Hermione twirled the hoodie string around her finger as she and Malfoy waited for Dumbledore to finish with something on his desk. She was a bit surprised that the headmaster had managed to get her an appointment so quickly for the treatment. But he probably had been planning on her agreeing.

"You feeling ok?" Malfoy asked in a low voice.

She nodded. "Thanks for coming."

"No problem."

Dumbledore set his quill down and folded the parchment. An owl flew through a window and perched on his desk, waiting as the headmaster tied the missive to its leg. Once secured, the owl took off through the window. "I've just informed McGonagall to let your teachers know that you'll be taking some time away from their classes." Dumbledore turned his blue gaze to Hermione. "Shall we go?"

Hermione nodded. The headmaster rounded his desk and held out his hand. Hermione and Malfoy took it and, with a slight tug behind their navels, they appeared in a room with seats, benches, and other people. Hermione stumbled at the landing, grabbing Malfoy's arm. His hand came up to grab her elbow, helping steady her.

"You should wait here," Dumbledore said. "I'll let them know you're here." He walked off, leaving the two youths to take their seats on a nearby bench.

Hermione rubbed her arms through her hoodie. Her body had been switching from hot and cold since she'd woken early this morning. Sleep had eluded her all night. If she weren't tense with anticipation, she might have taken a nap. Having Malfoy next to her helped. He'd surprised her when he'd agreed to come with her today. They had been lovers and they worked together but she honestly hadn't thought he would care enough to support her through this. Of course, he'd changed quite a bit since the war. Her grip tightened on her arm. She'd really misjudged him and she chuckled slightly as she realized she'd mistreated him just like he'd done to her and her friends for most of their school time.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Irony." He furrowed his brow in confusion but they were interrupted before she could explain.

"You are just too cute." A leggy redhead, voluptuous and very self aware of her attraction, swayed up to the two of them with a wide grin. She was followed by a dashing and suave man with lean muscles to spare. Both could have easily been models. "Something wrong with your Feeder, honey?" the red head asked.

Hermione frowned. "I'm sorry, my what?"

"Your Feeder. Is he sick? I can't think of another reason why a succubus would look so ill. Is he not feeding you enough?" The redhead giggled and playfully touched Malfoy's shoulder. "Oh, you naughty boy, letting your mistress starve."

Malfoy straightened his shoulders and narrowed his eyes. "Excuse you, ma'am, but why we're here is none of your business."

The red head's companion growled, towering over Malfoy. "You better watch your mouth, boy. Don't take your frustrations out on us. It's not our fault if you can't feed your owner."

"What do you want," Hermione said quickly, her hand grabbing Malfoy's arm to keep him from attacking the man.

The redhead flipped her hair over her shoulder and leaned forward, showing off the view down her low cut blouse. "Oh, how rude. We forgot to introduce ourselves. I'm Jenna and this is Marcus. I'm a succubus and he's an incubus. We've brought two of our own Feeders here because they weren't feeling so well. They got the flu, the poor darlings. Well, we just noticed you and thought we'd say hello." Her gaze traveled over Hermione. "There's something different about you, dear, and it's not just how awful you look, excuse me for saying so. What brings you to St. Mungo's?"

A prickling feeling was crawling up Hermione's arms and spine the longer she was in these two's presence. She didn't know what they wanted, but she was sure it wasn't just for a friendly chat.

"Respectfully, I don't know you well enough to discuss that."

The redhead pouted slightly. "Oh, don't be like that, honey. Our community is pretty small and we could be such good friends. Sharing tips and stories." Her gaze turned to Malfoy. "Maybe exchange a Feeder or two?"

Hermione straightened, pushing away the aching feeling in her joints and muscles. "Thank you, no. We're perfectly fine."

"Leave the little Halfer alone, Jenna," Marcus said through his scowl.

Jenna looked over Hermione with a new appreciation. "A Halfer, huh? I've heard about your kind but I haven't met any until now. That would explain a lot."

"What is a Halfer?" Hermione asked.

It was Marcus who answered. "Half succubus and half something else." He practically sneered at her. "You're not one of us and you're not one of them. You can't successfully live off sexual energy unless you tie yourself to one person and our kind can't feed on you at all. Pretty useless beings, really."

Malfoy surged to his feet, fists curled. "You want to say that again, pretty boy?"

Marcus flashed a set of fangs at him, his eyes turning blood red. Hermione's body reacted on its own, putting herself between the two men and flashing a set of rapidly grown fangs. She hadn't had them before, but she wasn't exactly pausing to question them just now. Her whole body was screaming to protect the blond. Jenna stepped between Marcus and the other two, raising her hands for peace.

"Please," she said. "Let's not fight. Especially here. You'll scare people."

Marcus frowned but stepped back, shrinking his fangs and his eyes returning to their normal color. Hermione felt a shift in her mouth but she'd check for fangs later.

"Thank you." Jenna turned to Hermione. "I'm sorry about him. I can't take him anywhere. But a word to the wise, honey. You really shouldn't go up against a full blooded incubus when you're so weak. It won't end well for you." Her eyes moved over her shoulder to rest on Malfoy. "But I can see why you'd be so defensive. Your boy smells great." Jenna laughed as Hermione stiffened. "Oh, don't be like that. Succubi don't move in on another's claims. It's against our Code." The redhead studied them again, her attention moving over Hermione as if evaluating a curiosity. "But why are you here, is what I'm dying to know."

"She's probably taking the treatment to return to normal," Marcus said.

Jenna gasped, her hand flying to her lips. "But you mustn't. Oh, darling, you don't need to do that. Is it because of your Feeder? I could get you a new one. I have plenty to spare."

"If she want's to do it, let her," Marcus said. "It's none of our business."

"But you'll be giving up on such a great life, dear." Jenna took Hermione's hands in hers. "Don't you like being a succubus?"

This whole interaction had been strange from the beginning and had drained too much of Hermione's patience. This was her life and she'd decided on changing it how she saw fit. She thought being a succubus would be a pleasant mistake and she had enjoyed it for a while. But now she wanted to go back to her old self. She found she missed that side of her quite a bit. Either way, this conversation was over.

She took her hands from Jenna. "If you'll excuse us." She turned to go but Jenna's next words made her stop.

"Then do you mind if I take the boy? I could always do with a new Feeder."

Hermione wanted to snap at the woman, but Malfoy wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to his side. "Wherever she goes, I go." With that, he lead Hermione away from the other two. They continued through a door a Medi-witch was waving at them to enter. Hermione hadn't even seen the witch but Malfoy had. She leaned into his side as they followed the woman down a corridor and into an exam room where Dumbledore was patiently waiting for them. Hermione was doubly glad that Malfoy had come with her today.

"Now, Miss Granger," the Medi-witch said. "You are here to receive the treatment to return you back to your usual self, is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now I just need to let you know about the risks of undergoing this procedure, have you sign some paperwork, and we'll be ready to start. All right?"

Hermione nodded but Dumbledore had already covered everything the Medi-witch said when he'd first told her about this. She signed the papers saying she agreed to treatment and that she took on the risks. The Medi-witch nodded as she looked over the signatures. "You'll need to stay in the hospital for a while after the procedure. We'll monitor how you're doing and make sure it took. A few days should be about as long as you'll need to stay. Maybe a week."

"We've made arrangements before we came," Dumbledore said.

"Excellent. Then all we need is for Miss Granger to come with us and we'll begin. It shouldn't take more than half an hour or so."

Hermione took a deep breath in. This was it. Once she left this room, she wouldn't be able to turn back. She wanted to go back to normal, but-

"Everything will be fine," Malfoy said, squeezing her hand. Hermione turned to him. If he was uncertain, he hid it very well. "I'll be here when you're done."

The tension in her chest eased slightly at his words. Hermione pulled Malfoy in for a tight hug; one he returned easily. Someone was here for her. She wasn't doing this alone. She was starting to believe that she really would be ok. Slowly, she pulled away and left with Medi-witch.