Closed: A Little Chat with Cecilia Jacobs
Harry hadn't stepped foot inside the hospital in years. St. Mungo's had always given him the spooks - though, he learned that most hospitals did. The sickness, the death - it was all too much a heavy reminder of the years he spent trying to keep himself alive against Voldemort. This one, in particular, was rough as it still housed so many victims of the war (the Longbottoms, for one). But now, he had work to do and his unease within these hospital walls were just something he was going to have to get past. So, he walked directly to the front office and flickered his badge to the woman at the front desk.
She looked startled, the young thing, sitting there flipping through a copy of Witch Weekly.
"I'm Harry Potter, Auror with the Ministry of Magic," he introduced, offering her a warm smile.
"Um, yes, Mr. Potter-" she greeted, offering him a shaken smile. He couldn't tell if it was nerves or shock at him standing before her. He couldn't help but notice the headline about his current love life on the front cover of the magazine. "Is there something I can help you with?"
"If you could please direct me to a Miss Cecilia Jacobs-"
"Healer Jacobs typically works in the Children's Wing, Mr. Potter," the young woman said. "That would be on the fourth floor, right past the Janus Thickey Ward. Her office is the third door on the left."
"Thank you-"
--
Harry was working on all leads, checking in on recently released criminals and using his Order connections to find former or hidden Death Eaters around the United Kingdom. It felt strange to be back on this track after working so hard to get as many of the Death Eaters as possible behind Azkaban bars. It had taken the first few years as an Auror to work through those trials. He and Ron had been sleepless.
Upon entering the Children's Ward, he counted the doors as he passed them by. As he approached the third, he took a slight breath before knocking on the door.
"Come in-"
The door was slightly ajar and so he pushed it open slowly. Her office was warmly lit with books piled everywhere, including a cushy chair, and there was a table filled with vials, cauldrons and potion ingredients tucked in the back corner. Jacobs was sitting at her desk and as he approached, she looked up, her eyes narrowing at him in a familiar way.
She rose, "Potter? Is there something I can help you with?"
He closed the door behind him, before crossing his arms over his chest.
"You're aware of the string of murders going on?" he asked, flashing his badge at her briefly.
There was a look that flickered across her face as she caught sight of his badge, a look that caused a slight smile to tug at the corners of his lips. She exhaled.
"The Daily Prophet had been more than educational, yes," she said, her voice calm and even.
"Then, you'll have to forgive me for exhausting all possible leads-" he continued, taking it upon himself to sit down in that nice, leather chair in the back of her office. It was firm but just comfortable enough for Harry to lean back, kick his feet up and pull out a spare piece of parchment. With a flicker of his wand, a fresh quill and the parchment were ready to scribble down all words exchanged in the office. "Especially individuals with pasts such as yourself-"
She was staring at him now, her body perched against her desk and her arms crossed against her chest.
"Are you out of your mind, Potter?" she questioned. "I've got nothing to do with this-"
"Like I said, Miss Jacobs, we're questioning everyone who's fallen onto our list. And with the affiliations you once had- especially among the Death Eaters-"
The words must have stung because he watched as she blinked, her arms falling to her side as she stared back at him, hard. "You know as well as I do about the bounty they have on my head, Potter. If they weren't too bloody terrified to come out of whatever hole they've dug themselves in, that is. I've got no answers for you-"
"Have you been in contact recently with any old friends? Perhaps the reunion rekindled a few friendships?"
"What are you going on about?"
"Your friend Malfoy has got his entire placed hexed-" Harry told her, grinning now. "Any poor witch or wizard to come within five feet has got curses shot at them."
"And what has that got to do with me?"
"That certainly doesn't bode well for his innocence since they've started just as soon as the murders did. And you two have worked together before-"
"And I sold him out, or don't you remember?" she snapped at him. "I never even took the bloody Mark and you know that. I was on your side-"
"In the end-"
"Your ass is still alive because I gave Dumbledore a heads up and you're here trying to goad me into some sort of half-assed interrogation? Forget it, Potter. I'm not the person you're looking for-"
"And you can prove that with an alibi?" he questioned, raising form his seat.
"You're damn right I can," she said, standing tall now. "I was here. You know, healing people. Which is what I do now, and you know, I quite like my life the way it is. So, if you could please leave now, that would be fantastic-"
Just then, before Harry could say anything further, there came another knock on her door. It opened without waiting for Jacobs to answer and Hestia Jones appeared out of breath.
"They said you were here, Potter-" she said. "You've got to come to the Emergency Ward now - they've jus brought in Lavender Brown. Marlow Linney is with her-"
"What's going on?" he questioned, his brows furrowing as he shot Jacobs a brief look.
"We think she might have just escaped the Burning Man-"
She looked startled, the young thing, sitting there flipping through a copy of Witch Weekly.
"I'm Harry Potter, Auror with the Ministry of Magic," he introduced, offering her a warm smile.
"Um, yes, Mr. Potter-" she greeted, offering him a shaken smile. He couldn't tell if it was nerves or shock at him standing before her. He couldn't help but notice the headline about his current love life on the front cover of the magazine. "Is there something I can help you with?"
"If you could please direct me to a Miss Cecilia Jacobs-"
"Healer Jacobs typically works in the Children's Wing, Mr. Potter," the young woman said. "That would be on the fourth floor, right past the Janus Thickey Ward. Her office is the third door on the left."
"Thank you-"
--
Harry was working on all leads, checking in on recently released criminals and using his Order connections to find former or hidden Death Eaters around the United Kingdom. It felt strange to be back on this track after working so hard to get as many of the Death Eaters as possible behind Azkaban bars. It had taken the first few years as an Auror to work through those trials. He and Ron had been sleepless.
Upon entering the Children's Ward, he counted the doors as he passed them by. As he approached the third, he took a slight breath before knocking on the door.
"Come in-"
The door was slightly ajar and so he pushed it open slowly. Her office was warmly lit with books piled everywhere, including a cushy chair, and there was a table filled with vials, cauldrons and potion ingredients tucked in the back corner. Jacobs was sitting at her desk and as he approached, she looked up, her eyes narrowing at him in a familiar way.
She rose, "Potter? Is there something I can help you with?"
He closed the door behind him, before crossing his arms over his chest.
"You're aware of the string of murders going on?" he asked, flashing his badge at her briefly.
There was a look that flickered across her face as she caught sight of his badge, a look that caused a slight smile to tug at the corners of his lips. She exhaled.
"The Daily Prophet had been more than educational, yes," she said, her voice calm and even.
"Then, you'll have to forgive me for exhausting all possible leads-" he continued, taking it upon himself to sit down in that nice, leather chair in the back of her office. It was firm but just comfortable enough for Harry to lean back, kick his feet up and pull out a spare piece of parchment. With a flicker of his wand, a fresh quill and the parchment were ready to scribble down all words exchanged in the office. "Especially individuals with pasts such as yourself-"
She was staring at him now, her body perched against her desk and her arms crossed against her chest.
"Are you out of your mind, Potter?" she questioned. "I've got nothing to do with this-"
"Like I said, Miss Jacobs, we're questioning everyone who's fallen onto our list. And with the affiliations you once had- especially among the Death Eaters-"
The words must have stung because he watched as she blinked, her arms falling to her side as she stared back at him, hard. "You know as well as I do about the bounty they have on my head, Potter. If they weren't too bloody terrified to come out of whatever hole they've dug themselves in, that is. I've got no answers for you-"
"Have you been in contact recently with any old friends? Perhaps the reunion rekindled a few friendships?"
"What are you going on about?"
"Your friend Malfoy has got his entire placed hexed-" Harry told her, grinning now. "Any poor witch or wizard to come within five feet has got curses shot at them."
"And what has that got to do with me?"
"That certainly doesn't bode well for his innocence since they've started just as soon as the murders did. And you two have worked together before-"
"And I sold him out, or don't you remember?" she snapped at him. "I never even took the bloody Mark and you know that. I was on your side-"
"In the end-"
"Your ass is still alive because I gave Dumbledore a heads up and you're here trying to goad me into some sort of half-assed interrogation? Forget it, Potter. I'm not the person you're looking for-"
"And you can prove that with an alibi?" he questioned, raising form his seat.
"You're damn right I can," she said, standing tall now. "I was here. You know, healing people. Which is what I do now, and you know, I quite like my life the way it is. So, if you could please leave now, that would be fantastic-"
Just then, before Harry could say anything further, there came another knock on her door. It opened without waiting for Jacobs to answer and Hestia Jones appeared out of breath.
"They said you were here, Potter-" she said. "You've got to come to the Emergency Ward now - they've jus brought in Lavender Brown. Marlow Linney is with her-"
"What's going on?" he questioned, his brows furrowing as he shot Jacobs a brief look.
"We think she might have just escaped the Burning Man-"