A Red Badge

[Sara Moon]

This roleplay is set between August 2039 and December 2039.

Sara woke slowly, the world slowly taking form as her eyes adjusted to the light. For a moment, she simply stared at the ceiling, her thoughts cloudy as she gazed at the white ceiling. The lights were so harsh; why hadn't she turned them off before going to bed. Shrugging it off, she curled to one side, closing her eyes once more. Wait. Why had she seen a green wall? Her walls were blue. That made no sense. She opened her eyes, too quickly this time and the light hurt them. She wasn't in her bed. What was going on? She quickly turned back and began to rise, but pain shot out all through her body and she collapsed back onto the bed. Then it hit her. Brandt. She wasn't at home, she was in hospital, but what was wrong? She searched, frustrated at how long it was taking her to remember. They'd gone after Brandt. She was.... the woman, the one who'd run for Minister. Scitorari, that was it. She could feel her arms, wriggle her toes. Why couldn't she sit up? Who was running? Where was Alexia? She couldn't hear anyone else in the room, it was so strange not to see. Did Talarico know? Did they have Brandt in custody?

Brandt had come back, to the house, and they'd gone after her, but why was she in hospital? The last thing she remembered was an arm around her, the world going black. Why was it so hard to piece together? Everything was disjointed. "Hello?" she called, trying to tilt her head so she could see more of the room. Her voice sounded hoarse, foreign. Where was the slightly girlish sound, the over-pronunciation she'd been teased about constantly. Ridiculously, she wondered what she looked like. Was she bruised? Scarred? Why was there no pain when she lay down, but it hurt when she tried to sit up? She imagined there must be a doctor- no a healer- somewhere about. "What happened?" she whispered, feeling panic rise in her chest. Had they caught Brandt? Was she in prison? Was everyone else okay? God was Sammy Kaster okay? She could remember that he'd been eating something, her little sister's friend. Please let them be okay. She couldn't bear it if.. She could feel her muscles tensing. Where was everyone? Was there even anyone else in the room? She could feel tears welling in her eyes and was angry with herself. A bang, someone had been coming down the stairs. She'd stood poised, read to fire, but terrified it was a friend approaching, rather than foe. What had happened?

 

[Jeremy Thorne]

Jeremy had been on duty when the Aurors had come in with various ailments. It was obvious they'd been on some sort of mission, but no one said a word about it and the healer knew better than to ask. They could be just as bad as Unspeakables, though the Aurors had nothing on the type of injuries that that group came in with. Chaos reigned in the emergency unit for a moment as the healers and nurses triaged the new patients. One person, a person he recognized easily, rose to the top of the list. She was unconscious and Jeremy and another healer were assigned to care for her. After doing everything they could to revive her, the two healers had been forced to give up, instead doing everything to make her comfortable. They'd healed minor cuts, put some paste on the bruises she had acquired, and consulted the head healer for further assistance. The man had suggested for them to leave her be for a time and see if she came to on her own. It wasn't a solution that anyone was happy with, but barring finding something in a book that actually worked, they had no other choice.

The healers had banned visitors from entering her room for the time being, a decision that had earned all of them a lot of dirty looks and nasty words, both muttered under people's breath and aloud as they walked past. Jeremy tried not to take it personally. He knew that he'd feel the same way as well if it was his loved one in the room and the healers had been able to do next to nothing to help her. The man could remember his former schoolmate, Sara. They'd been in the same house, both prefects and on the quidditch team together. He'd lost touch with her after school. They were a few years apart after all. While she slept, there was nothing for him to do but care for other patients. He even went home, coming back for his next shift and learning that nothing had changed. It was as he was signing in from lunch that a nurse rushed by him, shouting over his shoulder that the auror was awake. Jeremy quickened his pace and followed, entering the room a step behind the nurse. "Ms. Moon. Sara" he stated gently as he reached for a potion. Now that she was up, they could figure out more of what was happening. "You've been unconscious for quite a while and magic wasn't helping to revive you. You're in St. Mungo's right now. We're glad to have you back. Do you remember what happened at all?" he asked. Whatever had been cast on her had been powerful...and nasty. The healers still weren't sure of the extent of it all, though they'd figure it out now that she was conscious. "Here...this will help with the pain if you want to stay awake to see some visitors before we run some more tests?" he added. He knew that they couldn't deny her family any longer, but they did need to get these tests in if they were going to treat her properly.

 

[Sara Moon]

By now she knew she was in Saint Mungo's. It was the only explanation, at least it was the most logical explanation. She was strangely wary of how her voice would sound. For some reason she felt it should be hoarse, as though there should be some proof of how drained and tired she felt. Yet at the same time, she wished it weren't. The pain in her body was enough, she shouldn't have to deal with that also. She heard footsteps and strained to look up, but quickly surrendered. It hurt too much, and she simply couldn't maintain the effort needed. "Hello?" she called, unable to see the face and feeling strangely afraid; she was so vulnerable. Then a voice began, it sounded familiar. Ignoring the questions for a moment, she asked "I know you, I know your voice. From school?" she frowned angrily, feeling confused. "St. Mungo's... Right, I knew that." she nodded, wincing at the tightness in her neck. "What happened.... I don't know if I can tell you, Mason mightn't.. I'm sorry, I don't think I should. I was on a job, and the last thing I remember was everything going black." she explained, smiling apologetically. "I am anxious to speak to someone from work though, if possible. There are some things I want to... clarify." Where was Brandt? Had she been captured? How exactly had she been hit? She could remember the arm holding her, it must've been as she passed out.

The potion was cool, slipping down her throat. "That sounds good." she replied, her voice hardly a whisper now. "Are there people here? Oh God, I hope they haven't been waiting. Do my parents know? They wouldn't be able to cope, they worry so much.. Oh no..." her voice gradually disappeared as she spoke, becoming less and less distinct. She coughed, and the motion hurt, but less than it had before. "I think I can-" she began, pushing herself into a seated position. It hurt, but it was manageable now. "Jeremy." she stated, smiling. It was good to see a familiar face. "How are you?" she asked, wincing. "Or should I call you Healer Thorne?" she wasn't sure what the etiquette was in this situation. "What's wrong with me? What spell was it? I'm not sure. Has-has anyone who was with me been hurt?" she asked, throwing etiquette out the window, too worried to care. She could see the room now, and wondered why there was nobody else there. Perhaps they'd been worried she'd say something that wasn't supposed to be widely known in her sleep. How long had she been under? He said they hadn't been able to wake her. "Do you know why I woke, why I'm not still unconcious?" She couldn't really remember anything, voices and the like. It just felt like she'd been asleep. "Perhaps I should see someone from work first, it's important. I need to know if we-" she'd almost said it, almost mentioned Brandt. She needed to be more careful. Kate would understand that she needed to be sure the job had been accomplished, her parents probably wouldn't, but she hoped her sister had the presence of mind to play down her injuries.

 

[Jeremy Thorne]

Jeremy nodded his head. It was a good sign that she recognized him and remembered him even though it had been years since they had last seen each other. Jean knew that the spell had at least left her long term memory intact. The Healer's suspicions about a mission were confirmed as she continued on. Jeremy knew that she wouldn't share any details, couldn't actually, but he knew that he to get her to relax. It wasn't so good for her to be getting this worked up. "Sara, I need you to calm down. Your boss is right down the hall. I can get him, but not if it's going to get you worked up" he stated authoritatively. The Healer would not have his patient's condition worsen when they'd just gotten her conscious.

As she went off worrying again, Jeremy's mouth moved into a line again. He'd tell the people outside that she was conscious, of course, but that she couldn't have visitors yet. Eventually, Jeremy had to cut her off. He had the feeling if he didn't that she would continue for hours. "Jeremy's fine" he began as he picked up her chart. "You've been out for an entire two days" he began, continuing quickly before she could barrage him with more questions. "And we don't know what hit you. No one has been able to describe it to us enough to label it. Now that you're awake, you can tell us how you feel and we'll be able to figure out what was done to you" he nodded his head. The Healer was already reconsidering his earlier decision. "You do have some people outside. They can't all come in at once, and if you start getting worked up while they're here, I'll force them to leave, but I can send one or two people in to see you if they keep it short. We have tests we'd like to run while you're still awake. Tomorrow, you should be able to have more visitors" he explained, waiting to be sure she understood before he left to inform her guests. She wanted to see someone from the Auror office so he'd see who was there.

 

[Sara Moon]

Sara immediately stopped speaking when he said he didn't want her worked up. The most important thing right now was to know what had happened to Brandt. Never mind the pain, never mind the fact that she didn't remember what had happened. She needed to know "Sorry, it just feels... odd, that I don't remember and... Well, it just does." She wasn't sure what she could say to make sure he let Mason in, but she knew she needed to see him, needed to know that it hadn't been in vain. She did feel safer, knowing the healer she was dealing with. Jeremy had been Head Boy when she was at Hogwarts, they'd been on the Quidditch team together. "Talarico's here?" she asked, suddenly realising what he'd said. Well, if Talarico was here, then they'd have to let him in, he'd want to debrief her; if they'd been successful.

Sara was silent as Jeremy wen through what he knew, which wasn't much. The thought was slightly terrifying. "So nobody knows. Well, I'm sorry but I don't remember an incantation, just an arm.. There is a lot of pain, when I try to sit up, but the potion is helping with that. I can still feel it though; all along my spine, in my neck, but I can handle it now." What else should she say? She hadn't really been awake long enough to have noticed everything. "Obviously there's my voice, but that's probably just from lack of use while I was out." Was there anything else? "I don't know if this matters, but I wasn't aware while I was unconscious, I mean; I didn't feel anything, or hear anything. When I woke, it just felt like I'd been sleeping, but without dreams and it was when I moved that I realised." She waited for him to take note, frowning slightly, trying to ascertain any other peculiar feelings in her body, but she could notice none as of yet. The idea that she'd been dead to the world and had no idea was worrying. What if it happened again? When he said she could have visitors, she tried to remain calm. Kate, or someone from her family, was probably outside, but it was imperative that she know what had happened on the mission before anything else. Her family would understand. "That would be great thank you, I need to see someone, anyone, from work if they're around." she couldn't give any further explanation, not without knowing if Brandt had been outed publicly yet.

 

[Jeremy Thorne]

Jeremy nodded quickly at the mention of the Head Auror's name. The Healer had forgotten it until she'd said it just now. He listened as she began again, anything that she could remember would be helpful at the moment. Sara spoke and spoke while Jeremy just listened. She was more helpful than she could know, describing things that would help them determine what had been done to her. It was the pain in her spine that concerned him most. Jeremy did his best to keep a straight face though. "Ok. Thank you. That's a good help, Sara." Jeremy smiled at her before heading for the door. "Remember, short visits. And if you get too worked up, I will kick them out" he stated as he left the room.

 

[Mason Talarico]

Mason had only arrived to St. Mungo's hospital a short time ago. The Head Auror had arrived to handle some paperwork related to Sara Moon's injuries. Mostly, it had to do with financial payment for her being in the hospital. Having been injured on the job, the Ministry would be covering the cost for her stay, however long that would last. From what Mason had heard, the woman wasn't looking well, not that anyone had been able to look in on her. The Healers had banned visitors for the moment, and Mason was a bit pleased by this. If no one could look in on her, perhaps the media could continue to be in the dark about it all. Mason knew that it was going to be a crap storm when they got wind of the whole situation.

Putting the quill down after greed signed one final document, Mason pulled the hood over his head and began to walk away. He heard a voice calling his name, too loudly, from down the hall and turned to see a healer jogging toward him. Listening quickly, Mason followed the man back. He nodded his head at the final warning he was issued and then headed in, a small knock on the door to indicate that he was there. He entered the room and quickly shut the door behind him. "Ms. Moon, you're awake again" he stated as he moved to a chair. He sat down heavily and removed the hood. "You do understand that one more day won't matter...much" he explained, though he knew it would be helpful to get her debrief as soon as possible.

 

[Sara Moon]

Sara breathed a sigh of relief when Jeremy relented. She wasn't sure she'd have slept not knowing that everyone was okay, or whether they'd caught Brandt. As soon as the door closed, she looked around, searching for a reflective surface, but found none. She didn't want to think about what she looked like. She liked to be well-groomed for work, professional, and yet her boss was about to walk in and she probably looked like something the cat had dragged in. In truth, she did look terrible. She was pale, and dark bruises showed up on her arms; probably from where she fell, and from Brandt's fingers gripping her upper arm. She had dark circles under her eyes, and looked vaguely faint, as though a breath of wind might knock her over.

A quiet knock made her stop her vain attempts to look presentable, and she sat straighter in the bed, though it hurt her back and made her wince. Why was her spine so sore? It seemed odd, that though she'd taken the potion, the pain was still present, a dull, throbbing presence. When the door opened, she attempted a smile, but her lips were dry and sore, her eyes lacking their usual spark. "Hello Sir." she replied, careful not to interrupt him. His comment was kind, but she couldn't have borne spending any more time than necessary not knowing. "I know Sir, but I just needed to know.. Is everyone okay? Did we catch her? I'm sorry, I don't remember.The last thing was an arm, holding me. I don't know whose it was." She wasn't sure how much he knew about her condition. Hell, she wasn't sure how much she knew about her condition.

 

[Mason Talarico]

As he removed his hood, Mason was able to get a better look at the young woman. Whatever it was that she had been hit with, and the Healers had assured him that they were working on pinpointing exactly what it was, it had taken its toll on the young Auror. Where before, she looked quite capable of defending herself, he wouldn’t trust her to take on a flobberworm right now. She looked bad, there was no other way to put it. As she winced, the man wondered if he’d made a mistake putting her into the field. He knew that was a silly thought. She’d been as prepared as she was ever going to get without actually tackling a mission, and what had happened had been unforeseen. The Aurors had expected a fight, of course, but they hadn’t expected things to go down quite the way that they had. Mason knew from the others that it had all happened quickly.

He listened to her questions and nodded his head, figuring that she would want to know something. “Brandt” he stated, his tone gruff as it usually was. There was no sense in beating around the bush about things. “She grabbed you and attempted to hold you hostage so she could get away from the other Aurors. It didn’t work. We got her.” Mason allowed himself a small smile at that. She hadn’t said much since her capture, but she was being well taken care of in Azkaban. The man shoved his chair back with his leg, angling it so that he could see both the door and Sara better as they spoke. He didn’t know how anyone could sit in a chair with their back to the door. “Everyone else is fine, a few scrapes, a few side effects from some misplaced spells but, uh, nothing quite what you have, Ms. Moon.” Everyone else was actually back at work. He hoped that they were busy writing up their reports as he would be meeting with each of them one-by-one to get debriefed on their version of the situation. Alexia McKenna’s would take the longest. She was in charge and would have to explain exactly how someone had been injured this badly on her watch.

 

[Sara Moon]

As Talarico explained what had happened, Sara could feel herself getting upset. Outwardly calm, she was terrified. The memory of someone holding her; she'd assumed it was one of the other aurors, or a healer. Why didn't she remember? Zoning back in, she registered what Mason had just told her. They'd caught her! "That's great!" she was positively beaming, some of her spark returning. It hadn't been a waste. "When will she be tried?" she asked, determined to be well, to be able to attend. If that woman had put her in here, she wanted to see her sent away to Azkaban to rot. She couldn't stand dark magic. Magic was something beautiful, to be cherished. It disgusted her that there were some who would put it to bad use. It did irk her that she'd messed up so badly on her first real mission. The fact that she couldn't even go back over her actions to see where she'd gone wrong just made it worse. Well, this could be her goal now; seeing Brandt locked up. "Thank you for coming by the way." It was kind of him, he could've sent someone else. Then again, he was Head Auror. It was probably protocol.

"Thank God. I was fighting of images of Sammy Kaster in hospital." she breathed. Samual was probably the sweetest person she'd ever met. He was married; and he was the person she'd known best on the team. She hoped Alexia knew she was okay too. "They haven't given me an estimate of when I can leave, not yet. I want to get out, obviously, but there's this spinal pain that needs to be figured out." She didn't really know what she could tell him. She didn't know how long it would take. Obviously, she needed to return to work at some point, and as far as she was concerned, the sooner that was, the better. She didn't want to sit around worrying and wondering, not being productive or useful. It felt odd to be called Ms. Moon again, as though she were back in school. "How much is still under wraps?" Her family would want to know what had happened. It hurt that she couldn't tell them anything, but she'd always known that would be the way. It always would be. Eventually, she'd marry, have kids; and they could never know what she was up to. She'd signed up for this life, after all.

 

[Mason Talarico]

The Head Auror sighed before shrugging his shoulders. The one question that everyone seemed to have on their mind was the one question he absolutely did not have the answer to. He didn’t have any control over it either. “Not any time soon, I’m afraid. The Minister has a backlog of other events that are more important apparently” he responded with a heavy sigh. It did give them more time to interrogate her and see if she would give them any valuable information, but the man would much rather see her officially sentenced to Azkaban so that they could all move on. As the conversation progressed, Mason found it amusing to follow along. The woman kept jumping from subject to subject, following whatever was happening in her mind. He nodded his head as she thanked him. In truth, the Auror hadn’t been coming to see her, per se. He’d needed to fill out some paperwork for his employee. He’d just happened to be in the hospital at the moment that she’d woken up, and the Healer who’d been treating her had known who he was. The man didn’t see the point in explaining all of that to her though. If she was happy to see him, he was happy to have been in the right place at the right time. Surely, sitting in her hospital room beat the mountain of work waiting for him at his desk.

Mason knew some of the details of Sara’s injuries, what the Healers had told him when he’d arrived, of course. It wasn’t much, and he was a bit alarmed to hear that she had some sort of spinal injury. That wasn’t a good injury for anyone to have let alone someone who was an Auror. The man pulled out a piece of parchment and quickly jotted down what she had said. If they couldn’t get Avory Brandt on any other charges, he was going to press for them to do something about her having injured an Auror. There’d been plenty of witnesses to that event. “Less and less each day, I’m afraid” he stated quietly. The reporters at the Daily Prophet were like Nifflers, sniffing out as many details as they could. He had ordered all of his Aurors to not talk to the media without his approval, but precious pieces of information had already escaped and the reporters were running with it. “They know that an Auror is in the hospital, but your name hasn’t been released yet. Now that you’re awake, I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before that changes. So, if you have any family that you want notified, you might want to tell them soon before they find out some exaggerated version from the paper. I have parchment if you’d like me to send a note out for you” he offered, extending a blank piece of parchment and his quill for the young woman to grab.

 

[Sara Moon]

She couldn't beliebe Mason's response. "More important than trying the woman who somehow got in the position of running for minister? What is Kingsley thinking?" She didn't know Cameron Kinglsey, but knew his wife; she'd been a teacher at Hogwarts and didn't seem the type to suffer fools, so she could assume Kingsley wasn't an idiot, but what on Earth could be more important? "Ridiculous!" she hissed, frowning. She tried much harder now to keep a check on her temper, and had to physically bite her lip to stop herself from saying more. There was nothing Talarico could do, it was probably just as frustrating, if not more so for Mason. Avory Brandt was an evil woman. What she'd done to that man and his child; keeping them captive. How could someone do that. "Just a kid." To Sara, there was no worse crime than one committed against a child. If someone could hurt a child, then they were evil in Sara's book.

The news that her name would soon be in the media wasn't surprising, but also wasn't particularly welcome. The last time she'd been in any sort of publication had been in that horrid little leaflet back in school; Rumour Has It. She understood that the media was essential, but it felt intrusive. Mason's offer reminded her that she did need to let her family know. "Yes, of course! I should've remembered. I think..... Kate's probably the best bet, she'll stay calm... Hopefully. Right." She took the quill with a smile. "Thank you." She quickly wrote a few lines, telling her sister where she was, that she was okay, awake, and was now allowed visitors. Her hand felt oddly stiff, and it took her longer than usual to write. "Her name is Kate Moon-Archer, we're twins." She explained, signing the parchment, and handing it back to Mason. Kate would worry of course, but out of all of her family, Kate was the one least likely to blame her career. "I'll leave telling my parents for a while. They're muggles and... Well, my job terrifies them enough as it is." she admitted, rolling her eyes. Her parents worries were valid, of course, but she didn't want them to worry unduly. "Plus they live in England." It would take much longer for them to get to St. Mungo's. At least if Kate saw her first, she'd be able to reassure them. It'd be almost impossible to reach Star, considering they rarely knew what part of the world she was in, and Ryan was in America, so it would still take quite a while to reach him. Anyway, if she was honest with herself; Kate was the person she wanted to see the most.

 

[Mason Talarico]

Mason chuckled at Sara's indignation. She was saying everything that he felt and thought but couldn't say out loud. Politics. As the Head of a department within the Ministry, it wouldn't earn him any fans to be vocal against the man who was his boss. If he thought speaking out might change something, he wouldn't care and would risk the man's ire, but in this case he knew not to bother. He consoled himself with the fact that she was locked away until her trial. He knew that with Aurors interrogating her as often add necessary and her imprisonment, Brandt certainly wouldn't be enjoying the time between now and her trial. It was a small consolation, but in this line of work, you took what you could get.

Mason watched as Sara got to work right away, pain stakingly writing on the parchment. The person who was receiving it was her twin. He knew that fact about Sara, of course. It'd been in her file, though he didn't remember it until now. The information about each auror was readily accessible to the man. He'd read through each file after he'd started in his new position, wanting to get to know his staff in a way he hadn't known them when he'd worked beside them. Taking the parchment from him, Mason cast a charm that would ensure that only Kate could open the letter and read its contents. He tucked the letter into his robes to send from his personal owl when he returned to the office. "Of course. It's not like you can tell them much anyway" he responded. Having muggle parents in this line of work must be difficult. It was bad enough having magical parents that you couldn't speak to about your job. Having parents who barely understood the concept of magic was an added layer of awkwardness at family dinners. "Speaking of that. Ms. Moon, I know that you don't remember much now but if your memory returns, please send for me. Do not speak to the Healers or any auror or person involved in this operation about what happened." Mason had gone very serious as he'd spoken. It was a challenge to keep everyone tight-lipped, but he was going to keep trying. " I need your word before I leave" he added.

 

[Sara Moon]

Sara smiled at Mason's laugh. He always seemed so serious, it was a bit strange so see another side of him, but in a good way. She couldn't imagine what he might be thinking; she supposed being Head Auror often meant having to bite your tongue. That wasn't something she'd be able, or willing, to do. She was outspoken, always had been, and she wouldn't want to change that. It was amusing though, to wonder what his private opinions were. She didn't know him very well, he was hard to read at times, but he seemed like someone who could be fun, given the chance. He was right about her parents of course. She couldn't tell them much "No.." It was actually one of the hardest parts of her job. She loved her parents, her siblings. They'd always been close, especially she and her father. Now that she was an auror, it had placed some distance between them; barely perceptible, but she could feel it. He didn't like the idea of her out protecting people, or 'saving the world' as he jokingly put it.

She wasn't surprised by Mason's demands. It was standard int heir line of work. "Then you shall have it. I promise, you'll be the first to know. I can't see why any of it would be of use though; I mean, surely Samual's or some of the other's information that would tell you more." It didn't make sense to her, but then it wasn't her place to question Mason. She tried to shift in the bed, but the movement made her wince. She couldn't think of anything that might be of use to Mason, but she'd try to remember. "I hate to be rude, but I'm actually quite tired, so I think I'll try to sleep again. Thank you for coming and filling me in."

September

Sara was improving. She was able to sit out of bed now, wear her own clothes as long as they were lose. The nightmare's hadn't stopped though, they were just getting worse. She'd told the Healers about them eventually, and they reckoned it was a side-effect of the curse. Her back pain was less now, but still acted up at times. She'd started to remember too, but she couldn't tell the healers about that. She'd sworn to Mason not to say a word. Nevertheless, nothing she was remembering was of much import. She was sure that Sammy's and other auror's testimony would corroborate, but perhaps Mason needed to have several accounts which alligned, and of course she needed to write up her report. She'd composed it internally, but didn't want to risk writing it out while in here. She wasn't sure whether Brandt was going on trial soon or not, and didn't want to ask anything. Several orderlies had tried, subtly, to get her to tell what had happened. Little comments that made her eyes roll; 'Strange world, that a young girl like you could get mixed up in all this.', or 'You must've gone through quite the ordeal." These leading comments went nowhere, she was smarter than that after all. She simply smiled in response, or gave them a meek "Yes." Her name had appeared in the Daily Prophet, but there hadn't been much fallout, or rather if there had she'd been shielded from it. She didn't like that; being shielded. She wasn't a child, she could look after herself.

 

[Mason Talarico]

Mason didn't have much time to leave his office these days, but he'd been kept informed on Sara Moon's condition. As he had suspected, it hadn't taken long for the Daily Prophet reporters to put things together and figure out that Sara had been involved in the capture of Avory Brandt. The Head Auror had pulled some strings to have members of magical law enforcement stationed at her door. He couldn't spare any of his aurors; they were too busy on to the next dark wizard cases. He'd just received a bit of bad news on that end though.

With a sigh, the man had reached for a spare piece of parchment and began writing. When he was done, he attached the note to his owl, a normal looking barn owl named Speedy, and got back to reviewing a report.

Ms. Moon,

I've heard from the healers that your condition is improving. I'm glad to hear that. I'm hoping that the improvements will continue and that you'll find your way back to work soon enough.

I'm writing to share some news with you. For the past few months, there have been magical law enforcement officials stationed around the hospital for your protection. Unfortunately, they will be pulled out at the end of the week. I thought you should get fair warning.

On a brighter note, we have a date. January xx, 2040.

If you need to send a reply, you can trust Speedy. He hasn't let me down yet.

Mason Talarico

 

[Sara Moon]

Mason's letter wasn't surprising, or unwelcome, but the news was somewhat. She'd been unaware of the security surrounding her, but once it was pointed out she saw the practicality of it. She was in a position of having knowledge of what had happened, albeit limited. They couldn't risk the press getting to her. She couldn't imagine how Talarico had found the resources though; especially when he was from the auror's department. She'd found there was some friction between the two departments. It was nice to get post that wasn't a get well card if she was honest. The mention of a date for the trial made her heart quicken. Would she be allowed to attend? She desperately wanted to, and was sure she would be out of St. Mungo's by January. Her recovery was going well; slowly, but well and this was just an added incentive to get well. Grabbing a quill, she quickly composed a reply, sending a silent prayer alongside her request. The owl was a lovely little thing, she stroked his feathers as she wrote. She missed Shade, her owl that Michael Glass had given her in first year; he was a constant reminder of the family friend who'd meant so much to her. At fourteen, he was slower than he had been, but still effective.

Sir,

Thank you for your note. My condition is improving steadily, and hope to be released from St. Mungo's relatively soon, and obviously return to work once I'm given the all clear (hopefully sooner rather than later.) I have begun to remember more of what happened that day; She grabbed me and I tried to fall, hoping she would fall with me, which is when she cursed me, but it was non-verbal so I'm of no use to the Healers. I don't remember her being taken down. When I blacked out, her arm was still around me. At least that's what I recall so far.

I'm very grateful for the security measures that have been in place. I did think it odd that I hadn't been hounded at all by press, but it's clear now why that was the case.

I was wondering if the trial will be closed? If not, I'm hoping to attend, but I obviously understand if it will be a closed trial.

Sincerely,

Sara Moon.

 

[Mason Talarico]

It was late at night, and Mason had just returned to his home when he heard a peck at his window. It persisted for several moments before he finally opened the door, letting Speedy into the home. The Auror went about his nightly business, the owl stopping for a quick sip of water before leaving through the window again. Mason knew that he would be waiting in his office by morning, and he quickly fell into his bed.

When he woke the next morning, the man realized that he'd never read the note that had arrived the night before. He stuffed it into his robes as he left his home, apparating quickly to the Ministry. At his desk, drinking his first cup of coffee for the day, the man untied the note and began to read. It was from Sara Moon. He hadn't really been expecting a reply from her, figuring that she had many other people to write to other than her boss.

Ms. Moon,

I'm glad to hear that your condition is improving and am glad to hear that you plan on returning to work. I'm sorry that we won't be able to continue having security in place for you. I am hoping that the case has died down enough that you'll be left alone. If it becomes too much, however, please let me know.

No details on the trial yet. I will keep you informed though. Thank you for the information.

By the way, until you return to the office, Mr. Talarico or Mason will work fine.

Best,
Mason Talarico

 

[Sara Moon]

Mason's letter made Sara laugh. There was no way she'd tell him if there was too much media attention. He had enough to worry about. Besides, she was a big girl; she could look after herself. She was improving every day, though walking for too long, and sitting or lying in certain positions still caused a great deal of back pain. She'd been given a date for getting out of hospital; three weeks time. She'd been advised to rest, but surely desk work counted as resting to a degree? It would be a while before she could return to the field; she'd definitely need her back to be fully recovered, but she didn't want to resort to potions. It felt as though they were simply hiding whether she was actually healing or not. The nightmares hadn't stopped; she woke shaking, wondering how long she'd missed. The experience itself, actually being injured, hadn't been frightening, not particularly. It was the aftermath; being unconscious, unable to remember, unaware of the time she'd missed. For Sara, who liked to be in control, that was terrifying.

She quickly grabbed a fountain pen she'd requested from Kate. She liked quills, but the feathers could be very impractical. She hated having nothing to do, and the sooner she could return to work, the better. She'd lain in bed last night without a wink of sleep, afraid to close her eyes. Getting out of here would be step one, but she dreaded to think what it would be like at home on her own.

Sir,
Mason,

If that's the case, then you should call me Sara. Thank you (regarding the trial, and just in general you've been very kind).

I was given a date for leaving St. Mungo's this morning; I should be out in about three weeks time. The Healers want me to "rest", but perhaps desk work could count as rest? I'm anxious not to be doing nothing.

Sara.

 

[Mason Talarico]

The Head Auror leaned back in his chair, finally taking the opportunity and finding a moment to read the letter from Sara Moon. He'd been busy all morning and most of the afternoon, subsisting on coffee and cauldron cakes. With a smile on his face, the man read through the letter quickly. Before he could work through a response, a knock on his door had interrupted him and the letter had been forced from his mind. Days later, he had come across it again and he quickly drafted a response, sending it off with his owl.

Sara,

You are quite welcome. Giving you the information about the trial really is the least I can do.

It is good to hear that you will be leaving St. Mungo's soon. The next few weeks should pass by quickly, and we can discuss the capacity to which you can return once you've given the clear by the Healers. I look forward to that meeting.

Mason

 

[Sara Moon]

Two more weeks. Two more weeks until she was out. It was all she could think of. The improvement had begun slowing down though. There was no sign of the nightmares stopping, and her back pains remained. She could walk normally, but running was till beyond her. She could feel herself becoming less fit, and it would be quite a while before she could return to her usual training. Still, she was being let out. When Mason's letter arrived, it was another happy occurrence. True, he hadn't said yes, but he hadn't said no. She might be able to return to work, get herself out of the house. That was what was worrying her the most; having too much time alone. Kate would be around to help, she knew, but her twin had a life all her own; a husband and a job to worry about. She couldn't tell her friends what had happened exactly, and didn't want to impose upon them. She needed to be independent.

Two weeks later.

Having been given the all-clear, Sara was packing her things. Books and clothes mostly, more of the former than the later. Her house was waiting for her, and she couldn't wait to return. The Healers wanted her to rest, but they hadn't specified in what way. Not bed rest, they'd told her, they just advised her not to over-exert herself. With this in mind, she had penned a short note to Mason Talarico, hoping against hope she'd be allowed to do some sort of work, even if it were from home. She couldn't be idle.

Mason,

I'm being left out of St. Mungo's. They want me to make sure I don't "over-exert" myself.
Hope I can return to work fully soon, but I can't see office work doing me much harm. I could even do some from home if needs must.

Sara.

 

[Mason Talarico]

Mason had been expecting the note any day now, so when it arrived, he wasn't too surprised. The man read through the note, knowing that there weren't many people in the wizarding world who would be so eager to return to a job that had led to bodily harm. It made him appreciate his aurors who were such people. Unfortunately, the man had a busy day ahead and Sara's letter was soon added to an ever-growing list of letters he needed to respond to.

Eventually, a few days later, he got to answering it. He figured the extra days wouldn't have done Sara any harm. It wasn't like field work was in her near future.

Sara,

Don't they know what we do? Alright, we'll figure something out.
Come in on Monday with your report on what you can remember about the Brandt case.

Enjoy your weekend,
Mason