It took them almost two hours to reach Gringotts, but they were in no hurry. They even enjoyed walking hand-in-hand along some of the streets, all decorated for Christmas, before they went to the Leakey Cauldron.
Sharpclaw welcomed them. "What brings you here on such a cold day?" he asked politely.
"You mentioned something about my scar during our last meeting. Since the Hogwarts healer said she couldn't treat it, then I thought you could," Harry replied.
"Well, I can't heal it, personally, but our healers probably can. Let me call them, first." Sharpclaw used some instrument on his desk to speak with somebody else. Harry couldn't say what that was, but it looked and functioned similar to muggle intercoms that he'd seen at school and in some businesses, although it must have been magical.
That conversation was barely over when the door opened and two goblins came in, both wearing light green robes.
One asked Harry to stand and both started casting some spells on him, resulting in various foggy forms appearing momentarily near him. One then said something to Sharpclaw, who summoned an additional goblin. That one was wearing a brown robe. The new goblin cast his own spells, concentrating mainly on Harry's head, near the scar.
They then conversed in their own language and finally spoke to Sharpclaw, who passed the information. "They found quite a bit more than merely that scar. It looks like you've been subjected to severe malnutrition for many years, stunting your growth both physically and magically. You also have some binds on your magic and your mind. Although you seem to have partially overcome them, removing them completely will make you smarter and much more powerful, magically. Then, your scar is not a simple curse scar. It also contains a shard of a malicious soul that could, under different circumstances, fully possess your body. Luckily, you have some ancient protection, probably set on you by your parents, that prevents it from going any deeper than your skin. Removing that shard is evidently our highest priority. Once removed, your scar can be as easily healed as the rest of your body."
Harry could feel Hermione urging him to take the healing. "When can you start and how long will it take?" he asked.
The goblins conferred for another moment before Sharpclaw answered. "The first step is done with a ritual. It will probably tackle some of the other problems too. We need about half an hour to prepare the ritual room. Then, the ritual itself may take anything from a few minutes to a full day, depending on the power and the tenacity of the malicious soul shard. There's no way to asses it ahead, so they tell me. The rest is just a potion treatment that can be given as soon as the ritual is over. It will put you to sleep for a few hours. By the time you wake up, you should be fully healed. Well, there's also the problem of your eyesight. The healers believe that treating your physical problems can correct that too, but it can only be checked after the rest is over. If needed, the process to correct your eyes takes less than half an hour."
Harry tried to think of the meaning of all this. "Then, if I take the suggested treatment, it may take from a few hours to more than a full day. Am I right?"
Sharpclaw nodded.
"Then, I think we should tell Hermione's parents before we start. Don't you think Hermione should also be checked for various spells? Since she's my closest friend, she may be subjected to the same problems."
Sharpclaw nodded and talked to the others. They checked Hermione and seemed concerned.
"While you have no health problems and your magic is not bound, it looks like you have a very recent bind on your mind, making you slightly more confused and less concentrated. We can remove it with a short ritual while your friend will be sleeping his healing potion off," Sharpclaw told them.
Hermione frowned. "Do you know who cast it on me?"
Harry thought he knew and could also sense that Hermione had a distinct suspicion. Neither was surprised to hear the answer. "It was Dumbledore, same as all the binds and other charms cast on your friend. While most of Lord Potter's binds were set about ten years ago, yours is only a few months old."
Harry suspected it was cast during the meeting after the duel or possibly the one after the troll incident.
"How much will the treatments cost?" Hermione asked next.
Sharpclaw seemed amused. "The price is irrelevant, considering how much you own. Besides, it's in Gringotts' interest to keep such prominent customers healthy, so you'll get it for free."
"How can we prevent him from casting them anew?" Harry asked.
Sharpclaw gave it a moment of thought. "Normally, your Lord and Lady rings should have prevented this, although most were cast before you wore them. Still, Dumbledore is a very knowledgeable wizard. He might have used a different spell, knowing about your ring, to circumvent the protection. You can, if you like, maximize the protection so that it can stop all spells cast on you, except for the unforgivable. That is normally not recommended since it also stops healers' diagnostics and healing charms. I'll give it some more thought and consult with some experts while Lord Potter gets his treatment. I hope to have a better answer by the time it's finished."
His expression changed to show a closed-lips smile. "Now, I suggest you go inform your parents and come back for the treatment. The ritual room should be ready by then."
–..–
Half an hour later, Harry was taken to the ritual room. Hermione stayed with Sharpclaw, not quite knowing what to do. Waiting was never something she liked. Waiting for an undefined duration, possibly a full day, was way too long for her.
Sharpclaw seemed to understand. "Would you like me to bring you some of the books we have about wizard magic? Most are very ancient books written either by wizards or by the goblins who interacted with them. I believe you may find them interesting."
Hermione's face brightened. "Sure! Thanks! I was really wondering how I can pass the time."
He smiled. "Wait a few minutes and I'll go fetch some books. I'd also suggest you have some lunch in an hour or two. The curse breakers tend to be very vague, but from my experience, I can estimate that the ritual will take more than four hours and possibly much longer. No need to wait here before that time passes."
Hermione just nodded. The advice was sound, but it clashed badly with her feelings, which insisted on her waiting there for the whole time. Well, she'd first check the books, no doubt about that.
–..–
Hermione ate lunch at Diagon Alley. She later ate dinner too, although she could barely notice her food. The ritual seemed endless to her and she wondered how Harry was coping. She also remembered to update her parents.
Two hours later, Sharpclaw led her to the hospital, where Harry was expected to come after the ritual, and showed her to a free bed. "You may rest here until it's your turn at the ritual. I suggest you also try to sleep some. If that soul shard is what I believe it is, then the ritual may need close to a full day. You shouldn't deprive yourself of sleep due to it. Lord Potter will probably be asleep for most of the ritual anyway."
Hermione wanted to read some more. She only opened the top button in her jeans and lay on the bed, reading.
Some noise woke her up. The clock on the wall showed it was about half past three. She saw some goblins levitating Harry's sleeping form. It was too dark to discern many details, though. They lowered him to the adjacent bed and tucked him in. One noticed her awake. "Lord Potter will sleep at least two more hours. I suggest you also sleep."
"Did it all go well?" she asked anxiously.
"It went well enough, only much slower than we liked. Lord Potter is now free of that scar and of all the binds and spells cast on him, but he needs to sleep some more. The ritual was very taxing on his magic and on ours. By the time he wakes up, another team will be ready for you, Lady Ravenclaw."
That was good enough for her. As she let her eyes close, she noticed that somebody had probably tucked her in too, since she was under a warm blanket, although still in the same clothes.
The next time, it was Harry's yawn that woke her. She almost jumped out of her bed. "Harry! How do you feel? Do you know what they did? Let me see your forehead!"
Harry smiled and moved his bangs aside, allowing her a full view of his forehead, where only a slight discolouration testified of where his scar had been. "They said it will take another day before my skin will become uniform, vanishing any signs of the scar I once had."
Hermione just grabbed his face and kissed him passionately. It was all she could do, at the moment, since the room started filling with goblins. Three of them came to her.
"Lady Ravenclaw, the ritual room is ready for you. Please come with us. The ritual will only take a few minutes, but the preparations take much longer," one told her.
She was led to a nearby room that looked like a changing room. "We must all disrobe here. Any clothes may interfere with the ritual," her guide explained, starting to disrobe.
Hermione wasn't sure she wanted to be naked in front of them but obliged. A moment later, she was surprised to see that her escorts were also females. When clothed, she could see no gender differences.
She was then led to a small round metal door of the kind found on bank vaults. They crawled through it into a ball-shaped metal room. Hermione was asked to stand in the centre while several goblins painted her body with various runes and other symbols. It tickled badly, but her resolve showed and she stayed as still as a statue until they finished.
Then, they formed a circle around her, chanted and moved their arms in some weird movements and also seemed to dance a bit. Before she could even see everything, her body started glowing. It turned quickly into a bright flash that made them all feel like the room turned dark after it was gone. When her eyes readjusted, she saw no signs of all that had been previously painted on her body.
"It's over. Your bind is gone. You may get dressed and we shall lead you back to your friend," the same goblin told her.
A short while later, she was looking again at Harry, who seemed to sleep peacefully once again. She sighed and tucked herself in bed. She also needed some more sleep.
–..–
She woke up when she heard some people moving around. Opening her eyes, she noticed that the room was filling with goblin healers. Looking at the adjacent bed, she saw that Harry seemed to wake up soon. After sharing a bed for several months, she could already discern that quite precisely.
Indeed, Harry woke up a few minutes later, looking well-rested. His eyes landed on Hermione's and he smiled. "How are you? Slept well?"
Hermione smiled back. "Quite well. And you?"
"I slept well too. I didn't feel tired after the ritual but they said I needed my sleep to recharge my magic since it was heavily used during the ritual."
"They told me you slept during the ritual too," she said.
"Well, at first they painted various symbols on my body. Then I had to lie with my head in the centre of the room and they started chanting. Next, I know, you were hugging me." His smile indicated that he liked the hug.
"Well, my ritual was a bit similar, only I stood in the centre and it took mere minutes," she said.
Sharpclaw was approaching them, looking rested too. "I suggest you eat breakfast first. Then, Lord Potter's eyes will be checked and corrected, if needed. Then, I'd like to talk some more to you before you leave the bank, if you don't mind."
Harry nodded his agreement. He then noticed that he was still wearing only hospital robes. "I think I should return to my own clothes first, though."
Sharpclaw chuckled. "I don't think they still fit you, Lord Potter. Your treatment also made you grow and reach your right proportions, for your age. Our tailor will join us shortly and will be able to adjust all your clothes to fit. Until then, you may stay in hospital robes.
Harry grimaced but nodded.
Sharpclaw pointed at a nearby table where a breakfast for two was waiting. It wasn't as big or as varied as at Hogwarts, but it was more than good enough. Both children ate with gusto, easily finishing all that they were served. By then, another goblin had joined them.
"This is Goldthread, our tailor. Try getting dressed. He will adjust each item as you put it on," Sharpclaw instructed.
Once clothed (and Harry also tried on the overcoat, just to make sure it was also adjusted), another Healer led them to a room assigned for eye treatment.
Ten minutes later, with Harry wearing his adjusted clothes and shoes, but no eyeglasses, Sharpclaw escorted them back to his office and invited them to sit before sitting in his chair.