Harry Potter One Shots (Vol. I)

If I Know You (Terence Higgs)

This was supposed to be up yesterday, but for some reason the website wouldn't let me post it. Better late than never I guess ~

My life had begun to revolve around visits to St. Mungo's. I was spending more time in this hospital than I was in my own home.

It seemed like I was in the hospital more than out of it and it was a conscious decision on my part because I wanted to spend as much time with my sister as possible during her stay. I didn't want her getting lonely. Although she would never mention it to me, I knew just how lonely she got within the hospital and how much she missed home. Who wouldn't? Yes, she'd made friends here and yes, the staff were endlessly kind towards her and their other patients, but it still wasn't home. She simply couldn't get as comfortable here as she could at home. But she didn't seem to like with how much time I spent by her bedside, seeing it as pointless.

Maggie had told me just as much. She'd insisted that I stopped wasting my time and I couldn't seem to work out a way to convince her that spending time at her bedside wasn't a waste of my time but she simply wouldn't listen. Helga, she could be so unbelievably stubborn at times. And so, I'd had to think of more creative excuses to see her.

It was down to good luck that I'd found out that one of my colleagues from work devoted her time to reading to patients in the hospital and I decided to sign up to volunteer as well. In this small way, I managed to do some good whilst visiting my sister as well. At least this way she couldn't nag me for being in the hospital.

After having done my scheduled two hours of reading to patients on the older adult's wing, I packed my things up and said goodbye to the patients, promising that I would return as soon as I could to see them all once again. I received several parting greetings as well as wishes for my sister that made my heart feel ten times lighter.

Once I made it out of the ward, I turned instantly towards the children's ward and made a slight detour and stopped by the hospital gift shop. Buying enough chocolate to make my arms hurt, I carried them the rest of the way to the children's ward and greeted the receptionist at the front of the ward. Recognising my face and giving me a warm smile, she realised that my hands were full and signed in for me. I paused for a moment at the desk and after I double checked that the other children my sister shared a room with were allowed to eat chocolate, I thanked the older witch once more and headed to her room.

Entering without bothering to announce myself, I greeted all 8 children in the room as a whole and they cheered. Whether that was for me or the chocolate I didn't know but I still went around delivering my small gifts to both the children and to their parents who were stationed at their bedsides and clearly needed a sugar boost. Finally reaching Maggie's bed, I handed her the chocolate frog that I'd picked up especially for her and she accepted it easily.

"You don't even bother to greet me anymore," I teased, watching with a pleased smile as she undid the wrapping around the box.

She hadn't seemed so excited about anything in a very long time and just seeing the way the smile lit her face when she came across her card was enough to drive me to tears. Not that I would let her see it. Her smile was enough to ease whatever worries I'd had today.

"I got Harry Potter!" she exclaimed, holding the card out to me as if to prove that she hadn't lied.

She was so excited about getting his card that she paid no heed to her frog which almost jumped away. I grabbed it quickly before she lost sight of it and held it out towards Maggie. With a slightly embarrassed smile, she accepted it and the frog fell still in her hands.

"You'll never guess what," Maggie started as she began to eat her chocolate frog. She offered me some but I declined, settling instead for standing over her bed and undoing the braids in her hair. Grabbing the brush from the bag of toiletries I'd brought with me, I started to slowly brush the braids out. "Are you even listening to me?"