I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.
Extended Family
Chapter 136 – A Day in Sports Healing
Takes place before chapter 141 of Family.
She wrapped her arms around him, relishing the contact and the warmth. She breathed deep, smelling oak and polish and vanilla. Her eyes closed, she leaned in-
Katie woke with a start as the little alarm clock on her nightstand screamed cheerily at her. She blinked slowly, mind still sleepy and fuzzy as she looked about, completely disoriented for a moment. Reality replaced the dream and she sighed, glaring hatefully at the loud and far too happy sounding alarm that was currently berating her. She reached over and pressed the ringing bell on top, making it go silent.
She yawned and stretched, debating going back to sleep for a few more minutes but decided against it regretfully, seeing the time on the clock. She got up and went to the bathroom, grumbling about the early hour and the unfairness of it all, knowing full well that she was living the consequences of her choices.
When she came back, she realized why she had smelled such familiar scents. The candle on the nightstand glowed warmly and the sweet scents of vanilla filled the air from it. She ran her fingers down the side and wrote a small message on it with her stylus, smiling at it warmly. With a bit more reluctantly given energy, she packed her bags and changed into her medical uniform robes, tying her hair up with a scarlet ribbon with a tiny gold lion charm on it.
"Bonjour," she said with a smile a few minutes later.
"Bonjour," Fleur rasped, walking over to her. She yawned openly and fully, blinking sands of sleep away. "Thank you," she said when Katie handed her a cup of steaming coffee.
"I still love seeing you so rumpled in the mornings," Katie giggled.
Fleur smiled. "I admit, it was difficult trying to be more presentable when you first started living with Aimee and I."
"I'm glad you feel comfortable around me."
"Of course, we are sisters essentially. And you are far less annoying than Gabi," Fleur said, sipping her coffee. She ran a finger through her wayward hair, wincing a little as she tugged through a snarl. "The little pest stole my combs again."
"You can borrow mine," Katie said as she finished packing her bags.
"Are you going to be out all day?" Fleur asked.
"Yeah, classes in the morning and then clinic all afternoon. Decided just to bring everything with me so I don't have to come back and lose time."
"How does Reynauld's sound for dinner? Steak frites?"
"Yes please, thanks! See you later!"
"Have a good day!" Fleur called as Katie ran through the Floo.
-0-
"Pay attention," the instructor chided, glaring at Allain. "Nobody cares about your latest date and if your schoolwork is any measure of your dating prowess, it must be equally inflated. Actually, come here, demonstrate the technique."
Katie hid a smile, enjoying Allain's embarrassment and discomfort. The other student healer wilted under the instructors' unflinching stare and he fumbled the complicated procedure.
"At least we're learning what not to do," the girl to Katie's side muttered, making them both snicker.
"You better be glad you are not learning under my master," the instructor sighed as he corrected Allain's work. "She would actually inflict the injury on you for you to experience it and understand what the patient is undergoing. Then want you to fix said injury on yourself."
"That's…isn't that slightly illegal and really unethical?" a student asked with a disturbed expression.
"More or less," the instructor shrugged. "That said, her students usually learned fast and well and she said it was important for a healer to understand things firsthand."
"All the injuries?" Katie asked, feeling slightly queasy.
"Well, the ones that are less severe I suppose," the instructor conceded.
"Can I say I'm really happy you don't do that with us?" another student said with the others nodding with him.
The instructor smiled grimly. "Keep up with your work and the quality of the work so I do not get tempted."
"Healer Lee scares me sometimes," the girl said later as she and Katie left the classroom.
"He's really intense," Katie nodded. "Apparently he was originally trained to be a military medi-magical."
"Oh that makes sense. What's on your schedule for the rest of the day?"
"I have a free period and am going to eat lunch, then clinic for the rest of the day. You?"
"I have potions this afternoon," the girl sighed. "With Healer Smythe. She keeps threatening to poison us."
"My school instructor used to do that," Katie said, smiling at the memory.
"Did he actually do it?"
"Some claimed he did, I never really knew for sure." Her smile grew. "One of my best friends, the one who is doing her potions mastery, used to threaten to poison us all the time if we irritated her enough. One time she spiked the drink of one of our good friends and it made him belch bubbles for a day."
"Amazing," the girl laughed.
"At least until Fred found out that the bubbles took on the color of what he ate so he started eating the grossest looking things and the bubbles that came out looked foul," Katie laughed.
"My friends were boring compared to yours."
"Not necessarily a bad thing. See you later Patrice. Keep a bezoar in your pocket."
"Good idea," Patrice laughed. "See you later!"
-0-
"Bonjour Director."
"Bonjour Mademoiselle Bell." Director of Sports Healing and Senior Healer Madeline Lorraine smiled when Katie walked to her. "Did you have lunch yet?"
"No Ma'am."
"After you put your things away, go to my office. I have a lunchbox for you. To make up for the food I stole from you the other day."
"Oh you didn't have to do that," Katie laughed.
Lorraine smiled. "Of course I did. Your delightful boyfriend made it for you after all."
"Sure, but I shared it," Katie smiled.
"Quite kind of you, but do eat. We have a very busy day and I do not want you to be hungry and your performance to falter."
"How busy is very busy?" Katie asked with a trace of concern.
Lorraine's smile did nothing to diminish it, highlighting it instead. "Quite busy."
-0-
"Thirty-two years of age, a frequent flyer to our clinic in every sense of the word, height is five-foot and ten, weight is a robust one-hundred and ninety-five pounds of mostly muscle, and presents with headache, nausea, and delusions of grandeur."
The player gave Lorraine a look that she studiously ignored as she read from a chart. "Go ahead Healer-Trainee Bell. Assess."
Katie moved her wand over the player, casting a diagnostic charm without incanting. "Blunt force trauma to the right side of the head. No broken bones but traces of healed bones along the skull, the entire skull?"
"You are correct," Lorraine snorted. "Continue."
"Minimal inflammation, no pooling of blood or fluid, skin is intact. Pupils are even and responsive, neither bigger than the other and no lag in light response. Full eye movements. No trapped muscles." Katie hummed for a second. "I would say either a very minor injury that is similar to past injuries, or it is related to his previous injuries?"
"In this case, I would say both," Lorraine said, nodding with approval. "I do believe our Mister Daniels here got into a little fist fight and was struck here." She poked him hard in the spot, making him gasp and flinch. "And it exacerbated his last major head injury that was only a few months ago but instead of behaving like a good boy, he went out and did what he should not have done."
"Stop poking it so hard! You just said it was a major head injury," Daniels said irritably.
"Quiet, adults are speaking," Lorraine said, ignoring his look of affront.
"Shouldn't someone try to avoid repeated injuries, especially head ones?" Katie asked.
"Yes, one certainly should," Lorraine said slowly and loudly. "Especially players who think they can take a Bludger hit and a fist and think they will be fine. But do recall my earlier comment about delusions of grandeur."
"Do you make fun of all your patients?!" Daniels asked indignantly.
"Only the stupid ones," Lorraine retorted. "And I do not answer to you garcon. Glare at me and stomp your little foot all you want. If your mother was not a dear friend of mine, I would throw you to the general hospital and let them handle you and your stupidity. And I can and will keep you sedated in a healing coma and call your mother to come collect your body. Do you want that? No?"
She waggled a finger at him as he looked away shamefully. "Then stop being stupid. Take your medicine, do not go out and carouse, and you just might live long enough to play again."
"Are his injuries life-threatening?" Katie gasped.
"No. Either I will kill him or his mother," Lorraine said dismissively. She shook her head and led Katie away. "Always was a dim boy. His siblings got the share of the intelligence." She groaned as she approached the next bed. "What did you do this time?!"
The woman looked sheepish, her arm bound tightly across her chest. "I can explain-"
"I do not want to hear it," Lorraine said, shaking her head. "Bell, go ahead."
"Multiple fractures," Katie said, casting the diagnostic and interpreting the results. "Up and down the arm. Multiple points of impact, focused, no shards or any parts broken off somehow." Katie blinked a few times. "It kind of looks like something bit the arm, something with a very big mouth and lots of flat teeth."
"What did I tell you about letting Francois try to eat you?!" Lorraine shouted.
"He was just playing and he was teething!" the patient cried back. "He's just a baby!"
"Francois is the team mascot," Lorraine snorted to a wide-eyed Katie. "A Giant Pegasus. A biter as you can tell. Go ahead and spot heal the bones and bind it with a brace charm."
"We shouldn't regrow the bones to strengthen them?"
"No because that would take her out of the season and she will not do that. Instead we do the focused spot heals and we can wrap it with a rejuvenating bandage. When the season ends, we will do exercises to reinforce the bones."
Lorraine glared at the player. "You do want to continue being Keeper, yes? Keep your damn arm out of the damn Pegasus' damn mouth!"
"Yes Ma'am," the player gulped.
"Francois?" Katie asked after they finished treating the bitten Keeper.
"Admittedly, he is quite adorable," Lorraine conceded. "But no matter how adorable you are, I will not let you bite to your heart's content. I learned that lesson when Aimee was a baby."
Before Katie could laugh and ask for more details someone's shouting drew their attention. "Director! Emergency!"
Lorraine took off running. "Follow!" she snapped and Katie did, rushing to stay behind her. When they arrived at the source Katie gasped and eyes popped wide. There were several people in robes and they were splattered with blood, their robes rent and torn and burned. Voices babbled and people looked panicked.
"Report!" Lorraine shouted, her voice cutting through.
"Accidental explosion from a malfunctioning Quodpot," a medi-magical said hurriedly. "Emergency portkey brought them here!"
"Right." Lorraine looked around and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before opening her eyes. "Laruent, contact Saint Bernard and have them send over any available trauma healers. Then get back and aid in stabilizing. Robards! Start setting up stabilizing circles, broad-spectrum. Hughes, raid the apothecary and bring over blood replenishers and all the emergency kits you can find."
She started inspecting the injured players one by one with economical flicks of her wand, interpreting the results in rapid succession. Feeling lost and a little overwhelmed, Katie stayed by her side and listened to every word coming out of her mouth.
"Basic burns and blood loss, no broken bones. Tertiary. Substantial blood loss and broken bone, active bleeding. Secondary bordering primary." She grimaced. "Missing hand, abdominal damage and shrapnel injury. Priority! Shrapnel damage and general injury, secondary."
"I just learned the shrapnel removal charms," Katie said, "and was cleared to perform them. I can start on those."
"Go, start with the secondaries and work your way down," Lorraine said.
Katie nodded and tried to smile pleasantly despite her jittery nerves and roiling stomach. "I'm going to get those out of you, okay?"
"Please do," the injured player hissed, teeth pressed together in a pained grimace.
"What material are the pieces?" Katie asked. "What were the quodpots made of?"
"Uh…how you say, like plates," the player said after some thought.
"Ceramic? Like clay?"
"Yes, that," the player said, relieved.
"Okay." Katie took a deep breath and her hands stilled slightly. "Identify externis obiecti, tellus." The charm showed bits of ceramics that were driven deep into the player's flesh. "Extractum tellus obiecti." She removed the shards of ceramic material one by one and with each one coming out, the player relaxed more and more.
"Thank you," they gasped, after the last was gone.
"You're welcome." Katie disinfected the wounds and bound them in bandages before moving to the next patient. She stayed bent over the patient until each piece was taken out, double-checking herself after each one before treating the wounds and moving to the next. Healers and medi-magicals moved around her in between the other patients and she stayed focused on her task.
Eventually she looked around, looking for another to work with. After a moment she realized that the last of the patients were being taken to other rooms and that the initial triage space was devoid of injured people. With a start, she saw that hours had passed in what felt like moments.
"Well done," Lorraine praised. The Senior Healer looked weary but she also looked at Katie with obvious approval and pride. "Very good job for your first emergency."
"I just did what I could," Katie said. The shaking returned in greater force and she looked down, noticing blood and other smears on her robes.
"And you did it very well," Lorraine said. She threw a pair of gloves away and cleaned her hands with a charm before resting one on Katie's shoulder. "You performed very well. Kept cool and did your job correctly without having to be watched. You treated your patients well and helped make the job for the next that much easier."
"I didn't feel cool," Katie admitted, feeling a little better at Lorraine's words.
"But you acted it. That is what matters. Even those of us who have experienced this sort of thing is not immune to it. A sports healer must be on hand to treat the emergency as well as the mundane and the sustained."
"I'm glad things don't explode in Quidditch," Katie said with a weak smile.
"Bludgers are trouble enough," Lorraine chuckled.
"I've seen so much blunt force trauma and bad hits from Bludgers and those don't bother me nearly as much."
"How funny we are used to certain things, yes?" Lorraine smiled.
Katie nodded. "Good thing I ate a long time ago. I felt pretty queasy seeing all that blood and shrapnel and uh…missing hand. Will he be okay?"
"He will be fine. One of his fellows brought his hand with him and it was reattached easily."
Katie suppressed a wave of nausea. "Does that sort of thing happen in Quodpot often?"
"Not often, but enough times where specialists with Quodpot should be familiar with the general procedures of reattaching body parts," Lorraine said ominously.
"Next time Alicia says Quidditch is barbaric, I'm showing her Quodpot," Katie said.
-0-
"Hey there," Aimee said, seeing Katie come through the Floo. "Good job today! Auntie Maddy sent me a quick message what you did today. She's terribly proud of you."
Katie blushed. "Aww, she's seriously the best Director and Mentor."
"We have been waiting for you," Fleur smiled. She gestured to the table and Katie's stomach growled at the sight of steak and fries and bottles of wine and bread and cheese. "Change into something comfortable and relax. You earned it."
Katie changed and came back out into the main room, having showered at the clinic. "Thanks, I'm starving," she said. She tucked in eagerly, chewing on the delicious medium steak and crisp fries.
"Aimee told me what happened, sounds terrible," Fleur said sympathetically.
"I thought I was going to scream, seeing all that blood and puncture wounds and things," Katie admitted. "But Mistress Lorraine just pushed through and I just followed behind."
"You did good. And you were the only assisting healer trainee student," Aimee said. "She trusts you very much."
That made Katie smile. "I'm glad I won't be dealing with exploding quods on the regular though."
"Quidditch is dangerous enough," Fleur agreed.
Their heads turned at a tapping noise and Katie scrambled to her feet. "Hedwig!" she cheered and ran to the window, opening it. The snowy owl flew in and went around the room, hooting and barking in greeting. She deposited a large package on the table and landed on Katie's shoulder, nuzzling her and pulling on her hair gently.
"Just in time for dinner," Aimee smiled. She and the others cut pieces of their steaks off and piled them on a plate with fries. Hedwig nuzzled them in turn before she began to munch hungrily.
"Ooh, lots of baked things," Katie said happily, opening the package. "For all of us to share. Letters for all of us. A box of candy for Gabrielle. Oh! New official jerseys!"
"How wonderful!" Fleur eagerly pulled hers on. She admired the rich royal purple and gold trim and the spray of golden stars across the front. The number seven was emblazoned on the front over the heart and across the back with Potter written beneath both. "So comfortable!"
"So nice," Aimee agreed. "I cannot wait until we go back and watch him play again."
After a lengthy dinner and dessert, Katie retired to her room with Hedwig flapping after. As she laid in bed, wearing her new jersey, she smiled sleepily as Hedwig fluttered next to her. "Don't feel like roosting?"
Hedwig shook her head and settled next to Katie's head, fluffing up comfortably. She hooted softly.
"Sorry if I flail in my sleep and hit you accidentally." Katie laughed when Hedwig wriggled behind her head to fluff up between Katie and the wall. "Yeah, that's probably safer. Good night Hedwig." She smiled at Hedwig's cheeps and before she fell completely asleep, she reached out and lit the candle with her touch.
Dreams came swiftly to her, full of warmth.
-0-0-0-
DOOOOOOM Lord of Waffles - For whatever reason, Ruthless got a lot of negative comments about what they deemed plot holes and other problems with it. I was in a bad mental place during that period and I let it get to me. I never intended for it to be taken as seriously as it was, the fic in general, but for whatever reason, a lot of people had problems with it.
odonnellzoo99 - He knew there were a lot of memories buried back there so he wanted to make sure she had the support. Dally is the best moral support. An important distinction.
scpotter - It's what I imagine a good grandparent/grandchild relationship would be.
Ghostwriter - Thank you.
poka - Ruthless Devotion is the fic that I'm referencing. I'm leaning into the idea that each story is a similar setting in some ways and Mathilda is Andromeda's war axe. It was very heavily used in Devotion.
alix33 - It's a cute cleaning outfit.
TenorSax93 - I like a good reference and call back. Glad you enjoyed.
Betty boop in Tx - I did, thank you so much! Hope you had a nice one as well. I was doing some back reading and remembered the purple dress, and thought it would be nice to see how it came about with some nice feelings.