Disclamer: Not mine. Most definitely not mine.

Every Demon Wants His Pound of Flesh

Shake it Out

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Through the hazy fog of sleep, Harry twitched as he felt a hot, moist breath pass over his neck. As he rolled his face into the pillow, something playfully licked at his ear. Harry grumbled in annoyance as the contact pulled him from his nap.

The soft rumble of somebody laughing next to him vibrated through Harry's body as he reached up to swat away whatever was bothering him. His hand met something wet and soft and retracted quickly as his face was licked again. He must have made some noise of disgust because the vibrating rumble went through him again, accompanied by a low chortle.

"I don't think he likes that very much." The voice was coming from somewhere near Harry.

From his warm cocoon of sleep, Harry sensed something familiar about that voice. He could not place it but there was something that nagged at him about it.

Something licked the side of his face again and Harry moved again to swat it away and he heard a small yelp as his hand connected. The man laughed again.

"He might actually hurt you, Padfoot."

Harry's eyes snapped open. His vision was assaulted by black fur and a pink tongue which promptly attacked his face. Harry pulled back sharply, realizing he was lying down on a couch when his back connected with the end of the sofa. Another laugh sounded in the room.

"Good afternoon sleeping beauty." Harry's head snapped to the end of the couch, where a man was sitting by his feet. Messy black hair and round glasses were the only thing that registered in Harry's confused mind.

"Dad?"

James smiled. "Your mother told us to leave you alone, but seeing you sleeping so peacefully in the middle of the day, and in the summer too…well, we couldn't resist." His eyes glittered mischievously at Harry before turning his gaze towards the massive black dog in front of him. "Isn't that right, Padfoot?"

The dog gave a loud bark and Harry jumped. James laughed again.

A sharp voice sounded. "Sirius Black! I'll kill you if you're bothering my son!"

The dog gave a little whine, threw a sad puppy look Harry's way before standing gracefully as he transformed back into a man. With a mischievous wink he called out, "It was James' idea!"

"Oy!"

Sirius ducked the punch James sent his way and was off, racing out of the room before James could aim again.

"Sirius?" Harry's voice sounded meek and child-like to his ears. James patted his ankle as he stood from the couch.

"Don't worry kiddo. Your mum won't really kill him. You know she's all bark and no bite." His voice had a pleasant ring to it, almost as if smiling had an actual sound. "I however, probably will kill that Godfather of yours." He threw a smile at Harry, eyes sparkling as he looked him over.

When Harry didn't respond, he placed his hands on his hips and tilted his head. "Not quite awake yet, huh kiddo? Well, as soon as you're ready, your mum has set up tea in the garden. Come outside when you're up." He turned to go and Harry's gaze followed him as James walked through a thick wooden door that swung shut behind him.

Harry sat up slowly, taking in his surroundings. Brown was the first color that assaulted his senses. In fact, it seemed to be the only color in the room. The walls were of a deep brown wood and the sofa Harry was seated on was made of smooth brown leather, a shade lighter than the walls. The couch was pushed up against the wall leaving space in front of it for a rather large red and beige rug. Two small side-tables that matched the walls stood on either side of the couch and on each of them was a vase filled with pale pink and purple flowers.

Despite the relatively modern décor of the room, a larger bookshelf stood across from where Harry sat, filled three layers deep of what appeared to be a collection of very old books. Standing up, Harry moved across to the bookshelf and ran his fingers over the bindings.

A Compendium of Common Curses and Their Counter-Actions, An Anthology of Eighteenth Century Charms, Important Modern Magical Discoveries, Olde and Forgotten Bewitchments and Charmes, Saucy Tricks for Tricky Sorts...The titles popped out at Harry as he scanned the shelves, many of them old spell books he'd never heard before but there was a sense of familiarity towards the old tomes that settled in his mind. Turning his head, Harry continued to study the room. On the wall next to the couch was a fireplace that seemed to be built into the wall itself, with a small shelf jutting over it. The bookcase Harry had been looking at took over the entire wall opposite the couch and continued turning to make an 'L', which met the wall that held the fireplace. The red and beige rug stretched in front of the fireplace.

The only place to sit in the room was on the couch. Above the couch were three rather large frames which looked to be landscape photos. The only one recognizable to Harry was the one which seemed to be the hills surrounding Hogwarts. Looking closely, Harry could just make out the peaks of the castle jutting out from behind them. That was the middle photo. The one to the left was of a shore line with a trail of smooth rocks leading up to the water. Small puddles appeared between the rocks until they disappeared, completely submerged underwater. The photo to the right was of a cottage surrounded by a large field with a single tree among the grass swaying lightly in the breeze.

Something tugged at Harry's brain as he looked at these pictures. They seemed familiar to him, yet he could not figure out from where. The sound of tinkling glasses and laughter met his ears and his gaze moved to the door James had gone through before. It was on the left side of the wall perpendicular to the couch and fireplace with a large space to its right, filled by a rather ornate mirror. On the other side of the mirror was another door which was slightly open. Behind it, Harry could make out a narrow, twisted staircase.

Heading to the closed door, Harry pushed it open and was assaulted by the sunlight that met his eyes, making him blink frantically. It was a dining room with a large wooden table that looked to fit around twelve people. Two large picture windows were to his left, each with a window-seat padded with cushions. The walls were painted a sky blue, and with the sunlight streaming in, Harry had the feeling he was outside. One of the windows was pushed open and Harry could hear the sound of birds chirping.

Harry hurried along to the opposite end of the room where an arched doorway stood beckoning. It opened into a wide entrance hall. Across the way there was another arched doorway which led into a room decorated similarly to the one Harry had woken up in. Directly to his right was a staircase leading upstairs and on the right of that was a small hallway that led to the back of the house. Multiple pictures hung in the hallway and as Harry headed towards the back of the house, he found himself stopping to stare at them.

Pictures of his family popped out at him; Lily and James on their wedding day, James and Sirius with a motorbike in the background, Lily with hands wrapped around a swollen belly…each moment seemed to signify a happier one than the last and as Harry's eyes traveled over the photos of his parents and their friends his eyes suddenly lit on one of himself.

Bright green eyes stared out at him from under a curtain of dark black hair. The baby seemed to be gurgling as he swung his little fists around in the air. A larger hand kept creeping into the picture, gentle fingers tickling his stomach as baby Harry giggled. Harry looked quickly over the rest of the wall, eyes taking in different moments from his childhood. Lily cradling him in a rocking chair next to a crib, Harry crawling across the carpet, another with him taking his first steps, a toddler Harry being thrown into the hair and being caught by James, six-year-old Harry on his first broomstick, a nine-year-old Harry sitting on a motorbike with Sirius…

At the end of the row was a picture of Lily and James on either side of Harry who was standing with his arms on his waist, the same stance James had taken earlier. A broad grin stretched over his face before he made a waving motion at the camera, Lily and James copying him.

The sound of cutlery banging around brought Harry's gaze away from the photographs. A door was open a little further down the hall and as Harry entered the room he caught sight of a woman arranging cups and a tea kettle on a tray.

"Mum?"

Lily looked up startled. Her eyes rested on Harry's face and she smiled brightly. "Hello darling." Her voice was soft and her eyes sparkled as she spoke. "I hope you slept well. I'm furious at your father and Sirius for waking you, you looked absolutely exhausted! But now you can join us for tea." Her smile widened and Harry felt a weight he didn't even realize was there lifting off his shoulders. Lily beckoned him forward.

"Come sweetheart. I'll take this outside and you can carry this for me." She placed another tray with biscuits and a jug of milk in his hands before grabbing the one she had been arranging and scurrying out the door on the other side of the kitchen which led outside. It took Harry a minute to come to himself and follow her. He stood for a second, letting the sunshine wash over his body as he took in the scene before him.

James and Sirius were sitting at a round, white-framed glass table laughing as Lily leaned over James, placing her tray down in the middle of the table next to a plate of sandwiches. She made to move behind James' chair but his hand reached out to grab her and pull her down for a kiss. Lily giggled as James' breath tickled her neck but made no move to pull away. Her hair flowed over her shoulder, catching the sunlight.

Harry's breath caught in his chest as he felt a dull ache begin to blossom. He must have made a sound because James was looking up at him and smiling.

"Come on, kiddo, come join us!"

Sirius turned to face him as well, raising a hand and motioning him to come forward. "Come on, Harry."

It seemed to Harry as if they were calling to him in slow motion. The words sounded muffled as the ache grew larger in his chest. He made to move forward, but it was as if he was trekking through mud. As he advanced, Harry felt a sense of lethargy wash over him and he dropped the tray to the ground, china shattering against the stone patio. He tried running, but he couldn't move. The table where his family sat seemed to be getting further and further away and Harry found himself calling out to them.

No sound escaped his mouth and the ache from his chest began traveling through his body and settling in his thigh, right above his knee. Soon the table seemed so far away, it looked like a pinprick in the distance before disappearing completely. Even though he couldn't see his family anymore, Harry could still hear them calling to him.

"Come on, Harry, come on…"

"Harry…"

"Harry…"

"Harry."

Harry started awake. Expecting to see a sunlit garden surrounding him, Harry shut his eyes right away to protect them from the bright glare. Blinking slowly, he immediately realized there was absolutely no sun where he was. In fact, the only light available to him was by a few lit candles along the opposite wall. He looked around confused.

"Harry?"

Harry suddenly felt a hand on his arm, startling him. The comfortable heat flowed from it onto his cold skin and Harry let his eyes travel up to the face standing above him. Unfocused green eyes latched onto a blurry face, shadows from the candles dancing around the pale skin. Harry must have looked confused because there was a rustling sound and his glasses suddenly appeared in front of him, putting the world back into focus.

"That better?" Remus was sitting on the edge of the bed. Harry struggled to sit up but he barely managed to lift his back when a sharp pain resonated from somewhere by his knee, reminding him of the dull ache he felt in his dream. He blinked sluggishly as he tried to recall what he had been dreaming of. The details were slowly trickling away the more awake he became and Harry felt lost. Something must have shown on his face for Remus' hand immediately found its way back to rest against Harry's arm.

"You were sleeping restlessly, so Madam Pomfrey said I should wake you." His tone was timid, almost as if he were looking for Harry's approval for waking him. Harry just looked around. It was dark out, late evening by the look of it, but Harry wasn't sure. Remus followed his gaze to the window. "It's around nine. You've only been asleep for a few hours."

Harry said nothing and the hand around his arm tensed a little. The pressure was not entirely comfortable, but Harry did not complain. He hadn't realized how cold he had been and the warmth flowing out of Remus continued to warm his skin. Harry shivered, sending another sharp pain through his leg. Wincing slightly, Harry reached a hand down to grab at it but the second he touched his leg, the pain became immense causing him to break out in a cold sweat. The world around Harry began spinning and the next thing he knew someone was tapping his face gently. As he rolled his head to the side trying to avoid it Remus' voice reached his ears.

"Harry?" He sounded worried but his voice was calm and Harry opened his eyes. "You fainted."

"My leg." Harry didn't raise his voice above a whisper and Remus had to bend down to hear him.

"I'm sorry to say that may be hurting you for a while."

Harry whipped his head to the other side, startled at hearing another voice near him. Where had Madam Pomfrey come from in the last few seconds?

"I called for her when you passed out. You seemed to have been in a lot of pain." Remus explained.

Harry nodded and Madam Pomfrey said "I bet he was. Injuries like that are no picnic, especially in your state." The second half of her comment was directed straight at Harry.

He looked at her and noticed that she was pulling a bottle off of the tray next to her. "For the pain." She stated, handing it over to him. Harry gratefully accepted, attempting to sit up so he could swallow it. Remus immediately reached behind his back to place a few more pillows, enabling Harry to sit up on his own.

He downed the potion and felt the horrible pain from his leg receding. He handed the empty bottle back to Madam Pomfrey and as she placed it on the tray she pulled to covers back to examine his leg. Harry felt dizzy just looking at it. His face must have turned green because the extra pillows were removed from behind his back and he was made to lie down again.

Madam Pomfrey clucked her tongue loudly. She grabbed another bottle off the tray, uncorked it and poured it slowly over his leg. Harry braced himself for pain, but only felt the strange sensation of something icy cold dripping over his skin. Even when she began rubbing he felt no more than what he would consider smooth ice.

When Harry sighed in relief, she nodded approvingly and pulled the covers back over his legs. "I'm sorry you had to feel that. I assumed the blood-replenishers would begin to work before you woke up."

Harry looked at her, confused by what that meant but she explained quickly. "You're leg was numb from the damage and the lack of circulation. You lost a large amount of blood when the bone broke and pierced the skin but the fact that it started hurting means the circulation is restored and the blood-replenishers are doing their job." She smiled down at him. "In a few more hours I can heal it."

Remus answered. "Wonderful." Harry nodded in agreement.

"Will it hurt?"

Madam Pomfrey shook her head. "I'll give you a potion so you feel nothing while I heal the fracture but I'm not going to lie to you Mr. Potter. The recovery is slow and requires a lot of hard work."

"But it won't hurt..."

"Only in the beginning. After that, no more than a sore muscle might, unless you do not follow my instructions. Do everything I tell you and it will be fine."

"Thank you."

Madam Pomfrey patted his arm and turned to leave. "Sleep now, you need your rest. I'll wake you when I come to heal your leg." She disappeared into her office and Harry was left alone with Remus.

"She's right. You should get some rest." Remus shifted from the edge of the bed to the chair placed next to it, giving Harry's hand one last pat before leaning back in his chair.

Harry closed his eyes and attempted to sleep. His mind was a jumble. His memories of the last two weeks were in bits and pieces; the feelings that were swirling around his head did not seem to connect with things he remembered and it confused him. Focusing on the darkness of his eyelids, Harry tried to arrange some semblance of order in his mind. He felt himself drifting off and as he felt himself settle more a horrible feeling of loneliness washed over him. An image of a cupboard popped into his head. His heart began to race and Harry suddenly felt suffocated by the solitude of the darkness. He wrenched his eyes open.

"Remus?" A warm hand grabbed his.

"I'm here, Harry."

Taking a deep breath to try and calm his pounding heart, Harry squeezed Remus' hand. "Good. You won't leave, right?"

Remus squeezed back gently. "Never."

"Good."

Remus watched as Harry slowly drifted back to sleep, hand still clenching his tightly. He made to pull away but Harry just held on tighter.

"I promise…I'm not going anywhere." Remus whispered. He raised his other hand to brush Harry's hair back off his forehead, resting his palm on the wrinkled skin. He rubbed gently, willing the tension to leave the boy's face. Harry's breaths slowly evened out and his muscles unclenched, leaving Remus free to pull his hand back but it was a few minutes more before Remus dared move from his spot.

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This time Harry did not dream. When he woke next the sun was shining palely through the windows, not yet at full strength, telling Harry it must be early. He looked to his side. He panicked slightly when he saw the empty chair by his bed, but calmed when he realized Remus was asleep in the next bed.

"He's almost as exhausted as you are." Madam Pomfrey's voice floated over to Harry from down the room. Turning to face her, Harry contemplated asking her to fill in some of the gaps in his memory. He opened his mouth the form a question but closed it, not quite knowing what to say.

Madam Pomfrey noticed his hesitation and glided over towards his bed. "You may ask me anything, Harry."

He nodded and rooted around in his mind for the right question but he couldn't find it. Instead he asked "Was it horrible?"

"It…" There was a pregnant pause in which Madam Pomfrey sat on the edge of his bed and contemplated her answer. "It was not easy." Her eyes glazed over a bit as she looked straight at him. "I do not know if it's better that you cannot remember all of it. On one hand I feel like it's a blessing."

"And on the other?"

Madam Pomfrey lips turned upward in a small semblance of a smile. "It doesn't matter." She stood up, straightening her apron. "What matters now is that it is over and you are recovering."

Harry smiled timidly at her as she smoothed the blanket from where she had been sitting.

"How does your leg feel this morning?"

Harry thought a moment before answering. "It doesn't hurt."

Madam Pomfrey nodded satisfactorily. "Good."

"Are you going to heal it now?"

She smiled. "I healed it last night. You woke for a second when I gave you a potion but you fell back asleep rather quickly."

"Oh. Well that's good, I guess."

Another nod. "Rest is the best thing for you right now. You'll find you tire very easily as you regain your strength. Her eyes glimmered once again and she was quiet for a moment while she composed herself. "I'll be leaving a list of instructions with Remus before you leave. The bone in your leg may be healed, but it will take a long time before it's completely functional."

Harry watched as she bustled away. She had said he'd be leaving. Where was he going?

A stirring noise from his side pulled Harry's thoughts to Remus as he sat up in bed.

Catching sight of Harry, Remus smiled. "You're awake. How'd you sleep?"

"Fine, I guess. Madam Pomfrey said she woke me up when she healed my leg but that I fell right back asleep."

Remus nodded. "She did and you did. I'm glad to see you slept deeply."

He seemed to be leaving something out and the term "nightmares" seemed to float in the air. Right now Harry wasn't having any and he'd like to keep it that way. Hoping to steer the conversation in another direction, Harry brought up what Madam Pomfrey had said about leaving.

"Where will we be going?"

Remus paused a moment before answering. "Grimmauld Place."

An uncomfortable feeling settled in the pit of Harry's stomach. Going to Grimmauld Place did not sound appealing to him right now. He had vague recollections of the house from the last few days and most of them left him feeling disoriented and confused.

"Is that alright?" Remus asked as he studied Harry's face.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know." He answered honestly. "Will Ron and Hermione be there?"

"Yes. Both of them will be there, as will Ron's family." A small smile lit Remus' face. He took hold of Harry's hand and squeezed gently. "It will be fun. Everything will be fine, you'll see."

Harry nodded. "I guess. When are we going?"

A tray popped into existence at the foot of Harry's bed as Madam Pomfrey came out of her office. "Not until you finish that." She pointed at the plate on the tray.

"I don't think I can eat all of that…" Harry felt queasy just looking at the amount of food piled on top of the plate.

"Better get cracking." Remus smiled cheekily.

Harry just continued to stare at the plate worriedly. He placed a hand against his stomach. "I really don't think I can eat all of it."

"Eat what you can. I'll think of something to do with the rest." Remus patted his own stomach. "Molly will be working hard enough to fatten you up that skimping on one meal won't hurt you."

Harry smiled. He grabbed the fork and dug in, shoveling small amounts of egg into his mouth.

A half hour later he was still working on finishing the eggs. Madam Pomfrey came out of her office every couple of minutes to check how he was getting on. In the intervals between her check-ins, Remus kept grabbing pieces of bacon and shoving them into his mouth, helping Harry make a noticeable dent in the amount of food on the plate. The last time she came out, she was carrying a blue bottle with her.

"Here you go."

Harry took one last bite and then put the fork down as Madam Pomfrey held the bottle out to him. "What is it?"

"Your new best friend." She smirked. "It's a nutritional potion. You'll be having one at every meal, five times a day."

"Five meals? You're kidding." Harry gaped at her.

"Unfortunately, I'm not. You are highly malnourished. The meals will be small." Harry raised an eyebrow, not trusting her definition of 'small' considering the size of his breakfast.

He looked at Remus who shrugged. "Cheers to you."

Harry downed the bottle in three large gulps. By the last one, his stomach was so full, he thought he was going to vomit. He pressed down on his stomach, willing the contents to stay put but his pleas went unheard.

He shot forward, a painful heave shaking his torso as the recently downed breakfast came back up over the side of the bed. Remus' chair shot backwards as he darted out of the way. He was back by Harry's side a second later, rubbing circles on his back. He could hear Madam Pomfrey's disappointed 'tsk' from the foot of his bed and a moment later another bottle was shoved under his nose.

"Anti-nausea." was the quick explanation.

The smell of strawberries and mint wafted towards Harry and he grabbed at the potion, swallowing it in one go. His stomach calmed instantly and he lay back in relief. Remus pushed the hair back off his forehead, wincing sympathetically as Harry kept his hands pressed to his stomach, anxiously anticipating another wave of nausea. When none came, he sighed deeply in relief.

Madam Pomfrey clicked her tongue again.

"Sorry." Harry said sheepishly.

"This just means you'll be having another meal when you get to headquarters."

Harry's groaned as she went back to her office. "No more food..."

Remus chuckled. "Maybe we'll try the anti-nausea potion before the next one. Hmm?"

Harry glared at him.

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