***Important Author Note: ***
Update. Yay! I've been gone for a while from the writing world. This was because I was putting my art portfolio together. ^^; It was a VERY stressful and busy time, but happily I got into my program. So YAY ME! ~^^~ Also, I've started college up again, sooo…if my updates are far from each other, that'd be why. I'll apologize in advance for that, so try to bear with me. I've transferred into a really intense school, but hopefully I'll have time to write.
I tried to get this out quickly so if there are any errors that's why. If you find any, I'd love it if you could let me know so I can fix them. ^^
Right, so I added some Latin for a few spells. My Latin's really rusty soooo if it doesn't make sense to you, PLEASE tell me so I can fix it. Thanks!
Chapter Two
After making sure that Voldemort was relatively stabilized for his condition, Harry decided that the Dark wizard's wounds were too serious to not use some spells on them. He left the room and went to gather all the textbooks Poppy had told him to get and all the medical books he had bought on his own. As he gathered them all up, he was generally surprised to see how many he had collected. Hopefully some of those are advanced enough to have the spells I'm looking for.
A good 17 books and two and a half hours later, Harry finally found what he was looking for. Standing up from the ground and stepping over the mass of books he had laid out around him, Harry made his way over to Voldemort with one of the more advanced textbooks in his hand. I should deal with the more serious things first.
"Medicorcavus.*" Harry said with the standard conviction he used for all his spells. Curious as to why Voldemort didn't react, Harry assumed he had done the spell wrong with frustration.
Reviewing the text again and muttering another 'Medicorcavus,' Harry was even more confused as to why he still got no reaction. Knowing full well that while that spell could save someone from bleeding to death it was also very painful for the patient. He should have gotten a reaction. I usually get the spell right one my first or second try… Contemplating the situation, Harry decided the only way to figure out what went wrong was to examine the wound.
Setting his book down on the table next to the bed, Harry went to retrieve some more bandages, antiseptic and hot water; he might as well clean and re-bandage the wounds. As he started unwrapping the blood soaked bandages, Harry was slightly concerned why the blood was seemingly still flowing regularly instead of clogging and congealing like most wounds do. It's like his body isn't healing correctly and not stopping the bleeding. I only found him last night but there still should be some evidence of the blood flow slowing…
After finishing at getting all the bandages off, Harry started inspecting all the wounds; most seemed to show no signs of healing, not even a slight scab on the minor scrapes and scratches. Despite being perplexed, Harry decided to leave it for now and explained it off with Voldemort having a bad immune system. He eventually goy to examining the gapping hole in his archenemy's stomach and was surprised to see that the spell had worked…somewhat.
Apparently the wound had healed, just not to the point that it should have. The spell should have caused the wound to completely scab over and stop the blood flow around the area preventing bleeding out as well as healing any internal injuries. However, it appeared the Dark Lord's body had problems with actually healing. The wound was no longer fatal to the wizard and it had closed some. Unfortunately for the dark wizard it was still bleeding a lot. Eventually Harry tried more spells from the book and was extremely frustrated that the spells that should have healed the minor wounds and sealed up the larger lacerations, didn't. Looking at the Dark Lord in annoyance, Harry sighed and knew what he had to do. Looks like I'm doing this the muggle way…when he wakes, he is not going to be pleased…
A good couple of hours later, Harry had recleaned, stitched up and rebandaged all of the elder wizard's major wounds. He had left the minor ones unstitched and only loosely wrapped since they weren't a threat to the Dark Lord's health. IT was also a good way for Harry to tell if there was something preventing Voldemort from healing, since if the more insignificant wounds wouldn't heal, it would mean the larger, more life threatening ones wouldn't either. Harry hopped that the Dark Lord just healed slower than others, but in the back of his mind, he knew something else might be going on.
Aside from the obvious, the situation caused Harry some unease. He knew Voldemort was a unique wizard in almost all categories, but at the same time it bothered the Boy-Who-Lived that the dark wizard had barely moved or made a sound since Harry had found him. In fact there was only a few twitches when he had been stitching up the elder wizard's wounds. The fact that Voldemort didn't seem to show any inclination of healing was also troubling. Deciding the possibility of a toxin was too much of a jump with his current amount of evidence, Harry decided to focus on the more immediate problem, such as Voldemort very pale and clammy composition. Blood loss. Harry's mind supplied and he was once again reminded that he really needed some blood replenishing potions.
As he started to think which would be better, sending a letter to get some potions or just plain going to Diagon Alley, an owl flew up to the master bedroom window and tapped on the glass. Going over and opening the window, Harry took the letter from the dark owl and summoned some treats.
Harry my boy,
I've heard you've left the Dursleys once again. I have to say I wished you wouldn't be so hasty, after all you must remember that Tom and his Death Eaters are still after you. I truly hope you went to Grimmauld instead of elsewhere. Now I know that you have been upset lately, but I must insist you tell me where you are or I'll have to get some of the Order to find and retrieve you.
Try to behave yourself.
Albus Dumbledore
He…He actually…Growling, Harry couldn't believe the audacity of his Headmaster. Summoning some parchment and a muggle pen, he began writing his response.
Dumbledore,
Yes I am at Grimmauld. Despite me telling you this, I would once again like to remind you that even if you were to send someone after me, they wouldn't be able to get in or forcibly remove me from my home. Understand that if you even try I will take legal measures against you.
I would furthermore like to inform you that I didn't leave the Dursleys on my own accord. I was kicked out. Besides, even if I did I personally could care less on what you think about it. I. Don't. Trust. You.
So if you could be so kind to leave me ALONE. I'd appreciate it.
Still Mad,
Harry Potter
I can't believe he actually thinks he needs to remind me that people are trying to kill me. Unbelievable. Harry muttered to himself in his head. Though this makes up my decision on what to do.
Giving the owl his response and sending the bird back to Hogwarts, Harry sat down to write another letter.
Poppy,
I need a favor. I was wondering if you could send me some supplies. I'd really appreciate if you could give me the following:
Blood Replenishing Potion x10
Fever Reducing Potion x5
Infection Reducing Potionx5
Healing Salve
I hope this comes to you in good health and I hope you've also had a good summer so far.
Sincerely,
Harry
Hopefully Poppy won't ask too many questions. She knows what usually goes on at the Dursleys, so if I'm lucky she'll just assume I need them because of that. Harry thought as he called Hedwig and told his beautiful owl where her destination was.
Looking over at the unconscious wizard, Harry decided now was probably the best time to eat. I should probably see if I can get some liquids into him…Casting the alarm charm, Harry made his way downstairs and into the kitchen.
Knowing that Kretcher would never do anything helpful for him and that he actually liked to cook anyways, Harry made his way through his food supplies and settled into making some eggs and toast. As he sat down to eat, Harry was still annoyed with Dumbledore. Not only had Dumbledore avoided telling him important information but also the mere thought of his reaction to his new career choice made him want to grind his teeth together in irritation.
-Flashback-
"Professor Dumbledore? Sir?" Harry Potter questioned as he tried to find his Headmaster in the seemingly deserted office.
"Ah! Harry my boy! How are you?" Dumbledore asked cheerfully.
"Fine sir. Well…as good as I can be with that Prophecy." Harry replied honestly.
"Yes…I had hoped you would have a bit more of your childhood before I'd have to tell you." Albus stated solemnly.
"About that sir. I hope you know I'm still a bit upset about the whole thing, including being upset with you. I think you should have told me sooner." Harry ground out in annoyance.
"I am truly sorry about Sirius Harry. I did what I thought was best."
"Well it obviously wasn't." The Boy Wonder snidely remarked.
Sighing, Albus made his way over to his desk. "Is there something you wish to tell me?" He questioned.
"Yes. Professor McGonagall told me it would be best to tell you this personally."
"Oh? Is something the matter?" Dumbledore asked with attention.
"She just wanted me to inform you of my change in career choices."
"Career choices?" Dumbledore blinked in confusion.
"Yeah, I've decided not to become an Auror anymore. I want to become a Healer." Harry explained.
"I'm afraid that is not possible Harry." Albus stated seriously.
"Oh?" Harry questioned dangerously.
"Yes. As the Savior of the Wizarding World you are expected to do certain things. I'm afraid becoming an Auror is one of them. I am truly sorry Harry, but I cannot allow you to become a Healer." Dumbledore explained gravely.
"Cannot allow?" Harry repeated in cold fury. Narrowing his eyes in anger, he continued. "You are my Headmaster sir. Do you actually have any evidence to say that I cannot handle or I am not academically able to chose this career path?"
"Harry I have already told you I have forbidden you to do this."
"Well I'm sure I can get the Ministry and the Board of Governors in on this to debate the issue."
"That won't be necessary. You may not know this Harry, but I am your magical guardian. In the event of your parents' deaths and the inability of both of your godparents to look after you, I am appointed to that position." Albus explained calmly, believing that this explanation would settle all the issues.
"I see." Harry replied icily. "Then it's a good thing I got an interesting letter this morning at breakfast."
"Oh?" Dumbledore blinked in surprise.
"Yes. Apparently Sirius named me Head of the Black Estate and emancipated me if he died before my 17th birthday. So you see professor, I already knew you were my magical guardian, but you're not anymore. Therefore unless you have a purely academic reason for not allowing me to become a Healer, you really can't do anything about it." Harry explained coldly.
"You are not eligible for Potions next year Harry, you don't have the Potions requirement." Dumbledore stated in a slightly tight manner.
"I have already talked to Professor Snape sir. He's given me permission to be in his class next year. So you see sir I'm not asking for your approval, I'm only informing you of the change." Harry stated with a smug look.
"I see." Albus sighed out, knowing he had lost this round. "Is there anything else Mr. Potter?"
"No sir."
"Very well, you are dismissed."
-End Flashback-
I honestly can't tell if he sees everyone as pawns or if he's just plain oblivious to somethings…Harry thought in annoyance. Thinking it would just be better to forget about his Headmaster for now, the young wizard decided he should try to get some nutrients into his patient.
Retrieving some chicken broth from one of his pantries, he poured it into a pot and left it to boil as he went to find one of his Nutrient Potions. Poppy was kind enough to send a large amount of Nutrient Potions for his time with his relatives. Harry had been very appreciative that the potions would help him when his family would refuse to feed him for extended periods of time.
Seeing that the chicken broth was properly heated as he came back to the kitchen with the potion, Harry poured the soup into a bowl and added the Nutrient Potion. Grabbing the bowl, the young wizard headed back upstairs to his patient. This is going to be interesting…
Canceling the alarm charm, Harry grabbed a chair and walked over to the bed. Setting the chair beside the dark wizard, he sat down being careful not to spill the broth. Checking to see if Voldemort was still completely out of it, Harry relaxed when he confirmed the wizard was still completely unconscious. Okay Harry, he's totally unresponsive. He's not going to suddenly wake up and kill you. He rambled to himself and then paused. I am definitely insane.
Hesitantly moving his hand towards the dark wizard's face, Harry carefully opened his patient's mouth. Taking his spoon and gathering some liquid, the young wizard made sure it was luke warm before slowly pouring it into the other wizard's mouth. Noting the unconscious Dark Lord wouldn't swallow on his own, Harry responded cautiously by rubbing the Voldemort's throat to trigger the swallowing reflex.
After some time, Harry had gotten all the broth into the wizard and he sighed in relief. What the hell happened to you? He thought as he looked at the wounded wizard before him. "Who has that type of power?" Harry mumbled to himself.
Sighing in frustration at not knowing the answer, Harry cleaned up all the dirty and used supplies and put the rest neatly away. Dumbledore would have said something to me if he had injured Voldemort this badly; which means that who ever did this, is not known to the Light Side. Someone that powerful…the Order would have tried to convince them to join…Thinking back on the injuries the Dark Lord sustained, if Harry had to guess he would say some type of creature took out Voldemort. Now there's a disturbing though…
Yawning, Harry cast a Tempus and found it was about eleven in the morning. Taking into account that he hadn't gotten much sleep before, the young wizard decided to take a nap. Casting the alarm charm on the unconscious wizard, Harry settled into a comfy chair and started to doze off.
-Dream-
"Look guys, Riddle's got a book." An ugly fat boy came into view with his gang of bullies.
A young boy, no older than five, held his book to his chest like it was something precious and looked warily at the older children. "What do you want?" He asked suspiciously.
"We want your book." The oldest stated obviously. "Give it here." He ordered nastily.
"No." The young boy said quietly as he hugged to book tighter.
"I said give it here Freak." The oldest snarled and made a grab for the book.
"No!" The five year old cried out as he ducked underneath the hand and scampered some distance away. "It's mine." He said almost pitifully, knowing full well he wouldn't have his book much longer.
"You're a freak Riddle, and freaks don't deserve to have books." The second oldest in the group sneered at the young child in front of him.
"Yeah!" The other three boys cheered in agreement, all smiling nastily at Riddle.
"So give it here Freak." The oldest stated gleefully, hoping he could get some violence in.
"No…" The youngest whimpered as he tried to edge away from the bullies.
"Don't you listen Freak? I said give. It. Here!" The leader shouted as he grabbed the book and tried to rip it from the young boy.
"No!" Riddle cried out as he clutched the book with all his strength his little body was capable of. "It's mine!" He yelled distressed, only to be flung backwards. When he opened his eyes, he glared hatefully with tears at the older boys in frustration.
The older boys started laughing at their victim until the gang looked at their leader in disbelief and horror. "You're on fire!" One of them shouted.
"Wha?" The oldest questioned stupidly as he looked down. Seeing the fire slowly creeping up his clothes, he started screaming and running around. "Don't just stand there, idiots! Do something!" He yelled in terror.
Soon an adult came running out with a bucket of water after being alerted by the children's screaming. She rushed over and threw the water on the terrified boy. "Jason what happened?" She asked in worry while checking the boy over.
"The Freak did it!" He cried out in distress.
"I didn't-" Riddle hesitantly tried to deny the accusation only to be cut off with a sharp 'silence' from the woman.
"What is going on here?" The Matron demanded as she rushed out.
"That freak Riddle set me on fire!" The oldest boy Jason shouted in terror.
"What?" The Matron yelled as she turned cold eyes on the youngest in the group.
"I didn't-" Riddle tried to start again.
"Be quiet boy!" The Matron snarled out while roughly grabbing the boy's arm and held him up. "I know you did it!" She yelled at his face and then began dragging the young boy inside. "You know what this means!"
"But I didn't do anything Matron!" The five year old tried to explain in terror.
"Silence! I know your freakish ways Riddle!" The old woman shouted as she roughly yanked the child towards the cellar door.
"But-!"
"I said silence!" The Matron growled out in a fury as she pulled the door open and practically threw the child into the darkness then slamming the door shut.
Soft sniffling was heard in the darkness along with the slow drip of water coming from a broken pipe. Darkness stated to fade out as a tapping sensation arrived. With a sharp pain, the world was bathed in light.
-End Dream-
"Wha?" Harry asked in groggy confusion. Looking down, he saw Hedwig had returned and was nipping at his fingers. Thanking her and retrieving the letter and package, Harry remembered his latest dream. He really didn't want to think about the eerily familiarity with his own childhood. Shaking his head and pushing those thoughts to the back of his head, Harry summoned some owl treats for Hedwig and opened his letter.
Harry,
Here is what you asked for. I can only hope you are fine and your relatives haven't hurt you too much. I know how you have been feeling about Albus lately but please don't let those feelings interfere with your health. If you need medical attention, please let me know. I will do everything I can to help.
Hope your summer hasn't been too horrible,
Poppy
Smiling at the letter, Harry set the package to the side and decided to write a reply.
Poppy,
Thanks for the supplies I really appreciate it. I'm fine. Really. Don't worry. I'm safe. I can take care of myself. I will, however, be sure to come and see you if I am of need of your expertise.
Take care,
Harry
Well…as safe as taking care of an injured Dark Lord could be…Harry thought in amusement as he handed the letter to Hedwig and instructed her to go to Poppy once she was rested.
Looking over at the dark wizard, Harry noticed that the bandages looked rather soaked in blood. Opening the package and taking out a Blood Replenishing Potion and the Healing Slave, he waked over to the bed and placed them beside the bandages on the nearby table. Looks like I need to change them again.
"Albus?" Minerva McGonagall called out to her colleague and Headmaster. "What's going on?" She asked as she noticed some of the Order members in his office.
"Ah, Minerva. I'm glad you could make it." Dumbledore stated pleasantly.
"It's really no problem Albus." The Transfiguration teacher reassured the elderly wizard. "I didn't know we were having a meeting though…"
"No one did." Professor Snape snaked in distaste at being called away from his potions.
"Severus!" Minerva chastised her collogue.
"Albus why are we here?" Remus Lupin asked before the two professors could start arguing.
"I'm afraid it's about Mr. Potter-" Dumbledore started only to be cut off by a wave of concerned questions. "He's quite alright." Albus decided to add in order to calm the Order members down.
"Then what has the brat done now?" Snape questioned with a sneer.
"It seems that Harry has left the protection of his relatives and gone to Grimmauld Place." The Headmaster answered solemnly.
"If the brat wants to get himself killed, I say let him." Severus snarled out at the thought of James Potter's son.
"Severus! You can't mean that!" Professor McGonagall questioned in disbelief and anger.
"Albus." Remus interrupted once more before the Potions Professor could start again. "Grimmauld is pretty protected. The wards Harry has are extremely advanced; he even go Bill to help him with them."
"He's right Albus." Kingsley said. "Mr. Potter only adjusted and added to the wards that were already there. I would say he's pretty safe where he is."
"Oh the poor dear. I wonder what caused him to go to such a gloomy place." Molly Weasley wondered in concern.
"I'm sure Harry's fine." Arthur reassured his wife.
"Apparently Mr. Potter said that his relatives had kicked him out." Albus stated somewhat unsurely. "However, he has expressed distrust in me so he might have not been entirely truthful."
"He's still upset then?" Arthur asked in dread.
"Very. I got quite the angry reply back when I owled him about his safety and whereabouts."
"I'd say we should just leave him alone. He's safe at Grimmauld; let him cool down Albus." Remus stated knowingly with the Weasleys agreeing afterwards.
"I suppose that would be one of my better options…" Dumbledore sighed out.
"It's your only option if you don't want Harry to completely turn on you." Remus replied sternly with narrowed eyes.
"I know…"
Thanks for the Reviews!