In Dream

Draco hovered near the door to the potion's lab. It had been a few weeks since she had first shown up and, in that time, he had finished the last of the books she had left him. He found it ironic that had she given those books to him during Hogwarts he would have laughed at them and proclaimed them pure fiction. His father had often scoffed at the idea of a muggle studies course at Hogwarts, "why must we learn about things that are obviously less advanced than us." He'd often say whenever he saw a book for the class.

The idea that in the last hundred years that a society that held no magic could advance so much that they equaled if not surpassed his own startled him. He'd even sent Kiki out to double-check but she came back with proof of everything those books had said. And her coming back with said proof had put his world upside down once again.

"I know you're standing there," Hermione said keeping her head down in her work. He shuffled into the room staying as far away as possible from her fragile equipment.

"How's it going?" He asked quietly as she blinked up at him.

"Well enough, there are subtle changes in your DNA but not enough to classify it as a retrovirus," she sighed in annoyance, the test was wholly inconclusive it behaved like neither of her original hypothesis. If anything, the transformation seemed to be only skin deep just like Polyjuice worked, but that was where the similarities ended. The slight change in his DNA could have even been from when he took the dark mark so for all she knew she was back at square one again.

"Is it even possible for wizards to get them, that book said that wizards couldn't catch those like muggles?" He asked quietly.

"Lycanthrope is a retrovirus," she informed, rubbing her hands over her face. "It spreads and acts so much like AIDS and HIV that I've been using those treatments as a template for how to cure and treat Werewolves," she said a Kiki popped into the room with tea. Hermione thanked the elf and turned to look at Draco. "I take it you found the books," she smirked into her tea as he turned away in annoyance. "I am sorry Draco I didn't realize that the curse had kept you from the classes," she apologized as he turned back to her.

"It's not like you knew," he offered.

"No, but I should know better than to just assume. It was always a point of contention between Ron and me," Hermione sighed stirring her tea before setting it aside placing a stasis charm on it so it would remain warm.

"Well you know my opinion on the Weasleys," Draco scoffed, scratching at a spot on the wall where the paint spell was chipping,

"Honestly I think you'd like Bill and Charlie, Bill's a curse breaker with Gringotts and Charlie's now head trainer at the dragon reserve in Romania, he looking into opening up a new one on a deserted island off the coast of Scotland," she smiled as Draco looked mildly impressed.

"Well color me surprised, I know Percy is making headway in the ministry and wizgamont after he had taken over the family seat from Arthur, and George is still running that shop in Diagon Ally," Hermione nodded her head smiling.

"He just expanded now to Hogsmead," she giggled, Harry's initial investment may have started the store but Hermione had taken a third of the money she'd been award with the Order of Merlin and invested it as well. It had taken George a few years to feel comfortable in expanding the business but now everything was moving upwards again from him.

"So, whatever happened to you and Ron," Draco asked interrupting her thoughts.

"How do you know about any of this?" she waved him off reaching for her notes and nearly chucking them against the wall in frustration.

"I still receive the Daily Profit, it's my only link to the outside world," Draco spoke quietly almost returning to the spot on the wall he'd been scratching at.

"Ron and I don't work, we tried... A couple of times but..." she stammered trying to figure out how much to tell him.

"But what?" he asked.

"You wouldn't understand," Hermione sighed as she turned back to her notebook.

"Try me," Draco dared as he pulled the girl away from her work again.

"After the war... After everything that happened here, I wasn't right. I was constantly in pain and having nightmares... So, I went to St. Mungo's... But all they could do for me was offer a calming daft, and I'm sure you know how addicting dreamless sleep can be. After six months of nightmares so horrendous, I'd exhausted myself just to be able to sleep and pain so unbearable that it felt like I was still at the mercy of that bitch, I'd had enough.

"I remembered that my parents had happened upon a doctor in Australia, whose daughter is a witch. So, I took a year of leave to spend time with my family and get myself right. After one week I was diagnosed with PTSD and Fibromyalgia... You know the wizarding world boasts how much more advanced it is than the muggle world, but in one year I could come back and be better. I'll never be cured. I still see the therapist, but now I only chat with them once a month. I'll always have flashes of pain but they aren't as depilatory as they were. I'm better. So, I dragged Harry into a therapist's office, he needed one after living with his Aunt and Uncle but add in the fact he had a Horcrux in his head and he was way screwed up," Hermione said as she focused on Draco.

"What about Weasley," he asked almost accusingly he almost found it amusing at how much she had just told him to avoid answering that question.

"He hated the fact that I trusted the muggle doctors over the healers at St Mungo's... And even after Molly admitted that I was in a much better place afterward and she started seeing one... Even Ginny and George as well…He never forgave me for that," her voice was quiet, the fallout between her and Ron had been everywhere. But thankfully no reporter had figured out the real reason for the golden trio's split. She was still best friends with Harry, and he tolerated his brother in law but nothing would even make things the way they had been at Hogwarts.

Thankfully the rest of the Weasleys were of the opinion that Ron was being unreasonable, the first Christmas after their last break up. Charlie busted through her flew, put her over his shoulder, and brought her to the burrow to celebrate. "Mia your family, Ron's an idiot," he'd chuckled when they finally arrived.

"What's a therapist?" Draco asked his brow furrowing in confusion.

"A muggle healer that deals with the mind. I forgot that they only talked about physicians in the books about Muggle medicine. My department has been able to allow a few here in Brittan to be permitted to know of the wizarding world to help those who need it. Honestly, it might do you some good to talk to one yourself," she offered.

"Yeah, a beast-like me needs someone to heal my mind," Draco grunted under his breath.

"You were sixteen years old when your father forced you to bow before a madman and be branded a slave! And let's not start on the most likely unsuitable childhood you had," she growled in response.

"I had a great childhood!" he growled in anger.

"You were a spoiled, selfish, brat that could not make friends! You had lackeys that followed you around, but no one who was there for you for nothing other than your friendship, and you saw that as okay. Your father was a twisted depraved man, and sure he may have been the product of his own upbringing. But that doesn't change the fact that no one who would willingly give a Horcrux to a child and then, turn around and in broad daylight attempt to attack another would raise their own son in a loving and nurturing environment!" she bellowed.

"My mother was good," he said so quietly that Hermione had almost missed it but she frowned as she continued,

"No offense but I've heard enough from Andromeda to know that your mother was raised to believe that she was only worth what her uterus could produce. And while I'm sure she did her best that doesn't mean she's a good mother,"

"So, I'm just an all-around screw up is that what you're telling me Granger?" he hissed in anger.

"No," she said so quickly the Draco was sure she hadn't heard her answer to his question.

"Then what?!" He roared.

"That in spite of your childhood, you have the potential to become the honorable man I know you can be," she answered honestly.

It had been some time since she thought about that day in court, it had caused the first of many of the break-ups for her and Ron. She had gone over everything she knew about Draco's life and despite all the hell he had put her through growing up she knew he didn't deserve to be placed in Azkaban for life because of it.

"Since when am I honorable?" Draco asked honestly.

"Since you couldn't kill Dumbledore. Since you didn't turn us in when we were dragged here by snatchers. Since you have admitted to your crimes and have taken the assigned punishments with grace,"

"I never stopped my aunt when she had you under her wand," he hung his head in shame as the day flitted through his mind, he still woke to her screams ringing in his ears.

"Had you done so she would have done the same or worse to you," Hermione reassured, even at her worst she never blamed Draco for what had happened here.

The silence that filled the room, wasn't awkward but defiantly uncomfortable. Draco huffed as he ran a claw through his fur as he broke the quiet.

"Grace... I have done nothing with grace in some time,"

"I know that despite everything you personally paid for the wards around Hogwarts to be redone as well as half of Diagon Alley." She said quickly.

"How did you know it was me!" he growled in anger; he'd been assured by the dverger that his paying for the wards would be kept secret. The Profit had even raved about the generous benefactor that had paid for Hogwarts to have the best ward matrix it has ever had.

"I didn't... You just told me," She smirked as he nearly jumped back in annoyance.

"Yes, well my life has been rather humbling since sixth year, and especially so over the last four," he huffed in annoyance.

"You don't deserve this Draco," She spoke quietly looking back down at her paperwork in front of her.

"I was cursed with a Karma spell, I think you'll find I do," he sighed leaving the room quickly barely hearing the next thing the witch said.

"No, I'll never believe that,"

Ginny Potter chuckled as she read over Hemione's letter again. The girl had practically disappeared into her work, which if Ginny thought about it wasn't that odd for her. But the fact that she was working so closely with Malfoy and not cursing him silly was something to behold. It had been almost four months since Hermione had first taken on Malfoy's case, and even though she had made little to no progress on his curse she wasn't obsessing over it like she normally did whenever answers alluded her.

"There's something sweet and almost kind the way he treats the elves that are still here. Yesterday I heard him argue with Kiki about dinner and whether or not he should ask me to stay. I swear that Kiki is almost as bad as your mother. She put her hands on her hips and told him that I was a nice sweet girl and those kinds don't come around often.

I nearly gave myself away when she told him that he should clean himself off since a Lady deserves to have a date without flees. Godric, I nearly died holding in the laugher,"

Ginny chuckled but not at the story, it was plain to see that Hermione was falling for the Prince of Slytherin. But if anyone was to tell her that… well maybe she could get George to point it out for her, she needed to get him back for the pranks he had given James and Sirius.

A loud bang reverberated throughout the house as followed by two loud cheers and a crying baby filled the air… oh yes George was going to get it.