The Anvil - Part 2:
Harry for the better part of the dismal evening had overcome his primary obstacle. He had gotten rid of whatever was trying to kill him, from within his mindscape. However, he was still unconscious and his nonresponsive and damaged body would be at the mercy of a mentally questionable and irate Vernon Dursley. His ribs were already broken and he was bleeding internally. If his immediate injuries were not dealt with, he would be dead by the morning.
During the escapade in his mind, the scar on Harry's head had erupted in a sticky black discharge as some type of necrotic, putrid fluid was released. This had occurred as soon as 'the thing' had been burnt to death by the young boy, behind the comical but overpowered constructs. However, Vernon had noticed nothing unusual in his single-minded stupor, and he was heating an ice pick over the stove, intending to put it through the boy's tiny hand, as he had devolved into a full case of insanity.
"The boy will pay for his freakishness. It was him, he is the spawn of the Devil!" were the only thoughts that dominated the portly man, as a partial psychosis arrived to help him cope with the denial of his blunder, at his workplace.
Harry was blissfully unaware of the imminent pain waiting for him. Vernon proceeded to roughly place the boy's hand on the table with the rest of his body, hanging limp. Then he plunged the ice pick into his left hand between the small fold of flesh that connected the boy's thumb and forefinger.
Harry was forced out of his unconsciousness as his body detected the steel being forced through the flesh. Then, the burning sensation came a second after as the initial shock wore off. While the ice-pick had not caught any bone, it had certainly cauterised the skin and muscle. Harry began to scream at the sudden pain but soon realised that he was now mute. Harry began to wonder if he would survive. He already had battled some kind of snake-man monster but this? His little body was in so much pain, and his entire body refused to cooperate as the pain from the previous injuries continued to break his will.
Harry then gave in to the pain and begged for death to arrive on swift wings, to claim his soul.
While the boy considered himself all alone, in truth his parents had been looking on from the beyond, and they were also suffering greatly, as they witnessed his pain.
Unbeknownst to Harry Potter, his mother and father had been given duties Beyond the Veil after they had passed. This was not unusual – Lady Magic often delegated responsibilities to those who were noble in the mortal realm, as they could be trusted to sustain life. These individuals, who were not aware of their superiors, often worked to carry out smaller tasks associated with managing the universe. The relationship was no different to that of the Caretakes and the Illuminators – it was sensible that there was a certain symmetry in the organisational structure of the universe.
James Potter and Lilly Potter were quite aware that their son had undergone much pain. But to see this? To see poor Harry fighting Lord Voldemort? Lilly, who was on her knees, prayed as the small sobs echoed within their environment:
"Someone! Anyone! God! Lady Magic! Someone save my precious boy! Please, he has done nothing wrong! He is a good boy! Somebody save my precious boy! He deserves to be safe! He deserves to live!
James held Lilly's hand as he prayed, "Let the ancestors guide my blood to safety. Let Woden, Saxnot, Tunor and Tiw pass judgement on my boy. I call on the old Gods to preserve my boy! I call on them to secure his happiness!"
There were many tears and sorrow – Lilly began to wonder if perhaps Harry would be better served by living in the afterlife? Perhaps he would be spared the pain?
Lady Magic who heard the plea, whispered to herself, "Lilly and James, I am so sorry. Sometimes the small mistakes of others can cost innocent people much. No, he will survive Tom Riddle. But he will need much more than that to succeed. No, he must succeed! My gift to the boy, so that he may become his best…."
Soon after, Lilly and James observed as their precious boy used science and his imagination to beat the Dark Lord into submission. Lilly had choked on her tears and her unexpected laughter. Now the tears were receding, and both of the Potters were now concerned about Vernon's intentions. However, the boy had always managed to survive physical abuse, and they hoped that despite the flesh wound, he would make it through the night.
Time slowed down and a fizzing sound slowly occurred in the kitchen as a small bluish-white bird materialised. The bird quickly surveyed the situation and summoned a large bolt of lightning at the chest of Vernon Dursley. To Harry, it seemed almost like nature had been summoned to aid him. His body was in great pain, but he could see that the bird was interested in helping him. Truthfully, his suspicions were not far off. Vernon Dursley fell flat on his back and was now unconscious. The bird flew over to the young boy and quickly used its beak to remove the ice pick out of the boy's hand. Harry once again fainted, and as his vision receded, he could see the blue bird standing on his chest, as it peered down almost with an expression that resembled love and concern.
As far as Harry was concerned, if he survived the evening, this bird could get anything it wanted.
Now that the phoenix was in the presence of her wizard, she began to look over the boy. It seemed that the boy had survived a direct murder attempt. As her magical core mingled and bonded to her wizard, it became obvious that the boy had several broken ribs, a severe case of internal bleeding. There were also traces of malnourishment and other small bone fractures throughout the body. Yet, the brain seemed to be highly developed. Most obvious was the scar on his forehead, where dark magic had been forcefully exorcised – it was now an open wound, and the blood was trickling down his temple.
Her main priority was to stop the majority of the internal bleeding and temporarily put together the cracked rib cage. She had initially wondered if she could produce enough tears to fix the boy, but upon seeing his condition? She lowered her head and began to weep for the boy, now out of genuine concern as she felt his pain. She allowed her tears to fall into his open, gaping mouth. She wept for his injuries, his loneliness, his lack of self-worth, his lack of parental love and the other horrible things she saw in his memory. As her tears mingled with her magic, they coursed through the boy's digestive system and proceeded to travel over his body. Suddenly, as if ordained by fate itself, a miracle happened.
Lilly Potter had blessed her child with an old Norse warlock ritual to protect her child from the Dark Lord. Her blood sacrifice as a mother would not allow evil to touch the child, particularly in utterly grave circumstances. With the Phoenix tears lingering in his digestive system, suddenly a dull golden glow began to envelop the boy. The protection rune Eihwaz materialised over Harry's chest and as it etched into his skin, the magic went to work healing most of the severe injuries.
The Phoenix was glad for the help, as she sensed the Potter magic and the protection ritual. Her tears were not powerful enough to heal wounds instantly. That required almost a century of age, and she was just a child, no different to the boy. Between the Phoenix tears and Lilly's protection, Harry had healed just enough to make himself barely functional. He no longer had his horrendous scar and while he was not completely healed, at least his ribcage had been mostly repaired and his wounds were minimal. This did not mean that Harry was scott free from the events of the last half hour. No, Harry still had a lot of pain in his body and minor cases of internal bleeding. His ribcage possessed many minor fractures, but he would live. The phoenix closely examined the magical signatures and suddenly realised that some other type of old, ancient magic had left its mark.
The young bird was now panting, as she sat on the boy's chest, hoping that he would awaken soon. She hoped that she had done enough to keep the boy alive. She would guard the boy until he became conscious.