Chapter One

Draco Malfoy

Hermione flipped through a few pages of research she had been doing. There were a few patients she had with more traumatic disorders than she felt comfortable with. Another doctor made his way into the room and set down a file on her crowded desk. She barely noticed him, as her eyes scanned the next page. The man sat down two cups of coffee as he waited for some sort of reaction. But when he only found silence, he sat down across from her desk and then gave her a warm smile.

"Axel," She suddenly lifted her gaze upon him. "I'm sorry, I was side tracked,"

"What are you looking at so intensely?" Axel took a sip of his coffee and waited patiently for her answer.

"Just some documents," Hermione shrugged, "What's this?" Her eyes finally met the file that Axel had brought in with him.

"It's a file of a new patient that they just brought in." Axel explained, "This guy is really screwed up,"

"Really?"

"Yes, he apparently…suffered some sort of trauma which altered his brain—including his memory. He had a rough life but it doesn't fully explain his past in detail in his file. There are actually very few records of him at all." Axel opened the file and took a long look at it.

"Well, does his family seem supportive at least? Typically if the family is on board, we can work something out." Hermione inquired as she placed her hand around the cup of coffee he brought her.

"Not at all," Axel breathed, "His mother brought him in here, said his father was too ashamed to even bring him in. She said that they went to multiple different hospitals and professionals…but they aren't listed in the file and she refused to give me any past information. It was sort of suspicious actually."

"That's terrible," Hermione shook her head, "Every patient has the ability to get better."

"That may be so, but this family sees him as a burden. I haven't even told you the sickest part of it yet." Axel leaned forward in his chair and looked deep into Hermione. "His mother gave me a significant amount of money. She asked me to keep him here until he was better and once he was, I was to send him off somewhere with the rest of the money. But she told me that I could not give him any information on how to contact his family or where they live."

"What is this family's issue?" Hermione began feeling red in the face. She extended her arm out to grab the file from Axel's hand. Looking down at the paper, she read all of the symptoms and problems he had. Then she noticed the medication they had him on and his general medical information. Giving a slight sigh, she realized that this particular boy was probably one of their worse cases at the hospital. As she looked up at Axel, she found him looking down at his coffee. Trying to focus back down at the file, Hermione finally read the name silently.

Draco Lucius Malfoy.

Axel took the file from her hands before Hermione had time to react. He began telling her that he hoped that she would help him out with the patient, because he would be a more challenging patients. Hermione went to reply, but Axel didn't give her time. As he got to the doorway, he grabbed his briefcase and his coat. Hermione's eyes were fixated on the doorknob. She could hear him still talking, but she couldn't really make out what he was saying. Her mind was traveling too fast for her to really understand where the conversation was heading next.

"Hermione?" Axel suddenly caught her attention. "Are you alright? You look rather sick." He motioned towards her to feel her forehead with the back of his hand.

"Yeah, I'm just…exhausted," Hermione reassured him before looking over at the clock. They were the last ones to leave before the office shut down for the night.

"Come on, I'll drive you home." Axel grabbed her bag for her.

"No, it's okay, really," She gave him a grateful smile, "I enjoy the fresh air, it gives me time to think."

Axel stood in front of her for a few more minutes before nodding and handing over her bag. "Alright, well I will see you tomorrow, Dr. Granger."

"Goodbye, Axel," Hermione watched him walk out of the office.

Axel was only a few years older than Hermione. They were the youngest doctors of their generation and most certainly the brightest. After graduating, the two went searching for jobs around the same time and they actually met during a few different interviews. When they were trying to decide which hospital they wanted to accept, they decided on Grace Hospital due to the fact that they were hiring two new doctors. Needless to say, neither of them were surprised on their first day of work when they ran into each other. They even shared an office with one another.

There have been a few occasions where Axel had offered to take Hermione out. But she constantly, politely turned him down. He always just assumed that this was because they worked together. Though Axel was never offended by her rejections, she always felt bad. He always went out of his way to make her happy, and though she appreciated this, she didn't go too far out of her way to return the favor. Axel would probably never fully give up on their potential relationship, and Hermione had to admit herself that the longer they worked together, the harder it was to resist his kind offers. After all, Axel was the perfect guy for her. They worked at the same hospital, they had the same taste and interest in all sorts of things.

Placing her coffee down at her desk, Hermione quickly got on her jacket and bag. Making her way out of the office, she shut off the lights and locked the door. Hermione entered the hospital wing and passed by a few nurses. Giving them friendly hellos, she continued to the desk where she showed them her Grace Hospital badge. She quietly explained that she wanted to go check out how a patient was doing before she left for home. The nurse took her into a dark room, and then handed her a chart. After giving her a sight nod, the nurse left the room entirely.

Hermione made her way over to the bed and saw Draco lying on his side, faced away from her. She carefully made her way closer to him as he observed his relaxed face. The medication they had given him put him into a deep sleep. Thankful for his advantage, she carefully shifted his blonde hair out of his face to get a better view of him. How had this much damage happen to him? Hermione took a deep breath and then headed out towards the door.

"Axel," Hermione pulled the man aside the next day at work.

"Hermione, here you go, this is another file for Draco Malfoy. Could you take over for today? I have a few errands I need to run and some other patients who really need my help." Axel explained as he handed her the small file.

"Of course," She smiled as she made her way back to the office where she made another copy of the file. She decided that if she studied at her apartment, she could get things moving a lot quicker. It's not as though she had much to do in her personal life anyway.

After making the copies and sticking them in her bag, she headed out to the hospital wing. Memorizing the room number, she softly opened up the door. Part of her was afraid that Draco would immediately recognize her and deny her help, but part of her wondered if he would even remember her. Maybe he would remember her but wouldn't care too much about getting her help because he would forget all of his family's morals and values. Closing the door before turning around, Hermione let out a small breath. She wasn't even sure how she was going to feel about giving him treatment.

When Hermione turned around, she realized that the bed was empty. Making her way across the room, she looked to see if he was sitting in the chair, but she found the chair completely empty. Panic began to fill her heart, but before she could say anything else, she heard a voice. It was still just as icy cold as it had once been. Her gaze shifted across the room to the window sill where he sat in, staring down at her.

"You think I'm crazy too, don't you?" Draco whispered.

"I don't," Hermione shook her head as she approached him, "But I am here to give you some help…if you want it."

"I don't need help, I'm perfectly fine!" Draco stammered, "My mother just worries for nothing and my father…I don't remember much about him, actually." His expression quickly turned from heated to confused.

"When was the last time you spoke to your father, Draco?" Hermione questioned.

"It's been…a few months. He gave up on me after the second doctor we went to." Draco looked at the girl.

"What doctor am I, Draco?"

"My sixth," Draco answered.

"How are you feeling today?" Hermione looked down at her clipboard.

"I feel like I do every day…" He looked out the window.

"Can you explain that feeling, Draco?" Hermione lifted her eyes up from the paper to the boy.

"It's none of your damn business." Draco muttered as he stood up from the window.

"I missed that Malfoy charm," Hermione stammered.

"What?" Draco stopped dead in his tracks and looked the girl up and down. "Do we know each other?"

"N—no," Hermione shook her head. "My name is Doctor Granger, Draco. I have my daily rounds, so I'll be on my way. But if you need anything, the nurses are always here, okay?" She didn't bother waiting for a reply because she knew she wouldn't get one.

Hermione made her way into the girl's bathroom where she hurriedly washed her face. For some reason her face had become hot and her palms got all sweaty again. Feeling rather jittery, she fixed her long ponytail and then took a few breaths. Was she going to get like this every time she had to see Malfoy? Trying to recollect her thoughts, she left the hospital wing and then went straight back to the office. When she reached her desk, she immediately began filling out some paperwork. The rest of the day seemed to fly by rather quickly. Axel strolled into the office just a little bit past nine to find Hermione still buried in her notes and research.

"What are you searching for now?" Axel chuckled to himself. The girl was constantly putting herself through Hell trying to find an answer to everything. He knew her well enough to know that she wasn't going to sleep until she found an answer for her question. So he sat down next to her and began shoveling around in her notes.

"What are you doing?" Hermione exclaimed as she yanked the notes from his hand and put them back down on her desk where they were originally.

"Hermione, I was only trying to—" Axel began.

"I don't give a damn what you were trying to do, Axel!" She suddenly became flustered.

"Okay…" Axel stood up and began gathering his things.

"Axel," Hermione let out a deep breath and held her face in her hands. She didn't mean to be so rude or blunt to him, but the words just sort of fell out of her mouth.

"No, you were right. I shouldn't have touched your things," Axel shrugged as he made his way to the door.

Hermione felt so guilty, that she practically rushed after him. Grabbing onto the back of his coat, almost like a child, she suddenly felt light headed. Axel turned around to give her one last look before leaving, but something made him stop. Placing his briefcase back on the ground, he watched Hermione as her bottom lip trembled. He reached out towards her and put his right hand on her shoulder.

"Hermione, really...forget about it, it's fine." He gave her a reassuring smile.

"Axel, I would like to hang out with you sometime." She suddenly stated.

"What?"

"If your offer is still available, that is." Hermione clarified.

"Yes," He nodded with a grin appearing on his face, "The offer is always available,"

"Great," Hermione nervously laughed.

"So how about tomorrow? The weekend is just starting, it'd be perfect timing. I could go pick you up at about six and we could go get some dinner?" Axel suggested.

"That sounds great," She agreed and then gave him her address.

Hermione looked at herself in the bathroom mirror of her apartment. It was fifteen minutes before six, and the nerves were starting to kick in. Carefully, she finished curling the last piece of hair, before letting it hang down her back. She didn't want to look too overdone, but she didn't want to look like she did every day at work. Closely looking at herself in the mirror, she felt a frown coming to her face. Would she always be so disapproved of the way she looked? Leaving the bathroom and entering the small living room, she folded up a blanket that she had used last night when she fell asleep. Her body was becoming sore due always sleeping on the couch, but she honestly couldn't help it. It's where she slept every night ever since the incident.

Hearing an abrupt knock on the door, Hermione felt her heart flutter. She grabbed her bag and then gave one last look in the mirror. She was wearing a blue sundress that complimented her body well. Slipping on a pair of flats, she opened up the door to find Ginny standing on the other side. Opening up the door wider, she let the girl in who looked both worried and upset. Trying not to be rude, Hermione shut the door to give them some privacy. When she turned back to Ginny, she saw that the girl was close to tears.

"Ginny, what's wrong?" She made her way over to the girl who was now sitting at the counter.

"I'm just so stressed out lately," Ginny sighed.

"What's been going on?"

"It's just been really tough lately with everything that's going on. Harry and I are moving in together right now and…well, that is a good thing, right?" She questioned.

"Yes, that's wonderful," Hermione told the younger witch, "Really, Ginny it's a good step forward, everything will be alright."

"I don't think I thought all of this through though. I've…ugh, I don't even know where to begin. How will we adjust to each other's sleeping schedules, and working schedules and eating schedules…and—we're sharing a house together, Hermione. It's just such a big change for me. And within a few more months we'll be getting married and that's just a headache all on its own." Ginny groaned, thinking of the future.

"It will all work itself out, Ginny. You'll be amazed how close the two of you will become."

"I didn't think we could get any closer." Ginny said bluntly. Then the two girls looked at one another and began laughing. "I'm being ridiculous, aren't I?"

"No, you're not being ridiculous," She assured her, "But I do believe that you're over-thinking things just a bit. Try to relax and everything will just come naturally."

"Thank you," Ginny stood up and hugged Hermione. "So, how are you doing?"

"I'm…alright," Hermione shrugged, "But hey, is there any way that we could hang out tomorrow instead? I'm kind of busy right now."

"Oh, of course! I'm sorry," Ginny put her shoes back on and headed out the door. But when she opened it, she stopped. Hermione felt her heart drop as Ginny stared up at Axel. He looked confused for a moment before speaking. This was going to be a long discussion later on by the look that Ginny gave Hermione.

"Hello, oh, I must have the wrong address," Axel laughed, looking down at the piece of paper Hermione had given him.

"No, it's the right address, Axel," Hermione opened up the door further to reveal herself to him.

"Well, I should be going," Ginny carefully nudged her way around Axel and left the apartment complex.

"Are you ready?" Axel stuck his hand out.

"Yes," She faked a smile and took his hand.

"So you never told me much about your high school years," Axel said as he took a bite of their appetizer.

"Um, I was the class nerd. I don't know, I wasn't really that popular or anything. I just had a few close friends, but that was it. Nothing too exciting happened," Hermione simply stated before taking another sip of her tea. The one thing she hated about dating a muggle was that she couldn't tell them about Hogwarts or any of the events that had happened to her when she was younger.

"Is your roommate one of those friends from high school?" Axel questioned.

"N—no," Hermione shook her head, "No, that's not my roommate, but she did go to high school with me."

"Do you have a roommate at all?" Axel further ventured into their conversation.

"No," Hermione's lips suddenly became tight. All of her muscles seemed to tense and she looked rather hesitant. Her lips parted once more and it looked like she was having a hard time forming the words she wanted to get out. "I used to have a roommate…"

"Was she a high school friend too?" Axel took another bite.

"He was," Hermione whispered.

"Oh. Was he a boyfriend or something? Kicked him out?" Axel nervously laughed.

"A fiancé," Hermione answered.

"Oh, wow..." Axel shifted in his seat uncomfortably, "So…I'm assuming things didn't uh…work out between the two of you?"

Hermione's eyes fell from Axel and landed on the food in front of her.

"Not exactly," Hermione said with a heavy breath.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked such a personal question." Axel softly said across the table.

"It's okay," Hermione gave a soft smile and felt a small tickle in her throat. "Uh, hey, I'll be right back," She got up and made her way to the bathroom where she gave herself a long look in the mirror. Even if it was hard, she needed to make sure she kept herself composed. There was no way that she was going to lose it in public, especially on a date.

Carefully smoothing out her dress and rearranging her hair, she made her way back out into the restaurant. Reaching the table, she realized that Axel was standing with some boxes in front of him. At first she questioned this, but she then understood that maybe this was his way of cutting out on the date early.

"If you want to end this...all you have to do is say so," Hermione roughly commented.

"Ending this? I'm not ending this," He laughed, "I was just boxing up our food so we could go out and eat down by the river."

"Oh," Hermione immediately felt stupid. Feeling her cheeks go red, she followed him out of the building and down a couple blocks.

As the two walked, they kept quiet. They were both stuck in their own minds, rambling on about different things. Hermione was kicking herself in the arse for being rude to him twice within the past two days. Axel was trying to think of something both positive to say, but nothing was really coming to mind. All he could think to do was keep apologzing but he he knew that those weren't the words Hermione wanted to hear. So instead he stayed quiet. She deserved more than that. Turning the corner and making their way down to the river, Axel handed Hermione her food.

"So what were you like as a child?" He sat down on a bench underneath a willow tree.

"Curious," Hermione replied, "What about you?"

"I was a trouble maker," Axel paused, "I was the problem child in my family when I was younger. I have an older sister who is absolutely perfect, and a younger brother who's always been adored. Did you have siblings?"

"No," Hermione shook her head, "I'm an only child."

"Must have been nice," Axel turned to get a better look at her.

"It was lonely, actually. I never had anyone to play with me, and I wasn't very social. That's why it was so hard for me to make friends." Hermione casually explained.

"That's odd," Axel remarked, "I don't understand why anyone wouldn't want to be close to you, Hermione."

It was a stupid comment because it was a lie, but Hermione smiled despite this. There were a hundred reasons why someone wouldn't want to be friends with her—especially as a child. She didn't understand how to be a child when she was young, because she was practically born as an adult. Hermione had a thirst for knowledge that no one could clearly understand. She was an odd ball and she never really seemed to fit in. But that was all before she met Harry and Ron during her Hogwarts years. However, it even took them a while to see her full potential.

"I bet you fit in well," She kindly offered.

"I could always blend into whatever crowd I wanted to be in. But that isn't always necessarily a good thing." He couldn't resist a small laugh. "Was there a parent that you favored more?"

"I don't favor one parent over the other," Hermione's eyes lifted up to the boy, shocked by his question.

"Well, was there a certain parent that you bonded closer with when you were growing up?" Axel restated his original question.

"I couldn't choose. I love both my parents equally. I can relate to them both pretty well, because they are very much alike. We all just sort of…understand each other, I guess. What about you? Were you a 'momma's boy'?" Hermione teased.

"Actually I was," Axel smiled, "Until I was eight, anyway. My mom died rather young, I'm afraid."

"I'm so sorry, Axel." Hermione watched the boy closely.

"It's okay, she's in a better place now." He looked back out over the river.

So maybe they were very different from each other. They came from different worlds, they had different customs, different preferences…but maybe they were more alike than they knew. Sure they had different characteristics growing up and they went through their own phases. But when it came down to it, they were just two people who were trying to get by. Maybe they weren't dealt the best of hands, and maybe they had gone through a lot to get where they are now. But that doesn't mean that they didn't have the strength to work through it and maybe that even meant they could help each other along the way.