Heal Thy Blood

Chapter One - Blood Curses

Three years later

A faint ringing from his left side stirred him from his sleep, his fumbling hand reached out for the source of the irritating noise that was his alarm clock. After a number of failed attempts he successfully silenced the device and begrudgingly pulled himself up to rest on his forearms, his head hanging low as he tried to rouse himself from sleep.

The room was still dark, his clock showed the time of five-forty-five in the morning and during the winter months of the United Kingdom it was still pitch black outside, thankfully the warming charms his home was enchanted with kept the room cosy from the frigid temperatures outside. Wiping away the sleep from his eyes he felt movement on his right, followed by a light groan

"Is it really morning already? I swear I just got to sleep" came the light Scottish accent of Cho Chang beside him. She had rolled onto her back, keeping the covers over her body for modesty sake as well as additional warmth he presumed. This was a frequent occurrence of once or twice a week, there was no romantic connection between the witch and wizard, it was simply a friendship, albeit with certain benefits. Harry had discovered within his first week training to be a healer that Cho had recently applied as well, she was a few weeks ahead in her training but they had worked together to pass their two year mandatory qualifications.

With the long hours that the training and now the job demanded, they had spent a lot of that time together studying, exchanging notes and with their social lives on hold in those first two years they had naturally developed a close friendship, the sexual component was purely a pleasure exchange as well as much needed stress relief. They had a firm agreement in place however, if one of them began to develop feelings for the other or they became interested in another person they would cut the benefits side of their relationship. So far it has benefited them both.

"Unfortunately it is" he said as he pulled himself from the comfortable bed. "Perhaps you should consider going to bed earlier?"

"I believe I was about to head home before you dragged me in here" she countered, getting out of bed herself and collecting her clothing from around the room. "I am going to go home, get something to eat and change, I'll see you at work later and you can owe me a cup of tea"

"I got the last one if I recall?" Harry said casually as he threw her blouse to her.

"You did, but I think I earnt this one after last night, no?"

He rapidly pushed those memories out of his head before they could take root.

"Fair enough, I'll see you shortly"

"Dont forget its medicals today" she said as she left the room.

With Cho leaving his room to go and use the fireplace to floo home Harry began to prepare himself for the day. Thankfully it was a Friday and he was not scheduled to be on call over the weekend save for critical emergencies, which meant he could spend the weekend with Teddy and Andi. He quickly showered in the ensuite of his bedroom before selecting a white cotton shirt with a thin collar, slim fitted black trousers and black oxford shoes with extra cushioning charms for comfort and finishing off his attire with the rather unflattering lime green robes that healers wore.

One look over himself in his upright oak trimmed mirror to ensure he was suitably dressed, a hopeless attempt at fixing his hair, even with it being trimmed down it was still unruly, he left his bedroom and made for the kitchen.

His home was an idyllic two story cottage in a very quiet coastal village in Cornwall with two sizable bedrooms with ensuites, large living room as well as a comfortable combined kitchening dining room. The cottage had an enclosed hedge garden with a modest front lawn and pebbled driveway. He found the large manors that other well to do wizarding families held were cold and unwelcoming, so his warm and cosy abode suited him just fine, and the running costs did not bleed him dry in the process.

Whilst the bedrooms and living room were all carpeted in a thick soft cream carpet, the hallways and kitchen were solid birchwood floors in a herringbone pattern, giving warmth and light in those spaces and the bathroom floors were made with the matching slate stone that the cottage was built with, albeit with a host of warming and cushioning charms for comfort and safety. Magic really was wondrous he thought as he walked down the staircase without a creak to be heard leading into the main hallway which the kitchen was set at the far end of said hallway.

As he entered the kitchen area he was hit with the smell of porridge oats and a hint of cinnamon, telling him who was already in the room before he saw them.

"Morning Hermione"

His bushy haired best friend had her back to him as she sat at the island counter in the centre of the kitchen area dressed for work, she turned her head towards him and gestured with her spoon, covering her mouth. Quickly swallowing she wiped her lips with a napkin.

"You do that everytime, right when I have a mouthful of food," she smiled.

She had been staying with Harry for the last four months in his spare room. Her parents, who she had successfully found and removed the memory charm, had opted to stay in Australia until the end of their visa which was coming to an end in the following year. In the interim she had been staying at the Weasley's until she finished her final year at Hogwarts and starting earning a wage. However her relationship with Ron had become strained, the loss of Fred was a heavy blow to the family and whilst they were recovering Ron had thrown himself into the shop with George, working long hours and not processing his grief. They were still together, but both agreed that having some space might be beneficial for them, so Harry had offered his spare room to her.

"It is a gift, you got a busy day today?" She was currently working with the Muggle Liaison Department, which had its work cut out. The current British Prime Minister was not happy with his wizarding counterpart, so much so that the armed special forces had been put on high alert during the wizarding war and were actually planning a series of strikes on known assets. Thankfully Kingsley was managing to smooth things over. Slowly.

"Yes, apparently the defence secretary is coming in today. We are a long way off assuring confidence again" And Harry didn't blame them, twice the wizarding world had inflicted terror and death which was not specific to just their population. He saw the newspaper headlines and stories on the BBC of disappearances and unexplained deaths of families, good people suddenly losing their minds and acting strangely. "I suppose you've heard the rumours going around the ministry at the moment?" she asked, taking another spoonful of porridge.

"I tend to avoid gossip, but one of the aurors we were treating the other week was a little loose with his lips, something to do with anti magic weaponry?" If that rumour were true then the wizarding world would rapidly have to toe the line. His friend nodded.

"It's just a rumour, only the prime minister and the cabinet are aware we exist, and a select few special forces units in case our worlds collide. So I don't know how they could even start to make these without input from us or without the cat getting out of the bag in the news on their side" His friend summarised.

"We can still die from a bullet though, why would they need special weaponry?"

"Maybe it's defensive, disrupts magic or something?"

"Or it could be nothing but rumour" Harry added.

"Or that" she finished that subject with a smile, before she returned to her breakfast. "Cho over again last night?"

Harry resisted the sigh, knowing the glare he would receive. Hermione was not impressed by his relationship with Cho, namely because of how she acted after fifth year and how she seemingly used Harry's feelings to pry on Cedric's death and if the prophet or other media outlet caught on to this little relationship it would be front page news for weeks.

"She was, I trust we didn't wake you this morning when she left" he replied knowing full well his friend was up and before by then.

"Of course not, I just worry about any backlash if you were caught"

"Sex is normal Hermione, those who write articles have it … possibly" however his light hearted approach was not appreciated by his friend, who rolled her eyes.

"Cho could get a lot of flack for it, remember me and fourth year? Plus I think the Weasley's might not be impressed given you ended things with Ginny after the war"

"She is a grown woman who can make her own choices and we are careful, as for Ginny. Well that is a different story but she has since moved on you know that'' he countered as he poured a cup of tea from the teapot on the counter that Hermione made earlier, to his friends credit she held up her hands in defeat and sighed.

"I am just concerned for you that's all Harry"

"I know, and thank you," he replied.

…

Thankfully he had finally mastered floo travel, unlike his first day at the hospital when he had unceremoniously fallen flat on his face in the main staff entrance, now he practically skipped through. As per his normal morning routine he stored his bag and lunch in his healer's office and then reviewed the patient list he had that day. He had two long term patients who had been in the hospital for nearly three months. He would check in on them first and run the usual tests to ensure things were moving in the right direction. Ten pre-booked consultations for check ups or minor ailments and three maternity appointments, with all his admin and ad hoc duties mixed in of course.

"Lily!" he called out.

What followed was the standard morning for him. A loud CRACK followed by a crash of trays and tea as Lily, his hospital elf, apparated into the office.

"Me's be sorry, Healer Potter!" cried the elf as she picked up the tray, plates and saucers. He chuckled lightly, Lily was overlooked by the other healers because she was very clumsy, but no matter how many things she dropped you could always rely on her in the crunch moments, and he found her quite endearing. That and her name reminded him of his mother.

"It's alright Lily. I had tea already this morning, I just wondered if you wouldn't mind taking this schedule and making sure it's up to date and we have no cancellations" he asked, handing the elf his schedule for the day which she took eagerly.

"Of course Healer Potter!" and with another CRACK, and possibly some screams of surprise elsewhere in the hospital, Lily was off, but before he could stand up to prepare his rounds there was a knock at the office door.

"Come in" he called. The office door swung open and James Watson stepped through, a full smile on his face and a coffee in hand.

"Ah Harry, glad I caught you. I just wanted to check in on little Alfie's progress? Normally I'd wait till the end of week report but I am keen to know"

"Well the last few days have shown improvements on his vital signs, diagnostic spells show the curse damage is receding at the moment. If he continues to improve we may be able to get him home soon"

A small chuff like laugh and a larger smile graced the older man's lips.

"That's wonderful, it's such a shame he is so young to be going through this. I often think how lucky we are to be magical beings, yet when you see what it can do in the wrong hands, sometimes I wonder if nature made a mistake" he spoke, before holding his free hand up. "Ignore the rambles of an old man Harry, I'll let you get to your rounds, have a good day oh and don't forget we have the staff medicals later today"

"You too and I cannot wait to be poked and prodded" he replied before tidying up his desk and tidying his robes before leaving his office. The healers offices were at the centre of the hospital so to allow equal walking distance to each of the various wards, the accident and emergency department was located towards the front of the building to the right of the main entrance for day admissions or appointments and the other wards and departments were at the rear of the hospital. He was headed to the rear today for the long term admission wards to check in on two of his patients.

As he strolled through the halls, which were gradually being decorated with brighter and more welcoming colours for patients and visitors alike, he exchanged nods and brief greetings with other healers and administration staff that he had gotten to know over the years.

Even three years in the hospital was understaffed, tragically over half the staff were killed during Voldermort's take over, when the hospital was ordered to refuse treatment to muggle borns and half-bloods, elderly or babies, it did not matter. No treatment. When healers refused to follow the orders, many went missing very quickly, murdered or fled. Soon the remaining healers learned to keep up appearances of compliance, whilst trying to help on the side.

This had led to a lot of specialisms being wiped out, lycanthrope experts, curse healers and other skills were gone from Britain, meaning the ministry had to request help from abroad which was expensive and treatment was slow. He had expressed interest to Healer Watson that he wished to train and specialise in curse treatment, when asked why he cited his many exposures to the torture curse as well has Hermione's and wanting to know how to treat the long term symptoms. Whilst it had been agreed, the hospital was seeking an expert abroad for him to study under.

His mind was refocused however as he arrived at the long admissions wards, which were split into four areas. The first was the entry space which held a healer's station against the back wall directly opposite the main doors as well as a few plush chairs for visitors who needed to wait for entry. Thankfully this ward was one of the first to be redecorated, pale pastel blues and creams were used to brighten the space as well as large potted plants being dotted in the corners of the square like space. There were doors to the right and left walls of the entryway which led to the men's on the right and the women's on the left, and either side of the healer's desk were two doors which led to the children's ward, which was his first stop. As he made for one of the doors by the desk there was a healer hunched over and scribbling away at a parchment.

"Morning Liam, I am here to do my rounds for Alfie Turner and then Abigail Forstell. There is nothing I need to be aware of before I go into the wards?" Harry asked politely. The healer, Liam North paused his writing and looked up with a brief small smile, he had been on the night shift and the bags under his eyes implied it wasn't an easy one.

"Nothing thankfully Harry, those two are quite fine …" he paused, rubbing his free hand over his face before looking back up at Harry, the weariness looked more profound suddenly. "We lost one last night, Mr Tiddleworth, old chap finally lost his fight" his tone was quiet and flat, his posture loose as though if it weren't for his arms on the desk he would collapse onto it.

"I am sorry, I know you spent a while treating him" Harry replied, Watson had been right when he said you couldn't save everyone. Not that it made it easier when that happened. Liam nodded and looked back at his paper.

"Not as sorry as I was for his daughter, I know we expect to say goodbye to our parents one day. If the world is just that is, but that didn't offer her any comfort, I have seen my share of grief in this job but it was awful to see" he added, before shaking his head. "Anyway, little Alfie will be waiting, don't keep him on that on my account" the healer smiled. Harry offered him a hand on the shoulder before pushing through the doors to the children's ward.

Thankfully the ward that could hold six, only had one. Whilst that meant Alfie was lonely, something the healers did their best to address, it meant that there were less sick children. The ward was rectangle and bright with yellow walls, whilst dragons and fae folk danced around the walls, two picture windows were situated at the end of the room which allowed natural light to spill through. The first bed on the right had his patient, a little boy with brown curly hair and brown eyes who was only six, sitting quietly, holding a stuffed toy dragon that had seen better days with both arms and looking towards the window.

"Hello Alfie, how are you feeling today? He asked softly as he approached the bed, ignoring the sadness that welled up within him at seeing the boy sat alone. He had been brought into intensive care just over three years before, whilst Harry was fighting and killing Voldermorth at Hogwarts, Alfie and his family were also fighting for their lives. In one of the many "cleansing raids' ' as they were called by the death eaters, they had managed to kill Alfie's father but not before the man had killed one in return and seriously maimed another. Intending on getting information on other relatives a rather sadistic death eater had taken to using the imperius curse on the then three year old boy, making him walk on the edge of the window sill, dancing near open flames and other forms of dangerous acts, his mother had no information and when she begged for her son to be let go they had cast the cruciatus curse on the young child.

He could not imagine the agony the mother would've felt in that moment, by the time the aurors had arrived they had found an unconscious Alfie, two dead death eaters and one maimed, the dead father and a dying mother. She had told the aurors what had happened to her son, in her desperation to spare her child she attacked the final assailant, finally killing him but had been struck with many curses herself. She had died minutes later, the only solace she could take was that the aurors had managed to confirm her son was alive before she passed.

Alfie turned at his voice and a smile spread across his little mouth, easing some of the sadness he felt in that moment for the boy.

"Hello! I feel sleepy most of the time but I don't feel like I hurt all the time"

"Thats good" Harry replied, taking a seat on the edge of the bed and double checking his potion charts. "The sleepiness will be your potion, it means its working which is brillant news" at his words the little boy's smile grew brighter and he clutched his dragon tighter.

"Does that mean I will be able to go home to Nanny and Grandad's soon?" Harry couldn't help but smile at his energy, and who could blame him after spending years in this ward with little reprieve.

"If you keep going the way you are as a young man, yes you can" he replied and ruffled the child's hair who smiled with joy.

…

He glanced at his watch, his day at the hospital was officially over. He had completed his rounds and appointments, before returning to Alfie and spent some one on one rehab time with him. His hideous lime robes were across his forearm and his bag over his shoulder as he made his way to the floo networks. As he walked the main hallway of the hospital which connected the hospital together he could hear a commotion coming from the accident and emergency department.

"I understand your situation sir but we do not have a healer right this moment, they are all dealing with other patients" he could hear a woman speaking, her tone was sympathetic and grave.

"My wife needs to be seen urgently! Please I am begging you, her normal physician is not in the country and if she doesn't get seen immediately she will die. Please!"

"I truly understand but we-"

Harry reached the emergency waiting area, it was heaving with people with varying injuries. He looked to the source of the pleading and saw the last person he would expect, and in truth would rather not see. Draco Malfoy. However, instead of the smug arrogance of his youth, his face was red as tears spilled from his eyes and behind him was a woman, his wife slumped to the side in a wheelchair, blood streaming from her nose, mouth and ears. He knew those symptoms.

"I will take her," Harry called out. He was standing by the emergency entrance to the main corridor so saw Draco look up first. At first he noted familiarity within his old rivals' eyes, the confusion followed by the relief. "I am off duty so I can take this patient, she isn't cutting in line" he informed the lady at the desk and moved to take the wheelchair the woman sat motionless in. "Follow me Mr Malfoy"

…

So, thoughts?