Fog hung over the streets of London like someone built the sky so only goblins could pass underneath the cloud cover. With a pop, Adam found himself in a back alley way, unable to see the hand in front of his face. ‘This is a bit claustrophobic,’ Adam thought as he lit his wand and proceeded to cross the street to the entrance of Saint Mungo’s. His wand touched the tip of the brick before he could see the building.
Once inside the adequately lit entrance lobby, Adam extinguished his wand and stowed it in the pocket of his lime green robe. The witch at the desk, busy reading yesterday’s Prophet, didn’t give him a second glance. ‘I guess it’s a bit early to be busy, but that only means this place will be chaos later in the day,’ Adam speculated as he stared around at the empty lobby and the stained, rickety chairs before walking over to the staircase. ‘Well, I guess it is five in the morning.’
Adam flung open the door to the back staircase and began his ascent. The stair well, a relic from the original Muggle building, smelled of damp feet. The pealing, canary yellow paint only enhanced the unpleasantness as Adam listened to his feet thump upon the stairs until he reached the fourth floor.
‘Well, this will be the only time today this floor will be silent.’ Adam passed the floor’s two main Wards, the Janus Thickey and the Sanguine-Levette, before arriving at the entrance to his own Ward. The Morticia Gregel Ward had been an add-on to the two other existing Wards when Saint Mungo’s moved to the larger building over a century ago. While the Janus Thickey Ward took care of those whose brains were permanently affected by magic, the Sanguine-Levette Ward was the largest Ward on the floor. Healer Barnes presided over those with ‘magical wasting’ or other unexplainable and non-curable conditions caused by magical trauma. The well known fact was that, if you landed on the fourth floor, you were going to be there for quite some time.
The Morticia Gregel Ward had been added to care for what Adam always thought of as magical phenomena. Now, he knew that wasn’t the correct terminology. The ward was designed to care for those affected by horrible or unnatural magic. What that meant was up for debate, but the common fact remained that no one wanted on that Ward. There were several sections to the ward, and each had three beds separated by charmed, sound proof curtains.
‘And to think I volunteered for this Ward.’ Adam flung back the first steel grey curtain. In the bed lay a dozing Emery Nissel.
‘Well, he certainly didn’t want this Ward.’ Adam drew his wand and caused a loud, popping sound to echo throughout the bed chamber. Nissel jumped up and tumbled out of the bed.
“You’re supposed to watch the Ward at night,” Adam stated, but it was hard for him to muster any type of convincing authority this early in the morning.
Nissel only shrugged. “I was at the entrance . . . who is going to get out, anyway?”
“You left the curtain open yesterday and let someone in.”
Nissel cringed. “There . . . it was an emergency! I can’t help it Healer Strout can’t keep track of her patients.”
Adam sighed. ‘That’s too true. With a ward filled with mentally unstable patients, her only solution is to let them run all over the entire floor.’
Nissel shifted his weight between his feet while he alternated gazing at the floor and at Adam. The experienced Healer appraised his charge from his head of thick, dark curls to his feet that were glad in brown leather shoes. “Emery, don’t be too upset about yesterday. He asked about Susan. It’s the first real breakthrough I’ve had all week.”
Nissel focused his gaze on Adam. “I mean . . . he was at Hogwarts with her, right? I mean . . . shouldn’t he know her anyway?”
Adam crossed his arms as his brow knit up. “I thought of that myself, but he hasn’t asked about anything “ or anyone “ else since coming here. All he only asks for things to read every day.”
“Yeah, the Aurors aren’t going to be happy when they show up today, and we’ve got nothing to tell them,” Emery muttered.
Adam raked a hand through his thick, blonde locks. ‘Thackery won’t leave me alone until she throws him back in prison.’ Adam waved his hand, as if to banish all thoughts of the stern and meddlesome Head of the Magical Law Enforcement. “I can’t say we’re completely empty-handed. There are plenty of things I learned this week,” Adam spoke more to himself than to Nissel.
“What? He just whines about the newspaper every day! Did he tell you something yesterday?” Nissel asked.
Adam shook his head. “No. He hasn’t told me anything life changing, but I have a better idea of what he doesn’t know, and that will limit the field greatly when I start trying to figure out whom or what he is.”
Nissel snorted. “What amuses you, Healer Nissel? Care to enlighten me?” Adam snapped.
Nissel chewed into his lower lip, and his eyes darted around to avoid looking at Adam. “I-I . . . you don’t think it’s actually not him do you? I mean . . .”
“It’s crazy? Is that what you mean? We have no case to use as a precedent, and we have precious little information to work with. In addition, I happen to be the current expert on what we’re dealing with,” Adam admonished his young apprentice. “What I am coming to believe, though, is it’s not him. We have someone else in that room. However, whoever we have knows Susan Bones, or is at least concerned about her well being, and I suspect he may begin to talk about other people.”
“Why don’t we just use the Veritaserum?” Nissel asked. “He would have to tell us everything.”
“I would prefer to observe him before resorting to Veritaserum. You know how I feel about it. In emergencies, it can be essential, but we have time to deal with this. In addition, there is the problem that even the Aurors could not crack his mind using Legilimency.” Adam stared over at the other curtain separating him from his patient. ‘I can handle this if the Ministry will give me the time I need to figure this out. Legilimency didn’t work . . . I hope I can use that little bit of information to convince them that, somehow, he is being protected from our prying, which could be true, as irksome as that might prove to me later.’
“Tell me when the Aurors arrive.” Adam snapped out of his revelry and pulled open the curtain. He passed through another empty room before coming upon the last room. Normally, when he drew the curtain, his patient woke, but because he came several hours earlier, the man remained asleep when Adam entered.
The Healer stared down at his sleeping charge, sweating beneath the single sheet. ‘Another nightmare . . . I can’t say that surprises me. I wonder how long it will take to get him to talk about those. Hopefully, those nightmares will crack him soon.’
The man tossed from one side to the other. ‘Still very pale . . . I’m not surprised. He has started to put on a little weight, but he probably is still very weak. At that moment, the man’s eyes opened, but he didn’t notice Adam as he took a deep breath and ran his hands over his face.
“Another nightmare, I see,” Adam remarked in a soft voice.
The man jumped as if Adam shouted at him. “What . . . what are you doing here? Even I can tell how early it is.”
“The Ministry is coming today. I have to document your health, physical condition, and examine you for any abnormalities.”
The man chuckled. “Abnormalities? Is that a joke? I’m a walking abnormality.”
‘Hmmm, he has a sense of humour this morning. He’ll need that today.’ Adam didn’t reply, though, but stepped partially inside the magical bubble. ‘I hope he never figures out how the Aperio Charm works. I wasn’t lying when I said it was the reverse of the Fidelius Charm. It shows you everything “ in one place “ but the only catch is that there has to be one person inside the charm at all times, and that person is a secret giver. It’s astounding how well he’s done under that Charm. Most people start blabbing fairly early in the process. He just doesn’t realize if I enter the charm field completely, he could leave before I do.’
“I’m sorry to say we’re going to have to deprive you of breakfast for a while,” Venturini said as he motioned his patient to stand up. The non-verbal request was met with a questioning stare.
“I’m not really worried about food,” the man replied. ‘Not today. We’re not going to play this little war of attrition right now. You’re getting examined.’ Venturini reached down and flung the sheet off his patient before he grabbed his forearm. For a moment, the man pulled away, but Venturini’s firm grip held him in place.
Nissel entered the room and stepped into the bubble. Venturini nodded towards the other Healer as he partially pulled his reluctant patient to his feet. Then, instead of struggling against Adam’s tugging, the man seemed to space out and follow without any type of resistance. ‘He seems a little stubborn sometimes, but then he just closes down and is perfectly docile. A bit passive aggressive I think.’
The two walked together through the ward until they reached the bathing room, but instead of taking his patient inside, Adam continued to walk his charge down the hallway. As Adam escorted him to a little door, he watched the man twist his head to stare at his surroundings. ‘Yes, enjoy your field trip. The only other trip you might get to take will be from here to Azkaban.’
Adam pulled open the door with the hand that held his wand. He ushered the man into a windowless room no bigger than a standard office cubicle. With a flick of his wand, Adam lit a blue ball hanging from the ceiling. When Adam shut the door, the blue, fluorescent orb bathed both men in a wane light that made them appear like phantoms shrouded in a mist. Adam noticed the shiver that passed through the man’s body.
“Undress.”
‘This part doesn’t irritate him. He just complies,’ Adam thought as his patient stripped down without even a blush or a surly gaze. Adam went over to one of the cupboards on the wall and pulled out a clip board with a quill lying on top of it. With a flick of his wand, the quill stood up and began to scratch across the paper.
“Patient, name unknown. Age estimated in mid thirties. Gender, male.” Adam dictated as he walked over and began to tap his wand across his patient’s back. “Patient is pale, underweight . . . ” Adam paused to deliver a tap that made his patient flinch.
“ . . . and bruises fairly easily. Possibly from weakened health.”
Adam prodded at various joints and bones as he circled around his patient like a vulture. “Skeletal structure seems normal. Muscles are weak. Atrophied from lack of use.” At this point, Adam faced his patient and pointed a small beam of light at his eyes. “Pupils, normal. Vision seems adequate and unimpaired.”
‘Now, let me look at those scars,’ Adam thought as he tapped the patient’s mouth. “Open.” The man did so without hesitation, and Adam shone the light around inside of his mouth. “Many scars covering the lips, tongue, and other areas of the mouth typical of the patient’s condition.”
Adam lowered his wand. “You can get dressed.” Adam waited until the patient was dressed before he asked, “Do you have any mundane medical conditions that are common among all humans?”
“I have no idea,” the man replied with a shrug.
“Hmmm, well, have you had any previous magical ailments? Dragon pox, for example.”
The man sighed. “I couldn’t tell you. All I can say is that I woke up in a room full of corpses.”
‘As I thought, he has no idea of this body’s current medical status. Either he’s an excellent actor, or he really has no idea what this body has lived through. We’ll see about that one.’ Adam tapped the quill so that it fell limply against the clip board, which he stowed under one arm and tucked against his body. “I’m going to retrieve the Ministry personnel who you are, no doubt, eager to see again.”
The man raised his eyebrows and stared at the ceiling. “Tell them to stay for tea.”
“I just might,” Adam replied as he opened the door and locked it behind him. Adam strode towards the stairs, but he didn’t go far when Healer Barnes swung open the double doors and arrived on the fourth floor.
“You got lucky today, Adam. Thackery and Robards are busy seeing a case that got moved up.”
Adam followed Healer Barnes through the double doors that marked the entrance to the Sanguine-Levette Ward. As soon as they passed those doors, Healer Barnes proceeded to her own little office, which was much like the room where Adam had detained his patient.
After shutting the door, Barnes flicked on an orb that, instead of casting a ghostly pall over the room, illuminated the little space with natural light that managed not to be either harsh or terrifying. Instead, it gave the effect that the room might be sitting outside in a meadow, and only the smell of potions and the cold, tiled floor betrayed the homely space.
“What case are they seeing?” Adam inquired as Barnes sat down in a chair. Adam took a seat opposite her in one of the plush, spearmint armchairs in which patients and their family members usually sat.
Barnes pulled out some files and began flipping through pages of parchment. “They’re finally getting around to seeing some more of the Imperius Curse cases. I can hardly believe they’re going to actually try every single person involved, whether they escaped from Azkaban or not.”
“It almost looks like justice,” Adam quipped. Barnes gave him a sideways stare. “But then again, maybe I’m just bitter.”
“Personally, I think almost half the people in the Ministry knowingly broke the law during You-Know-Who’s reign. If you break the law, you go to prison.” Barnes finished her statement, and was no longer paying attention to her papers.
‘If you don’t break the law, sometimes you still go to prison.’ A wry smile crossed Adam’s face. Adam leaned forward in his chair. “I suppose you think I should have gone to Azkaban?”
Barnes sighed, adverting her gaze from the other Healer. “Yes, I do. Fleeing the country because you damned well knew what would happen was a spineless move.”
‘Ah, she’s in an excellent mood today. I suppose that reaction shouldn’t surprise me, considering she was jailed for being Muggle born.’ Adam propped his right leg on top of his other knee as he leaned back in the chair and waited until the crinkles around Barnes’s face softened. Barnes turned back to Adam and said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make the comparison “ ”
“Between me and the Death Eaters? No, you certainly didn’t, but you wouldn’t have been the first person who has done so since I’ve returned.” Adam sighed. “I suppose I was a bit lucky to get all of my charges dropped.”
Barnes let out a tiny snort. “A bit? Really, Adam, if you hadn’t been one of a dozen “ well, now probably less “ experts in your particular field “ ”
“”it never would have happened. It seems knowing a little too much about gruesome deaths and permanent, horrible curses finally helped me professionally instead of drawing criticism as a Dark Wizard.” Adam smirked as he watched Barnes shake her head, not a trace of a smile on her face.
Barnes reached up and pulled a few more strands of greying hair into the bun on the top of her head. “They also killed a lot of the people that knew how to clean up messes like those the Dementors made.”
“I can’t argue with that. They killed them, or they were on their side.”
Silence descended between the two Healers after Adam spoke. ‘With so many people dead, who is left to repair the mess? What a good question. Shacklebolt stepped into start to fix the Ministry, but most of the people who survived are young, untrained . . . ’ Adam thought as he fixed his gaze at a random spot on one of the walls. Barnes shuffling through her files brought him out of his trance.
“I suppose I should go tell my patient the good news that he may have at least one more day of reprieve,” Adam said as he stood up. He cast a sideways glance down at Barnes, who stiffened slightly when he mentioned his patient. “I suppose you agree with Thackery? Just throw everyone into prison? That strategy worked well in the past.”
Barnes looked up at Adam. “Eloise and I have known each other a long time, and she is providing a needed counter balance to the cries for everyone to just be . . . set free or “ or to do away with life sentences. No life sentences! Can you imagine? After this war?”
Adam stuffed his hands into his pockets. “I can’t say I completely agree, but it’s a backlash against the decades of farcical trials, no representation, and throwing people in prison without any trial at all. There’s been evidence they threw more than one innocent person in Azkaban because everyone panicked.”
“Well . . . some of them bloody deserved it,” Barnes spat as she stared down at her papers. ‘And that’s my cue to go.’
“Have a nice day. Thanks for passing along the information,” Adam said as he left the room. As he passed into the main hallway, Adam strode beneath the yellow lights that glared off the tiled floor. House elves popped onto the floor to deliver trays to the Healers that were taking them to feed their patients. Adam turned back to his office and gave the door a tap.
Entering the room, he saw his patient sitting on the one, hard backed wooden chair. In the wane, blue light, the man’s face appeared even more sunken, and the purple circles under his eyes seemed larger and more pronounced. “Good news for you,” Adam said, and the man took his gaze off the floor to look up at Adam. “The Ministry is busy today, so they’re putting you on hold for at least one more day. If you get lucky, it might be several more days before they pay a visit.”
The man nodded and stood up. Adam waited for a response, but when one didn’t come, he motioned the man forward and raised his wand to speed up the process. Once at the door, Adam again grabbed the man, this time by his shoulder, and led him back to his bed. When they both stepped inside the bubble, Nissel stepped outside of it.
“Nissel, go get the breakfast,” Adam ordered as he stepped outside of the bubble only after the man crawled back into his bed. Nissel eagerly obeyed, and Adam turned to follow the other Healer.
“Can I ask you something? I’ve been wondering about it for a while,” the man asked.
‘Well, what’s this? Maybe it is my lucky day after all.’ Adam turned on his heels and drew the curtain closed behind him. He walked over and stood at the foot of the man’s bed, clasped his hands together, and simply waited.
Finally, after a long, awkward pause where both men simply stared at each other, the patient said, “You mentioned something earlier, during the examination, about the scars around my mouth.” The man paused and ran his fingers over his lips. “You said they were ‘typical of my condition?’ What does that mean?”
‘Ah, this is my lucky day. He really does have no idea . . . ’
Adam looked down at the foot of the bed, purposefully avoiding eye contact, when he began to speak. “You made a very keen observation during the examination. Those scars are, indeed, the primary trademark of a certain condition. It’s not really a ‘condition,’ I would say, as an event . They might be properly described as a symptom of a particular happening.”
Adam paused and looked up at the man, who simply nodded for Adam to continue speaking. “You see, most people don’t know about these scars because the victims of this particular event either die are kept well hidden. I think you have experienced where the living victims are kept, am I correct?”
“Yes,” the man replied after a moment’s hesitation. “Please answer my question.”
A flat, wry grin came over Adam’s face. ‘I guess I can stop dragging this out. That’s a bit of a shame, though, but his reaction will be worth it.’
“You see, those scars are a by-product of the Dementor’s Kiss. The Dementor’s touch is so foul it leaves these scars all over the mouth area when it performs the Kiss.”
Adam kept his eyes trained on his patient, whose jaw fell open so he looked like a gaping fish. The man blinked several times, as if he really did not understand what he just heard. ‘He really had no idea. Well, I’m positive I have no idea who I have in that bed. I would assume he would remember the last moments of his life being descended upon by a Dementor, but this is clearly a surprise. A very nasty one, at that.
“A-a . . . what? Are you . . .”
“I am most certainly not joking. I am an expert on the Dementor’s Kiss,” Adam replied. “I actually have helped to contain the Dementors and control their breeding efforts. You see when “ ”
“That’s enough,” the man choked out the command.
“You wanted to know. It was a bit of a surprise, wasn’t it?”
The man’s gaze fell down to his hands. “Please leave,” was all he asked. Adam waited around to see if he would say anything else, but he only repeated, “Please leave.”
‘I guess I’m done for today. He seems to have had his fill of curiosity for a while. Good, it’ll give me time to begin to compile a file. The one person I can rule as not being my patient is the man who appears to be right in front of me.’