Forgotten Girl

Volunteers and Visitors

"Uncle Moony, are you really going to teach at Hogwarts?" Lilli asked one day as she was getting ready to volunteer. She was pulling her jade green robes from the closet as she spoke.

"Yes, I am," Remus flipped a page in his book, "Why?"

"It's just that, I already knew all the things we were meant to learn last year. And I looked over my mentor's Defense notes, and I'd learned that too," Lilli stopped and faced him, "I want to move up a year." 

Remus looked up, regarding his goddaughter with a critical eye, "Mmm, you're right. You should be studying Defense with the third years. Write to Professor Snape and see if he approves. If so, you will join them in their studies."

Lilli kissed his cheek, grinning broadly, "Thank you!"

"Run along now. And don't forget you are with Thia tonight and tomorrow."

~

"There you are," Thia smiled at Lilli when she stepped out of the fireplace, "Healer Strout is waiting for you."

Lilli slipped from the office into the Janus Thickey ward. She didn't typically volunteer here on Wednesdays (Wednesday was for the trauma ward), but that changed depending on who needed help most.

"Hello, dear," Healer Strout said from beside a patient's bed, "Would you get Frank and Alice ready for a visit? Their family is coming." Lilli took the brush from the healer and joined Frank by the window, neatening his hair and straightening his clothes.

"Anything new since Friday, dear?" Strout asked.

"I might get to move up in Defense Against the Dark Arts next year," Lilli told her moving on to work on Alice's hair.

"Well isn't that exciting?" 

"Excuse me, but can I borrow Ellie for a second?" Thia stuck her head into the room. Strout nodded, and Lilli handed her the brush before going to her aunt, who handed her a sheaf of papers, "Will you take these down to Healer Greaves in Trauma?"

Lilli nodded. Thia unlocked the door for her and Lilli locked it from the outside. It was a safety precaution for Alice and Frank, to make sure they didn't wander off and get hurt. She took the lift down to the ground floor and passed through the waiting room to Trauma.

She found Healer Greaves outside one of the patient rooms, leaning her head against the door.

"Healer Greaves? These are from Healer Simmons," Lilli handed over the papers. The woman glanced at them and looked down at Lilli.

"Would you be able to help me with something, Elliana?"

"Of course. What is it?" 

"In this room are two siblings whose father was killed. Can you stay with them? I need to contact their relatives." 

Lilli entered the room quietly, smiling softly when the boy and girl looked at her. They were huddled together on the bed, the boy's arms wrapped around his little sister. He was probably ten, and the girl was maybe eight.

"Hello. My name is Lilli." She sat in the chair at the foot of the bed, giving them space, "I'm sorry for your loss."

The boy wiped his eyes, "Why are you here?"

"In case you want to talk to someone," Lilli shrugged, "It helps some people."

"Can you tell a story?" The girl asked, rubbing her nose. Lilli nodded, handing her a tissue.

"Any requests?" They shook their heads, "Alright. Once upon a time..."

~

Lilli returned to the Janus Thickey Ward half an hour later, once the children's aunt had appeared. The girl, who she had learned was River, had fallen asleep halfway through Red Riding Hood, but the boy, Oliver, had stayed awake, watching Lilli with curiosity.

"There you are, dear. What took you so long?" Healer Strout asked as Lilli entered locking the door behind her. She saw a boy and a woman sitting beside Frank and Alice.

"There were children in Trauma," Lilli said quietly, "Healer Greaves asked me to wait with them."

Strout clucked, shaking her head, "Poor lambs. Frank and Alice's family are here, so why don't you help me with Gilderoy?" They approached Lilli's former teacher, who brightened considerably when he saw her.

"Hello, hello! Come for an autograph, have you?" Strout laughed at him, and Lilli rolled her eyes. She'd barely tolerated this man when he was her teacher, but now she was expected to help take care of him?

"No thank you, Mister Lockhart," she said, taking the potion from Healer Strout, "Take this, won't you?" 

Lockhart laughed heartily, "Not trying to slip me a love potion, are you?" 

"Of course not, sir. This will help with your memory." A cloud darkened his face.

"Is that it? My memories are gone?" He drank the potion. Strout and Lilli waited for some sign that it helped. Nothing.

"Ah, well, it might take a while to work." Strout said cheerfully, "Elliana, why don't you go see if your aunt needs you? If not, you can report to Trauma." 

Lilli was passing the boy and his grandmother when she made eye contact with him. She was startled to see that it was Neville. So was he by the way he turned red. She gave him a small wave before entering her aunt's office. 

"Do you need me at all, Aunt Thia?"  The Healer looked up from her paperwork.

"No, not at the moment. Why?"

"Healer Strout is done with me and said if you didn't have anything I can go back to Trauma." Lilli picked up her clipboard from the desk. It would track where she was and tell her when it was time for her to leave.

"Ah, in that case, take this down with you. Healer O'Connell." Lilli was handed another sheaf of papers and she went through the ward again. As she was headed to the lift, someone caught up to her.

"I didn't realise you volunteer on Wednesdays," Neville said quietly. Lilli smiled.

"I volunteer for three hours a day, Monday through Friday. I shift wards each day. Typically, I'd be down in Trauma all day today, but Healer Strout's normal volunteer is sick," 

"Listen, Lilli, you aren't going to tell anyone about my parents, right? It's not that I'm ashamed of them," he hurried on to say, "But I don't want people's pity."

"I won't," she said, stepping into the lift, "I promise."