Diagnosis
A/N: I know that it's been a while since I updated, but I hope that you enjoy this chapter. I hope that the time skips don't bother you to much; I needed time to move ahead.
Also, I apologize if the horcrux scene isn't entirely as it was in JKR's books, I just summarized what I remembered from the book.
'written by Harry.'
"spoken aloud"
/parseltongue/
Chapter 20: Three Weeks
Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the Potter verse.
Warnings: Discussions of child abuse and scenes of a mild sexual nature.
..:..
Harry's POV
Harry awoke to the sight of the sunlight shining into the window of his Gryffindor dormitory. Nothing made him more ready to greet the day than seeing the sunlight in the morning. It truly was a sight to behold. He pushed the hangings on the four-poster bed open and reached for his glasses that were on his bedside table and placed them onto his face. He could now see the world around him much clearer.
Harry got dressed and then got out his supplies for cleaning his scar and the plaster to put atop of it and went into the loo to have access to the talking mirror, so that he could see how well his scar was healing up. He pulled off the plaster with a wince and threw it into the bin.
The area where his lightning-bolt scar had once been now had a healing scab where once red and inflamed and sometimes a bloody area had been was now healing up nicely. He estimated that by the end of the week his scar would be healed up enough to stop bandaging it and putting salve on it. He would ask Professor Snape tonight for his opinion but was confident that this were the case.
He got out his daily medication and after retrieving Brian from his tank, he made his way down for breakfast. He took note while doing so that today would also be the day that he decreased his prednisone to one tablet three times a day. This would be his maintenance dose throughout the duration of his chemotherapy.
He sat down beside of Hermione Granger, one of his best friends for the past five years and greeted her with a smile and a written hello on his tablet of paper.
Today Harry had decided to forgo his hat for the day. The rest of the school had had the necessary time to prepare for seeing him with a bald head and their was nothing wrong with his appearance, or so proclaimed Draco and his chemotherapy team anyways. Sure he usually kept his head covered at all times, but today he was trying to go for a new look. Both on the way down to breakfast and at the present time some of the more rude students stared, but they were always gossiping about something concerning his appearance, so to hell with it. He wondered what they'd think if they saw him without a hat covering his lightning-bolt scar and that it would soon be gone. The reporters would have a field day.
He had cast a notice-me-not charm on the plaster covering it so that they would not ask to many questions and went about his business.
"You look great today Harry," said Hermione noticing that he was bold enough to go without a hat today. She supposed that it'd be alright since they had no outside classes today nor did they have potions in the cold dungeons. "How does it feel without your hat Harry?"
'It feels kind of odd with the cool air on my bald scalp, but I think that in the spring if I'm still going through the potions regimen I'll forgo the hat all together. On days when I'm going to be in a cool environment I'll wear a hat, but other than that, I'm honestly growing confident with my chemotherapy altered appearance so I will only wear the hat when it suits my fancy.'
"You're really brave Harry, do you know that?"
'How is this brave? My hat sometimes slips off at odd times when my head gets to sweaty or I'm snogging Draco.'
Harry smiled as Hermione burst out into laughter.
"Harry you're hilarious. Now I know why you're going without the hat today, so that you can get in some quality time with Draco. I see how it is. But about you being brave, it's not the hat thing, instead it's how you just keep on fighting through this whole cancer thing like it's nothing."
'If you say so.'
Harry reluctantly spooned some baked beans and potatoes onto his plate. He was determined to eat some food since his stomach was not currently nauscious from the chemotherapy draft as today was Monday morning. He took a bite of his baked beans and chewed mechanically. The food tasted good, but he had grown accustomed to not being able to enjoy his food due to the nearly constant nausea, but today he had to adjust to having a good day.
He got out his morning meds after finishing his all-be-it small plate of food and took them with his glass of pumpkin juice.
'Did you finish that DADA essay Ron,' asked Harry when Ron had approached the breakfast table with Lavender in toe.
"Yeah, I had to finish it up this morning with a bit of help from Lavender. That's why Mione and you beat me to breakfast."
Harry chuckled hoarsely.
'I figured that something out of the ordinary had to be keeping you occupied for you not to be here. Plus you were already up when I awoke this morning which is definitely odd. Usually Neville and I have to wake you up.'
"Where's your hat mate?"
'I decided to go without it today. I'm feeling really good today and I'm not even feeling nauscious.'
"That's great mate," said Ron slapping Harry on the back. "Do you reckon that you're having a good day? It's something that happens to cancer patients sometimes, they just feel really good or really bad for no apparent reason on somedays. At least that's if you trust what Mione has shared with us about cancer patients."
'Who's she talking to about what she knows about my illness?'
"Just the Ministry five. She said that she wants us to be prepared for how you're handling things and the toll that the illness can have on you. She's honestly not going all super-research demon on us so I'm grateful for that."
'Yeah, she hasn't drug me off to learn more about it I guess. That's a good sign right?'
"I reckon so."
..:..
Harry's POV
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting in the library later that evening when Harry had tried to talk about Remus and where he was currently residing. All of the sudden a shiver of fear crept up his spine when he could no longer recall the address of Sirius's old house. This couldn't be good. Did the Secret Keeper change or something? Dumbledore had mentioned changing the Secret Keeper but Harry had sort of thought that it would take longer to go through the process of finding a suitable candidate. However it would appear that this wasn't the case.
'Hermione do you remember the address of the Order of the Phoenix?'
Hermione's face scrunched up in thought. "No I can't remember it. It's as if all of the details of the house have left my mind. I can remember that there's an Order of the Phoenix and that they had a headquarters but not where it was, the name of the location, nor what the house looked like. It's strange. Do you suppose that Dumbledore has given up his duties as Secret Keeper?"
'Yes actually,' wrote Harry. 'When Hestia was tortured she was able to give Voldemort some information about the Order but not much. All of it was not given up of her own free-will of course. He asked me if I'd do it since his health and magic were ailing him and I told him that I couldn't take on the duties because of my own poor health. I kind of figured that we were sort of fucked having our main leader and the Boy-who-lived both possibly terminally ill at the same time.'
"Who do you think it is?"
'I don't know, it could be anybody really.'
Harry got out a piece of parchment and wrote a note to the Headmaster asking him about the latest news and asked who the Secret Keeper was sending it off with Hedwig who had mysteriously appeared a few minutes ago.
"What were you saying about Professor Lupin again Harry," asked Ron.
'I spoke to him this weekend, he's doing fine, off on some mission for the Order having to do with werewolves.'
"Oh. Did you tell him about your…cancer," asked Ron hesitant to broach the sensitive topic.
'Yes. He took it pretty well. Said he'd like to visit me sometime. I asked him to send me some winter hats to keep my head warm as winter approaches.'
"That's neat. Not that we mind how you look now…or anything," said Hermione gingerly. "Did you talk to Draco yet today?"
'Yeah. Spent some time with him in the Room of Requirement during our free period,' wrote Harry with an impish grin.
..:..
Harry's POV
On Friday at lunchtime, Harry finally got a note from the Headmaster. He knew that the man was a busy wizard, but honestly he was beginning to wonder if a response was coming at all.
He unrolled the parchment and read:
Dear Harry:
Come to my office this evening after your Muggle radiation. I've cleared it with Severus to have your chemotherapy draft bumped back an hour so that we can meet. My password is cockroach clusters.
APWBD.
Harry made his way down to potions class after burning the letter. The weather had grown progressively colder as the week went on, so Harry had taken to once more wearing his hats unless he and Draco were indulging in some making out and light petting. Draco had confided in Harry that he found him incredibly sexy without his hat, but due to the chill he had to keep his head covered most of the time to prevent him from catching a cold.
A few minutes later found Harry and Hermione in potions as partners brewing an antidote to the blood boiling poison. It was a complicated draft to brew as Severus had warned the students. Harry stirred the potion as Hermione handled the ingredients. Severus and his healer had recommended that Harry not handle any ingredients to prevent him from getting sick with his lowered immune system. Harry had to brew the potions and attend herbology whilst using a bubble-head charm to prevent him from catching anything since his immune system had dropped this week due to the chemotherapy draft.
Time passed as the trio attended classes and Harry and Draco attended his muggle radiation session which had Harry feeling as if he had been run over by a truck.
Before Harry knew it, he was sitting in the Headmaster's office with Arthur and Albus. Ron and Hermione were summoned to the office and the three of them were told by Arthur where the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix was located. This had come as a surprise to Harry that Arthur was the new Secret Keeper. But he was glad for it as Arthur knew how to keep a secret and the man was trustworthy to a fault. After they had taken some tea and biskets, the three students were dismissed.
Harry said his goodbyes to his friends and made his way down to Severus's quarters and his private office. Draco met him outside and Harry said the password to gain entrance.
Harry sat down on the bed with Draco coming to the bedside and sitting in a chair. "Harry are you ready to have your potions?"
'Yes sir.'
Severus brought over the purple potion in a beeker and pricked Harry's finger, dripping in a drop of blood into the mixture. It turned red and Severus drew up the Celmosphocide into the special syringe. After flushing the port, he administered the potion.
A wave of dizziness came over Harry and he clutched Draco's hand like a lifeline.
"Just lay back and relax Harry," said Severus seeing that the Celmosphocide was taking it's toll on the boy.
Harry and Draco talked as Severus hooked up the anti-amedic.
Severus deciding to give the boys some privacy left the room after he had set the flowrate on the infusion pump after reassuring Harry that he'd be back when it was time to administer the Todesgefahr.
After the door closed, Harry looked into Draco's eyes lovingly and said hoarsely, "Do you know how beautiful you are?"
"Not half as beautiful as you Har."
"Don't be silly. I look ridiculous with this plaster taped to my forehead."
"But it'll be over and done with tomorrow, Severus already told you earlier that you only needed to apply the salve once more and then it'd be healed by tomorrow. Are you excited about no longer being a silly scarhead any longer?"
"Yes but I'm nervous about how my adoring fans will take the news. The scar has sort of been part of the package you know. It'll be awkward to look in the mirror and have an unblemished forehead."
"Yeah," said Draco noncomitably, deciding that their was no need for further conversation when their time could better be taken up with some snogging.
Draco bent his head to Harry's lips and their lips locked. Harry opened his mouth readily as Draco sought entrance with the tip of his tongue.
Harry explored Draco's teeth, tongue and the roof of his mouth with his tongue. Their lips and tongues meshed together as their passion grew. Their tongues battled for dominance and Draco won the battle swiping Harry's tongue aside as he continued the kiss. He could not get enough of Draco. Everything about the blond was perfect, from his blond tresses to his grey eyes to his toned bum.
When the two finally broke for air, Harry said, "Take it easy Draco and watch my line. We don't want it getting tangled up and beeping alerting Severus to what we're getting up to."
"You're right, but that's not going to stop us from having fun now is it," said Draco huskily.
..:..
Harry's POV
The following Tuesday found Harry and Draco sitting in the Room of Requirement having a companionable time with one another. Harry had invited Draco on a date in the ROR where he had prepared chicken parmesan with garlic bread.
"This tastes really good Har. I didn't know that you were such a good cook."
'Yeah, it's no big deal, I cooked for my Aunt and Uncle all the time growing up.'
"All the time?"
'Yes. They are a beastly lot and lazy to boot. My Uncle and Aunt neglected and occasionally physically abused me as a child. I cooked all of the meals from age six until now.'
"Are you serious? I know that you told me a few weeks ago that they were not nice to you, but to have you being their bloody house elf for Merlin's sake. That's…preposterous! They should go to Azkaban for child abuse. Does anyone know about this besides me?"
'Madame Pomfrey and the headmaster. He and I had a falling out about how they treated me but he's doing a much better job as my magical guardian now that he's dying. And they're muggles, they can't go to Azkaban.'
Oopse! He was not supposed to reveal that information. He had really gone and done it now hadn't he?
"He's dying, from what?"
'I don't know, he won't tell me.'
" Back to our discussion of your relatives, how could you have forgave the headmaster after he kept your abuse quiet for all these years?"
'I don't know. I guess I just want to see the good in people you know.'
"You haven't forgave them for abusing you have you?"
'My relatives, I think not. But they've been treating me better, not hitting me as much and feeding me once a day since I started working last summer.'
"Once a day," screeched Malfoy indignantly. "A house elf can't survive on as much!"
'Drop it Draco please. I don't like to talk about what they did to me and how it makes me feel as it brings up old memories, and not the good kind either.'
"Okay."
And with that, their conversation turned to a stereotypical conversation about the Quidditch league and who might wind up playing in the next Quidditch World Cup.
After they had finished their meal and drank their pumpkin juice, Draco and Harry sat down on a nearby divan that appeared. Harry had required the divan so that the two could spend some time snogging before Harry had to go to hospital for more radiotherapy. He was glad that he only had two more weeks of radiation to go after this week was over.
Harry strattled Draco's hips as the blond had lay down on the divan for Harry to dominate him. They had discovered that they both liked to share the positions, that being who was the dominant and who was the submissive in the situations and apparently Draco wanted to bottom today.
Harry lightly kissed the blond then prodded his lips with his tongue to open up. Their teeth clashed together as they kissed. Harry sucked on Draco's tongue and Draco's hips bucked in response. Draco apparently liked this as his member sprung to attention.
Harry unbuttoned Draco's shirt and took it off, throwing it to the floor. He kissed Draco's chest then took one of the blonde's nipples into his mouth, sucking on it watching on in pleasure as the other nipple grew hard. He continued to suck and lick the slightly sore bud as he teased the other nipple. He came back up and started kissing Draco passionately. He ground his hips together with Draco's creating friction. After they continued for a while but refrained from removing each other's trousers and undergarments, they stopped, breath quick from the excersions.
"Did you like that babe," inquired Harry hoarsely.
"Yes Har. You're welcome to take control of me anytime you like."
..:..
Harry's POV
On Friday evening, Harry sat in the headmaster's office listening to the headmaster share more of Lord Voldemort's past. He shared with Harry about how Riddle having been unable to find a job shortly after graduating from Hogwarts had come applying for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post. Albus wisely having refused the man who had already begun to dabble in the dark arts given his facial features had sent the man away emptyhandedly.
He told Harry of how Lord Voldemort being denied what he so desperately wanted had cast a curse on the posission, one that to this day still was active.
'Sir, is this curse why you won't allow Severus to take the post as Defense Professor?'
"That is one reason yes. I'm afraid that he's to valuable of a potions brewer for me to waste his skills on teaching the post for a year only to have some sort of misfortune to befall him."
After the two had discussed this Albus inquired, "Has Severus discussed horcruxes with you?"
'Yes. He told me that I was one and that the chemotherapy draft had defeated the horcrux in my scar. He also confided in me that Riddle probably had more than one, the diary being one.'
"Yes. Has your scar healed up Harry?"
Harry took off his hat and displayed for the headmaster his unblemished forehead.
"It looks good. Have you had any pain since the horcrux was vanquished?"
'No.'
"Well I have one more piece of knowledge to share with you tonight. Having being denied the defense job, Riddle then began to work at Borgin and Burkes. He took the post to search for Slytherin's locket. You see, Riddle only used significant objects for horcrux creation originally."
'How did he find out about Slytherin's locket then?'
"His mother had it and he discovered this. He wanted to use objects from all four founders if at all possible. But we'll talk more about that next lesson. For now, I've got a spell to teach you if you're feeling up to it. After that my boy, I'm afraid that you've got to go to Severus's quarters for your treatment."
..:..
Ron's POV
"What would you like to do this evening," asked Ron of Harry on the following Thursday after classes.
'I'd like to cross something off of my list. Wanta help me?'
"Sure thing mate. What do you have in mind?"
'Skipping rocks.'
"Skipping rocks? What's that?"
'You take a flat rock and skip it across the water's surface. It takes a lot of practice. Are you sure that you want to brave the late November weather just to go to the black lake with me so that I can master the skill? Skipping rocks is a Muggle thing.'
"Is it really important to do for you?"
'Yes.'
This was all Ron needed to hear to get dressed for the cold chilly evening.
"Do you think that the lake has frozen over yet?"
'The sun was out today and the temperature was warmer than usual, so I don't think so. That's part of the reason that I want to do it now, before winter truly sets in. I want to cross this off of my list now just in case I don't make it to the spring time where I can do this then.'
"Don't talk like that Harry. I'm sure that everything will be alright."
..:..
a/N: I know that Harry's forgiveness of the Headmaster may seem odd and it is, abused children can sometimes act this way towards their abusers and those who protect or overlook them and what they've done. As for why Harry can talk about their abuse so candidly, it's because he's begun to heal from what they've done with Ron, Hermione and Madame Pomfrey's help. All abused children react to their situations differently. Some forgive their abusers whilst others hate them for what they've done and the same goes to those in authority that should've done something about it like Albus. He's dying and that's why Harry can forgive him. I hope that my characterization of his behavior isn't to ooc.
Let me know if you have any preferences for Harry and Hermione's animagus forms. They'll be revealed next chapter, but I was hoping for some input from you lot to help me decide.
I was wondering if you would like me to write out the intimate scenes between Harry and Draco or not.
I don't know what Scotland's late November weather is like, so with the last scene, just assume that it's an unseasonably warm November day for the last scene.
Recommended fanfic of the chapter: Harry Potter and the Agents of Attor by Chromewe11.
