February 17th, 1890 — Hogsmeade Hospital

The ward was, for the moment, quiet.

Allegra Clearwater sipped her tea at a table in the corner, the latest issue of Witch Weekly (left behind by a patient!) in front of her though, thus far, unopened. She had made the rounds on all three patients before absconding to the break room long enough to put the kettle on, and was pleased to have a moment to enjoy the fruits of her labour.

The healer did not love working after hours. While it had the potential for excitement—for who, other than the emergent, would arrive after the witching hour?—it was, more often than not, long and lonely, and it made her sleepy for some days to follow. Perhaps the only thing to be enjoyed was the company—tonight, Tilda MacFusty shared in her fate. Their closeness in age had prompted Allegra to look to the (slightly) more senior healer very early on in her career, and she found she liked the other witch very much.

"Tea's done," she said softly as the redhead returned from the storeroom, gesturing to the steaming cup across from her. "Mr. Albright in bed seven needed a dressing change, but otherwise, it's been quite mundane in your absence."

— Tilda MacFusty —

  

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Being a part of a family that was rather active in dragon breeding, caretaking and the like, one would assume an offspring of the MacFusty clan preferred the active and exciting environment of the Hebrides. Tilda seemed to prove time and time again to be the family's beloved black sheep - she thrived in such an environment, but often found pleasure in nights where the hospital ward was filled with little except the occaional snore from the patient.

While making storage room runs was far from exciting, there was a certain amount of tedium to be found that Tilda enjoyed. Plus, it gave her time to talk to her co-workers; luckily she found herself on the same shift as Allegra Clearwater which made for the time passing peacefully.

The healer opened the door to the break room where Allegra was already there. Tilda smiled gratefully. "Ah, thank you," she said, sighing as she settled into the chair, her fingers wrapping around the cup. This winter was a cold one; despite them gratefully having the advantage of magic to warm them, a warm cuppa still provided comfort during the colder seasons. "He didn't bark orders at you like he did Healer Wetherstone, did he?" That was all Tilda needed, was to tell him off again when it was her turn to change the dressings come morning before her end of the shift.

  

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"He learned his first day here not to try that with me," came the blonde's answer, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she took a sip of her tea. Allegra Clearwater was in possession of a gentle and nurturing soul, but not one that took kindly to being mistreated. While she had not shirked or manipulated her duties in any fashion, perish the thought, she had been very forthright with Mr. Albright about the level of abuse she was willing to tolerate.

"Besides," Allegra added, "they do tend to be more docile when the sun's down, don't you find?" While Miss MacFusty had only a year's more experience than Allegra herself, she did still find she tended to defer to the redhead somewhat.

— Tilda MacFusty —

  

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Tilda smirked. There was a certain dance that established healers did when there were new trainees in the wards, and it was often one that involved exchanging of coins. Some bets were often right but Tilda's, as she was later thrilled to find out, were very very wrong. So when Allegra had come into the ward as a trainee soon after she did, Tilda knew people would see the new girl's fair complexion, sex and chosen profession as a combination that would see her not last very long. The redhead was smug as ever to be proven right and found Allegra had faired the trials quite well. Given this, it was no surprise to her that snappy patients didn't see the other healer as one to be so easily yelled at.

Tilda did well to remind herself of that fact on nights like tonight that were slow enough to turn one's brain into mush. "I do, thank Merlin." she responded, taking a sip of her tea again. "And the fact that its slower means they know we'll get to them quicker, at least in some cases." In others, the slower hours made them more impatient and prone to demands. "At least it's not the brain fiasco at the Ministry." She mused, looking towards the door as if the ward matron would come bursting in telling them there was another crisis that needed sweeping up.

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   Allegra Clearwater

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Ah yes, the brains.

Though the Department of Mysteries had quite deliberately erased most knowledge of the debacle, the healers had been left with the knowledge that brains were involved and their memories of the fallout in the hospital itself. Allegra could remember being positively rushed off her feet addressing patients in various degrees of mental breakdown, all whilst those higher-up debated whether or not the brains counted as creatures to begin with.

"You're right, give me a quiet night over that any day," the healer agreed, taking another sip of her tea. Hogsmeade Hospital had an abundance of quiet nights, given its small size in comparison to sites like St Mungo's. Even at their most tedious, these suited Allegra.

"Have you any plans in mind for your day off?" the witch inquired. Though tomorrow (today?) would undoubtedly be spent asleep, the pair were entitled to the following day devoid of work.

— Tilda MacFusty —

  

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Tilda chuckled; most of the people in their profession would agree with the two healers' desire to never repeat such a day. Merlin willing, it wouldn't, however Tilda knew their profession also came with a good deal of cynicism.

As for her days off, Tilda mused what she might do this time around. "Da needs some help with a few hatchlings," she said, running her thumb against the handle of her teacup. Leaning forward, she picked up her wand and flicked it towards the bar area where a tray of biscuits floated serenely towards them. "So I figured I might as well help him out for a few hours. Plus despite his protests, it would be prudent to have a healer onsite." She dipped a biscuit into her tea, laughing again. "Hebridean babes can be nasty little creatures if they're away from their ma for too long."

  

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Having never seen a dragon for herself—they were, understandably, rather frowned upon for class projects at Hogwarts—but having seen their...effects once or twice, Allegra thought Tilda's attendance to be very prudent indeed.

"How exciting it must be," she sighed, "in a careful sort of way, to work with such creatures!"

— Tilda MacFusty —

  

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"Exciting!" Tilda repeated with a small laugh. "However rather frustrating when it's your grumble brothers and father that you're patching up." Talk about difficult patients! Dragons she understood, but it was completely beyond her as to why her family was so adamant about receiving proper aid care.

Her eyes focused on the witch in front of her; despite her previous thoughts, she couldn't help but be mildly curious at how Allegra would get on with one of her brothers.

  

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"They cannot be any more troublesome than some of the patients we get in here!" Allegra could not help but point out. "And surely most of their injuries are not the fault of carelessness?"

— Tilda MacFusty —

  

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Tilda ran a hand through her hair, rolling her eyes at the thought. "Sometimes they are, Allegra," she laughed. "If you'd believe two large behemoths to be giant wimps from time to time!"

  

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