"Harry, what in Merlin's bloody name is the matter?" Dad demanded.

"I need you! Summer's real sick, you gotta help her!"

I could hear Dad muttering about that being a big surprise after she'd eaten a whole tree's worth of paper and whatnot, then he came into the kitchen, still wearing his nightclothes, his wand in hand.

He grimaced when he smelled the disgusting mess and quickly used that spell to banish the dog poop and the vomit on the floor, except for a small portion, which he used to figure out why she had become sick.  Two minutes later, he rose and looked quite concerned.  "Damn it all! Harry, we're going to have a very sick puppy on our hands."

"Why? What's wrong with her, Dad?"

"She's eaten chocolate and it's poisonous to dogs." Dad said. "I need to consult Hagrid, he'll know about how to treat her.  Stay by her, Harry.  Pet her, talk to her, I'll be back in a minute."

I went and sat down by Summer, she looked up at me and whined.  She didn't even wag her tail.  "Hey, girl.  You're sick, but Dad'll fix you.  He's a great doctor." I stroked her head and felt her nose, it felt warm.  I wondered if a dog could get a fever like a person? I continued to pet her, she didn't smell all that great since she'd been sick, and probably could use another bath once she was better.

"You're gonna be okay, girl.  Your tummy probably hurts, doesn't it? I remember when I was sick like that, I threw up all over my bed and the floor." I kept my voice soft and silky, like Dad does when he tries to get me to fall asleep.

I could tell Summer was listening, she kept looking at me, and I just kept talking, trying to make her feel better.  I was scared, I'd never known a dog could get poisoned by chocolate.  That was like my favorite food in the whole world.  How could such a good thing be bad?

Dad came back after about five minutes, with something that looked like black powder in a jar and a bowl of water and a medicine dropper. The black powder reminded me of the gun powder I used to see on some of my cartoons, just before the bad guy blew up everyone.  "Dad! You're not giving her . . .uh . . .gun powder, are you?" I blurted before I could stop myself.  The minute the words left my mouth, I felt like an idiot.

Dad gave me a look that said I was being stupid and said, "Harry, why on earth would I give a dog gun powder? I'm a Healer, not a murderer.  Use your head." He began to mix the powder with the water. 

"Then what is that stuff?"

"Charcoal powder.  It'll help absorb the chocolate in her blood.  Hopefully, she's vomited most of it up already." He filled the medicine dropper with some of the charcoal stuff and then ordered me to move over and took Summer's head on his lap. 

Then he stuck the medicine dropper in Summer's mouth and made her swallow the charcoal stuff.

Guess it must have tasted pretty gross, because Summer shook her head and tried to get away.  But Dad wasn't having any of that nonsense.  "No, you don't.  You have to take this, now quit fighting me." He continued to give her the medicine.

I could have told her it never did any good to fight with Dad when it came to taking medicine.  He always won, and you ended up taking it the easy way, with a spoon or in a cup, or the hard way, when he held your nose, poured it in your mouth and stroked your throat to make you swallow it.  I learned real quick to just take whatever it was and not give him a hard time about it.

Finally Summer had taken all the medicine and Dad gave her a cup of water to drink. Then he told me I was going to have to watch her really closely today and he'd give her more of the charcoal stuff when he came home on his lunch break. 

"But Dad, I've got school, remember?" I couldn't believe he'd forgotten that! Then again, it was only six thirty in the morning. 

"Of course, I'm an idiot!" he shook his head, disgusted at himself.

"Dad, I could stay home, though. If you called the school and said I was sick."

Dad frowned.  "You want me to lie so you can stay home and take care of the dog?"

"Uh . . .yeah, because Summer really needs me, Dad.  I don't wanna leave her alone when she's sick like this.  She's my responsibility. Please, Dad?"

"And who will watch you, Mr. Potter, while I'm at work?" Dad arched an eyebrow, turning the tables on me.

But I had an answer for that too.  "You could ask Misty to watch me.  Moony says she doesn't mind doing that, she likes me." Misty was Uncle Remus's house elf, and she used to come over here all the time to help my mum when she was sick, before she died. 

"I could also ask her to watch the dog and send you off to school, mister."

Ah, I'd forgotten about that! Drat! "Please, Daddy? Summer won't be scared if I'm there.  And I really don't feel all that good." I coughed.  "I think I'm coming down with something."

"Nice try, Harry.  I'll think about it.  Go and get dressed."

I left Summer lying on an old towel inside her crate then and went to get dressed, crossing my fingers and reciting a luck charm the twins had taught me.  Dad just had to let me stay home with Summer.  She'd be so lonely without me, even though Misty is very sweet. 

I started to go back down the hall towards the kitchen, when I overheard my father talking to Misty.  "And my son wants to stay home today and help look after the puppy, but I can send him to school if you think it's too much . . ."

"Oh no, Master Severus.  It is no trouble at all to watch little Master Harry." Misty said.

I felt myself start to grin from ear to ear.

Dad protested a little more, then he agreed, and it was then I walked into the kitchen.  "Dad? Can I please stay home? I promise I'll behave and listen to Misty and take care of Summer."

Dad gave me a semi-Snape glare.  "Very well, Harry.  But only this once, mind."

"Yippee!" I gave him a big hug.  "You're the best, Dad!"

"Humph!" he snorted, pretending to be all strict.  I wasn't fooled, though. "I'm a pushover, is what I am.  I'll call the school and tell them you're running a fever and have a touch of a sore throat and diarrhea."

"Yuck! Do you have to tell them details?" I didn't know why the school would want to know stuff like that.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do.  I'm a doctor, they expect me to tell them about illnesses," Dad said briskly. 

I go to a Muggle school, the one my mum and dad went to, as a matter of fact, and they all know my dad from way back and that he's a doctor, but not a wizard, of course. 

"Yeah, but can't I have a different sickness . . .something cool . . .like measles?"

"Harry, never mind about what fake illness you have," Dad began, sounding exasperated.  "Your job is to worry about the puppy recovering from her sickness.  And just so you know, this is probably the only time I will ever allow you to skip school and pretend to be sick.  If I ever catch you faking an illness and calling out in order to cut school, you will be over my knee so fast you won't know which way is up, and grounded for a month as well.  Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir." I said quickly.  I would never do anything like that, Dad would know immediately, don't ask me how, and I sure as blazes didn't want another spanking like the last one I'd gotten, for flying off the property without permission.  And being grounded for a month meant an early bedtime and no broom and no TV either.  It just wasn't worth the trouble I'd get into, skipping school for a day. Besides, I kind of liked school, though I'd never ever tell any kid in my class that, they'd think I was a suck-up.

"Good, see that you remember it." Then Dad put on his white Healer robe, the one he always wore to his office, and gave me a hug goodbye.  "Behave for Misty, Harry."

Then he walked over to the phone, which we hardly ever use, and called the school. After that conversation was over, he Apparated away to his office and I had a whole day free with nothing to do except watch a sick puppy.

That wasn't as boring as it sounds.  I mean, Summer spent most of the morning sleeping, so I could eat breakfast, Misty made me a ham and cheese omelet and toast, and then I took a nap on the couch for an hour and watched TV until Summer woke up. 

"I'll take her out, Misty," I told the cheerful elf, who had long blond hair and large pointed ears that stuck out from it.  She also had large green eyes and was wearing a kind of blue dress, since she wasn't bound to serve Uncle Remus any more, he'd freed her when he inherited his house before I was born. House elves can be set free if you give them clothes, and I think Misty still wore the scarf Uncle Remus had given her sometimes. 

Yup, she was wearing it now, tying up her hair.  It was red, one of his old school scarves.

I grabbed Summer's leash and picked her up, she was pretty heavy, but I'm pretty strong for my age, and carried her outside.  I brought her to the proper spot in the yard and she went.  She was still sick, though, ‘cause she had the runs. But Dad had warned me she might, so I wasn't too grossed out.

Afterwards, I brought her back inside, and Misty fed her some clear broth with an egg beaten into it. 

Summer ate a little and then lay down with her head in my lap.

I stayed there on the floor with her till she fell asleep, then Misty put her back in her crate and I decided to draw for awhile.

At half-past two, Dad came home for lunch, and he gave Summer some more of that yucky charcoal stuff and asked how she was doing.

"Okay, I guess.  She's been sleeping and I took her out a couple of times," I reported, telling him everything.

"I'll give her the charcoal solution two more times and then I'll cast a spell to see if the chocolate has worked its way out of her system," Dad said. "And now, let's see what Misty has made us for lunch."

Lunch that day was chicken sandwiches with cheese and lettuce on them and a little mayo.  They were really good, and we also had crisps and pumpkin juice.  Least I had pumpkin juice. Dad had a ginger beer.

Summer lay down and slept all through lunch, guess she still wasn't feeling too great.

Dad thanked Misty for watching us before leaving for the afternoon.

When Dad came home, Summer was feeling better, because she actually wagged her tail and barked a little when she saw him. Until Dad took out the medicine dropper.  Then she ran and hid under the table, and Dad had to Accio her out so he could give her the charcoal solution.

"Kids and dogs, they're both alike," Dad said, as Summer came floating out to him. "All of you love to make a fuss over taking medicine."

"That's ‘cause it tastes gross, Dad," I explained.  I had told him this before, but it looked like he'd forgotten it. "If you made it taste good, then we wouldn't mind taking it."  

Dad held Summer firmly and stuck the dropper in her mouth.  "Harry, sometimes I can't make medicine taste good, it'll interfere with the way it works on you, and it won't work as well. This is one such a time." Summer wrinkled her nose and whined. "Ah, don't look at me like that," Dad scolded gently.  "This is for your own good, you fool animal.  You want to die of chocolate poisoning?" He gave her some more.  "Next time don't eat a whole box of chocolate, crazy mutt."

"Well, at least she didn't eat the box," I said.

"How do you know that?"

"'Cause I found the pieces of the box in her crate this afternoon.  She must've brought it in there to chew on it." I said.

"Well, at least she has some sense," said my father, and he ruffled her head, and fed her the last measure of the solution.

For dinner we gave her some more broth, an egg, and a small piece of bread.  This time she ate half of it, though Dad watched her closely after to make sure she didn't get sick.

He gave her the last dose at bedtime, and took her out himself, after that he said she looked like she was doing better, and cast the spell to see if she was still poisoned.

"Looks like she's going to be all right, Harry.  You can give her a bath tomorrow when you get home from school."

"Aww, y' mean I'm not sick enough to stay home for another day?" I groaned.

"Not on your life. Get on into bed, young man."

"Merlin, Dad, can't I just stay home for an extra day?" I pleaded.  "Just in case-"

"No.  Once is all I'll give you.  Now enough, or else you'll be going to school with a sore behind."

I shut up.  There are times when I can push my dad and other times when I just better keep my mouth shut and do what he says.  This was one of those times.  I'd been lucky to get him to agree to one day, and at least Summer was better now.

But when Dad came in to tuck me in, I made him read me two bedtime stories before I'd go to sleep.  It was kind of my own little payback for him not letting me stay home again.  Don't ever tell him that though!