13.
This chapter was written listening to The Nutcracker Suite
"Bad pinch," the nurse said.
She slid the needle into Voldemort's hand. It felt as if she
were trying to insert a new bone.
They had strapped him down onto a gurney with leather straps. Even
with a leg in a cast, he still had one good leg and two arms. And,as
one orderly found out,teeth.
He passed in and out of consciousness for awhile.
He remembered walls with sharp angles,acoustic ceilings,and
most of all the antiseptic smell,skin scrubbed down to the bone
mixed with latex and rubber and blood.
"Is he a crackhead?" he heard somewhere behind him.
"Nutcase," another voice said. "Welcome to another MetroHealth
emergency room Halloween."
Darkness for awhile,and then lucidity: "Says here he's scheduled for
ECT. Let's get it overwith."
They wheeled him into another room with machines he didn't
recognize. "Neil? the Brevital,please?"
The doctor named Neil leaned close to Voldemort. "Sir? I'm going
to need you to count backwards from twenty. Can you do that for me?"
"Twenty...nineteen...eighteen...s....seventeeen...sixteen..." it
was so hard to stay awake-"f-f-fifteen...fourteen...thrrrmfzzzz..."
"Great. Now the succinylcholine."
A nurse slid another IV,this one in his arm. Succinylcholine, for those of you who aren't familiar with medical terminology,is a muscle relaxant used to prevent the patient from accidentally breaking bones during the procedure. When this was administered,
the patient's jaws were pried open; the block of rubber in his
mouth was obviously a deterrent to the biting of the tongue. After
that,they placed a mask over the mouth so as not to deprive the
brain of essential oxygen.
Had Voldemort been awake,he might have relaxed as the warm jelly was administered to his temples. Of course,the electrodes might have
ruined the feeling. They were attached to the sides of his head.
Then,without ceremony,they turned the machine on-
Harry sat upright.
The fire was still burning.
A unicorn had wandered out of the forest. It had a long silver mane,
and silvery eyes. Professor Dumbledore was feeding it right from his hand.It was not quite morning. The sun had not come
up yet,but it would soon. Harry drew his knees into his chest.
He remembered something he'd heard..."Unicorns prefer a woman's
touch" or something like that. Well,it trusted him,obviously.
"Professor?"
"That's a good girl...yes,Harry?"
"Whatever happened to Professor...Mumblety-Peg?"
Dumbledore looked amused. "You mean Professor Grubbly-Plank?"
"That's it."
"She retired from teaching. I don't know where she is now. Are you all right? You looked like you were having a terrible nightmare."
"I just had the best dream ever,actually." He looked round the
circle Madame Hooch had gone. So had the Creevey brothers and
Professor Moody. Hagrid and Professor Sprout were nowhere to be seen.
The only ones left were him,Professor Dumbledore,Professor Snape and
Professor McGonagall. Hagrid had covered Snape with his overcoat.
McGonagall slept under Dumbledore's other arm.
"Hagrid and Professor Sprout left together. I believe they were headed towards the greenhouses. I need to do some cleaning in there."
He stuck a thumb towards the hut."Alastor took the Creevey brothers
back to the castle. Madame Hooch soon followed them. She commented
on what a gentleman you were last night,by the way."
Harry didn't blush. He got to his feet.
The unicorn nuzzled his cheek. He stroked its head.
"She's beautiful," he said. "Has she been here long?"
"She's been here awhile."
"What time is it?"
"Six-thirty,November first."
"So I spent all night in the Pumpkin patch."
For a moment,neither of them spoke; a look passed between them,
one of silent understanding.
Harry eventually said,"I think I'll head back to the dormitory."
Dumbledore nodded. "It's Saturday. Sleep as long as you like."
Harry nodded. Dumbledore watched him walk into the castle.
Soon,Severus stirred from under Hagrid's coat.
"Good morning,Severus."
Snape yawned. "Excuse me," he said.
"I hope you found what you wanted to find."
"Yes," Snape said. "I believe I did."
He gave Hagrid's coat to Dumbledore. "Give Hagrid my thanks."
"Indeed."
"Where did he go?"
"Towards the greenhouses,with Adrianna. I'd stay away from there
until Monday."
"If you say so." He looked around one way and then the other.
"What happened to Lucius?"
"I don't know. I suppose he got sick of digging and ran back into
the forest. I haven't heard any screams in that direction,so I
assume he found his way out."
"I think I'll go now," Snape said.
"If you like."
"I'll just collect the fire."
Snape pointed his wand at the fire; it danced into the tip until
there was no more to burn.
He nodded at Dumbledore, and made his exit.
As the sun rose,Minerva opened her eyes.
She smiled sleepily at Dumbledore.
"We should do this every Halloween," she said.
I'd like every day to start like this, he thought. Instead of
saying it,he took her face in his warm hands and kissed her,as the
first rays sunlight shone over the land.
This chapter was written listening to The Nutcracker Suite
"Bad pinch," the nurse said.
She slid the needle into Voldemort's hand. It felt as if she
were trying to insert a new bone.
They had strapped him down onto a gurney with leather straps. Even
with a leg in a cast, he still had one good leg and two arms. And,as
one orderly found out,teeth.
He passed in and out of consciousness for awhile.
He remembered walls with sharp angles,acoustic ceilings,and
most of all the antiseptic smell,skin scrubbed down to the bone
mixed with latex and rubber and blood.
"Is he a crackhead?" he heard somewhere behind him.
"Nutcase," another voice said. "Welcome to another MetroHealth
emergency room Halloween."
Darkness for awhile,and then lucidity: "Says here he's scheduled for
ECT. Let's get it overwith."
They wheeled him into another room with machines he didn't
recognize. "Neil? the Brevital,please?"
The doctor named Neil leaned close to Voldemort. "Sir? I'm going
to need you to count backwards from twenty. Can you do that for me?"
"Twenty...nineteen...eighteen...s....seventeeen...sixteen..." it
was so hard to stay awake-"f-f-fifteen...fourteen...thrrrmfzzzz..."
"Great. Now the succinylcholine."
A nurse slid another IV,this one in his arm. Succinylcholine, for those of you who aren't familiar with medical terminology,is a muscle relaxant used to prevent the patient from accidentally breaking bones during the procedure. When this was administered,
the patient's jaws were pried open; the block of rubber in his
mouth was obviously a deterrent to the biting of the tongue. After
that,they placed a mask over the mouth so as not to deprive the
brain of essential oxygen.
Had Voldemort been awake,he might have relaxed as the warm jelly was administered to his temples. Of course,the electrodes might have
ruined the feeling. They were attached to the sides of his head.
Then,without ceremony,they turned the machine on-
Harry sat upright.
The fire was still burning.
A unicorn had wandered out of the forest. It had a long silver mane,
and silvery eyes. Professor Dumbledore was feeding it right from his hand.It was not quite morning. The sun had not come
up yet,but it would soon. Harry drew his knees into his chest.
He remembered something he'd heard..."Unicorns prefer a woman's
touch" or something like that. Well,it trusted him,obviously.
"Professor?"
"That's a good girl...yes,Harry?"
"Whatever happened to Professor...Mumblety-Peg?"
Dumbledore looked amused. "You mean Professor Grubbly-Plank?"
"That's it."
"She retired from teaching. I don't know where she is now. Are you all right? You looked like you were having a terrible nightmare."
"I just had the best dream ever,actually." He looked round the
circle Madame Hooch had gone. So had the Creevey brothers and
Professor Moody. Hagrid and Professor Sprout were nowhere to be seen.
The only ones left were him,Professor Dumbledore,Professor Snape and
Professor McGonagall. Hagrid had covered Snape with his overcoat.
McGonagall slept under Dumbledore's other arm.
"Hagrid and Professor Sprout left together. I believe they were headed towards the greenhouses. I need to do some cleaning in there."
He stuck a thumb towards the hut."Alastor took the Creevey brothers
back to the castle. Madame Hooch soon followed them. She commented
on what a gentleman you were last night,by the way."
Harry didn't blush. He got to his feet.
The unicorn nuzzled his cheek. He stroked its head.
"She's beautiful," he said. "Has she been here long?"
"She's been here awhile."
"What time is it?"
"Six-thirty,November first."
"So I spent all night in the Pumpkin patch."
For a moment,neither of them spoke; a look passed between them,
one of silent understanding.
Harry eventually said,"I think I'll head back to the dormitory."
Dumbledore nodded. "It's Saturday. Sleep as long as you like."
Harry nodded. Dumbledore watched him walk into the castle.
Soon,Severus stirred from under Hagrid's coat.
"Good morning,Severus."
Snape yawned. "Excuse me," he said.
"I hope you found what you wanted to find."
"Yes," Snape said. "I believe I did."
He gave Hagrid's coat to Dumbledore. "Give Hagrid my thanks."
"Indeed."
"Where did he go?"
"Towards the greenhouses,with Adrianna. I'd stay away from there
until Monday."
"If you say so." He looked around one way and then the other.
"What happened to Lucius?"
"I don't know. I suppose he got sick of digging and ran back into
the forest. I haven't heard any screams in that direction,so I
assume he found his way out."
"I think I'll go now," Snape said.
"If you like."
"I'll just collect the fire."
Snape pointed his wand at the fire; it danced into the tip until
there was no more to burn.
He nodded at Dumbledore, and made his exit.
As the sun rose,Minerva opened her eyes.
She smiled sleepily at Dumbledore.
"We should do this every Halloween," she said.
I'd like every day to start like this, he thought. Instead of
saying it,he took her face in his warm hands and kissed her,as the
first rays sunlight shone over the land.