The pressure was undoubtedly real, Susan thought to herself. Hermione and Draco were laid on adjacent beds in a small room they had commandeered for the ritual while Harry Potter was perched on an uncomfortable hospital chair in the far corner of the room injured and actively bleeding but unwilling to leave his friends while they received treatment. Susan had never done a Magical transfusion before; they were rare and for a good reason; there were many things that could go wrong with the process. If one was to take too much magic then the donor dies, take too little and the recipient dies, not to mention the possibility of accidentally binding the two parties' magical cores together, something that was difficult if not impossible to rectify without accidentally killing one or both of those undergoing the ritual.
"You've got this Susie," she whispered to herself, trying to boost her confidence. She could do this; nothing would go wrong; Hermione and Draco would be okay.
"Susan, I believe in you," Hermione told her, she smiled at her friend who was laid on one of two beds in the centre of the chalk pentagram she had drawn; at least one person believed in her because as much as she tried to raise her confidence part of her felt like she was going to fuck up the ritual.
"You can do it," Harry told her, a kind smile on his face, Susan wished she had liquid luck in this moment.
Taking a soothing breath to centre herself, Susan stepped between the two beds, a ritual knife in hand.
"I carve the rune of transference into the hand of the donor party; do you Hermione Jean Granger consent to share your magic with Draco Lucius Malfoy," Susan spoke as she carved a complex rune into the palm of her friends' hands, Hermione winced but didn't pull away.
"I do," Hermione spoke firmly as magic began to seep out of the wound on her hand, illuminating the room in a blinding white light.
"I carve the rune of transference into the hand of the receiver; Draco Lucius Malfoy, may his body accept the magic that is been gifted to him," she said, calving the same rune into the blonde's hand, she lifted Draco's hand into the air, holding it close to Hermione who reached out lacing her hand through Draco's, their blood mingling as her magic began to seep into the receptacle that was the wizard. Susan watched amazed as Draco's veins illuminated in the same blinding white, the magic expanding through his body from the cuts on his palm throughout his entire cardiovascular system and limbs. It was a breath-taking display. Susan raised her wand casting a spell in Latin linking the two of them together then she cast another allowing her to see a holographic version of their magical cores; Susan watched as Hermione's core began to empty rapidly, as Draco sucked the magic out of her friend, meanwhile Draco's core was stabilising as his filled up.
"I don't feel so good," Hermione murmured, her face a pale sickly green, she was clammy and shaking.
"Just a moment longer," Susan whispered, her eyes on the hologram, she had to separate them at the right moment when they each had exactly half of the magic, otherwise the ritual would fail.
"Susan," Harry spoke his voice worried.
"Almost there" she said raising her wand as the cores began levelling out, three – two – one, Susan cast the separation spell, pulling their conjoined hands apart, she healed the carved runes with a wave of her wand and began checking their vitals. Hermione lent over the side of her bed retching loudly, the contents of her stomach spilling from her in waves.
"God, I feel ghastly, like ants are crawling within me," the brunette witch groaned, slumping back against her pillows miserably.
"You'll probably feel shit for a couple of days until your core refills," Susan said as she vanished the vomit and cast a spell to ensure she hadn't accidentally linked them together, thankfully she hadn't.
"That's a relief," Hermione laughed as she saw the results of her last spell.
"There are worst people to be linked too," Susan told her, turning towards the dark haired Auror.
"There are but when I bind myself to someone forever, you better believe it will be for love," Hermione told her as she closed her eyes. It would be a while before she and Draco would be well enough to leave the hospital but at least neither of them would be dying that day Susan thought as she knelt in front of Harry.
"Let's get that leg sorted out," she said, pulling the wad of bloody fabric away from him so she could get a good look at the wound, she grimaced as she took in the jagged cut that ran down his leg from an inch above his knee to about two inches below it.
"Splinched myself as I tried to get Draco here," Harry told her as she summoned a phial of Dittany and began saturating the wound with it, watching as the skin regrew around it, stitching itself back together as good as new.
"Drink this," she told him, handing him a blood replenishing potion from a nearby cupboard.
"God, I've always hated them," he grimaced as he swallowed the potion down in two gulps.
"Better than dying of blood loss," she quibbled.
"Will they be alright," he asked quietly, his emerald eyes fixed on his now sleeping friends.
"They will, give them forty-eight hours and they should be ready to be released," she nodded with a kind smile.