See If I Care

21

They landed outside their cottage and quietly made their way inside. They had no idea if Remus would be up or not and didn't want to wake him if he was asleep. The house was dark, and they silenced their footsteps as they moved to their bedroom. They undressed quickly, flopping on their bed, allowing the exhaustion to overcome them.

The next morning brought even more anticipation. Alex woke to the sun shining down on them and the thought of what the day would bring. They knew that today would be a big day. Today, they were meeting with Head Healer Eildur to discuss the improved wolfsbane that they had created and to hear about how the Longbottom's recovery. They had been given the potion on the 22nd, five days ago. If the potion was going to work, some improvements would have already begun to show, and Alex was eager to hear if they had.

Alex had a quick breakfast before Remus held out a piece of ribbon.

"Healer Eildur has set up a room for the meeting. This ribbon is a portkey and will take us directly to the room. No one will disrupt us during the meeting, Healer Eildur has assured me of that. She understands your want for privacy. The portkey activates at 9, which is in 3 minutes." Alex looked up.

"I'll be right back. I forgot to grab the wolfsbane potion, recipe and notes about results. I'll just run and get them." Alex didn't wait for Remus to reply, running up the stairs to grab their potions trunk. It held phials of all the potions they had made, for themselves or for the hospital, along with the recipes and any information about the results. They quickly shrunk the trunk, placing it in their pocket before running back down the stairs.

They came to a stop, grabbing hold of the ribbon that Remus was still holding out. They quickly composed themselves, it hadn't been a very far run after all. They looked up to see Remus grinning down at them.

"That was quite a fast trip. Are the potion ok?" he asked. Alex nodded. Seeing the slight confusion on his face they quickly explained.

"The trunk has multiple cushioning charms on it, as well as all the phials having unbreakable spells placed on them to prevent shattering or anything." It seemed like Remus was going to reply, but before he could, a jerking sensation pulled them out of their house.

They landed in a room, empty of people except for one. Head Healer Eildur was seated on one armchair, opposite a two-seater couch. There was a rug on the floor, making the stone floors seem less imposing and strict. The walls were bare, allowing the untouched wood to be seen. Alex followed Remus over to the couch, sitting down beside him.

"It's good to finally meet you in person Alex. I am Mary Eildur, the Head Healer at St Mongos. I am quite impressed with your work," Healer Eildur said, holding her hand out for Alex to shake. Alex took it.

"I am simply glad that you have excepted my potions. I was unsure if you would, considering my age."

"Well, after seeing your masteries in both Herbology and Potions, as well as your completed Healing course, there was no reason to not except them. Remus tells me that you have another one that you have had for a while?" Alex smiled, nodding.

"Yes. I made some improvements to the wolfsbane potion after moving in with Remus. I haven't wanted to make it public in case anyone tried to recreate it themselves. It is a difficult potion, some potions masters would probably struggle with it and it could be disastrous if made wrong. Also, one of the ingredients is quite rare, while another is borderline illegal," Alex said while looking down at their hands. They felt sheepish that they hadn't shared the discovery with anyone, considering exactly what it did.

"I can understand your reasoning. However, if you would be happy to provide phials instead of the recipe, we would be happy to except that. Do you have any research or notes from the results?" Alex pulled their potions trunk out of their pocket, setting it on the ground before enlarging it again. They opened the lid and pulled out the six phials of wolfsbane that they had made. They then pulled out multiple pieces of parchment which they handed to Healer Eildur.

"Those are the results from the testing, as well as some of the research I conducted prior to creating the potion. I have these six phials from the first batch I made. The recipe I follow creates enough for 8 phials," they explained, while watching Healer Eildur read through the testing results.

"These notes definitely show that the potion works, not that I doubted it. Remus also explained what it did. Would I be able to take those six phials. We have a few patients that have recently come in due to werewolf bites. If you are able to provide more, I will see about contacting known werewolves about it." She looked up from the notes and smiled at Alex. "You show a lot of potential with the way your mind works." Alex blushed slightly from the praise.

"Thank you. I just enjoy helping people. It will be a while before I am able to bring a second batch of the potion. The ingredients need to be picked at different times than they normally do, and I am unsure of how long it will take me to gather them. I will have some ready by the Easter holidays hopefully. Summer holidays at the latest."

"Now, about the Longbottom's. We moved them to a private room and haven't allowed any visits, saying that we are trying a new approach. We have been monitoring them and improvements are definitely evident. Alice and Frank began to recognised each other after the second day, and begun talking again this morning."

"That's wonderful. I am glad that the potion is working. By the end of the week, they should have fully regained their minds and memories of their lives before the attack. I am unsure of how much they will remember from these ten years, however. When are you thinking of making the announcement?" Alex inquired.

"We will be telling their family at the end of the week. I would like to give the family time together before announcing the news. It will probably be announced when the Alice and Frank are released, which should be the end of the holidays or the first week of the new school term." Alex nodded. That sounded good.

"It sounds like you have everything worked out then Healer Eildur. Thank you for meeting with us." Remus said. He stood up and Alex followed his lead.

"It was a pleasure. Expect the payment to be in your vault by the end of the week, for both the Longbottom's potion and the Wolfsbane." Healer Eildur smiled from where she remained seated. Alex nodded, taking hold of Remus hand.

"We'll be in contact," Remus said, before apparating both himself and Alex back to their house.