Chapter 8: Healing Physically
When Severus led Harry into his quarters, the boy was barely able to stay upright on his own feet. The boy had been limping ever since they'd left Godric's Hollow, his nose looked a little swollen, and Severus could see a bruise pocking out from underneath his too thin jacket. Enough was enough. The potions master was going to fix up the child as best as he could while the boy slept. It would be easier to heal him while he was asleep. The professor had a feeling that the boy wouldn't be so…eager to be poked and prodded by anyone even if he had begun to slightly trust him.
Harry looked around at the professor's living quarters. They were standing in a parlor with stone walls with stone floors covered in large, decorative rugs all in silver and green colors. Ebony bookcases lined the walls and there was a large fireplace with a roaring fire inside of it. The room was warm and had a comfortable feel to it even though it was a little on the dark side. Harry didn't realize he had spaced out looking around the room till the potions master laid his hand on his shoulder. "Come with me, child. You need to rest for a while." Severus said as he led the boy down the hall.
There were four doors in the hall; two on each side. Snape opened the first door on the left which revealed a nice-sized bathroom with a black marble floor and gray stone walls. There was a black tiled shower in one corner and right across from that was a large, sunken bathtub. A vanity made of ebony wood with black marble sinks sat underneath a large mirror that was lined with wrought iron. "This is of course the bathroom which you are to use whenever you need it." Severus said before moving onto the door beside it, "This is the guest bedroom where you'll be staying for the time being."
This room was plainly decorated and clearly not used very often, but to Harry it was the best room he had ever seen. The walls were a dark blue and the floors were made of dark wood. There wasn't much furniture, but what was there was of high quality. The bed was a fore poster with curtains, comforter, and sheets that were different shades of green. There was a dresser that was the same dark wood as the bed and the floor. A nightstand with a candle stick sat next to the bed. The bed looked so comfortable, Harry just couldn't stop himself from walking towards the bed and running his hand against the comforter.
"The room across from the hall is my own room and next to that is my personal office. Do not enter that room without my permission. If I am in there, you may knock on the door if you need me." Severus said from the doorway. "I must get something from my potions cupboard. I will be back in a moment." He then left the boy alone in the room.
A part of Harry knew he shouldn't, but the other part of him just couldn't ignore the exhaustion that was taking over his body. So the boy climbed up onto the large bed and leaned back into the soft pillows. Never before had he lied down upon something so soft. It was exactly what he thought clouds would feel like. The thick comforter felt so good and the satin sheets were pure heaven for the child who'd been used to sleeping on nothing but an old crib mattress with stained, thin sheets that had multiple holes in them. Harry's hands run up and down the comforter again and again. He never wanted to forget the feeling of such a luxury because a part of him still wondered if this was all a dream and that he'd soon wake up again in the abandoned house…or worse in his cupboard. The boy's emerald eyes slowly began to shut as the exhaustion finally took over.
That was exactly how the potions master found him not five minutes later when he came back into the guest room. The poor child was out like a light in the middle of the bed with his glasses still on his face and his dirty, worn out shoes still on his feet. Severus sighed as he spelled the sleeping potion into the boy's stomach and then began to pull the disgusting pair of shoes off of the child's feet. The potion hadn't even begun to work yet, but Harry was so exhausted, he didn't move a single inch.
Once he removed the boy's shoes and glasses, Severus began to cast diagnostic spells on the little wizard to see what the extent of the damage was. When the spell was complete, the former Death Eater had to restrain himself from going to Surrey and giving those pathetic, low-life monsters their just desserts, but the logical part of him kept him by the boy's beside. This child was going to need someone who cared about his needs and not the needs of the wizarding world or the "greater good" as the headmaster so eloquently put it. Thankfully, Albus was beginning to see the light in this situation. At least he wasn't sending Harry back to his relatives, but Severus had to be sure to steer the headmaster in the right direction when it came to choosing a new guardian for the boy.
Professor Snape shook his head and turned his attention back to healing the boy of his injuries. First he started with the child's nose. He hoped the boy wouldn't end up with a permanently disfigured nose like he did. Thankfully, only a small bump that was hardly noticeable was all that was left. Next, he decided to see what he could do about Harry's swollen ankle. Severus began by rubbing a healing salve around the swollen area and wrapped it in bandages to keep it in place. The salve would heal that majority of it by morning, but that didn't mean the boy should be walking on it for at least two days. Magic did help significantly with healing, but even in the Wizarding World, rest was the best medicine.
The potions master then spelled the child's shirt off of him and was met with a sight he was so hoping he wouldn't see. The boy's ribs were clearly visible and there wasn't an ounce of muscle on him either. Not to mention the bruises all over his chest that were in multiple stages of healing. The latest ones looked a few days old. They were obviously done before he left his…relatives. Although the ones on his arm looked a little newer and they were suspiciously in the shape of a hand. Snape wondered if they had happened during his near 'capture' by that couple Dumbledore told him about. He sneered at the carelessness of some people. "Really, does no one know how to properly hold onto a child?" he thought as he rubbed bruise salve gently into the painful spots on the child's chest and arms.
It was either the work of the sleeping potion or the boy's extreme exhaustion that kept him from stirring during the potion master's treatments which Severus was thankful for. That last thing he needed was a squirming and whiny child on his hands. Although the logical part of him knew he was grateful for the boy's unconscious state because he didn't want the child to be in pain. Soon he finished doing what he could for the boy's health and spelled his torn trousers off to leave him only in his old underwear. He then cast a few cleaning charms on the boy before spelling the transfigured pajamas onto him. Harry was already looking much better now that he was somewhat cleaned and in clothes that fit him, but there was still much that needed to be done before the young wizard was fully healed.
After tucking the boy underneath the covers, Severus left the guest room, but not before checking his forehead for fever. The fact that he brushed the messy, dark locks from his forehead had nothing to do with him caring for the boy. No, it was for medical reasons. Nothing more…or so he tried to tell himself. Severus just couldn't stop fighting himself about his feelings towards the boy. He knew the child was Lily's and as such he should care about his first best friend's child, but that face was James Potter's, his arch nemesis. Oh the inner conflict just didn't seem to end. But either way, he had a job to do. No matter whose child he was Harry was a child that needed help. He needed a family that wouldn't hurt him and would treat him properly. His parentage didn't matter.
The professor shook his head and went into his room to go to bed. It had been a long day and he needed the rest especially with the amount of work he had ahead of him. The next few days were going to be very, very long and very, very exhausting.
Everything was warm and…comfortable. There wasn't any pain or hunger. It was all just…wonderful. This feeling of being content, the feeling of having nothing wrong was so foreign. Harry couldn't remember a time when he felt like this. Nothing had ever felt this good before. The little wizard never wanted it to end, but sleep was slowly pulling away from him and soon his eyes began to flutter open. The room was of course blurry without his glasses so the first thing he did was look around for them. Once he found them sitting on the nightstand, Harry pushed them onto his nose and looked around the room. That's when he remembered where he was.
It was then that Harry noticed the absence of the majority of his pain except of course what he was sure was a cold, seeing as his nose was stuffy and he still felt a little cold. Over the years he had learned to ignore any aches or pains he had because there was nothing he could do about them, but now that they were gone, he couldn't help but notice. Then he looked down and saw that he was wearing soft, clean pajamas that even fit him! He didn't remember changing into them. Harry blushed when he realized that the professor changed his clothes for him.
Not knowing what else to do, the boy pulled the covers off of him and got out of bed. When he landed on his ankle though, he couldn't stop himself from hissing in pain. It was better and the limp he had had wouldn't be as bad, but it still wasn't fully healed. Harry then made his way towards the door and just as he was about to turn the doorknob, the door flew open and there stood the professor. Snape gave him a stern look as he asked, "And what pray tell are you doing out of bed?"
The boy swallowed nervously as he looked up at the potions master, "I…I…I didn't know what I should do." He replied just before he sneezed.
Severus rolled his eyes, "You aren't supposed to do anything, foolish child, but rest. Do you realize that you are injured and suffering from a cold that is likely going to turn into the flu?" Harry didn't say anything as he looked down at his feet which were now covered with warm socks. The professor sighed and then laid his hand on the boy's shoulder to guide him back to bed. "Now is not the time to be up and wandering about. You'll make things even worse and the school nurse will already have enough on her hands when she returns here this afternoon." He said as he pulled the covers back and motioned for the boy to crawl back underneath them.
Harry froze at the mention of the nurse, "A nurse? Must I see one? I'll be alright by tomorrow." He pleaded.
The potions master just pulled the covers over the boy and checked his forehead as he responded to what he thought was a ridiculous plea. "I highly doubt it, child. You've been running around in the middle of nowhere with unacceptable clothes that are better fit for an elephant, and with little or no food in your stomach. Not to mention your previous injuries caused by your pathetic relatives. You honestly believe that you'll be well by tomorrow?"
The boy picked at the comforter, but didn't say a word, knowing that it was useless. "Now," Severus said, "For the next two days, you must walk on that ankle as little as possible. Mainly just to the restroom. After your…adventure across England, you're lucky you won't end up with a permanent limp."
Harry bit his lip as he looked up at the professor, "Don't I have chores though?" he asked.
Severus rolled his eyes yet again, "No, foolish child. This is NOT your relatives' house. A child shouldn't have to earn their keep. That's ridiculous. I'm surprised your relatives were smart enough to walk erect." He replied.
Harry gave the potions master a stunned look. No chores? The poor boy couldn't wrap his mind around it. All he'd ever known was chores and unkindness. This was all so over-whelming. Never had anyone treated him so nicely and now he was getting food without earning it? To Harry, this was almost as strange as the idea of magic being real.
"Now, I am well aware of the lack of food you have been consuming ever since you were placed with your despicable family so with each meal you will take a nutrition potion until the school nurse, Madam Pomfrey, deems you healthy enough." Severus said before walking towards the door, "I will return in a moment with your breakfast and I expect you to eat it. You don't have to finish it, but at least try. You're far too skinny to be missing any meals." He said and then walked out of the bedroom.
The little wizard didn't have to wait long for the professor to return. Severus walked in holding a tray with a small bowl of oatmeal, a plate of sliced apples, a glass of milk, and a potion vile filled with chalky-looking gunk. Harry cringed at the thought of drinking the contents of that vile, but even though he'd only known Professor Snape for less than a day, he knew he couldn't get away with not taking it. The tray was placed on the boy's lap before Severus gave him a pointed look and motioned towards the potion vile, "Take the potion before eating."
The potions master had caught the look the boy had given the potion and he knew that no child would want to take it. Heck, even he wouldn't want to drink it, but the boy's health was far more important than the boy's wants. Thankfully, there were no more complaints from the child about the medicine and he took it in one gulp. Severus did his best to hold back a chuckle at the look of disgust on the boy's face. It was rather comical and it was hard not to laugh, but as a spy Severus had been trained to control the emotions on his face. "After you finish breakfast, Madame Pomfrey will be down to give you a check-up." He said as Harry dug into his oatmeal.
The child still didn't like the idea of seeing a nurse, but these people, Professor Snape especially, had done so much for him that he didn't want to go against them. He still had that fear that this was all just a dream or that one wrong move would send him straight back to the Dursleys or even the streets. It would take a lot of time to overcome this feeling of being unwanted and a burden. It's all he had ever known so this sudden change of going from an unwanted nuisance to someone who was actually cared for.
The minute the boy put down his spoon in his half-eaten bowl of oatmeal, there was a knock on the door. "Come in" the potions master called.
Harry heard the entrance to Severus' quarters open and footsteps coming down the hall. Then in walked in an older lady wearing red robes with a white apron tied around her waist. She wore a white hood on her head that held back her gray hair. When she saw the child, she smiled at him in a friendly manner, "Hello, Mr. Potter. I am Madam Pomfrey, the school healer." She said.
Harry remembering the few manners he learned in school (and not from his aunt), replied shyly, "Hello, ma'am. How are you?"
Madam Pomfrey's smile widened at the boy's good manners, "I am very well. Thank you, but I believe the same can't be said for you, dear boy. Tell me, how are you feeling this morning?"
The young wizard hesitated, but after a pointed look from Professor Snape, he answered her question, "My ankle is a little sore and my throat hurts a little as well as my head, but I'm much better than I was last night. Honest. Just a little bit more sleep and I'll fine. You don't have to trouble yourself."
Madam Pomfrey looked a little saddened at hearing such words come from the child's mouth. "Harry, it is my job to make sure you receive the proper medical care that you need. It is no trouble to me to help you or anyone else in this school. If someone is ill, I want to do my best to heal them. Now is it alright with you if I help you?"
Harry couldn't believe she was asking his permission. Adults never ask for his permission. Children are supposed to do whatever adults tell them to with no questions asked…or at least that's what his Uncle Vernon had always told him, but like with most everything this people were very different from his uncle. It felt good to be asked. So the boy nodded and watched as the healer took out her wand and waved it over him. "I just cast a diagnostic spell to tell me exactly what is wrong with you." She said when she was finished. After she finished, Madam Pomfrey looked up from the parchment that her wand had produced from the spell and said, "Thankfully, we got you here when we did, Mr. Potter. It appears you're coming down with the flu. You currently have a fever and chest congestion so we will of course start you on some potions to help relieve the chest congestion and reduce the fever." She looked pointedly at Severus as she mentioned the potions. He nodded to her just before she continued, "As for your ankle, stay off of it for two days and keep taking the potions Professor Snape has given you to help heal it and to help with the pain. You will also need to take a nutrition potion along with breakfast and dinner every day until you are up to an acceptable weight."
Harry nodded, "Thank you, Madam Pomfrey."
The healer smiled, "You're very welcome, dear boy. Severus, may I speak to you after you have given Harry the needed potions?" The professor nodded as he stood up and walked out the bedroom door to retrieve the potions.
Hardly five minutes later, Professor Snape returned with the necessary potions and gave them to the boy, "After you finish these, lie down and sleep. Rest is a key element in healing." Harry nodded in reply as he drank the fever reducer. He grimaced as he swallowed the thick gunk, but he finished that one and the second potion without any complaint.
"Thank you, sir." He said as he lied back down.
The potions master nodded, "You are welcome. Now sleep. I'll wake you up in a few hours for lunch."
After closing the door behind him, Severus made his way into his sitting room where Madam Pomfrey was waiting with a look that was a mix of solemn and angry. The potions master sighed, "Well, how bad was it?" he asked.
Madam Pomfrey scoffed, "Bad doesn't even cover it. It's a wonder the boy is even alive. Extremely malnourished, many bones broken in the past, scars that appear to be from whippings, and the damage that has been done to his eyes. That is not just from genetics. Those old glasses of his are just making it worse. The full diagnostic showed his entire medical history on that parchment and it was not a pretty sight. The physical damage can be healed, but what of the mental damage, Severus?"
Severus sighed as he sat down, "He'll always carry physical and emotional scars from this ordeal. There's no question of that. What he needs is a stable routine in a healthy environment where he can be cared for and grow up to be a respectable citizen. Pity will not help him and finding a family that will be able to handle him properly will be a challenge, but it must be done."
"Indeed" the healer said, "Minerva will have Albus' head when she finds out about this. I hope you intend to tell her yourself and not have her find out through the grapevine."
"Minerva will be needed in helping us find a proper family for the boy. I'm not so sure I can trust Albus to make the right decision for the child as he has utterly failed in that department." He replied.
Pomfrey shook her head as she said, "May God help the headmaster when Minerva gets her hands on him. She warned him against those muggles, but he refused to listen. Let's hope there will still be some pieces left to put into a casket when she's done."
Severus chuckled as he imagined the many possible things the protective woman might do to the old man. The headmaster had best be on guard for as long as the lioness was angry.
Author's notes: It was getting kind of long so I stopped it there. Plus I wanted you all to have something to look forward to in the next chapter…Dumbledore getting his butt kicked by a ticked of McGonagall.
However there will be NO BASHING in this story. I don't bash people unless I really don't like them which is rare…at least in this fandom.
And for those out there who are curious about PAIRINGS. For starters, Harry's still a kid. He's not even supposed to be thinking about dating, but if this story goes that far, I'm sticking with the original pairings. Yell at me all you like, I could care less.