Chapter 8: To Be a Healer
Calamity assigned the 4th floor to assist in the re-wrapping of bandages. The Spell Damage floor had been filled with aurors all week after an incident in Sussex had turned sour between some of He Who Must Not Be Named followers and the Ministry of Magic. Christopher had even hissed to Calamity that there was one who had been attacked by an Inferius, barely making it out alive. In fact, St. Mungo's seemed to be almost half Ministry of Magic personnel and half victims of some senseless violence from He Who Must Not be Named. It wasn't all bad, though, Calamity thought as she threw away the old bandages and brought out new ones. All the violence had led to one of the deatheaters finally saying the Sectrumsempra incantation a loud. The curse had been causing trouble for Christopher and the other healers all year but now that they knew the spell and its effects they could start looking for a counter-spell. Until then, the wizards and witches of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and Auror Headquarters would have to settle for the long healing time of blood clotting potions and natural recovery.
The floor shook for a moment, then went back to it's usual stillness.
"What in the world was that," croaked Thomas McKinley, a middle ages auror who had a bandaged wrapped around his eye, neck, and sides from a slashing curse.
"Earthquake," replied Samantha Walsh, an auror taking a potion for a curse thrown at her to cause internal bleeding.
"We all know that's not likely," snapped McKinley. "No one appreciates the attempt at humor."
"Shut up," snapped the patient a few beds down. Calamity didn't know his name, but he had a grim serious face as he stared at the same spot all day and night. Christopher said that he was a high up official of the ministry's Department of Mysteries, but Calamity wasn't sure how accurate that was.
The floor shook again, more violently, and was accompanied by an explosion. It was loud enough to make the aurors reach for their wands, despite the hisses of pain that followed.
"Sit down, sit down. You'll strain yourself all over," demanded the Healer in charge (Herbert Scrimgeour) as he came waddling over. The aurors didn't sit. They stared at the door.
"Sounded like it was from the floor below," said turned to the exasperated looking Scrimgeour. "What's your lock down procedure?"
"Lock down procedure," spluttered Scrimgeour. "My dear, no one has ever had a need to attack St Mungo's. We are a neutral institution."
"Looks like you'll have to explain that to our friends with the dynamite," replied Mckinley.
"You, volunteer girl," demanded the Department of Mystery man. "Go get me a pain reliving potion from the closet."
"When was the last time you had one," Calamity asked. The man turned to look at her and she felt herself shrink back. He seemed to look right through her with his hollow eyes.
"Scrimgeour," he barked, not moving his eyes from Calamity. "When was my last pain relieving potion?"
"Three hours ago," replied Scrimgeour as he attempted again to usher the aurors back to their bed. But they wouldn't budge. Instead they began shutting the blinds and curtains of patients beds, muttering spells that made the curtains (and beds behind them) disappear from sight.
"There," said the man "now go get it."
Calamity hurried to the potion closet, looking through the titles of the the vials. She read through quickly: anti-poison, blood clotting, Skele-gro. "Too far," she thought. She back tracked and grabbed the Pain Relieving potion.
BOOM!
Calamity turned at the sound of the fourth floor door being blown off of it's hinges, but before she could leave the closet the closet door slammed shut in her face and clicked. She touched the door knob and pulled back her hand with a soft hiss. It was hot as red coals. She could hear the aurors shouting at one another and the sound of spells and explosions.
"Mitchell, come with us," demanded an unfamiliar female voice. "Come now and no one else gets hurt."
The aurors responded with hexes and curses. The deatheaters repaid the treatment, causing crashes and screams as surrounding patients were pulled into the fight, their camouflaged curtains knocked over or hexed away.
"Confringo" called a man's voice. There was the unpleasant sound of flesh separating that made Calamity turn away from the door, even though she could not see anything.
"Get Mitchell before he comes to," said the woman's voice again.
"What about the witnesses," asked the man's voice.
"Let them remember that no place is out of reach for the Dark Lord's powers. Our portkey leaves now!"
There was a pop and another click. The door sung open and Calamity stepped out, still holding the Pain Reliving potion in her hands. The room was turned upside down- beds and curtains were scattered across the ground and against the walls. Walsh came forward and looked at Calamity.
"You alright?"
Calamity nodded, but spotted the figure of Scrimgeour laying on the floor motionless. "Is he..."
Walsh looked over her shoulder. "Scrimgeour? No, he' just stunned right after Mckinley was hit with that blasting hex. Best he wasn't in the way. I reckon Mitchell knew it was coming as soon as he heard the explosion. Maybe before."
"Mitchell stunned him,"asked Calamity. She saw that the bed with the wizard form the department of mysteries was gone.
"You're going to need a good amount of those potions I'm guessing," Walsh said nodding to the closet. "I'll tidy here. Send me a Healer who is conscious to help with these." Calamity grabbed as many blood clotting vials as she could grab and hurried down the stairs. A voice rang through the hospital.
"All able medical personnel to the lobby for new assignments."
She hurried to the lobby and nearly dropped her armload of potions at what she saw.
What had once been tidy chairs and waiting areas was now stretchers and moaning figures. A whole half of the room was scorched- the first explosion taking out everything and everyone that was once there. Calamity hurried forward to Healer in training Elizabeth Blackwell, who looked overwhelmed by the figures before her.
"Erza-Mahoney," she gasped seeing Calamity. She looked as if she wanted to hug Calamity, but thought better. "Go with DeKos," she said instead. "He'll need those pain relieving and blood clotting potions. Where's Scrimgeour?"
"Stunned," Calamity said. "They need help on the 4th floor. They took Mitchell." Blackwell hurried off to tell the head mediwizard where she was headed.
"Erza-Mahoney," called DeKos and Calamity hurried over. "Take the blood clotting potion and soak those bandages. Then wrap those three there. I've lessened the bleeding but they were hit by a Sectrumsempra curse. Won't stop the blood from coming."
Calamity did as she was told and began wrapping the first moaning man. He looked as if he had been on the bad end of a sword fight- slashes across his chest and arms, blood dripping steadily from more openings than Calamity could count. When she finished wrapping him she gave him a pain relieving potion and moved to the figure next to him. Calamity felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up to see Christopher looking down at her. He had a fat lip and a swollen eye, but seemed fine despite that. Calamity smiled, relieved to see him breathing and not splattering into pieces like Mckinley.
"I think you should let me finish that," Christopher said. Calamity's smile faltered at his tone. "You need to go to that stretcher," He nodded to the stretcher Healer Fredrick Banting from the permanent residents hall was standing at.
"But," Calamity said still wrapping the bleeding man. Christopher took the bandages.
"Go."
When Calamity made it to the stretcher she paused before asking timidly, "Healer Banting?"
"Do you know this boy? He's been muttering your name since he was hit by the second explosion."
Calamity peered around Banting. Sirius Black was laying on his stomach, his blackened and ash encrusted back exposed for treatment. He was muttering between his grunts and moans of pain, but Calamity couldn't catch what he said.
"He needs rest, and for this to be applied every hour for a week," Banting said. "Will you sit with him here while I evaluate what is left to do on this floor? I will be sending all volunteers home once we have assessed the damage. Thank you for your service." He looked around again as if he had not fully registered the attack the first time. "We will have to rethink our volunteer programs now that St. Mungo's has been attacked."
Calamity knelt down next to Sirius. He grunted again. What was he doing here, she wondered peering at him. He tried to roll onto his back, but Calamity grabbed his shoulder, pushing him back onto his stomach. he made another sound of discomfort.
"Your back need air after that burn cream," she said gently. The corners of Sirius mouth twitched slightly and he settled again. She started to move her hand away, but paused as Sirius muttered again. She leaned forward to listen.
"Calamity..." It was so soft that she almost didn't hear it at all.
"I'm right here, Sirius," she said gently.
Sirius opened one eye slightly, looking at her.
"You're good?"
"Yes," she said. She glanced at his back again. "Better than you."
"You're always too good for me," muttered Sirius. Then his eye closed and he seemed to pass out from the pain.
Calamity waited until he woke up again as the Healers and Healers in training organized and cleaned around her. Slowly patients were moved to the second and fourth floors, the only floors that had escaped the fire damage and were still functional. In the burned corner of the lobby white clothes were pulled over bodies on stretchers to be held until identified by the Ministry of Magic. Slowly the chairs and beds were returned to their original places. Slowly the night Healers came to take their shifts and the day healers were cleared to go home.
Banting stopped to move Sirius to a bed for the night as Calamity finished applying the cream to his back. Sirius winced. "The healers will make sure that he is well taken care of. They've been briefed on his condition," said Banting. He looked tired and much older than he had that morning when Calamity had greeted him.
Calamity stood. Looking at Sirius worriedly.
"It's been a long day," Banting said putting his hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you go rest and come back tomorrow as a visitor."
Calamity chewed her nail in thought as Sirius' stretcher began to levitate.
"Can I stay just a bit longer," Calamity asked, walking along side Banting. He shook his head.
"Go home and rest. He'll be here tomorrow on the fourth floor."
"Oh no," Calamity said in a tone that made Banting pause. "No, he can't go there." She thought about the spot where Mckinley had been exploded into pieces. "No, can he-" She searched around for an alternative.
"We are limited on space at this time. I'm afraid the second floor is full," Banting said.
"I'll take him," she said. Banting looked confused. "I'll take him to the Leaky Cauldron. I know how to apply the cream and I have the potions needed."
"You would take all responsibility for him?"
"Yes and if there are any complications I will bring him back."
"The boy can't even walk, I can't in good conscience-"
"I want to sign myself out to go then," said Sirius.
They both looked at Sirius who was turning on to his side slowly, grimacing.
"My boy I can't allow-" Banting began but Sirius cut him off.
"I'm signing myself out. There is nothing else to say."
He swung his legs over the stretcher and placed his feet on the ground, again grimacing. Calamity rushed forward and gently helped him forward, careful not to touch his back.
"There is no convincing you,is there" said Banting hopelessly. Sirius shook his head.
Outside they moved slowly to the Leaky Cauldron. She paused looking around.
"You alright," Sirius asked. He made another face of anguish.
"It hurts to talk," she said. He nodded. "We can go. I was just looking for Snuffles, but I guess the deatheaters scared him off."
Sirius didn't ask who Snuffles was. He was silent and looked up.
"It's official," Sirius said nodding up. "St. Mungo's has been attacked." Calamity looked at the spot he was peering at.
A giant skull with a snake coming from its mouth shone above the apparently abandoned department store.
