Disclaimer: I only own Death, Mort, Harriet Potter, and any other characters that are not created by J. K. Rowling. Everything, belongs to J. K. Rowling. Enjoy.
Chapter Five
The Healer
28th of July 1991
Death clung to the building's walls, the blood of thousands streaming across the hospital like a wave as they entered St. Mungo's Hospital. Harriet shivered, feeling Mort's hands digging into her shoulders as she walked towards the reception desk. Witches and Wizards in green hospital robes zoomed around the place like bees, popping out of rooms like daisies and scribbling things down on clipboards as their patients trailed behind them on flying stretchers. Harriet shivered. Although she had been immersed in the Wizarding World for almost over a month, the daughter of James Potter, couldn't help be slightly unnerved when she saw things magically rise and fall without a crane.
Andromeda stood in front of Harriet, the witch's dark hair covered by a hat, as the blood-traitor of the Black family stared down the receptionist. Tonks had jumped out of her skin earlier that morning when Mad Eye had Apparated in her bedroom, flinging curses around the room, pretending to be a Dark Wizard. What endured was a whole lot of swearing, bright green spells, and a very angry witch bellowing profusely at the Head Auror as she pulled on a robe. The two had left for an "Incredibly important mission," which from what Harriet had seen over the last few weeks, was primarily a time where Tonks got whipped into shape by her mentor as he sent spell across the room at her from various directions. He really was mad!
'How may I help you?' the Healer drawled, her eyes never leaving the thick bound book before her. Andromeda cleared her throat.
'My ward has an appointment with Healer Rose.'
The Healer looked up, her gaze settling on Harriet who was gawking at a plant that had somehow sprouted out of a man's throat. Mort elbowed her in the stomach.
'Name?' the Healer asked her, hand trailing down the register.
'Harriet Euphemia Potter,' Harriet said. The effect was almost every, for the Healer paused, her eyes widening when she raised her head again to look at the small imp-like girl. Her blue eyes glanced up to Harriet's forehead and then back to Andromeda.
'Um… Yes… Well,' the Healer stuttered, flicking faster through the thin pages. 'Ah… Here we go,'
She smoothed out the page with her wand.
'Right… Miss Potter, you are headed in the Harpy Ward on the Fourth Floor. Just pass the Janus Thickey Ward on the right, and it is right in front of you.'
'Thank you,' Andromeda said, before quickly snatching Harriet's hand and leading her up the stairs. Mort reluctantly followed.
Harriet couldn't help stare at the patients who the small group of two — well technically three but nobody could ever see Mort — passed. There was a man whose feet were trapped in two blocks of cement to stop him floating up the ceiling and a woman who couldn't stop talking in a strange chittering language, which reminded Harriet of the jingling tinkle of money. Witches and Wizards milled in and out of rooms, cluttering the hallway as floating baubles travelled above Harriet's head. Andromeda's grip in her tightened when people stopped and stared; their mouths open wide as they stared at the girl.
As the two entered the Harpy Ward, Harriet was immediately pulled over to another reception desk, and as Andromeda talked impatiently to the woman, Harriet's gaze wandered around the room. Having never stepped foot in a Muggle Hospital, let alone a Nurse's Office, the young girl had absolutely no idea what a Children's Ward was supposed to look like. It was relatively small, with light yellow and green wallpaper, which gave the room a kind of gentle feel. However, that feeling of safety was stripped away, to the horrible stench of disinfectant. Children, from around the ages of two to about sixteen, milled in and around the small room, hanging off their parents with various ailments.
The older ones stared glumly at the wall, ignoring their parent's nagging voices as they cradled a scaly hand or toad-like foot. The young children, no matter how ill they were, seemed to be determined to cause chaos wherever they went, and from the looks of things, had completely obliterated the stuffed animals and board games that littered the floor in various states of shock. Harriet winced, her hand reaching tightly to her satchel to where her cards and a thin book lay. Hopefully, she wouldn't have to interact with people; she couldn't bare the thought of having sticking fingers all over her things.
Thankfully, the receptionist of the Harpy Ward managed to find Harriet's name quickly, and after a strange look, Andromeda led the girl of eleven years to a plastic seat. The two sat very still, and as Harriet pulled out her book, she ignored the odd stare and gaping mouth that came her way. What had she done to receive such attention? It was like she was famous or something….
They didn't have to wait long, for as soon as Harriet had started to read her book, (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), a brown-haired Healer suddenly appeared by the girl's side. A thin clipboard sat in her manicured hand, and as she peered down at the young girl behind bespeckled eyes, Harriet couldn't help but shudder. Beside her, Mort watched the woman, his hand tightly wrapped around Harriet's wrist as he tried to pull his young charge into a protective hug.
'Miss Potter?' the Healer asked, checking her notes.
'Yes,' Harriet muttered, sharing a glance with Andromeda.
'Healer Rose will see you now. If you'd like to come with me,'
Rising to their feet, Andromeda, Harriet and Mort were led down a thin corridor. It seemed to take an age to reach Healer Rose's office, which by the time the two did, Harriet's legs hurt and she was beginning to get a stitch on her right side. The small group suddenly stopped outside a dark green door, and Harriet could just see, if she stood on her tippy-toes, a giant golden plaque. It sat above Andromeda's head, shining out for patients to understand.
Healer Elena Rose
Head Healer of Harpy's Ward for Children
Mediwitch
The Healer knocked on the door, her knuckles drumming a loud, deep sound against the wood.
'Ellie.' the Healer called. 'Miss Potter's here for you,'
'Send her in,' a voice called from behind the door, and Harriet blinked, startled at the thick Glaswegian accent that drifted from underneath the door. Smiling, the Healer opened the door and extended an arm inside Elena Rose's office.
'Well, then,' she said, indicating with her head. 'Healer Rose is just in there,'
'Thanks,' Harriet muttered and pushed herself inside, Mort following close behind her.
The room was quite small for a Head of Department and was barely visible behind the array of books stacked neatly along the walls. Books suck as, 'The Growth of Wizarding Children and their Cores,' and 'The Remedied for Broken Bones, Burst Lungs and Unhinged Minds for Children,' peered out at Harriet, egging her to read the strange looking tomes. Sitting behind a curved desk, hand quickly typing on an old-fashioned typewriter, sat Healer Rose.
She was short, with a brilliant array of red curls pulled loosely out of her face in a thick ponytail. A pair of large circular glasses sat on her head, the bridge holding back a few strands of hair. Like the rest the Healers, she was dressed in a thick green robe, however, unlike the other's, a large golden insignia was stitched onto the back, her name and role displayed for everyone to see under the image of what Harriet took to be a Harpy.
'Ah,' the witch said, turning to face Harriet and Andromeda as the door closed behind them. 'You must be Mrs Tonks and Harriet, please take a seat,'
Carefully, Harriet did as she was told, and slipped onto the stool in front of Healer Rose. Mort rested behind her, a skeletal hand pressing against her shoulder. Harriet smiled softly, catching her friend's creepy grin in the corner of her eye.
'Now,' the Healer responded, placing her glasses on her noes. 'When were you born?'
'Ninety-eighty,' Harriet said, and the girl heard the faint scratch of a quill as the Healer scribbled something down.
'Can I have the date and month, please?' Healer Rose asked, her glasses moving to reveal her eyes.
'The thirty-first of July,' Harriet muttered, her hand fisting her jumper.
Healer Rose suddenly paused, her back tightening. Mort's grip on Harriet's shoulder tightened slightly, and before Mrs Tonks could ask the teacher what was wrong, the Healer turned back to Harriet, a warm smile on her lips, quill and parchment in hand.
'July, the thirty-first, nineteen-ninety-eight, right.' Healer Rose paused, her quill balancing in her hand as she leant forward so that her eyes fixed on Harriet. 'Well, isn't that a coincidence - you'll be in my nephew's year. If you're looking for a friend, seek out Ciaran Rose, we're a large Clan, but not many of us are Wizards.'
'Oh,' Harriet said. She didn't really know what to say.
'Now, when was your last medical examination,' the Healer asked, hands clasped.
'Probably, before I went the Dursleys,' Harriet answered, truthfully. 'One of my teachers suggested I go to the opticians years ago, but I never went.'
'Really?' Healer Rose mused eyes narrowed. 'Well, then, I best start with that. Can you please come here,'
Hesitantly, Harriet approached the Healer, her eyes never leaving the thin wand that sat on the Witch's knee.
'Now, if you could just stand there, and remove your glasses, that would be great,' the Healer instructed, grabbing Harriet's arm and pulling her over to her left.
The Healer raised her wand as Harriet removed her spectacles, stuffing them into her pocket.
'I'm now going to shine a bright light into your eyes,' the Healer responded. 'It shouldn't hurt, but if it does, just tell me. All right?'
'What's going to happen?' Harriet asked.
'Well, a little number will appear above my wand,' Healer Rose smiled. 'It will range from one to ten, and depending on how high the scale is; I will be able to determine what type of lenses you need.'
'What if nothing comes up?' the girl asked, her eyes flickering to the wobbly image of Mort.
'Then you won't need glasses at all,' the Healer responded. 'Now, are you ready?'
The Witch sighed. It was a little strange to have someone poking around her eyes, but she assumed it was for a good cause, and after a moment's hesitation, she nodded.
'Good,' the Healer said, touching her wand to Harriet's temple. 'Now, the light will come on three. Okay? Right then - one, two, three.'
A bright light erupted around Harriet's vision, encasing her eyeballs in a sheen of white. Stunned more than afraid, Harriet stumbled back slightly, Healer Rose's grip the only thing holding her steady as she studded her eyes. It was strange, for Harriet could still see, but her vision was obstructed by a white blanket as if she saw everything in black and white. A faint flicker caused Harriet to look upwards, her gaze landing on a bright purple nine that floated right above her eyebrows.
'Well, Harriet,' Healer Rose said, dismissing the spell with a single flick, 'it looks like you're going to have wear glasses all the time. Can you pass me your old glasses, I want to see what prescription they are. I have a feeling they might be wrong; you're right eyes a little squint.'
'Is it?' Harriet asked, suddenly subconscious of her eye as she handed over her glasses.
'Not by much,' Healer Rose said, 'but don't worry, its something that can be fixed with glasses.'
The inspection seemed to take, and age and Harriet was beginning to wonder what was wrong, when the Healer turned around, a frown on her lips.
'What is it?' Andromeda asked.
'These glasses don't even have a prescription in them,' the Healer responded. 'They're plastic!'
She tapped them on the table, accidentally snapping them in half.
'No,' she breathed shaking herself slightly as she tossed the broken remains of Harriet's glasses into the bin. 'Those will never do.'
She rummaged around in her desk for a few minutes, taking her time to pull out various spectacles. Eventually, after what seemed like forever, Healer Rose lifted up a pair of rectangular lenses. She held them up, judging what they'd look like on Harriet's face. She grinned. After tapping them with her wand, and allowing the right prescription to drift into the glass, she handed the new and improved spectacles to Harriet.
'Try those,' she said, as Harriet slipped the black legs onto her ears. 'I think they'll suit you just fine.'
She felt the Healer's grip on her arm as she lead her to what Harriet assumed was a mirror. Elena Rose was right; the glasses did suit her. They framed her cheekbones, smoothing out her pointed face so that it looked more oval than diamond. Her eyes shined, and everything was clearer, much clearer, as if someone had smoothed the world and let everything gleam.
'Thanks,' Harriet breathed, but Healer Rose was already onto her next task. She waved her wand, and for a brief second Harriet's skin glowed a faint blue.
A strange holographic image of what Harriet assumed was her skeleton, was pulled up in front of her, and Healer Rose flicked her glasses down onto the bridge of her nose, peering at the image with thin eyes. Several bones were glowing a faint orange, and as Healer Rose inspected it, she hummed and tutted.
'Do you many bones have you broken?' she asked, pulling away. Harriet shrugged.
'Well,' Healer Rose said, 'according to this, at least nine. Some haven't healed properly, and they've set in odd angles.'
She breathed sharply through her nose.
'I don't like this, Miss Potter, not at all,'
Harriet suddenly felt small, and she curled her back, expecting a hit. But the thwack never came, and Harriet looked up, eyes watching Healer Rose who was staring at her with a worried look cast on her face. She knelt down, hands gently taking Harriet's palms.
'I'm not going to hurt you,' she breathed, eyes soft. 'I'm not even angry at you. I just feet awful that you've been hurt.'
She paused, eyes flickering back to the floating image.
'So,' she breathed, as Andromeda moved forward in her chair, suddenly interested, 'who abused you?'
Harriet squeaked.
The question was so brash, so blunt that she barely had time to conceal her emotions. She cringed, wishing she could take the sound back. It was apparent now, far more than she would have liked to have told anybody.
'My uncle, he was the one who broke my bones,' she breathed, turning away as Mort set his large, bony hand on her shoulder. Healer Rose frowned.
'And,' she breathed. Harriet began to tremble.
'My aunt - she liked to starve me. Said it would starve the freakiness out of me.'
Healer Rose took a sudden breath, and her eyes flickered to Andromeda who's eyes were burning. Her hands clenched and unclenched, gathering the folds of her bright green dress in her grip as she began to breathe deeply.
'Thank you,' Healer Rose said, giving Harriet's hands a squeeze. 'Thank you,'
She rose, heading back to her desk. Andromeda appeared behind Harriet.
'You never said,' the woman muttered, 'or at least not to the full extent.'
Harriet shrugged.
'I'm used to people not caring,' she whispered. 'I guess I thought you wouldn't either… So I didn't tell you,'
'Oh, Harry,' Andromeda breathed, wrapping her arms tightly around Harriet's shoulders and giving her a warm hug. 'Neither, I nor Ted, or even Nymphadora, would ever stop caring. It might have been a few weeks, but you, missy, are well ingrained into our family, and our hearts. You can tell us anything.'
Harriet closed her eyes, suddenly grateful that Mort's hand was on her. She could trust him; he would never leave her.
Healer Rose looked up, bottles in hand.
'Now, Mrs Tonks,' she said, and Andromeda looked up, quickly wiping away the tears that had fallen down her face. 'These are two very important potions. One is for malnourishment,'
She shook the bottle in her right hand, and Harriet cringed when it glowed a sickly green.
'The other is for strengthening her bones,' she shook that one too, and it glowed blue in her left hand. 'I have written a prescription, and you must hand it into reception on your way out. They will give you the necessary dosage.'
She pressed the bottles into Andromeda's hands.
'They must be taken at every meal, three times a day, and in order. So that's the green bottle and then the blue one.' she looked to Harriet, giving her a small smile. 'Once your prescription, is up, then see me again. I'm afraid there isn't much time to look over the rest of your ailments, past or otherwise.'
She gave Harriet a small wink, and the girl giggled. She looked back at Andromeda, face serious.
'Feed her light things, such as toast and soups, until she can eat richer things. Wait about three weeks before giving her a roast,' Andromeda nodded. 'Oh, and another thing, I would like to monitor Harriet for the next few years, just to check everything is going all right,'
She paused.
'Is that okay with you Mrs Tonks?'
Andromeda nodded.
'How do you know I won't be sent back to the Dursleys,' Harriet said, blushing fiercely when the Healer fixed her eyes on her. Healer Rose smiled again and pushed her glasses back onto her head.
'I have a feeling, that once the Wizengamot sees my report, the Dursleys' will be locked up for a very, very long time,'
Harriet paused, wondering to smile. She sure hoped so. Mort's hand curled around her, his long fingers digging tightly into her neck. Mort kept his hold on the little witch right up until they left St. Mungo's, his desperation to leave strong against the wind.
Death closed his eyes. Hopefully the Wizengamot would be kind — hopefully, Albus Dumbledore wouldn't twist Harriet's words. He grinned as Andromeda and Harriet walked ahead, a little thought piercing his mind with clarity. Maybe it would be a good idea to give Albus Dumbledore a short visit. He grinned, his mind flickering to the body of a young, silvery-haired girl — a girl, he had helped guide to the Underworld many, many years before.
Death drew up his scythe, lifting the long instrument so that it leant on his collarbone and before Harriet could turn around, disappeared in a cloud of black shadows.
Dear Readers,
Sorry, this chapter took so long, and that it was concise, I was a little puzzled what to do with Harriet. The next few chapters may take some time as I'm in Spain and have not internet but fear not, I have the following few chapters planned, right up until Harriet gets onto the train at Platform Nine and Three Quarters. I hope you'll look forward to it.
I cut my finger open this morning, slit it at the corner of my nail. It bloody well hurts. I was only trying to cut myself some bread! Last night I also cut my fingers on glass. Seriously, I'm as bad as Tonks! Uhhh! So if there are any spelling mistakes, I'm sorry. Two fingers, all on my right hand, are out of action right now — good thing I'm a lefty otherwise I'd find it challenging to write….
I don't really know what to say right now, other than, I hope you had a wonderful week, and I hope you liked the chapter.
See you soon,
Lily
