Harry's Minerva
AN: This chapter is a bit of a filler, so sorry if it seems a bit slow. The next one will have the conversation between Harry and Minerva and the beginning of their plans so it should be better.
Also I made a small edit to the end of the chapter 3 to reflect that Travers and Macnair did not manage to get a cut on the back of Harry's head. The jacket that he has on protects him from most spell damage but not all blunt force damage and the hood was not removed during the battle so that was not possible. He did suffer a head injury that caused some external bleeding, but that was from being thrown into a wall very hard. You don't have to read the chapter over if you've already read it though.
Chapter 4
Minerva McGonagall was returning from a stroll through the forest that surrounded her home. She had just been thinking about Harry and what she could do to help him. After long deliberation, she had resolved to find him, wherever he was, and knock some sense into him, literally if she had to. There was no way that him being alone was good for his health, mental or physical, something she knew from personal experience. Plus, he had a bad habit of getting into trouble whether he looked for or it or not, and right now she could sense that he was looking for it. She refused to let someone whom she cared for get themselves killed. Not if she could stop it.
Now, Minerva's home was a mystery to almost everyone. In fact, most people assumed that she lived at Hogwarts full time. There were only five people alive that knew where she lived. Even Dumbledore didn't have access to her home. Minerva also rarely got visitors, especially ones that were unannounced. Therefore, her reaction to a body appearing from out of nowhere, dropping to the ground only a few feet in front of her, can be excused – she transformed into her tabby cat form before jumping about five feet in the air in fright. Embarrassed, she quickly transformed back and cautiously took a closer look. Her heart almost beat out of her chest when she realized who it was.
"Harry!" she screamed in horror. Within seconds, she was kneeling down by his side with her wand drawn as she cast a basic diagnostic charm on him. He was alive and breathing on his own, but his clothes were bloody, his head and abdomen were bleeding badly, his left pant leg was burned, his body was tremoring, and he was unconscious. Overall, he looked like he had been in a fight for his life. As worry tried to overtake her, she had to shake her head to clear it. Right now, she needed to get him inside and call for Poppy. She could worry about what caused his condition later.
Once inside, Minerva lay down on the sofa carefully before heading toward the fireplace. After taking only two steps, she was interrupted by three more pops of apparition. She spun on her heels, wand out and ready to defend Harry from the threat. It turned out to be three familiar house-elves, however, causing her to lower her wand a bit. She didn't drop it completely though, showing that her auror-honed wariness was not forgotten.
"Dobby," she stated cautiously, addressing the excitable elf. Kreacher and Winky were with him as well, making for an odd group. "What are you three doing here?"
"We felt our master was in danger Professor McGonagall but couldn't feel him through the bond. We came as soon as we could feel him again," Dobby replied, the other two nodding in agreement.
Minerva didn't have time to ponder what that meant or the obvious physical changes in Dobby and Winky. "Harry is alive but very hurt. I'm going to get Poppy so she can heal him," Minerva quickly explained before running to the fireplace, throwing some floo powder into it to make the call. The elves gathered around Harry as she waited for Poppy to answer her call. Winky, trying to be helpful, removed his clothing down to his boxers so the healer would have easier access to his injuries. She put the special jacket and boots to the side to be cleaned since they suffered no damage, while vanishing the rest.
"Minerva, what seems to be the matter?" Poppy asked when her face appeared in Minerva's view a long minute later.
"Harry's hurt. He somehow apparated to me, but he's unconscious and his clothes are all bloody and burned…" Minerva babbled, the panic evident in her voice.
"I'll be right over," Poppy declared firmly before disappearing to get some supplies. A minute later, the healer was stepping into the living room. She deposited the case of supplies on the coffee table before going to the sofa, her wand already drawn. Seeing how much blood was on his body, she spelled a Blood-Replenishing potion into his system as a precaution. Then she scanned his entire body twice to make sure her results were accurate before she started working to heal him.
First, she used her wand and a Wound-Cleaning potion to clean his body up and remove all of the blood so she could see all of his injuries clearly. Next, she had to stitch up the cut on the right side of his abdomen due to the dark nature of the injury. He had a cut on the back of his head as well, but she was able to close it up with her wand. She applied some Murtlap and Dittany to both cuts and covered them up. Then she rubbed Burn-Healing paste to his left leg, covering it up as well. There was severe bruising on his back, and he had two bruised ribs on his lower left side all of which had to be treated with Bruise-Removing paste. To make him more comfortable, she put a padded wrap on his back to avoid aggravating it any further. The rest of his injuries were minor and easily healed, including his broken left hand and soon enough, Poppy was finished. She cleaned him up once more before turning to face her audience.
"How bad is he?" Minerva asked cautiously.
Poppy sighed before listing all of his injuries. "He has a cut on his abdomen from a dark curse, a cut on the back of his head from blunt force, severe bruising on his back, two bruised ribs, and a 2nd degree burn on his left leg. All of those should fully heal, though he'll likely be left with scars. He is currently in a coma due to the combination of a concussion, Cruciatus exposure, and severe magical exhaustion. Overall, he looks like he just fought a war and barely survived."
"How bad is the Cruciatus Exposure?" Minerva asked, afraid it might have damaged his mind.
"I can't say for sure," Poppy admitted sadly. "If he is able to wake up from the coma on his own within the next few days, then I think he will be okay. If not…well I wish I could give you a better answer. He is breathing on his own, which is always a good sign." Seeing the despair on her friend's face, Poppy tried to give her some more hope. "I know it looks bad but just remember that Harry is a fighter and has a tendency to survive things others can't."
"I know," Minerva replied, hoping for another Harry Potter miracle.
Poppy pushed down her own worry for her patient before finishing her explanation. "For right now, all you can do is keep a watch over him. I'll come over twice a day to check on him and reapply the salves and pastes to his injuries. I would bring him to the Hospital wing, but I figured you don't want a certain headmaster to know where he is at the moment." Poppy was well aware of Minerva's anger with Dumbledore over his treatment of Harry and agreed with her.
"Yes, that would be best for right now," Minerva replied, knowing that Dumbledore couldn't find out about Harry until she had talked to the young wizard herself. Maybe not even after that.
"Noted," Poppy acknowledged. "I'll make sure to be discreet about my comings and goings from the castle to avoid his suspicion. Now, do you want to put him in your spare bedroom upstairs?"
"Yes, the one with its own bathroom, right across from mine," Minerva replied.
Poppy led the way upstairs, carefully levitating Harry in front of her. When she had him situated on the bed and under the covers, she turned to make a few final remarks. "If you need anything or there is any change in his condition, don't hesitate to call me. Also, I want all four of you to make sure you get enough food and rest." The healer looked at Minerva and the three house-elves individually before continuing. "I know how worried you are about him, but you're of no use to him if you're exhausted or famished. In fact, I suggest you take shifts watching him to avoid that." When all of four of them voiced their agreement and thanked her for her help, Poppy bid them a good night.
Now that things had settled down, Minerva turned to the strange trio of house-elves. "May I ask how you came to be Harry's elves?"
Dobby and Winky looked at each other, unsure if they should respond. Then they remembered how close Harry was to this woman and they believed their master wouldn't mind them telling her some things. Dobby answered for both of them. "Harry bonded to us the day he left Hogwarts. He bonded us to him as family instead of slaves, changing us. It made us stronger, smarter, and healthier than regular house-elves."
"We can even talk more normally," Winky added shyly."
"Well that explains how he was able to disappear without anyone noticing. That also explains why the two of you look so well," she noted. Of course, he would find some way to make his house-elves different from the typical ones. Her thought was bittersweet though, and she hoped she would be able to ask him about it in person soon.
Kreacher stepped forward to answer her as well. "Master is the Lord of the Black family now," the elf stated simply . Minerva looked closer at him, noticing the slight changes in his demeanor. He stood straighter and more dignified. He even spoke of Harry with respect. If anyone could fix that elf's attitude, it would be you, Harry, she thought. It would have amused her if she wasn't so worried about him.
After a moment Minerva focused her thoughts on trying to decide what to do next. She knew she would be staying in the room with Harry until he woke up and figured that she could transfigure the sole chair in the room into a recliner to sleep in. First, she needed to take a shower and she let the elves know so before leaving the room.
Fifteen minutes later, Minerva returned to see Winky and Kreacher had gone, leaving Dobby as the only one left. He informed her that he was taking the first shift.
Hedwig had also appeared and was perched on the headboard of the bed frame. She hooted in greeting and Minerva could tell that meant the owl was staying for the night as well. Then she swooped down to land on Minerva's shoulder, butting her head against the witch's cheek gently in a sign of shared sympathy. Minerva stroked Hedwig's feathers for a moment before the owl flew back up to her previous perch, settling in for the night.
Minerva did the same thing herself, transfiguring the chair into a spacious recliner. Then she sat down, reclining it all the way back to get comfortable before turning to face Harry. As she lay there, her thoughts began to wander, trying to come up with scenarios that would explain his injuries. In an attempt to calm herself, she ran her fingers through his hair, reassuring herself that he was alive, and he would recover. That's all that mattered for now. When he woke up and was up to it, however, he would get a long talking to.
She was even more resolute about the decision she had made before he appeared in front of her. Whether he liked it or not, she was going to knock some sense into him. He could have gotten himself killed and she wouldn't let that happen again. She was going to get to the bottom of what made him act so recklessly to prevent it from happening again.
- H.M. –
The next morning, Poppy came before 7 to check in on Harry. Minerva, who had managed to get five hours of sleep, was already awake and alert, though she had a crick in her neck from the chair. The house-elves, who had guarded Harry and Minerva in three-hour shifts throughout the night, all reappeared when Poppy arrived.
"Good morning everyone," Poppy greeted. "I assume that you noticed no changes during the night." When all four responded in the negative, she moved to scan over Harry. When there was no sign of a deterioration in his condition, she reapplied the salves and bandages to his wounds which were already starting to look better since last night. She also spelled nutrient potions into his system to prevent dehydration, starvation, and the atrophying of his muscles from disuse. While Poppy was working, Minerva had stretched her body out, thankfully getting rid of the crick in her neck.
"How is he?" Minerva asked when the healer finally turned back to face her.
"He's improving though he doesn't show any signs of waking just yet. His magic is also recharging a bit slowly and his body is still shaking from the Cruciatus, but not as bad as last night. Nothing has gotten any worse though," Poppy explained.
"Do you think he feels any pain?" Minerva asked, voicing a worry she hadn't considered last night.
"No, but I couldn't give him a Pain-Relieving potion at the moment either way. With his coma, the concussion, and the Cruciatus exposure, the potion might do more harm than good," Poppy explained sadly. Minerva nodded in understanding, taking her friend's word for it. "I'll be back later tonight to check on him. Make sure you all take care of yourself while you watch over him."
"We will," Minerva replied. Poppy returned back to Hogwarts after that, leaving Minerva and the three house-elves alone. Before Minerva could say anything, Winky stepped forward and offered to make her breakfast. Unable to find a reason to refuse and understanding that the elf probably needed something to do to distract herself, she accepted. Winky popped away to do so, leaving Minerva with Dobby and Kreacher.
"I can watch over Harry during the day, though you're more than welcome to come check on him whenever you like. If you have anything else to do or orders that Harry gave you before last night, don't hesitate to do them. It'll probably help to have some sort of distraction to stop you from worrying as much," she suggested. Dobby and Kreacher decided to go back to Grimmauld Place and continue cleaning it up, seeing the wisdom in her words.
A few minutes later, Winky returned with breakfast and the Daily Prophet before popping away to work on the manor as well. Alone, Minerva tried to decide what to do to distract herself. Reading didn't appeal to her at the moment and she had no papers to grade. Her only true hobby was dancing, but she definitely wasn't in the mood for that. Out of boredom, she picked up the newspaper Winky had brought for her and saw that Harry's recent adventure was on the front page just like last time. When she had seen the first article about the "Hooded Stranger" a few days ago, she almost immediately knew it was him. In her mind, only Harry would be bold enough to face that many Death Eaters head on without backup. Seeing this as a chance to figure out some of what happened last night, she read through the article, gasping in shock at its contents. To think that he had thought it was a good idea to take on eighteen Death Eaters alone spoke to his state of mind. What happened to make you risk your life like that, she thought angrily as she turned her gaze toward him. She knew it had to be bad and was a bit afraid to find out the answer. In the back of her mind though, she was impressed that he had managed to get out of there alive against those odds.
As Minerva was looking at Harry and trying to figure out what was going on with him, an idea came to her that would allow her to help Harry while feeling like she was doing something constructive. With Harry's advanced level of knowledge and skill in Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts and his ability to survive, albeit barely, when very outnumbered, she thought it would be a good idea if he took his N.E.W.T.s over the summer in those two subjects. While she waited for him to wake up, she could prepare a study guide for both subjects. That way he would have less school work to focus on and more time to prepare for his next inevitable confrontation with Voldemort, something Harry would be happy with. Hopefully, it would also mean he had more time to relax, because this latest act obviously showed that he was under entirely too much stress. She ignored the anxious voice in the back of her mind that wondered if he would be okay when he finally woke from his coma.
Mind made up, Minerva went to her private library and searched for the books she would need to make a comprehensive guide for him. Once she found them, she brought a muggle notebook and pen with her back into the room and sat down in her chair. She transfigured one of the nightstands into a desk before getting to work, glancing at Harry periodically as she did. When Poppy came back after 9 that night, Minerva told her about the plan she had come up with for Harry. Poppy approved of it and was also glad that Minerva had something to distract her from her worries.
- H. M. –
This was their routine for the next three days. Poppy would come early in the morning and late at night to check in on Harry, reapply his salves, change his bandages, and give him nutrient potions. She was able to slip in and out of Hogwarts without anyone noticing her absence. Minerva worked on the study guide for Harry as she watched over him. She only left the room to shower, continuing to sleep in her transfigured recliner at night. The three house-elves would take shifts to watch him during the night. During the day, they would spend most of their time cleaning up Grimmauld Place while checking on Harry periodically. In addition to cleaning up the manor, Winky also prepared all of the meals, making sure everyone had enough to eat and drink.
Harry's condition steadily improved and by the night of the second day after the attack, his magic had fully recharged. Poppy and everyone else were hopeful that with his core now back to full strength, his injuries would heal even faster, and he would wake up soon enough. All of his minor injuries were already fully healed, but the burn on his leg, the cut on his abdomen, and the bruises on his back still needed more time.
The afternoon of the fourth day after the attack, Harry finally woke up. Harry was roused slowly from his coma and it took him a few minutes for his eyes to finally open up. When they did, his vision was blurry and he couldn't recognize anything about his surroundings, causing him to start panicking internally. He remained completely still as he tried to work out where he could be, though his mind was still fuzzy. Then the memories of the Death Eater raid came rushing back to him and he became worried that he had been captured until he realized that he was lying on a comfortable bed and not a prison cell floor. Deciding that he must be in a safe place, he slowly turned his head to see if anyone else was nearby. His gaze fell on Minerva who was working intently on the study guide, though it took him a moment to recognize her through his blurry vision.
"Minerva," Harry called weakly, his voice raspy from disuse. He had to repeat himself several times before Minerva heard him.
Startled, Minerva almost dropped her notebook in surprise as she pushed what she had been working on to the side and turned to face Harry. When she heard the panic in his voice, she quickly went to reassure him. "Easy Harry. You're safe now and I'm right here. Everything is okay," she soothed repeatedly, stroking his hair gently. Kreacher, who was in the room at the time left to go get Poppy while Minerva calmed Harry down.
"Where am I? How did I get here?" Harry asked when he was a little calmer.
Minerva helped him to sit up properly and got him to drink some of the water Winky had set to the side for him when he woke up before she answered his questions. "I don't know how you got here, but you're at my home and you're safe. Don't worry about that right now, though," she said in the same soothing tone. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I got ran over by the Knight bus and electrocuted," he said, groaning in pain. He was still trembling slightly from the Cruciatus curse, though Minerva hoped that would go away soon.
"I'd imagine so. You seem have to been through quite an ordeal," she remarked. He tried to say something, but she quieted him before he could speak. "We'll talk about it when you're feeling better. The important thing is that you're alive." Harry was about to respond but he was interrupted by the arrival of Poppy and his three house-elves.
"Well it's good to see you awake and coherent, Harry," Poppy greeted as she walked over to the side of his bed. She scanned over his body before saying anything else. "I need to do a test to make sure the concussion and Cruciatus exposure didn't damage your mind," she informed him.
"Okay," Harry readily agreed, hoping that wasn't the case.
It took Poppy about twenty minutes to finish the test and make a determination. "Your mind is still completely intact despite everything you suffered through," she announced, causing them all to release a sigh of relief. Then the healer listed all of the other injuries he had sustained and their status at the moment. "Now that you're awake, I can give you a potion to ease your pain and get rid of the concussion. I also want you to take a Dreamless sleep potion for the next two nights to ensure that you continue to get the rest you need to heal properly. For the rest of today, I want you to remain in bed." When Harry tried to protest, she cut him off. "You should be fine to walk around a bit tomorrow, but you just woke up and need time to recover from your coma."
"How long have I been out?" Harry asked quietly after he drank the potions for his pain and his concussion.
"For almost four whole days, so I need you to take it easy. Also, no using magic until I say so," Poppy stated sternly. Harry nodded in compliance. "Good, I'll be back to check on you later tonight and will bring the Dreamless sleep potion with me."
"Thank you, Poppy," Harry said.
Then Poppy turned to face Minerva. "Make sure he tries to eat something for lunch and dinner today. Also, go easy on him for today."
"I will," Minerva promised. She didn't plan on talking to him until he was ready.
Poppy left after that. Harry turned to face his elves who had been silent throughout the entire exchange. "I'm sorry I made you guys worry about me," he apologized.
"We are just glad you are okay," Dobby replied, the others nodding in agreement. Harry wanted to say more, but he didn't really have the energy to do so at the moment. Minerva, noticing his exhaustion, asked for Winky to prepare some soup for him to eat.
Then Harry turned back to Minerva to apologize. "I'm sorry…" he began before she cut him off
"I know you are Harry, but now isn't the time to talk about it. You just focus on eating and getting some rest for right now," Minerva stated firmly.
The rest of the day was spent in a tense and awkward silence as everyone tiptoed around the unresolved issues. Minerva continued to work on the study guide, though she didn't explain what she was doing to Harry. Dobby brought him a book to read so he wouldn't get too bored. Since he was able to eat full meals, Winky made sure to feed him as much as he could stand in attempt to give him his strength back. Kreacher and Dobby continued to work on their project, though their mood was improved now that they're master was awake, and they knew he would be okay. Poppy came back that night as promised and made sure Harry took the Dreamless sleep potion before she left. He drifted off shortly after that.
Minerva took a bit more time to fall asleep as many thoughts ran through her head. Now that he was awake, there was a lot they needed to talk about. At least he's alive Minerva so just hold onto that, was her last thought before she also succumbed to sleep.
