A Lonesome Recovery

It had only been through whispers in class that she'd heard about this unofficial Quidditch game—and the fall that Percy had taken in the middle of it. Apparently, it had been a pretty hard hit from a blatch. This wasn't uncommon in Quidditch from the unofficial game she'd been in and those of Avis' that she'd watched. But depending exactly how far up he'd been, it could have been a rough tumble. And he'd had enough of those—it had been how they'd met after all.

So, after class, she decided to find out. Maisie had never exactly had an affinity for the Hospital Wing, but it felt different going to check on someone else rather than just waking up there. The room felt less disorienting and even less intimidating as she moved through the hall, craning her head as she passed each bed in search of Percy, one of the few decent Slytherins she knew.

But soon enough, her eyes connected with his, which bore the glance of someone deeply bored and desperate to get out of here—just as she had looked many a time in this place. Walking right over to him, she picked up her pace as she pulled over a chair. "Percy," she called his name as she took a seat, "I heard you fell. How are you feeling?" With a breath, she waited for him to fill in the blanks.

And as the seconds flit by, she realized she should have brought a gift of some kind. But all she had in her satchel was a handful of Exploding Bon Bons, and of course her most recent knitting project. With a slightly disappointed look, she reached for them both. The former she placed in her palm and extended for him to take, and the latter she held in her other hand as a way to pass the time. It was the beginning of a sock as she was trying to get a better handle on knitting in the round with yarn this thin.

"They're Exploding Bon Bons," she told him softly while looking around briefly in case the chocolate wouldn't go with his condition in any way. But at least it would be fun—something anyone in the Hospital Wing desperately needed.

@Percival Rocier

Maisie?

Percival blinked when she suddenly appeared in the doorway and did a double-take to make sure it was her, but she was really there. The corners of his lips instinctively tugged up into a smile, and his Charms book disappeared onto the small cabinet by his bedside faster than it ever had before. He shifted in his bed and greeted her with the warmest smile he could muster despite his sore body and bruised ego.

"Maisie," he said with a warm, welcoming tone, "It's really nice to see you, and I'm doing okay." He looked down at his own body with a sheepish smile, then shifted his focus back to her. "I uh, might look a little rough, but I'm feeling much better, really." The last thing he wanted was for her to worry about him, so he did his best to smile through whatever discomfort he still felt. It was nothing compared to the joy of having his closest friend by his side.

"What are these?" he asked when she produced the exploding Bonbons from her pocket, but the explanation only made him blink again. "Exploding..." he looked at her, dumbly, and began to chuckle, "They don't actually explode... do they?" He looked at her expectantly, but already knew the answer as soon as he asked. "...will the nurse get angry if I eat these here?" he chuckled and gently put them aside on the cabinet before settling against his pillows again.

"Thank you, I really appreciate it." He looked at her for a moment with warmth in his eyes, that same smile lingering to show just how much he appreciated her being here. Then his eyes fell to the work-in-progress sock in her lap, and he got curious, "What are you working on?" he asked, "Are you making it to practice or to prevent cold feet?" He smiled a little awkwardly, realizing how silly his question was.

He just wanted to make conversation and keep her around as long as he could.

@Maisie Gemmell

'Really.' That was the word that made her eyebrows raise. As he sat in his hospital wing bed, smiling, he really didn't look like that was true. After all, a fall from the sky would break a few bones at least. It wasn’t like falling from a broken Wingardium Leviosa cast. Despite this, she let the moment pass, figuring he wouldn’t want to dwell on the pain.

Instead, it was better to focus on other things—like Exploding Bon Bons. She chuckled slightly at the way he seemed nervous as he examined the treats. Perhaps he was of a muggle lineage; it occurred to her she never bothered to ask. But that was as it should be for all magical peoples were equal.

“They explode in your mouth because of the coconut dynamite,” she explained matter-of-factly, “The label says you should chew carefully, but I’ve never had any problems. I don’t think it would get you in trouble. They’re chocolate!” Her voice lilted upwards at the end to encourage him, even as the box sat lonely on the cabinet. With a sly smile, she hoped she might change his mind.

"What are you working on? Are you making it to practice or to prevent cold feet?"

“Both, I suppose,” she answered as worked along one of those early rows with a thin red yarn. “I don’t actually think socks are all that hard, except maybe the heel,” she explained. If she’d been that far in the project, she would have shown him. But that was a ways away, and based on Percy’s situation, they had time.

“So, did you like Quidditch very much? Before falling, obviously,” she queried, hoping to make conversation and hear more about the game she'd missed. She was sure Percy had done spectacularly. The few times Maisie had played, she’d actually really enjoyed it. But then again, she’d yet to be injured from it.

@Percival Rocier