NOVEL NEXT Chapter 16: Growing Pains
Despite the look that had slipped onto Harry's face, he hadn't actually intended to give Poppy a hard time about taking the potion. He was no stranger to aches and pains but he'd noticed his body beginning to feel a little tender yesterday afternoon, and he had every reason to believe that it was going to continue getting worse. Without another word, he stepped forward, took a hold of the green sludge, pounded it down his throat with a noticeable wince, and then waved at Poppy for her continued attention. He knew he needed to be as honest as possible if poppy was going to help him get the best results. "Truth be told Poppy, I think it's already started. I can feel the beginnings of strain in most of my joints, but no really significant pain quite yet."
With a small jump of extreme surprise, Poppy launched towards Harry and grabbed a hold of his shoulders. "Wait! Are you serious, Harry?! You're already feeling strain on your body!? Holy Gods! We need you up and feasting as soon as physically possible! If it's happening this quickly, you're going to be getting noticeably taller and thicker with every day that passes.
"Okay, I understand, but why do you think my growth is happening this dramatically?" Harry didn't mind the idea of growing and healing, but at the same time he was already feeling pretty tender and he didn't like the alarmed look on Poppy's face.
"Start getting dressed and I'll explain," Poppy replied, with a look of barely concealed impatience on her face. When Harry didn't immediately move, she refused to continue talking until he started throwing on some of his ill-used and poorly fitted workout clothing. "Here's the deal Harry. Yours is a simple and yet extremely rare situation. Now that your magic has unlimited access to your body, it's running roughshod all over you because it doesn't like what it's found. Right now it's making up for all the delays and damages its absence has caused you throughout your life. Up until this point, you've manually, albeit subconsciously, grown and maintained your body, but even though you've managed to survive that doesn't mean you're anything even resembling healthy. Your entire body is about to explode with physical changes, and trust me when I say that there'll be nothing the least bit subtle about it. We need you extremely well fed and then you need to start a running routine ASAP. I'm concerned that you're going to be off balance if you don't train, because of your new height and body shape. There isn't much I can do from a magical standpoint, to counteract the fact that your center of gravity will be changing drastically this summer."
Nodding his head, Harry looked up at Poppy as he tied his shoes. "Sounds rough. I assume then that I'll be camped out here this summer (Harry tried but failed at keeping the hope out of his voice)."
"I haven't been informed of any alternative plans," Poppy allowed with a small but triumphant look upon her face. "What I do know is that you're never going back to Privet Drive ever again." When Harry completed several overjoyed fist pumps in the air, Poppy kept to herself how hard she'd had to fight to keep him from going back to his relatives. That Dumbledore was a real piece of work. Internally, Poppy fumed at the man... Blood wards my ass… Finding out that Harry's hard won magic had been fueling protective wards around an entire house and family all those years had pissed Poppy off like nothing she'd ever heard in her entire life! How was the boy supposed to spare the magic for that kind of grand undertaking when he was fighting for his own survival and trying not to become a vegetable!
When Harry caught the elderly Healer going all maternal on him again, he walked over and pulled Poppy into yet another hug. He really was completely overjoyed and he knew exactly who to thank for his newfound freedom. "Well then Poppy. You own me, just like you said. I'd do just about anything to stay here with you for the summer. Do you have the facilities for working out? I've always liked the idea of weight lifting, but it's never been possible with my body type and housing situation. I clocked how much slower time is in my Mindscape, and I've got it up to three times faster in there so far. I can probably create an obstacle course and run it in my sleep using whatever body type I have at the time."
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