The day has come where I have died, only to find I’ve come alive ~ [Elaine]

Zephir’s footsteps made important sounding clicks as he walked down one of the many corridors from the Dai Llewellyn ward. The day had been long, which wasn’t unusual at all, and the healer was tired. The man had lost a lot of his fire over the past year, and sometimes he wondered what there was left of him if he wasn’t fuelled by burning ambition. Was there anything else? Did he matter in other ways? Did he even mind? Sometimes he wondered if his levels of introspection were harmful rather than helpful, but the thought never lingered too long in his mind. It wasn’t something that he’d ever be able to change. Zephir king had always been a thinker, and he always would be. Besides, he hadn’t lost his ambition just yet.

The man rolled his shoulders as he walked, trying to stretch the kinks out of his body. His spine made several soft, internal popping noises as he moved. It was a satisfying feeling. The man came around a corner and approached of the many storerooms. At first he didn’t notice it at all, and he very nearly walked straight past the room. But something drew his eye, and his steps stopped carrying him forward abruptly. The door was slightly ajar and, though it seemed dark inside from where he was standing, he was sure someone was in there. A crease appeared between Zephir’s dark brows and the tall man moved slowly to the door. Why hadn’t they shut the door? He felt a weird kind of chill pass over the back of his neck. He could make out a small figure. They weren’t dressed in hospital gear.

Now that wasn’t right.

“Excuse me,” he said in a low voice, interrupting whatever it was exactly that she was doing. His wand was already in his hand. It wasn’t aimed at her, but it was obvious that he had it there for a reason. There was an element of politeness in his cutting tones that sounded almost dangerous. “Are you lost? You can’t be in here.” Zephir was very still, and completely ready to react to whatever she was about to do. He could feel his heart rate speed up. The bizarre irony of the situation hadn’t passed him either. Alice flashed briefly through his head before he came back to the situation at hand. Maybe she was a patient? Someone from long term care or something like that? There was something in her movements that suggested otherwise, however, and Zephir king felt certain that he’d just walked in on someone very much aware of what they were doing.

What she was about to do was wrong in so many ways but for once Elaine Morgan didn't care.

The small brunette was used to doing the right thing all the time. She had a strong sense of justice; hell, she even fought for her beliefs. If anyone had told her a few weeks ago that she would commit an act of crime soon, she would have sent them straight to the ward for the instable ones at St. Mungos. But here she was now, standing in one of the store rooms in front of a shelf full of medicine. The former Ravenclaw had no idea what she needed but she just had to do something.

Coming here had been easier than she had expected it to be. After greeting the welcome witch with a huge smile, Elaine had started talking about her poor uncle who had spent the last few months in Africa to study some rare magical insects. Bringing some of them back to England had turned out to be a huge mistake, though. Now he'd been bitten and she didn't know if he'd make it. The girl had even managed to fake some tears and after a pat on her arm, the witch had allowed her to walk straight to the first floor.

Even though she hadn't spent lots of time to think about what she was about to do, Elaine was clever enough to realize that her chances at not being caught were highest on the first floor. She just couldn't imagine that the first floor had lots of patients which also meant that it couldn't have that many visitors. At least not as many visitors as the second or fourth floor. Just how often did it happen that people got injured by creatures so badly that they had to go to the hospital? Potion and spell accidents were way more common than that, weren't they?

Anyway, the brunette hadn't seen a single person in the corridors so far which confirmed her assumptions. Now she just had to find some medicine and then she could disappear again. There was just one problem. She had no idea what she needed since no one knew what was wrong with her sister. Meredith had been sick for a while now and instead of getting better, she was only getting worse. The muggle doctors had no idea what to do and she wasn't allowed to bring her here. Elaine didn't know if she could help her sister, she only knew that she had to try. Even though it went against everything the young woman stood for.

She had put the first few vials into her bag when she suddenly heard a noise behind her. The former Ravenclaw froze on the spot and an inaudible "Fuck." escaped her lips. She knew that she wasn't allowed to be here. That was the damn problem. Elaine forced a few tears back into her eyes and turned around, smiling apologetically. "I... I know and I'm sorry," she said and pretended to wipe away a tear, "but... I don't know, I hate crying in front of others, I just... I just wanted to get a tissue or something." The witch let her hair fall into her face, pretending to be completely embarrassed. Merlin, maybe she should become an actress.

Alarm bells rung through his head as she turned to face him. Zephir didn’t tear his gaze from her face, though he kept his own expression open and nothing more than a little confused. She’d come into a storeroom looking for a tissue? The healer had always been excellent when it came to reading people, and right now his intuition was telling him that she was lying. He took a mental picture of the expression she was making and tried to dissect it. Was it genuine? Was she stupid, or just playing stupid? For some reason, he leant toward the latter. Of course he had no real evidence to back this up, and acting illogically wasn’t in his response database. Intuition wasn’t exactly science. Feelings were often incorrect. So he responded accordingly.

“I understand. Are you all right?” he asked gently, a hint of genuine-sounding concern entering his voice as he spoke. For all he knew, she could have just come from a family member’s bedside. Zephir was a distrustful man by nature, though, and he didn’t like not knowing for sure. “Who are you here to see?” He watched her curiously, waiting for her to step out of the little room. It felt much too small to contain his paranoia. He certainly wasn’t lying about understanding. Crying was an ultimate show of weakness, wasn’t it? He couldn’t afford to lower those kinds of barriers around other people either. People cried all of the time in hospitals, though. Especially over the past year or so. There had been so much mess, and so many tears.

He shook his head. “You’re still not allowed to be in here though,” he chastised gently. He kept his manner gentle and open, because it was the right thing to do. Zephir had learned how to work with people, and he considered himself the epitome of control. He knew how to send the signals he wanted to send. The healer stepped back, leaning against the door to keep it open. He gestured to the hallway as if it were an escape for her. Maybe it was, he couldn’t be sure. She was small and cute, but appearances were deceiving. 

“I can take you to one of the waiting rooms,” he suggested. “Or perhaps the ladies’ bathrooms? They’re just down the hall.” There was no way that the young man was going to let her out of his sight just yet. He’d march her to the door of the bathrooms if he had to. The healer made it obvious that he was tucking his wand back into his healer’s robes. Suddenly an apologetic smile mirroring her earlier one appeared on his face, as if he’d just remembered something. “Oh, but I’m going to have to check your bag quickly,” he told her, glancing away and back as if he didn’t really care about this rule and was just following orders. “Regulations, you understand.”

Elaine allowed herself to look up a little, her hair still in her face, and when her gaze fell on the man standing in front of her, recognition flared in her big brown eyes. He couldn't be much older than she was and she had definitely seen him around at school. Hadn't he even been a friend of Max Stanton? Former Slytherin, she was completely sure of that and the name… It had been an unusual one, she knew that much. While she was still looking at him, Elaine spotted the small tag that was attached to his robes. King. Right, Zephir King. Once more her good memory didn't disappoint her. She wasn't sure if the information would help her but it was more than nothing.

"As alright as I can be, I guess…" She wiped another tear away and opted for a shy smile. Elaine didn't knew him well but lots of men had a soft spot for weak women. Not that she was weak but it was worth a try. Her wand was in the pocket of her coat and she'd be able to reach it within a few seconds but for now she didn't need it. The former Ravenclaw didn't want to let him forget that he'd seen her but she was prepared to do it if it was necessary. The thought almost made her wince - everything was still so incredibly wrong - but she did it for Meredith. That had to count for something, right?

Who did she visit? Well, she couldn't say a name since he probably knew all the patients here but would he ask for more information if she kept it vague? The young woman felt as if she was walking on an icy surface and that she could slip every moment but she had to stay calm and focused if she wanted to get out of here. Hoping that she had some retrieved some medicine that would help her sister, Elaine took a few steps forward and walked out of the small storage room into the light of the corridor. "My uncle. He has a thing for poisonous animals. We've always told him he'd end up here one day but he never listened." The brunette turned around to face the tall man and shrugged a little. "I just hope he'll get better soon. We'd… we'd all be devastated if he didn't." She looked away again, pretending to hide more tears.

"I know. I'm really sorry. Next time I'll just think of bringing more tissues. To be honest I haven't thought I'd react like that but seeing him… He's family, you know?" Slowly Elaine started to get disgusted by her own lies but there wasn't another way out. Not now. Just a few more minutes and she'd be out of here. "The ladies' room would be fantastic, thank you." The former Ravenclaw offered him a smile, waiting for him to lead the way but he didn't. Damn. Apparently he wasn't that easy to fool. Regulations… Sure. She doubted that he wanted to check her bag just because some regulations told him too but she had to play along. Otherwise he'd just get even more suspicious.

Thank Merlin that she had grabbed one of her magically enlarged bags before she had went here. There was lots of stuff in there and most likely he wouldn't find the vials without using a charm to look for them and he wouldn't go that far, would he? She hoped not. "Oh… okay. It's a bit chaotic in there…" With another apologetic smile she handed him her bag, mentally crossing her fingers that he wouldn't find anything. But now that he had her bag, she'd surely have enough time to reach for her wand in case he actually found the medicine, especially since he had put his one away.

He hesitated momentarily when she looked up at him. Merlin, her eyes were huge. It was a brief moment, but he almost frowned at his almost-reaction. She reminded him of Alice, that was what it was. It was simple. This whole situation reminded him of Alice. She wasn’t moving out of the door, but he was starting to second-guess himself. He was terribly suspicious, but there was every chance that she was telling the truth. Maybe he’d just jumped to conclusions because of the associations he had with being in this particular situation? It was hard to be objective. He looked at her again curiously, but her demeanour hadn’t changed. He wasn’t surprised. If she were lying then she’d need to keep up the act, right? Zephir was a man of logic, and he was trying to think his intuition away.

Uncle.

Immediately, Zephir flicked through all possible candidates mentally. The Dai Llewellyn ward didn’t have a large number of patients who stayed for more than a night. Not very many long-term patients either. He was searching for a man who’d been injured in some way by a poisonous animal and had either been admitted recently, or recently taken a turn for the worse. Someone whose fate was up in the air, who possibly had a lot of family visits. A man older than twenty, and probably more like forty. Outwardly, he nodded. “You’d be surprised at how many patients we have in here whose families tell us that same story.” She looked upset and he reached out to place a large hand reassuringly on her arm. He was unsure about this whole thing.

After a moment’s hesitation, he added; “Fergus Cadwallader.” He spoke the name unsurely as a suggestion, but not as a question. The ward dealt with a number of short term patients who were treated for no longer than a day, but not so many who stayed longer. He looked for a sign of recognition as she handed him her bag. Right. It was one of those ridiculously unnecessary bags that seemed to go on forever. He thought of his own briefcase momentarily… it was larger on the inside too, but compartmentalised in a logical way that didn’t require him to pull out his wand every time he wanted to find something. He realised that he wouldn’t be able to find anything in here without doing so, even if she had taken something. The man nodded and gave the bag back. What else could he do? 

“Just this way,” he told her, motioning for her to go ahead of him and out of the little room. Zephir shut the door behind her and motioned ahead.

The next few seconds would decide about her fate. In case he found anything she'd just have one choice. She'd have to use some spell to keep him quiet and then another one to make him forget. The brunette was sure that she could do it - maybe too sure - but she didn't want to. He was being polite and he was only doing his job. She didn't want to cause him any trouble but she needed this. Elaine needed the medicine even though she had no idea if it would help. It was just the only thing she could think of to help her sister. For a brief second the young woman thought about telling him what it was all about but dismissed it again quickly. He wouldn't understand.

"I'm sorry to bother you with all of this," she said quietly, looking up at him again. Merlin, he really was tall. "Even if you hear stories like this one every day." She didn't doubt his words for a second. Elaine loved helping people but she had never thought about being a healer. The former Ravenclaw didn't like the whole hospital atmosphere and while she loved it to communicate with people, she would surely be horrible at consoling them all the time. She knew that she could be bossy and blunt from time to time and these character traits wouldn't really help if she needed to be compassionate.

Zephir touched her arm and the reassuring gesture made her feel even worse. Couldn't he just let her go? Elaine didn't want to play the part of a distressed family member, she didn't like lying at all, but what else should she do? Once again she told herself that she had no other choice. Meredith's condition got worse every day and the brunette was terribly afraid that her little sister would just die right in front of them because no one could help her. She was scared and frustrated but there was no way she could show it. No. She had to stay calm.

The healer said a name and Elaine nodded slightly. She knew that there was a possibility that he was just making the name up to test her but if she disagreed now, he'd want her to tell him her uncle's name and she just couldn't make someone up. He would know immediately that she was lying and everything would go down the drain. All she could do now was hoping that Mr Cadwallader actually existed. Her hand was still near her wand when he looked at her bag and she tried to keep her breathing steady. Thank Merlin. He gave it back.

Hoping that the worst was over now, Elaine smiled gratefully at the man and walked passed him in the mentioned direction. Only a few more steps and she would be free. Even if he noticed afterwards that something was missing, he wouldn't have her name and without her name he wouldn't be able to do anything. It seemed as if she was out of the wood.

She was right; he did hear stories like this every day. It didn’t mean that they meant nothing, though. Zephir might have been ambitious to a fault, and he might possess the ability to remain in control of his emotions at all times, but that didn’t mean that he was a robot. Being a healer required more than intelligence and hard work (both of which he thought he had plenty of). It required some kind of empathy, or at least an excellently feigned empathy. She’d made him hesitate because she seemed genuinely upset. “Family is family,” he told her gently, with a shrug. He was trying to tell her not to apologise for worrying about family members… and that it didn’t really matter that he’d heard the story before.

Zephir valued his family above everything else.

The young woman nodded when he named her uncle. Fergus Cadwaller. Zephir let her walk in front of him out of the little supply cupboard after passing her bag back to her. He watched her take her first step in front of him and followed her. In one quick movement, his wand was in his hand. Zephir grabbed her right arm and twisted it behind her, pressing the girl against the wall to their right with some force. Really, he should have just knocked her out, but Zephir didn’t want to hurt the girl. His heart raced. He had no idea where her wand was, so he pressed her against the wall hard so that she couldn’t get to it. His own wand was held quite obviously at her back.

Inside, his body was reacting with adrenaline and a touch of panic. Outwardly, however, the man was all sharpness and confidence. “There was a Fergus Cadwaller once,” he informed her in a low, dangerous voice, “A rather infamous wizard here. He was a thief too.” The girl in front of him was in trouble, and she had to know it. He planned on disarming her and using a body-locking curse so that he could search her bag again with a summoning spell. “Tell me where your wand is,” he ordered softly, “And don’t lie… And don’t move.” Zephir King was a rather intense man. The last part was added as a serious warning.

Shit.

Elaine's whole body tensed when the healer touched her right arm and she barely had time to brace herself for what was coming next. Within seconds her right arm was twisted behind her and she bumped against the hard wall, her face only inches away from the white concrete. The witch clenched her teeth but no sound escaped her lips. The situation was bad but she'd get out of it just like she always did. She just needed to think.

Zephir was talking and the young woman was glad for every second that his little speech gave her. His voice sounded dangerous but she doubted that he'd do anything. If he had really wanted to hurt her, he would have done it already. Elaine could hear his low voice perfectly well but she wasn't listening. Thoughts and possibilities were racing through her head and she knew that she had to act fast. Really fast.

Luckily it wasn't exactly the first time that she found herself in a situation like this one. Those stupid ministry officials could be rough and so she'd been face to face with a wall during quite a few 'peaceful' demonstrations. It had always been unpleasant but at least it had taught her that she didn't need strength to get out of that position. She was small and agile, two attributes that would help her a lot more than simple strength, and she knew it. Now she just had to wait for the right moment.

The healer asked where her wand was and told her not to move and Elaine nodded slightly as if she'd understood. "It's in my coat pocket." As soon as she felt him move a little, the brunette acted instantly. Her foot landed forcefully on his while her elbow connected with his ribcage. With a swift movement Elaine twisted out of his grip and within a second she had her wand in her hand. There were strands of brown hair in her face but she didn't care to brush them away. Her wand was pointed at him just like his was pointed at her and her big brown eyes were fixed on him.

Family is family. The former Ravenclaw could still hear his words which had sounded honest and she came to a decision. "Please listen," she said, her voice steady and calm despite her racing heart. "You said no lies and I won't lie." She was watching him, ready to cast a spell any second should he try to hex her. "I didn't want to cause any harm but I have no choice. My sister is dying and I have to help her." Elaine knew that she sounded desperate but she didn't care. All the young woman cared about was getting out of here.

He should have just hexed her when he’d had the chance. This small brunette was proving to be very troublesome, however much she reminded him of Alice. Zephir felt her moving under him and in moments, he was thrown back. He barely had a second to marvel at how such a tiny figure could have so much strength before he was reacting, flicking his wand and ready for any counter-curses she had to throw at him. The moment happened in slow motion for Zephir. His mind was racing as he made the slight slashing motion in the air. The girl’s wand flew out of her hand, and with another flick, it sped towards him. He caught it with his left hand.

And in that moment, there was another shift. Her power was gone. He had her. The dark, dangerous expression still hadn’t left his face and for a second, he wanted to hex or curse her just to punish her. He’d won, technically, but he didn’t like that she’d tried to hurt him and tried to escape. This urge disappeared quickly as soon as it was a real thought in his head, though. Zephir was far too logical to let an impulse like that decide what actions he took. He watched her carefully, his wand at the ready as she started spouting out words. She was pleading with him. “Shut up,” he told her quietly.

She didn’t want to cause any harm? Well she couldn’t now. Zephir felt like there was some disparity between what was actually happening and the way that he was processing it. His brain was moving at a hundred miles per hour. The man watched her silently, his expression unchanged, for a moment. He knew what it felt like, being caught stealing from here. Zephir was completely unfair when comparing himself to others, though. Most of the time he felt caught in his depravity, but not now. It was easy to look down on her for her actions, even though he’d been in a similar situation less than a year ago. He didn’t lower the wand he had pointed at her, and gripped her wand firmly in his left hand.

“Why can’t she come here?” he asked softly. Zephir’s mind flashed momentarily to Pike and stealing potion ingredients for the man. It had been stupid and reckless in retrospect. Sure, Zephir liked Pike just fine, but he didn’t do it out of the goodness of his heart. The healer had let his intellectual curiosity and arrogance get the better of him. The whole ordeal had been like some kind of challenge for the healer. Nowadays he was much more careful and much less arrogant. If Zephir had been faced with a similar situation with his current, superior mindset… he doubted he’d have let it happen again. The girl couldn’t be talking about a werewolf though, because they were allowed in hospitals again now. “What did you take?”

He was fast. The wizard in front of her reacted instantly and Elaine had to admit that she hadn't expected him to adjust to the new situation that quickly. Deep in her mind she was impressed but her desperation was stronger than anything else she was feeling at the moment. Couldn't he see that she was no normal thief? That she was no junkie who was addicted to potions but that she needed this? It was a matter of life and death but he didn't understand. Elaine knew that she had to make him understand but how? She was utterly helpless without her wand and judging from the reaction on his face, he knew it.

Shut up.

His quiet voice cut through the silence between her words like a knife and the seriousness in his voice made her obey. The former Ravenclaw was silent now but her big brown eyes were still pleading with him. She could feel the tears coming but instead of letting them run down her face like before, she blinked them away. Fake tears were one thing but he didn't need to see her real ones. She was stronger than that.

Elaine mentally braced herself for a hex that would surely come soon but while he was still pointing his wand at her, nothing happened. Instead he raised his voice again and the young woman had no idea if she could tell him the truth. She knew that healers were supposed to help everyone, regardless of their blood status but what if he was different? What if he was one of those pureblood supremacists who would just laugh at her? Question after question was racing through her head but she had no answers.

There really was just one thing she could do now, wasn't it?

The muggleborn took a deep breath, still looking at Zephir. "Because she's not a witch. She's a muggle." Once again her voice was calm even though she didn't feel calm at all. "She's been sick for weeks and no normal doctor seems to be able to help her. They've tried everything." Elaine had no clue if it was even possible for muggles to get a magical illness but it was the only logical explanation she had for Meredith's condition. "I mostly got a few vials of the antidote to common and uncommon poisons. I travel a lot and I wouldn't be surprised if... I don't know... If I brought something home that bit her or stung her. Not knowingly, of course."

A few strands of her were falling in her face and Elaine brushed them away quickly. "I didn't steal anything for myself. I promise." Would he believe her? And if he did... What then? Elaine could only hope that he would let her go.

The dark flash of anger that had appeared when she’d tried to escape had dissipated and all that was left was cool, clean logic. Zephir was not one to let his emotions affect his actions. Irrationality was, after all, his worst enemy. There was nothing more irrational than letting bursts of emotion affect one’s decision making. The girl was obviously scared or desperate, but it didn’t move Zephir. He saw the interaction for what it was.

Her sister was a muggle. He nodded once. It made sense, he supposed. He’d often wondered about these kinds of situations. What kind of restrictions were there on sharing magical items with muggle spouses or family members? How much magic could one do in front of their family? Was it restricted to immediate family members only? He couldn’t see any reason that someone would get into a relationship with a muggle. There were too many problems. A frown appeared on his face at her next words. She’d just taken vials of antidotes? He doubted that she had medical knowledge, but she must have been taking something that would either be very expensive or very hard to find, otherwise why would she need to steal them? Zephir contemplated this for a moment, feeling quite safe in his position of power, before speaking. “Do you realise how dangerous that is?” he shook his head, “What was your plan? Feed her every type of antidote you could find and hope that it was a bite or sting that made her sick?”

The idea was almost unfathomable. She must have been very desperate, or very, very stupid. The girl promised that she wasn’t stealing anything for herself, and he wondered if that was supposed to sway or convince him. It didn’t really matter.

Zephir was distracted by footsteps approaching. Someone was walking down the corridor they were in. The man felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end – what if she had some kind of accomplice? He couldn’t take his eyes off of the young witch in front of him. She’d already proven that she couldn’t be trusted. The first thing that the Slytherin alumni had considered was the fact that the person approaching was probably a fellow healer, and that he could easily palm his problem off to them. It wasn’t as if she’d be able to put up any kind of defence. Zephir King was anything but philanthropic in nature. Still… there was something in him that made himself relax into a more casual stance. He was definitely ready to use his wand if she tried anything, but to the person who’d just come around the corner to his back-right he wouldn’t look like he was intimidating her.

The person approached with steady steps and Zephir’s dark gaze made quite intense contact with the girl in front of him. His message was clear; don’t move. “Your cousin will be fine,” he told her in strangely warm tones that didn’t reach his eyes. He glanced away for a moment and nodded a hello as an older healer walked past. “He’ll only be in here for one night, while we make sure that his immune system accepts the treatment we’ve given him. Afternoon, Tate.”

Zephir waited until the man was out of earshot to speak again. The interaction was well and truly drenched with tension by the time he broke the silence. “You know I can’t let you leave here with any of those vials in your bag,” he told her softly. “I should turn you in.” He watched her for a moment before flicking his wand, summoning the things she’d stolen. The little vials flew out of her bag and over to him. He pocketed them with his free hand. Zephir gestured with a stiff nod. “Walk,” he commanded.

He was calm now. Still alert but calm. Elaine saw him nodding once at her words and a wave of hope washed over her. So he understood. The former Ravenclaw wasn't naive enough to think that everything would be fine now,  that he would turn out to be a hero who would save her sister but it was a start. This wasn't a fairytale, it was real life. Still, maybe he wouldn't hand her over. Elaine knew that the possibility that he would bring her to one of his superiors was still there but somehow she doubted that it was what he wanted to do. If it was, he could have stunned her by now. All the power was in his hands, after all.

His next words were like a slap in the face, though.

So he thought she was stupid, a desperate idiot. Of course she knew it was dangerous. Elaine had no idea what the antidotes would do to her sister but if there was just a tiny chance that they might help, she had to give them to her. The young woman had looked at book after book, trying to find out what Mer was suffering from, if her condition was caused by some magical bug, but she hadn't found anything concrete. She had played with the thought of asking her friend Aline for help but she didn't want to cause her any trouble. If she did, Max would probably kill her for messing with his baby sister. Well, not kill her but he'd be more than just a little upset and that was definitely not what she wanted.

Right, he was probably still waiting for an answer. The brunette shook her head, trying to find the right words. "I do realise it. Believe me, I do. But… I had… have no choice. What else could I've done? Walk in here and tell them that my muggle sister is sick? They would have sent me home with nothing. They don't treat muggles here." It was frustrating. Elaine knew that her plan was stupid. That it was ridiculous to think she could just give Meredith the antidotes and everything would be fine but what else should she do? Wait for her little sister to die? Right in front of her eyes? Just because she wasn't able to do anything? No. Just no.

Someone was approaching them and the small witch tensed. She felt utterly helpless without her wand and she hated the fact that she was completely in the young healer's hands. Elaine had no power here, none at all and it made her terribly nervous. She felt like a rabbit, trapped in a corner, with no way out. The footsteps were getting louder and her big brown eyes were fixed on Zephir. What would he do now?

Much to her surprise he seemed to relax and she nodded slightly, signalising him that she understood. Apparently she wasn't the only decent actress here. Elaine forced herself to smile while she stayed exactly where she was. "Thank you for taking care of him so well." The other healer walked past them and she offered him a small smile as well. So he wouldn't turn her in but… why? She still didn't know what he'd do now. Of course. He wanted the vials back. Since there was nothing she could do about that, she just held her bag open for him. He flicked his wand and the different vials were summoned.

"But you won't do it." It wasn't even a question. The brunette tilted her head to the side and watched him curiously. She still felt tense, ready to jump to the side should he cast a spell at her but at the same time she was also a lot more relaxed than she'd been only a few seconds ago. They were standing there, face to face, the tension between them almost visible and for a while no one moved. He still had the upper hand here, everything depended on him, but she also felt as if she'd won. A small victory. It was strange, really.

"What now?"

The young woman before him stammered out a frustrated excuse as to why she was here, but Zephir didn’t need to hear it. It made sense. It was still stupid, but it made sense. He studied her carefully as their short-term audience passed them by. She was very on the ball, and seemed like a clever witch. She was reminding him less and less of Alice as their interaction extended. He wasn’t sure what the similarity had been. Footsteps disappeared into the distance.

“I wont.” He agreed in a low voice. Zephir felt a little dark irritation stir again – if she was going to push or taunt him, then he would hand her over to a superior – but it came and went within a moment. He was silent just a little while more. “Listen,” he said finally, his voice very quiet, “Intense quantities of powdered asphodel mixed with moonshade, like in the vials of opaque liquid-“ Zephir patted his top pocket “-can cause internal bleeding. Sure, it’ll fix up a Lobalug bite, but it has to be taken with something that has wormwood in it, otherwise it’s deadly. Antidotes and counter-antidotes.” He understood that she was desperate, but he felt compelled to make her realise the risk she was taking here. Not just with stealing, but with her sister’s life.

“I’m sure you’ve done your research-“ he wasn’t sure about this at all, actually, “-but you’re obviously not a healer.” He started walking, indicating that she should too. The man followed closely behind. He hadn’t let go of his wand and hers was still in his pocket. While the pair might look casual, the saying you could cut the tension with a knife sprung to Zephir’s mind. He felt like he was marching her somewhere. The man felt terribly conflicted about this, but he knew one thing for sure. If she tried anything – anything at all – he’d hex her.

She didn’t.

Zephir escorted the girl down several flights of stairs and around several corners in silence. He wasn’t heading towards the main exit. He’d already justified it in his head. There wasn’t really a need to turn her in if she was telling the truth. Zephir remembered how he’d felt when both his younger sister and his grandmother had fallen ill with the mystical virus that had appeared almost a year ago. He was fully aware of the fact that he was a hypocrite – if it had been his sister, there was no way that anything as trivial as the law would stop him from trying to save her – but at the same time, he couldn’t simply trust this girl he was with. He could only let her go on two conditions. Firstly, he had to make sure that the action wouldn’t come back to bite him. Finding out that she was in fact telling the truth was a good way of doing this… and it tied in well with the second condition. There had to be something in it for him.

When they finally reached their destination (an empty corridor that didn’t look too different to any of the others, beside a grey door), Zephir stopped. The healer drew her wand out of his pocket and opened the door with a shoulder. It lead out into a quiet alleyway that seemed to be closed off on both ends. “You can apparate home from here…” Zephir hesitated, “If it’s life and death, I doubt that you can treat her,” He told the girl seriously. There was no condescension in his voice this time, he was only delivering facts. If serious illnesses were so easily treated, then there wouldn’t even be a need for healers or a hospital at all. “You need a real healer.” The man handed the brunette her wand. Zephir still had his own wand in hand. He was still slightly paranoid that he might need it.

After another moment of silence, Zephir spoke. The man felt like there was a certain gravity to his next words that hadn’t been present previously. His tone was low, intense. “I’ll do it, but I’m not a charity worker.” She’d have to be out of her mind to expect him to risk his job for free. The man had made a quick assessment of her and decided that simply having her owe him a favour wouldn’t be enough. Did she understand?

I won't.

That was all Elaine needed to hear. When he'd caught her and got her wand, she'd been sure that everything was over. There hadn't been a reason for him to believe her after she'd lied to him but somehow he had. The witch didn't think it was because he was extremely compassionate but more because he was somehow interested in the case. It seemed that Zephir King wasn't a healer just for the money. Next to that he could probably see that she was being honest now. Maybe it would have been better to tell him the truth from the beginning but since she hadn't really known how he'd react, lying had seemed like the safest option at first.

His serious explanation sent shivers down her spine but Elaine tried to keep a neutral expression. Internal bleeding… The thought was terrifying and for a second she was glad he had caught her. It hadn't been her plan to give Meredith all the antidotes without reading every bit of information she could get on them first but he was right. She was no healer and the chances of messing things up would haven been dangerously high. What had she been thinking? Desperation truly made people act differently. Elaine had no other explanation for it.

The tall wizard started walking and the Ravenclaw followed him quietly. He still had her wand in his pocket but she didn't mind anymore. Sooner or later he'd give it back to her and right now she didn't need it. He was letting her go. The question was… Would he just turn his back on her or would he help? Elaine wanted to ask but she stayed silent. What if he said no? What if he didn't want anything to do with the matter? The young woman was usually a lot more blunt but there was just too much at stake. She hated to admit it but she needed him. Maybe not exactly him but definitely a healer.

Stairs, empty corridors, more stairs… Elaine had no idea where they were, all she knew was that they were not going back to the main entrance. She was still silent, her gaze fixed on his back. A thousand thoughts were running through her head but she couldn't voice any of them. He was apparently leading her to some kind of rear exit and it let her hope that he would indeed help her. Why else would they go somewhere where no one would see them? If he just wanted to let her go, he would have brought her to the main exit, right?

She hated not knowing what would happen next but there was nothing she could do about it. The slightly victorious feeling was gone again and all that remained was uncertainty and maybe a tiny bit of hope. They reached a simple looking door and it was indeed some kind of rear exit. Elaine looked up at the much taller man, her expression betraying nothing. She nodded at his words, signalising him that she knew he was right. He handed her her wand and without saying anything, the muggleborn took it and put it in her bag. He should know that she wouldn't use it on him. There was no reason why she should. He was letting her go, after all.

Her big brown eyes were still fixed on him while she waited for him to say whatever he wanted to say. The healer was a rational man, someone who didn't act out of emotions but out of logic. She didn't know him but that was more than just a little obvious. Elaine nodded again. She was probably making a mistake here but she had no other choice. Not when she wanted to save her sister's life. "I understand." There was no warmth in her voice, it was completely businesslike. "Whatever it is you want in return, I should be able to get it. Money, anything else… You name it." The brunette was curious what he might want in return for his favour but right now she would promise him anything.

"I understand that you can't just leave the hospital right now so let me just give you the address. I'll wait there." Her wand was still tucked away and she hoped he wouldn't hex her now just because she had to get something out of her bag. A few seconds later she'd written down her parents' address and handed him the piece of paper. Her brown eyes found his again and she held his gaze. "I'm sorry for lying to you earlier. I shouldn't have done that and I'm glad we were able to come to an agreement."

Silence filled the space between them while they walked and Zephir wondered what the witch was currently thinking. Was she scared? Upset? That seemed like the logical reaction to a situation like this. Then again, there was every possibility here that she was simply crazy. He didn't like that kind of unpredictability. Everyone was predictable once you knew enough about them. She agreed instantly and Zephir was glad that she'd caught on quickly. He wouldn't say that he was impressed, but he was definitely relieved that she wasn't as stupid as he'd first assumed.

Things were going the way that he’d anticipated, and the predictability of it all was somewhat soothing. Zephir was a man who worked extremely well under pressure in foreign situations, but it wasn’t because he was good at being spontaneous. He was just very quick when it came to formulating new plans. The healer was totally convinced that there was always one best way to do things. One most logical pathway to choose, in any given situation. He just had to find it. “I finish work late tonight,” he told her. The faint ticking of the man’s pocket watch (such a familiar sound by now that Zephir might have been imagining it) reminded him that he was, in fact, still on shift. He needed to get back to work before he was missed. The man shifted his weight to his opposite foot, a little impatient now for this to be done.

He was almost surprised by the intensity of her gaze when the girl apologised to him for lying. She’d snapped from teary to desperate to intimidated to businesslike in moments. Zephir decided that she was either crazy or had something there that he respected. Her apology seemed genuine, but the healer figured that she was probably just trying to stay on his good side, since she was the one with more to lose in this agreement. She needn’t have bothered, really. The man wanted to say something more. He wanted to tell her that he had sisters too, or that he understood what it felt like to know that he would do absolutely anything for his family. He wanted to choose words that conveyed some kind of shared emotion here; some kind of understanding of her actions. The desire was completely irrational though, so Zephir didn’t say a word of what he was thinking. She didn’t need to know anything about him or his motivations for this arrangement to work. 

The man nodded once in acknowledgement. He didn’t really have anything to say to her apology. Zephir took the little slip of paper she offered him and tucked it away in his pocket, surprised momentarily by the little vials that were still in there. After a another moment, the tall man held out a hand for her to shake. “Zephir King,” he told her quietly. There was nothing more to say now, so he held the door open for her and left without another word. Strange to be going back to work after an encounter like that.