Brink of Insanity

By: Deathly Words

Disclaimer: I do not own HP.

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Prologue

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White.

That was the only way to describe the place. Ever since she first stepped into the building, everything around her had been white. It almost reached the point of blinding someone with its whiteness. Even the doctors and the nurses who ran around the place were dressed in starch white robes. The place smelled of Lysol with a tinge of a metallic scent and every time she passed by a room, she would always get the feeling of death. That feeling will never leave the rooms no matter how hard one can try to make it go away. All this only boosted her hatred of hospitals.

Occasionally, she would see some people in the halls – relatives and friends of the patient. There were also children now and then who would wander around playing Explorer. Just a while ago, she saw a nurse scolding the children for almost knocking over a cart of potions.

Alas, she reached a long hallway with no doors on either side of the hall. At the end of the hallway, there was a glass doorway with two glass panes on either side and one above the doorway. Through the glass, she saw a guard sitting behind a desk facing the opposite wall. Behind him, she saw another doorway just like the first. All this brought back what she remembered reading on St. Mungo's. The glass was bulletproof glass in the rare case that one might use Muggle weaponry. It is also charmed to absorb magic when one attempts to destroy it with magic. The first doorway was charmed to detect any weapons and wands that the person is carrying and it is required to hand them over to the guard before going through the second doorway. Once a person enters through either one of the doorways into the space where the guard is, they're magically locked in until the guard grants them access. The second doorway was charmed to identify anyone that passes through it, keeping a record in case of any breakouts or break-ins. She remembered reading that the charm on the second doorway was invented by none-other than Albus Dumbledore himself when he was only 23!

When she passed through the first doorway, she felt a slight breeze. It reminded her of the Muggle machines that blow air at the people, checking for any bombs or anything that might threaten people's lives. When she was through the doorway, the guard watched her expectedly. Quickly, she took out her wand and handed it over to him.

"State your purpose here."

"I'm here to visit Severus Snape, a request by Albus Dumbledore himself."

The guard nod. "You may pass through. The man that you're looking for is in P13…" Before she passed through the second doorway, the guard smiled with sympathy.

"Welcome to St. Mungo's Mental Institute."

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A/N: It's a short intro, but it'll get longer soon. Promise.