January 30th, 1891 — The Hospital Wing

Elon hissed as the nurse spread some kind of cream on the burns on his hands and face. He'd been in shock when the potion exploded on him and it was only then that he noticed the sting to his body. She assured him that by the next morning none of the burns would be there and then instructed him to relax.

This would have been a lot easier if he had a book with him, Elon thought as he leaned back to his pillow. There was only one other student at the Hospital Wing and he was sleeping. Elon considered the idea of waking him up for gaining company, when a familiar face entered the room.

"Miss Dawson!" Elon exclaimed. He hadn't been able to spot her amongst the spectators of the Potions tournament. Had she watched him compete (and ultimately fail) then?

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Alice Dawson

  

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Alice and Mr. Wildsmith had a complex relationship. She wanted to like him, truly, but he nearly always proved why interclass friendships (at least to the extreme theirs was) didn't properly function. He was too oblivious to the plight of the working class and she could only tolerate so much of it before wanting to explode. It wasn't anything against him, Alice understood that he was raised within a world that otherwise ignored her existence. She was, however, unable to understand his adamant refusal to accept that she accepted her lot in life.

(Distantly, Alice sometimes wondered if she might ask him to see if his family would be willing to sponsor her through her NEWTs, but always ultimately decided it would be too cruel of her to take advantage of him in such a way.)

Regardless of their differences, she was still a kind enough person to pay a visit to a friend in the hospital. Especially so once she considered he likely only entered because of their tutoring sessions. "Mr. Wildsmith," she greeted whilst looking over what exposed skin she could see. "Congratulations on making it to the final round. That was quite an impressive feat. I'm sorry it ended so ... dramatically. Are the healers tending to you alright?"

The following 1 user Likes Alice Dawson's post:1 user Likes Alice Dawson's post
   Marianne Finch

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Amazing set by Bee!

So she had seen him reach the finals! And she cared enough about him to visit him at the hospital wing!

Elon was suddenly glad things had turned out the way they had. If his defeat hadn't been dramatic, he wouldn't have been admitted to the hospital and she wouldn't have reason to visit him. They probably wouldn't have spoken at all. This visit was better than winning the tournament. After all, Elon had no need of the prize, he could afford to buy better cauldrons than the ones offered to the winner.

"Thank you," he answered modestly and then: "Oh, the nurse didn't have the chance to tend to my wounds yet!" A lie, but his skin had absorbed the cream by now, so it was a passable one. What harm could it do if he got her to tend to him as well?

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Her eyes narrowed. Mr. Wildsmith had fairly evident burns along his hands and face, how had the nurses not tended to him yet? Alice had half a mind to chase down the school's healer before noticing the salve sitting on his bedside table. Throwing a tantrum wouldn't be productive, but she could at least offer some relief until the healers got to him.

Stepping towards it, Alice pulled the chair closer to his bedside and silently asked permission to help. "I'm sorry the nurse wasn't able to get to you yet. I didn't think there were that many injuries from the competition."

  

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Amazing set by Bee!

Elon felt somewhat guilty for lying, mostly because he didn't truly believe that she'd help him. It didn't feel right to take advantage of her kind nature, yet his heart skirted when she took a seat close to him. He gave her one of his burnt hands.

"Oh, don't feel sorry, I'm not dying or anything! I've had worse burns when I was playing with the Floo powder at home," he assured her. He'd already gotten her to be his nurse, he wasn't going to be a baby about it.

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Alice held his hand in her own delicately as she gently applied the salve. Playing with Floo powder was foolish, though she was sure Mr. Wildsmith knew that by now. "A burn is still an injury," she said instead. "You shouldn't be kept waiting because it isn't severe."

  

Elon bit his lower lip when Miss Dawson started applying the salve. It likely appeared as it hurt him, but in reality this was causing him other sensations. Pleasant ones.

"I'm so lucky that you found me, Miss Dawson!" Elon told the girl as he obediently gave her his other hand. "You'll truly become a great healer."

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She blushed. "It's a simple salve, Mr Wildsmith." One she hadn't even needed to prepare at that. Alice continued to work it into his soft hands. Even if she didn't know him to be wealthy, his hands were telling enough. Her hands had more callouses than his even. "How is that? Does it hurt?"

  

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Amazing set by Bee!

Elon was conflicted. Did he say no so he appeared strong and manly, or admit to it stinging to get her to tug at her heartstrings?

"You have a soft touch, Miss Dawson!" Elon replied because he didn't want to offend her in any way. "I confess that it stings somewhat. Perhaps you know of something to relieve the pain?"

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"I do..." she trailed off. There were a few pain relieving potions she could think of off hand that might help him. Though none of them were obviously visible within the room. "I'll go and fetch a healer for you. They'll know which one would be best to use."

  

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Amazing set by Bee!

If they were characters in a cheap harlequin novel, the cure to his pain would have been a kiss. Perhaps if Elon was more experienced in those things, he would have been able to stir the situation that way. Alas, he'd never kissed a girl in his life and didn't know how to go about it.

"You don't have to!" Elon urged her. He didn't want the nurse to come and ruin whatever they had there. She would likely make Miss Dawson leave under the pretext of him needing to rest. "I mean, I am sure you know which potion to use. There is no need to bother the nurse. I trust your judgment!"

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The following 1 user Likes Elon Wildsmith's post:1 user Likes Elon Wildsmith's post
   Alice Dawson

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"I don't know where they're stored," she replied honestly. Pain potions could easily be abused, so the student population wasn't given ready access to them. She could brew one, but to do so would take time amd supppies she didn't have. "If you're in pain we should fetch a healer." Alice tried to insist once more.

  

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Amazing set by Bee!

"Your company is the best medicine, Miss Dawson!" Elon said. This was properly embarrassing and he blushed, not so much due to his feelings for Miss Dawson and more so by the way he was expressing them. He'd make a terrible poet.

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Oh!

She blushed herself and pulled her hands back into her lap. Mr. Wildsmith couldn't have meant what he did, there was no way. He was rich and popular and the complete opposite of anyone she was familiar with. "Alright," Alice eventuallyy allowed. "But you'll tell me if the stinging becomes too much."

  

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Amazing set by Bee!

For a second Elon thought that she'd scared her away with his confession. Miss Dawson had shown that she was quite shy and modest. Another girl, a Slytherin perhaps, would have taken advantage of Elon's interest in her. Perhaps that was what drew Elon to Alice Dawson, that she didn't seem interested in him and what he represented.

"Alright, I will," he replied with a smile.

He made himself comfortable against the pillows and then said: "I confess that I hoped you'd watch the tournmanet... Our study sessions inspired me to try." In truth, Elon participated in almost all competitions at Hogwarts. "How come you didn't?"

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A frown appeared on the corners of her mouth. Entering the competition was on her list of things to do, as was her assured success. However, when it came to time to sign her name to the page she hesitated. She couldn't explain her reasoning, not in a way that would make sense, but she knew she couldn't leave the question unanswered either. Not without arousing suspicion towards Sloane and Cameron.

"I was going to," she said. "Just slipped my mind, is all." Really, she hadn't wanted to deal with being the center of attention after spending so long forcing herself to sit on the sidelines. She hadn't wanted to provide a reason for Cameron to have to approach her, not that Alice believed he would anyway.

  

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Amazing set by Bee!