Truths Revealed

Truths Revealed -18-

Harry woke up to someone shaking him gently, along with his name being chanted softly. He groaned, not wanting to move. It had been a long time since he'd gotten to sleep without having horrible nightmares, and he wasn't anywhere near ready to wake up.

"Harry, pup, get up. McGonagall wrote back." Harry opened his eyes half-heartedly. Sirius smiled.

"Wha'd she say?" Harry tried his best to stifle a yawn.

"You've got to see Poppy, then you're good to go. You can live with me, and I can teach you, and if I'm no good at a subject, she'll have a teacher from school take over that. Meaning, you can study from home. Now come on, let's go to see Poppy," Sirius explained.

Harry took the offered hand, allowing Sirius to pull him to his feet. They walked in a comfortable silence back to the castle, and somehow managed to get to the hospital wing unnoticed. Poppy was waiting for them, and immediately noticed that Harry was half-asleep.

"On the bed now, Harry dear," she said, with a gentle tone that Sirius was sure she had never used on him. "Mr. Black, you're going to have to wait outside for the while." She glared at him and he left, rolling his eyes.

"Here you go, Harry. It's a Sleeping Draught, just to have you relaxed till I'm done." He downed it at once, and almost immediately fell into a dreamless sleep.

After ten minutes, Poppy was done with diagnosing him. To say that she was angry would be nothing short of a spectacular understatement. She signalled Sirius to enter, and he die.  It was only after he sat in the chair beside Harry, fingers wrapping around Harry's hand, did he notice how heavy her breathing was.

"I'll murder him!" Sirius gaped. "Albus Dumbledore - I'm going to murder him even if he is a ghost!"

"Poppy, that's charming, but you've got to tell me how Harry is doing first," Sirius said, smiling lightly.

"He's barely alive!" Poppy burst out angrily, tears filling his eyes. "That mad old crackpot has placed so many blocks on his core, it's a miracle that it's still there! His core is exceptionally strong naturally, but the blocks have strained it. I've removed what I could, and I took off all of his glamours, except the ones on his hands and face - you can do those later, or I'll be scarred for life - and most of the blocks on his core are removed as well. I did what I could for the scars, but they were made by a cursed blade, and he'll only be able to get rid of them by someone who loves him before themselves. Don't look at me like that, I know the overall glamour fell when his magic was strained too far, but I removed every last one that I could find outside of that. Um... I don't know if you're aware, but well - Harry - he's been raped. Multiple times over, though maybe the most recent was about two years ago or so. In any case, uh... the area's infected, and I'll give you a salve that has to be applied for a couple of weeks. It's ... well, quite impossible to do on his own, or I wouldn't have said a word to you. Well, I really don't think it's necessary for me to mention this, but he's severely malnourished. I'll have him on a nutrition potion at once, follow those through. I'll be checking in on him every two weeks, so I'll let you know when they aren't going to be needed anymore. Oh yes, I removed all the Compulsion and Fear induction and Obedience Charms that were placed on him. The Impersona Charm really took a toll on him. The biggest disadvantage of this charm, is it lets people hide from their fears. They stay stuck in that same mindset, and often anything reminiscent of the fear will have them on guard. You've got your work cut out for you - you'll practically be raising a child in an adult's body. Well, that's all. Now if you'll excuse me, Mr. Black, there's a particular ghost that I need to call out."

Sirius watched in utter bemusement as the medi-witch swept out of the room.

"Nnhh." His attention was caught by the restless figure on the bed, who had blearily opened his eyes again, almost as if he didn't want to. 

Sirius hadn't been all that fazed by Poppy's words. He had seen it all happen, he was ready. No matter what hurdle was thrown at his godson, he would be there to help him get over it. But before any of that, he was going to rehabilitate him. Harry needed to face his fears and get over them first, before he could go around being the self-sacrificing martyr he always was. 

"Hey champ." He helped Harry sit up. "How are you feeling?"

"I don't know... weird, sort of..." Harry was a bit dizzy.

"Weird?"

"Like I'm light-headed or something. There's too much of me. I don't know how to say it."

Sirius grinned in relief; he knew what was going on. "Poppy got most of the blocks on your magical core removed. So that's why you feel like there's more of you. You're closer to your real potential now, though it's not entirely unblocked, since some of it is too powerful. The glamours and Impersona Charm that you've been keeping up were also removed, so all the straining on your core are gone as well. That makes you feel lighter. You'll get used to it in time."

"So when can we go?" Harry didn't look too happy with the thought of staying in the hospital wing. Sirius could relate to that particular feeling all too well, and he barked a laugh.

"We can go right after you're packed. Do you want me to come?" Harry thought on it and nodded. It would be easier to avoid any questions from the Gryffindors.

"Harry." They both looked up to find Minerva entering the hospital wing. "I've gathered the students in the Great Hall under the pretense of a special assembly. You can gather your things and leave without being disturbed. And - Mr. Potter?" Harry turned at the door. "I'm looking forward to seeing you in the exams. Good luck with everything. You too, Mr. Black."

"Thank you." They spoke together, and Sirius led his godson to the Gryffindor Tower.

"Cereus Caselus," Harry told the grumpy Fat Lady, who swung open to let them in.

Sirius noticed a lot of things, as he helped Harry get his things into the trunk. One, was that Harry had the Cloak still. Two, he had made changes to the Marauders' Map. Well, that was a surprise. Three, he was as messy as his father when it came to everythng except books. Four, he had a kind of reverence for his books, like his mother. Five, ALL of his clothes that weren't school robes could easily fit three of him simultaneously. Six, he hadn't brought any spare money for Hogsmeade weekends or the like. Seven, he had a long shard of the magical mirror he'd given him, which he assumed still worked. Eight, Harry had an alarming shortage of casual clothes. Nine, despite it looking a bit worse for wear, he was still using the Firebolt he'd gotten him.

"Alright." Sirius took the handle of the trunk and they went downstairs. "Let's go." 

Harry and Sirius hoisted the trunk into the carriage waiting for them. Harry stroked the large Thestral's muzzle for a moment, before climbing in, and Sirius followed. There was no need for a command, as the great creature flapped its wings and began to fly, giving them a ride in the sky.