𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞.

He let Harry with his mother as Lily finished getting ready, and then they both made an appearance at the party. It seemed that the whole magical community was there, he hoped there wouldn’t be any trouble, everyone was getting along just fine and the drinks were stiff, which Potter enjoyed.

“Has anyone actually read his books?” he asked curiously to the person next to him.

A glass of punch in hand, her first of the evening, she sipped at the tasty concoction. One of the few benefits of the evening, she rarely had time to drink, let alone have one that was free. Turning her head when she hear a voice beside her, it took a moment for her to register that someone was actually talking to her.

"I know I certainly haven't," she responded, a truth that was the truth nevertheless, but one that slipped a little too easily from her tongue. "What about you?"

She grabbed a strong drink and watched as people arrive, just enjoying not having to be in charge for a moment, nodding along, greeting the people she knew.

A smile was sent Andromeda's way before Emmeline was slipping her way through the crowd to stand near her colleague's side. "I almost didn't recognise you when you're not in lime green."

☼ location: gilderoy lockhart’s book launch party 

Something was wrong. Benjy was completely sober, the last time he checked, yet he was saying things he’d probably only say if he was at the bottom of a bottle. Truths he had no intention of revealing kept spilling from his mouth. It did not take long for him to piece together what was going on, as Benjy remembered the last time he had been under truth serum. When he had been recruited to join the Order of the Phoenix, he’d been trained rigorously, and one of those trainings was taking Veritaserum to know how it felt to be under its spell. From the truthful things he kept saying, and the odd sensation he had to keep being honest, he knew he’d been given a dose of it. The only thing he’d had to drink that night was the punch, making it the sole culprit.

Benjy had one goal in mind: to warn the other members of the Order that were present at the party of what was going on, before anymore secrets could be spilled. He looked around, spotting someone beside him holding a glass of punch. “I wouldn’t drink that if I were you,” he blurted.

Startling slightly when someone spoke next to her all of a sudden, it took only a matter of seconds to realise who it was that was talking to her. Benjy Fenwick. A fellow Order member. Raising an eyebrow at his statement, it raised more questions than it gave Emmeline answers.

"What do you mean? What's wrong with it?" His words were enough for her to eye up her glass more carefully, lifting it up to examine the colourful liquid as it sloshed gently back and forth in her glass.

"you're right - i am being cheeky, i apologise- i'm sure you're very busy" a certain amount of amusement still playing on his lips. "If i'm being honest - and you're definitely not allowed to judge me for it-" a confident wink "but last time i came her- the healer i had- she made me feel like a scolded child- and well maybe i was being a little bit of a coward in trying to avoid her."

Raising her eyebrows a little at his confession, she turned away from the patient at hand that she was supposed to be taking care of to assess the younger man, eyes flicking up and down him from head to toe. "You shouldn't be worried about any of the Healers here. Trust me. There's no one that scary working today. We're not here to treat you like a child unless you give us reason to." A pause as she thought it through, already the thought of wondering just why it was that she was doing what she was about to do already creeping into mind. "Go and sit down. I'll see what I can do for you."

Suddenly, with a sight of the cauldron Frank understood the potioneers fretting.  The cauldron had teeth, and a fierce ones at that.  There wasn’t much time to comprehend what was going on. One minute,  Frank was aiming a slowing curse at the pot.  A quick bounce back of a charm and the pot was flying in the air towards him. Teeth gnashing into the man’s arm. 

Waiting in the wings of the hospital, a place where Frank ended up too often with minor injuries following mission that had gone array.  He smiled warmly at the familiar face, “It’s been six actually.” Raising an eyebrow with the correction, “I think that is a new record.”  

The warm smile was returned to Frank as Emmeline opened his chart to see just what it was that he had done to himself this time around. "A new record that you should be too proud of," she spoke, eyes flicking up to him with almost a teasing edge to them. He was an easy patient to deal with, unlike some others that she came across. If she could have a night of Franks then her life would be so much easier.

"A cauldron with teeth? Are we living in a real version of a Beedle the Bard story now?" It was different, not her normal case of a spell gone wrong or a child getting their hands on a wand and waving it around causing all possibilities of disaster. "Why don't you show me just what the cauldron did and we'll go from there?"

where:astwood cemetery

As the white snow covered the woods outside the house, from the other side of the window laughter filled the room, there was always someone playing the piano and as some glasses clinked followed by a loud and joyful “cheers!”, the younger ones played nonstop. Christmas at the Mckinnons had always been a wonderful time, doors and hearts open to share with whoever came by.

The first year she hadn’t even noticed it was Christmas, all to deep in her grief to grasp the passing of time. This year marked the second holidays without them, without her family. They were all gone now and there wasn’t a thing to celebrate anymore, night was about to fall and she hoped the sun wouldn’t rise the next day, she wasn’t ready for it to be Christmas yet.

Before she knew how, Marlene had began drinking by herself, another bottle of scotch breaking to pieces as it hit the wall. She was mad at herself, not recognising what she’d turned into, a grief too big it had swallowed her whole and left nothing of the innocent girl she once was. Tears forming in her eyes, the blonde made a quick poorly thought decision and apparated at Astwood Cemetery in Worcester. It was far from home, yet as close as she currently could be to her real home, they were her home.

On a night like this, she felt that tug to go to the cemetery, finding her way there without truly thinking about what she was doing. Part of it felt like an obligation, part was wanting to go. The two were messy in her mind, unsure of just what it was that she was supposed to think or believe to be true.

Standing on the frozen ground, she tidied up around the grave of her once boyfriend and his family, picking up twigs and leaves that had fallen to the ground. It was the least that she could do for the family that had welcomed her so easily, made to feel as if she was a part of them from the first time that she had met them.

Dorcas couldn’t help but to chuckle at her joke. “I didn’t know you were all about tough love, Emm” she joked back. For someone who was more in the awkward spectrum of life, interacting with Emmeline made her seem like pretty normal. It was like Benjy, it was easy being around them, it was easy to joke, to sass, basically to be herself.

“Yeah, I guess so” she agreed with a heavy sigh. Dorcas then looked up at her friend and took in a deep breath. “Okay, yes, I can do that. Will I get a lollipop after?” she joked before sitting very still, so much that, after a while she looked like a statue.

Rolling her eyes ever so slightly, there was a slight ease to Emmeline as she worked on Dorcas that one didn't usually find when she was busy treating patient after patient. There was usually little time for jokes and affection in her job and as disgruntled as she may be that Dorcas had rendered herself injured yet again, she was pleased to see the younger woman despite it all. "I can be about tough love when it's needed." She gave the other woman an almost teasing look as she got the second bottle ready to use.

Shaking her head at Dorcas' joke, the hint of a smile appeared on her face. "I'll see what I can conjure up if you're good." Waiting for Dorcas to prepare herself, it wasn't long before the potion was droppered into the wound on her arm, having an immediate effect as the skin appeared to sow itself up without delay. "See? What wasn't too bad, was it?"

Is not like Dorcas was always this clumsy, in fact she had quite a clean record. However, these past months had been particularly brutal on her. The weight on the war was catching up on her and her panic attacks were happening more often. Her sleep wasn’t improving and her father’s fear was getting to her nerves. In other words: Dorcas needed a break, a break that she knew she couldn’t have.

“Oh, just because I was hit by a curse it doesn’t mean that the other ended up harmless, you are hurting my ego now, Emm” she joked, offering her a small smile. “Thanks” she murmured, taking the bottle and took a large drink. “I don’t know, it was a non-verbal one, but it was a flash of orange light, my gut tells me it’s dark magic” she told her.

Emmeline knew that it was inevitable, that people that she knew would end up hurt, but it didn't mean for a second that she had to like it. Even if it was someone who landed themselves here a little too often for her liking. "Then perhaps I need to prod a little harder and it'll teach you a lesson." There wasn't many that Emmeline was able to joke with quote so easily, especially not when she was at work, but Dorcas was a special case. It was easier this way.

Nodding her head as Dorcas told Emmeline what she knew about the curse that had hit her, the options ran through her mind of what would be the best next step. "If it was then you were very lucky. Not everyone gets off as lightly as this." Unstopping a small bottle, she turned towards Dorcas, a pipette in hand. "Hopefully this should do the trick. I just need you to hold still so I can drop it straight into the wound."

Is not like Dorcas was always this clumsy, in fact she had quite a clean record. However, these past months had been particularly brutal on her. The weight on the war was catching up on her and her panic attacks were happening more often. Her sleep wasn’t improving and her father’s fear was getting to her nerves. In other words: Dorcas needed a break, a break that she knew she couldn’t have.

“Oh, just because I was hit by a curse it doesn’t mean that the other ended up harmless, you are hurting my ego now, Emm” she joked, offering her a small smile. “Thanks” she murmured, taking the bottle and took a large drink. “I don’t know, it was a non-verbal one, but it was a flash of orange light, my gut tells me it’s dark magic” she told her.

Emmeline knew that it was inevitable, that people that she knew would end up hurt, but it didn't mean for a second that she had to like it. Even if it was someone who landed themselves here a little too often for her liking. "Then perhaps I need to prod a little harder and it'll teach you a lesson." There wasn't many that Emmeline was able to joke with quote so easily, especially not when she was at work, but Dorcas was a special case. It was easier this way.

Nodding her head as Dorcas told Emmeline what she knew about the curse that had hit her, the options ran through her mind of what would be the best next step. "If it was then you were very lucky. Not everyone gets off as lightly as this." Unstopping a small bottle, she turned towards Dorcas, a pipette in hand. "Hopefully this should do the trick. I just need you to hold still so I can drop it straight into the wound."

He had been waiting for about half an hour when he saw the pretty witch wandered in to the waiting room, clearly chastising someone. Barty was bored and couldn't resist creating a little entertainment for himself. He waltz over to the witch as she waited for her patient to grab their stuff. "Can't say I blame them, if you were my healer, reckon i'd be finding ways to be in here pretty regular myself- and I hate hospitals." Barty gave her one of his signature smiles. "In fact, i'd love to join your waiting queue, i promise i'll be a very well behaved patient."

"I'm afraid you can't make requests like that. I'm sure that there'll be a Healer available to see you soon enough." Eyes casted over the man, doing a quick assessment. He was bold enough, charming even, meaning that he couldn't possibly be in too much agony at this very minute. "I'd suggest you go back and sit down and keep that wound elevated and pressure on it. Someone will be with you soon."

So here she was, sitting on the hospital bed with a large cut in her left arm. And of course, as expected Emmeline was already giving her hell about it. “Actually, it’s been seven” she commented and then added, “is not like I do this on purpose, I have much more interesting things to do than come to the hospital” she hissed in pain as she tried to move. “I got caught in the wrong side of a spell” she explained, grimacing as she looked at her bloodied arm. 

"I'm sure that you do. Maybe you should try one of them next time. If you want to see me, you can always send me an owl." Not that Emmeline had much time for socialisation, but that was beside the point. A flick of her wand and it wasn't long before two potion bottles were floating into the room, landing delicately on the table for her to reach out a hand and unstopper the first bottle. "Something for the pain to start with." She held out the bottle to Dorcas. "Do I want to ask which spell you got in the way of? Or even worse who cast it?"

EMMELINE VANCE

Character Name: Emmeline Vance

Age & Birthday: 26 born on 12/02/1955

Gender & Pronouns: Female she/her

Blood status: Half-blood

Sided: Order of the Phoenix

Occupation: Healer

Face Claim: Naomi Scott