Disclaimer: All original characters, plot ideas, situations and the like, all belong to J.K. Rowling. I make zero profit from this.
Warning: This story is rated M for dark themes, sexual scenes, language, and adult situations.
Full Summary: Frantic days are the norm for Susan Bones, witch and top Healer at St. Mungo's. She runs her own team, she owns her own apartment, she has everything figured out on the surface… but she's still a woman with needs... and an aching loneliness she just can't get over. When she runs into an old friend, events unfold that lead her to a relationship she knows is bad for her, but her body won't say no.
And then she runs into Ron Weasley, a man who turns her world upside down.
Lots of sex and bad language. You've been warned.
This is a companion piece to my story "A Riven Heart", you don't need to read it first, but they do go hand in hand. Lots of hidden little gems if you're looking. ;)
A Bleeding Heart
Chapter 1
"The trouble is not that I am single and likely to stay single, but that I am lonely and likely to stay lonely."
- Charlotte Brontë
July 29th
Susan Bones bit her lip as she looked through the window of her favorite dress shop in Diagon Alley. The owner, a sweet young witch that came from a muggle family, used those muggle ties to influence her fashion ideas. Susan loved them. No dress robes in Wizarding Britain looked anywhere near as beautiful as these creations.
Susan wasn't particularly materialistic, but something about the way the slim waist was lined with lace in a shade of pink just slightly lighter than the fabric of the dress called to her in a way nothing did. This display of course was designed to draw the eye, bring in customers, but...
The dress made her sigh.
Even though, with hair as red as maraschino cherry and a parade of freckles that covered her from head to foot, pink was definitely not in her color palette. Ione, one of the Healers on Susan's team at St. Mungo's, would say to go for it, the feisty witch's clear voice rang in her head: "Susan, you have to live life before it leaves you!"
It wasn't like the dress would break the bank, as one of the Top Healers at the hospital, her salary was comfortable, to put it modestly. She had made Top Healer at the age of 25, about one year ago, and with it came a hefty pay raise and a hefty amount of hours added to her work day. Except for today. Her blessed day off.
Okay, where's the harm in trying it on? She thought as she found herself walking into the shop. A little bell chimed merrily as she entered. Then she bee-lined for the dress, knowing without a doubt that she could easily get lost in the shop all day if she let herself. Out of the corner of her eye, a whirlwind of colors and fabrics called to her.
But the pink dress stood out against all else. Sleeveless, with a high neck, the pink color reminded her of the most delicate of the pink peonies that her Aunt Amelia used to grow in their backyard.
The familiar pang of loneliness in her heart she got whenever she thought of the woman who raised her reminded her that it had been ten years since Amelia Bones had lost her life, making Susan the last remaining member of her family...
And she had a thought: Aunt Amelia would have loved this dress.
Damn. And then she winced at her internal swearing, knowing Amelia would hate such language from her. She grabbed the hanger and made her way to the fitting room, nodding to the young man at the register and shutting the door firmly behind her before anymore inner swearing could convince her not to try the dress on.
Purse hung up, she stripped and shimmied into the dress, the fabric sliding over her freckled skin like water.
Double damn. She was right. The waistline made her look all that much slimmer, her hips flaring out with lace, the neckline sat perfectly across her collarbones in attractive angles that drew the eye, the fabric curved artfully over her breasts, making it perfect for a hospital event or even a nice date, and the color… looked horrible with her hair and freckles. Damn! It was even the perfect length on her long legs. Damn her height, she cursed. If she had been an inch or two shorter or an inch or two taller she wouldn't have nearly as many problems with finding clothing that fit. Regular sized clothing being just a touch too short, and the clothing listed as 'Tall' or 'Long' were just a touch too much.
Mournfully, she redressed and hung the dress back up where she found it, making her way to the door before another dress caught her eye when she heard a old but still familiar voice.
"Susan! Susan Bones!" It was Hannah Abbott.
She turned and saw a witch she hadn't seen since school. Oh Gods she was going to have to talk to people today wasn't she? Ugh...
"Hannah! How are you?" And somehow her voice sounded enthusiastic to her ears.
The witch had blonde hair just down to her shoulders and big brown eyes, just how Susan remembered her. She looked to be doing well, but… It wasn't that she was antisocial, it was just… her day off was precious to Susan, and any kind of obligatory small talk felt like an intrusion on the precious hours that she could call her own.
"What? Oh sure…" Damn she realized too late she was agreeing to go to lunch with Hannah and some people she didn't even know. "Or maybe just a cup of tea?" She suggested instead.
"Ohh! I know just the place!"
Susan had never been to this place, Witchy Tea Shop and Goods, but remembered it had showed up after the end of the second war in the wave of shops and restaurants that had popped up all over Wizarding Britain. Hannah chatted about nothing all the way there and when they reached the entrance squealed happily at the sight of the other witches she was meeting up with.
"This is Susan, you guys! She was in my year at Hogwart's, a Hufflepuff!"
They ooo'ed and aww'ed, fawned and squealed and even though Susan hated women like that, it was simultaneously nice to be part of a group even as she loathed ladies who lunched...
Together they walked into the shop and grabbed a table, the other witches saddled with shopping bags and already talking over each other in an attempt to catch up on as much gossip as they could, asking Susan if she was seeing anyone.
No, she wasn't.
Surely there was some fox in her life?
Well there was this one guy…
More ooo'ing and aww'ing.
But it's just so complicated.
Go for it girl. And for some reason, even though another witch said it, she heard it in Ione's voice.
It was as they were settling into their table that Susan noticed another witch at another table, a practiced habit of hers, to notice everyone in the room. She was standing and looking uncomfortably in their direction. It took her a few seconds but Susan finally recognized that face. The witch had lost most of her baby fat, and it somehow made her upturned nose look less pug-like and more like a button nose on a pleasantly round face, but it was definitely Pansy Parkinson.
She had incredibly long, shiny black hair that reached down to her waist and she dressed in a nice blue jumper and a pair of jeans.
Susan wanted to greet this witch as Hannah had greeted her earlier, but Pansy probably had no idea how much she had actually saved Susan's butt in Potion's those last few years of school, especially in NEWT levels. A Potion's NEWT had almost been the downfall to her dreams to become a Healer...
But she held back because of how very uncomfortable Pansy looked, probably because Hannah and her friends were still chatting and squealing loudly. So she nudged Hannah, who nudged her friends one by one until they were all staring at each other awkwardly.
Oops that didn't help did it? Okay… say something. Say. Anything!
"I haven't seen you out and about much since school, Parkinson." She said it in the same tone they had used back in school, almost snarling, mostly it had been posturing, if they hadn't been in separate houses they might've had a friendship. So she added in a more friendly tone, "How are you doing?"
Pansy's face lost the awkward look and she looked about to respond when Hannah sneered meanly and said, "Why are you being nice to her, Susan? She's a traitor and a Death Eater's daughter."
It was a tone Susan had never heard from her fellow Hufflepuff and she was so taken back from it she almost missed what Pansy had said. Almost.
"The Bones come from a well respected wizarding family and were probably taught basic human manners." Her tone cutting, implying Hannah had none of the mentioned manners at all. She then turned to Susan with a much nicer smile and said, "I'm doing fine by the way, Susan. Thanks for asking."
And without another word, the dark haired witch turned, grabbed her clutch purse, and readied herself to leave. Just when door to the shop opened.
But it was with horror that Susan watched Hannah whip her wand out so quickly and cast a tripping jinx on the poor girl. "Hannah what are you doing?!" She couldn't help but shriek, standing from her chair and walking over to help Pansy up.
But someone, a man, had beaten her to it. "Put your damn wand away, Hannah. What are you thinking using your wand on her in front of me? She's wandless, too." Neville Longbottom had entered the shop and had his hands on Pansy, lifting her up as if she weighed nothing.
Hannah's face went from mean to meaner, if that was even possible. "Don't you dare boss me around Neville! I'm your wife and you have no right-"
Wife? Susan's eyes flashed to Hannah's left hand, seeing no ring there.
But Neville was clearly not paying any attention to Hannah, or anyone else. And Susan thought no one else noticed how when Neville's hands had gripped Pansy's shoulders, flecks of magic had sparkled off them in pretty blues and purples.
Pansy pushed her fallen bangs out of her eyes and looked up to thank her rescuer, except… she recognized exactly who had done the rescuing. "Longbottom…" she sneered.
And this is why Susan hated going out. Especially in Diagon Alley… everyone recognized each other and people from her year at Hogwart's had a lot of hostility. Hostility and drama.
"Ahh, Parkinson…" Neville sneered back in the same tone. See? Drama.
There was a long moment of silence as the two just stood looking at each other before Neville turned to Hannah. "Hannah, what the fuck did you think you were doing?"
Hannah huffed, hands going to her hips in a defiant way. "Not that it's any of your business, but I thought a little jinx would put her snotty ass where it belongs, on the ground!"
Susan wanted no part of this, Hannah being nothing how she remembered from school. So she edged her way to the door, trying not to draw attention to herself. She reached the door and gently pried it open as the two continued to yell at each other, and when she heard someone yelling about being on a date that was now ruined she made a final break for it.
Drama! Her classmates from her year were beyond dramatic and this is why Susan hated seeing her former friends. Set her up with a good whiskey and a book any day over a social event.
If only she hadn't been enticed by that damn dress that didn't even look good on her! She decided ice cream was just what she needed to salvage this day off.
It took no time at all to reach the famous ice cream parlor, ordering a large caramel sundae, minus the cherry. She sat out on a bench and put her legs in the sun while she enjoyed the decadent treat.
She had made a promise to herself on a night long ago, after the crucible that was Healer's Training and after Terry Boot had left her, saying she was too dedicated to being a Healer, and that was okay with them both, that she would never think about work on her day off. But she didn't want to even touch on what she had just witnessed, the out of character wand assault on an unarmed witch by someone who Susan remembered as sweet and gentle. The sudden appearance of all her old classmates… she felt like she had been attending a play. She was still waiting for the punchline.
Shaking her head, she used breathing techniques to clear her mind. And…
Hannah's voice rang through her head: "Surely there's some fox in your life, Susan?"
Damn…he wasn't hers… not by any means, she just had the biggest crush on him.
The image of a dark skinned man came to her. It wasn't exactly thinking about work if she was thinking about Terrence… just because he worked for her… C'mon Susan he works for you...
It wasn't the first time she toed the line of her own rules, it wouldn't be the last either. It was just the first… okay the second time... she had thought of him in a sexual way.
But now her brain was completely set on thinking about Terrence Dane, the newest member of her team as of one week ago, and she knew no matter what she needed to see it through. She knew her own obsessive mind and how it worked. Until she thought it out, day dreamed her way through a sexual encounter between him and her, he would continue to plague her…
So she indulged, the sun on her legs, the breeze in her face, she sucked the caramel off her spoon and she imagined sucking the same from the smooth, chocolate dark skin of the man who was now working for her and looked every bit delicious as the caramel tasted. He was narcissistic and arrogant, and who wouldn't be when you made Healer at only age 20, but his smile melted her into puddles, and his eyes were a striking green that looked at her like sex.
The only problem was…
He would be all wrong for her. And she knew it. He was too outgoing, too in your face, too selfish. Too young, but was she really that old? 6 years wasn't that large of an age difference...
She absentmindedly scooped up more caramel and ice cream imaging the possible bed play between them… he was so fit… Intelligent, hard working, tall enough…
Not. Actually. Hers.
Never going to be hers.
She groaned… Rule number one: Never think about work on your day off.
August 25th
Susan Bones bright yellow Healer's robes had been clean and wrinkle free when she had showed up for her shift earlier in the day. The state of those robes now could only be described as disastrous, she thought, as she used to her wand to siphon off vomit from the bottom of her robes and her sensible black work shoes.
Not the first time I've been thrown up on… Certainly not the last…
Not that she minded so terribly. Susan loved her job. Even when she was scheduled to work the Block shift, as they called it. Block shift was all emergency work and on the spot healing. She would take Block shift any day over paperwork.
Paper work is the devil's work… She hummed to herself as she looked over the clipboard. It arranged the patient's information according to the way her mind worked, in organized lines and the pertinent information first. Whenever Terrence picked up a clipboard, the words would jumble up in big, splotchy letters that made no sense, no order to it, at all. Terrence, Susan knew, was the exact opposite of her.
Big and outgoing and narcissistic and loud and rude, yet smart enough to become a Healer at only 20 years of age and only a bare 3 years after graduating from Hogwarts, Terrence Dane was a thorn in her side from the first day she had met him. Whatever had possessed her to agree to a date, she would never understand. What made her think jumping into bed with a man 6 years younger than her was a good idea, okay maybe it was his striking green eyes rimmed with the thickest black lashes she had ever seen, or his mouth full of perfectly straight white teeth and the darkest, fullest lips... or his dark chocolate skin that beckoned her to lick… Argh!
The clipboard swirled and settled into tiny, neat black lettering that told her this particular patient was female, age 7, and her name. It then went on to list why she was brought it, by who, and what, if any, potions or spells had been in use recently.
She walked into the small, private room to see a very concerned father holding his daughter's hand.
"Hello, I'm Healer Susan," she greeted, setting the clipboard down on the nearby counter and imagining hitting Terrence's face with the broadside of that clipboard, the slapping sound it made when it hit the counter fitting in perfectly to her violent fantasy, and she knelt in front of the young child. Her leg was propped up, obviously broken, and tears ran down her face in rivers though she stayed silent. "Did you hurt yourself?"
The girl nodded, dark hair falling into her bright eyes. Her words jumbled together. "I fell down the stairs outside. There was a butterfly and Daddy was scared."
Susan's eyes flashed up to the father, his brow furrowed with worry and lips pinched. "I'm rotten with healing spells, so I gave her half of a pain potion and brought her here."
Susan nodded, having already noted it from the information on the clipboard. "Okay, Darla? Do you know the Hippogriff song?"
Darla's eyes brightened as she nodded, Susan knowing it was becoming one of the more popular children's songs of late.
"Me too, it's my favorite!" Susan smiled and readied her wand. "Okay, on three I want you to sing the Hippogriff song for me. Sound good? Okay, one… two… three…H is for how tall can the Hippogriff get..."
And Darla let it out in her tiny voice, singing about Huge Hippogriffs and how very proud they were while Susan set the bone and mended the injury, flicking her wand exactly way she knew would hurt the least.
Afterwards, she gave Darla a high five and a mini candy quill for her brave efforts, informing the father to owl the front office if any problems arise.
Block shift continued for several more hours, Susan healing boils, burns, broken bones, and the worst of ouchy-boo-boo's. Like the Ministry, the hospital used to use owls to get their messages around, thankfully that didn't last long before they switched to paper owls. The twittering bits of parchment made getting messages around the hospital quick, easy, and way less messy. She knocked out clipboard after clipboard, wiped away tears, cleared up urine, and managed to avoid Terrence and his exploratory hands the whole day until…
Auror Harry Potter stormed into St. Mungo's with several of his people, and even more injured. Because she had a habit of hanging in the reception area when the workload was low, she was the first Healer on the scene and took charge, leading the haphazard group into the nearest fully operational room, calling for backup, and immediately got into Harry's face to figure out who needed help first. Several paper owls burst from her wand and took off out of the room in different directions.
He had two in critical condition, one Theodore Nott from her year, unresponsive, an unknown curse striking him dead in the heart, knocking him out cold. The other was Neville Longbottom, also from her year at Hogwart's, thankfully no magical damage done to him, just a heavy set of drawers that had fallen on his back causing major physical damage. Terrence had answered her owl call first and she directed him to Theo's bed, immediately assessing Terrence's skills with magical research, she knew he would be best to figure out what exactly had happened to the tall, dark haired man who had spent the majority of his family fortune and time on the St. Mungo's Children Charity.
Two other Healer's had shown up, Ione and Criscilia. Ione was a feisty witch with a temper, but she was an ace in a crisis and perfect with physical wounds so Susan pushed her to Neville's bed to get to work. Criscilia was sweet natured and gentle, and usually saw patterns others couldn't, so she went to Theo's bed with Terrence.
Susan also had a pair of Weasley's, though they were both older than she. George, who was coming around, obviously suffering from a concussion and a broken jaw, she pushed into a bed and told him to keep very still until she could get back to him. The other Weasley, Percy she believed was his name, she did the same with, pushing him into a bed and giving him a quick look over. Barely a bump on the head, he would be fine.
"But stay there." She warned with a stern finger she knew few dared disobey.
The last was Hannah Abbott, who she recalled briefly going out for a lunch with about a month ago, her distaste for the blonde witch and what she had done not forgotten… But she was a Healer, her soul only too happy when she was helping others.
Hannah was knocked out, but responsive Susan noted happily with a wave of her wand. Susan immediately began running test after test, finding out why the girl was knocked out so she could fix it quickly. After the 5th wave of her wand, the tests appearing magically to her Healer's mind, she realized exactly what was wrong with the girl.
"Lamia!" She called to the Aide she saw out of the corner of her eye. "I need 3 B.R.P.'s and a Hydrating Potion to this one, ASAP."
The Aide, a young brunette working towards her Healer Certificate, Lamia ran across the hallway to the nearest potion supply room. B.R.P.'s were Blood Replenishing Potions, a staple in the Healing community.
Mentally checking off the medications Ms. Abbott would need, Susan began searching for the reason why the witch had no blood and immediately found a huge open gash on the fleshy underside of her belly. But the wound was superficial, not designed to kill immediately, but to allow Hannah to slowly bleed out, with the help of a little magic. It would've hurt, the death would've been slow, but it was a snap to heal.
Susan's wand, a slim 7 ½ inch Ash, whipped out and mended the cut easily, just in time for Lamia to return with the potions.
"Get those into her and stay with her to make sure she stays stable," Susan ordered as she ran over to check on her critical patients. Lack of blood did odd things to witches and wizards.
Another Healer, Alban Reed had showed up, Susan's eyes landing on his dark hair and dark eyes. The man had a track record with coma patients, so she sent him to Theo's bed as well. She saw the four Healers, the majority of her team, waving their wands, checking for a response, and felt a quick jolt of pride. Even for that bastard, Terrence, they deserved her pride, they were fantastic Healers.
Neville's bed was the closest to her position, though she felt like she hadn't stopped moving, her eyes flicking over her shoulder to make sure Mr. Nott was being attended to, flicking back to Neville and the other Healer on her team, Ione. Ione was fighting to keep her patient alive. Neville Longbottom, she recalled from her days in school had been a lanky, awkward, stuttering boy who couldn't so much as lift a feather with his wand. Now, as a man, he had filled out, his arms and legs as thick as small tree trunks, his chest puffed out with muscle she imagined the men in her romance novel had in spades.
And, with a wave of her wand, she knew this man was close to death, his physical injuries pushing him to the brink. Ione grunted out, her wand unable to keep up with all the damage, so Susan added hers. The Healing streams melded together, expanding in a shade of yellows and reds and oranges.
"I have him…" she grunted too, the sheer need for healing his body pulled from her almost knocked her down. His entire back was broken, both arms, several ribs, one of which had punctured a lung, as well as several bone fractures in his neck and skull.
Ione actually growled out some foul, power words, channeling the healing magic into all the cuts and breaks of Neville's body and that's when Susan noticed another person: Pansy Parkinson standing at the end of the bed, looking down at Neville's broken, bloody body, the look on her face pure unmitigated agony.
Susan had seen the witch a month ago, at the tea shop she had had a impromptu lunch with Hannah at, hoping to catch up with her old classmate, she had instead seen a side of Hannah she would have never guessed the witch had. Hannah had used her wand to trip Pansy, all for a laugh.
Neville's need for healing pulled on her even harder, her mind focusing, while Lamia called out from behind her, "Susan! She's crashing!"
She couldn't leave Neville yet so she calmly barked out orders over her shoulder at the capable Aide. "Breathe for her, like I showed you. Hold her until I can get over there."
Another body had joined Pansy at the end of Neville's bed, but Susan barely noted it, focusing entirely on holding Neville from the edge of death, his body slowly coming back to her.
She twisted her wand, having learned a long time ago that when you channeled magic like this, into someone else, it flowed more effectively when you twisted with the stream of Healing, making the magic hurt less, and flow better.
"Ione… I got it-" Barely. "… go stabilize Ms. Abbott and get Lamia to bring me some B.R.P.'s and Skele-Grow for me, ASAP."
Ione dropped her wand, the healing stream loosing it's orange tint, and Susan felt the increase of pressure as all of Neville's need shifted to her. But she held it, she hadn't made Chief Healer by 25 for no reason, she didn't have her own team for no reason. She could do this.
As the magic continued to channel, Neville's skin and bones knitting together as every second passed, she noted Lamia and Ione stabilizing Hannah Abbott.
She noted Alban breaking away from the other group of Healers and walking over to George Weasley, setting his jaw bone and running diagnostic tests to make sure the wizard was otherwise okay.
Her mind when in five different directions, but she never stopped focusing on Neville.
She noted how Ginny Weasley and Pansy Parkinson stood side by side, looking down at Neville with terrified eyes. Neville didn't need her bedside manner, but they did.
So she said, "I have him." It took nothing from her to speak while she continued to heal. "All his injuries, while severe, were physical and I am healing them fully now."
She didn't think either of the witches had heard a word she had said, but Neville's need was lessening now, her magic winding down. It was hard to explain to non Healers exactly how her magic felt when she did intense healing like this, but she had always known that this is what she wanted to do with her life, her gift for healing apparent even as a child.
Aunt Amelia would be proud.
Alban walked up beside her, wand ready and sweat on his dark brow.
"Update," she said to him.
"Mr. and Mr. Weasley are fine, a minor concussion which has been taken care of and jaw bone was broken, but it's mending now. The other had a small bump on his head, but otherwise fine. Ms. Abbott is stable and resting now, once she wakes up we will know more."
She checked off their names in her mind. "Mr. Nott?"
"Unknown what hit him, not sure what to do. He's… not unstable… We need your opinion."
"Got it. Help Ione."
Though Alban was a decade older than her, he had never had any trouble following her orders or recognizing her authority over him. She liked Alban. She hated Terrence. Focus.
She felt Neville's body fully mend, the last bone knitting together, his body going fully slack as she gently released the channel of magic. Lamia ran over then, knowing exactly when she was needed, with the supplies Susan had barked out for.
"Monitor him, notify me immediately if there is even a slight change." She walked away, seeing Pansy collapse into a chair next to his bed as Lamia began administering the potions.
Her mind switched from Mr. Longbottom to Mr. Nott instantly.
With a practiced wave of her wand, she was running tests before she even reached his bed. Her mind taking in each of the results. Blood levels were good. No broken bones, torn muscles, or disrupted organs. Brain activity was fine. He wasn't in a coma, but he was unresponsive in a way she just hadn't ever seen before. Huh…
Physically… he was fine. But she could see the way a lump of green magic was sitting in his heart, not doing anything, not affecting him physically at all, just sitting there. And for some reason, he wasn't waking up.
Criscilia dropped her wand, "Not a coma, have you ever seen anything like this before?"
Terrence dropped his wand as well, both of them finally seeing what Susan had seen in only a minute. "No, that's odd… his readings are very odd."
Susan assessed the results and, now that things were winding down, as much as things could wind down in a hospital, thought about where her team was needed. "See the magic in his heart?" She asked them both, they took their time but finally they saw it.
"Criscilia, do you need to get back to Mrs. Imelda on the second floor?" she asked, referring to the long term patient her team had been assigned to.
Cris took a moment to think about it. "I should be getting back to her within the next ten minutes or so."
She nodded. "Ten minutes and then go. Terrence, go ahead and take over Block shift, I'll keep Ione and Alban here with me."
Terrence's green eyes flashed. "No way, send the old bat to deal with Block shift, my talents and time are much better spent here." The 'Old Bat' he was referring to was Ione, even though she was entering her 7th decade, she had no problem keeping up with the much younger team.
She saw Cris roll her eyes in the same way she wish she could. Damn this man. "Your talents are better spent wherever I tell you to go in this hospital, I was on Block shift, take over for me so I can handle things here. Ione is better with physical damage than you are so I need her here for Mr. Longbottom."
"Please I saw you working Mr. Longbottom, he's fine." It was a compliment and a dismissal. But a dismissal wasn't something he was allowed to give her. Gods he infuriated her.
"Are you really going to make me pull rank? Block shift, go." Susan said instead of what she really wanted to say. 'I'm an idiot for sleeping with you because now you think you can outrank me, boss me around, and/or ignore my orders. Go fuck yourself Terrence.'
But, with the steely control that helped her get to the position she was in today, she resisted the urge to tell him off and instead turned her back on the young man, focusing back on Mr. Nott.
All of this had happened in less than 15 minutes. Her day was far from over.
Theodore Nott, she knew, was a determined man who had astounded her time and time again with his generosity and unrelenting efforts he put towards the Hospital. But there wasn't anything she could do for him right now. She walked back over to Neville's bed, Pansy sitting in a chair watching his sleeping form. She waved her wand. "Just running some tests."
She didn't want the witch to worry, but it was obvious she wouldn't be okay until the man woke up. And from what she was seeing, he needed quite a lot of rest before that would happen, so she didn't waste her breath trying to make her better.
Even as she realized exactly what she was seeing. Bright, dancing threads.
A soulmate bond. To her Healer's mind, it stretched between the unconscious man and Pansy, a myriad of blues and purples. It was thin and new, barely formed, but seemed solid. She very rarely saw a soul mate bond, a gift to the magical community, between such young people. They usually popped up between older, married couples that had spent decades together… and from what Susan knew, these two had only been together a month. Interesting. But all his other stats were falling into what she would normally see, making her feel much better about his chances of waking up. "I'll be back in a bit."
She took the quick respite to check into her office but paperwork could always wait, so she went right back to Mr. Nott's side after checking on Ms. Abbott and the Weasley boys. Theo lay in his bed, breathing normally, everything functioning as it should. Ione and Alban flanked her sides and they worked in perfect harmony together, as they had for the past year. They just couldn't figure out what the hell kind of spell hit Mr. Nott.
As she worked, she noticed the other personnel in the room. Draco Malfoy, who she quickly figured out was an Auror working with Harry, Ron, and Neville. Hermione Granger was also here. And the other redheaded couple she shook hands with turned out to be Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.
It was a full house.
After an hour or so, she said what she was thinking. "If I didn't know any better, I would say it was a nonverbal Killing Curse. Harry said it looked like a green bolt, but no one had actually said the words. Maybe our patient just needs a little encouragement?"
The other two looked at her wordlessly, neither of them having any idea what it could be.
But they could all agree on one thing, physically, Theo was fine. The magic in his heart was slowly retreating into nothingness. So she told them to inform her of any changes and made her way back over to Neville's bed. Now that the room had quieted down, she allowed her mind to remember the last time she had seen this man, before that day in the tea shop with Hannah and Pansy, back to the final Battle at Hogwarts. His arms holding up a long sword with a gold hilt, swinging down on a giant tarantula that was about to sink its fangs into her throat…
Yes, she thought. She needed to save him, as he had saved her. This man is brave.
"You Gryffindor's are so volatile!" Pansy's voice filtered through her thoughts as Ginny Weasley stomped away.
"What was that all about?" Draco Malfoy voiced the question in Susan's head.
"I have no fucking idea." Pansy spat out. Susan noticed how tired she really looked, noticed the bruising on her neck and shoulders(what the hell had happened to these people tonight?), how sad her brilliantly purple eyes looked…She recalled that Neville's eyes were a deep blue... That explained the purple and blues she saw in their soulmate bond.
"Why did she want you to look in the mirror?" Hermione Granger asked the witch. "Oh…would you look at that?"
"What are you two doing?" Pansy asked, jumping out of her chair and backing away from Draco and Hermione, who were looking at the witch intently. Susan had a feeling she knew why.
"Sweet Circe! Gryffindor's are so nosy! What are you looking at?!"
She couldn't help it. "I'm not a Gryffindor." No, Susan had been in Hufflepuff. Pansy's eyes landed on her and recognition flickered over her exhausted face. Susan was right. She couldn't help but reassure the woman. "And don't worry, it's just a physical influence of your soulmate bond."
Several of the others in the room said something to that, but Pansy stayed silent, an odd look on her face. The dark haired witch finally turned and brought the compact to her face, and Susan resisted the urge to giggle. She knew what Pansy was now seeing, one of the rare effects of having a soul mate, but it wasn't unheard of. Her already brilliant colored purple eyes had become even more unique, jagged edges of blue spiking through the violet. Susan had noticed it earlier, even if she hadn't realized she had noticed it.
Now Pansy knew. She dropped the compact, turning to face them again… and her face crumbled. She brought both of her fists down on the edge of Neville's bed, screaming at him.
"WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP!"
Susan's urge to laugh left her completely, seeing the already exhausted woman begin to freak out in a hopeless way. "Pansy, Ms. Parkinson, please Neville is going to be okay, we're positive he just needs some rest. All of his injuries were physical, no magic. Mostly broken bones…"
She watched as Pansy backed up from the bed, her frame trembling and face crumbling with despair. She took steps towards the door when her eyes landed on Theo, still unresponsive in his bed.
"And you!" she shrieked suddenly, jolting Susan. "Wake up!"
She shoved at Theo's barely breathing chest, causing Susan and Ione to scream out.
Alban went to grab the witch saying, "Ms. Parkinson!" when Draco Malfoy stopped him.
Pansy shoved at Theo over and over again yelling, "I will pour every bit of your expensive firewhiskey down the drain. Do you hear me Theo!? I will break every expensive decanter you have, smash every last of your expensive crystal! Theo! That poster of what's-his-name-chaser shirtless on the Tornado's you keep in your closet? I will shred it to pieces! All your Italian shoes? Theo! THEO!"
Susan rushed forward, wrapping her arms around the hysterical witch, who shoved at Theo with all the force her tiny frame could muster, her brain finally understanding that Theodore Nott and Pansy Parkinson were obviously very good friends… and if the witch was Neville's soul mates…
She couldn't imagine the kind of pain felt at having two people you loved in the hospital, not knowing if they would wake up again.
"Theodore Nott, I will put holes in every single one of your designer couches if you don't wake up right this second!"
The crazed words rattled in Susan's head Pansy had screamed them so loudly.
But nothing could drown out the sound of Theo's moan. Pansy fell back before Susan could hold onto her, but Draco Malfoy was there, wrapping his whole frame around the crying witch. She immediately switched gears to Mr. Nott.
He coughed up. "P-Percy."
Something inside of her sighed, knowing he could speak was a good sign. The Weasley that had been staying by Theo's side leaned forward, gripping their hands together.
"I'm here, Theodore… I'm here…" he said.
"Please…" Mr. Nott moaned in a way that told Susan he need fluids ASAP. She gestured for Lamia to come over, digging around in the witch's apron, pulling out spare potions. "Keep that wretched witch away from my couches…"
The words he spoke made Susan want to laugh, but she heard Pansy sob louder. She fingered one of the potions as an idea hit her. She turned and threw a Dreamless Sleep Potion towards Draco once she caught his eye. The witch was emotional and exhausted.
Theo coughed more, but she gave him the potion orally, waving her wand with her other hand. She gestured for Alban to help Ms. Parkinson, and Ione came to her side immediately, adding her help to Mr. Nott.
"Do you know your name?" she asked Theo.
His eyes blinked several times, the Hydrating Potion bringing color to his pallid skin. He coughed one more time before saying, "Theodore Anacus Nott, and if I wasn't into men, I would have accepted your drunken offer for marriage all those years ago, Susan Bones."
It was just the thing to lighten the mood in the room. She noted his readings returning to normal almost immediately, so she didn't stop the smile.
"I will never live down that night of karaoke will I?" she asked, remembering to never ever bet against a man who can drink an entire bar and knows all the lyrics to every Spice Girl song in existence.
Theo cracked a crooked smile before moaning loudly again.
"This is just my initial reading, but I think you'll be just fine. Get some rest." A small paper owl fluttered towards her and the message let her know she was needed on Block shift right away. "Ione." Susan tucked her wand back into her robes and turned to the other Healer. "Monitor the room, notify me immediately if anything changes and I'll be back shortly to do more tests."
"I'm on it boss." Ione took charge and everyone was stable, including Pansy who was now curled up with Neville Longbottom, so she exited the room.
She took two seconds to stop into the restroom and splash water on her face, her watch telling her it was close to 6 A.M. She dug around in her robe pocket for a granola bar as she took the stairs up to Block shift.
Emerging into the long hallway with multiple rooms, she noticed they were all available, no clipboards in sight and…
Two large hands gripped her waist and pulled her back suddenly. She would have squeaked in surprise, but she recognized the smell of cologne he wore, agarwood and balsam. Expensive. He wore very expensive cologne.
"Terrence what are you doing?" She would not sigh, she would not give in... Even though he had her front pressed into the door of the this floor's potion supply closet, his thighs pressed firmly against the backs of hers, his hands roaming up her front, lifting up her robes…
"Terrence…" she warned, biting down hard on her lip. What was it with dark rooms that lowered her inhibitions so?
"I love it so when you say my name, Susie." His voice sounded like her favorite of caramels, thick and rich and full of promise...
"My name is Susan." She fought him, because she knew if she gave any give, his head would get even bigger. Her hands spread out on the door in front of her as his hands played at the vee at the top of her thighs, slipping beneath the lace there...
"We were good together, Susie. Don't tell me you don't want a repeat-" his finger expertly found the sensitive bud between her legs "-performance?"
The memory of the one and only performance he spoke of swirled with the scent of his cologne, bombarding her mind with the images of just how well he played her body…
August 6th
Gods what was she thinking?
Dinner had been nice, their differences an awkward glare from minute one, but still… nice… how could it not when he dressed in such a smart looking suit and kissed her knuckles in such a charming way? Or the way he fed her bits of fish from his own fork?
But he had talked about nothing but himself the entire time and then ordered chocolate for dessert. She steeled herself against the door to the apartment she owned in London, his body expertly leaning in, and told herself that a goodbye kiss wasn't out of line, and then she could explain that they worked together, she was his boss, it just couldn't work. That she should have never agreed to the date in the first place… but when was the last time someone looked at her like that?
And then his full, dark set of lips was on hers, her body sighing beneath the little black dress she had worn, and he was sucking on her bottom lip like it was that chocolate cake he liked so much.
She hated chocolate.
"You know I'm coming in right?" His voice was silk and promise and yet so conceited and haughty, it grated against her as much as it drove her crazy with heat.
Ugh… she moaned with frustration into his mouth, her desire mixing with annoyance. Could he be anymore arrogant?
But he took her moan as sexual and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her smaller body frame into his larger embrace, his lips doing magical things and his tongue leaving her breathless.
How was it possible to hate someone this much while wanting them just as badly?
It doesn't matter what you want, she thought to her body. This will never work in the long run.
She groaned out loud, confused as to why her body hummed with want for him when her mind was saying no, no, no.
"You want me, I can tell… I want to show you how good I am in bed, Susie." His large hands found their way into her messy hair, pulling at the strands of red. Fuck it felt good.
Her hands clenched on his upper arms but... what he said... she decided to add vain to the list of things she hated about him. The cons were weighing out the pros by now, weren't they? Terry Boot's face flashed in her mind, her first love and lover, his voice filled her mind. "You're the humblest woman I have met, Susan Bones. You will make the best Healer, I just worry you won't take care of yourself…"
Terry and Terrence… huh. The two men were as different as their names were similar, Terry being around Susan's height, his pale skin and even paler hair that that glinted in the sun. Their conflicting schedules had eventually led to them ending their relationship several years ago…
Several years since she had felt the touch of a man.
"...I just worry you won't take care of yourself…"
"Surely there's some fox in your life, Susan?"
Damn that Hannah Abbott. Damn that Terry Boot.
The fact that she was thinking of Terry while Terrence kissed her was not lost on Susan either…
But…
It had been so long, loneliness a dark thread inside of her needing to be addressed.
...
She let him in, the body's needs winning out over the mind's.
Because beneath it all, the fulfilling career, her aptitude for study and healing, she rarely went on dates, she had no true friends, and her family was dead, it left nothing but loneliness.
oOoOo
"Terrence, I told you…" she shook herself and put distance between them, as much as the small potion supply closet would allow. "I told you no."
Once had been… one too many. She pulled her panties back into place, straightened her robes, pushing back a frown.
"You want me so badly, Susie. Why do you deny us both?" He brought up a finger to lips, oh-so-gently running it along her bottom lip in a smooth move that made her body purr.
"Why do you want me? Don't you want to date someone your own age?" She whispered it through the sexual haze he had ignited, just with that one touch of his finger. But while her body was responding, her mind was attempting to blackout his face. Because she did not like him.
"Age is nothing. We are both healthy and attractive people, we should be together." His words threw water to the fire. There was only so much of his arrogance she could take, she realized.
She pushed him away. "I don't want to, Terrence. And the next time you make me pull rank on you, we are going to have a huge problem. Get back to work. Understand?"
And she walked away before the gravitational force of his sexual need could pull her back in.
Her day was not over yet, but she suddenly felt exhausted. She retrieved her granola bar again and stuffed it into her mouth, knowing she would need all the energy she could get to endure the rest of her shift. She was chewing on the salty sweet snack, feeling pissed off for the first time about her and Terrence's relationship, when she opened the door the the staircase down to the floor below, where her office was located, when she ran headlong into a tall man, the majority of her granola bar flying from her hand and bouncing down the stairs and out of sight.
"Oi, sorry about that." She turned to the man, looking up… and up to the very tall, burly looking Ron Weasley.
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