Magic At St. Mungo's

In Which I Nail My Interview

"You were 16 minutes late this morning. I trust this is not a habit of yours?"

Apparently we were jumping straight into the interview. "No ma'am," I squirmed. "I had a bit of trouble with the portrait."

She took off her glasses and sighed. "That ruddy monk. I will have to go talk to him. Second time this week."

Glaring at the paper in front of her, she took a sip of her tea. "So you are Emily?"

"Yes ma'am. I'm Emily Priestly."

"Why do you want this job, Emily?"

I leaned back and started the speech I had drilled into my head three weeks earlier. "I think I would make a good nurse because of my quick aptitude for healing charms and brewing potions, and my natural work ethic and flair for efficiency."

Agnes frowned at me. "Why do you really want this job?"

My shoulders slumped. "I don't know. I've just always imagined myself as a healer. I like it. I want to...help people."

Agnes nodded. "That's what I wanted to hear. Now, according to your file, you've done well in school. An O in Charms, Potions, and Herbology. Exactly what we look for in a healer. Now what house were you in at school?"

"Slytherine, ma'am."

She nodded. "A loyal house indeed. I've found that usually Hufflepuffs are the best at this job, with their natural temperament, but you just might be an exception. After all, one of our best healers, Draco Malfoy, graduated from Slytherine house."

I suppressed the sigh of relief. "Pardon my asking, but what house did you graduate from, ma'am?"

She looked at me softly. "Gryffindor."

I must have looked surprised because she laughed. "Not all of us are cut out for lives of glory, Emily. I prefer to work here, in the shadows."

"And one more question?"

"Yes?"

"Who is that girl in all these pictures?" I asked, pointing to the shattered photo of the laughing girl. She smiled at me and waved, but kept dancing just out of my reach. Agnes pulled out her wand and in two seconds the picture looked like I had never even come into this office.

She smiled sadly. "That was my daughter, Andi. She was always a happy child, but during her last year of school, she grew...well, distant. After she finished, she left home. I haven't heard of her since."

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright." Agnes picked the picture up. "Sometimes the hardest people to reach are the ones that are closest to you."

She studied the picture for one more minute before returning to me and my interview. Picking up my file, she muttered something and the papers reorganized themselves and the file snapped shut. "I think that concludes our interview."

She took her wand and pointed it at a blank piece of paper. It slowly began to transform, growing smaller and thicker. The picture of me from my file appeared, grinning sheepishly. And right next to it were the words Emily Priestly, Healer Trainee.

She gave it to me. "Welcome to Saint Mungo's. I'll see you tomorrow morning, 8:00 sharp."

I squealed so loud that the papers on her desk flew up.

"Yes! Thank you so much! I'm finally a healer!"