A/n: This update isn't nearly as late as that of some of my stories, mostly because I have a couple chapters already written. Hope you like it! Thanks to my beta's JDeppIsMyLovely and Tessa Cresswell!
The Paper
Hermione Granger was satisfied with her life. She had a great job at St. Mungo's, working on special cases, and often times, on people who had difficult cancers and diseases. She adored her position; loved getting to help save a life and cherished how happy she could make a person when she nurtured someone back to health.
She usually tried not to focus too much on the bad parts of her job. Today she was making rounds with another healer- Hannah Abbott- and was busily chatting with her Hogwarts classmate. They had rarely spoken, but Hannah seemed to be a nice enough person.
She had a satisfying job, her favorite cat, a comfy apartment she could call home, and great friends. Yes, life was going fairly well for Hermione.
"How are we today Mia?" Hannah asked, stepping into the room of a young woman with breast cancer. The cancer was not exceptionally hard to treat in the magical community, but it did require a lot of rest, preparation, and recovery. Mia Davis- an American wizard attending one of the colleges in London- was currently recovering.
"Good," she said brightly, smiling a smile that would've made Hermione's parents quite happy; she had nice straight, white teeth. "Healer Strauss came in earlier and brought me a special breakfast because it's my birthday today."
"Yes it is," Abbot said kindly, as Hermione twisted her head to see something lying on the table. "How old are you today, twenty-six?" She had the paper right in front of her and could easily figure it out, but really didn't want to do the math early in the morning. Abbot had a tendency to be lazy.
"Twenty-five," she said happily. Whatever was said next was lost to Hermione's ears as she pulled the newspaper away from the pile of items littering Mia's side table, a headline drawing her attention. The other two witches carried on their conversation, oblivious to the girl's curiosity.
Malfoy Heir Gone Forever?
Late last night, a team of highly skilled call-in Healer's were allegedly called to the Malfoy Manor, with Mrs. Malfoy screaming that something horrid happened to her son. The Healers arrived on scene- without an Auror for protection- and found that something truly horrible did happen to their son. No one has come forth with the explanation of what had occurred to the Malfoy heir, yet.
Scorpius Malfoy- son of Draco and Astoria Malfoy- is believed to have wandered into the woods behind the Manor, one of the Healer's told a reporter upon return. Something serious happened to the young boy, just four years old, leaving Medical Wizard's without a clue as to just what had transpired.
The young boy, known to Blaise and Pansy Zabini as lively when he chose to be, and too curious for his own good, had never really been violent or nasty in nature, unlike his father was at a young age. The gentle-hearted toddler was reported to have "slashed marks" through his father twice while the man attempted to help him. One doctor even reported an attack on the mother, Astoria, but we were unable to determine how reliable this is.
'A child who was so nice and calm is now a full-fledge vicious monster,' another source tells us. Skilled Healers with Auror protection will continue to visit the Manor until an answer can be found. The child was reported to be the safest to himself and others if he is confined in a home with few residents.
We have reason to believe the mother, Astoria, has jumped ship. She was seen around two this morning entering a pub with her sister and brother-in-law, Daphne and Marcus Flint, just an hour or so after Healers left with awful news. Draco Malfoy has not been seen outside of his home for any sort of meeting or social gathering since last night, and is even neglecting his duties to his business matters. It seems that those Malfoy's are a more twisted group then we first believed.
Healers will continue to visit the Manor 24/7 until some sort of conclusion can be reached. We plan to stay at St. Mungo's keeping the news flowing each time until something new surfaces. Until next time dear readers!
Hermione thought she might just throw up a little bit. The writer of this article had far too peachy of an attitude for the topic, and it made the entire article annoying to read. Still, that did not deflate the serious nature of this issue; the woods behind the Malfoy Manor were quite large and did branch out past the wards into other magical community outskirts as well as one or two muggle homes. The fact that something this serious happened to Malfoy's son was worrying, but with the things that had been 'sighted' in the place, Malfoy should've been a better parent and kept his son out of them to begin with. Now that should've been in the article!
The other thing really bothering her about the report was all the apparent Healer's that had been called in for this. She was one of the top medics at the hospital- and only at twenty-three mind you- so she should've been to that place as least once already! Screw her past with Malfoy, what had happened to his son sounded both horrible and intriguing and she wanted a front row seat in seeing just what it was, and how she could fix it. This called for a talk with her boss.
Setting the Daily Prophet back down, she noticed neither woman seemed to have taken interest in what she was doing. Pleased with that fact, she cleared her throat and caught Hannah's attention. "I need to go and discuss something with Frank. Can you handle the rounds alone this morning?
The blond rolled her eyes. "Of course I can; only one of us really needs to do this section anyways. Go on."
"Thanks," she replied, giving Mia a large grin before taking her leave. Frank Williams was the Director at the hospital and scheduled where each nurse, Healer and patient was. If anyone could get her in to see Draco Malfoy's son, it would be him.
It didn't take long to find Frank, considering he spent the majority of his time in his office, seven days a week. Hermione was let in barely a second after she knocked. Entering, she found the small man had a lot of papers on his desk from constantly working; his usually small, neat piles were strewn about and he looked exceptionally tired.
"Ah, Hermione," he said, giving her a worn smile. She was right, he sounded exhausted. "What can I do for you?"
She dropped the newspaper onto his desk, pushing back stray strands of her hair. "I was wondering about this case with the youngest Malfoy; it seems no one has made any headway."
Frank frowned. "Miss Granger, it has barely been a day since the case was filed. The simple fact of the matter is the boy went into some woods behind his ancestral home, and this is the result." Her boss waved his hand over the newspaper article. "Healers always over-exaggerate what's wrong when they are looking to be in a paper, just like reporters make the stories worse. Scorpius Malfoy will be fine in a matter of days, and then you can forget about this entire ordeal."
She still looked irritated. "If it is not fixed in a matter of days, then perhaps I could check it out myself?" Despite her irritated look, she still managed to look a bit sheepish about her question.
The man sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Hermione- Miss Granger- the Healer's are assigned by skill to house calls, but I don't think it would be the best idea to send you to Malfoy Manor. I am quite aware of the history you once shared with Draco Malfoy, and sending you will only cause more problems. Stay here working in your section, and another dangerous house call will come up and I will assign you then. I don't think the Malfoy Manor house call is appropriate though."
"I don't care that it's Draco Malfoy," she replied, trying to not look irritated still. This sounded like a major outbreak- or maybe a reaction- and she was very curious to see it firsthand. "His son is not him, and he is obviously in a bit of a mess," she continued, pointing to the article again. "I am an adult now Mr. Williams, and I can act like one, even with Draco Malfoy. I would really like you to consider me if anymore Healers refuse to visit the Manor."
He rubbed his forehead wearily. "If you insist, Miss Granger- but be warned. Any misbehavior and you will be yanked from this house call permanently."
"Of course," she replied, smiling as she tried to ignore the fact that he really was treating her like a child. This had never happened before, and she assumed it was only because of the articles after the war that highlighted key people from both sides- and where Draco Malfoy had been mentioned, the Golden Trio had been as well, and everyone was now well-informed of just how well they had gotten along in school. Be that as it may, that was school and it had been four years ago. A twenty-three year old woman was more mature than an eighteen year old girl, and Hermione had always been mature for her age. Her boss needed to stop worrying about her making a big, newsworthy scene and simply think about her skill levels.
"Very good," he said, nodding his head. "Best get back to work Miss Granger, you still have your regular duties to follow." She nodded, saying goodbye before turning and leaving, irritation still biting at her skin.
It was a month before she heard anything about her request. A week after she had spoken with Frank Williams, a Healer had been seriously injured and put into the emergency ward himself. That had put everyone on edge about what was going on at Malfoy Manor, but the workers at St. Mungo's had managed to keep it under wraps and no newspapers had posted anything about the events so far.
After that less and less Healers frequented the Manor. Hermione had no idea what condition Scorpius was in nor did she know if Malfoy was still holding up. No one that went into the Manor seemed to want to explain what was happening. But it was a four year old boy for Circe's sake! She knew little of what resided in the forest around the dark home, just that it was not written about really in any books. So she still could not fathom what had happened or why the results seemed so destructive for Healer's minds.
The brunette was just sitting down for lunch one afternoon when Frank called her into his office. Confused, she had gone on the short walk to see him, finding the man in a state of distress. The amount of paperwork had quadrupled since she had last been in the office.
"Good afternoon," she said as cheerily as possible, taking in the space. The stacks of paper were now taking over the seats employees usually sat in when they came to talk to Frank, so she stood politely next to them as the man flew through even more papers lying on his desk.
"You will begin reporting to Malfoy Manor for work starting Monday. You are a day Healer and will work side-by-side with Adam Lincoln. Follow what he tells you to do and do not get too close to the patient or his father unless you must."
She scrunched her face up. "Why can't I get near Malfoy," she asked, genuinely curious. It probably sounded bad that she wouldn't even call the blond by his first name, but she was concerned about his son not him and only had to be as polite as required.
Frank stopped looking through the papers for a moment, looking up to meet her eyes. "You'll see Miss Granger. Monday, don't be late."
For Hermione, it was a bit eerie to be able to openly floo into the place that had once tormented her. The Manor looked roughly the same as it had the last time she visited- dark and disturbing- and she found herself walking a bit closer to Adam than necessary as she walked down the hallway, unsure how to really maneuver through the place. It had been years since her last visit, and she had seen very little of the place when she had been there.
"So, what have you figured out," she asked Adam in the poorly lit corridors of the Manor. For it being day, it was depressingly dark. The curtains were drawn, shutting out the sun and the small candles lit did little to illuminate and bring any sort of joy to the place.
He glanced behind himself at her. "Nothing really," he said, continuing to walk. "We're still trying to figure things out. This is like nothing I have ever seen," he continued, giving her an odd look.
She frowned at his words and continued walking. Could they really be that stumped? It had been over a month and no one knew anything? Now she was a bit concerned. Just what had Malfoy let happen to his young child?
They soon reached a hallway that had more life to it than the other places. It still lacked light like everywhere else but a blond head sat at the end of the corridor, just outside a bedroom. She immediately recognized this as Draco Malfoy, and scrunched up her nose at the way he looked; an absolute mess. As they neared him she took note of the empty liquor bottle at his side and that his head rested lazily against the doorframe.
"Any changes Mr. Malfoy," Adam asked kindly, stopping outside said door. Malfoy didn't even bother glancing up to see just who had come along with the man.
"None," he snapped, but the usual venom that Hermione had grown accustomed to being in his voice was absent. He looked worn, tired, and depressed. For a moment, she could almost pity him, but then she remembered that he had let his son run into that forest and hardened her expression. He deserved to be sad.
Adam nodded, before motioning for Hermione to pull her wand out. She did, and followed him into the concealed room, watching Malfoy as she brushed past him. The prick didn't even bother glancing up at her.
The first thing she noted was that the room was quite messy; everything had been broken or tossed around. She half expected something to jump out of the shadows of the place, but nothing did. Instead her eyes zeroed in on the still form lying on a bed, looking like he had been bound to the mattress. She cringed, recognizing the form of a small boy. The Healers were out of their minds if they thought that was how one treated a child!
"Hello Scorpius," Adam said slowly, not approaching the bed. When she moved to brush past him, he held out an arm and stopped her, motioning with his head that it wasn't a good idea. She frowned at him, before lighting her wand to have a better look.
The form on the bed was twisting. She could just make out long, talon like nails that seemed to have something dried onto them; she recalled the article from a month ago in the prophet, explaining that Scorpius 'the monster' had sliced through his father's chest. Perhaps it was reminisces of that. She cringed, thinking that someone should've done something about that.
The figure growled, but gave no response. She was beginning to become apprehensive about just what was going on and what kind of reaction Scorpius' body had to whatever had happened. This seemed like more than a reaction to something, and she glanced at Adam, wondering why no one had done more.
When Adam didn't speak again, she got curious and studied him, only then realizing that he was quietly chanting some spells. She crinkled her nose, wondering what he could be doing, when he suddenly stopped and looked at her, catching her off guard.
"It's safe to draw closer for now, but if you see any sudden, strong movement get back; you don't want to end up in the medical ward like Jefferson."
Her confidence wavered a bit. Her curiosity was as strong as ever, but the idea of getting closer seemed a bit daunting. These were a lot of precautions for a four year old boy, even if he had talons…
Stepping much closer to the bed, she flicked her wand and to make the lights brighten. Adam cringed at this action and she couldn't quite place why. Nonetheless, she turned her attention back to the figure on the bed and sucked in a sharp breath. This was not what she had wanted to see.
The figure had long, sharp teeth that dug into his lips whenever he closed his mouth. The boy indeed had talons, as well as what looked like pointed ears. He was bound to the bed, the sheets pulled to his armpits in what she believed was to be a comforting manner. There were stitches on his shoulders, and overall she thought he looked to be in pain. One might question why she bothered examining this as the young child looked on at her with hate, but she wanted to examine every detail. So many people had already had a difficult time with this problem, and she would not allow her boss to believe she was unfit do deal with this; he had enough issues letting her come as it was.
The Gryffindor felt pity for the child before her. How on earth could the Healer's have bound him to the bed continuously? There were spells to keep him away from anyone he may harm with those talons, so was this necessary? From what she knew from the reports- the reports she hadn't believed until now- he was constantly bound, and that would make anyone mad.
"What happened to you," she breathed, looking down at the young child. In return she was only glared at.
"Don't get to close Hermione," Adam warned from behind her. "The boy is dangerous."
"Dangerous," she snapped, flipping her head around to look at him. "I would be dangerous too if I was bound to the bed all the time! Do you know how completely awful this is? How can any of you stand yourselves-"
"Hermione," Adam scowled, mimicking the blond outside in a way that was almost frightening, "stop. We do this for our own protection; if we all get hurt every time we come to this dreaded place then nothing will ever happen. He needs to be bound-"
"Constantly-"
"-until we know what we are dealing with," he snarled, glaring at her. "This isn't normal. We don't even understand what we are dealing with!"
She frowned, walking over to grab Adam by the arm before she hauled him off towards a corner, glaring at him the entire way. "You act as though that child isn't even here; you talk like he isn't in the room."
Her co-worker cast a wary glance back over at the child in bed. "I'm not sure he understands us. One day, I was in here with Laura, and he just kept staring at us with big eyes. I was going to pity him and maybe untie some of the binds, but the moment I got too close he started snarling. I'm not sure he understands us vocally, but our actions are still as clear as day to him; in fact, I don't believe he has understood us vocally for a while. I haven't bothered to take any conversations to the other room because I feel that if he did understand us he would talk back; question us."
The brunette frowned. "He's four. Has no one thought the child to be just lost or confused?"
Adam groaned, rubbing his temples. "Well of course we have considered that! The problem is he won't communicate, so we can't really do anything about it. We don't treat him poorly; we just don't know what he's feeling. Enough of us have gone home with multiple cuts and scars proving that we have attempted to run tests on his mind. Nothing's been working Hermione; we are no closer to discovering what happened to him than the day we started."
She sighed, glancing back at Malfoy's poor son. "And his father? Does Malfoy get through to him?"
The man scoffed. "Draco Malfoy is so drunk most of the time it's pathetic. He hasn't taken this well, nor the fact that his lovely wife walked out on him after this event." Adam looked uncomfortable, his eyes jumping around. "He doesn't talk much either, and we still don't really know what he saw. The Ministry sent Aurors who were supposed to search those woods in the back but he argued against it, saying there were too many things in there to go running inside. Nobody has been in there yet, and he still can't explain what he saw. Astoria Malfoy was asked as well, but she followed her husband and saw even less. We don't know what to go off of."
"What have you been researching," she asked, eyebrows knitting together. He had seen her like this so many times when cases came around; whenever something came into the hospital that could not be explained, Hermione was known to go off and research it before the Healer's assigned to that patient ever got the chance. She was certainly the researcher of St. Mungo's. "Anything about his type of talons, or his teeth? Merlin, he has pointed ears- you could've gone over a book or two about vampires and found some spinoff from the race-"
"Vampires," Adam asked, stopping her train of thought. "Vampires haven't existed in a long time Hermione, and the remaining few wouldn't take up residence in the back of a place like this. Werewolves perhaps, but never vampires." He reached out, placing a hand on her forehead. "Are you sure you are up for this Granger? You seem a bit… off. I've never heard you jump to such conclusions.
Jump to conclusions? What else do you know of that has nails like that? It's probably so distanced, primal breed that's just like a vampire. She pushed his hand away. "I'm fine, really."
He nodded, walking towards where Scorpius lay. "Very well; back to work then?"
"Actually," she said, and he paused to glance back at her, "I believe I will be going to speak with his father."
Adam's eyebrows drew together, remembering his boss's words about not letting her spend time with the blond man. "Hermione, I'm not sure-"
"He has to be feeling pretty bad about what happened to his son Adam, else he wouldn't be drinking so much. I'm going to talk to him, just to see if he is willing to let something slip in a moment of anger. He can't stand me after all."
The boy opened his mouth to speak, but Hermione, expecting this, bolted out of the room before he could protest. He cursed himself as he turned back to Scorpius Malfoy again, wondering who he should be more afraid of; the child, his father, or his boss, Frank.
