Author's Note: Another idea that demanded to be written down. This is going to be a medical/cop drama with a lot less drama, a lot more romance, and our favourite Harry Potter cast, of course! No angst this time, just romance with a sprinkle of action. This will be short and no more than ten chapters long. I hope you enjoy!
Steal me all the way from myself
Won't you heal me?
- Lady Gaga, Heal Me
One
The emergency wing of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries was a fright of activity. It was a Saturday evening and it seemed like all witches and wizards in the Greater London Area and beyond was involved in one mishap or another. Healer Luna Lovegood was making her rounds seeing to the patients which passed through the doors of St. Mungo's. Her long blonde hair was tied in a ponytail and she wore robes of white protected by all sorts of repellent charms imaginable. Her shift had started not two hours ago and already she had un-splinched more bodies than she could count with both hands and administered vials of Skelegro to a group of teen wizards who decided to try stunts on their brooms. She knew that Firewhiskey was probably to blame for many of these accidents. There was always more patients on the weekends since witches and wizards tend to let loose when there was no workday hanging over their heads. She disliked being assigned the emergency ward shift on weekends but knew that every healer at St. Mungo's, regardless of seniority, fall on the roster. It just so happened that this weekend was her weekend so she would have to suck it up. At least Healer Robarts was there to back her up.
She carefully navigated past floating bodies in stretchers being transported to beds by mediwitches. She rounded one corner and passed through a partition to check on an elderly witch she treated earlier that evening. Mrs. Fox was sat on her bed reading tarot cards. Carol Fox, a witch who was in her prime at eighty years old, was brought to St. Mungo's by her great grandson since she had fractured her hip when she fell down while chasing her younger great grandchildren. She was playing the part of babysitter that evening since her granddaughter and her husband went on a much needed date away from their offspring. Mrs. Fox was in so much pain when she was brought to St. Mungo's by the scared sixteen year old boy. Luna quickly attended to the woman after getting the diagnosis from the mediwizard and prescribed a dose of Skelegro to repair the broken bone. Since she was older, Luna instructed Mrs. Fox to remain at St. Mungo's overnight so they could monitor the repair of her hip.
"How are you feeling, Mrs. Fox?" Luna asked, her voice bright and cheerful. She came to the woman's bedside and fluffed her pillow. "What do the stars say for tonight?"
Mrs. Fox grabbed a tarot card and waved it in the air. Luna glimpsed that it was the Fire card as Mrs. Fox answered her. "I'm okay, Healer Lovegood. But your night is far, far from over," the woman replied.
Luna frowned. "Why's that, Mrs. Fox?"
Before the woman could answer, Luna's communication device beeped in urgency. She quickly withdrew it from the pocket of her robe and groaned. The device, similar to that of a two-way mirror but could display words as well instead of just faces, was flashing and vibrating. All the healers and medics had a mirror whilst on duty. The dispatchers of St. Mungo's controlled the flow of mass communication through these mirrors and Luna saw as the other medics in the emergency ward looked at their own devices.
The lens of the mirror was flashing bright orange and bolded text kept scrolling through the surface on repeat.
"CODE ORANGE. AUROR RAID. MULTIPLE INJURIES. TEN MINS. CODE ORANGE."
"Bugger," Luna whispered before running to the huddle of healers and medics already grouping at the entrance of the emergency ward. This was going to be a long night.
Hermione Jane Granger was trying very hard to pay attention to her date that evening. It was a blind date and the man she was set up with was Samuel Knox. He was handsome and accomplished since he owned a business supplying apothecaries in the wizarding world with ingredients for potions and serums. He was also incredibly boring, since all Samuel (never Sam) liked to talk about was himself.
Pity, really. Hermione dressed especially nice for this occasion since Gabrielle insisted that Samuel was perfect for her. She wore her favourite midnight blue cocktail dress which flared at the waist, black tights, and her new black heeled boots. She was hoping the date would go much better, but even Samuel's good looks couldn't salvage it. He was classically handsome with aristocratic features. He had auburn hair which was combed neatly atop his head, not one strand was misplaced. He had clear blue eyes, an elegant nose, and lips which looked to be quite kissable. He was dressed in a fine three piece suit of deep navy blue and he insisted on taking her to the most expensive restaurant the city had to offer.
He was also as dull as watching paint dry. Hermione had spent the past hour politely smiling and nodding as Samuel regaled her with stories of how he's quite the catch yet wasn't currently dating anybody since mummy didn't approve of any of his previous birds (his words, not hers). However, Hermione was quite a fine candidate wasn't she? Already he had made plans for her to meet his parents.
"You said you were from Paris? What made you move to ye olde England?" Samuel asked. This was the first question he asked her about herself and Hermione immediately perked up.
"Oh, yes. My family was actually from London, but we moved to Paris when I was younger. I went to Beauxbatons with Gabrielle and Fleur. The Delacours are like sisters to me. I followed Fleur to L'Académie after Beauxbatons and specialized in surgical healing techniques and dabbled in other disciplines," she said. Samuel seemed to be intrigued so she continued. "I worked at L'Hôpital Saint-Dominic in Paris as a healer, until Fleur alerted me that Chief Healer Doyle was retiring from St. Mungo's and she thought I would be perfect for the job. I interviewed, got hired, and now here I am."
"How very interesting!" Samuel exclaimed. "I didn't know you were at St. Dominic's. My company supplies them with ingredients for potions, and Father is a huge benefactor. He has a soft spot for Paris, my dad, and really all of France. We had a holiday home in Cannes and would go there every summer. Oh it was amazing. My older brother and I took riding lessons. You might have heard of him? Matthew Knox of the Wizengamot. He's a silent partner of my business, but I do all of the work. Did I mention that we've recently expanded to Hong Kong and…"
Hermione had to resist rolling her eyes as Samuel talked about himself once again.
A beeping came from her purse and Hermione excused herself. She quickly retrieved the mirror and opened it expectantly. As the Chief Healer, Hermione carried the device night and day and asked her staff to alert her of any major emergencies. The words scrolling through the mirror's surface definitely counted as one. Quickly she stuffed the mirror back into her purse and interrupted Samuel's tale about his latest acquisition of a smaller potions business.
"Listen, Sam -"
"Samuel," he interrupted.
"Right, Samuel," Hermione said. "I'm really sorry, but I need to go. There's an emergency I need to see through." She explained. She stood from her seat and hurriedly put on her coat. "It was a lovely dinner, thank you." The food was great. The company? Not so much.
As she was turning to leave, Samuel grabbed her hand and pulled her into a kiss. "It was my pleasure, Hermione," he said huskily after he pulled away. "I'll be sure to call you since I already can't wait to see you again. You look wonderful tonight. Blue is your colour." And Sam - sorry, Samuel - actually gave her a sly grin.
Hermione took a step back when he finally let go of her. "R-right," she stammered. "Goodbye, Sam," she said, and hurried off to the exit of the restaurant.
There was no time for her to head back to her flat to change, so she would have to make do with what she was wearing tonight at the hospital. Thank god she was wearing boots. She hastened just a little bit as she recalled the message on the mirror. Auror raid. Her dear friend and whom she considered to be her brother-in-law Bill Weasley was working tonight. She knew this from Fleur, and she also knew that Fleur, as the Potionmaster at St. Mungo's, would be alerted of the call. Hermione quickly found a dark spot in an alley to apparate. She needed to be there and see to it that they lost no one tonight. She had to make sure Bill was okay, for herself, for Fleur, and for her goddaughter Victoire.
There was a loud pop and then she was gone.
Hermione appeared at the apparition point of St. Mungo's emergency ward and immediately started relaying orders. She assembled the hospital medics in pairs by the apparition point and large fireplace to immediately assist anyone who came through, Auror or not. She tasked two mediwizards to grab vials of potions from their storage in the hospital's secure location so there would be no shortage at the emergency ward. She told her healers to be quick but wise when triaging the wounded. If the wounds could be easily fixed, then fix them immediately. If they were serious, send for her at once. If she wasn't available, then they were to use their best judgment on administering complicated treatments. If the injuries were dire… then move on and tend to someone who could be helped. Everyone waited with bated breath for an apparition pop or signs of floo activity. Every wand was at the ready, and every spell and potion would count in the coming hours.
Hermione joined her healers behind the line of medics. She saw that Fleur was already there in her white robe looking expectantly at the fireplace. The part-Veela's face was tight with tension, and her beautiful blue eyes were filled with so much worry. Hermione walked to stand next to her and used one arm to hug her.
"Allez-vous bien?" Hermione asked in a whisper. 'Will you be alright?'
"Je devrai être," Fleur replied. 'I will have to be.'
Luna walked to their huddle and gave Fleur a squeeze as well. She turned to Hermione and presented her friend and her boss a robe to put over her attire. "You are a saint, Luna," Hermione said and slipped the robe over her dress. Luna simply smiled her serene smile and waited patiently for the chaos to arrive.
The three women have grown closer since Hermione started working at St. Mungo's six months ago. Her and Fleur were already like sisters, but Hermione and Luna took no time in becoming great friends. After she started at St. Mungo's, Hermione quickly realized that Fleur was protective of the younger woman. Luna was different in that she had some odd quirks, Fleur explained, and she was soft spoken so some of the medics and healers looked down on her. But as Hermione got to know Luna, she saw what Fleur saw in her. Luna was smart as a whip and she was kind. Those two things were what mattered to Hermione as Luna's boss and as Luna's friend. She was a brilliant healer through and through.
Lavender Weasley née Brown joined the group of women. She, too, gave Fleur a squeeze before turning her attention to the fireplace. She was the Deputy Chief of the Medics, was Fleur's sister-in-law by way of Ron Weasley, and was four months pregnant with their second child. She gave Hermione and Luna a nod of her head in greeting.
"Do we have any numbers, Lav?" Hermione asked.
The mediwitch bit her lip. "No official numbers yet, but I heard from Ron. He was aware of the raid and told me what happened. There was an ambush…" She said, and Fleur took in a sharp breath.
"What happened?" The part-Veela asked. "Is Bill alright?"
Lavender sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry Fleur, but I don't know. Ron only told me that the Aurors had planned a raid tonight in some building. They were ambushed and… and then there was an explosion and the building collapsed on them. That's why there's a lot of injuries, not only Aurors but some civilians in the building as well. Ron will be here soon..."
Before she could explain any further, the first signs of the injured appeared at the apparition point with a loud bang. A field medic had side-along apparated a wizard with what looked to be a broken leg as well as cuts and bruises on his face and arms. He was also covered in dust. They were immediately assisted by Healer Li. Another bang and another mediwitch appeared with her charge. This one was a young woman laid on a levitating stretcher, the whole right side of her body bloodied and she too was grey with dust and cement. A pair of mediwitches and another healer tended to the patient. For the next minute, multiple pops were heard at the entrance of the emergency ward as the field medics delivered their charges to the hospital. Hermione watched the hospital medics and her healers work an assembly line to triage the sick and give them proper care.
She counted seven civilians so far with varying degrees of injury although most looked to not be critical. She knew they were civilians since they didn't look like Aurors… and because she saw no familiar faces in them. The injuries she had seen so far weren't from spell fights either. Those injuries tended to be bloodier and more gruesome.
Where were the Aurors?
Hermione received her answer. A loud bang of an incoming apparition reached Hermione's ears amidst all of the noise and chaos around her. Bill Weasley appeared with a gash on his forehead and supporting another Auror upright who had a horrifying tree stump for his right leg. Both men were dirty with dust in their hair and on their skin. No doubt the cause of a Transfiguration spell, Hermione thought as she looked at the stump. Fleur took in a sharp breath of relief at the sight of her husband before rushing to Bill's side to assist the pair. Another pop and Neville Longbottom appeared. Hermione had briefly met the Auror at a party and was glad to see he was okay. In fact, Neville looked to be unscathed except for the dust and was helping a field medic move another Auror whose left arm was charred up to her elbow. Hermione grimaced at the sight. That one would need a lot of charm work to fix. Luna left Hermione's side and went to assist the group.
BANG!
Hermione saw a small group appear this time. There was an Auror with blonde hair and cuts on his skin. He immediately started yelling for help. Behind him were two mediwizards who was levitating a stretcher in between them. Hermione quickly ran to the group to see the problem.
She turned her eyes to the blonde wizard first. She passed a quick look over him and saw that he was relatively unharmed. His arm looked to be bleeding from a wound, but since he was moving it around frantically it mustn't have hurt much. He had a few cuts on his skin and some bruising by his left eye but she could tend to him later. Besides, he was standing up and making quite a racket so he must be okay.
"Healer!" He called to her, grey eyes frantic. "Healer! You need to help my partner!" He exclaimed.
At this point, two mediwizards sidestepped the man and brought the levitating stretcher in front of her to see. Hermione looked at the person on the cot. The man was unconscious, his raven black hair such a contrast against his pale pallor. He had cuts on his face and on exposed skin such as his hands and one arm from a torn sleeve. What Hermione zoomed in on immediately was the piece of metal bar, almost as long as her forearm, protruding grotesquely from his side.
"What happened here?" She asked the field medics and quickly grabbed her wand to cast her own diagnosis spell over the wizard.
Mediwizard Gabriel Sanchez answered her question promptly. "Cuts and bruising on the skin. Mild concussion. He has at least one broken rib, and as you can see this bar got him good, too. We didn't want to pull it out… didn't know how to be honest."
Hermione breathed. "No, it's good you didn't pull this out. He would have bled to death," she told the medics. She turned her attention to the other wizard who was looking at her so intently. "You said you were his partner? Was he hit with any curses or spells? I need to know exactly what happened before I work on him."
The blonde shook his head. "No, no. No curses or spells, he's too fast for that. This happened when the fucking building exploded and took us all by surprise," he said angrily.
Hermione gave a sharp nod. "Okay, then. Medics, please take him to Operating Room A," Mediwizard Sanchez and his partner nodded their heads and levitated the stretcher carefully across the pandemonium of the emergency ward.
Hermione turned to follow them, but her hand was grabbed by the Auror. He looked at her intently, grey eyes filled with so much anger yet also pleading. "You need to help him," he said earnestly.
Hermione only nodded her head. "I will do my best, sir," she said. And then Hermione turned on her heels and raced after the man who needed her help.
The operating ward of St. Mungo's was eerily quiet. The vast waiting area with plush chairs where friends and family members were supposed to wait was almost empty. Instead, loved ones of one particular patient were huddled around a glass wall further inside the operating ward looking at the proceedings in one of its rooms. This privilege wasn't extended to all patients, of course. The one-way glass wall was more for fellow healers to look and observe as another healer fixes up their patient. It was used for learning opportunities and for the hospital director (one Honourable Sir McAllister the Third) to impress important visitors with the ground-breaking techniques his staff was using. But this circumstance was different, since the patient under the wand was a very important person even though the person with the wand didn't currently know it. It took but a single mirror call from the patient's superior to allow the hospital staff and operating ward guards to let the patient's family and friends observe. It was hard to refuse the Minister of Magic.
Ron Weasley stood with his arms crossed in front of his chest, his face grim. His blue eyes were strained on the glass as he watched what was happening across the partition. The witch with the wavy brown hair whom he knew to be Chief Healer Hermione Granger was currently working on removing that god awful rod from the side of his best friend. She said something to one of the mediwizards who nodded and raised his wand in preparation.
Footsteps to his right momentarily drew him from the scene and he saw his other best friend walking towards him. The blonde wizard had a torn shirt sleeve and Ron peeked stitches holding close a wound on his arm. The cuts on his face were cleaned and the bruise on his eye was already healing nicely, no doubt due to an administered potion. Draco Malfoy stood next to him and he, too, brought his gaze to beyond the glass.
"You look like you got run over by a hippogriff, Malfoy," Ron said in greeting. Gently the two men clasped hands and gave each other hugs.
"Not as bad as Scarhead," Draco said in reply. He tilted his head towards the glass. "What are they doing now?"
As if to answer his question, the healer raised her hand. They watched, transfixed, as she intricately waved her hand in a complex pattern and murmured a spell. Slowly, carefully, the metal rod started its exit from their best friend's body. They saw her say something to the mediwizard who then moved his wand in another spell. Meanwhile, another mediwizard administered a potion through a syringe straight into the patient's veins. The unconscious man had a bubble over his mouth helping him breathe as he was being tended to. The two men watched as the healer and her medics worked together to extract the foreign object. They couldn't help but wince at the bloody sight.
Ron heard more footsteps walking down the hallway. He turned his gaze to his right to see his beautiful wife walking towards him. She approached the two men and kissed both of them on the cheek.
"I'm just checking in before I go back to my rounds, it's still a nightmare out there," Lavender said. Ron gave her a one-armed hug and drew her carefully to his side. "How are you doing, Draco?"
"I'm alright," he said, but his eyes were worried for his friend and partner. "Will he be okay, Lavender?"
Lavender squeezed his good arm. "Hermione is the most brilliant healer I know, Draco. Harry's in the most capable hands now."
Inside the operating room, Hermione thought for a moment on the best way to proceed. It took some time, but the bloody metal rod had now been extracted and resting on a long dish. They had to remove it carefully as to avoid damaging any of his other internal organs. She had to quickly and carefully patch up the wound as the bar was removed. It was necessary to keep the patient from bleeding to death. Only stitches to the patient's side indicated that the bar was ever there.
The battle was far from over, however, since the wizard also had three broken ribs. The scan of his body also showed that he had a punctured lung because of them. The magically captured photograph of the patient's chest hung against the wall of the operating room and a large black spot was visible when his left lung should have filled it completely. But first, the ribs would need to be repaired.
"How's he doing?" Hermione asked one of the medics.
"Blood pressure is good, blood-replenishing potion fully absorbed," Mediwizard Paxton immediately answered.
"Alright, that's good. We're going to work on the ribs now. Skelegro?"
"Ready," Mediwizard Dayes responded.
Hermione saw that a vial of Skelegro had been emptied into a shallow dish.
"Screen," she commanded.
Mediwizard Dayes nodded his head. He pointed his wand at the patient's chest. With a wave of his wand and a murmur of "Intra aspiciat", a mist materialized above the body. A picture started to form and it was the anatomy of the patient's chest. He moved his wand until the picture showed ribs seven through nine of the left rib cage. There was an unmistakable crack on each of the bones.
"Hold it there," Hermione instructed, and Mediwizard Dayes nodded his head. He kept his wand pointed at the spot where she told him to stop.
Hermione lifted her wand.
"Wingardium leviosa," she whispered, and a thin sliver of the blue potion lifted from the dish. With the liquid in the air, she cast another spell. "Caligine," she said. The powerful Transfiguration spell turned the blue liquid into a blue mist.
Slowly and oh so carefully, Hermione directed her wand towards the patient's chest. The mist followed the wand's movements and was absorbed into the body. Keeping her wand steady, Hermione looked at the screen the mediwizard had cast. She moved her wand a hair to the left and the screen showed a creeping fog inching towards the broken bone. Another miniscule movement to the left and the healer and her medics watched as the tip of the fog touched the break. Her hand remained steady as they saw the bone start its repair. Like a growing icicle, little fragments of newly formed bone attached to one side of the crack and started to fill the chasm.
It was a slow process which demanded Hermione's full attention and control. There was a risk of further damaging the lungs if the bones were to grow too quickly or incorrectly. She kept her wand unmoving and coaxed the mist with her magic to move where she wanted it to move. She stared unblinking at the image which captured everything that was happening underneath the skin.
At that moment, there was no one else but her and her patient.
The crowd behind the glass wall had more than doubled in size. Another redhead with a bandage on his forehead had joined as well as his wife. A shorter wizard with shaggy brown hair was also there, his arms crossed as he looked intently through the glass. An older man with auburn hair sat on one of the chairs. He was dressed impeccably in a charcoal grey suit and his dark blue, almost violet cat eyes were squinted as he observed the healer.
"What is happening now, Fleur?" Ron asked, anxiety in his voice. For the past fifteen minutes he had been watching Hermione who was almost as still as a statue with her wand trained on Harry's chest.
"It's a slow process, Ronald," Fleur replied. "They're fixing his broken ribs. It takes time and a lot of effort," she explained. She glanced at the watch on her wrist and sighed. "I need to check on the other patients. I will be back later," she said. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Bill's cheek. She carefully traced the bandage on his forehead before giving his hand a squeeze and walking down the hallway towards the emergency ward.
As the sound of Fleur's footsteps faded, Head Auror Adam Windsor stood from his seat and approached the glass to stand next to some of his best men. With his gaze unmoving from the happenings inside the operating room, he voiced a question.
"How in the hell did this happen?" He asked in an angry whisper. He was a strict man and a tough boss but he cared about his Aurors. He hand picked each of the men standing before him and knew their capabilities. He also knew that the team which Harry Potter led was a formidable one and situations such as an ambush was next to impossible.
There was cold fury in Draco's voice when he replied. "I think we have a mole," he stated.
All heads whipped to look at him. "What?" Neville asked incredulously.
"Just think about it, Longbottom," Draco replied. "Those fuckers knew we were coming. They were ready for us. They didn't just happen to have those exploding tonics which caused half the building to collapse. The vials were placed at the weakest points of the structure. They wanted us in that building when they set off the bombs. Thank god none of us were close enough to the actual explosions."
"But who…" Bill trailed off, aghast at the idea that one of his coworkers couldn't be trusted.
"This was a joint mission between the Auror Office and the Improper Use of Magic Division," Windsor replied. He turned to look at Ron with a raised eyebrow. "Due to the very… sensitive nature of the men we were trying to apprehend, only Potter's team, two clerical staff, and myself were aware of this case and that this raid was taking place. Who from your division knows about this?"
Ron stared across the glass, his mouth in a thin line and his eyebrows furrowed. While the main function of the Auror Office was to apprehend criminals and uphold the law, it was the Improper Use of Magic division who was alerted first of any magical wrongdoing, from using underaged magic to use of the Unforgivable Curses. As Deputy Chief of this division, Ron handled the most serious offenses and worked with the Aurors to bring justice. The wizards whom the Aurors tried to capture that night committed the serious offense of performing very dangerous magic in front of non-magical folk which resulted in three dead Muggles and several more injured. They also turned their wands on the Aurors.
"Only myself, the Chief, and our two assistants. Look, Windsor, if you're insinuating that the leak was from my office…" Ron was cut off by Windsor.
"I'm not insinuating anything, Weasley," Windsor replied, his own mouth frowning. "I'm simply asking a question. We still need to proceed with this case but we cannot do so if there is someone out there broadcasting our every move!" He all but yelled in aggravation. Ron nodded his head, placated. Even if he and Windsor butt heads sometimes, he knew the man was wise and only had their best interest at heart. Besides, Ron was outranked. The Auror Office was at the top of the food chain in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and in the whole Ministry of Magic, second only to the Minister himself. As its Head Auror, Adam Windsor was a force to be reckoned with. Windsor looked at the four men in front of him. "From now on, we will continue with even more secrecy. The case is suspended to everyone but this group, got it?" He looked pointedly at Draco. "I want to know who this mole is if they do exist."
"Yes, sir. I'll let the rest of the team know we've dropped the case once they're out of treatment," Draco said. Since his partner and commander was currently out of commission, it was his job to step into the role as Harry's deputy.
As silence filled the air, the men turned their attention back to the glass.
Hermione watched on the screen as the last fragment was created and the third broken rib was fixed. She breathed a sigh of relief and carefully magiced the remnants of the fog through the patient's pores and out of his body. With another swish of her wand, the blue mist turned back to Skelegro and poured back into the dish. She had lost track of the time and didn't know how long the procedure took. She was just aware of a little stiffness in her shoulders but knew that there were more things to see through with this patient.
"Status?" Hermione asked.
"Stable," Paxton replied immediately.
"Good. Now we work on the lungs. Hand me the needle," she commanded. Mediwizard Dayes reached inside the tray and picked out a thin needle almost a foot long. He gave her the item and she took it carefully in between two fingers.
The needle was sharp, but, more importantly, it was also hollow. The surest way to treat a collapsed lung was to expel the air inside the chest cavity that was causing all the pressure. Once the pressure was gone, the lungs would be able to inflate back to their normal size.
As Hermione sterilized the needle with multiple charms, Mediwizard Dayes moved his wand further down the patient's chest. The image now showed the bottom of the left rib cage. Hermione looked at the screen and pinpointed exactly where she wanted to insert the needle.
She looked sharply at Paxton. "I want to know of any changes to his breathing," she commanded.
"Yes ma'am," Paxton replied promptly.
Hermione breathed. She transferred her wand to her left hand and the needle to her right. She needed steady fingers and sure accuracy. She commanded Dayes to keep the image fixed and then she placed the tip of the needle against the patient's lower chest.
Slowly, Hermione broke the skin and inserted the needle. She stilled her right hand for a second while her left cast a charm that cleared the blood which poured from the wound. She looked at the image Dayes maintained. A small movement of her hand brought the tip of the needle within its scope. She saw the sharp point near the chest cavity where she wanted it punctured. With a purposeful jab, the needle broke through the membrane.
Hermione steadily held the needle in place as she raised her wand again to point it to the exposed end of the needle. "Eicio," Hermione whispered. She felt a soft breeze against her hand as the spell drew the air from the chest cavity, through the needle, and out of the body. She waited patiently, hands ever steady, as the patient breathed.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
She watched the image on the screen. The collapsed lung expanded with every breath the patient took. The left lung slowly grew to size and filled its space within the chest cavity.
Satisfied, Hermione slowly withdrew the needle. Like with the metal rod, at every millimetre of the needle's exit Hermione's magic was there to repair the wound. She worked carefully and meticulously until the point of the needle emerged from the patient's chest and the wound was sealed.
"Status?"
"Still stable, Healer Granger."
Hermione expelled a breath. She dropped the needle back into the tray and finally relaxed her aching shoulders. She looked at the two mediwizards with a small smile.
"Good work you two, we're almost done here," Hermione said. "Just prep him for recovery now. I want a small dose of pepper-up every three hours. I'll check in on him later during my rounds," she ordered softly.
"Yes, Healer Granger," Dayes replied. Carefully, the two mediwizards took either ends of the hospital bed and rolled the patient out through the door at the far end of the operating room.
Hermione squinted at the clock on the wall by the entrance. It was almost eleven which meant she had been in the operating room for more than two hours. No wonder she was so tired. But alas, she had to inform the patient's family that the surgery went well. She needed to check on the other patients too. She especially wanted to see how Bill was doing but she knew Fleur was taking good care of him. She also wanted to ask Lavender just what exactly happened that night which caused the influx of patients at the emergency ward.
Hermione looked to the glass wall and only saw darkness. She knew, though, that there were more than just a handful of people waiting behind the glass. When Hermione was treating the patient she glimpsed the scar on his forehead. At seeing the lightning bolt, she knew exactly who was under her wand.
It was Auror Commander Harry James Potter. He was famous, rather infamous, for defeating the Dark Lord when he was but seventeen. He was also a very formidable Auror who brought many dark wizards to justice and second only in command to Head Auror Windsor. Even though Auror Potter was practically part of the Weasley brood (and therefore very close to the Delacours), Hermione had never met him before. They were like two ships passing in the night. She was either too busy with her work at St. Mungo's to join a get-together when he was present, or he was too busy with the Auror Office to join when she was present. Gabrielle had certainly tried on more than one occasion to organize a lunch between the three of them (Hermione knew of Gabrielle's closeness with Auror Potter because of the Triwizard Tournament of yesteryear), but circumstances always got in the way of their meeting. Hermione certainly did not expect to see him brought into her hospital wing that evening.
But he was, and now it was her duty to alert his family and friends that the surgery went well and that he was on the road to recovery. "Family and friends" would most likely be the entire Weasley clan, the Delacour sisters, other Aurors, and other high ranking Ministry officials. She closed her eyes briefly and sighed. With another glance to the glass, Hermione walked out of the operating room.
Like she expected, the place beyond the glass was packed. She saw a lot of redheads, a couple of blondes huddled together, and a group of men in suits talking in hushed voices with some of the Aurors who were treated that night. Thankfully there were no reporters from the Daily Prophet since she hated dealing with them. As the click of her heeled boots reached their ears, they all quieted and waited for her to approach. She felt her face flush as a dozen pairs of eyes landed on her.
The blonde wizard who apparated with Harry Potter approached her. She knew who he was now since he said he was Harry Potter's partner. This man was Auror Draco Malfoy.
"How's Potter doing?" He asked her earnestly.
She saw many familiar faces in that group. Gabrielle and Fleur were stood next to Lavender. Mrs. Weasley was clutching Mr. Weasley's arm so hard she was sure it was restricting circulation. George, Angelina, and Ginny Weasley were there too surrounding the heads of their family. Slightly off to the side, Hermione saw Head Auror Windsor whom she had met briefly before; the Minister of Magic himself, Kingsley Shacklebolt; Ron Weasley; and some of the Aurors whom Hermione knew to be in Potter's team like Bill Weasley and Neville Longbottom.
The corners of her lips lifted and she smiled at the whole group who was looking at her expectantly. No matter how tired she got, Hermione loved delivering good news to a patient's loved ones. "He's doing good, really good. The surgery went smoothly and he has been taken to recovery. He is still unconscious but that's best as he recuperates. He also has a mild concussion. We'll need to keep Auror Potter here for at least a couple of days as we monitor his recovery, but I suspect he won't be here long since he's very strong. You can visit him in the morning."
The group collectively sighed.
Auror Windsor and Minister Shacklebolt approached Hermione together.
"Thank you, Healer Granger," Windsor said and shook her hand. He liked the younger woman when he was introduced to her at a Ministry of Magic fete. He thought her smart, capable, charming, and humble. He was good friends with the previous Chief Healer Doyle and the man had nothing but good things to say about his replacement. She was also a very fearsome opponent at chess. She very nearly beat him until they were drawn from the game when the Minister of Magic stood to make a speech.
"I'm only doing my job, Head Auror Windsor," she said softly.
"Nonsense! You were brilliant, Hermione," Minister Shacklebolt exclaimed. He, too, shook her hand. "Pierre is still after me to return you to France! Ha! Like that'll ever happen."
"Thank you," Hermione said earnestly and shook her head with a smile at the mention of the French Minister.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley approached her next and the woman enveloped her in a hug. "Oh Hermione!" She exclaimed. "I'm so glad you were able to help him."
Hermione was well-acquainted with Fleur's mother-in-law. Mrs. Weasley had taken it upon herself to be Hermione's mother figure in Britain since her mother remained in Paris.
Hermione only smiled at Mrs. Weasley and patted her hand. "You must be tired, Mrs. Weasley. I'm afraid you can't see Auror Potter now since visiting hours are over but you can come by tomorrow to visit him. Why don't you go home and get some rest?"
The rest of the group heard her and chatter broke out in the hall again. Head Auror Windsor and Minister Shacklebolt loudly proclaimed that they were going home and will visit tomorrow. The rest of the Aurors nodded their acquiescence and Ron went to convince his mum that going home was a good idea since Harry was fine. As Ron passed Hermione, he gave her a grateful smile. The two weren't well acquainted but Hermione ranked high in Ron's books now.
Hermione walked to the huddle of women and gave Gabrielle a hug in greeting. She turned to Lavender and Fleur. "You two should go home with your husbands tonight," she said.
Fleur and Lavender erupted in disagreement.
"Hermione, non! We can't very well leave now," Fleur said, aghast.
Hermione laid her hand on Fleur's shoulder. "We're stock to the brim with potions, Fleur, and the other healers and I can manage just fine. I ran into Robarts in the hallway and he said that all patients from this raid were stable except for two who are critical. You can come back in the morning," she insisted. She turned her attention to Lavender. "And you are pregnant. You're not even supposed to work nights anymore, Mediwitch Weasley."
Lavender rolled her eyes. "I'm pregnant, not an invalid. Besides, this is an exception. I'm supposed to be here for any emergencies!"
"Well the emergency is over," Hermione said. She put on her most authoritative voice and looked at the two ladies as Gabrielle watched in amusement. As Chief Healer, Hermione had command over healers and medics. "I say that you two go home, get some rest, and report back here at 9am sharp tomorrow, alright?"
"Oui, Madame Granger," Fleur replied sarcastically.
Hermione's face broke into a grin. She hugged the women goodbye and kissed each of their cheeks. With one last look at the group, Hermione turned on her heels, walked out of the operating ward, and back into emergency.
It was finally the witching hour at St. Mungo's. Hermione breathed a little sigh of relief as she walked through the quiet hallways of the hospital. After Auror Potter's surgery, Hermione helped Luna attend to four more unrelated emergencies, one of them quite serious. A man came into contact with very toxic streeler slime and needed extensive charm work on both of his arms to cure the burns. Where he came into contact with the streeler was a mystery, since last Hermione checked those creatures were illegal in Britain because of their slime. But alas, both she and Luna attended to the man and managed to heal his arms. Hermione was absolutely knackered. Thankfully it was already past 3am and was her favourite time of the whole day. It was the least busy at the emergency ward for even the most reckless witches and wizards need a break from their revelries at this hour. Most of her patients would be sleeping as well which made rounds go a lot faster. Maybe she could even spare a twenty minute nap.
Hermione closed the door on Auror Rochester's room silently. The man's tree stump leg was no more and in its place was his actual leg with all five toes intact. Fleur had made good work on the spell to revert it back. It was slightly discoloured for the lack of circulation in the area whilst it was wooden but at least the Auror would regain all motor functions of his foot after some light therapy.
She walked towards the largest room on the floor to check on her last patient's progress. Hermione gently twisted the door open to the private hospital room and entered Auror Potter's chambers. The room was quiet and dark save for a small light attached at the foot of the bed.
She spied the figure resting in between the sheets and slowly walked towards him. She grabbed the chart which rested in a little slot at the far end of the bed and read. The medics noted that a pepper up potion was administered to the patient just thirty minutes ago via syringe since the patient was still unconscious. Good, Hermione thought. It was just what she asked for. She looked over the notes made on the Auror's vitals and saw that they all looked promising. The medics have also performed many magical scans on the patient and their results were good: the deep wound from the metal rod was healing nicely, the repaired ribs showed no signs of abnormalities, and both of his lungs looked healthy. Auror Potter would be out of St. Mungo's in no time, she mused, as she performed her own spells over the man to add to the chart.
As her wand was in the air, Hermione noticed a slight movement on the Auror's face. She finished her scanning spell softly as she watched the man blink his eyes open. Even through the dim lighting of the hospital room, Hermione saw green. Auror Potter had the greenest eyes she had ever seen. She was reminded of one of her favourite Muggle fiction books. His eyes were like the green light calling and beckoning across the dock in the night signalling Gatsby's hopes and dreams. They were cloudy with confusion, though, and with sleep as they rounded the room. When those green eyes finally settled on her, Hermione felt herself grow warm. She told herself that her face felt flush because Auror Potter was a very handsome man. Not in the classic sense like Samuel was but more rugged. His dark hair was wild even though it was cut short. He had a strong, chiselled jaw with a five o'clock shadow. Hermione had also noticed how nicely built he was when she was working on him. He was muscular and fit hence why the operation went so smoothly and he's on the road to recovery! And, oh Circe, those green eyes were certainly very nice to look at. They were framed by thick eyebrows which furrowed in confusion. Now that he was conscious, she felt caught, trapped, that he had seen her in his room so late at night. Which was silly, of course, since he was her healer.
She watched silently as he blinked slowly. She watched him purse his lips and take a shallow breath before he opened his mouth to speak. "Who… who are you?" He asked in a whisper, his voice groggy.
She didn't move from her place and only gave him a smile. "I'm your healer, Auror Potter. My name is Hermione."
His eyes blinked again before they seeked hers. And when his emeralds met her amber orbs, the corner of his lips rose. They just looked at each other for a while, both parties silent with small smiles on their faces. Then his eyelids began to close, slowly, gently, until the green was but a sliver peeking through long eyelashes. She watched him fade back into sleep but not before letting out a whisper.
"Hermione…"