St Mungo's
St Mungo's
We received replies from both Chiara and Barnaby's uncle Cecil the next morning. Chiara had just started her internship at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. The hospital was short of staff while some healers were on holiday, so she couldn't take a day off to meet up but she invited me to come see her at work if I needed her, saying she'd find the time for a chat.
Uncle Cecil's reply said he could meet us the next day in Diagon Alley as he'd been needing to visit Gringots Wizarding Bank and thought he'd have time to take us for a celebratory drink at the Leaky Cauldron. He also sent his congratulations on our engagement, so it appeared Madam Lee had already started telling people our news.
There was only one problem with our plans that I could see. Barnaby didn't know Chiara was a Werewolf. And I hadn't told Chiara he'd be coming with me, my letter had said that I needed to talk to her, not that we did. I hated keeping anything from Barnaby, but just like Talbot's secret that he was an unregistered Animagus, it wasn't mine to tell and I couldn't betray my friends trust, not even to my soon to be husband.
My mind grappled with the dilemma that whole day and I just couldn't figure out what to do. I went from being absolutely against revealing Chiara's condition to feeling ashamed of myself because Barnaby and I had sworn to always tell each other the truth.
I knew I was running out of time to decide and found myself lost to my thoughts all through dinner. I was grateful that I was the only Legilimens in our relationship. Barnaby might not have been able to hear my thoughts, but he could read my expression better than anyone and could surely see something was wrong. I hastily compiled my pros and cons for telling or not telling Chiara's secret to Barnaby.
Telling:
Cons:
•I'd be a rubbish friend for exposing her secret
•It wouldn't even be worth asking Chiara for help if I was going to betray her first
•I'd likely lose a very good friend
Pro:
•I'd keep my promise to Barnaby
Not telling:
Cons:
•I'd be a rubbish partner to keep hiding things
•I had no idea what I'd even tell Barnaby in order to get a private chat with Chiara, more lies?
•I could ask Chiara for help, but then I'd have to hide her as my source of information, so even more lies
Pro:
•I'd still be worthy of Chiara's trust
I sighed. Barnaby was going to ask me what was wrong any minute. My intense internal struggling had left my mental defenses weakened and a few of his thoughts had slipped through the barrier. I looked up and met his gaze. "You're right Barnaby, something is bothering me. But I'm not sure I can talk about it just yet. Can I have some more time?"
He looked somewhat taken aback, but he gave me an encouraging smile. "As long as you're eventually planning to talk to me, you can have as much time as you need Samhain."
I picked up my plate of barely touched food and took it to the sink, kissing the top of Barnaby's head as I passed him. By the time I got back to the table I'd decided I would just be as honest as possible, but without betraying anyone.
"Barnaby?" I started. "What's bothering me is, I need to talk to Chiara about something tomorrow. Something private, about her. Do you mind?"
He looked surprised. "Chiara? Is she okay? You don't need my permission Samhain. And you don't need to tell me what it is, unless you think I can help. If it's a secret, I'd keep it, I promise. Or I can just wait for you at the Leaky Cauldron. Whatever you want to do is good with me".
Barnaby had such a way of simplifying things until they just made sense. I noted that my brain was the opposite, overthinking and complicating every situation. I'd spent the whole day going mad worrying and his answer wiped it all out of my head in an instant. I told myself next time I had a dilemma I'd simply ask Barnaby for his input first, before making myself insane about it. He always made everything better and I acknowledged that he was exactly right for me. I only hoped I was as right for him, because I had no idea what I'd do if I ever lost him. "You're an incredible man Barnaby Lee, and I am so grateful you're mine" I told him. We went to bed early that night and I had simple, easy dreams.
In the morning we Apparated into London together, then with a quick kiss we went our separate ways, planning to meet back up at noon.
I arrived at the dilapidated department store entrance to the hospital early but there was already a line forming to get in. I took my place and tried to act casual as one ailing witch or wizard stepped up to the mannequin at a time and whispered their business to it.
When it was my turn I whispered, "Just visiting a friend" to the mannequin, and stepped covertly through the glass window and into the hospital waiting room. I'd never been to St. Mungo's before but I saw the directory sign and knew where I'd find Chiara. There was an open lift just past the reception desk that I slid into, pushing the large number one to go up a level to the first floor. When the doors opened I checked the directory and saw I'd made it to the correct place.
'Dangerous' Dai Llewellyn Ward: Serious Bites
I walked up to the intake desk and there was my friend in pale green Healers robes, complete with the St Mungo's emblem of a wand crossed with a bone and a white tag that stated 'TRAINEE'.
I smiled as I approached the desk and said, "Hey, green really does suit you." Chiara looked up from the forms she was shuffling and grinned. "You picked a good time, the other trainee just got here and I'm due for a break, fancy a cup of tea?"
I nodded happily and we made our way back to the lifts and up to the fifth floor. "Have you seen much of Penny since you started?" I asked her.
"Only glimpses here and there, that girl never takes a break" Chiara replied. We paid for our teas and sat down at a small table in an uncrowded corner of the room.
"Your letter was great by the way, 'moon stuff' had me in fits." Chiara snorted. I laughed with her. I was very glad I had figured out a way around outing her, I couldn't stand the thought of doing anything that would hurt her.
"Was a bit unnecessary though" Chiara continued. "Since the wolfs out of the bag now and everything." I couldn't believe she'd just said wolf, in public. And did she mean what I thought she meant? "Out of the bag?" I asked puzzled.
"Well I had to register to work here. I did it preemptively on my seventeenth birthday, so they wouldn't think I'd only done it to get hired. I guess I hadn't been ready to announce it yet to everyone on the Hogwarts Express, you know I've never been very comfortable in the spotlight. But since then I've been slowly letting our friends know in private chats, and so far no one's treated me too differently." Chiara explained, but I noticed she looked a little sad about something.
My mind reeled as it absorbed this new information. "You registered as a Werewolf? With the Ministry?" I asked incredulously. "Had to" she said with a shrug. "When I was underage and still at school it was up to my parents if they wanted to register me or not, and they didn't because they wanted me to be known for what I could do as a witch, not what I became once a month. Dumbledore, Madam Pomfrey, Professor Snape, you and of course Borf were the only ones who ever knew about me at Hogwarts. You were such a good friend to keep my secret for so long Samhain. But now that we've grown up, I'm okay with being out. Although it's still not the first thing I tell people about myself" she grinned.
I was in disbelief, but also incredibly proud of my friend for her decision to live openly with her condition, despite the stigma she surely faced for it. And I told her so. "Thanks Samhain, that really means a lot. It's definitely been an adjustment for me, but that's life isn't it?" She said. "So I have to ask, what exactly is this 'moon stuff' you wanted to talk to me about?"
I scrambled to remember my reason for visiting Chiara in the first place. "Do you remember Barnaby's uncle Cecil?" I asked her. "Oh, that nutter in the purple coat and bowler hat who runs 'round trying to catch my lot? Yeah, how could I forget" she laughed.
"Well, he offered Barnaby and I jobs with the Werewolf Capture Unit. And we accepted, but I did so with you in mind. I was hoping you'd be able to help me educate the department and update its policies so we're more of a 'Werewolf Helping Unit', if that makes sense" I explained.
"When Barnaby told me of the job offer that was the first place my mind went. The WCU wastes all its time and resources hunting down perfectly safe individuals with lycanthropy and penalizing them just for being unregistered. Not to mention it's whole existence and the name just reeks of decades old stigma" I continued.
Chiara was positively beaming at me now. "Samhain I'm so lucky to know you. I worked my tail off at Hogwarts to be able to get a job here in the hopes that I'd be able to do some good and help people like me who are in a rough spot. But you're ten steps ahead about to break the whole thing wide open. Of course, anything I can do to help with this, I'm in" She told me.
We spent the rest of her break discussing it and Chiara gave me some very good advice. Not only on her ideas for updates that could and should be implemented but also for finding and reaching out to werewolves in need of assistance. We made a plan to meet up again after I'd started work so I could update her on my progress.
Before I left I did something I hadn't planned to do at all, I told Chiara about mine and Barnaby's engagement. I didn't swear her to secrecy or anything but I did let her know she was the first of our friends to hear the news. "Samhain, that's absolutely brilliant. Congratulations!" She squealed hugging me.
I didn't get to see Penny because Chiara had said she'd been working in the Alchemy Room and it was closed to the public. But my heart was still very light as I made my way to the Leaky Cauldron. I was happy for Chiara and grateful for her help. Pleased that I'd been able to tell someone I cared about my news and feeling positive about my new job. And also extremely relieved that with Chiara's permission I'd now be able to tell Barnaby everything.