Jasper gulped nervously, though he kept his body still to try and pretend as if he weren't phased. The hat seemed to be taking longer than it had for others. Was it because he hadn't decided on a house beforehand? Was that how this worked? Nobody had exactly informed him what the pros and cons to each house was so he could make a decision. Though, even if he had that information, would he even be able to choose?
The last time he remembered being so apprehensive was when his father had taken him out to the McCallister place on a house call. It was one of the first occasions Papa had allowed him to tag along. The only information they had received was there had been some sort of accident. Papa had even allowed him to take the reins so he could prepare his kit while they raced through the village. Jasper has been petrified that they would crash, but their team of horses was well accustomed to dashing off on emergency visits.
When they arrived at the farm, a sobbing Mrs. McCallister had lead them to the barn where Mr. McCallister laid wailing on a bed of red tinged straw, his eldest son cradled in his arms. The boy, a classmate of Jasper's, was nearly the color of snow, his left arm gushing blood, bone exposed. It had taken so long for the Diggory pair to arrive that the young boy had become unconscious. The father was also injured, having jumped in the cattle pen to save his son.
Jasper's father had sprang into action, separating son from father so he could better assess the injury. Jasper hovered nearby, handing his Papa every item he requested from his kit. He'd never seen such a sight, and it soured his stomach. He wanted nothing more than to dash away from the place and return home to his mother, but he couldn't do that. Sammy needed them. His arm had been impaled, bone shattered to the point that the lad's arm was beyond saving.
While his Papa wasn't a surgeon, sometimes those duties fell to him, and he decided the best course of action was to amputate. Jasper was tasked to hold poor Sammy's arm while his father hacked at the bone with a crude saw. All he could taste was bile in his mouth as the minutes ticked by. The Diggory duo worked to save the boy, but it was to no avail. Only an hour after they arrived, Samuel McCallister succumbed to the shock caused by his injury.
Unable to continue to look at the boy's dead body, Jasper left his father, intent on trekking through the woods toward home. He couldn't believe they weren't able to save him. What was the point in being a doctor if people still died? Would they have been able to help Sammy if they had arrived faster?
The incident had stirred something in Jasper that he couldn't quite describe. He wanted, needed, to learn how to save people. It very quickly became his life goal to follow in his father's footsteps, but with the hopes to be even better. He started asking questions, so many that his Papa had to limit how long they spoke of medicine. When he was limited, he grew quiet and projected his inquiries inward.
Ever since he had learned he was a wizard, he hoped that magic would be another avenue to achieve his goals. Or at least satiate some of his curiosity. He didn't want people with their entire lives ahead of them to perish from what he thought should be fixable.
The last time he remembered being so apprehensive was when his father had taken him out to the McCallister place on a house call. It was one of the first occasions Papa had allowed him to tag along. The only information they had received was there had been some sort of accident. Papa had even allowed him to take the reins so he could prepare his kit while they raced through the village. Jasper has been petrified that they would crash, but their team of horses was well accustomed to dashing off on emergency visits.
When they arrived at the farm, a sobbing Mrs. McCallister had lead them to the barn where Mr. McCallister laid wailing on a bed of red tinged straw, his eldest son cradled in his arms. The boy, a classmate of Jasper's, was nearly the color of snow, his left arm gushing blood, bone exposed. It had taken so long for the Diggory pair to arrive that the young boy had become unconscious. The father was also injured, having jumped in the cattle pen to save his son.
Jasper's father had sprang into action, separating son from father so he could better assess the injury. Jasper hovered nearby, handing his Papa every item he requested from his kit. He'd never seen such a sight, and it soured his stomach. He wanted nothing more than to dash away from the place and return home to his mother, but he couldn't do that. Sammy needed them. His arm had been impaled, bone shattered to the point that the lad's arm was beyond saving.
While his Papa wasn't a surgeon, sometimes those duties fell to him, and he decided the best course of action was to amputate. Jasper was tasked to hold poor Sammy's arm while his father hacked at the bone with a crude saw. All he could taste was bile in his mouth as the minutes ticked by. The Diggory duo worked to save the boy, but it was to no avail. Only an hour after they arrived, Samuel McCallister succumbed to the shock caused by his injury.
Unable to continue to look at the boy's dead body, Jasper left his father, intent on trekking through the woods toward home. He couldn't believe they weren't able to save him. What was the point in being a doctor if people still died? Would they have been able to help Sammy if they had arrived faster?
The incident had stirred something in Jasper that he couldn't quite describe. He wanted, needed, to learn how to save people. It very quickly became his life goal to follow in his father's footsteps, but with the hopes to be even better. He started asking questions, so many that his Papa had to limit how long they spoke of medicine. When he was limited, he grew quiet and projected his inquiries inward.
Ever since he had learned he was a wizard, he hoped that magic would be another avenue to achieve his goals. Or at least satiate some of his curiosity. He didn't want people with their entire lives ahead of them to perish from what he thought should be fixable.