AUTHOR'S NOTES: Yes, I am being even more cruel than usual to Harry in this story. But it makes for some very challenging writing since I have little to now experience with physical disabilities.

Also, to JWOHPfan… I did get a giggle at your review. I am so, so sorry, but… Yeah.

Chapter 4

The weather took a turn for the worse the night before the first quidditch match of the season and by the time Harry came down to breakfast, it was storming.

"They really should postpone the game," Hermione insisted as Harry sat down and helped himself to bacon, sausages, eggs, toast, and cinnamon rolls. "No one can play safely in this kind of weather."

"We'll be fine, Hermione," Fred insisted, giving Harry a nod. "You worry too much."

But before Hermione could press the point further, Oliver Wood came over, looking eager as he addressed Harry, Fred, and George, making sure to sign for Harry's benefit. "Ready for our first game?"

"Who are we playing?" Fred asked, curiously. "Hufflepuff, right?"

Oliver nodded. "Cedric Diggory is the new seeker and he's good, but he's not as nimble as Harry from what I've seen. Our main concern is the new beater—Ardelia Hotchkiss. She's got the power, but her aiming is horrid. Be careful out there."

When Oliver moved off to talk to Alicia Spinnet, Katie Bell, and Angelina Johnson, Harry caught Hermione's look. "Hermione, please don't suggest I sit this game out," he said, a note of pleading in his voice. "We don't have a reserve seeker."

Hermione took a deep breath, trying to curb her worries and fears. "Okay. But I'm joining you in the locker room before the game." When Harry looked to start arguing, she added, "Unless someone else on the Gryffindor team knows how to do water-repelling and water-proofing charms."

"Fair enough," George said with a grin.

X

Up in the stands, Lupin and Sirius watched Harry closely as soon as the game kicked off two hours later.

It was always a thrill for Sirius to watch Harry who was as agile on a broom as his father had been. As had Lily, the more he thought about it. Lily had never been one for quidditch, but she had loved flying.

Lupin was also impressed with Harry's aerodynamics on his new Firebolt broomstick. Even in the tempest the game took place in, the teenager seemed to make his dodges and weavings look effortless as he flew around his teammates and opponents, looking for the golden snitch.

x

As Harry looked for the snitch, he tried not to be blown off course by the strong winds that buffered everyone about. Finally, he spotted a glint of gold and took off like a shot, zipping around Cedric Diggory who soon became hot on his tail.

Reaching out a hand as he neared the small, flying ball, Harry kept his left hand firmly on the handle of his broom as he stretched out as far as he could go, reaching for his prize. A split second glance to his right revealed that Diggory was doing the same, but refocusing on his goal, Harry grinned broadly as he pushed his broom the extra inches and closed his fingers around the snitch.

A split second later, Harry felt something slam hard into his back and his entire body exploded in pain, making him scream in agony.

The game and the snitch forgotten, Diggory moved swiftly to help Harry down to the ground where Lupin, Sirius, and Dumbledore were already waiting, a magical stretcher hovering nearby.

Once Harry was very carefully laid down on the stretcher, Dumbledore escorted him, Lupin, Sirius, and a small entourage of quidditch players and Harry's friends up to the castle and into the hospital wing.

"Dear Lord…" Madame Pomfrey said as she saw Harry brought in. "How bad is it? What happened?" There was general murmuring about the events but nothing specific. Withdrawing her wand, Pomfrey did a few basic diagnostic spells, trying to ascertain the damage.

Holding Harry's hand, Sirius couldn't tear his gaze away from the look on his godson's face. It was a mix of agonizing pain and pleading, as though Sirius himself had the ability to end the torment. "I-It'll be okay, Harry," Sirius tried to reassure him, although this seemed worse than any previous injury the teenager had had.

"It hurts," Harry gasped out, his voice heavy with pain and choked sobs. "Sirius, make it stop… It hurts so bad…"

Looking up at Pomfrey, hoping for good news, Sirius face fell when he saw the grave and horrified expression on the school nurse's face. "What is it?" He asked, quickly.

"Potter needs to get to a proper hospital immediately," Pomfrey replied, sharply, pointing her wand at Harry. "I need to immobilize him to prevent further injury."

Sirius's mind was in a whirl as Pomfrey put Harry in a Full Body Bind while Dumbledore turned one of Harry's arm guards into a portkey. Within moments, Sirius found himself in Waldenmeyer Memorial Hospital—a local facility catering to muggles as well as wizarding folk—along with Harry, Lupin, and—oddly enough—Ardelia Hotchkiss.

Nurses and healers came up to the small group quickly, one of whom Sirius recognized from Harry's last visit here the previous year. "Good heavens, what happened?" Laura Penn said, as she briefly examined Harry. "Why is he in a Full Body Bind?"

"Harry was hit by a bludger during a quidditch match," Ari said, quickly, the words coming out in a tumble. "H-he was hit in the back…" Tears in her eyes, she whispered, "I didn't mean to hit the ball that hard… I-I never wanted to hit Harry, I swear!"

Transferring Harry to a proper stretcher and starting to pull Harry's protective gear off, Laura said to her colleagues, "I want x-rays and an MRI of his spine." Glancing at the braces Harry wore, she ordered full-body scans as well before whisking Harry into a trauma room and closing the door behind her.

XXX

It was some hours later when Hermione, Ron, and Dumbledore joined Sirius, Lupin, and Ardelia in the surgical waiting room. "How is Harry?" Dumbledore asked, looking from one worried face to another.

Sirius looked away, shaking his head, silently.

Ardelia looked horrified and her face was red and blotchy from crying.

Knowing the others were now fearing the worst, Lupin replied, "The bludger that hit Harry in the back fractured his spinal cord. He's in surgery. We've contacted the Dursleys and they should be here in the morning."

"How bad is it?" Hermione asked, more afraid than ever for her friend.

Lupin's tone was grave as he spoke. "The doctor told us the spinal fracture is a complete injury. Harry is completely paralyzed from the waist down."

Hermione slowly sank into one of the chairs, speechless at the news. This was one of those very few moments where she wished she didn't read her parents medical journals and textbooks. Looking at Ron who seemed somewhat confused, Hermione explained. "An incomplete spinal cord injury means that the nerves that transmit signals from the brain to the rest of the body are still intact—at least partially. I-It also usually means there may be a chance of full or complete recovery."

Ron nodded, slowly, indicating that he understood. "But… Harry's injury is complete. So… That means…"

Hermione nodded. "Harry's spinal cord was severed. He—He's not going to get better." Taking a deep breath, she went on. "Harry's paralyzed, so he won't be able to move of feel anything from the waist down. He'll… He'll likely be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life."

Hearing the prognosis out loud, Sirius cursed himself for not doing a better job of protecting Harry. He should have done something to keep Harry from being up on that broom—

"This is all your fault," Ron snapped, angrily, glaring at Ardelia, his signing sharp.

Ardelia slowly stood, looking scared and upset. "I swear. It was an accident. I never meant—"

"You never mean to… what?" Ron went on, his temper rising. "To put my best friend in a wheelchair for the rest of his life? And why the bloody Hell would you even be up on a broom if you didn't know what you were doing? You could have killed Harry! What if Diggory hadn't kept him from falling off his broom?!"

"It was an accident!" Ardelia shouted right back, her voice choked with sobs. "I-It's so different actually playing as opposed to practice. The bludger came towards me and I just swung my bat as hard as I could. I wasn't looking where I was—"

Standing and placing himself between the two teenagers, Sirius looked from Ardelia to Ron. "I think both of need to take a deep breath and calm down. Okay?" Glancing at the members of the hospital staff who were watching the group, he tried to avoid saying 'You're causing a scene.'

But Ron wasn't done with his tirade, though he did switch to straight signing again. 'Did you pay attention to anything Hermione or the doctors said? Harry will never be able to walk again. He's going to need help getting dressed, bathing… going to the bathroom… And you don't even seem to care that you did this to him!'

"Of course I care!" Ardelia shouted back after shoving Ron, roughly. "Harry's one of my best friends, too! It kills me that I did this to him! I am going to have to live with this for the rest of my life!" With that, she ran out of the room, sobbing loudly.

Hermione glared at Ron before taking off after Ari.

Sirius closed his eyes for a moment, rubbing his neck, when he heard someone say his name. Turning, he saw Harry's surgeon—Dr. Charlie Bryce—coming into the waiting room. "How's Harry?" Sirius asked, quickly.

Dr. Bryce looked at the assembled crowd and got right down to it. "Harry's in recovery right now. We'll be moving him into room in about an hour, and then you can see him—two at a time, though, if you please."

Lupin looked at Sirius, knowing that his old friend wanted to ask about Harry's condition but was afraid to hear it, and turned back to the doctor, asking, "How is Harry?"

Bryce gave a light shrug as he replied, "We were able stabilize Harry's spinal fracture and we removed several loose fragments of bone. But, as you know, the nerves were severed, causing a complete loss of sensation and motor function. Harry's going to be in a full back and neck brace for anywhere from 3 to 6 months or until we're certain that he's not going to aggravate the injury and make it worse. Once Harry recovers more, we'll start him on physical therapy and dealing with the wheelchair and so forth."

"What about… the personal stuff?" Sirius asked, cautiously. "Going to the bathroom…"

Bryce smiled, nodding knowingly. "One of healers has developed a… a band of sorts that goes around the waist. It has magical sensors that detect when a patient has to go to the bathroom and… eliminates the waste. We'll use that on Harry to make things easier on him as he heals up."

x

Hermione found Ardelia in the upstairs cafeteria sitting at a table in the corner. "Ari?"

Ari didn't really look up as she said, "I don't remember having a single good friend in primary school. No one wanted to hang around the weird deaf girl. And my first year at Hogwarts was just as bad." Leaning back in her chair, she saw Hermione sit down next to her. "My second year I met Harry and suddenly… I wasn't alone. Even Malfoy, git that he is, knows what it's like. And eventually, I started making friends with other hearing students. And now, because of me, the best friend I've ever had is paralyzed because I was an overzealous berk."

Hermione put a comforting hand on Ari's arm before replying. "Ron's the same way. Believe it or not, he never had any friends when he was younger, either. With his family being poor and everything, he never got too close to many people outside his family. And now his best friend has been badly hurt, he's angry. He knows it was an accident, but being angry at you is easier than admitting that he's scared and worried."

Ari sat up, thinking for a moment or two about how to phrase her thoughts. "The thing is, I think I started to fall for Ron last year. I like him. A lot. And now all I can think about it that I've blown any chance we have of being a couple."

xxxxx

Harry awoke to the sunlight coming through the window of his hospital room. Groaning lightly as the pain in his back flared up, he did notice that it didn't seem quite as bad. That was, until he tried to sit up.

"Harry, you can't move right now," Petunia Dursley warned as she gave her nephew his glasses. "You really hurt your back yesterday." When Harry asked how bad, Petunia sat down on the edge of the bed, making sure that she was still in Harry's range of vision as she signed, "The blow to your back fractured your spinal cord, Harry. You're paralyzed. You're not going to be able move or feel your legs."

Harry felt his mouth go dry and his voice failed him. Thinking about his past injuries and visits to PT, he started thinking. 'So what now? I'm going to be in a wheelchair, or… Am I going to get better?'

Petunia couldn't say the truth out loud since that would make it a reality. Instead, she just replied, 'I'm sorry, Harry.'

Reaching a hand up to touch the back and neck brace he wore, Harry tried to take a deep breath to calm his frazzled thoughts. Paralyzed… He wouldn't be able to walk…

What about Hogwarts? After he got out of the hospital, would he still be able to return to school? There were dozens upon dozens of staircases in the castle. How would he get to his classes?