New Slytherin Girl

by AnnyBee

Not all Slytherins are evil; then again, they're not always so nice. But isn't that how all humans are? We grow, we learn, we adapt. At times we're hated and others we're loved. Seven eventful years, all seen through a Slytherin's eyes. Sometimes it's good to look at life from a different perspective.

115. The Internship

Now I know what all of you are thinking: "Girl, gurl, you didn't take so long to post that people started thinking you were dead." I know! Isn't it magical?

I did get the chapter out much faster, as you can see, but there is a setback. This is about 2/3 of the size some of the newer chapters have been… I did maths.

So I've been wanting to try a little harder to post things more frequently but the result would normally be a shorter chapter like this. It's still pretty long but not the size I was used to. Anyway, my plan would be to post every 3 weeks so if, if, I follow that schedule next chapter should be up the 14th, as in June. I'll try at least but remember that with me that is a big if.

So, what do y'all prefer? Concise and quick chapters or fully fledged ones that take a bit more time to upload? I don't know, let me know, but until then enjoy the chapter (~￣▽￣)~

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The crossed bone and wand emblem peered down at me, assuring me I was in the correct place. St. Mungo's hospital, even this early in the morning, had its staff trailing back and forth making their way to the different patients. Still, the place looked clean and organized as always. Turning back to the side I made my way to the receptionist's desk. I made sure to let her know I wasn't a patient but she dismissively told me to take a seat and wait. Feeling that it wouldn't be a good idea to start arguing on my first day I gave an internal sigh and turned to the sitting area.

Trying to at least seem patient I waited in my seat, swinging my feet back and forth to entertain myself. I watched as some of the actual patients began to trail in an out of the hospital. The ones that were panicked were usually less patient. My thought was they were either worrying about their injuries or probably cautious of being caught for whatever had caused it. Others looked just as calm as I was, knowing their injuries well or maybe just waiting to be let in as visitors. The last few mostly seemed relieved. They were the ones to be let out soon.

After a moment more the Head Healer Cronin arrived. With a polite, professional demeanor he greeted me and began to lead the way into the hospital. He explained that for most of the day we would mostly be focusing on the shadowing aspect of the internship. He would be giving me a tour, all the while talking me through the happenings of the facility. With a nod I gave him a simple smile. The sooner we got that over with the sooner we could get into actual work.

We began by reintroducing me to all of the essentials of where we were. On the ground floor was the reception area, where all the guests were greeted, as one could obviously tell upon entering. But going further into the level was also the division for Artifact Accidents. This section included cauldron backfires, wand explosions, and little inconveniences of the such. Certain accidents could become far more serious but usually these kinds of accidents were simple enough to treat. It was a good place to set it up for a quick in and out service.

Healer Cronin walked me back to the receptionist area for a quick introduction to some of the staff. The witch who had seated me earlier was still seated there helping, or rather dismissively pointing, at incoming patients of the ward. Apparently she was one of the more tenure receptionists currently employed. Her expression was serious, not wanting to bother with pleasantries, but she greeted me anyway. I did the same to her, although I had already forgotten her name.

Once done with the basic yet mandatory chitchat we pardoned ourselves and turned forward to continue the tour. The Head Healer explained there was another witch who sometimes held the receptionist position. She was less experienced, only having about a year's experience, but was warmer than her coworker. I made sure to make a note of that. If I wanted anything from reception I certainly wasn't going to get it from the older witch, she had too much experience dealing with people to be fooled that easily.

"Are there always people waiting to be treated?" I asked curiously, looking behind us as we began to climb the stairs. I had noticed that, even at this time of day, there were already people waiting here.

"In part, yes" he nodded, not bother to look back. "Most of the ailment they come with can be taken care of in mere moments. Every now and then we do need people to stay a few nights. Those instances are mostly due to lingering doubts, required supervision, or in case of muggles."

"Muggles?" I repeated curiously.

"On a rare occasion a muggle will find themselves tied up in some form of magical trap. Most of the time they are done in simple jokes but it can form an inconvenience for us. It is not their business to know about our world, I doubt the poor things could accept magic without throwing themselves into a state of panic" The Head Healer nodded to himself. I'm sure that was true, to some extent at least. I could think of at least one unfortunate exception to the rule. "Therefore whenever we do get a case like that we must make sure that any notions of this place be wiped completely before they are released."

"I see" I noted, still a little annoyed at my exception, and stepped the rest of the way onto the first floor.

We reached the first floor, where creature induced injuries were treated. This was where bites, spikes, burns, and what have you were taken care of. Healer Cronin gave me a bit of insight on some of the little details of the floor before stepping up to the second. There was where the magical bugs and diseases were contained. The dragon pox and vanishing sickness were the most common cases to be treated.

On the third floor were the treatments for potion and plant poisoning. This seemed the more favorable location to me. Half of the patients that came to this floor were brought due to some sort of feud. The other half were mostly nonsensical people who had not realized the pretty plant they had in their garden was not something they should make tea out of. This was a common problem with certain plants such as new bloomed foxglove flowers. They were pretty sure, mother kept a batch in our garden for that very reason, but every part of the plant if ingested could leave one severely sick.

"This is a field you are rather experienced in, I hear" the Head Healer acknowledged as we continued to look around.

"Yes, I have always found the craft of potions rather fascinating" I admitted. Ever since I was a child something about it just got me interested.

"You are in your fifth year, is that correct?" Healer Cronin asked and I gave him a nod. "Exams will be coming rather soon at Hogwarts, right?"

"Yes, O.W.L.'s will take place this year and in it will be just a couple more before the N.E.W.T.'s exams" I confirmed.

"Those exams are very important, and not to be taken lightly" he reminded in that authoritarian sort of tone that suggested he knew best. "You will need at least an E in every single one of your core classes. This includes Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfigurations, Herbology, Charms, and Potions. Although, from what I have heard, some of those should be simple enough for you to get through."

The Fourth Floor held the victims of spell damage. Jinxes, hexes, and even malformed charms were treated in this sector. A lot of the time it was full of seventeen year olds trying out their now legal magic outside of school and having failed. Some few times it got a little more serious than that.

"There was a time when this was our busiest floor. I actually spent my time heading one of these wards here before the position I now hold."

"What caused you to be so involved?" I asked him. For a second he paused. He seemed to be thinking about whether or not he should say. But it looked like he decided for it as he soon answered.

"It was during the Wizarding War, back when You-Know-Who was still active… Let's just say there was a lot of use for the certain curses back then. Our minds are powerful but delicate parts of ourselves. When certain spells are used upon them they can leave... long-lasting effects" he explained, letting the silence hang. I didn't really want to be reminded of that right now but I wouldn't let that show. Instead I just let myself give an internal sigh.

"It's a good thing we don't have to ever deal with that again" I smiled not believing myself. But I couldn't tell him the truth. It's not like I could tell him he should make plans to expand the ward for his soon to be patients. Instead he smiled back at me and nodded.

"Of course" he stated, though sounding like he wanted to reassure himself more than me. "That is all in the past now, for the most part at least."

"What do you mean?" I asked politely. Did he know? Could he know that the Dark Lord was back? It didn't seem likely but I wanted to be sure.

"We have some… more permanent residents to one of our wards. The Janus Thickey Ward in particular. There is Agnes, whom we took in just recently. There was a bit of a problem with a transfiguration. Sometime before her came Gilderoy Lockhart, who had some problems with a memory charm. He is improving rather quickly, however. Improving more so than we expected him to, at least."

"Lockhart? As in the author?" I asked. He nodded but kept a sort of grimace on his face. Yeah, we were talking about the same one. "He was a teacher of mine for a year."

"Oh?" the Head Healer said curiously. "That's right; he served as a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, did he not? Was he any good?"

"Not particularly, no" I replied honestly. He gave me a smile.

"Yes, well, he is persistent to say the least. Some of our other permanent residents are far more permanent than the few years he's looking to be lasting."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, two in particular" he gave a small sullen nod. "Alice and Frank Longbottom have been here since I was still managing this ward."

"Longbottom?" I repeated the name in my head. It sounded familiar but I couldn't quite place it. But I did know it; the only question was from where… Neville. That's right. It took me a moment to realize but they shared a name. These people in the ward, were they related somehow?

"I doubt you have ever met them" he said, realizing why I was making a face. "They have been in this ward for approximately fourteen years now."

"What caused them to be here for so long?" I asked but he didn't answer me right away.

I tried not to scowl as I noted his expression. I knew that look, I loathed that look. He made a sympathetic sort of look as if thinking me too young to understand whatever he deemed inappropriate for me. I hated being treated like some delicate little girl. Before I lost my calm I turned away from his face and into the ward.

"I do understand your hesitation to tell me" I said slowly but confidently. "Some people of this world aren't very kind. However, if I am to work in a place like this, I will be experiencing this sort of tragedy from time to time. It would do me well to prepare myself for whatever is the cause of this."

"Not exactly this, hopefully" he said, complying with my request. I turned to look at him again. His statement confused me a bit. "Both of them lost their minds to torture. A prolonged exposure to the Cruciatus Curse was used on them."

"Crucio" I said softly to myself. He looked into the ward for a moment then let out a sigh.

"One of the Death Eaters from the war, Bellatrix Lestrange, was the cause of this" he noted quietly, making me pause.

That name was one that I recognized far better than any of the others. I had read the trial documents of her incarceration into Azkaban. She had been sentenced to life imprisonment with no chance of release after admitting to crimes on behalf of the Dark Lord. Most of those which included torture, murder, or most of the time some combination of the two. Bellatrix Lestrange was a demented, homicidal, sadist who frankly deserved to have herself confined in the desolate fortress that was that prison. She was also Draco's aunt.

"Well thankfully that is all behind us now" I gave him a smile, knowing full well that wouldn't be the case soon enough.

He gave me a simple nod of encouragement and continued towards the last of the floors.

"How long was it before you were able to work your way up to your current position as the Head Healer?" I asked a little curious. "You mentioned you worked in that ward for some time."

"Yes, I specialized in memory restoration while I worked in the Janus Thickey Ward" he muttered in a soft tone. "It was actually those trying times that helped me rise. A couple of years after the Wizarding War I became overseer of this floor, and not too long after that was when I was appointed as the new Head Healer. Depending on whether you want to account for my time as an assistant I would say it took… between twelve and fourteen years."

"Do you believe it's possible to do it in seven?" I asked him, wanting to know if it was possible. I was planning on working here just out of Hogwarts and if I was to become Head Healer within the next ten years then that meant I would have roughly seven of them to work with. Cronin gave me a wry smile at the idea.

"I suppose we'll see soon enough" he gave me a knowing look before continuing forward.

Next was the fifth floor, an area centered on the visitors of the hospital rather than its patients. It was essentially a tearoom expanded to hold the hospital's gift shop inside it as well. The shop contained a variety of gifts from flowers and chocolates, to trinkets and other miscellaneous items. People could purchase said gifts and deliver it themselves or have a few of the staff send it on their behalf, whichever they chose. But that did make me curious about something.

"What if someone wanted to deliver a handmade gift for a patient?" I asked as we continued further into the shop. The selection wasn't bad but I was sure that was an issue that would come up eventually.

"We have guidelines set for the gifts presented from our guests. The regulations are set for the security of our patients. At least… we do try" he added the last bit with a thoughtful look. I gave him a curious one in return.

"You try?" I repeated when he didn't clarify. After a moment he gave me a slight nod.

"There are certain times of year where gifts can become… difficult to assess. Presents are normally given sporadically, whether as a get-well form of gift or some other reason. It's mostly only a problem during the bigger holidays, such as Valentine's Day, and Christmas" Cronin added with a shrug. "Others do know of the regulations, and they are reminded by our receptionists with every attempt, so there have been no incidents as of late."

Cronin continued on with a more precise description of locations this time. This time around he took the time to introduce me to a number of the current healers on duty. Some were soft spoken; others were a little more serious. There was a wide variety of people who chose this position it would seem. All looked to be managing their own wards, with some having an added assistant for aid. The Head Healer helped out a bit in each of the wards, varying from supervising, added help, or merely making suggestions when a patients has a more difficult than average problem. That only made me feel more certain, I was going to take his job one day.

After some time, and enough talking, had passed we decided on a well-deserved break. It was lunch. I was told the tearoom would be the best place to have it; that or I could just wander the halls until the lessons resumed. So long as I didn't disturb the healers or patients I was really free to do as I wished. Healer Cronin did stop to ask if I needed anything for my meal, noting my lack of packed lunch. With a smile I ensured him I had a plan. He gave me a nod in return and excused himself, to do his Head Healer duties.

I had already decided to have a look around during my lunch time. But my time exploring wouldn't be at the hospital. There was all of London to explore, after all. As I rushed down the steps, knowing exactly of what he would do, I made sure not to be seen by the Head Healer. Once reaching the ground floor I tried blending into the crowd, walking quickly to the exit. Just as I was a few feet from the door the receptionist on duty called for me. This gave me two options. I could head out, pretending not to hear her and risk being tattled on. Or I could walk back, towards the front desk, and try to talk my way out of it. I let out a groan and decided on the latter.

"Yes, hello," I greeted once I reached her. It was the second receptionist, luckily enough for me. I gave her a smile.

"Miss Katerina, I am sorry to say, but your father asked we have you here. If you're looking for something we don't already have we could have someone fetch it for you" she suggested. Without meaning too I let my face show what I was feeling. Noting my unhappy expression she began to speak again. "I understand that may seem like an inconvenience but I'm sure your father has his reasons for requesting this."

I gave an internal sigh realizing she actually meant what she was saying. This woman truly believed Papa was just trying to do this for my best interest. Really, it was for his own. She thought it was the right thing to do to keep me in the building. So I would just have to convince her the right thing to do was what I wanted to do. I gave her a melancholy expression and let out an audible sigh this time.

"I understand. Can I… can I tell you the truth?" I asked in a lower voice. She gave me an honest smile and a nod. "Really, the truth is, I'm glad to be here and find this all truly interesting. But these lessons are taking quite a bit of my summer, a time I normally spent relaxing. My father thinks this will be a good start to my career, and I agree completely. I just… I wanted to explore for a bit. If I'm to do this all summer, to have an hour to enjoy myself…"

I looked at her face for a moment. She was starting to believe me, she almost there. With that I gave her a sad smile.

"It's alright, it's not your fault" I said to her as sweetly as I could manage. "I should just be glad I can come and study. Really, thank you. I'm being silly and… I'll go upstairs—"

"You can go" she interrupted as I began to turn away from her. I paused but gave her a look, as if confused.

"Excuse me?"

"Go, have fun" she submitted. "You're still so young. I promise I won't tell your father. Just make sure to return in time for the rest of your lesson."

I let out a satisfied grin and thanked her. With a smile, and a promise to return soon, I rushed myself out. Part of me hoped she wouldn't be reprimanded for this but this was probably one of the few opportunities I would get to visit London. With the tabs my father had recently decided to keep on me that meant the more time that passed the more likely it would be for him to know exactly what I was doing. If I wanted to get away with doing anything I needed to strike before the iron was hot.

As quickly as I could I headed directly to the house. From the moment I had chosen his new home I had planned different routes I could take there. The hospital was a little farther than most of the other wizarding spots I had accounted for but I still knew what I needed to do to get there. It took a couple of minutes of waiting for a muggle carriage to pass but, eventually, I got transport. The trip was rather quick after that. Once dropped off near the home I made sure to check the time. I would have to account for the travel time, double it to include the return time, and be able to calculate the allotted time I would have to visit.

As I reached the neighborhood I slowed my pace. Every single house looked exactly the same with just one difference, a number placed by the front of the home. If I walked too fast I could honestly miss the one I was searching for. Not to mention all these homes were incredibly close together too. But, when comparing this to the other homes that the realtor had showed us, this had been one of the most spacious ones. Finally I reached the one I wanted and moved towards it, knocking on the door. It seemed nice enough at least, even if it was incredibly similar to all the other ones around it. At my knock I heard shuffling behind the door; soon the sound began to move towards me. Impatiently I waited, hearing some sort of light metal clanking before the door opened. When it did, an irritated looking face came to greet me.

"Kevin, for fuck's sake, I'm not buying any more of your—"

He stopped noting I wasn't this 'Kevin' kid. A hand stayed on his door as he watched me. He continued to look at me for another moment, but I could understand his reaction. It was hard to believe he was in front of me too. After one more second he grabbed hold of my arm and pulled me into him. With a tight hug he pulled me inside of his home.

"I swear if that's not really you I'm going to kill someone" Nikolai said, holding tightly to me. I giggled and held onto him too. Leaning down he kissed my forehead and stepped a bit back. "I'm so glad to see you. I should probably be more concerned with how and why you're here but I don't care. I'm so glad to see you."

"I've missed you too" I smiled back at him. It was an understatement and we both knew it. He held me tighter and let out a chuckle.

"Did you answer the door?" I heard a call behind him. Oh, right, she was here too. "Was it Kevin again? Tell me you didn't swear at him this time. Margaret is already upset how things went last time—"

"Someone came to visit" he turned to her now shocked expression.

I gave her a smile. I had to be nice. Remember, Nikolai had said I had to be nice. Daisy took my expression as an opening for more affection and rushed to hug me to. I had forgotten she liked to do that. Keeping my smile I hugged her back. She was his wife, I had to be nice.

"It's been so long, almost a year since we last saw you. How are you?" she asked standing right beside us. I gave her a smile as a response. It was the nicest thing I could think to say. "How did you make it down her yourself?"

"Yeah, how is that?" Nikolai asked in a more serious tone. I looked over to him. "Last time you stayed with that friend of yours. You're not staying with him again, are you?"

"No," I rolled my eyes at him. Through his serious expression he cracked a smile and I couldn't help but give him one back. It felt good to talk to him like that, like he had never left. "That internship I wrote to you about, I was accepted. I started today actually. They gave me some time to have to myself, for lunch or such, so I thought I would explore the city."

"St. Mungo's isn't close. It's a hospital" he added as his wife gave him a confused look. She still seemed a bit unsure but let the subject go. Nikolai turned back to me. "Did you walk here?"

"No," I simply shook my head. "I had someone bring me, with one of those muggle carriages."

"You mean a taxi?" Daisy asked me. I gave her a shrug back.

"How did you pay?" he began to ask but shook his head. Nikolai gave me a smirk and reached over to me. "Forget it, honestly right now I couldn't care less how you got here. I'm just glad to see you, princess."

"I was just about to serve us lunch. Come in, join us" his wife gestured to the living room. I followed her inside as Nikolai closed the door behind us.

Daisy excused herself to the kitchen, where I assumed she would be finishing making lunch. Nikolai led me the rest of the way into their lounge area. With a huff he threw himself against their sofa, making himself more than comfortable. I smiled at him as he began patting the area beside him. I sat next to him, just as he seemed to be finished placing his imprint in the cushions.

"You know, you have impeccable timing. You get here just as the food is almost ready, and even caught me on one of the days I don't have to work" Nikolai gave me a smirk as I moved closer to him. Noting the look I gave him his smirk turned into a chuckle. "It's funny isn't it, me having to work. I don't think there came a point in my life where I thought I would have to do that. You still don't, you just want to work."

"Being a healer looks like fun" I smiled at him. Nikolai returned it and placed a hand on my head.

"Yeah, but not everyone can have a job they enjoy. In fact, most jobs suck. But when you don't have money lying around you need one. Which, by the way—"

"Ow!" I complained as he hit the top of my head. I have Nikolai a look and he gave me one in return. It actually hurt, but I knew what it was for. "I told you I was going to get you a wedding gift."

"Normal people don't just gift someone a house" he replied in a low voice. For a moment he turned in towards the kitchen. When he saw no movement he let out a small sigh. "I had to spend like an hour trying to explain to monster-in-law why I just happened to receive an entire house when before I couldn't even find a job."

"Well it's none of her business anyway" I grumbled rubbing the spot he had hit. "What did you tell her anyway?"

"That while I'm still in bad terms with my parents that still handed me the residence as my grandparents had left it to me in my inheritance."

"But Deda and Baba are still very much alive. They actually just stopped by to visit Aunt Sasha and her husband this spring" I frowned at him. Nikolai shrugged in return.

"Because my muggle of a monster-in-law is going to meet them someday," Nikolai sneered at me. I continued to smile at him as he turned to me on the sofa. "This place is wonderful. Really, Daisy loves it, and it's even close to where I work. But to most people, especially muggles, buying a house isn't something the average fourteen year old should be able to do."

"I'm almost fifteen" I argued. Technically he was right but my birthday was only a month away.

"That's not the point" he gave me a frown before letting out a sigh. "More importantly, I just don't want you taking risks like this, especially not on my behalf.

"I know what I'm doing" I crossed my arms at him. Nikolai put an arm around me, pulling me into a hug. I let him rest me against him.

"So you're telling me Father didn't find out?"

"It's not my fault he likes spying on me" I pouted in return. He chuckled a bit then let out a groan. "He knows what I did but I don't think he knows much more than that. No location or things like that. But he left it alone, just told me to be more careful so that no one else could find out."

"I see" he said simply. He looked down at me for a moment before shaking his head. Whatever he was planning to say he apparently changed his mind on it.

After a moment his wife called us over for lunch. Nikolai helped me up and led me to a table with covered with a few plates of food. It looked rather small, for just about four people to use at a time. As I looked at it Nikolai continued the rest of the way to stand by his wife. She thanked him warmly as before as he pulled out her chair for her. I looked down at what she had just served us, some kind of soup and a variety of sandwiches. Once he was done with her, Nikolai came to stand by me, pulling out my chair as well. I gave him a smile as a thank you and he tapped my head before walking back to where he was. He took the chair beside her and sat down next to her. My smile faded again.

"Really we can't thank you enough for this home" his wife began before I could take a bite of my food. "It was really amazing that you could convince your parents to help us with this. Even if they're… still not accepting of our situation, it was really nice of them."

"Well" I began but stopped when I noticed Nikolai giving me a look. He had lied to her. Or rather, she probably assumed that was the case and he didn't correct her. So I wouldn't either. "I hear your mother thinks it was actually from our grandparents."

"Yes, well, having to explain one thing would lead to having to explain another. All of this magic would be too much for her. Honestly I'm still not completely used to it myself" Daisy smiled unbeknownst of the lie we didn't say. Beside her Nikolai looked a little relieved. I turned from them, bending down to eat.

"This is good" I mumbled, honestly a little surprised. Nikolai seemed to agree as he was already stuffing his face with food. No matter what had been taught to us, food etiquette had never been something he cared for.

Once finished with our simple meal Nikolai led me back to their lounge. Daisy stayed behind in the kitchen, to clean up the dishes and whatever else there was to arrange. Nikolai slumped down on the sofa as soon as we reached it. He slumped his entire body back, placing his hand on his stomach. I giggled at him as he smirked back at me. Nikolai reached up and pulled me down with him, into a hug.

"Ugh, I've missed you so much" Nikolai cooed at me.

"I missed you too" I cooed back as he held me tighter. I pushed against his grip but it felt nice. But I'm guessing he knew that; his hold on me didn't let up.

"And you're being so good too. Thank you for not telling her" he added in a quieter tone.

"I supposed she had assumed and you just never bothered to correct her, so I didn't either" I shrugged back at him. "And if she knew I could pay for this myself it would have made her feel bad or something. I don't really see why but George gets that way too sometimes, whenever I offer to pay for something."

"Of course he would" Nikolai suddenly frowned. "You should not need to buy anything for your friend."

"He's my boyfriend" I let out a sigh. Behind us footsteps began to sound closer.

"You have a boyfriend?" Daisy asked, moving to sit on the other side of my brother.

"He's not her boyfriend, just a friend" Nikolai said simply. Apparently he had no problem with that kind of lie. I gave him a look.

"No, he's my boyfriend. We've been dating for half a year now" I reminded him.

"And I'm sure that by now it should be out of your system" he replied in the same casual tone as before. I rolled my eyes at him.

"You sound just like Draco" I let out a sigh. He began to say something he probably thought smart before pausing. He looked down at me before continuing.

"How is Malfoy taking all of this?" he asked curiously. When he saw that I didn't completely understand his question he expanded on it a bit. "You have been with your 'friend' for quite a while, he obviously doesn't like him. So, how is he reacting to seeing you two at school and what have you?"

"Better than I expected but not as well as I had hoped" I said honestly, thinking of his behavior. It wasn't the best but truthfully he could still be far more obnoxious about it.

"He's your best friend, no? Nick told me you two were close" his wife leaned against Nikolai's arm. I tried to stop myself from frowning, just being reminded she was there. Nikolai noted my expression but didn't comment. She didn't notice, however, and kept talking. "It would make sense he not be too thrilled to see you dating someone."

"I don't think the dating part is what's bothering him as much as the who. Draco's never liked George and he has told me he thinks I could do better. Which, I suppose, I should take as a compliment. But it is no one's business but my own whom I chose to date. That includes you" I added to my brother with a look.

Nikolai gave me one of those smirks. It was the one he always gave me when he certainly didn't agree but wanted to humor me. It was nice seeing him again. Just relaxing on the couch, pretending to actually take into consideration what I was saying. And if I ignored the girl clinging to his arm it was just like it was then. She suddenly looked down, making me think I had shown something on her face. But she was looking at her wrist, more precisely the watch that was on it.

"I should get going" she called, moving to put on her jacket. Nikolai stood alongside her. Noting my confusion Daisy gave me a smile. "I have to go to work."

"Both of you work?" I asked, now confused by something else entirely.

"Yes, because that's what adults have to do sometimes."

"No they don't" I argued. Mum didn't work, I doubted she ever had. Part of me even thought she had others do her schoolwork while at Durmstrang.

"Normal adults do" he called back, meeting Daisy at the door.

"Stay as long as you like; your brother has missed you" she called to me too.

I stayed in my seat as they said goodbye to each other. He leaned down to kiss her and I made an attempt to seem indifferent towards it. She called out a farewell to me and I waved back, reminding myself to be nice. Nikolai closed the door behind her before letting out a sigh. With a somber look he turned back to me.

"You could be a little nicer" he said finally, pushing himself away from the door.

"I'm sorry, I thought I was. I'll try a little harder, Nick" I replied, not being able to help the sarcasm. Nikolai rolled his eyes at me, coming to join me on the couch.

"Look, princess" he began, pulling me against him. Nikolai leaned me against his chest and into a hug, and I let him. "Daisy is my wife. I love her, very much, so I want you two to get along. Because I love you very much too."

"Yeah, yeah" I grumbled against his arms. Nikolai bent down, kissing the top of my head. "I'm trying, alright. Like it's my fault this is the first one you've actually made me be nice to."

"Yes, well" he began, realizing I was right. Whenever he had someone he supposedly cared about I was never made to be nice to her. A lot of the time he got over whatever girl he was within the span of a few weeks, even if he didn't tell them so right away. "Well, that's the difference between liking someone and being in love."

"Nick is a stupid name" I grumbled beside him. Nikolai let out a laugh.

"It's also a far more common name than my own. It's useful in situations like these" he replied in a calmer tone. He looked at me then smiled again. "Besides, Daisy likes it."

"Doesn't mean it's not stupid" I insisted.

Nikolai pulled me closer into his hug. Whether we agreed on all that or not one thing was for sure, we were arguing like old times. He seemed to note that too as he leaned his head against mine. My brother let out a soft groan before letting go of me, sitting up on his place.

"I'm a little afraid to ask but, how long can you stay?" he asked looking down at me. I shrugged in return.

"A little while longer, I think" I said softly. I didn't want to think about the short amount of time we had left. "I don't want to be late getting back or they might be getting suspicious. I'm not even supposed to have left the hospital. Really the only reason I managed to get out is because one of the receptionists is nice to a flaw."

"Ah" he said simply, having his unasked question answered. "Well, I'm just glad I was able to see you, even if it was only for a moment."

"Speaking of which…" I began but stopped myself. I was still having second doubts about whether or not I should ask. Nikolai waited for me to finish, all the while looking curious about what I had to say. But this wasn't the sort of thing I could mention or even hint at in a letter. I should tell him. "I wanted to ask something of you."

"Of course, princess, anything" he said, and I'm sure he believed it. But I knew better than to believe that was true. I took in a breath and looked at him, hopeful anyway.

"I've thinking and… I… I want to tell Draco I'm a Parselmouth—"

"Absolutely not" he interrupted immediately after hearing the word. I had expected this but that didn't stop the frown that showed itself on my face.

"Didn't you just say—"

"Well now I'm saying no" Nikolai gave me a frown in return. I let go of him, sitting up on the sofa.

"You can't say one thing and then immediately take it back" I insisted but his expression didn't falter.

"I just did" my brother continued to give me a stern look. "Telling him would do nothing but harm. You cannot trust a Malfoy, not with information like this."

"I'm not entrusting this to his father, I'm trusting in him" I argued. "I have always told Draco everything, I've trusted him with every other secret I have. This is one of the few things I have ever kept from him and it's been bothering me. I don't like lying to him."

"How do you even know he would keep this to himself? What if you have another one of your fights? What makes you think he'll keep his mouth shut?" Nikolai insisted. Sure we argued a lot but it was never something we couldn't work through, certainly not something that would cause him to say something this delicate aloud. I opened my mouth to argue but he shook his head and spoke before I could. "No, Katerina."

"He's my best friend!"

"I said no!"

Both of us took a moment to pause. This was the first time I had seen him in almost a year, the second in the past several, and we were yelling at each other. I looked down for a moment. Of course I didn't want to argue with him. But I wanted this, wanted to be able to tell my best friend everything there was about me. Or at least I wanted to have the option to. I had kept this a secret from him for this long solely on the fact that Nikolai had wanted me to. If it wasn't for that, he would have known years ago.

"I trust him" I insisted looking at my hands folded on my lap.

"Well I don't" Nikolai replied, being stubborn like always. I turned back, looking up at him. My brother let out a sigh. "I don't trust him on just trivial things, so I'm certainly not going to trust him with this. I know you care about him but he is a Malfoy; the only thing they're concerned with is what benefits them. I know his family well enough to know that."

"Just because his father is a certain way doesn't mean he will be the same way" I frowned at him. "Just look at you and Papa."

"That's different," Nikolai frowned back.

"How?" I challenged. My brother was about to interrupt but I spoke before he could. "Tell me, how was your relationship any different than theirs? It was just the same. But, when it came for the time that you believed something different, you stood up to him. I believe Draco would do the same."

"Why this? Why now?"

"This is something else I've been meaning to talk to you about. But, just in case, it wasn't something I wanted to send you a letter about" I mumbled at my feet. "The Dark Lord… he's back."

"And you consider than an argument for telling him?" he asked, letting the rest of what I had just told him sink in.

"In times like these it's important to know who you trust. I trust him, Nikolai" I repeated that phrase for what felt like the hundredth time. He gave me a look but let me continue. "It might seem stupid to you, reckless even, but I do. There is not one person in my life outside of the family who I felt safe telling everything to, aside from him. Something just feels wrong about keeping this from him. I want to at least have the option of telling him. I made a promise to you, which is why I have kept this quiet thus far. So, please, just let me tell him."

I kept my gaze on him, determined to get my way. For a moment Nikolai ignored my look. But it was only a matter of time before he had to turn back. With my look still on him my brother let out a sigh. He didn't fruit Draco but I did. I knew he would keep this a secret. Even when we had our serious fight all those years back he had never told anyone about Nikolai. He had kept that secret and I was sure he would keep this. Nikolai let out a groan and gave me a look.

"Fine!" Nikolai stated in a harsh tone. I let out a smile but he frowned back at me. "But I'm not just letting you tell him whenever you like. I want you to promise me you will only decide to tell him when you are absolutely sure you can entrust your life to him. Do not tell him any sooner than that. There is a realm our parents wanted to keep this from you, not just those outside the family. This kind of information, it can be very dangerous in the wrong hands.

"I promise" I nodded.

"You are such a spoiled girl" he teased, giving me a smile. I didn't smile back, having remembered something.

"Actually, speaking of Mum and Papa, there was something else I wanted to ask you."

"It's not another favor, is it?" he tried to joke, noting my suddenly serious tone. I shook my head at him.

"Back then, at the start of the first Wizarding War… What was it that kept our parents from becoming Death Eaters? At the time they had a clear option, but they didn't choose either side. Why was that? It's not as if they were against the idea. So then why..?" I left my question hanging, waiting for him. Nikolai took a second to think about it but soon enough gave me a response.

"The reason for that was probably just us" he mumbled. I looked up at him.

"What do you mean?"

"We both know how mum and Papa can be" Nikolai said slowly, thinking back to them. He gave a slight shake of his head before continuing. "Still, they care about us, in their own way. With the war happening they didn't want the negative effects of it attaching themselves to us. If the Dark Lord had been victorious then good for them; we would have fit into their desired demographic and things would have been peachy. If he had fallen, like he did, then our family name would have been left clear. That being the case it is fully possible that they're planning on doing something similar this time around."

"But how can you know?" I frowned down. Sure people change their views, and I believe Papa has too to some extent. But things aren't so simple for him to just ignore all of the changes happening. Already he's getting involved. It's not like he can just say, 'oh, no, thank you. I would rather not become a Death Eater.' That's not rational, or reasonable—these people aren't reasonable. What do you think will happen? Obviously we have no choice—no one ever has a choice in war, not really. And with another war on the horizon things will just become—"

"Hey, hey" Nikolai said softly, reaching an arm out to me. He gave me a warm smile and let out a sigh. "It'll be okay."

"I'm worried about you" I insisted. He wasn't taking this news nearly as seriously as he should. Nikolai bent down and kissed my forehead lightly.

"I know how to take care of myself; I know how to take care of us. Don't worry about me, we'll be fine."

"But what if you're not. What if—"

"Shhh, shush. It'll be fine" he interrupted. Wrapping both arms around me he began rocking me back and forth. I turned up to give him a look.

"I'm not a child" I hit his arm in protest, not wanting to be held like one. Nikolai let out a low chuckle.

"I know you're not. You're growing so fast" my brother sighed, holding me closer against him. This time I let him. "I wish you could just stay my little girl forever. But that won't happen. We're both older and have grown a lot from when we were children. Things will work out, trust me."

I leaned myself against him, thinking of his words. There had to be something I could do. Something I could think of that I could use to help him. Nikolai knew how to take care of himself, of course I knew that. Having little to no resources he was able to settle down, find a job in the muggle world, and make himself a home. But if I could make sure then I would. I had to. For all the time he had been there for me if I could do something for me, just this once. With everything going on I would need to have faith that everything would work out. Have faith that… Faith… Fidelis—

"Fidelius!"

"What?" Nikolai asked, pulling back from my grip. Either he hadn't completely heard me or he just didn't understand where I was heading with that.

"The Fidelius Charm. You know it, right?"

"Yes, but why—" he stopped himself realizing why I was bringing this whole thing up in the first place. "You want to do this? Now? Can we even?"

"Are you saying you can't?" I frowned at him. He wasn't taking this suggestion like I thought he would.

"No, but—"

"So then you can't" I tested again. Nikolai raised an eyebrow at me. For a moment he looked to me, then out the door, to where Daisy had left. He let out a breath and looked down to me with a serious look.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Katerina, I'm serious" Nikolai moved closer to me. "If we're doing this then we're accepting the fact that things are starting up. If someone, for some reason, decides to find me… they would have to get through you first. I don't want you in that position. If—"

"I'm sure" I interrupted, putting a hand on his face. He took it off and gave me a warm smile. "I love you, you know."

"I love you too."

This would help, this would. He would be alright. Even if I was only the middleman, the stepping stone… If someone wanted to find him then they would have to get through me. That's all that mattered to me.