"I'm going to know how to get to Madame Felicity's office better than I know how to get to my own dorm by the end of the year," Leo says.

"Why, what happened besides this?"

"Some kind of episode during Flying. She gave him a Recombobulating Draught and prescribed him a boatload of potions for the next couple of months. He took one of them right there."

"...okay, I'm beginning to think - from what you told me Cheering Concoction is really mild, right? But if somebody takes something really mild and it gives them a reaction, and then I find out they're already on different drugs, that makes me think maybe there's an interaction going on?"

"Oh."

"And that makes me think we should maybe be running, because if this is anything like the drugs normal people take that shit can get bad."

"No, yeah, let's."

They pick up the pace.

Madame Felicity opens her door after a couple of knocks. "Did I or did I not just heal this kid?" she asks.

"You did but he took some potions at the start of term party and he's having, um, some kind of reaction, and we didn't remember that he's already on potions, and-"

She has her wand out at "took some potions", and Joey is soaring through the air into a cot by "reaction".

wheeeeeeee

The healer's wand twitches and flicks in tightly controlled patterns.

Then she exhales. "He's fine. High as a kite, but fine. Good instincts both of you, five points to Hufflepuff five points to Gryffindor. I need to talk to that March boy, there should've been a warning on the potion table about interactions. You can take your friend back to the dormitory and put him to bed - he'll have a wicked headache in the morning, give him this -" She proffers a vial from one of the innumerable cabinets. "And tell him that I don't want to see him again for at least a week, for the sake of my own mental health if nothing else."

"We can do that. Um, can you - Mobilicorpus him, or something, carrying him here was not very fun."

She casts the spell, floating Joey over the floor and then tapping Leo with her wand. "He'll follow you until you tap a flat surface three times. I recommend his bed."

"Thanks Madame Spark." Leo trots off, followed by a pensive Xan and a gently bobbing Joey.

"...glad he's alright," Xan ventures.

"Yeah," Leo sighs. "Keeps scaring the hell out of me."

"Flbfrbrbl," Joey contributes. 

"I was gonna ask why bother but that's kind of cute," Xan admits.

"I'm not sure I understand the question."

"I mean like... he keeps getting hurt and it scares the hell out of you. What do you get out of it?"

"...friend...ship?"

"Well, yeah, but - you could be friends with anybody. Is this kid in particular worth the tradeoff?"

"Well, I guess we know why you're not in Hufflepuff. Friendship isn't... about that. I want Joey to have somebody who'll drag him to the Hospital Wing and tell him not to take potions when he's already on potions and read with him in the courtyard while his bird flies around. Conveniently, I'm a person who can do that. It's not about me. The fact that he's smart and funny and laughs at my jokes is - a bonus."

"How do you live like that. Thinking - it's not about me, it's about everybody who isn't me. There's so many people who aren't you. You'd drown in them."