For the first day of classes, Celeste wasn't sure what to expect regarding students coming in the Hospital Wing. Of course, every day with her job was always unpredictable, which was something she knew going into the profession after graduating from Hogwarts. In her experience, she had days that would either go smoothly or terribly wrong, always on her feet to get the job done. While it was exhausting either way, Celeste still found enjoyment in helping people, and that was all that mattered to her.
As the morning went by, both Celeste and Madam Pomfrey spent time on handling illnesses and injuries from students, most of which involved dealing with nerves on the first day and attempting to perform spells without any supervision from professors, specifically, spells they hadn't been taught yet. Celeste figured she would see this from first year students, but she was quite surprised that the ones coming in with magical-related wounds were mostly older students. It reminded her of the Marauders and the Runaways, to which they all came to her first to see if she could deal with it first before going to the Hospital Wing as a last resort, trying to avoid getting into trouble for whatever they were up to. Celeste was usually able to get it resolved with her healing abilities, but there were a few exceptions that were beyond her control, with James and Sirius being involved in those the majority of the time. However, members of the Runaways weren't so innocent, either, but at least they were smarter than the Marauders when it came to getting away with things.
Things began to slow down as the afternoon was rolling around, which Celeste was happy about. So far, everything was going well with getting students in and out of the Hospital Wing in a timely manner. It was when Hagrid came rushing in as he carried a Slytherin boy in his arms, to which Celeste quickly got a cot ready for him as she saw the blond's head hanging off the edge of Hagrid's big arms, quietly whimpering.
"What happened, Hagrid?" Celeste asked, trying to remain calm.
"That bloody chicken of his attacked me!" the boy cried out, clutching his arm as he was placed on the cot.
"Oh, crikey, it's jus' a scratch, like I already told yeh," Hagrid stated. "Mr. Malfoy got a little too close to Buckbeak. I tried to warn him to stay away. Hippogriffs can get offended very easily, yeh know."
"Yes, they're not to be messed with," Celeste commented, letting out a sigh as she was examining his arm a bit closer. "Well, let me just take a look at your arm and see about getting it fixed up."
"Oh, please don't tell me you'll have to chop it off," he whined.
Celeste had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at his comment, knowing almost immediately that he was without a doubt Lucius Malfoy's son.
"Calm down, Mr. Malfoy," Madam Pomfrey intervened with a couple of potions in her hand. "From the looks of it, you probably just have a scratch like Hagrid said. Healer Rhodes will have you out of here in no time."
The boy impatiently rolled his eyes. "Wait until my father hears about this," he mumbled.
Celeste went ahead and carefully placed his injured arm in a sling, though even with her delicate hands, the boy still winced and grunted in pain every time she moved his arm for adjustment. While finishing up, she warned him about using his arm too much, wanting him to be cautious of it due to a risk of hurting it even more. She wasn't sure if he was actually listening to her the entire time, but she hoped he didn't come crying back to her because of it. If that were the case, then maybe she would leave him for Madam Pomfrey to deal with.
After the Malfoy boy left the Hospital Wing, that gave Celeste the perfect opportunity to sit and relax for a bit while having some lunch before anyone else came in. She was content with being able to enjoy her sandwich without any interruptions, with the exception of Madam Pomfrey coming back after being out of the wing for a moment to gather more herbs and potions for their cabinet.
"Rather busy first day here, isn't it?" the older woman spoke up. "Of course, that's normal with students thinking they already know everything there is about magic."
"So nothing's really changed for you with the students, has it?" Celeste inquired.
"Certainly not." She paused to let out a chuckle. "And they always find out soon enough there's a lot more to it than just waving wands and casting spells."
Celeste smiled at this. While she enjoyed the classes that involved her wand and spells, she was drawn to the other aspect of magic that involved potions, to which something about it was very calming to her, and knowing she could help people with her talent was also a plus. Even though she had to use a spell every now and then to fix a broken bone or a charm gone wrong, it wasn't as relaxing as brewing a variety of potions was.
The Hospital Wing was steady after lunch, and Celeste tried to pass the time when all the cots were empty, organizing some vials for future droughts and elixirs she and Madam Pomfrey would use for later. As the afternoon slowly went by, Madam Pomfrey offered Celeste a small break, to which she accepted, heading out the wing for a stroll in the corridors. She weaved past the crows of students going in all directions, the sound of talking and laughing bouncing off the stone walls. It was becoming a bit overwhelming for her, but she kept walking, anyway, taking the stairs to the second floor. All of a sudden, she thought about how Remus was handling his first day as a professor, so she decided to go up the next flight of steps to the third floor, heading for his classroom. The walk there wasn't too long, for when she heard his voice coming from the next classroom she was about to pass, Celeste slowed down, leaning against the wall as she listened to him speaking.
"So remember to go over the first two chapters in your copy of Standard Book of Spells before our next lesson!" he announced. "Be sure to take notes while you're reading! See you next class!"
Hearing the students shuffle out of their seats and hurrying out the door, Celeste patiently waited for a moment, watching as the kids filed out of the classroom and walking down the hall. Once they were all out, she stood in the doorway, finding Remus placing a few books on the front table, along with getting some parchments stacked in a neat pile, humming to the jazz music playing on his record player by the window.
"Hello there, Professor," she greeted him, entering the classroom.
Remus stopped humming and turned around, a smile coming across his face once he saw Celeste. "Hey," he replied. "How's your first day going?"
"Oh, you know, as expected with students casting spells and charms that end up going wrong," she explained.
"And how many of them do you think I sent to the Hospital Wing?" he asked, his voice playful.
"Believe it or not, I think most of the accidents happened outside of the classroom," she said, letting out a small laugh afterwards. "Although, Hagrid did have one injury during one of his classes. I had to tend to Cordelia's nephew this afternoon. Poor boy thought his arm would have to come off from a Hippogriff scratch."
Remus rolled his eyes at the sound of the name. "Of course, Lucius' son is just as dramatic as he is. Must be a family trait." He paused when he realized what he had said, his face turning guilty. "Oh, I...I didn't mean Cordelia is--"
"No, it's fine," Celeste assured him. "She managed to not get that trait from her family, thank Merlin."
When it came to Lucius and Cordelia, the two were very different, both taking opposite paths that led them farther away from each other. Though with Lucius being a few years older, they hardly saw each other while attending Hogwarts. It wasn't until after the Order of the Phoenix was formed that Cordelia began to keep a close eye on her brother, always taking notes of his visits to the Ministry and reporting them, despite the risk of being caught and causing more issues among her family.
With the awkwardness setting in, Remus cleared his throat, scratching the back of his head. "So, uh, any other crazy Hospital Wing stories that happened today?"
Celeste quickly shook her head. "No, just that one. How about you? Any brave souls try some spells behind your back?"
"Not yet," he said, adding a little chuckle. "But I'm sure that will happen soon with what I'll be teaching them in the upcoming weeks."
"Well, just don't forget to duck when they come your way," she retorted in a joking manner.
"I'll keep that in mind." His smile remained as he gathered some of the books and parchments from the table.
Celeste briefly watched him, trying to think of what else to say when she fixed her attention towards the record player, the music still faintly playing. She concentrated on the sound, swaying her head back side to side as she tuned out the noise coming from the corridor. Next, she found herself tapping her fingers along the desk, starting to hum to the catchy tune. It reminded her years ago of when Remus told her one night that this type of music relaxed him before and after a full moon. Of course, with one coming up very soon, it made sense as to why he was listening to it now, realizing that he was preparing himself for that night, and Celeste's heart sank at the thought of it, causing her to stop swaying her head and tapping her fingers.
"Why'd you stop?"
Celeste turned her head to see Remus now facing her again, looking amused, which made her a bit flustered knowing that he was watching her this whole time. "I, um...I was just messing around, that's all." She couldn't bear to mention the real reason, knowing he wouldn't want her pity.
"Enjoying yourself, huh?" He walked towards her, extending his hand out. "How about a quick dance before my next class?"
"Oh, no." She shook her head, letting out a nervous laugh. "I actually don't know how to dance."
"Neither do I," he said. "We can learn as we go along."
"Remus--"
He raised his eyebrows the closer he got to her. "You're telling me that you don't mind dealing with all the nasty cases of dragon pox and splinches but a few dance moves freak you out."
"They don't freak me out," she protested. "I'd just rather not make a fool of myself while attempting it."
"There's nothing wrong with being a fool sometimes," he pointed out. "Especially if you're having fun with it."
"It's all fun and games until I fall flat on my arse and hurt myself."
Another chuckle came out of Remus. "I'll make sure that doesn't happen."
But before Celeste could respond, the music stopped, followed by the sound of students entering the classroom as they talked among their friend groups while looking for a place to sit.
Letting out a sigh, she gave Remus a sad smile, shrugging her shoulders. "Looks like we have to get back to work."
"It appears we do. Maybe another time, yeah?"
"You're really not going to forget, are you?"
"Not a chance." He winked her way, still grinning. "I'll see you later, Celeste."
"See you later, Remus." With one last smile and wave, Celeste turned around and headed out of the classroom, strolling down the corridors once again, wondering if she should consider taking a few dance lessons just for him.
A/N: Ayeee, new chapter! This was more of a filler since I decided to change some ideas around, (which is also why the chapter is so short because I had no idea how to end it oof).
Anyway, what did y'all think?
Comment, vote, more to come soon!
-A