Disclaimer: I solemnly swear that Harry Potter belongs to the amazing JK Rowling and that I am most definitely up to no good.
Previous Chapter Summary: Nick and Nell travel to Privet Drive to meet Harry Potter and try to convince Vernon and Petunia Dursley to allow them to play a part in Harry's life. They end up getting much more than they could have hoped for when things don't go quite as planned and Harry leaves the Durlsey's for good.
After having spent the next few moments feeling as if he was being forced through a very narrow tube, Harry could safely say that he disliked apparating a great deal. When he finally hit solid ground he felt like he was about to throw up and immediately bent over, resting his hands on his knees. As he was taking in great gulps of air to try and keep his stomach from rebelling, someone began running a hand through his hair in comfort.
"Just give it a moment Harry, it will pass," Nick said from off to his left, "I remember vomiting quite spectacularly the first time I ever apparated so you are doing much better than most."
When he finally felt like he wasn't about to hurl what was left of his long ago lunch, he stood up straight and looked up at Nell, who was still running her hand through his hair and making it messier than ever, with gratitude. "Thanks Mrs. Flamel, I feel better now."
Nell scrunched her face up in playful disapproval, dropped her hand to his shoulder, and began steering him towards the cottage, "None of that now Harry, since you are going to be living with us for the next seven or so years you should feel free to call us Nick and Nell."
Harry didn't respond though, he was too engrossed in his new surroundings. They were facing a small wooden cottage that sat in the middle of a large clearing, surrounded by a dense forest that somehow looked both foreboding and welcoming at the same time. All manner of flowers bordered the cobbled walkway leading to the front door, which was painted a brilliant blue-green, and what looked like ivy and honey suckle was draped over nearly every inch of the outside walls. Plants that he couldn't rightly identify were scattered here and there… 'was that one moving?' and a giant willow tree sat off to the right of the cottage with what Harry guessed was a bright yellow swing hanging from one of its branches.
"This is your home?" He asked incredulously.
Nick beamed with pride, "It most certainly is, this is The Journey's End and it has been our home since the first time we moved to Britain and we couldn't ask for any place better."
"It's incredible," Harry whispered feeling a warmth spread throughout his whole body. Having never really been welcomed at the Dursleys he was hard pressed to recognize this feeling and it took him some time to realize that this must be what it felt like to have a home, to be wanted. He swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to discreetly wipe away the tears that had fallen without him noticing.
Nell gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze, "Come on sweetheart, we will give you a tour of the cottage and then Nick can whip us up a quick dinner while I get your room prepared."
Harry nodded and followed her up the path, turning his head this way and that. He stopped abruptly, barely registering that Nick had nearly run into him from behind, and stared at a very large tiered water fountain that had small stone protrusions coming out of the water every few inches and what looked like, "Are those…" he stopped himself because that was ridiculous.
Nick chuckled at his reaction, "If you were going to say fairies then yes they are." He said, also gazing at the small creatures dotting the surface of the water. "They live in the forest mostly but like to come and hang around the fountain so they can groom themselves and stare at their reflections. We don't even bother turning the water on anymore since it tends to upset them," he gave Harry a light push to get him moving again, "They also enjoy the smell and taste of honeysuckle, which is why Nell has planted so much of it as well as why I had to put so many benches in the fountain. Large groups of them would congregate all at once and they would start to fight over sitting space."
They actually made it all the way into the house before Harry stopped to stare again. The inside was very basic but was even better than the outside, if that was possible, and had a distinct cozy feel to it. The large fireplace was crackling merrily and tons of pictures that he couldn't quite make out adorned the walls and shelves along with various knickknacks that he really had no hope of identifying. The couches and chairs were well worn but also well taken care of and various pillows were spread half haphazardly on each.
A movement caught his eye on one of the couches and as he looked over he saw that what he had thought was a large black and white speckled pillow was, in reality, the largest cat he had ever seen, and it was staring straight at him. They stayed like this for several moments before the cat got up, stretched a bit, then walked towards them and stopped at the very edge of the couch, its light green eyes never leaving him.
"Harry, this is Alcmene, she is what is known as a Kneazle, a magical feline with a very high intelligence and unnatural ability to detect distrustful people. Don't worry too much about the staring, she does that to everybody when first meeting them," Nell said breaking the silence but not the staring contest, "Go ahead and introduce yourself to her and she will go about her business."
He was no stranger to cats, having spent ample time at Mrs. Figg's house, but though her cats were bigger than most he had seen, none compared to the one right in front of him. Feeling slightly foolish, Harry stepped towards the large cat. "Hello Alcmene, my name is Harry Potter, its very nice to meet you," he murmured and reached his hand out hesitantly towards her. She sniffed at his fingers a moment, continuing to stare, before she closed her eyes, rubbed her head against his hand and started to purr. Harry's shoulders drooped in relief as he felt that he had just passed a difficult test.
"Very good Harry, I'm glad that you two seem like you'll get along. Lets go ahead and move onto the rest of the house so we can eat and get ready for bed, its been a long day."
What followed was a rather hurried tour of the Flamel cottage, which he realized halfway through must be bigger on the inside since there was no way all of the rooms would have fit with how small the cottage looked from the outside. He learned that his room was to be the first room on the right down the hallway, the guest room was right after his room, and the loo across from both was pretty much his since Nick and Nell had their own attached to their room, which was located at the very end of the hall. Though she was sure he would do so anyway, Nell made sure to remind him to please knock first before entering, whether their door was open or closed. The room on the left past the bathroom was a very large study/library with built in bookshelves on every wall that were overflowing with books, a small fireplace with two comfy looking chairs and a couch facing it, two large mahogany desks facing each other in the middle of the room, and a gigantic skylight that took up most of the ceiling.
Nick informed him that they would be getting him his very own desk so that they could all work together if they wished and Harry had to stop himself from getting chocked up again. He had the feeling he would be doing this quite a bit until he got used to the fact that they really wanted him as part of their family and treated him like an actual human being.
Next, they walked straight through the kitchen to the cellar, which was really Nick's workshop/potions lab and Harry was told that he was not allowed to come down here without one of them present since a lot of the things lying around could be rather dangerous if handled inappropriately. After promising that he wouldn't, they went back up the stairs and Nell sat him down at the dining room table with some tea and told him to relax while she went to make sure that his room was ready for him.
The rest of the night passed rather quickly for Harry after that. He watched in fascination as Nick flicked his wand at various items around the kitchen to get dinner started and before he knew it, he was being served lamb chops with peas, mashed potatoes and gravy. Conversation had been light throughout, neither Flamel wanting to start any long discussions, and Nell proceeded to supply Harry with second and third helpings until he simply couldn't eat another bite.
Afterward, while Nick cleaned up the kitchen, she took Harry to his new bedroom which he hardly registered since he now felt extremely sleepy due to the large dinner and exciting afternoon. After waiting for him to change into his massive hand me down nightshirt and pajama pants, Nell came in and told him that she had deemed the three year old toothbrush she had found in the bag with his clothes 'prehistoric and unworthy of cleaning his teeth' and promptly confiscated it. Before he could ask her what he was supposed to use to brush his teeth with she pointed her wand at his mouth and he actually felt the days build up vanish all at once, leaving his teeth feeling slightly itchy. As she herded him towards and then onto the bed, she told him that the teeth cleaning spell was only for temporary use as it was rather harsh on the teeth and they would be getting him all new toiletries tomorrow.
Harry was so engrossed with how comfortable his bed was that it took him a moment to realize that he was actually being tucked in for the first time that he could remember and he felt simultaneously embarrassed and pleased with this turn of events. When he looked up at Nell she gave him a warm smile and ran a hand through his hair before giving him a kiss on the forehead, "Goodnight sweetheart, we are so glad to finally have you here with us."
"Thank you for getting me away from that place and for taking me in."
Nick came up behind Nell as she straightened, put his hands on her shoulders, and smiled down at him, "You're welcome Harry, I only wish we would have been able to come get you sooner," He said sadly before perking up again, "Now get some sleep, we have a busy day tomorrow."
"Good night," Harry replied and, burrowing down further under the covers, was asleep before Nick and Nell could even make it out of the room.
OoOoOoO
Around the same time, in a castle situated in the Scottish Highlands sat Albus Dumbledore, anxiously awaiting the meeting which he had scheduled with his current Potions Master. Severus had had a potions conference to attend shortly after the students had left for home and Dumbledore was loath to spoil whatever enjoyment the taciturn man got from these events so had waited until he returned to give him the news about the Flamels. He knew Severus would be upset at losing the professorship, and Head of House status along with it since only a professor could hold such a position, but also knew that he would find his new job much more to his liking once he got used to the idea.
Minerva, on the other hand, had been thrilled upon hearing that they would be gaining not only a competent Defense professor but also a more agreeable Potions professor as well, not to mention the possibilities this opened up for Gryffindor winning the House Cup now that Severus would no longer be making the House Points system a 'laughing stock', her words, not his.
Before Dumbledore could think on the subject any further, his alarm ward sounded to let him know someone had just activated the stone gargoyle. He flicked his wand and two snifters with a bottle of brandy appeared on the desk within easy reach of both wizards. A few moments later there was a brusk knock on the door, "Come in," he said and cast a warming stasis charm on the glasses as the door opened and in glided Severus Snape. "Ah Severus, it is good to have you back. How was the conference?"
"Extremely tiresome and somewhat educational as always." He took a seat as he sat down and his lips curled up into a sneer, "They asked me to give a speech on the best practices used when brewing the Wolfsbane Potion."
"I'm sure they benefitted greatly from your expertise. Not many witches and wizards can brew such a difficult potion as easily as you seem to."
Snape's eyes narrowed. While receiving praise from Dumbledore was not uncommon and not in itself suspicious, the fact that there was a bottle of his favorite brandy already sitting on the desk was. The brandy only made an appearance when there was news to be given that Snape wouldn't like. "Why did you call this meeting Headmaster?"
"Well Severus, I called you hear to discuss some changes that will be occurring this coming school year. If you remember, shortly before school let out I was paid a visit from my old friend Nicolas Flamel," he paused and waited for Snape's nod. "We spoke about a number of things but the most significant being that he and his wife Perenelle have agreed to come and teach at Hogwarts for a few years."
"And just what subjects will they be teaching?" He asked warily.
"Both Flamels will be coming in to take a look at the jinx on the Defense position to see if they might be able to rid us of it or, if not, see if they can find a way around it. If they can then Perenelle will be taking over there as well as offering an elective of some sort while Nicolas will be taking over as the Potions prof—"
"So I'm to be sacked then?" Snape asked with venom as his entire body went rigid and he pinned Dumbledore with a murderous glare. "After everything I have done and sacrificed, I'm just going to be pushed aside because someone better has come along?"
Dumbledore sighed, "You most certainly are not being sacked Severus. Please sit down and let me finish," he poured them both a glass of the brandy and waited for Snape to snatch his out of his hand before continuing, "As I was saying, Nicolas will be taking over as the Potions professor and I will be moving you to the first floor near the Hospital Wing where your new living quarters will be situated. You will have a small office attached as well as your very own potions lab in which I would like you to brew potions for the Hospital Wing instead of us having to order out for what we do not have."
"Is that it then? I assume I will be taking a pay cut as well?"
"Of course not. Any extra potions you brew will be sold to St. Mungos as well as J. Pippin's Potions in Hogsmeade and all prophet for them will go to Hogwarts. Because of this, I will be keeping you at your standard pay and there is even enough funds in the budget to help get you started on gathering ingredients so you can begin taking personal orders if you so wish. Hogwarts would take a fraction of the amount you sell the potion for to pay back the cost of the initial ingredients as well as any you may need assistance in acquiring after you get started but the rest will go to you. Does that sound acceptable to you?
Snape sat there for long minutes, looking as if he was thinking over the offer, without saying a word. There really wasn't much of a downside to it as far as he could tell. He wouldn't have to babysit anymore of the little brats and he could even build up his own business of sorts, get his name out there for when he was finally able to leave this place behind and open his own store, he would already have a list of loyal clientele. His only real problem was having his position taken away from him to make way for someone who was much more favorable and knowing that the man's wife would most likely be taking the position he had wanted for the past 10 years was quite irksome as well. He knew it was his pride talking and he would obviously take the offer, he just didn't want to seem to eager.
The small smile that had escaped Dumbledores grasp was hidden behind his glass as he took a sip of the warm brandy and watched his old friend pretend to think things over. He knew Severus wouldn't be able to pass up such an opportunity, he would be putting his house to shame if he didn't accept the chance to not only getting out of having to deal with children every day but also being able to jump start his own business, all while still being paid a decent salary.
"Very well, I will accept the change in position," he finally snapped.
"Excellent my dear boy!" Dumbledore beamed across from him. "I even have a suggestion regarding how you may be able to get started on the orders if you would care to hear it?" At Snape's curt nod he continued. "Well, Nicolas has been taking personal orders for potions for quite a number of years now and while he will most likely want to keep his most loyal customers for himself, he may be willing to transfer some of his clients to you since he won't have as much time on his hands in the future."
"That would be a great help." Snape grudgingly admitted. It took a lot out of him not to just throw the very idea back into the wizened wizards face but he had become quite adept at stamping down on his pride over the years. "I will attempt to make contact with him sometime at the beginning of August to see if we can meet to discuss it."
"Very good. I do want to warn you that Nicolas will be grooming young Mr. Potter to become his apprentice in the future so I suggest you tread carefully in that regard should you find yourself in the lad's presence."
At hearing this news, Snape emptied what was left of his glass, poured himself another, and gulped down half of that before he pasted a condescending sneer on his face. "Of course the brat has an apprenticeship all lined up before he even starts school. While everybody else has to show their worthy of such a privilege he just gets handed his future on a plater. I assume he will—"
"That is quite enough Severus," Dumbledore interrupted, "I understand your hatred of James Potter, I really do, but it would be foolish to transfer that hatred onto his son, especially when you don't even know anything about the boy. And just so you know, the apprenticeship was originally meant for Lily but she had to decline the offer since she and her family had to go into hiding," he gazed at the younger man over his half-mooned spectacles, both knew why the family of three had been forced to take such actions, "So he promised to accept Harry instead."
Despite the guilt roiling around inside of him at Dumbledore's implication, Snape let none of it show on his face. "Very well, I won't provoke the little wretch as long as he stays out of my way. Have you decided on who will be taking over as the Head of Slytherin?" He asked, wanting to get off the subject of the Potter spawn as quickly as possible.
Knowing that the small promise was all he could hope for Dumbledore allowed the subject change. "I have been dithering between Professors Vector and Sinistra though I am leaning more heavily towards Professor Vector simply because she has the stricter personality, which I think the Slytherins would respect, and I believe that they will need it with the new changes I assume are coming to Hogwarts with the new appointments."
"I agree about Septima being the better choice but what exactly do you mean about the new changes?"
"Well, both Nicolas and Perenelle have held teaching positions for a number of years and Nicolas was even made Headmaster of Beauxbatons twice in the past so I suspect they will have some good suggestions on how we can make the school even better. They may even see fit to donate some gold to the school in order to bring about any changes we may not be able to afford."
"I see," Snape said with disdain. He knew the respect the Headmaster held for his former mentor was well earned but it was hard for him to accept that anyone could just come in and start dictating what should and should not be done within the school and the Headmaster just allow it.
"Now now Severus, it won't be as bad as all that." Dumbledore said with a smile, seeing and interpreting the man's look correctly.
"If you say so Headmaster," Snape replied, "If we are done here I will be heading home now."
"Of course, thank you for coming by and for accepting the position change. If nothing else comes up I will see you at the staff meeting two weeks before school starts and you can sign your new contract then. You may use my fireplace if you wish."
Snape nodded, stood up, and took a pinch of floo powder, "Goodnight Headmaster," he said before throwing the powder into the fire, stepping into the green flames, and saying, "Spinner's End."
Dumbledore's shoulders slumped a bit in relief once the man was gone. That had gone far better than he originally thought that it would. Now all he had to do was wait until the Flamels came to take a look at the defense position and he would be done with his staffing issues for the coming year.
OoOoOoO
Harry awoke early the next morning to the sun shining on his face and a deep rumbling coming from somewhere off to his right. He opened his eyes in confusion because he had never woken up to either of these things before, turned a bit, and came face to face with Alcmene, who was giving him an expectant look and purring up a very loud storm. He reached out and started petting her, then looked beyond her and found that the source of light was coming from the very large window that had a comfortable looking seat beneath it which faced the front garden. The curtains were drawn back and he could see that he had a perfect view of the fairy fountain outside.
His curiosity peaked, he began looking around his new room. When taking the tour last night he had only gotten a brief glance into the room he would now be living in before Nell swept him along rather abruptly, trying to finish the tour as quickly as possible and he figured that the only reason he had even gotten to see the library is because both of them seemed to be quite proud of it and wanted to show it off a bit. The queen size bed he was currently laying in dominated the center of the room and had night stands on either side of it while a medium sized desk sat across from him facing the left hand wall. A wardrobe was set against the wall with the door while an empty bookshelf stood in the corner between it and the desk and every piece of furniture seemed to be made of the same mahogany wood.
A light knock on the slightly opened door drew his attention and he looked over to see Nell peaking her head in. "Good morning Harry. May I come in?
Harry nodded his head, "Good morning."
She walked in and gave a smile as she looked down at him, "I see Alcmene decided to keep you company on your first night with us. She probably wanted to make sure you weren't too restless being in a new place."
He made sure to give an extra good scratch behind the ears of the large cat after hearing that. "I was a little confused when I woke up but as soon as I saw her it brought everything back."
Nell gave him a slightly concerned look as she sat down on the edge of his bed, "How are you doing with everything that happened? Yesterday didn't go quite as we had originally planned it to and we just want to make sure that you are still ok with how it all turned out."
Harry tilted his head to the side as he gave her question some serious thought. Everything had happened so fast yesterday and he had been so tired last night that he hadn't really gotten a chance to think about how he felt. It wasn't just the new living situation but also being told that he could do magic and finding out exactly how his parents had died had been rather difficult to hear but he was glad he finally knew the truth about them. All in all, it had been a bit overwhelming for him but he was extremely glad that he wouldn't have to stay with the Dursleys anymore and could be with two people who seemed to care a lot about him; the fact that they were going to teach him about magic was very exciting too.
"I am very glad to be away from my relatives, they never really wanted me to begin with and their house never truly felt like home to me, just a place that I was forced to stay. I think it will take some time for me to get used to all of the changes but so far I haven't really found anything that I have disliked." He said hesitantly and looked up at her.
She gave him a reassuring smile, "I'm glad to hear that Harry, we will do our best to make you feel welcome here and to teach you what you need to know to rejoin the wizarding world. Please don't hesitate to come and ask us if you ever have any questions about magic, us, your parents, or anything else you might think of ok? Nick and I quite enjoy answering any and all types of questions." At his small nod she continued, "Now why don't you hop in the shower, I already washed and shrunk your clothes for today and they are hanging in the wardrobe for you, then you can join us in the kitchen for some breakfast and we can go over the plans for the day."
Once Harry was out of the shower and Nell had shot him with another teeth cleaning charm all three sat down to a full English breakfast to discuss the days agenda.
"So Harry," Nick began as he served himself, "Nell and I were discussing some things last night and we think it would be best if we took you to St. Mungo's Hospital first thing to see about getting you a full physical as well as any vaccinations you might need, then taking you shopping for some new clothes and other essentials. Nell also mentioned taking you to Diagon Alley, which is the main shopping center for witches and wizards in England, to get you fitted with some new glasses since yours are looking a little worse for wear. Does that sound alright with you so far?"
"Do I really have to go to a hospital?" Harry asked worriedly.
Nick gave him a reassuring smile, "It's really nothing to worry about Harry, we do things a bit differently in the magical world. All of our healers, the magical equivalent of doctors, are typically located within hospitals which have multiple floors with different areas that each healer specializes in. We don't really have separate offices for healers like they do in the non-magical world but some of the richer families do have their own private healers and places such as Hogwarts have a matron to take care of any injuries or illnesses that the students might get throughout the school year."
Harry relaxed somewhat at hearing this but was still a bit nervous since he had never been to see a doctor and wasn't sure what to expect. "Oh ok, that sounds good then."
Nell chimed in at this point, "Once we get your glasses and if its not too late, Nick is going to take you to the Ministry of Magic to visit with the Head of Children's Welfare so we can get the paperwork started on the adoption. We will be taking the clothes that your relatives had you wearing, your toothbrush, and your glasses as evidence of their neglect, which is why neither of us have offered to fix your glasses for you. Meanwhile, I have a meeting with an old friend to attend to so I will meet you two back here afterwards." Nell had owled Albus that morning telling him that he had better clear his schedule this afternoon as she wanted a few words with him about the Dursleys in general and Harry in particular.
"Before we leave however, there is something we have to go over with you. Do you remember the story from yesterday about the dark wizard and how he was destroyed when he tried to kill you?" When Harry nodded she continued, "Well the spell that he attempted to use on you is called the Killing Curse and is one of three highly illegal dark spells. The reason its illegal is because anyone who is hit with it will die instantly and there is no known defense against it. Because Voldemort disappeared while attempting to kill you and because you survived the Killing Curse, you have become quite famous within the wizarding world."
Harry looked at her skeptically, "I'm not famous am I? How can I be famous when I didn't even know about the magical world until yesterday?"
"I know its hard to accept dear but it is true. You will understand once we start introducing you to people and we wanted you to be somewhat prepared when people start staring and possibly even wanting to shake your hand, though Nick and I will put a stop to it if we see that it starts making you uncomfortable or we can keep people at bay entirely if you would prefer." Nell said gently.
Harry nodded, "I think I'd rather not be mobbed by people I don't know." To be honest, he wasn't really sure what to make of this new development. How could he be famous for something he didn't even remember? He certainly hoped random strangers weren't going to just come up to shake his hand and he wasn't too thrilled on the staring either.
"Then we will make sure that doesn't happen." Nell agreed.
After forcing Harry to stuff himself silly once again, the Flamels quickly cleaned up the breakfast dishes then led Harry into the living room and stopped in front of the fireplace.
"Ok Harry, you are about to experience another form of magical transportation that is called floo travel and will most likely be the one you use most often until you are old enough to get your apparition license. Now, floo travel is basically traveling between fireplaces that are connected to the Floo Network, which is controlled through the Ministry of Magic." Nick explained as he stepped forward to grab a handsome wooden box with intricate carvings off of the fireplace mantel and bringing it over. "What you do is grab a pinch of floo powder," at this he opened the box to reveal a large amount of glittering powder, "and throw it into the fire. When the flames glow green you step in, say your destination, and you will be instantly transported."
"Nick will go first to show you how it's done and I will go last to make sure you get to where you're going." Nell said. "I would recommend that after you throw the powder into the fire, you take a deep breath before stepping in as that can help keep you from breathing in too much ash. Also make sure that you keep your elbows locked in tight and your eyes closed so you don't get dizzy."
Nick nodded and handed the box to Nell. "Watch closely now Harry." He said grabbing a pinch of floo powder, walking up to the fire, and throwing it in. There was a roar as the flames glowed green and rose up higher than Nick. Harry saw him take a breath, step into the flames, and shout, "St. Mungo's!" then he was gone and the fire glowed orange once more.
"It all looks very dramatic but it really is quite simple sweetheart. Just wait until the spinning stops and when you open your eyes you will see Nick waiting for you at the other end." Nell said encouragingly when she saw Harry hesitate.
Harry gulped and nodded before reaching in and grabbing a pinch of powder. He walked up to the fire, threw the powder in, took a deep breath and stepped into the green flames. He nearly choked when he opened his mouth but managed to shout out, "St. Mungo's!" clearly and then he was spinning very fast and trying very hard to keep down his breakfast.
After what felt like a very long time, the spinning stopped and Harry felt himself falling forward but before he could go very far, someone caught him and helped him to stand up straight. When he opened his eyes, which he hadn't even realized he had closed, Nick was standing in front of him, covered in soot, and smiling down at him.
"That was very well done Harry," He said waving his wand over himself to get rid of the soot then doing the same to Harry. "I imagine it will take a few tries before you get the hang of the landing and you will get used to the spinning after a while."
Harry nodded his head weakly but didn't trust himself to say anything at the moment as he still felt slightly queasy.
After Nell came through they stepped out into a very crowded reception area. Nick and Nell walked straight past the desk labeled Inquiries, through a set of double doors and down a corridor before taking the stairs all the way up to the 6th floor. They entered the General Admissions corridor and walked a bit until they reached a door on the right that bore the words 'Pediatrics' with a card in a brass holder underneath that read 'Healer-in-Charge: Mathias Manning, Trainee Healer: Willow Price'.
When they pushed open the door and stepped in, Harry took stock of his surroundings. There were chairs of varying size scattered around the room with small tables and mats with toys for the younger kids and all of the walls were covered with a safari themed wall paper. At least, Harry thought it was a wall paper, until a giraffe walked into view and began eating from one of the tall trees.
Seeing his look of awe and surprise, Nick explained, "It's not real Harry, it's simply charmed to look like different scenery every day. The only ones I know that it cycles through are the safari, under the ocean, and the Rainforest but I'm sure there are more."
"Hello, I am Perenelle Flamel, I owled this morning about a last minute appointment with Healer Manning for Harry Potter," Nell said quietly to the witch behind the receptionist desk.
Harry saw her eyes go wide and when she looked down at him he noticed that her gaze immediately went to his forehead.
"Harry Potter?" She all but squeaked.
"That's correct, I believe we requested that the appointment be as discreet as possible. We would rather Harry not be mobbed by well wishers and reporters on his first official trip into the wizarding world."
"Of course Mrs. Flamel, I understand entirely," The witch said hastily, "I will alert Healer Manning to your arrival and let you know when he is free. It shouldn't be more than twenty minutes or so.
"Thank you." Nell said and they went to sit down in the corner to wait away from the few families already in the waiting room.
Nick handed Harry a magazine called Which Broomstick he found lying on one of the tables and after getting over the fact that they could actually fly on brooms and that the pictures were moving he enjoyed passing the time watching the various witches and wizards flying through the pages and reading about all the different kinds of brooms.
Just as Nell was telling Harry that they had a couple of brooms at the cottage and she could teach him how to fly if he would like to give it a shot, the receptionist called her name out to let them know that Healer Manning was ready for them and led them back into an examination room.
"Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Flamel, and young Harry of course. I hope everyone is doing well this fine day." The healer greeted them in a jovial manner as he walked through the door followed by a younger witch. "I hope you don't mind but Trainee Healer Price is shadowing me at the moment and will be joining us for the examination." At their nods he continued. "I understand you were worried about word getting out that Mr. Potter was here but I can assure you that the healer patient confidentiality oath will of course keep either of us from speaking a word outside of this room about him and I have spoken to Sarah at the receptionist desk regarding the matter, so you really have nothing to worry about."
"Thank you very much Healer Manning." Nick replied.
"Of course. Now, after you contacted me this morning I went to retrieve Mr. Potter's medical records but can't seem to find anything after his standard check up shortly after he turned 12 months old. Usually that will only happen if the family moves out of the country or the child is taken into the muggle world and only sees muggle doctors growing up. If either is the case it would be helpful if you could send me a copy of those records to add to the ones we already have." He said and looked at the Flamels expectantly.
"I'm afraid we don't have any records to give at the moment but I'm sure we could get them." Nell said and turned to Harry. "Do you know if your Aunt and Uncle kept records of your doctor visits Harry?"
"I've never been to the doctors before." He answered and watched as Nell closed her eyes and started muttering to herself. "I have been to the nurse at school a few times though." He added, thinking he might have done something wrong.
Nell took a deep breath then looked at Harry and gave him a warm smile, "I'm not upset with you Harry, just your so called relatives."
"Mr. Potter are you telling me that you have never gone to get your vaccinations through your muggle doctors or even had a check-up?" Healer Manning asked in bewilderment. He wasn't an expert in muggle medicine by any means but he knew for a fact that there were certain vaccinations that children in the muggle world needed to get on a regular basis to ensure they stayed healthy.
When Harry shook his head the healer turned to the Flamels, "I would like an explanation if you would. What did you mean you were upset with his relatives? Are you not his legal guardians?"
"We were actually going to the Ministry later today to start the process of adoption and to open an investigation." Nick spoke up. "When we visited him at his relatives house yesterday evening, there were indications of neglect as well as verbal abuse so we offered to take him in when his Aunt and Uncle told us that they wouldn't allow him back into their home if he chose to attend Hogwarts. We brought him here first so we could make sure he is healthy and would like to request that anything you find in your examinations be made available to whoever is put in charge of the investigation."
"I can assure you Mr. Flamel that if I find anything I won't hesitate to turn it over." Healer Manning exclaimed angrily before softening as he turned to Harry. "Alright Mr. Potter, since we have no records to go on regarding your previous health we are going to have to do a full examination, which actually isn't as difficult as it sounds. All you have to do is sit there while the spell I cast on you runs its course, you might feel a slight warming sensation, but thats perfectly normal. Does that sounds good to you?"
"Yes sir."
The healer gave him a smile as he pulled his wand and grabbed the parchment paper that Trainee Price handed to him. "I'm just going to cast the spell and its going to record your current health as well as any major past injuries you have had onto this piece of parchment." He said and swished his wand in a complicated manner before he whacked Harry lightly on the top of the head then tapped his wand to the parchment.
It didn't hurt but Harry instantly felt like he was being encased in a warm transparent cocoon that started from his head and slowly made its way down to his toes. After a few minutes the healer tapped the parchment again and the warm feeling disappeared all at once.
"That wasn't so bad now was it Mr. Potter?" He asked and chuckled when Harry shook his head. "Now lets see, there doesn't seem to be any cranial damage but it says here that you have the beginnings of a hairline fracture on the bridge of your nose. Do you know what that might be from?"
Harry wasn't sure what a hairline fracture was but if he was concerned about something being wrong with his nose then he knew the reason, "My cousin Dudley likes to punch me on the nose a lot. That's how my glasses always get broken."
"I see, repeatedly being hit in the same location would explain the fracture but that is easy enough to fix. It also says here that you are suffering from slight malnutrition and stunted growth. Do you get enough to eat at your relatives Mr. Potter?"
"Well, I never get to eat as much as I would like to but sometimes…" He hesitate for a second before he decided to continue, "when I would get in trouble they would lock me in my cupboard and only let me out in the evenings to eat and go to the loo." Harry confided. He wasn't entirely comfortable telling a complete stranger about the way the Dursleys treated him but if it helped in making sure he never had to go back, he was willing to do it.
"Your cupboard?" Healer Manning asked, sincerely hoping the child wasn't talking about what he thought he was talking about.
Nick cleared his throat and all eyes turned to him, "We discovered that Harry's relatives forced him to sleep in the cupboard under the stairs for the past ten or so years. I warded it before we left so that they couldn't get into it and so the investigators can have a look at it should they wish."
Getting his anger under control after hearing that took some doing but Healer Manning finally managed it. When he looked over to his trainee he could see that she was having a much tougher time of it so he walked over and spoke quietly to her, "Do you need to step outside for a bit Willow?"
She shook her head vigorously, "Thank you Healer Manning but I'm fine. It's just the thought of anyone treating a child like that, especially The-Boy-Who-Lived, just makes me sick."
"I understand entirely but just focus on the fact that he is now getting the help he needs and that his relatives certainly won't be getting away with this." He said and patted her on the shoulder before going back to his patient.
"I apologize about that everyone, it's never pleasant to hear that a child is being mistreated so I hope you can forgive us. So, sleeping in such an enclosed space for an extended period of time would explain the stunted growth. Luckily, both that and the malnutrition from not getting enough to eat are treatable as well. I'm not showing any other major injuries from the scan so that's good. If you wouldn't mind removing your glasses for a moment Mr. Potter, I would like to go ahead and fix the fracture on your nose." He said pulling his wand again and, once Harry's glasses were removed, tapped him lightly on the nose and said, "Episkey."
Harry felt as if the bridge of his nose was heating up then all of a sudden it went very cold but when he reached up to feel it, it felt totally normal.
"That takes care of that and onto the other two." He began, turning to the Flamels, "What I would like to do is prescribe a nutritional potions regimen that will combat both at the same time. He will need to take the pink potions twice a day, one with breakfast and the other with lunch and both need to be large high calorie meals, while the blue potion will be taken once a day with a large dinner. Because the potions will be speeding up his metabolism and growth rate I highly recommend having him eat large snacks in between each meal or he might become dizzy and/or lightheaded. Now, I will be prescribing a full month supply of potions to start with but he may need more so once he is done bring him on back for a check-up and we can see just where he is at and prescribe more as needed."
"Will he experience any type of discomfort?" Nell asked with concern.
Healer Manning nodded his head, "The blue potion he takes in the evening is targeted mainly towards bone growth and is designed to work in conjunction with the pink potions, which focus more on building up fat and muscle. The reason I have him taking it at night is because, though mild, the slight discomfort he feels while relaxed and sleeping is tolerable whereas if he were to take it in the mornings, depending on how strenuous his daily activities are, the discomfort would actually be much worse. The most that will happen is that he may be a bit restless at times during the night but that's nothing to worry about." He finished, handing the prescription he had written out to Nell.
"Would you recommend that we take him to a muggle doctor to get any vaccinations he might need for a child his age?"
The healer thought about it for a moment before responding, "That would actually depend on whether or not he will be spending a lot of time in the muggle world. Since we have different illnesses and diseases it's not really necessary for him to get the vaccinations if he is only going to be spending a few days out of the year in the muggle world but I have found that it's more of a personal preference whether parents of half-bloods or muggle-borns decide to continue getting their children vaccinated once they are introduced into the magical world."
"And there are no vaccinations he needs for the magical world?" Since the Elixir of Life kept either Flamel from ever getting sick they never really kept up with the different illnesses that sometimes plagued their world.
"Nope," the healer replied cheerfully, "The last outbreak we had was for Dragon Pox but that was about four years ago and its been pretty quiet ever since. If something does occur, St. Mungo's will alert all major institutions and newspapers to let people know that they need to come in to be vaccinated, that includes Hogwarts."
"Well that's good to hear. I don't think we have anymore questions at the moment." Nell said and looked to Nick, who shook his head.
"At this time, since you're not Mr. Potter's legal guardians I unfortunately can't give you his medical records from today but I will have a copy waiting for when the Ministry contacts me, then when you bring him in for his check-up if you show me a valid copy of the adoption I will gladly hand over all of his records to you."
"We understand Healer Manning and thank you for all your help today." Nick said and shook the healers hand.
"No thanks needed." He said, shaking Nell's hand then turning to Harry to do the same. "It was a pleasure to meet you Mr. Potter, I hope to give you a clean bill of health the next time I see you so make sure to take your potions and eat as much as you can in the next month ok?"
Harry's whole arm jiggled with the man's enthusiastic handshake and he couldn't help but laugh, "Yes sir, Healer Manning."
"Oh, I almost forgot! Since you were such a good patient today, you get one of these." He said and pulled a large red lollipop from a jar on the counter and held it out for him to take.
Harry excitedly reached out but stopped suddenly and turned to Nick and Nell to make sure it was ok and at Nick's encouraging nod he took it. "Thank you."
"You're very welcome. Now, Trainee Price here will take you to where you can get that prescription filled and then you can either make an appointment with Sarah before you leave or you can owl us at any time."
As they followed Trainee Price through the halls Harry unwrapped his lollipop and licked it, finding that it tasted like strawberry. His eyes widened in surprise when he pulled it away and the whole thing turned blue. The next lick tasted like blue raspberry before the lollipop changed again to orange. He heard Nell giggling from his right and looked up at her.
"If you stick it in your mouth while its a certain color it will stay that flavor until you take it out again."
He smiled and nodded before going back to see what other flavors there were.
By the time they had filled his potions prescription, which came in a small box, that in no way should have been able to hold a months worth of potions, with labels for which meal to take each potion, made an appointment with Sarah, and were walking out of St. Mungo's it was about 10 o'clock in the morning.
"We still have enough time to get you new clothes before lunch." Nell said as they walked down the street. "We have decided to take you to Harrods so we can get all of your clothes at one time and it's just a few blocks away from here."
Harry had heard about Harrods from his cousin Dudley, who always gloated about all the wonderful toys and things they had whenever they came back from shopping, knowing that his parents would never take Harry there. When Nick said that he would take him into the toys section a large smile spread across Harry's face. His excitement only grew the closer they got to the store and Harry wondered how things could get any better.
