Healers Orders
There was one candle burning on the wall, but that was all the light in the room. Severus could see the room clearly from where he sat in a deep armchair in the corner, the candle was for the benefit of Harry who slept in the bed, in case he couldn’t see in the dark like Severus now was able to. After all, he couldn’t protect Harry if he wasn’t able to see Harry or the threat, so naturally, he could now see in the dark and most likely in every other condition too.
Healer Tonks and Poppy had left some hours ago. Both had been shocked by the revelation about Severus and Harry now being a courting pair. It hadn’t happened for so long, no one knew exactly why or how it happened, why so few Omegas were born, why Alphas became as volatile as they became when they were courting an Omega. Neither did any of them know what would happen next. Severus believed he had some answers now, and a lot more questions. But time would tell.
Fortunately, for him and everyone else, due to their Secrecy Oaths, the two witches were unable to reveal Severus and Harry to anyone. Not to brag that they had been there when history had been made, in some strange way, and not to warn someone so they could come and take Harry, or just kill him in his bed. That would have ended very badly for anyone and everyone involved, excluding Harry and Severus himself, of course. The new power that now, it the quiet darkness of the room, behind powerful wards, lay dormant in his chest, would literally ruin worlds if Harry was in danger.
There was a reason that there were laws, binding even now even after centuries without a courting pair, that stated that no one should get between an Alpha and an Omega, and no one should try to harm or in any way hurt a paired Omega. It wasn’t for the safety of the Omega, Severus was certain of that now, on an instinctual level. No, it was for the safety of everyone else. Severus would take care of Harry’s safety himself, as long as and as often as Harry needed him too. An Omega wasn’t weak, neither in body nor in will, they had to put up with Alphas, after all, but neither were they the fighters the Alphas were.
Severus had only known about their prospective bond for a few hours, and already he knew so much more about his condition and their bond than he ever had before, even with all his reading, travelling, and researching. It was completely instinctual, and he was certain, completely true.
Harry made a small sound, then moved a bit in the bed, the fourposter in Severus’ guest bedroom. Then Severus saw his eyes open, blink several times and carefully move his left hand up to look at it. He studied his hand for long moments before putting it down and raising the other. Then he slowly raised his head to look around, tears trickled down his face, but there was wonder, not pain or fear in his features. Severus could smell his relief beneath the of Omega. His Omega.
Severus moved slightly to make Harry aware of him. “How do you feel?” he asked in a low voice.
“There is no pain!” Harry gave a small sob. “I can’t remember ever not having any pain! It’s so weird!”
As he soon was due a new Pain Potion, Severus very much doubted that he wasn’t in any pain at all. But he could believe that the amount of pain was considerably lowered, and he could understand that the relief Harry felt was immense.
“That is indeed good. Are you able to converse? I have some messages from the Healer, but she will return later to inform you properly herself, answer any inquiries you might have and begin the deeper healing.”
Harry moved his head and big green eyes stared at him, but he didn’t speak, so Severus continued.
“You are outside immediate mortal danger, but you have been damaged a lot, Harry, over a long period of time, so it will take an extensive period of time for you to heal. The important thing is that according to Healer Tonks, you should be practically fully healed in approximately two years, if you follow her orders. You will be capable of performing close to normally far earlier than that. Unfortunately, you might never become exactly as you could have been; your bones might forever be more brittle and easier to break, you should doubtlessly never drink to excess and your stature will probably never reach what it could have become, but otherwise you will be fine and live without pain and with limited restrictions. That’s the crucial part. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir. But … will I be able to do as the Healer tells me? I mean … my relatives won’t give me any special treatment …?”
Strangely enough, Severus didn’t believe that Harry meant that as a jibe towards Severus' own mockery of Harry through the years. For him it was just a fact of life. No matter the fact that being allowed to rest and heal should be a given, and not a special privilege.
“Don’t you recall, Harry? You are not to return to your relatives, ever. If anyone should try to place you there, I will come and retrieve you momentarily. I give you my word.”
“Oh, yes, you did say that, sir.” Harry blinked fast a couple of times before swallowing and looking searchingly at him. “I am never going back there?” Hope and fear filled his green eyes.
“Never,” Severus stated, with a deep, void-eating croon in the back of his voice.
Harry nodded once, believing him completely now. His scent changed and became calmer.
Probably his own instincts at work, Severus mused silently. He didn’t know when exactly the right time was to bring up their sudden courting, but he knew that at least some things had to happen first.
He got to his feet and picked up some potion vials from the desk in the corner. Harry slowly and carefully sat a bit up in the bed, but gratefully accepted help when Severus used magic to raise the pillows behind his back. Severus gave Harry one vial.
“This is a Pain Potion that will aid you until you are healed sufficiently so as not to need it. The fact that you are used to suffering does not entail that you should continuously endure that.”
Harry hesitated, but then took it and drank it down.
“This is a Bone Strengthening Solution you are required to take for a month at a minimum, before the Healer can begin to repair all the old breaks in your bones. The bones that were broken now are reset and supported with a Healer charm around the bones themselves. You can move the broken bones, the charm will stop the bones from moving from their position, but you are still required to be cautious. Then there is a potion to start the restoration of your organs, this you need to consume three times a day for at least half a year before the dosage can be reduced.
“This potion you will have to consume twice a day to help heal your brain damage. No Harry, I’m not calling you stupid,” he added when Harry looked hurt and annoyed all at once. “Your brain is literally damaged after all the strikes it has taken in your life. This potion should also help your eyesight, provided enough time. Until then, Healer Tonks have made you a temporary set of glasses that in fact suit your eyesight, instead of the atrocities you were forced to use before. These glasses will only last three months, thus you are obliged to visit an optician prior to that time to get self-updating glasses.”
Harry had taken all the potions without much protest, and when Severus handed him the new glasses with black rectangular frames, he took them and put them on without hesitating. Then he looked around the room and obviously marvelled, even if the room was dark. That told Severus all about Harry’s own night vision.
“The Healer will be capable of answering your inquiries better than I, but if you have some pertinent questions now, I will happily endeavour to answer them.”
Harry’s gaze went to him again, he could see the clear green colour of them even through the dark. They were glinting.
“I don’t …” he drew a breath and let it out slowly. “I don’t know how to pay for all this. My vault holds only so much, and I need it for school, too. I know I need to survive and heal more than I need schooling, of course, but without school I won’t be able to get a job and then …” he trailed off.
Severus moved the armchair closer and sat down next to Harry who still sat up in bed.
“Harry, the Potters were rich. They were in fact absurdly rich. I don’t understand why you have gotten the impression that you only have one vault, but I’m quite certain that that’s your trust vault. It is for your own amusement only, and it should be replenished on your birthday every year until you are seventeen. That is the tradition in other Ancient and Noble Houses, at least. We will figure it out. In the worst-case scenario, I will take care of it.”
He expected protests. He expected shock and anger. He expected rage-filled questions about how Severus anticipated Harry to repay him.
He got none of it. His instincts told him he should have known better.
Harry cocked his head to the side and regarded him, calmly, if a little puzzled.
“It’s strange, isn’t it, that I don’t have any trouble with that? I almost … expected you to say that, somehow.”
“It’s strange, yes, but not entirely … unexpected either. This is a conversation we need to have, and it’s important, but it’s not time sensitive. I wonder if you would like a bath to get clean and get into something fresh too, before you get something light to eat?”
All of Harry’s wounds were now closed and healed, some without a scar, and some with scars, even the one on his left leg. He still had bruises, but they had faded a lot with the use of the extra strength bruise balm. His potion had actually been able to take care of the gangrene, after Healer Tonks had cut and cleaned and healed. Of course, the left leg was still very concerning and far from completely healed, it just wasn’t because of the gangrene the way he had first suspected. But that was a conversation Healer Tonks would have with Harry, Severus knew and understood too little to feel able to break the news, and answer all the questions and sorrow that would most likely follow such news.
“Oh, that sounds wonderful!” Harry exclaimed before blushing.
“I well believe it,” Severus murmured. “You are still incredibly frail, and your left leg is not to be exercised, at all, so I will levitate you to the bathroom. There I will remove your clothing with a spell and stand outside the open door while you relieve yourself. I will of course help you, if you need it. Then I will levitate you into the bathtub and help you get clean. You should not lift or stretch your arms overly much and you have to be careful with your hands, but you may wash some parts of yourself. I will also help to dry you off and dress you again. Are you willing to do this?”
“I really can’t do more by myself?” Harry swallowed.
“Not without hurting yourself and risk your healing. Healers tend to get truly agitated with patients who risk their healing; I do not recommend you try.”
“Oh, alright. Let’s do it your way, sir. Though, may I clean my teeth too, please? I haven’t done so in some time.” He grimaced.
Severus hesitated, but he didn’t feel he could stay silent on the matter now that Harry had brought it up. “Your teeth were in an extremely poor condition, several were broken, and you had several cavities, I’m sorry to say.”
Harry nodded, not surprised at all. Severus suspected he had lived with pain in his mouth for years, too, as he probably never had seen a dentist in the Muggle world, or been allowed to practise proper dental hygiene.
“Healer Tonks vanished and regrew all your teeth, Harry. They are as good as new.”
Severus had brewed that potion during the night after Healer Tonks realised how much pain the boy must be in with teeth like that. It was an easy fix, compared to everything else, and being able to eat without pain or reservations would be important for Harry’s healing.
Harry blinked. “That’s great! Oh, that’s probably why my jaw doesn’t ache anymore? Or, no, that’s the Pain Potion. Sorry, professor, stupid question.”
“No, it’s not a stupid question. You must have quite a few. We will endeavour to answer them all, in time. Healer Tonks will spend several hours with you later to advise you about what has already been done to heal you and everything that has to be done in the future. But for now, a bath and then food. And, of course, the possibility to brush your teeth, it’s important to continue with sensible routines. There are various teeth cleaning spells too. If you wish, I could teach them to you, even if you are not allowed to use magic as of yet, because of your healing.” He hesitated for a bit. “I would also ask you to use my name when we are in private, and I should undoubtedly ask for permission to use yours too. It was remiss of me.”
Harry thought about it for just a moment, but then frowned. “I’m not certain that I know your first name …?”
“It’s Severus.”
“Cool, thanks, Severus! And sure, call me Harry.” Harry beamed at him.
Severus of a day ago would have groaned in despair over the use of ‘cool’ and his name in the same sentence, and the proof that his Omega was a true teenager, slang and all. Severus of this moment in time didn’t care. While they were courting and would probably end up as a mated pair, none of the books stated that a pair had to be romantically and or sexually involved. As Severus had no interest in a teenage boy, he very much doubted that their bond would be a romantic one, at least not to begin with. He couldn’t guess what the future would bring.
“Thank you, Harry. Let us move to the bathroom.”
They did, and Harry obviously enjoyed the hot water and the lavender scented oil Severus had used in the bath to give some elasticity back to Harry’s dried out skin. When Harry was clean and back into clean night clothes and in a bed with new, crisp sheets, tears were silently sailing down his cheeks while a faint scent of contentment filled the space around him. He stroked the soft bed cover under his hands, and he slowly half closed and opened his hands and wriggled his right foot and moved his head, and the tears kept on coming.
Severus didn’t dissuade him from moving. Healer Tonks had told him exactly how much, or little, Harry could do, and he had passed on the message to Harry. Harry did not exceed the Healers orders, and Severus could only understand too well the wonder in the boy’s eyes. Nothing hurt or felt restrictive anymore, at least nothing close to what he had lived with for weeks, months, years.
After several more potions to help with his appetite, to stop him from getting nauseous, to make sure he got all the nutrients he possibly could from the meal and some extra vitamins too, he got a soup with vegetables and a bit of meat and a fresh dinner roll with butter. It was a small portion that suited his condition, and he ate it all, and kept it down.
An elf removed the remnants after the meal, Severus had eaten the same, just more of it. Before they could talk anymore, Harry fell asleep, sitting up in bed. Severus carefully laid him down flat in the bed and tucked him in. The child needed all the rest he could get. Silently he sat down in the armchair again, still by the bed, and began to read a biography of a famous Muggle scientist. School began the next day, and he didn’t know when he would next get the chance to read for pleasure.