AN: Thank you to those who reviewed! I really enjoy your comments. I have a few chapters for this story done but nothing definite for the end. I'm afraid this is going to be an on-going project for weeks, months, maybe even years. I'll post whenever I have something new and hopefully it'll be good.
Chapter 2
I do hope he isn't ill, Minerva thought to herself as she hurried down the halls.
Upon arriving at her quarters, she quickly set the boy down on the couch and examined him to make sure he wasn't ill or injured.
Harry was already displeased with having his rest disrupted and protested loudly when someone tried to put him down on the couch.
When he heard a familiar voice, he opened his eyes and was glad to see his Gammy.
"No Gammy. No down."
"It's alright, dear. It's just for a moment so that I can be sure you're alright. She continued speaking to the child but did not remove him from the couch. By this time, Harry was feeling miserable, but didn't know how to tell his Gammy. He cried fervently out of frustration, even after he felt himself being lifted up and soothed and walked around the room.
Minerva started to worry. The child's heart-wrenching cries prevented her from properly examining the boy, but with his body twisting and legs kicking, she could not properly do so anyways. She tried to think back to the last time he cried so much and found herself thinking back to the night that he was brought to the castle. Over the months, Harry learned to speak simple words to let other know when he was hungry, wet, upset, and so on. However, there were many more things that as a toddler, he was unable to convey to adults. As Poppy wasn't available, Minerva could not take him to the infirmary, and she wasn't sure if the situation warranted an emergency visit to St. Mungo's just yet.
"Shhhhh…..it's alright, Harry. You're home now. I said I would be right back to get you and I did, didn't I? Shhhhh…everything's alright child. I've got you now. Calm down, Harry… relax and calm down, won't you?"
Minerva repeatedly spoke gentle and soft words of comfort to the distraught child but still, the crying did not subside.
"Oh come now, Harry. What is it, dear? Are you wet? Are you hungry? It is lunchtime so let's see if we can get you something to eat to calm you down."
An hour later, lunch was left untouched, nappies were checked and changed, and lullabies were hummed but the child was still unsettled and refused to leave Minerva's arms.
As dignified and poised as she normally is, the newly christened grandmother was starting to lose her composure; she could not get Harry to stop fussing.
Deciding it was time to take the child to St. Mungo's, she wrote a note to Albus and sent it with her owl. Then with a handful of floo powder, she transported the child and herself to the underage maladies department of the hospital.
Albus received the owl just as he was leaving the Ministry of Magic and apparated right away to the hospital to join Minerva. He could tell from the note that Minerva was terribly worried about the child. He too worried about the toddler, hoping that the boy whom he already regarded as a grandson would be alright.
Minerva was nervously fidgeting with her hands as sat in the waiting room, dreading what the diagnosis may be. Her eyes were so focused towards the restricted exam rooms that she didn't notice Albus until he sat next to her and gently reached across to stop her anxious hands.
Minerva looked sharply at the intruder who dared to mess with her at such times. Her features immediately soften when she realized who it was.
"Oh Albus. It's you."
Albus opened his arms for a comforting embrace and Minerva gladly leaned into him, glad for a familiar face to share the anticipation.
"Don't worry, my dear. I'm sure Harry will be alright. Now, would you care to inform an old man what happened to our dear boy while I was away?"
So Minerva told Albus how unusual Harry's behavior was in the morning but she did nothing about it as she was rushing to prepare for the meeting. While she spoke, her guilt, worries, and fear of being an inadequate caregiver manifested into tears and in Albus's arms, she sobbed freely.
"Shhhhh…Minerva. It's alright. It's probably nothing at all and you're just worrying yourself sick."
"I know I'm being silly, Albus, but I can't help it. I've never taken care of a child before and what if I did something that made Harry awfully sick and I don't even know what I did!"
Her words made Albus tighten his arm around her.
"You can never do such a thing, Minerva. You love Harry and everyone around you can see that. Every mother brings a child into this world without experience and they all do perfectly fine. It's only natural that children become ill at times. You can hardly blame yourself for trying to interfere with nature."
The Headmaster patted her arms gently and waited for his deputy to calm down. Minerva, still sniffing but no longer crying, leaned her head against the Headmaster's shoulder for comfort, while he softly rubbed circles on her back to soothe her.
After a bit of silence, Albus spoke his thoughts aloud.
"What I have trouble understanding is how the Healers managed to separate Harry from you. I have heard that only patients were allowed in emergency exam rooms, even if they were only children because the parents were often more distressed than the patient. However, I also know my deputy and there must have been quite a scene before my arrival."
Minerva blushed as she recalled her actions earlier. She had been outraged that the Healers refused to allow her to accompany Harry in the emergency exam room. Unlike Albus, she had not known the rules beforehand and Harry did not help with the matter as he refused to be taken away. In the end, Harry had to be given a calming draught, which along with his illness, made him fall asleep in his Gammy's arms.
Only then did the Healers take him into the exam room, while Minerva waited outside. There was a brief moment when the Healers threatened to give Minerva herself a calming draught but having taught most the staff here, a well-chosen glare was enough for them to leave their former Transfiguration Professor alone.
Soon, a nurse came out and called for Minerva McGonagall. The nurse was surprised to see Albus Dumbledore along with her but said nothing about his presence.
Arguably, the two most powerful witch and wizard in the world were brought into the exam room, where a tear-stained Harry Potter was sitting on a table being entertained by a healer.
As soon as he saw Minerva, he cried out "Gammy!" with outstretched arms, which she happily obliged.
"Professors McGonagall and Headmaster Dumbledore. It's a pleasure to see you again. I'm Healer Bailey. I must say I'm a bit surprised to see you two as the guardians of this young boy. However, based on my own experience at Hogwarts, I'm certain that he is in very capable hands."
"Thank you, Healer Bailey," Dumbledore politely replied as the two shook hands. "I vaguely remember you as a student, a Hufflepuff, I believe, who was quite fond of Care of Magical Creatures. I see that fondness has taken a turn somewhere down the road."
Healer Bailey was pleasantly surprised at being remembered by the esteemed Headmaster after so long. "Yes, I thought I could be much more helpful to the community by healing children instead of pets."
"An excellent choice," the Headmaster approved. "And may I dare inquire about the conditions of this young patient?" Dumbledore quickly asked when he saw the impatient frown on his Deputy's face.
"Harry seems to be a unique case." At McGonagall's raised eyebrows, Healer Bailey quickly added, "But there's nothing to worry about."
"He has the flu and is just beginning to experience the symptoms. Although his forehead remains cool to the touch, he does have a bit of a high fever. Harry is unique in that unlike most children, his forehead remains cool to touch, even with a high fever. For children like Harry, their chest will often warm up to response to the body's elevated temperature rather than their foreheads."
Harry was starting to squirm in Minerva's arms, which prompted the Healer to quicken his instructions.
"Unfortunately, being as young as he is, I would not recommend giving him the usual potions. This may be hard on you both for the next few days but it is the best for the child. If his fever gets any higher than 101˚F, please floo me or bring him back and we'll make him something special. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me."
"Thank you very much, Healer Bailey. I'm a bit relieved that it's the flu and not something worse" Minerva admitted. She looked a bit reluctant to add a further comment, but ultimately decided to proceed with it.
"Healer Bailey, I am sure that you are aware that Harry is a unique boy. While it is fine that you know he is under my care, I wish him to have the same privacy and confidentiality that every other child has."
Minerva was quickly assured that no one on staff would be allowed to discuss Harry's visit today or any future visit, and that his file will be kept under an alias. Healer Bailey himself admitted that he felt sympathy for Harry as to how he's gained his fame and while he wouldn't mind seeing him again, he hoped it would be under different circumstances.
As Harry fussed and squirmed in her arms for the second time, Minerva got the message. "I believe we have taken up enough of your time, Healer Bailey. Thank you once again for all your help."
"Yes, and please feel free to visit us whenever you like at Hogwarts," Dumbledore added.
"Yes, it would be nice to see the place again. Goodbye Professors. Take care Harry." With that, the healer left the room and the three Hogwart residents flooed back to the castle.
Two days later, the deputy headmistress felt every year of her age. Since bringing the boy back from the hospital, he had been clingy and insisted on being held all the time. If he wasn't sleeping in his crib, he was fussy in her arms and refused to be let down.
For the third night in a row, Minerva woke up to the whimpers of the child. Although she was tired and desired sleep, she obligingly went to the boy to comfort him.
"Shhhh, Harry. There there now…you'll get better soon" the woman cajoled softly as she walked the babe back and forth across the room, rubbing his back soothingly. "How about I sing you a lullaby and see if that can get you back to sleep, hm?"
The melodic and loving sounds of the woman's voice caused the child to relax in her arms, and soon, the little boy was fast asleep in her arms. After putting him back in his cot and covering him warmly, Minerva went back to her bed. Luckily, there were still a few days of summer left, and if needed, the rest of the staff would do what they could to help with preparing for the new school term. She certainly hoped that Harry would be well by the time school was in session.
Despite being awaken many times throughout the night to take care of a sick child, the deputy headmistress still awoke at her habitual time of 6am. She was unable to fall asleep again so she arose to check on Harry. Unlike the few previous days, the boy was sleeping peacefully and his chest was cool to touch. Pleased that the child's fever had broke, Minerva freshened up and proceeded to her study to complete some paperwork. She never liked leaving her work for others to do and tried to finish as much as she can while the child slept.
Halfway through her stack, she heard the toddler beginning to stir from his sleep. She stretched in her seat, rang for a house-elf to bring breakfast to her rooms, and then proceeded to Harry's room.
By the time Minerva arrived in the boy's room, Harry was already sitting up in his bed. He looked a lot better than he had been for the past three days and it confirmed Minerva's guess that the worst was over.
When Harry saw the woman walk in, he immediately held up his arms, waiting to be picked up.
"Good morning, Harry" Minerva greeted cheerfully, entertaining the boy. She picked him up and set him on her hips while moving to the bathroom. "Are you feeling better today?"
"Mornin' Gammy," Harry replied, while nodding his head in reply to Minerva's question. Speaking is a good sign, Minerva thought, as he didn't speak much when he was ill. It was a welcomed change from the moaning or whining or crying in the past three days.
Minerva felt his chest, and was glad that it was still cool. "It seems like your fever has passed. Would you like something to eat, Harry? Some toast?"
"and jam?" the toddler asked back.
"Yes, dear, with strawberry jam if you wish," Minerva said with a chuckle. Leave it to a child to think about strawberry jam after hardly eating anything for the past three days. At this point, Minerva would allow Harry to eat toast with chocolate if it meant he would eat something.
"Let's get you cleaned up and changed and then we can go have breakfast." In the bathroom, Minerva set Harry down on the counter so she can clean his face and change him out of his pajamas.
As Minerva removed his pajamas, Harry became quiet and his head dropped shamefully.
"What the matter Harry? Do you not feel well?" Removing the boy from his bed so early suddenly seemed didn't seem like such a good idea now. But his chest is still cool and his face isn't as flushed as it was yesterday, Minerva thought to herself.
She was slightly relieved when Harry shook his head but was still concerned about the change in the boy's manner.
"Come, laddie" Minerva gently coaxed the boy. "I cannot help you if I don't know what is wrong."
Harry spoke so softly that if it wasn't for her sensitive feline ears, she was sure she would have missed it.
"Me wet."
Minerva realized what was bothering the boy. She, Poppy, and Albus had all agreed that Harry was ready to be toilet trained. They started recently and it had been progressing well. The boy still wore nappies but it was the training kind that allowed the boy to remove it himself. Although Harry was not yet three years old, he had easily taken to the task. He was now embarrassed about doing something he was trained not to do, and as Minerva was cleaning him, his wet training pants betrayed his deed.
"Harry, it was an accident. Remember when Albus and I both told you that accidents will probably happen and if they do, it is not your fault? You were ill and nobody expected you to leave the bed. Come now Harry, how about we get you a new pair of training pants and let's see if we can make it through the day without a change?"
The boy nodded excitedly and Minerva can sense the determination in the toddler. It had bothered her when she learned that this boy was to be the one who Albus thought would face Voldemort but at that moment, she could not help but see the truth in the statement when she sensed the young boy's determination.