'Time for you to meet Draco Malfoy, I think,' Healer Willoughby said as he began to remove the wards from the door. When Melissa looked a little alarmed he gave a small laugh. 'Don't worry,' he said, 'he's completely harmless.'

As they entered the room Melissa looked at Draco, her brain trying to process the story she had been told in comparison with the pale but good-looking man in front of her. Was it really possible that he had killed his lover? That this aristocratic-looking man was nothing but a cold-blooded murderer? And if he was a killer, how could he be considered harmless?

Draco rose from the armchair and walked towards the two Healers.

'Good morning, Healer Willoughby,' he said pleasantly, and he extended his hand politely to take the other man's. He looked enquiringly at Melissa.

'Good morning, Draco,' Healer Willoughby said. He was smiling. 'This is Healer Carpenter. She's just joined us from St Mungo's.'

Draco turned to look Melissa directly in the eyes as his hand took hers. His grip was firm but not unpleasant.

'I hope you'll be happy here, Healer Carpenter,' Draco said with a smile. 'I think you'll find this place poses a rather different set of challenges to St Mungo's.'

'Thank you,' Melissa said, trying not to blush at the intense stare Draco was giving her. He really was a most attractive man, and the way he looked at her made her feel as if he was reading her very soul. It made her feel at the same time both rather aroused and incredibly uncomfortable. 'I'm sure I'll enjoy working here. I look forward to the challenges of being in a new place.'

Draco released her hand, and still smiling, he went back to sit in his armchair. He picked up a newspaper that was on a small table to the side of him and glanced briefly at the front page.

'I hope you don't mind if I get on,' he said, holding up the newspaper. 'I need to check my shares and then do some work.' He looked at Healer Willoughby, his face showing just a touch of concern. 'Unless you need me for something?'

Healer Willoughby shook his head. 'No, you're fine, Draco. I'm just introducing Healer Carpenter to the guests. We'll leave you to get on.'

'It was a pleasure to meet you,' Draco said sincerely to Melissa. He opened the newspaper and began flicking through it, obviously looking for the financial section. Healer Willoughby touched Melissa's arm, indicating that they should leave. He opened the door and waited for her to go through before following.

Melissa waited, looking at Draco once more through the window while Healer Willoughby locked and warded the door.

'Is he insane?' she asked.

Healer Willoughby looked at her, his face expressionless. 'What do you think?'

Melissa thought for a moment, then shook her head. 'No. He seems completely sane to me.'

'He is,' Healer Willoughby confirmed.

'You said he isn't a danger,' Melissa said musingly, following a thought. 'How do you know?'

'Look at him,' Healer Willoughby said. 'Does he look violent?'

'No. But that doesn't mean he isn't. After all, what he did to his lover—'

'We have only the Aurors' reports of what he did,' Healer Willoughby said. 'And none of those were actual eyewitness accounts. They only saw him covered in blood, holding onto the body and talking to it, repeating the same phrase over and over again. Draco has never made a formal statement about the evening. He has always refused point-blank to talk about it, as have his family. For whatever reasons, his family have seen fit to leave him in here; and for his part, he has never made any attempt to be released.'

Melissa looked surprised. 'So he might not even be guilty?' she asked quietly.

'Possible, but unlikely or I'm sure he wouldn't have stayed here for so many years,' Healer Willoughby said with a shrug. He sighed. 'Anyway, whatever the truth of that evening may be, Draco clearly feels guilty and is punishing himself for Miss Granger's death.'

'Miss Granger? Not Hermione Granger?' Melissa asked in astonishment.

Healer Willoughby nodded. 'Yes, that's right. Draco's lover was the friend of Harry Potter's who disappeared shortly before the final battle. I know it was always assumed that she had been killed by Death Eaters; at least that's what the history books tell us — and I suppose in one way she was. After all, the Malfoys were Death Eaters.'

'But how could the Aurors keep that quiet? I mean — her parents—'

'Had been Obliviated by their daughter and sent to live in Australia before Miss Granger was even captured by the Malfoys,' Healer Willoughby said gently. 'They didn't even know they had a daughter. And Draco was under lock and key, so nothing further needed to happen.'

'So he's been here all this time and he's never had an outburst? Never talked about what happened? Never re-lived it or got violent? Never attacked anyone?' Melissa asked, still trying to get her head around the shock of finding out who Draco's lover had been.

She had read a lot about Hermione Granger when she had been at school and had been rather a fan of the intelligent girl. Melissa had spent many hours imagining that Harry Potter's friend had died fighting bravely, trying to escape from Death Eaters after their capture by the round-up gang. To find that she had actually been killed in some sort of lover's tiff was just unbelievable.

'No. Oh — actually there was one occasion.' Healer Willoughby mused. 'It was about five years after his incarceration. His father came to visit him.'

'What happened?' Melissa asked curiously.

'Of course, this was before my time at Cadenza, but as I understand it Draco punched his father in the mouth,' Healer Willoughby said. 'I think Lucius was rather shocked. He left immediately and never returned.'

'Does he ever have any visitors?' Melissa asked. She turned to look through the window again.

Draco had moved from the armchair to the table and was now poring over the columns of the financial pages whilst making notes on a stack of parchment. He seemed completely engrossed in what he was doing.

'Some. Occasionally he gets visitors to do with his work. Draco runs several successful companies. He never receives any personal visitors, though, as far as I'm aware. Certainly, none of his family has ever visited since Lucius.'

Melissa's heart went out to the good-looking man working away quietly in his room. How must it feel to have been alone for so long? And why had he hit his father? Was his father the cause of Hermione's death? Had Lucius Malfoy actually been the one to kill her and used his son as a scapegoat, locking him away for all those years, alone and in pain at the death of his lover?

'But if he's no danger to anyone—' she began.

'Why haven't we released him?' Healer Willoughby asked astutely.

Melissa nodded. 'I mean, he's obviously fine. And he's been here for so long. And if it's never been proved that he killed Hermione . . . .'

'We keep him here for his own good,' Healer Willoughby said, looking serious. 'If we don't take care of him he'll die. If he's left alone he doesn't look after himself at all. He won't eat or drink, he won't even take care of himself hygiene-wise. We tried it once a few years ago, tried to rehabilitate him with a view to possibly releasing him. But as soon as he was left alone to fend for himself he did nothing but sit on the floor, in the position he was in the night he was found at Malfoy Manor. Nothing we could do would convince him to live. So we brought him back here where we could look after him. He's no trouble and the family pay a great deal of money for his welfare. So here he'll stay . . . for the foreseeable future at least.'

'But what if he didn't kill her?' Melissa asked. 'What if it was an accident or something? What if his father killed her? Perhaps that's why Draco hit him.'

Healer Willoughby shrugged. 'It really doesn't matter that this stage. Draco can't be released and will probably never be released.' He looked intently at Melissa for a few moments, a frown of concern settling on his face. 'Melissa, I have to ask you to promise not to stir things up with Draco Malfoy. Please don't go looking for answers. They won't help him and you could actually make things worse.'

Melissa felt annoyed that Draco had been in the hospital for over twenty years without any attempt being made to discover whether he had even been the murderer. But if it was true that he refused to care for himself then it really didn't matter whether he was guilty or not. Draco obviously believed himself guilty and that was enough.

'I promise,' Melissa said sadly as she glanced one final time through the window at the working figure of Draco Malfoy.

Then she turned away and followed Healer Willoughby back down the corridor towards the main facility.