Chapter 14: Seeking Applicants- Healers apply

Calamity rolled over in her bed the next day to find that Sirius had somehow managed to get to the foot of the bed. He was curled almost dog like, tongue out of his mouth, a soft snore escaping his nose. Calamity felt a throbbing in her headed and recalled the Fire-whiskey. How many drinks had it been? Two? Three? Four? She sighed and rolled over, carefully avoiding Sirius as she rose from bed. If Andromeda had the right ingredients, Calamity knew she could create a cure. She might not have been a drinker before, but she was a healer and alcohol was essentially a poison, wasn't it? Extremely slow acting, but a poison all the same.

The kitchen was empty, but Calamity found the empty fire-whiskey bottle and cleaned it. It would work as a container. She pulled an egg, crushed beetle wings, and powdered newt from the cabinet, lighting the fire under the cauldron the muggle way- with a match. She tapped her finger to her head. She was missing something but in her haze it was so hard to remember. Oh! Cactus spines! Not surprisingly that was not in the cabinet. Calamity went back to the room and silently got some from her bag. When she returned to the kitchen she found a small girl who looked exactly like Andromeda- dark hair and eyes, pale skin (clearly a Black)- peering into the cauldron.

"Careful," Calamity said reaching for the girl.

The girl turned and fell off her stool, making impact with the ground with the force of someone being pushed. Her face broke into a wide grin revealing that she was missing a tooth.

"Are you okay," Calamity asked helping her up.

"I'm Nymphadora Tonks," the girls beamed. Calamity got the impression this sort of thing happened a lot. Nymphadora confirmed it when she pointed to her missing tooth, "I lost a tooth when I tripped on the fireplace two days ago!"

"Wow, it looks cool," Calamity said. She hadn't interacted with young children since her time at 's and that felt like ages ago. She felt a bit rusty. Nymphadora didn't seem to notice because she clasped her hand around Calamity's and pulled her back to the cauldron.

"What are you making?"

"An anti-poison," Calamity said measuring some crushed beetles.

"You were poisoned," Nymphadora asked in a hushed tone, a secret between them.

"Just on accident. This will make it better."

"Did Mum and dad get poisoned too?"

Calamity couldn't help but smirk. "Why do you ask?"

"I went to wake them and they were very cranky."

"I think they might just be sleepy, but we'll make enough for them as well," Calamity said. "Do you mind passing me the powdered newt?"

An hour later the rest of the house began to rise with grumbles and groans. By that time the potion was completed and Calamity had taken her small glass clearing her head and making her feel much better. She handed a glass to Ted and Andromeda. Ted looked at it unsure, then sniffed it. Sirius took it without any delay, his eyes still half closed. When he didn't perish on the spot, Ted and Andromeda followed suit.

"Calamity, you're a goddess," grinned Sirius kissing her on the cheek. Ted let out a sigh of relief as Nymphadora climbed onto his lap.

"She cured you!"

"She did indeed, Dora," Ted said with a large smile.

"Cured me enough for some breakfast!"

"Except that it's nearly noon," Sirius pointed out. "How about we make it lunch at Diagon Alley?"

Ted and Andromeda exchanged a look.

"What," Sirius asked, "I thought we were going to Gringotts anyways."

"Yes,"Ted said, stroking Nymphadora's head. "You, Andy, and Calamity go. Nymphadora and I will stay behind. Don't need to run into any disgruntled family members with a five year old around."

Sirius looked as if he were about to ask more questions, but Calamity pinched his arm gently and he shut his mouth again.

They flooed into Flourish and Blotts, then hurried to the Leaky Cauldron. Andromeda kept her hood up until they entered the leaky cauldron and sat in a far waited until their after lunch tea arrived before he couldn't hold back any longer.

"Andromeda," Sirius said finally, "What's the big deal? I get that it's war, but has Nymphadora even been to Diagon Alley?"

Andromeda looked suddenly tired over her teas.

"Sirius, you're youth is showing."

"It is not," Sirius said indignantly. "I'd never hide away."

"I'm sure you've kept up with Bella's exploits," Andromeda said in a hushed tone. Sirius looked up and around as if checking that Bellatrix Lestrange was not entering at the very moment. All clear he leaned closer to listen. "And it surely did not escape you that I was blasted off the family tree when I ran away with Ted."

Sirius nodded. Calamity remembered Sirius explaining the Black tradition.

"Now imagine we were all in Diagon alley together: two blood traitor, a mudblood, and a halfbreed. And we stumbled passed a spy for the Dark Lord, as he calls himself. How fast do you think Bella would be here to exact her revenge?"

"Never on you, Andy. She could never hurt you. You're her sister."

Andromeda looked almost pityingly at Sirius. "Perhaps the age difference was enough that you didn't notice her decline, but she is not the Bella that she once was. She's fixated, almost delirious. Perhaps not enough to kill me if spotted alone, but out in public with a five year old piece of evidence of my disgrace and the disgrace of the Black family? The mudblood himself standing there? It might be too much for her. And that would put us all in danger."

There was a pregnant pause as Andromeda took a sip of her tea and Calamity watched Sirius' face carefully, his dark eyes clearly showing his thoughts drifting to Regulus again.

"The Dark Lord is a great judge of character," Andromeda said finally. "And he found a most faithful servant in Bella. I hope your influence on Reggie will serve more good than mine did on my sisters."

When they finished tea, Sirius and Andromeda had to go to Gringotts for the paperwork to transfer the account. Sirius held out his hand, but Calamity waved him away. It was something that would be best for them to do on their own- a moment of familial silence for their favorite uncle and a silence for the family they had lost by choice, by heartache. Calamity pulled out one of the books she had bought while distracting the cashier for Sirius and opened it to chapter eleven. Although she had not intended to buy the book, it had turned out to be extremely interesting. It was a muggle novel by a professor called Brave New World. As her coffee came, she settled into her booth to read, feeling the real world slip away as she dropped into the dystopian society of the future.

"It was a small factory of lighting-sets for helicopters, a branch of the Electrical Equipment Corporation. They were met on the roof itself (for that circular letter of recommendation from the Controller was magical in its effects) by the Chief Technician and the Human Element Manager. They walked downstairs into the factory. "Each process," explained the Human Element Manager, "is carried out, so far as possible, by a single Bokanovsky Group."

And, in effect, eighty-three almost noseless black brachycephalic Deltas were cold-pressing. The fifty-six four-spindle chucking and turning machines were being manipulated by fifty-six aquiline and ginger Gammas. One hundred and seven heat-conditioned Epsilon Senegalese were working in the foundry. Thirty-three Delta females, long-headed, sandy, with narrow pelvises, and all within 20 millimetres of 1 metre 69 centimetres tall, were cutting screws. In the assembling room, the dynamos were being put together by two sets of Gamma-Plus dwarfs. The two low work-tables faced one another; between them crawled the conveyor with its load of separate parts; forty-seven blonde heads were confronted by forty-seven brown ones. Forty-seven snubs by forty-seven hooks; forty-seven receding by forty-seven prognathous chins. The completed mechanisms were inspected by eighteen identical curly auburn girls in Gamma green, packed in crates by thirty-four short-legged, left-handed male Delta-Minuses, and loaded into the waiting trucks and lorries by sixty-three blue-eyed, flaxen and freckled Epsilon Semi-Morons.

"O brave new world …" By some malice of his memory the Savage found himself repeating Miranda's words. "O brave new world that has such people in it."

"And I assure you," the Human Element Manager concluded, as they left the factory, "we hardly ever have any trouble with our workers. We always find …"

But the Savage had suddenly broken away from his companions and was violently retching, behind a clump of laurels, as though the solid earth had been a helicopter in an air pocket."

She was just about to turn the page when she felt the real world come spinning back into focus. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing up. Was it from the book? She glanced up to see a figure a few tables away watching her closely. Catching her eye, the figure turned back to their own drink. Calamity pulled her book back up, trying to brush off the figure as someone who had been day dreaming in her direction. Hadn't she, like everyone, been victim of aimless daydreams only to realize she was staring at a stranger? She turned the page and tried to regain her world from the writer, Huxley.

"The Savage," wrote Bernard, "refuses to take soma, and seems much distressed because of the woman Linda, his mother, remains permanently on holiday. It is worthy of note that, in spite of his m–––'s senility and the extreme repulsiveness of her appearance, the Savage frequently goes to see her and appears to be much attached to her–an interesting example of the way in which early conditioning can be made to modify and even run counter to natural impulses (in this case, the impulse to recoil from an unpleasant object)."

Calamity did not have to look up. She could feel the gaze on her once more. She regretted not going with Andromeda and Sirius. Perhaps she could catch them still. She placed the book on the table, pretending to read, while putting her free hand in her pocket as if shuffling for money. She watched the figure from the corner of her eye. The figure stood. It moved towards her. Calamity felt her wand in her pocket. As if sensing her nervous energy, her wand felt electric- as if ready to attack.

"Calamity?"

Calamity let out a sigh of relief releasing her wand as Elizabeth Blackwell sat at the table, looking as stern as ever, though perhaps a bit more worn than last time Calamity had seen her.

"You nearly scared me half to death," Calamity admitted. Elizabeth Blackwell nodded in understanding.

"Troubling times to be alone. I saw you weren't volunteering this winter."

"I heard St. Mungo's wasn't accepting volunteers since..." Calamity let her voice trail off. She didn't want to admit that sometimes late at night when she couldn't sleep she could still see St. Mungo's after the attack, could still see Sirius groaning on the floor from the burn and the explosion in the lobby. She could still hear the sound of the healer being torn apart. It came back to her now as Elizabeth Blackwell was sitting across from her.

"Are you still working there? Has it improved at all?"

"St. Mungo's needs as many Healers as they can get, but it is not as secure as before," Elizabeth Blackwell confessed. She glanced around as if to make sure they were not overheard and leaned forward. "I have been doing a bit of outside healing."

"With the ministry," asked Calamity. She knew that to do any official healing for either side in a war was considered worthy of reprimand, perhaps even dismissal from the healing profession. It could be seen as choosing sides, which was forbidden.

"Healers are needed everywhere." Something about her tone made Calamity lean back, trying to get more distance between the two of them.

"Not the Dark Lord and his Deatheaters," Calamity asked.

"People in need," Elizabeth Blackwell said. "They need Healers as much as anyone and they have been all but hunted and hidden away. If they are hurt, where will they go? Will we doom them to die?"

"They attacked St. Mungo's," Calamity hissed. "All those innocent people."

Elizabeth Blackwell hit her hand against the table making the coffee cup rattle, though no one looked there way. It was almost uncharacteristic of the stern and business like Elizabeth Blackwell that Calamity had known. "I thought you would understand," she said.

"I don't," Calamity said carefully. She could see Andromeda coming through the door, looking for her. She hadn't seen Calamity yet.

"They need us, Clara. They need good and powerful Healers in the fight to change the world. We are to be rewarded like no others- we who can be the difference between life and death. You understand. Your father would understand. Your an Erza-Mahoney. Don't tell me you don't want to join us."

"That's why your here, watching me from you table," asked Calamity. She waved at Andromeda who was wandering around as if she could not find Calamity anywhere, despite the fact that she was in the same booth as before. "You think because of my father I would join you and the deatheaters? I'm not in America with my Father and I don't intend on going back to it. Not like this. Not ever."

Calamity stood and started to move towards Andromeda. She called Andromeda's name and Andromeda turned, her expression turning from confusion to one of acknowledgement.

"Clara, don't turn you back on this. Don't align yourself with the blood traitors and mudbloods- that filth. The cause needs us."

Calamity pulled her hand away and looked at Elizabeth Blackwell.

"No."

"You'll change your mind. He will make you an offer you cannot refuse. You'll see," whispered Elizabeth Blackwell. Though it was just a whisper it felt as if it had been yelled. Calamity moved towards Andromeda, almost tripping over a chair in her attempt to escape. Andromeda looked concerned.

"What happened?"

Calamity looked over her shoulder. Either by charm or sudden disappearance the booth was empty.

"Where's Sirius," Calamity asked. She hated that her voice wavered.

"He ran into James Potter at Madam Malkin's and got dragged in to help James pick out dress robes for some funeral he is attending. Something about a girl's parents and making an impression. He asked me to come get you. Are you sure you're okay?"

Calamity nodded trying to put her Brave New World book back into her bag. Her hand slipped and it fell on the floor. She picked it up hurriedly.

"Let's go find him," she said trying her best to plaster a convincing smile on her face.

Calamity could feel Andromeda's desire to ask her what had happened. Calamity knew with more and more assurance as she put distance between herself and the leaky cauldron that there had been a protective spell around her booth. Andromeda hadn't seen Calamity and Elizabeth Blackwell's interactions and Calamity didn't want to talk about it with anyone. She didn't really even want to explain it to Sirius, but she did want to see him, to make sure that she was not in some mad world where Healers who had once helped heal those children and innocent bystanders from a deatheater attack were trying to convert her to a genocide. When they found Sirius, he was looking exasperatedly at the dressing room curtain.

"He's come out at least five times, all in black dress robes. They look the same," Sirius whined. He spotted Calamity's face and his exasperation turned to concern almost immediately. "Are you alright?" He glanced at Andromeda.

"She just appeared out of nowhere in the Leaky Cauldron," Andromeda explained. Sirius looke dat Calamity knowingly. The benefit of dating someone from a family who came from dark magic was they knew when to ask questions and when to accept that some conversations were meant for private. Sirius pulled up a seat for Andromeda and Calamity but Andromeda waved it away looking at her watch.

"I'll meet you back at home," she said and headed back to the front where a fireplace was.

James Potter stepped out from the dressing room with more bravado than necessary and it sent his glasses askew. He beamed at Calamity.

"Oh good, a girl's opinion. What do you think of these?" He posed. The robes were nice quality.

"For a funeral, right," Calamity asked. "They look fine."

James' face fell. "Just fine? That won't do, they have to look just...just... well they have to be perfect!"

"It's for Evans," Sirius explained. "She sort of half asked James to come with her."

"She did not sort of half ask," James snapped. "She asked if I was free to help her bear her sister and her sister's fiance."

"You want to go to Lily Evans' mum's funeral in that," Calamity clarified.

"You think it's terrible I want to look good," James said. "Padfoot said the same thing. Look, I know we are just friends-ish... well I don't know what we are really, but I want to look good anyway. You can understand can't you?"

"I understand," Calamity said smirking as James ran his hand through his hair, clearly overwhelmed with his inability to explain. "But she's a muggleborn."

"Right."

"So it's a funeral for a muggle."

"Right."

"And your going in... dressing robes?"

There was a long pause as James thought this over. "Blimey she's right." He rushed back into the dressing room.

"We've been here for forty minutes and we're not even getting robes," roared Sirius in frustration.

"Not robes," James called from beyond the curtains. He reappeared in hsi usual dress. "We have to get muggle clothes."

Sirius leapt up in excitement. "To muggle London?"

"I think so," James said.

"Not like that," Calamity said. James and Sirius looked down at their robes.

"We'll pretend to be from America," James offered. Calamity glared at them.

"You sound British."

"I reckon I ken pretand" said Sirius in his attempt at a southern accent.

"Oh Merlin," Calamity said with a alaugh. "I'll do the talking then, alright?"

"Blimey, I see why you love her, Padfoot," James hollered rushing forward and hugging Calamity so tightly that he lifted her from the ground. When she reached the floor again she glanced at Sirius who was blushing a deeper red than she had ever seen before, avoiding her eyes. James glanced between the two of them. Seeming to realize his slip and grabbed Calamity by the arm and dragged her forward. "Let's go, Yank!

James made Calamity ask for directions from muggles that passed. It took a couple of times. The muggles seemed a bit unsure about addressing three teens dressed in such silly attire. Luckily they ran into a pair of teenage boys who decided that Calamity's robes were eccentric and cute. They gave directions taking any chance they could to touch her shoulder and arm to direct her. Sirius' face was growing slowly red with rage instead of embarrassment. Finally, when one boy announced that he would simply take Calamity there if she'd ditch the gits with her, he had had enough and strode forward. Calamity rarely saw Sirius using his Black upbringing, but he put on his best haughty expression and glared at the boys down his nose until they practically scampered away. After the three shops, James finally had an appropriate muggle outfit for the funeral. He looked nervous as he left, but promised Sirius they would meet for butterbeers or firewhiskey when it was all over to discuss. On the way back to the Leaky Cauldron, Sirius wrapped his arm around Calamity's shoulders and pulled her close as an icy breeze blew passed. In their new muggle clothes (it had been too tempting not to get something) Calamity felt warmer. Robes really brought on a lot of unnecessary breezes. Sirius stopped, making Calamity backtrack.

"I sent in my money for that beauty today as soon as I finished the last signature," Sirius said. Calamity looked through the window at the large motorcycle and sidecar gleaming at them from the window.

"It's the one from your magazine," observed Calamity.

"It is," Sirius said pressing his nose against the glass like a kid looking at his Christmas presents. "I'm gonna get Ted to help me charm it to fly and there is a sidecar for you!"

Calamity looked at him skeptically. "I'm not riding in a sidecar."

"Come on Calamity it'll be great!"

"I'll sit behind you and James or Remus can sit in the sidecar."

"Three is a crowd," Sirius laughed nudging her playfully. "I think the sidecar is cool."

"You sit in the sidecar and I'll drive then," Calamity offered. Sirius replied with a bark-like laugh as they rounded the corner to the Leaky Cauldron. Standing outside was a familiar figure and Calamity felt Sirius unconsciously tighten his grip for a moment before loosening it again.

Christopher looked as good as he always did, though, like Elizabeth Blackwell, he seemed tired. He smiled when he saw Calamity which brightened his whole face.

"Calamity! What are you up to? Staying here again?"

"No, just visiting since I can't volunteer," she said giving him a hug. Sirius held out his hand and Christopher shook it, though they both looked at each other warily.

"What are you doing here," asked Calamity trying to change the subject.

"Looking for a Healer. She went on break hour ago and hasn't come back. Thought she might have stopped by here to get a drink of coffee and get away from St. Mungo's for a bit, but haven't seen her inside."

Calamity's heart sank.

"Who," asked Sirius. "We were in Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron earlier. Maybe we've seen them."

Calamity knew the answer before it came.

"Elizabeth Blackwell," said Christopher. "did you run into her?"

A/N: Please Review!