It was an ordinary afternoon at Moony, Padfoot, and Prong's Clinic for Afflicted Witches and Wizards, owls coming in with referrals for patients, many tears being shed, unfortunate news being delivered, Pansy Parkinson working diligently at the front managing the chaos that was being a receptionist, and Dr. Hermione Granger trying her best to do her job.
Her current patient she was seeing was a boy who was scratched by a lycanthrope at the park. His mother immediately rushed him to St. Mungo's, who referred him to Hermione, one of Europe's only non-human magical healers. After an hour of attempting to calm the unconsolable mother while examining the boy's wound, Hermione was confident the affliction would not pass on.
"Ma'am, please, understand whoever did this was not transformed, and the next full moon isn't for another couple weeks; therefore, at most, your boy will want his meat on the rarer side and maybe slightly pointed ears, but he won't have any transformations or be able to transmit the illness himself," Hermione said as she applied silver and essence of dittany to the injury. It started at the boy's shoulder and made it's way halfway down his scapula. It wasn't even that deep, Hermione had read the report, and it seemed like it was going to be a deep gash from how they described it, but she wouldn't even consider it a scratch; it was more like a scrape, like whoever clawed him didn't mean to. A quick healing charm and the wound was closed. Unfortunately, injuries inflicted by lycanthropes never disappear entirely, not even small ones like this. The newly locked skin shimmered slightly under the fluorescent lights of the clinic.
"What were they thinking? Letting werewolves into public spaces with children? What if my son turns out to be like, like, one of those things!" The mother cried. Hermione offered her tissues, but she refused them, excusing herself to the bathroom, leaving only Hermione and the boy in the exam room.
The boy was crying as well but was attempting to hide it. After a glance at his chart, Hermione took this opportunity to talk to the boy, whom she discovered was named Humphrey Matthews.
"Are you okay? Do you feel any changes? Any pain?" Hermione asked soothingly. More tears welled in the boy's eyes, and his lower lip started to quiver. Hermione's heart wept at the sight. "Whatever you tell me won't leave this room. I won't even tell your mum," Hermione crossed her heart and held her right hand up; she gave the boy a small smile and questioning eyes. The boy was quiet for a second before the dam broke.
"T-The boy is my fri-friend!" he wailed. Hermione paused her charting, turning her full attention to the boy. "He-he didn't me-mean to!" he cried, "it's n-not his f-fault!" He tried to stifle his sobbing, but the tears kept coming. "They're go-gonna take my f-friend away, a-aren't they?!" he asked. Hermione stared at the boy in shock before pulling him into a hug. He grasped onto her, his breaths catching and his eyes leaking. She patted his head, "of course not, your friend will be okay," she pulled away from Humphrey, "can you tell me what happened?" the boy sniffled a couple of times and then nodded slowly. She got him a cup of water and a box of tissues, which he gratefully accepted; gulping the water down and blowing his nose, he took a couple of deep breaths before beginning.
"We-we we're playing tag, an-and he was ch-chasing me, and whe-when he grabbed me, his nails h-had caught me. I h-had screamed 'cause it hurt, and next I knew, another parent was yanking him off of me-me and screaming for help," he was sobbing, the tears still coming. "Ple-please, miss! He d-didn't mean to!" Hermione frowned and pondered how to draft up the case for the Ministry, and her heart sank for the little werewolf boy, how terrified he must be, and how the adults treated such a minor accident.
The mother returned, and Hermione began the exam, casting a diagnostic charm that remained the neutral blue as it passed over the boy, only flickering slightly as it passed over the wound. Hermione charted her findings and began scribbling a prescription.
"As stated before, he is not infected. I'm prescribing wolfsbane; have him take it till the next full moon. It's merely a preemptive measure," she handed the mother the paper after the ink had dried. The mother glanced at the form and swallowed hard.
"Do-do have to cage him up this next full moon?" she asked in a hushed tone. Hermione felt her stomach hit the floor.
"Absolutely not," she had to keep her tone professional and calm, "please, nothing is wrong. If you're concerned, I will have another appointment scheduled before the night of the next full moon to assess him again," Hermione stated. The mother nodded slowly and glanced at Humphrey, whose gaze was planted on the floor, hiccuping every so often.
They eventually left, Hermione following them to the exit after their next appointment had been scheduled; she turned and pressed her back against the door, sighing loudly.
Pansy looked up from her desk and gave a sympathetic look.
"Wanna grab drinks after work?" she offered. Hermione shook her head.
"Can't. I have to stop by the Ministry to update the Department of Magical Creatures…" she frowned, "I've been postponing the new cases, and they keep sending owls every day," she nodded to the overflown mail basket, each with the same ministry wax seal. Pansy frowned at the pile before glancing at the clock. It was 4:50.
"Do you need help closing up or anything?" she asked as she finished scribbling on some parchment.
"No, thank you, I've got it. Go enjoy your weekend and take it easy," Hermione said as she pushed herself off the door and went to view next week's schedule, Pansy booked it as usual.
Her clinic was the only clinic in Europe that saw witches and wizards afflicted with "undesirable" qualities, veelas, vampires, werewolves, and everything in between, including inter-specie offspring. She and her clinic were targeted for multiple segregational groups and constant court cases for constantly updating laws about her field of work and the individuals afflicted. It was exhausting but fulfilling.
Pansy cleared her throat and looked at Hermione expectantly. Hermione returned with a suspicious look.
"What?" she asked cautiously. Pansy held up her hands defensively.
"Nothing, I just have a little bit of an inquiry," she gave her a mischievous look. Hermione blinked once. Twice.
"Well? "she asked. Pansy shuffled through the top drawer in her desk and pulled out a thick envelope, holding it up. Hermione quirked an eyebrow.
"I know you are swamped, but we have a potential new client," Pansy said, still holding the envelope, "a reputable family needing discreet care," Pansy said. Hermione sighed, shaking her head.
"Pans… you know we can't do discreet-"Pansy cut her off.
"I know, but they're willing to pay… a lot-"Hermione cut her off.
"Pans-"Pansy cut her off again.
"A lot, Hermione," Pansy said sharply.
"Pansy, it's not even a money thing. It's an ethics thing. Some of my patients have been waiting years to be seen. I won't allow some rich family to bypass everyone else because they can pay "a lot," Hermione declared. Pansy nodded sympathetically.
"I know, sweetie, I do… It's… I hate to pull this card, but it's a close friend. I need you. Please." she pleaded. Hermione began to chew her lower lip and held her hand for the envelope. Pansy gave her a small smile and handed her the bulky envelope. She popped the wax seal open and pulled out the bundle of papers, jaw-dropping at the sight.
"All the info is redacted. How am I supposed to do anything with this?" Hermione frowned as she began flipping through the packet, each page with black lines crossing most of the information.
"All of it… Except what you need to know," Pansy said dismissively. Hermione gave the witch a puzzled look. "The family requires the utmost discretion, meaning we cannot report anything, not even to the Ministry…." Pansy decided it would be an excellent time to add that piece of information. Hermione's jaw dropped again.
"Not report it to the Ministry? Pansy, you know we could lose our grant if I withhold anything from the Ministry." Hermione said desperately. Pansy glanced at her watch and began gathering her things.
"Hermione, this family will pay a lot. This is the only caveat," Pansy said as she slung her purse over her shoulder. She walked over and embraced Hermione in a hug before pulling away and resting her hands on her shoulders. "Think it over a bit, yeah? They don't need an answer right away…." Pansy said, heading for the door. Hermione planted her feet and gazed at a specific spot on the floor.
"I'll see you Sunday? Ginny will be disappointed if you don't show up again." Pansy said, turning back to Hermione. Hermione turned her gaze towards Pansy and smiled at her.
"Of course, wouldn't miss it for the world," Hermione joked. Pansy gave her another small smile before heading to the floo and calling out her place. The witch vanished in the engulfment of green flames.
Hermione sighed and glanced at the clock again. 5:26… She glanced out the clinic window, watching the sunset in the early November evening. She finished closing up before entering the floo herself, her hand full of the fine powder.
"Ministry of Magic," she stated, throwing the powder on the floor.
She brushed the residual ash off her scrubs and out of her hair as she exited the floo, making her way to the security gate.
"Dr. Granger! Always a pleasure to see you," the guard said, beaming at her.
"Pleasures all mine, Mr. Stacy," she replied to the tiny old man.
"Please, call me Charles," he insisted, leading her through the detection ward; it hummed and changed to a green hue as she quickly passed through.
"Yessir," she said, jokingly giving him a salute. He chuckled and wished her well. She started towards the elevators when a familiar voice got her attention.
"You always stop me. I have the proper authorization!" She heard papers being waved around and turned to see Draco Malfoy at the security point, the detection ward giving a red hue and beeping. Charles was merely shrugging at him like it wasn't his problem.
Malfoy looked desperate and continued to plead his case. Charles wasn't budging and looked disinterested as he examined his fingernails.
"Please, I just need-"Charles cut Malfoy off.
"If you have a complaint, I suggest taking it up with the Department of Security," Charles yawned.
"My father-"Malfoy began but was cut off by Charles's snort.
"What? Will you run to tell your dear daddy? Will he have my job for this?" Charles teased in a horrid mocking tone.
Hermione was a bit jarred; Charles was nothing but pleasant to her or anyone she'd ever known. He always made small talk and was always delightful. The immediate tonal change with Malfoy gave her slight whiplash. She watched as Malfoy began to turn away. She stood there, chewed the inside of her cheek, and watched Malfoy plead his case again. She missed Charles' response, and her heart pounded in her ears, drowning out any outside noise. It felt like she had to unglue her feet from the Ministry floor as she trudged back to the security gate.
"Mr. Stacy!" she called. She felt sick to her stomach, seeing how quickly his tone changed. Charles turned around and beamed at her. Malfoy turned and paled as he saw her striding over.
"Dr. Granger! Come to see me again so soon?" he said. She gave him a fake smile and turned toward Malfoy, staring her down as if she had just murdered his family, sweat building on his brow.
"'fraid not, Mr. Stacy, I've come to collect my colleague, Mr. Malfoy," she continued to plaster her fake smile, and she nodded in Malfoy's direction. "Director Injin is expecting us upstairs any minute now, and you know how she hates to be delayed," she said sweetly, her stomach turning. Charles paled slightly at this and began to stammer.
"Dr-Dr. Granger, he doesn't have cl-clearance. Unfortunately, I cannot let him through," Charles became more sure of himself, putting on an authoritative tone. She pondered for a second, glancing over at Malfoy. He looked like he wanted to disapparate on the spot. She glanced back at Charles.
"You know you can trust me, right? I promise I won't let him out of my sight, and I'll deliver him straight back down here when the meeting is done," she beamed, slowly closing the distance between her and the small security guard. Charles lost his authoritative edge and began stammering again.
"Dr. Granger-" he began.
"Pretty please, Charles," she said sweetly. Charles glanced between her and Malfoy, still a statue, looking appalled that she was helping him.
"Straight back to me when it's over," he stated. Hermione smiled and him and jokingly saluted again.
"Yessir," she said in a harsh faux voice. Charles returned the smile but frowned as he looked back to Malfoy.
"Alright, through with you," he said gruffly. He nodded and passed through the beeping ward. Malfoy ran a finger through the collar of his shirt, breathing in deeply and wiping the sweat off his brow.
Malfoy slowly sauntered over to Hermione, who felt slightly queasy as well, seeing her old-school nemesis approach her.
"Thank you, Charles, I owe you one!" she gave the security guard a wink and quickly turned on her heel back towards the elevators again.
Malfoy peered over his shoulder and followed her. She pressed the button and waited, side-glancing at Malfoy, leaning away from her, his gaze plastered on a picture across the way. She cleared her throat and eased onto one side, also leaning away from him.
"A thank you would be nice," she mused, still not looking at him, breaking the awkward silence. He snapped his head in her direction like he wasn't expecting her to speak to him. He was quiet for a moment like he was formulating a response.
"I didn't need your help. I could've handled it," he sneered. She scoffed.
"Of course, your Slytherin cunningness and family lineage were doing you loads of favors back there," she said, turning to look at him. He was going to reply, but the elevator doors opened.
"I have been given orders by our fearsome security guard after you, Malfoy," she plastered her fake smile again, nodding her head to the elevator. Malfoy eyed her suspiciously and slowly got into the elevator, hiding in the back corner, furthest away from her. He began reaching into his suit pocket for something and quickly popping it into his mouth, a wave of relief passing over his face. Hermione couldn't tell what it was, but it was a red candy.
She hadn't seen him since his trial after the war a few years prior. He looked terrible on the stand, pale and gaunt, but now he just looked awful, seeing him in close quarters. His blonde hair was stringy and almost white, and his skin was pale and stretched over his skeleton. He had dark circles around his eyes, and the hollows of his cheeks were visible. He looked… dead. He moved the candy in his mouth from one side to the other and looked up at her, the color of his eyes black, a stark contrast to his pale physique.
"That was all an act, and I hope you know. Please feel free to go where ever you need to," Hermione said as the elevator lurched backward.
Malfoy didn't move from his corner or say anything. His gaze shifted to the floor, the candy rolling loudly in his mouth.
This annoyed Hermione. She scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"Well, sorry for trying to be nice," Hermione sighed. Leave it to Malfoy to think she was the scum of the earth still.
The candy clacked loudly once more as Malfoy opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by the elevator slamming to a complete stop in the middle of its journey. Hermione fell backward into Malfoy's arms, and both fell to the floor. Malfoy scrabbled to push her away from him.
"Ow, Malfoy! That was my hand," she hissed as she clobbered away from him, nursing her stepped-on hand. He backed as far away as the lift would allow. Hermione gritted her teeth and paid no attention, looking for why the ride suddenly stopped. They hadn't reached their destination, nor had the power gone out; she watched the light flicker. It was a couple of seconds before, somewhere within the Ministry, alarms started to go off. Hermione groaned.
"Perfect, we're stuck…" she stated the obvious after fruitless attempts of pressing buttons on the control panel. Malfoy did not attempt to help her look for anything that could help their situation. Instead, he continued to push himself into the wall.
"Oh, sod off, Malfoy! Can you please act civil and try to help me? Then you won't have to be stuck with the muggle-born any longer!" She finally snapped. Malfoy was sweating, and he searched his suit pocket again. His face panicked as he began pulling out the liner of the empty pocket.
"This isn't the time for candy," she stated. Her luck was taking another turn for the worse. The single light in the lift went out.
"Are you bloody serious?" she asked incredulously. She heard Malfoy shuffle in the darkness as she grabbed her wand.
"Lumos," she muttered and then gasped as she now saw Malfoy about half a meter away from her. His eyes were dark, and his skin practically glowed in the light of her wand.
"Malfoy?" she asked quietly, a slight stammer in her voice. He didn't say anything. He just slowly crept over to her.
It was her turn to back herself into a corner, as far as she could get from him. He didn't seem to notice and kept closing the distance.
"Malfoy, what are you doing?" she demanded, trying to mask her fear as he came face to face with her, his head slowly dipping to her neck.
She clutched her wand in her hand, but her mind was blank. No hexes or charms were coming to her brain to diffuse the situation.
He took in a deep breath and shuddered. She shoved him slightly, so they were face to face again.
"Draco, you're scaring me," she whimpered.
This seemed to impact him, a golden rim of color appearing in his eyes. He was knocked out of his trance and looked just as, if not more, traumatized than her.
"Granger, I'm-I'm…" he was cut off by the lift doors suddenly opening, light blasting the room. She squinted and turned to the person standing at the entrance.
"Harry?" she asked.
Her round glasses-framed friend was staring back at her, an inconspicuous grin on his face.
"'ello, Hermione! Fancy seeing you here." he joked. She scoffed and headed over to him.
"What on earth happened?" she asked as he helped her out of the lift.
"The Dark Magic Department was working on disabling a curse on some old device they recovered; suffice to say, it didn't go well; it sent a shock wave out, shorting out all the equipment in the building…" he sighed, "all clear though, it's just gonna be a long night of paperwork and damage control," he looked into the lift and saw Malfoy, who was back in his corner, quivering.
"Malfoy," he said shortly, "didn't see you there," he looked Hermione up and down.
"You both okay? No injuries or anything?" he asked, mainly directed toward Hermione.
Hermione glanced at Malfoy, who looked ashamed and miserable, and shook her head.
"All good here," she smiled at Harry, who looked slightly relieved. She looped her arm through Harry's.
"Walk me to Director Injin's?" she asked cheerfully.
She felt Harry's arm tighten with hers.
"Absolutely," he smiled, casting Malfoy one more glance before shuffling off towards the stairs.