Welcome to my A-Z Collection. Following in the next twenty six chapters are individual one shots based on various words that do not translate well into English. This is done for the A-Z competition. Some may be combined with other challenges.
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters that belong to Harry Potter, nor do I have any part of the Harry Potter franchise. I am just a poor college girl, typing away and trying to ignore the buildup of work.
First one up….
– Arbejdsglaede (Danish) work happiness, the feeling of happiness provoked by a satisfying job
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The hours were crap. The pay was nonexistent. He never had a chance to breath, and spent more time making coffee runs than actually doing work. He was sore, he was tired, and he was balancing this internship with his side job at Ollivander's.
His mother kept telling him to take a breather. To come move back into the Manor with her. There was no need for him to put so much stress on himself at the moment. No need for him to cram so much work at once. He never listened. This was his life, and he was going to pave his own way. He didn't have the Malfoy name and money to rely on anymore, that had all left after the war. Even if he did have it, Draco didn't want to have to survive using that blood money.
He was a new man. A new Draco Malfoy. And this new Draco Malfoy was his own man. And being his own man meant far too many hours of work to pay for the tiny apartment he resided in – really, he should take his mother up on the offer to move back in – and food that he often forgot to eat.
He wasn't going to complain though. After all, he had long since realized that a little hard work, a little pushing was good for the soul. Aside from that, he had to admit that he loved the work. Despite the little pay this internship provided, Draco wouldn't want to be anywhere else but that hospital.
It was nice to have a place where he felt he belonged. A place where he felt he was needed. He loved his work.
Especially the child's ward. It was his specialty. He had always loved kids. They never judged. Never pressed too far. They saw the faded snake on his forearm and thought it just a funny tattoo.
Slipping on the ghastly lime green robes, Draco continued flipping through the pages in his hands. It was a relatively small batch that had been put under his care today. One name stuck out among the rest. Allowing a tight smile to replace the frown, he made his way into the first room.
Slipping the door open, he was greeted to a smiling young blonde. "Morning, Healing Malfoy."
Draco smiled at the young girl. "I thought we talked about this," he said. "What happened to not getting yourself hurt, Danielle?"
Danielle shrugged, running a hand over the sling her arm was in. He'd seen this girl far too often in the past. She always seemed to be breaking something on herself. He never figured out if she was accident prone, or just too ready to risk breaking her neck.
"I know, I know," she sighed. "But you gotta understand. It was worth it. I tried the Flinky Tumble. You know, the move the Tornado's Seeker does. I almost did it perfect."
"Except the breaking your arm part," Draco said with a smirk. He dropped his clipboard onto the side table and reached into the bag of jelly beans. He groaned after popping one into his mouth. "Earwax."
"That's what you get for eating my candy," Danielle huffed, the smile still on her lips. "So, Drake, when can I leave?"
"Already tired of my presence there, kiddo?"
"No. But I got shopping to do. I gotta pick up my books. You know I'm going to Hogwarts next month."
"Congratulations," Draco said. "Looks like you and your accident proneness will be someone else's problems soon."
Danielle frowned at him. "You need a girlfriend."
"Working on it," Draco answered with a smirk. He sat on the far end of her bed.
"Really?" The girl raised a brow. "What's her name? How's it working out for you? What does she do? Will I like her?"
"I didn't know I needed your approval," Draco chuckled. "I need to see that arm of yours. Make sure its set before I can sign off your release."
"Of course you need my opinion," Danielle said as if it were the most obvious answer. She shifted so that he could get a look at the sling holding her recently healed arm. "'I'm your friend. My opinion matters. Now, is she worthy of my favorite Healer?"
Draco chuckled, making sure the bandaging wasn't too tight, "I think so. It's slowly happening. But I like her. And I want to think she likes me."
"That's good at least," Danielle nodded. "You need someone who will love you."
"Aren't you wise?"
Shrugging, Danielle smiled, "I like to think so. I'm rather smart. Smarter than you are."
"The soon you're out of my hair…" Draco trailed off, smirking at her. Finished with her arm, and satisfied that it was healing on track, he picked up his clipboard and turned to her page. "Arms healing pretty good. You should be able to remove the sling in the next few days. As soon as your parents come, they are free to check you out. This time, maybe you can try to not break that arm of yours again. At least, wait until you're Hogwarts problem, not mine."
"I can try. Can't guarantee. You know how much you would miss me."
Draco stood from the bed, "I think I could find a way to live with myself. Now, I do have to get going."
"Promise me you'll come back," Danielle said. She reached out her hand, extending his pinky to him.
Draco locked his pinky with hers. "As soon as my shift is over. I'll make sure to visit before you leave."
"See you Drake," Danielle smiled up at him.
Draco chuckled as he gathered his things. "Bye, Danielle. Try not to hurt yourself for a while."
The girl replied with a sarcastic remark, but Draco didn't hear it. He smirked at the girl, before closing the door. Glancing at the clipboard in his hand, he looked over the names of his charges for the day. It was all minor injuries for the day. That was always good.
Moving to check on his next patient – a seven year old with a mild case of Dragonpox – Draco took a moment to appreciate where his was. After all, it could be a lot of work, and it wasn't always rewarding and easy, but Draco was happy with the job. He found his place.