August 30, 1890 - St. Mungo’s Spell Damage Ward

Fallon’s absence became more and more prominent every day. With each day their flat remained silent, that no owls arrived, Marie-Louise grew more worried. It was more than just missing her best friend, it was the constant worry of what had become of her. Fallon always wrote to let her know when she would even be late. To not have sent a letter the night she disappeared nor now could only forebode things that Malou was not ready to think about. But she was a healer she dealt in accidents and death, she was no stranger to the realities of the situation and so the days dragged on with each agonizing worry worst than the last.

Malou had desperately written to Fallon’s JP yesterday in the vain hope he might know something and had been rewarded with a small tidbit of information, but not anything that might calm her nerves. Instead she dreaded returning to her flat where alone she would dream up worse and worse situations for Fallon to have found herself in.

A voice pulled Malou from her thoughts as she looked up from her desk to see a vaguely familiar ministry worker, but her mind was so consumed she did not connect his name to his appearance. “Pardon me?”

  

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Upon learning a myriad of information over the last forty-eight hours, Jess was having a hard time sleeping, having feared the worst since he hadn't heard back from S on the 25th. Now with the new information that she was indeed missing, who she was, that they had met just before she disappeared and that an illegal portkey was the cause, he'd been thankful for the distraction work had provided. He'd badgered Gabe into giving him all the information he could, but even his brother had his limits on what he knew and what he could share.

His morning had started early- but he hadn't exactly been asleep when the summons had come in around three this either. By the time the debacle as was solved it was still considered pretty early in the morning when he arrived at St. Mungo's with one of the affected in tow. The spell gone wrong had been a sleeping charm gone awry and caused some interesting side effects, ones he thought better seen to by a trained healer.

After settling the patient in the spell damage ward, it occurred to him that by coincidence he was near to his new acquaintance and that she was was in fact somebody he knew already- at least professionally and so he inquired as to the whereabouts of Miss Skovgaard. He was informed she was just down the hall at her desk and Jess meandered that way without really thinking about it. "Miss Skovgaard?" He inquired as he paused at the door to her office. "Jesse Hatchitt, we've been corresponding about Miss Abernathy these last couple days." He hoped his sudden presence wasn't a disturbance, but he was curious. "I haven't any news unfortunately, what about you?"

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Oh! Malou found herself surprised to actually know JP beyond his letters to her roommate. She’d dealt with him from time to time in the ward when their jobs crossed. “Mr. Hatchitt, please come in.” Malou’s quiet voice was polite as she gave him a small smile.

She had never been an outgoing person, but now her concern for Fallon overrode her worries about conversation. “I haven’t either.” She confirmed, the calm mask on her face eroding at her admission, worries tugging at lines around her eyes and lips. “I keep hoping she’ll suddenly arrive back home as if this were all a bad dream. Foolish, right?”

  

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Damn. They had agreed to let the other know if something popped up, but Jess hadn't been at his desk in almost eighteen hours, nor home either for the most part, so was hoping he'd simply missed it. No such luck.

He entered but didn't take a seat, he was a bit too antsy, nor did he want to make himself too comfortable. "We can only hope," A frown creased his features, but he realized quickly and tried to keep his features neutral. The extent of his relationship with Miss Abernathy wasn't entirely proper, nor conventional, but he supposed he knew her fairly well, even for the short duration of their anonymous letters. Still, that didn't give him much right to go intruding into her life, especially when she was still unaware of who he was altogether.

"I do keep expecting an owl to drop off a memo to my desk as well," Silly really, considering the circumstances, but one could always have hope. "My brother assures me the aurors office is doing everything they can to locate her." It would be remiss of them not to, with one of their own missing.

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It was true that hope was all there was at the moment. Neither of them could really go track down a rogue portkey on their own. She just had to believe the Ministry was doing its job and would bring her friend home as soon as possible.

Knowing the contents of the memos (for the most part) with the farmed JP Malou had to smile. “We shall have to hope they start arriving again soon then.” She offered. Mr. Hatchitt seemed like the type of man she would wish for Fallon, especially with the worry she could see echoed on his face.

“I’m glad. Knowing how hard Fallon works I have faith they will be able to find her.” Malou agreed, it had been the reason she had reported Fallon missing in the first place. “But it doesn’t lessen the worry. Fallon’s my closest friend, I’ve known her since our first year, it’s the strangest thing not to have her near.” Not to have anyone near. Malou had never lived on her own before nor did she ever wish to again.

  

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Nodding along Jesse could attest to the drive aurors had. He and Miss Abernathy had spoken about such things in their brief conversation during the world cup match. "Aurors are trained in all sorts of survival skills as well, I'm sure she'll be able to handle wherever it is that she's found herself." As long as it wasn't too extreme, even with magic, certain places on the globe would be very hard to manage. Jess would rather think that wasn't the case however.

"I'm sorry it's taken so long," He hadn't even known Miss Abernathy all that long and he was worried, if this was one of his childhood friends, he would likely be just as distraught over the matter. His intention in stopping by wasn't to upset Miss Skovgaard, he supposed it was simply to check in and make sure she was alright as well, but clearly there wasn't anything either of them could do at the moment.

It was then that he heard a little bit of a commotion down the hall behind him that had him raising his eyebrows at the healer before him, curiously.

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Mr. Hatchitt was right, of course, Fallon could take care of herself. Malou would not make the mistake of thinking that. If nothing else Fallon was stubborn enough to stay alive no matter the circumstances.

“Thank you.” Malou genuinely meant it too as she smiled up at the man. Not many people would take the time to actually reassure her like this. They merely patted her on the shoulder or brushed it aside with trite condolences and reassurances.

Down the hall the noise of a patient started up, distracting Malou from the conversation. Seconds later one of her nurses flew in, “Miss Skovgaard, they just brought in an auror and another patient.” The girl said breathlessly. Malou froze wondering if she could possibly mean Fallon. “One female, one male.” The nurse added, then looked nervously at the healer, “You said to tell you if a female auror was brought in.” The girl bit her lip seeming unsure she had gotten the directive right.

“Thank you Miss Cleary.” The nurse curtsied and left as Malou was standing up nerves thrumming through her. Anxiety, hope, excitement beating through her veins with every heart beat. Malou tried to seem calm as she stood up, smoothing her healer’s robes down. It went against policy to bring another person with her on a medical call, but Mr. Hatchitt had bent the rules for her she owed him the same courtesy. “I should go see about that.” Malou’s voice held less calm now then a moment before. She would not tell him to stay or to go, but if he followed she certainly wouldn’t stop him. Decision made Malou started for the door her steps fast as she moved down the hall intent on finding out if her friend was still alive. Any hope was still hope after all.

  

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