Chapter 3- Office Introductions
Rosie was right, Scorpius Malfoy was smart, but he knew it. They spent the first part of the morning getting to know each other, and Healer Kyle. Scorpius only worked in the hospital in the mornings, he had classes in the afternoon, but he had volunteered to take extra shifts and even night shifts so he was clearly keen.
"So, for the first few weeks stick close to Miss Weasley and we'll see how you're getting on before we think about extra shifts, it's a shock to the system the first month. I'm sure Miss Weasley would agree?"
"Yes, definitely," Ruby said. "It's a bit like boot camp for Auror training." She added.
"I'm sure you know all about that Miss Weasley, how many Aurors are in the family now?" Hl Kyle asked affectionately.
"Umm…only three now, Uncle Ron has gone to work with my dad, but I think my sister might apply when she can, and I know my cousin Louis wants to."
"He's in Slytherin isn't he?" Scorpius asked.
"Yep, first in the family. He's just made prefect as well."
"I'm assuming you are Gryffindor Miss Weasley, like your parents?"
"Yes sir, but we've got Weasleys in all the houses now." She said, most of them were in Gryffindor but Rosie had been a Ravenclaw, and Hugo and Molly were both Hufflepuffs.
"I was a Hufflepuff myself, now enough reminiscing, you two get settled at your desks and I'll go and find some patients for you." Hl Kyle walked out of the office and Ruby and Scorpius moved over to their desks.
The office was large, Hl Kyle's desk was behind a large glass wall that he could turn opaque if he was having a meeting, and Ruby's desk was next to the glass wall, facing Scorpius's. There was also a sofa, a small kitchen area to make basic food and drinks, a bed for night shifts, and a separate bathroom and shower.
Ruby enlarged her box and started putting her things away, she saw Scorpius doing the same.
"So, how is Albus then?" He asked after a moment.
"He's well, working at the Ministry now."
"Yeah, Misuse of Muggle Artefacts office right?" He asked. Ruby was surprised that he knew.
"Yes, Rosie said you got on quite well. She was telling me which Hogwarts students were starting the program."
"Albus is alright, we're not exactly friends but we had a laugh in potions." Scorpius said, sitting down and looking around the office.
"So, any pearls of wisdom for the first year?" He asked and Ruby snorted.
"Yeah, study hard and sleep when you can!" She said.
"It can't be that bad!"
"Tell me that next week, I'm not going to lie to you Malfoy, it's a shock to the system. Are you still living at home?"
"Yeah, why?"
"It's easier, there's no way I could have lived on my own and done my own cooking and washing and stuff and still made it through my first year."
"Oh, have you moved out now then?"
"Yeah, just this weekend actually. I got a flat with my friend Alice."
"Longbottom, right? Yeah I remember you two at school. You were head girl weren't you?"
"Yes." She said proudly.
"I was head boy last year, with Weasley…I mean Rose. She's gone to the Ministry too hasn't she?"
"Yeah, she started straight away; she's here quite a lot actually."
"Why?"
"Department of magical accidents and catastrophes, they even have an office here for when things go really wrong."
"Oh, I didn't know which department she was in, the Ministry must be…" He stopped, clearly unsure if she would take offense.
"…full of Weasleys? Yeah it is, you can't sneeze there without someone in the family owling Grandma who starts making chicken soup!" Scorpius smiled.
"You the only one here though?"
"Yes, first healer in the Weasley family." She said, smiling.
"Same as me, first Malfoy that actually 'lowered themselves to manual labour'." He replied, making sure that Ruby noticed the air quotes.
"Don't your parents run an apothecary chain though?"
"Yeah, that's business though, my grandfather threw a fit when he heard I was going to healer training." Ruby paused and looked up at Scorpius.
"I thought he was…" She hesitated, again not wanting to offend so early in his six month placement.
"Yeah he was in Azkaban, he was released a couple of years ago, he's pretty much under house arrest though." Ruby paused not really wanting to talk about the war. Thankfully Hl Kyle returned and looked at his new students, looking delighted.
"We've got a lovely broom collision that you can have a crack at!" He said excitedly. Scorpius quirked his eyebrows at the strange wording but followed Ruby out of the room.
They walked to the other side of the ground floor and Ruby felt rather excited. She had her lime-green robes, with black arms to denote that she was a final year student, and had her wand ready. Scorpius followed her, with black robes with green arms.
The witch was crying softly and holding her arm delicately.
"Madam Bently, my name is Hl Kyle and this is Miss Weasley, we are your healers. Could you please tell us what happened?" The witch looked to be in her thirties but looked relieved at the sight of professionals.
"I was….playing Quidditch….bloody broom went haywire and I crashed into a wall…it really hurts." She said, sniffing frequently. Ruby passed her a tissue and she took it gratefully.
"Miss Weasley, if you would like to lead?" Hl Kyle said brightly and Ruby suddenly felt very important.
"Is it just your arm that hurts, Madam Bently?" She asked.
"It's Maisie, and yes, it's my elbow, it bent the wrong way… I fell on my bum as well but it's nothing a bath won't fix."
"Could I see your arm please?" Ruby asked. Maisie lifted her sleeve and Ruby looked carefully at the arm and hovered her wand over it, analysing the information quickly.
"Diagnosis, Miss Weasley?" Kyle asked.
"It's definitely broken sir, and the tendons have been strained as well."
"Treatment?"
"Standard bone-fixing spell, Potion E67, and a sling for three days. And a pain potion, forty ml of F2. Oh and a soothing ointment." Ruby added, looking back at Kyle.
"A soothing ointment?" He asked.
"For the bath," Ruby answered and Kyle smiled and nodded.
"Excellent, well I'll leave you to it; submit the proper paperwork by the end of the day. Mr Malfoy can observe, oh and when you have finished here please take Mr Malfoy to get his shots. I'll see you later. Good day Madam Bently." Kyle left the room and Scorpius moved closer to the bed.
"Madam Bently, this is Mr Malfoy." Ruby said, remembering how horrible she felt when her first year supervisor had not introduced her to patients. Scorpius nodded his head at her.
"Right, I'm going to mend the bond, it will feel hot and then cold and then the pain from the bone will be gone, it will still be sore from the tendon damage but I'll give potion for that."
"Brachius immendo," Ruby said; she could have used a non-verbal version but that wouldn't help Scorpius.
"Why did you say the incantation?" Scorpius asked, as Madam Bently's face relaxed.
"Because otherwise you wouldn't have known which spell I was using. Is that feeling better, Madam Bently?" She asked, looking up at the witch. She could see Scorpius blush in embarrassment out of the corner of her eye.
"Yes, much better, just a bit tender." Ruby moved over to the potion cabinet and Scorpius followed her.
"Right, we use these measuring beakers and then vanish them when the patient has taken the potion. This pain potion is fairly mild, about the strength of a Pepper-up but it lasts for a few days so it's very effective."
"Why did you chose that one?" Scorpius asked her as she measured the potion carefully.
"Well, most of the pain would have been from the bone injury so when that's healed it's not too painful. The scale is ten-point, but F1 is usually just given to babies and children."
"What about F10?"
"Nerve damage and Cruciatus curses, things like that. You have to get three qualified healers to sign it off because it's so strong. And this potions, E67, is an anti-inflammatory potion that will help with the tendon damage." Ruby moved back over to the bed and passed the potions to Maisie who took it, shuddering slightly.
"It's not the best flavour, sorry. Now here's the sling, try and keep it on for three days, here's the ointment, just five drops in the bath. If there are any problems come back. Any questions or concerns?"
"No, thank you very much. Which Weasley are you then?" She asked, clearly intrigued.
"I'm the heiress to Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes, Madam Bently. Have a nice day and take care on your broom." Madam Bently nodded and Ruby led Scorpius out of the room.
They walked slowly to the vaccination room.
"Why didn't you say that you were Eliza Weasley's daughter?" He asked.
"I always say that I'm the heiress to WWW, it answers the question and usually they're so amazed that they only ask questions about dad and the shop. Mom's very private and her story is not one that I really like to discuss with people, would you?"
"No, suppose not. Anyway how many injections do I need?"
"Ten, assuming you got all of your childhood ones on time."
"I have no idea."
"Don't worry, they'll be a record, oh good there's no one here." They walked into the room and Scorpius looked quite apprehensive.
"Are you going to be giving me the injections?" He asked.
"Yep." She replied, finding the box that contained his injections which had presumably been prepared by one of the trainers when they knew who would be on the course. "Yeah, you only need ten, sit down there, are you right or left-handed?" She asked, moving over to him.
"Right."
"Well, give me your left arm; you'll need to be able to write this afternoon." Ruby lifted up the first injection and checked it was ready whilst Scorpius rolled up his sleeve.
"Ready?" She asked.
"Just do it." He said, he turned his head away and Ruby saw that he was sweating slightly.
"Are you alright, Malfoy?" She asked.
"Just do it, now!" He said.
"Are you scared of needles?" She asked, trying to hide her smile.
"No! I could inject you with a million needles…"
"I'd rather you didn't." She interjected, positioning the needle; she could feel his arm tense.
"I'm just not a fan of getting injected."
"Relax or it's going to hurt more."
"More? Does that mean it's going to hurt a bit?"
"Don't be such a baby, there…" She pushed the injection in quickly and she knew it had gone straight into his tight muscle. He clearly worked out.
"OUCH!" He yelled, jumping away from her.
"Malfoy get a grip, only nine to go, the sooner it's done the sooner we can go and have a cup of tea!"
He sat back on the stool and turned his head away, to his credit he didn't flinch for the next eight needles. Ruby pushed in the final one and he moved slightly.
"Don't…oh fuck!" Malfoy had not been flinching; he had passed out.
"Ennerverte!" She said, pointing her wand at his head, he opened his eyes slowly and she knelt down next to him.
"Alright Malfoy?" She asked.
"Yeah…don't tell Potter." He said as he sat up and tried to clear his head.
"I assume you mean Albus? Wouldn't dream of it. Come on, tea always helps with these things!" Ruby helped him to his feet and then he waited while she cleared away the used needles.
When they returned to the office Hl Kyle looked rather concerned at Malfoy's complexion.
"Are you ill, Mr Malfoy?" He asked, sticking his head outside his glass door.
"I'm fine, sir, just…" He hesitated and Ruby finished for him.
"He got a bit faint after the injections sir. I'll make him a drink, would you like one?"
"Oh dear, yes make him a tea and put a drop of rescue-remedy in it. I'll have a coffee please dear, milk and two sugars."
Ruby made the drinks and then Scorpius moved over to her desk to watch her fill in the paperwork. Kyle walked in and out numerous times and appeared to be pleased with his students. At lunch Scorpius left and Ruby walked to the Paediatric department to see if Amber was free.
"Hello Ruby, having a good first day?" Hl Shacklebolt asked, poking her head out of her office as Ruby walked into the outer office where Amber's desk was supposed to be; she was not present.
"Hi, Hl Shacklebolt…"
"No one's here Ruby, you can call me Penny!" She said, laughing.
"Oh, well it's going well thanks. How are you?"
"Well thanks, not too busy today. Are you looking for Amber?"
"Yes, I'm on lunch and I wondered if she was too?"
"She's in room seven watching cartoons with some of the patients."
"She's watching cartoons?" Ruby asked, smiling.
"Well, whilst doing all their observations of course. You can tell her she can have her lunch."
"Thanks," Ruby said, pleased.
"How's your mom?" Penny asked.
"Well thanks, starting to get into the new project. She said she's going to be coming here quite a bit so don't be surprised if you see her. We're having lunch on Thursday."
"Oh, thanks for the warning, I probably would have worried..." Penny looked slightly pensive for a moment. "Well, have a nice lunch."
"Thanks Penny, oh and the twins made the Quidditch team again." She added, Penny was Annabel's godmother after all.
"Oh that's nice for them, hope they don't end up here though!" Ruby laughed and left the office with a wave.
When she found Amber she was indeed trying to measure a young boy's blood pressure whilst he watched cartoons on a muggle television.
"…just hold still for me Ben, please?" She asked, slightly desperately.
"NO!" The young wizard said, before jumping off the bed and over to the toy table.
"Hi Amber, having fun?" Ruby asked, Amber looked up at her, her blond hair was falling out of her plaits and she had blue paint on the side of her face. Her robes were similar to Ruby's but had dragons and teddy-bears all over them.
"Ruby, please save me!" She said, walking over to her.
"Hl Shacklebolt said you can come for lunch."
"Really? Oh thank Merlin! Let's go, did I mention I hate children." She whispered as they walked out of the room.
"You wanted obstetrics."
"That's women and babies! Not toddlers and spoilt seven year olds!" Amber complained the whole way to the cafeteria; they stopped off at Alice's office but she couldn't leave her potion unattended. In the cafeteria they picked their lunches and she was still moaning as they sat down near the windows.
"….and then he bit me! And I can't even swear!" Amber finished, she took a bit of her sandwich, swallowed quickly and the added. "And to top of an awesome morning my first year is a complete bitch!" She finished loudly, some of the people around her turned to look at them before returning to their meals.
"Who is it?"
"Lauren Baxter, or Baker maybe."
"It's Baxter, Rosie mentioned her. Why what's she like?"
"Just really annoying, keeps cosy-ing up to Hl Shacklebolt."
"Don't worry, she's not stupid."
"Oh I forgot, you know her don't you?"
"Yeah she's Annabel's godmother, she's really nice and she's smart enough to see through flattery."
"She seems quite…" Amber paused and looked unsure.
"What?" Ruby asked, wondering what Amber was thinking.
"She's a bit jumpy and quieter than I thought she'd be. She's great with the kids though. I just thought she'd be like Alistair." Alistair and Amber had met the previous year at one of Alice's parties and they had got on like a house on fire; they both loved to party.
"No, Penny and Alistair and like chalk and cheese. Penny…she had a hard war." Ruby finished awkwardly; as Amber was American she was less familiar with the people of the war than the average British witch or wizard. She knew about Uncle Harry's role and about Ruby's mom but the rest of her knowledge was sketchy and Ruby didn't really want to fill her in.
"Oh…I didn't know. So, how was your morning?" Amber asked, trying to change the subject.
"Quite well actually, I treated a witch who fell off her broom. Not complicated but it was nice to take the lead for a change."
"What's your student like?"
"Well, he seems alright but…"
"But what?"
"It's a bit awkward, he's Scorpius Malfoy, Draco's son."
"The one whose dad went to Azkaban?"
"Yeah, it's not like it's a big deal now but I don't really want things to be difficult."
"I'm sure he's thinking the same. Is he smart?"
"Seems to be."
"Is he hot?"
"I suppose," Ruby said, knowing she couldn't deny that Scorpius was good looking.
"Is he single?"
"No idea, do you want me to find out for you?"
"Of course, I've been here for two years already and I haven't found myself a British husband, it's almost not worth it!" Amber said, grinning at Ruby.
"You found me though."
"If you had a penis we'd be set but…"
"Phew, who says I'd want you!" Ruby mocked before taking a bite of her ham salad.
"Talking of penises, how's Henry?"
"I'm sure he'd be honoured by that word association. He's fine, we're having dinner tonight."
"You working tomorrow?"
"Yeah so it won't be a late night."
"Shame, I'm on nights from tomorrow, nights with brats how great!"
Ruby spent the afternoon filling in the paperwork for Madam Bently and two other patients that she treated. She was just packing up her bag when she remembered Aunt Ginny's request and she knocked on Kyle's open door.
"Yes, dear." He asked, beckoning her in.
"I'm just on my way out sir, here's the paperwork for today. I was also wondering if you knew when the ball is this year."
"Thank you, this looks correct. The ball, let me see…" he turned to his calendar, "…ahh here it is, twelfth November dear, should be quite a few of your family there this year. The Auror's are supporting it." Ruby felt her heart sink when she realised that she would have to spend her birthday evening at the ball; she had to go.
"Yes sir, my Aunt told me she just wanted to know the date."
"Will your parents be coming?"
"I think so sir."
"Your mother still hates publicity then?" He asked, Ruby smiled.
"Yes sir, Dad says she's too stubborn to change now."
"Well, she's made such a contribution to the Wizarding world, especially the werewolf cure, and then the Dementors!" Ruby nodded; she was very proud of her mother.
"Sir could I also change one of my shifts please?"
"Of course, as long as it's not this week, which shift?"
"Fourth October, it's a night shift."
"I can change that, got dinner plans then?" He asked, making a note on his calendar.
"Yes, it's my godmother's birthday, sir."
"Anyone I know?"
"Probably, Professor McGonagall."
"Ahh yes, of course. How is retirement suiting her?"
"She's enjoying it sir, she wanted to retire before the next generation of Weasleys arrived!" Ruby said, smiling. Aunt Minnie had passed the headship to Professor Flitwick the year before Victoire had arrived, she spent most of her time at her home in Scotland and then travelling to conferences all over the world, sometimes Ruby's mother went with her.
"A wise decision! I was in the same year as your grandmother's twin brothers, quite the troublemakers the Prewetts were, I've heard the Weasleys have carried on the tradition!"
"Yes sir, it's the same with my sisters now, and my cousin Lily, their always in detention. Dad says it's a talent for trouble." Kyle nodded and waved goodbye. Ruby left the hospital feeling quite elated, she apparated into her bedroom and then changed quickly into a yellow dress and leggings before apparating to Diagon Alley to meet Henry.
A/N So we get to know a bit more about Scorpius.
Next chapter; Ruby and Henry have a dinner date, Ruby goes home for dinner, and Scorpius gets star-struck when he meets the Boy-Who-Lived.
Thanks to mozie for beta-ing
witchprincess33- Thanks!
xXMizz Alec VolturiXx- Thank you
LUG-14- Thanks, someone wanted to know the ages of everyone.