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CHAPTER 1
HEALER TRAINING
Draco Malfoy has called Hermione Granger too many names to count. Most of them were childish while some have struck a chord. He called her a bucktooth beaver, a know-it-all and his all-time favorite, dirty little mudblood. For seven years, he did nothing but torment the girl who stood by his greatest rival. However, if there were still a few hurtful words that he did not dare to hurl towards the Gryffindor. Those were the words heartless, cruel, sadistic, ignorant and worst of all, murderous.
Those are the same words that her classmates at Healer Training are using to describe her and Draco, the same arrogant bastard who would once marvel at the former Gryffindor's humiliation, is now standing by her side.
It started as a usual Ethical Healing class. Hermione Granger sat in front while other students opted to sit a few rows behind her. Draco Malfoy would always sit at the back near the exit, far behind the rest of the class. The old professor came five minutes late, which was not a big surprise to the trainees, seeing as their professor is near extinction.
"I need two volunteers for today's debate." The class immediately fixed their attention towards the brown haired witch who's reading her textbook.
"Granger, why won't you do it?" A brown haired man with round glasses yelled. The girls who were seated around the man sniggered while the rest of the class stared at the back of Hermione's head like hawks.
Hermione sighed. When she started attending Healer Training, she already had a reputation as a know-it-all after graduating with high honors from Hogwarts even if she hadn't taken her final year and garnering the highest score at the entrance exams. It also didn't help that she received a First class Order of Merlin for her efforts in the war and she's best friends with the Magical World's hero.
Everything that she did was turned against her. If she volunteers for something, her co-trainees would say that she's hogging all the grades for herself. If she didn't volunteer, they'll say that she's too good for anything that was assigned to them.
"Miss Granger, would you like to participate in our debate?" Hermione nodded with a scowl in her face.
Draco Malfoy rolled his eyes at the pathetic scene. He didn't think that such childish behavior would still occur in a room filled with adults. That is the same reason why he did not want to mingle with other trainees. It was too juvenile even for his taste.
He watched the brown haired witch as she went to the first podium on the stage while the brown haired man stood at the second podium, his cohorts cheering for him.
"Alright, today's theme is about one of my former cases. It was the same case that drove me out of the hospital halls and into the walls of academe." The professor said with melancholy. Everyone in the room was silent, carefully listening to what their mentor was about to say. "Twenty years ago, the Dark Lord was in his prime. As you all know, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was a vile creature and his minions were not any different. They were so evil that even a single, childish mistake could lead you to being hit with the darkest curses known to Wizards." The old man choked up, tears were present in his eyes.
"I once had a patient who was hit by an Imperious Curse. This curse was an ordinary one however, the command was inhuman." The professor paused while the students wait with anticipation for him to continue.
"A Deatheater by the name of Rabastan Lestrange hit him with an imperious curse that tells him to eat his own flesh." A woman immediately ran out of the hall with a hand in her mouth while some yelled in disgust. A frail man even fainted after hearing the disgusting deed. "Now, the question is, if you were in my position at that time, what would you do?" Draco Malfoy found himself immensely interested with the topic so he moved in front of the room.
"I would heal the man of course. Considering the fact that Rabastan Lestrange was caught twenty years ago, I would have taken his arse to St. Mungo's and dispel the imperious. Then, I would have healed his wound caused by the cannibalistic command." The brown haired man received a loud applause from his peers while Draco Malfoy held the same scowl that Hermione Granger and their professor had on their faces.
"I believe it's your turn Miss Granger." The Professor smiled at the brown haired witch while the trainees hushed up to hear what the witch has to say.
"I'll kill the patient." Gasps were heard around the room which was followed by rather violent whispers from the crowd.
"Excuse me? Did I hear you correctly?" The brown haired man looked at the witch with confusion on his face.
"No, I said it loud and clear, I'll kill the patient."
"Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of healing?" Some of the audience laughed at the opponent's remark while Hermione stood her ground and looked at the audience with confidence.
"This just proves that she has murderous tendencies. She's unfit for this profession, make her an executioner instead. She'll enjoy it." Loud laughter was heard however neither did the professor nor Malfoy laughed with them.
"Heartless, she's gone mad!"
"Did her participation in the war have anything to do with her murderous tendencies?" A red haired woman who looked twice the age of the rest of the class laughed loudly.
Suddenly, Draco Malfoy stood up and faced the class with his wand drawn out. "For Merlin's sake, pull you bloody heads out of your arses and listen to her. Maybe you'll get something to fill your skulls!" Everyone was stunned. The only time that Draco Malfoy ever speaks in class was when he was either apologizing for his tardiness or answering a professor's question.
"Thank you Mr. Malfoy, please continue." The professor nodded his head towards the Gryffindor.
"First of all, I apologize for I have used an inappropriate term to describe such an act. Now, if you have read the Healing Code of 1975, it was stated that taking the life of a patient was permitted as long as there was consent from the patient's family and if the healer has ruled out all the chances of healing the patient." Hermione looked at her opponent like a predator, ready to catch its prey.
"Yes, I could dispel the Imperious but after that, I could be undertaking a much difficult task of healing his mental and emotional health. There's nothing harder than dealing with a dysfunctional mind and a broken heart. Also, if he was declared healed, would he be able to live with himself?" Hermione Granger asked the class. Some looked convinced while others were still skeptical.
"Why kill him? Why won't you let him kill himself?" A trainee asked from the back of the room.
"How will he kill himself, by eating his flesh? Here I thought I was the heartless one."
The professor looked proud while the trainees grew more jealous of the witch. No one would dare speak after the witch's tirade however, to everyone's surprise; a rather faint applause was heard from two people in the room. One was from the professor, and the other was from Draco Malfoy.
"That was splendid Miss Granger, and I believe that you just passed this subject with top marks." The class' jaws dropped while Hermione looked cross from grateful and bewildered.
The bell rang and the trainees started rushing out of the conference hall followed by their professor. Draco Malfoy slowly walked towards the exit but stopped when he heard the bushy haired trainee who called out his name.
"Draco Malfoy, don't take another step. I have something to tell you." Hermione Granger got her things from her chair and ran towards the blond man with a curious expression on his face.
Hermione was gasping for air by the time she reached Draco Malfoy. "Malfoy, I was wrong about you and I am sorry." Draco's eyes widened. The girl who was the object of his torment was apologizing to him and it made Hermione Granger into a much bigger mystery than she ever was.
The usually stoic Slytherin looked at the heroine and he could barely suppress his laughter when he saw the tears that were threatening to fall down her cheeks. That was the moment when he realized that Hermione Granger was not as strong as the whole Magical Community thinks she was.
"Stop laughing, you idiot!" Hermione huffed but before she knew it, she was being lead out of the hall by her former rival.
"Come on Granger, have coffee with me, my treat!"