Chapter title: Slips of Tongue
Timeframe: 2002
Characters involved: Lisa Finnegan (nee Turpin), Harry Potter, Daphne Greengrass, Adrian Pucey (Original Characters of Harper Delano, William Paige, Pyotr Ilka) [Mentioned: Danny Finnegan, Lukas Milverton (both original characters)]
Point of View: Lisa Finnegan (nee Turpin)
Notes: Sorry for the late update, but life got in the way. :( And RAFan2421, the chapter I promised you will be uploaded sometime later! :)
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all its contents are owned by JK Rowling.

When Lisa Finnegan (then Turpin) met her teammates, it seemed like the first time she ever met them. (It didn't matter she went to school with three out of four of them, it seemed like Hogwarts was a place that lasting friendships don't happen unless you're wearing the same colours). She's heard of them, yes, but then again, who hasn't? Harry Potter is legendary in his own right and Daphne Greengrass has been the topic of some newspaper headlines in the past year; Adrian Pucey is one of the favoured apprentices in Mungo's and Harper Delano was one of the most popular volunteers in the children's ward.

Lisa thinks she's the only one that she'll be the first one to be cut; the program only accepts thirty with the most potential, and with the credentials the other four has, its like comparing a first year with a fifth year. It's not ideal, but she makes do.

That's what she does best anyway.

"Oye, team!" Healer Specialist William Paige yells across the apprentice hall of St. Mungo's, disrupting her train of thought. "Follow me."

It was a simple command, but unlike Professor Flitwick, if you don't follow Paige, better prepare a reasonable and sound explanation, else he'll make your life hell.

Dressed in the given healer apprentice robes, sort of similar to their muggle counterpart's scrubs, Lisa trips over other resting apprentices to reach the rest of her team; they all look so clean, professional. Potter might have perpetually messy hair, but he fills out his uniform nicely and Pucey, he looks like he always does, not a hair out of place. Greengrass and Delano look like they've put on some intricate glamour charms and fixed their hair; she looks like she crashed out of bed and dressed in the dark, a far cry from the rest of them.

She rubs her eyes as she falls in step with the team; she too tired to pull thirty-six hour shifts, she has a three year old son and an almost non-existent marriage, this kind of work isn't meant for her. But then her thoughts get interrupted as she feels someone grasp her elbow.

"What?" Lisa responds automatically, as she looked at the face of Daphne Greengrass, all beautiful and angular and perfect cheekbones; bright blue eyes and straight platinum blonde hair. Unlike her, fizzy chocolate coloured hair and hazel eyes, with a round face and a button nose, she's nothing like the rest of her beautiful team mates.

"Ilka's patient file," Daphne tells her, handing over a steel covered case, "Paige is going to ask for it in a while; hold it for me?"

Lisa wants to say no, but Daphne's nice and friendly, once you get past the icy exterior and the caustic remarks. Lisa nods reluctantly, "Sure," she agrees.

Only she doesn't know what she's agreeing to.

"Thanks!" Daphne says, and glides over to Potter's side once again. It had always been like that, ever since the orientation; she thought that they knew each other from before, but apparently they just met in that same event as the rest of them. Inwardly, she thinks that bright eyed people attract each other like moths to a flame, both have eyes like cats, predatory and precise, and that if you feel subject to their gaze, it makes one wish for death.

Or escape. Which ever comes first really.

They stop in front of Pyotr Ilka's ward, and just like Greengrass said, Paige asks for the file.

"File?" He says, and suddenly Lisa steps forward and hands over the said file.

Barely sparing her a look, he enters the room. "Pyotr!" He greets the man sitting by the window pane, "How are you?"

It seems like an innocent enough question, but then, while Paige asks those kinds of questions, Potter stands behind the patient and conducts a few medical ward checks and Greengrass stands beside him conducting diagnostic charms, Lisa and Delano are regulating the medication on the vials in the corner of the room, checking if they are being taken and not simply vanished. Pucey is with Potter and Greengrass, he's probably double checking Potter's work. (It doesn't need to; Potter's one of the best medical warders in the entire hospital staff. Lisa heard he's applying to have a mastery on it, but she thinks that's just a rumour, sort of like when he disappeared when they were in third year and the school said he drove off a hundred Dementors with his own patronus. Mere here say).

She tries to finish the potion checks, but Delano keeps harping about inane things, like if Potter and Greengrass are fucking and if Pucey is gay. Lisa thinks it doesn't matter, not unless it starts to affect their work. Their personal life is that, personal. We shouldn't butt in, in that. Why, do you want the world to discuss that you're fucking Malcolm from Neuro, or Callaghan from WD, or Dee the receptionist when they're in the middle of curing a man from a lfe long affliction?

Apparently, she says that out loud, because when she looks towards the rest of the team they're trying to contain their laughter, and Paige looks like he's going to crack, and Ilka is clapping. "I never knew you could give someone a telling off like that, Healer Finnegan." Ilka tells her, and she's wondering on how loud she just said what she said. And what exactly did she say?

"Um, thanks, I guess?" Lisa tells them, unsure.

It seems to be the lynch pin for Paige, as he slaps his forehead in annoyance. "Finnegan, diagnostics?" He demands; Paige is anything if not professional, he won't be able run the Trauma department for the past fifty years if he wasn't.

"Uh, well. Mr. Ilka has taken all the required potions, a daily dose of aconite and beozar focused potions. He's also taken the requested potions of dreamless sleep and calming drought, though I'd suggest to lessen their dosage to ward off dependency and addiction." She tells Paige, before turning towards the patient, "Sorry, Mr. Ilka" she says to him with a smile.

"None taken, Healer Finnegan." He tells her, still smiling. "You can tell me to curb my addictions anytime." He adds with a wink.

The rest of the team laughs, only with Delano, it was more of a nervous chuckle, then Paige asks Potter and Greengrass of their findings, before analysing the situation at hand, explaining that the werewolf scratches on Ilka won't be infectious if the treatment is kept ongoing for another three weeks, and until then, he'll be seeing the rest of the ducks every other day.

Ilka says as long as he doesn't turn to a furry creäture every time the moon is in full bloom, he'd be okay seeing the ducks. Especially, Healer Finnegan.

Lisa's blushing as she walks out of the room and Potter and Pucey put their arms around her, and she feels her face heat up another ten degrees.

"Thanks, Lise." Potter tells her, "For defending our dignities." Pucey adds, before both of them duck to kiss her cheeks.

She lets out a surprised yell, and Daphne laughs at her predicament. "Don't mind them Lisa, boys will be boys, you know?"

Lisa nods, agreeing. "Yes, they kind of remind me of little Danny, don't you think?"

"Oye!" Both men contest, but they were stopped there as Paige gestures them to get to the next patient: Lukas Milverton. It's one of her files, and she's going to run the diagnostics there.

She thinks she belongs when it comes to moments like this; Potter and Pucey taking the mickey out of each other, Daphne laughing at their antics, and Paige looking on them half-amused, half-exasperated. Delano is still quiet, and Lisa doesn't give a shit.

She's finally found her niche.

Though later, she sees Daphne corner Delano and then Potter do the same after an hour, she decides to finish of what they started; warning people has always been her forte, she wasn't known in Ravenclaw for getting whatever she wants whenever she wants it by being a non-entity.

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