St. Mungo's

Witches and wizards in lime-green robes were walking up and down the rows, asking questions and making notes on clipboards like Umbridge's. Chris noticed the emblem embroidered on their chests: a wand and bone, crossed.

"Healers," Tonks said to Chris. "They are Healers."

"Over here!" called Mrs. Weasley over the renewed clanging of the warlock in the corner, and they followed her to the queue in front of a plump blonde witch seated at a desk marked INQUIRIES. The wall behind her was covered in notices and posters saying things like A CLEAN CAULDRON KEEPS POTIONS FROM BECOMING POISONS and ANTIDOTES ARE ANTI-DON'TS UNLESS APPROVED BY A QUALIFIED HEALER.

"Tonks!" Chris whispered.

"Hmm?"

"Where did the incident happened with Mr. Crouch?" Chris asked curiously.

"Crouch?" Tonks looked surprised but answered quickly. "Outside. Luckily that day the road was less crowded. The Ministry had to put a hell lot of memory charms after the incident."

Chris nodded. 

A wizard hobbled and pranced sideways out of the way, the Weasley party moved forward a few steps and Chris read the floor guide:

ARTIFACT ACCIDENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Ground Floor

(Cauldron explosion, wand backfiring, broom crashes, etc.)

CREATURE-INDUCED INJURIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . First Floor

(Bites, stings, burns, embedded spines, etc.)

MAGICAL BUGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Second Floor

(Contagious maladies, e.g., dragon pox, vanishing sickness, scrofungulus)

POTION AND PLANT POISONING . . . . . . . . . . . . Third Floor

(Rashes, regurgitation, uncontrollable giggling, etc.) 

SPELL DAMAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fourth Floor

(Unliftable jinxes, hexes, and incorrectly applied charms, etc.)

VISITORS' TEAROOM AND HOSPITAL SHOP . . . Fifth Floor

If you are unsure where to go, incapable of normal speech, or unable to remember why you are here, our Welcome Witch will be pleased to help.

A very old, stooped wizard with a hearing trumpet had shuffled to the front of the queue now.

"I'm here to see Broderick Bode!" he wheezed.

"Ward forty-nine, but I'm afraid you're wasting your time," said the witch dismissively. "He's completely addled, you know, still thinks he's a teapot. . . . Next!"

A harassed-looking wizard was holding his small daughter tightly by the ankle while she flapped around his head using the immensely large, feathery wings that had sprouted right out the back of her romper suit.

"Fourth floor," said the witch in a bored voice, without asking, and the man disappeared through the double doors beside the desk, holding his daughter like an oddly shaped balloon. "Next!"

Mrs. Weasley moved forward to the desk.

"Hello," she said. "My husband, Arthur Weasley, was supposed to be moved to a different ward this morning, could you tell us — ?"

"Arthur Weasley?" said the witch, running her finger down a long list in front of her. "Yes, first floor, second door on the right, Dai Llewellyn ward."

"Thank you," said Mrs. Weasley. "Come on, you lot."

They followed through the double doors and along the narrow corridor beyond, which was lined with more portraits of famous Healers and lit by crystal bubbles full of candles that floated up on the ceiling, looking like giant soapsuds. They climbed a flight of stairs and entered the "Creature-Induced Injuries" corridor, where the second door on the right bore the words "DANGEROUS" DAI LLEWELLYN WARD: SERIOUS BITES. Underneath this was a card in a brass holder on which had been handwritten Healer-in-Charge: Hippocrates Smethwyck, Trainee Healer: Augustus Pye.

"We'll wait outside, Molly," Sirius said. "Arthur won't want too many visitors at once. It should be just the family first."

Mad-Eye, Aurelia and Tonks nodded and looked around completely alert. Chris and Harry drew back too, but Mrs. Weasley reached out a hand and pushed Harry through the door, saying, "Don't be silly, Harry, Arthur wants to thank you . . ."

And the Weasleys and Harry disappeared inside. Chris had a really weird feeling, Mrs. Weasley didn't really talk to her all day, in fact, she was kind of acting like Chris wasn't even there.

Chris decided to believe that voice and sat down on a nearby chair as Sirius, Aurelia, Tonks and Mad-Eye walked around.

Hardly ten minutes had passed when Ron stick out his head and called them. Chris entered with the others.

Mr. Weasley was occupying the bed at the far end of the ward beside the tiny window, surrounded by his wife and kids. He beamed when he saw Chris and Chris grinned back.

"How are you Mr. Weasley?" She asked.

"I am absolutely fine," said Mr. Weasley brightly.

"That was an exaggeration," Chris pointed out.

Mr. Weasley chuckled.

"Oh no, I'll be out before you know it," he said heartily.

"That's good then, Arthur," Sirius said smiling.

"But on a serious note, how are your injuries?" Aurelia asked.

"Well, I start bleeding like mad every time they try to take the bandages off," said Mr. Weasley seriously.

"Why?" Chris asked.

"It seems there was some rather unusual kind of poison in that snake's fangs that keeps wounds open. . . . They're sure they'll find an antidote, though, they say they've had much worse cases than mine, and in the meantime, I just have to keep taking a Blood-Replenishing Potion every hour."

"A poison which keeps wounds open," Chris muttered under her breath.

"It was You-Know-Who's Snake," Fred said beside Chris.

Chris turned to look at him, clearly surprised.

"That's enough," said Mrs. Weasley crossly. "You lot can wait outside now. You can come and say good-bye afterward. Go on . . ."

They trooped back into the corridor.

"Fred, what was —" Chris began but Fred completely ignored her and started rummaging through his pockets.

"Fine, be like that. Don't tell us anything," He said coolly.

"Looking for these?" said George, holding out the extendable ears.

"You read my mind," said Fred, grinning. "Let's see if St. Mungo's puts Imperturbable Charms on its ward doors, shall we?"

"Fred, George, what's going on? I think I'm missing something here," Chris said.

"That's what we're trying to find out," George said giving her one of the strings. "Exactly what are we missing."

"You two are impossible," Chris chuckled as she took the end of the string and inserted it into her ear.

"Okay, go!" Fred whispered.

The flesh-coloured extendable ears wriggled like long skinny worms, then snaked under the door.

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To be continued. . .