Halley

21- Clipboards In Weird Places

"Here's to Healer Longbottom!" James grinned, raising a flagon of Firewhisky, "our wonderful new, fully qualified Healer!"

"Now you can patch Alfie up after I kill him!" Hope said cheerily, swigging her Firewhisky.

"Why are we killing Alfie?" Halley asked. Hope and Alfie's bickering had always been a source of great entertainment for Halley. The two had only seemed to bicker more after they left Hogwarts and moved in together. But their relationship was strong as ever, despite how utterly unique it was.

"He keeps trying to shove me out of bed," Hope complained.

"I do not! You just sleep really close to the edge of the mattress." Alfie protested.

"Aw, I love your couple problems." James grinned.

"Well, how's your Auror training going?" Halley tried to change the subject, as both Hope and Alfie looked as if they were about to explode.

"Over halfway there!" James threw his hands in the air, "in a year and a half, I will be catching Dark Wizards all over the place."

"If you pass the tests," Alfie pointed out.

"Shut up Alf!"

"Why do we always end up arguing?" Halley mused.

"Because it's what we do best." Hope grinned.

Hope had gone into a career in the ministry. She had joined the Department of Magical Law Enforcement (her boss being Ophelia, her almost mother-in-law). Hope had big aspirations and wanted to be minister for magic

Alfie, who had always love commentating at Hogwarts Quidditch matches, had done just that. He had become the Quidditch league's official commentator, which meant he could get his friends cheap tickets, which they all loved.

Halley glanced down at her watch, "damnit, I'm late for my shift."

"We'll see you soon Hal," James grinned and hugged her.

"Don't blow yourself up whilst I'm gone," Halley said.

"I can't make any promises."

Halley rolled her eyes and disapparated.

********

"Healer Longbottom," Halley heard someone shout towards the end of her shift at the hospital.

"Here!" Halley looked up from a clipboard.

"We've got a new patient in who is being-" the trainee healer looked unsure as to how she should phrase the statement, "uncooperative. I think you should offer your help."

"Okay, I'm coming." Halley set aside the clipboard and followed the girl through the corridors and to the door of a private ward. "Okay, what am I dealing with?"

The trainee handed her some papers, "some werewolf wounds, and a bad attitude to them being fixed up."

"I'm on it," Halley read the name at the top of the paper and rolled her eyes, before walking into the room.

"I thought I told you that I'm- oh, Halley."

"Hi mum," Halley didn't look up as she rifled through the documents, "now will you shut up whilst I heal you up."

"Your mother seems to think that she doesn't need healing," said a slightly amused sounding Neville, who was sat in a straight-backed chair to the side of Venus's bed.

"I don't!" Venus insisted, "I've had worse!"

"I don't know Ve, this is pretty bad," the couple began to bicker. Halley ignored her parents, as this was a pretty common occurrence. She drifted over to a cabinet, where many remedies and ingredients were stored. She began to mix the essence of silver potion to heal werewolf wounds up.

"Okay, I had a rough night, but you don't need to rush me to the hospital every time I get a little cut."

"You're going paler than a unicorn, you're bleeding out-"

"Drink this," Halley offered her mother a blood replenishing potion, "this will keep you from bleeding out before I can seal the wounds."

"I don't need it," Venus protested.

"That's fine, me and dad will just sit here and watch you die then," Halley continued to hold the potion out. Venus pouted, but she took it. "I know you're stubborn as hell mum, but you're not as young as you used to be-"

"Are you calling me old?"

"Hear me out," Halley said, "your transformations are going to take more out of you now. So you've got to take care of yourself, and let me help you!"

"Okay!" Venus winced as she shifted slightly, "do your healer magic thing."

"Wow, that's impressive," laughed Neville, "Venus, you never listen to anyone."

"What can I say? Halley is too much like me."

"Show me where you're hurt mum, so I can treat it," Halley picked up the essence of silver potion. Venus rolled up her shirt, showing a large gash across her stomach. "That looks like fun." Halley murmured as she began to sponge the potion onto the wound.

"You have no idea."

"So why didn't you go to the hospital wing at Hogwarts?" Halley asked as she continued to work. "It is term time right?"

"Well, I went there first, but the matron recommend that Neville bring me here after I slapped her," said Venus.

"What did you do to the other healers that made them result to me?" Halley rolled her eyes at her mother's antics.

"She threatened to shove their clipboards up their asses," Neville said spiritedly.

Halley laughed, "only you mum. Only you."