Fic: What Makes All The Difference ~Part III
Part III
Normally fond of Arithmancy, Padma found herself unable to concentrate on the problems Vector had assigned. She was focussed on a problem of a different sort, and it didn’t help that there was an imposing black-robed figure at the back of the room. Just as Umbridge had done, there were classroom observers at random times, making sure the curriculum being taught was all approved material. They were there as much to intimidate the students as the staff, particularly after what had happened on Friday. Though the Carrows were officially in charge of school discipline, most of the staff were reluctant to refer any student to them. Friday was a shining example of what could and most likely would happen.
When the class was finally over, Padma didn’t hang around for her usual round of questions with Professor Vector. She managed to reach the Great Hall before most of the staff had arrived and no one seemed to notice when she wrapped a few ham sandwiches into a napkin and stuff three apples into her book bag. She bumped into Mandy on her way out, but made an excuse about a forgotten book and hurried out the front doors.
The air was cool, but it was gloriously sunny and warm enough if you were out of the wind. If any of the students coming in from Herbology or Care of Magical Creatures had asked, she would have told them it was a fine day for lunch by the lake, but no one seemed to notice her. When she reached the greenhouses, Padma looked around carefully before slipping between greenhouses four and five. There didn’t seem to be anyone there, but she circled around to the back door, just in case. The door clicked open softly and she ducked into the humid warmth of the greenhouse. The medicinal tang of the plants reached her nose and she took in a deep breath. This was Professor Sprout’s pride. An oasis of healing if properly cared for.
She saw Neville standing beside one of the few trees in this greenhouse, Seamus slumped on the bench in front of him, leaning heavily against its trunk. He looked up at her as the door clicked shut and quickly glanced around the building to be certain they were alone. As she approached them, Padma could see Seamus looked paler and more unwell than he had earlier.
“Any problems?” she asked softly, knowing they were alone, but still cautious.
“I asked her near the end of class. With Seamus looking like this, she didn’t make much of a fuss.”
Turning to the bandaged Gryffindor, she began checking him over. Carefully unwinding the bandages around his head she asked, “Are you feeling dizzy or nauseous? Fever? Headache? Tingling in your fingers or toes?”
Seamus groaned as the last of the wrapping came undone and the bandage that had been clinging to the clotted blood peeled away, opening the wound again. “Any or all of the above. I feel like hell.”
“Well that’s specific,” she observed tartly.
“It’s honest.”
“We don’t have a lot of time here. Can you give me some priorities? What hurts the worst?”
Seamus rolled his eyes slightly but told her, “Leg, stomach and head in that order. The rest of it is minor.”
Padma gave him a confused look while aiming her wand at the long gash across his temple. “I’m just going to seal the facial wounds, not heal them completely. If Carrow expected you to take care of them yourself, he’ll know if I fix them entirely. The clotting spell will at least make the bleeding stop and let you get rid of some of the bandages, but still look like natural healing. Cessanguo. What happened to your stomach? I remember there was a big cut on your leg, but I don’t recall anything to your abdomen.”
“The stomach happened after Carrow made you leave,” he grunted loudly as another bandage to his face was removed to allow Padma to seal the wound magically. “Cast a bludgeoning curse right at me gut. It’s a wonder I haven’t a burst appendix. That was one of the few things old Greasy Pants let Pomfrey check. There wasn’t any internal bleeding or busted organs so Snape wouldn’t let her treat anything else. As for the leg, little Amy gave me a half dozen swift kicks right on the big gash there. Let Pomfrey seal up the cut, but it’s swollen as anything and keeps comin’ open at the edges.”
Finishing the major unsealed wounds on his face, Padma cast a glance down his robe-covered form. Her cheeks flushed. Perhaps she wasn’t quite ready for this challenge. “Er... Neville, why don’t you help Seamus expose that leg wound and we’ll see what can be done for it.”
There was some awkward shuffling and pain-filled groans as Neville helped manoeuver his friend into a better position and exposed the leg. Padma tried to alleviate her embarrassment by casting her eye around the greenhouse for anything that might be of immediate use. There were plenty of plants useful in healing potions, none of which she had with her. She felt inadequate and overwhelmed, but the small cough behind her back pulled her out of her downward spiralling thoughts. There wasn’t much she could do that would make him feel worse. All she could do was carry forward.
The wound before her was hugely discoloured from both the bleeding and the bruising. The site was very swollen and stretched from the outside top of his thigh to the inside of his kneecap. It had been a deeper cut than the rest, though not crippling Pomfrey had said. Leaning in closer, Padma inhaled deeply, smelling along the wound. She worked her way along the length of the gash, no longer conscious of the boys watching her. Though it looked awful, the cut didn’t smell foul or infected. She could be thankful for small blessings. Checking along the length of the cut a second time to be sure before trying to close it up, a very awkward voice asked, “Uh, Padma... I don’t mean to be critical, but ... What are you doing?”
Freezing where she was, Padma glanced up towards Seamus’ face and found herself staring directly at his underwear. Jerking up, she flushed and tried to answer his question confidently. “I was smelling the wound, checking for infection. I’m not very adept with the diagnostic spells yet, but there are other ways to look for serious infection. The gash seems fine and there is no puss or other signs of infection. Parts of it are already starting to heal and I don’t want to open it up with a deep disinfection charm. I’ll just do a topical clean and then try to get this fixed, alright?”
Wincing at her rambling words, she ignored any response and returned to the wound. With a careful sweep of her wand she disinfected the length of the surface and prayed there was no underlying infection. If there was, she could make things a whole lot worse by trying to heal it. Padma closed her eyes and took a deep breath before aiming her wand and clearly pronouncing, “Episky.”
Seamus gasped and gripped Neville’s hand tightly for a long moment before the tension in his body eased and he collapsed back along the bench. He lay there for a minute, just breathing deeply. “Didn’t know that would be so cold. Felt like you turned my bone to ice for a moment there. Better though. It doesn’t feel like the throbbing of my leg is going to rip the seams of my trousers like it did this morning. It look any better?”
Bracing his back, Neville propped Seamus up to have a look at his leg. Neville grinned. “Nice work, Padma. Still a good amount of bruising left, but the whole cut is gone. We’ll have a salve tomorrow to take care of the rest.”
Nodding, Seamus tried moving his leg a bit. He still winced with discomfort, but it seemed less than before. “I reckon it will be a while before it feels right again, but it’s much better. Thanks. I think I’ll get my trousers back on now, if it’s all the same to everyone.”
Padma grinned at her success, but stopped Seamus as he reached for his trousers, catching sight of another injury. “Wait. There’s another one I want to heal.”
He tried to brush her off. “The rest are just scratches. They’ve already sealed up on their own and will be fine in a week. Don’t worry about it.”
“No,” she said stubbornly, drawing her wand, “I feel horrible that I gave you this cut. You are going to let me heal it for you.”
Dragging his foot onto her lap, Padma carefully positioned her wand. “Episky.”
Seamus sucked in his breath again, though this time it was a small shiver of cold running along his ankle. Padma smiled at the line of fresh pink skin and nodded. “There. Now you may dress yourself as you see fit.”
Neville snorted. “You know, with you already sound a bit like Pomfrey. It must be a Healer thing.”
“I’m no Healer, Neville. This about reaches my limits. I’ll try to learn more, but I won’t become an expert reading a book. It takes five years of training to become a Mediwitch and another three to apprentice as a Healer. This is first aid at best,” she told him seriously.
“It’s the best we have,” Seamus noted.
Padma closed her eyes, close to tears. “I’m sorry, Seamus. I couldn’t stand up to him. If he makes us do it again, I don’t think I’ll be able to fight it then either. I’m such a coward.”
“Who is illicitly caring for someone the Headmaster has forbidden all non-essential medical care to,” Neville observed gently. “It’s not for everyone to stand up to them publicly like that. It would be ridiculous to expect it of everyone. We already know this is a pretty hopeless looking fight.”
“I didn’t expect to stop him, you know. I said no, because it needed to be said. And I’ll do it again,” Seamus told her confidently.
“No you won’t,” Neville argued. “He’ll beat you half to death if you do. You heard what he said. You mean nothing to him. If I do it, he’s not going to go out of his way to make an example of me.”
“And just how long do you think that’ll last, mmm? You piss him off enough times and he’ll make a pincushion out of you to, Neville. I copped out on Harry once, I’m not doin’ it again,” he said stubbonly.
Padma shook her head at the both of them. “Raving. Both of you. I’m going to need to learn some serious Mediwizardry skills, aren’t I?”
Neville grinned. “You know, Dumbledore’s Army is still recruiting.”
Looking at her watch, Padma observed, “You know there’s only fifteen minutes left until Transfiguration. Eat your sandwiches. I’ll sneak out ahead of you two. Sorry I didn’t have the time to take a look at your stomach. I’m not sure there’s much I can do, but I feel bad for not checking. Perhaps later if you think it would help.”
Seamus shrugged, testing his leg gingerly as he stood to fix his trousers and tuck in his shirt. “It’s not so bad. Any road, I’ll live.”
“Seamus,” Neville said with exasperation, “Don’t try don’t be an idiot. You should let her at least have a look at it. I still say it doesn’t look right.”
“Of course it doesn’t look right! A Death Eater teacher cast a bludgeoning curse at me! I don’t see very much right about it!” Seamus growled angrily.
“Then let her-”
“-Leave it, Neville. I’ll be fine. Let’s just start in for class. McGonagall may be sympathetic, but she can’t disguise any of us arriving late for class,” he stated with finality.
Padma tried to keep pity from her face as she watched the two boys move towards the front door of the greenhouse, Seamus resolutely ignoring Neville’s offer of assistance. Head held high, he limped with dignity out the door. Based on the way he walked, his leg was far more useable and considerably less painful, yet she still felt her efforts had been inadequate. Her stomach hadn’t stopped churning uncomfortably since that morning, and she wondered if her emotions might actually make her sick. At that moment, Padma wished her mother was there to do one of her amazing chakra healings that always made her feel better when she was younger.
She sat for a minute longer, enjoying the medicinal fragrances of the greenhouse and remembering the way her mother always knew the right way to make her feel better. Eyes widening, Padma laughed out loud at herself. She may be no Healer, but she had watched and experienced her mother’s old country remedies for years. She could hear the chanting and see the wand movements in her head as her mother treated everything from a headache to dragon pox with her soft voice and healing touch. Unconsciously, she was already making the wand movements in the air. If Seamus would agree to meet with her again, she knew what she could do to help him.
Her doubts as to whether she should be putting herself forward for this task eased and she grinned as she dashed back to the castle for Transfiguration.
***
It had been relatively easy to slip the note into Seamus’ pocket. Whether or not he would actually read it or show up was another matter, but she had delivered her message asking him to meet in the D.A. room at 7 o’clock. Arriving a full half-hour early, Padma paced in the hallway where the room should be, wondering how exactly Harry had found this place. On her third circuit of the hallway, a plain, unassuming wooden door appeared in the wall and Padma pulled on it tentatively.
Inside was nothing like the DA room she had been expecting. Less than a quarter the size, the room she entered contained a comfortable looking chesterfield, a small coffee table, a bookshelf and a low cot positioned near a small fireplace. Carefully closing the door behind her, Padma felt along the walls and furniture. She was more than a little surprised. The D.A. room wouldn’t have been an ideal place to work in, but she knew it would be reasonably secure and a place they both could find. She was aware that it was a special place and had seen the room change and adapt when needed, but she had no idea the ability went quite so far. This was nothing short of amazing!
Running her finger along the spines of the books on the shelves, Padma noted that the entire section on medical magics from the library was here, as well as a number of more advanced texts she was certain could be found in Poppy Pomfrey’s personal library. She picked up a book titled Bruises, Breaks and Contusions: a Mediwitch’s Guide to Everyday Injuries and made herself comfortable on the chesterfield while waiting for Seamus.
She had been reading for about fifteen minutes when the door behind her creaked open. Startled, Padma slammed her book shut and twisted around in time to see a sandy blond head poke inside. Seamus’ eyes were wide as saucers at the unexpected sight before him. “Whoa, I guess Harry wasn’t fooling when he said this place could change to whatever was needed. I thought this was going to be the practice room.”
Padma nodded. “So did I. Whenever we had meetings, Harry, Ron and Hermione were always here ahead of everyone. I’ve never come first before and I thought I had the hallway wrong when there was no door. I’d heard them call this place the Room of Requirement. It’s certainly no euphemism!”
“Yeah ...” Seamus said, looking around the room awkwardly. “I ... look, I was a bit short with you and Neville at lunch. I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful or like I didn’t want your help.”
“That’s not what it sounded like. It sounded like you were angry and frustrated with the situation not with us,” Padma told him calmly.
He sighed heavily, “Yeah, I suppose I am.”
“And it stings a bit that all Neville got was a black eye for the same thing Carrow had you cursed bloody for. Right?”
Seamus shook his head. “I know Neville didn’t have anything to do with it. He didn’t think he would be treated any different. I guess, I just ... for all I knew Death Eaters and You-Know-Who were all about blood purity, I figure I never really expected to feel it myself. I mean, I knew ... It’s not like I’ve ever kept me Da a big secret, but ...”
“It’s different to experience it first hand. I know. I’ve been worried too, about what could happen.”
“You? I thought your family was considered multi-generation pureblood.”
Padma shrugged. “It is, but it’s also not a European line. I don’t think it holds the same respect as others because it isn’t well-known or thoroughly checked. As far as British wizards are concerned, they have nobody’s word but our own.”
“I suppose. Still, I doubt you’ll be top of their list to give a hard time to. There are still plenty of others here with stronger ties to Muggles or Muggle-borns than you,” he told her reassuringly.
“True enough. I know I’m as safe as anyone else is, really, but it’s always there in the back of my mind. My father didn’t want Parvati and I to come back this year. I told him my NEWT exams were too important to stay away because of what might happen. I feel awful for saying that now.”
“Mam didn’t want me coming back, either. She lived as a Muggle for a few years when she first met Da and said it wasn’t so bad. She figured she would be one of the ones the Ministry came looking for so she said it would be best to just disappear into the Muggle world until it was safe again. We had a horrible row when I told her I wasn’t going to hide with her. She couldn’t stop me from coming back, but I can’t really write anymore. I thought coming back was the right thing to do. I knew it wasn’t going to be the safest thing, but we’re seventh years, aren’t we? If none of us came back, who would help keep the younger ones from getting the worst of it?”
Padma nodded. “The first years aren’t as aware of the divisions, but they are nervous and uneasy. There isn’t as much laughter in the common room these days and more tears at night.”
“Neville’s been up almost every night with first years. I’m not sure the black eye he’s got makes them sleep any easier, though,” he said with a humourless laugh.
“Nor does your limping and moaning, I expect,” she replied tartly.
They looked at each other for a long moment before the both started chuckling. It began low and softly but soon grew louder and fuller until they both collapsed on the chesterfield, their laughter treading the fine line between guffaws and sobs. Wetness was streaming down Padma’s face, and she swiped at it forcefully, determined not to cry.
Seamus spoke softly, “I suppose sometimes you’ve just got to laugh or you’ll end up crying.”
“Will you let me at least have a look at your stomach?” Padma asked gently. “Sometimes internal damage isn’t always easily diagnosed with so much trauma.”
He looked at her curiously. “When did you learn so much about Mediwizardry?”
“I wouldn’t say I know a lot. I’ve just started researching the subject recently. Someone needs to know what to do,” she trailed off in a whisper.
“Sorry.”
Padma shook her head vigorously. “If it wasn’t you, someone else would have needed help sooner or later. I’m just doing what I can.”
“Alright. What do you need me to do?”
She gestured to the low cot. “Undo your shirt and lay down on your back.”
Padma turned her back while Seamus positioned himself on the cot, reviewing in her mind the things she needed to check for. There were both magical and manual methods of checking for internal damage. She would use both to be certain there was no severe damage before trying her mother’s home healing. The thought of missing something serious made her nervous.
Turning around, she saw Seamus had settled himself as comfortably as could be managed on the narrow cot. His shirt hung loosely over the sides, exposing his abdomen to her view. She imagined on a good day he looked quite fit. Today was not a good day, however. His skin was discoloured with bruising, though most of it seemed to be minor and superficial. The mottled green and yellow looked almost as if someone had painted it on his stomach with a sponge.
With a smooth sweep of her wand, Padma scanned for deep tissue damage, double and triple checking due to her inexperience with the spell. Although nothing irregular appeared in her scans, she thought it prudent to check manually as well. Setting her wand down on the coffee table, she stood over him and ran the flat of her hand across the discoloured skin just below his rib cage. There were small areas of swelling under the larger and darker bruises. Deeper probing with her fingers revealed them to be only superficial. As she worked her way down his abdomen, checking each irregularity, Seamus winced and grunted occasionally. Her examination was likely causing him further discomfort, but he was to be commended for holding himself as still as he was.
When she felt confident, or at least as confident as she was likely to get, that his injuries were not serious, only uncomfortable, she told him, “There doesn’t appear to be anything to be very concerned about. I can’t find any noticeable damage to your internal organs, and if there was any it should have manifested itself by now.”
He quirked an eyebrow at her. “You sounded incredibly like Madam Pomfrey just now.”
She shook her head at him. “Shush. The discomfort appears to be coming mostly from the bruising and residual effects of all the curses thrown at you. Western Mediwizardry doesn’t have much in the way to help you with that beyond a few potions, for which I have no access to the ingredients necessary to brew, and bedrest.”
“I didn’t expect there to be anything for it. I know it just takes time for injuries like this to feel better,” he said in an understanding tone.
“I didn’t say that,” she informed him crisply. “I said Western magic has little to assist you. If you aren’t opposed to an old Indian home healing, I can probably relieve a fair bit of the pain. Not all of it, mind you, but enough to make you more comfortable.”
Seamus sat up on the cot and looked at her curiously. “What kind of home healing?”
Padma sat on the edge of the small table as she explained. “In India, Healers not only use their own magic to cure illness and injury, but also the body’s own magical energy. Now, the way I understand it, the body already does this naturally to a certain extent, but by manipulating the flow of magical energy it can speed healing. There are seven major energy centres, or chakras, in the body that affect various areas and functions of the body. By stimulating a particular chakra, it realigns the flow of magic and helps the natural healing processes work better.”
“You mean, my body will heal itself faster if you divert some of my energy to help it?” he asked, his brow furrowing as he attempted to process her explanation.
“Sort of. When you are sick or hurt, usually it isn’t just your body affected; your magic is stressed as well. Chakra healing helps relieve that stress and congestion. It feels sort of like everything that was blocked and under pressure suddenly bursts free and washes over you. My mother uses chakra healing for anything from headaches to Dragon Pox,” she told him.
“Your mother is a Healer?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No, my mother just uses her own home healings. She didn’t come to Britain until she was nineteen, when she married my father. Back in India, she learned home remedies from her own mother. If you ask her, she’ll tell you that everything is better here except the weather and the Healers. In India, Mediwizardry is very different than it is here. I’m not sure it’s any better, but it is definitely different.”
He shrugged. “I’ll try almost anything once. I doubt it could make me feel worse.”
“Your vote of confidence is truly inspiring,” she said sarcastically.
“Glad to hear it,” he said with an impish smile.
She gave his shoulder a small push. “Lay back and relax then.”
Only a small flicker of apprehension crossed his face as he readjusted himself on the cot, but Padma was an astute observer of body language. He didn’t want to admit it, but she was sure he wasn’t entirely reassured of the merits of foreign healing techniques. Giving him a confident smile in the hopes of easing his tension, she drew her wand and readjusted the hands he had crossed over his stomach.
With a precise sideways swish just beneath his sternum and an abrupt downwards swipe with a curled hook at the end of her movement, she began to murmur the words she had often heard her mother use when she was sick with a stomachache. “Manipura, manipura, manipura ...”
Seamus drew in a sudden deep breath, but she ignored it and continued swishing and swiping her wand over his solar plexus. For nearly a full minute, she repeated her incantation above him, until his breath released in an explosive sigh and shudder. Changing her wand movement to a broad, downward sweep, she pulled the newly released energy across the battered plains of his abdomen. Seamus’ breathing had changed from restricted and tight to long, deep, satisfying pulls of air and Padma knew she had gotten it right.
“Keep breathing deeply. Do you feel the magic moving?” she asked softly.
“Bright,” he whispered. “Yellow?”
“Yes, energy released from the solar plexus usually seems yellow. Every time you breathe out, try to push it further down your body, like a wave of water,” she encouraged him, maintaining the broad sweeps across his abdomen.
For several minutes, she said nothing, simply allowing him to breathe deeply and manipulating his magic as best she could. The faint echo of yellow light on his skin made the bruising appear more sickly, but she could tell from the reduced tension in his body that they no longer pained him quite as much. As the swell of energy began to ebb, she slowed her wand to a stop.
Seamus had his eyes closed and looked completely relaxed. She whispered softly, “Better?”
“Much,” he mumbled back.
“There is one last thing you have to do,” she told him.
“Mmm?”
“You need to pull all that loose magic back into yourself. There is another centre at the very base of your spine. I want to exhale slowly and try to pull your magic back into there. I’ll help you direct it with my wand, but you need to pull it in. It’s your magic,” Padma explained.
Slowly inhaling, Seamus took a deep breathe and let it out in a steady stream from his mouth. With her wand, Padma gently swished at the remaining magic, helping him draw it inside.
When all his breath had been released, she whispered urgently, “Now close it.”
Seamus’ eyes popped open and she felt the spell end. Now she understood what her mother had said about the instinctual nature of this kind of magic. Padma could feel in her gut that it had worked and was now over.
Easing himself back to a sitting position, Seamus said, “Wow.”
She smiled at him. “It can be a bit intense.”
“Yeah,” he agreed, shifting his body experimentally, “but I feel great!”
“Don’t overdo it, Seamus. You may feel better, but this isn’t a cure all. There is a bit of an energy high afterwards. It feels fabulous now, but when the high is gone you will still feel uncomfortable as well as tired. It just won’t be nearly as painful,” she cautioned.
He grinned lopsidedly at her, buttoning his shirt again. “Thank you, Padma. You didn’t have to go out of your way like this, but ... well, anyway, thanks. Don’t worry about any of the rest of it, either. I know the people who enjoyed throwing the curses and the ones who didn’t. The worst of it came afterwards with Carrow, anyway.”
She could feel the uncomfortable burning heat of tears behind her eyes and she blinked a couple times to hold them back. “For Merlin’s sake, be careful. None of us wants you cut up again. Neville too. Amycus Carrow seems the sort to carry long grudges.”
“I know. Neville and I have already talked about what to do the next time we are involved in a ‘disciplining’ for another student. We’ll be alright,” he said, lacking some of his usual boastful confidence.
“Right. Well, I suppose we should get back to our Houses. Someone is going to notice if we are missing too long and it’s less than an hour until curfew. Sleep is what you need right now anyway. You should turn in early,” she instructed him.
“You look tired yourself, Padma. Don’t stay up too late. Goodnight,” Seamus said, ducking out the door into the hallway.
Padma waited for a full ten minutes before exiting the room herself, careful to display her prefect’s badge prominently on her lapel. If she came across anyone in the corridors, she didn’t want make any lengthy explanations. She was feeling quite tired herself, having had no real idea just how tiring her mother’s healing techniques could be.
The hallways were blissfully empty and the staircases surprisingly cooperative. She felt a little guilty for feeling relieved at the absence of Mandy and Morag from the common room, but was too grateful to slip into the dorm to dwell on it. Exhaustion washed through her as Padma crawled into bed and fell asleep quickly.
***
Part IV