I typed and retyped this chapter at least three times now, my computer has not been saving them for some reason. Enjoy and as always please be kind to yourselves. :)
"I need you to watch him while I go send an owl"
"ok"
"if he should wake, just sit there and talk to him. Don't question him though- "
"I know the protocol James…" Robert sighs
"I know, I'm sorry it was a long night" James says as turns for the door.
Xxx
Severus strode into the castle through another side entrance, already missing the smells, sights and sounds of the forest, tranquility.
Back in his personal quarters he sets the few containers that he had collected on his worktop and grabs for a quill and ink well. Now that everything is labeled he places them in his private store room and departs for lunch in the great hall.
Upon arrival in the great hall Severus notices that the headmistress has not arrived yet, odd. She is usually here 20 minutes before everyone.
Plunging his fork down into a baked potato Severus takes a bite and replaces his fork to retrieve another one. As he sets his fork down he looks up at the stern and pale looking McGonagall who is maneuvering her way towards his end of the table. She notices him looking at her and makes eye contact. She approaches his seat
"we need to talk"
Severus inclines his head to the left where just outside the hall is an unused office. He gets up and leads the way, McGonagall closely follows. He opens the door and ushers her in. Shutting the door, he pulls out his wand and casts several warding and privacy spells and charms.
"What is this about Minerva?" he drawled lazily.
"did you not go and check on Potter?" she replied hotly.
"of course, don't take me as an idiot. I spoke to his aunt, she confirmed he was well- "
"leave it to you to not actually speak to the boy, you HATE HIM" she moves closer to him drawing herself up as tall as she could muster. Now staring him dead in the eye Severus did not understand what this was about. She reaches into her inner cloak pocket and thrust a scroll towards Severus' chest.
"if everything was alright then why did I receive this? I promise you on Merlin's beard that if something happened to that boy it'll be you who will be paying for it" she threatens.
Eyeing the letter and the unfamiliar script he reads:
Dear Headmistress,
My name is Hl. James McCarthy. Last night around 8pm London time I discovered a lost student of yours, Harry Potter. He appeared to my friends and I as distressed and potentially injured so we approached him. As mentioned previously, I am a healer (Hl.) as are my friends so we approached him and offered our assistance. When we spoke to him I felt something was off and took him into my care; he is very reluctant to speak let alone stay and I felt it best to contact you first as to where to go from here. I leave this letter vague purposely to protect young Harry. Please respond as soon as possible in order to arrange a meeting.
With warm regards,
Hl. James McCarthy.
Severus gnawed on his inner cheek wondering what the brat wonder did this time to land himself in trouble. He nodded at McGonagall and handed back the letter; keeping his accusations and theories of why the boy was in London to himself.
She huffed.
"I'm responding to this letter and when they arrive here with Mr. Potter I expect you to be present" she stated angrily, now turning for the door.
Xxx
Harry woke groggily to the sound of hushed voices.
"…be our strangest case, who would have thought- "
"I wish I could meet the muggles and- "
"shhhhhh don't wake him, imagine if James heard you speaking like this, he'd give you that awful snapping band hex."
Peeling back his eyes to the bright light, nothing is in focus but he sees the two blobs where the hushed voices were originating from. Things are still not clicking though, where was he? The men notice the slight movement behind them and quieted moving to work. Robert grabs for the calming draught and water as Tom makes a grab for the boys' glasses.
"good morning" Robert chimes.
"mornin'" Harry rasps. Robert smiles to himself, he thought the boy would be hoarse after a panic attack; he mixes the water and the calming the draught behind his back.
"you sound awful, here's some water" handing Harry the glass.
"thanks" Harry mouths in response.
Gulping down the entire cup Harry feels the sticky dryness in his throat disappear and a lightness come over him, he sighs in contentment.
"um, not to be a bother or anything but do you know where my glasses are?" He squints at the blob who just took the glass back.
A man to behind the first blob chuckles knowing that his friend made the right choice in giving the boy the calming draught.
"right here" Robert moves forward and places the glasses on the teens face.
Blinking at the now clear and focused scene in front of him, details of hours earlier and the night before bombard him. Uncle Dursley-Pub-Nosey Healers-Bruises-Salve-Carpet-Warm Arms? - nothing else…? He frowns at that last bit, why were there arms around him? Why were those arms so comfortable? Feeling the panic rise in him but unable to act on it he just chewed on his bottom lip nervously awaiting what was next to come.
"it's a gorgeous day out" Robert commented, motioning to the window.
Harry nods, not daring to take his eyes off of the men.
Tom tries again "you play quidditch right?"
Once again only a nod
"so did I, was in Ravenclaw. We made it all the way to the final game but it was snagged by Hufflepuff" Tom smiles reminiscing his schooldays. "I was a beater"
"neat" Harry says half heartedly
"what position are you?"
"seeker"
"I would have been lousy at that; you have to have amazing hand eye coordination for that. I could only hit the bludgers away because they are so big, I can't imagine finding that little bugger and trying to grasp it"
Harry gave a faint smile and nodded. The door clicked and Harry looked up not sure what he was expecting, the other two men just turning slightly to notice James stroll in hovering a large tray with four plates on it behind him.
"glad to see you awake Harry" he chirps happily showing a soft smile.
Setting the tray down on the small table he summons a clean pair of clothes for Harry and hands them to him.
"go get changed in the bathroom then you can eat ok?" he says.
Avoiding eye contact Harry grabs for the clothing wondering what happened to his old one and moves towards the bathroom, shutting the door quietly behind him.
"where did you find those clothes so fast?" Robert asked
"went into a quaint store just outside here, not in Diagon alley" he comments swiftly "I didn't feel like dealing with the hustle and bustle of that village. Just tiny shop one block away in muggle London."
"good idea, I'd hate to see him dressed like a house elf again" Tom quips solemnly, the other two men nodding in agreement.
"I'm assuming one of you gave him a calming draught?..."
Robert inclines his head "I thought it best to avoid the initial shock after what you told me last night. I mixed it with a glass of water. He was very groggy when he woke up, didn't seem to remember anything till after he had the solution and put his glasses on."
"Ok" James walks over to the window "I suspect we have a long day ahead of us, that potion won't last forever and he is still avoiding eye contact"
"I noticed that too" Tom adds "I know this has already been said but I'd love to know what those muggles did to make him so distrustful" he sighs.
James nods sadly
"a handful of horrors and then some" Robert crosses his arms, shaking his head "how long do you think we have to wait for a response?"
Harry peers into the mirror adjacent to him, not seeing any of the marks that had previously littered his body excluding some healing gashes and his beloved cuts along his arm. Did these men do this just to taunt me? He wondered.
Now naked Harry flipped through the clothes, they seemed new and in his size. Confusion and sickness rolled through him; why would that blond man do this and how was he ever supposed to pay him back, hell what did he want in return for these clothes? His mind races with the possibilities.
Pushing back the more negative thoughts he picks up the hole less, navy boxers and slips them on. They fit, maybe a centimeter too big but they fit. Now he hesitantly picks up the remaining dark blue jeans and light blue polo. They fit, albeit he did find the sleeves looked too big for his scrawny arms, arms that still exposed his cuts. Closing his eyes in anger he breathes out a heavy breath through his nose.
"alright in there Harry?" James questions through the door, knowing full well that the boy couldn't harm himself in there since he had placed a charm on Harry and the hotel room to alert him if Harry got any new injuries and if blood was spilt in there. Not a great charm but it was quick to cast unlike the more regular wards they used with people who self harmed that took upwards of an hour to cast.
"ya, fine"
He grabs for the socks and opens the door.
"do they fit alright?" James asks from his chair in front of the second small table that rested in front of Harrys' bed.
"good, come and eat, I have a potion that you need to take and some porridge with some fruit" James smiled down at the boy's plate. Something simple and easy to digest, he would have a nervous stomach among other issues with food judging from his weight and what he had witnessed last night.
The two other healers sat at the first table on James' bed not conversing but wolfing down their porridge. They had larger quantities Harry noticed, thankful his bowl was not nearly as full. James slid a vial his way
"I need you to take this, it's a nutrient potion" James states not wanting to elaborate yet as to why he needed it.
Frowning at the vial he downs it, not wanting to upset the men in front of him.
"There's a good lad" James quietly murmurs handing him a spoon "eat as much as you can"
Grabbing the spoon Harry delicately scoops a little and places his spoon in his mouth. Relieved at the bland taste, he didn't feel like upsetting his captors with his weak stomach. They ate in silence, James studying Harrys' eating behaviour. He finished a third of the bowl when he started playing with it.
"one more bite and then you can be done if you like okay" the blonde man pressed.
Harry made a heroic scoop and squinted his eyes shut, hating every moment of this. It was almost as bad as not getting any food at all.
