Arc gave him a look - for both the frown and the sudden enthusiasm - but bent sideways to pull open the last drawer behind his desk. He set a leather-bound notebook on the table and shut the drawer resolutely.

"I want you to note down your daily sleeping patterns in here," he said, pushing it towards Johann across his desk. "Every two weeks, you need to come back and give me the book so I can read through it and talk it over with you. You can come to the flat if you want, I'm not getting paid for this," here he waved a hand dismissively in the air, "but if you feel that it's more private, and I have more time to read through the book without all the distractions the hospital provides, then so be it. Or, you can owl me the book and come in here when I reply your owl if I need you."

He looked down at the book. "Please don't lie and say you had a good night's sleep if you didn't. If you take sleeping potion, write down when, what time and what it was. If at any point you forget for more than two days, the book will remind you. The Reminder Charm on it has several different reminders to keep you on your toes...no, I confess, I was bored while charming the book." Arc shrugged, his tone dryly amused. "And if you try to damage or change the book in any way other than writing in it, the book will immediately make its way back to me and I'll send you a summons through the Ministry if I have to. I don't want it to come to that, so don't push me to it."

The healer shut the St Mungo's file and pushed it to one side of his desk. "You don't need to worry about this one. I can deal with that more than adequately. Worry about yourself, and you telling your mother. If she needs confirmation or wants to ask questions, I can take an appointment with her any time - just send a letter my way and I'll make time for her.

"And I hope that we can find the answers we need, somehow." The healer twiddled his fingers. "Somehow. All I can see is a huge amount of work for the both of us, but I think we can get to the end of the tunnel."

Arcturus was still rightfully studying him with scepticism. Johann's interest to provide data was bound to trigger a little suspicion since he had been so unwilling before. But it was more that they had reached an impasse a few minutes before, and they needed to move past it. He hadn't anticipated Arcturus would have something exactly prepared for this requirement.

His fingers reached out for the book - always strangely fascinated by stationery. He drew it to the back edge of his friend's desk, and ran his fingers along the edges. The midnight blue cover was blank and had no identifying title.
"You can come to the flat if you want, I'm not getting paid for this," Johann frowned at Arc's tendency to mention whether he was being paid or not to discuss things. He didn't need Arcturus to go out of his way to help.

As he began to give instructions on what to record, Johann flipped open the first few pages to study the pages. They were of a good weight, it was a proper log, of a quality that quietly demanded it be treated well and filled in carefully. Arcturus had chosen well, he had seen enough of Johann's books and papers in their months together to know the sort he tended to with care.

"Please don't lie," Arcturus instructed, and Johann glanced up. He didn't have to say anything, but his conveyed 'Who? Me?' The more the Healer explained of the charms on the book the more his eyebrows raised.

"Maybe not the flat," He told Arcturus, though not elaborating on why. "Want to be sure I'm recording it right. Here is fine. Keep me incentivised to take it seriously enough." He glanced up, the journal open in his hands, "Some days I'm not able to be so reasonable."

Johann reached inside his jacket for a good quality quill to note the key points Arcturus requested he should record on the first page. His handwriting adopted an even pace rather than his note-taking hand as Arcturus assured him he would take care of the St Mungo's paperwork and that Johann should worry about himself and a conversation with his mother.

"I will let her know. Thanks, mate. Never shy of work. I hope to make it worth your while." He blew gently on the ink to dry it before he closed it, leaving it on the desk. He rooted into his bag to find a brown envelope full of forms for Arcturus. Johann extended it over the desk before swapping it for the journal.

"Those are done, unless you need to query something with me. I've marked where you need to sign, and left you a note on what to do with them." He slid his bag back to the floor.

"I best let you get on." He uttered quietly, a gentle smile on his face. "Bit of a queue outside, puzzles you can solve."

"Fine then, here it will be." Arcturus took the forms with a nod. "I'll see to these later, when I haven't got a boatload of patients waiting for me outside the door."

He turned his head towards the door when Johann mentioned "puzzles you can solve", as if looking out towards the people he'd just mentioned. That was true, it would be easier although he'd have to put up with people and their mishaps. Solving people's mishaps. Well, the job description certainly didn't include that, but it did come with the territory and somebody solved his own mishap in return.

A lifetime's worth of paying back, including this man in front of him.

He looked back at Johann. "So remember, every two weeks. I hope to hear something from your mother soon enough, if not next week. If I don't hear from you, I might just have to put a summons through the Ministry." He eyed Johann. "But I trust you not to, as much as that may be a stupid thing to do. Because I believe you can make it out of your current situation. It sounds like a fool's wish, but," he rolled his eyes up to the ceiling, "I believe in you."

After a minute he looked back down at Johann and smiled for the first time during the entire meeting. "You little tit."

"Healer Hollingbury!" Johann replied, with mock offence, a hand over his heart. "I am so cut!"

But he mirrored the smile genuinely. It induced a much more positive feeling than he had felt ever while inside of this office. Even though he wasn't sure how he was going to achieve it, at least the next fortnight's tasks did not seem entirely impossible. It was something. He only worried that Arcturus would find the journal far more worrying and puzzling than he had the verbal explanation.

At the humour he put his feet together and got up from the chair, pulling it back to its original position with one hand as he rounded it.
"Thank you." He extended a hand to Arcturus to shake. Perhaps a little formal, but conveying the sincerity. No more hugs for Hollingbury for a while, and anyway it didn't seem appropriate. 

End