A/N

Hey guys! Sorry for the hiatus. It has been way too long since I last wrote a story! I was inspired to write again after some recent chapters released in the Hogwart Mystery game.

For those who play the game, this is based on Year 7. *WARNING*, there are some major spoilers in this chapter, so read at your own risk.

Portions of this one-shot are borrowed directly from the game, which I do not own. With that said, I hope you enjoy!

Year 7 - The Unexpected Patient

It was a quieter day than most others at St Mungo's. There was the regular handful of cases of dragon pox and a patient that had a bad reaction to some spoiled fizzing whizzbees. It took Arah and Jae the better part of the morning to get the poor lad down from the ceiling.

Arah exhaled a long breath. She was grateful for the rare moment of peace...but a healer's work was never done. At least, that is what Arah learned during her time shadowing at St Mungo. It was rewarding, but merlin, she was exhausted.

"Ah- Arah! There you are." One of the Mediwizards flagged her down in the hall. So much for a moment's rest, she thought to herself. "Madam Sprout wanted to see you in the Alchemy room. I don't suppose you would mind organizing the potion cabinet again while you're there? It's a mess already." he grinned, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yes sir."

Oh well, the quiet was nice while it lasted. Arah made her way down the hall towards the Alchemy laboratory - passing a very grumpy house-elf, grumbling as it sludged a dirty mop across the floor. An unknown glowing pink substance smeared across the tile - her face twisted in disgust. She learned it was sometimes better to not ask questions while in the ward...

The heavy door creaked open, a wave of different smells hitting her as she entered the Alchemy room. Mint, lavender, honey, a bitter smell that made her nostrils burn. Cauldrons bubbled and fizzed throughout the room - in the corner of the laboratory a decanter dripped a glowing liquid from some tubing- changing color as it traveled- dripping down into a vile. Arah spotted Penny in the corner of the room- studying the strange liquid. She was in her own little world, infatuated by the lot of it. She would fit in perfectly here.

"Ah! Hello, little lamb." Madam Strout greeted warmly. "I hope you're enjoying your time at St Mungo's! We are so lucky to have such wonderful students here- hungry to learn."

Miriam Strout was one of the head healers here in the Janus Thickery Ward at St Mungo's. She was not only an excellent healer, but she was a kind-hearted motherly woman. It was plain to see why she was so good at caring for others.

"Yes, Madam. It has been an incredible opportunity. I have so enjoyed learning from so many of the healers." Arah smiled. "Just today, I learned how too much peppermint oil in a Calming Drought will cause uncontrollable sobbing."

"That's correct!" she sang, "You know, you remind me a little of myself when I first started here. Bright-eyed and eager to learn."

Arah smiled sheepishly, cheeks going warm from such high praise. Yet, she had a feeling Madam Strout wanted to discuss other matters than how her day was going. She cleared her throat- not quite sure how to ask...

"Ah, well. Miss Annon, I wanted to discuss your progress here at St. Mungo's. I must say, you have really impressed me with your dedication and skill. I'd dare say you've exceeded expectations here at the ward." Madam Strout tinkered.

"Thank you, Madam. I'm doing my best to learn what I can while I'm here." Arah blushed - still not quite sure where she was going with the conversation.

"That is actually what I wanted to discuss with you. You know- your patients have had nothing but high praises to say about you. You have proven your talents with patients and alchemy... Tell me, have you considered a career as a Healer?"

The simple answer was sure, she had considered becoming a Healer. The thought of helping others was appealing as any. But the truth was, she had absolutely no clue what she wanted to do. It was her final year at Hogwarts and the future loomed ever closely. Most people assumed she would continue with Curse Breaking- but she wasn't sure that was something she wanted to pursue after being haunted by her past- plagued with curse after curse from such a young age. If anything- she looked forward to the day her curse-breaking days would be over. If only she could end 'R' and bring this chapter to a close. That was all Arah could really focus on, anyway. The future felt too far away to even be thinking about what she wanted to do.

"To be honest, Madam Strout, I'm not sure yet." Arah bit her lip.

"Of course! And there's no need to make a decision right away. Although, I do think you would make such a wonderful Healer, Miss Annon. I'm glad to have you here, and I hope your stay continues to be educational and fun!" She clasped her hands together cheerfully. "If you ever need any guidance, please do not hesitate to talk to me."

"Thank you, Madam Strout. I-"

The heavy metal doors swung open, banging the walls so loudly it made both Arah and Madam Sprout jump, swinging their heads in surprise. Chiara stood in the doorway- pale and wide-eyed.

"Madam Strout! Arah!" Chiara panted.

"What is it, lamb? You look like you've seen something dreadful!" Madam Strout asked tenderly.

"Is everything alright, Chiara?" Arah asked- her mind spiraling with possibilities of what it could be.

"No." She swallowed, hard, "A severely injured patient has been rushed here - it's an emergency." Chiara said- shooting Arah a look of panic.

Confusion swept over Arah... emergencies happened here all the time at St Mungo's. What made this one any more different?

"Thank you, Miss Lobosca. Now please take me to the patient." Madam Sprout said seriously.

Chiara's eyes darted towards Arah nervously. Something was wrong... Chiara was the most promising healer in their year- always level-headed and calm in the face of tragedy. But something seemed to have shaken her...

"What is it, Chiara?" Arah asked- mouth going dry. Fear enveloped her- afraid to hear the answer.

Chiara's face twisted in grief- as she shook her head, struggling to find the words. Arah could feel the pit forming in her gut.

"Who is it?" Arah managed to whisper.

"I'm... I'm sorry, Arah. It's...it's Jacob." Tears welled up in her eyes. "Your brother's been gravely hurt".

It was as if the wind was knocked out of her- an icy fear running down her spine, making her blood run cold. Not Jacob. Not her brother.

"Oh my." Miriam Sprout covered her mouth.

"Take me to him." Arah demanded.

This will be a multi-chapter series. Next chapter coming soon (I promise). Let me know what you think and please leave a review (seriously, they mean the world to me and inspires me to keep writing. the stories and planning take hours so I truly appreciate it. also shoutout to those returning readers who continually leave reviews for my stories- it makes my DAY)

I'm excited to get the next chapter out for you guys! And for those Barnaby shippers - don't worry, I plan to give you a little of what you are looking for ;P

If you are tired of waiting for Barnaby X MC moments, feel free to check out my other short stories!