Work Text:
"What's happened?"
Molly ran alongside several of the Healers at St Mungo's, trying to keep pace with them. She'd heard the commotion and seen everyone running, but no one had yet claimed to know the cause.
"Get to the Spell Damage Ward. Healers Donovan and Firth! Take the trainees into the potions storeroom and grab out–"
"Healer Thompkins! You're needed–"
Molly nearly crashed into Donovan's back as he stopped dead in front of her. She was about to object when she glanced up and caught the look on Thompkins' face.
"Do you think I do not know that I am needed elsewhere in this hospital, Trainee Kirkpatrick? I am currently attempting to coordinate the response teams. I will be there sooner if you would just leave me with two seconds to think."
Molly blinked. Thompkins was one of the Heads of the Department, and she had yet to see her lose her cool. Apparently there was a first time for everything, though. She took an unconscious step backwards as Thompkins whirled around to face the group following her.
"Donovan," she snapped. "Take the trainees and get out of my face."
Molly gratefully followed Donovan, knowing that being in Thompkins' way right at that moment could lead to disaster. She had no idea what they were after in the storeroom, or even why, but that didn't matter. She trailed after Donovan along with three others who had been caught up in the group.
"Alright." Donovan slapped his hands down on the surface of one of the worktable as soon as they were inside. "There's been something happening at one of the Quidditch games. No, I have no idea what or why. What I do know is that we need potions to help fix whatever damage has been done to the victims. Since Healer Thompkins didn't give direct instructions, I'm just going to get you all to make up the basics. Firth, you and Lassiter take the list from group A and start on them. Beckett, you and I will do the same for the list from group B."
Molly looked at him expectantly. She was on her third year of her apprenticeship, and so knew that she was capable of creating almost any potions that needed to be used in the Ward. When Donovan met her eyes, however, there was a sympathy to them.
"Weasley, I'm sorry, but we'll need a runner. We're bound to run out of ingredients at some point, and we'll also need to be kept up-to-date with the situation in the Ward. Think you can do that?"
Holding back a sigh, Molly nodded. This, she knew, was also part of becoming a Healer. There were just some days that you had to take the shitty jobs. She stood back at the door, waiting for instructions.
As she waited, she people-watched. It wasn't unusual for people to be seen rushing through the halls of the Spell Damage Ward. It was one of the places in the hospital that had the most emergencies to deal with, after all. She watched as a young couple exited one of the rooms, happy and smiling. A limping young boy was attempting to keep up with what looked like his older sister as they made their way down the corridor towards the lunchroom. A man exited another room further down the hall, but he looked much sadder than the smiling couple. Molly looked away, feeling almost as though she was invading his privacy. She turned to face the opposite end of the hall, her eyes landing on a woman. Unable to help it, she began to smile.
Pansy Parkinson held herself with the confidence that came with the knowledge that she was likely smarter than most people in the room. Her chin was up, her shoulders back, and she strode down the hall, not paying much attention to anything. People seemed to avoid her automatically, moving around her as she walked. Molly grinned when Pansy looked her way, but was distracted by a call from inside the storeroom.
"Weasley! Can you fetch us some Wolfsbane?"
Donovan was watching her expectantly, waving a bottle of nearly-empty Wolfsbane. She nodded.
"Won't be long."
Molly stepped out into the hall and glanced around. The closest other storeroom was down the opposite end of the hall. She gasped when a hand closed around her upper arm.
"Walk with me, Molly."
Even Pansy's voice was smooth. Molly stumbled as Pansy moved, practically dragging her along with her.
"I need–"
"Oh, I heard Donovan barking orders at you. Come with me, however. My personal stores are much closer."
Molly swallowed. She was just about keeping pace with Pansy as they made their way down the hall, only a step or two behind. Her long black hair swung before Molly's eyes as they moved, and she didn't dare look any lower. She had to assume that Pansy had noticed her little crush – she wasn't clueless, after all – but nothing had been said about it. It was probably best that way, Molly assumed. What was the point in voicing something like that about one of the bosses at work? Or, even worse, to one of the bosses at work? No, it was best that she kept her mouth shut.
"Here we are." Pansy opened a door halfway down the hall and stepped aside. "You come here today if you need anything else, alright?"
With that, she opened a door right next to the first, entered it, and closed it behind her. Molly stood for a few seconds, just staring up at the ingredients in silence. She had had no idea that there was a hidden storeroom just sitting in the hall. But then, that was the point, right? Wouldn't be a secret if everyone knew about it. Shaking her head, she grabbed the Wolfsbane and scurried back to Donovan.
She was sent on several more missions to find ingredients over the next hour or so. She was also grabbed by various other groups working on the mess from the Quidditch game and sent to different parts of the hospital with messages. She even offered to go on a coffee run at one point, which was gratefully accepted. Pansy didn't emerge from her office until halfway through the afternoon, when Molly was heading back to the storeroom with yet another armload of ingredients.
"I do hope my storeroom has proven useful to you today, Molly."
Molly was once again unable to stop herself from grinning. She was certain that she looked like a complete idiot, but really just couldn't help it.
"It really has. Thank you so much. You've saved me a lot of walking today."
Pansy's smile wasn't condescending, but there was something to it that Molly hadn't seen before. She couldn't spare the time to decipher it, however. She had to get the ingredients she was holding back to where they were needed. When Pansy nodded, Molly moved on.
"Come see me before you leave for the day, Molly."
Well, that sent a shiver of worry down her spine. But again, she didn't have time to think about it. She had things to do, and she could already see Firth waving to her from her original storeroom. She dropped the ingredients off and made her way over, ready to follow whatever instruction she was given next.
By the end of the day, her legs were aching and she found herself desperately in need of caffeine. All she really wanted to do was go home and fall into a deep, hot bath. But, she had an appointment with Pansy. Usually she would have been looking forward to it, but not that day. The moments she had spotted Pansy during the day had been little thrills in a shit day, but she suspected that not even speaking with Pansy right now was about to make the day any better.
"Ah, Molly. Come in. Take a seat."
When the door to Pansy's office closed, it blocked out almost all of the noise from the hall. Molly sank gratefully down into one of the chairs before Pansy's desk. She tried not to sag, but knew she had failed by the amusement that lit Pansy's face.
"Tough day?"
Molly nodded. "I don't think I've seen this many people in the Ward before. It's…"
"A little overwhelming?"
There was a touch of sympathy to Pansy's voice. Molly nodded, letting out a breath on a sigh.
"It can be, yeah. Even though I wasn't in the Ward itself, I was just running for the others, it was still bad. I could hear and smell everything from inside, and I saw the family members as well. I…"
It was one of the harder parts of her chosen profession. She knew that some of the people hadn't made it, simply by watching the families as they came and went. When a glass was held in front of her, she didn't even question what was in it. Tilting her head back, she downed it in one breath. Pansy was smiling at her when she placed the glass on the desk.
"Woman after my own heart."
Pansy drank her glass down the same way. Molly watched as her throat worked, then followed the motion of her tongue as it flicked out to taste the drops that lingered on her lips. Pansy smiled at her as she placed her glass on the desk beside Molly's.
"I've taken notice of you recently, you know."
Molly's eyebrows shot up. "Excuse me?"
Pansy's smile widened. "You have a strong work ethic, Molly. It will take you far in this institution."
"I, uh… Thank you?"
When Pansy had first called her into the office, Molly had been worried. Now, she was just confused. And she became even more so when Pansy leant forward on the desk, her eyes glittering with that same something Molly had seen earlier.
"I can see you going far here, Molly." Pansy's voice had lowered, sending a shiver down Molly's spine. "If you need anything – and I mean anything – while you are here, you come to me. Alright?"
The weariness that had overtaken her seemed to evaporate in seconds. Sitting up straighter in the chair, Molly licked her lips.
"Anything?"
Pansy's smile turned wicked. "Anything."
Molly nodded, a tingling going straight through her. She held her hand out as she stood.
"Thank you. I'll, uh… keep that in mind."
Pansy's thumb rubbed slow circles over the back of Molly's hand as they shook. It was difficult focussing on saying goodbye as she left the office, but Molly thought she managed it. It seemed that her work life may be about to get very interesting.