The Boy Who Wanted to Live

Burning Secrets

When Dumbledore heard about Harry being in the hospital wing he threw on his cloak and went from his office at once. He walked into the hospital wing calmly, although inside he was panicked. He strode in the room, head held high. Madame Pomfrey looked up towards the opened door and straightened herself, next to Harry's bed. 

"Madame Pomfrey," Dumbledore said politely.

"Headmaster," she returned, turning to look at her patient, wearing a worrying frown.

Dumbledore looked at the tense nurse and his worry became more severe by tenfold. She had one hand wrapped around her midsection and her eyebrows were drawn together in fear and concentration. He had never seen her looking so distraught before and it scared him. Pomfrey was the strongest woman he knew of! She didn't get worried by sickness, she conquered it. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder and her hand covered his. 

"What's wrong, child?" He asked, fully knowing that Madame Pomfrey was no longer a child.

In his memory he saw her as a small girl, always carrying around plasters (band-aids) and gently helping other kids cover their skinned shins. Though she was no longer a child, and her own children were no longer children he would always see her as his student. 

"I-" She let out a choked gasp, before straightening her back and taking a shaky breath "I can't diagnose him." 

"Madame Pomfrey you are the best doctor there is-"

"I know. I know," she hesitated, looking at the sleeping boy in front of her "But I can't. He won't let me."

"What do you mean?" Dumbledore asked.

"Watch." 

She took a step closer to the weak child and immediately felt the room chill. Dumbledore looked around, concern in his eyes as he could not find a reason as to the sudden change in temperature. Her breath turned to frost in the air as she neared him. Her shaky hand reached out to gently touch his hand, but the moment her skin made contact his hand turned a bright gold and she pulled back in pain. Madame Pomfrey took a deep breath and bit her lip as she pushed back his hair, ignoring the stinging sensation it left in her entire arm. The air around his skinny body began to shift, to fracture like glass and it covered him like a bubble. She pulled herself back just as it sliced through where her arm had been. Dumbledore watched amazed as Harry's magic prevented her from coming nearer. She pulled out her wand in a shaky motion, it shaking in her grip as she pointed it at the boy. The room turned freezing and she hesitated a moment before pointing it at his sleeping head. 

"revelare injuriam," she said in a tiny whisper. 

The cracked air around Harry became a fire that roared like crazy, burning at a thousand degrees and threatened to kill anyone who came close. Under the fire Dumbledore could see Harry still sleeping peacefully, his attention was dragged away by the nurse falling to her knees and crying loudly. 

"I can't! I can't!" she screamed in despair, throwing her wand away. 

Dumbledore pulled his old student to his side and hugged her tightly as she clung to him in despair. 

"Shhhh..... It's alright," he crooned, watching as the fire disappeared leaving Harry, pale and thin with dark bags under his eyes, sleeping peacefully. 

"I can't help him, Professor! I don't even know what's wrong with him. Do you think it's a spell?" She asked, looking up at him through tears. 

"I'm not sure," He said, looking at the sleeping child. 

"He won't let me near him," she said, wiping at the tears on her cheeks "It's like he's hiding something, but I don't know what"

"Hush now, it'll be okay. We will figure out a way to help Harry Potter. I give you my word" Even as Dumbledore said this he knew he had no way to make this true.