Harry Potter and the Wandless Magic

Chapter Five: A New Family

A woman with warm eyes and an easy smile greeted Harry as she stepped into his hospital room. The door closed and Harry felt a touch of nervousness. Surely, she wouldn't call him a freak or laugh at his scars.

"Harry Potter," the woman said matter-of-factly. "You resided at Number 4 Privet Drive in Little Winging. Is that correct?"

Harry nodded, glad she wasn't star-struck by being in the same room as him. It would have made this whole ordeal even more uncomfortable.

"I'm Cecilia Bradshaw, your case worker for your general health and guardianship. I'll be examining you to make sure that you have been treated well. Before I begin, is there any way that someone might have mistreated you."

He hesitated. "Is there any chance that I will have to go back to my aunt and uncle?"

Cecilia tapped the file beside her. "These are your medical files as well as a sworn statement from four Aurors. The Muggles that beat you will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. You will only have to see them again at a trial if they plead not guilty. Most certainly, you would never live there again."

"Good." Harry clenched his fists and relaxed them again. "I've been punched, kicked, knocked over the head with multiple objects, stabbed once by my cousin, been kicked down the stairs, gone without food for as much as a week and I can't remember a single time that a kind word ever came out of my relatives' mouths about me. They just refer to me as 'Boy', 'You' or "Freak' when they need something."

Cecilia's lips pressed together in a way that reminded Harry very much of Professor McGonagall. He wondered if they were related but thought better of asking.

"Harry," she said softly. "I'm going to need you to take off your shirt and pants so that I can examine the damage."

Slowly, he disrobed and stood with his hands at his sides. He heard her gasp at seeing his scars but said nothing. His face burning with shame, he remained still until she had finished all of her visual examinations.

"This might tingle a bit, Harry, but don't worry. It won't hurt."

"Ok."

She waved her wand around his head, his chest and along each side of him. When she was done, she pointed her wand at a large bowl that she had brought with her. It had been empty before but now held a red swirl of magic.

"You can put your clothes back on, Harry," she informed him.

"I've never see one of those before."

Cecilia gave him a small smile. "I imagine living with those terrible Muggles that you haven't seen a lot of things in the Wizarding World. This is a medisieve. It allows me to see the results of the spells I cast on you so that I can know your exact medical condition."

"I wonder why Madam Pomfrey doesn't have one."

"They are quite expensive. I'm fortunate that I work here at St. Mungo's."

Harry stayed silent for nearly five minutes as the mediwitch stared into the red pool. He was just about to cough or ask her how much longer he had to be here when she straightened up. Turning to Harry, she enveloped him in a warm hug. It wasn't Hermione's patented bone-crushing hugs, but it still felt nice.

"I'm so sorry that you had to go through all that you have, Harry."

"It's no big deal," he said, feeling embarrassed.

"No," she said firmly. "It is. If you had killed them, I wouldn't have blamed you."

Harry's eyes bulged. "That's not . . . you can't just say that."