Title/Link: "What A Nightmare"
Team: Appleby Arrows
Position: Keeper
Season 9 Round 4
Task: "Asylum"
Bonus Prompts: n/a
Summary: Albus Dumbledore knew that he was the darling of the British Wizarding world, and revered as an icon the world over in the magical community. But one day he wakes up to find himself in a Muggle Insane Asylum. Was it all a dream?
Word Count: 1382
A/N: Tbh, I knew I wanted to start this in an asylum, based off of the prompt from the QLFC, and then the rest wrote itself :) This is probably the first fic I wrote this season where I had the title of the fic before I wrote anything XD
Thanks to my Captain DaughteroftheOneTrueKing, Freyja-luna, and the rest of my team for reading through and beta-ing.
I hope you enjoy! :)
The first thing Albus remembered thinking when he woke up was that the sheets and his bed didn't feel right. They were comfortable enough, but they weren't his. Opening his eyes, his gaze sought out the white ceiling above him, which merely added to his growing pool of questions. Sitting up, he let his gaze sweep the plain room that he was in. A simple wooden desk and chair sat in the corner, facing a set of windows that, when he craned his neck to peek, looked out over a sprawling lawn with very few trees. The garden itself was enclosed with a very high metal post fence.
Facing the room again, Albus pushed himself out of bed. The bed itself was definitely not his, and contained a blue comforter and starched white pillows. Other than the few pieces of furniture, there was nothing else in the room, not even a newspaper or a book, nothing to occupy his mind. His wand was nowhere to be found, and when he tried to summon up his magic, he felt nothing.
It left him feeling naked, despite the simply cut trousers and shirt that he wore. With no idea of what was going on or where he was, Albus, for the first time in many years, felt fear.
He jumped as the door opened, revealing a familiar woman dressed in a nurse's outfit with a food tray in hand.
"Good morning, Brian!" Minerva McGonagall trilled in a way very unlike her. Albus had to take a second look at her, unable to match what he remembered with the woman standing before him. "Oh! You're awake already," she noticed, giving him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"What...what am I doing here? Minerva, what is going on?" Albus asked, taking a step forward, causing a frown to appear on her lips.
"That's Nurse McGonagall to you, Mr. Dore," she retorted as she headed for the desk to set the tray down. There was a simple breakfast of oatmeal, toast, and a banana. There was also a paper cup of tiny candies sitting on the tray as well. It was this cup, and the plastic cup of water, that she picked up and handed over to Albus. "This first, then breakfast!"
"What is this? Who is Mr. Dore?" he asked, accepting both cups but consuming neither of them.
"My, awfully coherent today, aren't you Brian?" Nurse McGonagall retorted. "That's your name, Brian Dore. It's what you told us when you were brought here. Granted, you were a little bit loopy, only mumbled your name. Said you were the defeater of Grindelwald, Order of Merlin, First Class. Merlin! Who even references that anymore?" she asked, chuckling as she went to the bed and made it, chattering the entire time she did so.
"But I did defeat Grindelwald! We dueled nearly to death, and only through my mercy did he survive! I stopped his rampage through Europe, and many lives were saved as soon as I could intervene!" Albus retorted, dropping both the cup of water and cup of candies to rush over and grab her by the arms. She gave a shriek in surprise, and he shook her, to try to get her to remember. "Minerva! I am the Headmaster at Hogwarts! You are my deputy Headmistress, and the Head of Gryffindor House, and my Transfiguration teacher! You must remember!"
"Brian, Dr. Grindelwald is the man in charge of this facility! You didn't defeat him. He's helping you with your recovery!" she tried to argue, looking up at him with fear-filled eyes.
"Grindelwald is a madman who wants to subjugate Muggles all in the name of the Greater Good, so that witches and wizards would no longer have to live in fear! Minerva, remember!" He shook her again.
"He's a very nice man! Brian, stop this!" Minerva tried saying, but Albus shook her harder. If he just had his wand, he could undo whatever memory charm was on her. So for now, he had to shock the memories back.
Strong hands suddenly gripped him by the shoulders and pulled him back, making him let go of her. She fell back, an unknown man coming to her side to check on her, while the hands tightened their grip on him. Albus tried to struggle away from their grasp, but the hands merely tightened, and he looked to either side of him to find bigger, burlier men wearing identical light blue clothing that looked loose fitting, allowing them freedom of movement.
"Orderlies, hold him down!" came another familiar voice. Albus looked at the door to find Gellert in a white coat, another nurse at his side holding a clipboard. "Nurse McGonagall, did he take his pills?" Minerva shook her head.
"No, Doctor. He was confused when I came in to deliver his breakfast," she replied, the orderly with her now ushering her away from Albus. The two holding his arms turned him so he could face Gellert, who had a frown on his face.
"Brian, I'm disappointed in you. This is the third time this week you've attacked one of my nurses. You need to stop ranting and raving about this world of magic! It's not real, Brian! You were lucky my asylum had the room when we found you, but at this rate, we might need to put you in isolation if you keep regressing. The Crown has become aware of your circumstances, Brian. Acute amnesia, delusions of grandeur, a magical society? This is such a world you've dreamed up for yourself. But in order for you to get better, Brian, you need to realize that none of that is real!" Gellert took the clipboard from the nurse next to him and signed something, before handing it back. Albus took this chance to get a word in.
"Gellert, you'll never get away with this! You can't hold me hostage, and keep me stripped of my magic! I will find a way to overpower you, and overthrow you from this despicable position. You will never win!" he declared, and Dr. Grindelwald gave a small chuckle in response.
"Oh Albus, I've already won," he said with a knowing grin, before turning to leave. "Double his sedatives!" he called over his shoulder before leaving. With wide eyes, as pieces began to fall into place, the third orderly approached with a syringe in hand, the medicine dripping from the tip of the needle. Albus began to struggle, even going so far as to successfully headbutt one man in the face, allowing him to get one arm free before the other orderly holding him slammed him to the ground. Dazed, Albus barely felt the needle slide into his arm.
Immense drowsiness overtook him, and as the orderlies released him, Albus' eyes fluttered shut.
With a gasp, Albus jackknifed into a sitting position on his bed, his familiar sheets surrounding him, panic gripping his chest. Panting, the remnants of his nightmare filling his mind, Albus got out of bed and staggered for the window, the coldness of the stone floor comforting on his bare feet.
The cool night air chilled him, and Albus realized he was sweat soaked. He used that sensation to help anchor himself back to reality. Looking around his bedchamber, he spotted Fawkes snoozing on his perch, his head tucked under his wing. And there, on the floor in front of the wardrobe, was the flamboyant hat he'd worn yesterday in celebration of Halloween. What else, what else, he thought as he looked around, mindfully taking deeper breaths to help him calm down.
He was back at Hogwarts. He was home.
As his mind stilled, Albus realized his hand was throbbing, and as he looked down, he spotted his blackened hand. Yes, that's right. The curse. He had gotten arrogant when he'd investigated the Gaunt Shack, and his hubris let Voldemort get the best of him.
He let his gaze wander, enjoying the cool breeze on his face. Spotting Hagrid at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Albus watched and saw a centaur emerge to talk with his groundskeeper.
Yes, all was right with his world.
Albus' hand throbbed again, and he moved to hide it in the sleeve of his dressing gown.
Well, everything was mostly alright.