Second Floor: Magical Bugs
(Contagious maladies, e.g., dragon pox, vanishing sickness, scrofungulus)
Third Floor: Potion and Plant Poisoning
(Rashes, regurgitation, uncontrollable giggling, etc.)
Fourth Floor: Spell Damage
(Unliftable jinxes, hexes, and incorrectly applied charms, etc.)
Fifth floor
You know that point where your feet feel heavier than lead, your head constantly pounding seems natural, and somehow every little noise is louder than an overly cocky trumpet section in a high school marching band. Well I passed that point six hours ago. Six hours, four wand misfires, seven aurors that met with the wrong end of a death eaters wand, two overdoses on Wesley product, and one wand shoved up a first year Hogwarts students nose. They don't pay me enough for this. No one is paid enough these days…
"Dr. Granger we have quite the sever case of overdose on Wesley product, the lass consumed ten of product four six six five, which floor should we rush him to?"
Trainees never seem to think on their own feet when they first arrive, sadly that's a skill that comes only after one's seen death. When ten aurors arrive each in critical condition and the decision of which ones you can save, and which ones have to wait is forced upon you, well trainees make or break rather quickly Qwen is one of our better Trainees though.
"Third Floor, take the lift. Should you need assistance, confer with Professor Longbottom."
Nodding she moves forward revealing a young red head uncontrollably loosing every meal that she had ever eaten into a blue bucket, the color that represents having been magicked to literally have no limit to what it can hold. The red buckets are always full of clean water which is wonderful for cleaning, although every trainee finds a way to knock one over and flood floor two, never floors one or three though…. The green buckets..well those are best left for another day.
"I thought that Professor Longbottom had already taken his leave."
She's blushing. I probably shouldn't tell her that Neville has a few admirers back at Hogwarts. The one thing this hospital needs is hope, I will not be the one to take that away no matter how juvenile it may be.
"I do believe he remains here at the moment, however he will be taking his leave soon."
She pauses for a moment hesitating to make her statement while the small red head behind her slumped to her knees utterly miserable. Normally I'd intervene but I was off work six hours ago…
"I've heard that he is uncomfortable here."
Lovely.
"Would he be the only person that you know, who is uncomfortable in this hospital?"
She's going to ask me a question of which I am in no position to answer. I'm off work, I was off six hours ago, why can't I ever get out of here?
"Is it true, about his parents? That they are in here because they were…."
Her voice trails off. She has no business asking me such things if she wants to gossip she should do so on her own time.
"Ms. Henry you should refrain from believing all that you hear while standing at the water fountain. With the dark lord still standing there are far more prominent needs. Should you seek answers , you would be wise to speak with the source him self rather than sneaking around behind his back in. Now I believe that you have a patient whom needs attending."
Her pride is slightly battered, but she'll live. I should know.
Speaking of Neville, I should probably check on his parents before I leave. I promised that I would be sure to attend to them myself when he heard that I was accepting a scholarship here. No one visits that section of floor four. Katie is up there as well, Katie Bell. She's a true hero of our time, no one visits her either.
Turning, I watch the elevator door shut. Lovely. How wonderful, my aching feet will once again travel the stairs four floors isn't to far to climb. Breezing through all of the checks, I walk into the long term ward, nodding hello to Patty. I never like seeing their pale faces, their weak bodies, the way their eyes look past me. They don't even recognize each other, one day I will help them. No matter what it takes.
With an effective sigh I tear myself away from their window, and walk up to Katie's. She's sleeping her face too pale. She looks nothing like what she did when she was playing for Gryffindor. None of us do. To think, Harry's first quittage game was thirteen years ago…
"Tere's a new patient in ward two, if you'll visit her. Another visitor courtesy of the dark lord. It'd ease my weak heart should you check on the lass before you leave yourself. Ahh, ,and my wee lass you need ta get some sleep as well."
Smiling at Patty I nod.
Assured that my long term patients are well, as well as they can be, I allow myself to finally head for the stairwell and then hopefully home. Passing the last room on this floor i'm finally going to get to sleep.
"He*wheeze*lp."
Never mind, grabbing the chart hanging outside the door I'm instantly in the room wand ready. There's a tiny blonde in the bed that looks far to large for her, she cann't be older than a seventh year, and I quickly grab the glass of water that we keep on every patients bedside table, support her body that's racking with coughs attempting to clear an airway on it's own and failing, and lift the cup to her lips. After a few she calms down enough to sink into her mattress, and I move away from her bed into the light provided by the still open door, to check her charts.
Patient : Gabrielle Delcour
Weight : 98 pounds,
Height : 5'7''
Age : 21
Prognosis : Patient was struck by a lung shrinking curse two months ago and sought medical attention once she returned. All immediate damage has been repaired, the remaining damage will be repaired with a potion of mandrake root. The potion is currently still brewing once complete we will receive it from Hogwarts estimated time is one more month. Until then patient is under strict bed rest and will remain under the care of Saint Muggos.
She's going to have trouble for at least a month after the potion has been administered and will require intense physical therapy to fully regain the stamina that she had. She looks defeated.
"Any Better?"
Asking patients questions is as important as checking their basic stats, sometimes more important. Waving my arm her temperature appears in the air over her head along with her blood oxygen level among other things.
"'appens ofen."
She rasps, her raw voice a testament to how often her body's desperate attempts to attain oxygen.
"The potion should be finished by mid November you should be cleared to leave by Christmas."
She perks up, they all do when their release is discussed. Then again, why didn't anyone tell her that before this?
"I 'ope to leave much earlier. Fleur 'ates this place as much as I do."
Fleur? The Beauxbaton triwizzard champion, she did have a younger sister as I recall. That was a life time ago... If she has someone willing to look after her, she could leave early December.
"Where is she?"
"She ez out with her Auor squad, and ez due to return on Friday. Which means that I will see 'er on Friday, even if she should be resting."
Nodding i take a seat in the chair to the right of, checking the chart I reread her name, Gabrielle. She shouldn't be alone at least for the next few hours and well, it is my job to look after… I know what it's like to lay in a hospital bed waiting for some form of family to return and hold my hand.
"Care for a game of chess?"
I suppose that my face reveals my true feelings about the activity known as Wizzards chess…
"I play on a muggle chess board, Fleur believes that Wizzards Chess is barbaric and refuses to complete even one move on such a board. You had the same look she gets when…"
Her voice trails off as she has to take a breath, the dark circles under her eyes becoming increasingly apparent.
"She'll only play on that board. Care for a game?"
I really should go home, I have to be here in four hours for the early morning rush where we receive the aurors that are in need of, skill far greater than mine. .. . Still I can't pull my eyes away form the small girl laying in that bed, if it were Ginny I'd want someone to stay with her, she's Gin's age. ..
"Alright one game."
………………
And so it began. I never thought that something so insignificant as a game of chess, would lead to the fall of the dark lord, would lead to the triumph of good, would lead me to the best love I ever tasted.
This is a new Fic that i'm trying. The pairing will be Fleur, and Hermione... Other characters however, that's a completely different story.
New chapters should come weekly, biweekly, or whenever.
I've been watching this fic run circles through my mind and it's time i allowed it to come to the life of . I own nothing, so no Harry Potter or Millions of dollars for me. I get no money from this however REVIEWS make me giddy.
Until next time
-laces