Hermione broke her gaze from Draco's as Norrington called out over the din.
"Now that we've all agreed that changes need to be made, I'll send you on your way, you'll be escorted to your departments by my associates where you'll meet your teams and begin implementing your new procedures and care plans. To keep everyone on the same page, I would urge you to send interdepartmental memos to the other heads of departments, especially if those departments overlap, for example, Dr. Bennet in dermatology will be working closely with Dr. Ann Lee and Dr. Bradley Wang in our cosmetic and reconstructive surgery department. Every single one of you will be working with Dr. Leah Brahms and Dr. Elizabeth Steele, who are our respective chiefs of oncology and nuclear medicine."
Murmurs of agreement went up from the assembled, and Draco muttered something to Norrington that Hermione couldn't make out.
"And Dr. Malfoy has just reminded me that this is our primary operating room, so departments should proceed through here in alphabetical order to make the necessary changes and feel free to transfigure your tools and equipment. These changes will then be copied and implemented into the other operating rooms that will be coming soon."
"Eventually," Draco began, "we hope to have separate operating rooms for certain departments, that way we won't get a backup of patients needing to be scheduled for surgery, I will take it upon myself to transfigure at least two ORs in the ER for emergency surgery. Labor and Delivery can utilize these in the event of an emergency C-Section, at least until theirs are set up and running."
Draco looked around at the assembled before nodding.
Hermione could already recognize it as a look of determination, as if he were saying to himself "Yes. This will do."
Hermione pulled out her wand and sent a ribbon into the air that coiled itself into the word "Ortho", her way of summoning her team to her.
One of Norrington's associates hurried over to her.
"Dr. Granger, hi, my name is Wanda Wilson, I'm going to be your administrative assistant." She spoke.
"I hate to be short with you, but I already have one of them, you'll be of more use to me as a physical therapist or radiology technician… can you do either of those things?" Hermione asked as other doctors and professionals began to surround her.
Wanda's face fell.
"I can try…"
"Trying isn't good enough, I'm afraid, but you know what you can do for me? You can build up our department by recruiting junior Healers and nurses, medi-witches and wizards, as you call them here, for our department, and you can oversee everyone's recertifications as well as outreach. You'll be my jack of all trades, and I promise you, we will make this work, but I'm asking a lot from you, so you have to be all in, understood?" Hermione said, and Wanda nodded, "This is going to be a massive undertaking, just like Dr. Malfoy said it would, are you sure you're up to this?"
"With all due respect, Dr. Granger, I've been ready for this massive undertaking for a long time." She replied confidently.
Hermione nodded and clasped her hands together near her waist as she looked around at her new colleagues and peers.
"Well, hello, as you heard, my name is Hermione Granger, and I'm your new head of orthopedics. I am excited to get this department off the ground, and I am looking forward to meeting all of you in due time. Miss Wilson will be our liaison, or go-between, so to speak, between Norrington and the rest of the hospital. If you have any questions about St. Mungo's, do not hesitate to ask her. Shall we begin?"
Her group nodded and Wanda began to lead them from the room towards the lifts in the hallway.
Hermione glanced to her right as she filed out with her team, catching Draco's steely gray-eyed gaze as she passed.
He had really shaped up into a brilliant young man, and he would no doubt wind up collaborating with her on many procedures, as treating severe trauma often involved a great deal of orthopedic care.
Draco's lips pulled up into a soft smile and he inclined his head slightly in her direction as he straightened his tie.
Hermione felt butterflies rise up in her stomach at his gentle gesture and she nodded in return before leaving the room.
"Where did that come from?" She thought to herself as she got into the lift and rode up to level four, which was the ortho ward on the south side of the hospital, the physical therapy and rehabilitative ward on the north side.
She and Draco were colleagues now, no more, no less.
Right?
Hours later, her department was up and running and physical therapy was starting to get off the ground, definitely progressing ahead of schedule.
Then again, her colleagues had reassured her that they already had ideas and plans for their specific areas of expertise, and she had trusted them.
Her stomach growled around one thirty in the afternoon and she asked Wanda if the cafeteria food was good.
"Oh, Merlin no… eating here is a one-way ticket to gastroenterology trouble… no, you're much better off at Savoy's Café, about a block north of here, with the yellow awning, you can't miss it. They have good coffee, if that's what you like… I recommend the turkey and cheddar on rye." She replied.
"Thank you for that, Wanda."
"No problem, Dr. G. See you in a few, yeah?"
Hermione nodded and walked out of the department, digging through her purse and pulling out a book.
She could do with some food and a bit of light reading.
Draco gathered his people and went to level two, where his people immediately began transfiguring all available spaces into private trauma bays.
His team knew what to do, and he was fortunate to have other surgeons, techs, and nurses who knew what to do without being asked, most of whom had trained in hospitals with their own trauma care departments.
His associate, a lanky medi-witch by the name of Gina Wick, was filling him in on their necessary personnel, again, most of them having been selected for their respective jobs before he had even expressed an interest in the chief position.
It was refreshing and reminded him of his team at home.
"No. My home is here now, in London… Baltimore was my home… I'm not at Shock-Trauma anymore…" He corrected himself in his mind before going into his office and closing the door behind himself.
He dropped into the oak swivel chair behind his desk and began making a list of things to do.
Two hours later, he had completed the list, assigned duties to his colleagues and staff, and began making his rounds in the emergency department.
After completing his rounds and viewing a bunch of preliminary lab results, prescribing potions and the like, he finally decided to go to lunch.
God, it was after one o'clock already… he had been so caught up with work that he barely noticed the time.
Draco left the hospital for a small café he knew was around the corner, one that his mum had told him about the other night, and as he walked, he let his mind wander back through the day's interactions.
Who would have guessed that he would have run into Hermione Granger, of all people?
It was certainly a surprise to see her across the gurney when that one unfortunate patient had been brought in.
He had already informed the next of kin and referred them to a grief counselor in the hospital's mental health department for sessions.
That part of his job never got easier and he hoped it never did, because, when it did become easy, he would have to take a sabbatical and then have to regain his humanity.
Death should never be easy.
He entered the café and stood in the queue, reading the menu board before ordering and paying.
He was in the queue for his order pickup, thinking about the rest of his busy to-do list when he was brought out of his thoughts by a soft voice behind him.
"Oh… hello there, Dr. Malfoy."
He pivoted on his heel to come face to face with Hermione Granger.
Butterflies sprang to life in his chest and he swallowed them down before inclining his head to her.
"Ah, Dr. Granger, fancy meeting you here…" Draco replied.
"Well, it is lunch time… I had hoped to get some air, perhaps read a bit…" she replied, shifting on her feet.
He nodded, unsure of how to continue.
"So…what did you order?" He asked, attempting to get the fluttery sensation in his chest under control.
"Turkey and cheddar on rye… my associate recommended it, you?"
"Erm, the grilled ham and cheese and tomato soup… It sounded good…" he replied, collecting his food as his order number was called.
Hermione collected her order and they went over to a table and sat down.
"Full disclosure, I was never a huge fan of working in hospitals… the smell… it gets to you after a bit, you know?" Hermione said as they tucked into their meals, simply breaking the silence.
"I've become accustomed to it. I promise that you'll hardly notice it in time… If I may ask, what are you reading?", Draco asked, nodding towards the worn novel poking out of her purse.
Hermione tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear and sipped her water.
"Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen… I must've read it a hundred times, but I do enjoy it…"
Draco nodded.
"Have you ever read it?" She asked, her brown eyes meeting his silver ones, interest coloring her words as they slipped from her lips.
"No…" he shook his head, "I haven't quite had the time to do much reading… what's it about?"
Hermione animatedly gave an overview of the novel.
Draco absorbed every word, thinking that he should definitely give it a read.
"…I also enjoy Sense and Sensibility, so I do recommend that one as well." Hermione finished.
They sat in silence for a bit.
"I'm sorry." Draco finally said, breaking the silence.
"What for?"
"I was a spoiled prat in school… you were a know it all, but you didn't deserve any of what I said or did to you."
Hermione looked taken aback.
An apology was the last thing she expected from him.
After a few beats of silence, Draco went to ramble on about how much of an idiot child he was, but Hermione cut him off.
"I forgive you."
"You do?"
Hermione nodded.
"I know what your father did to you… I read the minutes from your trial… it makes sense why you did what you did… you, you didn't have much of a choice from the sound of things… Sort of a join or die scenario, yeah?" She replied, her voice dropping into a whisper.
Draco swished the remainder of his coffee in the bottom of his cup and nodded.
"Little bit more complicated than that, but that's it in a nutshell, I suppose…" he replied, glancing up at her, "Uh, can we talk about something else now…"
Hermione inhaled sharply.
Of course he wouldn't want to talk about the War. Nobody did. Not even years after the fact.
"Sure… no problem… uh, are you excited to be home?" She asked, "I imagine that the manor is an upgrade from wherever you were living in the US?"
Draco chuckled dryly and downed the remainder of his coffee.
"I don't live at the manor…"
"Oh?"
"Yeah, my mum hasn't set foot there since my father's trial, and neither have I… I actually live in Holland Park now, in the mews, actually… my old place in Fell's Point, er, that's a neighborhood in Baltimore city, it's sort of like my current residence… reminds me of it in a way…"
Hermione nodded.
"That's nice… What's America like, anyway? I've never traveled there…"
"Oh, the weather is more varied than it is here, definitely more sunny days, and the humidity in the summertime is no joke, nor are the mosquitos, nasty little buggers…"
"They don't have a National Health service, do they?"
"No, not yet, but there is talk that President Obama has plans for a similar system… the premiums and copays over there are absolutely insane… as is the price of college tuition… most of my parent's fortune went towards that and I'm still paying for it…"
"Jesus…" Hermione breathed, "I knew mine was expensive, but that's insanity."
Draco laughed a bit and nodded.
"Don't I know it…"
Hermione smiled at him and spoke up.
"You know, your accent isn't like I remember it…"
"Baltimore rubbed off on me, my accent changed, as did I…speaking of changing, I do like the way you wear your hair now…" Draco added, "Very professional…"
"I see you decided to switch your hairstyle up a bit as well… longer hair suits you…"
"I'm not a spitting image of my father, I hope?"
"Merlin, no… your father could never pull off a ponytail or a messy bun… I think that's all your mother's influence there… it isn't as straight as I remember it being…" Hermione replied as they rose and left the café together, walking back to the hospital at a leisurely pace.
"I used to straighten it and use enough hair potion to choke a Hungarian Horntail… As well as being an absolute prat, I was also quite a vain little shit." Draco replied, causing Hermione to chuckle.
"I blame Slytherin house for the poor influence…" he added, grinning at her expression as they reentered the lobby of the hospital.
"You know, Malfoy, you're quite an easy person to talk to… I think America did you some good…" Hermione replied as they got into the lift.
"America definitely changed me, and you're not so insufferable anymore, Granger… I quite enjoyed talking to you as well. Same time and place tomorrow?" He responded, smiling slightly at her.
"Ah, I'd like to, but I have to resume my position at my private practice tomorrow…" Hermione said, shrugging, "You know how that goes… no rest for the doctors…"
"I'll send you an owl then, I'm planning on throwing a bit of a house warming party, just some old friends from school… you're welcome to attend, if you'd like." He replied, exiting the lift.
"I don't know… I'll see if I'm free… thank you for the conversation, I appreciated it."
"Yeah, sorry you didn't get to read…"
Hermione shrugged.
"I've read it so many times, I could probably recite it verbatim…"
Draco nodded.
"Thanks, Granger… See you around…" He said and walked away with a nod.
Hermione sighed as the doors slid shut, leaning back against the wall.
Lunch was a strange affair, but definitely an experience she wouldn't mind repeating.
Then she remembered Ron and groaned.
Ron had been gung-ho about Draco deserving prison time… Surely, he would find out about Draco's position here at Mungo's and lose his cool, not that he had much to begin with.
This was going to be quite the undertaking.
The rest of the day flew by and soon it was time to leave.
Hermione just apparated beck to her flat, intent upon reading Pride and Prejudice, but her plans were derailed by Ron standing in her kitchen, cooking dinner for her.
"Ah, 'Mione, welcome home!", he said, crossing the room to kiss her.
"Ron, what are you doing here?" She asked, stunned that he would just turn up unannounced.
"Can't a bloke surprise his girlfriend every now and then? You've been working hard, love, besides, you won't believe who's returned to London…" The lanky redhead replied in a conspiratorial tone.
"I'll bet you 200 Galleons that I know who you're about to mention… oh, and I had lunch with him…" Hermione thought to herself.
She just wanted Ron to leave her alone.
Was that too much to ask for? A bit of peace and quiet after a long day?
"Mum's been talking about Percy and Penelope, apparently Penelope is due any day now… fit to burst, mum says…" Ron rambled on as he returned to the kitchen and Hermione slipped into her bathroom and locked the door behind her with a complicated spell of her own creation.
She had created it after Ron had barged into her room after a breakup, demanding an explanation from her.
She could feel the vice tightening around her chest, the anxiety choking her from the inside out.
Why did she allow such things to go on?
This wasn't love and she knew it.
"I've got to leave…" She thought to herself.
She stood and thought of someplace she could go…
Harry and Ginny were so busy right now, besides, they wouldn't be of much help… Ron's best friend and sister, for Merlin's sake… They'd probably take Ron's side anyway.
"'Mione, you alright in there?" Ron asked, rattling the doorknob, causing her to jump.
"Fine… just need to get cleaned up… I'll be a minute…" she called back.
"Think, Hermione, think…"
The only place she could think of were the Holland Park mews.
Surely, Draco wouldn't send her back to Ron… they were colleagues… she could transfigure her clothes, buy a bottle of wine, and they could toast their first day on the job… it would be strictly professional…
She nodded and unlocked the door, casting a silencing charm over the door as she opened it, wordlessly shrinking her purse and summoning it to her with a soft "Accio".
She closed the bathroom door again, transfigured her scrubs into jeans and a long-sleeved shirt and jumper. She inhaled before thinking of the Holland Park mews, turning on the spot and disappearing.
She landed in an alley, did a quick pointing spell, and walked to the nearest liquor store, buying some wine, before walking down the mews.
Draco was driving along when he spotted Hermione walking down his street with a paper bag in hand, looking rather unsure of herself.
"What the…" he muttered, pulling over and rolling down the window.
"Dr. Granger? Are you okay?" He asked, pulling up beside her.
Hermione jumped and gasped.
"Draco! Just the person I was looking for… I um, I thought we could toast to a successful day one…" She replied.
"Get in… we'll toast to day one, but you don't look well…" He said, clearly concerned for his colleague.
Hermione nodded, sliding into the SUV and bucking in.
"I'm sorry, I didn't get your address beforehand…"
"It's okay… erm, you didn't answer my question… Are you okay?" Draco asked again.
Hermione shook her head.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"A bit, yeah… it's pathetic, really…"
"Try me… I won't judge you…"
"It's my boyfriend… he's always there and I need a friend that won't drive me back to him or call him up… you know?"
"Clingy type of bloke?"
"You have no idea."
"Is it Weasley?" Draco asked.
"How did you know?"
"Just a hunch… has he…has he hurt you?"
"Not physically… I'm just… I need my space… I'm sorry to intrude on your life like this, but I didn't know where else to go…"
Draco shook his head.
"Hey, it's no problem… I-I'm glad I can help… at least now I can talk to someone other than Elise…"
"Who is Elise?" Hermione asked as they pulled into his garage.
He had told her that he wasn't married…
"My barn owl…"
"Oh, okay… I guess it's helpful when your conversation partner talks back, huh?" Hermione said, smirking.
"Quite helpful indeed…"
"Thank you again for helping me out like this… It must be rather strange, my intruding like this, just to be rid of Ron…"
Draco shook his head.
"I understand… my mum was married to my father, after all, so you can imagine the type of stuff that went on between them… besides, I don't have very many friends, and it would be great to talk about work with you, try to get a better idea at what we're going to have to do…"
"I suppose you're right."
"Come on then, I have some pasta in the refrigerator… I hope you don't mind leftovers…" Draco said, leading her up the stairs and into his home.
Neither of them noticed the beetle perched on the roof of Draco's car with odd shaped markings around its eyes, but the beetle heard and saw everything and crawled out of the garage and flew off into the cool night.
