This is a story that I have been working on for a while. Because I have so much of it already written, updates shall be frequent. (yay)
Warnings: This story will involve drug use, but it will be minor. Some violence will come in a later chapter. Also some bad language may feature (this is Draco Malfoy after all).
Disclaimer: All characters and the Wizarding world belong to JK Rowling.
February 3, 2004. (4 years ago)
"Healer Granger!"
Hermione Granger sighed and allowed her head to droop minutely in exasperation. It was 7am on a Monday morning and she had just arrived at St. Mungo's to begin her days shift.
But Merlin was she exhausted.
Stopping to allow the person behind her to catch up, Hermione turned on her heel and watched the comical sight of Trainee Gee hurry towards her. Raising her eyebrow in amusement, she asked, "Can I help you Trainee Gee?"
Trainee Gee was a short plump young boy with rosy red cheeks and bright blue eyes. He reminded Hermione a lot of Neville Longbottom in his early years, however unlike Neville, Matthew Gee never grew out of his awkward and clumsy stage, nor had he grown into his looks. The result was a Trainee Healer who had a big heart, but one who could never quite gain trust from the patients due to his fumbling when holding-or being given- potion bottles. Despite his clumsiness and rather juvenile looks, Trainee Gee was one of the hospital's brilliant young new minds who knew the textbooks almost as well as Hermione herself.
The huffing young man bent over at the waist upon reaching her and leant his hands on his knees to support himself. Gasping in a long breath of air, Trainee Gee looked up at her from where he was bent over and said, "Healer Moss has requested your presence in ward 7 as soon as you finish your rounds today."
Hermione sighed in disappointment. Ward 7 was the long term care unit for Witches or Wizards who had suffered extensive injury and were under the influence of medical comas. She had interned there in her first months as a Trainee Healer, and had hoped to not have to visit that particular ward again.
Realizing it must be an important case for the Head Healer to call her in, Hermione nodded her head and smiled at the exhausted young man. "Alright, thank you for letting me know Trainee Gee."
Turning away from the younger man and continuing on her original path, Hermione walked towards the Healer's room where her locker was kept. As she passed the Healer's station, she checked the status of the patients in her usual ward. She was pleased to note that young Harry Smith- one of thousands of children who had been named after Harry Potter- had survived the night once again.
She had had strong hopes that her young patient would pull through after he had accidentally swallowed a bottle of his father's blood replenishing potion. There had never been a precedent of it before so it was all touch and go. The toddler had likely thought the bottle was a new toy for him to chew on, and it had been quite a shock for the young boy's parents to find him sucking on the empty bottle as though it were his teething toy. It had been a horrible experience for Hermione to have to tell the young parents that the chances of him surviving the dose of blood replenishing potion were slim; he was only two years of age after all, and there was no guarantee of how his body would react to the substance in his stomach.
Noting that all her other patients were looking good to be discharged after she had seen them, she continued her walk towards her locker, greeting various co-workers with a smile and nod. Justin Finch-Fletchley was pulling his robes out of his own locker when she reached hers, and continuing with a two year tradition, she struck up conversation with him as she spelled her locker door open. She was pleased to discover that her friend had finally proposed to his girlfriend, and she graciously accepted his invitation to the engagement party- whenever it was eventually held. She was the one who set him and Luna up together after all, so she was pleased with the results of her months of scheming and sly nudging.
Wishing Justin a good day, Hermione grabbed her robes and shut her locker door.
Thus, on a day like every other, Hermione started her shift.
After finishing her rounds, Hermione had ducked into the tea room and grabbed herself a sandwich before heading towards ward 7. She was greeted by the sight of Healer Moss standing at the door of the ward writing on a patient chart. The tall older woman looked up and scrutinized Hermione with her pale blue eyes.
"Ah, Healer Granger, thank you for coming so quick."
"It's no problem Healer Moss. Trainee Gee gave me the message as soon as I walked in this morning."
"Ah yes, good boy that one. Anyway Healer Granger, I am letting you know that you will be leaving ward ten for at least the immediate future. We have a case in this ward that I believe only you have the expertise to deal with."
Hermione crinkled her eyebrows into a frown. What did that mean? This was the long term care ward; something she was no expert in. "What sort of case is it that you wish my, ah, expertise for Healer Moss?"
The Head Healer gave a tight smile that made Hermione's stomach turn in nervousness. "I think it is best I show you my dear."
The fact that the severe Healer had called Hermione 'my dear' did not help Hermione's wariness, but she didn't say anything as she followed the older woman to the only bed that had a curtain surrounding it. The ward normally held six beds, but currently all but one had the curtains pushed back and the linen removed from the mattresses. The heels on Healer Moss' shiny black shoes made a sharp tap-tap against the marble floor, while Hermione moved in a more discreet way, with her practical flat sole shoes making no noise.
Healer Moss disappeared around the white curtain leaving Hermione to gaze at it uncertainly before hearing, "In here if you please, Healer Granger."
Flinching slightly at the snappy tone of her boss, Hermione peered curiously around the curtain and her eyes widened as she recognized the figure lying on the crisp white sheets.
"Malfoy?"
Healer Moss gave Hermione a sharp look and thinned her lips before curtly responding, "Yes, this is Draco Malfoy."
Hermione moved into the curtained off space and stood uneasily next to the head Healer. "What's he doing here?"
"Mr Malfoy was involuntarily committed early yesterday."
"Oh. Right." Hermione responded stupidly.
"Yes Ms Granger." Healer Moss shifted from her position next to Hermione and walked closer to Malfoy's inert form on the bed with her wand raised. Hermione watched as her boss ran a series of spells to check Malfoy's body, but nothing out of the ordinary showed up. Finishing with the task, Healer Moss turned on her heel and pierced Hermione with her cool gaze.
"Now, I am well aware of your history, but Mr Malfoy is a patient- the only patient- of this ward. I expect the uttermost professional conduct from you. Your history with your patients should not influence the way in which you treat them. Your job as a Healer comes before childhood rivalry."
Hermione nodded her head dumbly- she was still reeling with the information of what Malfoy's presence meant- and said distractedly, "I understand Healer Moss."
"Make sure you do Miss Granger. I will not have you treating Mr. Malfoy any different to other patients."
"Yes Healer Moss."
"Good. Now, Healer George was the one who first had contact with Mr. Malfoy, and he does not expect Mr Malfoy to wake up for some time. The dosage that he took is believed to have caused him to slip into a coma and it could be harmful for him if we were to revive him. We do not know the properties of the drug that he took, but I do not expect it to be an easy recovery for your patient."
"So I take it that Mr Malfoy is in this ward and under my care to specifically undergo rehabilitation then?" Hermione asked carefully.
Healer Moss gave her a sharp look and nodded her head. "Yes Miss Granger. I believe you have enough experience with these cases that other Healers do not. I expect that you will be able to help Mr Malfoy more than any of the other Healers who usually work in this ward."
Hermione did not respond but rather nodded her head to signify her understanding. Her specific area of expertise was drug withdrawal care and rehabilitation, and the knowledge that the heir to the Malfoy Empire had been committed because of a drug addiction was something Hermione could not get her head around. The fact that this single person- the bane of Hermione's Hogwarts experience- had cleared out an entire ward of long term patients was enough to signify the importance of this case.
The Malfoy family were at the height of Pure Blood society and the youngest Malfoy had lived the past four years after his house arrest without a single scandal to tarnish his name. Clearly the humiliation of a drug addiction would impact heavily on the family's improving social standing.
"Be sure to remember that the Malfoy family is demanding the uttermost secrecy with this case. The other patients have been moved to a different ward and I expect you to treat this case with the same level of professionalism as you show for your other cases." The older woman said as she began bustling about the tiny portioned off area. After reviving a vase of slightly wilted blue flowers, she turned back to Hermione.
"I shall be back later to check on Mr Malfoy's progress. In the meantime, I suggest you get yourself acquainted with Mr Malfoy's records."
"Yes Healer Moss."
As soon as the other woman left, Hermione sank into the cushioned chair by Malfoy's bed and stared at the blonde haired man.
He looked like crap in Hermione's opinion. Gone was the carefully sleeked back hair and gone was the delicate looking and unblemished pale skin. Malfoy's eyes were sunken and dark bruises shadowed them. His lips- those lips that could inflict the worst of insults- were a lifeless white. He looked sallow and unhealthy, as though he had not eaten a proper meal in days.
He looked like how she felt on her 'off days'.
Hermione couldn't help but wonder how the life of someone like Malfoy could go so terribly wrong. After the war, he had been sentenced to house arrest for his participation- it was small and it was under duress his lawyers had said- in the war. Since he had been released, he had built up quite the reputation for himself, particularly his solid position in bachelorhood and his prowess with business dealings. He had singlehandedly improved the Malfoy name for himself and his mother, and they were once again one of the elite families of Wizarding society.
Hermione knew that with his lifestyle, he would have been inclined to indulge in recreational and illicit drugs during many of the parties that were thrown at the Malfoy manor. He may not have even realised he was building a tolerance to the drugs until it was too late and he accidentally overdosed as a result of getting that high. Hermione's opinion of her childhood enemy over the years had probably conformed with every other person's opinion of him; he was young, rich and good looking, with a life of sleeping around with women and drinking fire whiskey by the night, and dealing with money and power by the day.
Malfoy's were not supposed to end up in a public hospital like St Mungo's; there were luxurious and secluded resorts in another country for these sorts of things. It irked Hermione that Malfoy was here in a public hospital. She was sure that this would not have been the Malfoy's first choice in care, and she wondered as to why he was here and not in Switzerland.
Hermione sighed and pulled herself out of her musings. It did her no good to wonder how the youngest Malfoy ended up in her care, but she knew from experience that this was the calm before the storm. The body could only go so long without the drug before it started rebelling. As soon as he woke up, she knew that there would be hell to pay.
She knew, because she had been in this exact same situation herself.
And it was far from the luxurious lifestyle Malfoy had been pretending to live for the last few years.
Reviews are appreciated. Because I have so much, I would love to read feedback so I have an idea of what readers do/do not like (as this will contain drug use…)
Next update shall be in 3 days.