TW AND CW: mentions of death, torture, and depression

I walked out the door of James' house, locking it with a quiet, "Colloportus!"

I focused my thoughts and, with a loud crack, Apparated to a quiet street alley.

I walked out of the alley as if I was just another London passerby.

Looking around the busy streets, I saw a closed department store with the sign "Purge and Dowse Ltd."

This was it.

I walked up to it and knocked on the store window, my breath fogging up the glass.

"Marlene McKinnon, here to see Sean McKinnon in Spell Damage," I whispered to the mannequin behind the glass window.

The glass seemed to soften up a little.

I simply walked through it with no difficulty.

Suddenly, my surroundings changed from a dingy department store to a bustling reception room.

I got into the short line and waited my turn.

There was a man as tall as the ceiling who kept making duck noises.

In front of me was a woman who was completely purple- even her hair!

I shuddered. Purple was my least favorite color.

"Next!" said the woman at the register.

I walked up.

"Name?"

"Marlene McKinnon," I said quickly.

"Alright," said the woman in her thick Scottish accent. "Are you here for yourself or to see someone?"

"I'm here to see Sean McKinnon," I said, trying to calm myself down a little. "He's in Spell Damage," I added.

The woman nodded at me, then turned to look at her clipboard.

She flipped the pages several times.

"He's in the long-term ward with Healer Smethwyck and Trainee Augustus Pye in the Dai Llewellyn ward on the fourth floor," the woman said in one breath.

"Er-" I said, not hearing a single word. "Sorry?"

"Fourth floor," she said more simply. "Just ask a Healer for directions from there."

"Alright, thank you," I muttered. "Have a good day."

"You too, dear," the woman said kindly. "Next!"

I spotted an elevator and strode towards it with a brisk pace, brushing off my robes.

"Fourth floor," I said, stepping inside the elevator.

"Fourth floor, Spell Damage!" says the elevator in a jovial tone. I started moving upwards.

"I could go for a cuppa," said the elevator happily. "They have a pretty good tea place here. Though they don't let me have any. Says it ruins the mechanisms."

I laughed nervously, seeing as most people aren't accustomed to meet talking elevators who like drinking tea.

"You alright, dearie?" asked the elevator with a quiet rumble. "You look a bit off."

"I'm fine," I said to no one in particular.

"You sure?" inquired the elevator with another rumble. "Your face is a bit pale."

"I'm fine, er- elevator dude," I said with a sigh.

The elevator gasped, as if that was an offense. "I'm not an elevator dude, ma'am! I'm a complex and highly detailed mechanism!"

"Who can talk," I added subtly.

"Who can talk!" said the elevator. "Don't call me general elevator dude. I prefer the term, 'Susan'."

I raised an eyebrow. "Your name is Susan?"

"Yes."

"Alright, then."

It wasn't everyday I met talking elevators with big egos and the name of Susan, but it sure happened today.

"We're here!" said Susan with a ding. "Bye, annoying human!"

"Bye, elevator dude!"

I stepped out quickly before Susan could go on another egotistical rant.

"Excuse me?" I asked a nearby Healer. "Do you know where Sean McKinnon's ward is?"

"Over behind the curtains there," said the Healer. "I'm Hippocrates Smethwyck, I'm the Healer in charge of him. Are you just here to visit him?"

I nodded. "Yes, I'm his daughter. I wanted to ask..."

"Yes?"

"I know he was unresponsive for quite a while," I said. "Is he able to speak now, though?"

Smethwyck shook his head. "He's awake now, and he hears and sees everything... he just can't communicate that well yet."

I nodded, trying not to cry. "I'll go see him now."

Smethwyck nodded. He had ruffled greying hair and a strict but gentle smile. "Let me or our Trainee Healer know if you need anything."

"'Course,"  I said, walking away briskly to the curtained bed.

I opened the curtains and saw my dad sitting on the bed with a book.

"Dad?" I asked quietly.

He looked up. 

"Dad, it's me," I said again, in a quiet voice. "Marlene."

His eyes were blank, expressionless.

"Your daughter," I whispered, clinging onto a hope that the Cruciatus Curse hadn't tortured him into complete memory loss. "Marlene."

He still looked mildly surprised, as if to say, "I have a daughter?"

This was the breaking point for me. 

"I can't do this," I whispered to myself.

And I walked out.

Healer Smethwyck saw my tear-stained face as I walked out.

"I- uh," I muttered to him. "Wanted to let you know that he's also suffering from some memory loss. Hopefully knowing that might help you guys help him."

Without waiting for an answer, I strode off towards Susan the elevator, who was probably going to start ranting again, but she didn't.

I got inside and said emotionlessly, "Fifth floor, Visitor Tea Shop."

I once again expected Susan to start babbling about how good tea was, but she didn't.

"Ok," Susan said simply. "Let me know if you need anything. They've installed a tissue dispenser in me if you need to cry."

And that did it for me.

I sobbed openly in the middle of an elevator.

To think that someone (or an elevator) I hardly knew was being this gentle and kind to me gave me a little more faith in the world.

I knew it would be rough for all of us now.

But I thought- I knew- it would end with a happy ending.

But I was wrong.

"There are no happy endings. Endings are the saddest part. Just give me a happy middle, and a very happy start."

-Shel Silverstein

Thanks for reading everyone! I hoped you liked the Shel Silverstein quote, he's one of my favorite authors (other than Rick Riordan DA BESSTTTTTT)

Love, Jui W.