Draco opened his eyes, he found himself lying flat on the table of a very familiar room surrounded by a bunch of people he had hoped to never see again. His eyes darted furiously around the room in panic, what was he doing here? He tried to move but his body wouldn't respond, he was under a paralysis spell of some kind. He heard his mother sobbing, pleading for his life.

"Please, he's just a boy!"

"Silence, woman!" Cried an all too familiar unnerving voice.

Draco looked at the head of the table and found none-other than the Dark Lord leering at him maliciously. The sight of him instantly struck Draco with a sickening fear, his heart was hammering against his ribcage threatening to burst out of his chest. He's dead, this isn't right! He's supposed to be dead! Draco suddenly felt something brushing up his leg, he looked down and found Nagini slithering up to his face. His body was trembling uncontrollably; she hovered over him for a moment hissing. He opened his mouth to try and beg for his life but no words came out.

"No! Please no!" His mother screamed.

"My Lord, my Lord! Please, take me instead!" His father pleaded.

The large snake opened her mouth preparing to strike. This was it, he was going to die like some poor defenseless animal. The last thing he saw was her sharp fangs before she advanced towards him going in for the kill.

Draco woke startled and completely out of himself, he was gasping desperately for air. He looked around and found himself to be in an unfamiliar room. Where the hell am I?! He panicked.

"Draco?" Whispered a soft soothing voice. "Are you alright?" Aurora asked as she inched forward being careful not to distress him any further.

"Where am I?" Draco shivered. "What happened?"

"You're at my place, you dozed off so I moved you into the guest room. I thought you would be more comfortable here." She said as she sat at the edge of the bed.

Draco was deathly pale, he was shivering and sweating profusely. Aurora gently rested her hand on his forehead, he was burning up. Her suspicions were correct, Draco had taken ill.

"Are you okay? I heard you screaming."

"I'm fine, I'm fine." He repeated more to himself than to her.

Draco felt awful, he was shaking uncontrollably and was drenched in cold sweat. His muscles ached, it felt as if a thousand ice cold steel knives were stabbing him all at once. His dream instantly replayed in his mind: his mother's heart wrenching sobs, his father's fruitless pleas, the snake, him! Draco began to hyperventilate, he couldn't calm is breathing and his heart was racing, then he was hit with a fierce wave a nausea.

Aurora immediately grabbed the waste basket and held it up for him as he violently emptied the contents of his stomach. She felt so helpless, there was really nothing she could do for him except sit here and wait for him to finish.

Draco had never felt so utterly embarrassed, he's had a fair share of humiliating moments over the years but none can compare to now. Oh Merlin, she heard him, Aurora heard him screaming. And now he was vomiting in front of her too! He was ashamed that she was seeing him in such a weakened state.

When the first wave passed Draco was only given a few moments to catch his breath when he was hit by another and began to vomit once more. His throat burned and his ribs ached, it felt like his internal organs were threatening to come up along with all the bile. He coughed a few times and laid back into the pillow shutting his eyes tightly, gasping.

"Do you need anything?" Aurora asked tenderly pushing his bangs out of his face. Her hand felt cool against his forehead.

He shook his head. "I have to get home…" Draco sat up weakly, instantly regretting it because once he did he began to vomit again.

"I don't think that's even possible in your state." Aurora said as she continued to hold the basket up to his face while she gently stroked his hair.

"No…no…I have to get home." Draco argued weakly as Aurora carefully pushed him back down.

"Draco, get real." Her voice was now assuming a stern tone. "You can barely sit up without getting sick! You are staying here and that's final."

Aurora was right, how was he supposed to get home when he can barely hold his head up. Draco nodded in surrender.

"I'm going to see if I can find something to help." Aurora stood. "I'll be in the kitchen, if you need anything don't hesitate to call, okay?"

Draco nodded in response and Aurora exited the room leaving the door slightly ajar.

Aurora immediately opened the storage closet and pulled out her old caldron and "The Book of Medical Remedies" that she acquired while she was in China with Ramona. Aurora skimmed through the pages until she found what she was looking for, a simple potion to help soothe the stomach. Aurora checked her stores and found that she had all the ingredients she needed.

"Good thing this is a plant base potion and doesn't require rat tails or anything like that." She muttered to herself as she entered the kitchen to start brewing the potion.

Draco lay still trying not the upset his stomach any further, he was staring up at the ceiling not daring to close his eyes because every time he did, vivid imagines from his dream would come flooding back. Why did it have to happen now? Here of all places? And to make it worst Aurora heard him. He never imagined that he would have an episode like this in front of her. Draco hoped that for his sake she wouldn't ask what his dream was about. If he didn't talk about it, it didn't happen. It was as simple as that, it will disappear and he will move on as if nothing ever happened. A feeble lie, but one he likes to tell himself with every occurrence. He couldn't remember the last time he had a reaction this bad.

When the war ended he was frequently haunted by similar dreams. He would wake up screaming and would end up vomiting, as the years progressed the dreams became less frequent and the vomiting stopped, he only suffered from nose bleeds. What was it about this one that made it so horribly bad? Draco was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard the creaking of the door. It was Aurora, and she was holding a cup filled with a bright yellow liquid, must be a potion of some sort, bless her!

"I'm not an expert like Wyatt, or Ramona but I think this should do the trick. It will help calm your stomach but as for your other symptoms…"

"Thank you." Draco struggled to sit up.

Aurora set the cup aside and helped him, adjusting the pillows from behind him so that he was sitting in an upright position.

"You may want to change out of those clothes." Aurora handed the cup as well as a pair of fresh pajamas.

"Where did you get these?" Draco asked now terribly aware of how uncomfortable he was, his clothes were sticking to him like a second skin.

"Well seeing as how it would probably further your discomfort if you wore anything I owned I just transfigured some old pillow cases into a pair of appropriate sleepwear. I hope they fit." Aurora began to walk towards the door "Let me know when you're done changing."

"You don't have to look after me, you know?"

"What's the matter Healer Malfoy?" Aurora teased. "Not used to being in a sickbed?"

Draco chuckled inaudibly. "Not since I started medical school."

"I hate to break it to you hun, but you're under my roof now so you have absolutely no say in the matter." Aurora left shutting the door behind her.

XXXX

Aurora was scribbling away furiously at her desk, it turns out Dr. Hines had more work instore for her and the rest of the team than originally anticipated. He had sent her some of his own personal findings to which now she has to do a write-up on. Why couldn't he have done this himself?! Aurora rubbed her fatigued eyes and leaned back into her chair stretching out her stiff limbs. She looked down at her watch which read 3:00am.

"Shit." She was so preoccupied with her new assignment that she actually forgot that Draco was lying in bed in the room next door practically dying.

"This is why I would make a horrible nurse." Aurora pushed the chair back and stood. "I would completely forget about the patient."

She opened the door to the room Draco was currently staying in, he was fast asleep. Aurora walked up to him and found that he was shivering slightly, she drew up the sheets so that she could cover him completely when something caught her eye. There, on his left arm, it looked like a faded tattoo of some sort. Aurora gently grabbed his wrist and lifted it up so that she could get a better look. It was a skull with a snake protruding out of its mouth, it looked familiar but where had she seen it before? Aurora thought for a moment and then she remembered. She'll never forget how terrified Emerson had been when he turned up on their uncle's door step one night. He was so scared he could barely speak in complete sentences.

Yes she remember it was about 6 years ago, at first Aurora had no idea what was going on except for the fact that he was in some sort of trouble. It wasn't until after Emerson had some time to calm down when he told her exactly what trouble he was involved in. He had told her all about the war and dark order, as well as the mark he had received binding him to this so called "Dark Lord". Subsequently, when it was all over he was on the side that lost, and he fled to America because the Ministry of Magic in the United Kingdom was arresting these "Death Eaters" left and right. Aurora didn't agree with her brother's involvement with this radical group, but she had to admit fleeing to the states was a smart move. The European ministry had no power here, the American Ministry didn't like to get involved in foreign affairs so they kept themselves at arm's length from the rest of the world. Trade and commerce was one thing, wars however were completely out of the question. As long as it did not spill onto American soil the Ministry would not get involved, nor would they allow a foreign sovereignty to meddle around with their own affairs or any witch or wizard fleeing here seeking asylum.

Aurora looked back down at Draco who was still asleep, so he was a part of the order too. He was branded with the mark of that complete madcap Voldemort. She gently placed his arm back down and drew the sheet up to his chin making sure he would keep warm. It was none of her business anyway. Whatever he was involved with in the past was his own concern not hers. However, Aurora couldn't help but wonder what enticed him to join up with that lot loonies in the first place?