A/N: As always my thanks to Jessara, Bronte's Mum and Anthot Formient. Also thanks to all who reviewed, as well as those who came up with names for Healer Darvin.
To RedRoses2-chan: The changes are his way of blocking out all the bad things that happened to him. Hopefully it will become clearer in this chapter. Hope you like it.
To harryptaxd204: Thank you for your review and your name suggestion. Will reveal name chapter after next.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and his world, they belong to J. K. Rowling and I thank her for them every day. Healer Darvin, however is all my own creationChapter 10. Aftermath
Studying Hermione's face, a look of concern crossed Darvin's own. He abruptly left the room, returning shortly with Rosemary and Phillip Granger. They looked more than a little worried as they took in the scene before them. Darvin meanwhile had gone over to Hermione; he dropped down in front of her, placed his hands over hers and then looked into her young face.
Speaking quietly and gently "Miss Granger! He paused "Hermione! I know all of this is quite a shock for you. Please believe me when I say the situation is not hopeless. I am very sorry but I am sure you will understand that some decisions and arrangements for Harry and his aunt must be made immediately." She was gazing back at him with an unfocussed stare.
He stood up again and turned to address Rosemary and Phillip Granger. "Mr. and Mrs. Granger, I am afraid that I must ask you to take on not one but two houseguests. Harry certainly cannot return to Privet Drive, as he will require constant care during his illness. I must also ask you to take in Petunia Dursley as well, now that Harry has a very strong emotional attachment to her."
Wondering what on earth had happened, Phillip and Rosemary looked at each other then at their tear-stained daughter's face. "Yes! We have noticed the way Harry looks at Mrs. Dursley. Of course, she is most welcome to stay if it will help Harry." Rosemary replied warmly.
Just then Hermione leapt from the chair and nearly bowled Darvin over as she flung herself into the waiting arms of her mother who hugged her tightly. After a few minutes she turned back to Darvin, wiping away a few lingering tears. "So how do we help Harry?" she asked getting the words out with difficulty.
Darvin looked around the anxious faces. "Very well. This information comes from the Muggle specialist that I consulted. Harry was right about it being a Muggle illness. But even amongst the Muggle population it is very rare." He paused as though choosing his words carefully.
" As I said before it is known as Conversion Disorder but is also known as Hysterical Paralysis. It is not usually so complete, most sufferers only lose the use of one limb or two at the most. However it does seem to strike in adolescence to early adulthood. According to what I have been told, Harry seems to be a classic case. While it normally occurs after a single traumatic incident, I believe that Harry's mind is so strong that it took several traumas to trigger such a powerful response. It is entirely possible that being a wizard may have caused the effect to be even more intense.
The good news is that in normal circumstances the worse the effect, the less time it takes to recover. It can sometimes be only a matter of days. But, let me be blunt, these are not normal circumstances. As far as I know there has never been another case of this in the wizarding world.
Unfortunately, Muggle opinion on treatment seems to vary. Harry's physical needs are simple, plenty of good food, lots of rest and relaxation. As to his mental needs, I believe that Harry himself may have already pointed the way and that we will have to rely on him for further clues. He has already shown us who he trusts and they will ultimately hold the key to getting him back. At the moment, it is apparent that they are Hermione, her parents and Petunia Dursley."
It was Phillip Granger, who finally broke the stunned silence that had once again permeated the room, "What makes you think Harry trusts us? He doesn't even know who we are."
"Harry's letter" Darvin replied. "Also the fact that despite what you originally told him about being from the authorities, you haven't separated him from his believed mother. Furthermore, you have clearly treated both of them with kindness. So continue with that and he will continue to feel happy and secure."
From somewhere down the hall, a grandfather clock struck five. Hermione looked stricken "Professor Dumbledore, I promised Mrs. Dursley that we would get her back before the rest of her family arrived home."
Dumbledore became business-like, "Leave that to me to sort out, Miss Granger, I need to speak to Mrs. Dursley anyway. I believe she will need to use the telephone and she will need some paper to write a letter. Mrs. Granger, if you wouldn't mind keeping Harry company please, while I speak to her, I'll try not to be too long."
"I'll send her along presently and please call me Rosemary, Professor, since I expect we will be seeing a lot of you while Harry is here." He smiled at her as she left.
"Now is there anything else we need to know, Darvin?" Dumbledore asked.
"Yes, there are several things that I would like to discuss concerning how to care for Harry. I will entrust these instructions to Miss Granger and put her in charge of carrying them out. Mr. Granger I would like to discuss a couple of specific matters with you as well please."
Phillip looked curiously at Darvin as he continued. " Dumbledore, do you want to talk to Petunia Dursley about Harry or do you want me to?" When Dumbledore shook his head, he continued, "As you wish, but go carefully, if you upset Petunia then you upset Harry. Remember this has all been a big shock for her too."
A short time later, there was a knock on the door and Phillip went to open it. Petunia Dursley stood in the doorway looking terrified and clutching a pen and paper "Good! Please come in and take a seat Mrs. Dursley" Dumbledore said more kindly than he felt.
"I'll look in again before I leave, Dumbledore" Darvin said as he followed Phillip and Hermione out of the room.
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"Please I swear! None of my family, did anything to Harry!" came a shrill high-pitched voice as soon as the door closed. "I put the food on his plate personally and I took him out for a walk everyday. We even let him off his chores." Petunia glanced nervously at Dumbledore before saying quickly, "Please can I go home now, I promise not to tell Vernon and Dudley where I've been and what's happened to Harry."
Dumbledore let out a long steadying breath, before he crossed the floor slowly, took Petunia's arm, and then gently guided her to one of the comfy chairs. He sat down in the other chair and placed his fingertips together as he contemplated the woman opposite him.
"Mrs. Dursley, what time do you expect your husband home from work and where is your son at the moment?"
Hesitating she replied, "Vernon usually gets home at 6.30 and Dudley is with Piers Polkiss at his house. Why do you ask?" Her voice rose yet another notch. "Has something happened to them?"
"Nothing has happened to them. What time were you expecting Dudley home?" he continued calmly.
"By the time Vernon gets home, but why do you need to know?" she almost shouted in frustration.
"Harry is quite ill and he wants you, Mrs. Dursley, to be here with him, until he gets better." He knew as he uttered those words that they probably wouldn't convince her, but he didn't want to threaten her unless he really had to.
Despite her fear she laughed "You're as mad as he is, Harry couldn't possibly want me to take care of him, now he is in his friend's house. Yes! I realize now Hermione is one of Harry's school friends and her parents are not from the authorities. Did you send them to kidnap me?" The strain of the day's events was now showing quite clearly.
As Dumbledore started to protest, Petunia pressed on. "Well, I got Harry to come here, he's your responsibility now." She got up to leave practically tossing the pen and paper at him as she did so.
"Mrs. Dursley, I tried to ask you nicely to stay, now I am telling you. I cannot allow you to leave; if you go it will leave Harry defenseless. I can't believe that you hate him and what he represents so much, that you would want him dead."
She turned to face him, her expression hard to read. "You're trying to scare me into staying?" She was quite sure he was capable of this, as he had warned and threatened her only last summer.
"NO! Not at all, just trying to help you understand the situation." Dumbledore's calmness faltered. "But you haven't answered me, do you really want to see your last blood relative dead?" his eyes fixed on her face.
A sudden picture of Harry smiling up at her from the blanket that morning, quietly thanking her for helping him, came unbidden into Petunia Dursley's mind. 'No! She didn't want him to die.'
"All right! I certainly don't want to be blamed for his death," she said reluctantly sitting back down.
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"Very well, take this pen and paper." He handed them back to her before continuing. "Write a note to your husband, explaining that Harry expressed a desire to visit his friends sooner than usual and that he will probably return after his birthday. As you didn't want to antagonize his friends, you thought it best to let him go. As to you, I suggest you tell him that you were suddenly called away to visit a former school friend who is sick and you are not sure how long you will be staying. I am sure that the Grangers will allow you to use the telephone later, just to confirm you arrived safely."
He went on, "Once you have written that, I will have it delivered to your home. We'll have to hurry to make sure it gets there in time. Where should we leave it?"
She looked up nervously, from trying to write down what he had said.
"I suppose stuck to the oven door, would be best, that will be the first place Vernon will head for. What about Dudley?"
"As soon as you have finished the letter, ask the Grangers if you may use the phone to contact Dudley. It would be best if he stayed with his friend until your return. If you will excuse me for a few minutes I have a couple of things to attend to and then I will see to your letter."
He left the room and found Darvin, Hermione and Mr. Granger at the dining room table.
"Hermione may I see you for a minute, please?" He beckoned to her from the doorway.
"Is there another room downstairs I can use where I won't be interrupted? She nodded and took him to a small room on the other side of the stairs. It looked like a sewing room. Before she closed the door he said "If all goes well, expect a knock on the front door in around thirty minutes."
Once inside he contacted the twins at Mrs. Figg's via his mirror, explaining what he wanted done. Then he went back to get Petunia's letter, finally he slipped out the front door and disappeared with a loud pop.
During Dumbledore's absence, Hermione had grabbed a quill and parchment and written a letter to Ron and his family. She had decided that it was best if she addressed the letter to all of them to try and stem the inevitable response. Darvin had been very understanding about what to tell Ron as Harry's other best friend. However he had thought it best to give Harry some time to settle in at the Grangers first, and then assess the situation in a few days time.
Despite this Hermione felt a pang of guilt and genuine regret that she had to lie to the Weasleys. But Harry's letter had asked her not to tell any of his friends and Hermione knew that the real Harry would not want anyone else to see him like this.
It was not an easy letter to write. She had barely finished it and got back to the hallway to wait for Dumbledore, when a familiar loud popping sound signaled his return.
Dumbledore set a small suitcase down in the hallway as he stepped back inside. Hermione was there to greet him and delivered her report, "Mrs. Dursley has organized Dudley to stay where he is, and she's back outside with Harry. Mum's making dinner, Dad's organizing the rooms and Healer Darvin is waiting in the sitting room for you."
Quickly she added "Professor Dumbledore, I wonder if you would mind delivering this letter to Ron and his family, please. It's just that I'm not sure how to explain to Harry if I use Hedwig again."
Dumbledore smiled and, almost to himself, said, "Yes. You're probably right about Hedwig and it will save a lot of time and possible trouble." Then focusing on Hermione again, "I will be happy to deliver your letter, Miss Granger."
"Thank you," Hermione responded handing over the small rolled up piece of parchment to him. Then, noticing the suitcase. "Is that for Mrs. Dursley?" When he nodded, she picked it up " I'll put it in her room."
Dumbledore entered the sitting room. As soon as he had closed the door, Darvin began "Dumbledore, I have asked Miss Granger to write a letter telling Harry's friends the cover story we worked out, giving a reason why Harry is here. For it to work I am afraid I will have to ask you to stay away from Harry for at least the next few days. You can make whatever arrangements you wish about guarding Harry, but under no circumstances should he see the guards."
Dumbledore was taken aback at being told he couldn't talk to Harry or even go near him. He was obviously not used to being given orders, especially where Harry was concerned.
Noticing this Darvin, as though he knew what Dumbledore was feeling, said kindly, "If you want to check on him, go now before they have dinner while he is still outside and occupied. I suggest you take a look through the dining room doors then leave. Don't worry I will be here every day to work with him and I will keep you informed of what's happening. Now I really must be leaving too, as I will need to make some arrangements with St. Mungo's about time off."
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Before he left, Dumbledore did look out on the young man sitting in the wheelchair, which was parked next to several rosebushes. Hedwig was perched in a nearby tree and there seemed to be several roses lying on Harry's lap. Crookshanks was at the side of the chair, playing a game of pat the roses and it looked as though some of them were in imminent danger of falling on top of him. Harry was smiling and saying something to Hermione who was smiling back.
As he watched that innocent scene, Dumbledore without realizing it, had put his wand arm against the glass and his forehead was now resting on it. He straightened up and as he did so, he made a silent vow. 'Harry, whatever it takes, I promise to give you the time you need. I do not intend to fail you again.'