"Harry! I certainly wasn't expecting to see you today!" Head Healer Convaba said, putting down her fork. He had caught her at her lunchtime as well.
"Sorry to drop in," he said, staring at the floor. Joel's words weren't enough for him. He needed to know his job was safe.
"It's completely fine, Harry. Are... you... coming back, already?" she asked, hesitantly.
"If I still have a place here, that is," Harry said, looking at the floor.
She gasped, "Oh, Harry... I'm so, so sorry that you've been worried about your... employment! But, of course, nothing has changed. You're still the head of your ward. You were the victim in that horrible conspiracy. I-I can't believe that they... would do that. I have ordered a full internal investigation of the incident and... honestly... the lack of oversight in what happened. I must apologize for my failure to act or intervene at any point during the incident. I... I am actually considering stepping down."
Harry looked at her, horrified. "You didn't do anything!"
"That's the point, Harry... Healer Potter. I never stepped in. I never acted on your complaints and your reports of... malpractice. What he did... they did... violates every oath to heal they ever have taken. They might have done the deeds, but I let it happen. I am so sorry."
Harry dropped his head. "I don't want you to go."
"It's getting near retirement time for me, Harry, and it's time. We need fresh blood running this place. People who will open eyes and propose new solutions, and that is not me."
"You let me have my clinic."
"Yes... and your protégé, but I would never have thought of them."
"I'm more afraid that new head will... not support... free-thinking..." Harry whispered, his fear mounting. It had always been Head Healer Convaba who had supported his clinic over the years and had let an alcoholic, traumatized, PTSD-damaged healer work in her hospital. He had always been a liability that most people wouldn't have suffered.
She gave him a hard look. "You have more friends than you know... especially now. I'll have you know that many on the hospital board are getting sacked. The ones that supported Higgs and have had complaints against them for favoritism, including Pratt."
Harry nodded. Maybe a shake-up was good, but he had complaints against him, too.
"Harry, I've sent... a contract... or rather a settlement offer to your... well, to Mr. Malfoy's barristers, the Patils, to look over. You know them, I believe? But the hospital will have many fines, awards and judgements issued against them in the near future for what has happened. I wanted to put several insurance clauses in your contract to... guarantee your position in the future. We are offering early tenure, which requires the whole board's approval to remove you from your position. Joel is the head of mental health, now, if you didn't know. We have also offered you a raise and a monetary award for your... pain and suffering."
"I don't need money," Harry murmured, but was starting to feel... better. At St. Mungo's, it took twenty-five years to get tenure. He had five.
"Why don't you look it over? You will have considerable bargaining power to dictate your settlement after what happened to you on hospital grounds by another healer."
She handed him the parchment, and he unrolled it, skimming it. It had a lot of legalese that the Patil twins would have to explain to him, but the amount of the payoff and raise was substantial.
"That's a lot of coins," he said, looking at her.
"We just lost three department heads, five board members and about twelve healers. Many had outrageous salaries from their positions. It won't fill the gap even if we promote and fill their spots."