Raised by Canines {A Harry Potter fanfiction}

2. The Infirmary

Of course, all of these characters belong to Miss Rowling!

This chapter is dedicated to the lovely maraudersforlife for being the first person to comment and vote for my story! Thank you all for all of the reads! Now, on with the story!

Harry let his eyes flutter open. He was warm and he felt like he had been completely healed; this must have meant he was no longer in his cupboard. He looked around at the room he found himself in in awe; it was huge, and there had to have been twenty other beds around him. Each had quite a bit of space between them so that privacy curtains could be drawn between.

The young boy sat up a bit, a strange feeling taking hold of his stomach. What if this was an orphanage? His aunt and especially his uncle had made it very clear to him that that's where he belonged, and Dudley used to taunt him about how awful it was in there, how everyone would hate him and gang up on him and beat him up worse than Dudley and his friends ever could. He'd never wanted to go near one, no, but after the last beating he received from Uncle Vernon, he wondered if this would be better.

The door to the room opened, interrupting his thoughts. A nice looking lady walked over to his bed and smiled at him kindly before taking a seat next to him. "Hello, Harry. How are we feeling this morning?"

"Good."

"Good!" She wrote something down on the parchment she had with her and pulled out a stick, then ran it over his body. She looked at the parchment. "It looks like you're all healed!" She smiled at him and then set the parchment down before coming closer to him.

The healer didn't miss the way he flinched.

She kept a smile plastered to her face as she regarded her young charge. "May I have a look at your back?"

He nodded and hesitantly sat up a little bit, then leaned forward slightly, feeling more than hearing something crinkle. He was now aware of something covering his private parts and bottom...when had that happened? The lady bunched up the end of the gown he had on and pulled it up-as she had expected, there were still some gruesome looking scars, but they were nothing a bit of her lotions couldn't heal. She scrawled that down after putting his gown back in place and gently pushing him to lay back.

"Now, your new guardians just went to have some breakfast, but they should be back any minute." Poppy smirked. "I almost had to twist their arms to get them to leave your side."

So this wasn't an orphanage. It had to have been some type of hospital...wait, new guardians? At the mention of this, his worry about whatever was covering him vanished.

"New guardians?" Little Harry asked, looking at her in confusion. "But...but what 'bout Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia?"

The woman looked at him in shock. "After what happened two nights ago? Do...do you not remember?"

He quickly looked down at his covers, not able to look at her face and lie. He didn't want to be rude and he didn't want to lie, but he wasn't ready to think about what happened that night again. "N-no, I don't 'member."

There was silence for a good several minutes. Something told him that she knew he was lying.

She cleared her throat. "Well, you are no longer in the Dursley's care. I don't think you'll ever be seeing them again." He heard her footsteps as she walked away, presumably to find his new guardians. Well, Harry wanted nothing to do with new guardians. What if they were like the Dursleys? He had to get out of here. With that thought, he jumped down from the bed he was on and began to run. He threw the doors open and ran down what he hoped was the opposite way of the direction the lady had gone...

And, within a few moments, ran into another adult. He was tall, with long, white, hair and a beard to match. He was wearing purple robes, and reminded Harry of the wizards that he had seen in books that he had been able to look at in the library at school. Harry decided that, if he weren't trying to get away, the guy would have been cool and he would have liked to talk to him.

"H-hello. 'M sorry." He started to turn and run in the other direction, but the man was quick, he grabbed Harry by his gown and gently pulled him back to stand in front of him.

"Might I ask where you were going?" He smiled at Harry kindly.

"I..." He didn't have a good answer. "I was-"

He was cut off by the lady from earlier. "Headmaster!"

"Ah, Madame Pomfrey. I was just coming to check on our newest patient."

She shook her head and walked over to the two, taking Harry's hand and leading him back to the bed he had been laying on before. Only now, two men that looked vaguely familiar were sitting on either side, both of them smiling kindly at him. Madame Pomfrey helped him back onto the bed and he tried to ignore the two men that were watching him. Harry fiddled with his blanket.

"Now Harry," She began. "These are your new guardians. I don't know why you left earlier, but if you need anything, let them know." She looked over at the sandy haired man and cleared her throat. "Remus, may I speak to you for a few moments?" He nodded, gave a last little smile to Harry and the other man before leaving with the woman Harry figured was the doctor at this strange hospital.

The man that was left began to speak. "Harry, my name is Sirius Black, and that was my friend, Remus Lupin." Harry looked up at the dark haired man, and he continued. "I'm your godfather. Your father, Remus, and I were very close growing up and even more so after you were born."

"M-my Godfather? You knew my mummy and daddy?" He stared at Sirius in awe; finally, he might learn something about them!

"I did." Sirius said, smiling at Harry. "And I am very sorry I couldn't get you before now. There were a few, ah, problems with the adoption process."

"S-so I get to go home with you?"

"Once Poppy says that you're well enough to leave, of course you will."

"A-and you 'dopted me?"

"Remus and I did." He grinned at his charge. "Remus and I live together and we figured that your father would want us both raising you, not just me."

"What a very good thought that was!" Poppy and Remus were back. "You got into so much trouble here I was a little worried that having Harry would end up being a nightmare! But, if Remus is helping...well, maybe he won't be as much trouble as you were." She sent them both a good natured grin.

Harry was so confused, but he decided to just be quiet and ask questions later.

"I take offense to that!" Sirius said in mock hurt. "We were not trouble! We just made things more interesting!"

"Oh, right. At least I was never bored!" She walked off, muttering under her breath about how many times she'd seen him in the infirmary. Sirius just grinned and looked to his godson, who just looked utterly confused.

"So, Harry," Sirius began, "Do you believe in magic?"