Chapter 11 – Return

Harry had never felt so exposed in his life. This was not his first time seeing a doctor; he had been once before several years ago when he had a broken leg. While he barely remembered that trip, he was sure it was nothing like the examination that Madam Pomfrey had just put him through.

The exam started out simply; Madam Pomfrey had him stand still in front of her as she moved her wand from the top of his head down to his legs. As she did, the tip of her wand turned various colors, and as each new color appeared she waved over towards a floating quill and parchment, which began writing. When she reached his feet, Harry thought that might be everything, after all he felt normal other than his upset stomach. One look at the healer's face disabused him of that notion.

"Mr. Potter," began the matron, with a very delicate tone to her voice, "I will need you to disrobe down to your pants, please. I need to document both your physical appearance and the results of my scans. The more detailed my examination, the better I can help with both your legal matters as well as your treatment."

Harry's face blanched, and he made no move to comply with her request. "It's all right, Mr. Potter. I already know what I will see, particularly on your back. You have my word that I will be discreet. I only want to help, and I swear to you that I will. The documentation is necessary for possible legal requirements in the future. I can look away while you disrobe, if it would make you more comfortable."

Harry stared straight into the matron's eyes for another moment, before his shoulders sagged and he began to pull his robes off. He placed them on the nearby bed, then removed his shoes, socks, shirt, and shorts. Despite his best efforts to cover his chest and stomach with his arms, Harry knew that the worst of it was still visible, to say nothing of his back. Face burning bright red, he barely chanced a glance at the matron. She was frozen in place, and the look on her face was inscrutable to him. "Um…"

Madam Pomfrey shook herself and snapped out of simply staring at the boy. Her professional demeanor returned in an instant. "Right, step forward a pace and stand still Mr. Potter, arms down at your sides. I'm going to do a thorough examination and take some notes. I will be casting several spells, but you should not feel a thing. Oh, and I'll cast a warming charm, so you aren't cold."

Harry had no sooner given a tiny nod of his head in acknowledgement when warmth flooded his entire body. This was quite welcome as the hospital ward felt extraordinarily chilly to him without his heavy robes on. He took a step forward and then stood, stock still, while Madam Pomfrey circled him. She had her wand out, and this time it was a blur of motion as she cast spell after spell at him. True to her word, Harry felt nothing from the spellwork, but he noticed the floating parchment and quill trailing after the matron, furiously jotting down notes.

Everything seemed to take much longer this time. Madam Pomfrey spent several minutes in front of him, and then circled around to his back, causing Harry's face to reignite with embarrassment again. She took even longer behind him, muttering spells all the while, and the quill never stopped writing other than to pause momentarily while additional sheets of parchment flew over. After what felt like ages, the quill suddenly stopped, and a moment later Madam Pomfrey stepped back in front of Harry. He was surprised; her face looked like she had been upset.

"You may get dressed, Mr. Potter, and then please, sit. I will return in a moment."

Harry mechanically dressed himself. He couldn't get the expression on Madam Pomfrey's face out of his mind, though he couldn't quite interpret it. As he was pulling back on his shoes, Pomfrey returned, holding a tray with several small bottles on it. He peered over at the tray, trying to identify the bottles.

"Mr. Potter, these are the first doses of several potions I need you to take. I am prescribing a series of remedies, some of which will take several months to run their complete course, and you will need to visit me every two days for your additional doses."

"Er, what do they do?" Harry asked. Madam Pomfrey indicated a small red bottle. "This one will help correct your nutritional deficiency. It cannot completely undo years of malnutrition, but it will immediately stop any further damage and will, hopefully, resolve any deficiencies that might stunt further growth." She moved her hand to a green bottle, "This one will help settle your stomach. I doubt it is feeling well, and the nutritional potion can also cause an upset stomach. You will want a calm stomach, because it is of vital importance that you eat normally- normal for an average eleven-year-old, Mr. Potter, not what has passed for normal for you up until now."

Harry's face burned again, and he looked down. "No. That will not do, Mr. Potter." Startled by the sudden anger in the matron's voice, Harry looked up and saw a stern impression on her face. "Listen here, young man. Not your fault, do you hear me? What happened to you was not your fault. Anyone who starved a child, any child… not to mention the physical abuse… no. There is nothing a child can do to deserve any of that. You strike me as a polite, well-behaved boy, Mr. Potter, but even if you were the worst behaved hellion to ever exist you would not deserve what happened to you."

Harry was confused as to how he should respond, so he simply sat. "Now, these other two potions are for reducing scarring. One is for external scars, and the other is for some internal damage that you sustained."

At this, Harry looked hopeful. "Will they… will they get rid of my scars? The ones on my back?"

Madam Pomfrey sighed, "Not entirely, I'm afraid. Many of the scars will fade completely, but some of the larger and deeper ones will remain; they are beyond magic to heal. Now, it's best if you get started, and I will apologize in advance for the taste." She offered the potions to Harry, starting with the red bottle.

Harry reached out and took the bottle and swallowed its contents in a single gulp. While unpleasant, it wasn't nearly the worst thing he had ever tasted. Harry downed all of his potions one after another, and when he took the last one the matron continued. "I meant what I said, Mr. Potter. I will be discreet - now and in the future. Normally I would be required to report what I have seen to your head of house, but given how you came to be in my care that process has already begun. You should know, I will be called upon to provide testimony regarding your condition. For now, I will share nothing other than a statement of fact that evidence of abuse exists. At some point, the prosecution against the Dursleys will likely require me to provide more detailed information, but I will consult with you, Mr. Potter, before I share anything further."

"More importantly, Mr. Potter, I want you to know that you can talk to me if you wish. Normally, discussions between a patient and healer are completely confidential, and in the case of foster care not even your eventual guardians would be told of anything we discuss. Anything you ever choose to tell me in that context will be kept completely private, even from the headmaster or any other authority figure if necessary. It is both my desire, and my professional responsibility to act for your benefit, Mr. Potter, and I will do whatever is necessary for your health and safety."

Harry didn't really know what to make of that offer; it sounded nice enough, but...

While he was thinking about it, there was a knock at the door. Harry looked over in time to see it crack open, and Ginny's face appeared. "One moment, Miss Weasley, and I will return Mr. Potter to you." The door closed again, and Madam Pomfrey turned to face Harry once more. "With all of that said, Mr. Potter, I understand that trust is a difficult thing for someone in your position. You don't know me, and you might not want to talk to me, and that is fine. At a minimum, I do hope you will be forthcoming with any medical needs you might have. It is important, though, that you do talk to someone. You have been through trauma, young man, and keeping that sort of thing bottled up is not good for you no matter who you are." Madam Pomfrey glanced over at the closed door before resuming. "Most people have their loved ones, family and friends, that they can lean on for support. I know you've been alone for a long time and so it might be a bit hard for you to get started. Having people you trust is important, Mr. Potter; more important than you know. Don't shut them out, if you can. Do you understand?"

Harry gave Madam Pomfrey a small shrug; it was the best he could do. She was right, he had been alone his whole life. But then, unbidden, a memory floated into his thoughts; I want to help you, Harry. I want it… more than I've ever wanted anything. Harry turned and looked at the closed door and he couldn't help but smile. "That's a good lad, you understand. Now, off you go, and come back in two days for your next doses. Oh, and if you find yourself extra sleepy, especially after meals, don't fight it; that's the potion working."

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey." Harry stood up, marched over to the door and left the ward.

Harry found more people waiting outside the hospital than he had expected. Ginny was so close he almost bumped into her when he came out of the door, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were not far away, quietly conversing with Professor McGonagall. Percy Weasley was also there, standing a short distance away from his parents, looking confused.

When Harry closed the door behind him and turned around, he came face to face with Ginny once again. She made to give him another exuberant hug, but at the last moment restrained herself, looking unsure. Harry chuckled; he supposed he had just come from the hospital. "I'm OK, Ginny."

She needed no further prompting, and Harry immediately found himself wrapped up in a slightly desperate hug. It was difficult to understand her, but she was repeatedly mumbling "I'm sorry" into his chest. Harry held on just as tight, whispering to Ginny as he did. "It's OK, Ginny. Thank you… thank you for… just, thank you." He could feel Ginny nod her head against him, and he rested a moment wrapped up with her. A noise drew his attention, and he looked up to see they had an audience. He carefully extracted himself from Ginny's embrace, but she kept an arm wrapped around his as they walked over to the adults.

The two elder Weasleys and Professor McGonagall paused their conversation as Harry and Ginny approached. Molly attempted to speak first, "Harry… so… I trust…" Whatever it was she was trying to say, she didn't seem to be able to get the words out. Instead, Arthur stepped in. "Mr. Potter, Harry… it is good to see you again, despite the circumstances."

Harry nodded. "Hello Mr. Weasley. Professor Dumbledore told me you… you wrote him a letter."

Arthur nodded. "Yes, I did. I had to do something. You see, my daughter came to me concerned about her friend. More than concerned, really; she was furious, but also… dejected." Arthur reached out and placed a hand on Ginny's shoulder. "My Ginny, you see, she is almost always the most cheerful person in the room, and she is full of a hope and trust that I hope she never loses. But when she talked to me… I had never seen Ginevra like that before, and I'm not sure I will ever forget the look on her face. I sincerely hope to never meet your family, Harry. Not only for whatever they did to you, but also because through their actions they… they stole a bit of my daughter's innocence. I don't think I could hold my temper."

Arthur shook his head and reached out to grasp Molly's hand. "Molly and I, we spoke with Professor Dumbledore. He did not tell us any of the details, but he did relay that you will need a new home. You made quite an impression on my daughter, and your father James was a friend. I think you will likely have several options for where you live in the future, but Molly and I would like to extend an invitation for you to visit us, perhaps over Christmas. We could all get to know each other a bit better, and besides, everyone should have somewhere to go for Christmas."

Harry found his throat was a bit dry. He looked at Ginny, who had a huge smile on her face as she looked at her father, before he cleared his throat and responded. "I would like that, I think. If it's no trouble, I wouldn't… er… want to intrude…"

Harry's attention was drawn to Mrs. Weasley, who tsked before replying with a gentle smile on her face, "Of course it's no trouble, silly boy, we wouldn't have invited you if you weren't welcome."

Harry looked down at his feet, and his stomach felt like it was doing cartwheels inside him, but he nodded. Suddenly, Ginny wrapped him up in another hug and whispered to him. "It's time for us to go now, Harry. I will talk to my parents, but I'll be back on Monday either way. Take care of yourself, please, until I get back."

Harry nodded again, and then let Ginny go as she joined her parents. He watched as the three of them said goodbye to Percy, and then went into an office just down the hall, where Harry could hear Ginny call out "The Burrow!"

After the Weasleys were gone, Professor McGonagall approached him. "Mr. Potter, I am to make you aware of some special arrangements that have been made regarding your stay at Hogwarts."

Harry looked nervously at Professor McGonagall, whose expression softened. "It's nothing bad, Mr. Potter. First, Professor Dumbledore has slightly modified the curtains on your bed. They have been magically reinforced and modified such that they cannot be opened from the outside except by yourself, your house prefects, and Hogwarts staff. Prefect Weasley will demonstrate how to activate and deactivate these charms, as well as show you how you can utilize your wand as an alarm clock while you sleep. Everyone is safe at Hogwarts, Mr. Potter, but your bed will be especially so."

Harry looked up with relief on his face, but that turned to confusion as Professor McGonagall's expression fell slightly. "Additionally, per the headmaster's instruction, you will be taught the stunning spell, Mr. Potter." Harry stared at Professor McGonagall, his confusion evident. "The stunning spell, or Stupefy, Mr. Potter, is an offensive magical jinx - essentially an attack spell. Cast correctly, it will knock an opponent unconscious and physically backwards. We both, the headmaster and I, have some reservations about teaching such a spell to a first year. We decided, however, that you would perhaps feel less vulnerable if you had some means of self-defense at your disposal, both at Hogwarts and when you leave the school. I will be sorely disappointed if I discover that you have misused the spell or taught it to any of your year mates, is that understood?"

"Yes, Professor McGonagall. I, uh, I promise to be careful." Professor McGonagall nodded sharply. "I expect nothing less, Mr. Potter. Finally, there is an additional rule we are putting in place regarding you and Miss Weasley. As she has now made two unexpected trips to the castle, we thought it wise to make plans that anticipate future visits. As such, if Miss Weasley should ever find herself an unplanned visitor to the castle again, you are required to alert a member of the Hogwarts staff to her presence immediately. If no staff members are easily accessible, the house elf Thimble, who you have already met, will respond to your call and can pass a message to me directly. Neither she, nor you, will be in any trouble, we simply wish to be informed if she arrives so that we can notify her parents. Will you adhere to this rule, Mr. Potter?"

"Yes, Professor McGonagall."

At that point, Percy's curiosity finally got the better of him. "Professor McGonagall, how has Ginny gotten to the castle in the first place? Isn't the castle warded to prevent apparition and portkeys?"

McGonagall turned to Percy. "Indeed, Mr. Weasley. As I understand it, Miss Weasley was summoned to the castle through Mr. Potter's accidental magic interacting with the magic of Hogwarts itself. In simple terms, it is as if Miss Weasley side-along apparated with the castle itself, which also bypassed the wards. Professor Dumbledore believes that this function may have been intentionally designed into the castle, but that is just supposition. Now, Mr. Weasley, I assume you have no problems with your part of this, demonstrating use of the sealing charm for Mr. Potter's curtains?"

Percy shook his head. "Good. If you wouldn't mind, Mr. Weasley, I have one further topic to discuss with Mr. Potter and it requires some privacy. If you wait just a moment, I will send Mr. Potter along shortly and you two may return to Gryffindor Tower." Percy nodded, and then walked a short way down the hall. Professor McGonagall turned towards Harry, before she knelt down and looked directly at him.

"Mr. Potter, Professor Dumbledore did most of the explaining earlier, but I have something to add. I need… I wish to apologize to you for… for how I handled your first day. I did not understand what was happening. I did not have all of the information, yet I was harsh with you. That was a mistake, one that I now clearly recognize in retrospect. I very much regret my actions that first day."

"Oh. Er, it's OK, Professor McGonagall." Minerva shook her head. "No, Mr. Potter, it was not. My job, as deputy headmistress, is to take care of all the students at Hogwarts. That duty of care is doubled for Gryffindors, as I am also your head of house. It is unacceptable that I should judge or act without evidence, and I shall not do so again. That door just down the hall, where you saw the Weasleys go, that is my office, Mr. Potter. The password for the door is Bastion and should you find the need you may enter at any time, even if I am absent. I will be notified if you open my door and will join you as quickly as possible."

Harry did not know what to say, so he just nodded. "That's a good lad. Now, it is getting late, you had best follow Mr. Weasley back to the Tower."

Harry and Percy walked back to Gryffindor Tower in silence once again. Halfway there, Harry suddenly realized that he had once again forgotten to pay attention to the route. He shook his head and then hurried along after Percy, now trying to pay attention to where he was going. When they reached the Tower, Percy followed Harry up to his dorm room and quickly taught Harry the charms to seal and unseal his bed curtains, as well as how to set an alarm on his wand. Harry thanked Percy, and then climbed into his bed. "I think I will take a nap; I have astronomy in a couple hours. Thank you, Percy."