Dr. Reader's gaze was fixed on Professor Dumbledore like a leghold trap on a wolf's paw. Here he was on his home turf. "What are the symptoms? Psychotic or non-psychotic?"
"Psychotic, most definitely. Total divorcement from reality. They don't even recognize their own son when he comes to visit them."
"Not a flat affect, then."
"No, they're quite animated, but totally disorganized."
"Do they have an odd goatish smell about them?"
Dumbledore thought for a moment. "As a matter of fact, they do, they do indeed."
"That's trans-3-methyl-2-hexenoic acid, Headmaster Dumbledore. It's the classical calling card of schizophrenia, exuded in the schizoid's sweat." Reader's eyes glittered vermillion. "Sounds like atypical antipsychotics like olanzapine or quietapine are called for. Have any hypnotic drugs, such as lorazepam, been tried on them?"
"Not to my knowledge."
"Hmmmm. At least no one has had the chance to make things worse. I hate having to clean up after someone else's botched treatment." The doctor let his hands fall from his chin. "When can I examine the Longbottoms?"
"As soon as you like, doctor."
"Very well, then. No time like the present. Give me a minute to gather my tools, and I am your man." Suiting the action to the word, and with lightning speed, Dr. Reader leapt up from his desk and began sorting through the various treatment drugs he kept in his small study refrigerator.
"One moment." Dumbledore got up from his chair. "Harry, you and Miss Stellanova shall remain here for the time being. Show her, if you could, how to cast some simple Warding and Aversion Spells to put around the house and grounds." He looked speculatively at Lucy, then smiled. "It's a stroke of luck for us that you happen to be a witch, Miss Stellanova. It will make it much easier to protect Harry, and yourselves, from Voldemort and his forces. We must craft a course of study for you as soon as possible."
Dumbledore turned back to face Dr. Reader, who had collected a handful of vials, including one containing the antianxiety drug bromazepam, and was now putting them, along with a frozen gel-pack, in a small insulated carrying case. "Are you ready, doctor?" he asked, extending his left hand while he held his wand with the other.
Dr. Reader zipped shut the case. "Lead me where you will, Professor," he said.
"Grasp my left wrist, if you would, doctor... yes, just like that. Don't let go until I give the word." Professor Dumbledore's blue eyes gleamed; the Longbottoms were good friends of his. "Goodbye for now," he said to Lucy and Harry. "I promise to bring him back to you in one piece, Miss Stellanova." He raised the wand, said "Teleportio!" and both he and the doctor disappeared in a flash of silver.
Lucy gazed silently for a full minute at the spot where they had been.
Suddenly, her chin lifted, as if she had heard a faint noise from far away and was straining to interpret it. After a moment, her face cleared, as if she had received the desired answer. Turning to Harry, she said warmly, "They'll be back here by suppertime, unless Marcus gets tempted to puzzle out some magical distraction Dumbledore gives him. Let's get to work on pounding those spells into my head."
Lucy turned out to be a very quick study, rather like an adult version of Hermione. Harry only had to explain each spell to her once before she had it down cold. Furthermore, she understood, without him having to tell her, exactly where and why each of the spells had to be placed. They had the whole of Offhand Manor magically warded in less than an hour.
"We'll have to renew the spells at least once a week, preferably twice," Harry said as they rode the Firebolt, under cover of his invisibility cloak, down from the top of the cupola, wherein they had placed a particularly strong series of W&As to keep out aerial assaults.
"Good," replied Lucy, who was seated behind Harry, holding onto him tightly enough to make feel both very good and very guilty at the same time. "It'll be good practice for both of us. You won't have any wand rust when September rolls around, that's for sure."
"'Wand rust'?!" laughed Harry as they touched down onto the ground. "'Wand rust'?! I like that. I'm trying to imagine a wand all rusty from disuse. Though cobwebs would be more like it in my case, I think, back at Privet Drive in that ratty old cupboard."
Lucy dismounted with a slight giggle. "Speaking of wands -- how did you get yours, Harry? Did you make it, or buy it?"
"Bought it, over at Ollivander's in Diagon Alley. It cost me seven Galleons."
"Galleons? How much is that in Muggle money?" said Lucy as they walked through the back door and into the kitchen.
Harry fished about in his jeans pockets. "I don't know exactly. All I know is that Galleons are large gold coins -- like this." He pulled one out of his right jeans pocket and handed it to Lucy, who looked at it for some time with an intensely apprasing eye.
"It's real gold, all right," she said at last, handing the coin back to Harry. She broke into a wide, dazzling grin, picking up Harry and spinning him around the room once before planting a big, fat kiss on his cheek. "You have no idea how happy I am, Harry. This is the best day of my life, and almost certainly of Marcus'." She looked admiringly at Harry, and it was if the sun had come out from behind a cloud. "The Dursleys had told Marcus well in advance about what they painted as your 'insane belief in magic', apparently as part of their plot to blackmail Marcus into shunting you into some truly horrible funny farm. Neither of us had dreamed, until yesterday, that magic could be real, as real as a chair or a cat or a canteloupe. I can't wait to get a wand and some spell books and learn magic in earnest. I just hope that Muggle money can be exchanged for wizard money."
An idea came to Harry. "Don't worry about that, Lucy," he answered, a subtle smile on his face. "I'll buy you your wand and whatever books you need."
Lucy opened her mouth to protest, but Harry shook his head. "I've got a fortune in Galleons down in the vaults of Gringotts, the wizard bank," he told her. "It's the least I can do for you, what with you and Dr. Reader buying me my new clothes and things."
"Oh, Harry..." Lucy was on the verge of tears, she was so happy. "You've got a gallant soul." And with that, she hugged him and spun him around again, much to his chagrin.
