Diagnosis
A/N: Thank all of you for sending me the lovely reviews. I've had a lot of free time on my hands, hence this chapter. Edited 6-16-2020 for consistency.
'written by Harry.'
/parseltoungue/
"spoken aloud"
Disclaimer: Since I'm not rich, I can't possibly own the Potter verse. The whole smoothie being good for cancer patients idea belongs to jewelburns. The levitation chair idea came from the fanfic Basilisk Eyes. I'm not sure if the author of the fic came up with this on their own or if someone else did but I wanted to make sure that I disclaimed all two unoriginal ideas of mine in the chapter just in case.
Chapter 22: a Bad Week
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Harry's POV
Harry currently found himself sprawled out face down on the floor of the Room of Requirement. A goofy grin was adorning his face. They had done it, completed the first step of the animagus transformation. Now all that was left for them to do was to go through the process of actually transfiguring their body parts both into and out of their animagus transfiguration. After that, they'd work on transfiguring themselves into their animal and back again wandlessly without getting stuck in their animal form. Only once they were successful at the attempt would they be a successful animagus. Harry knew that this wasn't going to be an easy process but he looked forward to achieving such a difficult task.
Harry pushed himself up into a seated position and turned to look in Hermione's direction. He could not contain the excitement any more.
'What'll I become?'
"Oh Harry, your form looks absolutely magnificent," gushed Hermione. "I can't wait until you gain your form."
'You do know that since I don't have hair I probably won't look like I did during the potion induced transfiguration right Mione?'
"Of course. That's why I'll fill you in all about it so that you can picture it in your mind until you beat the cancer and your form can look like it's intended too," said Hermione in a matter of fact manner.
'Spill Mione,' wrote Harry his quill making little scratches and indents as he wrote in excitement on the parchment.
"You're a red and gold phoenix. Your plumage is red and your tail feathers are golden."
'Do I have any identifying characteristics?'
"You have squares around your eyes where your glasses go."
'Fawkes and I should go flying once I've got the hang of this.'
"Yeah, but Madame Pomfrey told you you can't fly because of your double vision remember?"
'There are ways around stipulations like that,' wrote Harry insistently.
"Harry…please don't do anything reckless otherwise I might reconsider helping you along with this part of the process for your own safety."
A crestfallen look came across Harry's face. 'You wouldn't would you Hermione? I've worked so hard on the potion and making my nails and hair long and everything.'
"No Harry, I wouldn't do something like that to you, however if you do go flying and I find out about it, I'll tell a professor."
'I'll just have to not get caught.'
Hermione let out a sigh of exasperation. She knew how much this meant to her friend, to become the animal within and to accomplish all of the things that said animal could do. She would have to think long and hard of a way that her friend could learn both to fly as a phoenix and how he could learn to use phoenix flashing to go from place to place.
"What is my form Harry?"
'You are a black cat.'
"How elegant," said Hermione. "Do I look strong?"
'You're a beauty.'
"We've done it Harry. High-five?"
Harry raised his right hand and gave his best female friend a high-five.
..:..
Harry's POV
"Harry, how are you feeling this evening," asked his healer as he entered Severus's private office with the bag of his Todesgefahr on Monday evening.
'Much better after Madame Pomfrey gave me a pepper up potion. Apparently I caught a minor cold.'
"We'll need to check your blood levels more frequently before your treatments every day if this happens again. Please keep us informed about how you are feeling throughout your cancer treatments Harry. It's important as how you're feeling and any side-effects you are having could indicate a serious problem."
'Yes sir.'
The healer gave a friendly nod to Draco and Severus before leaving the room and heading for the fireplace.
Harry listened as the attractive man's footsteps faded away and the fireplace made a whooshing sound as healer Robertson dropped his handful of floo powder down onto the hearth and stated his destination clearly.
"Are you in any pain," asked Severus kindly. This was to be expected as Severus always inquired about Harry's well-being before, during, and after his Todesgefahr infusions.
'Fine. The potion feels cold as usual. I still am having a hard time getting used to the feeling of the solution going into my port.'
Draco kissed Harry on the cheek to comfort him.
Harry leaned back on the bed trying to relax until the nausea came and their was no doubt, it would strike him with a vengeance like usual. He really wished that he could finish up his MCDI and chemo drafts already, but the Gryffindor still had a ways to go before that could happen. Logically, he knew this however that still did not make it any easier on him.
Thirty minutes later and half a bag down of the Todesgefahr found Harry sitting up retching with a vengeance. He threw up time and time again into the pail.
When the Gryffindor's strength began to fail him, Draco put a supportive hand on his back in between his shoulder blades to brace his friend's body up in a seated position so that the Gryffindor wouldn't choke on the vomit.
Harry took in a deep breath and held back the sick with some effort. Severus gave him a goblet of water to sip after he rinsed his mouth out with it, spitting into the pail.
"Feeling alright Harry," asked Severus as Draco lowered his boyfriend back down onto the bed to finish out his treatment.
Harry nodded.
This sensation caused Harry to loose his battle with what little was left in his stomach. He bolted up in bed and retched violently into the pail. Fortunately for Harry, Severus had cast a spell on the pail to vanish the sick as soon as it hit the pail.
At least now Harry wouldn't have to smell the sick as he began to sick up biol.
When he began to dry heave, Severus let out a sigh of relief. Dry-heaving still took it's toll on the boy though. Harry's body began to shake from the exhaustion that came with sitting up and throwing up.
"Do you want me to call back your healer for another bag of anti-amidic?"
Harry nodded tiredly.
He was exhausted. First, he had to make it through all of his classes today, then he had had to take the animagus potion, then he had radiotherapy to go too, and now it was his chemotherapy draft that was exhausting this young wizard. He couldn't wait until he could finally sleep.
The door opened a few minutes later as healer Robertson came in with another bag for the IV stand.
Harry was grateful that the man hadn't spoken to him as he currently found himself over the pail once more vomiting up exactly nothing. He was getting sick and tired of being sick and tired.
The healer left after talking quietly to Severus.
Draco held his hand gently.
Finally, the bag of chemotherapy was empty. Severus took the empty bag off of the pole and disposed of it.
Harry let out a sigh of relief laying back in bed once more waiting for the anti-amidic to stop the roiling nausea that he was currently feeling.
Harry curled into a fetal posission not letting go of Draco's hand.
With time, the drug did what the previous one had failed to do and stopped the torment that Harry found himself in.
He was fully aware that he would be sick many more times before the night was out, but that was then and this was now.
Severus gave Harry a soft toothbrush and some toothpaste to brush his teeth. This helped chase the bad taste of the sick from his mouth.
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Harry's POV
On Tuesday evening, Harry found himself yet again outside of the muggle hospital with Draco by his side.
He loved the blond and was eternally grateful for his support through all of this.
Harry put his arm around Draco's shoulders and they made their way through the hospital and to the outpatient radiotherapy waiting room.
"Hello their you two. How nice it is to see you today. How are you feeling Mr. Potter," asked the reception lady.
"Been better," said Harry through a scratchy throat.
"I'm sorry to hear that, but really, you look good all things considered. Have a seat until your name is called then."
Harry sat on a very comfortable seat and closed his eyes. Harry let out a grunt of displeasure as the door opened ten minutes later and the nurse called his name right as he was nodding off to sleep.
Harry got shakily to his feet and made his way through the door and on to the radiotherapy room.
"How are you feeling today," asked the nurse kindly.
"I have a headache and my migraine medication and the morphine hasn't helped it."
"Ah yes, radiotherapy can cause headaches like you've described. If this continues, we can up your pain medication dose."
The door closed ominously and Harry lay down on the table.
"I've got to ask, what's your birthday?"
"31st of July 1980."
"Alright then. Let's begin."
The nurse left and went into the control room and started the radiation. The actual process didn't hurt him, but the side-effects were complete and utter hell. Every time he got back from radiation sessions, he was plagued with migraine headaches, dizziness, radiation burns, and vomiting. He was sure that this would happen until the end of these sessions came.
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Harry's POV
On Wednesday evening, Harry sat at the Gryffindor table his head leaning on the table in front of him. He had been unable to eat all day. He had taken and threw up his nutrient potion. He hadn't felt like walking to the hospital wing so he had decided to wait and tell Madame Pomfrey about the worsening nausea until this evening.
These treatments just seemed to zap his energy so much more than usual this week. He supposed that it was to be expected, the longer the poison was in his body that the more side-effects he would suffer, but it was hard, really hard to deal with.
"Harry, would you mind trying just a bite of this chicken," coaxed Hermione placing a few spoons of the dish onto his plate.
'I can't Mione. The smell of the food is all I can handle.'
"Alright Harry. You know how you feel better than any of us. How about a smoothie. They're really nutritious if you add in muggle protein powder. I'm sure that Dobby can get you one. You've got to keep your strength up."
"It'll feel really good on your sore throat," came Neville's supportive response.
'Fine,' wrote Harry frustrated at his friends for badgering him about something that he felt he couldn't handle at the present time. 'But I'll only sick it up later after the radiotherapy and Todesgefahr are through with me and you know it.'
"I'm really sorry for what you're going through," said Hermione supportively. "But you'll faint if you go to long without eating."
"Dobby," called Hermione in the great hall.
'Do you have to do this in front of everyone,' wrote Harry embarrassed.
"You'll feel like eating once you're back from hospital then," asked Ron skeptically.
'No,' wrote Harry. 'But I just don't want to loose my lunch in front of everybody y'know.'
"Maybe you won't," said Hermione.
"Could you make Harry a strawberry banana smoothie please?"
"Yes Dobby can be doing that. And does Harry's Grangy want me to be putting in the protein powder that Professor Snape gave me?"
"Yes please. Thanks for your help Dobby."
'Strawberry banana's my favorite flavor,' wrote Harry.
"I didn't know that you've ever had a smoothie before Harry," said Neville. "They make them for my cousin in hospital. Apparently they're a favorite meal for cancer patients. They're rather popular on the ward, is that where you've tried one?"
'No. I got one from a vender over the summer.'
A few minutes later found Dobby with hats piled high on his head appear in front of them with a smoothie in hand.
People were beginning to stare.
"Here you go Harry Potter sir."
'Thank you Dobby,' wrote Harry showing the note to Dobby.
"Yous be taking it easy so that yous can be recovering Harry Potter sir and just give me a call if you be needing more smoothies Miss Grangy for Harry Potter sir."
"Thanks Dobby. I will."
Now that the rather public spectacle was over, the great hall all as one slowly turned their attention from the Gryffindor table and what was going on their and back to their house tables and dinner.
Harry took a sip. The berrys burst with flavor on his tongue.
'This is really good,' wrote Harry.
"I told you you'd like it," said Hermione.
Harry slowly sipped on the strawberry and banana smoothie, drinking half of it. He stopped once he felt full. The Todesgefahr made him less hungry, so after drinking half of it, he already felt full.
Much to his relief, he did not throw it up. Maybe the daily tablet of anti-amidic was finally kicking in.
As it turns out, Harry was not successful at keeping the smoothie down for long and rushed to the nearest loo fifteen minutes later to vomit it up.
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Harry's POV
On Thursday night, Harry lay down on a bed in the infirmary. His stomach hurt and his head ached with the time of his beating heart.
"How are you feeling dear," asked a concerned Madame Pomfrey. "I'll be here with you all night during the purging process of the Todesgefahr."
'Purging process, what a way to kindly put it that I'm going to be retching all night and dry heaving when I'm lucky.'
"I know it's hard Harry, but we can get through this, trust me."
Harry really didn't feel optimistic. This week the chemo had been particularly hard on his body. He had been sick more times than he could count, suffered more body pain than usual and had contracted a cold all in the course of a week. Could it get any worse?
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Harry's POV
On Friday after classes were over, an exhausted Harry found himself at the top of the moving staircase on the sixth floor, making his way down to the Slytherin common room to meet up with Draco when it happened.
A wave of dizziness took over and Harry felt as if his head had gone all floaty. Harry reached out for the handrail and tried to place his left foot on the first stair but missed.
Unable to keep his balance, Harry fell.
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Ron's POV
Ron watched on in horror as his best mate slid down the staircase. He watched as Harry hit the bottom with a thud. Ron could see how Harry was straining to hold his head up as he went to lessen the damage to his skull.
The red-head let out a gasp and then ran down the moving staircase to his mate's side.
"Harry are you alright," asked Ron in a shaky voice.
Harry wasn't moving.
'Right then, I've got to get him to Madame Pomfrey then.'
The youngest male Weasley got his wand out of his robe pocket and cast a levitation charm on Harry's prone body and carefully directed his floating body to the hospital wing.
Reaching the double doors, Ron pushed them open calling for Madame Pomfrey in a panic sounding voice. "Madame Pomfrey, it's Harry! He fell down a flight of stairs."
The matron bustled into the room and directed Ron to Harry's bed at the end of the ward; an area that had been curtained off for him to provide a makeshift room because he was here so often nowadays.
"How did this happen?"
"Harry had just dropped off his bag in Gryffindor and had asked me if I'd accompany him to meet Draco in the dungeons after classes were out for the day when he paused at the top of the moving staircase for a moment then he started to step and missed then he just fell. It was weird."
"It looks like he lost his balance. Poor coordination and loss of balance are both side-effects from his treatment and side-effects of the cancer. This isn't good. But you said that he asked you to walk with him to meet his boyfriend, does he usually do this?"
"No, but this week he's been acting like the treatments are hitting him harder than usual. I thought that he wanted the company and that he was afraid that something like this would happen."
"I definitely agree, he's going to need someone to accompany him everywhere from now on just in case."
"It's no problem. We'll keep our eyes on him ma'am. Why hasn't Harry awoken yet?"
"He hit his head. He's got a nice lump here. But my diagnostic charm shows that there's no concussion so he'll be alright. Would you mind going down to meet Mr. Malfoy to explain what's happened to him, so that he isn't worrying about where Harry is? Why don't you bring him up here and you two can sit with Harry."
"Alright."
Fifteen minutes later, Draco and Ron burst into the infirmary. Both of them looked like they didn't really want to be around one another but were putting some effort into being friendly to one another for Harry's sake.
"Right, so I trust that Ron's filled you in about Harry's tumble then?"
"Yeah. Why do things like this always have to happen to him," asked Draco sullenly.
"He's facing a rather ominous illness I'm afraid. That plus the intense treatment are affecting his body rather badly I'm afraid," said Madame Pomfrey.
"Can I trust you two not to start a fight with one another while I call Harry's healer to tell him what's happened?"
Ron looked over in Malfoy's direction and then back to Madame Pomfrey and nodded seriously.
Draco also nodded sitting down in a chair next to Harry's bed.
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Harry's POV
His head hurt.
His back, arms, and legs hurt as well.
They felt like hundreds of bruises were forming.
But what had happened?
How had he landed himself back here so soon?
And where were his glasses?
Harry looked around his makeshift room in the infirmary and instantly he knew where he was…the hospital wing again.
But wait a minute, he wasn't supposed to be here until after dark, so why was the sunlight shining in the window behind his bed?
Harry reached out for his glasses on the bedside table and put them on with a shaky hand.
The room came into focus.
Harry smiled as he saw Draco and Ron sitting at his bedside.
'Where's Madame Pomfrey and what happened?'
"You lost your balance and fell down the stairs on your way to see Draco," said Ron.
'Did I? This radiotherapy is really getting to me. It causes dizziness and difficulty with coordination. Do you think that that's why I fell?'
"Yeah," said Ron. "You got this weird look on your face then you fell in slow motion," said Ron. "Madame Pomfrey is calling your healer."
'Did I hit my head,' asked Harry on paper reaching up a hand to rub at a sore spot on his head. He found a pretty large lump on the back of his smooth head. 'Ouch.'
"Well don't mash on the sore bits you dolt," said Draco.
"Have you gone round the twist their mate, pressing against your skull like that, you only just woke up for Merlin's sake," said Ron.
'I'm not crazy Ron and Draco, it hurts I was just checking on how bad it is, that's all,' defended Harry furiously on paper.
"Settle down their boys," admonished Madame Pomfrey. "Don't upset Mr. Potter or I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"But I've got to stay with him, he's my boyfriend," protested Draco.
"He's my best mate, he needs me right now," protested Ron.
"Then don't call him a dolt Draco and don't insinuate that he's gone crazy Ron," said the matron crossly. "Harry, I've contacted your healer and he thinks that it's best we keep you in the hospital wing until your radiotherapy session tonight."
'Okay Madame Pomfrey,' wrote Harry. 'Can they stay with me and can Draco still accompany me to hospital like he usually does?'
"Yes. Now I wanted to ask you a few questions is that alright with you?"
Harry nodded.
"Have you experienced any worsening of symptoms this week?"
Harry nodded.
'The Todesgefahr has been making me sicker than usual and the radiotherapy is hitting me hard. The radiotherapy nurse says that I'm doing so well all things considered but I disagree.'
"Have you experienced any bouts of dizziness or migraines lately?"
'Yes both.'
"Then why didn't you say something?"
'Because I didn't want to sound as if I was worried over nothing,' wrote Harry.
"Oh Harry," said Madame Pomfrey a tear coming to her eyes. "You don't have to go through this alone and had you told us about the dizziness then we could've taken precaussions so that this might not've happened."
'Precaussions like what?'
"Like having you use a levitating chair. It's like a muggle electric wheelchair."
'No way. I'm not that sick.'
"Yes you are. Your healer assured me that it's not uncommon for people going through radiotherapy to have to use a levitating chair; sometimes it also effects their coordination and they need muggle physical therapy to recover."
'Am I going to need to go through that?'
"It's hard to say. Our plan is for you to use the chair until the end of your Todesgefahr."
Harry threw up his hands in exasperation.
'But that's a long time. What if I forget how to walk in all that time?'
"Then we'll reteach you how, but that's highly unlikely. Judging by what Ron said happened, you got dizzy then tried to continue walking and your coordination was off and you fell. We'll reassess your strength at standing and the like during the Todesgefahr process. Don't worry Harry, we'll take good care of you."
..:..
Harry's POV
'Come on Dray. Let's go,' wrote Harry with his wand in the air. 'I want to get this over with.'
Harry and Draco made their way out of the hospital wing and down the corridors. They came across their first of many hurtles as the first set of steps leading down to the Hogwarts grounds approached.
"So how does this work," asked Draco as Harry stopped his levitating chair right at the lip of the first step.
Harry simply waved his wand and a ramp leading down appeared.
"That's wicked, did you cast silent magic?"
'No the wards have been adjusted to make this accommodation. When the chair is put into posission, I wave my wand triggering the necessary wards. Hogwarts does the rest.'
"Amazing. You don't think that the castle is a sentient being do you?"
'You never know.'
The duo made their way down the corridors and ramps until they reached the wooden doors. Draco pushed them open and Harry got his chair ready halting again just before the stone steps. He waved his wand again and a stone ramp took the place of the steep steps.
"So how will this chair appear to muggles?"
'Like a muggle electric wheelchair. Madame Pomfrey also said that if I'm to weak to push the lever that you can operate it like a manual wheelchair and push me.'
"Okay."
Harry rode and Draco walked to the main gates. Harry cast the necessary magic to open the gates and he activated his portkey with Draco holding onto him and Harry making sure to touch his chair so that it wasn't left behind.
Harry sat their gathering his senses after portkey travel. It never really agreed with him ever since he was kidnapped during his fourth year and taken to the graveyard.
Harry used the lever to direct the chair towards the electric doors of the hospital.
The duo made their way to the outpatient radiation area and Harry greeted the receptionist. She inquired about Harry's new set of wheels and he told her that he had suffered a dizzy spell and fallen down a flight of stairs while at school. She expressed her sympathy for it and told Draco to have a seat and that the nurse would be out to see Harry shortly.
"Hello Harry," said the nurse a few minutes later. "How are you feeling this evening Harry?"
"Not so good, I took a tumble down a flight of stairs earlier today."
"Oh dear. That's not good. Is that why you're using the chair?"
"Yes, my erm school nurse told me that it was likely due to a combination of a bad dizzy spell and a coordination issue that caused the fall. They want me to use this," said Harry in a scratchy voice gesturing at his chair. "For the duration of my erm chemotherapy."
"Come this way," she said once the door had closed behind them. She took him down several corridors and into the dreaded radiation suite.
He got up onto the table and the nurse left and started the machine up.
Before Harry knew it, he found himself back in his levitating chair listening to the nurse tell him that the Monday following next Friday's radiotherapy session he'd be getting another MRI scan in order to determine if he would need further radiation treatments. As of next Friday, it'd have been the prerequisite six weeks of radiation. She told him that further treatment could be used but only if it wasn't working as well as they had expected would the two more weeks of radiation be given.
..:..
A/N: I hope that you found this chapter enjoyable.
Recommended fic of the chapter the Choices We Made by jewelburns. This is a really good fanfic where Harry has cancer. Check it out. You won't be disappointed.