. . .
Hermione nearly choked when she read the next name on her clipboard.
Draco Malfoy.
Still staring at her paper, she ran into an door opening in front of her. She was knocked to the ground.
Two healers appeared, pushing the cot carrying him.
Hermione looked up, starting at her patient... who was steadily moving away from her.
She ran to catch up. She stood in the doorway to watch while the healers transferred him to a cot.
"What happened?"
They shook their heads, "I don't know. You tell us."
And with that, they left the room.
Hermione stepped closer, she couldn't believe Malfoy was here, in St. Mungo's, waiting to be declared 'brain dead'.
She shook her head in disbelief, "It can't be."
She ordered a toxicology test and determined body temperature. Everything checked out. Apart from being 'brain dead', everything was normal.
If that was normal.
"Well, you are alive."
She sighed. Her work was depressing.
. . .
"Granger, are you quite finished with your inspection?"
"No, not yet."
"Really?" The healer raised her eyebrows. "Well the faster, the better."
"What?" Hermione was surprised, "Why?"
"We've got a family waiting."
"Draco Malfoy's family?!" She asked, alarmed.
"No, no. A kid needs his heart." The healer shot her a look, "Malfoy was an organ donor."
"How ironic," Hermione muttered to herself. "Who would want Malfoy's heart?"
"It is not a question of want, it is a question of need."
There was a pause, "I'm not quite convinced that he is 'brain dead'."
"Does it matter?" The healer turned and started to walk out of the room, "Was his life worth anything anyway? Anything good, I mean?"
"Still--"
"I'll let you get back to work. I just wanted to let you know that there are desperate people waiting."
"You mean waiting for him to die? Waiting for me to kill him?"
"Don't be so dramatic. You're just declaring." The healer looked back, "But yes."
"That isn't very encouraging."
"Yeah, well, that's the system." And with that, the healer left.
. . .
Hermione sat down by the body.
Yes, it was a body. And she better get used to it too.
She sighed.
Hermione then proceeded with the examination.
She looked at his face. He was as expressionless as ever. He could have been sleeping. Or awake.
"Malfoy?" She touched his arm lightly. No response. She waved her hand in front of his face. No response. "Malfoy?"
She raised his arms and legs one by one and allowed them to fall. He did not move.
Hermione opened his eyes. She cast a spell that would keep them from being irritated if they were open for too long. She shone a bright light in one eye, the pupil did not constrict. The other, no more luck.
She turned his head slowly from side to side, but his eyes remained fixed. They were looking straight at her.
Hermione held an eye open and dragged a cotton swab across the cornea. He did not blink. The other one, same thing.
Hermione compressed his eyebrow ridge with her thumb. The pressure did not cause posturing, either instinctive or purposeful.
Hermione was beginning to give up. Did she want Malfoy to live? If only to spite the other healer.
Hermione inspected his ears. Hermione liked his ears. They were his only redeeming quality. He had an intact tympanic membrane and... no wax! It was the best that she could ever hope for. Hermione cast a spell that injected ice water into the ear canal. It was supposed to cause violent eye twitching but Hermione was severely disappointed. The other side too, no reaction.
Hermione cast a spell that was supposed to make him gag, though she thought that just the sight of her face should have done the trick.
Another spell. Just one more. She had to remove him from the life support that was helping him breathe. This should cause him to breathe spontaneously. Hermione waited.
She looked at him. He was on one side, facing her. His eyes were wide open and his arm was sticking out at an odd angle. He looked really creepy.
Time was up. She couldn't wait any more. She recast the spell.
The clinical examination was over. Draco Malfoy had no sign of neurological function and the cause of injury was unknown.
All the signs pointed to it, but Hermione just couldn't bring herself to declare.
She couldn't believe it. No, it was not possible. This was Draco Malfoy for crying out loud! Somehow, it just didn't make sense.
What was holding her back? Did she want him to be alive?
"Impossible." She sighed.
. . .
The Healer poked her head in, "Done yet?"
"Not quite."
The Healer stepped into the room, "What is it now?"
"Just give me a minute."
"Your time is up, Granger."
Hermione curled her hand into a fist. The was the first time she actually knew someone she was examining. The only way she would be able to declare him 'brain dead' was to distance herself from her work.
But as much as she hated him and as much as she didn't want to admit it, Hermione Granger did not want Draco Malfoy to die.
"Are you in there?" Suddenly she was angry, "Because I can't wait for you any longer!"
His knee jerked.
Hermione stood up. His knee had jerked.
Hermione knew that it probably meant nothing. It was probably just a reflex. Probably.
Happened all the time.
But it was enough for Hermione.
Hermione shone the light into his pupils again. Just maybe--
"What are you doing now?"
Hermione didn't answer. The pupil had slightly constricted. The turned his head from side to side, his eyes moved with it. They faced her again.
Hermione held her breath. She took his hand.
Slowly, painfully, his eyes closed. He blinked.
His eyes fixed on her.
"Granger, you can let go of my hand now."
"Wha--" She looked at his hand, "Oh!" She dropped it.
Hermione watched, fascinated as he flexed his hand. To think, just a minute ago, she was about to sign him off as 'brain dead'.
The healer screamed, "What have you done?! You just killed an innocent boy!"
Hermione shook her head, "No. I just saved a life."
The healer stormed out of the room.
"Uh, Granger?" His very alive gray eyes fixed on her.
Hermione smiled.
"Mind getting me hand sanitizer?" He looked pointedly at her hands, "You know? Germs."
Without another word, Hermione stormed out of the room.
Why did she bother?
. . .