Sorry about the short chapter, I was under the weather and doing A LOT of things that really had to be done before a certain date. Not homework or something like that, but something that had to do with living.
I don't own Harry Potter.
The next few days were harsh for everyone at Grimmauld Place, it wasn't that the Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort had uncovered their headquarters, it wasn't that the Ministry had found out about Tonks and Kingsley's allegiance to them...no, none of that happened. The cause of all the discomfort was the fact that there was a tiny infant that was clearly and very audibly unhappy.
The only time that Mercy would stop crying would be when she exhausted herself from all the tears and unyielding crying. Mrs. Weasley would try and walk around with her in her arms and try and calm her down, until she would begin to get a headache and pass her onto her husband, oldest son, Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Sirius or Remus. However, no one knew the (figuratively) magical way to silence her and make her happy.
"C'mon sweetheart, c'mon...please...please stop crying." said Sirius bouncing her in his arms carefully. He would even turn into Padfoot and try and lick her face to get her to giggle.
But the infant was not going to stop crying, she'd whimper even while she took food. However, only Tonks could feed her and that was when she changed her appearance to look a little bit more like Harry to coax her to open her mouth. But Mercy was very clever for a babe of less than a year old, after the first time she was fed, she knew it wasn't him...but she still only allowed Tonks to feed her in Harry's form.
After many, many days of no sleep, and constant headaches, Mrs. Weasley and Remus ended up decided to take Mercy to the Healer's shop in Diagon Alley. They could not and were unable to trust the Healers at St. Mungoes, they knew this small shop's healer was on their side.
They carried the small infant into the Healer shop, the baby still wailing loudly and attracting the attention of several people on the street.
"Come on, we don't want to be caught in the streets with her." said Remus ushering Mrs. Weasley forward and pulling the blanket a little higher up to hide the infant.
They entered a large stone faced shop further along past Gringotts, there was a large bubbling cauldron in the front store window full of gold liquid. A small sign in front of the cauldron read: New cure for Dragon Pox available, see Healer inside for details. Inside one of the Healers looked up from behind the desk and smiled. He was a thin old man with a short salt and pepper beard with short hair on his head to match. He had violet eyes behind a pair of square framed glasses.
"Hello, Molly, Remus." he said loudly over the screams of the infant. "What can I do for you?"
"Hey, Jerome." said Remus shaking the Healer's hand. "Listen, can you give this baby a check up? Make sure she's alright."
"No problem." said Jerome taking his wand out and waving it carefully over the baby. "What's the story with the child. She's not a Weasley, I can guarantee that." he added with a smile at the crop of black hair. "And no one in your family had this color of hair, not anyone I've ever delivered anyway...this..."
The baby then opened her eyes and looked up at the Healer, she stopped crying for a moment and gazed fixedly at the violet eyes looking down at her.
The healer stared down at the child. He then looked up at Mrs. Weasley, and Remus. "I've delivered two boys that looked just like this, only one with this color eyes...Where's Harry?"
"He's at Hogwarts." said Remus.
"And who's this little baby?" said the Healer Jerome. "Who's her parents?"
"...Harry..." said Remus.
Jerome looked shocked, but then looked down at the baby his eyes watering. "I'm not even going to ask...but...tell me...tell me he's a good father."
"He is." said Mrs. Weasley and Remus. They couldn't say no, for the length of time they saw him interact with her, he was a good father.
"Why do you have the baby then?"
"Dumbledore took Harry to Hogwarts to separate the two of them." said Mrs. Weasley quietly. Remus looked around to make sure that no one was close enough to listen. The only one that was close to them was a female Healer filling phials clear across the room.
"Well, one cannot say that Dumbledore's ideas are infallible." muttered Jerome. "He's made some pretty big mistakes in his life."
Remus and Mrs. Weasley looked at each other. "So what does he think is wrong with the child?" asked Jerome.
"Well, she just won't stop crying, that's what's worrying us right now. But Dumbledore thinks...and so does some other people...that Mercy here...is something that...You Know Who might have conjured up to get close to Harry." said Remus.
The Healer looked at the pair of them with the baby in his arms, she was beginning to sniffle and cry again.
"Well, I can tell you right off, that if she is a product of dark magic, it's nothing I've ever seen or heard of. She's not an inferi, she's got a heartbeat and they don't cry like this." He waved his wand over the baby and a scroll blossomed forth from the tip of his wand. He took the scroll as he rocked the baby back and forth.
Name: Mercy Angel Potter
Age: Three months (Magical age acceleration already in place, has mental and physical dexterity of one year old)
Mother: Grace Ariana Cross (Muggle)
Father: Harold James Potter (Wizard)
Magical Status: Witch
Previous Ailment: None
Current Ailment: None
Allergies: Blueberries
Current Distress: Yes
Cause of Distress: Lack of Paternal Presence
Solution: Return of Paternal Presence.
The Healer looked at the scroll and then looked at them with a smile.
"Well, she's his daughter, no doubt about that, I could even whip up Miss Cross' family history if he really wants. And to fix Mercy..." said Jerome.
"Yes?" said Mrs. Weasley and Remus eagerly.
"The only way to stop her crying...is to bring her daddy back." said Jerome. "Or her mother, where is she?"
"She...she passed away." said Remus. "She and her parents."
"And Dumbledore allowed this little baby to be separated from her only relative? That's charming. Well, I'll sign a note that says that if she's not reunited with her father, she can suffer from some very traumatic psychological effects, that guilt trip should pull him back to sense." said Jerome. "How's Harry faring, from being separated from his daughter?"
"Last thing I heard from Minerva, was that he was refusing to eat, drink and sleep...Poppy's been forced to put nutrient, sleeping, and water straight into him." said Remus sadly. "She says she can't keep up with it forever, he's making his body, and core fight back. He's sure stubborn..." he added with a rue smile.
"How long has she been doing that?'
"Five days now." said Remus.
"She's got two days left to do that. After that, he's going to crash." said Jerome. "And it won't just be a soft crash, it will be a very hard...very devastating crash." he handed the crying child back into Remus' arms.
"Let's go to Hogwarts, reunite this little baby with her father, and convince Dumbledore to fix the mess that he is making." said Jerome. "Before he does some permanent damage."
Harry stood beside the window of the tower that Dumbledore had given him, (also had locked him in to prevent him from running from Hogwarts and back to Grimmauld Place, he had done that first day) and gazed out onto the grounds of Hogwarts.
Dumbledore had continued to visit him, bringing him meals, treats, and pots of tea. All Dumbledore wanted to do was talk to the boy, but Harry wouldn't speak, he wouldn't even look at Dumbledore when the man would enter the room. He would either sit on the window seat, or in front of the fire and stare at the flames, completely silent and rebelling against the man.
From all the way up to the tower, Harry could see three people making their way with a small bundle in one of their arms. He recognized Remus, and Mrs. Weasley. Could the bundle in their arms be...could it be Mercy? The last figure, he didn't know nor recognize the man.
He turned to look at the door expectantly, Dumbledore was either sure to come in and tell him stay here, or he was going to let him out. Either way, he was going to be with his daughter, come hell or high water. He regretted putting her in the hands of another, but if he were to fight, Dumbledore would only remove her by force and she'd get hurt. The only thing that was in his favor, was that he was leaving Mercy in Sirius' hands. He wouldn't let Dumbledore take her.
He sat beside the window and waited, for anything.
It was an hour later, when Dumbledore, Remus, Mrs. Weasley and Healer Jerome came into the room, with Mercy in Mrs. Weasley's arms. Harry's appearance made Remus and Mrs. Weasley wince slightly.
Harry had dark circles under his eyes, and his face was pinched slightly. His hair was scraggier than normal, and his skin looked pale. It wasn't Madam Pomfrey just worrying needlessly, he had gone through days of no food or water passing his lips, as a form of protest against Dumbledore. Mercy however didn't mind his appearance, but reached out her arms to grab at her father.
"Hey there shortcake." said Harry walking over to Mercy and picking her up into his arms. She stopped crying and began to laugh happily as she placed her small fingers on his nose.
"Were you a good girl?" said Harry with a smile as he rocked her back and forth.
"She was a little angel..." said Remus lying.
"A very sad and loud angel." said Jerome with a smirk.
"Who's this?" asked Harry looking at the man before him.
"This is Jerome O'Conner, he's a Healer...he looked at Mercy for us." said Mrs. Wealsey.
Harry gripped Mercy closer to his chest. "Is she alright? What happened?"
"She was just a little upset about this whole ordeal, being separated from her Poppa." said Jerome with a smile. "She should be just fine now."
"That's a relief." said Harry with a smile.
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize that Mercy was suffering so..." said Dumbledore humbly.
"She wasn't the only one." muttered Harry.
"I am sorry..." repeated Dumbledore, speaking sincerely. "I..."
"I suggest that you don't do this again." said Jerome sternly. "I've told you time and time again that meddling where you ought not to meddle will only hurt people, despite your good intentions."
"You've got a lot to make up for." said Harry striding out of the room. He didn't look at anyone as he left, just focusing on the little bundle in his arms. "You all do."
They watched as he walked away and down to the Great Hall.
"You know, I wouldn't blame the boy if he didn't let any of you watch that little muffin." said Jerome as he smirked. "From what I've heard in rumors, he's got some lingering trust issues, doing this won't help at all."
"My lord." said a masked figure as they knelt before the seated Dark Lord Voldemort.
"What is it?"
"I just received some very interesting information." said the Death Eater with a satisfied smile.
"I will be the judge of that. What is it?" asked Voldemort in a icy tone.
"Potter...has a baby girl...a daughter." said the Death Eater.
Voldemort sat in slight shock, and then a venomous smile crept across his face.
"I will admit, that is very interesting."
Thanks for reading!
Hmm...question of the chapter...let's see...IF YOU'VE SEEN ANY...What is your favorite Don Bluth film?
My personal favorite...God...I don't have one that stands out. There's American Tale but The Secret of NIMH will always be the top pick!