Into Darkness - Moment by Moment Book #1 (Harry Potter, Drarry)

Breaking Point

Harry wasn't hungry, but he'd heard the order to eat come through the door from Brutus, and even though he'd regained some sense of dignity since the mock rape, the prisoner was still wary of disobeying his gaolers' orders. Brutus was still taunting him with it, but Villainous had let the message sink home without further enforcement. The assault had worked: Harry got off his bunk, despite a giddiness from the last lot of magic the Healer had used on his ankle, and went to pick up the tray. He paused long enough to register, without any surprise, that it was porridge and bread and dripping again: the only variety in his daily diet was the consistency of the porridge, and today, it looked like it was one solid lump. Then Harry turned back to the bed.

It was only two steps from door to cot, but one step was all it took for the cold little world to flip out into one of pain. Harry put his mended foot on the ground and agony lanced from his ankle, up his leg and through the rest of his body. He saw silver as the unexpected hurt reached his brain. All strength left him and then Harry was falling, but blackness had descended before he hit the ground.

~*~

When Harry woke, it was to the sound of someone swearing loudly and repeatedly. His ankle was throbbing like it had been freshly broken for the umpteenth time, and his head was woolly, but, tentatively, he opened his eyes to ascertain the owner of the colourful expletives. It was the healer who had mended his ankle, kneeling next to his bed, on which someone had placed him, and if his words hadn't been enough, the thunderous look on the man's face told Harry all he needed to know: the prisoner lay very still and tried to make the least impact on the situation as he could.

"I knew this was going to happen sooner or later!" the healer complained and glared up at Brutus like it was his fault.

"What?" the lout asked, and Harry thought he actually detected anxiety in him.

"He's rejected the healing," the medical man threw some blame Harry's way as well, and revealed at the same time that he had noticed he'd come round.

Brutus took a rapid step towards the cot, and Harry assumed he was going to get a slap, so he tensed: however, moving was not a good idea, as the world spun and pain lanced up and down his body once more, much more than it had done with the initial damage. Harry swooned, and when he came out of it a moment or so later, the healer was taking his pulse and Brutus was just hovering restlessly.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit," the man swore unimaginatively this time and let go of Harry's wrist.

"Fix him," Brutus urged, and for once, Harry agreed with him: he wanted to be fixed, and soon.

"It is not that easy," the healer sighed, sinking on to his heels. "Do you know how many times that ankle has been fixed? Six times. It's no wonder his body is rejecting the magic, there is only so much magic can do to fool nature. Oh Merlin, I'll just have to do it the old-fashioned way."

"Huh?" Brutus asked the same question Harry was thinking.

"The current healing spells are the result of many hundreds of years of research and fine-tuning," the man explained slowly, like he was dealing with a child. "It contains both the pain-barrier spells to stop the patient feeling the mending, and the very efficient mending itself. There are older, slower procedures, and I can separate out the barrier spell into a potion, both of which should help his body accept the healing."

"Then do it," Brutus finished airing Harry's views.

Harry had never been party to the theories behind medicinal spells, but he was given a very practical demonstration of the separate components of the healer's art when the man fed him a foul-tasting potion which made the world go purple and very hazy before a long, uncomfortable procedure where his leg felt like it was being squashed in a vice, albeit a pain-free vice. However, when the procedure was over, Brutus was informed that the magic had taken this time, and Harry drifted into mauve, exhausted slumber.