Hogwarts' Hospital Wing was located in a very secluded corridor on the second floor of the east wing. Roy asked the Fat Friar for directions, made his way to the second floor, found the Hospital Wing's door open, and walked straight in.
The Hospital Wing was lined with long rows of beds covered in pristine white linen sheets, with movable screens separating the different beds.
The moment he entered, Roy smelled the disinfectant scent unique to hospitals, along with the faint aroma of Potions. He was far too familiar with that smell.
School had only started yesterday, and it would not be until midterm that the Hospital Wing's wards would fill up several times over. Still, a fourth-year student who had accidentally been hit by a spell in Defense Against the Dark Arts was already lying in one of the beds.
Hogwarts' Matron, Madam Poppy Pomfrey, was an excellent healer with a firm manner. She had served as Hogwarts' Matron since 1970, resolving countless major and minor problems for its students and staff.
At that moment, the stern-faced Madam Pomfrey was urging the young wizard in the bed to drink a large cup of green potion.
The potion was thick and slimy, nauseating just to look at. Though the young wizard was deeply unwilling, he still shut his eyes and swallowed it.
After drinking the potion, the young wizard expelled a puff of black vapor from his mouth. Then, looking utterly weak, he closed his eyes and collapsed onto the bed.
Roy recognized it as a very special curse-clearing potion, specifically used to treat lingering aftereffects from attacks by unknown spells.
"Good morning, Madam Pomfrey. That's a curse-clearing potion, isn't it? Could you give me some? I've offended someone recently, and I might end up getting cursed."
Roy took the initiative to greet Madam Pomfrey. She turned her head and spotted Roy standing in the Hospital Wing corridor.
Like Professor McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey was always stern. Facing Roy's cheerful grin, she seriously asked why he was there.
"Are you here to visit him? Or are you injured somewhere?"
Roy glanced at the student lying in bed. He seemed to be a fourth-year Slytherin student, but Roy did not know him.
"No, I don't know him, and I'm not injured. I just wanted to take a look around the Hospital Wing. I'd quite like to become a healer someday."
"Is that so?" Madam Pomfrey studied the smiling Roy with a scrutinizing gaze.
"A first-year?"
"That's right."
"From Hufflepuff?"
"Yes."
Madam Pomfrey's expression softened slightly. She herself had graduated from Hufflepuff, but she still spoke to Roy very sternly.
"So you are a Hufflepuff student. Fewer and fewer young wizards are willing to become healers these days, but I must tell you that becoming a healer is not easy. To become one, you need at least an E in subjects such as Potions, Transfiguration, Herbology, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts in your N.E.W.T.s."
That was certainly no easy task. It meant earning O grades in all the core subjects in fifth year and taking every major subject in sixth year.
In other words, if you wanted to become a healer, you would hardly have a single weekend to rest during your final three years at Hogwarts. It seemed studying medicine was exhausting no matter where you were.
Roy patted his chest and began boasting confidently to Madam Pomfrey about all the Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts books he had read. Every time he had gone to Flourish and Blotts over the summer, he had stood inside reading for an entire day. Though he had not bought many books, he had read quite a lot.
"Is that so? Then let me ask you something. How should a dragon bite be treated?"
The question was very broad, since different types of dragons required different treatments.
"That depends on the species of dragon that inflicted the bite, but generally speaking, there are three categories: mildly venomous, moderately venomous, and highly venomous. For mildly venomous dragons, such as the Chinese Fireball, a low dose of antidote combined with an Invigoration Potion will do. However, low-toxicity venom usually comes with other problems. For example, bites from a Chinese Fireball generally leave the wound scorched by high temperatures, so the dragonfire burns need to be treated as well."
Roy spoke at length to Madam Pomfrey, fluent and highly confident. He not only recited what was in the books, but also added his own understanding.
"Moderately venomous dragons are actually easier to deal with. You only need to take antidotes regularly and rest quietly. As for the highly venomous Peruvian Vipertooth, all I can say is that anyone bitten by one will most likely die before help arrives. Just think about it—merely coming into contact with a Vipertooth can give you Dragonpox."
Upon hearing Roy's perfect answer, Madam Pomfrey actually showed a faint smile. She then asked Roy several more difficult questions, and he answered them all well. It was not until she gave him an extremely complex clinical question that Roy finally could not answer.
Even so, Madam Pomfrey regarded Roy in a whole new light.
"It isn't easy for someone so young to read so many books and remember them. I truly wonder whether you ought to have gone to Ravenclaw. Since that is the case, you may come observe in the Hospital Wing in the future if you wish. But let me make this clear first: you must never cause trouble, and you certainly must not disturb the patients' rest."
Of course Roy understood that. After all, he had been a doctor for so many years.
Madam Pomfrey turned and brought Roy a book he had never seen before.
"This is a newly written book on treating curses by the director of Lyon Magical Hospital in France. It has not yet been published, so you may take it and read it first. It contains many treatment methods that cannot be seen in Britain. On the middle shelf of the third bookcase in Section H of the library, there are many books on treating common illnesses. You can take a look when you have time."
Roy accepted the book, thinking that Hogwarts' staff were all gold mines, casually pulling out such rare private collections.
After thanking Madam Pomfrey profusely, Roy also pocketed several bottles of Potions before leaving with the book, thoroughly pleased with his haul.
After leaving the Hospital Wing, Roy rummaged through the waist pouch he wore with him. It already contained quite a few things.
There were the seeds and plant leaves he had picked from the greenhouse, the Dittany plant Professor Sprout had given him, and several basic Potions he had taken from Madam Pomfrey.
Roy took stock of everything and considered his next target.
"Potions class definitely has the most stuff. What a shame Hogwarts doesn't offer Alchemy classes. I'm missing out on quite a lot of good things."
But then he thought of Snape, who had looked thoroughly unapproachable sitting at the staff table yesterday. Combined with how Tonks had described Snape's harshness at breakfast that morning, Roy decided not to provoke Snape just yet.
There was still some time before lunch. Since that was the case, why not take a trip through Hogwarts' true treasury of knowledge?
"In that case, the library is my next stop."
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