St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries (OP)
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St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries is the twenty-second chapter of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
Contents |
Headmaster
Harry jumps out of bed at once when McGonagall claims to believe him. He and Ron her out of Gryffindor Tower. Harry is panicked; he feels the need to yell for Dumbledore—Arthur is certainly bleeding to death while the three walk around the Hogwarts castle. They pas by Mrs. Norris, whom McGonagall sends off with a resolute "Shoo!"
They arrive to the Headmaster's office (the password is Fizzing Whizzbee). There are several voices coming from inside the office, which Harry later realises to have been portraits who later pretend to be asleep. Albus Dumbledore is sitting at his desk, wearing an embroidered purple and gold dressing gown over a white nightshirt. Harry describes his nightmare to the headmaster. Albus stares at the ceiling, and, not meeting Harry's gaze, asks the boy on which viewpoint he saw the snake attack Arthur. Harry replies that he was the snake.
Dumbledore calls Everard (a sallow-faced wizard with short black fringe) and Dilys (an elderly witch with long silver ringlets), two portraits that seemed to be asleep, but affirm that they have been listening. Everard is to raise the alarm so that the right people find Arthur. The two disappear from their frames.
Albus says that Everard and Dilys were two of Hogwarts' most celebrated Heads—so renouned that they have important portraits in other places. At Dumbledore's orders, McGonagall conjures three extra chairs (uncomfortable and wooden, unlike the comfy armchair that Dumbledore conjured at the Wizengamot - OP8).
The headmaster wakes Fawkes up, and quietly says, "We will need a warning." The phoenix disappears in a flash of fire.
Divided
Dumbledore approaches one of the small fragile instruments, places it on his desk and taps it with his wand. It tinkles into life with rhythmic clinking noises, letting out puffs of green smoke from the small silver tube at the top. After some seconds, the smoke thickens into the form of a serpent.
"Naturally, naturally," Dumbledore mutters without looking surprised. "But in essence divided?"
The smoke serpent splits itself into two snakes at once. Dumbledore taps the instrument again with a look of grim satisfaction.
Before Harry could ask what the silver instrument did, Everard returns. He says he yelled until someone came, and then announced that he'd heard something moving downstairs—there are no portraits to watch from there. Arthur was carried up minutes later, covered in blood; Everard watched him go from Elfrida Clagg's portrait.
Ron, who has been shocked and white-faced all along, makes a convulsive moment. Moments later, Dilys returns, announcing that Arthur has arrived at St. Mungo's, and that he looks bad.
Dumbledore orders Minerva to warn the Weasley children. She asks about Molly; he replies that Fawkes will take care of that once the phoenix is done keeping a lookout for anyone approaching. But then again, Molly may already know thanks to her clock.
Albus uses the Portus spell to transform a kettle into a Portkey; the object trembles, glowing with blue light, and rests. He then walks to another portrait, that of a clever-looking wizard with a pointed beard, who wore the Slytherin colours. Dumbledore, along with several other portraits, yell out the name of Phineas, who soon can no longer pretend to be asleep, and wakes with a theatrical jerk.
Dumbledore asks him to visit his other portrait, carrying a message. Phineas claims to be too tired, and other portraits protest: "Insubordination, sir! Dereliction of duty!" Armando Dippet cries, "We are honour-bound to give service to the present Headmaster of Hogwarts! Shame on you, Phineas!" A gimlet-eyed witch raises her thick wand and asks Dumbledore whether she should persuade him.
Phineas at last complies, eyeing the thick wand with some apprehension and muttering that Sirius has possibly destroyed his other picture (Harry then recalls hearing Phineas' voice in his bedroom at number twelve, Grimmauld Place). Albus tells him to inform Sirius that Arthur was injured and that the Weasleys and Harry will arrive at the house shortly. The former headmaster leaves, clearly bored.
Weasleys
McGonagall returns, along with Fred, George and Ginny. Dumbledore tells them that Arthur has been injured while working for the Order of the Phoenix, and taken to St. Mungo's. They are to go to Sirius' house—it is closer to the hospital than The Burrow—, where they will meet Molly.
Albus states that Floo powder is not safe at the moment (the network is being watched); they will take a Portkey as soon as Phineas returns, confirming that it is safe to go to Grimmauld Place.
With a flash of flame in the middle of the office, leaving behind a golden feather that floats to the ground, Dumbledore receives Fawkes' warning: Umbridge knows that the children are out of their beds. Albus orders Minerva to head her off. Black returns to his portrait and announces, "He says he'll be delighted. My great-great-grandson has always had an odd taste in house-guests."
Dumbledore beckons them to leave before anyone arrives. He counts to three—a moment before he finishes, his gaze meets Harry's. The boy's scar burns white-hot, and a strong surge of hatred overwhelms him. Harry feels the urge to sink his fangs into Dumbledore. Suddenly, there's a jerk behind his navel, and they all speed forward in a swirl of colours and wind.
Grimmauld Place
They arrive in the basement kitchen. Kreacher greets them with his usual muttering ("Back again, the blood-traitor brats. Is it true their father's dying?"). Sirius orders the house-elf to leave, looking unshaven; there is a Mundungus-like odour of stale drink about him.
Everyone asks Harry to tell them what happened, and he does. Sirius doesn't know whether Molly has already been informed; it was, however, fundamental to get the children out of Hogwarts before Umbridge could interfere.
Ginny announces that they will go to St. Mungo's, and asks to borrow some cloaks. Sirius says they cannot simply go; there is no way to explain how they knew about the incident—there could be consequences to Harry if the Ministry should find out that he's been having visions. The twins seem not to care.
When Ginny suggests that someone else could have told them, Sirius replies that the circumstances of Arthur's injuries are fishy enough as it is; he had been doing work for the Order. Fred yells that they don't care about the Order, and George adds that their father is dying. This reaction angers Sirius, who says, "Your father knew what he was getting into and he won't thank you for messing things up for the Order! This is how it is — this is why you're not in the Order — you don't understand — there are things worth dying for!"
Fred retorts, "Easy for you to say, stuck here! I don't see you risking your neck!"
Sirius becomes paler and seems about to hit Fred. When he speaks, however, his voice sounds calm. "I know it's hard, but we've all got to act as though we don't know anything yet. We've got to stay put, at least until we hear from your mother, all right?"
Ginny sinks into a chair; so do Ron and the twins. Sirius Summons Butterbeer for them all to drink.
Harry feels horribly guilty. He tries to calm himself down, to no avail.
Molly
Another burst of fire appears out of nowhere. A scroll of parchment falls on the table, along with a golden phoenix tail feather. Sirius sees that it is a message from Molly, and hands it to George. The letter reads: "Dad is still alive. I am setting out for St. Mungo's now. Stay where you are. I will send news as soon as I can. Mum."
A while later, Sirius half-heartedly suggests that they go to bed. No one accepts the idea. Fred dozes off. At ten past five, Molly arrives, smiling feebly. She announces that Arthur will be all right, and that they can all see him the following day; Bill is with his father now.
Sirius happily summons Kreacher so that they can all have breakfast. The house-elf does not appear (OP37), and Sirius decides to cook, with Harry's help. Molly hugs the boy, thankful for his alert ("They might not have found Arthur for hours, and then it would have been too late, but thanks to you he's alive and Dumbledore's been able to think up a good story for Arthur being where he was, you've no idea what trouble he would have been otherwise, look at poor Sturgis..."). She also thanks Sirius for watching over the children, and he offers to host them while Arthur is at the hospital. She appreciates the thought, and mentions that they will be there for Christmas.
"The more the merrier!" Sirius replies with evident delight. Molly begins to help him with breakfast, but Harry asks him to have a private conversation. The boy tells him every detail about the vision, including what happened with Dumbledore later. Sirius dismisses his concerns, certain that Albus would have mentioned anything preoccupying about the situation.
Underground
Everyone but Harry sleeps all morning: he is terrified to become the serpent once more, should he fall asleep. When Ron wakes up, Harry pretends to have slept as well.
Their trunks arrive from Hogwarts during lunch, and they dress as Muggles to go to St. Mungo's. Tonks, with short and bright pink hair, and Moody, with a bowler hat at an angle to conceal his magical eye, come to escort them, and the children assure Alastor that Tonks would attract less attention than him on the Underground.
Tonks is very interested in Harry's vision, much to his chagrin. She asks him whether there is Seer blood in his family, he denies. She ponders that he is not prophesying, but seeing what's happening at that very interesting—an odd but useful gift.
They leave the Underground at the heart of London. Moody clutches his wand from inside his coat; his magical eye stares hard at Harry when it is not rolling in all directions.
"Wasn't easy to find a good location for a hospital. Nowhere in Diagon Alley was big enough and we couldn't have it underground like the Ministry (OP7) — wouldn't be healthy. In the end they managed to get hold of a building up here. Theory was, sick wizards could come and go and just blend in with the crowd."
St. Mungo's
They arrive at an old-fashioned red-brick department store, Purge and Dowse Ltd., with a shabby air about it. The window displays have a handful of chipped dummies sporting outdated models, including one female with a green nylon pinafore dress. Large signs read: "Closed for Refurbishment". There is an electrical gadgets shop nearby.
Tonks approaches the female dummy and says very quietly through the window, "Wotcher, we're here to see Arthur Weasley."
The dummy nods and beckons with its finger. They all step through the glass in groups of three (Tonks, Molly and Ginny; Fred, George and Ron) and vanish; none of the Muggles notice. Finally, Moody and Harry enter.
They arrive at the crowded, noisy reception area of St. Mungo's. Some patients look quite normal, and read old copies of Witch Weekly; others make strange noises, have extra appendages or move in unnatural ways.
All Healers ("Are they doctors?" Harry asks Ron. "Doctors? Those Muggle nutters that cut people up? Nah, they're Healers.") wear lime-green robes sporting the St. Mungo's emblem (a wand and a bone, crossed). They walk around the rows, taking notes on clipboards.
A plump blonde witch is at a desk marked Enquiries. There are several signs behind her (such as "A clean cauldron keeps potions from becoming poisons" and "Antidotes are anti-don'ts unless approved by a qualified Healer"), and a large portrait of a witch with long silver ringlets: Dilys Derwent, St. Mungo's Healer (1722-1741), Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (1741-1768).
Dilys winks at Harry, eyes the Weasleys carefully as though counting them, and vanishes.
A young wizard, hopping madly, complains about the shoes his brother had given to him, which are eating his feet. The blonde witch orders him to go to Spell Damage, on the fourth floor.
| ARTIFACT ACCIDENTS | Ground floor |
| Cauldron explosion, wand backfiring, broom crashes, etc. | |
| CREATURE-INDUCED INJURIES | First floor |
| Bites, stings, burns, embedded spines, etc. | |
| MAGICAL BUGS | Second floor |
| Contagious maladies, e.g. dragon pox, vanishing sickness, scrofungulus, etc. | |
| POTION AND PLANT POISONING | Third floor |
| Rashes, regurgitation, uncontrollable giggling, etc. | |
| SPELL DAMAGE | Fourth floor |
| Unliftable jinxes, hexes, incorrectly applied charms, etc. | |
| VISITORS' TEA ROOM / HOSPITAL SHOP | Fifth floor |
| IF YOU ARE UNSURE WHERE TO GO, INCAPABLE OF NORMAL SPEECH OR UNABLE TO REMEMBER WHY YOU ARE HERE, OUR WELCOMEWITCH WILL BE PLEASED TO HELP | |
|---|---|
A very old wizard with a hearing trumpet announces that he is there to see Broderick Bode. The witch directs him to Ward forty-nine, but warns that Bode still believes himself to be a teapot. A wizard holding his small daughter by the ankle as she flies around his head using her huge feathery wings is also directed to the fourth floor.
It is then Molly's turn; the witch sends Molly off to the first floor, second door on the right, Dai Llewellyn Ward.
Arthur
They go through the double doors and down the narrow corridor, full of portraits of famous Healers and lit by crystal bubbles full of candles. Up a flight of stairs, they enter the Creature-Induced Injuries corridor; the second door to the right has the words "'Dangerous' Dai Llewellyn Ward: Serious Bites". Under the sign there is a brass holder with the inscription: Healer-in-charge: Hippocrates Smethwyck. Trainee Healer: Augustus Pye.
Tonks and Moody volunteer to wait outside so that Arthur can be with his family. Harry is about to stay back as well, but Molly ushers him inside. The ward is small and dingy; the only window was narrow and high in the wall opposing the doorway; more crystal bubbles cluster in the middle of the ceiling. The portrait of a vicious-looking wizard bears the caption: Urquhart Rackharrow, 1612-1697, Inventor of the Entrail-expelling Curse.
There are three patients there; Arthur sits beside the small window, reading the Daily Prophet. He greets them cheerfully, mentioning that Bill has just left, and conjures six extra chairs. Arthur explains that he would be fit to go if only the bandages could be removed; every time the Healers attempt to do so, he starts bleeding profusely, because an unusual kind of poison in the snake's fangs keeps wounds open. He takes a Blood-Replenishing Potion every hour.
The patient in the middle of the room looks green and sickly, and is staring at the ceiling. He was bitten by a werewolf. Molly is alarmed and wonders if it is safe; Arthur replies that the full moon is two weeks away. Healers have been trying to tell the man that he can have an almost normal life, and Mr. Weasley has mentioned Remus' case—without giving names, of course—to him. The werewolf's reaction was to threaten Arthur with a bite if he didn't shut up.
The woman across the room, by the door has not revealed what bit her; Healers believe it to have been something illegal. Whatever it was, it took a chunk off her leg, and there is a terrible smell when the bandages are removed.
Fred asks Arthur what happened. The man smiles at Harry and replies, "It's very simple — I'd had a very long day, dozed off, got sneaked up on and bitten."
The twin then asks his father whether the attack was reported in the Prophet. "No, of course not. The Ministry wouldn't want everyone to know a dirty serpent got —" "Arthur!" Molly warns him. "— got — er — me."
Secrecy
George asks Arthur what he was doing when the snake bit him. Arthur doesn't reply despite his son's insistence, and instead mentions Willy Widdershins's arrest, which was featured in the Prophet. Willy was the man behind the regurgitating toilets in the summer (OP7); one of his hexes backfired, and he was found unconscious and covered in what was presumably sewer material.
Unfortunately, Willy got off the toilet charge; Arthur supposes gold changed hands. This time, the man was caught selling biting doorknobs to unsuspecting Muggles. Two of them have lost fingers and are at St. Mungo's for bone re-growth and memory modification. Arthur excitedly wonders in which ward the two Muggles are.
Molly orders her children to leave the room, exasperated at their constant questions about Arthur's order duties, and ask them to send Tonks and Moody inside. The door is closed—but George brought Extendable Ears, and the kids wear them.
Tonks is talking about the snake, which vanished after the attack; Moody guesses that it was merely a scout.
Mrs. Weasley confirms that Harry saw it all happen. "You know, Dumbledore seems almost to have been waiting for Harry to see something like this," she says, and mentions that Albus is worried about the boy. Moody agrees that there's something funny about Harry.
"'Course he's worried. The boy's seeing things from inside You-Know-Who's snake. Obviously, Potter doesn't realise what that means, but if You-Know-Who's possessing him —"
The children all stare at Harry as he removes the Extendable Ear. He flushes. They suddenly appear to be somewhat fearful.
| Previous chapter | This chapter | Next chapter |
|---|---|---|
| The Eye of the Snake | St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries | Christmas on the Closed Ward |
