After Practice Relief
Summary: Set in Third Year (POA). After a long and rough Quidditch practice, Harry finds Lily for some after-Quidditch practice relief.
Professor McGonagall approached the Quidditch pitch briskly, scanning the sky for the Quidditch captain. She was going to have a long talk with Oliver. Four times this week, she had seen various members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team show up late for breakfast, some looking half asleep. They showed up late for dinner or rushed through dinner. Sometimes, they were dragged by Oliver to the pitch for practice. In her class, Oliver was wide awake and alert. The rest of the team, on the other hand, would fall asleep during class.
Today, Hermione woke Harry up when he fell asleep in class. After inquiring why he was tired from Ron and Hermione, the Head of Gryffindor learned that Oliver had increased practice to three times a day and as early as six o'clock in the morning. When she consulted with Madam Hooch, she learned that Oliver had, in fact, booked the pitch for three times a day, every day.
Now, she found herself standing in the middle of the pitch.
"Alright, come down here, everyone," She called.
Angelina, Alicia, and Katie were the first to land, and Fred and George followed. Harry landed between Fred and George, nearly tripping over his boots. Fred steadied him while George took a hold of his shoulder.
Oliver flew down and was about to retort when Professor McGonagall raised her hand. "Save it, Wood. I know this is your last year, and you want to win the cup for Gryffindor. Look at your team! How do you expect to win when you have been running your team ragged!" she exclaimed.
Oliver cowed under Angelina, Alicia, and Katie's gaze as they said with their eyes, "We told you so."
He looked at Fred, George, and Harry, wincing when he realized they were also glaring at him.
At that moment, Harry reminded her of James, but she knew that Harry had inherited Lily's temper.
"I don't want to see you all practicing for a week. I don't mind if you decide to come here and fly on your own, but I'm calling an end to practice until the end of next week. The match isn't but a month away."
She turned to the group, fixing them with a stern look. "Am I clear?" she asked.
"Yes, professor," the team replied in unison.
"Okay, off you go." She waved them off.
Oliver decided to stay and shower in the locker room. Everyone else headed back to the castle.
As they walked to the castle, they noticed that Harry was moving kind of slowly, as if not to cause himself more pain.
George and Fred looked at each other and nodded. Fred took Harry by the arm and picked him up, placing him in front of his broom, and they flew off to the castle.
Professor McGonagall watched them go. She turned to the remaining team members. "Of all of you, who is Wood hardest on?" she inquired curiously.
Everyone looked at each other and nodded before they replied. "Harry."
Professor McGonagall didn't look surprised, considering Harry was the youngest on the team. He was the one who had yet to build up endurance.
"I wouldn't want to be Oliver when Lily finds out," George commented.
"Oh, she knows," Professor McGonagall informed the group, smiling to herself. She wasn't going to hide Oliver from the wrath of a mother. Oliver had probably forgotten one of his teammates' mother was on the grounds.
But Professor McGonagall didn't worry. She knew Lily would take care of Harry.
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Fred landed outside the main doors. Once steady, he helped Harry off the broom slowly.
"Thanks, Fred."
"You're welcome. Will you be okay from here?" Fred asked.
"Yeah, I'm heading to the hospital wing and see if I could get Mum to give me a pain potion or something."
"Okay, I'll see you later."
Harry walked down the corridor to the hospital wing. The aches and pains were now making their presence known.
His back, shoulders, arms, neck, and stomach all hurt. His feet ached from being in the boots as long as they were. Other than that, nothing a pain potion could fix. Maybe a soak with Epson salts or a massage?
He passed his mother's quarters and headed to the hospital wing. Upon entering the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey ascended on him.
"What can I do for you, Potter?"
"Do you know where my Mum is?" Harry asked.
"Right here." Harry turned at the voice to find his mother approaching him. "I think I'll be taking the rest of the day off, Poppy." She wrapped an arm around his son's shoulder. "I'll be in the treatment room if you need me."
"Alright, Lily." Madam Pomfrey left the mother and son beside the door. Lily looked at Harry, gently pushing him towards the door.
"Come on, Harry. Let's go to the treatment room."
"Mum, you knew about the Quidditch practice, didn't you?" Harry inquired.
Lily nodded. "Yes, I did. Do you need a pain potion?"
Harry nodded, careful not to aggravate his already sore neck.
"Why are we going to the treatment room?" Harry asked curiously.
"Because after your soak in Epsom salts, I'm giving you a massage."
Harry sighed, mainly in relief. Lily's back rubs were legendary in their household. James claimed she had magical hands and fingers. Harry trusted him to be telling the truth.
Lily took massage classes for fun during the summer. She had taken it because she had been considering getting a massage certificate. It would allow her to do massage for all students at school. Right now, she had a handful of students she treated. Of course, with permission from parents. And, of course, she would rub Harry's back and feet when he was in her quarters.
As Harry got older, Lily started occasionally giving him massages. She gave him a massage following his first Quidditch practice.
Harry followed Lily to her quarters and then into the treatment room. The treatment room had a door off Lily's quarters, other than the one from the corridor. Students used the one from the corridor. Lily used both entrances. Harry was the only one besides Lily who used the one from Lily's quarters.
"Are you hurt anywhere?" Lily inquired as she filled the tub in the small bathroom off the treatment room with water.
"You mean injured?" Harry asked.
"Yes." Lily walked to the cupboard and pulled out the Epsom salt.
"No, just feel sore." Harry winced as he lowered himself down on the padded bench. He sighed when he took off his boots. Lily happened to notice how dirty her son was. How he got mud in his hair was beyond her.
"Go get a shower to wash the dirt off first," Lily ordered.
"Okay." Harry disappeared through the door to her quarters and his bathroom. She vaguely heard him hiss and an "Ow" now and then.
Lily cast a warming charm on the water and headed into the treatment room. She draped the table and collected the bottle of massage oil she would be using. One of her friends at St. Mungo's recommended it when Harry joined the Quidditch team.
Janice sent it to her with a note that said, "You're going to need it."
And she did. Lily found it when she went to Quality Quidditch Supplies to get Harry new gloves before his second year. Since then, she bought two bottles at a time. The oil was designed to help relax tight, tense muscles as it was massaged and relaxed.
Lily returned to the bathroom to add the Epsom salt as she heard footsteps shuffling her way. Harry had entered the treatment room carrying a pair of sweatpants. He wore a pair of swim trunks that he kept in his mother's quarters. He used them for times like this.
"Did you bring something to change into?" Lily asked over her shoulder.
"Yeah," Harry replied, laying his shorts on the bench. He winced as he sat down on the bench.
Lily turned her attention to her son when he heard him whisper, "Ow."
"What hurts?" She inquired.
"Arms, neck, back, shoulders, and stomach," Harry told her, gauging her response.
"Well, let's do something about that. Ready for a soak?"
Harry nodded, slowly getting up from the bench. Lily helped him into the tub and watched as he relaxed instantly.
She set the timer and left the room to finish getting the room ready for Harry's massage.
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After the timer went off, she helped Harry out of the tub and gave him some privacy to change and dry off. When he entered the treatment room, he asked, "Do I need to lay on my back or my stomach?"
"On your stomach," Lily answered. "I'll begin with your back."
Harry approached the table and hoisted himself on the table. He turned over to lie on his belly. When his abdomen made contact with the table, he felt something warm.
"I laid down a heat pack under the sheet. It will help relax your abdominal muscles while I massage your back. When you turn over, I'll remove it and then massage your abdomen," Lily explained, answering Harry's unasked question.
Harry took his glasses off, handing them to Lily, and laid his head in the headrest.
Lily poured some oil into her hands, rubbing them together to warm the oil in her hands. Slowly, she applied the oil to Harry's back. After applying oil on Harry's back, she began the massage.
She started with an effleurage stroke from the tops of his shoulders down to the top of his hips. She had learned about this stroke by reading about it in a book on sports massage she picked up when she purchased the massage oil. She did the effleurage stroke, using the palm of her hands for a while before she began kneading Harry's shoulders.
"Am I doing okay?" Lily asked. She got a grunt in reply. "I'll take that as a yes, Mum."
"Yeah," Harry sighed as Lily began using her signature backstroke. She stroked up and down Harry's back, sliding her hands over the muscles. She would stop when she reached areas where she found knots to focus on the area. When she did find knots, she gently worked out the knots out of his back and resumed the massage afterward.
"Does that feel better?" Lily asked, rubbing the area she had been working on knots.
"Uh-huh."
Moving to Harry's left side, she began wringing his right side. She was careful not to hit his ticklish spots on his side. She heard Harry hiss as she moved up.
"Does it hurt there?" Lily asked, gently moving across the area.
"Yeah," Harry mumbled. "I think I pulled a muscle there."
"Oh. How?"
"Quidditch practice," Harry explained.
Moving to Harry's right side to repeat the treatment to the left side, Lily asked, "Does this side feel the same way?"
"No."
Lily began wringing Harry's left side slowly. As she massaged his side, she noticed how much muscle had built upon his right side. It felt slightly different than his left side.
"Are you doing okay?" she asked. Harry mumbled a reply, which told her the massage was working.
Lily's hands were warm and firm as they began kneading the knots in his shoulders. Her fingers moved with an almost hypnotic rhythm. Harry could feel the tension melting away under her touch.
Lily moved her hands back down his back, her fingers tracing the line of his spine. She applied pressure in just the right spots, relieving the stiffness that had settled there. She usually went over the back again to be sure she didn't miss any knots or stiffness. Harry could feel the warmth spreading through his muscles, loosening them up and bringing relief.
The massage was soothing and therapeutic, a balm for his tired muscles. Harry could feel himself relaxing. His body went limp under Lily's skilled touch. The pain and fatigue from the Quidditch practice were slowly fading away, replaced by a sense of peace and well-being.
She finished the back by stroking down Harry's back, her fingers fanned out and her palms lightly pressing in. She ended the back massage with a gentle rocking.
Lastly, Lily moved to his neck. Her touch was gentle yet firm, a testament to her understanding of the delicate balance required in this sensitive area. Her fingers, warm and soft, began to move in slow, deliberate circles, tracing the contours of his neck muscles.
Harry could feel the knots of tension, the remnants of the Quidditch match, gradually loosening under her skilled touch. Each circle her fingers drew seemed to erase the strain, replacing it with a soothing warmth that seeped deep into his muscles. The rhythm of her movements was almost hypnotic, lulling Harry into a state of deep relaxation. The stiffness in his neck melted away, replaced by a feeling of lightness.
She ended the massage with her hands sliding down his back. Then she brought her hands up to his shoulders, resting them there.
She leaned down to whisper, "Sweetheart, it's time to turn over."
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Harry slowly lifted himself off the massage table for Lily to remove the heating pad. Once Lily had removed the heating pad, she covered him with a sheet, holding it up to allow Harry to turn over without getting tangled in the sheet. Harry slowly turned over to lay on his back, scooting down to lay his head on the table. Lily removed the headrest and adjusted the sheet.
Now that he was lying on his front, Harry knew the order of massage Lily went. She repeated the neck.
After the neck and shoulders, Lily massaged the arms and hands. Then Lily moved to the abdomen and finished the massage with the feet.
It was a routine Lily created when Harry started playing Quidditch.
The massage was so relaxing that Harry sometimes fell asleep, especially when Lily massaged his back or abdomen. It felt comforting to Harry, soothing at times, the feeling of Lily's tender and soft hands and fingers against his skin.
Lily adjusted the sheet to expose the shoulders and neck. Covering Harry with the sheet allowed Lily to keep Harry warm while she gave him a massage and allowed her to expose only the parts of his body she was working on.
Lily poured some oil into her hands, rubbing them together to warm them. She slid her hands under Harry's neck and began to massage his neck again. This was something she did, both supine and prone. Supine was the position Harry was lying in. Prone was when he or the recipient was lying on their front.
But with Harry and James, Lily had been known to massage their neck sitting beside her.
As Harry lay on his back, Lily moved her hands to his neck again. She used sweeping strokes, moving from his shoulders to the base of his skull and back down. The rhythm was hypnotic, each press and release sending waves of relaxation through Harry's body. She incorporated gentle stretching into the massage. She gently tilted Harry's head to one side, then the other, stretching the neck muscles.
Judging by Harry's breathing, he was almost out like a light. He was relaxed enough that she could move his head without an issue.
Lily turned Harry's head back to its original position. Slowly, she removed her hands from his neck and stepped over to his right side. Picking up Harry's right arm, she removed it from under the sheet, laying it on top of the sheet.
Lily applied more oil to her hands, rubbing them together to warm the oil. She applied the oil to Harry's right arm and hand, beginning the hand and arm massage with Harry's right hand.
She started massaging the palm, slowly moving to the fingers. As she massaged the fingers, she stretched and rotated them slightly. She felt some calluses on Harry's fingers from where he used quills and from the broomstick.
She made a mental note to herself to add hand cream to her list. She could brew some that could heal the calluses quickly.
She rotated the wrist gently, looking for tension. Not finding any tension in the wrist, she finished up the hand and moved to the forearm. She stroked with her thumb up the arm, finding knots. They were from where Harry had gripped the broom for so long. She worked on loosening the knobs she felt in his forearm, gently stroking the area until it didn't feel so tight.
With both hands, she did a wringing stroke from Harry's elbow down to the wrist. She repeated this a few times until she moved up to the top of Harry's arm and biceps. She stroked up the arm, this time, feeling for tension and knobs. The muscle felt tight due to the hours Harry was bent over a broom and general class work.
She rotated the arm, manipulating it in how she needed it to work out the knots she was feeling. She massaged the area gently, not wanting to go too deep. When she released the knots and tension, she laid down the arm, bending the elbow and laying Harry's hand on his stomach.
After a while, she repositioned the arm by lifting and resting his arm against her. With the arm off the table and the triceps easily accessed, Lily could massage the triceps easily using a thumb iron.
"Are you doing okay, honey?" she asked. She got a mumbled answer of "Yeah, I'm fine."
After a while, Lily laid Harry's arm back down to work on his shoulder again, gently massaging the top of Harry's shoulders.
She moved Harry's right arm to begin work on the pec area near where the arm muscle and the pecs met. She gently stroked the area for a little while.
Before long, she moved to the other side of the table and repeated the massage on the other arm. While Lily was working on Harry's left side, she noticed his left side was not as developed as his right. She remembered her massage instructor telling her that this was normal. Harry was dominant on his right side, which made sense since he was right-handed.
She moved his left room to massage the pecs on Harry's left side. She remembered her instructor telling them to do the same massage on each side of the body. It was to make them feel balanced.
Once Lily had finished the arm, she turned to the stand behind her and picked up a folded towel. She laid it over her son's chest, and with a good grip on the towel, she pulled down the sheet to expose his stomach.
Harry was still out like a light, but he communicated with her when she asked him questions. His eyes cracked open when the cool air hit the flesh of his abdomen. When he figured out what Lily was doing, he closed his eyes again, waiting for Lily to begin.
Lily tucked the sheet into the waistband of Harry's shorts. She picked up the oil to begin the abdominal massage. She rubbed her hands together to warm her hands up.
"Let me know if you feel any pressure."
She applied the oil and began the abdominal massage in a clockwise motion. She moved slowly, feeling Harry's muscles relax and allowing her to move slightly deeper into her son's belly. As she massaged the abdomen, she noticed some tension in Harry's abdomen from bending forward on a broom.
Harry's abdominal muscles were sore for a few weeks after he started with the team and were usually sore when he started back to practicing. Last summer, Harry had practiced Quidditch and Seeker drills more, managing to tone his abdominal muscles. Because of the training in the summer, Harry noticed a difference in how his abdomen felt after the first Quidditch practice. His abdominal muscles didn't feel sore like they had in previous years.
There was a second reason Lily wanted to massage Harry's abdomen. Harry had been complaining of some stomach problems. Lily had read that abdominal massage helped with digestion and the distress Harry had been experiencing. Lily attributed the distress to the stress of additional classes and Quidditch.
This way, she was killing two birds with one stone.
Once she finished with the soothing circles, she moved to Harry's sides and gently pulled the muscle towards her, beginning on the left side. As she moved up, her fingers found the ribs, gently tracing them with her fingers.
She went back to the circles, circling the belly button. She did the stroke a few times before she laid her hand flat on Harry's belly and walked around the table to stand on his right side and repeat the slow wringing stroke she did on Harry's left side on his right side. To return to the other side, she laid her hand on his abdomen again and returned to Harry's left side. She repeated the circular motion.
When she went to go another round, using the pads of her fingers, she began to do some circular motions with her fingers moving her hand in the same clockwise motion. This move allowed her to find areas of tension easily and work on the organs.
"How's the pressure?"
"It's fine, Mum."
"How does this feel?" Lily inquired.
"Good."
"Great." Lily repositioned herself to stroke her hands up Harry's abdomen. Gently, she pushed her hands up towards Harry's ribs and then let them slide down his sides. Once they were at his sides, she pulled her hands towards her, careful not to tickle her son.
She repeated this stroke three times. Each time, she moved her hands lower on Harry's side. She paused when she heard Harry release a long breath on the last upward stroke.
"Are you okay, sweetheart?"
"Uh-huh."
"Did that hurt?"
"No, it actually felt really good."
"Good."
She smiled when she heard Harry's growling. In fact, it was a good sign. It meant his body was responding to the treatment. It also meant things would be moving better in there.
She repeated the circular stroke she had begun with. The sun and moon stroke was her transition stroke, a sign to the recipient she was moving on to a different stroke. This wringing stroke she was moving onto next was one she had never used on Harry.
She laid her hands flat on Harry's stomach. Gently, she started a wringing stroke, picking up the muscle and pulling it up gently. She knew she was working the abdominal muscles as she didn't go deep enough to reach the organs.
Harry sighed contently, telling Lily that she had done something right by using this stroke on Harry.
"Does that feel better?" Lily asked.
"Yeah, feels a lot better."
Lily moved to the side where Harry said he pulled a muscle and lightly massaged it. It was then that she realized it wasn't a pulled muscle.
"Harry, I think this is tension. I don't think it's a pulled muscle."
"I think you're right, Mum. I've pulled a muscle in my side before. It feels different."
"Alright, I'm going to see if I could work this out. Let me know if the pressure is too much."
"Okay."
Lily placed her hands over the area and started doing slow, circular movements with her fingertips. Harry's breathing was still steady and deep, which was a good thing. After another minute or two, the tension left. Harry let out a long sigh, his abdomen feeling a lot better than it had in weeks.
Finishing the abdominal massage, Lily did a wave stroke, feeling how relaxed her son's belly felt now that she was nearing the end. She heard more rumbling and could feel bubbling under her hand. She remembered reading that this was normal.
She finished with a stroke going up and down Harry's abdomen and then a side-to-side stroke.
"How is your belly feeling? Any better?"
"A lot better, thanks, Mum."
Lily recovered Harry with the sheet and said, "I've got the feet left. Then you will be done."
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To complete the massage, Lily would finish with a foot massage.
Sliding a stool at the end of the table, Lily sat down and began to massage Harry's right foot, starting on the arch of the foot, before moving to the underside of Harry's foot with her thumb. She picked up his foot and rubbed the heel of his foot before moving up to the toes. Reaching the toes, she rubbed her thumb along the underside of the toe.
She moved to the left foot, repeating the massage on the left foot. Her routine for a foot massage was quick and easy and didn't take a lot of time.
Harry was sound asleep by the time Lily had completed the massage. She covered his feet with the sheet. She tucked the sheet around him, pushing hair out of his face, and kissed his forehead.
She decided to let him sleep for a little. She would wake him for water and a snack after she cleaned the treatment room.
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Harry sat at the table in his mother's quarters, munching on some biscuits and drinking water. Since he had the rest of the day free, he decided to spend the day with Lily, relaxing in her quarters. He had another soak in an Epson salt bath, only this time with scented salts.
He was planning on a nap after finishing his snack.
"How are you feeling?" Lily asked, coming into the kitchenette.
"Much better," Harry answered honestly. "Thanks, Mum."
"You're welcome, sweetheart."
Once he finished his snack, he put his plate in the sink and returned the water to the small icebox. He passed Lily on his way to his room and discovered why when he entered his room. She had turned down the bed for him.
Yawning, Harry crawled in and was asleep before his head hit the pillow. He was so sound asleep that he didn't notice Lily tucking the cover around him and kissing his cheek.
She walked out to the sitting area and picked up a book she had been reading. She hadn't been reading long until Minerva came by.
"How's Harry?" She asked.
"He's fine. Sleeping right now," Lily assured her.
Minerva nodded. "When are you speaking with Oliver?"
"In the morning," Lily replied.
"I told the team no Quidditch practice for the rest of the week. I asked them who Oliver was hardest on and, well….." she trailed off.
"It's Harry, isn't it?" Lily asked calmly.
"Yes."
Lily smiled. "I'll include that in my little talk."
Minerva knew that look on Lily's face. She knew Oliver was in deep trouble with her.
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The next afternoon, Harry was walking to the library to meet Ron and Hermione. They were going to work on their Charms essay and Defense project. Harry was about to turn the corner when he heard someone call his name.
It was Oliver.
"What is it, Oliver?" Harry asked.
"I wanted to apologize for how I've been treating you," Oliver explained. "I know now I was wrong to push you that hard. I'm sorry."
"Apology is accepted. Do you know when practice is?" Harry asked.
"Next week, in the afternoon before dinner," Oliver replied.
"Okay. Thanks, Oliver."
Harry began walking towards the library. He thought Wood had left, but then he heard, "By the way, I envy you for living with Healer Potter. She's scary when she's angry."
Letting a breath out of his nose, Harry realized what Wood was referring to. He turned around and said, "You should see her when Dad and Sirius prank her. She's even angrier than that."
Oliver paled slightly, thinking how much worse Lily could get when she's mad. Apparently, a lot more.
"I'll see you later, Harry." With that, Oliver left, heading to Gryffindor Tower. Harry walked to the library, thinking that even though Lily could be embarrassing and overprotective, she cared about him.
Why wouldn't she? He's her son.
But Harry felt lucky at times to have Lily at Hogwarts. Yes, there were times he wished she wasn't. However, the times he was glad she was outweighed the times he wished she wasn't there. Yesterday was one of the days he was glad she was there. He knew the next time he needed some after-practice relief, he would go to Lily.