Sick as a Dog - (2 Parts)

[Dusty15]

As well as they all hid their bruises and scars, some days they were more evident than others. Today it seemed that everyone carried some sort of damage. It was less than two weeks after the attack on Arthur and the Order was under incredible pressure. Even the portrait of Mrs. Black was more irritable than ever, if such a thing was possible.

The kitchen, ever the buzzing central hive of the headquarters, was quiet today, punctuated only by the clinking of teacups and the occasional cough.

The coughs came from one Remus Lupin, who had spent another week out in the frozen Welsh highlands chasing Fenir’s pack. He returned to Grimmauld Place half-asleep and with a persistent, burning cough and a runny nose that no amount of Pepper-Up seemed to shake.

“Maybe it’s a strain of kennel cough,” Sirius mused one night, waving away the steam that poured from Remus’ ears.

“It’s plausible,” Tonks had replied. “Some sort of werewolf flu.”

What ever it was, it hadn’t disappeared in the three days Remus had been home. He was used to feeling ill, so he didn’t complain, but the situation made Sirius fret.

Sirius didn’t really need anything new to fret about either. Since Harry’s departure back to school after Christmas, he’d relapsed into sullen frustration.

It was still early morning and Sirius was yet to appear downstairs. In the kitchen, Remus had his head propped up in one hand as he sat at the long wooden table, his other hand wrapped around a half-empty mug of cold tea. A very crumpled handkerchief stuck out of his robe pocket. His eyes gazed no where in particular, lost in the haze of fever and several days worth of Pepper-Up steam.

Bill sat on the countertop, hitting a pair of Black heirloom spoons together in a steady clicking rhythm.

“Earth to Remus?” he asked.

Lupin looked up wearily.

“Are you hanging in there?”

“Mhm,” Remus replied, taking a sip of the cold tea and pulling a face.

“I’ll get you another,” Bill said, hopping off the counter and reaching for the mug.

The front door slammed and a gust of January air rushed down the hall into the cozy kitchen. Remus visibly shivered and sneezed a soft “etschoo!” into the arm of his dressing gown.

“Wotcher!” Tonks’ voice called. She stumbled into the kitchen, unraveling a yellow and black scarf from her neck. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold and matched her shock of pink hair that tumbled out from beneath her hat.

“Bloody cold out there!” she exclaimed, dropping into a chair beside Remus and tossing her mittens on the table.

“Tea?” asked Bill.

“Sure. Two sugars.”

She reached her hands towards the fire, warming them for a moment, the firelight making her hair seem to glow. When she turned back to Remus, she caught him staring back at her through glazed eyes.

“Merlin!” she exclaimed, touching his cheek. “You don’t look any better.”

He jumped at her cold hand and took both of them in his, rubbing them a little to warm her.

“I’m okay,” he said hoarsely. “Sounds worse than it is.”

At that moment, a loud and harsh “hehhhtschooo!” echoed from the front stairwell and a bleary-eyed Sirius stumbled down the hall and into the kitchen, clutching a handkerchief to his streaming nose.

“Cheers, Moony,” he said, collapsing into a chair opposite Remus. “Looks like it’s catching.”

Remus coughed lightly into a fist and sighed.

“Sorry,” he said. “I guess if it’s a canine thing, Padfoot isn’t immune either.”

“Mhm,” Sirius agreed before blowing his nose with a loud honk. “Bollocks. This is the pits.”

Tonks reached across the table and ruffled his hair.

“Don’t you complain. Remus here has been toughing it out for three days with not so much as a peep.”

“Well, he’s a better man than I am,” said Sirius, giving Remus a small grin.

“Can I get you some tea too?” Bill asked.

“Sure,” Sirius replied, resting his head on the table. “Make it strong. Put some firewhiskey in it.”

“ ‘s too early for whiskey,” Remus mumbled, wiping his nose and closing his eyes with a sigh. “You have to wait until before bed.”

“I’m going back to bed after this,” said Sirius. “So don’t worry yourself about it.”

“How about some Pepper-Up in the tea instead of liquor?” asked Bill, passing a cup over to Sirius.

“We already know it isn’t working,” Sirius groaned. “I don’t want to be like ol’ stream ears over here.”

He gestured to Remus, who was gazing out the window at the snowy backyard.

“I’ll have you know that I enjoy the steam,” replied Remus dryly. “Gives me an air of mystery.”

Sirius grinned wickedly. “Ah, Moony boy, you’re mysterious enough.”

He winked at Tonks, who blushed and stared down into her tea cup.

Bill passed a cup and saucer to Sirius.

“A drop of firewhiskey only,” he said.

“Ta,” Sirius replied, taking a sip and wincing as he swallowed.

Beside him, Remus was coughing hoarsely again, clutching his handkerchief to his mouth and causing his teacup to rattle on the table.

“Back to bed with you, I think,” said Tonks gently, giving his back a small pat and pointedly ignoring Sirius’ devilish grin in her direction.

“Thanks, but I think I’ll go camp out in the library for a while,” he said. “No use lying in bed when that’s all I’ve been doing for days.

Remus stood and shuffled out of the kitchen, handkerchief at his side like a child’s teddy bear.

“Go sit with him,” Bill hissed.

“Will you two ever stop?” asked Tonks with a sigh of exasperation.

“No,” Sirius replied simply, draining the last of his tea and sending the cup floating to the sink. “I really am off to bed.”

Tonks gave him a fond smile.

“Okay, feel better,” she said. “I’ll bring up some soup later.”

Tonks and Bill cleaned up the kitchen together, sorting the dishware and setting it back in the cupboards.

“I have to be at Gringotts at noon,” Bill said. “Do you think you can keep an eye on those two, or should I send my mum over?”

“I can handle it,” said Tonks. “Besides, your mum would fuss, and Remus hates to have a fuss made.”

Bill grinned. “True. Alright, I’ll leave you to it. Don’t let Sirius be too demanding.”

“Will do,” Tonks replied, walking Bill to the door. “Have a good day at work.”

With Bill gone, Tonks puttered around, tidying up for a bit before poking her head into the library to check on Remus.

She found him slumped in a chair, asleep, with a book open on his lap. She couldn’t help but smile a little at the sight. Carefully, she picked up the book and reached for a blanket to tuck over him, but being Tonks, she managed to loose her grip on the novel and it fell to the floor with a thud. Remus jerked awake and looked up at her, bleary-eyed.

“Hey,” he said hoarsely.

“Sorry!” she exclaimed, grimacing. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It’s okay,” he said, stretching his arms widely and yawning. “I ought to move upstairs, I guess.”

“Can I bring you up some tea?” she asked.

He offered her a small smile.

“That’d be very kind.”

She watched him move stiffly out of the study and up the stairs. She readied some tea in the kitchen, making a cup for Sirius as well, and headed up to the second floor.

Sirius’ door was ajar and she saw him curled up on his bed, his eyes closed. The wireless set on his desk was playing some sort of blues music. Pushing the door fully open with her hip, she sided in and set the teacup on the nightstand. Sirius opened one eye and grinned.

“Thanks,” he said with a great, congested sniff.

She sat on the edge of his bed and pressed her palm to his forehead.

“You’re feverish too,” she said.

“Don’t I know it,” Sirius groaned. “Hot stuff, that’s me.”

He sat up in bed and reached for his handkerchief to catch a building sneeze.

Hetschummf!

“Bless,” said Tonks. “Go back to sleep.”

“How’s Moony?”

“I just sent him up to bed,” she replied. “The other cup of tea’s for him.”

“The pair of us, sick as dogs,” Sirius muttered. “Fitting.”

Tonks patted his cheek affectionately.

“Get some rest. I’ll check on you later.”

“Go get ‘im, Tonks,” Sirius said, winking.

She turned her pat into a light slap.

“Mind your own business, Mr. Black,” she said, sticking out her tongue.

He barked a laugh that quickly turned into a volley of coughs.

Tonks pulled the quilts up over him and offered the cup of tea. Sirius got the coughs under control and took a grateful sip of the hot brew. He gave her a cheeky smile as she was leaving and she shut the door on the sight of his grinning face.

Remus’ room was at the end of the hall, in a far corner of the house. He was already in his bed, sheets tucked up to his chin, his thin frame shivering. Tonks set down his tea and knelt at his bedside. He was coughing; strained and congested. She rubbed his back soothingly and tucked another quilt over the bed. His coughing quieted and he sighed heavily. His nose was bright pink and running. Tonks dug a fresh handkerchief from her pocket and reached out, dabbing his nostrils and upper lip gently. He didn’t protest.

“I’m going to sleep,” he muttered, barely coherent.

“Good idea,” she said, moving so she sat on the edge of the bed at his side. He was radiating heat.

“You’re in worse shape than your friend,” she said, teasing. “He was grinning away at me, joking.”

Remus chuckled a little, his breath hot against her leg.

“I’m surprised he’s not ringing a bell demanding ice cream and lollies,” he whispered.

“Give it an hour,” she said. “Can I get you anything else?”

“Just the tea is great,” he said. “Can you stick a warming charm on it? I’ll drink it later. I don’t think I can sit up to have it now.”

“Sure,” she said, tapping the cup with her wand. “Do you want some lunch in a bit?”

He didn’t reply and upon a closer look, she realized he’d fallen fast asleep. Afraid to wake him again, she tiptoed out of the room with as much grace as she could muster, and closed the door behind her.

“Tonks?” Sirius’ voice called from down the hall. “Do we have any ice cream?”

She tried not to laugh. Maybe an hour had been too generous of an estimate.

To Be Continued

Mod note: Reformatted at author's request - ShiningLight

[Aria]

Aww, this is so sweet! I can't tell you how much I love sick!Remus fics, and this is no exception. And especially a Tonks/Remus story! I mean, S/R is great but it seems like T/R is a rare thing, especially so beautifully written. Your characterizations are perfect, some writers have a propensity to write Tonks as annoying but she's spot-on here. And poor miserable Remus... I want to snuggle him! Please keep going, this is great.

[stargazer]

I'm loving this and can't wait until you continue. I always love your stories.

[mr.moosey]

More please! So cute. I love R/T!!

[swann_ee_song]

Brilliant.

It's all that needs to be said.

[littlesneezer18]

So sweet! I really love sick fics. This is amazing ! can't wait for more.

[Dusty15]

Tonks had tried to insist that ice cream was no good for a head cold, but Sirius was pouting, and it was so obnoxious that it usually got his desired result. Tonks delivered a bowl of chocolate and vanilla swirl to his room and Sirius sat up in bed to gobble it down.

“Your stomach might regret that later,” she warned.

“No regrets,” Sirius said, licking a stripe of chocolate ice cream from his lip and setting the bowl aside with a satisfied sigh. Tonks rolled her eyes at him and left him to sleep.

The two men had spent the vast majority of the afternoon in bed. Tonks busied herself with chores and paperwork for the Ministry. Before long it was dinner time, and a clatter of feet on the stairs announced Sirius’ arrival.

“Time for soup?” she called to him.

He peeked around the corner of the door to the library and nodded.

“Moony’s still in bed, but I think he’s coming down.”

“You didn’t wake him, did you?” Tonks asked.

“Maybe.”

“Sirius!”

“It’s okay,” a hoarse voice sounded from upstairs. “I needed to get up anyway.”

Remus made his way downstairs, his knees cracking with each step.

The three friends sat at the kitchen table, bowls of steaming tomato bisque in front of them. Sirius was pushing his spoon back and forth, creating little waves in his soup. Remus was staring into his bowl as if attempting to decode a hidden message in the parsley specks.

“Are you two going to eat, or continue admiring my nice red concoction?” Tonks asked. “I slaved over a can for 5 minutes to make this.”

Remus managed a smile.

“Sorry,” he rasped, taking a spoonful of soup and swallowing with a wince. “It’s good, really.”

Sirius tipped the bowl to his lips and took a swig out of the side, emerging with a tomato moustache.

“Nice,” Remus said, cocking an eyebrow.

Tonks laughed.

“I didn’t suggest you eat half of it in a single swallow,” she said, twisting her mouth into a silly face for Sirius.

Remus managed half of his bowl with several carefully slurped spoonfuls. Tonks passed him a tall glass of potion and doled out an identical one to Sirius. Sirius sniffed it suspiciously.

“This isn’t Pepper-Up.”

“No,” said Tonks. “It’s just a congestion tonic. We’ll see if it works.”

Sirius rolled his eyes and chugged the potion.

“We just want to die in peace, Tonks,” he said, slamming the goblet back down on the table with a dramatic sigh. “Nothing can cure us.”

Remus sneezed right on cue and looked up at Tonks apologetically. With his nose buried in a handkerchief, he took his potion and made a “cheers” motion before downing it.

“I’ll take anything at this point,” he said, placing his goblet next to Sirius’.

Sirius clapped Remus on the back.

“Ever the soldier, Moony. You, sir, are a saint.”

Remus shrugged.

“A very sick saint,” he said. “If you’ll excuse me, I think I’m going back to bed."

He slipped out of the kitchen and back upstairs.

In the kitchen, Sirius looked at Tonks and coughed lightly.

“Something you’re trying to tell me?” she asked wryly.

“I’m merely coughing,” Sirius said. “I’m ill, for Merlin’s sake. But now that you mention it…I could suggest that Moony looks worse and could use some loving care.”

“Mr. Black!” Tonks exclaimed in mock horror. “Are you suggesting I leave you, in your weakened state, to care for your friend?”

Sirius sniffed wetly and smirked at Tonks.

“Perhaps. I think I’ll go have a soak in the tub. Leave you to lurking around upstairs, peering into the bedrooms of certain eligible men.”

Sirius pushed back his chair and headed for the bathroom on the lower floor. With a half-laugh, half-sigh, Tonks cleared the dinner dishes and went to the stairs, hesitating at the bottom. If he wasn’t feeling well, it probably wasn’t good to be bothering him she thought. She heard the bath running and the sound of Sirius humming. What was the harm?

His bedroom door was open at the end of the hall and she could hear him blowing his nose. It was incredibly apparently how congested he was. Her heart ached a little. It wasn’t fair that on top of a recent transformation, he’d managed to come down with a seemingly incurable cold. And it wasn’t like there was a Healer that could see to him or Sirius. Most Healers weren’t keen on treating werewolves, and Sirius was still a convicted murderer.

The sounds of a blowing nose turned to coughs that became increasingly pained. She ducked into his room and found him sitting on the edge of the bed, doubled over and clutching at his chest. His hair was a wild mess, wet with sweat from fever. She rushed to his side and found herself pulling him into her arms, absorbing the force of the coughs and rubbing his back soothingly. He collapsed against her, his coughing slowing a little, and finally ending. He took a great, shuddering breath and lifted his head from her shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” he said weakly. “It’s all rather disgusting.”

“It’s fine,” she said insistently. She didn’t remove her arms from around him, and continued to rub his back. He tentatively rested his head on her shoulder again.

“Thanks,” he mumbled into her neck.

She slid down the quilt, pulling him with her until she lay, propped up against pillows with him resting against her side, head on her chest.

His head snapped forward with a wet t’aschooo! and he pulled away, embarrassed.

“It’s fine,” she said again. “Rest.”

He reluctantly resumed his place against her, curling up and closing his eyes.

“You don’t have to stay,” he said sleepily.

“I want to.”

To Be Continued

Mod note: reformatted at author's request - ShiningLight

[Kiwifruit]

Wow, this is good, you have a very captivating writing style!

[Aria]

Another amazing installment! I adore the end with Remus snuggling up to Tonks, it's classic and adorable, love the surrender. I really like how you write dialogue, it's very natural and the back-and-forth of the characters works really well. Can't wait for part three!

[littlesneezer18]

Wow! I'm afraid I can only echo what Aria and Wolf have said! You're style is beautious and flowing. The characters are perfect. Great job! Can't wait for the next installment, this one was stupendous.

PS. Me like icecream.

[musiclover90]

I am loving this!!!!

[Guest]

Hey guys, just to let you know the story has been reformatted (same text though) to make it a bit easier to read. Isn't your author lovely?

[littlesneezer18]

Yes, she is.