Catch The Snitch

When Bishop had thought of his plan to go to the hospital wing, it had been with the intention of just talking to Tati. Of trying to hash out the things that had happened and make sense of everything and apologize for the past.

It had not been his intention to go there with the needs of her services. Between thinking about his past and a student not following directions, a rather dangerous concoction came of their misreading, and well. He couldn't very well have let the student suffer the burns from both the heat of the mixture and the acidity of it. With the situation handled, the student assured that mistakes happen, and the class dismissed, Bishop started to make his way to the medical wing. He'd had to toss the jacket he'd been wearing and had the sleeve rolled up and back from his forearm. He had grabbed a rag and put some lukewarm, leaning on the cold side, on it, wrapping it around the bright red and blistering skin. He'd certainly done damage to himself by learning the different things he could and couldn't make and what should and should not be consumed, so it wasn't altogether that bad, but it needed to be treated nonetheless.

As he approached the medical wing, his stomach took on notes. He couldn't forget how he'd once felt, especially not now that they were both back here, where it all started for them. Except neither of them were children anymore, were they? And then the guilt came back to him as he remembered how they'd been before he parted from her company and what happened after... He took a deep breath before opening the door with his good hand and looking around, taking in a bit of nostalgia for being back in here too. How many times did he end up here after a game? He smirked a little as he walked in further, before calling out, "Beau?"

After a come-a-part once she’d gotten to her quarters Tati had done her level best to be aware of her surroundings at all times. She didn’t want to be caught off guard by his presence again and trigger another panic attack, though he hadn’t seen the first one thankfully but she didn’t want TJ to start associating them with him specifically. The wing had been quiet today so she’d had more time to work on her research, restock supplies that had been used and had only just returned from putting TJ back in her quarters to eat when she heard it.

”Beau?”

Stopping in her tracks she was hard pressed to fight back the smile that crept to the corners of her mouth. Up until the other day, how long had it been since she’d heard that nickname? The fondness of it tried to stoke that long cooled warmth it used to but her conscience quickly reminded her of the last time she’d heard it. Making her way out of her little office space she gave him an easier albeit professional smile, “Professor Santos…” It wasn’t done as slight or a way to put distance but she said it almost as a matter of pride, everything aside she was proud of what he’d done with his life now.

Immediately though the healer in her snapped to awareness when she noticed the sleeve of shirt rolled up, the soaking rag around his arm and the red blistering skin peeking out, “Oh, what happened?!” Making her way over she immediately began to look over the wound before motioning him towards one of the tables where she often prepared her tools and such for treatment. Having him sit on a bed or lay down would have been pointless, he wasn’t an unconscious child after all and it wasn’t as if he needed the comfort of being prone like injured or sick children did.

Reaching for the rag he’d wrapped around it she paused, blues lifting to meet his dark eyes, “Can I…? I mean I can get someone else if you’d prefer.” She wouldn’t blame him but he’d called her name, so didn’t that mean he was looking for her? Tati wasn’t sure but she didn’t want to make assumptions, the last time she’d done such a thing with him it had blown up in her face in spectacular fashion.

Bishop smiled softly when she came back out, something about her responding to him brought him a sense of relief. But when she spotted his arm, he cleared his throat, "It's not as bad as it looks, I'm sure," he said, but nodded at the question, "It's fine, I had wanted to come talk to you, but it seems fate would make sure I didn't chicken out," he said before moving the rag away, revealing the burn, "Better my arm than the student's face, which is about where it ended up," he said, shrugging a bit, "Unfortunate thing about alchemy, it really is a trial by fire sometimes," he chuckled, trying to make light of the situation and then cleared his throat, "Sorry, not my best joke, I know," he muttered.

She'd probably recognize his habit. He always tended to make his worst jokes when he was nervous. He cleared his throat again, a thing he'd do when he was trying to think of what to say and he glanced around to see if anyone else was in the infirmary, also looking to see if TJ was around, "Hopefully you have rather quiet days here," he murmured

She made a little noise at his comment about it not being as bad as it looked, it looked pretty bad and that was just from what she could see. When he mentioned fate making sure he didn’t chicken out she opened her mouth to comment but snapped it shut once he removed the rag and she visibly winced, “Ouch, well no that does look pretty bad… though it does speak to your credit as a Professor that your instinct was to protect your student first.” Making her way to the little cabinet she began to gather up what she needed but made a point of glancing back over her shoulder at him when he joked about his profession.

“Not your worst one either if I recall correctly.” Oh he had worse ones to be sure but at least they were self-deprecating which was where her own had gone and was likely why she’d eventually stopped trying to make light of things all together. She didn’t miss his gaze moving around the room before it dawned on her they were alone entirely, there weren’t any students and of course TJ was on his break in her quarters. “I just took him for his lunch and a nap in my quarters if you are worried about TJ, he’s harmless mostly… I’ve just never had him around… well..”

She bowed her head, she couldn’t even bring herself to say it because it was just another reminder of how badly she’d screwed up. Returning to the table she shrugged a bit at his comment, ”For the most part. Some days are busier than others, Quidditch season and of course certain plant harvesting seasons tend to keep the beds pretty full.” Tati was careful with how she touched his arm, turning it this way and that to get a good look at the damage. Once she had a better idea of it she began gently cleaning it up knowing she’d have to wrap it with a salve in order to have it fully healed properly.

Thinking about what he’d said earlier she unconsciously worried her bottom lip, ”I don’t recall you ever needing motivation not to chicken out about something. I was always the scaredy cat.” It wasn’t a lie and while that hadn’t changed, truthfully it had probably gotten worse in some aspects given her anxiety and panic attacks; in some ways Tati wasn’t as bad anymore. When it came to her research she was braver but then again it wasn’t for her, it was for him.

Once the wound was clean she began to mix up the salve that would sooth the burn and heal up the blisters rather quickly, “How are Isa and Charlie?” She was assuming he’d been in contact with them, which was probably not the greatest assumption to make but it was worth a shot to ask. Tati hadn’t been able to see them face to face since their Uncle had taken them in but for a while they’d kept in touch through owls. "I didn't mean to lose touch with them... it just... happened I guess..."

Bishop tilted his head side to side in thought as he considered her statements. He wasn't sure if it was a professor instinct or a big brother one, and she wasn't wrong about his bad jokes. He shook his head, at the part about TJ, wanting to explain why he was looking, but then she started on to his other statement. He winced a little feeling her put on the salve, but didn't pull away.

As she made the observation about his needing motivation, he rubbed the back of his head, "Well... I think we're both feeling different kinds of guilt and I hoped to....assuage at least yours," he murmured, before she asked about his siblings, "Oh, they're fine," he said, "My uncle's done a pretty good job of raising them up. He helped me get my start, too," he said, "And I'm sure they understand. They've got their own schooling going on and such. My uncle's been homeschooling them, making sure they get some information needed to help them here at school," he said, shrugging a bit.

Tati blinked when he mentioned different kinds of guilt and how he’d meant to help with hers, curious. Once she had the worst of it covered with the salve she used a little weaker version on the lesser damaged skin listening as he spoke. When he mentioned how his Uncle was handling the kids she nodded absently, homeschool was probably the best option given what all they’d been through. ”That’s good…” She’d done the best she could to shield them after her parents… the line of thought came to an immediate screeching halt in her head.

No.

She didn’t want to think about that night again. Focus on the good thing, Tati. She mentally began to run down the list: five things she could see, four things she could touch, three things she could hear, two things she could smell and one thing she could taste. Trying to avoid the anxiety spike that normally came when she thought about that event, when it passed she let out a slow breath and picked up the wrap she’d planned to use. ”I should probably reach out to him here soon, give him access to the trusts for them… Charlie will be coming next year, right? It should cover his expenses and Isa’s when she’s ready easily enough.”

It occurred to her then that he probably didn’t have the first clue what she was talking about after all this was the first time they were having a conversation in nearly a decade. She at least had the good sense to look sheepish when she glanced at him, “I..umm… after I settled the estate.. I used the money to set up trusts for Charlie and Isa…” Focusing her attention back on what she was doing, Tati swallowed hard as she continued her voice a bit quieter than it had been. ”...and the rest I put into one for… you.” None of them were honestly any kind of small amount either, but Tati honestly couldn’t bring herself to touch it.

For her those Galleons were just a reminder of everything she’d lost and the idea of using them made her physically ill but allowing them to be used to help Isa, Charlie and even him; surely her parents would have been proud of her for that. Especially him given how fond of him they’d been and of course a bit self serving in soothing her own guilty conscience in how her decision had changed his life. While she sometimes missed her family home, her old life and the ease that being wealthy had provided her family; she’d adapted to living off her earnings. In her tiny little place with TJ in Hogsmeade when the school year was over, it was enough. Finishing up wrapping the wound she tied it carefully making sure not to make it too tight, “There. It should be healed up nearly completely in a day or so with the salve. I just wouldn’t get it wet.”

Bishop was quiet as he watched her, frowning a little as he noticed her moment of trying to control her anxiety. He certainly couldn't blame her for the reaction, not with all that had happened, what she must have seen... Hearing about the trusts though, "Beau," he sighed a bit, a little exasperated, "Why would you feel like you had to help me more, after how I treated you? After you'd saved my life?" he shook his head, rubbing his forehead with his other hand. It was clear he did not feel he was worth the care she'd put toward anything, "Thank you," he said, "Not just for this," he motioned to his arm, "But...for taking care of us... After everything..." he looked down, clenching his fists together. If he hadn't come to her in the first place. He pressed his fingers to his temples as he brought himself back down, his temper getting the best of him these days if he wasn't careful.

"You don't owe us anything," he murmured, looking back at her, "I'm... I'm so sorry, Beau... " he shook his head and started to turn away, the guilt twisting his features, "I don't know how to do more than apologize for all of it..." he ran his hand into his hair, shaking his head. Just what had he cost her?

Blinking at the tone he used she unconsciously wrinkled her nose a bit at his questions, “Because it’s my fault? It’s the least I can do, you wouldn’t be… well in the situation you are if it weren’t for me and my family.” Well she knew that wasn’t entirely true her parents would have never turned him or his siblings away with everything that was going on. She’d often teased when he wasn’t around that they treated him like the son they never had, that line of thought immediately brought back a memory she hadn’t thought of in so long.

Of the last time she’d teased about such and her father had just given a soft smile before shrugging his shoulders and softly responded,

”Or son in law.”

Tati had never blushed so hard in all her life and had immediately dropped the subject and spent the rest of the evening in her room. Even her parents were doing it now or rather then.

Snapping from the thoughts she noticed his movements, he was… frustrated with what she’d told him? Even with all the years apart for her Bishop telegraphed his emotional state in his movements like he was speaking the words out loud. It had been part of why she’d felt they’d always got on so well, they’d learned to read each other's nonverbal cues for the most part anyway. Sometimes even she got it wrong or felt like something was wishful thinking on her part.

She was genuinely confused though and it reflected in her tone when she finally spoke, “After everything? Bishop you don’t…” Given how angry he’d been at her the last time she’d seen him, Tati had never imagined at any point Bishop would find forgiveness least of all where she was concerned but it sounded like it he had. When he started to turn away she grabbed hold of his upper arm making sure to avoid touching or bumping his injured forearm, ”It’s enough… I..” Reaching her other hand up she took his hand from his hair and squeeze it in her own before she sighed softly, ”I made a choice knowing it was very likely you would hate me for it… and I’ve done what I have because…”

Back then she’d been too scared and his anger at her made her too raw for her to admit anything. To own up to what had ultimately driven her decision to save him but given how remorseful he was now for his behavior, Tati couldn’t let herself hide behind her normal shield of simply it being the right thing to do. ”...I didn’t do it because it was the right thing to do… I did it because… I was selfish.” Squeezing his hand, her other dropped from his upper arm unconsciously curling around her own waist in an effort to ground herself and remind her to keep breathing normally.

“With everything that was going on, I couldn’t… bare the thought of being here without you so even if you hated me, at least you were still alive and… I could live with that, sort of.” No one would call what she was doing living, it was existence at best but it was something she could manage all things considered. Tati let the quiet settle for a moment before she sighed softly, “I’m still researching, hoping I can find a cure for you… but until then… the money is the least I can do.”

Bishop had to breathe through his nose to more or less keep himself calm, though her touch.... feeling it again after so long, he closed his eyes as he tried to just anchor himself back in the moment. He looked at her as she finished speaking, holding onto her hand as he processed everything she'd said.

"Absolutely nothing that has happened to me is your fault... On the contrary... I feel everything that happened to you is mine," he said, shaking his head, turning back towards her. He found himself reaching up in a rather instinctive manner and gently touched her cheek. He almost pulled back as he realized what he was doing, but unless she pulled away from him, he wouldn't pull away from her again. Her touch had given him a bit of...hope.

"I was... an idiot, to put it simply. I was angry when I first realized what I was now, and it took me a long time to finally come to terms with the understanding... It was never your fault, I never had any right to blame you or put that on you to solve the unsolvable," he shook his head, looking down again, "I've also been studying my condition for years after me leaving to deal with it had left you to deal with things you should have never had to face... I've got it as close to controlled as it can be, there's no reason to keep trying to try and find some cure. It's not a disease as I once saw it," he shook his head, "I wish I had never put that burden on you, I'm so sorry..."

The touch to her cheek threw her for just a second, she hadn’t allowed much in the way of physical contact with anyone aside from a handshake here or there. TJ didn’t count given he was a dog and a service dog at that. “Even if you hadn’t said something I would have searched, it’s what I do. You know that… I’ll forever be the bookworm and this is what I do.”

Healing had been her family's thing for a very long time, back for generations now. Even if she hadn’t been the one to ‘curse’ him by saving him from his wounds, knowing what had happened she’d have still put every effort into finding a way to help him. Shifting her had some she leaned her cheek into his hand letting her eyes close absently, “I am glad to hear you have control of it or at least as much as you can.”

That endless dark empty feeling inside her shifted almost lurched and she physically followed it, releasing her hold on his hand and barely avoiding his injured arm while she wrapped her arms around his waist and just hugged him tight burying her face against his chest. She didn’t care anymore about any of it, this was her best friend, someone that she’d loved enough that the idea of living in a world without them was unbearable to her. “I’ve missed you Bishop…”

He gave a half laugh as he called herself a "bookworm", about to point out they more or less both were considering they'd both been in Ravenclaw in their days here. When she leaned into his head, his heart gave a squeeze that he hadn't felt in years. Not since the ball, he thought. Perhaps the last time they'd been as physically affectionate as they used to be.

When she hugged onto him, the squeeze became almost unbearable, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him like he could try and keep them from being separated again, "I've missed you too, Beau," he murmured as he leaned his head against hers, "I honestly didn't know if I'd ever get to see you again, much less this... I wanted to throw my arms around you the other day, but I... I was afraid it would hurt you more," he muttered.

He found he didn't really want to let go, like holding onto her as this anchored him even more in this reality than her simple touch had. To feel her whole and physically well pushed some dark demons in his mind down. He knew she struggled where he couldn't see and in ways he might not be able to help, but he wanted to try. For everything she'd done for him and his family, he had to try...

She’d done rather well in keeping herself together but once he returned the hug which seemed to just sort of turn into both of them holding onto each other entirely, Tati couldn’t help feeling the tears slip down her cheeks. It took her a moment or two to regain her composure before she could even consider speaking again, lifting her head from where she’d laid it. “I’d have been more afraid of TJ’s reaction, he’s not at all used to seeing people touch me.”

Tati didn’t let go of him but lifted her head up to look at him and she forced herself to be honest about where she was or rather had been as of late, “The anxiety is worse here, remembering what happened… it triggers it all back but that’s what TJ is for. I want to help though, so I manage.” Staring at him despite obviously having been crying she smiled softly, “I tried to think what you would have wanted me to do and when I saw the school still needed a healer, I knew what I had to do.”Thinking of TJ is was a good thing he wasn't there, he'd likely have lost his little mind already.

Granted she'd managed through quite a few triggers throughout this but that was something she felt was uniquely tied to Bishop's presence. He'd always managed to keep her grounded when she felt like she was things were going sideways whether he realized it or not. "They'd be really proud of you, you know that?" She meant her own parents, while she'd never told them about his condition before they died; they'd been concerned when the attack had happened and he was no where to be found. Tati had covered for him though and she was grateful she had.

Bishop chuckled a little at her comment about TJ, "He's also part of what stayed my hand, he was clearly feeling your anxiety, and I didn't want to make matters worse," he murmured. He looked at her as she spoke, lightly rubbing her back as she told him what had been going on and what brought her here regardless of her anxiety, "Well... I'd rather you be happy, if you aren't happy here because of the anxiety..." he shook his head. As happy as he was to see her here again, he didn't want her living constantly on edge... Hearing her comment about her parents he took a deep breath, "Well... of all the people I knew in my younger years, their approval was certainly one I would have preferred to have," he smirked a little, "I don't even know what happened to my own parents after what they did. Well... not entirely true, I know what happened to my father, but not my mother," he shook his head, "That has my uncle a bit on edge. It was his sister after all," he sighed.

"After what they did... I wanted to do something that was worthwhile. And after everything I've learned with alchemy, I thought the best thing I could do was pass on what I've learned, maybe get some younger folks understanding my condition a bit more so they're not so quick to react and hate," he murmured, "And maybe if any of them ever end up in my spot, they're less angry about it..."

She smiled softly, “Well that’s his job he’s a service dog and he helps me with my anxiety. He knows when I’m starting into a panic attack and alerts me so I can try to head it off or at least prepare for it.” The feel of his hand rubbing her back was comfortingly familiar in a way she hadn’t felt in a long time and whatever lingering tension sort of began to melt away even when he mentioned not wanting her to suffer.

“I can’t hide from it Bishop. You have to understand I can’t bring myself to use any of the money from the estate, just the thought of it makes me physically ill so I have to work and I…” Well hell. She wrinkled her nose again not really wanting to mentioned it but it was a can of worms that would have to be opened eventually anyway, “I spent enough time at St Mungos recovering after everything, I can’t work there so this is my next best option unless I move to America.”

When he mentioned his mother, her head tilted some and a hand absently shifted from around him coming to rest against his chest. His father was gone, she knew that for certain she’d seen his name on a list at some point but he didn’t know what had become of his mother? And neither did his Uncle, “Azkaban or she’s in hiding somewhere are the only other options aside from the same fate as your father.” She wasn’t going to assume too much but she found it hard to imagine his mother not having followed in her husband’s footsteps after all she’d obviously done so in everything else or maybe it was the other way around.

Tati had never really been sure how they worked, Bishop didn’t talk about them much except to complain occasionally when they’d been kids but that was normal. Listening to his reasoning for why he was there she bowed her head absently, “You had every right to be angry though…” Granted he was unconscious and dying but the point she felt remained if in theory alone, it should have been up to him to decide whether he wanted to live on as a werewolf or… she stopped that line of thought and sighed softly. “They never knew what happened to you, I told them you were out trying to scrounge supplies and then… the attack came…”

While part of her would always regret not ignoring her parents orders to take the siblings and flee, Tati knew they all would have died if she had remained with them. She closed her eyes briefly trying to block out the intrusive thoughts, Tati had thought she’d understood fear then but that night she’d really learned what it was fleeing with the two small ones in the dark doing everything she could to avoid death eaters and the werewolves that had joined them. She almost wanted to say she was glad he wasn’t there but worried he might take it the wrong way, “...I’m just glad I was able to keep Isa and Charlie safe until it was over and then found your Uncle.”

Bishop listened to her as she talked, looking down, but not at anything in particular, he just still wasn't super keen on eye contact. He usually actually found it distracting, especially when it came to her. He closed his eyes as she said she'd stayed at St. Mungo's a while. He took a deep breath before looking at her again, though not completely directly, "I came back after... I... I didn't know what had become of you... I didn't know until after, when you brought Isa and Charlie to my uncle, I..." he clenched his jaw a bit and held her a little tighter, "I thought they'd taken the three of you," he said and looked to her face, "And even after Uncle Syme let me know you were alive and had brought them to him, he said he didn't know where you'd gone after, and they didn't tell if they knew, though they don't write me that often, I think they're a bit mad at me," he said, shaking his head before taking a deep breath and looking up, "You want to go grab some lunch?" he asked, feeling a need to change the subject.

It caught her by surprise that he’d come back but why? That was his safe place too even if he’d become a werewolf by then. Tati hadn’t even stopped to consider he might come back given how upset he’d been when he’d left that night and she bowed her head some, “I’m sorry… I should have come back to check the next day.” Not that she possibly could have done so, she’d been wound bow-string tight and had barely slept listening to ever sound while the kids slept.

Which had basically been what she’d done the whole time they were in her care; she did everything to care for them and caring for herself aside from the bare bones basics was put on the back burner. Thus by the time she’d handed them off to his Uncle she’d been on the verge of completely falling apart physically and mentally, so she’d wisely voluntarily gone into St Mungos to recover her health. His comment about them being mad at him made her blink and she glanced up at him, “They shouldn’t be. I did my best to make them understand you were trying to protect us..”

Especially once word got out that a large portion of the werewolves had decided to join Voldermorts side due to how they had been treated by the Ministry for so long. “...I didn’t explain to them but I always told them you would be there if you could.” The shake of his head before he changed the subject with his question made her unconsciously smile, some habits didn’t change. "I just ate lunch when I took TJ back to my quarters actually…” Tati didn’t want to shut down the chance to spend more time with him though, it was nice being able to be close to him again.

Shifting her attention to his face she didn’t miss how he was keeping his attention directly from hers and she mentally frowned, since when did he need to avoid looking her in the eyes? Lifting her hand from his chest she let her fingertips touch his cheek just barely stroking along his jawline to draw his attention to her, “But maybe we can have dinner together? I don’t eat in the main hall, it makes me too anxious so you can come eat with me.”

Bishop looked up as he felt her touch, the touch doing things to his heart. He nodded,"Okay," he murmured, "I'll look forward to it," he smirked a little ruefully. He didn't want to leave just yet, didn't want to let go... He didn't know what to say though, feeling like they'd said a lot in the few minutes, but there was still a lot to understand and then there was the whole thing of where they went from here. Were they back to where they were before? And would they stay there? As he thought, his hand kept gently rubbing her back, seeming to be a somewhat unconscious motion.

He didn't want to get into the conversation about his siblings just yet, there was a lot that had come out between the three of them once they'd gotten old enough to understand everything that was going on and what had happened before. He was actually somewhat concerned about what would happen if his mother managed to contact them... He took a deep breath, before looking to her face again.

"Is... there anything I can do around here to help out until my next class starts?" he asked.

She could have melted into him as he held her and continued to rub against her back, Tati hadn’t felt ‘home’ in a very, very long time but right at that moment she felt closer than she’d ever been. When he spoke again and that question came she chuckled softly, “No you can either stay here a while as you are or you can rest for a bit given you did come here injured…” Hugging him tight again she sort of buried her face against his neck and sighed softly, ”...I’m usually not so touchy with my patients but I think you can be an exception.”

Truthfully even when they’d been younger he was the exception, outside of her parents; Tati just didn’t like people touching her that she didn’t feel a close connection to. It wasn’t like she had anywhere to be and whatever clean up she would need to do from having bandaged him up could wait until he left, she didn’t really expect him to argue either given how he seemed even less inclined than she was to move right then.

--------------- Five Hours Later - Dinner Time —-----------

After Bishop had left the infirmary Tati had cleaned up easily enough and went back to her previous task which had more or less been just killing time. She’d never considered how boring the healer's days had to have been when no one got sick or injured, not that she hoped for it but it did make for terribly long days when she had to be on the clock more or less. Once the official school day was over she returned to her quarters to fetch TJ to take for his afternoon walk before returning to her space and preparing for dinner.

Her own meal was already brought to her each evening so all she had to do was feed TJ so he was at least happily fed before she heard the knock on the door. Bishop had only just said something about her personal space and she’d assured him it was fine, the worst she was worried about was of course TJ adjusting to him. She knew the instant the dog could smell him because his ears went up, ”He’s a friend too, just give it a chance okay? He’s an old friend so he’s… different than others.” Making her way to the door she pulled it open giving him a little smile, “Bishop, come on in.”

Bishop had been pacing a bit down the hall, not wanting to arrive too early, but after his class finished, he had too much nervous energy to go back to his own quarters. He wasn't entirely sure what he was feeling, he hadn't felt like this since... the Yule ball? He had to stop, get himself composed....

When the right time came, he went down to her room and gave a knock on the door. He could hear her speaking through it, guessing that she was talking to TJ. He smiled softly when she opened the door and that nervous energy seemed to dissipate. He stepped in when she invited him, "Thanks," he said, looking to TJ, "Good evening to you, too, sir," he said, before looking back over at her, "Was now an okay time?" he asked, putting his hands in his pockets- a chance to try to quell them.

Once he was inside she shut the door and chuckle some, “It’s fine.” TJ sniffed at him but didn’t approach like he would have anyone else and she mentally sighed. It was just going to take time, that was all. At least he didn’t growl or snarl at him rather he just snorted, shook his head and wandered over to his kennel and laid down.

Shrugging her shoulders she moved to stand next to him and gave a little smile, “He’ll adjust just give him time. I’m kind of sure it has something to do with the whole werewolf thing… because he’s generally very people oriented.” Motioning further in she moved towards the table where the meals were waiting, having her own brought up was normal so it hadn’t been a terribly big deal to have an extra brought up for him.

Glancing back at him she gave a little shrug of her shoulder, “I think I remembered what you preferred when I saw what was being offered.” Tati hoped she’d picked right at least, it had been a minute since she’d had to feed both of them but it had brought back some memories. There was water at both settings but cup of tea at one of them and she side-stepped towards the side without it, “How’s your arm feeling?”

She’d lost the more professional attire she’d been sporting earlier, it wasn’t the same uniform Madam Pomfrey used to wear but it looked professional and white. Her attire now was decidedly less… appearing in a more well worn short sleeved shirt but jeans now instead of the ankle length skirts she used to favor in her free time when she’d been younger. “It at least shouldn’t still be painful, the salve should keep that discomfort at bay a while longer.”

Bishop nodded at the comment about the werewolf "thing", "I get it, not everyone's favorite with or without it," he said with a shrug before looking over towards the table. He smirked a little, "Ah, tea, thank you," he said as he started to the table, "It's feeling fine," he said, looking at it, "As long as I don't hit it on anything, I can mostly pretend it never happened," he smirked a little, waiting for her to sit before he sat down as well.

"So," he said before clearing his throat, "How have things been? Made many friends with the staff?" he asked, just trying to get a feel for things, for her, and where they stood, how she felt. He hoped she had had some happiness in the years, though he blamed himself for the fact her parents hadn't been there over the years... He sipped the tea, and smirked more, "Hey, it's my favorite type."

Settling down at the table she smiled when he said the arm was mostly alright, “Just be mindful of it and in a few days it should be right as rain.” Taking a sip of her water she very nearly choked when his questions came seemingly out of nowhere. Taking a moment to clear her throat, “Things have been as well as to be expected all things considered. As for me making friends, no not really; I haven’t been terribly inclined to opening up to others.”

Obviously she felt with good reason, she was professional, cordial and polite even but friendly wasn’t exactly how she operated anymore. There was too much baggage that she felt she couldn’t genuinely bring into a new friendship and expect them to even begin to understand. When he finally sipped the tea and realized it wasn’t just his preferred beverage but his favorite type she smiled, “Glad I still remembered.” She didn’t think she’d gotten it wrong but she wasn’t entirely sure, it had been so long since she’d had to request it for him.

Setting her glass down she picked up her fork and paused glancing at him, “What about you, how have things been? I mean obviously things have gotten better given you’re here as a Professor no less, I’d kind of always hoped you would be someday.” Even if she didn’t live to see it, Tati had genuinely wanted him to succeed and do what it was he’d dreamed of doing, working at the school had never been her dream but it was the best she could do currently. She was content with it even if it sometimes brought back things she’d rather forget.

"I think you'd be surprised by the experiences some of the staff here have gone through," Bishop said, "I don't know in detail a lot of it, but I know that we're not the only ones with weights on our shoulders," he murmured. He was just saying it so she didn't feel like she couldn't be friends with people because she was "damaged" or what have you. He sipped the tea again before she turned the question on himself.

"I've more or less thrown myself into the studies, but I made some friends with some alchemists that had done some research into my main focuses in the past," he explained, "More or less trying to get to where they trusted me with that information, but I ended up trusting them too," he smirked a little, "Then there's trying to get herbologists and potions masters to like you to get the right ingredients," he chuckled a little, rubbing the back of his head before starting to eat.

At his comment she glanced at him before mentally shaking it away, she didn’t quite feel like explaining it all right now. She at least needed some food in her stomach first before she began picking at those scabs in particular. Listening as he responded to her turning the question back on him she gave little nods between bites of her own food, it sounded as if he at least made the best of what had happened. “Finding the right people is always difficult…”

A few more bites were taken before she paused, getting a sip of her water and giving her stomach a moment to let her know where it was at so far as how much more she could eat. Considering that she glanced at him and decided full disclosure was better than baby steps, “I’m not opposed to making new friends Bishop, but I’m still recovering myself… not as much physically now as emotionally and mentally.” Before he could apologize yet again or even look sorry she held up her hand, “I didn’t know what to do or how to manage taking care of myself along with them, so I just focused on Isa and Charlie.”

She’d genuinely hoped she’d kept the worst of her personal suffering from them or at least played it off as a consequence of their situation as a whole and not a conscious choice she was making. Taking a few more sips of her water she sat the glass down and absently pushed the food around her plate a bit with her fork. “I spent quite a long time suffering from severe sleep deprivation and malnutrition because of it… which just exacerbated a lot of the other issues as well.” After all had been said and done she’d been completely and utterly spent, only just recalling walking out of the family lawyers office in Diagon Alley and the next thing she remembered was waking up in St Mungos several weeks later.

“I was expressly told not to push myself too hard so I’m not… and while I’m not actively trying I did at least have a nice chat with the librarian the other day while TJ made a new friend out of him.” Glancing towards the kennel where the dog lay she was surprised his head didn’t even move and she raised a brow, he was really doing his level best to ignore them. Shaking her head absently she turned her attention back to Bishop, “I suppose it helps now you have access to probably all the funds you might need for the wolfsbane potion to keep you with a steady supply for the foreseeable future at least.”

Hell probably for the rest of his natural life if she thought about it, but Tati didn’t want to think too hard about it. “I’ve been trying to find other options obviously there still isn’t a cure… the closest I’ve found…” She stopped herself and unconsciously worried her bottom lip before she took another bite of food instead, what she’d found wouldn’t get his hopes up but it might bother him for a whole different reason that she would even consider such a viable option at all. "...Nevermind. How's the food? Somehow it seems seasoned different than when we were kids. Or maybe it's just me."

"It seems like it seems seasoned more than before, but as you said, that could just be because of us being older and it having been a while," Bishop said, though he was kind of pushing the food around now. Knowing what she'd been through, maybe that was why his siblings were so angry at him. They blamed him for a lot of what happened, and so did he to be honest. He took a deep breath before taking another bite of food, trying to come back to the moment.

"Well, I agree with not pushing yourself, and I'm glad you were able to hang out awhile with someone," he murmured, though there was an odd sensation of...anger? But he mentally shook it off before looking back up, "I know how to make it, so I just have to make sure I keep the resources on hand," he said, "I don't make much in advance cause it can be a red badge at times," he explained, "I just use what I've made and then make more at the start of the next month." He was curious about what she found, but since she'd dismissed it, so he wasn't going to bring it back up.