Surviving St Mungo's
Chapter Two
In which Draco gets a new puzzle, Ginny has lunch and Hope meet the librarian
XxX
After the detailed tour of the sixth floor, where the research department was located, Hope travelled up to the top floor. She had been told that the staff common room, cafeteria, and the library were located there.
Stepping out of the lift, she was immediately hit by the intoxicating smell of lunch coming from the room on her left. It painfully reminded her of the fact that lunch time was now and that she was operating on an empty stomach, having been too nervous to eat that morning. 'First day jitters,' her boyfriend Steve had said while heartily wolfing down his own breakfast.
Deciding she couldn't work with hunger pangs, Hope made her decision and headed into the canteen.
The room was close to the size of Hogwart's Great Hall but entirely different to the old medieval feel of Hogwarts. Here, after a recent renovation, the cafeteria of St Mungo's now looked light and spacious as opposed to its old look of drab and dingy. When it was redecorated in the 70s, the place had looked smart. But the years reduced it to a shabby room people left as soon as possible. Part of the redevelopment of the hospital was spent on bringing the canteen up to standards. The peeling navy paint had been removed, and the walls were covered in a simple cream shade. The greying carpet was replaced with white tiles, and the old - and uncomfortable - furniture was replaced by pale wooden modern furniture.
After spending many hours in the old canteen with her siblings while her mother worked below, this new place was a surprise to Hope as was the number of people inside. Jam packed with various staff members, the canteen was filled to the brim, and her hope of actually sitting down for a meal was dashed.
Instead, Hope joined the queue and waited to grab some cereal bars; something she could take with her. As she reached the snacks, a voice cut in and startled her.
"Where's your tray?"
Glancing up, Hope caught sight of a large man in a hairnet, staring down at her. Eyes wide, she hesitantly answered him. "I don't have one."
He scoffed before pointing to the back of the line, which had rapidly grown, "No tray, no service."
"But I only want some cereal bars!" Hope protested. "They're just there, I can-"
"No tray, no service," he stressed and jabbed a finger at the queue. "Trays are at the back."
Hope's eyes watered, and she blinked back tears. Meekly, with her head down, she turned and was about to leave the line when, for the second time that day, someone grabbed her arm and held her in place.
"She's with me."
Looking up in surprise, Hope saw her saviour was none other than one of the porters, who she had worked with earlier. He smiled down at her encouragingly, and after a moment, she returned his smile.
"Thanks," she whispered, walking with the porter as he picked up his own food along with her cereal bars.
Despite her plan to go straight to the library, Hope sat down at a table with the porter. Picking up a cereal bar, Hope flipped it over and studied the ingredients.
"Surely you're not on a diet!" he exclaimed, watching Hope.
"My name's not Shirley," Hope instantly replied, looking up grinning. "No, I'm allergic to nuts."
"Shame," he joked causing Hope to blush. "My friend's call me Rob." Picking up his fork he dug into his cottage pie. "You recovered quickly," he commented, eating all the while.
Hope grimaced good naturedly. "Yeah, my mum always said I was too in tune with my emotions, wear my heart on my sleeve. Didn't get that from her for sure, she was always able to control herself."
"'S not always a bad thing," Rob said in between bites, grinning back at Hope.
Watching them from the other side of the room, Draco kept an eye on his new nurse as she continued to chatter happily with the porter. He would have liked to have said that he noticed as Ginny sidled up and dropped her tray on the table, joining him uninvited; but he didn't.
"Perving on your new nurse already Malfoy?" she asked as she pulled open her sandwich. "I would have thought you'd at least let her settle in first."
"The very opposite," Draco fired back, "they're easiest wile they're still disorientated."
"Which they'd have to be to sleep with you." She bit into her sandwich, smirking at him.
The effect was ruined by the slither of lettuce that hadn't made it all the way into her mouth and was hanging out of it.
"Healer Malfoy, Ginny-"
"Move on Hunter," Draco snapped immediately, causing the tall American Healer to freeze in surprise.
"Malfoy," Ginny warningly whispered before beaming brightly up at the Healer next to her.
Healer Hunter was a new transfer to the hospital and had quickly made friends amongst the staff. With his easy going attitude and cute 'boy next door' looks, it wasn't a hard feat.
He had also, unknowingly, got onto Draco Malfoy's bad side, meaning Draco no longer tolerated Hunter's presence what so ever.
"Now, now, I don't want to get into the middle of anything. I said I'd go and have lunch with the guys in Artifact Accidents anyway so you two can get back to your conversation." He winked at Ginny and nodded goodbye to Draco. Just as he was about to leave he turned back to Ginny, "By the way Ginny, you've got a bit of lettuce sticking out."
As Hunter walked off, Ginny turned to face Draco, who had innocently returned to his lunch.
"Malfoy," Ginny seethed, "why the hell didn't you tell me?"
"It's not like you stood a chance with him anyway."
"What?! Hunter? Me? I don't even . . ." Ginny shook her head. "What do you mean Malfoy?"
"You are lacking a vital thing to make him interested in you."
"Explain."
"He's gay," Draco replied simply.
"Hunter?" Ginny asked with disbelief. "He can't be, he's-"
"-Gay," interjected Draco. "Trust me."
"Trust you? Is there something you're not telling me Draco?" Ginny teased.
"I would ask if you're trying to imply I'm homosexual but, as all Gryffindors lack the subtly needed to imply, the question would be pointless." Draco laid his fork down and smiled at Ginny in a way that never failed to irritate her. Rising he said, "Now if you'll excuse me, I must be getting back to my office."
"You're not going back to work!" Ginny feigned surprise.
"No, an intense Solitaire game," Draco drolly replied, leaving Ginny - and a now limp cheese salad sandwich - alone in the canteen.
-XxX-
After lunch with Rob, Hope left the canteen and headed for the library, planning on spending the rest of the afternoon there. Entering the library through thick wooden doors, Hope made a beeline for the librarian's desk. Walking up to the desk, she caught sight of the librarian, who sat in a chair with her feet up, her head bent over a small book.
Hope stood next to the desk, going unnoticed. What minute confidence she had gained whilst eating lunch had evaporated the minute she stepped up to the desk, and Hope stood awkwardly waiting to be seen.
When that didn't happen, Hope inwardly sighed and gave a polite cough, drawing the librarian's attention.
Glancing up from her book, the librarian's eyes lit up when they landed on Hope and a slow easy smile grew on her face. "Good morning," she all but purred. The seductive tone of her voice almost caused Hope to take a step back. The hesitant expression and small movement she made elicited a smirk from the woman in front of her.
"Hello," Hope shyly replied, silently cursing herself. What had happened to the confident girl who topped her classes? It seemed that during her studies she had grown used to being surrounded by people who knew better than her and was still acting like the poor confused nursing student instead of the registered and qualified nurse she was.
Gathering her wits, Hope stood straighter, ridding herself of the slouch she'd been carrying and staring the librarian down. "I was told you'd be able to help me locate some books about nursing practices in diagnostics."
"That would come under one of my job duties," the librarian mused, "so I believe I could be of some assistance."
Closing her book and dropping her feet back to the floor, the librarian blindly discarded her book on to a random pile before withdrawing a ledger from beneath the desk. Carefully opening it, she turned to a page and glanced up at Hope before turning to the next page with a murmur; "Nurse, I do believe."
Taking a quill from the crafted glass holder she dipped the tip into the inkwell and sat poised. Leaning forward, and it the process revealing an ample bosom divulged by a undone button, the librarian reached out to Hope's waist and snagged her ID card.
"Hope Basingroot," the woman read aloud with a slight frown on her face, something which went unnoticed by Hope who was steadfast trying to avoid looking at her chest.
Reverting to her ledger, the librarian copied down a few details and then replaced it under the counter as she did so she mentioned that Hope was now able to borrow books and use the index system.
Hope thanked her and took back her ID. "Well you know my name. Yours?"
"Cynthia," she replied simply and stood up, coming around to stand next to Hope. After briefly giving Hope the once over, she turned and began walking away, confidently striding despite wearing four inch heels.
"Follow me," Cynthia commanded and for the second time that day, Hope dutifully fell into place beside the woman as she took her further into the library.
-XxX-
After leaving Ginny in the canteen, Draco returned to his office to study the file, which had been sent up alongside his latest patient. Scanning the reports, he saw nothing which would explain why his new patient had what had been diagnosed as Nundu blood in his system.
Whereas Nundu breath carried diseases, which quickly incapacitated and killed its victim; Nundu blood was considered even more dangerous as one drop could kill a man in moments. Only minute traces of the blood had to be in contact with the skin for an effect to take place. Even being in proximity with the blood could cause dizziness, nausea, and, in extreme cases, burst capillaries resulting in bruises. Quite mild but disconcerting to say the least, especially to those working with the blood.
All of that however wasn't helpful. According to the results in Draco's hands, his patient ought to have died almost instantly and not be in his treatment room.
Mindlessly tapping his finger against the arm rest, Draco continued to go through everything in the file but found nothing. The man was a medical wonder.
Which Draco had to find the cause for.
Decision set, Draco left the office and went to see the man, hoping he would still be knocked out. Unsurprising he wasn't, and Draco took this as another sign that this was not going to be his day.
The man, Edward, according to the file, was propped up in bed reading The Oracle andquite happily breathing. Despite his earlier screaming and thrashing, he seemed quite calm. The only sign of his illness was his sickly pale complexion.
Feeling eyes on him, Edward looked up and caught Draco staring. Unabashed, Draco carried on studying the man and only when he was finished, did he venture inside the room.
"Been an interesting day, hasn't it?" Edward asked, strangely upbeat, which Draco immediately commented on.
"You seem rather collected for someone who entered the ward screaming and flailing, thrashing about like a Basilisk.
Edward blushed and apologised, which Draco just waved off.
"Is there any reason why we were able to find Nundu blood in your system Mr. Amswitch?" Draco asked, not really expecting a satisfactory answer.
"Well, not really," Edward Amswitch responded. "I mean, I do, on occasion, come in contact with Nundu blood in the research department. But we haven't had any for months."
"Any illness while working with the blood?"
"The usual: dizziness, vomiting, so on so forth. I was actually least effected though. Out of all of us, I was the only one able to work with the blood from the beginning of the research trial until the end; everyone else worked on the blood for about two to four weeks." The man was evidently proud of the fact.
"And how long did you work on the blood?"
"The entire twelve weeks."
Proud he could be, Draco thought, when he lasted three times as long as anyone else - a rare feat. Draco himself had spent time around the blood during part of his travels and could not imagine submitting himself to three months of the debilitating side affects.
As Draco was about to question Edward further, the door to the room swung open, revealing a dishevelled and panicked looking young woman. Short and rounded, she wasn't usually what Draco would go for, but she had a pleasant enough looking face and curly black hair, which set her light blue eyes off nicely.
Normally it would anyway, but today, with bloodshot eyes surrounded by reddened puffy skin, she looked a mess.
"Edward!" she gasped, running into the room and flinging herself upon him.
Despite having her face pressed keenly against Edward's chest, Draco was able to make out some of her mumbled words; the gist of which were an apology. Catching Draco's eyes, Edward explained unasked. "I became ill while at Millie's. She thinks she's given me food poisoning."
"Perhaps on another day, but your current illness isn't food poisoning," Draco succinctly replied before leaving the two.
Returning to his office, Draco wrote out a short note requesting a meeting with an old friend; throwing the note into the MailFloo, Draco watched as it was whisked away to the recipient's grate and leaned back in his chair, waiting for a response.
Because of his brief but intensive travels Draco had seen a lot of illnesses and diseases, his time in diagnostics only compounded his knowledge of strange - and often disgusting - ailments which lead to him becoming one of the better, if not best, diagnostician. The major upside for him, as well as the status and money, was the increase in difficult patients, the mysterious illness that no-one seemed to know what it wass.
Mr Amsworth was already proving to be a puzzle; one Draco wished to solve quickly, lest the man should die and carry his secret illness away with him.
XxX
A/N: Leave a review and I'll not make you wait another year for an update?
This one's on the back-burner at the moment, I have another story I'm working on which has a couple of chapters posted.
Summary: Arguing in front of magical portraits becomes dangerous for the two when they're suddenly sucked into Godith the Grey's world. Now battling across the paintings of Hogwarts they have to get to the Headmaster if they ever want to get back into the real world. DG
Thanks! And I hope you enjoyed it.