It Only Takes a Second

- LXI -

"Mister Potter, when we said we'd like to stay in touch, I have to admit this is really not what I meant," Madame Pomfrey spoke, bustling into the medbay.

Harry looked to the medi-witch with surprise, then to his father who was standing in the doorway. Tony shrugged without removing his hands from his pockets.

"Our doctor is still down, and we needed someone who knew what they were dealing with," he replied to Harry's silent question.

"Your doctor can hear you, and insists that he is completely fine," Bruce declared from bed beside Harry.

"Hush," Madame Pomfrey eased him back with a gentle, but surprisingly forceful, touch. "You will be resting for the next few hours until we make sure that you are, as you put it, 'completely fine.'"

Harry couldn't help but let out a small giggle at the look on the doctor's face. He had been in Bruce's place many times before where he insisted that he was okay, but Pomfrey had kept him in the hospital wing anyway.

"Listen to the one with the actual medical training, Brucie," Tony teased.

"Okay first of all, that was uncalled for," Bruce began, holding up his hand. "And second of all, I think I've had just as much medical training patching up your sorry ass over the years."

Madame Pomfrey made a small noise, and the scientist turned to her with an apologetic look. Apparently she and Steve would get along just fine.

"Are you experiencing any lingering pain or discomfort?" Pomfrey asked to her favorite patient as she carefully lined up several bottles of various potions. Harry's eyes widened greedily at the instant relief- he never though he would miss the foul tasting liquids so much. But their ability to work instantaneously seemed to overshadow the poor taste. During his time in the muggle world, he had found that their medicine took too long to kick in and didn't have quite the same effectiveness.

"A bit. I can definitely tell that the tremors are going to be even stronger now, and I'm sore all over," Harry replied. Madame Pomfrey frowned at him. She desperately wanted to help Harry, but since the tremors were created as a result of dark magic, there wasn't much she could do.

Silently, she handed him a pain potion and watched as he eagerly downed it. From the doorway where Tony still stood, she saw him begin to say something, but he hesitantly stopped himself. It seemed as though he had gained enough of her trust to allow her to administer potions.

With a sigh, Harry relaxed into the bed as the pain potion began to work. The fire-y feelings in his body diminished, and his muscles relaxed from the clenched position they had been in.

"I'm prescribing you a few days of rest. You may perform some light activities, like walking about your home, but I don't want you doing anything strenuous for a minimum of two days," Madame Pomfrey announced. She turned and faced Bruce, eyeing him seriously.

"That goes for the both of you."

"But Madame Pomfrey-" Harry began, thinking of the bakery's opening. There were still things that needed to be moved, and a lot of baking to be done.

"Ah-ah," she held up a hand. "Two days. And if you're still feeling the side effects after that, then you need to continue to take it easy."

"Harry, we'll all help you with the bakery. Hell, we can move back the grand opening for all I care. Health trumps work, any day."

"If I promised to sit on a stool, can I do some baking?" Harry asked the medi-witch hopefully. He knew he was lying, and probably wouldn't do much sitting, but if it made her say yes, then he would try.