Healing Draco Malfoy

Chapter 29

Published 9/20/2021

Joel twisted in his chair. Healer Bones had just blasted him over his ineptness during his training period in the emergency trauma ward. He hadn't done too bad, but he hadn't been confident enough to voice his opinions and had asked too many questions. She was a busy head and didn't have the time to coach him individually as Harry had. The fact that he was Harry's protégé was well-known at this point, which gave him a sort of respect from many people, but unfortunately came with some resentment from others.

He had found out that Madam Bones had actually been one of Harry's friends in school, but when the Chosen One was assigned to her ward, they clashed over too many things. Harry was not a follower, and even though she had been a healer longer, he was better at healing. Jealously was a reasonable explanation for their break, but Joel suspected it was something more than that. 

At the time Harry was going through her ward, he was starting into the outward-adjustment stage in his trauma. Harry, most likely, had treated her differently, almost comparably cold as before. He had cut off all his friends in some way, even Ron and Hermione. He kept what happened a secret and suffered alone, developing worse adjustment behaviors in the process. She was a kind-hearted person, a extroverted Hufflepuff, and he doubted that she asked why he had changed so much. She probably assumed Harry had become an ponce, since the war ended.

But anyone who had known him before the incident should have seen the changes. Joel could even see them, and he was a ruddy, quiet first year when the war ended. But he couldn't tell her this, now, though her viewpoint would change considerably once she understood. That was the one of the hard parts of adjusting to a trauma. People who know, treat you differently and people who don't know, expect you to be completely normal. She was a social person and Harry probably had shunned her without cause. That was something akin to the ending their friendship and she was a proud witch in her own right to beg for it back.

She was also friends with many of the department heads, unlike Harry. Her weight carried a lot with the twelve members of the board. Higgs several too, though not as many. He was a prick, but even pricks have friends. Pratt, the head of training, and Collins, the head of the potions, were his confidants, and all three them tore his training period with spiteful glee. Many of the heads weren't critical of his abilities until those they had their say, and now, there was a lot more scowling. There was no way he'd carry the majority to become a healer.

"He's a disgrace to the hospital! There's no way that this slacker could have passed as incompetent as he is!" Higgs spat.

Joel had to hold his tongue until they called on him to speak. Mouthing off to the board wasn't advisable.

"Healer Higgs, I'll remind you that he passed his healer boards," Head Healer Convaba interjected. She appeared to be on his side, thankfully.

"Barely."

"Not even barely, he actually did better than all the trainees in decorum, professionalism and technique. I'll also remind you that he was the best at your own section."

"That's my point! How'd this runt...."

"That's enough name-calling," she snapped.

"Trainee, then. He cheated! There's no other way!" Higgs growled.

"How?" the head healer deadpanned. "It was your pick for both the evaluator and tested patient. Are you suggesting that your team members helped him cheat?"

Higgs went a lovely shade of red and Joel tried not to smile. Higgs muttered, "He has had no training and failed in my department. He shouldn't be a healer!"

"I don't see how failing at your department is grounds that he can't be a healer," the head pointed out. "We added Mental Health to the training rotation, so all healers know what issues to look for, how to refer them to your department and show them how to treat psychology issues. It is not necessary to pass in order to be a healer. Mental Health is only a small part of healing and requires its own certifications."

"You made this argument when Potter went through here!" he sneered.

"And I was completely in the right then, too."

Higgs glared. "It's not that he passed or failed. It's his work ethic, the lack of respect for his superiors and his arrogance I find unforgivable. He thinks that he's better because he's Potter's lapdog."

The head healer sighed. "Healer Higgs...."

"Better being my lapdog than your buttlicker, Higgs," Harry's sure voice drawled from the doorway.

"Potter...." several people grasped. Everyone nearly cranked their heads to look in his direction.

"Harry," Joel whispered, now very concerned about what was going to happen. Joel knew Harry focused when his friends were under attack, but Joel was concerned with it after it was over. Harry could have a panic attack from the confrontation that was sure to come. He barely held it together the last few times he met Higgs. Harry, however, walked in like he was meant to be there and looked expectantly for a chair.

"Sorry, I'm late, everyone. Couldn't find the room," Harry said, nonchalantly.

"Potter! Get out! You've got no place here! This board is for department heads only!" Higgs spat.

Harry smirked and held up the nameplate from his desk. "Funny, this says "Department Head" right on it."

Higgs's mouth popped open, audibly. "You're the only one in your section, Potter! You're not head of anything!"

"I'm the only healer in my section. I still got wardens and patients, and I still got the title. Being a head makes me completely entitled to be here... doesn't it?" Harry said, looking at the Head Healer Convaba for confirmation.

She smiled. "It does. You haven't shown much interest in participating thus far, Healer Potter."

"Well, as you explained, I have a duty to teach others and be a part of the training program. This is the culmination of it, yes? What kind of mentor would I be if I didn't see it through 'til the end?"

The head of the hospital nodded and waved her hand, accordingly, for him to join.

"I object to...."

"Overruled," she interrupted Higgs.

Potter conjured a fluffy chair on the end, next to the bewildered head of compliance, Stebbins. "Now, what'd I miss?"

"Your... trainee... shouldn't be allowed to be a healer. He failed a section of his training, so minimally, he should be remanded back to training."

"Why'd he fail?" Harry asked. Joel had to suppress a grin.

The head healer turned pointedly to Higgs. "Well?"

"He refused to learn or try the exercises."

"Oh, I have it from the wardens that you made him do paperwork the second he got to your ward, is that true?"

Higgs flushed. "What do wardens know? They just clean up after the patients."

A few board members cleared their throats in disgust.

"Excuse me? I started as a warden, Higgs," the Head of Spell Damage, Sara Fawcett, growled.

Higgs scoffed, but recognized that the others wouldn't approve of his classist opinions outside of his click. "I only meant that they didn't see everything. He didn't want to work, so I assigned him to paperwork. It's completely acceptable."

"And he did that, did he?" Harry edged.

Joel swallowed. The wardens had told Harry that, too, because he hadn't. He kept his expression neutral.

"His work was substandard, Potter. Every healer here rated him at Acceptable or lower, and we don't need Acceptable healers."

"I rated him higher than Acceptable, didn't I?" Harry said.

"Well, we all know that he's your...."

"Healer Higgs," the head warned.

"...protégé."

"Yes, he is. Because he very much impressed me with his attention to detail, his dedication and his compassion. He learned and retained everything I taught him."

"That'll make him a wonderful warden, too," Higgs spat, venomously.

Joel swallowed hard as Harry's eyes narrowed. The odds were stacked against him. Currently, Harry only had the head healer on his side.

Harry wasn't swayed by the room's opinion, though. "It's a mark of a good healer. You can't always just wave your wand, and the patient is fine, Higgs. You have to see what's underneath."

"And there's nothing special about the boy. Average in everything...not worth the effort to retrain to bring him up to the standards of the rest of us."

Harry was about to open his mouth, but another voice popped up. "I didn't find him average at all."

The board members turned in unison to look at the witch on the far end of the table. Joel barely knew her as the head of creature-induced injuries, and he had never spoken to her directly. Healer Smethwyck had trained him when he was in that ward. So, he didn't know where this was going.

"Dindrane?" Head Healer Convaba said, slightly surprised.

"Apologies, Ethel. This young trainee did very well in my ward. Performing his tasks, calming patients and he was very dedicated to learning as much as possible. I find Healer Higgs's opinion in this matter extremely tainted, and I suspect he's doing this because he dislikes Healer Potter."

Silence followed that announcement. Joel looked at Harry, who smirked at Higgs, two people away from him.

Then a grumpy, older man from the Magical Bugs and Maladies department nodded. "I'm getting tired of this. He didn't fail, but passed all sections. What is the issue?"

That was four. He needed three more, a majority, to become a full-fledged healer.

"I still found him lacking in my ward," Madam Bones said, dryly.

"Susan, please. He can learn," Harry said and gave her a pleading look.

She sighed and looked at three of her friends at the board, who shrugged. She didn't say no.

Higgs paled, seeing that the tides were turning. "No! He can't be a healer!"

"I think he can and, if anyone, besides Mental Health, has any real concerns, I'd like to hear them."

"His potion-making skills are poor," said the head of Potion Brewing and Analysis

"Well, Joel... are you going to choose the Potions Lab as your specialty?" Harry asked.

"No, Healer Potter," he said, speaking for the first time in forever.

Harry shrugged for effect. "There, I'm not too worried about it. If I heard right, you failed potions, Higgs. I'm sure Mental Health was a soft option, wasn't it?"

Higgs spluttered indignantly. "Soft option!?"

"Yeah... easy. Less spells, potions and thinking. Just cast a bit of Legilimens and you're done, right?"

Several of the board members chuckled under their breath. Joel was starting to breathe normally. He was starting to hope.

"Potter, you absolute fucking wanker!" Higgs roared

"Hey, that's enough!" Convaba growled. "Does anyone else, besides Healer Potter and Healer Higgs have anything pertinent to say? No? What about you, young man?"

Joel cleared his throat. He hadn't really been allowed to speak, and his nervousness came back for only a second, until he looked at Harry. He found his voice. "I just wanted to say thank you, to all of you, for training me... for giving me a chance. I know I'm not the best and brightest of the class, but I care and I will learn. I was a bit behind. I had to work another job when I was at school and even when I started here to support my family. I was nervous and unsure, but Ha-Healer Potter... he talked to me. He showed me how to do things, not just told me what to do. He's an amazing teacher, and I owe a lot to him."

"Of course, you do... he's saved your ass, again, hasn't he?" Higgs growled, petulant to the end.

"Terence, give it a rest," Madam Bones said. "That was very respectful to say. So, are we ready yet? I vote in favor."

"You were on my side!" he growled.

"You talked me out of it. Besides, Harry's not usually wrong about people," she said, looking at Harry, who nodded in appreciation.

"Everyone else ready to cast?" Harry asked.

"Wait! He hasn't even declared where he wants to go!" Higgs said, desperately.

"Hold on. He doesn't have to choose now. It's not a requirement and never will be. We will vote first," Head Convaba declared, and then called for those in favor.

Nine people raised their hands! Joel breathed a sigh of relief.

"Congratulations, Healer."

Joel smiled. "Thank you, Head Healer Convaba. I don't know what to say."

"You earned it, but now we ask about your choice. Which department do you want to report to or want more training?"

Higgs snorted. "Please... we all know that Potter is going to take in his pet."

Harry growled under his breath, but Joel interjected, "No, I'm not."

All eyes were on him, waiting.

"I can't be more thankful to Har-Healer Potter for everything, but... Trauma Healing, especially the way he does it, is beyond me at the moment."

"Well, then? What did you have in mind?" she pressed.

"When I asked Healer Potter about his choice... he said that he originally chose you, Madam Bones."

"You want to be in the emergency department?" she said, surprised.

"No... I meant... Harry said that he initially went to your department... but made a case for his own ward."

"You're a bit cheeky, aren't ya? Potter is the Chosen One. You're a nobody and you want your own ward! Such impertinence!"

Joel flushed. "I didn't mean... now. I meant that it wasn't immediate. He had to work and convince that there was a need for his department and services. Now, he has more patients a day than most of the healers in the hospital."

"That's because he's a workaholic."

"Healer Higgs, last warning," the head snapped. "So, you want to work under a department head and began a new specialty?"

"Yes. I think that there's a service that St. Mungo's is lacking that is needed."

"I see. First... who do you want to work under? Healer Potter didn't just magically get his department on his own. This will take a while, and the head might not want to deal with it."

Joel nodded and smiled. "I suspect that they will not agree to it at all, and I will have to do this on my own."

Eyebrows raised and the head healer straightened up. "Interesting. Which department?"

"Mental Health," he said, enjoying the looks of surprise on both Harry and Higg's faces.

"I'm sorry? You failed my program!" the head mind healer scoffed.

"I aced the exam. I failed your tutorage," Joel said, confidently.

Higgs laughed. "I'm not going to let you...."

"You have no choice in who goes where, Healer Higgs," the head growled, before looking at him. "Go on, explain your choice and plan."

Joel took a deep breath. "Well, I worked with muggles while I was at Hogwarts and before I came here."

"Muggles? Why are we listening to this?"

"Higgs!" she said, looking back at him. "Go on.

"I was a counselor at a teen center. I gave advice and was just someone neutral that kids could talk to... and they did. Calming them down, reassuring them and giving them helping solutions. You don't have that here, and that's... regretful."

"We don't need to...."

"I'm fully aware that you don't think we need it, Healer Higgs," Joel said, firing back. He was a healer, now. "But I disagree. We are quick to hand out Sleeping Potions that are addictive and use Legilimency without a therapy plan in place. But having someone there to be a counselor, first, and then escalate to Mind Healer... would be safer and more nurturing than one session mind-healings."

"You're talking about Malfoy, aren't you?" Higgs hissed.

"I am not publicly discussing a patient. But the point is... one of your team members is still on leave after that incident, and you have people who refuse to go to your ward because you're so cavalier with your approach."

"Now, you're questioning my abilities!"

"No, just your bedside manner."

"Madam Head! I demand...."

"Shut up, Higgs," she said, finally done with the boar.

"I will consider your request, and we will have weekly discussions. You will still be under Healer Higgs. Can you handle that?"

"As long as he can't arbitrarily fire me, I can survive it."

"Very well. You are now part of the Mental Health ward. While Healer Higgs is in charge, you will have your own office and report incidents either to me or to Wizard and Witch Relations. You are still a General Healer. You can procure patients, heal, and consult with them, if it is just counseling, and basic healing. Legilimency will require supervision until you obtain a Mind Healer's license, understand?"

"Yes, Madam. Thank you."

"I am impressed with your... idea."

"I really do want to help... but I had a question," he said, as he realized he needed to establish his autonomy from Higgs.

Head Healer Convaba lifted her head. "Yes?"

"Can any patient switch to my service? Or can Healer Higgs block their request?"

She smiled, almost knowingly. "No patient in this hospital will ever be forced to go to a particular healer when another is available, as long as I'm in this seat. So, yes... they can."

"You can expect to see the request by the end of the day," Joel said with a smirk.

"What's this?"

Joel arched his eyebrow. "I'll be taking Mr. Malfoy off your hands."

"Like hell...."

"Healer Higgs!"

"He's not fully licensed!" he hissed.

"Enough! The Mind Healer licensing rules apply strictly to Legilimency use and an ordered Mental Health review, not general practice. But with that, we are adjourned. Welcome abroad... I'll be looking forward to our meeting, young man."

"Thank you, everyone, for this chance," Joel said, as the board members rose and headed toward the door.

Harry came over to him and shook his hand, thankfully not. "You did it, Joel. I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks, Harry."

Dindrane, the one who had spoken up for him, stopped by, too. "I heard great things from my mother. Keep up the great work, healer." Then she walked away.

Joel looked to Harry for an explanation.

"Madam Burke," Harry said, and Joel just nodded slightly at the non-answer. "Married for a decade or so. Her maiden name... is Smith."

Joel looked up, surprised. "You mean...?"

"Zach's aunt... and Elisa is her mum," Harry said, "You see, it all worked out, Joel."

Joel wasn't sure if Zach and/or Elisa told Healer Burke on their own, or Harry asked them for help, but he didn't care. "It did... it will, Harry. And the first thing I can do... as a healer... is prescribe a daily Calming Draught for you."

Harry smiled, his eyes a little misty, and nodded. "Thanks, Joel... Healer Joel."