Draco was hunched over a report, writing in his slow, careful handwriting. "You're late, Granger."
"It's five past, are you going to tell on me?"
He looked up and grinned, "maybe. You get home okay? I didn't see you leave."
"Muggles call that an Irish exit. You don't say goodbye, you just slip out."
"That sounds rude."
She shrugged, "maybe, but it's efficient. Is that the Jones and Emerson case?"
"Yeah, you were right about the taboo word. It triggered an old, dark curse. I went down to the apothecary this morning and tried a different draught that should reverse the deeper magic. I'll have their mediwizard administer it at breakfast."
"Good work, Draco. What about the salamander?"
"Gary," he corrected.
"Gary," she sighed, "What about Gary?"
"I don't understand why I can't keep him. He's harmless."
"He's not harmless! He has a very dark past, he could be dangerous. "
"You could say the same about my past. Unless you're saying I'm dangerous." He raised an eyebrow that implied he didn't mean she was afraid he'd hex her.
She put her hands on her hips, "you, dangerous? Absolutely."
He smirked at her, "worked for you last night. You have a good time with Weasley?"
"So you did see me leave last night."
Draco laughed and broke away from her gaze, "Yeah, I saw you Scottish exit."
"Irish exit."
"Right. Hope you had fun, you can write up the report for Jones and Emerson this afternoon."
She grabbed the chart from him in a huff.
"I have to head out, can you check on the allergic reaction Jones mentioned before you leave"
Draco barely glanced up from feeding Gary, "yeah I'll-" then his head snapped up, "what're you wearing?"
"Uh a dress? I have the engagement party, remember?"
"I...right." He blinked several times. His eyes scanned over the simple, silky black dress.
"You have seen a woman in a dress before, right Malfoy?"
"I don't see you in them often. Not a dress like that. It's... you're...you look gr-AH FUCK!" Draco pulled his hand out of Gary's enclosure and started jumping around in pain.
"Did he bite you? Oh Draco, I told you-"
"Not now, Hermione!" He held her at arm's length as she started towards him. "Careful! You'll get blood on that beautiful dress and trust me, blood does not come out of silk."
"Please, this dress is polyester. Let me see," she grabbed for his swelling fingers.
It wasn't clear if the flash of pain on his face was from the bite or the revelation of the thread composition. "Why? Ow, you're making it worse!"
"Just let me see!" She forced his hand away from his chest, summoning gauze to apply pressure to the open wound. "Okay sit down."
He protested that she would be late but did as she asked, slumping into his chair as she stood next to him. A simple charm stopped any bleeding, but Hermione had a penchant for the good old-fashioned, muggle way of doing things. No spell disinfected quite like a pad of rubbing alcohol. Draco grit his teeth as she cleaned off the bite mark, clearly trying to appear tougher than a small muggle child who had scraped their knee.
"I'm going to run a quick diagnostic to see if we need to get you an antidote."
"Go, any one of the hacks around here can handle it."
She ignored him, using her wand to draw a few drops of blood and spin them across a charmed piece of parchment. Leaning close to it, Hermione looked for signs of the various salamander venoms. Her eyebrows knit together.
"What in Merlin's name…"
"Hermione," he said quietly, but she didn't pay him any attention, murmuring to herself about the odd bloodwork.
"Did they cross breed him with a snake? It doesn't make any sense."
"Hermione!" This time he was more forceful and she looked down at him. There was a sad sort of smile on his face. "It's not from Gary."
"No, look, there's venom but it showing up like-"
She tried to show him the parchment but he didn't look away from her. "Like a snake. It's not from this bite." He chuckled a bit at the confused look on her face. "You don't understand, it's okay, you can say it."
Draco sighed and rolled up the left sleeve of his button-down shirt. He wore long sleeves, even in the hot summers. Underneath, it was clear why: the scar of his Dark Mark glistened like it was never fully healed. Unlike the ink-black that she had seen far too many times during the height of Voldemort's power, it was different. It was red and purple, like a bruise and a burn all in one. In fact, it looked just like her own scar, the word Mudblood etched into her right forearm.
She gulped a bit seeing it, and at the slightest movement from her, he quickly covered it back up.
"It's a Turncoat's Curse. Designed to be triggered by betrayal and cause the traitor," he gestured dramatically to himself, "a constant reminder of his failure. It's been leaking a small, diluted amount of venom into my bloodstream for seven years. That's what you're seeing."
"Constant? Is it meant to...kill you?"
"Eventually. Slowly and painfully, a quick death is too dignified for a traitor. We don't know how long it'll take. The Dark- I mean Voldemort- he developed it after he returned and found a dozen of his followers had flipped. Actually, Bellatrix developed it, bloody crazy bitch. So if I know her, I've got a good thirty years of this to go."
"Thirty years to live? How are you alright with this?"
"I'm not. But thirty years of pain and an early grave, it's better than...well it's better than never turning at all. Better than having any more blood on my hands."
She sunk down in her own chair, her heart beating fast. "How much does it hurt?"
Draco shrugged, "some days are worse than others. That first week...thought I was going to die. I've gotten used to it." He looked over at the mortified look on her face and laughed. "Come now, Granger, it's not that bad. Can you honestly tell me you don't think I deserve it?"
"Of course you don't. It's...barbaric. It's inhumane!"
"Yes, because if there's one thing the Death Eaters are known for, it's their humanity," he said with a dry smile.
Hermione shook her head and began bandaging up the bitten fingers. "Surely there must be a way to reverse it."
He sighed "I've looked. Maybe someone smarter than me will figure it out someday."
When Hermione arrived at the swanky London lounge, the Potter-Weasley section was easily identifiable from the blaze of red hair.
"You're five minutes late, we were about to send a search party!" Ginny beamed as she ran up to hug Hermione, her glittery gold dress reflecting light in all directions.
"Sorry, work emergency, someone got bitten."
"By a patient?" Harry came in for the next hug, squeezing her tightly, which meant he had already had a few drinks.
"A salamander. Long story."
Ron appeared, "Malfoy's pet? That stupid git. Good to see you, Hermione. I'll grab a round."
Harry went with him to the bar to make sure Ron didn't accidentally order the $300 bottle of wine again. When the boys were out of earshot, Hermione tried to ask Ginny about the engagement, but she wasn't having it.
"Want to tell me why my brother was leaving our apartment when I got home this morning?"
"Uh because I never could get him up on time?"
"Hermione!" Ginny groaned. "I hate that you're shagging my brother."
"And your brother hates that I'm living with his sister. Plus that makes it sound like an ongoing thing, it's not. It was just last night…"
Something changed in Ginny's demeanor, though she quickly hid it. "So you're not, I mean he didn't ask you?"
"To get back together? He did." Hermione shrugged, "can't we talk about something else, this is a party after all."
"C'mon, I see drinks coming our way. Hey Hermione?" she paused a moment as Hermione looked over at her, "please don't break his heart."
Since it was an engagement party, and Ginny was the bride, she let it go. She even ignored Ron's comments about Malfoy injuring himself. She mingled, sipped her wine, smiled. Pretended she didn't find herself feeling very alone in a group of people she'd known most of her life. It was fine. No, it was fun, really. Though when the hostess came by with an emergency owl for her, she almost felt relieved.
"So sorry Harry, Gin," she said as she hugged them goodbye. "Emergency with one of my patients."
"Go, the world needs saving," Harry teased gently, "only one person for the job."
Ron looked more sullen, "what, did Malfoy get his arm ripped off by a dragon? Now that would be some poetic justice."
"Don't be petty, Ronald. And I can't discuss my patients, you know that."
"You told us about the salamander. Now it's a big secret? You're off to see him, aren't you? Don't hide it. "
"Draco isn't a patient of mine and I'm not going off to see him."
"I just don't get it, if you're just coworkers then why do you need to lie about it?"
"Ronald. Look outside. What do you see?"
He gave her a suspicious look but did as she asked. The big windows gave a clear view of the night sky. Not a single cloud obscured the full moon.
"Oh."
"Goodnight, Ronald. I'll see you next time."