The Transfer

Year 2

Chapter 1-Summer at St. Mungos

It had been a long, boring summer. Victoria's days, once interesting, had now set into a humdrum routine she now found tedious. Every day was the same, there would be a series of potions and spells three times a day for the next few weeks, which would help (the Healers hoped) her walk. Currently, she was relying on a couple of canes to get around, but it still wasn't easy; she could only travel short distances.

How Victoria had ended up at Saint Mungos was an interesting story in itself. The year before, her father had been transferred from Washington DC in the United States to London, England to work for the British Ministry helping to track down the last of Voldemort's supporters, who were hiding up north. As a result, Victoria and her sister Olive had been enrolled as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry's first ever transfer students. At the end of last term, the school nurse had found out about the research study at the wizarding hospital, and Victoria had spent her summer at St. Mungos, which, since, had grown very dull.

Victoria, for the most part, had found her classes (except for Potions) interesting. When she wasn't working on schoolwork had spent most of her time playing Quidditch (she played Seeker on the Gryffindor House team) and corresponding with her best friend, Jeremiah Knott. Jeremiah, who was currently visiting his great aunt in London, had been by to see her nearly every day. When she wasn't at home she was here at the hospital and when she and Jeremiah weren't going home for lunch they were sitting in her room at the hospital talking, hours and hours of long, seemingly pointless conversations, which were only interrupted by a bustling nurse.

Currently, Victoria was staring out the window. From the corner of the window her reflection stared back at her. She was a small girl with shoulder length dark hair and equally dark eyes. She looked much younger than what people took her for, on the outside she seemed to be only eleven or twelve, but in reality she was fifteen and would be sixteen at the end of the year.

At the moment she was dressed in Muggle attire, a T-shirt and old jeans sitting on her bed. From her spot on the bed and she could see the busy streets below, people, magical and non-magical alike rushing about their daily lives completely unaware of her. At the moment, there was some guy at the corner of the block attempting to hail a taxi. He was wearing a pinstripe suit which looked several sizes too small for him, had a receding hairline and small pointed shoes. Either he was a very stuffy businessman or a very clean looking wizard, who was choosing to blend in with the non-magical community. Victoria watched as the man in question finally succeeded in hailing a cab, got into the back seat, and gave some instructions to the driver, before the vehicle peeled away from the curb.

Victoria glanced briefly at her watch, which was unlike any sort of "normal" watch. Instead of numbers it had several descriptions of where she might be at any given time; school, home, out, working, or in bed. A small description to the right where the twelve hand would be said "you're late" in bright orange writing.

By her calculations she would be doing her next round of treatment in little over an hour. At least she might be able to get a nap in before the nurse and Healers began pestering her. Finally she turned away from the window, laid back down on her bed, closing her eyes hoping for a few moments peace.

Victoria was having a very nice dream about playing for her favorite Quidditch team when there was an abrupt knock on the door, which startled her out of sleep. A short, slightly plump dark-haired witch bustled across the ward, and again Victoria was very grateful she was in a private room. Behind the nurse were several other people, the Healers Fessler and Bollinger who were overseeing her treatment and Victoria, with a shock of pleasant surprise recognized the fourth figure: Jeremiah.

"Guess everyone wanted to see me today." She said with a wry smile. "Hey Jeremiah."

Jeremiah, a slender boy of fifteen, with tousled blond hair and alarming turquoise eyes, lifted his hand briefly in greeting, before taking a chair to let the Healers proceed him.

"Well, you know the drill." Healer Fessler said with a smile, "potions first then the spells. We'll give you half an hour, and then Rowena will get you up to walk."

He looked at his companion, a tall dark haired wizard, who nodded in confirmation.

"We'll see you before supper;" Healer Bollinger said in a firm, no-nonsense voice, "before we all leave for the day." Then he smiled, his facial features warming slightly.

The Healers strode out of the room, the door shutting firmly behind them.

"I'll get your doses then." Rowena said briskly, she hurried away, her white robes swaying.

Over this entire dialogue Victoria and Jeremiah had only exchanged a few brief glances, neither of them had spoken, thinking it best to let the adults finish.

"So how are you doing?" Jeremiah asked in a low voice.

Victoria shrugged.

"Alright. Getting a little bit bored to be honest, I can't wait till I return to Hogwarts."

Jeremiah sighed.

"Yeah," he agreed, "my great aunt is driving me nuts! I'll be glad to return to school too. Hey, at least we have Apparition lessons second semester; I can't wait to get my license."

Victoria was about to reply when Rowena returned carrying a tray full of potions.

"Take these, and wait five minutes; Healers Bollinger and Fessler will be back shortly."

Victoria nodded mutely and did as she was told taking the potions slowly and carefully. Jeremiah laughed at every face she made downing each one, that made her feel slightly better.

Sometime later the Healers returned and they stood at the end of her bed muttering spells over her, directing them at certain limbs and joints. Healer Bollinger was paying special attention to her hands, which were slowly relaxing and losing some of their spasticity and tightness.

"Give everything half an hour," Healer Bollinger said, he turned to speak to Rowena, "then get her up; I want to see how far she can walk today."

The little nurse nodded and Victoria watched as they exited the room.

"Right, then." Rowena said in that same brisk voice, "I'll leave you two to it, eh?" Victoria had grown to love her thick accent, which made her smile every time she heard it. The nurse still wouldn't believe there was nothing going on between her and Jeremiah. Still smiling, Rowena left the room.

Half an hour later, Rowena and the Healers returned and Rowena helped Victoria to her feet. Once again Jeremiah stood aside, although he stayed close just behind Victoria's right shoulder.

Victoria had begun her progress across the room when Fessler nodded to Jeremiah.

"You, Jeremiah, right?"

Jeremiah nodded, looking confused.

"Stand over there," he pointed a pudgy finger, "so she can walk to you."

Jeremiah did as he was told, and gave Victoria a small smile before walking across the room and turning to face her.

Carefully, Victoria began to walk towards Jeremiah, who was continuing to smiled encouragingly muttering: "you can do it, you can do it" under his breath.

She was halfway across the room before she realized she didn't really need to lean on the canes that much and finally she gave them to Rowena and walking the last few feet into Jeremiah's arms by herself.

"Good job." Jeremiah said with a soft chuckle, "That was really good. I didn't think you could do that."

"Yeah," Victoria panted, "neither did I."

Sometime later Victoria and Jeremiah were sitting on the edge of her bed. The Healers and Rowena had long since left the room leaving them alone.

"Hey, I have something to tell you, I didn't have time to tell you before because of everything going on but I'm leaving to go back to America the day after tomorrow."

Victoria's face fell, this was not the type of news she had been expecting today.

"When will I see you again?" Victoria murmured quietly.

Jeremiah shrugged.

"I don't know. I have to figure out what I'm doing, and it's getting too dangerous for me to come over with Jason anymore… With what he's doing for work if they have a hot one with these Death Eaters…" He trailed off. "I'll let you know, I promise."

Victoria nodded.

She barely had enough time to process Jeremiah's news before the door to the ward opened again, this time admitting her mother, a short witch with nondescript reddish graying hair, who had come to take her home.