Disclaimer: Same as last time!
Chapter 4
The second Ron appeared back at the Burrow, he ran straight up to his parent's room. When he reached it, he started pounding on the door.
"MUM!!!! GET UP!!!! HARRY NEEDS-"Ron started but was stopped when his mum slammed open the door.
"Ronald Weasley! What is the meaning of this?" Molly said looking closely at her son.
"Harry's hurt real bad. Sirius is bringing him here." Ron said, leading his mum to the living room. George appeared in the fireplace and he immediately moved aside.
"Ron, get some blankets. George a bowl with cold water and a compress. Oh Merlin! Harry!" Molly Weasley said, seeing Sirius appear in the fire holding a very limp Harry.
"Set him gently here on the couch." Sirius nodded and set his godson on the large squishy couch. The fire flared up again, this time Poppy Pomfrey appeared holding a large bag, with what could be assumed to be potions and medical supplies. Fred appeared behind her, looking very pale.
"Move aside! Oh lord! He should have been taken straight to the Hospital Wing." The Mediwitch scolded as she started checking over him.
"Reprehendo pestifer" Madam Pomfrey said waving her wand. With that, a piece of parchment appeared and it seemed to be creating a list of some sort. Sirius glanced over and paled at what the list said.
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Patient: Harry James Potter
Date: July 17th, 1995
Injuries:
3 Broken Ribs
Punctured left lung
2 Cracked Ribs
35 Belt Welts
6 Broken Bones throughout right leg
9 Broken/Cracked/Fractured bones throughout right arm
Severe Malnutrition
Numerous cuts, bruises, scrapes, and marks covering 86 percent of said person's body.
Weak/Unstable mind and personality
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Sirius watched frantically as Poppy worked. He was going stir-crazy, not knowing what was being done. Suddenly it dawned on him that Remus didn't know what had happen.
"I'll be right back." Sirius said urgently, "Phoenix hold."
As soon as he landed at Remus's house, he rushed into Moony's room.
"MOONY GET UP!!" Sirius yelled, startling his old friend.
"What in Merlin's name is so important Padfoot!?" Remus said, sitting up and looking at Sirius's distraught face.
"It's Harry! I don't have time to explain, just meet me at the Burrow!" Sirius said quickly, and then exited the room.
As soon as the word Harry left Sirius's mouth, Remus jumped into action. He was ready to leave in two minutes, though he couldn't find his wand.
"Argh! I'll just come back for it. The Burrow!" He yelled, and then looked around at the Weasley's living room. Everyone was eerily silent and they were all staring at the couch. He couldn't see what was on the couch, as Madam Pomfrey was blocking his view.
"Padfoot? What's going on?" Remus asked softly.
"We, that is Fred, George, Ron and I went to go check and make sure that Harry was alright. Oh here," Sirius said, pausing to hand Remus his wand.
"Merlin, there about 12 different locks on the door. The room, it smelled so horrible, like stale blood. And Harry, oh lord, he was a mess. He..he passed out in the floo and well." Sirius trailed off, his eyes distant and confused.
After injecting several potions directly into Harry's blood stream, Madam Pomfrey stood up and started speaking.
"I've healed his broken bones. His arm will need to be in a sling for a few days though, while the sprains and fractures heal. I've applied salve and solutions to all his bruises and cuts, as well as the welts. His ribs shall be sore for a while, they were very badly broken. I've healed his lung; however it will be difficult for him to take deep breaths for a couple of days. I've given him some nutrition potions that should help give him the nutrients he needs as well as help him keep down solid foods. Right now however, he is in a deep coma."
At this point Sirius stepped back against the fire place, and closed his eyes in frustration. Remus was at a loss for words. Ron sat down and stared at his friend of four years. The twins looked at each other and both gazed upon their adoptive brother. Mr. Weasley, who had come in the room shortly after Poppy arrived, held his wife. Ron was the first to speak up.
"That's all, right? I mean after he wakes up, he'll be totally fine, right?" Ron said softly gazing up at Madam Pomfrey.
"Perhaps the young ones should leave the room…" Poppy began, looking at Mrs. Weasley.
"She's quite right. Off to bed now Fred, George, and Ron. No arguments! You may see Harry in the morning." Mrs. Weasley said sharply in a "no-nonsense" tone. She watched as all three grumbled and went up to their respective rooms.
"What couldn't you say in front of them?" Sirius asked suddenly, coming out of his spot on the wall.
"Even though after a couple of weeks, his physical injuries may heal, that will not be the case with his mental state. He was put through constant abuse and neglect. If he even wakes up-"
"If? IF? What are you saying? That he could be in a coma forever?" Sirius gasped, swaying a bit.
"That may be the case. His mind has been warped and damaged. He may not want to come back to us. If he's given up the will to live, then he will stay in the coma or die. We can only hope that he will want to stay living. But if he does come back to consciousness, there's no telling what kind of mental state he will be in."
At this point everyone had taken a seat and was trying to absorb this information. Remus stared at Sirius, who looked so lost at that point.
"When he wakes up," Remus said choosing his words carefully, so not upset Sirius more,"What can we expect?"
"Well, he'll probably flinch at every touch. For sure he'll have severe nightmares. He might not be interested in the activities that he used to enjoy. He will probably go into a state of shock, then depression. At this point, I don't think you want to know anymore. We should just focus on bringing him back." Poppy said tiredly.
"The best thing right now, is for all of you to get some rest. Tomorrow, you'll need to constantly reassure him that you want him back. In some cases like this, the victims can hear what is going on around them. I'll be back tomorrow to see if there has been any change. Right now, I'll leave some Dreamless Sleep Potion for all of you. I will also inform the headmaster of this. One thing you should know, if it had been any later, he probably wouldn't be in a coma, he'd be dead."
With that, she gathered up her belongings, leaving the Dreamless Sleep vials on the table. She then took her leave through the fireplace and back to Hogwarts.
"We'll leave you three be." Arthur Weasley said, as he took Molly and two vials of the potion upstairs.
"Remus? How could we have let this happen? This is James's son! How could we have failed Harry this much? Lord, we don't even know if he'll live." Sirius said, on the verge of a break down.
"I don't know Padfoot, I don't know." Was all that Remus could say, as he gazed at the broken boy in front of them.
Author's Note: Phew! Wow! That was intense! Thank you guys so much for reviewing and supporting me, it really inspires me to write more. So, thoughts, comments, questions on the chapter? Thanks to these new people for adding me to their respective lists:
theatrephunk, tribalranger, soniapotter, LadyClaire87, Phi ScarlaDraconia, Boxerdogtessa, and Fabi
Now to review responses!
Miss Kryptonite: Thank you very much, and I shall!
BrightFeather: You're welcome, and that will come eventually.
Tribalranger: Thank you and I hope you like this.
Elpin: First of all, thank you for the compliment. Second, to tell you the truth, I haven't much though of pairings. If there will be any pairings in the future, I'm not sure that they will be slash, as this is my first story, I'm not sure I'm ready to write slash. But I guess it's kind of a wait and see thing. And thank you again, it means a lot to me!
Yumi-wheeler: Thanks very much. I do believe that this one is a bit longer.
Well, thank you to you all. Everyone has inspired me to keep writing, and as long as there are supporters, I shall not give up! Thanks again, and please review with your input!