Thicker than Water (Marauders Era)

23 May, 1978 - Acceptance

It was almost a week after the rather awkward night with Sirius that Lavinia was sitting at the very edge of the Slytherin table, as she always did when she attended breakfast. The only reason she'd even decided to come to the main meal was that it was faster and she didn't want to waste any time today, but she was still hungry. She had work to do and exams were approaching and her stress was starting to draw her thin. The good thing about it was that everyone else's stress was also mounting and they had less time to deal with their newfound dislike of Lavinia so the insults were less frequent than they had been those first several weeks. Mulciber still never missed the chance to hiss at her, but at least everyone else seemed to have realized they had better things to do.

So it was that she was eating alone, trying to go quickly, when a tawny owl settled in front of her and stuck it's leg out with a soft hoot. She blinked at it. She didn't really get much post these days. She'd gotten one letter from Eloise, which had been short and tart and had almost made her cry simply because it reminded her so much of her friend. But that letter had been laid under her pillow, not borne in by an owl, which would have been far too conspicuous. Everyone in the hall knew Lavinia wasn't likely to get mail. She didn't have friends anymore, as far as they were concerned and she'd been disowned by her family. Who else would write to her? Who indeed?

The owl ruffled its feathers and hooted again, a bit more loudly this time, as though it thought she might not have heard it before. Shushing it slightly as others in the hall glanced her way, Lavinia untied the letter as quickly as she could make herself and the owl, giving one more low, soft sound, departed. She watched it, wondering whose it was for a moment before turning to the letter in her hands to find out.

The address on the front was to her, in neat black ink, which didn't give any indication of a sender. But when she flipped it over to break the seal, she paused, her fingers hovering over the red wax on which was a clearly stamped image of a crossed wand and bone: the seal of St. Mungo's hospital.

Suddenly nervous, Lavinia swallowed slightly and opened the envelope with shaking fingers. The letter inside was rather pompous, as she supposed she should have expected given the sort of communication this was. Still, her heart seemed to balloon larger and large as she read:

Dear Ms. Selwyn,

We are pleased to inform you that your application to the Trainee Healer Program at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries has been granted a conditional acceptance. After review of your application, academic record and provided reference from H. Slughorn, we believe you will be a good fit to work in our Trainee program. Provided you achieve the necessary grades (E or better in Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, Herbology and Defense Against the Dark Arts) we will be ready for you to begin on September 1, 1978. Please arrange for a copy of your NEWT results to be forwarded to Mr. Everett Stein, who will review your marks and confirm your employment status.

We look forward to having you as a member of our team.

Sincerely,

St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries

Lavinia stared at the letter for a long, long moment, reading and rereading the words to make sure they were real, her fingers brushing over the stamped sigil at the bottom with something akin to reverence. It didn't feel like this could actually be happening. Accepted. Conditionally, yes, but this was the best she could have hoped for. They wouldn't take anyone without first getting their NEWT marks.... Accepted. The world seemed foreign in her head, like something out of a dream and she wondered if she should pinch herself, to make sure she wasn't asleep. Then again, she never had good dreams, so that seemed terribly unlikely and she didn't want to look silly.