Chapter 4 – Meeting Madam Pomfrey

Thanks a lot to my beta-readers, Orodruin and Duchess_Of_Arcadia, for correcting my mistakes.

I’m not a native speaker of English!

Chapter 4 – Meeting Madam Pomfrey

They had hardly set foot in the infirmary when Madam Pomfrey came striding quickly in their direction. “What happened, Severus? A Potions accident?”

She came to an abrupt halt when she saw Harry trying to back away, hiding behind Severus. That was odd.

“No, Poppy, it wasn’t a Potions accident.” He restrained Harry from backing away and led him over to one of the beds. Poppy followed them, her mind already racing to find the possible causes for Harry’s odd reaction.

“Sit down here, Harry.” He motioned to Harry to the bed and then turned to Poppy.

“I want you to check Mr. Potter fully for any illnesses or injuries.” He pronounced the last word in a way that made Poppy realize that was why they were here. A glance in the scared and wet face of Harry made it clear that he wasn’t here by his free will.

“Okay, Harry, just relax and let me cast a few diagnostic spells first.”

Harry’s breath was quick and his gaze was frantically flickering between Severus and Poppy. It even lingered for a short time on the door until Severus shifted so that he was blocking Harry’s view.

Poppy already had performed the diagnostic spells and was now looking at Professor Snape. “Perhaps you should leave us alone, Severus?”

“NO!” Harry shouted in panic. “You promised, Professor.” Harry jumped up from the bed.

Poppy was taken aback by this reaction and was frozen in shock. But Severus was fast and grabbed Harry by the shoulder. “Back on the bed, Harry,” he ordered and shoved him back in the direction of the bed.

“But you can’t leave me alone here, Professor. Please!” Harry begged as he tried to wriggle out of Severus’ grasp, with no success.

“I’m not going anywhere, Harry! I will uphold my promise, and you will get back on this bed. Now!” he said sternly.

Harry reluctantly obeyed and jumped on the bed again.

Poppy had recovered from the shock and was her professional self again.

“Harry, I have to examine you closer now. For that, you have to remove your shirt.”

Harry immediately clutched the hem of his shirt and pulled it even further down. “No, you already scanned me with your wand. Just give me something for the wounds and heal my ribs, so that I can breathe better.” Out of his eye he could see Snape breathe in sharply and move closer.

So, he didn’t know how much I was in pain. Fantastic, now my chances of leaving the hospital wing are practically zero, Harry thought sadly. But I don’t want them to see it. I’m just a weak freak. They will expel me from Hogwarts.

Harry started to panic again. He frantically looked for an escape route, but Professor Snape must have predicted that and had moved so close that he couldn’t jump from the bed. There was only one way left. With one swift movement, he leaned back, swung his legs over the bed and jumped down on the other side. That was as far as he got until Snape shouted, “Petrificus Totalus.” And with that, he was paralyzed.

“Severus, no!” Poppy shouted, but it was too late. “Don’t use magic on him! He’s too worn out.”

She moved around the bed and gently placed Harry’s still form, with Severus’ help, on the bed again. She then placed a spell on the bed, which would prevent Harry from leaving it.

When this was all done, she removed Severus’ freezing spell from Harry.

The moment he was released, Harry tried again to jump from the bed, but realized that he couldn’t move over the side of the bed. He could still swing his legs over the side, but couldn’t jump down. He gave Madam Pomfrey a shocked look and moved back against the headboard, pulled his legs to his body and encircled them with his arms.

“I don’t want to remove my shirt. Just give me a healing salve.”

“No, Harry. I cannot just give you a healing salve. I need to see how much you are hurt and how deep the wounds are. You are also underweight and magically drained. There is nothing to be embarrassed about Harry.” Poppy tried to calm him.

Harry tried to back away even further, only the headboard against his back prevented it. “No, please!” He buried his head between his knees and his chest.

He could hear Poppy sigh and turn to Severus. “I think we should call for help from St. Mungo’s.”

“NO!” Harry was kneeling on the bed now. “Don’t send me away! I don’t want to go to a hospital!” He started crying again. Angry by his own reaction, he forcefully wiped his sleeve over his tears.

“Harry, we are not sending you away or placing you in a hospital,” Severus said while sitting on the bed in hope to calm Harry with his presence. Poppy was already moving to the fireplace to call for help because she knew that they couldn’t do this alone.

“No, Professor. Please, stop her. They will take me with them. I know it,” Harry pleaded when he saw Poppy’s head disappear in the fireplace. He tried to stand up, but Severus had seized his underarm and was pulling him nearer to himself.

“Harry, calm down. It’s not the first time we’ve asked for a special healer from St. Mungo’s to help us. They are very kind and very talented. I have a few friends amongst them. They will just help us to examine you and speak with you. They won’t take you with them.”

“Promise?” Harry felt like a small boy to ask this, but he needed it to feel secure.

“I promise!” Severus said honestly.

Harry stopped struggling and seemed to calm down. Severus sighed in relief.

That lasted only a short time until Harry saw that Poppy hadn’t came back alone. He tried to wriggle free again. Seeing the cause of Harry’s struggle, Severus let go of Harry and stood up from the bed.

Harry immediately hid his face between his knees and chest and pressed his back against the headboard as hard as possible.