Chapter 21

Spring 2002

Hermione threw herself on the bed, her face pressed into the pillow where Draco had slept, inhaling his scent. She wept into the pillow, leaving wet spots as she clutched it tightly to herself. All the bedding needed to be washed, but she decided to take a few minutes and have a pity party instead. Theo and Draco were in the front room unmoving—pretending either they didn't exist or she didn't exist or both.

She didn't know if she could take this. What if the doctor was wrong? What if they were dying? What if they needed life long care? What if these catatonic husks were all that was left of the other part of her soul? She rolled over and stared at the ceiling desperately hoping for any small thing to happen that would make her feel better about the complete disaster that her life had become. She'd invested years of effort into getting Draco and Theo back and it appeared to have been too little, too late.

Hermione Granger did not fail. She could not fail.

The Floo alarm dinged, breaking through the quiet of the cottage, and wiping the tears off her face, Hermione jumped up, so few people had access to her Floo. Harry, for example, did not even know that she'd set it up.

Scourgifying herself and her companion was none other than Luna Lovegood and Blaise Zabini. Blaise was thin, but not so thin as Draco and Theo. Hermione was grateful for that at least, but as she ran forward to embrace him, his dull eyes and expressionless face stopped her.

Luna smiled tentatively, and said, "He's not well. How about Draco and Theo? How are they?"

Hermione bit back tears and replied a bit breathlessly, "Not well." Luna nodded, and took Blaise by the hand, gesturing for Hermione to lead the way into the sitting room.

Draco and Theo were still on the couch where Hermione had left them, but Theo had curled up into a ball on the end of the couch and fallen asleep. Luna led Blaise over to one of the chairs in the corner and smiled at him encouragingly. "Look my love, your friends are here," She turned to the two young men on the couch, "Theo is obviously very tired, but look, Draco is here. Hello Draco, I hope you are happy to be out of Azkaban." Draco blinked at her words, but seemed to be trying to avoid looking at her as though she were some sort of phantom or illusion.

Luna sat across from him and continued speaking, "Do you want to know something interesting I learned while you have been away? My mother, Pandora, was born a Malfoy, the daughter of Abraxas, your father's sister. So that makes us cousins. Isn't that splendid? When you are feeling a bit better I have a very funny story to tell you about who my biological father was, but I think that can wait. I'm just very excited that we are officially family. I can't think of anyone that I would like to call family more than you, even if that does make Lucius my uncle."

"It is a bit awkward as I am pretty sure he was well aware who I was the whole time I was in the dungeon at the Manor. He never was much to be proud of though was he? This mess we all find ourselves in was very much his fault."

Luna watched his face with searching eyes. "You think I'm a delusion don't you? I promise you that Blaise and I are here in person visiting Hermione. I'm his parole supervisor, isn't that funny? The Department of Mysteries let me take a sabbatical so I could do it. As a member of Dumbledore's Army with no Death Eater connections, I was a prime candidate. Isn't that positively hilarious? Obviously my mother's parentage isn't common knowledge. I really missed you and Theo, although he is obviously very sleepy. Well, Blaise, I'm going to have tea with Hermione now. I'll make you a cup, shall I?"

Luna stood and gave Blaise a kiss on his forehead. His eyelids fluttered at the touch of her lips and she grimaced as she turned toward Hermione.

"Shall we?" Luna asked Hermione, linking her arm with her curly haired friend and taking her into the kitchen to locate the teapot.

...

Leaving the men alone in the sitting room, the two women drank tea in the kitchen.

"Blaise isn't much better." Luna admitted. "He was just as thin as your boys when they brought him a few days ago, but I've been giving him potions." Luna pulled out packets of slippery elm tea and some other herbal concoctions, handing them over to Hermione. "He was ill, but not as ill as Draco and Theo."

"I had a muggle doctor come today," Hermione shared, sipping her tea as Luna held her hand, "they both need medications. I need to go into the village and visit the muggle version of an apothecary."

"Let me watch over everything so that you can go to the chemist and pick up their medicine," Luna smiled, "I believe that that is allowed under the provisions of parole supervision."

"Section Five, subsection 2. Yes. Thanks Luna. I'll be back as quickly as I can." Hermione stood.

"It's no problem,"Luna replied.

...

Hermione returned three hours later laden with several bags of medications, nutritional supplements and a new blender. She announced her return with a loud, "Hello, Luna?"

Luna walked out to the front room, relieving Hermione from some of her burden and carrying it back into the kitchen, "It was the quietest it's ever been around these three. Honestly it was rather eerie, but you know I would do anything necessary to help my cousin."

"I know."

So quietly Hermione nearly missed it, Luna whispered, "How long until we start putting the next phase of things into motion?"

"Soon. I just want to have their health improved a little better. So I can shift my focus a little."

Upon unpacking the bag from the nutrition store and examining the labels, Luna cried out, "Oh, I brought a couple potions for weight gain as well. It won't help their muscle atrophy, but it will put a good 10-20 pounds on per dose. I brought 5 vials. They can't do more than a vial every few days. They'll get stretch marks otherwise. And you know how vain the two of them can be."

Hermione laughed in spite of herself. "Thank you Luna, I didn't even know there was such a thing."

"My mother-in-law is useful now and again. She said to let her know if you need her for anything. She was very available for anything you might require. She wanted me to tell you that precisely."

"I'll keep that in mind," Hermione said as she looked through the various antibiotics and steroids and mentally began to make a schedule of when who would get what medication.

"She does have some particular skills doesn't she?" Luna chuckled darkly.

"She certainly does," Hermione agreed, examining the inhalers' administration instructions carefully. "How's Italy?"

"Sunny, but lonely she says." Luna replied, pouring tea for the three men in the other room, she carefully added healing potion doses to each one. "Can we sleep over?"

Hermione looked up from the medication directions at her friend, "Luna, you know you are always welcome. I think the guest bed is still under stasis charm."

"Perfect," Luna smiled, carefully placing the mugs onto a tea tray, "I'd like to see how the boys look after a couple days of weight gain potions, and the Aurors aren't due to come over and make my life miserable until Wednesday morning. When do you get your first visit?"

"Thursday morning first thing," Hermione scowled as she began divvying up the pills into two small cups from her pantry. "It will probably be Harry."

Luna frowned, "Be sure to mess up two of the guest beds then, he's oblivious, but even he might ask questions if he finds you've had the two of them in your room."

"As long as he comes alone, I can make him forget any inconsistencies."

Luna laughed, "You can't count on that. At least Ron quit the Auror department to take that Quidditch position. He'd have been rough with Draco especially."

"Harry was hardly gentle." Hermione shuddered at the idea of Ron searching her home and touching her boys. "I'm very grateful to have to deal with him so rarely now. Although it did involve a small rethink of one of my ideas, I think I'm very pleased with my revisions."

"Revisions always were your favourite back at school." Luna smiled, as Hermione followed her into the sitting room, "Do you think we could watch one of your muggle films later?"

"The Lord of the Rings again?" Hermione asked, knowing her friend loved the film.

"Yes please."

Hermione was so thankful that Luna had come as the two women gave the men in their care tea and medicine. It was nice not to be doing this alone.