Chapter 99: Uncertain Trust

Upon arriving back in the Janus Thickey Ward, Claire and Talbott noticed a male Healer was tending to Madam Xeep.

"It's quiet time for this ward," the male Healer said. "Why are you two here?"

"Um, looking for a swan-shaped Patronus," Talbott confessed before Claire could come up with an excuse. "It was spotted here earlier. So we thought we might find clues to determine what it's protecting."

The male Healer snorted. "Don't be ridiculous! There hasn't been a swan Patronus sighted in the Janus Thickey Ward."

"But I saw it," Claire said, backing up Talbott. "If you just let us look around for a bit, we promise we won't disturb the sleeping patients."

"All right," the male Healer relented. "But close the door when you leave, and don't touch anything that doesn't belong to you."

When the male Healer left, Claire remarked, "I can't believe how rude that guy was. None of the Healers I've met were like that."

"Doesn't matter," Talbott insisted. "All we should focus on is figuring out the Patronus."

Claire nodded and the two of them searched the ward looking for indications of the Patronus. They ultimately found nothing, though Xeep's constant snoring didn't help.

"You know, if 'R' was concerned about the possibility that Xeep could regain her memories and spill their secrets to the authorities, why haven't they taken her away?" Talbott speculated. "Or at the very least, had someone from 'R' guard her to make sure she doesn't say anything."

"That's a good point," Claire said, then she got an idea. "Maybe that's what the swan Patronus is for: to keep an eye on Madam Xeep in case they have to silence her."

Suddenly, Talbott slammed his fist against the wall. "I hate this cabal!"

"Quiet, Talbott!" Claire whispered angrily. "You might wake the patients up."

"Sorry," Talbott apologized, nursing his aching hand. "But I wish 'R' was no longer in our lives. They're no different from the Death Eaters who killed my parents, and I don't want to lose anyone else I care about to people like them again."

"As Penny told me earlier, your concerns are valid," Claire said, using Episkey to heal Talbott's hand. "With that said, we can prevent our loved ones from being hurt by 'R' if we knew how far they would be willing to go to achieve their goals and my brother might be able to help us answer that. He might even give us insight about the Patronus to see if 'R' would use it to protect something."

In the Hospital Ward, Claire almost ran into Penny who was carrying a bunch of wrapped gifts and balloons.

"While I would love to stay and chat, I need to deliver more of these get-well gifts," Penny said, placing a bunch of them on the nightstand next to Jacob's bed. "Madam Strout says it's important for the patients to have these as soon as possible."

Penny then left, causing Claire to look at the pile of get-well gifts on Jacob's nightstand in amazement while Jacob woke up from his nap. He saw the gifts and a smile formed on his face.

"How many friends do you have?" Claire asked. "Because that's a lot of gifts."

"Only a few," Jacob said humbly as he held up a talking fish. "This is from Mad-Eye. Quite the odd gift, I must say. But you're not here to talk about gifts, are you?"

"You guessed correctly," Claire responded. "Do you know if 'R' would go so far as to eliminate an ally to keep their secrets hidden?"

Jacob looked surprised. "Why would you ask about that?"

"There's a Patronus running around shaped like a swan, which Talbott saw earlier and thought it was the ghost of his mum. But now he and I are thinking this Patronus might be protecting Zenith Xeep to keep her from talking about what she knows about 'R'. So I thought you might tell me if that seems like something 'R' would do."

"You realize Xeep's not really your concern, though," Jacob pointed out. "And if 'R' is involved in this Patronus, I wouldn't want you to incur their wrath."

"I know, but I'm here to learn to be a Healer and healers help anyone no matter who they are. So whether I like it or not, it's my job to help Zenith however I can. And if she's in danger, I want to know what I can do to save her from 'R.'"

"Well, from my past experiences with 'R', I wouldn't put it past them to have a Patronus guarding a former member in case they need to cut them off completely," Jacob stated. "They will stop at nothing to get what they want, even if it means getting rid of former allies. I mean, no one from 'R' has tried rescuing Rakepick from the Sunken Vault as far as I know."

"So what does that mean for Merula? Corey and I think she cut ties with 'R' after Imselda got attacked by the Wampus Cat 'R' let loose in Hogsmeade."

"But you don't know if Merula really has left 'R'. She could have pretended to leave 'R' to gain your trust so you wouldn't suspect she's still working for 'R' and try to recruit you into their organization subtly."

"Even if that's possible, she has been quite helpful lately. She was the one who helped me find out about Dai Ryusaki's scroll and the spell that attacked you. Not to mention that she saved me from the effects of the Sunken Vault's curse."

"Just because she helped you a couple times doesn't mean she's trustworthy."

Claire couldn't find a good answer, so she didn't say anything.

"Look, I just…don't want you to get hurt," Jacob said. "I may not have been there to protect you when you needed me, but I'm still your big brother."

Then Chiara showed up with a letter in her hand.

"It's from Merula," Chiara said, giving the letter to Claire. "She wants to speak to you at Hogwarts right away."

"Remember what I said," Jacob warned Claire.

To be continued…