AUTHOR'S NOTES: This chapter took a while mainly because I really wanted to get some backstory and emotion going. I also needed to redo some research on the medical aspects which, as always, I try to explain as best as possible since I'm not a member of the medical community.

As for my other stories, I will be getting back to them eventually but since my muse wants to work on this one first, I'm going with it. Though if there are some of my stories you'd like to adopt, as always, let me know.

Chapter 2

NCIS Headquarters

Washington, DC

NCIS Director Jennifer Sheppard sat in her office, thinking about one of her best agents.

She'd met Leroy Jethro Gibbs when she'd first joined NCIS and sparks flew between them immediately. They made a great team in the field and over the years they'd become close friends as well as lovers. Every year for the past decade, they discussed the idea of marriage and while in the past they had decided against it, these days Jenny found herself looking forward to the face-to-face times with Gibbs.

But being with Gibbs in a romantic sense was very tricky these days since she was the Director of NCIS and therefore had to be careful that the relationship didn't affect her job or Gibbs'.

Not only that, but being with Leroy Jethro Gibbs was not without complications. First there was his daughter, Kelly, whose mother had been Gibbs' first wife, Shannon. From what she'd been able to find out, Jethro and Shannon had met when he'd just joined the Marine Corps and she'd been heading out to Virginia for college. One train ride later and the two had fallen deeply in love.

Two years later, the couple had married and 9 months after that, Kelly had been born and always seemed to act like a carbon copy of her father which was a good and a bad thing.

And then there was Gibbs' nephew—Harry Potter.

Ever since the deaths of James and Lily Potter, everyone in the Wizarding world knew the boy's name. Jenny could remember reading the World Wand News—the US version of the British newspaper The Daily Prophet—and just staring in shock at the news that Voldemort was gone. Not forever, as it had turned out, but 13 years of severely diminished Death Eater attacks was nothing to sneeze at.

After his parents' deaths, Harry had been sent to live with Lily Potter's younger sister, Shannon, and seemed to fit like a glove in the Gibbs Family.

Hearing someone knocking on the door brought her out of her myriad of thoughts and Jenny looked up to see Tony DiNozzo cautiously entering the room. Straightening up and trying to look less like she'd just spent 30 minutes daydreaming, she said, a little too sharply, "Something I can help you with, Agent DiNozzo?"

Tony nodded, quietly, his expression somber as he entered the director's office and closed the door behind him before sitting across from his boss's girlfriend. Oh, the two tried to play it casual, but anyone with eyes could see that Jethro Gibbs and Jenny Sheppard were more than just workplace friends. After a moment, Tony said, "Gibbs wanted me to tell you he's taking some personal time. Family crisis."

Knowing that there was only one thing that could get Leroy Jethro Gibbs to take time off of work, Jenny asked, "Kelly or Harry?"

"Harry," Tony replied, quietly. With anyone else he would have left it at that but knowing that the director was not only a witch but also an alumna of Hogwarts herself, he explained. "Just spoke with the Chief Director of our favorite magical government and she had a report for me about some very interesting magical activity last night. Somehow Harry apparated out of the house last night and ended up unconscious in Rock Creek Park."

The magical government DiNozzo had referred to was the Federal Bureau of International Non-Mundane Affairs and was the most powerful government agency in the world—even more powerful than the muggle US government, and a place Jenny had worked after graduating from Hogwarts and while she'd been studying at Waldron Graduate School—the wizarding college.

It had been the death of her father, however, that had pushed Jenny from a magical career and into NCIS. She'd wanted revenge for her father's murder—even though it had appeared to be a suicide. Still, despite the drastic career change, she'd maintained good relations with the FBINA.

Turning her attentions back to Harry Potter, Jenny felt a prickle of dread on the back of her neck as she took in DiNozzo's expression. "Is he okay?" Jenny wanted to know, even though she knew there had to be something wrong with the teenager, especially since most witches and wizards Harry's age could do apparition without splinching themselves.

Tony leaned back in his chair, shaking his head, sadly. Dr. Benoit had rushed Harry's tests and had just called with the results while Tony had been on his way to brief the director about Gibbs. The doctor had been brief and had assured the NCIS agent that she'd double checked the test results but the news wasn't good. "Harry's relapsed," Tony said, sadly. "We're not gonna know exactly how bad till the MRI results are in."

"Gibbs and Kelly are at the hospital?" Jenny asked, thinking quickly as she stood.

DiNozzo didn't even need to ask why the director was asking. He just stood silently and escorted the woman out of the office and towards the elevator.

Kelly's gut had been twitching since Christmas.

It was something she got from her father—that little extra sense inside that told her that something was off, wrong, or what have you. And just like with her dad, Kelly's gut had never been wrong yet.

And for the past 6 months, she'd had a bad feeling that something was very wrong with Harry—and she wasn't just talking about with the TriWizard Tournament. Although that had led to endless worrying from both Kelly AND her father. Gibbs had actually gone to Hogwarts demanding that Harry be exempt from the competition and when that didn't work, he'd stayed at the school, keeping an eye on his nephew.

But none of the mess of the tournament or Voldemort's return was what was triggering Kelly's gut and it bothered her that she couldn't put her finger on the problem.

Then Ziva had called.

Kelly had been working on checking out materials for some of the library patrons when the phone rang, sending a cold chill down her spine. When one of the other librarians had taken the call, Kelly paused in her duties, especially when she caught the other woman's gaze.

"Kelly… It's for you. It's Agent David."

Kelly had taken the phone cautiously, knowing that this wasn't likely to be good news. It wasn't. After an abbreviated conversation, Ziva had promised to be at the library before Kelly could even get to the curb. For most people this would be an exaggeration, but with Ziva David, it was most often accurate.

Sure enough, the mossad officer had just brought her Mini Cooper to a squealing stop just as Kelly had gotten outside, her bag strap slung over her shoulder so the bag itself was sitting on Kelly's lap.

Within what seemed like moments, Ziva and Kelly had gotten to Georgetown University Hospital and the younger woman was quickly wheeling through the elevator doors and onto the pediatrics floor. Heading towards Harry's room, Kelly stopped when she saw an older woman further down the hallway, her heart sinking as she recognized the doctor.

In the car, Kelly had tried to hold out some hope that this was all just an overreaction and that nothing was going on… that Harry was okay. But seeing her cousin's oncologist made everything seem more real, especially when Dr. Grace Willis went into Harry's room.

Jethro Gibbs and Dr. Jeanne Benoit were also in Harry's room when Ziva and Kelly entered the room and it was only a moment before Gibbs hugged his daughter before going to stand next to Harry's bed, putting a hand on the teenager's shoulder before turning to Dr. Willis.

"Harry's blood tests showed a large amount of abnormal cells," Dr. Willis reported. Turning to her patient, her expression was grim as she added, "We need to get an MRI of your leg to see what kind of tumor regrowth we're looking at here. I also want to check and see if the fuzziness in your left eye is being caused by metastasis."

It was so very different hearing the news as a teenager as opposed to as a little kid, Harry thought, numbly, as he heard the report. When he'd first been sick, all he'd really known was that there was something in his body slowly trying to kill him. But now Harry knew far more about his disease and what could happen to him and it made him all the more fearful about what would happen next.

What was even worse was that he now had a better understanding of what would happen next. First, there would be surgery to remove the tumor in his leg—or possibly amputation depending—then if the cancer had spread to his eye…

"So what happens now?" Ziva was asking the doctors when Harry pulled himself away from his thoughts. The Israeli NCIS agent caught Harry's eye and she noticed that the teenager seemed more afraid than she had ever seen him.

"If the osteosarcoma in Harry's leg is treatable, then we'll remove it surgically and then start chemotherapy," Dr. Willis replied, matter-of-factly. She wanted to offer some comfort to Harry and his family but at the same time, she hated being one of those doctors who built up patients with false hopes. "Best case… Harry should be good as new in 10-28 months."

"What about worst case?" Kelly asked, grimly. When Harry had first gone into remission, she remembered the oncologist talking about what would happen if the cancer came back but wanted to hear it from the doctor herself. Kelly—like Harry and Gibbs—needed to know what they were dealing with and what needed to be done if Harry's condition was critical.

The oncologist looked at the assembled group and let out a long, deep sigh before considering her answer. She wasn't sure if Kelly was angling for 'likely worst' or 'absolute worst' but decided honesty was the best way to go. "Depending on how bad the tumor regrowth is, it is very possible that Harry could lose his leg… and his eye as well, if that's also affected by the cancer. If the osteosarcoma has grown into the bone deep enough to reach the marrow… Harry's odds aren't going to be good. In that situation, we'll have to start looking at much more aggressive treatment."

"You're talking bone marrow transplant, right?" Harry said, not meeting anyone's eyes. Catching glimpses of his family, Harry felt tears in his eyes as he felt his uncle sit on the bed next to him before pulling him closer in a one-armed hug. "And, uh… if… if that doesn't… If it's…" Harry couldn't even voice the full thought in his mind, let alone out loud.

Dr. Willis knew full well what Harry was getting at and she just replied, quietly, "Maybe 2 years… likely less."

Harry was crying fully now as he lay back in the hospital bed. He turned away from Gibbs, closing his eyes and sobbing himself into a fitful slumber.

xx

Gibbs stayed with Harry after everyone else left the room and couldn't help but think about how this boy had changed almost everything in his life. Gibbs and Shannon had wanted more kids after Kelly but it had never seemed to work and after a while, they'd resigned themselves to the fact that they would be a one child family.

Then, on a cold, rainy November night, an older woman dressed in green wearing matching robes and a cloak had come to the house. Gibbs had been deployed at the time but Shannon had been up when Minerva McGonagall had arrived. The witch carefully explained the situation—that Shannon's sister, Lily, was dead and that the small child—Harry—needed somewhere safe to stay where he could be protected. Because Lily had given her life to save her son, she had given him a blood protection but it was an old magic that needed to be maintained by Harry living with someone who had a blood relationship to him.

Lily's older sister, Petunia, had flat-out refused to take the child in—even when the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore, had personally explained the situation.

But Shannon had immediately taken Harry into her arms, rocking him gently and singing quietly. When Kelly had met her cousin, she, too, had taken to the small boy.

When Gibbs had come home on leave, he was shocked to hear the story of his sister-in-law but as he watched Harry sleeping in Kelly's old crib, the Marine smiled warmly and put a hand on the child's back as he promised, "I'll always be here for you, Harry. Always."

It was a promise Gibbs had been resolute to keep, even when Shannon had been murdered and Albus Dumbledore had stopped by saying that—because Shannon was dead—the protections surrounding Harry were most likely compromised. In order to keep Harry safe, Dumbledore explained, he needed to be placed with Harry's only other living relative on his mother's side—Petunia Dursley.

Gibbs' expression had turned stony at that news and his sharp blue eyes met the headmaster's. "You are not taking my nephew from me," Gibbs said, simply, his tone indicating that he wasn't about to argue the point.

But Dumbledore knew that despite Leroy Jethro Gibbs' best intentions, the Marine was not a blood relative of Harry Potter and therefore wouldn't be able to shield his nephew from harm. It wasn't as though Dumbledore liked the idea of handing Harry over to the Dursleys—in fact, after watching the family for a while, the aged wizard had understood that the home would probably be the worst place for the boy. But blood was blood and it was that bond that was needed. And Gibbs simply didn't have it.

When Harry stirred restlessly in his sleep, Gibbs' thoughts were pulled back to the present momentarily as he studied the teenager, smiling sadly. Harry was one of the top students in his class and despite whatever teasing and ridicule he got from other students at Hogwarts, he never let it harden him. He was brave, kind, and one of the strongest people Gibbs had ever known… just like Kelly and Shannon.

Upon finding out that her cousin might be taken away, Kelly had raised an unholy fuss at Dumbledore, claiming that no one was going anywhere with Harry. It had taken a fair amount of arguing but eventually, the headmaster had conceded on one condition—a magical blood bonding which would strengthen the ties Kelly and Harry had. In other words, Shannon's blood would be in both her daughter and her nephew—something that technically made Harry Shannon's son as well.

Hearing the hospital room door open slowly, Gibbs looked to see Dr. Willis standing there. After making sure that Harry was still asleep, the NCIS agent quietly stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him. He didn't say anything as he studied the doctor's expression but he knew that it wasn't good news. Expecting the worst, Gibbs was slightly surprised when the oncologist said, "It's not as bad as it could be, but it's still not good."

"How bad?" Gibbs asked, cautiously, turning to look through the window of the hospital room at his nephew.

Dr. Willis leaned against the wall next to the window, watching Gibbs as she spoke. "The tumor in Harry's leg is too engrained to simply remove. I already scheduled surgery for tomorrow morning to do the amputation. There's another small tumor behind Harry's eye. It looks to be easy to remove, but we won't know if we can save the eye until the surgery."

Gibbs nodded, taking all that in. "Then more chemotherapy, right?" It wasn't hard for him to remember how Harry had looked before when he'd been in treatment—way too skinny and completely bald… and yet somehow never looking really scared. Unlike now…

"There's a new drug out that's been developed specifically for treatment of bone cancer in adolescents 10-16 years old," the oncologist went on, trying to sound at least somewhat optimistic. "That's what we'll be starting Harry on after the surgery and after we put in a new Hickman catheter."

Ahhh, yes… Gibbs had forgotten about that, he realized sadly. When Harry had first gone to Hogwarts, he'd still been bald from the chemo and he'd still had the central line catheter just incase of sudden relapse. It was only after Harry's one year check-up that Dr. Willis had decided it was okay to remove the central line. And speaking of Hogwarts… Gibbs remembered that he needed to contact the school and let them know that Harry was sick so that arrangements could be made for his chemo treatments once school started again.

xxxxxxxxxx

The next morning, Gibbs and Kelly sat in the surgical waiting room not saying a word to one another.

Harry had tried to act stoic and resolute when he heard about the surgery to amputate his leg but he knew that his cousin and uncle weren't fooled in the slightest. As he'd been wheeled into the operating room, he'd even tried giving his family a reassuring smile and a thumbs up—a futile gesture, but heartfelt.

"Agent Gibbs?"

Gibbs looked up at the sound of the voice and saw Harry's best friend, Hermione Granger walking up to him followed by Harry's godfather, Sirius Black. Without saying a word, he just nodded in greeting, not sure of what to say.

Sirius, however, wasn't so quiet about the situation. "What's going on with Harry?" he asked, hurriedly. "We just got here this morning after getting an owl from Director Sheppard at the hotel and the nurse said Harry's in surgery?" Looking from Gibbs to Kelly, he seemed to get even more frantic and worried when he received to reply. Only last night Hermione had told him about Harry's illness when he was 8 and needless to say, Sirius had been beyond shocked to find out that his godson had been keeping something this serious from him.

Finally, Kelly let out a deep breath and explained. "Harry's cancer relapsed. The osteosarcoma in his leg grew back and, uh… and the doctors are removing it. His whole leg," she added, seeing that Sirius thought she meant the surgeons were simply cutting out the tumor. "And… he may end up losing his eye as well."

Sirius sank slowly into a chair, feeling completely drained. He'd only just gotten Harry back in his life after 12 years in Azkaban and now the kid was seriously ill and might even… Sirius knew he could never forgive himself for acting so rashly all those years ago. He should have confronted Peter Pettigrew quietly and then taken him to Dumbledore and forced the truth out of him. Then that traitorous rat would have been locked up and Sirius could have… As he looked at Gibbs and Kelly, he felt his heart ache. They loved Harry so much and even when Sirius thought about how grand it would have been to raise Harry himself, he knew that on the whole, Harry had grown up into the person he was because of his cousin and uncle.

Sitting next to Kelly, Hermione couldn't help noticing how torn up the young woman was. It was a small wonder, of course. Kelly and Harry had grown up together—for the most part—and Harry always looked at his cousin as more like a big sister, or so that's what he'd always told Hermione. Trying to put the pragmatic part of her mind to work, the young witch asked, "So after Harry gets out of surgery…what's next?"

Gibbs knew what the teenager was trying to do and he also realized that right now was the time to plan and figure out what to do next. "After he recovers from surgery, Harry's going to be in chemo again. There's no real way of knowing how long that'll be. I talked with the NCIS Director—she's getting a hold of Dumbledore so the school knows that Harry will still be in treatment when the new school year starts."

Conversation seemed to die off after that as the four people sat waiting for any news of Harry, each wondering what the following months would bring.

Next chapter, I'm hoping to have a good solid history of Harry when his cancer first developed as well as more information on Kelly's leg disorder.