Filling the Time for Something to Do

[Ariel Evans]

Ever since her best friend's discharge, Ariel had been working her way slowly and painfully out of the slump she'd fallen into without him around. All of her pretenses were over, and she could no longer keep up appearances that she was all right. It was time to finally start dealing with all she'd been through that she'd avoided.

For days afterward, she'd rarely gotten out of bed except for meals and group or individual sessions. She'd not even bothered to dress or be out of bed much. The only thing this had accomplished was to allow her body a bit of down time to recuperate, but did nothing for her mental health. One day, though, when faced in group with the hard possibility that unless she got herself in gear again she wouldn't make it out of here in time to return to Hogwarts, Ariel had been making a major effort to work to turn things around.

And that included being out and about, rather than just staying in her room sleeping. So, the young woman had borrowed a violin, her favorite instrument, from the music room and was currently in the lobby. It had been forever since she'd played, and though she needed supervision so as to be certain she would do nothing to try to kill herself, Ariel was thrilled to be back to doing one of her favorite things in the world again now that the scars on her wrists had fairly well healed.

Playing a lovely melody from long ago, she hummed and sometimes even found herself singing the words in a sweet, clear voice. She didn't noticed that others had stopped to listen, just losing herself in the music.

[Tatum MacNamara]

"Damnaigh hospital owls all need plucking," Tatum muttered as she ascended the three flights of stairs. While by no means physically obvious, a life riddled with Muggle cigarettes and alcohol had left her slightly out of shape and the journey up the stairs had been one wrought with much huffing and puffing, hence the gnashing of teeth over a mis-delivered letter for a patient in the spell damage ward.

"Should just cook the sodding things an serve them in the tea room. Could ni be any worse than the slop they already serve," she continued her griping to no one as she opened the door that led to the corridor and the patient's rooms.

The moment she took her first steps out of the stairwell, she heard the strains of music, a strange thing for any place in the hospital as so many healers thought silence to be the end-all cure for all things. Tatum did not subscribe to such beliefs, however, always thinking that anything a patient enjoyed could be used for treatment, and that rest was not always the answer. Sometimes an idle mind was more dangerous than an occupied one.

The nurse's station was vacant, which came as no surprise to the Irish witch. The young girls hired on these days seemed given to wandering off, abandoning their posts to catch a snog in broom closets or nip out into the alley for a smoke. And so, not willing to leave the mail about just anywhere, she set off in search of the room number scrawled on the envelope, which coincidentally enough corresponded with the very location of the sweet melody of violing music.

A not so well manicured hand rose to rap thrice upon the open door before entering it, ice bue eyes falling upon the lovely young patient and her violin.

"The post came an there's a letter for ye, leannan. Assumin y'are Ariel, that is." She gave a friendly smile and held out the letter expectantly.

[Ariel Evans]

Ariel heard the knock on the patient lobby door and stopped in mid-chorus, falling silent as she noticed that the young woman with beautiful blue eyes seemed to have come for her. Perhaps there was an appointment, test, group, or some other activity she hadn't known about, though Ariel hadn't seen this woman on the ward before. She liked the woman's soothing, lilting accent.

Offering a polite smile, she reluctantly set aside the violin and stood, waiting expectantly to hear what she was supposed to do next. A part of her just wanted the time to relax and play violin, but she was generally an obedient young woman and would attend whatever was required of her so that she could get better and return home to her family.

To Ariel's delight, she discovered that she had a letter! Her face lit up, and she nodded in confirmation. Already she was very curious to find out whether it was a letter from Issie and her cousins, from Matt, or from Evan.

"Yes, I'm Ariel," she replied quietly, stepping gracefully forward to accept the letter. Eagerly, she read the address and knew that it was from home. Well, her cousin's home. Since the Manor had been destroyed, that was her and Issie's home now as well, since their cousins had guardianship over the girls until they became of age. "It's from my family. Thank you so much for bringing me this!"

Dear Ariel,

How are you faring there in that hospital? We all hope you're doing as well as can be expected and that you'll be able to be discharged soon so you can come home to us. Any word yet on when that might be? Our greatest hope is that you'll be able to be out of there in time for the family beach trip before your fall semester starts. We miss you so much! We'll be up this weekend during visiting hours.

Oh, some of your friends have been owling, wondering if everything is all right. Most of them seemed not to know what happened. We sent along the letters so that you can write to them if you wish, but there's no need to push yourself to do so if you aren't ready.

Take care, sweetheart. See you soon!

Love,

Your Cousins
Kaden
Issie

Ariel grinned, seeing they'd all signed the letter, though clearly her cousin Gwendolyn had written most of it. It would be great to see them so soon, though she wasn't relishing the idea of having to let them know it would still be awhile yet before she could be discharged.

Sigh.

Grin.

At least they'd written her, and it was wonderful to know that her friends from school had also been writing.

"Well, they're coming up this weekend. And wondering as usual when I'm finally coming home."

[Tatum MacNamara]

The girl's reaction brought a smile to Tatum's face, though there was a slight pang within her at the thoughts of such a young thing alone in a place like this. Not that the hospital wasn't pleasant enough, but it was hardly fun.

"Nice te meet ye, Ariel, I'm Tatum," she nodded, never having been one for the formality of Healer MacNamara. She had always been a simple witch and her fancy schooling in the art of healing had not changed that in the slightest,

"Yer welcome, leannan," she nodded, unable to keep herself from watching the letter be read, though she felt a bit guilty about looking on like a spectator. But there was something very soothing about being in the presence of the girl, perhaps she reminded her of some younger witch from her past. Or perhaps it was simply some maternal warmth from a childless witch. It was hard to say.

"That's wonderful! I hope ye have a nice visit. How long have ye been here. then, that they're so anxious?"

[Ariel Evans]

(I have to get going but will reply tomorrow evening if not before.
*waves*)

[Tatum MacNamara]

(alright, dear tata)

[Ariel Evans]

It was true that, for a hospital, this was a relatively pleasant place. The food was decent, there were plenty of activities to keep people occupied, a library, beautiful gardens, a pool and workout room. And though it wasn't exactly fun being there, the resources of this facility were enough to get her through.

"It's good to meet you too, Tatum," Ariel replied with a warm smile, liking that the healer was a kind, informal sort of woman. It very much set Ariel at ease, and she was thankful to have someone to talk to even if only for a little while before the healer had to move on to doing other things.

At Tatum's question, she gave a wry smile. "Oh, I've been here two months. What about you? I haven't seen you on this floor before. Do you wonk on this floor now, or are you just stopping by?"

Ariel didn't yet know that her letter had been misdelivered, and that Tatum had come up here to make sure it got to her.

[Tatum MacNamara]

Tatum took a seat in a nearby chair, deciding that the young girl so anxious for her family's company might like a brief visit. "Nil, the owl misdirected yer letter te me floor. I work in artifact accidents an have fer five years."

The witch turned her ice blue eyes to the violin, "How long have ye been playin? It sounded lovely."

As a girl, Tatum had always wanted to learn to play an insturment, having loved music all her life. But she and her family were never in one area long enough for lessons. "If ye must be here a while longer, maybe ye'd like te teach me how te play?"

A bright smile lit her features, "Would ye like that, leannan?"

[Ariel Evans]

Ariel nodded as Tatum explained the reason for her visit. "Artifact accidents... that must be quite the challenge to do that sort of work," Ariel observed with a smile. More and more these days, she was discovering an ambition to help others like herself heal both mentally and physically from trauma. The ward she was on now was probably one she would find both incredibly heartbreaking yet rewarding to work on.

As Tatum asked how long she'd been playing violin, Ariel gave an enigmatic smile. "Oh, I've been playing for forever."

Violin was something she'd played most of her life this time around, since she was old enough to learn to play an instrument. And she'd been playing in at least two other lifetimes that she knew of. Her smile brightened as Tatum asked her to teach violin. "Oh, I'd like that! Just let me know whenever you'd like to work on it, and I'll do my best to teach you."

[Tatum MacNamara]

Tatum shrugged her shoulders, never thinking of her work as a challenge. While many were inspired by the propspects of facing difficulties, of rising to the occasion to succeed, the Irish witch was much more comfortable furrowing ruts in the comfort of the ordinary. If work had been a challenge, she would not have enjoyed it nearly as much.

"It's more rewardin than anythin," she nodded, "though it does ni leave much time fer anythin else, really."

She said the words as if they were a complaint, but truly they were not. Work was a clever excuse for the fact that she did not have some of the things most saw as translations to personal success: a house and a spouse and children to fill it with, roots to hold a person in a place, to leave something to the future when they no longer walked the earth. She had spent the last decades of her life doing her best to sever any ties that bound her and now the career she had threw herseld into was a good reason for those who looked at her with pity in their eyes at the prospect of a witch on the cusp of 40 with so little to show for the life she lived.

Though Ariel seemed in many ways an old soul, Tatum guessed the young witch longed for the things she herself had pushed aside for the security of solitude, and should the matter turn to families or the like, she wanted to blame the career at the outset.

"Forever?" she repeated studying the girl's face. "Then I'm sure ye'll have ni trouble teachin me. I dinna start work usually until about noon, maybe I'll come by before then, aye?"

Shifting her weight slightly, she arched a brow, "So, do ye go te Hogwarts? Or someplace else?"

[Ariel Evans]

Ariel was definitely one of those who enjoyed challenges, though her greatest challenge in this life had been a seemingly impossible one. And she'd forever carry the burden of guilt that came with solving it too late to save her parents.

She nodded, smiling politely and sympathetically as the Healer mentioned that she liked her job but that it left her little time for other things. Ariel herself would one day become that busy, though eventually in her thirties she would find love and a balance in her life. Yes, family, children, a home, and a job she loved were all things she wanted in her life. That was something that never changed for her, no matter what lifetime. Though she didn't always get to live out that dream, and even when she did it was usually cut short.

Would this time be the one time that was different, where she'd get to live a long peaceful life with a husband and children?

"It does sound like a very rewarding job."

Ariel grinned as Tatum gave her a vote of confidence about doing well teaching violin. 'Thanks, and I hope so. And before noon sounds good. There's time between group and lunch from 11 to noon when we could work."

[Tatum MacNamara]

"It does sound like a very rewarding job."

"It is," Tatum agreed, feeling a bit silly, stating the fact again, though the fact bore repeating. Being a healer gave Tatum a feeling of worth that she had not ever known, a feeling that she was finally contributing to society even in some small way. It was a sort of penance for the Irish witch, and it was truly the only thing she took seriously in her entire life.

There's time between group and lunch from 11 to noon when we could work.

"Brilliant," she beamed, "An I'll try te be a good student. Would ni want te get detention or anythin" she teased.

A short moment of silence passed before she posed a curious question, "How did ye come te be here, Ariel? If ye dinna mind talkin about it."

[Ariel Evans]

Ariel grinned at Tatum's teasing comment about the upcoming violin lessons. "Oh, I promise not to give detention!" Yes, she was teasing as well, though in all seriousness she wouldn't even think of being like that as a teacher. It would be one thing if she did teach at Hogwarts one day and work in the hospital wing there (a dream she was beginning to think might never happen) and had students who broke the rules. This was something vastly different, simply teaching a skill to someone who wanted to learn it for fun. And fun it would be!

"It'll be great!"

Her smile slipped as Tatum asked the question of how Ariel came to be here. Though Ariel was getting used to talking about it iin group, it was still difficult. And there was much about that day...and about all of last school year that led up to it...that she couldn't explain so as not to be thought completely mental. She didn't know that the healers actually did think this of her after having heard some of the secrets that escaped her lips in her sleep.


Quietly, she replied, "Well, back in May at the end of term my parents were murdered. The one responsible came to Hogwarts and put me and my best friend who was with me at the time through...a really horrendous day."