Sorry for where I ended the last chapter, but it was over three and a half thousand words, and it was really late by the time I finished it. In this chapter, we'll look in depth at Harry's medical exam and meet a character that is completely my own creation but will play a major part in Harry's story.
Harry's throat felt like it was closing a little bit more with each step he took closer to the hospital wing. He hadn't yet had his tour with the 7th year prefect, so he was trying to focus on remembering where he was going as he was walking there for the first time. He didn't want to have to remember where it was, but what if he really needed to go there? Or what if one of his friends was ill and he had to visit them? He had to make sure he could visit his friends. He wasn't sure if it was going to be just Madame Pomfrey assessing him, but he doesn't know what to expect. The last time he saw a doctor was just as he started primary school, and that was to get his vaccines. As far as the school was concerned, he hadn't had any, but Dudley had. Apparently, from what he heard from other kids last year, if Dudley hadn't had any, they wouldn't have bothered asking for his, but as his aunt and uncle had shown they weren't against vaccinations, the school decided that it was in Harry's best interest to ask that he have them too, especially with the drastic weight difference between the two boys. He's never had a doctor look at any injuries he's had or even had any medication that wasn't over-the-counter stuff; even his glasses were from the charity shop that Aunt Petunia only got because the school was again really concerned that he couldn't even see the book in front of his face. Hell, even when he ended up on the roof after being chased, he didn't get checked out to make sure he was okay. They come to a stop, and Madame Pomfrey explains that this is the hospital tower and that the wing is situated on the first floor, but that today they would be going to one of the private rooms just in case anyone tries to come to the wing. She assured him that Professor McGonagall would know where they were, and she explained that she would be floo calling his named healer from St. Mungos so that they could aid her while also updating their file on him. He realises he was distracted with his thoughts as he was walking, so he's thankful she explained everything.
When Professor McGonagall entered the exam room, she saw a familiar face join the two she expected to see: Healer Justin McAdams, who actually helped Lily during her pregnancy and later her delivery of Harry, was explaining now that Harry hadn't had a physical with a healer from the magical world; he would be having one today. Madam Pomfrey and Healer McAdams were explaining what they would be doing step-by-step, what they were going to use, and where it would be recorded. They explained that he could tell them things about his home life and what he had experienced growing up in a non-magical household and that it would be kept a secret unless they were concerned about abuse of any sort. Justin then explained that he would be updating his St. Mungos file, which was created whenever he saw a healer from St. Mungos; however, unlike his school record, this one could be used in court as evidence. The difference between his school file and this one was that it was a more thorough examination, which they would be doing today instead of the usual school entrance exam due to him being wizard-born and not being seen regularly like most wizard-born students. McGonagall could tell that Harry was feeling nervous about this and reassured him that they would only be doing the thorough examination instead of the school one too. She could see that this helped ease Harry's nerves, and he settled into the exam room bed that he had been sitting on. They assured him that should he need to be seen in the hospital wing later in the year for any illness or injury, he wouldn't have to go through this again. Madame Pomfrey then let Justin take the reins of the exam, which she is qualified to do, but thought it would be best to take a step back as she knew Justin was personally attached to the Potter family, and in finding that he hadn't seen the young boy since he was 13 months old, he was feeling very responsible for failing the young boy.
Harry found that Healer McAdams preferred to be called Justin; he was his mum's healer when she entered the magical world, and instead of going with James' healer when they got married, she actually made him the new Potter healer, as in her words, "he took such good care of her, and she didn't know the Potter healer." It turns out that the old healer who had cared for his dad and earlier generations was actually thinking of retiring but didn't want just anyone to care for young James and his new wife, so he thanked Justin and took his retirement. Justin showed Harry what paperwork they currently had on him, which was:
- His birth record: he had no idea he was technically premature, being born at 36 weeks and 1 day, or that he was born at 11:55 p.m., making it so he was technically only born in July by 5 minutes.
- His weight chart starts at 5 lbs and 2 oz and ends with him at 13 months being 22 lbs and 3 oz.
- His description: boy with complete genitalia, birth mark on prone right hip that looks like a heart, scar on left elbow from falling off toy broom, raven hair, emerald eyes – keep an eye on his vision, as he has a paternal history of vision loss.
- Family history: maternal grandparents died due to a car accident in 1978; paternal grandparents died due to dragon pox in 1980; paternal history of vision loss around the age of 8 years old.
Family tree:
Himself: Hadrian James Potter; Date of Birth: July 31, 1980.
Father: James Fleamont Potter, deceased October 31, 1981.
Mother: Lily Joy Potter, née Evans, deceased October 31, 1981.
Paternal Grandfather: Fleamont Henry Potter, deceased January 31, 1980.
Paternal Grandmother: Euphemia Alexia Potter, née Lestrange, deceased February 1, 1980.
Maternal Grandfather: William Henry Evans, deceased January 30, 1978.
Maternal Grandmother: Victoria Anne Evans, née Smith, deceased January 30, 1978.
Maternal Aunt: Petunia Victoria Dursley, née Evans, Living.
Maternal Uncle through Marriage: Vernon Fredrick Dursley, Living.
Maternal Cousin: Dudley Vernon Dursley, Living.
Godfather through ritual, Sirius Orion Black the 3rd, Living, Imprisoned.
Godmother through ritual: Alice Lita Longbottom, née Fortescue, Living, Mentally Incapacitated.
Godbrother, Son of Godmother, Neville Francis Longbottom, Living.
Any medical procedures: surfactant replacement therapy due to not breathing at birth; muggle application due to mother's request; muggle vaccinations administered at Muggle GP 12 months old and below (see attached sheet); infant magical vaccinations given at birth; hearing and sight tests, both magical and muggle, at 6 months old.
Harry was gobsmacked that they had so much information. Does Neville know that they are godbrothers? Why is Sirius imprisoned, and would he be able to receive Harry's owl? Why didn't his file update when he got his school vaccinations? He has all these questions running around in his head, and he just knows he made the right decision to stay seated. He was also feeling very grateful that Justin actually showed him everything because Dudley told him that whenever he goes to see a doctor, they don't let him see the notes they write. He sits back on the bed and relaxes. He can hear Justin explaining how he's going to start by asking Harry some questions to see if he can fill in the gaps of the last nine years since he saw him. Harry tries his hardest to answer them, and with Madame Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall letting Justin take the lead, he starts to relax more and opens up about any bouts of accidental magic he remembers and any illnesses he got growing up. He doesn't, however, mention that his accidental magic led to him being locked in his cupboard or that he even slept in a cupboard until the letters came. He mentions how he hasn't seen a doctor for his glasses and can't be sure they are the right ones for him, but that they help him a little bit. He mentions how he doesn't like to sit still for a while but doesn't mention that it's from being locked in a room that he barely fits into. Justin then tells him he has linked his quill to his wand and that when he uses his wand with a certain spell, it automatically records what the wand picks up, which is how they will be recording everything from then on.
Justin asks Harry to undress down to his underwear and lie on the bed completely flat so that he can cast the spell properly. He can tell Harry is unsure, so he asks whether he would prefer the woman in the room or out of it, to which Harry asks it to be just the males while he is undressed. The women understand that Harry needs to be completely relaxed for the spell to work properly, and they say they will stand outside and make sure no one enters. Harry then undressed, which showed his back with a litany of scars that Justin knew would be picked up on the scan. He then got on the bed and looked up at the ceiling, not wanting to see the disappointment on Justin's face. He knows he's not very tall or very strong; he knows he's got lots and lots of scars all over his body, not just the one on his forehead, and because Justin knew his parents, he couldn't bear to see him comparing him to them. Justin asks if he is ready, to which he replies yes. He explains that once he says the words, he needs to stay very still and that it won't hurt him; in fact, it should just feel a tiny bit cold under his skin. And that's all he does feel; it's like a tiny trickle of cold water under his skin, starting at his scalp and slowly moving down the whole of his body, front and back, to his toes, where it stops. Harry can feel himself becoming emotional because he knows what's going to be shown in the results: the burn scars from the hot oil, the broken ribs where Dudley punched him so hard while his friends held him back, and the scars on both ankles from where Ripper bit him when he tried to run away. Thank God, it won't be able to show all the times he wet himself while locked in the cupboard or all the times he was hungry beyond belief after being sent to his cupboard without food. Justin tells Harry to put his clothes back on and then let the ladies know they can come back in, as he wants to start reading the results. It's a very tense 10 minutes while Justin reads the results. The boy is covered in scars; he's got bone regrowth on pretty much every bone in his body that hasn't healed properly; he's got some very dark magic that isn't showing on the readings coming from the scar on his forehead; Justin would need to consult a curse breaker with the correct procedure to heal that scar; he's barely even 4 feet tall, which is outside the range for an 11-year-old boy, let alone one whose father was 6 feet 4 when he reached maturity; he's chronically underweight to the point you can see every single rib; and his eye sight is failing him worse than James' ever did; in fact, James' eyesight would never have gotten this bad even if he never wore his glasses. Honestly, Justin would prefer to put him in a magically induced coma to right all the wrongs in this little boy's body, but he can't risk him right now with how underweight he is. Just one look at the other healer in the room, and Madame Pomfrey knows it's not a pretty read. Harry can't even look at the adults in the room and not see the hurt there. He thinks they're going to send him away, maybe back to the Dursley's or maybe to a mental hospital, but their faces say that they're angry, and well, there goes another three people with whom he's disappointed. He mumbles that he'll go pack his stuff then, and their heads snap up so fast you might consider whiplash.
Minerva McGonagall's heart is broken – shattered, in fact. This young boy, who is the third generation of Potters that she's had the pleasure of knowing, is an abuse victim. Yet his attitude is that of someone who is deathly afraid of disappointment; it's almost like any mention of his parents gets his hopes up that he can be like them, but when he looks at adults, it all comes crashing down. This poor boy is on his third day at magical school, and he thinks that because he's been hurt, they will send him away. Minerva would rather die than let another thing happen to her charge. She wants to wrap him up in cotton wool and take him to her quarters because she's so afraid of what could happen to him if she lets him out of her sight. Then it comes crashing down on her: SHE allowed him to be placed with the people who hurt him; SHE is responsible for his pain; SHE has failed James and Lily Potter. She honestly thinks about going to the Aurors and handing herself in for child neglect, but the look on Harry's face sticks her to the ground like he's used a wandless sticking charm. He honestly believes he will be sent away, like he doesn't belong here in the school, and if she knows abused children, he probably doesn't even believe he belongs in the magical world. She wants to throw up, scream, cry, hug him, and never let him go all at once, but she knows he probably doesn't know a loving touch, and she couldn't bear it if he cowered away from her.
