You'll be the Death of Me

Chapter 66

"Oh good, you're home," the older woman proclaimed from the table. Neville looked at the vulture hat seated on his gran's head and knew exactly what it meant. They were going out, which means they were probably going to visit his parents.

"Are we visiting them today?" Neville asked, moving into the kitchen and pouring himself a glass of water. "I didn't realize."

"Your mother isn't doing well with the relocation," Augusta sniped, clearly upset with the ordeal. "Those healers don't seem to care at all either. They just say it's temporary and that while she is upset now it will only be for a week and they just expect me not to worry."

"You know, the last time I was in there she was clawing at her arms like beast and screaming under a table."

"What was the mediwitch doing?" Neville asked taking a sip of water and waiting for his gran to tell him what he already knew. "Was she handling it?"

"She was being exceptionally forceful with her, Neville. There was no need for her to use her wand like that on your mother. She's a meek woman. There's no need to use a wand."

Neville knew better than to argue with his gran about this subject. To him the staff at St. Mungo's did nothing wrong when they were forceful with his mother. She was a danger to herself and to other people when she became distressed. He had seen that first hand. Normal people didn't claw their arms till they were bloody.

"It's too much stimulation," his gran continued. "I mean putting her in a new place like that with all those other new patients. It's too much for her. I told them when they moved her that she needed her own room at the very least, but they won't listen to me."

"Do they have another room to give?"

"They have a whole hospital, Neville!" gran snapped. "I'm sure they could fine one measly room."

"It's just temporary," Neville reminded. "It's going to be so grand when they have a whole new ward for them. Mum is having a hard time now, but it's going to be all better come Christmas."

"They're probably just painting the room and adding new beds," his gran stated bitterly. "All this trouble for some paint."

"That's not what I heard," Neville murmured quietly staring into his glass. "I, uh, heard that they are totally rebuilding the ward. New rooms, staffing it adequately. It's supposed to be really grand. They got an anonymous donation and all the funds are going to the ward."

"If that's true why be so secretive about it?"

"Nice surprise for the families," Neville shrugged, knowing that it was meant to be a nice surprise for him before Slughorn had ruined it.

"That's idiotic," Augusta scoffed. "I hope it's true though. It would be nice to have the ward staffed. Maybe there would even be someone competent."

Neville drained his water and grabbed his coat to leave with his gran. He just wanted to get this all over with. He knew that this would not be a quiet visit, not because his mother was apparently not doing well, but because his grandmother looked to be on the verge of war. He really hated these kinds of visits. He just prayed she didn't make any staff members cry.

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"THIS IS ABSOLUTELY OUTRAGEOUS! I DEMAND TO SPEAK WITH SOMEONE! NOW!"

"Mrs. Longbottom, I understand you are upset, but this is what's best for Alice."

"This is what's best. This is what's best?" the older woman challenged, gesturing to Alice Longbottom angrily.