The Darkness Within

Chapter Thirteen - Long Lost Son

Chapter Thirteen

Healer Bennett pulled out a blanket from the cupboard, charming it to stay warm with a quick flick of his wand. He brought it over to the trembling boy and draped it over him.

"This will help." he said as he picked up a second blanket, tucking it over the first.

Harry was still conscious but he didn't respond. He merely closed his eyes.

Healer Bennett was surprised to see Harry back in his ward within twenty four hours. He was just getting ready to have his dinner when he saw Jackson and Davis supporting the boy, heading to his ward. The boy was completely drenched from head to foot and could barely walk, stumbling horribly in the guards' grip. The first thing Bennett did was use the quick dry spell on Harry, drying his clothes instantly before placing him on the bed.

The Healer took in the sight of Harry's pale skin and the bluish tinge of his lips. His pallor and violent shivers didn't leave much to guess what he was suffering from. He turned to the men in the room.

"How long was he on lower ground?" he asked.

A worried looking Jackson shifted uncomfortably.

"Around ten hours." he stated.

Bennett turned to look at him, a slight incredulous look on his face. He shook his head in disappointment as he looked away.

"Not much of a surprise then that he's got hypothermia." he stated.

"It wasn't...I didn't mean for him to get sick." Jackson defended. "I was going to get him out soon."

"Why was he wet?" Bennett asked.

"There was a...a flooding because of the storm." Jackson explained with notable guilt in his voice.

Healer Bennett didn't say anything but reached into his small cabinet, pulling out a vial of peppermint potion. Protocols be damned. He wasn't going to let the boy suffer any longer. He looked over at Jackson to see if he said anything about the potion, but the guard only nodded his head once before dropping his gaze.

Bennett tucked a hand under Harry's neck and lifted his head slightly while bringing the vial to his lips.

Green eyes fluttered open and focused on the Healer. Bennett smiled and nodded encouragingly.

"It'll warm you up." he said.

He could tell his words weren't processed as clouded eyes continued to stare at him. The Healer pushed a little, forcing the lips to part slightly and the vial was tilted, the potion slipped past the lips and into his mouth. He was glad the boy's reflexes kicked in and he swallowed. He gently laid the boy back.

"Take his cuffs off." Bennett said, gathering the necessary supplies.

The two guards hesitated.

"It's not safe to remove them. He's demonstrated an ability of wandless..."

"What's he going to do in his current condition?" Bennett asked Jackson, exasperated. When neither of the guards acted, Bennett turned to them with a sigh. "His wrists are bleeding. I need to heal them. You can put the cuffs back on as soon as I'm done dressing them."

Jackson nodded reluctantly, walking over to join the Healer. He tried not to look too closely at the torn skin of the boy's wrists as he took off the cuffs. He could tell the injuries were because the boy had tried to force them off, probably in an attempt to save himself from drowning. He glanced up at Harry but the boy didn't seem to register what was happening to him. His eyes were closed. Even so, Jackson brought out his wand, aiming at Harry's head. The slightest movement and he was ready to knock him out. But Harry didn't try anything, he seemed to be on the very edge of consciousness, fighting to stay awake but too incoherent to take in his surroundings.