Chapter 12 – Another Diagnosis

August 7th, 1988

From before:

("That is an acceptable term nephew" was the reply that came from the smiling woman.

I suddenly thought of a first name. "How does Jayson sound for a first name? J-a-y-s-o-n; sort of after my father. But not too close."

"I think he would approve of that. James and Lily would both like you to have something of your father's name."

"So, do I need a middle name too?"

Before 'Aunt Minerva' could reply to that, there came another knock on the door. A goblin opened the door and walked through. Someone neither one of us recognized, if I interpreted the look on my guardian's face.

'I wonder what is going to happen now?' I thought.

"My name is Gnarlsnag" the goblin said by way of introduction in a voice that was very low and gravelly. "Director Ragnok directed me to come and see if the ways of the People could aid in your recovery."

I glanced at my new aunt to see if such a fierce name could possibly belong to a medical specialist. She nodded at the last part of Gnarlsnag's statement as if to okay the opportunity. I was hardly glad to see this goblin. He was much different than the ones that I had seen when Ragnok, Griphook and the guards had entered my room. Gnarlsnag was significantly wider than other goblins I had seen; not fat but solid (and a bit wider than other goblins). He wore a dark brown, almost black, suit instead of the grey ones I had seen on the Director. Over his shoulders hung a wide shawl of blue material with many pockets; gold writing and strange symbols moved randomly over the surface of this piece of cloth. It took some effort not to react about this goblin's appearance. A scar ran down the right side of his face from his forehead over a scarred eye to the corner of his mouth. A large tooth stuck out through the end of scar at his bottom lip and seemed to glisten by itself in the light. I wasn't sure if this was a battle scar of some kind or an accident of youth and I knew to keep my mouth shut as to not insult this new person…acquaintance.

A quick elbow to my ribs broke me off from staring. Minerva didn't blink an eye as she spoke to the goblin. "Thank you Healer Gnarlsnag. Payment for your services may be paid directly from the McGonagall vault."

"Agreed. But this visit will cost nothing if the diagnosis provides more evidence against the Great Deceiver."

"Who?"

"Dumbledore" hissed Aunt Minerva next to me through clenched teeth. I had survived the Dursleys by recognizing anger and it hadn't taken me long to be able to detect this emotion coming from my new guardian. (If I hadn't suspected it before, the expression on her face then made me realize how dangerous she might become.)

"Where do you want to begin with me?" I asked this impossible looking Healer.

"We will begin, as always, at the beginning" Gnarlsnag replied. My lap table floated over to the bed and set itself down. Reaching into one of the many pockets of the shawl, the goblin pulled out a sheaf of different colored old papers. Fanning them out in his hand he chose a blue one and wordlessly enlarged it and placed on the tray before me. There was no writing on the paper and I know I looked quizzically at Gnarlsnag. He shook his head roughly and reached into an inner pocket of his suit jacket. What he brought out was a very shiny and obviously sharp dagger! His shoulders shook in what I hoped was amusement at my expression. He reversed his grip on the instrument and set it down over the paper. "We need 5 drops of your blood to make a list of the bindings which were on you and which still remain."

I gripped the handle and hefted the blade. It was lighter than it looked and the handle… the handle was made of, or looked like, some sort of claw or talon. It was disturbing to look at and more than a little icky to handle.

"Jayson…"

"Jayson?"

"Jayson!"

My hand holding the blade jerked sideways because of the shout at my side. I looked up at Minerva questionably. "I asked, Jayson, if you wanted me to do the cutting for the parchment?"

I mentally slapped myself and felt my cheeks redden. I was supposed to answer to my new name but the blade had totally distracted me. I shook my head quickly and stuck out the pinkie finger of my left hand. Poking the tip carefully, I stuck the finger over the paper and watched as 5 drops of my blood dropped on the surface. I was amazed that the small cut healed up as I watched it.

I didn't know what to expect of the procedure. I thought maybe the red of my blood would mix with the blue of the sheet and create a greenish blotch. After the 3rd drop hit, the entire parchment turned into a shade of light orange; after the last drop hit, the parchment flashed white briefly and a string of black writing began showing up on it. Not giving me a chance to read it, Gnarlsnag snatched it up and held it up to his face for a few seconds. He then growled and began walking back and forth, muttering to himself and glancing back at the parchment every so often. More glances resulted in more growling and finally about after 2 minutes, the goblin slapped the parchment down back on my tray with enough force to cause me to panic. I pushed myself backward toward the head of the bed, away from the bedtable and that piece of paper.

"Sorry youngling" Gnarlsnag said waving his hand in the air, "you are not the target of my ire. It is the fool of that Headmaster that provoked my reaction. You may look at what we three will deal with."

Minerva readied a hand on my shoulder and turned the parchment around so we could both read it together. I was surprised at the amount of writing and decided to read the whole thing before asking the many questions that were starting to come to mind.

Binding Caster Results -

Juvenile Magic James/Lily Potter Dissipated by age 6

Natural Magic Albus Dumbledore 50% Bound

Albus Dumbledore 60% Bound/UNB

Intelligence Albus Dumbledore 40% Bound

Physical Growth Albus Dumbledore 80% bound

Prescience: Random Albus Dumbledore 85% Bound/50% UNB

Elemental Power Albus Dumbledore100% Bound unclassified

Natural Truth Detection Albus Dumbledore 100% Bound

Other Abilities Recently Unbound

Shadow Travelling

Parseltongue

Natural Occlumency

Deflection

Wandless Magic

Noteworthy :

Abilities listed just above were contained/transmitted through the cursed scar from Tom Riddle/Lord Voldemort. Ability may or may not manifest over time due to elimination of the scar. Full capabilities not possible to predict.

"I must go make preparations" Gnarlsnag said. "Do you desire one or two rituals for the young one, Lady McGonagall?"

"Two I think" Minerva answered. "I would not endanger his physical or magical health any further with a possible overwhelming strain on his system."

Gnarlsnag nodded at the reasoning. "I shall return in a bit. I judge at least two weeks recovery time before he is minimally strong enough to undertake the first of the unbinding rituals."

"Thank you Healer Gnarlsnag" I called out to the goblin. Minerva echoed my thanks as the healer walked out of the door mumbling something about 'fool meddlers".

Minerva watched the closed door for a number of seconds and then sat back down in her chair with a huge sigh. "My apologies again. I did not see or even detect what Dumbledore did to you."

"You said you were obliviated and Dumbledore is supposed to be a very powerful wizard. I do not hold you responsible for what he did. Or what you didn't know about."

"Thank you Jayson, but I still feel very ashamed about what happened to you. I promise I will make it up to you somehow."

"A new home will be a great start. I have more than a few questions about that list."

"Ask away then. If I don't know the answer then we will find it out together."

"How did Dumbledore cast restrictions on 110% of my magic? Wouldn't that make me a … what did you call it, a squib?"

"That's an easy one to answer. It wasn't a cumulative binding but a proportional one; Dumbledore first bound your magic at 50% capability. He later restricted you by 60% of that 50%. It effectually limited you to only…. about 20% of the magic you could access."

"That makes more sense when you explain it that way. You said that Occlumency was shielding your mind from other wizards…

"… or witches. There are a small percentage of magicals gifted in Legilimency, which is the ability to extract memories and emotions from another person. Unfortunately there are two such masters of that talent at Hogwarts."

"Let me guess; one is Dumbledore?"

"Correct. The other is a member of the staff. I can tell you all about them if you are curious."

"Tell me sometime later. Do you have any idea why Dumbledore would bind my intelligence or growth? That just seems cruel."

"I have suspicions Jayson but I'd like to think about it some more before I try to make a reasonable guess. Is that okay or would you like to talk about it now?"

I remember shaking my head. "I need to think about this list a little bit also. Maybe it would make more sense after a few days. What the heck is Shadow Travelling anyway?"

"I don't know, Jayson but Hogwarts has a very extensive library to do some research in. I also know a few people who know a lot about obscure forms of magic."

"Prescience? Deflection?" I asked looking at the list again.

Aunt Minerva frowned. "Not that I have a huge belief in fortunetelling but Prescience is the ability to know or 'feel' the future in some way. Highly suspicious and not something I think either of us should rely on."

"Okay, I'll try to be wary of sudden flashes or hunches."

"That's good Jayson. Deflection could mean a number of abilities. Being able to shrug off minor spells and hexes, using spells in a different or unusual way, being able to lie without being detected. …. you had better not try that with me or any other professor when you attend Hogwarts."

I blushed at that possible accusation. "I know better. I promise I will never…"

"It may be allowed for saving your life or remaining incognito. Sorry, for your old… identity."

I nodded as Gnarlsnag came back through the door to my room. He was carrying a briefcase which he laid down on my tray. "You are both ready for the blood adoption?"

"Now?", I asked with a little panic.

"It will be fine Jayson. Practically painless" came from my soon-to-be-new-relative.

"Practically?"

"I believe you have suffered much worse" Gnarlsnag offered. Another knock came to the door and it opened to let the three of us see that Andromeda Tonks was visiting. She came in and put the satchel she was carrying down on the chair. "Is this a bad time?" she asked.

"No", replied Gnarlsnag, "a witness to this change of status might be necessary at a later time. Sit or stand as you see fit."

'Aunt' Andi raised her eyebrows but came to stand besides my bed so she could just see what was about to happen.

The goblin healer had placed the grey briefcase flat on my bedtable. I noticed that unlike the brief that my late Uncle Vernon had carried occasionally, this one had a huge buckle that fastened on the top. There was an almost invisible seam running underneath the buckle that I could just barely see. Gnarlsnag touched the buckle. The buckle sprang apart and the two parts of the top(sides?) kept moving apart until they stood vertically.

Rising up from the briefcase was a surprise. A flask of pale blue bubbling liquid appeared; it was 5 inches wide at the base, six inches tall and tapered down to 2 inches down at its open mouth. It was supported by a piece of metal that crossed under the base and rose on three sides to semi-stabilize the flask.

There was a bright green flame about 3 inches under the bottom of the flask so the whole structure was almost 10 inches tall from the base of the heating flame. I looked at Aunt Andi in a little bit of amazement as the briefcase couldn't have been 3 inches thick. She just shrugged her shoulders as if it wasn't a big deal and gave me a small smile along with a thumbs up.

Gnarlsnag, ignoring the probable hotness of the flask, reached in and brought it up from its cage to stare at the contents. He swished it around three times and then held it out to McGonagall. "Three drops of blood from you, Lady McGonagall and then one drop from the youngster.

'More bloodletting?' I thought but watched as Minerva ( I still hadn't figured out what to call her mentally) picked up the knife Gnarlsnag left on the tray and brought her hand over the top of the flask. She touched the base of her thumb and watched as the drops fell into the fluid.

Gnarlsnag grimaced and swirled the mixture around one. He held out the flask again and 'Aunt' Andi was the one to take the knife(dagger?) from her friend and hand it to me. I shook my head but dutifully touched the sharp object to the tip of my other pinkie finger. When the drop of my blood hit the flask, the fluid turned purple. Gnarlsnag swished the flask around once and then strangely, put the flask back on its holder. He tapped the briefcase once on the side and the flask started sinking down. The sides of the top began lowering and finally met again and the buckle reclosed itself with a loud 'SNICK'.

My eyes were glued to that briefcase for what seemed a long time. Ten seconds passed, twenty seconds passed… it was almost thirty seconds when the object on my bed tray jumped up about 2 inches, rotating counterclockwise. And then settled back down with each corner of it landing noisily and bouncing before coming to rest. Gnarlsnag came back to stand by my bedside and touched the buckle again. I expected to see the purple-colored flask again but what rose out of the briefcase this time were two small vials about 3 inches high and maybe a half-inch across. They were floating in midair – one was blue and one pink.

"You may take one vial apiece and try to swallow whole, but no more than two swallows. Otherwise, it will not take affect" Gnarlsnag stated.

'Aunt' Minerva never hesitated a second but plucked the blue-colored vial out of midair. She checked with the goblin healer to confirm she had made the right choice and then raised the toward me in a little salute and then tipped it up and swallowed all of the blue liquid. Before she had even set the vial back down on my tray, I got to witness the change that came over her. The air swirled around her from her toes to the top of her head and her face shimmered a bit. When it subsided, it looked like she had spent the day in a high fashion spa. Her face seemed to lose a few wrinkles and what little grey hair she had had turned into a few dark red highlights. She reached into one of the pockets of her robes and brought out a hand mirror. She looked into it and saw the changes that had come about.

"Thank you Gnarlsnag."

The goblin healer nodded his head in acknowledgement and then turned his attention on me. As I was reaching out to grab the remaining vial, a soft voice sounded out close to my right ear. "And I thank you also, nephew."

I almost felt the smile on her face as I grabbed the remaining vial. I looked at the pink fluid carefully for a number of seconds. Sensing my hesitation somehow, it was the other female in the room that broke the silence. "It there a problem, Jayson?"

"This won't prevent me from being a Potter ever again… will it?"

My 'new' aunt answered me. "No, you will always be the son of James and Lily Potter but this will let everyone know that you are a distant relative of mine. Through all magical means of detection."

"I was just making sure" I said, as I tipped the vial up and swallowed it in one big gulp. It tasted… it tasted of… I'll say rotten leaves. Luckily, I managed to swallow the whole thing in one try ( I really didn't want to taste it again!). The most wonderful thing happened when the liquid hit my stomach though. I had a strange feeling spread out from the center of my body to the very tips of my toes and fingers. I can probably best describe it as a warm chill. I'd had plenty of cold chills in my short life from facing Uncle Vernon's anger and Dudley's cruelty to recognize the symptom but this was the exact opposite. A warm and welcoming feeling, almost like I was really cared for.

I looked over and saw the Aunt Minerva was smiling at me and I felt like I belonged with her somehow. I understood the concept of a godmother but the feeling I had then was much better than I ever dreamed of.

"Well", Andi said, "how do you feel?"

"Much better somehow. I'm not sure why though."

"There were some physical changes as well as some magical and human emotional changes" said Gnarlsnag.

My eyebrows went up at that statement. 'Physical?' I wondered.

Seeming to read my mind, Aunt Minerva produced a small hand mirror from one of the pockets of her robe. I reluctantly took it and forced myself to look at myself. I breathed a sigh of relief because the changes seemed to be minimal to me. My hair had grown about two inches and the wild, messy mop that refused to lay flat was now a little more normal looking. Added to this was a subtle change in my jawline which was now closer to the one Aunt Minerva had.

"You approve?" came from the goblin healer.

"I was a little nervous about not recognizing myself" I answered.

"That is still possible if you desire" the goblin said.

"No…no, this is fine. Brilliant really."

"Then my work here is done for now. You will return here in two weeks at 7 in the morning for the first ritual. Rest well, Jayson Mumford Wrightson, and eat enough to gain some weight. You will need more stamina in the fortnight. See that your ward walks at least a half hour everyday, Lady McGonagall."

"I shall make it so" came the reply.

Gnarlsnag nodded and closed up the briefcase again and left the room. The three of us remaining looked at each other with different expressions.A unt Andi broke first and broke out in snickers. "Mumford? You chose Mumford out of all things for a middle name?"

"Not me" I replied smiling. "I wanted a normal name… something like Shelby. Did you think of Mumford, Auntie?"

A scowl was my answer. "I would have preferred no middle name to something like Mumford. Of all the … choices to make."

"Maybe it was magic itself that chose Minerva," Andi said. "But no one it ever going to think Mumford would be something that a Potter would willingly take on."

Aunt Minerva looked at me suspiciously and I tried very hard not to smirk. I had actually thought about an unusual middle name to further remove myself from my former identity but even Mumford was too far from normal for me. The staring contest between me and my guardian was broken when my stomach announced that it was well past the time for some food. Aunt Minerva then shook her head. "An undernourished foundling…"

"Grandnephew" I countered. Minerva sighed and came closer to put an arm around my shoulders. "You are going to try my patience at times, aren't you, young man?"

"I promise to try and be a good relative. I will promise I won't even call you "Aunt Minnie" in public. Oh no…. I actually said that out loud, didn't I?"

One strong hand quickly closed on my shoulder. "We shall have a long discussion about rules concerning forms of address very soon grand-nephew."

I tried not to flinch before I replied. "Yes, ma'am!" Meanwhile, Aunt Andi had to reach for the nearest chair to keep herself from falling over with laughter. When she could talk again, she said, "I have some stories about some previous graduates from Hogwarts that may be a little amusing and educational for you Jayson."

Nodding my head, I tried to figure out how much trouble I was in and how long it would last. The hand on my shoulder squeezed once and then I heard what I took to be an amused voice. "Andromeda, could you watch this rapscallion for a few minutes while I go over to the Leaky Cauldron to get some suppers for the three of us?"

"Make it just the two of you Minerva; Ted and Dora are in charge of supper tonight and I promised to be there to make sure there won't be any inadvertent poisoning."

I turned my head fast to look at my new aunt to see if she was serious but I only saw a small grin and a wink for my trouble. Aunt Minerva grabbed up a nearby shawl to throw over her shoulders. "I'll only be a few minutes Jayson. That will give me time to figure out if a lack of dessert will remind you what an amount of cheek will get you."

I nodded weakly. "Whatever you decide is fine with me."

Andi said that while she had brought a few days of portions for me that she 'also had the book of magical creatures that she had mentioned to me earlier'. I perked up at that statement as her valise was opened and Andi rummaged in it for the book. As Aunt Minerva was exiting the door, I saw that she had met Griphook and another witch coming in. They talked quietly for a few minutes and I saw Griphook leave with a ledger book still in his hands, talking to my guardian. The other witch entered my room and immediately introduced herself.

"Hello, Jayson Wrightson. Your account manager will return after supper to explain your holdings. My name is Amelia Bones and I am an auror, which is the magical equivalent of a muggle policeman. I'm the one that discovered that Harry Potter had disappeared and/or died at his relative's house. The story will break in papers tomorrow and I thought you and Professor McGonagall should know what kind of fallout I think will occur.

I know my mouth fell open in shock and looked at Aunt Andi. "Your family?"

"Patient Healer confidentiality covers it. My family only knows that I'm treating a relative of Professor McGonagall for a sudden onset of Scrofungulus. You can decide if they know the truth later. You and Minerva."

I breathed a sigh of relief as Auror Bones came over to my bedside and talked a little about her life, her duties, and her niece that I would meet in a week or two. I was still confused about my demise but I like having people around who seemed to care for me.