Ophelia Bardell made her way towards the front door of the large manor, knocking twice on the blackthorn wood door. Ophelia looked around the familiar surroundings before hurrying inside as the door creaked open. She hung up her cloak and pulled the woman on the other-side of the door into a warm embrace.
"Mother." Ophelia greeted with a smile as Genevieve Bardell pushed some of Ophelia's tight brown curls behind her ear.
Genevieve Bardell was a very regal woman with soft brown skin with darker coloured hair that was always framing her face in an elegant mass of curls. The authority she radiated was contrasted by the kindness that her smile and hazel eyes held. She was the one person that Ophelia adored.
"Ophelia," Genevieve replied linking arms with her daughter as the two made their way to the manor's parlour. The family house elf, Astrid, made the two a cup of tea as they sat. "How are you coping?"
"I'm getting there." Ophelia said after she'd taken a sip of her tea. "Work's helping."
"You mean being absorbed into your work is stopping you thinking about it." Genevieve said pointedly.
"Same thing." Ophelia replied.
"Not really, dear." Genevieve replied. The two women sat in silence for a little bit, sipping their cups of tea.
"How are you doing?" Ophelia asked her mother, breaking the silence.
"I'm getting there, we've had a tough few months darling. We're not going to be completely pieced back together any time soon." Genevieve told her daughter. "We just have to try our best to move on."
"It's just weird, you know, without them." Ophelia explained.
"I know, but we'll soon be used to it." Genevieve replied as Ophelia checked her watch.
"Sorry, that this was short but you know what Selina is like if I'm late." Ophelia said putting her now finished cup of tea on the table. Genevieve copied her daughter and put her cup down, leading her to the door.
"I don't know why you're friends with that girl, she reminds me too much of her father when we were at school." Genevieve said disdainfully with a single raised brow.
"And how many times do I have to tell you," Ophelia said as she put on her robes. "Not all the Carlisles are the same."
"Nasty piece of work that man was." Genevieve murmured as he hugged Ophelia goodbye.
"Goodbye, mother. See on Saturday." Ophelia said stepping out of the door.
"See you then, dear." Genevieve said, shutting the door once Ophelia had disappeared with a crack.
~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~
Ophelia appeared outside the stately townhouse and knocked on the door, regretting the plans she had made as she wanted nothing more than to relax before having to go into work, but instead she patiently waited for the door to be opened by the familiar blonde.
"Selina," Ophelia greeted her friend with a smile.
"You're late." Selina said as the two walked into her house. Ophelia nodded.
"Yeah, I'm fine, Selina, thanks for asking." Ophelia told her almost mocklingly. Selina raised a single brow at Ophelia, her sapphire gaze piercing into Ophelia as she made tea.
"I don't believe you, but because I know how stubborn you can be, I won't push." Selina told Ophelia, despite the mocking tone of Ophelia's previous statement.
Ophelia's eyes darted around before she snorted at the obviously themed decor of Selina's new house. It was her third in three years. "House pride, much, Sel?"
"I'm a proud snake, darling, and I want everyone who enters my home to know that." Selina said, sliding the cup across to Ophelia. "Not to mention, I stole the idea from you." Selina said, sipping her cup as she walked past.
Ophelia rolled her eyes and followed her friend. "Ok, my house isn't entirely Hufflepuff colours thank you!"
"Sure, keep telling yourself that, darling." Selina called from the other room. Ophelia sat opposite her on one of the hunter green chaise longues.
"So, how's the ministry?" Ophelia asked.
"Oh, the usual. Meeting after meeting. One oaf doing something completely idiotic that annoyed another oaf." Selina said waved her hand around as if the thing she was talking about held no regard. "How's St. Mungo's, Miss Qualified Healer?" Selina asked a smirk gracing her porcelain, angular features.
"Busy as all Helga!" Ophelia said with a groan. "It's rewarding, don't get me wrong, but I mean, I thought it was busy when I was a trainee but no, I'm constantly going from patient to patient every single day. I thought doing general practice would be better than specialising but the specialists are swanning around like they have two patients." Ophelia sighed and Selina raised an eyebrow.
"That fun, huh." Selina questioned with a smile.
Ophelia merely replied my poking her tongue out at the blonde.
"Aren't you a dignified woman, Bardell." Selina commented, humour clear in her tone.
"I'm the epitome of dignified, thank you, Carlisle." Ophelia replied before the two women burst out laughing and that was how the rest of the two women's time was spent until midday where Ophelia had to clock in for her shift.
~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~
Ophelia bustled into St. Mungo's in her green robes.
"Afternoon Sophia!" Ophelia called out to the Welcome Witch.
"Afternoon Ophelia! Stephanie's put your patient files on your desk." Sophia called out as Ophelia walked past, calling out her thanks at the information Sophia gave her.
Ophelia made her way up to the fifth floor where her office was located, blowing a brown curl from her face, she pushed open her door and sat down.
Ophelia took a deep breath. It was the calm before the storm as she well knew. Ophelia pulled the first file over to her and quickly skimmed over the file before calling the patient up to her office.
~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~
Ophelia pulled some of her hair back into a bun the rested on the top of her head before reading over the final file of the day, which had appeared only ten minutes previously.
Mr Potter had brought a six month old son who isn't eating properly
Ophelia raised an eyebrow at the supposed simplicity of the case given but called him up anyway.
"Mr Potter to Healer Bardell's office on Floor Five. Mr Potter to Healer Bardell's office on Floor Five."
Ophelia read over the case again.
Potter
It couldn't be. Ophelia had been at home when she learned of Lily's death. Ophelia had never been one to stick to having friends that purely resided in her house, of course, Amos and Anne Diggory were her closest friends while in Hufflepuff but Lily Evans, Marlene McKinnon and Alice Lightwood, now Longbottom and of course, Selina, had been her closest confidants outside of her house. She was devastated at the numerous losses she had experienced in a short space of time. There were times where Ophelia wondered whether her friends deaths could have been prevented had she joined the Order, but no one would ever know. There was no use going over the what ifs, focusing on the future would help get rid if the worries of the past or at least that's what Ophelia thought. Work through the grief.
There was a knock on Ophelia's office door, she straightened her robes before calling the patient in. She stood up to greet them with a smile.
"James."
"Ophelia."
Harry let out a shriek.