A/N: Hello! It's been a very long time since I've published a story on here, but I'm very excited to be back, and hope you enjoy what I've come up with. It's my newest brain child, so all I ask you to do it read, enjoy, and give whatever feedback you have! Thank You! And Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays!
Disclaimer: I own nothing Harry Potter related. Life sucks, I know.
Strangely, upon waking up from whatever induced state I had been under, Granger's face was the first thing I see. Pert nose, freckled skin, and that mass of brown hair, yes it was Granger, I was satisfied of that point. And yet, all at the same time, I was not satisfied at all. The more I stirred further from my sleep, I began to feel a burning under my skin, growing stronger every minute. It was an itch, a call to move, an intrinsic need, and yet I found myself not being able to move a muscle. I tried to pry my hands up to escape, to satisfy the burning, but found myself bared by thick metal straps. Granger must have heard the noise, and for the first time since I had been conscious, turned her eyes toward me.
No, Granger wasn't different, but the whole world around her was. Every image sharper than it had been yesterday, every sound echoing dangerously in my ears. There was a foul smell coming from somewhere at a small distance, and, as I saw a set of healers rush past the door, I realize that it was the blood of the patient in the room next to me. Everything was instant and painful, and none of it served to alleviate the burning, which I so desperately wanted to cease. Granger hurried over to my bed, flipping through a chart all the while, making a terribly large amount of noise.
"Mr. Malfoy." She spoke no louder than a whisper, but the sound cut through my ears like a scream. She must have sensed her own power, for when she spoke again, it was in an even softer tone. "Mr. Malfoy I need you to stay calm for me, alright? Everything is going to be fine."
But it wasn't fine, because, even as she spoke the words, she reached out a hand to gently touch mine. The moment our hands met, the fire increased, burning more intently than it had before. I pulled away harshly, not wanted her to touch me for another second. It was wrong. She was wrong. She should not be the one to touch me, from this moment forward only one woman would be allowed to touch me in that way… but what? My thoughts were not even making sense to myself, and as I struggled to make sense of my body's instinctual reaction, I found myself drifting back into the darkness.
It was Granger. She was inserting something in my arm, a needle I think, but I barely felt it. And as the darkness descended the burning started to be released. I couldn't help but thank Granger in my mind. She may not be it, but for the moment, she's a start.
It was mixture of pity and fear that I gave him a second dose of morphine. A patient had never reacted so violently in my presence before. It was as if the moment our skin made contact, I had scolded him with boiling water, and then came the convulsions. It was all to be expected, of course. He was slowly having to adjust to his condition, and it would take some time before he became assimilated with all of his new abilities. And, his new priorities in life, of course. As I watch him slowly drift off into his drug induced coma, I chuckled despite myself. While his reaction had been alarming, it was the best thing that could happen to either of them. It meant she was not his mate.
This whole ordeal had started yesterday, when she had been summoned to her Chief of Healing's office, without any regard to what it was about.
"Maybe you're finally being promoted!" Ginny proclaimed, trying to keep her spirits up. Both women knew that in a place like this, you had to have high spirits, otherwise you won't make it through the day.
They year after the final battle both Ginny and Hermione returned to Hogwarts to finish out their last year of schooling, while the boys decided to begin their Auror training. While Harry and Ginny's relationship was used to the strain of distance, Hermione and Ron's was not, and after Christmas they decided to end it. Ron struggled, not coming to the Burrow on weekends that she and Ginny decided to visit, and even missing graduation because he felt it would be too hard to see her. It was the look on Ginny's face when she realized her closest brother wasn't at her own graduation ceremony that set Hermione's mind. For both Ginny's and Harry's sake, she decided that she needed to separate herself from the Weasleys, something that was made easier by her new position as a Healing Intern at St. Mungos.
It wasn't until four years later, after Hermione was made a full fledged Healer, that Ginny decided to join the program as an intern. After graduation, she had held a variety of careers that had not made her happy. She had tried to work for the ministry, the Daily Prophet, and even be a stay at home wife for a short disastrous period, before she finally decided that healing was her true passion. It had thrilled Hermione, fore, after four years of being distanced, she was finally able to be reunited with one of her dearest friends. They were closer than ever, and medically, Hermione trusted no intern more than Ginny.
That's why, when the chief presented Hermione with the high profile case of Draco Malfoy, she was able to, without a doubt, chose Ginny to assist her. Not only would she have the tact to keep quiet, but it would also be a great chance for her to learn and gain experience with the healing of magical creatures. Veela transformations were rare, and even more so it males. Having experience working on this case would no doubt give her an advantage with the board, who were meeting within the week to review the applications for residency. This could be that final thing that really pushes her in front of the competition.
"How is he doing?" Ginny's voice floated into the room, as she brought the numbing cream that I had requested. Treating Veela's was particularly difficult because their magical cores rejected most forms of magical treatment, therefore we have had to be creative in our treatments. Morphine, in doses lethal for a human, has been used to dull his pain, as well has put him to sleep. The numbing cream itself was for the itchiness that he might be experiencing. While there is little documented about a Veela's transformation, what information that is available usually concerns their yearning for a mate. For the first moment of consciousness, it's present, pulling you to where they are, and punishing you with a painful itch it you do not proceed. Because Malfoy didn't know of his condition previously this itch might be confusing, and I wanted to help transition it as much as possible. That's where the numbing cream came in.
"Can you believe we're treating Malfoy? I mean Draco Malfoy of all people! Did you even think you'd see him again? I mean, yes, I've seen him in passing. Unfortunately, he and Harry seem to share the same affinity for restaurants, but we never actually speak. We hardly even acknowledge each other. And now here he is, a Veela! Pretty unbelievable." Ginny ranted, while prepping the cream that was about to be put on Malfoy's skin.
"Well, it's not that unbelievable if you think about it." I replied, only to be met with an incredulous look. "What? It isn't. All the warning signs were there, from his hair, to his lineage. The Malfoys lineage wouldn't have survived if they were really one hundred percent pureblood, there would be to much inbreeding. Plus, he's always leaned towards a more… aggressive sexual nature that is associated with the Veela race." I felt my face flushing.
"And Healer Granger, how would you know about that, what did you call it, aggressive nature? I never thought of you and Malfoy, but I guess it's not that unbelievable if you think about it." She was smirking, which only proved to deepen my blush.
"Of course not! You know Malfoy and I have never felt anything but disdain for one another. But it's not like he didn't have a reputation at school. I lived with Lavender and Pavarti, remember. I heard stories."
"Well, whatever the case, I still think it's completely insane. I do wonder who his mate is, poor babe."
It was at that exact moment that Malfoy began to thrash in his bed, eyes still closed, but obviously resisting the morphine.
"Ginny, quick, the numbing cream, before he wakes up!" I hollered, checking his heart rate in the moniter. It was soaring. We had done nothing to cause this, the morphine should be working. A moment of panic flashed through my mind, wondering if we had done something wrong, missed a step and risked his life. But we couldn't have, could we?
"Hermione, what's going on?" She shouted back, standing back from Malfoy, seemingly scared to touch him.
"I don't know, but start applying that cream now, Healer Potter! That's an order." That snapped her back into place. She reacted immediately, grabbing the cream and rubbing it slowly onto his skin. And then it all stopped. Malfoy's eyes flew open, and more quickly than I could see his hand was around his wrist.
"You." When he spoke the words, I knew immediately what had happened, and dread filled my stomach. Malfoy had just discovered his mate, and she was the wife of Harry Potter.