Thursday, 5 April 05:58 GMT
"Hey," a voice whispered loudly as Phillip felt a nudge at his shoulder.
Phillip saw the beacon of light grow larger in front of him as he heard a voice say, "Lumos maximus."
"Holy shit, Junior," Phil said as he bolted upright. "What the hell!"
"We figured it was time to get started on your rehab," the platinum blonde Mediwizard said. "Phil, you remember Heath, our youngest brother. He teaches Potions here at Hogwarts."
"Nice seeing you again," Phil shook the brown-haired wizard's hand as he got out of bed. "So, what are we doing?"
o-o-o
The Malfoy boys led the Muggle athlete down the three flights of stairs to the castle's ground floor. Phil was astonished at the everchanging staircases. He looked back as they reached the landing.
"Come on," Heath said as he led the other two out onto the grounds as darkness still covered the landscape.
"We're going to take a lap of the school grounds," Junior said as he nodded towards his brother. "Show you our old stomping grounds."
"Easy pace, alright," Heath said as the three started to sync their strides.
o-o-o
The brothers took Phillip to the edge of the Black Lake and ran in between the Greenhouses and the vegetable patch. Phillip couldn't help but take in all the sites even in the dimness before the dawn. Junior led them close to the edge of the Forbidden Forest before running a safe distance away from the Whomping Willow.
Heath slowed down as they approached the gamekeeper's hut. Phillip learned much about the grounds as the pair of brothers talked about all the important sites they had passed.
"How are you feeling, Phil?" Junior asked as they jogged in place near the front gates checking to make sure his patient wasn't overexerting himself.
"I'm good," Phil said a little out of breath as he started to regain his fitness.
"Hey, it's almost seven. Why don't we head over to the Quidditch pitch?" Heath said, "Slytherin's practicing."
"Good idea," Junior said.
"Quidditch? What's that?" Phillip asked as he caught up to the boys.
"It's sort of like football and water polo mixed with dodgeball," Junior said as the three came upon the Quidditch grounds.
Phillip looked up to see players riding broomsticks and whacking round balls into rings attached to tall poles. "Whoa," the Muggle athlete said as he watched the kids deftly fly.
The three watched the rest of the practice as they stretched out while taking their water break. The two wizards described the rules of the game to Phillip. When the practice finished, the three walked back to the castle as the red and orange hues of the sun reflected off the Black Lake as it rose above the horizon. Heath had to get ready for the Potions classes he had to teach and Junior had to prepare the next shift that included the Goyles, the father-son duo.
Phillip ran up to his hospital wing room to shower. He smiled as he saw a new set of sweats on the sink; a Slytherin black sweatshirt and sweatpants. He stepped into the shower and reflected on all the magical things he saw that morning.
o-o-o
Thursday, 5 April 08:00 GMT
Phillip had stayed in the shower for almost twenty minutes, way longer than he usually would. He put on the Slytherin Sweats.
He quickly downed his breakfast meal that seemed to magically show up while he was in the shower. He took in a deep breath, feeling good about the long run he had taken that morning with the Malfoy boys. He was ready to sit with Drew the rest of the day.
o-o-o
Thursday, 5 April 08:15 GMT
"Mrs. Malfoy," Phil stopped in his tracks as he entered Drew's hospital room. "I mean, Dr. Malfoy."
"Mrs. Malfoy is fine, Phillip," the Muggle doctor said nodding at her daughter's best friend.
"I just came… to check on Drew," Phil shrugged his shoulders, "I'll leave you two alone."
"Nonsense, Phillip," the brunette witch smiled. "Keep me company."
Phillip nodded at her as he took his usual seat. They both looked at Drew for a moment as they sat in silence.
"Junior and Heath took me on a jogging tour of the campus," Phillip said as he watched the rise and fall of Drew's chest.
The brunette witch smiled as Phillip turned to her, "They didn't run you into the ground, did they?"
"No," he laughed. "The fresh air felt good. We ran by the Black Lake, around the Greenhouses and up to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. It was kind of creepy, especially that early in the morning."
"It's called the Forbidden Forest for a reason," she nodded.
"We ran past that tree that attacks."
"The Whomping Willow. You three didn't get hurt, did you?"
"No, Junior seemed to know how close to get to it without getting ourselves killed.
"We ended up at the Quidditch grounds," Phillip said. "Heath's students were practicing. It's a pretty cool sport. Those kids are pretty agile on those brooms."
"Yes, Junior, Heath and Hans were very good players," the former Gryffindor said. "Their father was a good seeker as well."
"It's a beautiful campus, Mrs. Malfoy," Phillip said. "I'm sure you and Mr. Malfoy had witnessed many an amazing sunrise over the Black Lake during your time."
Mrs. Malfoy chuckled. "Mr. Malfoy and I never got along during our time here at Hogwarts," she smiled remembering her time in the hallowed halls. "We Muggles would probably say we were from opposite sides of the track.
"He was in Slytherin, just like Heath and I was in Gryffindor like Junior. My housemates included Drew's Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny, along with Ginny's brother, Ronald," she smiled inwardly remembering her dear friend.
"The four houses weren't as united as they are today. Suffice it to say, the rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor was a heated one," she said taking a breath. "Our generation was at the heart of the last Wizarding War which like those previous ones, was generally about the purity of blood. Witches and wizards like myself should not have been allowed to practice magic, according to some who believed the views of a madman named Voldemort.
"Upon graduation, wizards and witches chose sides to fight for," she said, looking down for a moment, "Mr. Potter and most of the Gryffindors joined forces with the side of the Light, the Order of the Phoenix. Mr. Malfoy and most of his Slytherin brethren joined the Death Eater movement."
"Did you fight alongside Mr. Potter?" Phillip asked.
She shook her head. She took in a deep breath. "I returned to the Muggle World for university."
"Just like that?" he asked.
"I was diagnosed with cancer a few months before graduation," she gulped. "The only people who knew about that was the Hogwarts Mediwitch who diagnosed me, my Muggle doctor and my parents. I made it my mission to try to find a cure for it.
"Seven long years later, I was a full fledge doctor, one year older than when Drew became one," the Muggle-born doctor said. "Concurrently, the Wizarding World was in disarray.
"The Death Eater side was winning the war. Our close friend, Ronald was killed," she said a little choked up. "A couple of years later the Death Eaters became brazen. They brought the fight into the Muggle World.
"My parents were killed in a kitchen accident, or so the Muggle Fire Investigator said. In my heart, I knew it was a Wizarding act. A few weeks later, Mr. Potter talked me into joining the war effort," she looked into the young man's face. "I took him up on his offer.
"The war ended ten years after it started," she nodded. "I found out later that Mr. Malfoy was working for our side during the last couple of years. He switched allegiances after the group of Death Eaters, led by Kellen Tanner, killed my parents in an ambush meant for me," she said as Phillip's eyes grew larger.
"Drew's father and I were cordial with each other at first. But after a while we became friends and slowly but surely, we fell in love. Four kids and five grandchildren later, we're still together," she nodded.
"I'm very sorry, Mrs. Malfoy," Phillip said softly. "Both sides of my family seemed to find ways to injure yours."
"You have nothing to apologize for, Phillip," she said as she placed her hand on his. He looked up at her. "Sometimes, things happen that we don't have control over. That's life."
"You and Mr. Malfoy are so forgiving, you know that," the young man said.
"Drew's cut from the same cloth, Phil," she reassured him. He nodded, his chest clenching a bit. They sat quietly, both saying a silent prayer for the patient's wellbeing.