AUTHOR'S NOTES: Yay! A new chapter! Not sure when the next one
will be posted, much less finished, but I'm quite happy to have finally
finished this one. I've made some minor changes on the previous chapters,
mainly just correcting some typos and doing some word swapping to make the
flow of words a bit smoother. The Prologue is the most changed of the parts,
and you can find out what has changed in the Author's Updates on the Prologue.
And now, enjoy Chapter Three: Ward 49!
CHAPTER THREE
Ward 49
Venturing out of her ward later that day, Caitlin discovered via signs at the lifts that she was on the fourth floor of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. The wards on her floor dealt with unliftable jinxes, hexes, and incorrectly applied charms. From the directory, Caitlin ascertained that her situation must indeed be unique as there was no ward on any floor that dealt specifically with her particular condition.
The morning's events still burned brightly in her memory. After her mother and the nurse--who Caitlin now realized must actually be one of the Healers Dumbledore had mentioned--had left her alone with her jumbled thoughts, Caitlin had found herself attempting to analyze her vision from an objective viewpoint. She had deduced that her ability did not reveal simple memories, but an actual imprint of the past. This she had decided after remembering that she had been unconscious when Dumbledore had visited, and therefore it could not have been a memory.
Caitlin had then decided to take her mother's advice and explore her surroundings. She had dressed herself in a pair of beat-up jeans and a sleeveless, hooded light green shirt, having found almost half her wardrobe stuffed into her mother's favorite large purple dufflebag. She had then picked up her white tennis shoes and found a chair next to a round table near the middle of the room. As she had braced herself against the table while trying to stick her foot into her shoe--which had obviously been washed, for it seemed to have shrunk like it always did when washed--another vision had assaulted her.
She had once again plunged into a nighttime-darkened room. A single candle flickered from the round table. A handsome man with gorgeously blond hair paced the room, apparently searching for something. Caitlin couldn't keep quiet a low laugh at the sight of the hairnet-covered curlers in his hair and the blindingly embroidered lilac robe that hung limply off the man's shoulders. After a few moments, the man stifled a yawn and sat down at the round table, putting a hand on the table in order to keep his balance as he smoothed out his robe with the other hand.
Just then, a Healer bustled into the room, exclaiming, "There you are! Now, now, you know you're not supposed to wander away from your ward. Come now, let's go back to your bed."
The man reluctantly stood as the Healer grabbed his arm. As they exited the room, Caitlin could hear the Healer reminding the man that his ward was Number 49, and telling him that if he ever gets lost again, he should call for help rather than wander about.
And the vision ended. Curious to know the identity of this rather handsome man, Caitlin was now roaming the halls, trying to find Ward 49. She finally found her destination. But as she made to open the door, she found it to be locked. Peering through a small window in the door, she knocked lightly. The Healer from the vision was making a bed near the door and heard the knocks. She looked up and smiled.
Caitlin quickly walked through the door as the Healer opened and shut it hastily.
"Why, hello! It is certainly wonderful to see you up and about," the Healer said. "Doing some exploring?"
"As a matter of fact, I... well, do you know about my, uh... you know?" Caitlin tapped lightly on her head. She wasn't going to tell anyone who didn't know already about her powers, just to be on the safe side.
"Yes, dear, I know. All the Healers on this floor were given a rundown of the situation earlier today."
Caitlin smiled with relief. "Then, if that's the case, I had a vision of a patient of yours, and I was interested in meeting him."
The Healer smirked and pointed to an elaborately decorated area of the room where the man from Caitlin's vision sat writing at a table. "I'm guessing you're referring to Gilderoy, as he's the only one to have touched anything that could trigger a vision of yours."
"Yes, that's him," Caitlin replied, taking a step forward, her gaze not leaving the man named Gilderoy.
"You seem quite intrigued, if I say so myself," the Healer commented.
"Well, it's just that I've never seen anyone like him... Why is he here?"
The Healer took Caitlin's hand and gently led her toward Gilderoy's table. "I would tell you, but I'll let him instead. He's been showing great improvement since Christmas. One reason, I would venture to guess, is that on Christmas Day, he got his first visitors since his admittance. A few of his former students came to say hello, and then his cousin finally heard of his situation and has been making monthly visits since February. I want to see if he remembers enough now to tell you his story himself."
They arrived at Gilderoy's area of the ward, which was just as flamboyantly decorated as its owner, who today wore an elaborate blue outfit. He was signing his autograph, Caitlin could see now that she was closer. The Healer let go of Caitlin's hand and gently pushed her forward. Caitlin slowly approached the table. Feeling a presence, the man looked up. The blinding light of his smile nearly knocked Caitlin over. Wow!
"Hello there!" Gilderoy said cheerfully, looking up from the stack of photos he was leaning over. "Come to ask for an autograph, have you?"
As bright and lively as this man's baby blue eyes were, Caitlin could see a hint of confusion and even sorrow. She realized that the grin couldn't hide the man's loneliness. She nodded. "Yes, I have."
Gilderoy got to work straight away, plucking a photo from its stack and signing it with a flourish. The Healer in the meantime backed slowly away and exited quietly out of the ward.
Handing the photo back, Gilderoy inquired, "You're new here, aren't you?"
Caitlin nodded. "I've been here about a week... I think."
Gilderoy sighed and waved a hand, offering Caitlin a seat. She sat as she looked at her newly signed photo. The picture featured a much happier looking Gilderoy, his smile nearly outshining his brilliant yellow robes. She was just noting that his last name was Lockhart when she jumped in surprise as the picture moved, its hand lifting and waving in greeting. Caitlin looked up at Gilderoy quickly, knowing her surprise was written all over her face.
She was right, as Gilderoy offered quietly, "Is something the matter?"
"No, I suppose not, except... the picture... it moved."
Gilderoy smirked. "A bit out of the loop, aren't you, m'dear?"
"Well, actually, I've been completely 'out of the loop.' I'm fairly new to magic."
"A late blossomer, eh?"
Caitlin nodded and explained her situation, carefully avoiding mention of her prophetic abilities. At the end of the account, Gilderoy sat back in his chair and whistled. "A fully operational Magithallus.... I definitely wonder what sorts of undiscovered magical abilities you may have uncovered."
"Yes, I wonder, too," said Caitlin, grinning to herself as she thought, You have no idea. "So, how long have you been here?"
Gilderoy--who this entire time had been signing more autographs--glanced at Caitlin for a brief moment before looking back at his work. "They tell me I've been here three and a half years." He looked about, and seeing no one within hearing distance, he leaned closer to Caitlin, who leaned toward him to hear what he was about to tell. "They think I don't know anything, that I can't remember everything I used to know, but I do."
"You do?" Caitlin matched Gilderoy's soft whisper with her own. She didn't know what he remembered, but whatever it was, it seemed rather important from his demeanor.
"Yes, I remember everything. And believe me, most of it I am quite ashamed of. However, I have to keep up my act so that no one will realize I have recovered my memory. There are things I have seen in the past that no one knows about, not even the Minister of Magic. But they can't find out what I know, or I will be in terrible danger, as would the entire wizarding world."
Caitlin took this all in and frowned. The poor man looked absolutely terror-stricken. With this news, Caitlin felt as though she had found a kindred soul, someone who knew something and must keep it a secret from everyone but themselves. She suddenly felt compelled to confide in him her secret.
"I know something important, too," she found herself saying before she could thoroughly think through the pros and cons of telling Gilderoy her secret. "I know what one of my powers are."
Gilderoy raised an eyebrow and took his turn saying, "You do?"
She nodded. "When I touch certain objects or people, I get thrown into a vision of the past. Not just a memory, but an actual imprint of previous events."
"Ah, I can see why you would keep that a secret. The Ministry is not one of the more humane organizations in our world. They would take advantage of your powers and wouldn't care what affect it might have on you as a human being."
"Yes, my mother warned me about that. Which is why I want to forget this ever happened and go back to living my old 'muggle' life. That way the Ministry won't have as much of a chance of hearing about my powers and taking me in for experimentation."
Gilderoy stopped signing and rested his hands on the table, almost uncomfortably close to Caitlin's. "My dear, you shouldn't think like that. Although I agree that the Ministry's way of dealing with situations like this is questionable, I also have to point out that if you don't train your powers, you won't have a chance of going back to life that even remotely resembles the 'normal' life you once had."
"I thought you might say that. My Healer said it, too. But... what if I don't want to commit to a long term stay at... oh, what was it called?"
"Hogwarts?" he suggested.
"Yes, that's it. What if I don't want to commit to a long term stay at Hogwarts? Dumbledore wants me to teach there while I take private lessons. Wouldn't teaching there just open me up to a higher chance of being discovered by the Ministry?"
"Perhaps, but you really don't know how safe Hogwarts is," Gilderoy exclaimed. "Dumbledore is the best person you could possibly live near with a situation like yours."
"What exactly is Hogwarts, anyway?"
Gilderoy smiled. "Hogwarts is undoubtedly the best School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this side of the Atlantic."
"What exactly goes on there? How many students are there? What can I expect when living there... that is, if I do, of course."
"How about I show you?" Gilderoy lifted his arm and rested his elbow on the table, his hand sitting vertical, inviting Caitlin to touch it.
She did, and oh, the interesting things she saw.
-----------------------------------
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CHAPTER THREE
Ward 49
Venturing out of her ward later that day, Caitlin discovered via signs at the lifts that she was on the fourth floor of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. The wards on her floor dealt with unliftable jinxes, hexes, and incorrectly applied charms. From the directory, Caitlin ascertained that her situation must indeed be unique as there was no ward on any floor that dealt specifically with her particular condition.
The morning's events still burned brightly in her memory. After her mother and the nurse--who Caitlin now realized must actually be one of the Healers Dumbledore had mentioned--had left her alone with her jumbled thoughts, Caitlin had found herself attempting to analyze her vision from an objective viewpoint. She had deduced that her ability did not reveal simple memories, but an actual imprint of the past. This she had decided after remembering that she had been unconscious when Dumbledore had visited, and therefore it could not have been a memory.
Caitlin had then decided to take her mother's advice and explore her surroundings. She had dressed herself in a pair of beat-up jeans and a sleeveless, hooded light green shirt, having found almost half her wardrobe stuffed into her mother's favorite large purple dufflebag. She had then picked up her white tennis shoes and found a chair next to a round table near the middle of the room. As she had braced herself against the table while trying to stick her foot into her shoe--which had obviously been washed, for it seemed to have shrunk like it always did when washed--another vision had assaulted her.
She had once again plunged into a nighttime-darkened room. A single candle flickered from the round table. A handsome man with gorgeously blond hair paced the room, apparently searching for something. Caitlin couldn't keep quiet a low laugh at the sight of the hairnet-covered curlers in his hair and the blindingly embroidered lilac robe that hung limply off the man's shoulders. After a few moments, the man stifled a yawn and sat down at the round table, putting a hand on the table in order to keep his balance as he smoothed out his robe with the other hand.
Just then, a Healer bustled into the room, exclaiming, "There you are! Now, now, you know you're not supposed to wander away from your ward. Come now, let's go back to your bed."
The man reluctantly stood as the Healer grabbed his arm. As they exited the room, Caitlin could hear the Healer reminding the man that his ward was Number 49, and telling him that if he ever gets lost again, he should call for help rather than wander about.
And the vision ended. Curious to know the identity of this rather handsome man, Caitlin was now roaming the halls, trying to find Ward 49. She finally found her destination. But as she made to open the door, she found it to be locked. Peering through a small window in the door, she knocked lightly. The Healer from the vision was making a bed near the door and heard the knocks. She looked up and smiled.
Caitlin quickly walked through the door as the Healer opened and shut it hastily.
"Why, hello! It is certainly wonderful to see you up and about," the Healer said. "Doing some exploring?"
"As a matter of fact, I... well, do you know about my, uh... you know?" Caitlin tapped lightly on her head. She wasn't going to tell anyone who didn't know already about her powers, just to be on the safe side.
"Yes, dear, I know. All the Healers on this floor were given a rundown of the situation earlier today."
Caitlin smiled with relief. "Then, if that's the case, I had a vision of a patient of yours, and I was interested in meeting him."
The Healer smirked and pointed to an elaborately decorated area of the room where the man from Caitlin's vision sat writing at a table. "I'm guessing you're referring to Gilderoy, as he's the only one to have touched anything that could trigger a vision of yours."
"Yes, that's him," Caitlin replied, taking a step forward, her gaze not leaving the man named Gilderoy.
"You seem quite intrigued, if I say so myself," the Healer commented.
"Well, it's just that I've never seen anyone like him... Why is he here?"
The Healer took Caitlin's hand and gently led her toward Gilderoy's table. "I would tell you, but I'll let him instead. He's been showing great improvement since Christmas. One reason, I would venture to guess, is that on Christmas Day, he got his first visitors since his admittance. A few of his former students came to say hello, and then his cousin finally heard of his situation and has been making monthly visits since February. I want to see if he remembers enough now to tell you his story himself."
They arrived at Gilderoy's area of the ward, which was just as flamboyantly decorated as its owner, who today wore an elaborate blue outfit. He was signing his autograph, Caitlin could see now that she was closer. The Healer let go of Caitlin's hand and gently pushed her forward. Caitlin slowly approached the table. Feeling a presence, the man looked up. The blinding light of his smile nearly knocked Caitlin over. Wow!
"Hello there!" Gilderoy said cheerfully, looking up from the stack of photos he was leaning over. "Come to ask for an autograph, have you?"
As bright and lively as this man's baby blue eyes were, Caitlin could see a hint of confusion and even sorrow. She realized that the grin couldn't hide the man's loneliness. She nodded. "Yes, I have."
Gilderoy got to work straight away, plucking a photo from its stack and signing it with a flourish. The Healer in the meantime backed slowly away and exited quietly out of the ward.
Handing the photo back, Gilderoy inquired, "You're new here, aren't you?"
Caitlin nodded. "I've been here about a week... I think."
Gilderoy sighed and waved a hand, offering Caitlin a seat. She sat as she looked at her newly signed photo. The picture featured a much happier looking Gilderoy, his smile nearly outshining his brilliant yellow robes. She was just noting that his last name was Lockhart when she jumped in surprise as the picture moved, its hand lifting and waving in greeting. Caitlin looked up at Gilderoy quickly, knowing her surprise was written all over her face.
She was right, as Gilderoy offered quietly, "Is something the matter?"
"No, I suppose not, except... the picture... it moved."
Gilderoy smirked. "A bit out of the loop, aren't you, m'dear?"
"Well, actually, I've been completely 'out of the loop.' I'm fairly new to magic."
"A late blossomer, eh?"
Caitlin nodded and explained her situation, carefully avoiding mention of her prophetic abilities. At the end of the account, Gilderoy sat back in his chair and whistled. "A fully operational Magithallus.... I definitely wonder what sorts of undiscovered magical abilities you may have uncovered."
"Yes, I wonder, too," said Caitlin, grinning to herself as she thought, You have no idea. "So, how long have you been here?"
Gilderoy--who this entire time had been signing more autographs--glanced at Caitlin for a brief moment before looking back at his work. "They tell me I've been here three and a half years." He looked about, and seeing no one within hearing distance, he leaned closer to Caitlin, who leaned toward him to hear what he was about to tell. "They think I don't know anything, that I can't remember everything I used to know, but I do."
"You do?" Caitlin matched Gilderoy's soft whisper with her own. She didn't know what he remembered, but whatever it was, it seemed rather important from his demeanor.
"Yes, I remember everything. And believe me, most of it I am quite ashamed of. However, I have to keep up my act so that no one will realize I have recovered my memory. There are things I have seen in the past that no one knows about, not even the Minister of Magic. But they can't find out what I know, or I will be in terrible danger, as would the entire wizarding world."
Caitlin took this all in and frowned. The poor man looked absolutely terror-stricken. With this news, Caitlin felt as though she had found a kindred soul, someone who knew something and must keep it a secret from everyone but themselves. She suddenly felt compelled to confide in him her secret.
"I know something important, too," she found herself saying before she could thoroughly think through the pros and cons of telling Gilderoy her secret. "I know what one of my powers are."
Gilderoy raised an eyebrow and took his turn saying, "You do?"
She nodded. "When I touch certain objects or people, I get thrown into a vision of the past. Not just a memory, but an actual imprint of previous events."
"Ah, I can see why you would keep that a secret. The Ministry is not one of the more humane organizations in our world. They would take advantage of your powers and wouldn't care what affect it might have on you as a human being."
"Yes, my mother warned me about that. Which is why I want to forget this ever happened and go back to living my old 'muggle' life. That way the Ministry won't have as much of a chance of hearing about my powers and taking me in for experimentation."
Gilderoy stopped signing and rested his hands on the table, almost uncomfortably close to Caitlin's. "My dear, you shouldn't think like that. Although I agree that the Ministry's way of dealing with situations like this is questionable, I also have to point out that if you don't train your powers, you won't have a chance of going back to life that even remotely resembles the 'normal' life you once had."
"I thought you might say that. My Healer said it, too. But... what if I don't want to commit to a long term stay at... oh, what was it called?"
"Hogwarts?" he suggested.
"Yes, that's it. What if I don't want to commit to a long term stay at Hogwarts? Dumbledore wants me to teach there while I take private lessons. Wouldn't teaching there just open me up to a higher chance of being discovered by the Ministry?"
"Perhaps, but you really don't know how safe Hogwarts is," Gilderoy exclaimed. "Dumbledore is the best person you could possibly live near with a situation like yours."
"What exactly is Hogwarts, anyway?"
Gilderoy smiled. "Hogwarts is undoubtedly the best School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this side of the Atlantic."
"What exactly goes on there? How many students are there? What can I expect when living there... that is, if I do, of course."
"How about I show you?" Gilderoy lifted his arm and rested his elbow on the table, his hand sitting vertical, inviting Caitlin to touch it.
She did, and oh, the interesting things she saw.
-----------------------------------
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