First of all, I'd like to apologize for how long this took! I had some snags and trouble but I finally finished it. I know everyone has been waiting for the Dumbledore confrontation and It will def happen next chapter...for sure. I'm serious this time.
Thank you everyone who has favorited, alerted, or reviewed. Seriously I wasn't expecting so large a response! Hope you enjoy this chapter.
I don't have beta, so there are sure to be mistakes. If any of you are interested or know a good beta, let me know! Enjoy!
Happenings at the Hospital - Part 2
Harry opened the doors to the Pectus Compospotis Ward and was a little surprised by what he saw. He expected an open ward which looked similar to where Mr. Weasley had been during the winter, but this ward was very different. The first thing he noticed was the ward looked more like an office. The walls were covered in striped wallpaper in different shades of cream and the floor was a dark hard wood covered largely by a pale gold shag rug. In the middle of the room stood a large desk with a comfortable looking dark leather chair behind it and two brown leather wingback chairs in front of it. There with a few instruments on the desk and they reminded him a bit of ones he had seen in Professor Dumbledore's office throughout his many visits over the years. He could see a few picture frames along the edge of the desk and a name gold nameplate, which read:
Attending Matron Sophia Mitchell.
The Matron was not currently at her desk so Harry looked around and saw a small love seat lay on each side of the double doors he just entered with a table that matched the desk in front of each. The tables only had a few books and magazines, the way they were neatly organized made Harry think there was rarely need for them to be used. He turned back around and saw there were three closed doors on the wall directly behind the desk; each was numbered with a little golden one, two, or three, which had been placed in the upper middle portion of each door. There was also a door on the right with a golden plaque with Lavatory inscribed on it, and the left side door had a similar golden plaque but this one was inscribed with:
Healer Cameron Morris.
Now that he had seen everything in the room, he was at a loss for what he should do. 'This hospital seems full of absentee workers. Every time I show up no one is around.' Harry looked around tentatively one more time before the decided to knock on the Healers door. 'Snape should be here soon' he thought, 'and I definitely don't want to be still standing here looking around like an idiot.' With that in mind, Harry strode up to the Healers door and knocked three times.
The door opened and a pixie like woman appeared. She was short, maybe 5ft 2inch tall, with a tiny frame and blonde hair that just past her shoulders and was pulled back into a ponytail at the base of her neck. She had on blue cotton pants and a white t-shirt under an open blue robe that matched her trousers exactly. She was probably around the age that his mom would be if she had lived and she was quite pretty. Harry assumed she was the Matron whose desk was behind him, Matron Mitchell, or was it Madam?
The woman stepped out into the office proper, shutting the door behind her as she did. She walked over to her desk, and sat down in the large leather chair and motioned for him to take a seat opposite.
As Harry sat his mind wandered briefly and one extremely worrying thought crossed his mind. What would happen when he told this woman he was possessed by Voldemort? Yes, it was her job to deal with patients recovering from possession and the Imperius curse, so the possession itself wouldn't be anything she wouldn't be used to but he was Harry Potter, The-boy-who-was-a-lunatic. He wasn't sure how well it would go over if he brashly proclaimed he was possessed by the Dark Lord many still believed dead. According to The Prophet, he was still an unstable liar for proclaiming Voldemort's rebirth, and while The Minister and many ministry officials were now privy to this truth he sincerely doubted it had trickled down to very many in the hospital yet. 'Maybe' he thought 'this wasn't such a grad idea.' The Matron interrupted his thoughts.
"Well young man, I suppose you are here to see the Healer, You do know this ward is for treating the after effects of being under the Imperius Curse or Cleansing after being Possessed by a sentient being?
"Yes ma'am" He answered, "Madam Pomfrey sent me for a Cleansing Ritual I suppose."
She nodded her head a bit to herself understanding what he was implying. "Well, Healer Morris isn't here quite yet. It is a bit early you know, just ten past five." She smiled at the apologetic look Harry was giving her. "Now," she said briskly "He won't be in until about six, but I suppose I can get your information and we'll go from there." Harry fidgeted a little in his seat at this hoping for the first time since he had met the man that Snape would hurry up and get here.
Ms. Mitchell, as Harry had decided to call her until otherwise instructed, was rummaging in her desk drawer, pulled out a bit of parchment, and set it on the desk, a quill quickly following. The quill looked a bit like Rita Skeeter's and although not acid green, it did hover over the parchment on its own ready to take dictation.
"Are your parents going to be here soon? She asked, startling Harry a bit. "We will need their consent to speak with you about your experience, and the Healer will need to explain any treatment with them before it can be administered." Harry breathed an internal sigh of relief. He would not have to start without Snape.
"No ma'am my guardians are muggles and wouldn't really understand so Professor Snape, the potions teacher at Hogwarts, is coming to be my representative. He should be here soon, he had to stop and collect another student's parent."
"Hmm." Was her only response to this. "Well I'll go ahead and see if you all ready have a file. Most wizarding children were at least born here, and so have one." As she pulled her wand out of an inside breast pocket in her robes she absent mindedly asked him, "What's your name dear?"
The young man cleared his throat quietly before saying as confidently as he could. "Harry Potter."
The Matron froze immediately and slowly lifted her head to gaze at the boy sitting in front of her. Her eyes briefly flicked to the scar on his forehead and then back to his bright green eyes. Harry noted she only looked surprised and took that as good sign. She seemed to visibly pull herself together and resumed retrieving her wand from her robes. She shook her head a bit, chuckled to herself and said, "Sorry about that Harry. May I call you Harry?" He nodded his head. "I just wasn't expecting that at all and I lost my head for a moment. It won't happen again, promise." As she said the word promise, she crossed her heart and gave him a little wink. Harry gave a little cheer in his mind. Score one for Potter! Finally, something had gone his way.
"Well, lets go ahead and summon your file then. " She took her wad and briskly tapped it once on an empty tray on her desk and said very clearly, "Harry Potter."
Nothing Happened.
She pursed her mouth to the side and a crinkle formed in between her brows. "Maybe I should try with your middle name."
"It's James." He told her
She repeated her actions and this time pronounced his full name. "Harry James Potter." This time it worked and a very thin blue folder appeared in the tray. She looked at it and then said, "Oh, I see. Next time you're here at the hospital, remember to give your full Christian name. It will make it easier to summon your file." She gave him a small smile, opened the folder and started to peruse the documents within it.
Harry had no idea what this woman was talking about. As far as he knew Harry was his full Christian name so he craned his neck a bit peeked at the tab on the folder. It read; Potter, Harrison James. Said boy just stared blankly for a moment and then schooled his face to look impassive while inside he was upset and embarrassed. The Dursley's had only ever called him Harry, the same for the teachers at Hogwarts and in Primary School. He distinctly remembered McGonagall calling Potter, Harry at the sorting ceremony in his first year. It was incredibly embarrassing to him that he had not even known his first name. More so since he was sure Lupin, Sirius, and pretty much anyone who had regular contact with his parents around the time of his birth knew Harry was just a shortening of his name. Although, considering they were in hiding, they were probably precious few. He knew couldn't blame anyone for not telling him because who would imagine he was unaware of it. Everyone probably just assumed he preferred Harry. The boy decided just to forget it for the moment. It wasn't truly important and getting all upset would not do any good at all. 'Just enjoy the fact that while you didn't know before you do know and it is a pretty nice name.' He thought and then let a little grin slide briefly across his face. 'At any rate, it could have been something worse, like Harold.'
Harry sat quietly for a few minutes watching the Matron going through his file dictating who knows what to the furiously scribbling quill beside her. She finally finished whatever preliminary tasks she needed, closed the file, and stood up.
"I'm going to go ahead and put you in Room One. When your Professor gets here, I'll send him in and you can both wait for Healer Morris to arrive. He will come in, interview you, determine what, if any, rituals are needed, if you need a Mind Healer, Counselor, etc. She opened the door and Harry walked in.
It was now 5:40 and Harry was pacing in a surprisingly cozy exam room. It was a fair sized room, large enough for him to pace in. The floor was the same dark hardwood as the office. The top two thirds of the walls were all an off-white color while the bottom third was striped wallpaper similar to the one on the outside office walls only it was a medium gold color, a thin wooden strip of molding which matched the floor separated the two sections. There was an exam table with only a white fitted sheet on it in the right upper corner of the room with the end jutting toward the center of the room. There were two high back wooden chairs next to the bed against the back wall, beside those was a wooden table, which looked as though it were suspended out of the wall and had no legs, another wooden chair tucked underneath.
Harry truly thought the room was very cozy and warm and not at all what you would expect to find as an exam room in a hospital. While it made a very comfortable place to wait, it was still a wait, which is why Harry was pacing. He hated waiting, really really hated it. Waiting was a torture he had to endure while at the Dursley's. In his cupboard, and later in Dudley's second bedroom, he had gotten copious amounts of practice in waiting, being locked in ensured it, so while he could be patient and endure a wait of almost any length he still loathed it.
Harry was usually able to endure the tedium in silence with only his thoughts for distraction, but right now thinking could prove extremely detrimental. For the last few hours he had been kept perpetually busy with various things, but now he was alone and thoughts of what had happened in The Death Chamber were starting to come to the forefront of his mind. He could not escape the fact that Sirius was dead and the thought made his throat clog and his eyes prickle. He could not remember the last time he had actually cried, much less in so public a place, but if he were left with his thought for too much longer, he would break down completely. He wanted to mourn the man who had been his only father figure but not here, he wanted to be alone with his heartbreak and self-recrimination, to shed the tears he so desperately wanted to.
Salvation came in the form of one Severus Snape. Even in his saddened state Harry could appreciate the mans flair for the dramatic. The door fairly flew open, but did not bang the wall as Snape still has his hand clenched around the doorknob. Still it made Harry jump a bit. He had to admit Snape cut quite an impressive figure standing there in the doorway looking menacing in his crisp black robes, not that Harry would ever tell him that, though he was sure the man knew. Harry's pacing had stopped for a moment when Snape made his entrance and as he watched the man tightly shut the door and walk briskly to the two chairs by the bed and sat, but as soon as Snape sat the pacing began again.
"Did you get the Grangers?" The boy asked. , grasping for something to distract him from his previous thoughts.
"I said I would, did I not, Mr. Potter?" The man replied.
Harry sighed, ran a hand through his perpetually messy hair, and continued his pacing. "Yes sir, I just wanted to make sure." The two lapsed into silence for a few minutes until Harry could no longer refrain from asking, "Did you see Hermione? Is she doing better?"
Snape had his eyes trained on Harry, watching as he paced across the room. "I did indeed see Miss. Granger. She regained consciousness long enough to reassure her parents, Gryffindor that she is, and to inquire on her co-conspirators fates before she fell asleep. She should be just fine in a few days so will you please cease your infernal pacing before you drive me to madness!" This was said through gritted teeth and was practically hissed.
Harry stopped pacing, momentarily surprised by the intensity in the man's voice. Harry raised his eyebrows a bit. The professor answered his unasked question. "Contrary to popular belief I am not nocturnal and so do require the minimum of sleep recommended for a human. As of approximately fifteen minutes ago, I have been awake for an entire 24-hour period. Let me just explain to you now Potter, in those 24 hours I have had to teach unruly dunderheaded teenagers, contain damage from four exploded cauldrons, calm distraught owl and newt students, deal with that idiotic excuse for a headmistress, traipse through the forest looking for you and your cohorts, and explain where you were most likely headed to panicking order members. Then during the time I should have been sleeping I brewed 3 different potions for the infirmary, spent a great deal of magic healing Miss Granger, had to deal with one infuriating twinkly eyed old man, and finally I had to navigate muggle London and explain to two hysterical and enraged parents exactly how it was their daughter came to be at hospital. I am exhausted and extremely irascible because of it. The fact that you have enough energy to pace at this point irritates me even more. So, Mr. Potter, I do believe it is in your best interest to sit down before I decide, in a fit of sleep deprived madness, to do you permanent damage."
Harry stood for a moment looking at the obviously bad tempered man before snorting and crossing his arms. Harry wandered over to the seat next to the potion master and sat. "I would have figured you to be the type to be able to go long periods with out sleep. It just seems to me to be fitting with your character somehow." The teen said with a bit of cheek.
"Yes, well, I would have figured after all of your life or death experiences over the years you would gain a modicum of self preservation. It seems we were both mistaken."
Harry chose not to comment and just settled for a roll of his eyes. "Do you think the Headmaster knows we aren't in Hogwarts right now?"
The man quirked his brow at the boy and asked sarcastically "Do you see him trying to drag you back to the school 'for your safety'?"
"No."
"That was a rhetorical question, stupid boy! Of course he does not know yet. He would have interfered somehow if he knew. Poppy was a Slytherin after all, she knows how to keep her head down and her mouth shut. I have no idea why the man was so adverse to you and the girl getting deserved treatment from here. All was needed was supervision to make sure you and she remained safe."
"Don't call me stupid." The boy said quietly, mostly as a reflex. Harry thought he knew why the Headmaster didn't want he and Hermione to come and it scared him to think of it. If the man had known of the soul piece… Harry sat for a few moments thinking of what that could mean and how it would change his perception of the man for whom he had so much respect. He may be extremely mad at the Headmaster for ignoring him all year, but this would be a totally different level. He would just wait until he could confront the man. He looked over and saw Snape had been watching him and had an assessing look on his face.
"You know why?" He asked simply
"Maybe." Was all the boy said before raising his left hand to his mouth and chewing on his thumbnail.
Snape seemed to be waiting for an explanation and crossed his arms and glowered menacing at the boy when none was forthcoming. "Well? Are you just going to sit there staring like an idiot or are you going to explain."
Harry cut his eyes over to the man and said sweetly "I'll sit staring, thanks very much." Then continued the chewing of his nail.
"Do not be cheeky with me." He said dangerously "And for Merlin's sake, take your hand out of your mouth. You are fifteen not five." He tapped Harry's hand with two of his fingers.
"Do you always have to be so positive? I mean truly your compliments and encouraging attitude can be a bit too much." Harry deadpanned.
Snape clapped his hands twice at that. "I was unaware Gryffindors were able to be sarcastic. Congratulations, Mr. Potter, you are finally growing up, although one wouldn't know since you found it appropriate for wander around barefoot in nothing but your pajamas." Harry flushed a bit at the reminder.
Snape smirked "You get far too many compliments and encouragements as it is, it is not my job to pander to your over inflated ego."
So for the next fifteen minutes Harry and Severus argued back and forth about inconsequential things. The banter and insults leant a bit of normalcy to a stressful situation and, though neither would say it, it was welcomed by both to relieve the worry and tedium.
A quick knock on the door interrupted the two. Harry kept his seat, but Snape immediately stood and took a step to his right so he was standing slightly in front of Harry. "Paranoid much?" Harry muttered. Snape shot a venomous look over his shoulder but said nothing in return.
Healer Morris was almost exactly how Harry had pictured him. He was an older man of about 80 or so, Harry was never very good at pinpointing ages in the wizarding world, and he was barrel-chested and a bit heavy set. He was taller than Harry by two inches at 5ft 11 and had short auburn hair. His lined face sported a thick goatee which was the same color as his hair only interspersed lightly with gray. He didn't look at all surprised by Snape's protective stance, he just quietly shut the door and strode over to the man and held out his hand.
"Good morning sir, I'm Healer Cameron Morris and I'm the presiding Healer in this ward."
"Severus Snape." The man replied briefly shaking the Healers hand.
The Healer nodded at this and took a seat behind the desk. Snape evidently detected malice from the man and so returned to his seat at Harry's side, the boy retaining his seat closest to the Healers desk.
"You must be Harrison then." The man stated holding his hand out to Harry as well.
The boy immediately shook the offered hand and replied, "Yes sir."
Healer Morris dipped his head, turned toward his desk, and opened the chart he had brought with him while taking out a pair of square spectacles and placing them on the tip of his nose. Snape caught his eye and looked at him in silent question. Harry assumed he was asking about his name. He mouthed, "I didn't know either." To which the man raised both brows in surprise and shook his head faintly.
"So," the man said, "it says here you haven't been seen by Healer here since you were 12 months old?"
"No sir"
"I would have thought after being hit with the killing curse you would have been brought strait here for examination after surviving such potent dark magic. That obviously did not happen. Would you mind telling me the treatment you received after that occurrence, just out of profession curiosity?" The man sounded only curious and Snape looked it as well, and since there really wasn't anything to tell, he told them.
"As far as I know, sir, I was taken directly from the wreckage by Rubeus Hagrid, a member of the Hogwarts staff, and brought to Professor Dumbledore who was waiting at my muggle Aunt and Uncles home. From there I was left on the doorstep with a letter explaining about my parent's death and my survival. Hagrid told me the story himself so I guess I never received any specific care after the incident.
There was complete silence following Harry's statement. Snape was the first to break the staring contest by huffing and pinching the bridge of his nose. Healer Morris did not even try to hide his appalled expression and then said "Well I do believe I'd like to run some scans for ridicule dark magic first, that really should have been done that evening, I can not believe Albus we be so neglectful as to forget. After that, we will discuss your possession and decide on the rituals needed to purify your soul and magic from any outside influence and any harmful dark magic residue your possessor may have left behind. All right?"
"Yes sir." Harry said
"All right then lad, I'm going to leave the room and while I'm gone I need you to strip down to your pants and hop up on the exam table." Harry blushed a bit at that and the Healer chuckled a bit, stood up and walked toward the door. "Well I'll let you get to it then." he said and then slipped out the door.
As embarrassing as the idea was to Harry, he figured Snape seeing him in his shorts was not all that different from changing in the dorms. The man himself didn't seem to care nor did he seem to be leaving so Harry quickly slipped out of his hospital pajamas, folded them neatly and set them on his chair, he took his wand with him, however. Harry quietly padded over the exam table and hopped onto it. It was a little cold in the room now that Harry was practically naked so he sat his wand down and wrapped his right arm around his torso as he nervously started chewing on his left thumbnail again. He heard a rustle of fabric to his right and glanced over to see Snape walking toward him. The man stopped just next to him and sharply tapped Harry's left hand so he would stop chewing on his nail. Then he took out his wand and muttered something and Harry started to fell warm again.
"Thanks." The boy muttered.
"Hmmm. Perhaps you should remember you are a wizard Mr. Potter, you could have done that yourself." He took Harry's left hand and examined the thumbnail. "Well I knew you had no self preservation but you are self destructive as well?" He asked looking at the nail Harry and managed to mangle in the short time they had sat waiting. "Nervous habit" the boy said.
Hmmm." The man said again. "So… Harrison is it?" He said with a little smirk.
"I guess. I didn't know either until I saw it on the chart." Harry seemed to realize Snape could royally embarrass him by revealing his ignorance so he thought quickly and said "and if you tell anyone I didn't know that, I'll spread the rumor that your animagus form is a bunny."
Instead of looking angry Snape only looked amused. "The Golden Boy seems to be turning a bit silver. You would lie?"
"Don't doubt it." Harry said.
"I was not planning on revealing your ignorance to anyone save Albus." The man was looking at him speculatively again. "I do believe we can make a Slytherin of you yet." Harry just ignored him. If only he knew.
Healer Morris returned shortly after their conversation. "Are you ready lad?" Harry nodded a bit. "Then go ahead and lay down and I'll go ahead and start the scan." Harry did as the man instructed while the man started explaining. "Usually Dark magic fades on its own, and counters to curses and Hexes purge anything remaining residual automatically. Possession is different as the darkness lingers a bit, that is why cleansing rituals are essential. A persons magic will normally unconsciously contain the dark magic, so not only is the person weaker magically, but until the foreign magic is cleansed It is much easier for possession to occur again. I really do not know if the dark magic from the killing curse will linger but I think it would be best to go ahead and check since there is no real precedence. Now Harrison, I'm going to start at your feet and work my way up."
So Healer Morris began chanting In Latin but suddenly stopped. "Do you have any type of charm on right now? There is some interference and this spell will not work if there is any active magic on the subject."
Harry was confused for a brief moment before he realized he did have on a glamour, he always did. It hid a very ugly scar, which ran down his back. Harry willed the glamour away and felt the tell tale tingle which let him know the glamour had been canceled.
"Sorry about that." He said. Snape looked him up and down a moment and saw no change. A crease formed in between his brow, but Harry was not about to explain.
"No problem, I should have let you know a head of time." Healer Morris then started the chant again. Harry noticed the quill on the desk seemed poised to start dictating but had yet to do anything. The Healer held his wand horizontally about six inches above Harry's body and was slowly moving it up over his shins, then his knees until Harry's right hand suddenly flared a sickly pea green color. The Healer stopped chanting picked up Harry's hand to examine it and blanched.
"Start Dictation." The quill on the desk twitched. "Residual Dark Magic Exam of Harrison James Potter, age 15. Scars from evident use of Dark object, probably blood quill, on right hand. Scars read 'I must not tell lies.' Force probable. Will investigate and refer patient to Primary Healers for further investigation and recourse. End dictation."
At this point Snape had slid closer and asked "May I?" to the Healer, not even glancing at Harry. Harry didn't like that at all so as the Potion Master went to grasp his hand the boy quickly snatched it out of both men's grip. Snape turned and glared at him for a moment. "May I see your hand Mr. Potter?" Harry silently handed the man his hand. Healer Morris and Professor Snape both examined his hand for a few moments; the Healer even murmured a spell over his hand and read the runes which appeared in the air in front of him, obviously the results of whatever scan he had run. Harry felt embarrassed by all this attention, but he was also mad. He had not known the quill was a dark object, she had used it on countless students for Merlin sake!
"This scar is from a blood quill I expect?" The Healer asked. Harry silently nodded. "Who did this, and why." The Healer sounded supremely unhappy, as did Snape.
"Madam Umbridge assigned me a lot of detentions this year. She made me write lines in every one of them with the blood quill she had."
Snape looked livid. "Use of a blood quill has been illegal for over 50 years and has been banned as punishment at Hogwarts for longer than that. Why did you not let anyone know?"
"Do you really think it would have made much difference if I had?" The boy asked angrily. "She's the Undersecretary to the Minister and everyone thought me a liar! I didn't know she wasn't allowed to use it but there were quite a few things she did this year that weren't legal. If I had complained, she would have passed a decree to overturn my complaint and I would have still had to use the stupid thing. It definitely did not seem worth it, plus we all figured Dumbledore knew and I think everyone else kept their mouth shut because he didn't interfere when it was me, his supposed favorite." He finished his tirade a little breathlessly. He knew it wasn't fair to lose his temper at Snape, it wasn't the mans fault.
"Did you just say 'We" Harrison?" The healer asked.
"Yes sir, most of the Gryffindors had detention with her this year and I saw quite a few people with bandages and Murtlap Essence afterward. I am unsure if anyone else scarred though. I'm not real sure how many people from the other house either."
The Healer and Snape shared a look after which Snape said, "I will start the necessary investigations at the school."
"Good. Harry, use of blood quills on anyone is illegal. After everything is done here I will be sending you to the ground floor where the Family Healers offices are and they are gong to give you a full work up and document this." The Healer held up his hand to forestall any complaint on Harry's part. "This is necessary, lad, and I would really appreciate your cooperation."
When Harry still looked mutinous Snape put in his two Knuts worth. "If not for yourself, Potter, do this for the other students who she hurt. Not only will she most likely be sent to Azkaban, she will lose her ministry position and any bills she has written will be under scrutiny. You well know her stance on creatures and it is largely due to her influence that many discriminatory bills have passed in the last few years. This is not just about you." Well that convinced Harry. He knew Snape was exploiting his weakness for helping others and while it infuriated the boy, he new Snape was right.
"Fine. Freaking Manipulative Slytherin." Snape smirked in a triumphant way.
"Always." He said. "Now be still and let the man finish his scans but rest assured, Mr. Potter, you and I will be having a discussion about that mouth of yours when we get back to Hogwarts." Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
Healer Morris then continued his scan starting at Harry's belly button and slowly working his way up. When he finally reached Harry's curse scar the Healer nearly dropped his wand in shock.
"What is it?" Harry asked urgently although he had the feeling he all ready knew exactly what the Healer had found.
Healer Morris said, "If you'll excuse me for one moment I will be right back." Harry really did not like that response so he looked at Snape to see if he would be more forth coming.
"Your scar glowed a deep black when his spell ran over it. I have no idea what it mean, maybe the intensity of the dark magic residue. You could not see your body as he ran the scan but there seemed to be a faint grey film over your body as he moved his wand. I can only assume this signify's the residue from the possession." Snape looked worried and Harry could not blame him. Harry, of course knew the probable cause of all the residual dark magic was the soul piece Voldemort removed a few hours ago but the two men did not know this.
'Maybe I should tell them.' He thought briefly. If his scar had turned black, it must mean a mad amount of residual dark magic was residing, and Harry had no idea if Healer Morris needed to know about the soul piece in order to cleanse him properly. However, Harry really didn't understand the ramifications of this getting out besides the obvious fact that the ministry may see him as a threat should they find out. That could turn out very bad for him. The Headmaster would probably tell him to keep it to himself, but should he really care about what the Headmaster would want? The man had been keeping his own counsel this year and answers were never exactly forth coming at the best of times. If he waited to tell the Headmaster he may never know the significance of Voldemort's soul residing in himself. He wanted to know, no, needed to know all he could about this if he wanted to properly confront the Headmaster. The man had proven to him so far this year that he was willing to keep Harry in the dark, and the boy wasn't sure he could trust the old man to be completely honest with him.
Harry did know he had to be careful about who he divulged this information to, but even so, it was really time for him to start looking out for his own well being a bit. He made up his mind. If the two men needed to know he would tell them, but not before making them take an oath of secrecy, otherwise he would seek an explanation from the Headmaster first. If his answers left anything to be desired, well, then Harry would just seek his own answers.
A few minutes passed. Snape continued to stand next to Harry's bed, thinking intensely while tracing his lips with his index finger while Harry rose up slightly on his elbow and thought about the pros and cons of telling the Healer and Snape about the soul piece Voldemort liberated during the possession. The Healer finally came back in and proceeded to run his scan over Harry's scar again and then the scan which showed the runes. He stood for a moment reading them looking pale and unbelieving. He did a third scan and Harry's body glowed gold for a moment before flashing more runes. The Healer took a deep breath and finally broke the silence.
"I went a looked at a few books because, honestly I have never seen Residual Dark magic that concentrated or potent before. What I found was… disquieting. The second scan I did a moment ago told me, vaguely, what a darkness like that could indicate. He looked at Harry for a moment and Harry knew the man had an idea of what was going on. Shit.
"The Third scan told me the health of your soul, which is excellent by the way, and your magical core. It showed me something interesting. You have an immense amount of magic, quite a bit of which has only recently become available to you. Recently, as in within the last few hours." The Healer stopped and pierced Harrison with a look. "I think you should tell me about you possession know."
Harry thought for a moment and tried to hide his panic. The Healer almost assuredly knew about the soul piece, he wasn't going to be able hide this until he could speak with the Headmaster. "All right." He said hesitantly, "But before I do I think you should both take an oath to keep this secret. I…" Harry faltered a bit "I don't know any of the possible implications of what I am about to tell you but I know it's big and I would rather not take the chance of this becoming public knowledge."
Healer Morris did not seem surprised nor did he hesitate. "I, Cameron Sean Morris, do vow not to divulge anything of what I am about to hear to any person or entity without the express permission of Harrison James Potter. So mote it be." Snape studied Harry for a moment before giving his own vow. "I, Severus Tobias Snape, do vow not to divulge anything of what I am about to hear to any person or entity without the express permission of Harrison James Potter. So mote it be."
Harry told them everything.
He did not try to hide his emotions at all. At this point, it was futile. Thinking about it was one thing but having to speak of it as much harder then Harry had thought it would be. He told them every detail he could remember, every word spoken. Neither man made a noise as they listened to his narrative but Harry could tell it had affected them both. Snape had walked over to the desk and faced away from Harry about halfway through. The Healer was just looking at Harry wild eyed while shaking his head back and forth softly. The man had been shocked by the fact that he had been possessed by Voldemort as he hadn't known before, but his mouth was almost on the floor by the time he told him of the soul piece. By the time he was finished Snape had sat at the desk and was pinching the bridge of his nose and the Healer had pulled a book out of seemingly nowhere and was fully immersed in it.
"This makes so much sense." The Healer finally said. Harry and Snape both looked at the man questioningly. "I mean why he survived that night he tried to kill you, why he no longer looks human, and why he went insane. It is part of my job to know mind and soul magics. What he has done to himself is the darkest of dark. There is a name for an object which houses a piece of ones soul. It's called a Horcrux."
Snape closed his eyes tightly at the term and said, "I have only found one reference to that term in and extremely dark book and even that book refused to say too much on the subject. I take it you will explain?" The Healer nodded and continued.
"You have to spit your soul to make one and the only way to do that is to commit murder. A Horcrux is tied to its maker and while the Horcrux survives, so will the rest of the soul." Harry's eyes widened at that. "There is also a small ritual which must be preformed and an incantation to remove the soul and place it in a different vessel. I was unaware a sentient being could be used without the soul piece taking it over, especially after so long a time. Your magic seems to have protected you from its influence and contained it. Frankly, I am astounded you had enough magic to use a wand after constantly expending so much on unconsciously on protecting your own soul. You an immense amount of magic at your disposal now, young man, it will take a bit of time to get used to it." All three men sat in silence for a few minutes before the Healers voice was heard again.
"The problem is He-who-must-not-be-named did not mean to make you a Horcrux, as evidenced by his attempts on your life and his surprise when he found the piece depicted in your mind-scape. I think it safe to theorize that he made at least one before that night, and that is the reason he survived. His soul was all ready so mutilated, when the killing curse rebounded on him it broke off another piece which then latched on to the only other living thing in close proximity. You, Harrison." Harry could not even think strait at this point.
"So left me get this straight," the boy said. "Voldemort can't die if he has and of these Horcrux things out there right?" The Healer nodded once. "And he has at least one, in theory?' The Healer nodded his head again. "So he can't die, that is what you are trying to tell me." The healer let out a breath but it was Snape who answered him. "Yes, Potter." The man sounded tired. "How do you get rid of them?" Snape looked up, interested in the answer as well.
The Healer hesitated a moment before answering quietly. "There are only three ways. The maker can go to the horcrux physically, retrieve the soul piece, and reabsorb it. The maker can do a very complicated and dangerous ritual to retrieve it without having to go get the actual vessel. Both of these require the maker to want to reabsorb the soul piece. The only way anyone other than the maker can be rid of one it to destroy the vessel. The soul can not live with out it and so passes on." There was silence for a moment.
"Destroy the vessel." Harry asked breathlessly. He couldn't believe it meant what he was thinking. He had to have confirmation. "Are you saying that if he had not taken that piece out of me, there would have been no way to rid me of it? I would have had to, what? Sacrifice myself for him to die?" The Healer looked at him solemnly for a moment and said. "For him to die, you would have had to die as well, yes. " Snape propped his elbows on the desk and dropped his head into his hands.
Harry sat for a moment and then laughed quite hysterically. He rubbed his scar absently and said with no little bitterness, "I guess I'll have to send him a thank you note. When you think about it, he actually saved me from death. How ironic." Snape shot him a glare.
"I believe," said the Healer slowly "there is no use thinking of what could have happened. The fact is, you are no longer a horcrux, and you are alive and well so there is no need to be despondent. The dark magic still needs to be cleansed from your system, and I know the ritual I need. It will take only an hour from start to finish so I'm going to go prepare Room 2 for the ritual and I'll be back shortly." The Healer placed his hand on Harry's shoulder and bent down to look him in the eye. "You, young Harrison, are a lucky boy. I know it is hard to understand but it really could have been much worse. Get dressed, I'll be back in a moment" With that Healer Morris left the room.
Harry sat for a moment and then got up and dressed. He sat down in the chair beside the desk and tried to sort through his crazed thoughts. He should be thankful he was no longer marked for death, even if he hadn't realized how finalized it really had been. He wanted to be relieved he no longer carried a horrid piece of a madman's soul within himself. He did not have to become a martyr. Harry did not feel relieved though. He was very glad he had told the Healer and Snape, even if the man in black had not said more than a few words since he started his tale. He had gotten answers and he now knew why Voldemort had survived and how he had achieved his version of immortality. Harry felt knowledgeable but his also felt fear and anxiousness. There was really only one question he wanted answered right now but he was terrified of the answer. He turned to the man he knew who be honest, brutally so if necessary.
"Do you think he knew?" Snape looked up at him blankly. He seemed to be trying to regain his composure having lost it during the last conversation.
"Do you think Professor Dumbledore knew?" Snape's eyes unfocused for a minute seeming in deep thought.
"I honestly do not know, Potter. I am not sure what it means for you or me if he did, and to be honest I am hesitant to confront him for fear of finding he did." Harry nodded; this was exactly how he felt.
Both men continued to sit in silence, hoping against hope that Albus Dumbledore had not known about the Horcrux. Hoping he had not sat by and been content in sacrificing an innocent for the greater good of the wizarding world.