20 February 2012
Monday at 4.30 PM


Emma wrapped up her inventory of the infirmary in much shorter order than she would have preferred. She desperately needed remedies and ingredients. After checking on her sole patient and looking over his chart, she sat at the bare desk in her small office and started a list of everything she wanted to have on hand, separate columns for ingredients and finished potions. In between listing items, Emma sketched ideas for the private ward on another piece of parchment. She didn't have spectacular drawing skills, so her work likely wouldn't mean anything to anyone else.

On top of all of that, the healer handled a first-year's skinned knee from falling off a low-flying broomstick and a fourth-year who claimed to have run into a wall, but looked like he might have eaten a nosebleed nougat.

She found or made files for these patients (noting that she'd have to overhaul the filing system, too) and noted the time, date and treatments.

Emma worked through the day, asking a house elf to bring her lunch when her stomach started grumbling, and felt better about everything by mid-afternoon. She decided that it was the perfect time to try to catch Professor Malfoy in his office before dinner and headed down to the dungeons.

Emma had only visited the potion master's office a few times under its previous inhabitants, usually on an errand from the infirmary.

She knocked on the door firmly and waited for a reply, rocking slightly on her feet and causing her blue plaid skirt and sunny yellow over-robe to sway around her body.

Draco heard the knock on his office door, but didn't have an extra hand to open it as he was in the middle of brewing a Pepper-Up potion and couldn't stop as it was at a critical stage.  "Door's open." he yelled to whomever was on the other side of it, hoping they would hear him and open the door. 

He never set the security wards on the door until after the children were supposed to be in bed, just in case someone had a question... although they never did.  Seems like they were all still wary of him.

Emma heard the faint response from inside the office and pushed open the heavy door.

'Hello? Professor Malfoy?' she called, her Irish lilt pronounced. Emma was surprised to see how different, and almost homey, the office was now. The big, dark furniture definitely gave the room a different feel altogether. It was simply neater and brighter.

But no professor.

'Are ya there?' she called again, peering into every corner. She noticed another doorway and realized that he must be beyond, so she crossed the office and stuck her head inside.

As he put the last ingredient in the potion that he needed to add for a while, the person he assumed had been at the door, poked her head inside.  "Yes, and you are?" he asked as he washed his hands off in the sink by the far wall and then set a timer with his wand so that he would know when he needed to finish the potion. 

He ignored the woman, all the while he was trying to remember her name, and walked into his office and sat down.  A cup of coffee sat steaming in front of his chair as he sat down and he took a sip before actually looking at who was in his office.  "New infirmary witch I take it?" he asked her.  Truthfully, he had known that the person that took over the infirmary would come and find him soon enough.  After all, the resident Potions Master often helped make the potions and cures that the infirmary used.

"Have a seat." he said.  He knew he was being rather taciturn, but he'd been brewing since his last class of third years had left the classroom and his mind was still on steps to complete potions.  It was hard for him to get out of that mindset once he had been brewing for more than an hour.  "Can I help you with something?"

Emma was slightly taken aback by the professor's tone, and she blinked at him before responding as he brushed by, 'Er, yes. I'm Emma Prince, the new healer.'

She followed him to the desk and perched on the edge of one of the (surprisingly comfortable) chairs before it, knees and feet aligned precisely straight. She pressed her hands down on her knees to control her nerves. Now that she was actually before the man himself, Emma found that she wasn't quite as blasé as she'd thought she was about him.

Taking a moment to collect her thoughts, Emma began hesitantly, 'I just arrived today, and I've been doing inventory in the infirmary. It's been sadly neglected and I'm lacking even most of the most basic potions. I was hoping you might have some of them on hand to hold us over until I can get my own workroom set up and start brewing.'

Emma paused and swallowed. 'I'm adept at potion-making, but there are a couple more difficult ones that I would appreciate assistance with, when you have the time.' Naturally, his students would have to come first. Emma knew she could get some of what she needed from St. Mungo's in a real pinch.

Draco took a long drink from his cup before rubbing his hand over his face and looking at the witch, "You sure you don't mind getting potions from an ex-Death Eater." he hid his smirk behind his hand before schooling his face. He didn't want to be disappointed with her answer, since it was mostly likely going to be the one he had heard the most since the end of the war.

He really didn't understand why so many people still held it against him.  Yes, he was young, he made mistakes, but he has spent a lot of time trying to make up for it.

"I'd be willing to do it, but I don't want anyone knowing I brewed them.  Last thing we need is for a student to say I tried to poison them."

Emma did a long blink. She just had no idea how to respond to the man's tone and words.

'I'm attempting to not let that color my opinion of you,' she finally said, 'but you're making it difficult. You seem to want, or at least expect, a particular reaction.' Emma pressed her hands together to control their trembling.

'I need the potions. If the price is no one knowing they came from you, then that's up to you. I just want to take care of the students here to the best of my ability, and I can't do that on my own right now.'

After a moment's hesitation she added, 'I'd appreciate the assistance.'

Draco just looked down at his hands for a moment before looking back up at the new healer.  "I hate saying it, but even this long after the war ended, I still get looked down upon my actions." He sighed and then got up, "But I'm willing to help out, if anything, it gives me a chance to work on improving a few of the more well-used potions."

He pointed to the place where he had come from when she had first come in, "You can look around if you want, just try not to disturb the cauldrons with potions inside them, they are at critical stages and I don't want to have to start again."

He left it at that and went into the lab and checked on the potions he had going.  Yes, all of them were under stasis charms at the moment, but one speck of dust could throw the whole balance of ingredients off.

He thought about it, shook his head and after taking a deep breath, he sighed.  "I do apologize if I sound rude or unwelcoming, I'm not used to visitors who want my help." and then went back to checking on his potions.

Most of the tension drained from Emma's shoulders and she unclenched her hands from one another. A deep breath, then she offered a genuine smile. It lit up her face and matched her brightly-colored clothes much better than her nerves had done.

When Draco headed back into his lab, Emma followed eagerly. She kept her hands clasped behind her back and stayed a couple of steps back from any of the cauldrons, not wanting her occasional clumsiness to ruin any of the man's potions.

'I've got lists going of everything I'd like to have on hand - single remedies and potions, ingredients, etc. I'll hand off the shopping list to the headmaster, but if you have anything on hand that I could borrow, I'll replenish you when I get my supplies. The most important potions I need are Essence of Dittany, Skele-Gro, let's see... Antidote to Common Poisons, Calming Draught,  Murtlap Essence, Pepperup Potion, Sleeping Draught, and of course, we'll need to coordinate on making Wolfsbane Potion. And I'll accept any others you can think of. I'll be spending the night in the castle since I have a patient in the infirmary, so I can get some started tonight if you have ingredients on hand.'

She carefully tore the parchment containing her various lists and held out the part that had the potions she wanted.

Draco took the list from her and barely gave it a glance before mentally going over all the potions he had brewing right now.  He was glad that he'd requested a house-elf to help him keep track of timings, so he didn't blow anything up, or ruin a potion.  Although he was unaware that while he was doing his mental catalogue of potions, he was staring into space and as focused as he was, his breathing had slowed down as well. 

In hindsight, it probably looked very strange to someone who didn't know him very well.  He'd done this exact same thing back in school and most of his 'friends' would just keep on talking to him like he was actually paying attention instead of going over things in his head.

A couple minutes later he shook himself out of it and blinked his eyes a few times as they had gotten a bit dry from not blinking.  "Well, you are in luck, I have most of these brewing right now, but I'd have to make some space if I'm going to brew the Antidote for Poisons and the Skele-Gro." he told her as he turned and looked at his tables to see if there was some place he could stick an extra cauldron or two without disturbing what was already there. 

He looked at the staircase that led down to his 'other' lab.  The one where he kept all of his experimental potions, the one he currently had a house-elf watching for him because they were all at a stage where they needed to sit for a while.  Then shook his head, he'd just have to find room up here. 

"I'll get started as soon as I free up a cauldron." he told her and then walked away, not trying to be rude, but heading towards a potion that needed stirring.

Emma stood hesitantly while Draco seemed to drift off, wondering if she should just leave. She sort of half-waved one hand down by her waist, but wasn't sure if it was in his line of sight, to try to subtly get his attention. She bit her lip when he didn't respond and the healer part of her wondered if he was having a seizure.

But then he came out of it and gave her the good news that most of what she needed was already in the works. 'Oh, that's wonderful! Thank you. If you have the ingredients for those two, I can take them and start the potions in the infirmary workroom myself. There are several cauldrons there. That will give me something to do this evening so I don't hover over my singular overnight patient.' Emma chuckled ruefully. It was likely to be a long, dull evening. The cot for the healer in the infirmary was not very comfortable-looking, so she'd likely avoid availing herself of it for as long as possible.

Draco looked over at the new Healer with eyes that were determining if he could trust her or not, but then he remembered that she came to him and not the other way around, so she had to have some trust in him... right.

He moved around the tables in his lab towards a hulking cabinet located in between a large counter with two deep sinks in it and a long table with empty cauldrons stacked on it.  He opened the cabinet with a touch of his wand to the lock, clearly stating that it would only open with his wand, and opened both doors.  "If you can't find the ingredients here, then I shouldn't be a Potions Master." he told her and then stood back to let her get what she needed.

"I've got standing orders with a couple of apothecaries so I make sure that I never run out of ingredients." he added lamely as he leant against one of the sinks.  "I don't like to be caught without something if I need it quickly." He shook his head, he was talking too much, she didn't need to know what he just told her, clearly he was out of practice in talking with people. Maybe he needed to get out more.