Chapter Sixteen – Night at St Mungo's

It had been a very late hour of the night when Albus was woken up by Professor McGarth. She had led him outside of the Slytherin common room before telling him that his father and uncle had been injured. From there Neville took James, Rose, and Albus into his office by the greenhouses. After a brief talk of reassurance, their Herbology professor had pointed his wand at a single grey sock before muttering 'Portus,' which made the object glow bright blue.

'Right,' he had said, 'hold on to this. You'll be there shortly.'

The Portkey had taken the trio to St Mungo's Hospital where they were greeted by Albus' mum Ginny and Aunt Hermione. They led the sleepy trio through the reception area which was filled with rickety wooden chairs and outdated issues of various magazines and through the double doors leading into the Artefact Accidents division. Albus' father's prestigious status as Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement (as well as Uncle Ron's – being married to the Minister) had afforded them their own private room at the ward. When they had reached Harry, Ron, and Teddy's ward, Albus first noticed that his uncle was unconscious and missing an arm. His father and Teddy had seemed to be in a better shape however and were wide awake chatting with a pretty blonde witch in lime green robes.

'Hi, are you the families? Good,' she had greeted them. 'Mr Potter and Mr Lupin are doing fine and are all stable now. Mr Weasley will have to stay in this state for a bit while we regrow his arm, I'm afraid. But there shouldn't be any long-term damage.' She'd smiled at them reassuringly. 'I'm Maeve Brown by the way,' the Healer had explained, 'I'm the trainee Healer in this ward under Augustus Pye.'

Two hours had passed since then. Neither his father nor Albus' mother or aunt would tell them what had happened ('We were hurt on a mission, that's all you need to know. We'll be fine.'). Now Rose, James, and Albus were all curled up on a sofa nearby their fathers' beds at the ward. It was a relatively big room with light beige walls, 4 beds, a sofa, a large fireplace, and a wooden door leading to a private bathroom. Uncle Ron's snores echoed off the clean walls of the ward every now and then. Otherwise, it was dark and quiet, and Albus was exhausted from the homework packed day he had earlier and from the rude awakening he had experienced that night. Still, he couldn't bring himself to sleep. Albus knew his dad, Uncle Ron, and Teddy were all going to be fine. He wasn't at all worried about that. Yet he still had a lot of trouble falling asleep. Albus figured it was the not-so-comfortable sofa he was half-laying on. Nevertheless, he closed his eyes and curled up next to Rose. At least I could get some rest, he thought.

'Are they all asleep?' He heard his mother whisper.

'Let me check,' replied Hermione quietly.

Albus heard his aunt pace over to the couch where he was hunched. He decided to fake being asleep. This opportunity to eavesdrop on his family was too good to pass. Maybe he could find out more about what happened and whether it had anything to do with the Lost Child. Though they had generally stopped their probe into the matter, Albus and Scorpius were still receptive to any developments in the Lost Child investigation. Scorpius had even subscribed to a delivery service of the Daily Prophet in order to stay on top of things. This, however, would provide a much better window into the investigation than any newspaper would.

'Seems so,' murmured Aunt Hermione's voice from nearby.

'Good,' said Ginny, 'Now can you please tell us what the hell happened back there with that Brooks bloke?'

'He's been Imperiused,' answered Harry's voice quietly. 'He had a big Erumpent horn with him, and he touched it after he couldn't resist the curse any longer. He didn't survive the blast, but he did manage to give us a description of whoever cursed him: two stocky siblings and a gorilla armed man. Sounds kind of like someone – or someones – we know, doesn't it?'

'Beats me – ' started Teddy.

'The Carrows?' whispered Hermione excitedly.

'Yes. And I'm willing to bet that this "gorilla armed man" is none other than our dear old friend Gregory Goyle,' replied Harry. 'Never heard of anybody else being described like this.'

'But didn't you say Dean saw they all died in Malmire?'

'Maybe they faked their deaths? Killed some poor souls – probably some wandering Muggles – and transfigured them to look like themselves.'

'And do you think they somehow found out about the Child and decided to go looking for it?'

'It seems like it – '

'But…' interrupted Ginny. 'Look, I hate to say this Harry, but I knew both the Carrows and Goyle pretty well by the end of my sixth year and… Well, they don't seem smart enough to figure all of this on their own, much less hoodwink you and all of your Aurors for the better part of a year now.'

'Yeah, they aren't smart enough to pull any of this off on their own. Which is why I believe there's still someone who's acting behind the scenes. Someone smart enough to just guide some eager ex-Death Eaters into action, while remaining hidden. It's unlikely that even the Carrows and Goyle themselves know who this person is…' said Harry.

'Do you think it could be Professor Montgomery?' Inquired Teddy. 'I asked Victoire, and she said she did notice he was behaving weirdly lately.'

At this Albus opened his eyes slightly. How was Professor Montgomery involved in all of this? Now that he thought of it, his Transfiguration teacher did seem slightly odd, but until now Albus had just taken it as the man's personality. He tried looking over slyly at his father's bed when he noticed Rose's eyes were also wide open. She was listening in on their parents' conversation, too.

'I don't know about Montgomery…' said Harry. 'He doesn't seem to be doing anything out of the ordinary – even if he does behave in an odd manner – at least according to Kreacher. There's also the fact that I can't think of any possible way he could've found out about the cave.'

'At least now we know that ex-Death Eaters are involved,' stated Hermione. 'That would explain the Dark Mark over Madley's house.'

'Yes, but pretty much only that…' sighed Harry in frustration.

After a short pause, Ginny cleared her throat gently. 'Do you know anything about that student they poisoned? What was his name again, Tim?'

'Thomas Delamont, yes he's been involved in this all along,' explained Harry. 'Weird things keep happening to him. I'm assuming our little Death Eater squad knew that we were watching him for a while and that's why they keep messing with this poor kid.'

Now Albus was really intrigued. He knew very little about the drama that took place between Tom, the Head Boy, and Riya Singh, his cousin Molly's friend, but from what he gathered he knew that Tom was being oddly aggressive and mean to Riya. However, he had no idea that this had anything to do with the Lost Child. If only there was some way he could go upstairs and talk to him…

'Poor Tom…' muttered Teddy. 'He's a good lad. Got promoted to be Head Boy after I left. Two Hufflepuff Head Boys in a row can you believe it? I should probably pay him a visit once I get some rest myself.'

'Did they manage to wake him up?' asked Hermione.

'Not yet,' replied Harry. 'It seems they Imperiused him too and made him wait with a bottle of poison to drink the moment anyone found him. We're lucky that Rasmi got to him and managed to get most of it out before he got here. Otherwise, this kid would've probably been as dead as Mr Brooks…'

'The Healer girl said they're keeping an eye on him upstairs in case he wakes up and tries to off himself in some other way,' said Teddy.

'You know, when we got here,' added Harry, 'she knew exactly who we were asking about and what happened to him. Seems a bit odd, doesn't it?'

'She's friends with Rasmi, don't you remember?' explained Ginny. 'We met her on Hallowe'en. He probably told her what happened and that you might drop by.'

'Right, now I remember. She did seem familiar.'

'Bet she didn't think we'd drop by for an overnight's stay though,' jested Teddy.

'Anyhow,' sighed Ginny. 'I think you should get some sleep. It's been a rough night on you lot.'

'Yeah, you're probably right…' agreed Harry. 'What're you two gonna do?'

'We'll probably go upstairs to the tearoom,' answered Hermione. 'No point for us to try and sleep now, it's almost five…'

Once Aunt Hermione and his mum left the ward, Albus went back to his struggle for what little sleep he could manage. He would have to fill Scorpius in on everything he'd heard tonight. Professor Montgomery and Thomas Delamont were involved, and someone had been assisting ex-Death Eaters to wreak havoc both at the school and around the country. His dad was sending Kreacher on tailing missions at the school. And it all related to the Lost Child… Could the Child be real? Could they have been working with the Death Eaters? Could it be someone at Hogwarts? It was a shame Albus didn't know about it earlier. He could have –

Something was poking him hard in the chest. Albus opened his eyes again to find Rose and James watching him with their fingers pressed to their lips. James lifted his arm to show Albus a silvery grey, fluid-like cloth he had pulled out of his bag.

'We're going to check on Tom Delamont. Are you coming with us?' Whispered Rose.

Albus nodded his head to indicate he was in.

James got up slowly and threw the strange cloth on himself and on Rose and Albus.

'What the – '

'It's an Invisibility Cloak,' murmured James.

'How in Merlin's left nipple did you manage to get one of those?' Asked Albus indignantly.

'Dad gave it to me for Christmas. It's like a family heirloom or something. He said don't go sneaking into the girls' showers at Hogwarts, never said anything about sneaking around in St Mungo's,' explained James with a wink.

'How come you get an Invisibility Cloak while I – '

'Shhhh!' Whispered Rose. 'Now's not the time for that, come on.'

The trio walked over silently to the doors leading out of the ward. Albus took a quick glance at his father and Teddy. They seemed to be fast asleep.

'We've got to do this quickly before our mums come back downstairs,' said Rose as they slowly opened the door and looked around the hallway.

'Where do you reckon they're keeping him?' Asked James.

'Probably on the third floor, "Potion and Plant Poisoning".'

'How the hell do you know that?'

'There was a floor guide at the reception, do you ever notice anything?'

'Only thing I noticed was how cute that blonde Healer was.'

Albus could practically hear Rose's eyes roll.

They advanced slowly through the corridors of the hospital, keeping as quiet as possible for three people walking as closely together as they had. James, who had a lot more experience with sneaking around than both Rose and Albus, was walking in the middle and steering them around. They walked along the corridor, through a set of double doors and found a rickety staircase lined with portraits of mean-looking Healers. The Healers in the pictures stirred and moved as they passed them going up the stairs.

They climbed their way through several flights of stairs, passing through CREATURE INDUCED INJURIES and MAGICAL BUGS and finally reaching the third-floor landing where a set of double doors led to a corridor signposted SPELL DAMAGE.

James pushed one of the doors gently and looked inside.

'I think we're clear. There's nobody around,' he whispered to the other two.

The trio slipped into the hallway mutely. They walked through the floor at a slow pace, stopping at each ward to look inside and see whether Tom had been put there.

After what seemed like roughly 10 minutes of searching, Rose looked through the window of the Arsenius Jigger ward and inhaled sharply.

'Oh, I think I see him,' she exclaimed. 'He's young, and I think I see Hogwarts robes folded on a chair by his bed. James, can you look? It's really dark and you probably know his face better.'

'Hmm yeah that's him,' said James as he grabbed the handle of the door to the ward and twisted.

'No, wait!' Whispered Rose. 'Don't you think it looks a bit strange?'

'How so?'

'They said they're watching over him but there's nobody in there with him… As a matter of fact, there's nobody around this entire floor.'

'Well, it looks like the door's locked anyhow so – '

'Alohomora,' muttered Albus, pointing his wand at the door. The lock clicked and the door swung open slowly with a low creak.

'I… I can't believe that worked…' said Rose in a surprised tone.

James smiled at her and pushed the door cautiously. As they walked inside, Albus noticed that Tom was the sole occupant of this ward. They closed the door behind themselves and moved toward Tom's bed. He was as stiff as a board and his face looked pale and twisted as if he was in quite a lot of pain. Albus tried looking at a clipboard that rested on the bedside table.

'Snooping around, are we?' Said a deep voice behind them.

They all jumped a mile in the air.

A man in his early twenties got up from his seat beside the door. He was broad-shouldered and auburn-haired with a closely trimmed beard. The man was pointing his wand at them and smiling triumphantly.

'If you could kindly become visible again, I would appreciate it,' said the man calmly.

The trio didn't move a muscle.

'It would make things easier,' continued the man. 'But if you fancy fighting dirty, I'm super into it – '

'No fighting!' Called Rose as she walked from under the cloak, her hands raised high. Albus and James followed suit.

The young man looked surprised to see them there. As if he was expecting someone more intimidating than three preteens.

'Well, well, well…' said the man. 'If it isn't Albus and James Potter and their cousin Rose Weasley – are you using a – ' He paused for a moment, looking at the Invisibility Cloak. For a fraction of a second Albus noticed a weird look in his eyes. It was fascination, deep interest. It almost looked like hunger. 'The Cloak of Invisibility…'

He smiled at them and put his wand back in his jacket.

'Wait a second you're – er – you're Erasmus van Helmont, aren't you?' Asked Rose. 'I saw you in the papers.'

'The one and only Miss Weasley, though I do prefer it if you call me Rasmi,' he winked.

'Hey, I know you too. I saw you one of the nights snooping around Hogwarts!' Said James, visibly clutching his wand in his pocket. 'What're you doing here?'

'I'm keeping an eye on Tom of course. I thought I'd set a nice trap – clearing the floor, shutting the lights, and all – for anybody who might come finish the job on poor Tom. Evidently, I only managed to catch three Hogwarts students in my net.'

'Is he going to be okay?' Asked Albus.

'I'm not sure…' answered Rasmi with a sad look at Tom's stiff body. 'The poison that they gave him doesn't really have a direct antidote. All they can do is give him essence of bezoar and hope that it'll be enough.'

'Umm… Rasmi?' Asked Rose.

'Yes, Rose?'

'Do you think Professor Montgomery is behind all of this?'

'Rose!' Called Albus. 'You weren't supposed to tell him that my dad suspects – '

'I know about Montgomery. And I believe Rose here knew that already judging by what she said regarding reading about me in the papers and how I'm working closely with Harry. Isn't that right?'

Rose nodded her head.

'Clever girl. And to answer your question: I believe that Montgomery might be involved – whether willingly or unwillingly that is a different question – but he's certainly not the driver of the operation.'

Rasmi paused and sat on one of the empty beds nearby. He gestured the trio to sit on the bed in front of him. Hesitantly, they all walked over to the bed and sat facing him.

'Why do you think Harry suspects Professor Montgomery?' Rasmi asked nobody in particular.

'Er…' began Albus. It was a weird question. No one – not one adult at least – had ever asked what he thought about the matter.

'He's been behaving oddly this year, hasn't he?' Said Rose.

'Yes, but is that all? Do you think your uncle suspects him just because he's been "odd"? According to my sources, he'd only started behaving out of character when he realised Harry was suspecting him. Why was he on the radar in the first place do you think?'

Silence followed.

'Let me throw you a bone,' said Rasmi with a smile. He was really trying to get them to think on their own it seemed. 'The young Tom Riddle, a.k.a. Lord Voldemort, was described – in his youth – as a handsome, tall, black-haired, dark-eyed, and pale-skinned man of supreme skill and above-average intelligence.'

'That could also describe Professor Montgomery!' Said Albus in an enthusiastic tone.

'Precisely!' Replied Rasmi with the same enthusiasm. 'And so now you know why your father suspected him in the first place: he seems to be a very good candidate for the Lost Child doesn't he? It certainly doesn't help his case that his past is shrouded in mystery. With him being the right age, his mother who died at birth and a single, unknown father who raised him on his own, and having supposedly "left the country" during the Second Wizarding War with no traces as to where.'

'So why aren't they arresting him then?' Asked James.

'Well, there isn't really much hard evidence to suggest that he is in fact the Child. It is very hard to get any personal information about him to be fair. I personally don't believe he is the Child – though I personally don't think the Child really exists – and even if he was Voldemort's boy, there isn't much evidence to suggest he's been involved in the recent troubles. It's just your father's suspicions so far I'm afraid.'

'But,' said Albus, 'if the Child doesn't exist why would the Death Eaters be going to such trouble to find them? And why release the Dementors?'

'Why do you think?'

'To hurt my dad…'

'Exactly. To wreak havoc. To cause panic and mayhem and pain. To torture your father for what he did to their beloved leader. Think about how they feel, Albus. Think about how you'd feel if anybody ever took everything that has ever meant anything to you in this world and burned it. You would want revenge too, wouldn't you? And knowing your father, I'd say the best way of hurting him is harming people he feels obligated to protect – which, incidentally, is everybody. That much, even the dumbest of Death Eaters know…'

'This makes me sick…' said Rose with a disgusted face. 'How can they be okay with harming innocent people just to make Uncle Harry miserable…'

'This is just how they think sadly,' explained Rasmi.

'Is… er… is there any way we could somehow help with all of this?' Inquired James.

'I'm actually glad you ask that, James,' replied Rasmi, eyeing the cloak that was held tight in James' hands. 'I happen to know that cloak – I'm assuming your father gave you – is quite useful. The infallible, unfailing, and impenetrable Cloak of Invisibility is truly a magnificent object. Really remarkable. Has it been passed down in your family for long?' He asked, giving James a piercing look.

'Er – yeah I think so. That's what my dad said.'

'Interesting… Well, I suppose it could be quite handy for sneaking around the castle don't you think?'

'Er… yeah,' James chuckled uncomfortably.

'I know that Harry wouldn't approve of this, but I believe that you three are more capable than he thinks you are. And, since I am not always available to observe things myself, and since you three are much less conspicuous to be wandering around the castle than a grown wizard or a house elf, how would you like to be my eyes and ears at Hogwarts?' Suggested Rasmi.

'And like… Report to you anything suspicious we see and hear around school? Is that what you mean?' Asked Rose.

'That is precisely what I mean,' replied Rasmi cheerfully. 'I figured you and Albus could mind what's happening in the castle and around Professor Montgomery during the day, while James can go snooping around at night. Since you already do all of that, writing to me briefly afterwards shouldn't be too much of a bother.'

'Sure, I'm up for it! Sounds fun!' Exclaimed James.

Albus' heart was pounding. Unlike his parents, his aunts and uncles, his teachers, unlike every adult he'd ever met, Rasmi was actually speaking to Albus at eye level. Not only that, but he was genuinely asking for Albus' help. Everyone else had told him to "leave it" to "mind his own business", told him that he was "just a kid" and that he shouldn't concern himself with this. Yet here was one of the greatest wizards of the century asking Albus for his own opinions, his own thoughts, and his assistance. He couldn't pass this opportunity.

Albus nodded his head in agreement. Rose – after seemingly considering things for a second – nodded her head as well.

'I must stress,' said Rasmi, 'that under no circumstance you may get yourselves in a dangerous position. Only go as far as is reasonably safe with your inquiries – both expulsion-wise and bodily harm-wise. I don't need your blood on my hands. Is that clear?'

They nodded to show they understood.

'If anything does happen. If anything you see might endanger you or somebody else, you let me know immediately. I will come and deal with it or alert Professor McGonagall.'

'How could we let you know?' Asked Rose.

'Glad you asked Rose. You all have Nuntilluds, don't you?'

'Yes…'

'Well then you know exactly how to reach me quickly. You can also write your reports to me via Nuntillud – whenever you feel inclined.' Rasmi beamed at them. 'Thank you for doing this. Really. It is greatly appreciated. Now I think you should put that marvellous cloak back on and return to your ward. Your mothers would be coming down from the tearoom soon I believe.'

'How did you know they were at the tearoom?' Inquired Rose as James was throwing the cloak back over them.

'Ah well, I have other eyes and ears in all sorts of places Rose dear,' said Rasmi with a wink and a wave of a Nuntillud in his hand.

As they were leaving the ward, James turned around inside the cloak and said 'One more question. Why were you wandering around the castle at night? Was it just to follow Montgomery?'

'Oh no, not at all. That was for a little project I'm handling on behalf of your aunt, the Minister for Magic,' explained Rasmi. 'Can't tell you much more than that I'm afraid.'

Here is a ~slightly~ shorter one for you this time :)
It's slightly shorter because it's actually the first half of a chapter I decided to cut in half.
So next week: another Albus chapter!
Things are drawing to a close slowly in this book and I'm very excited about the next couple of chapters:)
Hope you all enjoyed this one!
Paul

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