To Miranda Storm, this was one of the strangest times of year. For years, she’d hated Christmas. Jonathon Elliot’s death had left every Christmas with her daughter feeling forced and empty. Before his death, she’d been forced to feel guilt for having to work over the festive period. Now, Christmas had a different meaning to Miranda. This time last year, she had been in a potion induced coma for 2 weeks, waking to find the hospital that she’d led for seven months had been plunged into chaos. For Christmas that year, she’d agreed to get away with Ignan to Norway and returned a married woman.

For the past couple of weeks, patient families had come in to mourn on the anniversary of so many unnecessary deaths. Miranda had remained in her office for far more time than was usual. The Head Healer was normally a very well-known face around the hospital. She did daily walks around of the wards, talking to patient and staff. She had her own long term patients on the fourth floor, and stepped in regularly when a ward was a healer down. but there was something disturbingly unsettling about coming face to face with the relatives of those that didn’t survive something that she’d missed. It was her hospital that had failed their loved ones.

It was fairly late in the afternoon when Delilah Snardsworthy popped her head around the door into her boss’ office.
“Healer Marrowbone for you, Miranda.” She explained. Miranda looked up from her notes on the progress their potions and herbology lab was making. She took a quick drag of her cigarette and nodded.

The Head Healer was tapping her cigarette over her ashtray when the giant of a witch stepped through the door into the large bright office. Healer Athena Marrowbone. About 8 years her junior and a very experienced member of staff. This witch, however, also had strong opinions.

“Healer Marrowbone.” Miranda didn’t get up, or even look up. She continued to peer down through her glasses at the sheet of parchment in front of her. She took another drag of her cigarette.

Not a lot of formality separated Storm and Marrowbone. Storm found it useless and Marrowbone found it tedious. Besides, Marrowbone had worked hard to cultivate a reputation that meant it wasn't expected from her. She was one of Mungo's best healers and she knew it - if anyone was irritated they could eat it.

"Ey up," Athena said taking over one of the guest chairs. She leaned back and crossed her legs casually. Her sleeves were rolled up and her tattoos were moving about. A scarab flickered its wings, an anatomical heart beat quietly.

"Didje hear about Brucey Ballentyne? Gave her the all-clear to head back to work. Alex Carter twisted his head on straight and made her head of the Werewolf Wing."

It had only been a couple years since the Werewolf Wing had existed at all. It was 2008 when Carter's predecessor Covadonga Gertrudis reshuffled Level Four to consolidate all the werewolf matters. It had been actually helpful for the First Floor here at St. Mungo's only having to deal with one office, instead of dancing around between Beasts and Beings. The WCU whined about it for awhile, sharing space with the mentor programme and that, but eh, they could eat it, too.

Dark eyes snapped up at the mention of her brother. Alec, the youngest of her older brothers was the current head of level 4 at the ministry. A former dragon tamer turned bureaucrat. She’d rather preferred him when he still lived in Norway with his little family. Unfortunately, it also turned out that her brother was a cheating wizard with a penchant for pretty witches.

“Bruce Ballentyne?” She had to recall, took a moment to do so. “Former head of WCU?” she briefly remembered the case coming into St Mungo’s, but she’d been working Spell Damage for a brief spell at the time. It had been all the talk though; Head of the Werewolf Capture Unit being taken down by that which she hunted. An ironic tale with a gruesome conclusion. Marrowbone had seen the case through and continued to check up on this particular patient. They all had them; those patients that stuck with them.

“A werewolf in charge of the Werewolf Wing?” She took a drag of her cigarette, blowing the smoke out slowly and sitting back in her chair. “Bold move.” Her brother had also been bold. Their whole family were big believers in ‘go big or go home’.

Oh, did she have her attention now? Athena smirked to herself and crossed one leg over the other. Athena never showed up in her boss's office looking for warm welcomes or cuddles or job-well-dones or oh-do-tells. Lacking that, the next best thing was any other kind of reaction, just getting her to look up from her work for more than a few seconds.

"Former head of WCU"

Athena nodded. "Yep," she said and popped the 'p'.

'Bold move.'

"That's one word for it," Athena agreed. She wouldn't hide her appreciation, she adored Bruce and who better to run werewolf affairs than someone who a) knew the office like the back of her hand, and b) had first-hand knowledge of the lives of their constituents.

"Natural choice, really. I mean, think about it. Was having a chat with her while poking at that leg the other day and she had a 'bold' idea." Athena shot her eyebrows up and smiled bigger on the emphasis word.

"She reckons to reduce the count of WCU getting chewed on by dropping a healer in with the full moon patrol. Who the bloody hell would mad enough to do that?"

Natural choice was not a way Miranda would describe her brother’s decision to hire a werewolf to run the division that was supposed to support and regulate werewolf legislation. It would be like her hiring a permanently demented wix as Healer-in-Charge of the permanent spell damage ward.

Ballentyne, too, happened to have a bold idea. Lots of bold ideas going around at the moment, weren’t there? Miranda took another drag of her cigarette. She felt she rather needed it.

“Let me guess.” She rose an eyebrow. Not a difficult guess, really. “You’ve not been Healer-in-Charge for more than 2 minutes and you want to, quite literally, go throwing yourself to the wolves?” She sounded unimpressed. It was expected to have the Charge of the 2nd Floor on duty on a full moon. Miranda herself had done enough years of it. She understood the attraction, however. There was a certain thrill to field healing. It was an exciting challenge and a brilliant development opportunity for skills.

“You work for St Mungo’s, Athena.”

Athena smirked. She could have walked in here and asked for anything and Miranda would have said no. At least at first, Athena had only ever known to be contrary - not for the sake of it, but she wanted to be convinced. It was a pain in Athena's arse sometimes, but the hospital hadn't burned down, had it?

"I work for my patients, Mandy," she retorted. "You know, the ones with extra holes in them? All bleedy and screamin'? I mean right, keeping First Floor in bandages and Wolfsbane Potion under your righteous leadership is a great part of the gig, but what are we really here for? Patch 'em up, put e'm back together."

Athena knew Miranda was going to approve. She'd just have to earn it. Athena laced her fingers behind her head and smiled.

"I wouldn't do it if I didn't trust Bruce and her people. Don't worry, no one'll chew me up. If it makes you better, I'll pre-fill the paperwork just in case, then you won't have to bother."

"I work for my patients, Mandy," Marrowbone said. Storm’s gaze hardened significantly, a look crossing her features that threatened imminent pain should she choose to use that particular moniker once more. Mandy was the name of a middle aged plump woman whose favourite cardigan was one that she’d knitted herself. Mandy was the name of a witch who baked cupcakes and had six children whose names all started with the same letter. Mandy was not the name of the Head Healer of St Mungo’s. Athena clearly wanted to be relieved of her position here in the hospital.

It didn’t matter what Marrowbone had to say really. Not after her over familiarisation with the name Mandy. Nope, Miranda had stopped listening, too furious, too disdainful. She took a long, hard final drag of her cigarette before putting it out in the ashtray.

“Call me Mandy again, and you’ll be looking elsewhere for a full-time job.” The Head Healer finally said. One person here got to call her ‘Andy’ because they were old school friends, they’d known one another for almost 40 years. Athena? Nope. She was not that important to have such liberties. She may have been good, but she was still expendable.

“So what, you go out on the hunt with your healer bag, and patch up the hunters when they get mauled for being overzealous adrenaline junkies?” She didn’t look impressed. “What happens if it’s your blood they like the smell of?” In one sentence she’d threatened sacking, in the next she’d expressed concern (because yes, for Miranda Storm, that was concern) for her life.

Marrowbone knew Storm's buttons. Maybe not wise to jab at her when she wanted something from her, but she could stand to lighten up. Life was too short - and she should know that - to be a grouse. However when Storm threatened to fire her, Athena raised her hands in quiet surrender. She knew her buttons, but also when to back off.

Athena considered Storm's accusatory evaluation of what the reality of the field could be; shecouldn't help but try to get a read on her emotions from the inside. But when she did, she just found a very deliberate void.  She lifted her eyebrows. Well, that was new. She felt like she'd missed a stair. No tricks then, a bit disappointing.

"It wouldn't be like that. It's about emergency measures. Someone there specifically to get the victim stabilized enough to Apparate and then get them out. Capture Unit already has training but when things get hairy," pun intended, " they can't be pulling their wands off a werewolf to see to their mate. Not like I'm going to be in the tangle if I can help it. It's about seconds, Miranda. Green sparks used to be enough, but it takes time. And these ... direwolves, they're calling them, they're smarter. "

A smile came to Athena's face again, the same smile she always had when she was excited for something insane. "You know I'm the best for this."

Fortunately, Miranda had been taking regular sessions with Yavin Morgenthau on setting up barriers in her mind. Clearly, this came in handy today when she felt Athena lingering on the outskirts. Sneaky. Bold, but sneaky. While she did narrow her eyes ever so slightly with her gaze directed at the Healer, she chose not to comment on the attempted infiltration. Miranda Storm, for all her acting unimpressed and setting hard rules on her staff, liked boldness. You didn’t get far in life if you weren’t bold. It was why she tolerated, perhaps even liked Athena Marrowbone. The healer may have been bouncy and bubbly and everything that Storm was not, but she was good and she was bold. She took risks. Risks made a good healer.

“I know where you’re best, Athena.” She retorted coolly. “That’s on the first floor on the busiest night of every month.” Did she understand the suggestion and Marrowbone’s enthusiasm for it? Completely. It was the sort of thing Miranda may have jumped for years ago. Was she happy to just let her Head of Creature Injuries out with the WCU on a full moon? Nope. Nada. Not one bit.

Without explaining herself, Miranda picked up her wand and flicked it at the office door, blowing it open. A few seconds later, Snardsworthy was at the door.
“Miranda?”
“I need a coffee. And one of those nice muffins. You know the ones with the snowman on top? That was nice.”

Delilah nodded and pulled the door shut. Miranda’s brown eyes fell once more on her colleague.
“Convince me.” She said with a shrug. “You have until my snowman muffin arrives.”

Athena looked almost offended. Convince her? What did Storm think she'd been doing? What more did she want? Athena knew the answer to that - she just wanted to be difficult. Athena had expected this but clearly Storm was in a worse mood than she'd guess. Wonderful. Just peachy. How merry. Athena leaned forward in the chair, elbows on her knees, unfazed by the muffinteruption.

"Reight then. Point by point. Ye want to know who's going to staff the werewolf wing while I'm gone. How about the deep bench of Healers who I've been training up to be excellent? It'll serve them well, too. Bit of leadership never hurt anyone. And if I'm needed back, I'm a Patronus away, innit?"

"Second," she ticked away on her next finger. "Who's it going to help? I'll tell you. Seconds save lives. We know that. We see it every time, and not just with the Capture Unit. There are victims at these scenes and the WCU doesn't always have time to split their attention to become medics. We could make a difference."

"Third," she ticked away on her third finger. "You love me very much and don't want to see me come to any harm. I appreciate that. But look at me.  Not a puppy dog, am I? I'll be fine. And at that, it's my risk to take. I want to do this."

She sat back and lifted her hands like 'voila'. But there was a fourth.

"Not to mention, donors are going to love this. Take some attention away from what's going on with you and Morgenthau."

Point one made sense. There were other healers to staff the ward in her absence. But Athena’s job was to oversee them.

Point two? Completely true. Members of the WCU were trained with basic knowledge. Quick field trauma techniques. Nothing more. Their priority, Miranda knew, was to eliminate threat. That meant a focus on the werewolf. She’d treated enough werewolf hunters in her time on the 2nd floor to know that.

Point three was ridiculous.

Point four had merit.

Miranda glanced past Athena Marrowbone to the clock on the wall. Her snowman muffin would be a while off yet. Delilah wasn’t that fast and the café was on the top floor.

“I’d really rather not train up another Healer-in-Charge when you get ripped apart in the woods. The expense would be eye watering.” Did that mean she cared? One could take it as they liked. “The budget is tight enough without paying your family compensation because I sent you out to spread your insides on the forest floor.”

“I suppose we can trial it.” Once, and Marrowbone may be asking to not do it again. She’d been called to the field before, but not to take part in the hunt. It certainly wasn’t something Miranda would ever have jumped at.

Athena stood up and rolled up her sleeves. She looked smug as shit.

"I knew ye were a kitten," she said. "Pointy, sure, but soft through and through."

She knew Storm was all business and there wouldn't be friendly meandering chit-chat now that business was done. She'd got what she wanted and hopefully left Storm with some kind of satisfaction.

"Thanks, boss. Merry Christmas. Best to that husband of yours."

With that, Marrowbone rapped her knuckles on the desk, gave the Head Healer another nod, and went on her way.

Fin