Chapter 10
"Don't get too excited Ginny, we may have found him, but we still have a long way to go here" he advised the nearly delirious girl before him, effectively getting Ron and Hermione's attention again.
"What are you saying sir?" asked Ron wearily.
"All I'm saying is that we may have found him, but the hard part isn't over yet"
"What do you mean professor? We found him didn't we, surely we can overcome anything else" said Ginny desperately, but to their surprise, it was Hermione who answered.
"Remus, are you saying what I think you're saying?" she asked with a worried expression on her face.
"I don't know Hermione, what are you thinking?"
"Do you have the article with you?"
"Yes" he said hesitantly, still not quite sure what the girl was getting at
"Could I read it please?"
"Certainly" answered Remus as he pulled the folded up article out of his pocket and handed it over to Hermione.
Ron and Ginny just sat perfectly still and wondered what in the world their professor and friend were talking about until Hermione unfolded the letter and they both craned their heads to read it as well.
Neither of them got much from the article except for the fact that Harry was hurt, causing Ginny to go into a fresh wave of tears, but Hermione found something else, the same thing Albus had found that morning.
"He was wearing his school robes when they found him?" she asked quietly, looking to Remus for conformation, who nodded his head.
"What are you thinking Hermione?" asked Ron nervously.
"That Harry was unable to be found or to contact us for the past three months because he has been with you-know-who until he turned up at the muggle hospital. How bad is it Remus?"
"Not good, he has some pretty serious injuries but what worries me more is the fact that the doctor who has been taking care of him said that he hasn't spoken a word to anybody since he arrived and that his sleep is plagued with some pretty serious nightmares. This is part of the reason I want Albus to come back to the hospital with me, to see if we can get him out of there anytime soon."
"That's what I was worried about. I know that if Harry had been able to contact us since he disappeared, he would have. Can we go with you to the hospital?" she asked shakily, but a voice from behind her answered instead of Remus.
"I don't think that would be such a good idea just yet child. It would arouse too many questions if too many people went to see Harry while he is still in the muggle hospital. Hopefully the ministry will have the forms we need by tomorrow and we can take him back to Hogwarts to recover and you all would be more than welcome to see him there" the four people all turned suddenly to see the headmaster standing behind them with a worried expression on his face.
"He's my boyfriend! I want to see him!" yelled Ginny in a most uncharacteristic fashion to her professor and headmaster.
"Ginny calm down! Isn't it enough to just know he is alive? Twenty minutes ago we didn't even know if we would ever see him again. You've gone three and a half months not knowing anything, can't you go twenty-four hours knowing he's alive and wait to see him?" asked Ron, trying to calm his little sister down a bit.
"I just want to make sure he's alright, that this isn't some cruel dream" she muttered almost to herself, looking up into the eyes of the headmaster and trying to plead with him.
"I know how you feel Ginny, but let me first make sure it will be safe for him to have visitors. Remus, we had better get back before Sirius and Severus drive the staff of the hospital crazy with their bickering" and with that, the two men apparted to Diagon Alley, leaving a still fuming Ginny behind.
"What does he mean by saying it might not be safe to go see Harry! Of course it's safe, it's Harry we're talking about here, not some common death eater wearing the dark mark!" she exclaimed as she jumped to her feet and stormed up the stairs to her room.
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Not ten minutes after Remus had left the hospital, Sirius and Severus were in the heat of one of their famous arguments in Harry's room, this one about weather or not to tell the other members of the staff about their discovery when they got back to Hogwarts.
"They have a right to know what's going on!" yelled Sirius
"Not until we know what's going on ourselves!" retorted Severus
"What do you mean? We found him didn't we!" Sirius questioned, his voice growing increasingly louder as the argument continued
"Think about what you're saying Black for once in your pitiful existence listen to the sorry excuse for a brain that has to be under that thick skull somewhere. What if they see the dark mark on his arm huh? What then?" countered the potions master, his old bitterness and hate for Sirius resurfacing again.
"What do you mean by that statement, Snape?" said the other man, and Dr. Jacobs could have sworn he was growling as he said it.
"Only that he will be shunned by the entire wizarding world if that gets out, no matter what the circumstances surrounding his acquisition of it were. It is now common knowledge that the boy is the most powerful wizard ever, more powerful than even Albus, and if the word got out that the boy bears the mark of the dark lord on his arm, he will be marked as evil and feared by all" concluded Snape in a quite tone so as not to be overheard by anyone out in the hall, it was already to late for the Doctor, he had heard too much and his memories would have to be altered shortly.
"Do you really think they will turn on him like that? He's the one who rid the world of Voldemort after all, surely they wouldn't abandon him like that, would they?" his eyes were deeply pained as he thought of the world his godson fought so hard to protect would turn on him as a result of the hideous mark on his arm.
Snape again subconsciously rubbed his own arm through his shirt as he looked back at the man beside the bed, not noticing the arrival or Remus and Albus through the door behind him.
"You know as well as I do how cruel people can be when there is even the smallest bit of evidence in favor of betrayal or dark activity Black. Look what they did to you after all, no one was willing to listen to reason when they arrested you, they just knew you had a wand and assumed that meant you killed Pettigrew. Just think what they will do if they find out the boy-who- lived has the dark mark on his arm."
"You're right Severus, no one can know about this, it would destroy Harry if he were shunned like you and I were. He's been through far too much already and who knows if he'll even be alright when he comes out of this. Please pull out of this Harry" he said, never once taking is eyes from the sleeping form of his godson.
"Sirius, Severus, how is he?" came the voice of the headmaster from behind them.
Severus approached the elderly man and quickly filled him in on what they had learned thus far, including the fact that the dark mark had been tattooed on the boys arm, and at this revelation, the headmasters gaze fell to the floor for a moment before he too approached the bed.
Dr. Jacobs had already decided that the two black haired men were completely insane, what with all their talk about evil wizards and dark marks, and this man joined them in that category as soon as he walked through the door.
He was tall with long snow white hair and a beard that reached his waist. He was wearing what appeared to be navy blue robes that reached to the floor, covering the boots that clicked sharply with each step he took.
"I am Albus Dumbledore, are you the doctor who has been treating Harry?"
"Yes sir, since the night he arrived. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have about his condition."
"Thank you doctor, but I have only one question right now, when will we be able to take Harry home?"
"Legally, as soon as you provide the proper documentation that Mr. Black is indeed his legal guardian. Physically though, not for quite some time yet."
"Why not?"
"I'm sorry sir, but two weeks ago the boy came into this hospital barley alive, and as yet I have seen no improvement in his injuries and his psychological state is no better. He say everyone he was with die and that has probably caused long term psychological damage."
At the doctors words concerning death, all four of their heads snapped up and the three younger men looked toward the headmaster who in turn looked to the doctor curiously.
"Doctor, could please tell me about the night Harry came into your care?" asked the headmaster, focusing light blue eyes hidden behind half moon glasses straight into the doctors eyes.
Contrary to what he had first felt about the strange group of men in the room with him, he felt persuaded to tell the old man before him everything he wanted to know.
"Well, I had just gone up to the receiving desk to discharge a patient when the front doors burst opened. I looked up and saw a person stumble into the emergency room, but I couldn't tell what was wrong with him at first.
I ran up to him and noticed that he could barley stand on his own, he was using the wall to support himself. As I reached him, he fell to the ground with a moan. He was wearing very loose robes, like they were made for someone twice his size, but they were practically shredded and revealed that his skin was covered in dirt and blood.
His hair was matted with blood and dirt as well and it shielded his face from view, so I thought this was a full grown man on the floor in front of me, and I asked him what was wrong, but before he could answer, he began to cough up mouthfuls of blood and was having trouble catching his breath.
I asked him again who he was and who did this to him, but he just started to cough again and I gave up hope and was getting ready to put him on a gurney and start treating him when he spoke.
His voice was very hoarse and barley auditable, but his words were easy enough to make out, like he was willing to give up all his energy just to say those few words. He looked right into my eyes and told me that he was gone, they all were and then he lost consciousness on the floor."
"What do you think happened Albus?" asked Sirius, now thoroughly bewildered by this new revelation.
The headmasters face broke into a small, grim smile for a moment before he spoke to the other three wizards.
"I think that Harry has succeeded to defeat Voldemort and his followers, but at what cost to himself I am still unsure. We shall have to wait until Harry is ready to tell us what has happened these past months himself."
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A/N: Well, here you go and I hope you liked it! I know this chapter was kinda dull, but it all leads up to what is coming, I promise. I already have the next two chapters typed and I'll post them within the next couple days. Thank you all for the nice reviews, I really appreciate them (Grin). I know Snape seems a little out of character right now, but now he has no more need to feel sorry for Sirius since they found Harry, so he will start to act more like the kind and generous potions master we all love (I'm being sarcastic), to Sirius anyway I don't remember who, but somebody asked how long this was going to be, and to be honest, I have no idea! I'll just say that finding Harry was not the only thing that is going to happen here, so be prepared! Hope you enjoy this and please review!
"Don't get too excited Ginny, we may have found him, but we still have a long way to go here" he advised the nearly delirious girl before him, effectively getting Ron and Hermione's attention again.
"What are you saying sir?" asked Ron wearily.
"All I'm saying is that we may have found him, but the hard part isn't over yet"
"What do you mean professor? We found him didn't we, surely we can overcome anything else" said Ginny desperately, but to their surprise, it was Hermione who answered.
"Remus, are you saying what I think you're saying?" she asked with a worried expression on her face.
"I don't know Hermione, what are you thinking?"
"Do you have the article with you?"
"Yes" he said hesitantly, still not quite sure what the girl was getting at
"Could I read it please?"
"Certainly" answered Remus as he pulled the folded up article out of his pocket and handed it over to Hermione.
Ron and Ginny just sat perfectly still and wondered what in the world their professor and friend were talking about until Hermione unfolded the letter and they both craned their heads to read it as well.
Neither of them got much from the article except for the fact that Harry was hurt, causing Ginny to go into a fresh wave of tears, but Hermione found something else, the same thing Albus had found that morning.
"He was wearing his school robes when they found him?" she asked quietly, looking to Remus for conformation, who nodded his head.
"What are you thinking Hermione?" asked Ron nervously.
"That Harry was unable to be found or to contact us for the past three months because he has been with you-know-who until he turned up at the muggle hospital. How bad is it Remus?"
"Not good, he has some pretty serious injuries but what worries me more is the fact that the doctor who has been taking care of him said that he hasn't spoken a word to anybody since he arrived and that his sleep is plagued with some pretty serious nightmares. This is part of the reason I want Albus to come back to the hospital with me, to see if we can get him out of there anytime soon."
"That's what I was worried about. I know that if Harry had been able to contact us since he disappeared, he would have. Can we go with you to the hospital?" she asked shakily, but a voice from behind her answered instead of Remus.
"I don't think that would be such a good idea just yet child. It would arouse too many questions if too many people went to see Harry while he is still in the muggle hospital. Hopefully the ministry will have the forms we need by tomorrow and we can take him back to Hogwarts to recover and you all would be more than welcome to see him there" the four people all turned suddenly to see the headmaster standing behind them with a worried expression on his face.
"He's my boyfriend! I want to see him!" yelled Ginny in a most uncharacteristic fashion to her professor and headmaster.
"Ginny calm down! Isn't it enough to just know he is alive? Twenty minutes ago we didn't even know if we would ever see him again. You've gone three and a half months not knowing anything, can't you go twenty-four hours knowing he's alive and wait to see him?" asked Ron, trying to calm his little sister down a bit.
"I just want to make sure he's alright, that this isn't some cruel dream" she muttered almost to herself, looking up into the eyes of the headmaster and trying to plead with him.
"I know how you feel Ginny, but let me first make sure it will be safe for him to have visitors. Remus, we had better get back before Sirius and Severus drive the staff of the hospital crazy with their bickering" and with that, the two men apparted to Diagon Alley, leaving a still fuming Ginny behind.
"What does he mean by saying it might not be safe to go see Harry! Of course it's safe, it's Harry we're talking about here, not some common death eater wearing the dark mark!" she exclaimed as she jumped to her feet and stormed up the stairs to her room.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Not ten minutes after Remus had left the hospital, Sirius and Severus were in the heat of one of their famous arguments in Harry's room, this one about weather or not to tell the other members of the staff about their discovery when they got back to Hogwarts.
"They have a right to know what's going on!" yelled Sirius
"Not until we know what's going on ourselves!" retorted Severus
"What do you mean? We found him didn't we!" Sirius questioned, his voice growing increasingly louder as the argument continued
"Think about what you're saying Black for once in your pitiful existence listen to the sorry excuse for a brain that has to be under that thick skull somewhere. What if they see the dark mark on his arm huh? What then?" countered the potions master, his old bitterness and hate for Sirius resurfacing again.
"What do you mean by that statement, Snape?" said the other man, and Dr. Jacobs could have sworn he was growling as he said it.
"Only that he will be shunned by the entire wizarding world if that gets out, no matter what the circumstances surrounding his acquisition of it were. It is now common knowledge that the boy is the most powerful wizard ever, more powerful than even Albus, and if the word got out that the boy bears the mark of the dark lord on his arm, he will be marked as evil and feared by all" concluded Snape in a quite tone so as not to be overheard by anyone out in the hall, it was already to late for the Doctor, he had heard too much and his memories would have to be altered shortly.
"Do you really think they will turn on him like that? He's the one who rid the world of Voldemort after all, surely they wouldn't abandon him like that, would they?" his eyes were deeply pained as he thought of the world his godson fought so hard to protect would turn on him as a result of the hideous mark on his arm.
Snape again subconsciously rubbed his own arm through his shirt as he looked back at the man beside the bed, not noticing the arrival or Remus and Albus through the door behind him.
"You know as well as I do how cruel people can be when there is even the smallest bit of evidence in favor of betrayal or dark activity Black. Look what they did to you after all, no one was willing to listen to reason when they arrested you, they just knew you had a wand and assumed that meant you killed Pettigrew. Just think what they will do if they find out the boy-who- lived has the dark mark on his arm."
"You're right Severus, no one can know about this, it would destroy Harry if he were shunned like you and I were. He's been through far too much already and who knows if he'll even be alright when he comes out of this. Please pull out of this Harry" he said, never once taking is eyes from the sleeping form of his godson.
"Sirius, Severus, how is he?" came the voice of the headmaster from behind them.
Severus approached the elderly man and quickly filled him in on what they had learned thus far, including the fact that the dark mark had been tattooed on the boys arm, and at this revelation, the headmasters gaze fell to the floor for a moment before he too approached the bed.
Dr. Jacobs had already decided that the two black haired men were completely insane, what with all their talk about evil wizards and dark marks, and this man joined them in that category as soon as he walked through the door.
He was tall with long snow white hair and a beard that reached his waist. He was wearing what appeared to be navy blue robes that reached to the floor, covering the boots that clicked sharply with each step he took.
"I am Albus Dumbledore, are you the doctor who has been treating Harry?"
"Yes sir, since the night he arrived. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have about his condition."
"Thank you doctor, but I have only one question right now, when will we be able to take Harry home?"
"Legally, as soon as you provide the proper documentation that Mr. Black is indeed his legal guardian. Physically though, not for quite some time yet."
"Why not?"
"I'm sorry sir, but two weeks ago the boy came into this hospital barley alive, and as yet I have seen no improvement in his injuries and his psychological state is no better. He say everyone he was with die and that has probably caused long term psychological damage."
At the doctors words concerning death, all four of their heads snapped up and the three younger men looked toward the headmaster who in turn looked to the doctor curiously.
"Doctor, could please tell me about the night Harry came into your care?" asked the headmaster, focusing light blue eyes hidden behind half moon glasses straight into the doctors eyes.
Contrary to what he had first felt about the strange group of men in the room with him, he felt persuaded to tell the old man before him everything he wanted to know.
"Well, I had just gone up to the receiving desk to discharge a patient when the front doors burst opened. I looked up and saw a person stumble into the emergency room, but I couldn't tell what was wrong with him at first.
I ran up to him and noticed that he could barley stand on his own, he was using the wall to support himself. As I reached him, he fell to the ground with a moan. He was wearing very loose robes, like they were made for someone twice his size, but they were practically shredded and revealed that his skin was covered in dirt and blood.
His hair was matted with blood and dirt as well and it shielded his face from view, so I thought this was a full grown man on the floor in front of me, and I asked him what was wrong, but before he could answer, he began to cough up mouthfuls of blood and was having trouble catching his breath.
I asked him again who he was and who did this to him, but he just started to cough again and I gave up hope and was getting ready to put him on a gurney and start treating him when he spoke.
His voice was very hoarse and barley auditable, but his words were easy enough to make out, like he was willing to give up all his energy just to say those few words. He looked right into my eyes and told me that he was gone, they all were and then he lost consciousness on the floor."
"What do you think happened Albus?" asked Sirius, now thoroughly bewildered by this new revelation.
The headmasters face broke into a small, grim smile for a moment before he spoke to the other three wizards.
"I think that Harry has succeeded to defeat Voldemort and his followers, but at what cost to himself I am still unsure. We shall have to wait until Harry is ready to tell us what has happened these past months himself."
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A/N: Well, here you go and I hope you liked it! I know this chapter was kinda dull, but it all leads up to what is coming, I promise. I already have the next two chapters typed and I'll post them within the next couple days. Thank you all for the nice reviews, I really appreciate them (Grin). I know Snape seems a little out of character right now, but now he has no more need to feel sorry for Sirius since they found Harry, so he will start to act more like the kind and generous potions master we all love (I'm being sarcastic), to Sirius anyway I don't remember who, but somebody asked how long this was going to be, and to be honest, I have no idea! I'll just say that finding Harry was not the only thing that is going to happen here, so be prepared! Hope you enjoy this and please review!