Disclaimer: The plot is mine. I own nothing else.
A/N: Fixed date. Sorry about that. He arrived in the past Sat, 23/1/1988 and woke 2 weeks later Sat, 6/2/1988
Chapter 3 – St. Mungo's
– Sat, 6/2/1988 –
When next he awoke it was to a white ceiling and a familiar smell. 'Damn,' he thought, 'what did I do to end up in the hospital wing this time?' He reached a hand out to the bedside table beside him and fumbled for his glasses. As everything came into focus he sat up and looked about himself. Not the hospital wing after all, he realised. 'I wonder where I am then.' As if in answer to his silent question a woman bustled in through the door and stopped in surprise at seeing him up and aware.
"Goodness, we didn't expect to see you up and about for a while yet sir," she remarked before re-finding her businesslike air and hurrying over to begin casting diagnostic spells on him.
"Umm ma'am," she finished her spells and looked up at him questioningly, "Er, not to sound rude but who are you? And where am I?"
"Oh of course, I should have introduced myself sooner," she smiled, reassuring him no offence was taken at his rather abrupt questions, "I'm Healer Smyth, but feel free to call me Alice. You're currently in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. I assume you know where that is?"
"Yes of course," he nodded.
"Well dear, you were brought in to me after the Aurors investigated a sudden magical power fluctuation. Apparently the disturbance occurred in a muggle home in Surrey. Because of the bright flash of light the muggle authorities thought you had been elekituted – I believe the word is."
"Electrocuted," Harry corrected.
"Yes that's the word. Anyway you'd already been transferred to a muggle hospital by the time the Aurors arrived. Apparently the muggle residents where in a right tizzy. The gentleman was yelling something about freaks in his home or some such. Fortunately they've been obliviated."
He started at this little piece of information and almost slapped himself. The Dursleys were probably already living at number four and given their general opinion of magic would not have reacted well to a person magically appearing in their home in a flash of light. He really ought to have taken precautions such as finding somewhere else to leave from. Oh well, the damage was already done – and erased it seemed.
"Anyhow you were transferred directly here to St. Mungo's once they found you and realised what had happened," Healer Alice continued, "The Aurors will want to question you of course. Rumour is there are a few Unspeakables with them too. They're really quite curious as to what happened. Even tried to search through your belongings; can you believe the nerve of them?"
Harry's heart skipped a beat. If the Aurors searched his belongings they were almost certain to find the time-turner, and the Unspeakables were sure to recognise it for what it was. If that had happened then all his plans were ruined.
"Did they?" he croaked nervously.
"Well of course not. I told them off right proper I did. Honestly, you're lying here unconscious and there they were more concerned with snooping at your things. Well I told them they had absolutely no right and should be ashamed of themselves. Your things are safe and sound in my office now dear, not to worry."
He sighed in relief and threw her a thankful look. Before he had time to dwell on what might have happened had Healer Alice not interfered, a far more important question occurred to him.
"Hedwig," he asked anxiously, "What happened to Hedwig."
"Hedwig?" she asked confused.
"My owl. She's a snowy white owl and she was with me when – well when what happened, happened."
"Oh the little lady. Not to worry dear, your owl is just fine. Curious thing though. Now magical exhaustion, that's not exactly your everyday ailment, although it does happen from time to time. But magical overcharge – that's what you had – well that's a tad bit rarer still. And then to find not only you but your Hedwig suffering from it. Well was it not for patient confidentiality the Aurors would no doubt have been poking their noses in again, had they known of that particular curiosity."
"So she's alright then?"
"Yes, most certainly. She wasn't nearly as affected as you were. Woke up five days into your stay in a right snit. She's been acting every inch a queen ever since."
"That's my Hedwig," he smiled before a worrying thought occurred to him, "Wait, five day? Just how long have I been unconscious?"
"Today would make it an even two weeks," she informed him and then had to stop his leaping out of bed.
"You don't understand, there's something I have to do and I have a limited time to do it. It's really very important."
"Sir," she said suddenly quite stern, "you will desist with this behaviour immediately! If it has waited two weeks then it can certainly wait another few hours."
Properly cowed, he immediately sat back in bed. She gave him a satisfied nod before smiling gently and tucking his blankets back in around him, and he was left wondering how anyone could be such a perfect mix of Molly Weasley's motherliness and Madam Pomfrey strictness all at once.
"Now before I call in the Aurors I'll need you to clear up a few things for me. Firstly I'll need your name," she looked at him expectantly, quill posed to take down his name.
"Er, well you see," he squirmed uncomfortably, knowing he couldn't give her his real name, "The thing is. I, um – forget! That's it I forget."
He nodded emphatically and she hummed understandingly.
"And as to how you found yourself in such a state to begin with dear?"
"I forget that as well," he said thinking her fooled until she suddenly pinned him with a stern glare.
"You child, are a horrible liar."
"What, I-" he spluttered rather ineffectually and she gave a long-suffering sigh.
"I assume you intended to try that story on the Aurors too?"
"Er, maybe?"
"Yes well, they would have believed you about as much as I did. That is to say not at all."
Harry rubbed at his eyes in frustration. If he was forced into telling the truth everything would be ruined. Things were going badly enough as it was. Alice gave him a long look before coming to a decision.
"Well not to worry," she chirped cheerily, much to his confusion.
"Not to worry? You don't understand. They can't know; it would ruin everything."
"Yes but you see there's a little matter of patient confidentiality. And a wonderfully useful thing it is too."
"Patient confidentiality?"
"Exactly. And the wizarding laws in regards to it are rather sketchy you see. So if I, as your lawfully appointed Healer, were to decide that something – let's say your name, just for examples sake – were to be confidential, then there's really nothing they could do about it. In fact, as they've yet to get a very good look at you, I might even be inclined to decide that your entire identity falls under patient confidentiality."
She smiled triumphantly at him as he was left gaping in surprise.
"Do close your mouth dear, you look like a fish," she chided and he did so with a snap.
"Why are you doing this? Not that I don't appreciate it,' he added hurriedly, "Because I do. I really do. It's just that it seems to be asking rather a lot on your part."
"The answer is really quite simple. You seem a trustworthy sort."
"I seem trustworthy," disbelief obvious in his voice, "Despite the fact that I've yet to answer one of your questions truthfully? No offence but how in Merlin's name did you come to that conclusion?"
"I'm an Empath dear," she raised an eyebrow at his still-confused expression, "Empath's can sense other people; their emotions and such, sometimes even particularly strong thoughts. No need to panic now, I've not been reading your thoughts. My ability is rather limited. I get faint feelings of emotions, no thoughts. I can usually tell whether someone is being truthful or not – and no I didn't need that to tell you were being untruthful earlier; you're simply that bad a liar. Anyhow my most useful ability is to be able to sense whether a person has good intentions and whether they're trustworthy. That's how I know you're a good, trustworthy sort."
"Oh," he said, unsure of what else to say, "Well, thank you."
"Not a problem. Besides they've been awfully annoying, nosing in where they don't belong for the past two weeks. It'll be nice to get them back a bit," she grinned, "Now how about I draw these curtains so no one will see you and call in our friendly authorities, hmm?"
The interview that followed was rather amusing. Or at the least it was for Harry and Alice – not so much for the Aurors. Firstly they had to speak to him through a curtain as Alice informed them they were not authorised to see his face. And secondly he answered the barest minimum of questions with Alice informing them that the majority of them fell under 'patient confidentiality'. In the end it was a frustrated group of Aurors who trudged out of the hospital room, leaving a rather pleased Healer and patient.
"Can I leave now?" Harry asked eagerly as their guests left.
"I'm inclined to keep you here overnight," she raised her voice over his objection, "However, since you're technically completely fit and I do believe you have urgent business, I'm willing to release you now."
"Thank you!"
"Not a problem child. Now first I'll need a name for the file. Hush now, not to worry. You are now known as G445."
"G445?"
"If a patient wishes to remain anonymous that is of course their prerogative," she explained, "However we do need some way to keep track of them. Hence the assigned code. Next time you come in you can either do so under your proper name or under your codename alias. And if you decide your secrecy is no longer needed do let us know so that we can merge your files. It really is safer for you that we have access to all your medical information in one place. Just in case of an emergency you understand."
"Of course," he readily agreed.
"Alright then, your clothes are in the drawer to your left. I'm just off to fetch your belongings. You get changed out of that hospital gown in the meantime."
With that she bustled out of the room leaving Harry to get changed. Just as he finished tying the laces on his shoes there was a hoot-hoot at the window and a weight fell on his shoulder.
"Hedwig," he exclaimed happily, "How's my best girl been?"
She hooted happily and he grinned. Just then Alice knocked on the door and he called her in. She was dragging his trunk behind her and carried a small box under one arm.
"Ah, good. I see your two have found each other. Now, here are your things."
She handed over the trunk and box. He surreptitiously opened the later and was relieved to see it contained his calculations sheet and his time-turner which had been missing from his trouser pockets. He glanced up to see what Alice thought of it but thankfully she appeared uninterested.
"Thank you," he said.
"Not a problem."
"No I mean – for everything," he expanded and she nodded and smiled.
"You're welcome and you're free to go now. Hopefully I'll not have a need to see you in here again," she said turning to leave.
"I hope so too ma'am."
"One last thing," she stopped at the door and looked at him, "Good luck with that urgent business of yours."
..ooOOoo..
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