DISCLAIMER:
This disclaimer covers the whole story not just chapter 1.
No, we do not own Harry Potter it is the property of J. K. Rowling and all her hangers on.
We would also like to thank Anne McCaffrey, for her Pern series, we like some of her creatures so much, we just had to borrow them.
Ann Maxwell for her Fire Dancer book, for the hair thing. Raven reminded me that Ann had this sort of thing in Fire Dancer. I honestly did not remember that when I came up with the idea for this story, but as I had read that story, (Quite some years ago) we thought we should acknowledge Ann.
Last but definitely not least, we would like to thank all those others who don't own the fanfic either, if you see something that looks like you wrote it then thank you, we have read so much we can't remember where all the ideas came from.
We do not make any money from this story. We wish we did, we could then stop work.
A/N: Raven and I would like to thank all those that reviewed the story so far. Please continue to review.
I did a comparison between wands and hand guns and determined that the price of a medium range 9mm is about US$1,124.00 or ₤700.00 as Harry paid ₲7 for his wand that means that ₲1 = ₤100.00. You might not agree, but then you don't have to.
Currency Symbols ₲ = Galleons, ₴ = Sickles and ₭ = Knuts
₲1 = ₴17 and ₴1 = ₭29
₲1 = 1/10 oz of gold in an alloy to make them stronger and resistant to wear.
₴1 = 3/10 oz of Silver also in an alloy and a ₭ = bronze.
All coins are approximately ¾ inch in diameter to make them easier to carry.
It might not be AU but that is my interpretation.
Thoughts will be in "italics" to differentiate them from speech, to make it easier to read.
Raven Spotter
Chapter 01 – Harry Goes To HospitalMinerva McGonagall was in her office at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She had just returned from visiting the muggle born wizards and witches to give them their Hogwarts letters, always a traumatic time for her.
This year she had more than the normal angry responses, mainly from the parents of the females, for some reason they didn't like having their precious daughters called witches. Now she was relaxing in an overstuffed leather armchair, sipping a much deserved glass of Gillywater. As she always did this time of year, she started thinking about Harry Potter. Harry would be ten years old today, this time next year she would finally be able to visit him. When his name and address appeared on the Hogwarts roll, the magic that was hiding him from the wizarding world would be lifted and she would be able to visit him.
The Gillywater was having the desired effects and she was finally starting to unwind, when the fire flared green and Mrs Figg's head appeared in the flames. "Minerva, I've been trying to contact Headmaster Dumbledore. Harry Potter has been beaten almost to death! He's been rushed to hospital and the Dursleys have been arrested."
"What?" She shouted. "What hospital is he in?"
"I don't know Minerva, but I will call you back when I do. You can tell that fool Dumbledore that I warned him that this would happen!"
"Oh I will certainly do that!" Minerva replied. Thank you Arabella, for letting me know."
After saying their goodbyes, Arabella withdrew her head from the flames and the fire went back to normal.
A very upset and angry Minerva raised her wand and stabbed it forward exclaiming "Expecto Patronum!" Her Patronus, (which was a silvery cat), appeared and she imbued it with a message, telling Albus Dumbledore to come to her office urgently and sent it to find him.
*********Mrs Figg's***********
Arabella had just finished a much needed cup of tea when the phone rang, she made her way into the hall and lifted the receiver.
"Hello Arabella Figg here."
"Mrs Figg this is DCI John Davies."
"Hello detective do you have any information about Harry?"
"Yes he has been airlifted to The Royal London Hospital Trauma Centre, where he is in a critical condition."
Arabella's breath caught but she quickly got control of herself, "thank you for letting me know."
"Thank you for helping the boy, without your timely intervention, he would have certainly died by now, there is still a chance he won't make it but at least he is in with a fight now that he is being looked after." replied detective Davies.
"I'm just glad that he is still alive, I really thought he wouldn't make it and if there is anything more I can do, please let me know."
"Thank you, you may be called on to testify in court, but I will let you know if and when that occurs. Good bye and thanks again."
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, considered the most powerful wizard of his time, he maybe the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He may have the Order of Merlin, First Class, and be the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, as well as the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, but Albus Dumbledore was cowering before his deputy headmistress.
"Albus you fool, I warned you about those people!" Minerva shouted at him.
"Minnie..."
"Don't you Minnie me. I warned you, I told you they were the worst kind of Muggles, but would you listen to me? NO! You know better. "It's for his own good." you said. "It will protect him from Voldemort," well what was protecting him from those, those, people? Well are you going to answer me?"
"Minnie I..."
"What? Didn't think? No you didn't think. You just took your own council as you always do. Well it's about time you started listening to others and not presume you always know what's best for people. He could have died Albus and then where would we be? He could have died." Minerva slumped into her chair drained after her rant.
Before Albus could move or say anything, the fire flared green, and Arabella Figg's head appeared.
"Minerva, Oh I see you found the old fool. Harry is in The Royal London Hospital Trauma Centre, he is still critical, but in a some what more stable condition. You! You old fool," said Arabella in a low menacing voice "if I had been just a few minutes' longer getting help for him, we would be burying him now." Fuming, she withdrew from the flames, not giving him a chance to speak.
- The Royal London Hospital Trauma Centre -
DCI (Detective Chief Inspector) John Davies & DS (Detective Sergeant) Tom Jones were talking to Kerry Kindly from Child Services about Harry, when DCI Davies saw Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall and Madam Poppy Pomfrey enter.
"Can you wait here a minute please?" DCI Davies asked, and then he quickly walked over to the new arrivals. "Hello headmaster. I wondered how long it would take for you to arrive." DCI John Davies was a Muggle born wizard, working for the police as they pay more than he could earn in the wizarding world.
"Hello John, good to see you again, I just wish it was under better circumstances though," replied Albus. "We have come to take Harry to St Mungo's for treatment, if he is stable enough to transport." Albus waved his wand and said "Petrificus Totalis Maximus." Then a blue light engulfed the others in the treatment room and they found they couldn't move, it was like they were encased in plaster, only there wasn't any.
Albus after immobilising everyone turned to Poppy Pomfrey Hogwarts Medi-Witch. "Poppy, could you examine Harry please and see if it's safe to move him?"
Poppy waved her wand over Harry and did some diagnostic spells on him. She took a minute to compose herself, as even though she had been a Medi-Witch for over 30 years, she had never before seen a case of child abuse on this scale. She looked at Albus and Minerva and revealed the extent of his injuries. "He has two broken ribs, his jaw is broken, along with his right eye socket and his right arm is broken in three places, he has a ruptured spleen and damage to his kidneys, he is also suffering from malnutrition and appears to have been whipped, although not recently. If he hadn't been picked up when he was, he most certainly would have died."
"The Dursleys will rue the day they laid a hand on Harry," declared the headmaster, "Azkaban is to good for them." (Azkaban is the wizarding prison, which is patrolled by dementors. Loathsome creatures, that suck all the joy out of a person just by being near them and given the chance they would also suck out a persons soul, leaving just a husk which would die within a year).
Minerva, tears in her eyes nodded to Albus, but she was so shocked at Harry's condition, that she couldn't speak.
Poppy waved her wand and muttered a few words and a stretcher appeared between Harry and the hospital trolley he was lying on. She waved her wand again whilst saying "Wingardium Leviosa." The stretcher with Harry on-board lifted about four feet of the ground. "Portus" she said giving her wand a quick swish thereby turning the stretcher into a port key. "I'll see you at St Mungo's," she said, then laid her hand on Harry and they disappeared.
Albus walked up to the Doctors and waved his wand "Obliviate" he then removed their memories of everything that had happened from the time he and the others had arrived and inserted fresh memories of Harry being transferred to a specialist hospital for treatment, due to the extent of his injuries. While he was doing this, John was modifying the memories of his colleague and the social worker.
"Thank you for your help John. I will be in touch with you regarding the Dursleys. Can I leave you to release the others after Minerva and I have left?" asked Albus.
"No problems headmaster, you can find me at the Staines Police Station, I will keep the Dursleys there until after you arrive" John replied.
By this time Minerva had composed herself and she and the headmaster apparated to St Mungo's.
- St Mungo's -
Poppy appeared at St Mungo's with Harry Potter on a stretcher, "I have a critical patient here." Poppy shouted. "Can we get some help please?"
Ted Tonks the head of St Mungo's emergency department rushed over and took control of the situation. "Who is he and what's happened to him? " He asked in a calming but business like voice.
"It's Harry Potter" said Poppy. She then detailed his injuries.
Ted nodded in acknowledgement, and then placed Harry under a stasis charm, so they could work on him without him bleeding to death.
"Poppy, can you start an intravenous feed of blood replenishing potion and also give him a dose of Skele-gro for the broken bones? I will repair his internal injuries."
"Certainly Healer Tonks" said Poppy, all business-like, now that she was back in her element.
Ted then spent the next hour, muttering spells and incantations over Harry and inscribing Runes on different parts of his body to speed up his recovery.
"That's all we can do for now," sighed Ted, rubbing his eyes. "He just needs time, his body will do the rest. We will give him an intravenous potion to build him up, he won't heal properly otherwise."
Poppy looked at Ted "thank you, you did great work there. All I need now is documentary evidence for the muggle police."
"Let's go to my office Poppy, I'll get you a nice long glass of Gillywater and then I will write up the reports and provide the scans you need" said Ted leading her towards his office.
Since arriving at St Mungo's an hour earlier, Professors Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall, had been quietly waiting outside Healer Ted Tonks' office, for news about Harry's condition.
Ted and Poppy approached Albus and Minerva. "Albus, Minnie, Harry is going to be fine, said Ted. "We have put him in the long term ward as he will be here for between four and six weeks. Just to build up his strength and make sure he fully recovers."
"Can we see him please Ted?" asked Minerva
"Just let him rest for now Minnie. He has been through a lot and will sleep for the next twelve hours at least. Why don't you come back tomorrow about lunch time and see him?" suggested Ted. "He should be more alert and feeling quite a bit better by then."
"Alright Ted we will do that" said Albus and Minerva together.
"Good, good," said Ted. "Poppy and I are just going into my office where I will write up the reports for the Police and she can bring them to you at Hogwarts later."
"That's fine Ted thank you. Minerva and I will see you back at Hogwarts when you finish here Poppy," said a relieved Professor Dumbledore. After saying their farewells Albus and Minerva left to go back to Hogwarts.
oo00oo
Harry woke early the next morning, aching all over and he was wondering where he was. He was squinting as he looked around himself and thought. "I must be in a hospital." Then he started to remember what had happened the day before. "Bloody lousy birthday," he grumbled to himself.
Just then, nurse Amanda Coldfingers, a petite blond, entered the ward, with a tray of medication floating behind her. She picked up Harry's glasses from the bedside cabinet and handed them to him. "There you go that should make it easier to see, I'm nurse Amanda and I will be looking after you today." she said, giving him a bright smile. "I have salve here for you, so just sit still while I apply it to your wounds."
Harry couldn't have moved if he wanted to, he thought he must be dreaming, after all who ever heard of a tray floating in mid air.
Harry would definitely not tell anyone about this or he would get another beating.
Amanda whose fingers, unlike what her name would imply, were actually quite warm and gentle, had just started applying the salve around his eyes, when Healer Ted Tonks walked in to see how his patient was going. "I see I timed my arrival well, I thought you would wake up about now; let's see how you are going." He then proceeded to wave his wand over Harry while muttering some diagnostic spells. "Well I can see your bones are healing nicely, but your spleen and kidneys will take a bit longer. You seem to have an exceptionally large magical core; it's amazing that there was no damage to that, what with the malnutrition and everything else. All in all a little better than expected so that's good. Are you in any pain?"
"I ache all over and feel stiff," replied Harry.
"Well that's to be expected, considering how badly you were beaten. I would rather not give you anything for the pain though, as it would counter some of the other medications we will be giving you. If it gets unbearable let nurse Amanda know, and we will see what we can do."
"That's alright Dr, I can put up with it." Replied Harry, who had suffered more pain than this in the past, and managed to keep quiet and still do all the work his Aunt and Uncle gave him.
"Nurse when you finish with the ointment; give Harry an appetite enhancing potion, a growth draught and a strengthening solution. He is grossly under weight and small for his age," explained the healer. "Give him those ten minutes before each meal," he thought for a bit then said. "You can also give him a dreamless sleep potion tonight."
"Yes Healer Tonks" said Nurse Coldfingers making notes on Harry's chart. she then raced away to get the medications that were required, and when she returned she gave Harry the three potions to drink and told him that he would start to feel hungry in about 10 minutes, she then moved on to attend the patients in the beds next to his.
Harry's eyes followed her as she moved away and he looked at the patient in the next bed who was just staring into space, he had drool on his chin, it was like the lights were on but no one was home. He read the name plate above the bed, Frank Longbottom. "Poor bugger" he thought, "I wonder what's wrong with him." Just then a large tray appeared floating over his bed with plates of bacon, cooked tomatoes, mushrooms, eggs, sausages, baked beans, toast and a large glass of orange juice. Harry had never had so much food all to himself in his life before, and he had never been allowed to eat the bacon he was forced to cook, his Uncle Vernon and his cousin Duddley would eat all of that.
Harry amazed himself by eating every last morsel even licking the plate clean. He leaned back into his pillows with a grin on his face and closed his eyes.
Harry's nap was then interrupted by voices nearby. He opened his eyes to see an ancient looking man, with long white hair, and a white beard that hung down to his waist. He was wearing what he thought looked like a full length dress, and he was carrying what appeared to be small stone bird bath. Next to him stood a rather severe looking woman, her hair was pulled back in a bun and she was wearing similar clothes.
"Hello Harry, I'm Professor Albus Dumbledore Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and this is Professor Minerva McGonagall, she is the Deputy Headmistress; we were friends of your parents. We were wondering if we could talk to you for awhile?"
Harry just nodded his head and looked down.
Albus placed the bowl he was carrying on the bedside cabinet, telling Harry that it was a Pensive which was used to view memories then with a wave of his hand conjured two very comfortable looking arm chairs and they sat down.
Harry's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw this, and looked at professor Dumbledore in utter amazement.
"Don't worry Harry, I'm a wizard, and so are you," explained the professor. "Minerva here is a witch."
"I'm a w...wizard?" Harry gasped, "m...magic is real?"
"Yes Harry, magic is real, and you are a wizard. Haven't you ever noticed how strange things happening around you?" asked Dumbledore.
Harry thought for a bit, "yes" he said, "I have." Harry was remembering how when being chased by his cousin Dudley, he had all of a sudden found himself on the roof of his school, and how his hair had grown back after his Aunt had given him a crew cut, "Well" he thought, "that explains the floating trays."
"Harry, I want to look into your mind and see what has been happening to you since you have been with your Aunt and Uncle, It won't hurt you at all. Is that alright with you?" asked Albus.
Harry didn't say anything; he just nodded his head in agreement.
"Look into my eyes Harry" said Professor Dumbledore who then pointed his wand at him and said, "Legilimens."
Harry felt a slight pressure behind his eyes and a presence in his mind.
Professor Dumbledore got the shock of his considerably long life, when he found another presence in Harry's mind; he immediately pulled back and broke contact. Looking at Minerva he exclaimed "there's someone else in there, I think it's a girl."
"Oh that's my friend Hermione" Harry informed them.
"You know her?" asked Minerva.
"Well we have never actually met but we have talked to each other since...well... always." replied Harry.
Professor Dumbledore leant forward in his chair, and Harry felt the pressure behind his eyes again, as he entered his mind. "Hello Hermione" said the Professor I'm just going to look at some of Harry's memories; I promise I won't hurt him. Can I ask you some questions afterwards please?" he asked.
"Ok professor."
Professor Dumbledore then proceeded to go through Harry's memories. Starting with the most recent and working back. While he was doing this he was using his wand to extract copies of the memories, and placed them in the bowl beside him on the table.
Minerva would then view them, before putting them into a glass bottle.
After Albus finished extracting the memories, he asked Hermione, who had followed him throughout the process, about herself.
"My name is Hermione Jane Granger and I live at number 10 Sibella Rd, Lambeth," she said. "What else would you like to know professor?" she politely asked.
"Well dear could you tell me your date of birth and how you and Harry met please?" asked an equally polite Albus.
"My date of birth is 31st of July 1980, the same as Harry's. Seeing as you could look at Harry's memories, it might be easier if you look at that one as well, unless you want to look at mine. Do you want to do that?" she asked.
"I can't look at your memories Hermione but I will look at Harry's and when we meet can I compare yours with his please?" asked the old professor.
"Yes that will be fine," said Hermione.
"Oh and thank you for being so helpful, and for being such a good friend to Harry," said Professor Dumbledore. "Could I come around and meet your parents and you later today?"
"Yes sir you can come around after 5:30 tonight when they finish work."
After Professor Dumbledore extracted one final memory he withdrew from Harry's mind then leaned back in his chair. "Thank you Harry that will be of great help. Are you alright?" he asked.
"Yes thank you Professor. Um, what is going to happen to me?" Harry asked tears welling up in his eyes.
"I'm not sure exactly Harry but one thing is for certain you will never go back to the Dursley's again. When we know more we will let you know, in the meantime you stay here and get better; OK?"
"Ok, thank you" said a visibly relieved Harry.
While all this was happening, Minerva was removing the last of the silvery threads of memories from the bowl, and putting them in a glass bottle, which she then placed in a pocket of her robe. Albus then stood up, told Harry that they would be back tomorrow, and then he and Minerva left to go back to Hogwarts.
Hermione and Harry talked about the meeting with the two wizards and especially about how professor Dumbledore conjured the chairs.
"Wow Hermione did you see how professor Dumbledore made those chairs appear? He just seemed to concentrate on his magic and on what he wanted and they appeared."
"Yes Harry I saw it, and could feel how he did it," said an excited Hermione.
"I think I will try it on this bed it is so hard my bum is getting sore," said an excited Harry, this would be the first time he had ever tried to deliberately do magic.
Harry then looked deep within himself and concentrated on his magic and on a very comfortable bed and all of a sudden the old hard hospital bed changed into a lovely soft one, and all the pressure that was hurting him ceased.
"You did it" cried Hermione, "that's wonderful."
"Ahh... that's so much better," replied Harry, "it wasn't all that difficult either. I hope you don't mind, but I think I will have a nap now, I am so tired." Harry said with a sigh and drifted off to sleep.