RP: Hope.
Date: November 3, 1999.
Characters: Katie Bell
Location: Montrose Magpies' pitch, St. Jerome's.
Status: Private
Summary: Katie spends Friday night with the orphans.
Completion: Complete
The match between the Magpie and Arrow reserve teams had ended and Katie thought she'd done a reasonable job. Kev pointed out one foul he thought she should have caught, but seemed pleased overall with her work.
"A couple of the players going to the pub," Kev said as they headed off the pitch, "they asked if we wanted to come along."
"No thanks," Katie said, "I've got plans."
"Are you sure?" Kev asked with a frown. He'd heard second-hand about her very public argument with Dean at the ball. Combining that with her week of medical leave from work for 'undisclosed reasons', he had figured things out.
Katie was touched by his concern and she smiled at him, nodding firmly. "Don't worry, I won't be alone. St. Jerome's. Doing the night shift."
"On a Friday? Wouldn't catch me giving up a night out with the lads. Especially since you're not getting a knut for it." He gave her a friendly punch on the shoulder. "See you Sunday. 10 am. Torpedoes' pitch."
"I'll be there," Katie said, punching him back.
After a long hot shower, Katie apparated to St. Jerome's Home for Orphaned and Lost Children, moving to the second floor where she'd be spending her evening.
"Hello, Sarah," she said to the volunteer she was relieving. "How were they?"
"Angels, as always," Sarah replied, putting on her cloak. "They've all had their bath and their evening snack, so don't let them tell you otherwise. Jimmy's got a bit of the sniffles, but we're out of Pepper-Up potion again. And Rachel's been having nightmares."
"The same ones?" Katie asked. Rachel's Muggle-born parents had sent her to live with an Aunt for protection. They'd died in Azkaban.
"Yes," Sarah said sadly. "Not much we can do about that except hugs, I'm afraid. Anyway, I'd best be off. Have a good night, Katie." She picked up her handbag and headed downstairs.
Katie took off her cloak and placed it on the coat rack, taking a deep breath before she headed in to see her young charges. She'd only been at St. Jerome's for a week and a half, but already she knew that it had changed the way she saw the world and the way she saw herself. How could she complain about her troubles with men when these children had lost their entire families. Some even witnessing their parents' deaths? When the Orphanage was struggling to make ends meet, relying on donations and volunteers to keep things running, how could she get wrapped up in her problems? Everything she'd been upset about seemed so trivial in comparison.
She smiled to herself and reached into her bag, extracting a copy of The Cat in the Hat she'd picked up before the match in Montrose. Katie opened the door to the dormitory and cried out "who's ready for a story?" A cacophony of cheers greeted her and she sat down on one of the beds as everyone scrambled to get the best seats.
"We're going to read a Muggle storybook today," she said as little Charlie Button crawled into her lap.
"But it doesn't have moving pictures," Jimmy complained, sniffling loudly.
"No, it doesn't have moving pictures, but you know what we can do?" Katie said.
"Move them in our heads!" Charlie said shyly.
"Exactly," Katie replied. "We can use our imagination and make the pictures move any way we want them to. Now this story is about a cat who does some very silly things," she said, and she began to read.
Characters: Katie Bell
Location: Montrose Magpies' pitch, St. Jerome's.
Status: Private
Summary: Katie spends Friday night with the orphans.
Completion: Complete
The match between the Magpie and Arrow reserve teams had ended and Katie thought she'd done a reasonable job. Kev pointed out one foul he thought she should have caught, but seemed pleased overall with her work.
"A couple of the players going to the pub," Kev said as they headed off the pitch, "they asked if we wanted to come along."
"No thanks," Katie said, "I've got plans."
"Are you sure?" Kev asked with a frown. He'd heard second-hand about her very public argument with Dean at the ball. Combining that with her week of medical leave from work for 'undisclosed reasons', he had figured things out.
Katie was touched by his concern and she smiled at him, nodding firmly. "Don't worry, I won't be alone. St. Jerome's. Doing the night shift."
"On a Friday? Wouldn't catch me giving up a night out with the lads. Especially since you're not getting a knut for it." He gave her a friendly punch on the shoulder. "See you Sunday. 10 am. Torpedoes' pitch."
"I'll be there," Katie said, punching him back.
After a long hot shower, Katie apparated to St. Jerome's Home for Orphaned and Lost Children, moving to the second floor where she'd be spending her evening.
"Hello, Sarah," she said to the volunteer she was relieving. "How were they?"
"Angels, as always," Sarah replied, putting on her cloak. "They've all had their bath and their evening snack, so don't let them tell you otherwise. Jimmy's got a bit of the sniffles, but we're out of Pepper-Up potion again. And Rachel's been having nightmares."
"The same ones?" Katie asked. Rachel's Muggle-born parents had sent her to live with an Aunt for protection. They'd died in Azkaban.
"Yes," Sarah said sadly. "Not much we can do about that except hugs, I'm afraid. Anyway, I'd best be off. Have a good night, Katie." She picked up her handbag and headed downstairs.
Katie took off her cloak and placed it on the coat rack, taking a deep breath before she headed in to see her young charges. She'd only been at St. Jerome's for a week and a half, but already she knew that it had changed the way she saw the world and the way she saw herself. How could she complain about her troubles with men when these children had lost their entire families. Some even witnessing their parents' deaths? When the Orphanage was struggling to make ends meet, relying on donations and volunteers to keep things running, how could she get wrapped up in her problems? Everything she'd been upset about seemed so trivial in comparison.
She smiled to herself and reached into her bag, extracting a copy of The Cat in the Hat she'd picked up before the match in Montrose. Katie opened the door to the dormitory and cried out "who's ready for a story?" A cacophony of cheers greeted her and she sat down on one of the beds as everyone scrambled to get the best seats.
"We're going to read a Muggle storybook today," she said as little Charlie Button crawled into her lap.
"But it doesn't have moving pictures," Jimmy complained, sniffling loudly.
"No, it doesn't have moving pictures, but you know what we can do?" Katie said.
"Move them in our heads!" Charlie said shyly.
"Exactly," Katie replied. "We can use our imagination and make the pictures move any way we want them to. Now this story is about a cat who does some very silly things," she said, and she began to read.