Walking Out
Chapter 32
Walking Out
Harry arrived at Hogwarts the next evening for his treatment. Hermione wanted desperately to come along, but she had to work. He was hit with a sense of everything looking the same, yet distinctly different. It was the same feeling he always felt when he came here. This school held treasured memories for him.
"Mr. Potter, I've been expecting you," stated the firm voice of his former Head of House.
"Professor McGonagall," he replied, "It's really good to see you."
"You are looking well, Potter. The Ministry work must agree with you."
"I am enjoying it. The department is coming together nicely. I brought a couple of friends with me who wanted to see their former co-workers. I do hope that's alright."
"Of course, Potter. Winky and Dobby are always welcome. You'll be joining us for dinner in the Great Hall, I presume?"
"I hadn't planned on it. I reckon I could," Harry answered.
"Thank you, Potter. I'm sure the students would appreciate such a celebrity in our midst."
"Watch it, Professor…" he teased his former teacher. "You'll make me blush"
"Come along, Potter," she said stiffly, but with an amused smile. "You mustn't keep your adoring fans waiting."
Harry followed her into the Great Hall. It was just as he remembered, however he had a perspective that was foreign to him. 'Sitting' at the staff table with the Headmistress and other teachers was something new. He couldn't sit with his brackles on, so he stood, inconspicuously, he hoped, to the side. He'd also, had a bit of trouble with the steps to the dais. McGonagall had discreetly assisted him. Hopefully after tonight, he'd be walking on his own and wouldn't require such aid again.
The Headmistress stood to make announcements. "Settle down. Settle down." She addressed the student body with the ringing of a spoon against her goblet. "First, let me remind you that tomorrow is a Hogsmeade weekend. Please conduct yourselves in a manner which reflects highly upon our school. Next, Mr. Filch has informed me that there has been an increase of incidents of magic in the hallways between classes. You all know the rules. Detention will be given to those who don't follow them. Speaking of following the rules, we have a Special Guest with us this evening. I'm sure you'll all recognize him. Let's give a warm welcome for Mr. Harry Potter…."
Harry came from behind the drapery, gave a brief nod of gratitude and returned to his hidden place. He'd conjured himself a high table in a spot where he could join the conversation, be virtually hidden from the student's and remain standing out of the way. He heard the buzz of whispers at the news of his presence. He'd recognized a few faces; however they were so young when he'd still been a student, he didn't know anyone.
Harry took a sip of his goblet and nearly choked to discover that he'd been served firewhiskey! He was glad he took only a small sip.
Headmistress McGonagall leaned toward him and whispered, "Don't give away our secrets, Potter. I'm sure you'll find as we do that the students are much more tolerable after having a bit of a nip with dinner. The goblets refill upon request, however you don't need to speak it out loud. Just hold up the glass and it will refill. I presumed that firewhiskey would be adequate?"
Harry nodded. "Absolutely perfect…" he answered thinking of the therapy he'd be undergoing. The Headmistress smiled at him and returned to her goulash.
Harry thought about the absurdity of the situation. He was at Hogwarts, in the Great Hall, at the Head Table, getting pissed in front of the students. After dinner the students started to file out. A number of them came up to meet Harry personally and ask questions. He'd need to get to the hospital wing soon, but he didn't want to be rude and he truly didn't want to give up his lovely self-refilling goblet.
He answered questions for a bit before the Headmistress sent the students back to their respective houses. Harry reluctantly put down his goblet and made to leave.
"Take it with you, Potter. I hear you are in for a rough night…" whispered McGonagall.
Harry smiled his thanks and took the goblet to the hospital wing. After helping Harry into the bed, Madam Pomfrey removed all of his leg bones this time and handed him a cup that seemed to contain the entire bottle of Skel-gro. Harry grimaced.
"I normally don't allow my patients any beverage but water, in your case I'll permit it. Please try to restrain yourself, Potter."
Harry gave her a sly grin. "I'll be good, I promise." He gulped down the potion as quickly as he could and tried desperately not to gag. As soon as he'd done so, she closed the curtain around him and walked quickly away.
Harry took his tiny briefcase out of the pocket of his robe and restored it to its regular size. He took a sip from the goblet and began to rifle through the C.V.'s he'd recently received. He wanted a Mad-Eye Moody type for his bodyguard, suspicious to the point of paranoia. Moody was one of a kind, though. His death hit Harry very hard. Harry drained the last of his firewhiskey and held his glass aloft for more.
"Wotcher, Harry?" said Tonks as she entered the curtain surrounding him.
"Tonks! What're you doing here?" he asked in surprise.
"I came to keep the Boss company! Actually Remus is indisposed tonight and the Missus wanted someone to stay with you, so here I am. Wait a second, you are certifiably pissed! Whatcha' drinkin' in that glass?"
"Courtesy of Headmistress McGonagall, I am indulging in a self-refilling goblet of Ogden's. Care to share? Hey, that rhymed!" Harry gave an uncharacteristic giggle.
"I dunno, Harry. Might get into trouble. My boss is a rather stodgy bloke."
"Ah, live a little. I won't tell anyone," Harry said. He was beginning to slur his words a bit, which Tonks found hilarious. "We have to be quiet though. Madam Pomfrey will chuck us out. I promised to be on my best behavior."
Harry awoke not knowing where he was or how had gotten there. He searched his aching head for answers. He noticed he wasn't alone in bed.
"Hermione?" he croaked.
"Correct gender, wrong name…" was the response.
"Tonks?" he tried again. "What exactly happened last night?"
"You don't remember, lover?" she purred, her eyes twinkling.
"What?" Harry jumped and stared at her.
"Relax! I was just having you on. We got drunk, although I must admit you did have a head start on me. We went over the C.V.'s you brought, laughed at the rubbish ones and went to sleep. Full stop," she explained, "however I can no longer lay claim to having never slept with my boss before. Will that get me a raise?" She batted her eyes at him playfully.
"Just shut it," Harry grumbled. Even though nothing had happened, he wasn't quite sure what to tell his fiancée. They had broken up for two weeks when he'd seen her hugging another man. It was infinitely more complicated than that, but he still didn't relish telling her.
"Don't worry, boss, I won't tell anyone. There's nothing to tell," she reassured him.
"I need to get to St Mungo's to see if this worked. Want to come?" he asked.
Tonks laughed at his suggestion and replied, "As exciting as that truly sounds, I believe I'll pass. Besides, I want to talk to this lot we picked to see if I can find you a bodyguard."
"Thanks, Tonks," replied Harry. "Last night would have been much worse had you not been here. I mean it."
"I promised Hermione I'd look after you. That's what friends are for," she said genuinely.
The witch sporting spiked green hair helped him into his brace and asked, "Did you really apparate into the school after…you know?" She didn't want to say 'when you escaped from the Death Eaters'.
"Yeah, I did," he replied evenly.
"D'you think you could apparate us out? That would be wicked," she suggested.
"I can try…" he agreed, left Madam Pomfrey a note thanking her and grabbed Tonks' arm.
They arrived at the Ministry instantly. "That was brill, Harry!" she gushed. "I've never been apparated before, much less out of Hogwarts. We've got to do that again sometime. Did you feel the tickle as we crossed the wards?"
"Yeah, I'll tell you, it isn't much of a tickle when you are barely hanging on. I'd better get to my appointment before Hermione sends a rescue. See you, then," Harry said before disapparating again.
Hermione was waiting for him, having gotten off duty only minutes before. "Oh, Harry…" she said as she rushed over to him. "You look awful. Did you get much sleep?"
"We can talk about that later," he replied not wanting to stray into that topic yet.
Hermione led him to the examination room. "Healer Strankford will be in soon," she said. Harry noticed the small pool in this room.
"What's that for?" he asked indicating the pool.
"I requested it," she replied. "The Healer was impressed with your idea about walking in water, so we'll test your legs there before we set you about on your own. We'll raise the heat in this room, and then place you in the water. As we drain the water out, your legs will take on more of your weight. If there is any pain or weakness, we'll know immediately and return the water to avoid causing more damage."
"To avoid the adventures of last time," Harry finished. "That sounds like it could work."
"It's all your idea. If this helps you, then think of the other wizards it could help." she congratulated him.
"I'm going in with him," Hermione demanded as Healer Strankford came in.
Healer Strankford laughed. "Healer Granger, why did I know that already?"
Harry was levitated into the pool of warm water. "This is nice," he said as he was lowered.
"Harry, when Hermione gets in, I want you to lay back and float on the water, if you can…" instructed the Healer.
Hermione removed her robes to reveal a very conservative swimming costume and entered the pool herself.
Harry lay back and allowed his feet to float to the top. Hermione removed his brackles, and then ran her wand over the length of his legs. Her eyes grew wide. "Did you take your Bone Strengthening Potion this morning?" she asked.
"What is it, Healer?" asked Healer Strankford.
"His readings are amazing. He has gone up a whole 20 points. I'm getting 74.6%! That's wonderful, Harry!"
Harry didn't understand the points and percentages they were talking about, but he knew higher numbers were good, so he smiled.
"Hermione, hang onto him while I release the water," instructed the Healer.
Hermione put her arms around him to firmly support him as he stood. The shoulder depth water started receding slowly. Both Healer Strankford and Hermione were watching intently for any sign of pain or weakness.
"How does it feel?" the Healer asked as the waterline lowered.
"It's fine," Harry said.
"I need more than that, Harry…" accused Hermione. "'It's fine' is too vague. Do your legs hurt?"
"Not in the painful sense…" replied Harry.
"What in the bloody hell does that mean?" asked the Healer with a chuckle.
"Well, it hurts, yes, but is it painful, no. It's more of a…not weakness, really, just…under-use? It's like when you get up from sleeping and your brain is fuzzy and muddled. That's in a sense what it feels like."
"Very eloquently stated, love," said Hermione rolling her eyes.
As more of the water drained down to hip level, Harry gasped. "Are you alright?" Hermione asked quickly.
"Cramp…" stated Harry, in a moan reaching down to massage his thigh muscle. Hermione attempted to assist, but Harry swatted her hands away. Her hands on his thigh would cause other symptoms that he tried to avoid in public.
The cramp relaxed and the waterline edged down once more.
"Everything okay?" asked Healer Strankford.
Harry nodded. He was finding it difficult to remain upright. He clung to Hermione.
"What are you feeling?" Hermione asked.
"Unstable, off balance…" replied Harry.
"That's to be expected. Your legs are out of practice. You've not used them in a year." Healer Strankford said in a business-like tone.
Harry nodded. He was relieved to hear something was going normally. Finally the water was below his knees. Harry let out the breath he was unaware he'd been holding. He gradually let go of Hermione.
At last he was doing it! He was standing on his own. He looked over at Hermione, who had tears in her eyes, then up at Healer Strankford. The Healer was beaming at him.
"You did it!" the Healer shouted. "I'll let you get dressed, then meet me in my office for instruction. I'm assuming you'll want to walk there?" Harry nodded. "Healer Granger, please escort him in case of any instability. I don't want to negate his hard work by allowing him to fall his first hour on his feet."
Hermione came and stood before him, her eyes shining. "You did it," she whispered.
"You did it," he said back, "I'd still be flat of my back if it weren't for you. We can plan our wedding in earnest now. I want to be standing at the end of the aisle, waiting for you. I want to dance with you to celebrate. I want so many things that were out of my reach. I don't know how to thank you.
"Just love me," she answered.
Healer Strankford gave Harry instructions on how to slowly build his strength back. He gave him exercises and warnings about dueling and other things to be cautious of. Finally they were able to leave. Hermione in her optimism had brought Harry jeans and a jumper to change into. She knew he was tired of nightshirts under his robes. They changed quickly and left.
They apparated to Diagon Alley, where Harry took her to lunch. He thought hard about how he would explain to her about last night.
"Hermione..." he began hesitantly. "There's something I need to talk to you about. And while I don't really want to spoil this wonderful day, I feel I have to be completely honest. You sent Tonks to stay with me last night, right?"
Hermione nodded, pretty much knowing what he was going to say, yet wanting to hear him say it. She found it humorous how much it seemed to bother him. He was possibly too noble for his own good.
"Hermione, I…er…first let me say how very much I love and I'd never do anything to hurt you."
Hermione couldn't stand it any more and saved him from the suffering he was experiencing. "You want to completely honest with me, though. Last night, when Tonks came to stay with you at the hospital wing at Hogwarts, the two of you got pissed and passed out in the same bed. You awoke fully dressed and she teased you about her sleeping with the boss and you felt terribly guilty as if you had betrayed me. Did that about cover it?"
Harry stared at her in amazement. "How did you know all of that?" he asked.
"First of all, I sent an owl to Headmistress McGonagall letting her know that you'd be arriving and why. I let it slip how much you've been suffering through all of these treatments and how if you weren't coming to Hogwarts, you'd use alcohol to ease the pain. Being the noble sort you are; you wanted to be a positive role model and you didn't want to negatively influence the students by using alcohol as a crutch. She has a soft spot where you are concerned and would sort it out so that you would be as comfortable as possible. Secondly, I knew you had taken your briefcase and planned to get some work done, since you'd be laid up. I noticed the other night that you and Tonks work well together and she is not exactly known to turn down a drink. I assumed the both of you would finish whatever work you'd brought, drink yourselves into oblivion and after much laughter, you would drop wherever you fell. She wouldn't want to alert Madam Pomfrey to her condition, so she'd lie next to you. I trust you, Harry. Even after what I did to you, I know that you couldn't betray me. Even too drunk to know your own name, you'd keep your integrity. I wonder if Veritas Serum would even work to get you to spill your secrets."
"It works on me," Harry said coldly.
"How do you know? When…" asked an horrified Hermione.
"I don't like to talk about it," Harry stated evenly.
Hermione dropped the subject immediately. "So now that you are up and about, what did you want to do today?" she asked cheerily.
"You worked all night and then stayed with me for my appointment, so sleeping is on the agenda for sure. After that…go flying out back, explore my house, go up and down my steps repeatedly, show Remus that I'm better, put my office back in order so I can sit at my desk, and then maybe pop over to the Burrow to visit Mr. and Mrs. Weasley…"
"You expect to do all of that today?" she laughed. "What if after I sleep I decide not to let you out of bed? You shouldn't do too much today. After all, your legs are still very weak from disuse."
"Hermione…I can walk now, shakily at best, but I have achieved what every toddler strives for. I'm sure if you have anything else in mind for the afternoon, we can find other places…"
"Not on the balcony in broad daylight…" she cautioned.
"How about a picnic lunch, while we investigate the field? I'm sure we can stumble on a secluded spot to make use of…" he growled. "I haven't practiced my diversion charms in ages. Then later I promise to talk to Arthur about the wedding."
"Are you blackmailing me?" she asked in a false offended tone.
"That would depend," he answered. "Is it working? If so, then by all means I am. If it isn't working and I am blowing my chances, then it was only a suggestion, love, which you have every right to turn down."