Chapter 12 – Medical Blue is Muggle Magic

Garrick Ollivander was skilled at Apparition, but rarely performed Side-Along Apparition. Susan was unprepared for the unpleasant sensation – nobody ever is the first time – and there had been no time to warn her, but she took it better than many witches do. They had Apparated to immediately outside the TARDIS. She wasted no time in unlocking the door, but was dizzy and needed support to stay on her feet.

The clatter of their entry woke Mundungous at once. He leapt to his feet, pulling the cloak around him even as he did so. They were pre-occupied when they came in, had they even noticed him? It seemed not, but he shuffled round to another part of the room to keep well away from them. Susan went through one of those doors that would not open for him, and returned two or three minutes later carrying something heavy and bright blue, some sort of bag. She spoke to Mr Ollivander, but Mundungus, under his cloak, could not make out her words. Ollivander put the blue bag on his back – it was a haversack with straps - and he and Susan hurried out, closing the door before Mundundous could get near to it. If he opened the door now to follow them they might see it open and wonder what was going on. Instead he went to the internal door Susan has just used, but it again refused to open. He even tried some opening spells, with and without his wand, but nothing doing!

Outside, Ollivander had persuaded Susan that he could not take her back the same way; the risk of splinching was too great. Hurriedly, she explained how to use the medical pack: "It's Earth technology, twenty-fourth century, and intended for use after natural disasters. You need no skill to use it: the simplest way is to put the patient's hand into this hole and let the pack do the rest. It'll tell you if you need to do anything else. Go now and good luck, I'll come as fast as I can on foot. Now hurry!"

Mr Ollivander found himself against the wall surrounding the quadrangle. There were fewer people about now, though he had been gone less than five minutes. A few steps away there was a huddle of people standing and kneeling around something on the floor: that must be the child, little Lavinia. Her mother was kneeling next to her, still holding her hand, and the bearded man on the other side was probably a doctor. Ollivander took off the back pack and walked hesitantly forwards, unused to taking control: he was a shopkeeper, not a medic, and was unsure of the muggle magic which Susan had thrust on him.

Lavinia's father grabbed his arm, and hissed in his ear: "Stand back. Give the doctor room; he is one of us though he is a Greek. My child's life is in the balance."

Mr Ollivander nodded and whispered back, "I have brought a remedy which may save her." He lifted up the blue sack.

The senator, a desperate father, called to the doctor: "What hope is there, man?"

"Senator, as I've said: the right potion quickly administered would bring her back to us, but I do not have it with me. I sent your slaves to fetch it from my lodgings, but they have yet to return."

"Doctor, this stranger claims to be holding a remedy. What do I do?"

The doctor paused, feeling his patient's pulse. Meanwhile, sensing the drama, everyone in the area began to congregate around them, silently waiting to see what would happen. "If those slaves are not back in one minute then it could be too late." He hesitated, then: "I can do nothing more, let him show what he can do."

Garrick Ollivander knelt down next to the stricken child and fumbled with the blue pack, looking for the hole which Susan had shown him. Gently he took Lavinia's thin little arm and pushed her hand into the hole, which constricted around the child's wrist. He let go and watched, having no idea what would happen next. Everyone held their breath. In the silence he heard running feet far off and hoped it was Susan, though she could not possibly have covered the distance in so little time.

Little Lavinia lay unconscious on the mat with her mother holding one hand and the bright blue bag enclosing the other. Ollivander and the Greek doctor knelt at her side, waiting for a sign. There was whispering all around; was there more colour in the child's face? There was a woman's voice demanding to know what was going on and a young woman joined the kneeling figures around the child. More people crowded around.

Lavinia stirred a little. The doctor felt for her carotid artery: "Her pulse is a little stronger, there is hope."

As minutes passed Ollivander gave his attention to the blue medical pack, wondering what it could be doing. Finally, it began speaking with a quiet calmly-repeating matter-of-fact voice: "… Emergency treatment complete, the patient is now out of danger. Complete rest is advised for the next 24 hours. Remove the patient's hand. Resuscitation unnecessary. No injuries detected. Emergency treatment complete …"

The medical pack was no longer gripping the girl's wrist. Gently, Ollivander removed her hand and stood up; it seemed his part was over. He stood in a daze of relief while various females fussed around the sleeping child. The Greek doctor gave him a deep bow and returned to his patient. Somebody told him that the late arrival was Lavinia's elder sister, the Vestal. Susan arrived and somehow retrieved the medical pack before anyone could become too curious about it.

Lavinia was raised on a litter, asleep but now with a healthy colour to her face, and carried away. Her mother and sister, supporting each other arm-in-arm, followed close behind; they had much to tell each other. The Greek doctor reassured the senator once more and then hurried after the litter.

"Well, stranger, that Greek doctor is a remarkably honest man; he swears that you saved Lavinia's life when he had given up hope. And I don't even know your name?"

"Garrick Ollivander at your service, senator. This is Susan; you should thank her and her grandfather for providing the remarkable magic that treated your daughter."

"We are in your debt, both of you. Please, come and dine with us; it is time for the midday meal and we feast to celebrate the Great Dance. You spoke of a grandfather, is he here?"

While they strolled along Ollivander explained that The Doctor was on his own, somewhere in the City, and that they were to meet together at dusk. He made no mention of the TARDIS or of time travel. As soon as she could, Susan drew Ollivander to one side so that they could speak in private. "Mr Ollivander, we must go back to the TARDIS. Didn't you notice something strange when we went in to collect the medical pack?"

"Do you mean the smell of strong drink?"

"What! … No, I saw somebody or something, just for a bare second as you helped me in, and then they were gone. Bringing back the medical kit was more important, so I said nothing then. But I think there's an intruder in there, and I didn't dare stay inside to face them. Suppose they hurt grandfather? We must go back, now!"

"If there is somebody there, could they do any harm? Could they fly it away?"

"Not unless they are a Time Lord. But they did get in without setting off an alarm; that does sound like time lord work."

"Are you sure you saw someone?"

"Yes! I think we should go back to the TARDIS and wait for grandfather. He'll know what to do."

Mr Ollivander spoke to their host, who had been politely waiting for them out of earshot, and explained that they were concerned about Susan's grandfather and needed to return to their meeting place. It was agreed that they would call on the senator later, either that day or the following, and with his repeated thanks and blessings they parted.

Mr Ollivander still refused to apparate with Susan, saying that if it had occurred to him earlier that he couldn't repair a splinch then he would not have tried Side-Along Apparation with her, even in an emergency. "Susan, your medical pack may or may not be able to correct a splinch, but even if it could they can be agonisingly painful; that's one reason why you are not allowed to try until you are seventeen."

They walked briskly back towards the Tardis, Ollivander wearing the heavy medical pack on his shoulders. "Susan, why is it this colour?"

"That's the sort of question grandfather is always asking me. Well, it stands out well doesn't it? You would have no trouble finding it in a hurry, and it glows in the dark. Anyway, on this planet blue signifies 'medical.'

"Does it? Both in the wizarding and muggle worlds it's usually a red cross on white."

"In the twenty fourth century it's just that blue colour. Don't you have blue sticking plasters? Don't emergency ambulances show a flashing blue light?"

"Hum. … Do you have any means of contacting your grandfather? We don't want to spend hours hanging around outside your TARDIS not daring to go in."

"Oh no! I left it behind in the TARDIS, in my shoulder bag."

"There's no way of finding him?"

"Perhaps, once we get back to the TARDIS."

The TARDIS was as they had left it. Susan did not open it, but examined the outside. "There is a hidden device somewhere for calling the principal key holder, but I don't know what it will look like. This is a new camouflage."

She found the little door with the telephone inside, but it was dead, and was wondering what to try next when The Doctor arrived unseen, making both of them jump. "Susan, what is going on, why have you got that medical pack?"

"There was a sick child, grandfather; we'll tell you all about it later. Right now I'm worried that there is an intruder in the TARDIS." She explained what she had seen.

"If there is something in there then you were right to wait for me. Mr Ollivander, did you notice anything?"

"I saw nothing Doctor, but I did notice, well, a faint smell of strong drink."

"Tell me, is there a spell that will make someone invisible?"

"More than one, but even with a good wand they are close to useless. For invisibility you need an invisibility cloak – they can be bought in Diagon Alley."

"Can they? Then I believe I know who you saw. We had a clue earlier and I overlooked it."

Chuckling and looking pleased with himself, he offered them no explanation, but unlocked the TARDIS and opened the door wide. "Mr Fletcher, you will show yourself now! Behave yourself and I just might take you home again."