Summary: The war is over for everyone but Harry. He is still fighting just to survive, but he won't make it on his own. Just when he's given up, help comes along.
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, but I do own my imagination which takes me on wonderful adventures.
PLEASE NOTE: I am in the process of revising and finishing this story. I have removed all the chapters that had been previously uploaded because they have been slightly modified.
Chapter 5: Scanning
Poppy arrived mid-morning, her arms full of books. After greeting Severus and Harry and placing the stack of books on the table, she proceeded to empty her pockets of shrunken equipment.
"I know that Severus has a sub-Mastery in medi-wizardry in connection with his Potions Mastery, so he has knowledge of human body function. Have you ever had any physiology or anatomy courses, Harry?"
At his negative response, she went into an explanation. "There are eleven operating systems in the human body. Witches and wizards have an additional one – the magic relay system, also known as the core. My plan is to perform a detailed polyscopic (A/N: a word I think I may have invented to mean multi-view) scan of each system. This will give us a stable three-dimensional image, similar to the muggle concept of a hologram, but more solid, which we can then stabilize and suspend within a crystal bubble. In this way, we will be able to study each system in detail for as long as we need it. While there are definite advantages to working with such images, they are time-consuming, energy-draining and take two wizards working together to create. Therefore, I recommend that we focus on the more probable systems to begin with.
"I believe we can achieve three scans this weekend. We will do one now and one this afternoon. Tomorrow morning, we will complete a third and then we will spend the remainder of the day examining those three. Next weekend, we will repeat the process with three more systems. That should cover the ones which I feel would most likely be implicated in the problems you are experiencing with your magic, Harry. If, after reasonable study, we haven't come up with any possible theories, we will add the other systems into the research."
"Since the problem is with my magic, why do we need to scan other systems in addition to the magical core?" Harry queried.
"The various systems work in tandem in a healthy body. They do not operate in isolation. It is also possible, that whatever we are looking for is 'piggy-backing' in an unexpected location. Nevertheless, I feel it behoves us to focus on the systems which are probably implicated. This weekend we will scan the magical relay system, the nervous system and the immune system. I will explain what each does as we get to it.
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"Okay, let's get started. You must remove all magical items and anything containing metal – your glasses, any jewellery you may be wearing and any clothing with metallic embellishments or closures such as the zipper on your jeans." Harry went to his room to change his clothing and then the other two joined him in the guest room where Harry sat down on the bed.
"The first scan we will do is the magical core. This is where your magic resides. At rest, it resembles a glowing ball of softly pulsing energy. When in use, filaments of energy stretch out from it and send pulses of magic along the magical pathways. The pulses move fast enough that they appear as a stream to the naked eye, however, with the advent of microscopes and other technologies, we have learned that is not the case.
"With the exception of the more delicate nervous system, each of the other systems may take up to an hour to complete the scan. It requires you to remain as still as possible, in order to get a clear, realistic picture of the system. You won't feel anything; in fact, you may sleep, if you wish."
"Why don't you just petrify me?" Harry asked.
"I'm not sure to what extent the scan or your magic will be affected by the spell residue, so I'd rather not take any unnecessary chances."
"How will you get an idea of what may be wrong with my core if I am not performing any magic?"
"We need the resting core as a baseline. If it becomes necessary, there are other scans for active systems but they are more difficult to perform due to external variables."
Turning to the other man in the room, she said, "I will need you, Severus, to help me maintain a consistent magical output by monitoring and feeding me a continuous flow of low-level magic. Additionally, as we complete each scan, I will need you to hold the crystal globe steady while I place the image within."
Harry made himself comfortable on the bed while Severus moved behind Poppy and placed one hand lightly on her wand arm and the other on her shoulder. "Ready, everyone?" Poppy asked.
At their nods, she began the long, musical enchantment while gently and slowly guiding her wand over each part of Harry's anatomy. Harry watched in amazement as a beautiful, softly glowing model of his magical core began to take shape above him. When she completed scanning his whole body, she remained with her arms in an upraised position, holding the image steady.
"Severus, would you bring in here one of those crystal globes I brought with me, please?" Severus left and returned a moment later.
"Enlarge it, if you would." Poppy transferred and anchored the image into the globe and performed a stasis charm on it followed by an unbreakable charm on the globe. Finally, she lowered her arms and dropped into the easy chair by the fireplace. "That's the magic relay system. After lunch, we will do the immune system."
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During lunch, Poppy explained the advantages of using a polyscopic image. "It is quite useful in that we can turn the image in any direction and, thus, see it from all angles. We are able to enlarge sections as though seen through a microscope. We can add colour to certain areas in order to watch the flow of chemicals or impulses. There is even a charm to allow us to see inside sections of the image. We can freeze motion or change its speed. We can combine one or more images to see how they work together. And, lastly, we can introduce a limited number of interventions or modifications to determine their effect on the system in question."
"That's a rather sophisticated use of magic." Severus was impressed.
"Yes, it is. Isn't it? There are limitations to it, though. The image is only as clear as the body is immobile while being scanned. As I mentioned earlier, external magic has a slight effect on the final image – even the magic used to create the scan. A recent development, however, gives us the ability to isolate the castor's magical residue so as not to interfere with the final result. Unfortunately, there is no known method for seeing how the introduction of magic or potions will work on the image, and therefore, the actual system. In addition, if we choose to combine images, we will not be able to separate them again. If necessary, we would have to replicate the scans."
"If we have to create an image of my magic in motion, how is that process different?" Harry inquired.
"Well, I suppose it could be compared to early cinematography – the use of multiple exposures and time-lapse imagery. Essentially, the 'photographer' would watch you perform magic using a rather complicated charm allowing him or her to 'see' your magic flow through the core – similar to a Roentgen (A/N: a.k.a. x-ray) image. The 'memory' of the watcher is then pensieved and another charm allows us to lift individual images, or exposures, to create the time-lapse 'film' of the system in action."
"Whoa!" Harry sat back, amazed beyond words. "I see what you mean by complicated!"
"On that note, how about we move onto the next system?"
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"I would like to do the scan of your immune system next. Through this system, your body is protected against infection and disease. There are actually three parts to the structure: the anatomic response whose job it is to prevent entrance of the problem to begin with; the inflammatory system which excretes any invaders to the body that manage to make it past the first defence; and, finally, the white blood cells and antigens which actively attack any foreign invader making it into the body.
"Occasionally, the immunity is compromised and the body contracts an illness due to the weakened system. Once that happens, often the only way to counter it is through intervention: medication, surgery and the like."
Harry nodded his understanding. "So, it is possible that whatever is affecting me may be organic in nature and not magical."
Severus answered, "Yes, but as you are a magical being, you are affected differently than your muggle counterpart would be. That might explain why it has not yet been diagnosed. Your condition may also be caused by a number of interacting factors – both magical and non-magical in nature."
"Well, we might as well get on with it." Harry got comfortable again.
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On Sunday, Poppy arrived in the late morning hours. "I thought we could complete the final scan before lunch so we would have the rest of the day to review. Are you ready to begin, Harry?"
"Which system did you say you will you be scanning this morning, Poppy?" Severus asked as they made their way into the guest room and Harry arranged himself on the bed.
"Today, we will take care of the nervous system. It is made up of the brain, spinal cord and nerve network and acts as the control unit for body function. Like the immune system, it also has three parts: the central system, consisting of the brain and spinal cord, sends out nerve impulses and analyses information received from the senses. The second part is the peripheral system whose job it is to send and receive messages from the muscles and glands. Lastly, the autonomic system regulates involuntary action such as heartbeat, respiratory rate and digestion. Due to its delicacy, however, this system will take about half as long again to scan as the others," she warned.
An hour and a half later, Harry finally climbed off the bed, stretched and went to set up lunch. Poppy added the latest crystal globe to the other two on the coffee table.
While eating, it was decided that each would take one scan, study it and write up anything interesting they may have uncovered. After an hour, they would trade globes. By the end of the third hour, when all three of them had had a chance to thoroughly learn about and inspect each system, they would break for tea.
The afternoon passed in near silence with the rustling of parchment, scratching of quills and occasional softly spoken comment. Finally, the scratching ceased and the last quill was laid aside.
The three gathered their notes together and compared findings over tea, adding to their personal notes as they went. This was followed by additional research and cross-referencing using the materials Poppy had brought.
Although they had learned a lot about the workings of each system, both individually and as a part of a larger whole, there were, unfortunately, no great revelations regarding the cause or causes of Harry's dysfunction.
"It's possible there is an issue with one of the other systems or between systems. Each one may be working well on its own, but there may be something affecting communication or cooperation between them. Of course, we won't be able to know that until we finish analysing all the systems. Once that part is complete, we can link the scans together and examine how well they interact. In the meantime, continue studying the scans and researching these three systems in the books I brought," she added, trying to buoy Harry's mood.
"I will see you both next weekend."
"Goodbye, Poppy. Have a good week," Severus answered.
"Thanks, Poppy. 'Bye," Harry added.
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A/N: Please review – I'd really like to know what you think!