Medical exams suck
“What’s what?” Harry asked, genuinely confused at his teachers’ reactions.
At Madam Pomphrey’s silence, Snape answered on her behalf, “Mister Potter, do you know what a full medical scan actually means?”
Feeling slightly stupid Harry shook his head.
Snape looked at him with the same expression he had worn when he first came into his room earlier that day, an emotion, Harry realised, that was scarily similar to pity. “Mr Potter, this scan just showed us every injury past or present that you have ever received, and the list was quite extensive. Child why did you never tell anyone?”
Harry just stared at his professor, he was completely sure that if he didn’t currently have 2 doses of strong calming draught in him then he would be freaking out, but, as it was he was merely slightly panicked, and frantically trying to think of a semi-believable cover for his injuries, he knew there would be too many to merely say he was just clumsy, but what about if he said that he was bullied all through his childhood? No, that wouldn’t explain his injuries from his Hogwarts years. He couldn’t think of any other possible way he could twist this so as not to tell Pomphrey and Snape that he was too weak to fight of a muggle. He was a fucking wizard, and he couldn’t fight off a muggle. He decided that the only option he had was to just feign ignorance.
“Tell anyone what professor?” he replied, with as much child-like innocence that he could muster, which wasn’t very much.
“Why Harry, that your relatives beat you! you could have told me dear, I wouldn’t have laughed at you, you should have told me!” Pomphrey gushed rather uncharacteristically, but promptly stopped, looking sheepish at Snapes warning look which he shot her way.
Harry couldn’t help it, a single tear raced down his cheek, Pomphrey had basically just said she wouldn’t have cared and wouldn’t have laughed if he had told her sooner, everything that he had been telling himself would happen if he told someone, everything that had been keeping him at the Dursley’s.
Snape looked uncomfortable at his display of emotion, but when he spoke, his voice portrayed none of his fairly obvious inner conflict. “Whilst that revelation has, I will admit, surprised me, I have to say that is not what I was concerned about. This parchment also shows that until very recently, you had been under loyalty compulsions directed to the headmaster, did you have any knowledge of this Mr Potter?”
Harry didn’t think that his heart could take anymore revelations today. Was that what the feeling was in Privet Drive? the breaking of a loyalty charm. Had that bastard seriously been controlling him with a charm comparable to the imperious curse? Surely that was illegal.
Luckily before Harry could dwell on this revelation too excessively, Pomphrey came to his rescue. “Why Severus, whilst I’m aware that that is an unacceptable revelation. It is not an issue for right now! Mister Potter here has 37 broken bones, 27 of which are in the boys hand, a concussion, excessive blood loss and possible loss of the use of his right hand! So, until these injuries are addressed, and Harry is on the way to healing I forbid you to talk to him about any non-health related concerns.” When Severus opened his mouth to argue Pomphrey cut him off with an authorit, no one would dare disobey. “That will be all professor.”
Severus looked shocked at the command he had been given, but after hesitating for a few seconds, decided he best not get in the way of Poppy when she was working, it never ended well.
“Now Harry,” her voice had gone from commanding back to caring in a flash, “first things first, your history shows severe malnourishment as well as injuries to your face that should be evident. For healing to work I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to remove any glamour spells you are wearing.”
Harry didn’t know what to do, on one hand, he knew there was no logical reason for him to want to maintain his glamours, but at the same time the thought of removing them and letting someone see what he really looked like for the first time in years, terrified him. But if there was anyone who he trusted it was Madam Pomphrey, she had always been there for him to fix him up and had always even offered a listening ear when he needed to talk. So, with a deep, fortifying breath, he let his glamours down and closed his eyes, not wanting to witness the inevitable look that would be present in the medi-wizard’s eyes.
When he finally allowed himself to open his eyes, he was met with eyes full of not pity like he expected, but anger. When she started to work, Harry knew she had gone into healer mode, nothing he showed her now would faze her.
“Right, Harry,” she started “we’re going to be starting with the concerns that are most threatening to you, you have got a punctured lung, no doubt from a broken rib that you healed yourself?” she asked the last part and Harry nodded sheepishly. “Right, whilst I wouldn’t recommend repeating that, all your ribs seem to be in the right place so just drink this tissue regeneration potion and it should fix up your lung with minimal pain”.
Harry drunk the potion as he was told to, and, sure enough, his breathing became easier and easier as he felt the potion take effect.
“Ok, now that’s sorted I need to have a look at your hand.” Harry offered up the mangled appendage with a wince. “Ok, this is going to require me to vanish the bones in your hand and regrow them again, and even then, the nerve damage may be irreversible I’m afraid.”
Harry merely nodded, he had been expecting that, but he wasn’t looking forward to regrowing all the bones in his hand, his arm had been bad enough and there were only three bones that needed regrowing, there were 27 in his hand!
Seeing the look Harry had on his face Madam Pomphrey said, “I’ll give you enough Skelegrow to regrow all of the bones and fix your other broken ones in the process, whilst, as you know, pain potions interrupt the healing process, I can offer you a sleep potion in hopes that you may remain asleep for the best of the pain.”
Harry nodded and was immediately given to vials. With a flick of her wand, Harry felt the pain in his hand vanish and looked down to see he no longer had any bones. “The Skelegrow and sleep potion now please Harry, I will return in a day when the potion should have done it’s job, until then, I hope you are not in too much discomfort dear.” With that, she left the room leaving Harry alone.
Not wanting to dwell on any of the new revelations any further, he drunk both potions and almost immediately drifted off into a fitful sleep.