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Post by Deleted on Jun 15, 2014 20:43:56 GMT
A NIGHT AT THE OFFICE OPEN THREAD All was quiet, an unusual occurrence in the walls of Hogwarts, but one that Antonia was embracing. With the Carrows love for torture and the Slytherins patrolling the corridors, her hospital wing was becoming stretched. She was appalled at the range of hexes and curses, students would traipse to her with. Hogwarts no longer seemed like a safe place, it was so different from the school she remembered that if the halls and rooms did not look the same, she would have thought she was in a different place.
The sun had set early disappearing behind the black lake. Antonia had taken a quick evening stroll, before the doors to castle were locked and barred. She picked her walk times wisely in order to avoid other members of staff. She was greatly intimidated by them and the fact that some were known death eaters sent a chill down her spine. She often pondered if any of them had been responsible for her mothers death.
Antonia was sat at her desk, in her small office just off the hospital wing, with a quill in hand. She desperately wanted to send an owl to her father, to let him know she was okay and not to worry...but he was a muggle. She knew the owls were being screened and to write to him would be dangerous. She would have to wait to send her owl somewhere more private and hope that the owl would not be intercepted.
A clatter sounded from the wing and Antonia leaned back on her chair to get a look at the room, none of the patients seemed to have stirred. With a frown, she rose quietly from her chair, her wand was tucked safely into the pocket of her white apron. She ventured forward her dark eyes searching the room for the source of the noise. WORDS 310TAGGED OpenNOTES Hospital Wingtemplate by Margie @ Adoxography 2.0
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2014 19:14:15 GMT
Stupid, stupid! Careless and stupid! Those were the words running around in Fanny's pain-stricken mind as she dragged herself onward, towards the Hospital Wing. She could almost hear her sister's voice in her mind, chiding her for having been so reckless. She shouldn't even have been outside the dorm at this hour, but she had been... preparing some things for the next DA session in the Room of Requirement. They were under constant surveillance during the day and hardly had any free time anymore, so the night time – in Fanny's eyes – was an opportune moment to do things without being scrutinized. She had almost made it... but almost wasn't good enough. A band of Slytherin patrols had caught her just as she had entered the corridor leading towards her common room.
She had tried to run, of course, but they had been too many, fanning out in an instant and cornering her. One of them had been Alex Sykes... so the rest was history. Alex and Fanny had been enemies from day one at Hogwarts, their outlooks on life as contrary as it could get. One word had given the other and both Alex and his henchman Vikram had decided that this was a personal score to settle, nothing to bother the Carrows with, so they had set up a Muffliato around them and started the game. Fanny had defended herself as well as she was possibly able to, but five against one had never been favorable odds even for someone who was bad at Math. Once she was on the ground, their 'fun' had really started. The next minutes were a blur of pain, she hardly remembered the exact curses they had thrown at her, until one stood apart, exclaimed by Sykes: „Acidio“
Seconds later, acid blisters had appeared on her skin, everywhere but the face, even at her footsoles. Nearly insensible with pain, they had left her lying there, sneering and joking about finally having managed to 'cut the Phoenix' wings'. Several minutes passed when Fanny could not bother to move and was slipping in and out of consciousness, until one thought took hold: Haley couldn't know. If she just lay here until morning, someone would find her and then all hell would break loose. If she just went back to bed, someone would see the chemical burns come morning and THEN all hell would break loose. Her only chance was reaching the hospital wing by herself and swear the nurse to secrecy. Yes, then no one but her would ever know.
More crawling than walking, as her burnt footsoles made treading on them well-nigh unbearable, she dragged herself down towards the first floor, pausing at intervals to try and get the pain under control. Oh they would pay! She would get back at them and good! But first she needed to be fixed... It was that thought that drove her onward until at last she hauled herself against the double wing door of the Hospital Wing and fell right through, a choked gasp of agony escaping through tightly pressed lips as she hit the floor with a thud, slowly losing the fight against the big black hole that threatened to swallow her once again.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2014 21:10:10 GMT
A NIGHT AT THE OFFICE OPEN THREAD Another sound rang around the room, causing one of her patients to stir, but the calming draught had done its job and the patient remained sleeping. Anxiety overtook Antonia and her mind raced with all the wild possibilities. What if more Death Eaters got into the school looking for mischief? Antonia hadn't been at the Battle of Hogwarts, but nightmares often plagued her mind as a result. The images and stories that had come from the scene were truly horrific and Antonia feared it happening again. Her father would tell her it was merely her fear of being unable to control the circumstances around her, whatever it was, she couldn't bear to think about it.
She edged forward, her dark eyes searching the dimly lit room for signs of the source of the noise. As she rounded the side of one of the hospitals beds, her eyes fell upon the shoe of a student. Her eyes widened as she took in the crumpled heap at the doors of the hospital wing. In a second she snapped into nurse mode, checking the rest of the room for any sign of danger before kneeling down to gently shake the patient.
'Hello, can you hear me?' Antonia asked firmly, as she checked to see if the young girl was breathing. Her eyes scanned the girls body, taking in the already darkening and lumpy patches of skin and angry blisters. Pulling out her wand Antonia whispered 'Lumos' as she used the light to examine the girl further. 'Can you hear me?' She asked again, drawing back slightly. She didn't want to move the girl until she was sure of her injuries, although she presumed she had gotten herself to the wing before she had passed out.
It was clear the girl had been on the receiving end of a rather nasty hex, she had seen a few students come in recently with similar injuries. WORDS 320TAGGED OpenNOTES Hospital Wingtemplate by Margie @ Adoxography 2.0
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2014 21:42:55 GMT
Blackness, wallowing like dark waves around her, a current threatening to pull her under. There were moments, when she thought to break the surface, but outside of the blackness was only pain. Burning like a black fire, burning into her skin. But she would rise again, she was the phoenix, fire couldn't harm her, right? This fire, however, it was different. It was not purifying, it was evil. The black waves made it bearable, so slowly Fanny started to like them. They were peaceful at least, wrapping her like into a comfortable, loving embrace. Why not stay here forever?
But then there was something else... a voice, piercing the peaceful blackness and silence. It brought a discord to the dark harmony, it annoyed Fanny. She didn't want to listen... the voice only brought back the pain. But then it came again, and with it something similarly painful. Light. It drove away the black waves and they retreated slowly, leaving her body exposed to the cold burning. Fanny groaned in protest, trying to lift her hand to shield her eyes from the light, but that only brought more pain as the blistering skin chafed against the fabric of her clothes. Another groan which chased the waves even further back, until they were suddenly gone. Now the words even made sense, belatedly. Can you hear me?
"Ugh...“ she groaned again, but then realized that that wasn't exactly an answer, therefore her lips lazily formed the word she needed. „Y-yes...“ She knew that voice, didn't she? Apparently she had really made it, she was in the Hospital Wing and this was Antonia Conningford, the nurse. What did she have to tell her again? Ah yes... secrecy! Haley shouldn't know, Haley MUSTN'T know what she had done! Haley would freak out and blame her again she was risking everything with her stupid continuous solo runs. „Haley...“ she whispered, her mind still hazy, though that thought was crystal clear. „Don't tell... Haley...“
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2014 22:07:25 GMT
A NIGHT AT THE OFFICE OPEN THREAD At least the girl was breathing, that was always a positive sign, Antonia thought soberly. The girl began to stir and Antonia leaned forward to catch the girls words which made little sense. The girl was clearly delirious and she could quite possibly be hallucinating. Antonia cringed at the memory of the last patient she had with hallucinations. She'd spent half the morning chasing the patient with a calming draught trying to convince the boy he wasn't being stalked by Bowtruckles. That was a long morning.
Antonia whispered a few quick words and her wand glowed, casing a small light around the girl, allowing her to levitate and move the girl gently onto the nearest bed, where she could examine her with more ease. With a flick of her wand, she lit the nearest light and peered over the girl again. 'Hello, It's Matron Conniford, your in the hospital wing' she explained clearly, as she moved toward her medicine cabinet and picked up a round bottle of paste.
'I'm going to put something on your blisters, it will sting a little, but I promise you'll feel better after' she explained, taking the lid off the bottle and slowly applying the paste to the blisters she could see. She'd used the paste before, it was a clever concoction of the Herbology Professor that soothed painful skin maladies.
'Can you tell me your name?' She asked, as she continued to apply the paste, hoping the girl would remain concious if she continued speaking.
WORDS 249TAGGED OpenNOTES Hospital Wingtemplate by Margie @ Adoxography 2.0
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2014 18:34:53 GMT
For a moment Fanny believed she had fallen unconscious again, for she felt as if she was floating, being lifted off the ground and moved through the room. But then she realized belatedly that this in fact was the case. The few seconds of hovering in mid air had been a great pain relief and even now that she was put down on soft cushions and a feather bed, it made such a difference from the hard floor before. The blisters still burned and she still felt like being inside a cold, consuming fire, but it became almost bearable. Her jaw muscles rigid with self-control, she tried to assess her situation more clearly. She hadn't been victim of this particular hex before, so she didn't know whether the effects would be instantly reversible. But there was still hope.
„I know“, that came pressed, but not without a slightly humourous undertone. Where else after all would there be a woman clad in white and dozens of unoccupied beds? „This was, in fact, my destination.“ She didn't want to sound know-it-all or aloof, but she had found before that one of her coping mechanisms with pain and trouble was sarcasm. It was one of those things greatly distinguishing her from Haley, so she had cultivated it even a bit over the last few years. People who knew her well even ignored it by now, never taking offense.
Fanny winced in advance as she saw that bottle with medicine. Paste or salve, most likely, but that also meant Matron Conniford's fingers would have to apply them. That meant more pain, before the relief would come. She braced herself, taking a few deep breaths and releasing them slowly, then gave a little sheepish, almost apologetic smile. „They're everywhere... just to warn you. My whole body--“ she took in a sharp breath as the first bits of paste were applied by the nurse's gentle and careful breath. The upflaming of pain was so strong it nearly made her sick, and she balled her fists and grit her teeth hard so she would not cry out.
„Fran—Francesca Dakota“, she panted, screwing up her eyes as she fought for control. „Gryffindor Sixth year. But please... please, don't tell anyone I was here...“
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2014 15:02:12 GMT
A NIGHT AT THE OFFICE OPEN THREAD Antonia continued patiently to apply the paste, ensuring there was a good layer on all the unclothed blisters. The ones that had clothing attached would be much more difficult to treat and Antonia hoped the fabric hadn't fused to the blistered skin. She would have to treat the wounds with a lotion after to help prevent scarring. Antonia flicked her wand, lighting some more of the lamps over the bed so she could get a better look at her patient.
Antonia nodded gently at the girls words, if she was being sarcastic then she must be feeling slightly better, Antonia decided. ' Not to worry dear,' Antonia responded as she methodically applied the treatment, 'Just try to relax' she added, as she began to peel away the sleeves of the girls clothes from the angry blisters. 'We will have you back to normal in no time' Antonia said soothingly as the girl tensed under her touch.
'Would you like to explain to me Francesca, how you came to be in such a state?' Antonia asked softly, as she added another layer of paste to the blisters, some of which were beginning to bubble and disappear before her eyes. It was a simple, but effective hex that had caused the blisters, one that if went untreated could leave the victim severely scarred. 'I should hope you know it's not wise to be wandering the corridors late at night' she scolded, as she moved to Francesca's other arm.
Francesca wasn't the first pupil she'd had wander into the hospital wing after dark and no doubt she would not be the last. Antonia could only hope the students would learn from their peers mistakes and refrain from behaviour that would cause them harm.
WORDS 345TAGGED OpenNOTES Hospital Wingtemplate by Margie @ Adoxography 2.0
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2014 20:17:55 GMT
The paste, like all magical medicine, already worked wonders, though Fanny knew well enough that the worst was still ahead of her: The seperating of clothes and skin, where the blisters had opened up raw flesh. Already the cloth stuck to the wounds at some places, she could feel it. Her worst fear at the moment was the taking off of her trousers. Unbidden, a story someone once had told her rose to the forefront of her mind, about a girl having simmering hot tea spilt over her legs, so when they tried to take off her trousers, parts of her skin had simply... peeled off, leaving her scarred for life. It was not vanity that made Fanny nearly despair at these thoughts, it was the simple guess that such a thing couldn't be hid from people, least of all someone as perceptive as her sister.
„No time...“ she replied with a smile that turned into a distorted grimace as a new wave of pain hit her. „That's... an acceptable period in my eyes, – MERLIN'S BA--“ she cut off the curse belatedly, as one edge of her sleeve came free of her skin with a sickening squishing sound. „Oy..." At least the pain was slowly stopping where the blisters had disappeared, so the pain centered on a few selected spots, instead of simply being everywhere at once. Sykes, I'll kill you for this... she raged inwardly, and if it's the last thing I'll do, I'll wipe that arrogant sneer off your face! Next time it'll be YOU on the floor!
In principle, Fanny was by no means violent, but there was no reason to be gained from this moment. It just felt good to rant and rave that way, even if she didn't mean half of it. As there seemed to be a momentary pause of pain, she found a little time to gather her thoughts and think on what the nurse had just asked her. Of course she could not tell the whole truth. No one could know she had been out at this time, so there was no way to rat out Sykes and his goons anyway. They were the ones in power right now, the Carrows or even just the Headmaster would never lay a hand on their fosterlings. They were team evil, all together! But how far could she go with half truths? How deep would Matron Conniford dig?
„I know...“ she started hesitantly. „But sometimes there are things more important than... curfews. And what would be the difference, whether I told you who did this or not? They won't get punished for it, so why do you want to know?“ The nurse should be neutral, for all she knew... but was there really a neutral position in this interal school war?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2014 19:16:21 GMT
A NIGHT AT THE OFFICE OPEN THREAD Ignoring Francesca's passionate curses Antonia examined Francesca's legs. She could see removing her shoes and trousers was going to be a tricky task. If she could peel the clothing away without causing more damage that would be a miracle. She twirled her wand thoughtfully in her right hand, cutting away the clothing seemed to be the best and least painful method for the patient. It would perhaps take longer, but it would minimize the likelihood of her angering the wounds. She could treat each one individually.
The girls words rang with the brutal honesty young people tended to have. Since working at Hogwarts Antonia had learn't that the most honest people in this world were the young. She remembered being that way once and feeling invincible. Some students still had yet to feel the sting of the new ministry. They were the lucky ones. The ones that carried no fear. Lack of fear nowadays was a dangerous thing to have. She responded with a slight nod of the head and for a moment she didn't speak.
The truth of the situation in Hogwarts was saddening. Children no longer felt safe, Hogwarts was once an encouraging positive environment for young witches and wizards. Now it felt more like a training camp and all the students were being brain washed. Antonia tried to pretend it wasn't happening. She kept her head down and got on with her job, but when students like Francesca came in, she found she could not ignore the plan facts.
'I know...' Antonia replied with resignation. She finished adding the last bits of paste to her wounds on Francesca's upper torso and then began to explain her next task.
'I think i'm going to have to cut away some of this cloth' She stated simply, 'some of the wounds look like they are beginning to fuse to your clothing' she explained, 'it will be easier if I treat them individually.'
WORDS 322TAGGED OpenNOTES Hospital Wingtemplate by Margie @ Adoxography 2.0
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2014 11:43:44 GMT
She should have guessed the nurse to remain neutral at all costs. Belatedly, Fanny had realized how far she had went out of that limb with her almost unthinking answer. Something more important than curfews – GIRL, this sounds like treason to the ears of most people here! It's the prequel to close questioning about WHAT could be more important. Get it together!! This mental kick in the backside helped somewhat, but at the same time she couldn't get rid of the feeling that Matron Conniford was at least to be trusted to keep silent. She never asked many questions... and it wouldn't be the first time that a DA member had had to visit her for accidental injuries – and never had any word reached the Carrows!
And wonders and miracles, she even seemed to silently agree with what Fanny had just implied: that the real perpetrators would go free without any punishment, because they belonged to the 'right' side in the eyes of those with power. It might have been faked, of course, but even in pain as she was right now, Fanny was willing to take that leap of faith and mark this statement as genuine. The question now was... let it be or proceed? It might be a great achievement to get the nurse on their side, especially for events in the future, when the DA needed help. A nurse held valuable information as well as knowledge. Even the teachers went to her with injuries they could not heal themselves and so maybe she had been able to overhear one or two things.
But first things first, clearly. And her utmost priority was to get out of this mess without too much additional pain. Fanny was not a vain girl, but she still had to wince as the nurse spoke about cutting her clothes. „Can they be mended afterwards, you think? I really, really don't want anyone to know I was here...“ she implored, but then heaved a sigh. „Do what you have to do, every second wasted means more pain in the end. I may be many things, but I'm no masochist.“ And so she braced herself for the inevitable, already gritting her teeth. Her jaw muscles would hurt come morning, but then... that was the least of her worries, clearly.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 14, 2014 16:25:42 GMT
A NIGHT AT THE OFFICE OPEN THREAD A smile crept across Antonia's face, 'are we witches or are we witches?' She asked cheerfully beginning to cut away the material, 'anything can be fixed if you know how' she added with a smile. She quietly continued with her work, making sure all the other blisters had been treated efficiently. Shee stood back to admire her work, most were bubbling and fading under the treatment, some more stubborn ones would require a second treatment.
Antonia turned back to her supply store and placed a small amount of paste into a container. 'That should just about do it' Antonia announced, 'here's some paste you can take back with you, should they begin to ache again over night. Pop in sometime tomorrow so I can check on them.' she added, 'and maybe refrain from your late night walks for a while' she said softly. She did not want to be seeing Franchesca back here again any time soon.
'I might give you a note encase you have a trouble on your way back to your dorm...' Antonia mentioned as an after thought, 'does anywhere else hurt?' She asked.
WORDS 322TAGGED OpenNOTES Hospital Wingtemplate by Margie @ Adoxography 2.0
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