Apparition was forbidden inside St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, but that rule had been broken today.
All regular patients had been transferred to the general wards for concentrated care.
A large number of vacant private rooms had been assigned to the wounded continually being pulled back from the battlefield.
When Mrs. Weasley and Fred and George, who had passed their Apparition tests last year, appeared in the entrance hall of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries with Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny, they finally understood why the Ministry had specifically sent word for them to come and help care for people.
As far as they could see, nearly every healer and nurse in St. Mungo's dark green uniforms was rushing about, their faces twisted with near-breakdown panic.
Bang!
"Quick, quick!"
Before Harry and the others, who had just appeared in the crowded hall, could recover from the horrifying sight of bloodstains everywhere, a soaking-wet Auror suddenly appeared beside them, supporting a wounded man.
Hermione and Ginny immediately screamed.
The instant Harry's gaze fell upon the wounded man, he felt as if a cold, brutal hand had punched through his chest and seized his heart. A chill rose from his tailbone straight to his skull, making every hair on his body stand on end.
Half of the man's face had been burned away, exposing scorched red muscle tissue. Across his chest was a shocking X-shaped wound!
And it was not merely a cut.
The trickling blood from the wound kept bubbling with tiny blisters, as though it were boiling!
Two witches rushed down from upstairs. Harry stared at them, and his expression subtly changed.
"Professor McGonagall? Madam Pomfrey?"
Harry's lips moved.
"What are you doing here?"
The two Hogwarts staff members had lost their usual respectable