A Night at St.Mungo's

St. Mungo's, Entrance Hall, 5:45 p.m.

A loud bang indicated someone Apparating in. Marian Spellmann shoved the issue of Witch Weekly that she had been reading under the patient list with practised ease and looked up, a welcoming smile plastered on her face.

She relaxed when she noticed it was just Augustus Pye, a third-year trainee healer. "Evening, Pye...How old are you? Twenty? It still sounds like you just got your Apparating licence."

"Be grateful, otherwise you wouldn't have had time to hide your magazine," Augustus countered with a good-natured smile.

"But what are you doing here tonight? I thought you weren't starting on Dai Lleywellyn until tomorrow...did you forget to clean out your locker?"

"No. One more graveyard shift for me in Accidents and Emergencies."

Marian frowned. "But doesn't Ornamo know that you're on a new ward tomorrow?"

"He knows. I guess if I manage to get out of here at six tomorrow morning, I can manage a couple of hours' sleep before my afternoon shift on Dai Lleywellyn starts."

Augustus looked around. The chairs in the waiting area were all empty. "Looks like a slow night, anyway. Maybe I can get some reading done for the next exam."

"I wouldn't count on it. It will be Christmas soon, and sometimes the mayhem starts early."

"Maybe we'll be lucky. I'd better get changed or Ornamo will have my head."

Augustus waved a good bye and walked through the double doors leading to A&E, heading straight for the locker room.

Wrinkling his nose at the familiar smell of dirty socks, he opened his locker and shed his robes. He was glad that he had already started to clean out the things that had piled up in his locker so tomorrow, he would just have to pack his robes and a few books. Augustus picked up the lime green work robes. One more year, and the "Trainee Healer" label beneath the wand and bone embroidery would be gone.

Someone Apparated with a soft plop right next to him, and he almost dropped the robes.

"Oops, sorry, Gus."

Susan Campbell, second-year trainee, opened her locker. She was dressed in Muggle clothes and looked slightly dishevelled, with strands of long, blond hair hanging around her face.

"Why can't you just use the door, like everyone else?" Augustus asked as he pulled the robes over his head.

"I was late. Just had another row with my mum."

"Still about that Christmas party?"

"Still the Christmas party. I just hope she never finds out that I volunteered to work over the holidays," Susan answered, putting on her work robes and taking the pins out of her hair.

Augustus frowned. "I still don't get why you're making such a fuss about it."

Susan had her mouth full of hairpins and couldn't answer until her hair was fixed in its usual tight bun again.

"You remember that my parents are Muggles? That my dad is a surgeon at Kings Cross Hospital?"

"And?"

She slammed the locker door shut.

"Well, it's a disaster. I've always thought they accepted me being a witch and all. They seemed so proud of my grades back in Hogwarts. But once I had my N.E.W.T.s, it turned out that it was 'just a phase' to them. They expected me to go to a proper university and become a real doctor, just like Dad."

"But that's what you are doing!"

"Not to them. Last Christmas, my dad humiliated me with questions like, 'Do you sacrifice a chicken when your patient has a cardiac arrest?' and 'Do you stick needles in little dolls?'"

Augustus had to smile. "You know, Healer Tituba, from Spell Damage, sometimes does...."

Susan ignored his comment and continued ranting.

"He simply refuses to see that I'm doing serious work here and... ."

"Then why aren't you working?" said a cold voice from the door, startling them. Chief Healer Robert Ornamo leaned casually against the doorframe. He was a small, nearly bald man and seemed to be quite harmless at first glance, but on his way to becoming Chief Healer, he had ruthlessly crushed more than one career. If Ornamo caught someone making the slightest mistake, he showed no mercy. At the same time, he always managed to blame someone else for his own shortcomings. More than one trainee healer had quit after being on the receiving end of his tantrums, and every new staff member soon learned to fear him.

"Hush now, little ones. Go out there and save some lives!" he said.

"And who are we expected to save? Our co-workers, from a severe case of boredom?" Susan muttered as they reached the admissions desk. The blackboard behind the desk, used to keep track of the patients, was perfectly clean, bearing not a single name.

Two nurses, Agnes Baker and Flora Stepford, were drinking tea and discussing Christmas decorations. Healer McCoy had his feet on the desk and was staring into the flames of the huge fireplace.

During the tour on his first day at St. Mungo's, Augustus had learned that the fireplace had been installed in 1846 after a rather gruesome Apparating accident involving two mediwizards, a patient, and a stretcher. The very detailed engravings made him grateful that healers and the Floo Regulation Panel had worked out a way for mediwizards to conjure fires for emergency transportation soon afterwards.

Despite his hope for some study time, Augustus felt rather silly and useless just sitting around with no patients.

"Who else is working tonight?" he asked Nurse Baker.

"Let's see...Healer Bayberry is in the staff lounge, trying to work on that mountain of charts clogging his in-tray. And Nurse Carfax is doing a premature spring cleaning in the potions storeroom."

"And it was necessary!" Philomena Carfax exclaimed, emerging from the store room and waving a bottle. "The expiration date on this bottle of Skele-Gro is 1982!"

"That's not Skele-Gro. It's Bayberry's stash of firewhiskey," Healer McCoy chimed in.

Philomena unstopped the bottle and sniffed its contents. "Oh."

A pink tinge on her round face, she hurried back to return the bottle to its hiding place on the top shelf.

St. Mungo's, Accidents & Emergencies, 10:23 p.m.

Augustus felt his eyelids dropping again and forced himself awake. Susan, who had a very important potions exam after the holidays, was still working hard; her book was propped up against the teapot, and she was scribbling notes on a piece of parchment. Augustus had tried to study at first but soon gave up. He couldn't concentrate, so he picked up Ferdinand Sauerbruch--My Life, the autobiography of a Muggle healer, instead. The nurses were chatting quietly among themselves, and the conversation had moved on to the latest hospital gossip. McCoy was snoring softly. Now and then, a swarm of patient charts came flying out of the staff lounge and settled down in a neat pile in Chief Healer Ornamo's in-tray.

Augustus rubbed his eyes and stretched. A little bell on the desk started ringing, alerting them to the presence of a patient in the Entrance Hall. McCoy opened his eyes and yawned.

"You take that one, Pye. Start with symptoms and history. I'll be with you in a few." He reached for the teapot and knocked Susan's book down in the process.

Grabbing a clipboard, Augustus walked out into the Entrance Hall. A couple was waiting at the Help Desk with concerned expressions. The wizard carried a young boy whose face was obscured by a large bucket hovering underneath his head.

"Good evening. I'm Trainee Healer Pye," Augustus introduced himself. The boy began to choke miserably and threw up into his bucket.

"He's been like this all evening, and it won't stop," the witch explained.

"Then please follow me, Mrs...?"

"Willowby. My son's name is Gavin."

Augustus escorted them to one of the examination beds in A&E and motioned for Nurse Stepford to bring a kidney bowl before he drew the curtains.

They placed the child on his side on the bed. Augustus peered into the bucket. No strange colors, no smoke, and no blood. Good. Nurse Stepford took the boy's vital signs and noted them down on the clipboard.

"How old is Gavin?" he asked the parents.

"Seven," Mr. Willowby answered. His wife sat next to their son on the bed and soothingly rubbed his back as he continued to vomit.

"Any serious illnesses so far?"

"Colds, ear infection, just normal childhood stuff."

"Is he currently taking any kind of medication?"

"No, nothing."

Augustus reached for the clipboard.

"Vital signs normal, no fever," the nurse reported.

"Thank you, Flora." He turned to the boy. "Gavin, I'm going to take a look at your stomach now, and I want you to tell me if anything feels uncomfortable or hurts."

The boy nodded weakly, and Augustus pushed his robes up and started to examine him.

"Is it possible that he swallowed something from your potions cabinet?" he asked the father.

"No, we have several wards on it, and we strengthened those as the children got older. You can never be too careful."

"When did he eat last and what did he eat?"

Mr. Willowby frowned. "Meatloaf and potatoes for supper at five, but we ate it, too, and we're fine. He began to feel sick one hour later...wait, I found this on his nightstand." He pulled a small box from the pocket of his robes. It was labelled, Honeyduke's Finest Peppermint Pastilles.

Augustus knew them from his schooldays, but when he opened the box, the few pastilles left were orange instead of white, as he remembered them. He picked one up and took a closer look. It seemed like a part was broken off, and there was a trace of purple on the edge.

"Did you eat those tonight?" Augustus asked the boy.

"Yes," he answered. "My sister gave them to me."

"Our daughter Elisabeth started Hogwarts this term and sent the box with her last letter, as an early Christmas present for Gavin... ."

Mr. Willowby was interrupted by Healer McCoy joining them.

Augustus gave his report and added, "I think it's the candy."

McCoy inspected the pastilles.

"May I ask if your daughter is in Gryffindor?" he asked the parents.

"Why yes, but I don't understand... ." Mrs. Willowby looked confused.

"Well, we had a case of severe tongue swelling last year, caused by a toffee, and since then, other kinds of trick sweets have turned up at an alarming rate. In several cases, they were brought home by Hogwarts students from Gryffindor House," McCoy explained.

"Are you telling me she tried to poison her little brother? I will certainly have a talk with her when she comes home for the break!" Mr. Willowby declared angrily.

His wife tried to calm him. "Remember that he put flea powder in her school robes. In her first letter from school, she wrote that she had to serve detention for fidgeting during Potions class. Poor Elisabeth was scratching herself like mad all day. I guess she just wanted to get even."

"There is no need to worry," McCoy reassured the parents. "He'll get a potion, and everything will be fine."

"Vomitus potion?" Augustus asked, quill poised over the clipboard.

"Vomitus number five, 15 drops. May I keep this?" McCoy held up the Honeyduke's box.

"Of course," Mr. Willowby said.

Healer McCoy signed the order and handed the chart to the nurse.

"Elf!" McCoy called, outside the curtained area. A hospital elf dressed in a St. Mungo's pillow case popped out of thin air. The healer handed him the "mints." "Take this to the lab. I want a full analysis as soon as possible."

The elf immediately disappeared.

While they had been busy with the boy, another patient had arrived. A witch was sitting on one of the examination beds, her right leg wrapped in a dirty rag. A fowl foul smell was emanating from her wound, and Augustus wrinkled his nose. The witch scowled at Susan and Healer Bayberry, who were engaged in a heated argument.

"But all suspicious injuries have to be reported!" Susan said stubbornly.

"I think Mrs. Gray gave a perfectly good explanation for her injury," Bayberry declared.

"You think this is a good explanation?"

"Listen, Campbell, back when I was still a young healer... ."

Susan rolled her eyes.

"I once reported a suspicious injury," Bayberry continued. "Turned out the patient was a close friend of Mr. Malfoy, who promptly filed a complaint. I spent over a year on the night shift as a result. So, as long as there is not crystal-clear evidence of something illegal, you're better off without a report to the Ministry. Just think of all the paperwork! "

Susan opened her mouth, but Bayberry cut her off. "Get the chart ready and arrange a transfer to Dai Lleywellyn."

The healer turned to the woman on the bed. "Don't worry, Mrs. Gray. I'll send a nurse over to bandage your wound, and then you'll be transferred to the ward. We'll have this healed in no time."

Mrs. Gray smiled sweetly, showing several gaps in her teeth.

St. Mungo's, Accidents & Emergencies, 11:30 p.m.

Augusts sat down next to Susan at the admissions desk. She was scribbling furiously, muttering to herself.

"What's going on?" Augustus asked in a low voice.

"Mrs. Gray claims she was looking for something in the attic when suddenly something bit her leg. She insists that the she has no idea what it was."

"And what do you think?"

"Her story stinks to high heavens. Looks like some poisonous spider bit her, a huge spider. Those simply don't live in British attics without someone putting them there in the first place. Bayberry is just too lazy to fill out the necessary forms."

Augustus finished his own chart. The sick boy would be kept in A&E for observation for a few hours.

Suddenly the flames in the fireplace roared up higher, and the face of a mediwizard popped up.

"Incoming casualty. We're stabilising him right now. Patient is unconscious. Severe bite injury with massive bleeding, cause unknown."

Everyone sprang into action. The healers gathered in front of the fireplace to receive the patient while Philomena and Agnes got the trolley with emergency potions ready. Even Ornamo appeared from his office.

About five minutes later, two mediwizards came through the fire, carrying a stretcher.

While they settled the patient on the examination bed, one of the mediwizards gave his report.

"Arthur Weasley. Works for the Ministry and was found injured in a corridor by a co-worker. He lost consciousness soon after we arrived, but neither he nor his colleague saw what bit him. Massive blood loss, but vital signs are stable. We tried to stop the bleeding with basic spells, but they didn't work, so we applied a pressure bandage. His family has already been informed."

Chief Healer Ornamo immediately took over and started to bark orders in every direction.

"Not wasting a chance to suck up to the Ministry, are we?" McCoy muttered under his breath as he loosened the bandage so Ornamo could inspect the wound.

Blood was seeping from it quickly, obscuring their view.

"Clean that up, Pye!" Ornamo ordered. "McCoy, grade three Stabilising spell, and see if you can wake him up. Carfax, one cup of Blood-Replenishing Potion as soon as he wakes up, then a half cup every hour."

Augustus had managed to slow the blood flow enough for Ornamo to inspect the wound.

"Looks like a snake bite," Susan said, peeking over his shoulder.

"I can see that!" Ornamo snapped.

McCoy had performed the Stabilising spell and pointed his wand at the patient again. "Ennervate!"

Mr. Weasley blinked and tried to raise his head.

"Shh, everything is all right, Mr. Weasley. You are at St. Mungo's," Philomena said soothingly. Using her wand, she let the patient's pillow grow until he was in a half-sitting position, and then she held a cup to his mouth. "Drink this; it's Blood-Replenishing Potion."

Mr. Weasley obediently swallowed.

Ornamo had finished his inspection of the wound and brushed some non-existent dust off his robes. He wanted to make sure that Mr. Weasley knew from the start who was in charge here, so he started to question the patient in a grave voice.

"It looks like you've got one hell of a snake bite. Can you remember anything?"

"I'm not sure," Mr. Weasley answered, his voice only an unsteady whisper. "I thought there was a snake, but I'm not sure if it was real... ."

Nurse Baker touched the patient's wrist with the tip of her wand and murmured a spell, eyes closed in concentration.

"Blood pressure down to 80/40, pulse 160," she reported.

"He's going into shock! McCoy, Stabilising spell!" Ornamo ordered.

After another cup of the potion, the healer noted with satisfaction that the blood pressure was up to 100/60 again.

He continued with the questions. "Can you describe the snake?"

Mr Weasley frowned. "It was big, and I think...black."

"Could you see any markings?" Susan asked eagerly.

Mr. Weasley shook his head.

Outside the curtains, a woman's shrill voice could be heard.

"Arthur? Where is my husband? Arthur!"

"How many times have I told this stupid witch - no relatives in A&E!" Ornamo exploded. "Campbell, take care of her!"

Reluctantly, Susan left them. Outside the curtains, Marian Spellman unsuccessfully tried to calm a red-haired witch.

"Mrs. Weasley?" Susan asked the nearly hysterical woman.

"Yes, I'm Arthur Weasley's wife. Are you a healer? What happened? Why am I not allowed to see him?"

"I'm Trainee Healer Campbell, Mrs. Weasley. Chief Healer Ornamo is taking care of your husband. No need to worry," Susan said in a calm voice, trying to appease the agitated woman. "If you would allow me to take you to the waiting area in the Entrance Hall? It's much more quiet there, so I can answer all of your questions."

Mrs. Weasley seemed unconvinced but allowed Susan to gently take her arm and lead her away.

Susan and Mrs. Weasley sat down on wooden chairs right next to the doors leading to A&E, and Susan started to explain.

"Your husband was brought in by mediwizards straight from the Ministry thirty minutes ago. He had a bite wound on his leg. He's stable, and the healers are currently working on the wound. You can see him as soon as they are finished."

"What kind of bite?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"We think it's a snake bite, and your husband confirmed it."

"A snake at the Ministry? But how...." She trailed off, looking frightened.

Susan took her hand. "There's no need to worry, Mrs. Weasley", she assured her. "We will call you in soon, and then Chief Healer Ornamo can give you more information. If you need anything, just ask Miss Spellman," she said, and pointed in the direction of the welcome desk.

St. Mungo's, Accidents & Emergencies, midnight

Ornamo, McCoy, and Pye were gathered around Arthur Weasley's leg. Ornamo had predicted the bleeding would stop soon with the pressure bandage on, but it hadn't.

"We should sent a sample to the lab. Maybe the snake's venom prevents the wound from closing," McCoy suggested.

"With this much bleeding, all traces of venom are surely already gone," Ornamo said. "I'm going to try some healing spells. Pye, take off the bandage," he ordered, rolling up the sleeves of his robes.

But the healing spell had no effect; the blood continued to flow.

Ornamo frowned then raised his wand again. "This should do it..."

St. Mungo's, Accidents & Emergencies, 3:00 am

Ornamo wiped the sweat from his brow. Finally, the bleeding had stopped. He had tried about every healing spell he knew with no result. Some of them had seemed to make it even worse. Ornamo bent down to have a closer look. At the same moment, a small fountain of blood erupted from the wound, splashing in his face.

Cursing loudly and trying to clean his face on his sleeve, Ornamo yelled for McCoy to take over.

Grinning, McCoy called Susan and Augustus over to assist him.

"Pye, take a sample and send it to the lab. Try not to make a mess like our fearless leader," McCoy ordered.

Augustus used a spatula to scrub a generous amount of blood into a vial.

"Tell them to hurry up," he said to the hospital elf who waited for his orders.

McCoy turned to Susan. "Until we know what we are up against, put on pressure again and increase the Blood-Replenishing Potion to one cup every thirty minutes."

"Do you think I could call his wife in?" Susan asked.

"Sure, and if she has questions, sent her to Ornamo!"

St. Mungo's, Accidents & Emergencies, 3:45 am

Augusts Pye looked up from his book. The A&E was quiet again. They had discharged the boy an hour ago, and the witch had been moved to the ward. Only Arthur Weasley was left. Mr. Weasley was sleeping since he had sent his wife home, to the immense relief of Healer Ornamo, who had to explain to her why there was still no improvement in her husband's condition.

They were still waiting for the lab report. The bleeding had slowed a bit, but Susan had had to change the bandages twice already.

A hospital elf, this one wrapped in a napkin from the hospital tea room, dropped off the lab report at the admission desk.

Unrolling the parchment, Augustus walked over to Healer McCoy, who was standing next to Mr. Weasley's bed, checking the chart once again.

McCoy read the lab report and sighed. "Nothing. One test needs a few more days until we get results, so for now, we can only keep him on the potion and wait. Or do you have another suggestion?"

Augustus had one. It was radical, but McCoy had a reputation for being open-minded.

"Mm, Healer McCoy, I have been reading this book about Muggle healers and...they used something called 'stitches' to close up wounds."

McCoy raised his eyebrows. "Like with...needles? And this works?"

"Ask Susan Campbell. Her father is a Muggle healer, and he does it all the time. But you need some kind of special needles and thread to do it."

McCoy thought about it then called Susan over.

"Campbell, is it true that Muggle healers use stitches to close wounds?"

Susan looked a bit uncomfortable. "Yes, my dad does it," she said hesitantly. "He's a surgeon."

"Aren't those the ones who cut open their patients to heal them?" asked a voice from nearby. "Do you want to try that on me?"

Mr. Weasley had woken up during their conversation.

"No need to get alarmed, Mr. Weasley," McCoy hurried to explain. "We are simply considering options."

But Mr. Weasley didn't look frightened. He seemed to be quite interested. "You see, I work in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office, and I'm fascinated by Muggle things. You should see my collection of plugs, probably the largest in Britain."

"Are you implying that you would actually volunteer to try this, Mr. Weasley?" McCoy asked.

"Why not? Why shouldn't it work on wizards if it works for Muggles?"

McCoy looked at the two trainee healers. "Then it's settled. Pye, you mentioned special needles?"

"Yes. I'm sure I could find pictures to help me conjure up the right ones," Augustus said eagerly.

"I've got a better idea. Campbell, could you ask your father for them?" McCoy turned to Susan.

"I guess so. Be right back," she said, and Disapparated.

Kings Cross Hospital, Surgical Floor, 4:15 am

Susan Apparated inside a storeroom next to her father's office. He was on standby duty that night. A small part of her hoped he would be in the operating theatre, but outside in the corridor, she could see light from underneath his door. Susan knocked and slipped inside. Her father sat at his desk, assumedly checking tomorrow's schedule, not noticing her.

"Hello, Dad," she said quietly.

He looked up in surprise and pushed up his glasses.

"Susan? What are you doing here at this hour?"

Susan took a deep breath. It wouldn't matter how she put it, she already knew how this would end.

"Dad, I need a favour. We have a patient with a leg injury. The wound is small but won't close, and the patient is losing a lot of blood. One of my colleagues suggested stitches, and I'm here to get suture material."

"A wizarding doctor, giving up his hocus-pocus for stitches?" Dr. Campbell asked, feinting shock.

"It's not hocus-pocus, Dad," Susan said tiredly.

Her father just snorted.

"A lot of our treatments are the same. Treatment for a burn injury caused by a potions accident is much like you would treat a chemical burn."

"But I don't waste my time with mumbling spells... ."

Susan interrupted him. "Because your cases are different. For us, there is almost always magic involved. You don't get to see people with elephant ears after they messed up a spell."

Her father was quiet for a moment. "Well, I'd better go and get the suture material. After all, your patient is waiting," he said brightly. "Just wait here. I'll be right back."

Susan had a strange feeling as she watched him leave the room. It had been the same old wizard medicine-versus-Muggle medicine argument, one they had had a million times before, but for the first time, she had won. Perhaps her father was finally beginning to accept her career choice.

St. Mungo's, Accidents & Emergencies, 4:40 am

Susan reappeared at St. Mungo's holding a small metal box.

"And? What did he say?" Augustus asked.

"Well, he is delighted that I finally started practising proper medicine. He suggested atraumatic needles and Dermalon thread."

They approached Arthur Weasley's bed, and she opened the box, taking out several small foil-wrapped packages.

Susan and Augustus looked expectantly at Healer McCoy when he joined them, but he just smiled.

"Go ahead," he said. " It was your idea."

Augustus picked up one of the packages with slightly trembling hands and studied the label.

St. Mungo's, Accidents & Emergencies, 5:00 am

Feeling confident, Augustus jabbed the bent needle into Mr. Weasley's skin. The patient yelped in pain.

Sheepishly, Susan cast the numbing spell they had originally forgotten to cast over Mr. Weasley's leg. Augustus was about to try again when he was stopped by an angry voice.

"Now, what in Merlin's name do you think you're doing?"

Chief Healer Ornamo glared at them.

"We are trying a new procedure Mr. Pye suggested," McCoy explained.

"A Muggle procedure," Arthur Weasley supplied.

"Muggle procedure? Are you out of your mind? There will be no experimenting on my patients!" Ornamo was enraged. "McCoy, I cannot believe you allowed this!"

"But I gave my consent... ." Mr. Weasley tried to explain, but Ornamo ignored him.

"Campbell, you have four more weeks in A&E, and you will spend them on the night shift under my personal observation. Considering your upbringing, you may have been unaware that you were about to do something illegal. Healer McCoy, if I ever catch you again with something like that, you will have to face the Ethics Committee. Oh, and you're on the night shift until further notice."

Ornamo turned to Augustus. There was a hint of sadness in his voice, which surprised Augustus.

"Mr. Pye, the fact that you suggested such a procedure makes me think about rewriting your evaluation report." The anger on Ornamo's face was gone, replaced by something close to disappointment. "I want you out of A&E immediately. I will inform the Healer in Charge on your new ward of your actions tonight and urge him to report you immediately if you put one toe out of line again. Now pack up and go!"

St. Mungo's, Accidents & Emergencies, 5:30 am

Augustus shouldered his bag and shuffled over to the admission desk. He felt numb. He realised that his experiment had brought him close to being sacked. When he had started out as a trainee healer, he had dreamed about revolutionising wizarding medicine. He had never expected the healers to be this conservative.

Augustus picked up the book about Ferdinand Sauerbruch. Maybe he should stop dreaming and just concentrate on getting through his final year.

He noticed Arthur Weasley looking at him, motioning to come over.

"Mr. Weasley, I'm so sorry. I should have never suggested it in the first place," Augustus said nervously, constantly looking around. Thankfully, Ornamo was nowhere in sight.

"There is no need to be sorry, young man," Mr. Weasley said brightly. "Wish we had more open-minded people like you in the wizarding world. If you want to make progress, you have to try new things."

Mr. Weasley leaned closer and lowered his voice.

"The Chief Healer told me I'm getting moved to Dai Lleywellyn, and Miss Campbell said that that would be your new ward."

Augustus nodded.

Mr. Weasley glanced around and then retrieved the metal box from under his pillow.

"Here, I managed to save this. Maybe we could try again on Dai Lleywellyn?"

Augustus hesitated, then he took the box.

"If you are still up for it, Mr. Weasley... ."

"I certainly am."

Outside in the Entrance Hall, Augustus took one last look at the portraits of famous healers decorating the walls before Disapparating.

Mr. Weasley was right,

he thought, his hand closing around the box in his pocket. To make progress, you have to walk outside the familiar paths.