Picking Up After Themselves
The sun was sinking towards the horizon as Harry rested in the back seat of Phipps' limousine, stretching his arms across the seat back.
Lex was curled under his right arm, Hermione under his left, clearly irritated that someone else got to him first.
Sirius sat across from Harry, apparently bantering to Harry the story of his wrongful imprisonment without even a trial, while Dr. Grant and Tim listened closely, seated at his opposite.
Upon mentioning Pettigrew leaving only a finger behind, Harry missed Hermione wrinkling her nose in disgust and Lex merely wiping hers upon her wrist.
"I already forgave Dumbledore," Harry commented. "But I can't see how he'd let that happen. Especially not when he goes on and on about second chances."
"And there are some ethics we've already debated," Grant muttered. "But I accepted Hammond's offer to fund my dig for three more years, all in exchange for my own life."
"If I believed in luck, I'd have thought it saved you all last night," Hermione interjected. "But I don't, and I know Harry doesn't either... don't you?"
She shot an expectant glance at him until she was distracted by Tim snickering.
"Oh yeah, speak for yourself," he retorted.
"Excuse me?" Hermione requested with her usual attitude.
"Harry told us about you," Lex replied with the same tinges. "But some people are lucky to have something better than top grades."
Hermione felt miffed, mainly because Harry was peering out the window, watching the limousine roll down the street, back to the hotel.
They passed the stalls where Harry bought his new, properly fitted clothes, but at the end of the block, he came upon something else that looked appealing;
A small white shopfront with a wooden sign painted teal blue, reading Souvenir Necklaces in yellow orange, with a shark fin painted above the letter 'i'.
As the limousine finally pulled up to the hotel, Harry felt his right shoulder being shaken, knowing only one person had done so to him in the last three days.
"What?" He queried.
"Never mind," Hermione huffed.
She swung the back door open, brushing past a shocked Phipps awaiting to hold it. Harry shook his head as he opened the other door, motioning for Sirius, Dr. Grant, and Tim to climb out to the street.
He then climbed out, awaiting by the door as Lex clambered after him, unwittingly reaching out her hand for him to take.
After removing his red duffel from the boot, he retrieved an olive green canvas rucksack stitched with paisley patterns in navy blue, magenta, and ochre.
He needn't guess who it belonged to, as Lex smilingly grabbed it from him, although he'd forgotten what her mud coated tank top looked like before.
He watched Grant retrieve his canvas rucksack, handing Tim a pear-shaped cotton one in teal with a tan suede bottom and a label reading Jansport.
Before following Lex onto the pavement, Harry felt a heavier arm drop across his shoulder.
"Doing a little chasing there, Harry?" Sirius teased.
"We haven't even gotten a room yet," Harry retorted.
"How would you feel about sharing a hotel room with your godfather?" Sirius suggested.
"As long as it's temporary," Harry laughed.
They followed Dr. Grant and the Murphy children up the front steps where Phipps and Fobbs awaited. They were each handed another envelope before being ushered inside, where the Grangers, Dr. Malcolm, Dr. Sattler, and Hammond were all waiting.
Phipps and Fobbs led them back through the hotel, to the same three rooms they'd checked into the other day, one left without its original occupants.
Harry removed his key, numbered 7, from its envelope, while the Grangers opened the door to Room 5 and the Murphy children entered Room 9. Across from them, Grant and Sattler entered Room 4 while Hammond assisted Malcolm into Room 6.
Inside the room, Harry threw his duffel atop the left bed, while Sirius simply threw out his arms, flopping upon the right on, moaning with ease as his head hit the pillow.
"Look at me, dropping in on a nice comfortable bed!" he exhaled. "I haven't done this in twelve years!"
"You better get used to it," Harry laughed, carrying his duffel into the bathroom at his right.
"Take my advice," Sirius suggested. "Enjoy the hot water running down your neck after getting stuck in the cold and damp."/
"I plan to," Harry replied, dryly.
He closed bathroom door, pulled back the shower curtain, kicked off his shoes, and dropped them into the tub. Harry then turned the taps all the way up until water shot from the portable shower head at rapid fire speed.
Grabbing the head off the wall, Harry rinsed the mud off his trainers before turning them over to clean the soles.
When all the mud was gone, Harry turned the taps back down before leaving his trainers to dry on a bathmat he'd pulled from an overhead rack.
After laying out another mat, Harry slowly undressed and placed his dirty clothes in a ball on the counter. Taking a towel from the rack, Harry hung it over the shower railing, before stepping into the tub, drawing the curtain forth.
He turned on the taps again, fiddling with the handheld shower head as he ran warm water down his back and shoulders.
After two or three minutes of this, Harry located a side shower dish containing a box of bar soap and two bottles, one filled with white body wash, the other with transparent yellow shampoo.
Too exfoliated to make decisions, he grabbed the body wash, squirting a biker load into his hand, effortlessly flicking and rubbing portions of the slippery stuff across his arms, legs, and torso.
More challenging for Harry would be running a small shampoo bottle through his tangled mop. Both scrubbing and rinsing took five minutes before he no longer withdrew any suds and his hair dropped straight.
Turning the taps off, Harry pulled the towel down, wiping himself dry before pulling the curtain the other way, spotting a fuzzy, white bathrobe hanging from the door.
He grabbed the robe, slipping into it before stepping onto the bathmat, noticing a small, black zipper case, printed with the hotel logo in white, at the counter's left.
Harry unzipped the case to find two bottles filled with green gel, along with a plastic black comb. He tugged the comb through his hair, but left the bottles, smiling to himself at how much frustration his hair caused someone else.
Harry fished a pair of unmentionables, his red Fender T-shirt, and gray shorts from the duffel, pulling them on with another pair of socks before dropping his dirty clothes into a plastic bag, also printed with the hotel logo.
Opening the bathroom door, he watched Sirius lean up from the bed, no doubt staring at his wet hair.
"Look at that," he chuckled. "If only your mummy dearest could see you now."
"Aunt Petunia really freaked," Harry dismissed. "She tried to cut all my hair off, but it grew right back."
"I can only guess what she and your uncle did to you after," Sirius growled before a knock came upon their door.
"It's me, Lex," spoke the voice on the other side.
Harry ran to the door, pulling it open to reveal Lex waiting in a dark blue sundress printed with Persian diamonds in white and light blue, a pair of black flats on her feet. Her skin was much cleaner than when Harry had first seen her, as evident by her slightly wet hair, brushed and held back with two translucent purple butterfly clips.
"The hotel doctor just checked out Timmy, and he's gonna look at you in a couple minutes," she explained. "Also, Grandpa says he wants to talk to, Mr. Black."
"What about?" Sirius asked, sitting on the bed's edge.
"I don't know," Lex replied. "He's right across, why don't you go ask him?"
"Don't mind if I do," Sirius agreed.
Sirius got up and stalked out the door like a stray dog searching for prey, while Lex double took to make sure he was out of sight.
"Can I come in?" she asked.
"Sure," Harry replied.
He waved her in as she grabbed his arm and seated them both on the edge of his bed.
"You didn't have to offer us your place this summer," Harry insisted. "I mean, I gave you a real fright telling you I'm a wizard."
"Is that worse than getting locked in a cupboard with no meals?" Lex asked.
"I guess not," Harry sighed.
"What happed to your hands while you were out?" Lex queried.
Harry flipped his hands over, only to find that the red blisters on his palms were slightly faded than they were hours ago.
"Honestly, I have no idea," Harry murmured, stretching himself upon the bed.
"I can see why you wanted to get away from it all," Lex commented, rolling up to his side.
"What about coming back?" Harry reminded her. "I've seen how my friends' parents can be, what about yours?"
"It's just my mom," Lex clarified, slightly lowering her head. "My parents are getting divorced. That's why Grandpa brought Timmy and me to the island."
"Oh," Harry realized. "I'm sorry."
You're lucky you never had to listen to them fighting from your room," Lex reminded him.
"As opposed to remembering them?" Harry countered. "I was a baby when it happened. If you haven't noticed, Dumbledore doesn't always tell everybody everything, unlike my godfather."
"Do you think he can put all that in my Grandpa's mouth?" Lex queried.
"I'd wait till he kissed your mum, full on snogging, that'd be a real stretch," Harry suggested.
They were interrupted by another knock at the door as Dr. Grant stuck his newly cleaned face into the room.
"Sorry to interrupt," he teased. "But there's a doctor in the house looking for a Mr. Harry Potter?"
Grant held the door open, motioning for Lex to step outside, who did as she was requested while Phipps and Fobbs awaited inside the doorway.
Into the room shuffled a bald man in a long, white coat with a tan complexion, wearing a pair of horn-rimmed half-frame glasses. Around his neck was a clean-wiped stethoscope and in his hand a black medical bag.
"Mr. Potter," Phipps began. "May I introduce Dr. Hector Guitérrez."
"Señor Potter," Guitérrez calmly greeted, holding out his hand. "¿Cómo está?"
"How are you?" Fobbs mouthed to a perplexed looking Harry.
"Fine… thank you," Harry nervously replied, shaking it. "You?"
"Está bien, gracias," Guitérrez replied after Phipps muttered the translated phrase. "Que pasó esta mañana?"
"What happened this morning?" Fobbs mouthed.
Harry proceeded to describe the electric fence misadventure without the mention of dinosaurs, making sure to pause so Phipps could keep up and translate each sentence.
Once Harry was finished, Guitérrez gestured to his shirt, curving and pulling his hands upward. Harry's hands fumbled across his own shirt slightly before he caught the bottom.
Guitérrez pressed his stethoscope to Harry's chest, who tried to ignore the slight chill on his skin. His heartbeat was much more prevalent, anyway, until Guitérrez twirled his finger around.
Harry turned, again feeling the chill as Guitérrez pressed the stethoscope to his back.
Once that step was completed, there were others to come, beginning with the reflex hammer. As it didn't take long for Harry's leg to kick, Guitérrez drew an otoscope from the bag, poking it through each of Harry's ears.
Harry wasn't fairly accustomed to this sensation, although the light pouring from the device was diverting. Only during the last part of the inspection, he had the clearest idea of what was to come;
Guitérrez pulled a black blood pressure gauge from the medical bag, wrapping the cuff around Harry's right arm. As he pumped it, Harry felt as though his continuously squeezed arm was a balloon being stomped on for popping.
When the gauge finally wheezed, Harry zeroed in on Guitérrez's expression of puzzlement before the cuff was removed.
After Guitérrez packed his bag, he lead Phipps and Fobbs out the door, leaving just a crack open.
Harry tried listening in, but his unfamiliarity with Spanish left him unfulfilled. He leaned back against the bedpost, but missed the door opening again, as he felt something drop back on the bed.
Turning his head to see it was Lex, Harry waited as Phipps and Fobbs reentered the room.
"Tell me the worst," Harry requested with sarcasm. "I can probably handle it."
"Dr. Guitérrez says your blood pressure seems to be slightly behind," Phipps exhaled.
"We'll have to get you to the hospital to check for any further damages," Fobbs added.
"Actually gentlemen, that shall not be necessary," interrupted the voice of Dumbledore.
Leaning up again, Harry's eyes narrowed as Professor Dumbledore entered the bedroom, dressed quite differently than before;
This time, he wore a dark purple Hawaiian shirt with a light purple-green leaf and parrots pattern, cream cargo shorts, a pair of white trainers, and a straw fedora on his head.
Harry tried suppressing the urge to laugh, but Lex's giggling caused to him release a sputter, which didn't seem to faze Dumbledore in any way.
"During my absence, I made a brief return to Britain," he explained. "In order that I collect some needed assistance."
He stepped aside to reveal a woman in a knee-length, white collared dress with long sleeves, wearing a white cloth bag over her shoulder. Looking up, Harry noticed the face of a blue eyed, middle aged woman with graying blonde hair, wearing a white nurse's cap.
"Madam Pomfrey?" He stammered.
"I'm afraid so, Potter," she replied.
"Sorry, do you know her too?" Lex interjected.
"Yeah," Harry confirmed. "She's the matron at school."
"You're lucky I've had patients who've been hit harder than you have," Pomfrey reminded. "I haven't got all evening, so let's finish what we've started, shall we?"
She pulled a sleek, faded brown wand from her sleeve, aiming it at Harry's center.
"Corpus Radiatus," Pomfrey commanded.
Lex ducked to the side of the bed as the wand released a stream of red, orange, and violet light. Harry was completely absorbed, but only able to see the glow emanating from his sides.
His forearms had turned a dark green, which he raised to find a pair of white skeletal hands at the center. Flowing around them were red and white spots with lines in varying colors, wedged between what looked like tiny hams squishing together.
All were covered with slight spots of yellow-orange, more of which occurred on Harry's left.
"What's happening?" Harry requested.
"A patented medical charm," Pomfrey explained. "It allows healers to pinpoint calamities they would never determine from the outside."
Harry and Lex marveled at his insides, but all too briefly as Madam Pomfrey waved her wand again, cancelling the spell.
"Enjoying that, were we?" she speculated. "As long as we're not making a fuss."
Pomfrey opened her bag to retrieve a small, plastic sack and a long, corked phial containing a thick, pearl coloured liquid. But the most interesting thing she pulled out was a tall rack with curled hooks.
Lex squeezed out of the way as Madam Pomfrey wedged the rack between the bed and wall. But both children concentrated on a long tube Pomfrey removed with a thin needle attached to the end.
"How'd you do that?" Lex gasped.
"With the help of an undetectable extension charm," Pomfrey explained. "Very handy when packing for a long trip. I've removed what you muggles call an Intra-venous, is it not? This one will involve the use of Phoenix tears to give Mr. Potter a quick patch up. Although I can hardly begin to imagine what hasn't damaged him already."
She emptied the phial's contents into the sack, ringed it to a hook, and pushed the tube through a hole at the end.
Pomfrey poked her wand into Harry's forearm, who slightly winced as he felt an intensely cold spot before Pomfrey pushed the needle through.
"That should take about twenty minutes and I'll be back by then to remove that thing from your system," she promised. "You ought to be completely healed by tomorrow morning, so I'd stay resting."
"Thank you Madam Pomfrey," Harry moaned.
"If you're still here," Lex pleaded. "Could you maybe help my brother next door?"
"You'd be surprised what he got hit with," Harry added gently.
Pomfrey scowled at them before flicking her wand at the rack, creating an exact replica. She removed the duplicate transfer pipe and tear sack, vanishing them before pushing the second rack out the door.
Harry noticed the bed felt lighter as Lex got up to follow Pomfrey out.
"I'm gonna go check on Timmy," she explained. "I'll ask Grandpa if we can have dinner in our rooms, it'd be a lot easier that way, wouldn't it?"
"Yeah, I reckon," Harry shrugged.
"I'll be keeping watch on both of you from out here," Pomfrey promised.
"In the meantime," Dumbledore interjected. "I wish to consult with your godfather again, I believe there's something else he is in need of."
Harry hadn't forgotten Dumbledore was there, watching from the corner of the room. He'd instead forgotten Phipps and Fobbs, who eyed the intravenous setup and Dumbledore's exit respectively before following him out.
Fobbs presented Harry with a salute before closing the door, to which he chuckled while laying his head back on the pillow.
He placed his glasses on the bedside table and closed his eyes, letting sleep overtake him, as he'd done in Hogwarts' infirmary. Yet it wasn't long before he'd open them again, finding Madam Pomfrey and Dr. Grant hovering over his bed again.
"Have a nice second nap?" Grant teased.
"We've been following the matron's orders, I see," Pomfrey commented.
Harry didn't wince as she gently pulled the needle from his arm before removing the empty sack and returning the rack to her bag.
"Let there be much less heartache come September," she suggested. "I definitely expect that much."
"With my luck, there will be," Harry murmured.
She sent him a knowing glance as Grant watched her leave the room, both narrowly missing a distinguishable bushy brown missile colliding with the bed.
"Was that Madam Pomfrey I saw?" Hermione queried.
"Yeah," Harry confirmed. "Here to lock me up in bed, as per usual."
"Thinking of hitting it with the nurses at that school of yours?" Grant chuckled, joining at the bed's corner.
"Not even if she served me breakfast," Harry grumbled.
While Grant presented him with a playful smirk, Harry twirled his finger at Hermione, who scooted to the other corner in disgust. His timing couldn't have been worse as he heard the door open again behind them.
"Guess what?" cried the voice of Lex. "Grandpa said you and your godfather could come and stay with us!"
Hermione huffed as Lex re-entered the room, seating herself at middle of the bed's edge, but Harry knew she seemed to be forgetting something.
"But what about your mum?" Harry began. "Didn't you say…"
A Scottish accented throat was cleared as Harry spotted Hammond and Sirius re-enter as well.
"You can't expect the divorcing process to last only a weekend, can you? Hammond suggested. "I usually have plans to keep my grandchildren entertained at my mansion during the summer, Harry."
"What about war orphans or ex-would-be killers?" Harry queried with hesitation.
"Very funny," Hammond chuckled after a beat. "But if a man can get through to his daughter, it seems best to never speak of certain things again, don't you agree?"
Harry could hardly argue with that, reassuring Hammond with stunned silence, while Sirius pulled a thin, black wand carved with target and swirl patterns, waving it under his and Hermione's noses.
"Have a look at this, oh godson and friend of mine!" He howled. "Isn't she a beauty? I picked her up from Ollivander's Hogsmeade shop. Later this summer, you kids'll get the permission form to go to Hogsmeade Village next term!"
"Until then, Mr. Black," Hammond interrupted. "There is something appetizing we've all been waiting on…"
He gestured back through the doorway as a trolley was wheeled in, carrying silver dome trays, by none other than Juanita, their waitress from the day before.
She winked at Harry and Sirius, uncovering the trays to reveal two more plates of Casado with rice and beans.
"I assume mine has been delivered to my room," Hammond speculated. "And I take it Dr. Malcolm wouldn't like to dine alone."
"And Ellie's waiting, along with Tim," Grant agreed.
They followed Juanita back out the door as Grant motioned for Lex again, who turned her attention to a slightly restless looking Harry.
"I'll see you later, Harry," she promised.
Lex missed Hermione's triumphant grin as she got up from the bed, but Hermione didn't miss the slightly irritated look Harry presented her with.
"Don't worry Harry," she assured him, eyeing him again. "You and Sirius won't have to eat alone tonight."
Behind her, Paul and Jane entered the room, pushing in their cart with three more trays of the same meals.
There was no guessing which plate was for whom, but Harry glanced out the window, as the evening sky had completely darkened. He needed to be shaken again to receive his meal, but maintained his glance even after he started chewing.
While Sirius and the Grangers tried conversing with him, Harry's thoughts were more occupied by plans he had for the next morning…