A/N: Ok, this story went in an entirely different direction than I had originally intended. I have a feeling it's going to be more than a ficlet….enjoy!
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Chapter 4---Janie's Power
Harry woke up slowly, not quite sure what the noise was in his room. He grunted something and heard Janie's voice by his bedside.
"Daddy," she whined and Harry sat up, reaching for his glasses and at the same time wrapping and arm around her and pulling her up into bed. She was clammy, warm and shivering all at once.
"Janie, do you feel sick?"
She nodded against his chest and promptly threw up in his lap making Harry jump up, set Janie down and curse softly all at once. She began crying and he tried to talk reassuringly to her as he cleaned up the mess, using magic on his bed, her and himself.
"Daddy," she moaned clutching her stomach, curled up in a little ball and all Harry could do was hold her, trying to remember if he even owned a muggle thermometer. She had never been sick. He and Ginny never had anything more than colds and coughs throughout the winter. He felt uneasy, something wasn't right with his daughter but he didn't have enough knowledge in the medical field to think beyond a stomach virus and fever.
He glanced at the clock simultaneously casting a cooling charm on Janie who was still shaking in his arms.
3:30am. He fought the urge to wake up Hermione. They still had, after all this time, the DA coins she had made eight years ago and they used them only in emergencies. When Ron and Ginny went down in the Alley, Hermione had used her coin to warn George who was the first Weasley member to make it to Harry's side before they had apparated to St. Mungo's.
But was this an emergency? Couldn't Janie have caught something from one of the children at the park the other day and just be sick like a normal child?
"Hurts," Janie whispered clutching Harry's hand.
"What does, Janie?" Harry set his wand down next to him and felt her head. She was still so hot.
"All of me," she let out half a sob and vomited all over him again, refusing a drink of water after he finished cleaning them up. He had enough knowledge to know she could get dehydrated and that combined with the nagging concern that this wasn't any childhood illness led him to dig his coin out of his nightstand drawer and contact Hermione. She had charmed it years ago so it would now make a soft chiming sound in case the person didn't have it in a pocket where they could feel the coin.
Somehow he managed to pull on a pair of pajama pants and t-shirt while holding Janie and made his way downstairs in time to see Hermione walking across his living room clad in sweatpants and a long sleep shirt.
"What's wrong with Janie?" she asked as way of greeting, her voice thick with sleep. Janie turned slightly towards Hermione as he laid her on the couch, her face pale against Harry's black t-shirt. Harry quickly ran down Janie's symptoms and watched as Hermione pulled out a few instruments from her bag. She talked quietly to Janie while managing to check her temperature, get her weight and made a few notes.
"Her fever is 104 so we need to get her to the hospital," Hermione jumped a bit as Janie dry heaved in her direction. She picked Janie up, grabbed Harry's arm and in one swift movement apparated them into the children's ward at St. Mungo's.
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"Well, Mr. Potter, it seems as if she just has a stomach bug."
"She's never been sick. Neither had her mother nor I," Harry responded curtly, not quite liking this older gentleman standing next to his daughter's bedside.
"Well, we see a bit of everything in here. Since she isn't pureblood, she still has a bit of Muggle in her which does make her susceptible to just about any kind of Muggle illness out there."
"So does Ben Weasley and I've never seen him get sick in the 19 months he's been alive," Harry responded cutting his eyes over to Hermione who wisely stayed quiet, her hand stroking Janie's hair from her forehead.
"Everyone is different. I don't need to tell you that though. I'll be back to check on her. For now, we'll hydrate her and let the medicine help calm her stomach. Her fever should begin to recede in an hour or so."
And with that the man whose name Harry couldn't remember left the room, shutting the door behind him.
"He's wrong." Harry paced the small room's perimeter. "I know this isn't some typical childhood illness. I just know it!"
"Well, she's safe here and for now all we can do is treat it as such until we know exactly what else it could be," Hermione said carefully seeing how agitated he was. "Did she seem okay last night?"
"Just cranky. She had a temper tantrum about going to bed and blew a mirror to pieces. I hadn't seen her that angry before."
"Well, she's little and probably doesn't have the full vocabulary to tell you exactly what was bothering her."
"Maybe," Harry agreed resignedly. He sat down taking Janie's hand, feeling how warm she still was.
He and Hermione spent the next hour sitting silently at his daughter's bedside, each hoping some color would return to her cheeks, each starting as she would jerk quickly and cry out. Finally, after the third time of Janie screaming Harry hit the call button above the bed and a different healer appeared.
"She's not getting better and keeps screaming. You need to run more tests."
"We did, Mr. Potter, and they came back normal." The woman obviously knew Hermione because she turned to her while speaking. "We analyzed her blood and there isn't any infection. Her blood pressure is slightly elevated but that is normal as you know if she's stressed."
Hermione just gave a slight nod and quickly glanced at Harry who seemed to be shooting daggers at this healer who
wasn't addressing him--the father of the patient.
"I think he'd like to get another opinion," Hermione told the healer. "Do you happen to know if Charles is working today?"
"He comes in at 5am. But, he's still in research."
"Send him in here, please. Tell him I'm requesting his opinion on this little girl," Hermione held the healers gaze for a moment and Harry could see the doubtful look pass over the other woman's face.
"I'll tell him, then." She made a few adjustments to the liquid slowly dripping onto a patch on Janie's skin, which was meant to hydrate her, then left with a nod to Harry.
"She's intimidated by you."
"Who is Charles?" Harry asked not so politely, ignoring Hermione's comment.
"He's a young doctor, healer, probably a year younger than us that specializes in children's illnesses in the magical world. He's been researching on whether or not there is some genetic disposition that brings out illness in some magical children but not in others."
She paused and glanced down a Janie, a small frown at the corners of her mouth. "I have Muggle parents and
haven't been sick. Janie here has a pure blood as one parent…and…you as the other. I have to believe that this
isn't some normal childhood illness."
"What do you think it is?" Harry asked, finally tearing his eyes off Janie's sleeping form and meeting Hermione's. Hopelessness was welling up inside him and was threatening to spill over. He wasn't sure if he wanted to cry or throw something out the window.
"I don't know. But we'll find out. I promise, Harry." Hermione gently put Janie's hand down and walked around the bed and stood next to Harry's chair. They didn't touch each other although Harry desperately wanted to reach out, wrap his arms around Hermione and be comforted, only for a moment. This was completely unfamiliar territory for him and he felt unanchored, weightless in space without any specific destination set for him.
"Harry," Hermione whispered bringing Harry up out of his thoughts. He looked up at her and was about to reach
for her hand when at that moment Janie jerked on the bed, arched her back and proceeded to scare the hell out of Harry
by having a seizure; something he had never seen before.
As Hermione calmed Harry, saying all he could do was make sure she didn't hit her head on the bed rail, she hit the
call button and yelled that Charles needed to get in here and if he wasn't available she needed his assistant.
"Now!" she barked into the speaker just as the door behind her opened. Janie finally relaxed, her breathing heavy and Harry relaxed his hold on her shoulders looking over his own to see who walked in.
"Jane Lily Potter?" the tall blond man asked striding over to her bedside, immediately broadcasting an air of authority.
"Yes," Harry answered shakily meeting the man's look and feeling some sense of ease fall over him. He trusted this man, Charles, from what Hermione has just said in the way of greeting.
"One minute and I'll try to answer any questions you have. Then it'll be my turn to ask, okay?" Charles asked in an accent Harry didn't recognize but he nodded while stepping back and relinquishing control to this man. Hermione stood next to Charles, intently watching the complicated wand movements, watching him make notes with a quick quill. Charles bent down and opened one of Janie's eyes and peered into them much like Harry's old Muggle doctor did with him. He straightened up and turned back to Harry looking straight at him.
"Is she okay?" Harry asked not hesitating in getting his questions answered.
"Yes and no. She's not going to die, but we need to talk about what I think is wrong."
"What is that?" Harry felt a hand guide him into a chair his eyes never leaving Charles' face.
"Did Hermione explain to you what I do? What I research?"
"A bit. Does she have some serious illness?" Harry asked his legs shaking so badly he had to grip his knees tightly, hardly aware of a hand rubbing circles over his back.
"No. Not an illness, in my opinion." Charles glanced back at Janie then over to Hermione obviously collecting his thoughts.
"What does she have then?" Harry asked his eyes flicking to Hermione. He was under the impression she may know something of what Charles was thinking. Charles ran a hand though his hair, trying to put his thoughts into words.
"I've had an idea for the past few years that I've been researching, trying to prove."
"Remember how I said he was researching genetics in magical children?" Hermione's hand squeezed Harry's shoulder and this time he reached up and took it, grasping for strength wherever he could find it. He had a horrible feeling that something was going to be very wrong with Janie, who finally looked a bit peaceful as she continue to lay two feet away from Harry.
"She's correct, I am doing that. But not for illnesses." Charles lowered his voice a bit, conjured up a chair with a flick of his wand and sat down facing Harry.
"For what then? Is something wrong with her genes? Did I do this to her because Voldemort possessed me?" Harry demanded, noticing that Charles didn't flinch as many people still did when the former Dark Lord's name was mentioned. Harry's worst dreams felt like they were almost coming true.
He had never told anyone, not even Ginny, that he thought whenever he had a child that something would be wrong with it. That somehow Voldemort may have managed to mess up something in him on the cellular and genetic level.
"No. This has nothing to do with Voldemort possessing you," Charles said firmly and Harry felt the darkness begin to recede a bit; the feeling that he was going to pass out not so prevalent anymore. "I'm not going to make an assumption right now, so I need to ask you questions. But I assure you, Jane isn't going to die. She will grow up to be a healthy, happy woman and give you many grandchildren. We just need to sort out a few things. Her mother," Charles looked down at the chart in his hand then back up, "Was Ginevra Weasley? They're a pureblood family."
Harry nodded slowly, wondering what he was going to ask that wasn't on the chart. The first few questions were the
same ones that the healer's asked. Harry got the feeling that Charles was double checking his answers.
No, Janie had never been sick.
No, as far as he knew, she hadn't been around anyone that was sick.
No, she wasn't allergic to anything, though there were many foods she wouldn't eat.
"And her godparents are?" Charles asked, momentarily stunning Harry. They had never officially chose any godparents and he looked at Hermione helplessly for a moment.
"Let me rephrase that. Is she around anyone else outside your immediately family?"
"Just Hermione and Ben. Sometimes Neville Longbottom and his wife. I don't…associate with my side of the family anymore," Harry felt Hermione's hand twitch slightly at the mention of his family. He knew how she felt about them and squeezed her hand softly. He had no problem talking about them and knew exactly where they were, the same house, and that his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon now had a grandson who lived right down the street with Dudley and whoever decided to marry him.
"Do you watch her a lot, Hermione?" Charles looked up at Hermione and Harry immediately jumped up, anger simmering inside him.
"What are you insinuating?" Harry demanded, feeling Hermione tug his arm making him sit back down. Charles
held up his hand and shook his head.
"Nothing. I'm trying to get a rough idea of how many magical people your daughter is close too. That's all. I know Hermione wouldn't hurt a fly."
`How would he know that?' Harry thought irrationally for a moment.
"She and Ben play together quite a bit so I'm around her then. I don't often baby-sit her, per se."
"Has she shown any outward signs of magic? Besides the temper tantrums that children have?"
Harry took a deep breath trying to calm himself and get his thoughts straight in his head.
"Think hard for me, please. It's important. Anything besides the usual breaking of a cup or toy if she's angry."
"Well," Harry rubbed his eyes under his glasses. "She broke a mirror last night because she didn't want to go to bed."
"A handheld one?"
"No. The large kind over our bathroom sink."
"Where was she in relation to the bathroom mirror?"
Harry vividly remembered picking up a kicking Janie and setting her in her bed, then hearing a violent crash from below
them, startling her into silence for the first time that evening.
"It was two floors down, in the opposite corner of the house."
Harry heard the sound of a quill scratching across some paper.
"What about the time we were at the playground a few months ago?" Hermione spoke quietly to Harry.
"What?" he dropped his hand and glanced at her, letting his eyes lock with hers.
"Remember when that big dog came up and she got scared?"
"Oh yeah," Harry's eyes widened at the memory. "Yeah, she doesn't like dogs for some reason and was only a few feet away from me. The dog was friendly and just wanted to be petted but she screamed and was pointing to the dog and for a moment the dog seemed to freeze. Really freeze…almost like the petrificus totalus curse but it was only for a few seconds. He turned and ran the other way."
Harry turned to Charles now who was keeping his face very impassive.
"Anything else?"
"No." Harry glanced at Hermione who echoed him. "So, what does that have to do with anything?"
"Well," Charles sighed and sat back, his hands folded on his clipboard. "She's a very powerful little girl. Genetically look at who her parents are. Think of everything you and Ginny had ever done, take in the pure blood on the Weasley side, the abilities you have. Take a look at the environment she's growing up in too. She's with Hermione quite a bit, who is also a very powerful witch. I know Professor Dumbledore and have talked with his portrait many times. When he found out that I knew Hermione he made sure to mention she was the smartest witch of her age."
"Right," Harry hedged wondering where this was going. He glanced over at Janie who mumbled something in her sleep then settled down again. "What does this have to do with your research?"
"She was born in September, on a Sunday which was the seventh, at 7:07 pm, correct?"
"Yes. Ginny had made a comment about all those sevens…," Harry preempted him.
"Right. That wouldn't go unnoticed. Ginny was the seventh child, also. If you remember any Astrology you know the significance of the number seven. I've found when a child is born with the number seven or any of its multiples, they have... well, they can incur a bit more magic than the average magical baby born on the 5th day of the 3rd month. If I could describe Jane, I would say she's probably very observant, careful in her actions, rarely gets upset but when she does it's explosive." Charles looked at Harry for confirmation.
Harry was dumbfounded. How did he know this about Janie? Hermione hadn't worked with him as far as he knew; she hadn't talked to him about Janie that Harry was aware of. He never even knew this man existed until a half hour ago. So, he just nodded.
"Okay. That sways me more towards what I was originally thinking."
"Just tell me what is wrong with her!" Harry demanded pulling his hand out of Hermione's grasp. He pointed to his daughter on the bed.
"She's sick. She had a seizure. Nothing seems to be working to make her better. Tell me what it is so I can start dealing with it!"
"Mr. Potter, Jane is a very powerful little girl. Given just the genetics that she has from you and Ginny she was already predisposed to being just that. She's demonstrated that by being able to make a rather large mirror explode many feet away from where she was. She managed to conjure up a very minor version of the petrificus totatlus curse when she felt she was in danger. Now, as we have learned in school each person has their own magical signature. If you believe in what the Muggles call bio rhythms, then you can carry that over to the Wizarding World. Being the observant little girl who is constantly studying her surroundings and being around Hermione here, a very powerful witch in her own right, it's my belief that Jane is absorbing some of those rhythms, and the more she takes in the more powerful her own magic becomes. However, since she is so young she doesn't know what this feeling is, or how to release it. Probably because, as you were told to when you first become parents, you are to teach them respect the laws the ministry sets down. But, sometimes they can't help it." Charles paused for a moment and took a sip of water from a cup that magically appeared to his side.
"But…but…what about Ben? Look who his parents are!" Harry sputtered.
"Does he have temper tantrums and break things?"
"Yes," Hermione smiled a bit.
"He's letting out some of that magic. Jane just isn't the kind of little girl to do that. So, what is happening is it's basically finding another outlet to get out of her so she doesn't feel like she's going to explode. It's making her ill, manifesting itself as vomiting, a fever, shakes, seizures."
"What do we do? I can't make her have a temper tantrum," Harry whispered floored by the fact that his daughter's illness was caused by too much magic living inside her.
"Well, in my research I've only come across two other children like this, over in Canada where I lived until last year and they were twins. What worked for them is a two part program. One is not really acceptable by the Ministry, but you must find her a wand and teach her some harmless, easy spells that she can use. Levitate a toy, squirt water out of her wand, accio something simple. Let her do them as she feels the need but guide her in the direction that this is to be used only in the presence of adults and work with her on perfecting just a few spells."
"So, I'm supposed to go against the use of underage magic and teach her some spells. There isn't another way?" Harry lowered his face into his hands not quite believing what he was hearing.
"She'll just keep getting sick. And, as she gets older and bigger it'll happen more because she won't know how to release that magic."
"You said this was a two step process?" Hermione reminded Charles.
"Right. Well, the second step is that this needs to be taught in as relatively non magic environment. Until Jane can get to the point where she can use the spells you teach her in a safe manner, you can't be around anyone magical."
"What? I can't have Hermione or...or…Molly Weasley help me with this?" Harry's head lifted up in shock. He didn't want to leave Hermione or anyone else for that matter.
"I'm afraid not. Especially Hermione here. Jane would just absorb too much of her magical rhythms and you'd be back to square one. I suggest that once Jane is better, you take a long vacation, just you and her."
Harry turned and stared at Hermione who looked just as surprised as he felt.
"He has to do this himself? And, how long will this take?" she asked reaching for his hand again.
"Depends on the child. A month? One of the twins in Canada took a year."
"So, Harry needs to take Jane somewhere into the Muggle world, teach her to use a few spells that will help her release that magic building up inside of her and it could take a year? I…we…won't be able to see him or Jane for upwards of a year?" Hermione questioned carefully. Harry could hear the note of unhappiness in her voice. It couldn't compare to what he was feeling at the moment.
"It may not take that long. But, yes. You and Harry can't be together. Not even without children because Harry could take some of your magical signature back with him and Jane will pick up on that. She needs to learn the spells. Once Harry feels she is safe with them, then he can introduce her back into the magical world. Slowly though, so she can get used to the feeling of having magic build up inside her again. When you return, Mr. Potter, I'd introduce her to someone who isn't as powerful as Hermione first. See how Jane reacts, then go from there."
Harry shook his head, not liking this plan but not knowing what else he could do. It made an odd sort of sense to him but he didn't want to leave Hermione. Not after what could be starting between them.
"And, I'd start as soon as possible," Charles prompted gently. He stood up and said he had another patient to check on and that he'd be back within the hour. Harry numbly thanked him, shook his hand and sat on Jane's bed, noticing she had a bit more color in her cheeks.
Hermione was quiet. Too quiet and he turned around to find her looking out the window.
"I think I'll go ahead and make my way back to Molly and Arthur's. Ben will be getting up soon. It's almost six."
"Hermione," Harry reached her side quickly. "I don't…."
"There isn't any other way, Harry," she interrupted. "Not that I can think of anyway. Janie is your first priority. You need to get her well again." She hugged her arms to herself and watched the cars slip silently by under the window.
She was right. His daughter was his first priority, but so was Hermione and the conflict that arose in his chest caught him off guard.
"I don't want to leave you," Harry voiced quietly, turning her towards him.
"Me either," Hermione whispered finally wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She held him tightly. "But, we have to do this. I'll explain to everyone. Just write me and let me know where you'll be. We'll have the post. We can write."
"Yeah, write." Harry echoed, not hiding the sadness that tinged his words. "I guess I can't accept that position in the Auror Department now. Please tell me you'll look into a job there. You could run it better than the majority of wizards and witches out there."
"I'll keep my eye out. We'll take things day by day, Harry." Hermione lifted her head off his shoulder and looked at him, their noses almost touching. "We can do this. We've suffered through harder experiences."
No response came to Harry so he did what his gut told him to do. He kissed her, long and hard and this time he made sure he remembered exactly how she felt under his hands, in his arms and against his mouth.
Because it could be a year before he saw her again.
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