5

Chapter 5: No Shots

Thanks for the reviews. My neck is doing much better today. Thanks to those that expressed concern.

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The physical went better than expected. Harry had not been physically abused; however, he was severely malnourished. And they knew, due to careful questioning by the healer, that he had been mentally abused. There had been a few incidences where Harry had been smacked on the head and that was noted. The cupboard under the stairs had affected his eyes. All of this was recorded and handed to Alex.

"Now for the immunizations," Healer Pentherst said, waving for the nurse to get what she needed. The nurse hurried from the room. The healer was glad this was a quiet child. Many of the children she saw at this age were rowdy. Harry was quiet, probably due to the abuse. Maybe, he could just be a mellow child.

"Will it hurt?" Harry asked, grabbing Sirius' hand. His mummy was talking to Mr. Preston. She was angry and they were talking in hushed whispers. He hoped she calmed down soon. He didn't like it when she was angry.

"No, why do you think they would hurt?" the confused healer asked as she jotted down a few notes.

"Dudley says that shots hurt, but Mummy says he's zagerating," Harry said, mispronouncing the long word.

"I think you mean exaggerating," Pentherst said, then smiled down at the boy. "We don't give shots here, but the potions you have to drink are yucky," she said, then produced a large lolly. "If you take them like a big boy, I'll give you this lolly," she said in a cajoling tone.

"Mummy, can I have a lolly?" Harry asked, never having had a lolly before. Dudley got them all the time, but Harry was told that freaks didn't get treats.

"If you are a good boy," Lily said, floating over to where they were sitting. She had been talking to Alex about the mental abuse and how hard it would be to get it to stick. Harry would need to give a deposition, and she wasn't happy about that. She wanted Harry to have nothing to do with the Dursleys. "What about his muggle immunizations?" she asked the healer.

"He's immune," Pentherst said, patting the concerned 'ghost' on the arm. They had found during the exam that she was indeed the manifestation of the protection that had been cast on Harry. Somehow her conscience had been pulled into Harry and now she was part of the spell. It wasn't doing Harry any harm, so they decided to let it be.

Lily was both happy and sad about that. Happy that she got to see her boy grow and that she could protect him. Sad that there had been a need for it in the first place. The war had been bad, and they had been losing. It was the last desperate act of a desperate mother. It worked, but at what cost? Now her baby was stuck with a 'ghost' in his head. Which was fine for now, but what about when he was older. He wasn't going to want his mum around when he started dating.

"Oh, I didn't know that," Lily said, coming back to the present, and thinking of all the shots that she had gotten as a child. It would've been nice to known that as a kid.

"Yes, muggleborn are immune to muggle disease. They are born with that immunity, they just don't know it," the healer explained, patting Harry's head. They had to tell a lot of muggleborn that they had gotten those shots for nothing. Then they had to immunize them for magical maladies.

"Will Harry's malnutrition get better soon?" Lily asked, changing the subject slightly. She was concerned that she might not be able to get him to his natural height. She was still very pissed at her sister. How dare that woman starve one child and overfeed the other. Didn't she understand that she was hurting both of them?

"We caught it in time," Madam Pentherst said as she took the first vial off the tray the nurse had just brought in. "Drink that like a big boy, Harry. Straight down now," she said to the boy and then turned back to Lily. "His bones are still developing, so the potions I prescribe will help immensely. It is a prime time for it too." She made a few more notes in his record.

"Yuck," Harry said, making a face to the vial in his hand. He wiped the back of his mouth on his sleeve and shook his head to rid himself of the vile taste.

Sirius laughed at him. "I remember taking those," he said, patting the little boy on the back. "The next two are just as yucky. But if you drink them really fast, you hardly taste them," he suggested, still laughing at Harry's discomfort.

"Two more to go," Pentherst said, taking up a glass of water. "Drink that first," she instructed.

Harry took the glass and looked at it like it was hiding some yucky potion. He took a sip and noted it was just water, so he drank.

"What about his eyesight?" Lily asked, it was something she had been wondering about.

"If he had stayed in that cupboard longer, it would have been irreparable. But we caught that in time too," the healer said, giving Harry a pat on the head as he finished the water. "When his malnutrition is healed so will his slight sight impairment," she explained. It was so minimal now that he didn't require glasses. Another spell dodged. She was glad that the boy's mum had manifested when she had. Any longer and the lad would be in bad shape. She made sure that was noted in the record.

Harry drank the water, and he was glad when the taste was better. He made a face when she handed him another vial, but he put on a brave face and swallowed as fast as he could. It was nasty. More water and one more vial. And then he got his lolly. It was chocolate and banana flavored. He liked it.

"That's you all done," Pentherst said, patting the boy on the head and nodding for Sirius to pick him up.

"We're all done?" Lily asked, floating next to Sirius as she watched Harry lick his large lolly. It was as big as his hand.

"Yes. Here are his potions," the healer said, pointing to a vial. "This vial will refill each time he takes it. One for every meal until it stops refilling," she instructed, waving for Sirius to pick it up.

Sirius did and noted it had Harry's name on it, which was good because he had one of his own. "I'll remember. I have to do the same," he said, pocketing the vial.

"Say goodbye to Healer Pentherst, Harry," Lily said, going over to Alex, who was waiting by the door.

"Bye, Healer Pentherst," Harry said, waving at the nice lady that gave him the yucky things, but also the yummy lolly.

"You take care of yourself, Harry," the healer said as she and her nurse headed out the door. While this had been an interesting family, they had other patients. She was going to remember the Potters for a while though.

Lily and her group started out of the hospital after Sirius used his vault key to pay for the visit. She would have used Harry's, but Sirius insisted. "It's my job as his godfather," he had said.

"Alex," she said, floating in front of Sirius and Harry, who was once again on the man's hip, "I really need to know where Remus is." She really needed that man's help. That was if he had a valid reason for not being in Harry's life.

"We're looking for him. Give us a day or two," the man said, looking at her like she was being a little pushy. "We've only been at it for a few hours," he reminded her.

"I know, I know, it's just that, there are things I need done that Sirius isn't going to be able to do," she said with a sigh. "Things in the muggle world," she clarified, thinking of rent, food shopping and bill paying. Things that Sirius never had to deal with.

"Ah, I see. Well, if it is anything important, I will see if I can help," Alex said, going out of his way for his very unusual client. Sure, technically he was working for Harry, via the goblins, but she was calling the shots.

"I'll keep that in mind, but I need some day-to-day stuff done. I don't want to take up your time," Lily said, placing a hand on his arm. He had been more than helpful so far, but that was his job. She needed a friend. Not that Sirius wasn't but he had just come from a traumatic event, she didn't want to burden him more than she had to.

"I understand. We'll find him, don't worry. Until then, where are you going to be?" he asked, looking back at Sirius and Harry. He could see that they were good for each other. They were talking adamantly. Like they were sharing secrets. Harry's lolly was almost gone, which means the boy was chewing on it and not just licking it.

"I'm not sure yet. A hotel probably," she said, thinking that they would stay in the muggle world. She wasn't sure how she was going to pull that off yet, but she didn't want to stay in the wizarding world where Dumbledore would find them.

"Okay, call me when you know. I still need to get Harry's statement," Alex said, then he turned to Harry and said, "I will see you later, Mr. Potter." He waved to the boy. "Mr. Black," he acknowledged.

"Bye, Mr. Preston," Harry said, waving his free hand at the man. His lolly was but a small piece by now. A few more bites and it would be a stick.

"Mr. Preston," Sirius said with a nod of his head.

They had made it to the lobby of St. Mungo's and parted there.

"Let's get to Gringotts," Lily said, going once more into Harry's head.

Sirius called the Knight Bus and Harry squealed with joy. He loved riding the Knight Bus. Lily decided to give the two of them some time and stayed in Harry's head. She materialized when they made it to Diagon Alley. Sirius had thrown Harry's lolly stick away in a bin outside the Leaky Cauldron and they made their way to the bank. Once they got past the teller and into the meeting room, they were soon met by both the Potter manager and the Black one.

"What can Gringotts do for you today, Mrs. Potter?" Steelclaw asked, his demeanor as business like as always. He was carrying an armful of papers, like he didn't want to get caught not having the correct one on him. The Black manager was likewise burdened.

"I need something like a credit or debit card. We are going to be in the muggle world. Sirius needs one too," she said to Steelclaw and then to the goblin that she didn't know.

"I do?" the dogman asked, confused as to what she had planned. He had never heard of a credit or a debit card.

"Yes, you do," she insisted. "We are hiding out in the muggle world until we find Remus, and probably afterwards too," she explained. "For that, you need a credit or debit card. I can't get one." She just remembered she was a ghost. "So it will all be on you. I'll pay you back from time to time," she said, looking at Harry's godfather with a look that said 'you're doing this'.

"There is no need for you to pay me back," Sirius said, waving that away. "I'm filthy rich," he boasted.

"I will not have you support my son," the prideful 'ghost' said, anger tinting her tone.

"I would have anyway, if you weren't here," he pointed out. It was true after all.

"We have what you need, but there is a fee," the still unnamed goblin said, interrupting them and sorting through his papers. He pulled out one and slid it to Sirius.

Sirius picked it up and started reading it, but he was confused as to what he was reading. What was interest? And why was it attached to his purchases? He had never read anything that required that he use his menial math skills before.

Lily looked over his shoulder and nodded in all the right places. "Do you have one for a debit card?" she asked, knowing they were just trying to get more money from Sirius. She decided to take pity on the poor man.

The goblin grumbled but pulled out the requested form. Sirius took it and read it. This one was more straightforward, and he understood it a lot better. He signed on the dotted line and was soon the owner of a debit card with a credit card logo.

"Thanks, Sharptooth," he said, taking the card and putting it in his pocket. He knew that Lily would explain it better later. All he needed to know for now was that it paid for what he needed in the muggle world.

"We also need to stop the stipend to my sister," Lily said to Steelclaw. "She isn't going to be taking care of Harry anymore. Not as if she ever did," she grumbled under her breath.

Steelclaw shuffled through his papers and took out the agreement and then tore it up. He placed both pieces back in the pile and said, "Done."

"We'll get some money from the vaults and exchange it up front," Lily said, standing and motioning Sirius to grab Harry and do the same. He did.

"Why are we going muggle?" Sirius asked when they exited the bank. They had gotten quite a bit of muggle cash and put it in Harry's money belt, which held more than it looked like it could.

"I don't trust Dumbledore. He is the one who placed Harry with my sister. Which I'm still mad at you for, by the way," she said, cutting him a glare. She was far more pissed at the headmaster, but Sirius had a small part of the blame of Harry being left there.

"What did I do?" Sirius asked, giving her an incredulous look. He never would have left Harry at Petunia's.

"You ran after the rat, when you should have taken Harry and run," she said, poking a finger in his chest.

"Mummy, are you mad at Padfoot?" a tiny voice interrupted their argument.

"A bit, baby," she said, smiling at her son. "He made a mistake that mummy didn't like. She'll forgive him, but he needs to know not to make that mistake again," she explained.

"We're good, kiddo," Sirius said, tickling the six-year-old in his arms.

"Let's get out of here," Lily said, going back into Harry's head.

"Mummy says to find a hotel near the entrance," Harry said, after a moment of listening to his mummy.

"Alright," Sirius said, wariness in his tone. He had rarely navigated the muggle world. And what little he had known was bound to be different since his time there. He went through the Leaky Cauldron and out the front door. There weren't any hotels nearby, so he chose a direction and started walking.

They went about ten blocks, and both were tired, when he finally saw a hotel. "Ask your mummy if that one will work," Sirius said to Harry, who looked where the man was pointing. It was a swanky looking building with large glass doors, and some pillars. The name was The Causeway.

"Mummy said yes," the boy said, leaning his head against the man's shoulder. So, the two tired males made their way to the nice building. "Mummy says to ask for a double room," Harry whispered in Sirius' ear like his mummy told him to.

"Excuse me," Sirius said to the receptionist. "I need to book a double room for an unknown amount of time," he said, giving her a winning grin. "My wife kicked us out and now we found ourselves abandoned here without luggage," he explained, hoping the woman would buy it. "We don't know how long it'll be until we find a place," he added.

"Oh, you poor dears," the middle-aged woman said, clacking away on her computer to see if there was a room available. "I have one open, but it's a suite," she said, hoping the man, who looked ill, could afford it. His clothes looked nice, if a bit outdated.

"We'll take it," Sirius said, putting his shiny new card on the counter. He really hoped he was doing this right.

"Do you have ID?" she asked, picking up the card and running it. She felt so sorry for the man, his wife kicking him and that sweet boy out of the house.

"No, I'm afraid that is all I have," he said, cursing himself for not thinking of that. He knew from before what an ID was. He had done a bit of barhopping in his time. "I will return with some tomorrow," he added. They would go to Gringotts again. He was too tired to deal with the goblins again today.

"Just this once. But come with it tomorrow," the woman said, handing him his card and a key. "Your room is on the top floor and the lift is over there," she said, pointing to the left.

"Thank you, I'll have that ID tomorrow," he promised as he hefted the sleepy Harry firmer on his hip.

Sirius and Harry rode the lift up to the top floor and found the suite. Sirius took them inside and noted there was a lounge area and two bedrooms. There was a small kitchenette, with a minibar. He was going to have to put that up where Harry couldn't get it. He put Harry down and let him look around.

Lily materialized and said, "Call room service for lunch." She looked around the room too, and she also noticed the minibar. She saw Sirius look at the phone with a perplexed look and took pity on him. She showed him how to use the inhouse phone and walked him through what to order. When he was done, she called Alex and told him where they were.

"I'll be there tomorrow afternoon with someone from Social Services. They will take Harry's statement. As of right now, Petunia and Vernon are in jail, waiting for bail. Dudley went with his paternal aunt. You will be happy to know that we found Remus Lupin and will be contacting him tomorrow as well. Do you want him to know where you are?" the man asked, and she could hear him shuffling papers.

"Yes, please. We have to get some ID tomorrow morning, but we should be back by lunch," she said, looking at Harry play with some toys that Sirius had unshrunk for him. She had no idea what she was going to do about his schooling at the moment. Probably have Sirius apparate him to his primary school and then wing it for next year. There were only a few weeks left, so that was doable.

"Okay, I'll give him your contact information, and hopefully he will call you tomorrow night," the lawyer said, then gave his goodbye's and hung up.

There was a knock on the door, and Lily went back into Harry's head until room service left. She came out when they were eating their lunch of fish and chips. Harry got a caffeine-free fizzy drink and Sirius stuck with tea. Soon it would be nap time, and Sirius looked like he could use one too. They each took their potions and went to sleep.

While those two slept, Lily made some plans. They were tentative since she didn't know all the players yet, but she was going to have someone rent a house here in the muggle world and raise her boy right. If Dumbledore became too much of an issue, they were going to get out of Dodge, as the yanks were fond of saying.

There was no way she was going to let her boy suffer under a man that the law wouldn't touch. She was still going to go through with her lawsuits and try to impress on Sirius to do the same to the Ministry and Dumbledore. It was their fault that he had spent so long in prison. Had they done their job, he never would have stepped foot in Azkaban.

Harry woke first and he played with his mummy until Padfoot woke up.

"Let's get you two some clothes," Lily said, though she knew that Harry had a whole new wardrobe. "We'll get Padfoot some, and pretend that we bought Harry's," she reiterated.

"I like to play pretend," Harry said, beaming at his mummy.

"I know you do, baby," she agreed, running her hand down his face. "I need you to pretend that you don't know your mummy. There are non-magical people who don't know about ghosts," she said, thinking of the Social Service. "There will be people coming tomorrow to talk to you about your Aunt Petunia and how mean she was to you. You can't mention mummy at all," she said, kneeling down to his height.

"But, Mummy, isn't that lying?" the tiny boy asked, his face scrunched up in confusion. "Mrs. Walsh says that lying is bad," he said, remembering what his primary teacher said.

"Yes, it is. But it is the law for magicals. No telling the non-magicals about magic, and you can't break the law," Lily tried, thinking that the law was more important to Harry than Mrs. Walsh.

"Oh, like a spy?" Harry said, his eyes getting big.

"Yes, baby, like a spy," Lily said with a sigh of relief. She hadn't even thought of that.

"Hear that, Padfoot, we get to be spies tomorrow," Harry squealed, turning to his godfather.

"Yeah, it'll be fun," Sirius said with a wide grin on his face.

"Now, let's go get your godfather some clothes," she said, getting up and then going back into Harry's head.

It was a fun day of shopping for the two males. Harry got a few more toys and when they were in the restroom, they unshrunk all his clothes and put them in conjured bags. It looked like they bought them in a store. The two of them were completely burdened down, and they made the receptionist smile when they passed her.