January 21st, 1895; Late Afternoon — Hogwarts' Hospital Wing

Potions class had not gone well today.

Regina had stirred her cauldron too vigorously, or perhaps not vigorously enough, or had not chopped her ingredients just so—it did not matter in the slightest to the first year what the cause was, only the effect: after her cauldron had bubbled over, it had stained her robes dreadfully in what was the most embarrassing thing to happen to her since beginning at the school. Worse still, the resulting contact had caused Gina to break out in hives, and now the Hufflepuff found herself in the hospital wing.

Her ruined robes had already been disposed of, and judging by the discolouration of her day dress, that garment would undoubtedly be next, though not until she returned to the semi-privacy of the Hufflepuff dormatories. She had been given a tonic to help with the reaction, and had been quite firmly directed to remain for the next thirty minutes, at which point the nurse would assess her again.

Dutifully, Regina had done as directed, crying quietly on her cot, only a thin, fabric divider on one side blocking her from sight of the door. Merlin help her—how did she get herself into these messes?!

I'll be back in a few minutes to check on you, the nurse had reassured before departing, leaving the Hufflepuff in the otherwise empty room. The door to the hospital wing, though, reopened far too soon, and G did her best to silence herself. It was too soon for the nurse's return, and the last thing Regina Pendergast wanted was to draw any more attention to herself today.

She sniffed involuntarily and quite audibly.

So much for that.

Open to another student.

  

Professor Woods had sent Kitty to the Hospital wing after class with a basket full of potions for the nurse. Kitty had grinned at the young teacher, excited to be given such an important task. She was about to head out of the wing when a sniffle brought her up short.

Kitty stopped and looked around, the sound seemed to be coming from the other side of the fabric curtain. She wondered if whoever was behind it needed the nurse and so she stepped around it and found herself looking down at Miss Pendergast, one of her house's first years. Well now she certainly had to see what was wrong. It'd be like letting a little sister cry unconsoled. Not that Kitty would know that from how her own sisters behaved nor the fact that she was indeed the youngest sibling, but it seemed to be something one would know. "Is there anything I can do to help?" She asked her housemate kindly, coming to stand next to the younger girl.

  

---

Was it better or worse that it should be Kitty Arundell, Regina wondered? Better than any boy, to be sure; worse than Stella or Ramona, plainly. But the muggleborn was older, served—deliberately or not—as something of a role model for the first years in Hufflepuff. That she was so kind was both an asset, and somehow deepened the young badger's embarrassment.

Is there anything I can do to help?

Could Miss Arundell go back in time and stop G from ruining her potion? This seemed rather a complicated task for an adult, let alone a third year. No, at this point, all that was to be done was to mitigate the disaster in which Regina found herself.

"W-would you mind taking a st-step back?" she asked quietly, punctuating the request with another small sniffle. "It... makes it worse."

Thank Merlin Miss Arundell hadn't touched her. That always opened the flood gates, G had found.

Katherine Arundell

  

"Oh. Of course." Kitty's brow furrowed as she took a dutiful step back. Had she offended the girl somehow by coming by her bed. "Are you certain you are alright? Do the," She gestured at what appeared to be angry red splotches of hives on the girl's face, "Hurt worse when one is near? Perhaps it is the heat?" Kitty tilted her head slightly in thought, "Dittany might help, I'd imagine. But I'm sure nurse has you well in hand. Are you sure there is nothing I can do?" Kitty paused as she considered it, "I've always hated being in the hospital wing. Perhaps I could bring you something to make it more manageable?" She mused.

  

---

Regina nodded morosely, her expression entirely undercutting the message when she said, "I am quite well."

Even if she hadn't been on the verge of a veritable typhoon of tears, the fact that the Hufflepuff was in the hospital wing was an indication that she was not any degree of "well", but Not Being a Nuisance had topped every mental to-do list Regina could remember. Besides, being a nuisance tended to draw attention, and that was the last thing the first year wanted right now.

"The nurse says it sh-should clear up in an hour or so," G added, trying to reassure her older housemate. She did not add that she had asked if she could stay the night, to put off the inevitable curiosity of her dormmates, who had been in potions class with her, nor that she suspected the only reason the school's nurse had assented was how pitiful Regina looked at present.

Katherine Arundell

  

Kitty's eyebrows rose in a manner her mother most certainly would scold her for. The girl most certainly was not fine. But the girl continued and the explanation did make sense. "Oh! I'm so glad. I can keep you company until supper then and we shall be able to walk down together." Kitty plopped herself down in the chair next to the girl glad she was able to finally have a plan to help.

"How did it happen? Or if you'd rather not talk about it we can talk about books or classes or really anything. We shall have a wonderful hour." Kitty declared grandly as if it were her mother stating their visiting hours would be wonderful.

  

---

It seemed that Katherine Arundell was afflicted with the same energy—and willful optimism—as Regina's niece. Recognizing this, the Hufflepuff knew she was unlikely to get rid of the other girl unless she was exceptionally rude or entirely direct, neither of which the first year was likely to do.

"It happened in potions class," she offered softly, though she did not provide any further details. "An accident."

Regina often had accidents in class—it was part of the reason she disliked them so much. Accidents could lead to far worse than her present circumstances. An accident had killed people, back in the summer months.

(She had killed people.)

Katherine Arundell