It's their first day of internship at St. Mungo's, and somehow, Healer Bailey's five interns – Meredith, Alex, George, Izzie and Cristina – have enough time in between the exams and glorified nurse work to sit down together.
"So, uh, what houses were you guys in? You know, um, at school?" George says quietly, in an effort to break the tension that has already sprung up between them.
Izzie smiles at him, obviously pleased. "Ravenclaw."
Alex Karev grins. "I knew I had heard your name somewhere. You were in that shoot posed in the tiniest Ravenclaw uniform I've ever seen."
"So what if I did?" Izzie lifts her chin in defiance, before shaking her head. "What house were you in?"
"Gryffindor. Quidditch captain three years running."
"That explains why you've lost so many brain cells. Got hit by too many Bludgers," Meredith chimes in, her tone scathing. "I was in Hufflepuff, and at least I didn't waste my time on things like the Gobstones club, unlike Stevens over there."
The fifth intern looks up at this, snorting. "Of course she was. I was in Slytherin. And what about you, Bambi?"
George gives a shy smile to Meredith before replying. "Hufflepuff. I was two years below Meredith."
"Don't tell me they kept your sorry ass on the waiting list for two years, Grey."
Meredith eyes Cristina calmly. "Spent two years travelling. Saw wizarding communities all across the world, learned all about magical creatures."
"Oh Merlin help me. I think you're supposed to be working with some limbless idiot in Care of Magical Creatures, not here in a hospital."
"Typical Slytherin," George mutters. Before Cristina has a chance to snipe back at him, Healer Bailey reappears.
"You think anyone gives a damn about your Hogwarts houses here? No they don't, they care about patient lives. So respond to the damn paging charms, and go, go, go!" she commands.
"So, Healer Shepherd – as in, the Healer Shepherd asks you to assist him in operating, and you say no." Cristina lifts an eyebrow, glaring at Meredith in mixed curiosity and disgust.
"It's nothing," Meredith snaps a heavy book shut, and heaves it onto the pile of discarded research books. "Wish there was some kind of easy charm to find whatever the hell is wrong with Katie Bryce."
"Can't believe we have to Heal her," Cristina sighs. "Never had any respect for Quidditch players. At least Shepherd doesn't either."
Meredith just looks at her, tapping out a rhythm on the stack of books beside her.
"What?" Cristina looks up.
"Can you keep a secret?" Meredith asks.
Cristina smiles. "You're going to tell me why you hate Shepherd, aren't you?"
"I don't hate him," Meredith protests. "I just. I slept with him, ok?"
Cristina leans in, eyes wide. "When?"
"He was the Defense teacher my last year at Hogwarts. My last night there, I don't know, it just happened."
"Merlin, and he's insisting that you assist, even if you don't find the answer. And yet I'm the one who everyone here looks down on just because I'm a Slytherin. But I guess you can have all the ambition in the world and it won't help if the competition is sleeping with the higher-ups and is Ellis freaking Grey's daughter."
Cristina stands up and shoves over the large pile of books, ignoring Meredith's yell of "Cristina!" at her back.