "Okay then. Well, it was extremely frustrating trying to find him. Tonks, Viktor Krum and Charlie Weasley basically moved in to help me with you and organizing the search. We had very few leads since spells were absolutely no help. I even went out into the Muggle world and hired private investigators. I never realized how hard it was to find someone without magic."

Remus let out a long sigh. That was certainly an understatement. It would have been helpful to have the aid of the Muggle police but that would certainly alert everyone with ties to the Muggle world that the-boy-who-lived was missing. Remus couldn't imagine what Padfoot had gone through. It had been torture for him when Padfoot had kidnapped Harry for two days a few years ago. "How did you find him?" Remus asked at last.

Padfoot rubbed his hands together nervously. "Well, we actually didn't," he admitted. "Tom saw Harry in The Leaky Cauldron and notified Dumbledore. Unfortunately, Voldemort found out too and sent Death Eaters to grab him." Remus stared at Padfoot in horror. "Tonks and Kingsley did what they could but the Death Eaters got Harry. Voldemort suppressed Harry's magic and was making plans to kill him in public. Harry was captive for three days before he managed to escape and make his way back here. He's been recovering from injuries and having his magic unsuppressed ever since."

Remus closed his eyes as he tried to take in everything. He had missed so much. How had Padfoot managed? "How bad was he hurt?" Remus asked quietly.

"It could have been worse," Padfoot said bluntly. "Apparently, Voldemort insisted that no one touch Harry so I guess we should be grateful for small favors. We were extremely lucky, Moony. I don't think Harry would have recovered if…"

"I don't think any of us would have recovered if something like that happened to Harry," Remus muttered as he shifted his gaze to Padfoot. "Have you talked to him? Do you know why he ran away?"

Padfoot nodded. "Harry woke up alone and saw you," he said tiredly. "He believed you were dead and blamed himself. Voldemort managed to break through his barriers and urged him along. He left because he believed James wanted me protected."

Remus let out a soft breath as he slowly reached out and gave Padfoot's arm a reassuring squeeze. He knew Padfoot was on the verge of breaking and mentally vowed to be there to help him every step of the way. The events of the past month were more than what any person should have to deal with in a lifetime. After all, that was what a family was about: supporting each other in times of need. This was certainly a time of need.