Aging like fine elf wine
She was gorgeous. It had been 13 years since he’d seen her last, and she had only gotten more beautiful. Age had rounded out her features. What was once awkward had become womanly. She’d left her teenage body for that of a woman, with curves in all the right places. Draco felt his mouth grow dry.
“Hi Malfoy,” she said awkwardly. He could tell she knew he was coming, but she was still uncomfortable. Understandable. He used to be a wizard terrorist with the agenda of killing those of her blood status. Some leftover heebie jeebies made sense.
“Hey Granger. Sorry I looked at you like that. I didn’t know you would be here.” He shot a sideways glance at Theo, who looked smug.
“Hey! I just said I had been asked to help with a project. I didn’t say who asked!” Theo looked proud of himself, as if he had made the smartest move ever. “She’s the one with the project! We’re gonna all work together on it, so it’ll be just like we’re in school again!”
Draco and Hermione both paled, glancing at each other. Hermione finally broke the awkward silence.
“I certainly hope not. I JUST got a handle on my hair.”
Draco burst out laughing. The fact she commented on her hair instead of his blatant cruelty to her was just so absurd. Even crazier, Hermione joined in with her own laughter. Theo just sat between them, looking confused, but also still pleased with himself.
“Anyway, when you two are done acting insane, Hermione and I want to fill you in. She really does need our help with something, and I think both of us can help out tremendously.” Theo had begun to look bored. He was probably tired of not being involved of whatever joke they were still laughing about.
“Alright alright. Sorry Theo. Granger it is good to see you. Truly. Theo tells me you work in the magical creatures department right? The one with the name too long to remember but with no clever acronym?”
“Yeah it's the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures,” she rolled her eyes. “I’ve mainly been a researcher in different diseases and their cures as it pertains to wizard kind.”
Draco’s face showed his confusion. “That doesn’t make any sense. How could creatures pertain to magical diseases?”
Hermione looked at him puzzled. “Like how mandrakes can cure petrification. Or how phoenix tears can cure pretty much anything. I thought you were a specialty healer. How do you not understand the values of creatures in developing healing magic?”
Theo chimed in. “Easy Hermione. I said Draco was a specialty healer, but not all specialty healers dabble in hybrids like me. Which is, by the way, all I do. Very common misconception. Anyway, Draco specializes in the way muggle ailments and treatments affect wizards.” Theo smiled at his friend with pride. Everyday that Draco got up and made good decisions made Theo’s heart swell.
“Wait. YOU specialize in MUGGLES?” Hermione was dumbfounded. “I figured you of all people would stay as far away from them as possible.” She didn’t care that she was being rude. There was no way she had heard correctly.
Draco looked uncomfortable. “You’ve heard of The Great Rehabilitation right?”
“Of course,” Hermione scratched her arm, “The plan to have ex death eaters take jobs involving muggles as a way of forced education and hopefully learned respect. Don’t tell me your version of that is integrated muggle healing?” She looked sick.
“In my case, it wasn’t forced, and the respect wasn’t learned. I went in willingly and I’ve stayed because I enjoy it. I guess now is as good of a time as any.” Draco turned to where he was facing Hermione directly. “Granger, I am so sorry for the way I treated you at Hogwarts. None of it was genuine, I had to put on a show for the side of the war I was put on. Either way, though, you never deserved the way I treated you, and I sincerely apologize.”
Hermione looked at him for several moments, and then excused herself to the restroom. Draco put his head down on the table. Theo, who was now 2 drinks deep, burped softly.
“Well, I think that went well mate. There’s hope for you yet, he said tipsily.
“Why are you drinking Theo, if we’re here for a project?”
“You’re here for the project. I’m drinking to forget. I got an owl right before I came and got you from the office. That second patient I saw last Monday with the merpeople bite? Mrs. Franks? She died in her sleep last night. Her husband found her this morning cold in their bed. She was 38.” Theo emptied his drink and flagged a waitress down for another.
Draco stared at him in horror. Theo had been dealing with this on his own while Draco had been lost in his own research. Before he could dig in further, Hermione returned to the table, her eyes suspiciously bright.
“Before I bring you up to speed, I wanted to thank you and accept your apology. We were all kids in a war. You did what you had to, and I’m glad to hear it wasn’t genuine.” She gave him a shy smile. Draco returned it with one of his own.
“Anyway, back to the business at hand. I originally had asked Theo to bring you here because I thought you also specialized in hybrid healing. As Theo has pointed out, I was wrong about both of your professions, but I still think you can help me.”
“Alright, lay it out then Granger. He was trying to stay focused. Theo was three sheets to the wind, and he was pretty much alone with the most beautiful witch he’d ever met. He couldn’t let her know how much he was attracted to her. He refused to let his eyes go to the low neckline on her muggle top.
“It would be my pleasure.” She reached her entire arm into a small beaded bag and pulled out a stack of papers. “As you already know, I’m a researcher of magical creatures. Recently, we’ve been getting reports of increased merfolk attacks this past month. They tasked me with figuring out why. Through my research, it’s starting to look like they're struggling with a virus, and it’s making them hostile.”
This piqued Theo’s interest. “So let’s just warn people to stay away from the water until they all die out,” he slurred. “I don’t see what’s such a big deal.”
“The big deal is that merpeople blood can be used in a multitude of cures if given willingly. I’ve seen it used as an alternative to murtlap, treatment to black cat flu, or even muggle ailments such as cancer!”
“So what do you need us for,” Theo asked, perking up a bit.
“I need your help to identify the virus and then treat it. Theo, I know people are dying after they come in contact with the infected merpeople. Curing the virus will stop those deaths, and it will also preserve the opportunity of making future cures with their blood.” She began to spread her paperwork out on the counter while Theo tried and failed to focus on it.
Draco wasn’t listening, and he hadn’t been for quite some time. He was replaying something Hermione had said. Black cat flu…cancer…pancytopenia….liver failure.
“Oh God,” Draco choked out. “I think Mrs. Watkins is dying of cancer.