Healing

Chapter 1: Snake Charmer

"Alohomora." came the tired voice of Ronald Weasley as he reached the door of his shared apartment.

Reeling at the exhausting, ridiculous events of the night (involving heirloom tea kettles, a mother and son throwing hexes back and forth, a jelly-leg'd partner, and something about the muggle lottery), he opened the door. He was confused when he saw Harry, wide awake, eating pumpkin pasties with an open book on his lap, taking down notes ravenously. Harry, startled by the noise, looked up from his book and peered at him over the round frames of his glasses.

"Mornin'." Harry mumbled, looking back down at his book, after realizing it was only his roommate. Ron looked at his best friend curiously.

"You're up early." Ron remarked, dropping his bag on the side table. "It's not even light out."

As if suddenly realizing that Ron was interested in conversation, Harry looked up from his book and perked up noticeably. He put his book, Reptiles of the European Continent, on the coffee table and shot up.

"Early!" He said, throwing the term out there as if Ron was being ridiculous. "If we all started getting up at this time, we would get so much more done. I've already eaten breakfast, been on a morning jog-- went by the park today. Saw a corn snake! They are quite nervous creatures those. The one I'd spoken to had just laid eggs and was talking all about how her children may die if she isn't with them, which I suppose is true, but--"

"Wait--" Ron interjected. "How long have you been awake?"

"Oh, dunno. Haven't really slept, but that's beside the point! I've gotten so much accomplished! Thinking about getting a quidditch game in as well, would you be up for throwing around a quaffle? I mean, Weasley is the King, you know! With quidditch skills, they say, if you don't use them, you lose them--"

"Are you mad?" Ron asked, looking perturbed. "It's bloody 4 am! No, I do not want to play quidditch, I just want to go to sleep. You should, too seeing as we both have to be at work in a few hours."

Harry, undisturbed by Ron's rejection of his quidditch proposal, started walking towards the hallway closet in search of his broomstick.

"Oh, I'm not going to work tomorrow." Harry stated flatly, as if talking about the weather. He tossed out a broom-- a regular, unenchanted cleaning broom, a pair of old shoes, a bottle of firewhiskey and a dust pan.

"I know you haven't slept," Ron said, grabbing the water pitcher from the refrigerator. He poured himself a glass. "But you can't just skip out on work that way. You're liable to get fired."

Harry, buried under a pile of items he pulled from the closet, responded nonchalantly, "Oh no, I've already quit, this morning-- or yesterday, dunno, depends how you look at it."

Ron nearly choked on the sip of water he'd taken.

Harry grabbed his Firebolt and cried out triumphantly. "Found it!" He climbed over the pile of items in the hallway, clutching the broom between his hands.

"Harry!" Ron said, clearly alarmed. "Why'd you go and do that?"

Harry looked over at him. "Sorry, what?"

"Quit your job!" Ron exclaimed.

"Oh," Harry replied, undeterred. "I've got better plans!"

"Better plans than employment?"

"Well," Harry said, grinning. "I've decided that I'm going to work at a snake sanctuary!"

"A... what?" Ron gaped at him.