Grow Where You're Planted

[safinnigan]

Date: Friday, 21 July, 2000
Time: Noon
Place: St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries
Characters Involved: Seamus Finnigan, and Neville Longbottom, Private
Rating: G
Complete or Incomplete: Complete

Comments

[forevernev]

"Well, I didn't mean Tonks, and she seems to be worse off than the rest of us." He'd started to scrape the sides and bottom of his food container with the edge of his fork, gathering up the final bits of his lunch for a few more mouthfuls. "Can't control who she works for, can she? I figure she's still an Auror cos she does her job well, doesn't make her Department Head suspicious. Except we know who she'll always side with, right?"

He couldn't argue with Seamus' summing up of Lucius Malfoy. The man had written a very convincing book. From what Neville could understand of it (and this was from bits and pieces of his coworkers and the nurses talking about "that poor, poor man" who was "cornered and didn't know what to do"), the memoir had an apologetic tone of someone resigned to his fate who needed to protect and support his family. Since Neville hadn't read the thing, he didn't know if it was true, but most of St. Mungos Tea Room staff was already assured of Malfoy's "innocence." "Truth or not, everyone's talking about it. Makes me a bit ill just thinking about it."

"I suppose you're right," he said, his fingertip tracing a trail of condensation down his Butterbeer bottle. "But is there nothing we can do except sit about centering on our own lives? It's a bit worse than during the war. We were careful, then, cos we knew they were out there, but now? I think they're still lurking about. It's just harder for us to see the dangers."

"It depends on where you'd want to go, I suppose." He sat back in his chair, eyes raised to the ceiling. The gesture helped him concentrate and think about things. "How d'you feel about the seaside? Or roller coasters? 'Cos I'd suggest Blackpool if you don't mind them. My family's gone there on holiday every summer for as long as I can remember."