An Unusual First Time ((Robert Hardy))

[Samantha Driscoll]

What is kindness? What could one person unselfishly and self-effacingly give another person just for the sake of giving, as a reminder of one’s own good fortune, or perhaps as a reminder that by a twist of fate the giver could’ve been the receiver and the receiver the giver – but if that had been the case, would the receiver have found a giver to take his hand or save him from his plight? What was charity really about, and was it something she could feel the reward of? Could she become part of something she’d never tried nor wanted to before today?

Hogsmeade to Samantha seemed to be a hive bustling with activity. And day by day she was getting used to it and embracing it, loving the autumn in Hogmeade with its vivid oranges and yellows and reds, and the lively discussions about Voldemort’s and Harry’s demise, and where the magical world was now. Though the final battle had been between the both of them only, many cities had been devastated at the hands of Voldemort’s followers, families had lost loved ones, or almost all of their belongings, but steps were being taken to pick up the pieces. And Sam had thought there was a lot to be learned and experienced from taking part. At least, she’d finally come around to that point of view. She remembered when Julius Foxcroft, her brother’s new father, had first told her about taking part in charitable activities. Her first replies had been, "I'm not in good enough shape to participate” and then she’d said, “I'd feel intimidated in that kind of environment," and the final one had been, “Couldn’t I just send a donation?" But this man that had come unwelcome into her life but she’d found hard to hate had had a point to make. And that was that there was more to be experienced by going there herself and seeing the people she was helping.

Samantha entered the building, the simple banner charmed to fly above it indicating it was indeed the one Foxcroft had sent her the address of. The organisation was called, “Dare to Dream,” and when she entered she saw several witches and wizards inside, some carrying what looked to be an assortment of clothes and foods, using their wand to label them and make adjustments to the clothes for a group of children, their ages varying from 6 to 17. A wizard with thick spectacles and a five o’clock shadow asker her, “Can I help you?” to which she replied, “I wanted to see what activities I could participate in today,” she explained. “My colleague will be with you in five minutes tops, could you just wait at that desk over there?” he said politely. Samantha did as he said; feeling a little more relaxed about this new experience. There was a very warm atmosphere that she could distinctly feel in this place.

At the desk was a young man not much older than Samantha herself. Their eyes met as she approached the desk, and she felt herself stiffen and almost give him one of her emotionless, superior stares. But in fact her face broke into a nervous quick smile as she realised that people who came here must have that quality she was so desperately looking for. And she also took a bold step forwards (at least for her it was) and asked him, “Hello. Do you know what you want to do here today?” she asked.

[mundane]

Robert tapped his wand on the desk in front of him as he waited for the nothing that was happening to continue to happen. Nothing was happening for him, that was - the volunteers who had jobs that didn't need actual people there to help were pretty busy. A neat pile of brightly coloured flannels sprung up in front of him where he'd tapped the desk, and he pushed them over to lie next to an empty blue bowl. He looked up at a large clock on the wall and resisted the urge to sigh. It had two pairs of hands; one pair extended all the way out to the edge of the clock's face, while the other occupied a much smaller radius. The smaller pair read '5 o' clock' and the clear initials 'AM' were currently etched into the face close to them, while the larger ones told him that it was twenty to nine in the morning. The latter was of course, the correct one (well, at least correct to within five minutes, slow or fast depending on which direction the resident house-elf had felt like resetting it in this morning), but the smaller pair of hands were different for each person who looked at the clock and told them what time they felt it was in their hearts. It was a rather more expensive piece than most of the other things around in the building, as it was only there because the gentleman who'd rented the premises to them when moving elsewhere had decided to leave it behind. The grounds for this action were that it got in the way. He'd confided something to Robert about it always reminding him it was time for a cup of tea, but Robert wasn't convinced he'd been entirely straight there. The open atmosphere around here had meant that their landlord was welcomed as much as someone to offer assistance to as any other person. Robert thought of this with a small smile, and saw that the smaller hands now read quarter past six.

His heart was being melodramatic of course, if that was the time it felt like to him. It wasn't that quiet. There was just no need for him as of yet, and Robert hated to be idle. He felt it was time wasted in his life. His mother had recently told him to slow down, that he would get his chance to be worthwhile in the world and to make a difference to someone or something. He sometimes wondered if she talked about him or herself when she gave advice. But people had always commented that she was a woman with a lot of strength, so he supposed her advice was some of the best he had to listen to, whatever its basis. It hadn't seen him wrong so far. He just wished that she would realise sometime that she didn't have to maintain that strength for the rest of her life, not anymore. He wasn't going to interfere though; he couldn't. And here he was getting sidetracked in his thoughts again. Well, he decided, breaking himself back into the here and now, if it still looked like there was nothing useful to do at this desk in five minutes, he'd jump up and offer his help elsewhere.

He was in luck, however - a new companion joined him soon afterwards. He was surprised when he caught her eye, because he fancied her haughty for a moment, until she smiled at him instead of the vaguely appraising expression he'd thought was there before. It seemed to have that shy apprehensiveness that was natural for someone who hadn't come here before. Robert gave her a perfectly open smile back. He had learnt over time to be happy to talk to anyone, rather than just having to pretend to be so with some people. What surprised him the most was the question she asked, but he endeavoured to do his best to answer it.
"Well, today then I'm supposed to be in charge of the health desk because the proper Healer who volunteers here is on one of his days off - that is, one of his days of actually working. Some people simply can't face the long queues in St. Mungo's and the other large hospitals for trying to be seen for the first time, so this is one of the places they can come instead. I'm not a fully qualified Healer yet so I can't do everything from here, but I know enough to know if they need proper healthcare and so on. And I am fully qualified for first aid of course, both magical and Muggle. Unfortunately - well, fortunately if you look at it properly, you don't want people to be ill more than necessary - no one's needed me so far today. What I want above all is to be here for a reason - so I don't see any point in sitting here just for the sake of being here in case I'm needed. I'd rather be over there -" he pointed to an area where a couple of young witches were looking very flustered as though they'd had to spend the whole morning running around to get whatever it was they had to do done "- and helping take some of the pressure away, I mean... I'd still be in the building if needed."

Robert smiled at her. "And there goes my frustration in one gulp of air. It's a situation easily sorted out - I just abandon my post and go somewhere else. Anyway..." he shoved some leaflets, papers and quills out of the way to make a person-sized space and dumped a child's cushion with a picture of a smiling Puffskein on it onto the desk, "Sit. I take it you've been put here to keep out of the way for a few minutes? There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with you, after all." Nevertheless, he took out his wand and pointed it at her, a gentle white light with a tinge of yellow being emitted from it. "It shouldn't hurt, if it does I messed up my spell big time," he 'reassured' her with a grin. "Well, you'd be dreaming" - he looked at the slogan on one of the leaflets with a smile as he continued on his previous conversation - "if you thought it really would be a few minutes, it'll probably be about double the time you were told. Still only quarter of an hour at most though, no more than that. Everyone's just very busy here, it's something that never changes. I like things that don't change much, though, they're safe." His wand jerked downwards in his hand slightly and giving it his attention, he muttered 'Finite Incantem' and the light disappeared. "You appear to be utterly fine, although there is a build up of magical energy around your stomach. Butterflies. Feeling nervous?" He met her eyes as he asked this question. As far as he was concerned, being nervous was perfectly acceptable in small doses. "Your turn to tell me something. I'm Robert; close friends call me Robbo. Who are you, and do you ask what we can do for you or what you can do for us?"

[Samantha Driscoll]

So he’s a Healer – now there’s something I could never do. I’ll find something that I’ll love as much as I think he loves his job, something that makes my eyes look like that when I talk about it. Samantha had never been to St Mungo’s herself, they had Healer in the family and the few times anything serious had occurred to a family private hospitals were the solution, like everything else, there was what all people did, and then there was what the Driscolls did – and she’d been raised to believe that there way was always the best, not only that, it was the one way to do things. The image of people crowding to get medical attention was one that brought an unpleasant pang of guilt – she’d always had the best of the best, never really stopped to think and appreciate all that she’d had. And somehow in the middle of these ordinary people, in the tired, sometimes sad eyes she could see around her when Robert pointed out the group of tired women, Samantha thought she really did want to help. The past year had been hell, and Samantha had really been opposed to doing this at first because she’d felt she was the one that needed the help, she was the one that had been to Azkaban and had to carry that burden and then the guilt that had been so hard to let go of. She hadn’t done that yet, but she’s simply refocused her energy. And today – well today, Samantha thought that maybe, just maybe, helping other people could mean helping herself. Robert’s sense of duty was quite evident, but accompanying was obviously a sense of satisfaction.

Samantha shrugged her shoulders to show him that she didn’t really know what to expect. Nothing that you can see. At least I’ve got to that point. She’d heard Rob and even Robbie, but never Robbo. “I was nervous but then how could I be nervous around anyone with the nickname Robbo?” said Samantha, and if Robert had known her for a while, he’d have actually labelled the tone she was speaking with as light-hearted. “I’m Sam, short for Samantha, just out of Hogwarts and currently unemployed. My brother told me about this place, that is my brother’s father, and he said I should come here and see what I could do. I, to be perfectly honest with you, I’ve never really done anything like this before,” she admitted. His open smile lit up his face, his teeth very white in his tanned face. Samantha was glad to have met him. “I do as well, but I’ve learnt to question though the safety of what doesn’t change and if and whether it shouldn’t,” she said cryptically, and for a moment she looked away from him. “Just a bit,” she admitted with a small smile. “Today I ask what I can do for you. I’ve always asked what you can do for me before I did someone a good turn,” she confessed.

[mundane]

As a child, Robert had always hated the knack Healers had of staring at you. As though you were an interesting - or in the greater number of cases, a mundane - subject of their profession under their scrutiny. Now, he found himself keeping an uncannily still gaze on Samantha. It was just something that every Healer ended up doing. To show you were listening. Sure. There was less to listen to if you put the other person off by staring at them, though. Coupling perceptiveness with thoughtfulness, both traits that he would credit his mother with, Robert had been watching her as he talked - because something about her was interesting. Reactions that seemed to have something raw about them, unfamiliar not just to him but to her. He didn't know whether she was very bad at hiding things, or trying not to but being slightly afraid to let go of the last-resort control that allowed. But he also thought that she wasn't here to be observed by someone with that disconcerting knack of a Healer. She was finding out something about herself, rather than other people doing that for her. Robert didn't want to intrude on that.

Robert rearranged some soft toys on the desk in front of him for a while, instead of keeping his gaze constantly on Samantha. Some were of Muggle children's characters, while others were of wizarding ones. He'd grown up with a mix of them. His mum's passion had always been Muggle architecture, culture and ingenuity, rather than their more brainless creations such as these new-fangled 'Teletubbies'. A purple one of these half-monsters had a handle on its forehead, and Robert pondered it for quite a while before giving in to his urge and twirling the soft toy around his head whilst holding onto the handle. He quickly checked himself and looked at Samantha apologetically.
"Quite high up on a list of things not to do to patients who have sprouted handles on their heads..." he said. "Not one of the Muggle world's finest creations, though. Are you familiar with any other Muggle things, or is that not one of your interests?"

Robert had to laugh at her comment about his name. "I like you," he said with a grin on his face. "No one else has had the temerity to say that to me on our first meeting." He paused for a moment, suddenly reticent as he thought back to the past darkly. "I wasn't nervous enough when I first came here." he told her, deciding that the open nature of this place was the best one. "I did it just because voluntary work was the kind of thing you had to do if you wanted to become a Healer - it being competitive and all. To show that you cared about people; but that wasn't why I did it, it was because I knew that I had to show I cared about people. I never stopped to think about whether I actually did care. I was too confident when I first came here, I think. Spurred on by the fact I was successful at school and all; I thought that you could learn to care." He laughed. "It's not something that you learn. It just happens. It's just as well for me that it did happen because a Healer who didn't truly care would be a scary thing. Is a scary thing." Robert had only met a few of those, thankfully.

He pondered her thoughts on change for a while, and then slowly nodded. "I expect you're right," he conceded. Having digested the personal information that she'd given him, tried to associate her face permanently with the name 'Sam' and put any assumptions to the back of his mind, he braved a bit more conversation. Robert was very rarely short of words.
"We'll have plenty of employment for you here," he said with a grin. "And at least you've not come with a mercenary motive like I did initially." He tried to catch the eye of one of the people in charge. They nodded to him and then scurried off in the opposite direction, and Robert sighed slightly. "Looks like you'll have to wait a bit, though. It's a bit quiet here so far, but you could always help me with the new lot of leaflets that just got shipped in. I have to arrange them in the rack and put up posters. All quite mundane, but I'm sure you can see why it's necessary. A bit of humility is a good thing, anyway. He lifted a pile of leaflets out of a cardboard box and handed them over to her, before going to open up the barrier to allow her behind the desk.

[Samantha Driscoll]

Samantha noticed Robert's unwavering gaze in her direction and had to stop herself from shifting uncomfortably under his unrelenting stare. Recognising the characteristic Healer look she bent over and pretended to cough, then put her hand on her heart and let out a tired sigh, playing ill. She sat up properly again and got her breath back. "I assure you I suffer from no illness," she said, her hand moving involuntarily to sweep her hair out of her eyes and then slipping back into her lap as she remembered she no longer needed to do that. She could not help but let slip a small smile when he said he liked her, and it transformed her completely, she was no longer shuffling and shifting about, just still, her eyes even playful in that single moment as she looked up into his eyes from beneath her lashes to which mascara had been so heavily applied, giving Samantha that strange almost scary look because of the accented eyes in her face that was untouched by any other make-up. It didn't really mean anything, but it was nice to hear. It was very nice to hear actually - it was nice to not feel like weighing every word before speaking, and to feel as if the person talking to you was acting just as naturally as you were.

"These are supposed to be fun? I never had much toys growing up, but what happened to good old teddy bears?" said Samantha, who actually thought the toy was almost scary. "Not that I share the opinion of most on children's toys, I mean I've never understood the attraction of Barbie dolls even as a child, but these are much worse," said Samantha, eyeing the unfortunate Teletubby in question with distaste, prodding the handle in its head lightly after Robert had finished twirling it around. "I don’t think I'd feel very comfortable with my kids playing with something like that, then again, some parents I think we would be rather afraid it would give their children ideas," she said with a shrug. She laughed a little louder than was usual for her at his comment; the image in her head formed by his words was quite funny. It was something that almost always happened to someone in Transfiguration and Samantha imagined Robert might have to had to deal with such an event on more than one occasion. "I know very little of the Muggle world, though my interest has been perked somewhat recently, though I must say not in inventions such as these," she said. "I like this one though," she said, prodding a stuffed caterpillar in all of the colours of the rainbow. "Helps children get over a fear of bugs," she said looking at Robert and pretending to be serious. A small smile escaped her again. "Just kidding, I do like it though," she said.

Samantha joined Robert behind the desk her eyes skimming over the leaflets he handed her. They opened her eyes to just how much was done here; there were orphanage brochures, hospital brochures, brochures for homes for the elderly, brochures for places where food and shelter could be obtained at low prices, possible jobs for the handicapped due to magical accidents, classes for Defence, a myriad of different activities that at first overwhelmed Samantha but then she comforted herself with the thought that she could certainly find something she could do and gave her some satisfaction. She nodded at his comment about humility and asked him another question. "Really? And how did your motives change after a while? How did you start anyway, and what sort of activities have you participated in?" she asked.