8:56AM

Here she was. Stood in the stairwell outside the corridor leading to the 1st floor wards. When she had accepted her offer to a job at the ministry of magic a few years ago, Hannah Bombay had promised herself she wouldn’t be back here in these robes. The awkwardly intelligent witch didn’t deal well with people. She hadn’t dealt well last time she’d been regularly healing people. The facts and figures and potions and spells the witch could handle with sublime ease. But the interactions with the living? Those were completely different.

After pausing for a few moments of thought, the miniscule witch pushed the door in front of her open and began to make her way down the corridor, cream heels clicking on the tiled floor and healers robes billowing behind her. Her expression was plain as usual, her lips sealed together and hair messily framing her soft features. The perfectly put together witch in her pencil skirt and heels had very little prepared for what was to come. She didn’t want to think about it.

It was a few minutes since she’d passed through the door and after a great lack of eye contact made with staff and patients she passed that Hannah reached the door she’d been looking for and rapped quickly with her fist. She didn’t wait to be invited into the small office and instead pushed the door handle down and stepped into the room.

“Healer Marren?” The young woman stated more than enquired. She closed the door firmly behind her and stepped further into the room. “I’m Hannah Bombay. From the ministry. I presume you expected me.” It was then she looked properly at the man.  Her brown eyes narrowed as they analysed his handsome features, his posture and expression. It was always important to know who you were dealing with. Especially when one didn’t deal with living people very often at all.

To say he’d been strongly encouraged to keep his staff in line with their supplies usage was putting it kindly. Rubbing his eyes, elbows on his desk, Jason tried to think of ways to encourage less use while keeping up the patient satisfaction they had. Or improve it, even. He definitely needed more coffee before tackling that. Picking up his cup, he took a sip, enjoying the warmth. The knock on the door was unexpected, and before he could call out (or really properly swallow the coffee in his mouth), it opened.

Setting his coffee down and swallowing, coughing slightly behind his hand, Jason raised an eyebrow and leaned forward. “Yes…” That was his name. Wiping his mouth off with his napkin, he shuffled a few papers together and set them aside, attempting to make his desk look a little neater. As he was about to ask her who she was, she spit it out.

“I’m Hannah Bombay.”

Pushing his chair back a little, he stood up, glancing her over. Bombay? That name might cause a shock from Quincy later. Nodding slowly, he finally focused on her face, trying to figure out how (or if) she was related to the Bombay he knew of. “Of course. Just wasn’t sure when.” Grinning, he stepped out from his desk, offering to shake her hand.

Clearly budget planning was something he could deal with later. “Would you like a quick tour?”

“A diary would help with that.” The newly reappointed healer stated bluntly as her eyes travelled away from the man and to his desk instead. One could usually tell quite a bit about a person by the state of their desk. Hannah’s was always tidy and immaculate, occasionally a couple of books piled to the side with some parchment. Nothing was ever amiss. Everything was precisely placed. This desk didn’t seem quite similar. Nevertheless, the healer didn’t show her disapproval, choosing simply to look back at her new boss.

He was grinning much like a Slytherin seventh year having been given free rein to torture first year Hufflepuffs. Her light brown eyes scanned down to the proffered hand before she took it in her own cold one. It was warm to the touch. Something quite out of the ordinary for the former magical examiner. Unlike with most people, warmth was not one thing she had come to expect from touching skin. The heat, to this particular healer, failed to be inviting. She much preferred the comfortingly still, unawkward presence of the dead. Nevertheless, she shook his hand stiffly and let go without a pause.  Bombay didn’t do hand shaking. It was a little too close and personal for her tastes. The witch much preferred greeting from a satisfactory distance. Physical contact just pushed the boundaries a little too far for her liking. It wasn’t as if she’d had much of it in the past years. Dealings with the deceased didn’t exactly count. This new job was most certainly going to be an interesting one.

“That is customary is it not?” She’d seen the wards of St Mungo’s hospital many times before. There was no harm, however, in becoming reacquainted to it in the company of this man. He seemed perky, energetic and happy. Traits that certainly weren’t going to rub off on the overly professional socially awkward witch.

The woman wasted no time in stepping back to the door and pulled it open, stepping back out into the corridor. She stood, back straight to gain part of the foot between their heights, eyes watching him expectantly.

“A diary would help with that.”

Jason chuckled and shrugged. “Maybe.” If she arrived on time and he actually looked at his diary. As it was, he kept his timetable pretty well in his head. And what he didn’t remember were placed on little notes on his desk. He just had to find them again… No matter, if it was important, someone would remind him again.

Once again he found himself shrugging, glancing upwards for a moment as he considered her question. “Eh… Sometimes. Some people get tours before accepting their floor assignment. Others don’t.” His hand opened up, in the direction of the door. He followed behind her, eager to show off his floor. Jason took pride in his workplace. It was one area in his life that stayed constant.

His hand rested lightly on her shoulder as he moved around her, letting go as he found himself where he wanted. “This is my office. And the supply room is next door.” Motioning to the room next to his, he smirked and stepped out in front of her slightly, turned to her. “The stairs are there, and the cafeteria is up on the fifth floor.” Turning back ahead, glancing back at her from time to time, he took her around the unit, letting her meet staff, introducing her along the way. They ended up back at the break room, and Jason fished in his pocket.

Finally he pulled out a badge, offering it to her. “We’re very excited to have you on board. From what I understood, you’ve had some experience at the hospital before?” Stepping to the coffee pot, he poured himself a cup, motioning it to her as if to ask if she wanted some.

The newly reappointed healer took the badge off her new superior with a small smile. She looked down at it and it glowed bright blue before fading once more.  Badges in the magical world always had some sort of connection to their holders. Aurors, healers, prefects they all had a relationship with their badge. It was hard to put one’s finger on it.

He motioned to the coffee pot and Hannah shook her head, waving a hand. “I don’t drink coffee.” Caffeine was something absolutely unnecessary if one ate and slept adequately. Or at least the young witch had thought up until now. After working in a place this energetic and busy for a few weeks she would no doubt soon be revoking such a statement.

“I trained here.” But the job dealing with live people in pain hadn’t been the right one for her. It still wasn’t, but Hannah knew she had to put up with it. She’d get better dealing with people. She already was. The socially awkward ex magical examiner already had a friend. She was certainly on the right road to social normality.

The healer began to pin the shiny new badge to her robes. “I must admit, I’m no longer altogether used to functioning in such an energetically demanding environment.  My preceding...patients didn’t really demand...swiftness.” She paused and looked up from the now neatly presented badge that sat on her lapel. “I am nevertheless an exceptionally hard worker.”

“I don’t drink coffee.”

He chuckled and shrugged, sipping his—it was a bit strong, but hot, which was important. “I didn’t once upon a time either. But enough long days here…” Again he shrugged. He didn’t need a cup, just liked the taste in the morning. And at midday. And sometimes in the late afternoon.

“Which ward was it again?” He had looked over her CV before accepting her into his staff, but he didn’t have it in front of him. He recalled his training with a small smile. He’d learned a lot, and still didn’t feel any wiser than he had been when he started. Just older and with more questions, sometimes. Jason knew his trade, however, else they wouldn’t have put him in Charge.

Leaning against the counter, his foot crossed over the other and he relaxed while holding his cup. Glancing from her badge to her face, he gave her a smile. “That is what your references said.” Hard workers were sometimes hard to come by. Jason could appreciate any who would work for his ward; swiftness wasn’t always better. “And I’m sure you’ll do well. You’ll orient with one of our senior Healers for a month, and then you should be set to go on your own.”

Another sip of his coffee, and Jason leaned on the counter with his free hand. “Do you have any questions?”