"Scars like this come from exposure to some very dark magic. Does it cause you pain?"
Harry nodded.
"Sometimes it feels as though it is burning, and it gives me headaches," he informed the woman. "I've just gotten used to it."
The healer shook her head.
"No, that will not do. Let me see what I can do about that."
Before Harry could protest, she had placed the tip of her wand on his scar and had begun murmuring an incantation of sorts.
Overwhelming pain was what he felt, his vision swimming as the scar reacted to the ministrations of the healer.
"Young man, young man!" the muffled voice of the healer sounded before darkness took him.
(Break)
"What are we going to do, Albus?" Armando asked. "I have never heard of such a thing, and I find myself at a loss. If the Ministry were to catch wind of this…"
Dumbledore nodded his agreement.
"Despite everything, Armando, he is a student of the castle. As such, we have a duty of care to him," he said pointedly.
Armando frowned before his expression morphed into a look of realisation a moment later.
"We keep it to ourselves?"
"I believe that would be for the best," Dumbledore readily agreed. "If what young Harry has done was to be discovered…"
"They would take him," Armando finished with a shake of his head. "We cannot have that, but that brings us no closer to what should be done."
"It does not," Dumbledore acknowledged. "What he did was foolish, but he is not in his right frame of mind. He is grieving, Armando. You heard yourself that he has no parents and that his godfather was murdered. For all intents and purposes, he is alone in this world."
Armando deflated at thought.
The poor boy had evidently endured much in his short life.
"Is there any hope of him returning?"
Albus shook his head.
"I would not proclaim to be an expert in the field, but I do not think so and would be reluctant to consult with anyone else on the matter. They are one and the same with the Ministry, after all. The device is different to the one other time-turner I have encountered but does not have the faculties to travel forward. I believe Mr Potter is the victim of a most unfortunate series of events that led to him being here."
Armando released a deep breath.
"He mentioned the Department of Mysteries. What on earth was he doing there?"
"Your guess would be as good as mine," Dumbledore sighed. "I imagine it will come to light soon enough, but our priority is to ensure that he has suffered no ill-effects of his rather unexpected trip. I am also reluctant to delve too deeply into his life. As curious as I am about what the future holds, his presence already presents the danger that things could be irrevocably changed. Us having knowledge could mean that it changes for the better or worst. I do not believe it right for us to shoulder such a responsibility."
Armando nodded.
"We find ourselves in a rather unfavourable position," he sighed as a frown marred his features. "What if his intentions are not good, Albus? What if he orchestrated this intentionally?"
Albus shook his head.
"No, he did not," he said firmly. "Mr Potter was honest. Oddly, he has the beginnings of some rather impressive occlumency shields, but in his state, he exercised no control over them. His shock at being here was genuine and he told no lies."
Armando gave his colleague a disapproving look. He did not like that Albus possessed the ability to delve into the minds of others at a whim, especially where the students were a concern. This time, however, he chose not to comment on it. Knowing the boy was genuine set his mind at ease somewhat.
"So, we do what exactly?"
Albus released a deep breath.
"We care for him, Armando. He is a child and needs help. We allow him time to adjust and let him come to us. He will need to unburden himself of whatever is plaguing him eventually."
"The poor lad," Armando despaired, "but I agree. I will allow him to reside within the castle and he can have a place here come September. It will be quite the adjustment for the boy, but it is the best we can do for him given the circumstances. What a mess," he finished with a shake of his head.
"I think that is for the best. None who are not privy to what happened should be made aware. All it would take would be a whisper to reach the wrong ears and Harry would find himself in considerable peril."
Armando frowned.
"What about…?"
"I will have a word," Albus assured the headmaster. "She is trustworthy."
Armando nodded, taking Dumbledore's word for it. He knew the girl better than any, after all.
"Come in, Morgana," he instructed as a knock sounded at the door.
The woman entered, her skin pale and her head shaking.
"How is he?" Armando asked.
"Fortunate to be alive," the healer sighed. "The trauma he has sustained is not negligible, headmaster."
"Trauma?"
The healer shook her head once more and released a deep breath.
"I do not know where to even begin. I did not ask for too many details, but the boy is but a walking miracle. From what I did glean of him, he has not had an easy life, not a pleasant one at all."
"What did you learn?" Albus pressed, frowning deeply.
"Well, somehow, he managed to encounter a Basilisk and survived being bitten."
"A Basilisk?" Armando gasped. "Unbelievable. How did he survive that?"
"Phoenix tears," Morgana answered simply. "I know no more than that, but I do not believe the boy to be fabricating the story, and the potion would not react as it did to just anything."
"The potion?"