She had become a media witch after the war because she had helped as a nurse during the war. It was a very fulfilling job most of the time. Dr. Granger also had a ring to it that she liked. She glanced at the picture on her desk; it was of her and her two best friends. They were all laughing and goofing off. She was still dating Ron and she was hoping the red head would go on and pop the question, but that didn't seem to be happening anytime soon. Their other friend, Harry, was busy being an Auror. She had a suspension that he was seeing someone, but he wouldn't tell her anything. She closed her eyes and sighed.
There was a hurried knock on her office door. She looked up and took another deep breath.
"Come in.," she answered. The door opened and a nurse entered.
"There is a man asking for you. He says it's urgent." The nurse explained.
"Did you get his name?" Hermione asked, following her to the ER. The nurse shook her head.
"There he is." She said gesturing to the man sitting in the waiting room. He stood up when he saw her and rushed to her.
"Harry, what's wrong?" Hermione asked, when she recognized him.
"I need your help, Hermione, please. He's so sick." He replied pulling her toward one of the exam rooms.
"Who, Harry?" she asked following after him. He pulled back the curtain to the room.
There was a man lying on the bed. He was pale and curled up in a ball in the middle of the bed. He was also sweating and seemed to be shaking. He also seemed to be sleeping.
"Nicholi?" Harry said shaking the man slightly. His eyes opened and he searched the room.
"This is my friend, Hermione. She's the media witch I told you about. She's going to try to help you." Harry explained. She noticed that her friend was speaking very slowly and articulating every word. The man nodded and looked at her. His eyes were dilated and glazed over with fever. She walked over and smiled weakly.
"Hello, Mr.?" she started.
"Nicholi Snape." Harry informed her. She looked at him startled and confused.
"I'll explain later. Please, help him first." He replied. She nodded and took a deep breath.
"Mr. Snape, how long have you been feeling like this?" she asked turning her attention to the man on the bed. As she looked at him, she saw quite a few resemblances between him and their late professor. They had the same pitch-black hair and the same dark, ebony colored eyes. But Nicholi's nose wasn't as pronounced and he wasn't as thin. He opened his mouth to answer but he started to cough instead.
"A couple of days. We thought it was just a cold." Harry answered for him. She glanced back at her friend and then back at the patient. She checked his pulse and all his vitals. His breathing was labored and his lungs sounded congested.
"It might be phenomena." She muttered.
"Could it be from a potion? He's a potion master for the Ministry." Harry asked. Hermione was once again taken back. She had so many questions to ask her best friend after this.
"I don't think so. There's no rash or other symptoms concluding to a potions side effect." She answered. The man moaned and started coughing again.
"Harry?" he whimpered, starting to squirm.
"I'm right here, Nicholi. Everything is going to be okay." Harry said, kneeling down in front of him. He reached up and stroked the man's hair and tried to soothe him.
"I'm going to admit him and start him on some antibiotic potions. " Hermione explained. Harry nodded and smiled at her.
"Thank you." He said. She nodded and walked to the nurses' station. She went back to her office and looked up the man's file. All wizards and witches have files at St. Mungo's. She looked through it until she came across something interesting.
"He's partially deaf?" she asked as she walked into the hospital room. Harry was sitting in the chair beside the bed, holding the other man's hand. Nicholi was sleeping soundly and didn't seem to be waking up anytime soon.
"Yes, since he was five." Harry replied, rubbing his eyes and leaning back in the chair.
"How bad?" she asked sitting down in the other chair.
"He says it sounds as if he is underwater and at the end of a tunnel, all at the same time." He replied.
"He uses sign language?" she continued.
"Yes, and he can also read lips." He nodded. There was an awkward silence between them.
"I was going to introduce you to him, when I was ready," Harry finally said, " I wasn't hiding him." Hermione nodded.
"Is he the professor's son, brother, cousin?" she asked.
"Younger brother, by thirteen years." Was the reply.
"I know he's not Severus, Hermione. I do not need to be reminded that he is not Severus." Harry interrupted her before she could say anything else.
"Does he know that?" she asked, gesturing to the sleeping man.
"Know what?" Harry said.
"That he's just a substitute." She answered. Harry shook his head and turned to look at the other man.
"He is not Severus. He is nothing like Severus, trust me." He muttered a few minutes.
"Harry?" Nicholi whimpered starting to wake up. Harry turned his attention to the other man.
"You are alright, Nicholi." He said, combing his fingers through the sick man's hair. The man started to cry and squirm.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked, trying to keep the man's attention. Hermione stood up and tried to help.
"He can't focus because of the potions. They make his vision blurred." She explained.
"That means we can't communicate with him. We can't tell him what is going on." Harry started to panic.
"Calm down. The last thing we need is you freaking out. He's going to be fine. He's already going back to sleep." She said as the older man started drifting off into unconsciousness.
They both relaxed when the man was fully back asleep. Harry leaned back in his chair and combed his fingers through his hair.
"Don't tell me what I'm doing is wrong, please. I need him and he needs me. That is all there is." He muttered.
"How did you meet?" she asked after a few minutes. She saw Harry smile for the first time in a long time.
"It was business. The Minister actually introduced us. Nicholi is the head of the potions department. He had been working on a new truth potion and he needed test subjects." Harry explained.
"How long?" was the next question.
"Three months, but we just started sleeping together." He answered. Hermione blushed and brushed a piece of loose hair out of her face.
"Does Ron know?" she asked.
"You didn't know and you know I'm gay. Ron doesn't even know that," Harry replied, "He still expects me to marry Ginny." Hermione chuckled softly and leaned back in her chair.
"Don't you have other patients?" he asked glancing at the clock. She shook her head.
"No, I'm off. I thought I would spend sometime with you since we haven't had much time together." She answered. He smiled and nodded. She saw him subconsciously reach over and caress the other man's hand.
