Chapter 5 Harry Meets Auntie Em
It was early on Wednesday morning and Emily Quartermaine didn't have any classes that day. It was a wonderful thing when summer came and she could laze about. However, her blissful slumber wasn't to last.
Emily shot up in the bed when the telephone on the nightstand rang shrilly. She glanced at her clock and saw that it was 7:00 in the morning. Everyone knew better than to call her before 11:00 in the summer. Whoever it was would wish they were never born by the time she got through with them.
Having decided this, Emily answered the phone.
"WHAT?" She screamed.
"It's Jason."
Emily's eyes widened. "Jason? Is something wrong? Are you hurt? Tell me where you are and I'll be right there!" She exclaimed, throwing back the covers and jumping out of bed.
"Nothing's wrong Emily, I was just wondering if you had plans today." Jason replied calmly as if he hadn't a care in the world.
Emily sagged back onto the bed and rubbed her face. "You were wondering if I had plans today." She repeated blankly. "Jason do you have any idea what time it is? It's summer! There's a rule during the summer, and you know it." She grumbled.
"I was just wondering if you would like to meet your new nephew and take him out for the day." Jason explained nonchalantly. He always enjoyed riling Emily up.
Emily sat up again in shock. "New nephew? What are you talking about Jason? What have you done?"
"It's a long story Em." Jason sighed.
"Well then I'll put you on speaker and you can tell me all about it while I get dressed." Emily instructed.
"No! Don't put me on speaker. I don't want the rest of the family finding out about this yet." Jason demanded.
Emily rolled her eyes. "Well you're in luck. Mom and Dad have early meetings at the hospital, AJ is at ELQ, and Grandfather took Grandmother to the lake house for the day. I'm here by myself."
"OK. Fine then." Jason said, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
Emily pressed a button on the console before replacing the receiver. "Alright, explain away." She commanded as she moved around the room getting ready.
She was just putting on her jewelry when Jason finished his story. He told her about everything except the magic.
"Wow. I just don't get how people can be so cruel to kids." Emily grumbled as she brushed blush onto her cheeks.
"I know." Jason agreed. "Harry's amazing Em. He's got a really old look about him, but he's absolutely thrilled to see things that you and I take for granted. He reminds me of Elizabeth that way."
"Hey I bet she would love to meet him! Maybe we'll take him to lunch at Kelly's! I know she has a shift today." Emily proposed, trying to sound casual.
"If you do, I could probably meet you there. I'm going in to work for a few hours while you and Carly have Harry with you." Jason suggested.
"Fabulous! What about Courtney? Isn't she planning to come too? I mean, she is going to be his stepmother." Emily asked, turning all of her attention back to the phone.
"Courtney said she already had to be somewhere today." Jason replied softly.
Emily sat back down on the bed and looked at the phone. "Jason, what does Courtney think about all this?"
Jason sighed heavily. "She's not thrilled, but she'll learn to accept it."
"What if she never accepts it?" Emily asked the tough question.
"Then we're through." Jason replied bluntly. "Harry is my son now and that won't change. He comes first."
Emily nodded in satisfaction. There was hope for her brother yet. "Well I'm ready. So I'm going to head on over there and visit with my nephew until Carly's ready to go. I'm really surprised that she agreed to this. We don't normally get along."
"She said that she could tolerate you for Harry's sake. She knows that you are Harry's aunt as well, and you have a right to spoil him too." Jason chuckled.
"You better believe that he's going to be spoiled! I've got a platinum card I've been saving for just such a special occasion." Emily crowed.
"Don't overwhelm him Em. He's a little shy, and he's extremely self-conscious." Jason warned. "Besides, I'll be paying for it."
"No way! He's my nephew and I'm claiming spoiling rights. Today is my treat! Don't worry I'll be the soul of discretion." Emily promised with a giggle before ending the call.
Jason hung up the phone before running a hand through his hair. He hoped that Harry was up to this. He took a deep breath and smiled. It was time to get breakfast ready and then wake up his son. Jason loved that thought of that – his son. With a chuckle, Jason walked into the kitchen and began to prepare bacon and eggs for all three of them. Courtney would be down soon. She said that she would need to leave by eleven. She never did tell Jason what was so important.
The sunlight was bright through the large window in Harry's bedroom. The teen groaned as he opened his green eyes and looked around, automatically reaching for his glasses. It took him a moment to remember where he was. He groaned again when he remembered the long night where nightmares had plagued his sleep. He had resisted pressing the intercom button and calling his father downstairs. Harry didn't want to burden the man too much with all his problems.
Just then the door opened and Jason walked in. He was dressed in jeans and a different t-shirt today. Harry was beginning to think that it was a fluke to see the man in a dinner jacket and slacks.
"Good Morning Harry. How did you sleep?" Jason asked, pulling the wheelchair away from the wall and moving it towards the bed.
Harry shrugged. "OK I guess." He answered, not wanting to bring up the nightmares.
Jason stared at him blankly for a moment. "Why didn't you wake me?"
Wondering how he had figured it out, Harry shrugged. "You've been so good to me. I didn't want to bother you."
Jason sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. He took Harry's hand. "I want you to listen to me very carefully. You are never, and I mean never, a bother to me. Do you understand? I want you to be happy. I don't want you to try to handle nightmares or anything else on your own. If I can help make it better I want to."
"But you were tired, and it's nothing that I'm not used to." Harry protested.
"Listen to me."
Harry nodded.
"If I was having nightmares, would you not want to comfort me?" Jason asked.
"Of course I would!" Harry declared.
"Then why won't you let me do the same for you? Don't try to shoulder your troubles alone Harry. A wise old woman told me once that a burden shared was a burden halved." Jason replied.
Harry's eyes filled with tears, but he held them back. He didn't know how to handle an adult caring about him, but he would learn. "OK, no more suffering alone." Harry whispered.
"Good. Now let's get you ready and have some breakfast. I've already spoken to Emily this morning and she'll be here in a few minutes." Jason explained, pulling the covers off Harry and transferring him into the wheelchair before wheeling him into the bathroom.
Courtney was sitting at the table when they came into the room. She was sipping from a cup of coffee and already making a dent in the eggs.
"Hungry?" Jason asked, slightly disgruntled that Courtney wouldn't even wait for them.
"The eggs were getting cold. I didn't know how long you would be." Courtney explained matter-of-factly.
"Harry had a bath last night. We just needed to clean him up and get him dressed." Jason informed her.
Courtney looked puzzled. "If he had a bath last night, what was there to clean up?"
Harry turned bright red and hid his face. Jason glared at Courtney. "Come here." He said softly, grabbing her elbow and ushering her out of the kitchen. He stopped next to the couch and turned to face her.
"Courtney, Harry is paralyzed from the waist down. He can't feel anything. He also can't control anything. He has to wear a diaper. It's hard enough on him so please don't bring it up." Jason informed her coldly.
"Gross!" Courtney wrinkled up her nose and fought her gag reflex at the thought of the diaper. "And he's going to be like this for a year? I'm not changing his diaper!" She exclaimed.
Jason fought the urge to hit something. "Of course not, David or I will take care of it. You couldn't do it anyway. You can't lift him."
"Ewww – can we please not talk about this?" Courtney started to turn a bit green. "I'm sorry Jason but I didn't realize stuff like that was included in the whole paralyzed thing." Courtney whined. "Believe me I won't be bringing it up again. It's bad enough when it's a baby, but – yuck!"
"Don't worry; this is not something that Harry wants to dwell on. He's really embarrassed about it." Jason admitted.
"So how are Carly and Emily going to be able to take him shopping?" Courtney asked.
"David is going with them. He's Harry's main guard. Harry will always have someone there to help him." Jason explained.
"Oh. How come Harry has his own guard and I don't? He's only your son. I'm your fiancé and Sonny's sister." Courtney demanded.
Jason didn't want to tell her that none of the men would take the assignment of permanent guard for Courtney. One of the rookies lasted a day before he decided he'd rather clean toilets for a living and quit.
"Harry's guard isn't part of the organization. Harry's parents were murdered by a terrorist and Harry survived. It became a personal grudge and the guy has been after Harry ever since. I don't want him having another shot at my son. David is Special Forces and wanted to get out of England. So I hired him." Jason rambled.
Courtney's eyes widened in shock. "You brought a kid who has a terrorist trying to kill him into our home? Are you NUTS? We have enough problems with you and Sonny!"
Jason ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath to calm down. "None of this is Harry's fault. Don't say anything about this to him. The guy is in England. There's not much chance that he'll make the trip, but I'm not letting Harry go without a guard. I don't know why you're complaining. You try to ditch your guard when I assign one." Jason accused.
"I don't like to feel smothered." Courtney whined.
"Then don't complain about me putting a guard on Harry." Jason declared, crossing his arms over his chest. He knew that he should probably tell her about magic, but he wasn't about to try that until she proved she could handle Harry being his son. He still hadn't told Sonny the whole story.
"Look, we're going in there and we're going to have breakfast. Emily is on her way and will be here any minute. She is going to visit with Harry while I go to work. Then she and Carly will take him shopping. You don't have to do anything. Just don't upset him." Jason explained slowly.
"Fine." Courtney huffed before flouncing back into the kitchen.
Harry was sitting in the same place staring down at his full plate. When Courtney and Jason sat down he looked up at his father sadly.
"I'm sorry." He whispered.
Jason looked over at him. "What for?"
Harry shrugged. "You were arguing."
"That wasn't your fault Harry. Couples argue sometimes. Now you better eat before your Aunt Emily gets here. She's libel to steal your bacon." Jason grinned and winked.
Harry glanced back and forth between the adults uncertainly before returning his father's smile with a shy one of his own and took a bite of eggs.
The three were just finishing breakfast when there was a knock at the front door. Jason winked at Harry before standing and pushing the wheelchair towards the living room, leaving their dirty dishes on the table.
Jason parked him next to the couch before going to answer the door. A brown whirlwind slammed through the room and into Jason.
"Jase! Where is he? Where's that nephew of mine?" Emily demanded, looking around the room after giving her brother a hug.
She spotted him immediately and stopped to take a look. "Damn! What I wouldn't give to be a few years younger and single! I'd snap you right up! You are a cutie aren't you?" She grinned.
Jason chuckled and shook his head at his sister's antics. He knew that she was doing it to help Harry relax and he was grateful when he saw that shy smile peak out and those emerald orbs twinkle with amusement.
"I'm your Aunt Emily – not to be confused with Auntie Em from the wizard of Oz." Emily declared, walking over to the wheelchair.
Harry stared up at her in momentary confusion before shrugging and offering out his hand. "I'm pleased to meet you. I'm Harry Morgan." He said softly.
"And you have an English accent. Oh, I may have to dump my boyfriend after all!" Emily grinned. It was amusing to see how red he could turn. She wasn't lying he really was adorable – in a little brother/street urchin kind of way.
Harry fought the blush that he was aware had taken over his entire face. He didn't quite know what to make of his aunt, but she seemed to be a lot of fun.
"So where's Carly Babe? We need to get this show on the road." Emily asked, looking at Jason.
Jason looked at his watch. "Emily, it's only 7:45. The stores don't open for another hour and a half."
Emily rolled her eyes. "I know that Jason, but Elizabeth was telling me about this new bakery that opened up on the docks. It's about five minutes from the mall and has a great view of the harbor. I thought we could do breakfast there and get to know each other while we watch the ships."
Jason glanced over at Harry and saw his eyes light up at the idea of the outing with his aunt. "Fine. Let me get Harry ready. Tell Carly where you want to meet her and as soon as David gets here you can go."
Emily looked at her brother in confusion. "I thought that the reason we were taking him shopping was because he didn't have any clothes."
Harry ducked his head and tried to hide his face. Seeing his embarrassment, he sent a look to his sister and quickly wheeled Harry to the bedroom. He told Harry he'd be right back and hurried into the living room.
"Em, don't talk about this with him because he's embarrassed enough, but Harry can't control body functions. He has to wear a diaper until his spine gets better. David will handle that while you're out. Just don't embarrass him more than he already is OK?" Jason pleaded.
Emily fought tears. "How horrible for him! I would never embarrass him about something like that Jason! He just can't get a break can he?"
Jason breathed a sigh of relief. He had been terrified that Emily would react like Courtney had. Emily's eyes widened.
"What did you think I was going to do? It's not Harry's fault he has to deal with this stuff. What kind of insensitive bitch do you think I am?" Emily demanded. "I thought you knew me better than that Jason."
"I'm sorry." Jason apologized. "Courtney freaked out a little on me this morning when she found out."
Emily looked at him pointedly. "That should tell you something." She stated before walking to the door and going across the hall to tell Carly the change in plans.
Jason sighed and ran a hand through his hair before turning and walking to his son's room. He didn't even notice his fiancé standing in the doorway of the kitchen listening to what they had said.
Harry looked up when his father entered the room. "I heard the door. Did she change her mind?"
"What?" Jason asked, distracted by Emily's words. "Oh! No, she was just going across the hall to tell Carly that you two would meet her at the mall. If anything she was upset for your sake, but as she said, it wasn't your fault. She's just sorry that you have to live like this at all."
"Really? She didn't think I was gross?" Harry asked, hope filtering into his eyes.
Jason knelt down in front of him. "No son. She thought that you have nothing to be ashamed of, and she said that anyone who thought otherwise was in her words an 'insensitive bitch'."
Harry chuckled and his eyes lit up. Jason mentally thanked Emily for her loyalty. "Now what do you say we get you ready for a day with your aunts?"
"That sounds brilliant." Harry grinned.
Emily waited as Max announced her to Sonny and Carly. The Corinthos were just about to sit down to breakfast. When they invited her in, she flounced into the room and slumped down into the dining room chair across from Carly with a furious scowl on her face.
Sonny and Carly exchanged a raised eyebrow before Sonny broke the silence.
"Emily? Are you alright?"
Emily looked over at the mob boss with furious brown eyes. "Your sister is an insensitive bitch Sonny."
Carly spit out the milk she had just taken a sip of. Sonny's eyes widened in surprise and then he began to calmly sponge the milk off of the silk table cloth.
"And why exactly have you come to that conclusion?" Sonny asked.
"She freaked out when she found out that Harry has to wear a diaper because of the paralysis. She really embarrassed him about it. Because of her reaction, Jason was scared to tell me about it. So what conclusions would you draw from that?" Emily growled.
Carly swore and took a drink from her milk like she was throwing back a shot. "That poor kid." She groaned.
"Yeah. What ever happened to those monsters anyway?" Emily asked Sonny.
"Are you sure you want to know?" Sonny asked.
Emily nodded. "It might help me sleep better tonight."
Sonny looked over at his wife.
Carly rolled her eyes. "Jeez Sonny, if you don't tell me you've done something, I'm going to call Benny and tell him that you want him to arrange something."
Sonny grinned maliciously, showing his dimple. "The Dursleys will both be convicted of child abuse and attempted murder. I believe that Vernon will be having problems with the big man on campus at the prison. Let's just say he won't be picking up any soap in the shower. Petunia will also be sent to the women's prison where it'll be rumored that she is trafficking drugs and so she is forced to submit to daily body cavity searches. Let's just say that it's their worst fears come true. There will be no parole for either of them. They will not be allowed the chance to keep their noses clean."
Rather than the disgusted look he half expected, Emily and Carly exchanged satisfied looks and then settled back in their chairs.
"So what else brings you to our humble abode?" Carly asked, taking a bite of her omelet.
Emily smirked. "There is nothing humble about either one of you. Actually I came by to tell you about the change of plans. I'm going to take Harry to the Dockside Bakery to chat and watch the ships. We can meet you at the mall main entrance at opening."
Carly shrugged. "Sure. If you bring me a pastry."
"I don't think so." Sonny protested.
"Fine." Carly slumped acting like she was giving in.
Emily grinned. She knew that Carly would be expecting her treat later. "Anyway, we'll be leaving as soon as Harry's guard gets there. So I'd better get back. See you later Carly. Have a good day Sonny." Emily called out as she walked out the door.
Carly turned to her husband casually. "Your sister better straighten up or she'll be out on her ass."
Sonny nodded. "Yeah, I know."
While Emily was chatting with Sonny and Carly, there was a knock on Jason's door. Jason opened it to see David and another large intimidating man. He assumed this would be Harry's other guard, Sam Turnpike.
"Jason Morgan, I would like to introduce you to Sam Turnpike." Scorpio began as Jason nodded the two wizards into the penthouse.
Jason checked the kitchen, but Courtney had already gone back upstairs. He motioned the two men over to the couch in front of the fireplace. Jason pushed Harry into the small living room area. David discretely set up privacy wards and settled back in his seat.
"That should keep any interested ears away," Harry's main guard announced in a normal voice.
Jason looked at him curiously. "What was that?"
"Privacy wards. Only the four of us can hear what is being said." David grinned.
"That is a very useful talent you have there." Jason said slowly thinking of all the times such wards would have been very helpful.
"Yes it is." David agreed before leaning forward and setting his elbows on his knees. "There're a couple of things we need to talk about this morning."
Jason just nodded.
"I didn't even think about it while we were with Harry at the hospital, and then we were trying to get out of England but Harry, is your school trunk still at the Dursley's?" Scorpio asked.
Harry's eyes filled with tears and he shook his head. "Uncle Vernon was still mad about blowing up Aunt Marge last year before I left."
Jason was dying to ask, but he remained silent as he could see how difficult this was for his son.
"When I got to Privet Drive, he tried to burn my trunk but there were fire protections on it. Then he grabbed Hedwig, my owl, and held a knife to her. He said if I didn't open my trunk he would kill her. I couldn't let anything happen to Hedwig. She was my first gift and my only friend at the Dursleys. But when I opened the trunk…" Harry paused here as a sob worked out of his throat.
Jason, seeing Harry's distress, lifted the small teen out of the wheelchair and held him in his lap. He rubbed his son's back soothingly as Harry worked to regain his composure.
"He slit her throat anyway and threw her on the ground before dumping everything on top of her and lighting it on fire. He burned everything I had; my parent's photo album, my broom from Sirius, everything." Harry by this time was hiccupping he was so distraught.
"I'm so sorry, Son." Jason said softly as he held the boy to him. It was obvious how much Harry had loved his owl. He needed to talk to Sonny. Vernon Dursley was going to suffer for the rest of his miserable life for what he'd done to Harry.
"Wait, Sirius Black gave you a broom?" Sam asked in confusion.
Harry nodded from his father's arms. "Sirius wasn't my parent's secret keeper. Peter Pettigrew was."
Jason was alarmed at how hate filled Harry's tone became when he said the other man's name.
"We had captured Peter and were bringing him back to the school when Professor Lupin realized he hadn't taken the wolfsbain and it was a full moon. In the chaos of getting away from the werewolf, Pettigrew escaped. He is a rat animagus. He's also missing one finger." Harry spat out.
"Damn." Sam and David both breathed as they both realized the implications. "Black never did any of it, did he?"
Harry shook his head. "No, Sirius was innocent. He even broke out of Azkaban to protect me from Wormtail – that was Peter's nickname in Hogwarts. Wormtail confessed to everything while we were with him, but Minister Fudge wouldn't listen to us when we tried to tell him that Sirius was innocent. All he had to do was give him Veritaserum and everything would have been revealed. Instead, he listened to Snape who said we were confounded and ordered Sirius kissed right away."
Jason could tell that whatever "kissed" meant it was pretty horrible by the sick looks on the two guards' faces.
Seeing his confusion, David decided to explain. "In England there are dark creatures called Dementors. They are used by the Ministry of Magic to guard Azkaban prison. It is considered the most horrible prison in the magical world. Dementors feed off of happy memories and feelings leaving their victims with nothing but their nightmares. Most prisoners go insane within six months. The harshest penalty for crime in the wizarding world is a Dementor's Kiss. The Dementors literally suck the soul out of a person. There is no chance for the afterlife, they are just gone as if they never existed; leaving an empty husk that was once their body."
Jason held Harry tighter to him. He realized that with the Minister's campaign against his son, the man might have resorted to attacking him physically. If he could order a man kissed without any trial, then he would have the power to send those creatures after Harry.
"Is there any chance that the Minister could send them here?" Jason demanded.
Harry's eyes widened with realization.
"Not without us knowing. Dementors can't cross saltwater. They require boats to get off Azkaban Island. We have people watching both Fudge and Azkaban. With Voldemort back, there are concerns that the Dementors will rejoin him. They did in the last war. Besides, the American magical government would declare war if Fudge tried to send those creatures here." David assured him.
"But I thought you said that Fudge was telling everyone I was lying." Harry spoke up.
David smiled. "He is, but Fudge has no jurisdiction over the Department of Mysteries. The department is self-run to avoid corruption from outside sources and protect its secrets. Trust me Harry, not everyone is buying Fudge's accusations."
Harry smiled shyly at the thought that at least someone believed him.
David reached into his pocket and pulled out a small burgundy object. "Now that the difficult discussion is out of the way, why don't I show you your present?"
"Present?" Harry asked curiously. "You didn't have to get me anything."
"I know I didn't, but I think you'll like this." David winked before glancing around and then setting the object on the floor. A quick spell and Harry gasped in delight.
David and Harry were in the living room talking while Courtney was thumbing through a magazine when Emily came in.
"Hiya handsome!" Emily greeted her new nephew as she swept across the room. "Are you ready to munch on some junk food and tell your life story to your doddering aunt?"
Harry chuckled at Emily's antics. "Sure that sounds brilliant." He replied gamely.
Emily glanced over at her future sister-in-law and rolled her eyes. Then she smiled up at the large stranger standing next to Harry. "Hi, I'm Jason's sister Emily – also known as the only normal Quartermaine since Lila." Emily greeted, reaching out to shake his hand.
David grinned down at the young spitfire. He could already tell she was going to be good for his charge. "I'm David Scorpio, the black sheep of the Scorpio clan of do-gooders."
Emily laughed. "You're kidding! How are you related to St. Robin?"
"I'm her uncle to my everlasting shame." David replied wryly.
Emily winked at Harry. "Oh your dad did good hiring this one. I think we're going to get along just fabulously."
"Yeah, he's pretty brilliant. I'm glad he's looking out for me." Harry agreed.
"Oh stop! You'll ruin my reputation!" David joked. "So are we ready to get this show on the road? I know that Junior here already ate, but I'm starved." He declared, grabbing a small backpack and moving beside Harry's new wheelchair.
It was then that Emily noticed the change. "Hey! Sweet wheels Hare-bear! Where'd you get them?" She asked, taking in the sleek burgundy wheelchair with painted realistic flames and chrome accents. It was obviously mechanical, but it was so quiet you couldn't tell.
Harry smiled thankfully at David. "David got it for me. It's wicked isn't it?" He asked, admiring the wheelchair he was sitting in.
Emily chuckled. "Yeah, it's definitely wicked. Well gentlemen, shall we be off?"
"Let's." Harry replied formally before pushing the knob on the chair to move it forward.
A moment later, Courtney was sitting in the penthouse alone and fuming.
David nodded to Johnny as he approach Sonny's office door at the coffee warehouse. Johnny knocked on the door and stuck his head in to announce Harry's primary guard. David was then motioned in and he glanced around the room as he stepped in the door.
A large desk took up most of the room with a large leather chair behind it. Two more chairs were positioned in front of the desk. A couple of landscapes hung on the cream walls and other than a bookcase and filing cabinet, the room was bare. It was obvious that Sonny didn't spend a great deal of time in this particular office.
Sonny watched the police commissioner's older brother look at his secondary office. He was very curious about the man that disagreed so completely with the other Scorpios. He was also wondering what it was about him that made Jason trust him so quickly. Sonny was well aware of how suspicious his enforcer was of new people in the organization.
Just then, there was another knock, and Jason let himself into the room. He nodded at David and then looked over at his partner.
"Why don't you two have a seat and tell me what the hell has been going on since you went to England?" Sonny grinned.
Jason and David shared a quick look and then accepted his invitation.
"There is something about Harry that I haven't told you yet. I didn't just deal with the cops in England. When they were investigating the closet where I found Harry they found something of Harry's that caused them to call in another group of authorities." Jason began.
"What did they find?" Sonny urged.
"His wand." Jason replied softly.
Sonny's eyebrows shot up. "Did you say his wand?"
"Harry is a wizard. He can do magic. The terrorists that murdered his parents and tried to kill him are also wizards. The magical police are called 'aurors'. The lead auror on Harry's case recommended David to protect Harry because he's also magical." Jason explained.
Sonny's eyes shot over to his newest guard. "You can do magic?" He asked, disbelief coloring his tone.
David nodded and whipped out his wand. In seconds, Sonny was looking down at a full mug of beer. He reached out with a shaky hand and took a sip. It was cold and smooth. His eyes were wide as he stared at the other man.
"Damn." Sonny breathed, not sure how to handle this shocking news. "I guess you do have special skills."
"They have their own world hidden from ours." Jason informed him. "Their own governments, schools, hospitals…"
"So that's why Harry's doing so well despite the beating? I was beginning to think you'd overreacted to his condition." Sonny shrugged.
Jason took a deep breath to fight the sick feeling he got when he remembered how he found Harry. He opened his mouth to tell the story when David stopped him.
"I've brought something we use to view memories." The wizard announced as he pulled a cloth-wrapped bowl out of his pocket.
David carefully unwrapped the bowl and the pointing his wand at it, enlarged the object to full size. Sonny and Jason leaned forward to better examine this magical device. It was gray stone with markings all the way around it. There was clear liquid inside that seemed thicker than mere water.
"This is a pensive. Wizards use them to view each other's memories." David looked directly into Jason's eyes. "I need you to think about everything that happened that night. I'm going to extract that memory. This won't hurt the most you'll feel is a tugging."
Jason thought about the horrors he had witnessed the night he found Harry. David placed his wand at his boss's temple and began to withdraw a glimmering thread of silver. He dipped his wand into the pensive and released the mercury-like substance into the bowl.
"With regular pensives you would touch your nose to the liquid, but this pensive can display memories on the wall." David explained. He hesitated for a moment. "Normally I wouldn't say this, but I think it might be a good idea if a couple of your most trusted guards knew about this. It might make it easier to keep the magic a secret from the others if someone they knew and trusted could vouch for me."
"Get Johnny in here. He can help you tell Max and Francis." Sonny instructed Jason.
Once Johnny was in the room and had been informed about the magical world, David activated the pensive.
It showed Jason approaching the front door and his welcome into the house. Both Sonny and David's faces showed their disgust.
"Mr. Morgan I would like to introduce you to my lovely family." Vernon began. "This is my beautiful wife Petunia and my handsome son Dudley."
"Vernon, I was under the impression that your nephew lived with you as well." Jason continued.
"I'm afraid that he is away at school right now. He's a bit of a delinquent I'm afraid – nothing like our Dudders here. He attends St. Brutus' School for Incurably Criminal Boys." Vernon explained quickly.
The memory continued through dinner.
As he was walking by the door under the stairs, he heard a soft cough. He looked over at his hosts to see if they had heard it as well. Vernon was turning a bright red while Petunia was still staring hungrily at him. Dudmy or Dudley was once again sneering at the door.
"What was that noise?" Jason asked softly.
Sonny and David watched anxiously as Vernon tried to distract Jason away from the stairs.
Jason ignored him and walked over to the cupboard door. It was locked from the outside. He quickly unlocked it and opened the door. He was immediately assaulted by the stench. Body waste, sweat and blood permeated the air in the tiny space. He looked down and in the light provided by the main room, he could make out the small figure of a boy. Dark hair was matted and his skin was mottled black bruises. He was dressed in torn rags and his legs and back were at odd angles. He was breathing shallowly and every once in a while he would cough weekly. There was blood on his lips that alarmed Jason.
They watched Jason place the call to Mike and ask for help.
Jason ended the call and turned his attention back to the teenager in the closet. Bright green eyes met his and Jason was shocked that the kid was still conscious.
"Harry? You're Harry right?" Jason asked softly making no move towards him so not to alarm him.
Harry barely nodded.
"Help is coming Harry. You're safe now. I'm not going to let anyone else hurt you. Did your uncle do this?" Jason asked, knowing that he needed to verify the abuser.
Harry coughed and nodded again. "Thank you." He whispered hoarsely before closing his eyes and passing out.
Sonny and David both felt sick at the shape Harry was in. They had both come to care for the boy in a very short time. They watched the paramedics come into the house and extract Harry from the closet before intubating him.
They sat angrily through the Dursley's attempt at blackmail and the arrival of William Ackerley and his men. They watched Jason show the constable Harry's closet.
The small cupboard was splashed with blood. A small pool of blood lay in the middle of the floor. A baby cot and ratty blanket were also streaked with body fluids. The stench remained. William covered his nose and moved further into the cupboard. Against the back wall in childish crayon was written "Harry's Room".
They witnessed Ackerley finding Harry's wand and his explanation of magic to Jason.
"Mr. Morgan, do you believe in magic?" William asked.
William told the story of the Boy-Who-Lived. When he was finished, Morgan pinched the bridge of his nose. Then he looked up.
"These people aren't doing anything to protect him from Voldemort are they?" Jason asked.
William shook his head. "The Minister of Magic has declared that Harry is insane and glory-seeking. He refuses to admit that madman has returned."
"What would it take for me to adopt Harry and get him out of the country?" Jason asked.
"A good attorney and someone inside the government helping you along. Fortunately for you, Mike Grayson is familiar with both muggle and wizard law. He has the contacts to get this through quickly. With the way that Fudge is acting, he would probably sign off on the adoption himself just to get Potter out of the country. He is terrified that the boy will eventually usurp him..." William explained.
Sonny jumped when the aurors suddenly appeared in the room.
"Let me tell you what I'm going to do Mr. Morgan. We have some freelance wizard bodyguards that we recommend out to those that are looking for protection. I'm assuming that you have contacts with muggle guards, but if a Death Eater comes after Mr. Potter, he'll need magical protection as well. Many of our guards are pureblood wizards, but a few are muggle-born, and well versed in living in the muggle world. We have one guard in particular that is licensed in both muggle and magical protection. He's the best there is. I also know that he's fed up with England and wants to relocate."
"Call him. We'll work something out. I want him with Harry ASAP." Jason instructed curtly.
The men watched as David was called and hired. Then they chuckled at the tussling Jason and David did when they first met.
Scorpio nodded and holstered his wand. He motioned his head towards the bed. "They just brought him in and got him settled down. He's on a ventilator and they're talking like they want to operate on his back and legs. Right now they say that he's paralyzed but they don't know how bad the spinal cord is damaged until they go in and fix the vertebrae. They fixed the rip in his lung and wrapped the ribs. They think that should be fine. They also said that he ruptured his spleen and they already took that out. They've got him under and they'll keep him that way until they're ready to work on him some more. He also has two dislocated knees, a broken arm and a pretty severe concussion. The thing that has them the most concerned is the bruising of his heart."
Jason sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "What will St. Mungo's be able to do for him?"
Scorpio shrugged. "They can fix the broken bones immediately. They can probably also heal his knees and the spleen can be re-grown. I just wonder how bad the spinal cord is. There's not much wizarding medicine can do for the nervous system."
They gasped when the portkey dropped them in the middle of St. Mungos. Sonny and Johnny looked around in shock as they watched the witches and wizards go about their business. They observed Healer Goodheart take over Harry's care.
Then she waved her wand again and Harry was stripped of all clothing and bandages. The extent of the damage was horrific. Besides the major injuries and surgical sites; there were bruises, welts and scars all over his body. Healer Goodheart shook her head and began chanting spells to speed the healing.
Sonny and Johnny were amazed at how quickly magic could heal.
"First of all, the broken bones should be healed in another hour. His lung had been sewn where there was a hole. I've fixed that, so there should not be any pain lingering. I've healed both of his knees and most of the bruises and welts. Many of the older scars were impossible to heal – they were too old and too deep. He should grow a new spleen by the morning. He had a concussion that I have reduced, but he's going to be a bit dizzy when he wakes up."
Healer Goodheart took a deep breath before continuing. "Now for the bad news. Even though we were able to heal the bones in his back, it remains that there was some damage to the spinal cord. If it had been completely severed, there would be nothing that we could do. He would have been paralyzed for life, fortunately that isn't the case. I'm afraid that there was some extensive damage. That is why he's going to have to take the potion for a year. It will regenerate and reattach the fibers in his spinal cord, but it is a slow and arduous process. Until his spine is completely healed, he will be paralyzed from the waist down."
"My tests show that he was underfed all of his life. I imagine the only time he's ever been allowed enough food was while he was at school. You'll need to make sure that he eats at least four meals a day and snacks whenever he can. He won't eat much, but every little bit helps. Foods high in calories would be best, but make sure he eats plenty of vitamins and minerals as well." Healer Goodheart instructed.
Johnny fought the urge to punch the old man and his sidekick.
Dumbledore's eyes lost a bit of their twinkle. "Mr. Potter will be returning with me to the school. You don't have the right to remove him."
"Actually as his father, I have just that right." Jason refuted coldly. "I've heard all about your school. Eleven year olds facing killer plants and trolls, twelve year olds facing 60 foot snakes. Fourteen year olds facing dragons, giant spiders and evil sociopaths who use him in dark rituals and kill schoolmates in front of him. No, I'm definitely getting Harry out of here."
Sonny and Johnny watched Jason explain the adoption to Harry and then comfort the teen after his nightmare. Finally, the memories ended.
David quickly returned the memories to Jason before shrinking the pensive, rewrapping it and then putting it back in his pocket. He sat back down and waited for Sonny and Johnny to regain their composure. He himself was rattled at the horrific scene in the cupboard. It would be a while before he could get the image of the broken boy out of his head.
"You understand now why Harry needs protection not only from your enemies, but also his own." David stated softly.
Sonny rubbed his face in an attempt to calm his raging emotions. Harry's situation was much worse than he had ever imagined. What Vernon Dursley was experiencing in prison was nowhere as bad as he deserved. Sonny would need to think about how to make the monster even more miserable.
"David is Harry's chief of security. Sam is also a wizard and that makes him second in command. All other guards will take their cue from them when it comes to Harry's safety. Voldemort isn't going to stop coming after my son. As soon as Harry is healed, he will begin training." Jason declared softly. "When he's ready, I'm going to help him kill the bastard."
Sonny and Johnny were quick to agree. "Whatever you need, it's yours." Sonny replied.
With Sonny's support, Jason knew that Harry would be okay.
TBC...