To Heal is to Fight

Robert continued to work, working now on casting some healing spells to start to knit the skin back together from the inside out.

"Now, Alex," Robert said. "This is the important bit. Do not get weirded out by how this looks if you need to change the dressing. You're used to seeing the surface heal first and then waiting for it to heal underneath. I've deliberately turned that on it's head, and for good reason. It's going to look really wonky for a bit. Your healer, if they aren't familiar with this sort of healing, isn't going to understand it either. If you don't like how it looks, come see me or send me an owl or something." He took a clean dressing, put a different healing potion on it, and then bandaged his arm.

"There," he said. He got up and started rifling through the cabinet, set four potions bottles--one very small bottle, two medium sized bottles and one larger--on the counter but kept looking. "Where is it? There has to be one in here....Buggar." He went to the door. "Bess," he called bring me a Magic Wrap, would you? And then bring me a sling." He closed the door again.

He listened to Teddy ask about registration for Alex, and he nodded. That needed to be done, of course, but this lad was drained.

"Well, yes. We need to do that, certainly, but, this lad has had enough for awhile," Robert told Teddy. "Frankly, he's physically, mentally, and emotionally completely skint. The best thing for him is to be able to go find a very quiet cot someplace and simply get some sleep, for heaven's sake. And, hard as he's trying, I don't expect he's actually taking in everything I'm telling him as it is. I can take care of the registration for him the next time I get into the office at the Ministry, and then, we can get a signature on the registration in a week or so. We'll arrange a follow up appointment so I can check the wound, and we'll get the signature then. It doesn't have to be signed today. Fair enough?"

The same nurse who brought the tea knocked, opened the door, and handed Robert a black shoulder strap style sling and something else that looked rather like a strange piece of blue gel-like vinyl.

"This thing," Robert said, picking up the blue vinyl piece, "I wish I had invented but I didn't. I love these things. A friend of mine in New York invented it. Watch this." He took the vinyl, and he wrapped it around Alex's arm. "Looks solid, doesn't it? But it isn't. It's thin as tissue paper, very durable, and very breathable. It's called a magic wrap. It's got two different, useful enchantments on it. Strange as it is, if you run your hand across it in a clockwise pattern, it cools. There are four different cooling settings, so running your hand across it clockwise up to four times, causes the cooling to increase. Tap it just once, and it stops. Run your hand across it counterclockwise and it heats in exactly the same way as it cools. So, for someone who has an injury and needs to alternate heat and cold, it's perfect. You can just leave it in place because it molds to the shape of the user, and it heats and cools as you need it. Does away with ice packs and hot water bottles and such. And, you can still go where you like as you feel up to it. Use the sling as you need it. You'll be more comfortable with it for awhile than without it." Robert looked at Teddy for his next little order of business, the potions he was sending with Alex.

"Not sure what the school policy is on potions right now. It used to be that all potions were given by the matron, so shall I give the potions to you? Or is it alright to give them to Alex?" Robert asked.

In a sudden burst of clarity, Alexander's voice reverberated through the room, carrying an unexpected strength and conviction. The timbre of his words was steady, resonating with an unwavering confidence that had eluded him since his arrival. "Healing, mending, casting, pain, blood flow, Registration, follow up," he articulated, the syllables forming a purposeful cadence, each word imbued with significance. The room seemed to hold its breath, captivated by his newfound presence.

His gaze shifted from Robert to Teddy, then to the Nurse, before finally landing upon Lily with an intensity that bespoke of a shared understanding. It was as if a veil had been lifted, revealing a profound connection between them all, transcending mere words. In that moment, Alexander's cryptic utterances wove together like an intricate tapestry, revealing their hidden meaning.

"Sling, rest," he acknowledged the necessity of nurturing and respite. To an outsider, his words might have seemed like fragmented babbling, but within the context of that room, they held a profound coherence. Each phrase carried a purpose, a prescribed sequence of actions to follow, understood only by those immersed in their shared reality. "Inside out," he added, his voice tinged with a mixture of relief and revelation.

Lily leaned forward a bit to get a glimpse of the bite wound, before catching herself and forcing her expression to be a little less interested. It was fascinating to see this process, to witness the healing done as it ought to be done.

She turned at Teddy’s question about registration, and watched Robert explain with interest. At the mention that Alex wasn’t really taking anything in, she felt a small smile flutter onto her face, and she glanced his way, as though sharing a joke.

Teddy nodded, “Perfect. If we don’t have to do it today, that’s fine by me. And I imagine a bit of a relief for you, right Alex?”

Alex began to rattle of words from Robert’s explanation, clearly trying to show his understanding while mostly revealing the level of shock he was still contending with.

At the mention of Potions, Lily felt a bit of a nervous itch. She wasn’t sure that brewing her own Wolfsbane was technically a crime, but she probably would hear an earful about the danger of it. While Robert and Teddy sorted that out, she crossed to Alex to look at the magical wrap, amazed at its capabilities and wishing she could put herself in an entire cast of the stuff after the full moon. “You feeling okay?” she asked quietly.

Teddy nodded to Robert. “I can take the Potions for now, I think it’ll likely be kept with the Matron.”

When Alex gave a string of perfectly strung together pieces from what Robert had told him, Robert was actually impressed with Alex. He hadn't expected the lad to be able to comprehend that much right now, and the accompanying body language validated what he had suspected at the outset. Clearly, as important as Teddy was right now, Lily was Alex's anchor. Her presence gave him stability. It all made perfect sense to Robert.

"Perfect," he looked at Alex, giving him a thumbs up signal. "That's exactly right. Well done." He reached over and set the magic wrap to cool the wound, before turning to Teddy, and he picked up the smallest bottle on the counter. It rather looked more like a test tube with a cork in the top than anything else. "These are new," he handed the bottle to Teddy. "I've just found a glassmaker for these. They're called pocket potions since they hold one dose of a potion that might be needed on an emergency basis. They're made of enchanted glass to be unbreakable. I knew some werewolves that were trying to use little pewter jobs to be able to cart an emergency dose in their pockets, but it was making the wolfsbane taste even worse than it already does. The glass keeps that from happening, and here's the real advantage--it's unbreakable, and it holds exactly one dose. I've only given a few of these out so far, but, the people that I know that have one really do like them. I plan on donating as many of these to St. Mungo's as it takes so that every werewolf that needs one can have one at no cost. He may find this handy.

"So," he picked up the two smaller bottles, "these next two he may only need for a day or two, but if he needs it longer, that's fine. The first is a new time release pain relief potion. It's concentrated as well, so it only needs three drops in stirred into some hot beverage to be effective, and it should keep him comfortable for up to twelve hours at a crack. Twice a day should do it. If it doesn't, bring him back sooner. The next one is a dreamless sleep potion. Most people that I see who have been through this go through some godawful nightmares and night terrors for a little, so this potion will block dreaming by largely blocking stage four sleep and keeping the person in stage three sleep for most of the night since it is where the most recharging and healing is done anyway. It should help him get some real rest, and he should wake feeling a good deal better than he does right now.

"And the biggest bottle is, of course, wolfsbane. I am working on a better formulation of it, and I'm ready to test it on some werewolves, so I'll let you know if it works. God, I hope so. If so, it should make life a damn sight easier for anyone with the illness. Until then, this will hold him for quite awhile. If ne needs more, he just needs to ask. We give it out free to those who need it now. Bess will have a couple written copies of instructions for him so there is one copy for the matron, and one copy for him. I'll have her get that to you before you go. I'm sure he's going to need to review it later. The exact dates he'll need to take the wolfsbane will be written on the instructions, but I don't expect him to actually need that until after his next appointment here.

He turned back to Alex. "I'd like to see you again in a week so we can check the wound. For now, you need sleep." He looked at the three of them. "Any questions, anyone?"

A feeble smile graced Alexander's lips as Lily approached him, concern etched across her face. Her presence offered a comforting respite, soothing the unease that had troubled him earlier. "Yeah," he admitted softly, his voice carrying a hint of relief. "It's gotten a little better. I apologize for being so stubborn earlier." Regret lingered in his words, mingling with gratitude for Lily's unwavering support.

His attention shifted to the hushed conversation between Robert and Teddy, their words acting as a backdrop to their shared moment. A pang of curiosity tugged at his thoughts, yearning to delve deeper into the hidden facets of Lily's world. Yet, a sense of respect held him back, as he hesitated to pry into the secrets she chose to keep.

Concern for her well-being surfaced, prompted by the empathy he had come to associate with their connection. "Are you sure you're still okay?" he inquired, his voice filled with gentle concern. His desire to protect and support her remained unwavering, even as he grappled with his own vulnerabilities. In the midst of their quiet exchange, he longed for her to trust him with the truths she withheld yet understood the delicate balance between openness and privacy.

"Yes, sir," he responded politely, his voice betraying a brief lapse in familiarity. The realization washed over him, and he silently resolved to rectify the inadvertent error, by addressing Robert on a more personal level in the future.

In that fleeting moment, a myriad of emotions danced beneath the surface—gratitude, concern, curiosity, and a shared understanding. The bonds between them grew stronger, intertwined with the unspoken depths of their unspoken truths, forging a connection that transcended mere words.

Lily waved a hand as Alex tried to apologize, feeling a trickle of guilt for her own stubbornness, despite the very obvious proof that it was the right decision. She wasn’t much of a pusher, content to go with the flow in a much more passive manner, and this had been very out of character for her. Merlin knows she wasn’t ready to unpack why.

But then Robert started talking about the pain relief potions.

She felt a slight chill run up her arms, an almost itchy feeling right behind her ears. The idea of a concentrated batch hit her in the pit of her stomach. She had access to the very mild potions the Matron gave her, and every other version had to come from herself. During the year, it was difficult to get her hands on the ingredients she needed, and even harder to find discrete time to brew. She already had to brew her own Wolfsbane, and that wasn’t something she could afford to skip. So she often spent her summers brewing like a mad woman, but there were only so many potions one could smuggle in their trunk without getting caught.

So this concentrated batch idea… it was something she needed to explore.

Her eyes darted away at the mention of Wolfsbane, and she wondered what Teddy thought, knowing he’d helped her brew her first batches and helped her smuggle it in. Merlin, she’d never thought about just how precarious a position she’d put him in by refusing to go public.

That was when Alex asked if she was still okay. It seemed he’d noticed the faraway, uncertain look clouding her face. Couldn’t have that.

She smiled and nodded.

Robert asked if they had any questions and Lily glanced to Alex, before Teddy. Teddy looked to Robert before saying, “If Alex is okay, we’re okay. Thank you so much for everything, and for explaining it all in detail. I can definitely arrange for Alex to return for a follow up.”

"You're very welcome. I'm happy to do it, of course," Robert said. "I'll have Bess bring in the instructions and discharge papers. Oh, and if you have any students that would like a part time job or a summer job, put them in touch with me, would you? We're doing some heavy renovations down in the potions lab, so there is going to be a great deal of work there between now and September, which is our target completion date. We'll be remodeling, stocking new equipment and ingredients and also replacing a good many of our potions, so I could use an apprentice or two. The pay actually is quite good because we're under such a push to get it done."

Well, the truth was that Earl had happened. Earl. What was there to say about Earl? Earl was a young man who had probably the very worst case of social anxiety that Robert had ever seen in his entire life, and he had blown through placement in three or four other departments simply because his anxiety had caused him to buggar things up. And so someone had decided that Earl would work well in the potions lab and had transferred him to Robert. Bloody hell.

Earl had absolutely no knack at all for potions. None. Robert was attempting to develop the patience of Job to train him, but, God, Earl was just jumping up and down on Robert's last nerve. Last week, Earl had all but decimated the entire St. Mungo's potions lab by catching the damned place on fire. A good portion of the ingredients were lost and were on order to replace the stores. Nearly all the potions that the hospital had were damaged and had had to be thrown out. Robert would have to remake, by hand, every. damned. one.

New equipment had arrived and had yet to be inventoried, unpacked and shelved. Hell, all the shelves themselves were being rebuilt, and the place was being scrubbed. from top to bottom. Worktables and stools had been replaced. The one thing that Robert had put his top priority on saving was his own, personal pocket sized potions book. It was utterly priceless to Robert because he had written all sorts of tips and tricks and adjustments in the margins. These days, he carried the book in the pocket of his white coat because he didn't trust it to be left in the same room with Earl.

And then there was Earl himself. Wasn't it just this morning that Robert had had to toss an entire big cauldron of wolfsbane because ever helpful Earl had offered to stir it for Robert, but he had hastily grabbed one of Robert's sterling silver stir sticks. Silver. Any use of it in brewing wolfsbane was highly toxic and absolutely deadly for werewolves. Damnit. If Earl wasn't supervised, he was going to kill people. At this rate, Robert didn't see himself getting any sleep ever again until about the year 2045.

Robert deftly shifted the conversation from the delicate topic of Alex's condition to a subject that held a special place in fifteen-year-old Alexander's heart—Potions. It was a shared passion that had brought Alex and Lily closer together. As the prospect of a summer devoid of any meaningful plans loomed before him, Alex found himself intrigued by Robert's words. Perhaps this summer held the promise of something interesting, a respite from the troubles he constantly faced at home. In his heart, he knew his parents wouldn't even notice his absence.

Gently turning his gaze towards Teddy, to see his response to Robert's iquiery. Gathering his thoughts, he found the courage to express his gratitude. "I... I should probably thank you too, sir," he stammered, his voice infused with a mix of vulnerability and gratitude.

Teddy of course caught the shift that the mention of the potions apprenticeship stirred in both students. Both withdrawn in their own ways, they seemed to sit up straighter and look more alert, before almost looking embarrassed at their apparent interest.

Teddy shook his head and laughed. "What do you put the odds at, Robert? These two are constantly in the dungeons working on Potions. Often, if I'm being fully transparent, when they likely shouldn't be."

Lily nodded. "That's how we met." She cleared her throat. "I'd definitely be interested in applying."

"My pleasure, Alex," Robert smiled. "I'm always happy to help." He rather liked Alex, and he had always felt a bit of kinship towards Lily, if for no other reason that he and Michael and Kate had all been Gryffindors and had considered James and Lily to be friends back in the day.

He listened when Teddy said that Alex and Lily were often in the potions lab, even when they ought to be doing something else.

"Are they, then?" Robert was amused. "Good! That's how some of the best potions masters are born, you know, out of that insatiable need to know more and how to make the impossible not just possible but common practice." Robert knew their type well, then, because he had always had the same sort of irrepressible connection to a potions lab. He opened a couple of drawers and found a file of blank employment applications, and he took one out and handed it to Lily, leaving the file on the counter.

He looked at Lily, "When this lab is complete, I daresay it will be a state of the arts lab that can do a great number of things, including having a large potions books library in house, a regular research and development work station so that we can constantly keep improving, an enchanted greenhouse area to grow some of its own ingredients right in the lab itself, which will cut costs, and hopefully that will increase the number and types of potions we can give to patients at no cost. We'll also be able to keep a wider variety of potions so that we can have more things at the ready for all sorts of magical beings who need them at any hour. And the new lab should also be large enough to serve as an ongoing education lab so that any potions maker who wants to do in depth studies of rare or complicated potions, we'll be able to teach them. The fact is that we need to have a pool of qualified potions makers who are ready, willing, and able to step in and brew a rare potion if it's needed. We should be able to give them apprenticeships so they can emerge qualified to handle those tasks. And there are a couple other pet projects that we'll be able to do. If I have my way about it, we'll be setting the bar for other wizarding hospitals and clinics, and, unapologetic nerd that I am, that excites me to no end."