Chapter 21: The Rite of Spring
Darren had the distinct privilege of being born close to December, usually when the first snow hit the ground. He had had Ross pull some strings for Petunia to go back to school to at least finish her last set of exams. Petunia had wanted to be angry at him for the decision but took it as an apology and hugged the crap out of him.
When she wasn't working or running back to Cokesworth, Petunia was pulling her hair over chemistry equations and maths problems. In a way, it was pleasant to look forward to something normal. Charles also had gotten her work card linked as a formal Portkey so she could at least go write her tests and exams without stressing about making it to work in time.
The first round of exams for the year had gone by and Jean moved into the flat for the most part. Petunia could see that Jean and Darren were thinking about making their relationship official. Petunia had loved for both of them, they both made her happy.
Happiness was hard to come by especially during this time. The letters were not encouraging, neither were the people in the hospital. Sometimes they had muggle family's come in, it was then that Petunia felt the most vulnerable. It was Petunia that delivered potions to them and sat with families. Sometimes with the religious ones, she held hands and prayed with them. To a god that the people around her did not believe in.
Sometimes the diagnoses were quick and easy, things she had picked up with working in the hospital and at other moments weeks of work would end in death. Overwhelmed, Petunia felt really overwhelmed, she had tried to stop smoking for fear that the addiction would mess up her hands. She really couldn't quit, not when it was the only thing blanking her mind and keeping her focused.
They had reconfigured the stations and Petunia moved up in the process of making a potion. She got more complicated potions and it made her incredibly frustrated about how long it took to get things done. She had half a mind to start brewing out of the flat, but it was too dangerous. She wasn't going to the people she loved in danger. The money earned wasn't worth it.
The last shift for the week had her shivering at the thought of the potions she was required to make. The list presented itself always at the beginning of the shift. Most of them were going to the Dark Arts Damage ward. She took off her coat and put on a new set of hospital laundered potion robes. The potion black looked sombre in contrast to the brightly coloured jumper underneath it.
She had promised Darren that they would go out tonight, the three of them as an apology for missing his birthday. Darren loved his birthday and he was dancing:" The Rite of Spring". The music played in constant repetition around their flat and had Petunia doing a lot more active fitness with Darren.
The ballet kept him constantly ready to throw up and sometimes when he came home from work, that was what he would do, throw up and then slowly drink soup that Petunia prepared to ease himself. The cycle of the dance would start all over again. The ballet was not one of Petunia's favourites though, she preferred" Bolero" by far as the dance on the table had a slightly raw undertone to it. In comparison, the "Rite of Spring' looked too easy. It was that effortless charm, Darren managed to achieve in his last few run-throughs in the flat.
Even then tonight was a night out and they needed it. Petunia needed it. Eileen should be ok, there were no drastic changes and as long as they didn't get slammed with patients t the hospital who needed potions, Petunia was sure that she would be able to leave on time. It would be fun, she and Jean would watch the ballet and then judge Darren heavily. Then they would munch on whatever street food they could find probably in a corner shop where Jean would know the person.
It was that kind of life that Petunia wanted to live all the time. Still, work was work. It put food on the table and made life easier for them all financially. It was only going to be for a year and a bit more. It was a little bit daunting to think about a life without St Mungos but she would be glad to leave it. It shouldn't have felt ominous when she changed out of her potion robes and said goodbye to everyone for the day. She went to check on Eileen last and made sure that the potions and treatments that she needed were coming at the right time.
She did not drop by the Spell Damage Ward. Selfishly she knew that she could help, that someone might need the help but it was not in her to be that person. Tobias would be around too and sometimes when he couldn't stand sitting alone in the silence of Eileen's room he would visit those families.
Petunia took a deep breath and breathed the crisp air that was turning into winter. Her favourite season. All that was unnecessary would die by a trial of the burning snow. It would be Christmas, New Year and then Lily's birthday. Lily would be an adult in name and Petunia was proud of her for coming this far, her cyclone.
Petunia thought too loudly and didn't notice that she had already made it to the flat where Jean was pulling her hair into a white-approved hair-style, it was less hassle for Jean when she looked like the world's standard of beauty. Petunia just focused on getting clean, she rolled her eyes in disgust at the dirty water that oozed down her. "Like your blood," the treacherous voice in her head murmured. It was official Petunia was spending too much time at the hospital and it was eating at her sanity.
Nice bra, nice underwear, stockings (sheer), a skirt slightly too short to be decent. A button-up blouse that could do with a little less button when going out. Hair brushed and sprayed down to look sleek. Petunia looked at herself critically in the mirror. Today was lipstick and mascara kind of day. Nice coat, a small purse that held lighter, cigarettes, lipstick and a flask of the whiskey Darren really enjoyed.
They lived close to the theatre and it was a short walk away. They handed their coats by the door and moved with purpose like the rest of the patrons. They never got prime seats when Petunia booked but unlike her, Darren knew what he was doing. Heavens, Darren was a beautiful dancer.
Darren was serious, his movements, sharp and crisp. The make-up he plastered on his face made him look fierce and athletic. Both Jean and Petunia never failed to comment on how Darren forced people to watch him. He drew their eyes in and forced them to stay as he dances. Petunia knew the parts he struggled with, it was those that he would repeat over and over again without mercy to his muscles. It paid off, a muscle didn't quiver unless he ordered it too. The choice of the piece was unusual for this time of year, spring was still a while away, but the movement made her feel so hopeful. She could do with a little bit of hope. The program lasted two hours, Petunia politely applauded when required and tried to stop herself from commentating snarkily at the corps. Jean did the same but they did find a quiet place to laugh as they in true juvenile fashion made fun of the costumes.
They waited back at the door for Darren to come out with the rest of the company. Darren did not celebrate small and he warned them of that. Jean had rolled her eyes, he didn't need to warn them but the warning was nice. Ballet dancers all kind of looked the same. They didn't walk with slouched backs and movements usually carried a tension with them. Darren once said that it was because they were in constant pain. That was kind of true, Darren really did scream in pain if they poked him wrong.
They were all stupidly stupid and Petunia just ran along with the feelings. She drank a lot more than unusual, danced with Jean and then made Jean dance with Darren, to rock and metal that they never really played in the flat. Sometimes Petunia would dance with a random person from Darren's company and at other times she would find someone to kiss in dark corners.
They walked home, drunk, happy and dropping people off before they got too rowdy. They were nearly home when the Portkey to the hospital burned Petunia. A warning that the Portkey would activate in a minute.
Petunia waved Jean and Darren off ignoring their concern and said that she had forgotten something at work. She sobered up quickly and found a dark alley. The Portkey jerked her navel and then spat her out into the front atrium of St Mungo's.
The front desk was in full emergency mode. "Petunia Evans, Apothecary, Emergency Summons."
"Muggles have come in, your age and dressed like you, actually," the mediwizard at the front. "Report to Dark Magic."
She scanned her work card into the potion station for the Dark Magic department. The list of potions was there in front of her just like it was a normal workday. She had seen faces as she ran past the different rooms. Faces she had gone clubbing with only an hour ago. She tried to think of all the drugs and alcohol they could have possibly consumed. It was the usual stuff, she hadn't even seen vails of Death Wish being passed around, but she hadn't at all been aware at the clubs they had gone too. Petunia closed her eyes and thought hard about what she had seen.
She could hear Eileen berate her about how her form of thinking was not scientific at all. Petunia wondered what happened to bring all of them there. It would be made more clear in the meeting in the morning. The steam fogged the room up and if Petunia was brewing a poison she would have worried about what it was doing to her lungs.
It made zero sense for her to be called in though, even if the cases they were dealing with within the department were mostly on muggles. There was a magical route to this, Petunia just wished the DMLE worked harder to find out what it was. The runestone that Petunia had activated on arrival kept spinning. To compress a potion that took a lunar cycle to make meant that literally every second counted.
They were a few things that came to Petunia like second nature. The first was netball, the second: machines and third (uncomfortably) potions.
Potions out of all three had put her through the most trauma. For every happy memory she had about potions it seemed like she could bring up three incredibly miserable ones. She tried to keep her emotions quiet. The morning meeting would have to reveal more.
A/N: Thank you for 5k reads, I really do appreciate it