James' fingers clenched and unclenched the edge of the table under him restlessly. As if sensing his discomfort, Harry glanced over as he was talking to Jidea and smiled encouragingly. James looked at him for a moment before glancing away to the line of potions on another table nearby.
"Ok Sergeant Barnes," Jidea addressed him directly. "Today we are going to focus on your physical healing treatment. I believe Healer Potter has already given you the rundown of our main focus areas?"
Nodding, James cleared his throat and responded, "yeah." He glanced at the potions again.
"I want to focus on the severity of the stress your prosthetic arm had on your bones," Harry started. "Do we have your permission to cast ongoing diagnostic spells while we walk you through some basic exercises to monitor your motor function, stress levels and pain?"
A frown creased his brow, and James wet his lips nervously before nodding again silently. At that, both Jidea and Nollewi who were assisting Harry today started bustling around to prepare the area. James waited quietly for further instructions until he felt something cool press against his arm. He looked up and saw Harry holding out a glass of water and a smaller cup of something else.
"If you're anxious, this may help," he extended the smaller glass, which held a light turquoise-coloured liquid. "It's Draught of Peace. It helps with anxiety and agitation. There's no adverse side effects and we can also monitor how well you respond to potions. This is a small dosage, enough to last maybe two, three hours for a wizard or witch normally."
James stared at the unnaturally-coloured liquid before tentatively taking the cup. He sniffed it cautiously, before taking a sip. It tasted… weird. Soothing like tea but somehow sharp at the same time. He dutifully drank down the small cup's worth, and returned it to Harry who exchanged it for the cup of water. As Harry turned around to put away the cup, James wondered if it wouldn't work just when he noticed his jittering start calming and the unconscious tenseness in his body begin to unfurl.
By the time Harry turned back, he was faced with James' surprised face, the man looking down at his body in surprise. "I take it it worked?" Harry quipped in amusement. James nodded, dumb-founded, as he couldn't begin to describe the unusual looseness of his limbs and stillness of his mind. "That's good to know. If you notice when it wears off, let me know. But don't worry if you don't realize it."
"We are ready here," Nollewi called out from the area they had cleared. Harry nodded at James and both men walked over to the space. Nollewi and Jidea already had both their wands out, and James noted that he wasn't nearly as on edge as he'd usually be. "Shall we run an initial diagnostic as a base reference?"
"Yes, let's do a detailed on and focus on separate areas," Harry instructed. "Nollewi if you can do the hips and legs; Jidea the head, neck and shoulders; and I'll focus on the spine." The two women nodded and the healers stood in a loose triangle around James. "Alright, James?"
"Yes," James responded more clearly this time. Even though Harry had done this before, he still unconsciously expected to feel something from the spell, but he didn't. His head swiveled around in interest as what looked like detailed scans of his skeletal system appeared in front of each healer who were all deep in concentration as they studied their respective scans. He saw Jidea flick her wand and what looked like layers of muscle formed over the scans to show another layer of his shoulders as she hummed thoughtfully.
"Some imbalance of the hips," Nollewi noted. "Overall stress in the left leg in particular. A little unevenness in length but nothing out of permissible range."
"Similar imbalance in the shoulders," Jidea nodded. "Some fusion evident in the neck as well. Sergeant Barnes, do you experience any neck pains?"
"Please call me James," he replied. "And yeah, sometimes. I've just… kinda learnt to ignore it." He winced when Jidea clicked her tongue at that.
"There's definite warping in the spine," Harry pulled back from his own scan. "Onset of minor scoliosis, and quite a bit of evidence showing continuous stress on the muscles of his left side." He nodded at the other two healers and then turned to James. "Okay James, we're gonna walk you through a few simple exercises."
Over the next hour or so, James was asked to twist and turn his body into different positions and detail any sensation he felt. He noticed Jidea and Nollewi recasting the diagnostic spell every now and then and monitoring the scans carefully. Whenever James expressed any kind of discomfort or soreness in a position, Harry would step forward and carefully run the tip of his wand along the area. A temporary trail of light would be left on his skin and Harry's striking green eyes would follow it carefully, but other than some muted hums, he didn't comment on anything in particular.
Then, they moved onto asking James to run through some simple movements; walking, running, jumping, and when he assured them he could do it, even some aerial flips and spins. Jidea and Harry alternated shooting spells at him mid-movement which left a ghostly after-image of his body in motion. Nollewi would step closer and highlight key details here and there.
It wasn't long until they seemed satisfied with the tests and the two women were chatting amongst themselves over the data. Harry beckoned him over with a thoughtful look. "There is one more thing we could try."
"Whatever you want," James shrugged. It had all been pretty simple tasks so far. Not at all what he'd been expecting, honestly.
"We have a good idea of the stress your arm placed on your body," Harry explained. "But I'd like to see exactly that stress in motion."
James raised a brow in question, "how? Like… put it back on?" At Harry's nod, James shook his head, "the arm got destroyed wh—" he looked away. "Shuri took it off after. I don't know if she still has it, but it's basically useless now. I don't know if she'd make a duplicate if you—"
"No need," Harry shook his head. He brought up his wand, "it's not so much the specific arm itself, but how you function with it. Especially given the length of time you had it, your body will have ingrained responses when you use the arm regardless of if it was changed now. If you're willing, I can create something durable enough for a simple test. The data may also be useful in the future if you ever want to get a replacement made to better suit you."
Not really knowing what to expect, James simply nodded his assent. He watched as Harry transfigured a chair into a thick bar that embedded itself into the ceiling, hanging just above reach. Then Harry raised his wand and whirled it through the air. A streak of molten silver poured from the tip and flowed fluidly towards James' shoulder. James had to stop himself from jerking away instinctively when it latched itself onto his scarred shoulder and formed into a gleaming silver arm.
Distantly, he registered a faint gasp but James had eyes only on the shining silver arm. Once it settled in its form, he tentatively twisted his joints and was stunned to see it move more sinuously than his HYDRA arm ever did. He habitually rolled his shoulder in a habit he had formed to recalibrate feeling in his arm. Satisfied, he glanced back at Harry who was watching him patiently.
"Can you grab that bar," Harry pointed above them at the transfigured metal, "and hang there for a moment? Sort of like you are going to pull yourself up."
James nodded easily and jumped up, firmly grasping the metal bar and straining a little in his shoulder to keep him in a mid-rising position. He heard the whish of a wand cutting through the air as he assumed Harry ran another diagnostic. Barely ten seconds later, Harry told him he could let go. He dropped down and thudded heavily back onto the ground, to Harry's keen observation.
Seemingly satisfied with his findings, Harry smiled back at James. "Thank you, that was very helpful."
"What… what's this made of?" James had to ask.
"I believe it's a magical element. It's unusually light for a metal, isn't it?" Harry asked, and James nodded in confirmation. "I'd offer it as a permanent replacement, but the spell is actually Dark Magic. It has some concerning fail-safes and is tied to the caster's magic – in this case, me. Also, I believe based on what I've read about your… enhancements and previous usage of your prosthetic, this arm may not be able to handle that amount of stress."
"It is strong, no doubt about it," Harry noted, remembering how Pettigrew's could grind a twig into dust easily. "but it isn't made for long-term grabbing, pulling, load-bearing, and so on." Then he stepped forward and clapped James on the shoulder. "Don't fret though. Based on what I just saw, if you are interested in a new arm, the data will be very useful to Shuri or whoever builds it."
James nodded, glancing back at the glimmering arm. He cleared his throat and called out, "Harry." The other man looked up at him questioningly. "I think… you can take it off now." Harry raised a questioning brow but didn't prod him as he acquiesced and with a simple wave of his wand, the arm rippled and slid off him like water, before disappearing into the air. James immediately ran a hand over the revealed stump.
Being like this undoubtedly left him feeling uncomfortably bare and vulnerable. But seeing that gleaming silver on his left again… somehow it made him feel like… like the weapon HYDRA made him to be again. It was ridiculous to think about, as he knew it was him controlling his arm. Not HYDRA. But that arm had become a symbol of their… their claim over him. And the helplessness he felt being under their disposal. He felt vaguely nauseous just thinking about it, and shook the thoughts out of his head.
He turned back to see Harry reach the other two healers. Jidea had a brow raised, an impressed expression on her face, while Nollewi beside her looked like she was about to either faint or start screaming. Thankfully, she did neither and remained professional, aside from a quick "I can't believe you can do—that was amazing, Healer Potter!"
It was agreed that the extensive stress that had been placed on his bones was the first issue they needed to address. James was consulted with a few options on how to proceed. Namely; their main recommendation was regrowing sections of his skeleton over a period of about a month, with time to rest and adjust in between. However, all three healers were concerned about the mental toll it may take, having to essentially go through some serious pain with each section they removed and regrew.
Another option was to regrow only the most important sections – his shoulder, neck and upper spine – and reinforce the rest through a mix of magic and muggle treatments. Jidea suggested using their magic to weave in some vibranium to correct his skeleton over time, which was apparently a treatment the Wakandans have used in the past. Like the temporary pins muggle surgeons would use to correct a fracture or break, but with magic they would be able to freely manipulate it without surgery and continuously make adjustments as needed.
A third option would be a mix of the reinforcing vibranium, coupled with supportive gear and consistent physiotherapy. Jidea had informed them that Shuri had analyzed James' Winter Soldier tactical gear and noticed that some support had already been incorporated to account for the weight of his arm. She could create similar gear that he could wear and use everyday, while stabilizing his body from any further stress through physio exercises he would need to do almost daily.
Harry had repeatedly assured James that his comfort level and preference was their biggest priority. Given that he didn't suffer any major pain or damage despite having the HYDRA arm on for near 70 years, he didn't necessarily have to put himself through any more pain than necessary. Harry dismissed the other two healers and told James to take his time considering his options. By dinner though, he had more or less made up his mind.
"I want to try the… bone potion?" James brought up when he sat down next to Harry to eat.
"The Skele-gro?" Harry put down his fork and spoon.
"Yes. Can we try it on the neck and shoulder first, then I'll see if I can do the rest or go with the second option?"
"Of course," nodding, Harry's eyes darted up thoughtfully. Then, he placed a gentle hand next to James, but not touching, simply providing comfort and support. "But remember, James, that while your bones regrow, we'll have to immobilize the affected section to ensure it grows back right. If it's your neck and shoulder, you'll likely have to stay in bed until the process is finished. Are you sure you're alright with that?"
James was staring distantly at their arms on the table. Even thinking about it made his heart rate pick up in anxiousness. "Think you could give me some of that blue stuff again?" he joked half-heartedly.
"Unfortunately, Skele-gro can't be taken with any other potion at the same time," said Harry apologetically. "But I will stay with you through the entire process. You needn't feel worried; neither about the process nor your safety."
"How—" James coughed to clear his throat. "How long do you think it'll take?"
"Based on how long the Draught of Peace worked on you, I'd estimate… 3 hours for your neck; four, maybe five hours for your shoulders. We can do them separately as well. Your shoulders will be easier to manage. You'll likely to be able to walk around, but your arms will essentially be useless. We could spend the time scoping out this place, or maybe trying some meditation by the lake."
James was nodding along in thought. "Yeah… I can do that. Let's try the neck first then. Better to get it over with."
"Alright," Harry acquiesced, picking his utensils back up to resume eating. "When would you like to do it? We can try tomo—"
"Tonight."
Harry's brows shot up and he turned a questioning look at James, who shrugged. "Like I said, better to get it over with. If it's night, maybe I could try and sleep through it."
Chuckling, Harry shook his head in amusement. "You can certainly try. Your pain tolerance may be high enough to do just that. I certainly remember getting no sleep when I had to regrow my arm at twelve," he unconsciously rubbed the arm in question.
"Maybe you could tell me about that. As a distraction," said James.
Harry huffed and smiled at James, "I certainly can."
Big thanks to Kairan1979 for reminding me about that Pettigrew's silver hand, which I used as inspiration in this chapter!
We've finally reached actual treatment yayyy!
This past week has been crazy busy for me. I had an interview today, had to mark 50 student projects, 10 assessments, plan a 5-week unit of content and write 2 exam papers lol. Next week is exam week so hopefully things calm a little to do some writing. In the spirit of trying to keep things shorter, I'll *try* to pace-up the treatments with more overviews and less minor details.
