RP: Big Damn Injun

[shh_cedric]

Date: 20 February 2005
Characters: Jeff Whitecalf (NPC), Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Cedric Diggory, Andromeda Tonks
Location: Bookworm, eventually Towler's clinic
Status: Private
Summary: The cavalry has arrived with bells on (and a few feathers but no painted ponies).
Completion: Complete

Comments

[shh_hermione]

The shop had been quiet enough today that Eleanor had been sent home at five. There wasn't a need to keep her after Hermione had finished up for the day with the press and other duties. So, when the chime sounded shortly before closing, she was straightening the shelves.

When she heard an unfamiliar voice say her name, she instantly had her wand in her hand. She walked around the side of the shelf, keeping her wand in hand but hidden well enough to not appear rude to a potential patron. The man standing in the shop was big: tall and wide and unfamiliar.

"I'm Hermione Granger. Can I help you, Sir?"

[shh_cedric]

Jeff grinned at the girl -- woman -- who stepped forward. She looked a tad ... anxious. And there was something a bit ... off ... in her feel. He couldn't put his finger on it, as if she had some miasma clinging to her. But at the moment, he had other matters to see to.

Taking off his pack and guitar and setting down the drum, he stepped forward to offer her a hand. "I'm Jeff. Jeff Whitecalf. Ced's dad phoned me, said he took a spill and whacked his head good. So ... here I am. Amos gave me your name as the go-to lady -- you'd know where he was." Jeff frowned. "How is he?"

[shh_ron]

At about half-past five, Ron was about to finish cleaning up the press for the day. As he did a cleaning charm on his clothing, he heard the chime sound upstairs in the shop. He'd heard Hermione send Eleanor home earlier, so he wondered who had just entered. Ron walked steadily up the stairs, clutching his wand lightly. He knew Hermione could take care of herself, but still...

Looking around the shop, he spotted Hermione and a big unfamiliar man who said his name was Jeff. Ron hustled over to Hermione's side.

"So, what's up?" he asked, looking from Hermione to this Jeff bloke and back.

[shh_hermione]

When the man spoke, she arched a brow and considered him, trying to reconcile him with the information that Cedric had told her during the last few months. Before she had a chance to greet him, Ron rushed in looking tense and suspicious.

"This is Jeff Whitecalf, Cedric's best friend," she explained, giving Ron a 'you do know that I can take care of myself, right' look before she offered Jeff a smile.

"Cedric is at the local clinic, still under observation," she told him. "He's recovering but I'm not sure if he'll be released today or not. He has a concussion after falling."

[shh_cedric]

Jeff raised both eyebrows at the redhead and his anxiousness, as Hermione introduced him. "You must be a Weasley. Ron? Don't worry, I'm not a telepath. Cedric's mentioned you -- all three of you. Is Harry going to pop up next?" He grinned.

But at Hermione's comment on Cedric's condition, he frowned again and came closer, hoping they wouldn't start like a pair of deer. "How bad a concussion? And where's the clinic? I'm here to take care of him. I figured he'd need it."

[shh_ron]

Hermione introduced the big man as Cedric's best mate. "Oh...okay. Yeah, I'm Ron. Nice to meet you," he said, nodding. He wasn't sure if he ought to try to shake hands, so he didn't. "Dunno about Harry. Probably not. He's the only one of us doesn't work here."

Ron had heard about Cedric's accident. Still, it surprised him that Jeff had come from Canada to take care of his friend. "What, are you some sort of special healer?"

[shh_cedric]

Jeff's smile was wry. "You might say that. I'm a meda -- that's a special kind of medicine man, but still in training by my people's traditions. But yeah, you'd call me a healer. I'm here because it sounded like Cedric might need me." He shrugged. "He's family." He offered it as if it were explanation enough, and for Jeff, it was.

[shh_hermione]

"Bad enough that they've kept him under watch since Sunday," she said. "The Healer is somewhat of an arse, so it's difficult getting any definite answers from him. He's good, though, or I'd not have trusted him with Cedric."

She summoned a quill and parchment, writing down the location and coordinates for the clinic, in case he wanted to Apparate. "This is the address of the clinic," she said, handing it to Jeff. "I could pop you over, if you'd like, or draw you a map, if you've jetlag and don't feel up to Apparating."

[shh_cedric]

"Sometimes what Ced needs is an arse to sit on him," Jeff replied, laughing.

But then she was writing down a location and coordinates and asking if he wanted to Apparate. His smile turned rueful and he shook his head. "I don't Apparate, Hermione. I got two good feet, though. If I can leave my stuff in Ced's place, I'll just walk. Or yeah, if somebody wants to take me, I'm good."

[shh_ron]

Ron liked this bloke Jeff already. "Well, that's one way to shut him up, I reckon," he said with a wry smile. "Sorry, he's just a bit talky sometimes, you know?"

"Erm, sounds like you'll need to walk, then, if you don't Apparate." Looking at Hermione, Ron said, "I've not been to the clinic. I thought maybe the healer wouldn't want random friends hanging round while Cedric recovered. So maybe you should take both of us there."

[shh_hermione]

"Ronald, behave," she warned, giving him a narrow-eyed look when he mentioned Cedric's talking. While she, too, found it excessive at times, mostly because she enjoyed quiet, it wasn't polite to speak negatively about Cedric when he wasn't there. "Cedric just gets enthusiastic about things and talks. A lot. I seem to recall a certain redhead standing near me who can talk nearly as much when the topic is something he enjoys."

"Well, the shop doesn't close until six, but I can Apparate you both after," she said. There was no one in the bookshop, but she wasn't going to close early and begin some sort of trend of not being dependable for the hours stated. "It's not much longer. Ron, perhaps you can show Jeff down to Cedric's cottage and store his belongings while I tidy up the shop and get ready to close?"

[shh_cedric]

Jeff bit his tongue. "It's all right, Hermione. I lived with the guy for quite a few years. He can talk the ears off a donkey, though I know a few worse. And yeah, it's because he gets into things, but he can be quiet when he wants to be. I figure most of us can talk about what we get into, ain't it?"

He shrugged when she mentioned the shop didn't close until six. "Fine by me." He'd have preferred sooner rather than later, but he was patient and he did need to put away his stuff. Other people had their own lives and whites lived more by the clock. It wasn't an emergency. "I'll be ready when you are."

Picking up his pack, guitar and drum, he glanced at Ron. "Lead on, kimosabe."

[shh_ron]

Ron's ears reddened a bit when Hermione compared his occasional chattering to Cedric's frequent non-stop ramblings. Then she asked him to take Jeff back to Cedric's cottage.

"Okay, I'll take Jeff there," he said. Hermione would make sure the shop was closed properly, and Ron and Jeff would have a chance to chat during their brief walk.

"Erm, okay, just follow me," he said, leading Jeff out of the shop and toward the cottage. "So, Jeff, where'd you meet Cedric?"

[shh_cedric]

"I met him when he came to stay for a while with my family. He was 12, I was 13, and I kicked his ass at basketball on a regular basis. I thought he was the strangest kid I'd ever met. Couldn't turn on a TV or use a phone. And who rides around on a damn broom? You sweep the floor with it." He shot Ron a grin. "I've since been educated in Quidditch, don't worry. And I know a bit more about your world."

Jeff shrugged. "We decided we liked each other, and took to writing. Been friends ever since."

He eyed Ron. "How well do you know him?" Jeff wanted to ask how Cedric was doing back here, but he didn't know Ron well enough yet, and while Cedric had spoken of the other man as a friend, Jeff was ... a bit cautious. Cedric had his privacies.

[shh_ron]

So Cedric had visited Jeff's family in Canada while he'd been attending Hogwarts. That was interesting. Ron's family almost never went anywhere during summer holidays. Their trip to Egypt after his second year had been a fluke. Once again he found himself feeling a bit envious of how other young wizards, with more money, had lived. But he managed to stomp that feeling down quickly; at least he'd never been dead. "Sounds a bit like me and Harry, except I always beat his arse at wizard chess," Ron said with a laugh.

How well did Ron know Cedric? "Not that well, really," he admitted. "Cedric was a few years ahead of us at school. Then he died...you know...and, er, the war happened and we didn't get back her until a little over three months ago. I didn't know he'd survived until we got back. Been getting to know him a bit since then. But no, I don't know him really well. Why'd you ask?"

By now they'd reached the cottage. Ron felt the wards shift to let him in and motioned for Jeff to follow him inside.

[shh_cedric]

Jeff just nodded at Ron's explanation as they entered a rustic looking place. So Ron was a new friend rather than an old one. "Just wondered," he replied. "He mentioned people when he was in Toronto over New Year's. I didn't know how many were new friends, or how many he knew before. He spent almost 10 years in Canada and left a lot of friends to come back here, because he needed to come. The people he knew best in school -- they're all dead now."

He considered elaborating, but didn't think he needed to, so he didn't. He'd see how Ron replied. Instead, he swung down his backpack onto the couch and set down his guitar and drum. A loud meow from the top of a shelf got his attention and he squinted up to find a little siamese squinting down. "He's got a cat, don't he? Of course he's got a cat. He's got to have a cat if he's anywhere for more than a few months. He and Gwen were covered up in 'em."