Chaser 2 of Magpies;
Prompt: CHASER 2: [Chaser 3, Username, Montrose Magpies]-Hermione decides to become the first magical dentist
Optional Prompts: (song) All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey; (food) Bagel; (quote) This is not a normal day. – Raymond Gaines, San Andreas
Disclaimer: Yeah, no. I'm too lazy to write anything longer than 2.5K and you expect me to own HP?
Word count: 1300 - as stated by Google docs.
A/N: This prompt will be the death of me. Also the prompt (quote) "This is not a normal day." was used as the inspiration of the plot
Hannah had just finished making coffee when she heard a knock on the door. Hermione was slightly early, as always; it had gotten to the point where Hannah just expected her five minutes earlier than planned. She turned off the stove and left the kitchen. When she reached the entryway, she stood there for a moment—as if to mentally prepare herself—and then opened the door with a smile.
"Hermione, you're just in time; I just finished making coffee." It was a wise choice, judging from the expression on her face. During her time working at the pub, Hannah had become well versed in sensing when someone was feeling stressed. "Glad I made the stronger version; you look like you'll need it."
Hermione just wordlessly walked by her and straight into the kitchen, where she proceeded to attempt becoming one with a chair. The poor thing looked like she hadn't slept in a week.
"Right; coffee first and talk later."
Hannah poured some of the coffee into two mugs and brought them to the table. Hermione finally seemed to show some signs of life as she all but inhaled the bitter liquid.
They sat there in silence, drinking their coffee until Hannah decided it was safe to ask: "A bad day at work?"
"More like a bad week. Or month."
"Now, now, it can't be that bad?"
"Oh, but it was," Hermione replied, her voice glum. "And today couldn't have gone worse. Sorry, but I'm afraid I won't be very good company at the moment."
Hannah waved off her concern. "I might as well be your unpaid psychiatrist. Now, do tell Mrs. Abbott how your day was," she said, trying to keep a straight face.
Hermione shook her head but went along with it."It all started with my first patient—you know that shy girl I was telling you about four days ago?—she was my first appointment today. She barely made it two steps into the room before she bolted."
"No way! Your office can't be that scary, can it? Sure, there are a few tools that give me the creeps, but it couldn't have been that bad of an experience for her to just run away."
"Apparently, it was; I doubt I'll hear from her again if her expression was anything to go by. And that's just the start of it." Hermione sighed. Hannah got up and wordlessly reached out a hand for Hermione's mug. The other witch passed it over to her, and Hannah went back to the pot to refill it. "I was getting ready to see my second patient when a man came in and started to cause a scene. You see, he canceled his appointment a few days ago, so, as per protocol, I gave his appointment to another patient. But he came in despite canceling and said he had changed his mind and would like to have his appointment now."
Feeling incredulous, Hannah raised her eyebrows. "He actually said that; after canceling?"
"I couldn't believe it either, but there he was, standing there—all but oozing arrogance—and demanding his appointment. I tried to reason with him, but he wouldn't have it. In the end, I had to reschedule my other patient and promise to give them a discount for their troubles. And if I charged the man a bit more than I usually would, then that's for me to know and him to never find out."
"He sounds like a real ass," Hannah said, setting the mug down in front of Hermione again. "Is he planning to come back?"
"Sadly, yes. The best part is that there isn't even anything that wrong with his teeth. He just needs to floss more. I swear, he's only going to come back to annoy me."
"You know who he reminds me of? Malfoy. Remember how he used to act back in school?"
Hermione shuddered. "Don't remind me. I'm honestly glad most of the purebloods are 'too good' to go to a 'Muggle' practice. I don't think I could stand it if Malfoy was a patient of mine."
"Preach." As a half-blood, Malfoy hadn't been as awful to Hannah as he was to Hermione, but she knew how insufferable he could get.
"All in all, my third patient was normal—when compared to the rest, at least. It was a fussy boy that needed a filling; easy as that. But his mother—Merlin, his mother. She kept pestering me every two minutes, asking what I was doing, how long it would take, and whether I was sure that I knew what I was doing. She assumed that because her boy was fussy, I wasn't doing it right." Hermione's eyes flashed at that last bit. Knowing her, Hannah could tell that having her competence questioned was probably the part that bothered Hermione the most about the encounter. She had always taken pride in excelling at everything she did. "I tried to reassure her that I do know how to do my job, that no, her boy was fine, but she wasn't having it. It got to the point where I suggested that she wait outside until I was finished so I could focus on doing my job. She kept pretending she didn't hear me and stayed there the whole time."
"Talk about overprotective. She reminds me of Mrs. Weasley."
"She really does. After that, there were a few people who just came in to see what kind of place it was; some scheduled an appointment while others simply left. That reminds me; I need to get a receptionist. It would make my life so much easier."
"It would, but don't look at me; desk jobs just aren't my thing."
"I wouldn't dream of it. But now, back to the story. Just as I was about to go on a lunch break, another mother with a kid walked in and claimed it was an emergency. To be fair, the little girl was crying and half of her face was swollen. That took some time—and left me with barely enough time to eat. I went to the bakery across the street, bought a bagel—there really was no time to eat more than that—and hurried back so I would make it in time for the next appointment. The man was already there, standing in front of the building and humming a song under his breath. He was still singing by the time he left, and even tried to make a move on me by saying, 'All I want for Christmas is you, baby.' Then again, he was on some pretty heavy painkillers, so I guess it doesn't count."
"No way. A patient of yours hit on you by singing a verse from a popular Christmas song in the middle of May while out of his mind? I work in a bar, and even I'm impressed by his audacity."
"Hannah! It's not funny! Well, it is, but still."
"Alright, alright, I'll stop. But you were right; it really was a weird day."
"Why did I even decide to become a magical dentist? Or a dentist, period? I could have spent my days working in a nice, quiet book shop, but no, I had to become a dentist!"
"It's in your blood; your father was a dentist, your mother was a dentist, and you idolise them too much to be anything but a dentist."
"Your logic is sound, Wise One, but it doesn't help in the least. How am I to survive this?"
"By buying strong coffee and bringing pre-packaged lunches?"
That got her a laugh out of her friend.
Being a dentist might not be the most fun job in the world, but Hannah knew that if anyone were to become a magical dentist—and be successful—it would surely be Hermione.