She's always kind (Neville X Reader story)

Chapter 22

The Republic of Ireland,
Galway, Kinvarra, Rúnda Cottage

"Oh please talk to me Saileach, I hate to see you like this, I need to make sure you're alright." Seamus begged his twin sister as she sat on her bed in front of him, staring off into space with glassy eyes. Alright? Oh how she wished she could be, but the truth was, it had all come back to her the first week of being back home in Ireland. She was seemingly  calm and positive the last week of term, even though her arms were all bandaged and everyone constantly asked her questions about what had happened down in the Chamber of Secrets. Much to her delight, she was reunited with Hermione who had be un-petrified and Hagrid who had been released from Azkaban.

All seemed wonderful and relaxing, until the night terrors came. The small girl would toss and turn in bed, wake up screaming and even cry in her sleep. The thought of almost being killed not only by the basalisk, but by an ex Hogwarts student who had immense intelligence and cunning. If he could become such a cruel being, who knows who else would join his cause. These sleepless nights took over the girl's life, she smiled less, read less and no longer let her hair hang free. Instead she'd tie her honey-blonde locks up in a pony tail in fear that she'd relive the horrible feeling of her hair being yanked and pulled by he-who-must-not-be-named.

Her entire family noticed and began to worry, their once sunshine in the household had turned grey and cold. Seamus grabbed his sister's dainty hands, "I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you, I promise from now on I won't ever rest until you are safe and sound." (Y/n) stared out the window, her face void of any emotion whatsoever, "Deartháir, I see him in my dreams, I cannot seem to be rid of the voice, the fear, what do you want me to say?" She spoke coldly. "I want to hear you sound happy again, I want to see the twinkle in your eyes and the sweet locks of hair that you seem to hide away" he spoke pleadingly.

Just then, their mother walked into the room with a photograph in her hand. She sat beside the fragile girl and pulled her son to sit on the other side of her. "My dear girl, I can see that you're troubled, but I know that this is not forever, you will overcome this." She smiled kindly at her daughter and handed her the photograph while she pulled Seamus in for a side hug. The girl examined the moving photo which contained a group of young men and women all stood in white uniforms while they posed with some men and women in patient gowns and some in wheelchairs.

"What is this?" She asked, still looking at the moving picture. "That's me in my early days at St. Mungos, I'm right there on the left, and there's Deardrie on the right, you remember her right?" The woman explained to which the young girl gave an affirmative nod. "We used to be carer nurses before we went on our career journeys, and you know what? She went back and still works there to this day." At this point, the girl had placed down the letter and was giving her mother her full attention. "I think what would be incredible for you, not only for work experience and carework towards your dream to become a mazoologist, if will give you time to focus on things that truly matter, rather than dwelling on the past."

Her mother's voice was soothing and laced with sincerity, she knew that her mother was trying to help. Maybe this was the right move to make, maybe with all of the tasks and interactions would guide her away from her nightmares. (Y/n) took one final look the the photograph and for the first time in nearly a week, she smiled slightly and nodded, hugging her brother and mother tightly. The pair let out a sigh of relief and comfort seeing (Y/n) making a gradual recovery. Organising the placement was fairly easy, her mother's friend had offered to take the girl on as a volunteer for the summer. The arrangements were that she would arrive by floo power at 10 o'clock every morning and arrive back at home for 4 o'clock.

She would dress in her everyday clothes with a badge that said 'volunteer' on it and was given many tips on how to deal with certain situations such as trauma, aggression and shock. Slowly but surely, the girl was cheerful again, the twinkle in her eyes had returned but her hair remained the way it was with no explanation. She dealt with many patients, often taking those on the mend for walks out in the gardens to smell the roses or admire the clouds forming in the sky. Everyone seemed so kind and grateful to have her accompany them, all except two individuals. This particular pair seemed lifeless and drained beyond repair.