This is short but I needed it to be its own chapter for a reason.

I am not JKR

Chapter Twenty

Secrets Not So Well Kept

Sitting vigil by a bedside for days on end was exhausting, especially when you were bouncing between two. Thankfully Remus had spent a lot of his own time here with Sirius. Harry had been put into a sedated sleep after their visit to Mel. He wasn't tolerating the pain of the boils and his hysterics were making his blood pressure soar and his heart falter in its week state. To keep him calm the sedation potions were utilized. Since Harry was asleep for much of the time whenever Mel was awake Sirius would sit with her while Remus sat with Harry.

Right now Mel was awake and Sirius looked as if he was going to pass out where he sat.

"You need to go home and get some sleep." She said, looking at the dark rings under his eyes. "You are going to make yourself sick."

He shook his head, "I can't leave. I have to be here. Harry wakes up at random times and only for a few minutes at a time. I have to be here when he is awake, he is scared enough as it is. Daddy's are supposed to be there. I can't leave you in here alone either Mel. It's my job to protect you, both of you."

She smiled her weak smile. "While that is incredibly sweet. You can't protect us from illness Sirius. We am going to get sick."

"And I am going to make sure you get better. Now stop arguing and get some sleep."

He stared at the fading green of her skin. Her reaction had been much less than they had expected it to be, it came on quicker than Harry's had but it was burning itself out faster than his, something that was rare in dragon pox for adults. As he watched her slowly fall back to sleep his mind wandered to Harry, he knew that had he woke, Remus would have come gotten him. And had it been time for Remus to take Sammi home he would have come as well. He must still be in there with him.

Since this strain of dragon pox had been so aggressive, and Harry had been in Remus and Jessalyn's house, and the two kids had been exposed to pretty much all of the same places and people, Sammi was being brought in everyday to take a preventative potion. The potion would either prevent her from getting it after exposure or make it a mild case. Today she was sitting in a private room coloring after taking the potions, she had to stay for two hours after each dose to check for reactions.

"Bonjour Sammi."

She turned and looked up at the man she had seen going into Harry's room for the last several days. She was supposed to stay in this room when she was here but she had snuck a few peeks into the hall trying to see her friend. She hadn't met this man, so far she had only talked to the nurse maids on the floor.

"Are you Harry's healer?" She asked softly.

"I should have known you would be English as well." He said, dropping the French. "I am Harry's healer. Are you his friend? I know he came to your house after school the day he got so sick."

She nodded and smiled happily, picking up a new crayon. "Yup, he is my best friend. I love him."

"He is lucky to have a friend like you." He said, picking up his own crayon and making marks on papers.

"How long have you two been friends?"

"Forever. Harry has been my friend forever. And when we are big, like thirteen or fourteen we are going to get married and be a mummy and a daddy. And then I will be Sammi Potter."

She was too engulfed in drawing her picture of a dragon for Harry to notice the old man's hesitation at her words.

"You mean Sammi Evans?"

She giggled. "No silly. When you are married you get to have the daddy's last name. You are a grown up, you should know that, aren't you a daddy?"

He smiled at the precocious little girl. "I am a daddy, I have a son, he is roughly your daddy's age. He isn't little like you anymore. His mummy has my last name. But if you grow up and marry Harry then you are right, you will have his last name. That is Evans right?"

"No, that is his school name. Just like my school name."

"Your school name?" he questioned, "That is really good fire." He said, pointing to the red and yellow flames on her page.

"Thanks. Yup at school he is Harry Evans, but at home he is Harry Potter. Just like I am Sammi Winchester at school but at home I am Sammi McKinnon. But no one is allowed to know, it is a secret so no one knows that we can do magic."

"But I met your daddy, his last name isn't McKinnon." The man said.

She laughed again. "He's not my daddy. Not yet, but him and mum are gonna get married soon and then he will be my step daddy. I never met my daddy. Mum says he went past the veil a long time ago because of bad people. He was Michael."

"Michael McKinnon?" the man breathed.

She nodded. "Yup, that's why I'm Sammi McKinnon. Well Samantha but I hate that name. But when I am big I will marry Harry I will be Samantha Potter and if he ever calls me Samantha I will feed him to our pet dragon."

"I understand, I have known people who didn't like their name either." The healer told her honestly. "You know, Harry is very lucky that you are his friend. And I am happy to have met you as well, but now to business, I need to check you for any signs of dragon pox, do you think you can let me do that so you can get home?"

She shrugged and sat her crayon down before walking over to the elevated exam table and hoisting herself up.

"So tell me, miss future Potter. Do you go to muggle school with Harry then?" Nodding her head she watched while he waved his wand over her several times. "Where do you go to school?"

"We go to primary school. Harry is only in first year but I am in third year. But we are about to advance up. We go to Commune de Saint Maur."

"I see, that is a lovely place to live. I need you to tilt your head back."

"Oh no, mummy or Uncle Sirius or Remus apparate us there, we live in Châteauroux. I love it there. It is my favorite place in the whole world."

"I am sure it is." He said, helping her to jump down. "You look great Miss Winchester, or should I say McKinnon. No dragon pox for you."

"Shhhhh you can't tell bout my name. I promised mummy I would keep it a secret so no one knew I could make magic. Harry's either, I would get in big trouble if she found out."

He nodded his head before taking her hand. "Your secret is safe with me."

"Harry's too?" she asked cautiously as he handed her an everlasting flavor pop.

"Harry's too."