Author's Note - So it's been a while.

Hi guys, it's been a while, hasn't it? Words can not describe how sorry I am that it's been over a month since my last update! I am sorry for the delay, there's been a lot of stuff happening in my life right now, but who hasn't been affected by these awful times? Thank you to those who have reviewed, favourited or followed, we're up to 100 favourites!

First thing I'd like to say, I hope everyone is staying safe! I'm currently on week four of lockdown (I lost track of days ages ago) and I've made the discovery that home working is not for me! My heart goes out to anyone who is isolating by themselves - believe me, it's not a nice boat to be in and I can honestly say that I have struggled with this. It got to the point where I didn't even have the interest to write, which is partly why this chapter took a while!

Second thing - this is not the best chapter I've written. It starts off strong but you can see where my attention span dipped and I struggle to write any more. But here I am, and here it is so please, enjoy it and don't judge me too harshly. The final part I really struggled with as I'd just had the news that my family dog had to be put down and because of lockdown in the UK, I couldn't say goodbye. That one really hit me as he'd always been there for me so I tried to focus my attention on completing this chapter.

Rant's finally over, please go ahead and read on. Again, it's not my favourite but hopefully, it should be followed by something strong! Hope you all enjoy and don't forget to leave a review!

If you're offered a seat on a rocketship, don't ask what seat! Just get on.

- Sheryl Sandberg

September 1994

Maggie could barely contain her excitement as she took her seat at the high table in the Great Hall. Her stomach did nervous somersaults as her fingers fiddled with the sleeve of her new Healer's robes. She still couldn't quite believe that she was back at Hogwarts – and as a facility member no less! A small smile crept to her lips as her eyes scanned the room, watching as the excited students filtered into the Great Hall and slowly took their seats.

The Great Hall was just as Maggie remembered it; golden plates and goblets polished to perfection lined the four house tables, lit by a thousand candles that floated beneath the velvety black ceiling that was dotted with glittering stars. The whole day had passed in a blur of excitement that Maggie could barely comprehend. It seemed so surreal to be sat back at Hogwarts – it seemed like a dream!

The atmosphere since the Quidditch World Cup had been tense – Tonks had been working long hours at the Ministry, trying to control the chaos that had erupted. The night before Maggie left for Hogwarts, Tonks came home exhausted, flopping onto the couch in defeat as Maggie made her a cup of tea in an attempt to cheer her up.

"It's absolutely bonkers," said Tonks as she slowly sipped her tea. "People keep sending in howlers, complaining about everything from the lack of security to damaged property."

"That's awful," Maggie said, frowning at the idea.

Tonks nodded tiredly. "And that bloody Skeeter woman isn't helping one bit. Her articles keep riling people up into a panic and the first place they complain to is the Auror office. How are we expected to cope with serious matters when we're too busy trying to calm down middle-aged cat ladies who are convinced that their neighbour is a Death Eater?"

The panic had extended to that morning when Tonks had unofficially been called in early, much to Maggie's surprise. The metamorphmagus offered profound apologies for having to leave early on the day Maggie started her new job but the blonde witch waved away the words.

"Don't worry, Nymph!" Maggie exclaimed as she pulled her friend into a hug. "You'll see me next weekend – I'm only going to Scotland, not bloody Sweden!"

Tonks laughed. "Maybe, but it won't be the same without you here."

After a few moments of silence, both girls savouring the time together, Tonks offered one last smile before heading off to deal with the latest drama. With a sigh, Maggie finished packing away the last of her belongings before placing Bilbo in his travel basket and locking the front door behind her. In her offer of employment letter, Professor Dumbledore had requested that Maggie apparate to Hogsmeade, where Professor McGonagall would escort the witch up to the castle. Part of Maggie had hoped that she would take the Hogwarts Express to get to the castle, but this option was more practical.

Maggie had found Professor McGonagall waiting outside the Three Broomsticks. A small smile crept to her lips when her eyes landed on the Transfiguration Professor – the woman had been Maggie's favourite teacher during her time at Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall offered Maggie a warm welcome, a hint of a smile on her lips, before escorting the girl up to the castle.

"Professor Dumbledore tells me that you may be interested in furthering your Transfiguration skills," said the Professor as the pair slowly walked up to the castle.

Maggie gave an avid nod. "Yes, Professor, I am. One of the courses I studied during my healing course was focused solely on transfiguration and it was by far the most interesting part of the course," Maggie paused for a moment, deliberating whether to voice her thoughts further. Professor McGonagall must have picked up on this, or spoken to the Headmaster further, as she turned to face Maggie with a curious expression.

"The Headmaster also mentioned that you may be interested in becoming an Animagus?"

Her cheeks flushing red with embarrassment, Maggie ducked her head to avoid Professor McGonagall's watchful eye. In her correspondence with Professor Dumbledore, while focusing mainly on her employment contract, the Headmaster mentioned how Maggie had exceeded in her transfiguration exams, both at Hogwarts and St Mungo's.

After a long-winded paragraph in which Maggie raved about transfiguration and how she was eager to learn more (Maggie may have slightly rambled on about human transfiguration and the chaos it caused when it went wrong), the Headmaster had suggested that Maggie use her time at Hogwarts to further her skills and suggested that the witch consult with Professor McGonagall.

She was silent for a moment, carefully choosing her next words, before nervously turning her head, meeting the Professor's gaze.

"It was a silly thought – a silly idea really," Maggie began to babble. "I thought it may have been a good idea, what with the number of transfigurations gone wrong I see. Help me get a better understanding of how it works. It's a silly idea, really -"

"Miss Ainsworth," Professor McGonagall quickly cut it, ending Maggie's nervous chatter. The young witch blushed as the Professor carefully studied Maggie's expression.

"I think you are more than capable of becoming an Animagus, Miss Ainsworth," said Professor McGonagall, after a moment of silence. A small smile pulled at her lips and Maggie felt her heart soar in joy at the witch's words.

After being shown to living quarters – Maggie was in awe at the idea of having her own apartments in the castle – Maggie quickly unpacked. Despite her excitement, a twinge of guilt ran through her as her thoughts flickered to Tonks by herself in their flat. Though the witch had waved away any objections, Maggie knew Tonks would feel lost being by herself – the witches had done everything together since they were eleven years old.

Maggie shook her head to rid her mind of the melancholic thoughts before turning her attention back to the Great Hall and the welcoming feast before her. The last of the Hogwarts students filtered into the hall – a few soaking wet and looking slightly disgruntled - and Maggie smiled as she spotted faces that she recognised, dotted throughout the crowd.

She noticed the Weasleys immediately – it was hard not to; the vividness of their hair colour drew Maggie's eye towards the Gryffindor table. Maggie noticed Harry and Hermione sat beside Ron and she smiled as the trio offered her a wave, though they looked slightly confused to why Maggie was there. Ginny smiled widely at Maggie when the red-headed witch noticed her presence and even the twins grinned when they saw her.

It was the Hufflepuff table however that drew Maggie's attention. She first noticed Louisa's younger brother, Ernie, sat amongst a group of fellow fourth-year Hufflepuffs. Maggie recognised a few of the older Hufflepuffs though could not put names to faces. She vaguely registered that the current seventh-year students would have only just started Hogwarts in her final year, but a familiar face caught her eye.

Maggie smiled when she met the gaze of another, recognising the handsome features and bright grey eyes. Cedric grinned up at Maggie, the surprise evident in his eyes. Maggie gave a small shrug, making a mental note to speak to him later. She could scarcely believe how much he had grown up - albeit, it had been four years since Maggie had last laid eyes upon him.

Her attention was drawn away from Cedric when the grand oak doors of the Great Hall swung open and Professor McGonagall stepped forward, leading a line of nervous-looking first-years to the top of the Hall. Maggie waited patiently as the sorting began, taking a moment to ponder the Sorting Hat's words. She clapped politely when a student was sorted and tried to remain unbiased, but every time a student was sorted into Hufflepuff, Maggie's applause was more enthusiastic.

Once the sorting had ended, Professor Dumbledore rose to his feet, his arms wide in welcome.

"I have only two words to say to you; tuck in," The Professor announced, his deep voice echoing throughout the hall.

With a smile, Maggie began piling her plate high with food – she reasoned this would be a one-off and she'd start eating healthily the following day. Nevertheless, the sticky toffee pudding caught Maggie's eye during dessert, and she could not help but help herself to a large portion.

During the feast, Madam Pomfrey asked Maggie about her time studying while Professor Sprout chatted about the Quidditch World Cup. Professor Sprout's words caused Maggie to falter slightly as her mind flashed back to the chaos she had witnessed. She quickly recovered, however, and thankfully neither Professor Sprout nor Madam Pomfrey noticed her stumble. For a moment, Maggie's thoughts flashed back to The Burrow and Charlie. Her cheeks reddened in embarrassment and her eyes flickered down as Maggie mentally scolded herself. Why would she even think of that? Her stomach did a somersault as her mind delved further and the memory of Charlie carrying her flashed through her eyes and Maggie's blush deepened.

Thankfully, she was distracted by Professor Dumbledore, who rose from his seat and lifted his hand for silence. The buzz of chatter ceased as all eyes were on the Headmaster. Maggie smiled fondly as Professor Dumbledore began to explain the notices for the year (Maggie noted that they were similar to those during her time at Hogwarts, though the full list of contraband items had risen - she wondered if the Weasley twins were responsible for that).

"It is also my painful duty to inform you that the inter-house Quidditch Cup will not take place this year," Professor Dumbledore announced, and a collective gasp echoed through the hall.

As the Headmaster continued with his speech, Maggie found herself smiling at the idea of the Tournament – while she would have loved to have seen it during her school years, Maggie reasoned it had worked in her favour to witness the tournament as a member of staff. Not only that, it gave her the opportunity to return to Hogwarts! Her eyes flickered over the students before her, many of whom still looked shocked at the prospect of Quidditch being cancelled but most watched Professor Dumbledore with eager eyes.

"-but I'm sure you will enjoy it immensely. I have the great pleasure of announcing that this year at Hogwarts -"

A deafening sound of thunder rumbled through the hall, followed by a vicious cloud of lightning flashing across the ceiling. The stormy night sky darkened just as the doors of the Great Hall flew opened. All eyes turned to the dark silhouette that limped forward, his weight supported by a large staff. Another crack of lightning illuminated the stranger's distorted face and the heads of every student, staff and ghost watched as he hobbled forward towards the front table. Maggie, however, smiled as she recognised the scarred face and electric blue eye, revolving in his eye socket and spinning around the room.

Professor Dumbledore seemed unaffected by the appearance of the mysterious stranger and instead smiled widely, offering an outstretched hand which Mad-Eye Moody quickly shock. The pair exchanged a few hushed whispers that were impossible to overhear before Mad-Eye stalked over to the faculty table and took a seat. His eye whizzed around the room, restless and cautious, as he slowly began to eat, occasionally sniffing his food warily.

"May I introduce our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Moody!" Professor Dumbledore announced brightly, unperturbed by the heavy atmosphere.

Maggie began to clap her hands but stopped when she realised that only Hagrid and Professor Dumbledore were the only ones applauding. Her cheeks blushed red as she stared down at her plate and internally, she hoped the reaction to her appointed role was more warmly received. As selfish as it sounded, part of Maggie was nervous about working at Hogwarts – after all, she was closer to some of the students in age than her fellow staff members!

"As I was saying, we are to have the honour of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century," Professor Dumbledore went on after an awkward moment of silence as he and Hagrid continued to applaud. "It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."

"You're JOKING!" said Fred Weasley, his hollering voice echoing throughout the hall. The Hall burst into laughter at his exclamation and Maggie attempted to hide the smile that pulled at her lips as she noticed the twins' amused expressions from their spot at the Gryffindor table.

"I am not joking, Mr Weasley, though now that you mention it, I did hear an excellent one over the summer about a troll, a hag and a leprechaun who go into a bar...Er but this is not the time...no..." Professor Dumbledore trailed off as Professor McGonagall cleared her throat loudly.

"Where was I? Ah yes, the Triwizard Tournament...well, some of you will not know what the tournament involves, so I hope those who do know will forgive me for giving a short explanation and allow their attention to wander freely."

As the headmaster began to explain what the tournament entailed, and of course, warning them of the dangers, Maggie's mind began to wander. She found herself thinking about Joe and wondering if he'd remembered to eat a proper dinner (she'd left a frozen lasagne to defrost on the countertop) or had opted to sustain his hunger through snacks and endless amounts of coffee. He'd developed an unhealthy habit of doing that, and because his cooking skills were something to be left desired, Maggie found herself meal prepping at least once a week so that Joe actually ate something substantial.

Joe, of course, tried to repay the favour by cooking for Maggie but the one and only time he had resulted in an extreme amount of black smoke flooding the kitchen and Maggie vanishing what was left of the blackened pie before Joe could see. Since then, Maggie tackled the cooking while Joe typically worked late.

It was easier for both of them that way.

As Maggie's eyes scanned over the hall, her mind flickering back to fifth-year and her first date with Joe, a flash of red hair pulled Maggie's thoughts in a different direction. From out of no-where, Maggie found herself wondering if Charlie was a good cook or whether he had managed to set fire to a bake-in-the oven-for-ten-minutes-pie. When the realisation dawned on Maggie just where her thoughts had wandered to, she blinked slowly and tried to shake away the thoughts, her mind begging for a distraction.

Luck, it would have it, was on her side.

"Due to the severity and alarmingly high death toll of the Tournament, we have appointed a new member of staff to aid Madam Pomfrey in whatever trials the tournament may bring," said Professor Dumbledore and Maggie felt the attention slowly drift towards herself. "It is my pleasure to introduce Healer Ainsworth, who will be assisting Madam Pomfrey throughout the tournament."

Professor Dumbledore gestured to Maggie, who shyly rose to her feet, her robes swishing around gracefully as a round of applause echoed around the hall. She smiled slightly as she noticed that the Hufflepuff table in particular, cheered the loudest – she wondered if that was Cedric's doing. A close second, however, was the Gryffindor table, and Maggie's smile widened as she noticed the Harry, Hermione and Weasleys' enthusiastic applause. Once again, her mind flickered to Charlie, but she quickly pushed away those thoughts.

As Professor Dumbledore dismissed the students, wishing them all a good night, Maggie's thoughts wandered back to the last time she sat in the Great Hall. A swell of pride burst through her chest as she thought about how far she had come since the last time she'd sat in this hall. Adam's words circled round her mind – 'We got this'.

Maggie smiled; she was going to smash this.

The next morning came quickly enough and Maggie found herself strolling down the corridors of Hogwarts on her way to the Hospital Wing. She smiled to herself, closing her eyes and relishing in the feeling of being stood in the familiar halls. Maggie woke early that morning, eager to start the day. She had quickly dressed in her new healer robes, admiring how the white and red colours of Hogwarts healers were more complimentary than the putrid lime green of St Mungo's – honestly, who looked good in lime?

Maggie even took extra care with her hair that morning; usually, she tied it back into a messy bun, not wanting to face the unruly curls but today, Maggie took her time, managing to tame the curls into a sleek ponytail, a few stray curls framing her face. She blushed as she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror before she left – she wasn't heading to the runway, far from it! Though it gave Maggie a small boost of confidence, knowing that she looked smart on her first day, somehow it made her feel slightly less nervous.

Only slightly, however.

A part of Maggie knew that she should have gone to breakfast in the Great Hall before heading to the Hospital Wing, but Maggie's stomach was a bundle of nervous and the thought of food made her stomach somersault. She chided herself for the idea but nevertheless, her feet led her towards the Hospital Wing as she tried her hardest to ignore the butterflies in her tummy. Letting out a small sigh, Maggie picked up her pace, almost skipping down the corridor until a voice caught her attention.

"Aren't you a little old to be at school?"

Despite the words, Maggie smiled widely, immediately recognising the voice. She turned slowly, a playful grin stretching across her lips as her eyes flickered to the figure stood behind her, leaning against the wall with a crooked grin.

"I had to check that my legacy as prefect was being properly upheld," Maggie retorted, slowly folding her arms across her body as she eyed the figure before her. "Anyway, I've got a bone to pick with you – what's this I've heard about Hufflepuff losing the Quidditch House Cup? Tonks was livid when she found out."

Cedric chuckled, shaking his head. "She clearly hasn't seen Gryffindor's seeker; even she would be gobsmacked."

"And here I am thinking that Hufflepuff had the best seeker?" Maggie said playfully, raising an eyebrow. "Shocking, isn't it?"

"It's because we didn't have Tonks' hair-brained Quidditch planning – that was the real reason we ever won!"

Maggie smirked, her eyes glistening impishly. "I wouldn't say that too loud; she'll be on the first broom back if she catches wind of that."

"Well, you're back, surely it's time for a reunion?"

"Oh, come here, you dolt," Maggie exclaimed, holding her arms out warmly. "What happened to that little second-year who could barely transfigure a tea-cosy?"

"He grew up," Cedric smirked, pulling Maggie into a tight hug before chuckling. "Clearly I was the only one who did though," He said, pulling away and nodding at Maggie's petite form.

"Oi, watch it," Maggie replied, playfully swatting his arm, causing Cedric's chuckles to increase. "I may be small but I'm definitely wiser."

"Clearly. How did you manage to get back here? I mean, I know you're short, but you are taller than the average first-year..."

"Hey!" exclaimed Maggie, before she laughed. "I'll have you know; I was recommended for the job."

"So, I'll take it that St Mungo's is still standing after your tenure? Or are they using this opportunity to rebuild while you take your destructive talents elsewhere?"

Cedric guffawed loudly as he dodged the blow Maggie aimed towards his arm. Taking a step back – it was at least two paces for Maggie and her short legs – Cedric chuckled once more as he was out of Maggie's range.

"You know, most people say 'hello' or ask them how they've been if they haven't seen someone for four years!" Maggie pointed out, crossing her arms once more and staring at the Hufflepuff with a chiding glance.

"People are overrated," Cedric replied with a shrug. "But now that you mention it, how is everyone? Ernie isn't the most forthcoming when it comes to keeping up with people; the last thing he said was that Louisa had a gossip column in Witch Weekly, which frankly, was bound to happen eventually."

"That's exactly what we said," Maggie chuckled. "Everyone's doing okay; Kev's still working for the Ministry, but Muggle Relations has always been his thing, Tonks will always be Tonks, Eddie's stowed off with what happened at the World Cup and last I heard, Adam was doing quite well with American politics."

"Have those two admitted their feelings yet?" Cedric asked and Maggie turned to stare at him with a pointed look. He raised his hands in defence. "I just thought they'd make a good couple."

"So I'm not the only one who thought that!" Maggie exclaimed happily. "Not yet, I'm afraid, they both need to get their heads out of their arses and just get on with it already. But they're both as stubborn as the other, the pig-headed shits."

"And how're things with MacFarlane?" Cedric's words were quiet, almost cautious and Maggie's eyes darted away, looking at anything but Cedric's gaze.

"He's doing okay," She said slowly, choosing her words carefully. "The accident really knocked his confidence but he's working for the Ministry right now...He's really loving it in fact."

From the corner of her eye, Maggie saw Cedric nod slowly, his eyes twinkling in thought. Just as Cedric moved to speak, Maggie quickly interrupted him, having an unpleasant idea of where the conversation was headed.

"What about you, then?" She said quickly, turning her gaze back to the Hufflepuff. "Are you going to try for Hogwarts Champion?"

Cedric shrugged nonchalantly though the crooked grin that stretched across his features gave away his emotions.

"We'll see," He said evenly. "It's NEWT year so I need to focus on that, but I suppose it could be good practice..."

As Cedric's words trailed off, Maggie found herself stepping over to where the younger Hufflepuff stood. With a small smile, she pulled him into a one-armed hug and squeezed his shoulder gently.

"You'll be the best Champion Hogwarts could hope for," She said confidently. "You know what they say; Gryffindors are too reckless, Slytherins are too selfish and Ravenclaws too arrogant. Hufflepuffs are hard workers for a reason; while the rest go about galivanting and getting all the attention, it's us Hufflepuffs who come out on top eventually. Why? Because we work hard to get there, no matter how long it takes."

After pondering Maggie's words, Cedric gave a soft chuckle. "Been saving that for a while, have you?"

Maggie shrugged. "That's the product of five Hufflepuffs and too much Firewhiskey – turns out, you need a lot of uplifting speeches as an adult, even if they start at three o'clock in the morning, half-passed out on your friend's kitchen floor," Maggie paused for a moment. "Forget that last bit, I don't want to lose my job over something that clearly started off as an inspirational speech. Even if most of it came from Tonks."

"Tonks giving inspirational speeches?" Cedric said in mock disbelief, chuckling as he did. "How the adult world has changed you both."

"You'll find that out soon enough," Maggie said, giving the Hufflepuff a small push before walking down the corridor. "Anyway, this adult needs to get to work, I can't lose my job before I've even started; Tonks would never let me live it down."

With a final chuckle, Maggie turned on her heel and headed towards the Hospital Wing, leaving a chuckling Cedric in her wake. Maggie smiled at the sound; she'd missed the younger Hufflepuff over the years but after their conversation, it felt as though they had barely been apart. While it felt strange being at Hogwarts without her usual friends, seeing Cedric had somehow reassured a small part of her nerves and there was an added spring in her step as Maggie arrived at the Hospital Wing.

The Hospital Wing was just as Maggie remembered it. Madam Pomfrey quickly ushered the witch into her office, giving Maggie a cup of tea and a plate of toast before going over what her duties would be. With an eager smile, Maggie listened to the Healer, avidly taking notes and asking further questions. The matron patiently answered them, explaining that the pair would most likely not be busy on the first day, instead explaining that for the first few weeks of term, it would be Maggie's responsibility to brew the various potions needed for the medicine cabinet.

True to the Matron's word, Maggie found herself doing odd jobs round the Hospital Wing for the first week of term. As important as it was – Maggie swore Hogwarts would never run out of bandages after she spent a solid three hours wrapping more – the work was very monotone and took Maggie back to her early days at St Mungo's, where trainee Healers were auxiliary more than anything.

The only positive was that Madam Pomfrey taught Maggie how to brew different potion remedies, some of which Maggie had never heard of. However, that also meant that she had to brave the dungeons, as most of the ingredients were stored in the Potions storeroom, which also meant that Maggie had to face seeing her old professor, an idea that she was not thrilled by.

So when her first patient arrived in the Hospital Wing on the second day of term, Maggie was somewhat surprised. Madam Pomfrey was sat in her office, her attention fixated on the masses of paperwork before her, and signalled for Maggie to go through, giving the young Healer an encouraging nod. Her stomach was fluttering with nerves as Maggie stepped into the main chamber, a nervous smile pulling at her lips.

It didn't last long.

Maggie had put up with some...problematic patients in the past. From old ladies who would complain over the tiniest of issues, to patients who would gloss over their symptoms in an attempt to appear tough, to grown men who would whine about the hospital food (though Maggie would be the first to admit, hospital food was always awful). Maggie had certainly seen some sights during her time at St Mungo's and dealt with some truly annoying patients.

But none were a patch upon the three Slytherin students that sulked into the Hospital Wing that afternoon.

The following half an hour was a testament to Maggie's patience and even then, the witch stumbled through. She recognised the first student and her stomach jittered when she realised who it was. In the past, Tonks had liked to rant about the injustice of her extended family, and while she had never formally met them, Tonks had pointed them out to Maggie in the past.

"Biggest bunch of Pure-Blood arseholes you've ever met," Tonks had said one day, as the witches were in Diagon Alley. "Supercilious maniacs, the lot of them. They're obsessed with it; even tried to marry Mum off to one of her cousins just to keep the bloodline pure," She spat out the word, grimacing as she did. "She ran away to marry Dad, you know, got disowned for it. Personally, I think she's better off without them but I know, deep down, she misses her sisters..."

Tonks trailed off, staring at the woman across the shop. Maggie frowned at the witch, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion as she followed Tonks' gaze. Her eyes landed upon a tall woman, blonde-haired and picturesque, or at least, she would have been but the sneer that stretched across her lips distorted the image. Maggie's frown deepened as her eyes flickered to the boy stood beside the woman. It was clear that he was her son; they shared the same white-blonde hair and contemptuous glare.

Though he was a few years older, Maggie recognised Draco Malfoy in an instant and her stomach dropped. He hadn't changed; his haughty, pointed features still sneered at his surroundings though Maggie did not miss the almost dazed look that lingered in his eyes.

The two Slytherins that flanked Malfoy could almost be described as his bodyguards. Maggie raised an eyebrow in question as she studied the pair; while one was slightly taller than the other, they were both large and intimidating and overall, rather gorilla-like in stature. Maggie managed to stifle her giggles – it would have been very unprofessional to laugh at a student before she'd even done any proper work.

"What seems to be the problem?" Maggie asked brightly, hoping a smile might mask her nerves.

Malfoy mumbled slowly, his eyes glaring at the flagstone floor, and Maggie's frown deepened at the incoherent words. Her eyes flickered to the two figures behind the Slytherin, in hopes that they would offer some explanation, but they stared dumbly back at Maggie.

"Well, I'm not a Seer or a Legilimens so I can't help you until you tell me what happened," said Maggie, a small smile twitching at her lips. While she had hoped that her humour would soften the icy atmosphere, it was clear that it would not.

"That fool of a Professor Moody," Malfoy said malevolently, the scorn dripping from his words. "Wait until my father hears about this..."

"What did Professor Moody do?" Maggie asked impatiently, cutting of the student's rant. It took everything she had not to roll her eyes at his words.

Malfoy's glare suddenly landed upon Maggie, his cold eyes burning like ice. He remained silent, glaring at the witch as though Moody's actions were her fault. Maggie remained composed however, staring back coolly as she waited for an answer. In the end, one of the hulking students answered her question, though the grunt was intelligible.

At his words, Maggie gave a small nod and motioned towards an empty hospital bed, turning away to hide the laughter that built up inside her. It took her a moment to compose herself, as the image of a white ferret levitating around the courtyard filled her mind. Maggie shook her head, hoping to also shake away the thought before busying herself with her patient.

"Drink this," She instructed, handing Malfoy a glowing yellow concoction. "Are you experiencing any nausea? Headache, maybe?"

Malfoy shook his head, glaring down stubbornly at the sheets as he refused to speak. Maggie rolled her eyes at his silence – it was worse being stuck on the Artifact Accidents ward on Christmas Day! Even then, patients would let the odd laugh slip, but Draco Malfoy appeared to have inherited the stubborn gene from the Black family, one which Tonks also shared.

Maggie grabbed her wand and muttered a few spells, checking Malfoy's vitals and blood pressure. She waved her wand, checking his heart rate and frowned when she noticed it was slightly higher than she would have liked it though she chalked it down to the human-animal transfiguration.

"Right then, you're free to go," Maggie said, vanishing the empty potion bottles that sat on the bedside table. "If you start feeling lightheaded or get the urge to start burrowing – as daft as it sounds – come back straight away."

With a final nod, Maggie turned on her heel to leave, but was stopped by the one of the hulking Slytherins. She had learnt their names – Crabbe and Goyle – but could not tell either apart. It was hard for Maggie to understand his troll-like grunt, but Maggie managed to make out the word 'Flobberworm'. He clutched his finger and Maggie put two and two together.

"You do realise that Flobberworms don't have teeth, right?" Maggie said after a moment of stunned silence, staring at the student in disbelief. Her disbelief slowly turned into anger at his dumbfounded expression as she realised that it was an attempt to cause bother with the teacher. "Flobberworms physically can't bite you. And if it bothered you so much, why didn't you come here straight from your lesson?"

Maggie then turned on her heel and stormed into the Matron's office, not caring to look back at the three gaping students she left in her wake. Madam Pomfrey offered Maggie a kind smile as the witch took a seat, sighing as she did.

"When I woke up this morning, I didn't expect my first patient to be a human-ferret transfiguration," Maggie said as she pulled out the relevant paperwork. "Even more so, I didn't expect a member of staff to be responsible!"

Madam Pomfrey gave a small nod. "Expect the unexpected, dear. Especially here; one day it'll be the aftermath of two students duelling, the next could be someone's sprouted a pair of antlers."

Maggie chuckled as she poured herself a cup of tea. "We must be mad to work here. Helga help us for the Triwizard Tournament; Merlin only knows what madness that will bring!"