Chapter 10

                                        

                                              
Chapter 10
                              
Published: 10/20/2020
                              
"I checked on Mr. Malfoy, for you, sir," Joel said, in his office, after MCAPS had finished questioning them, Zach and Mrs. Humphrey.
                              
"Oh... thank you," he said, considering there was a lot of shouting in the hallway. "You did a great job, today."
                              
"I just felt it was off. I didn't want to do anything until you got there, but you would have figured it anyway."
                              
"Well, the Skele-gro was a big clue and the half-healed hip fracture. But Joel, you did the most crucial thing... you got her to talk. If you can't connect to your patients, if you can't understand them, then you're never going to be a good healer. But you can, Joel. You could be a great healer."
                              
Joel went red. "Thank you, sir."
                              
"It's Harry. You don't know how much you've helped me in the last few weeks, and I'm sorry I was abrupt at first."
                              
"Well, I didn't exactly introduce myself," he said, looking at the floor, embarrassed.
                              
"That probably would have helped, but Natalie said that you don't really need prep work... or me... talk to people. I was just trying to make myself... busy... noticeable."
                              
"I did."
                              
"You only yelled at me every time you saw me," Joel said.
                              
"And you corrected your behavior every time. Entering a patient room without knocking is extremely rude. And reading the chart before you try to treat someone is important."
                              
Joel nodded.
                              
"But you knocked every time after that. You took care not to use your wand around D-Malfoy. You calmed that abused old lady down. That is more important than any spell or skill that I could teach you."
                              
"I... listened to what... you said, about making them as comfortable as possible."
                              
"I'm glad you listened."
                              
"You're a great teacher, sir."
                              
Harry nodded. "Joel... you're only going to be working under me for another week. You can drop the 'sir'."
                              
"The training coordinator said...."
                              
"Pratt probably gets hard to the sound of trainees calling him sir."
                              
Joel raised his eyebrows and smirked. "Probably... but I respect you, sir. And not just because you're a healer or the... other stuff. You taught me a lot about right and wrong, how to take care of patients and how to see things. You also don't teach me like scum, either."
                              
"Other healers do?"
                              
"Well, they call me trainee... order me around and call me an idiot when I screw up. You always ask me to do things and explain what I did wrong."
                              
"I'm sure I've called you trainee."
                              
"Yes... that I'm your trainee, not that I'm Trainee Joel."
                              
Harry stared at him and nodded. "I'm sorry that others weren't as considerate. I've been belittled enough in my life that I wouldn't do it to anyone else."
                              
Joel looked at him, and Harry grimaced at revealing more information.
                              
Harry breathed and tried to keep calm. "I understand that. In front of others... I think it's fine to call me that, but... I don't like too many people... I don't talk to very many people. I'd prefer to think of us as friends."
                              
"I'd really like that... Harry, but I still think of you as a mentor."
                              
"That's fine, Joel. I... was going to invite Natalie and her husband out to dinner, as she has been helping me out a lot, too. I was wondering if you'd want to come."