Chapter Text
"Are you okay, Harry?" Hermione asked as they headed down to the train.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Harry answered shortly.
He had woken up that morning, not feeling well. His stomach hurt. He pushed it off to the stress of preparing for OWLs and went on to breakfast. At the sight of food, Harry suddenly felt nauseous. He had nibbled on a piece of toast before leaving the Great Hall. The Easter holidays had arrived, and Harry and the gang were looking forward to the two-week break.
After much discussion, Ron and Harry talked Hermione into going home for Easter break. Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Neville were the only fifth-year students going home. They decided to use the two-week break to relax and decompress.
Now, Harry was sick. He didn't want to tell Hermione, Ron, or Ginny.
"Are you sure, mate?" Ron asked. "You don't look so good."
"Thanks, Ron," Harry murmured. He passed Neville and Luna and headed to a compartment.
Ron and Hermione followed and found Harry stretched out on one bench, making Ron and Hermione share the one on the other side.
"I think he's sick, Ron," Hermione whispered.
"I think so, too." Ron watched as Hermione leaned over and placed her palm against his forehead.
"He's warm," she whispered.
They both sat there in silence until Hermione pulled out a book, and Ron opened his rucksack and pulled out a Quidditch Magazine. Hermione glanced at it briefly, noticing Viktor Krum was on the cover. Someone had drawn a mustache on his upper lip and horns on his head. As Ron flipped through the magazine, she noticed that every picture of the famous Quidditch player had some drawing on it.
"Harry and I got bored," Ron explained when he noticed that Hermione was watching.
They returned to their reading, looking up occasionally at their best friend.
"Is Harry okay?"
Ron and Hermione looked up from their reading when they heard Neville's voice.
"He's not feeling well," Hermione answered. Neville accepted this and asked Ron if he wanted him to find Ginny.
They had gotten together after the Yule Ball. They spend the days following the dance together, playing in the snow, sitting by the fire, throwing marshmallows at each other, trying to catch one in their mouth, and cuddling on the couch at the end of the day, talking. No one had seen Harry so happy.
Now, they have been dating happily for a year. Seeing the young couple together brought a smile to everyone's face, except for Snape and the Slytherins.
Neville didn't have to go far to look for the redheaded girl because Ginny came through the train corridor and stopped when she saw the concern on Neville's face and followed his gaze.
"Is he okay?"
The voice brought everyone's attention to Ginny as she squeezed herself into the compartment. She kneeled in front of Harry's stretched-out form and pushed back his fringe.
"Are you okay, babe?" She whispered.
Harry's eyes cracked open. He was met with a look of concern on his girlfriend's face. He didn't want to lie to her but didn't want to worry her either.
He sighed and decided he might as well tell her the truth.
"My stomach hurts," he admitted.
"Was it something you ate?" Ginny inquired.
Harry shook his head. "I don't know. I woke up, and it was hurting."
Ginny didn't say anything except pick Harry's feet, laying them on her lap. Hermione and Ron settled back in their seats, whispering, mainly about their concern for their best friend.
Over the years, Harry was a topic of their quiet conversations. Mostly, the conversation began when Hermione would quietly ask Ron if Harry was okay. Of course, the answers varied: he was tired from Quidditch practice, he was in a mood, or his head hurt.
On the rare occasions, Ron shared Hermione's concern.
Things changed last summer when Harry went to live with Sirius. Once Harry was settled in, they both came to visit. One afternoon, they were working on their homework together, talking about the World Cup, and then finally, Hermione asked Harry about his life with his relatives.
He let it all out. By the time he reached the end of the story, Hermione was sobbing. Ron was ready to kill them, not undoubtedly with help from Hermione. True to their promise that they wouldn't treat Harry any differently, they continued talking and doing what they always did. When Harry's nutrient treatment was over, they celebrated Harry's new health by going into Muggle London for the day.
"Is he asleep?" Hermione whispered when she noticed Harry's eyes were closed.
"I don't think he is," Ginny replied.
"He's not. I can tell by his breathing," Ron informed the girls.
Suddenly, Harry shot up, rushing out of the compartment with a hand over his mouth. Ron jumped up after him, telling the girls he got it as he left. Ron found Harry retching in the nearest toilet.
"Jeez, mate, are you okay?" Ron asked, leaning over to rub Harry's back.
"I think I got food poisoning." Harry groaned, feeling his stomach clench. "I think it was either the……" Harry didn't finish the thought. The thought had caused his nausea to return. Harry leaned over the toilet and released more of his stomach contents.
A knock at the closed toilet door caused Ron to jump.
"Is Harry okay, Ron?" Neville's voice came from the other side of the door.
"He'll be fine," Ron called.
He thought for a second of his options. He could stay here where he and Harry could occupy the toilet until they reach London, or he could move Harry back to their compartment and find one of the twins to conjure a bucket.
"Want to move back to the compartment so you could lie down?" Ron asked.
Harry nodded. Ron helped Harry off the floor and found that he needed help.
"Neville, are you still there?" Ron called, hoping he was.
"Yeah, Ron. What do you need?" Neville asked.
"Help me get Harry back to the compartment."
The door to the restroom opened. Neville peeked his head in briefly before stepping inside, pushing the door open more. He reached for Harry's left side. Together, he and Ron led Harry back to the compartment.
"I think he has food poisoning," Ron told the girls when they entered the compartment.
"Are you sure?" Hermione asked.
"That's what he said."
Ron and Neville helped Harry lay down on the bench. Hermione had found a blanket and a pillow somewhere. Ginny returned from looking for the trolley lady to see if she had any water.
She had also found Fred and asked him to conjure a bucket for her. He did so without question when she explained that Harry was sick.
"Here, sweetie, take a sip," Ginny soothed.
Harry leaned his head up and sipped some of the water Ginny had brought him.
Hermione glanced out the window and sighed silently in relief. They were five minutes away from London.
"We'll be home soon," She sighed, looking around the group. They spent the remaining time getting their stuff together to leave the train and help Harry.
How little did they know that Harry's food poisoning was something more serious?
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Sirius stood beside Molly as he waited for the group to find them. Fred and George were the first to reach them, followed by the others. Upon seeing his godson, Sirius noticed that something was wrong. He looked pale and flushed, just like he did when he came down with the stomach flu early in the year. He looked tired, and as he approached him, alarm bells went off in Sirius's head.
"Are you okay, kiddo?" He asked.
"I think the chicken we ate last night was off," Harry told him. He didn't want to worry Sirius and wanted nothing more but to lie down.
"Food poisoning?" Sirius guessed.
"He threw up on the train," Hermione informed Sirius.
"Feel better soon, mate." Ron patted Harry's shoulder before greeting Molly.
"I'll floo later and check on you. I hope you feel better tomorrow, sweetie. Love you," Ginny murmured, kissing his cheek.
When they broke apart, Ginny whispered something in Harry's ear. He nodded before she headed off to where her family was waiting.
Hermione met her parents, telling Harry she hoped he felt better.
Sirius wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders and led his godson to the car. The drive from London was a long one for Harry, but he fell asleep twenty minutes in.
It seemed that Harry had just fallen asleep when Sirius woke him up.
"Let's get you upstairs to bed. You might feel better after some rest."
Harry didn't say anything but nodded. He followed Sirius into the house. They headed straight upstairs and into Harry's room. Once in his room, Harry gathered some pajamas and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower.
Once he was finished, he dressed in his pajamas. He was heading straight to bed. He noticed a little twinge on his right side.
Sirius came into his room once he was lying down. He placed the old bucket they used when someone was sick.
"I brought you the bucket in case you feel like you need to throw up. Call for me if you need me."
"Okay," Harry whispered, wincing as he felt another cramp roll his abdomen.
He wished it would stop. His right side throbbed a little now. He didn't think much of it, thinking he must have pulled a muscle and went to sleep.
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"Sirius, wake up."
The whisper stirred Sirius from a deep sleep. He opened his eyes, trying to figure out what was going on.
"Sirius, please wake up."
Sirius turned on his back to find Harry doubled over at his bedside, clutching his stomach and a pained expression on his face. Immediately awake, Sirius jumped out of bed, standing beside his godson.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Harry winced.
"I have pain in my lower right side. It's really sharp. I've never had this pain before," Harry explained, his voice pained.
Sirius began to panic. Harry didn't have food poisoning.
This was something else. A quick glance at the clock told Sirius it was one in the morning.
When Harry moaned in pain, Sirius debated what he should do.
Should he rush Harry to St. Mungo's?
The only time Sirius had to rush Harry to St. Mungo's was when Harry was complaining of a bad stomachache. They learned Harry was allergic to beans. He could eat green beans, but Sirius realized there were kidney beans in the steak and kidney pie they had for supper that night. The severe abdominal pain Harry was suffering from now wasn't like what he had suffered from before.
This was worse.
"How bad is the pain?" Sirius asked, concern laced in his voice.
"It feels like I'm taking a Cruciatus curse to my stomach," Harry groaned.
Sirius noticed Harry's arms were wrapped around his abdomen tightly. Suddenly, Harry started whimpering.
"Ow, my stomach really hurts," he groaned.
This made Sirius's decision on what to do easier, and to go to St. Mungo's now.
"Okay, I'm going to change quickly. We're going to St. Mungo's," Sirius announced.
He stood up from the bed, approached his closet, and grabbed the first shirt and pants his hands landed on. Once dressed, he slipped on some socks on Harry's feet. Then he picked him up to carry him downstairs.
"It hurts," Harry whimpered.
"I know, Kiddo," Sirius soothed. "I'll make it better, I promise."
Sirius grabbed a handful of floo powder.
"St. Mungo's!" He called. They disappeared in a cloud of green smoke.
In Sirius's haste of rushing to St. Mungo's, he forgot to leave a note for Remus, who was due to return from a mission for Dumbledore the next morning.
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Harry laid curled in a bed in the examination area of the emergency department of St. Mungo's in a tight ball.
Upon arriving at St. Mungo's, Harry and Sirius were immediately taken back to an exam room. Healer Dalton was on shift that night. He saw the two emerge from the floo.
"Sirius? What's wrong?" the healer asked.
Sirius turned to find Healer Dalton coming towards him. This time last year, he had taken Harry to see Healer Dalton for a consultation for a tonsillectomy due to the many bouts of Strep throat Harry had been having. Madam Pomfrey recommended that Sirius take Harry to see Healer Morris. They were referred to Healer Dalton after the exam. Harry had the surgery two days later. It was a wonderful start to the Easter Holiday, and Harry was guaranteed he would recover in time for the third task.
It looks like this Easter Holiday would be spent the same way, only fixing whatever pained Harry.
"He's complaining of severe abdominal pain," Sirius explained what had transpired over the last few hours.
Healer Dalton had Sirius lay Harry on the bed, and he would collect Harry's file and the supplies he needed.
Now they were in the emergency department of St. Mungo's, waiting to find out what was wrong with Harry. Healer Dalton was writing notes from where he had questioned Sirius and Harry regarding the pain, asking how long it lasted, when it started, and so forth. He also noted Harry's vitals, mainly his high temperature, which was a factor in what the healer thought was going on with his patient.
"It's alright, Prongslet," Sirius whispered. He was alarmed to see the fear in his godson's eyes, and a few tears leaked from Harry's eyes. Sirius wiped them with his hand. "I promise you'll be okay."
Healer Dalton approached the bedside.
"Harry, can you lay on your back for me?" he requested.
Harry slowly turned to lie on his back, wincing at the pain in his side. It hurt to move. It felt like he was being stabbed in the side.
"Thank you. I'm going to examine your stomach and gently prod around on your abdomen. Harry, I want you to tell me if it hurts. Okay?"
Harry nodded, reaching for Sirius's hand, which he held in a vice grip like Sirius's hand was a snitch. Sirius didn't complain.
Healer Dalton pulled up Harry's shirt, baring his belly. He began pressing around the upper part of Harry's abdomen, moving to his right.
"Does it hurt anywhere here?" the healer asked, his fingers pressing on the middle of Harry's abdomen.
"No." Harry shook his head.
Healer Dalton pressed along Harry's lower abdomen, moving from left to right. When the healer's hands pressed in the lower right side of Harry's abdomen, he yelped in pain. He squeezed Sirius's hand tightly when the healer pressed on his right side.
"What's wrong?" Sirius demanded.
Healer Dalton looked over his shoulder to his mediwitch.
"Betty, we need an ultrasound in here now."
"What's wrong?" Sirius repeated. "What's going on with my godson?" Sirius's voice was full of concern, and he was starting to get worried.
"I need to do an ultrasound to confirm it, but I think Harry had acute appendicitis," Healer Dalton explained.
Betty entered the room, pushing the cart with the ultrasound machine. She left the cart on the right side of Harry's bed, retrieving a gown from the cart's bottom shelf. She handed Sirius the hospital gown.
"He'll need to change into this."
Sirius took the gown as Betty and Healer Dalton moved out of the way, pulling the curtain to give Harry and Sirius privacy.
"Do you think you could get the shirt off on your own?" Sirius asked.
Harry pulled his arms out of the sleeves, allowing Sirius to pull the shirt off. Helping Harry stand, Sirius pushed off Harry's pajama pants, leaving the boxers for now.
He had just slipped the gown over Harry's head when Healer Dalton called, "Ready?"
"Yes," Sirius replied.
The healer came through the curtain with another healer and Betty.
Harry laid back on the bed as Healer Dalton pulled a sheet over Harry's lower half and then pulled up the gown.
"How old is he?" The healer that came in with Healer Dalton.
"Fifteen," Sirius answered.
"Have you had an ultrasound before Harry?" Healer Dalton asked. Harry nodded. He had one when he first went to live with Sirius. Healer Morris wanted to check Harry's abdomen for any damage caused by the abuse he had suffered and to have a look inside Harry's belly.
"Okay, we'll get started." Healer Dalton picked up a bottle and hovered it over Harry's lower right abdomen, applying the gel.
"It feels cold," Harry commented.
Healer Dalton winced in sympathy. "Sorry about that."
He ran his wand over the area and, in a few seconds, found what he was looking for.
Sirius watched Harry closely. The pained expression on Harry's face was hard for him to handle. He wanted to fix it, make it all better. Like he did when Harry had the stomach flu last fall, Sirius took care of him. To help with his stomach pain, Sirius placed a warm water bottle on Harry's belly and then rubbed soothing circles to help calm his upset tummy.
"There it is," Healer Dalton announced. He turned to Sirius. "See this blob here?"
Sirius nodded. "What is it?"
"Harry's appendix. He's got appendicitis."
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In short order, Harry was prepared for emergency surgery. Sirius watched as a mediwitch scrubbed Harry's abdomen with an orange-looking soap. After Harry was prepared for surgery, he was moved to a floating stretcher to be transferred to the operating room.
"How long will this take?" Sirius asked Healer Dalton after he had signed the consent form.
"An hour to two hours, at most."
Sirius walked along the floating stretcher with Harry. He could tell that Harry was scared.
"This is where we give parents a moment with their child," the orderly explained. "I'll give you two a moment."
When they were alone, Sirius reached over, raking his hand through Harry's hair.
"Tell Ginny I love her. Give her the locket I've got hidden in my desk drawer at home. It's for her birthday. Give Ron my Firebolt and Hermione….." Sirius cut him off.
"Harry, you're going to be fine. Nothing will happen to you. Healer Dalton will take good care of you. I promise."
Silence ascended in the Pre-Op holding area until Harry broke it.
"I'm scared," he admitted.
Sirius's heart broke at the expression on Harry's face. He never saw that much fear in his godson's eyes.
"You're going to be just fine," Sirius repeated.
The orderly returned a second later. "Are you ready, Harry?"
Harry suddenly shook his head. His hand shot out, grabbing Sirius's.
"I'm too scared. I can't do this."
Sirius looked at the orderly. He smiled softly, having seen many teenagers act the same way Harry was at that moment.
Grasping Harry's hand tightly, Sirius leaned over and whispered, "Harry James Potter, you will be fine. Nothing is going to happen to you," Sirius assured him. "You will be fine."
Harry nodded. "Okay. I'm ready."
Sirius leaned over, kissing Harry's forehead. "I love you, Pup."
"I love you, too," Harry returned.
The stretcher floated towards the operating room. Healer Dalton passed Sirius as he headed to the waiting room. As the healer passed the concerned godfather, Sirius reached and grabbed the sleeve of his coat.
In a low and commanding voice, he spoke to the healer.
"If anything happens to my godson, I will have your head."
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Sirius paced the floor in the waiting room. He flooed the Burrow to tell Arthur to let Remus know where he and Harry were. Arthur assured him that he would let Remus know. Ron and Ginny overheard the conversation. They asked to be updated. Ron said he would call Hermione in the morning to let her know. Ginny asked if she could stop by tomorrow if Harry felt like company.
Sirius promised he would be in touch. He made a note to go home and get the mirrors Harry got himself and Ginny for their anniversary. He knew Harry would be in the hospital for a couple of days. The mirrors would allow Harry and Ginny to talk.
The tea room had closed, so Sirius settled for tea out of the machine down the hall.
He had to smile when he remembered the youngest Weasley's reaction. Sirius knew that Ginny was concerned about Harry. Telling her that he now had to have surgery when she thought he had food poisoning. He imagined that Ginny wouldn't sleep much tonight, especially since it was three in the morning when he flooed the Burrow.
The paediatrics surgical waiting room was empty, with just him. He wondered if Remus had gotten his message and would come here.
He got his answer when he heard footsteps outside the waiting room.
"Excuse me, Ma'am. I'm looking for Harry Potter. Sirius Black brought him in."
The welcome witch must have sorted papers because the next sound was pushing papers. She then responded.
"Harry is in surgery with Healer Dalton, and Mr. Black is in the pediatric surgical waiting room. It's just over there."
"Thank you."
A few minutes later, Remus entered the waiting room.
"Sirius, what's going on?" he asked upon entering the room.
"He was sick when he got off the train. He claimed it was food poisoning because something they ate at dinner tasted off to him. I took him home, and he went straight to bed because he didn't feel well. He woke me up. I think it was one in the morning, complaining of stomach pain. I rushed him here because no one has stomach pain that bad."
Remus shook his head. "Sounds like it was something serious." Realizing what he said, he added. "No pun intended."
"Healer Dalton was at the desk when I flooed in. He took Harry straight back and examined him. When he pressed on Harry's right side, it became clear he had appendicitis. They did that same scan of his belly that Healer Morris did, concluding what Harry had was appendicitis, and he needed to have surgery." Sirius paused for a breath and a sip of tea, which had now gone cold.
"How long has he been in surgery for?" Remus asked.
"About an hour and a half," Sirius replied, his eyes looking at the clock in front of him.
Silence filled the room, even though it was just Sirius and Remus in the room. When Sirius first came into the waiting room, there were two other families in the waiting room. One had brought their child in because he had swallowed something he wasn't supposed and it needed to be surgically removed. The second was there for the same reason Harry was, for an appendectomy.
When it was just Sirius, he wished he asked Molly, Ron, and Ginny to come and sit with him. But he knew Remus would come when Arthur told him what was going on.
"I hope he's okay," Sirius whispered.
Remus sighed, placing a caring hand on Sirius's shoulder. "He will be."
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Sirius had got up and began to pace again. He tried to sleep but couldn't because he was too worried about his godson.
Remus had fallen asleep in the loveseat. He had kept nodding off in his chair, and since he and Sirius had the waiting room to himself, he took the loveseat.
Sirius smiled as he remembered when he took Harry to the healer when he was sick with the stomach flu during Christmas break. Harry had curled up in a ball in the loveseat. He felt awful and wanted nothing more but to be back home in bed.
"Sirius?"
At the sound of his name, Sirius turned his head and found Healer Dalton standing in the doorway. Remus had gotten up and stretched, pausing when he saw the healer in the doorway. In a blink, both men were standing in front of the healer.
"Well?" Sirius asked.
"Everything went fine. Harry did great with the surgery. He's in the recovery room now," the healer explained.
Sirius and Remus sighed in relief.
"So he's okay?" Remus asked.
"He's okay," Healer Dalton repeated. He turned to Sirius. "You brought him in just in time. His appendix hadn't ruptured yet. It's a good thing you brought him in when you did. If it had been another hour….." the healer trailed off.
"What would have happened if his appendix did rupture?" Remus inquired.
"A ruptured appendix spreads infection throughout the abdomen called peritonitis. Possibly life-threatening, this condition requires immediate surgery to remove the appendix and clean out the abdominal cavity. But Harry is lucky that his didn't. Although it was close."
Sirius and Remus once again sighed in relief. They were relieved that Harry was okay and on the road to recovery.
"We'll keep him here overnight and see how he does. He'll be in some pain when he wakes up. We'll give him some pain relief potion for the pain when he wakes up. I do want to wait until he's not feeling sick to his stomach. If I recall, he had some nausea when he had his tonsils removed."
Sirius and Remus both nodded, remembering the period of nausea Harry had after his last surgery.
"Do you have any questions or concerns?" Healer Dalton figured that Sirius would have a question or two.
"When can we see him?" Sirius asked.
Healer Dalton smiled. "He's stable. You can see him now."
Sirius and Remus followed the healer to the recovery room. Healer Dalton stopped at a curtained-off bed. He pulled the curtain back, motioning to the two men they could go in. Sirius entered first, followed by Remus.
Harry laid in the bed in another clean, green gown, an IV in his left arm, something on his finger on his right hand. The blanket was pulled up under his arms. It was easy to see the bandage on Harry's lower right side. There was an oxygen mask on Harry's face, and he was hooked up to a few monitors.
"He'll be here for an hour, and then we'll move him to a room. We're waiting for one to be ready. I'll take him off the oxygen and the monitors then."
Remus nodded.
"Thank you," He murmured.
Sirius walked over, sitting down in the chair beside the bed. He reached and combed his fingers through Harry's hair.
"What do we do now?" Sirius asked, his voice so low that Remus could hardly hear him. But he did.
"We wait."
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Harry was moved to a regular room from the recovery room. It had been an hour since Harry had been out of surgery.
Sirius sat in the chair beside Harry's bed, reading a Quidditch magazine. Healer Dalton had just been in to check on Harry and said he should wake up soon. Since hearing this, Sirius had been looking up and checking to see if Harry was waking up. Sirius had looked up for the fourth time in ten minutes to check to see if Harry was waking up when he heard a weak moan. Listening closely, Sirius realized that Harry was starting to wake up.
"Harry?" he said softly. "Harry, are you awake?"
Harry moaned once more. His eyes opened slowly.
"Is it over?" Harry asked groggily.
"Yes, it's over," Sirius replied. "You're okay. Everything went well, and you're okay."
Harry turned his head to the left to find Remus sprawled in the chair that made a bed.
"When did Remus get here?"
"After they took you back for surgery. How are you feeling?" Sirius asked.
"Cold," Harry replied, shivering. "Nauseous."
Sirius walked to the cupboard and pulled out an extra blanket. He tucked it around Harry.
"Thanks, Sirius," Harry mumbled sleepily.
"You're welcome," Sirius murmured. He reached over to brush some stray hair off Harry's hair forehead but kept the scar covered.
"I think I'm gonna be sick."
Harry's statement made Sirius dive for a basin the mediwitch had left with him in case Harry got sick and placed it in front of Harry in time for him to start vomiting—mainly stomach acid and bile, nothing to be concerned about.
"Looks like you inherited James's postoperative nausea gene," Sirius commented.
Remus woke up when he heard the heaving and waited to see if Sirius needed any help. He quietly observed Sirius tending to Harry. Then he heard what Sirius said about Harry inheriting James's tendency to vomit after medical procedures.
"I think that's true," he said, bringing him to Sirius's attention. He turned to Harry. "How are you feeling?"
"Sore, a little nauseous," Harry replied.
Healer Dalton knocked on the door gently, not knowing Harry was awake until he entered the room.
"I see you're awake. How are you feeling?" Healer Dalton asked.
"Sore. Sick to my stomach," Harry replied.
"Has he vomited?" He asked Sirius.
Sirius nodded. "Yes, just a few minutes ago."
"Okay." Healer Dalton walked over to the side of the bed and lifted back the right side of Harry's gown. "I'm going to listen to your belly for bowel sounds and then have a look at the incision."
He pulled out the stethoscope, gently pressing the diaphragm on Harry's abdomen, listening for bowel sounds that would tell whether or not Harry could try some water.
"I'm hearing some rumbling in his lower intestines," The healer explained. He paused when the sound increased. Suddenly, Harry winced. Sirius recognized it.
"Do you just….." he trailed off when Harry nodded.
"Did he just pass gas?" Healer Dalton asked.
"Recognized that face when he was a baby," Sirius stated proudly.
"Alright." Healer Dalton pulled off the bandage. Harry turned his head, not wanting to look. "Looks good. We'll recheck it later."
He replaced the bandage, pulled the gown down, and readjusted the blanket.
"Everything okay?" Remus inquired.
"Yes. I'll see if we can get him something to drink. We'll try him on some gelatin if he tolerates water."
"Thank you," Sirius murmured.
"Now, how bad is the pain on a scale of one to ten, with ten being the worst?" Healer Dalton asked Harry, figuring it was time for more pain potions.
"It's about a four," Harry replied hesitantly.
Sirius leaned in towards Harry.
"Harry, you don't need to be tough. It's okay to admit you're in pain," He whispered.
"It's a seven," Harry replied.
"Alright, I'll be back with some pain potion." He left the room to get the potion.
"Do you feel any different?" Sirius asked.
"I came in here with my stomach killing me. Now my stomach still is killing me, but it's just sore."
Healer Dalton returned with a goblet of water and a pain potion. "Here you are. You don't need to move at all to take the potion."
He flicked his wand. Harry watched as the potion vanished from the vial. He then felt the familiar tingling in his stomach, meaning that the healer had spelled the potion into Harry's stomach.
"If you need me for anything, please let me know."
Once Healer Dalton was gone, Sirius sat down at Harry's bedside.
"You look tired, Pup. Do you want to go back to sleep?"
Harry nodded, leaning back in the bed. He slowly moved, trying not to jostle his stomach.
Sirius turned the light off, leaning over to kiss Harry's forehead.
"Thanks, Sirius."
Sirius paused at what Harry had said. "For what Prongslet?"
"For taking care of me," Harry replied.
"You're welcome." Sirius shared a look with Remus. They both knew what Harry was referring to. If he were still with his relatives, they would not have brought him in when they should have.
Sirius walked over to Remus.
"You go home and get some sleep. I'll stay with Harry," He whispered.
"Alright."
Remus walked over, telling Harry he was going home and would see him later that morning. It was pushing five in the morning. Remus had been up for twenty-four hours.
"Thanks for being here, Remus."
"You're welcome, Cub. Get some rest." Remus smiled at Sirius. They nodded, not needing to talk before Remus headed down the hall to floo home.
There wasn't a cot in the room for Sirius to sleep. He walked over to Harry's bedside and leaned over the rail.
"If I expanded the bed, would you mind if I slept with you?"
Harry shook his head. "No."
Sirius figured Harry's immediate answer was because Harry wanted to sleep. With a wave of his wand, the hospital bed expanded with room for him, with plenty of space for Harry and enough room that Sirius wouldn't hit, elbow, or even touch Harry's abdomen in his sleep.
Taking his shoes off, Sirius sat down on the side of the bed. He turned and looked at Harry, who was watching him with heavy-lidded eyes.
"Easy," Harry requested. Sirius noticed the look on Harry's face as if he were bracing himself for the pain.
"I'm not going to hurt you, Kiddo. I promise."
The pain potion Healer Dalton gave Harry must have kicked in because soon Harry was asleep. The extra strength pain potions and fever-reducing potions seem to knock Harry out. Sirius smiled at his sleeping godson.
He leaned over, kissing his forehead again before letting sleep claim him. That was how Healer Dalton found them an hour later. He smiled, turning around and walking back out of the door, closing it softly behind him. He didn't have the heart to wake Sirius.