Life choices (Remus Lupin Marauders era)

Chapter 41

I sit in the waiting room of St. Mungos, among the ill, wounded and anxiously waiting relatives. Everyone has the same expressions etched across their faces, fear, hope, sadness, admiration and at times, love. It's so humbling to see.

My eyes are trained on the bright white wall in front of me, waiting for the moment the healer walks through the frosted glass door and calls out my name.

They don't allow pets into the hospital, which is strange because I think that loving, comforting animals will help you get better a lot quicker than any puzzle or card game. Biscuit would cause no trouble and is practically invisible, I mean, it's not like I'm asking to bring a dragon in. Although it would be fun to....

I snap out of my absentminded staring and turn to the small, wooden table beside my chair. I flick through the tatty, old magazines telling me what robe colour was 'in' a year ago, always keeping an ear open to peoples conversations around me. Call me a stalker, a weirdo, or even a creep, but I find it fascinating to listen in on others. Anyway, it's not like I'm going to tell anyone anything.

"Imogen Prewett?"

I raise my head at the sound of my name and catch sight of a stick thin blonde lady who smiles warmly at me, sending an immediate feeling of calm rest across my mind. I wonder how many years she's had to practice that. To be the bearer of both bad and good news but still hold a sense of reassurance wherever he goes.

"I'll show you to your room."

She leads me down a long white and blue corridor to a ward, where big glass windows take up the majority of the walls. There are four beds, only two seem to have been occupied recently, I guess it'll soon be three though.

I'm given the bed by the window and the nurse utters a few gentle words before leaving me in peace to sort out everything. I take a deep breath to gather my thoughts and lean over the windowsill, relishing in the feeling of the cold air against my face.

I settle myself in and and let my hair down loose over my shoulders, sighing as the ache from my ponytail finally goes away. Once everything is packed away nicely and I have my books laid out beside me, I climb into the soft bed and snuggle down with a new muggle book called Emma. Arthur keeps on supplying me with more and more books, anxiously awaiting a detailed account of them after I've finished. I expect this book to be no different.

"Imogen! Hi I'm Emily!" A girl with tan skin and dark hair suddenly seems to have appeared in the bed next to mine. She sits herself up on her pillows and looks at me. "I hope you don't mind if I don't get up, my legs don't have any bones in them."

I just smile and offer a little wave, marking my book page with a tissue.

"Oh yeah, they said you couldn't talk. Why is that? Do you not have a tongue? Do you not have a voice box?" The young girl babbles frantically. "I heard somewhere that traumatic events can leave someone with the inability to speak, did you suffer from something like that?"

"Emily!" Comes a short and sharp reply from the bed opposite to mine. "You can't ask someone things like that. You barely know her." The other girl lowers the magazine from her face and glares at her.

Seriously, these girls weren't here when I came in. How have they suddenly appeared? Am I really that oblivious when I'm reading?

"That's Hannah, she doesn't talk much and is generally very grumpy." Emily explains to me in a loud stage whisper. "You'll get used to her though."

"Ha! Spend a week in a room with her and you'll see why I'm grumpy." Hannah snaps back, pulling the magazine up to cover her face and block us from view once again.