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Chapter 36 – The Hospital
Harry paced back and forth in the hospital room. Anger was evident on his face, as a man who was evidently a healer, walked into the room and looked at his patient. "Hello, Harry, I'm Morty."
Harry snorted in derision. "How wonderful for you. Let me go."
The man nodded. "Eventually, but we have some things that we need to discuss first; and until we do, I'm afraid that you'll have to stay here."
Harry's smile was cruel and mocking. "And I'm afraid, Morty, that I am going to have to curse you into next year."
The man laughed and shook his head, "You might as well know, Harry, that there are wards in place around this room that dampen your magical ability. You can't curse me."
Harry turned and looked at the window, as if to study the merits of breaking it and jumping to the ground."
Morty followed his gaze and added, "Unbreakable charm, placed on the outside. Bars make people feel, caged, so we came up with this little idea. Pretty ingenious, don't you think?"
Harry turned and sneered at the irritating man. "Delightful. When I return to my Master, you will be the first to die a slow painful death…" then he added as an afterthought, "…Morty!"
"Who is your Master, Harry?"
"I wouldn't soil his name by speaking it in your presence. He is my Master. That is all you need know."
"All right, as you wish, Harry; but this is one of the subjects that we will need to discuss before I release you to your wife."
"My wife!" He spat out. "I have no wife. I have only my Master."
The man looked surprised. "Oh? Really? Hum, well there is a young lady and a small boy waiting, not very patiently, to see you. She says she is your wife. Do you remember her, Harry?"
Harry stopped, and remembered something that Draco had said, just before he was taken by these…these…squibs. He had said, "You have a family that loves you, go back to them." Then he waved a hand in front of his face to dispel the thoughts. "Why would I listen to anything that a traitor says?"
He didn't realize that he had said that out loud, but he must have, because Morty asked, "And who is a traitor, Harry."
Harry growled and threw himself into a chair. "That is none of your concern. I will deal with him when I get out of here; and mark my words, I will get out of here. My Master will come for me."
"Perhaps. Perhaps he will punish you for being captured."
"It is no more than I deserve. To allow that ungrateful bas…"
But Morty held up a hand, "We need to establish some ground rules before we go any farther, Harry. There will be no foul language in our discussions. A spell has been placed upon you that should your language deteriorate into vulgarity, you will receive a shock. Now, as you were saying."
Harry's voice literally dripped with sarcasm. "Oh, and do the good guys really torture?"
Morty chuckled. "I suppose you could look at it that way, but it's not torture if it is self-inflicted.
"You're a real bastard aren't you?" A jolt went through him that traveled from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet, but he smirked.
Morty was writing something on the clipboard, when Harry stood, grabbed the arms of the healers' chair, leaned in close and let loose a string of obscenities that turned the air blue. He then smirked at the Healer, stood up and sneered, "I've endured worse on a walk through the woods, you fool. Do you know what the Cruciatus Curse does to you? Once you've experienced that, nothing else compares.' Harry sat down and laughed at the genuine look of surprise on Morty's face.
He looked at Harry without comment for a moment. "Some other form of punishment then is in order, Mr. Potter."
"And who, may I ask, is Mr. Potter? Surely you aren't speaking of me!"
"That is your name, Harry Potter."
"My name is Harry, just Harry."
Suddenly, there was a tremendous amount of commotion, coming from outside Harry's door. Morty threw a disgusted glance over his shoulder as if it were the door itself that was guilty of the noise.
"I WILL SEE HARRY, NOW! So, if you don't want to be blasted into oblivion, I suggest that you move out of my way!
Harry stood, looked at the Healer, and raised an eyebrow. "A little performance for my benefit, Morty?"
"Not one of my doing, I assure you."
Just then the door swung and Ginny Potter ran into the room. She ran across the room, threw herself into Harry's arms and started covering his face with kisses.
Harry pushed her away and wiped his lips pointedly. He looked at the healer with an unspoken question.
"Your wife, Ginny."
For the first time, Harry looked at Ginny. Flashes played through his mind as he looked at this woman, and a hatred so pure assaulted his senses. He grabbed onto the foot of the bed to keep himself upright,
Immediately, Morty grabbed him to keep him from falling. "Mrs. Potter, leave!"
Harry's breath was coming in quick gasps and a fine sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead.
"No, he is my husband, I will stay."
Harry reached out his hands, and before Morty could stop him, had them around her throat and was squeezing."
Ginny tried desperately to loosen his grip, but it was trying to bend steal with her bare hands.
Harry growled into her face. "I killed you once, bitch. You should have stayed dead!"
"Harry, release her or I will have to stun you and put you in restraints."
His grip only tightened.
By this time, Ginny had quit struggling and she was allowing the darkness to overtake her. She fell to her knees in front of him and she looked up into the eyes of hatred.
The next moment, Harry was lying on the floor due to a well placed stunning curse.
"Mrs. Potter, are you all right?"
Ginny was on her hands and knees gasping for breath, struggling to understand, and fighting to stay conscious. She looked at the Healer and said only, "Why?"
"I tried to tell you earlier, Mrs. Potter. This is not your Harry. It will be a long while before he is cured, if he ever is."
He helped her get to her feet. She looked sadly at the figure sprawled on the floor. "I will have him back, Healer. Do you hear me, I will."
"From your mouth, to God's ears, Mrs. Potter; are you able to walk now?"
She nodded her head and he led her to the door. She looked back one last time at Harry and tears threatened to fall. She shook her head to dispel any thoughts of defeat, straightened her shoulders and looked at the Healer. "You will tell me how I can help."
"The best way you can help, is not to come around for a while. I am sorry to be so blunt, but his mind is in a very fragile state right now. Another incident like this one might well push him over the edge."
"Healer, Harry Potter is my husband. He is going to have to get used to having me around for a good long time. I suggest that you start working with that point, because I am not going anywhere! Do I make myself clear?"
"If that is the case, Mrs. Potter, then you just might loose him for good!"
She looked past the Healer, to Harry. "You are wrong. Good day to you Healer. I will be back." Ginny turned and left with a new determination coursing through her veins.