[voice recognition charm activated]

[aculeatus]

Poppy?

Much as it grieves me to admit defeat in any arena, personal, professional or in the wider scheme of things...

...I surrender.

I'll be at the Infirmary this afternoon at four o'clock and will submit to your prodding and prying, and take whatever wretched medicine you want to dole out. Just call them off.

And don't you dare deny that

Comments

[voice recognition charm activated]

[aculeatus]

You know what's worst about this damned voice charm thing? Flitwick won't let it recognise any of the really satisfying curses.

You know as well as I do that the work doesn't stop, just because you're not at your best. Minerva is sick, Albus is wrapped up in the school - someone has to deal with negotiating what happens with the students. We should be starting a new school year and we have no school. The staff are worn out and we're left with a choice of that cattle-shed in Greenwich or dragging people back to the safehouses and throwing away Floo powder gallivanting back and forth between lessons. I don't have the first idea of how long it will be before Hogwarts is ready to accept students once more. If ever. I don't have time to be ill.

Do what you need to - glue me back together and get me back on my feet, but don't expect me to do nothing for a day and a half - I'll be taking reports and dealing with things as soon as I'm awake, in bed or not. And if you set those [indecipherable] House Elves on me again, I will feed them both to the Squid.

[hl_npc2]

You know, Severus, I am really getting tired of this. Do you truly think I nag you for my own enjoyment? I assure I get no pleasure from chasing after you or setting watchdogs on you. When I took this job, I was given the responsibility of overseeing the health care needs all the students, faculty and staff of the school, and I have tried very hard to live up to that responsibility. But I cannot do it alone. My patients have to want to get better, and they have to be willing to allow me to do my job properly. What good is gluing you back together, if you will not allow enough time for that glue to set?

You have a choice before you, and you are the only one who can make it. You will have to choose whether to put your responsibilites of the moment ahead of your future health. When I say that if I perform the necessary first step in repairing your eye, and I say that you will have to lie flat on your back for 36 hours, I am already shaving what is recommended for such a procedure to the very bone.

More properly you should spend at least 48 hours lying flat with little interruption and no added stress, but I was willing to try to reduce the time a bit to help you out. However, I am only willing to do this, if you will rest completely for those 36 hours. That means restraints to see that you do not move your head so much as a millimeter and no reports or troubles to raise your blood pressure beyond tolerable levels. Only if you will agree to these conditions, will I attempt this procedure. I don't wish to waste my time anymore than you do, and performing such painstaking, delicate work with the sure certainty that you will undo it all as soon as someone presents you with some report you do not want to hear would be folly.

You are an adult, and as such, your health decisions are yours to make. So what will it be?

[voice recognition charm activated]

[aculeatus]

Oh don't be so bloody precious, Poppy. I've said I'll come.

Just tell me that it's going to work.

[hl_npc2]

If you cooperate, it will work. I will see you at four.