Chapter 4
Hermione
Hermione was waiting in the very front of the hospital wing together with Minerva McGonagall while Madam Pomfrey had taken Draco further into the back to treat him.
They didn’t talk and from the seat in the corner she had taken, she could see that the Headmistress seemed as distressed as she was. From personal experience, she knew how bad a panic attack felt, she had had some in the weeks after the War, her friends had always been there for her and with the help of her mind-healer, it had now been a few weeks since she’d had the last one.
When Draco had grabbed the cauldron when falling and spilled the hot fluid over himself, she had let out a short scream before grabbing her wand and vanishing it. Slughorn had just stood there, the useless arse. She wished she had reacted before the cauldron had tipped, but it had all happened so fast.
Finally, Pomfrey joined them again. The medi-witch looked worried as she addressed the Headmistress. “Did you know about the lycanthropy?”
She hadn’t seen that Hermione was still there, she vaguely realised, as her whole body stiffened.
Draco was a werewolf? Of course, it had been full moon last night, that was why he had looked so miserable this morning. She felt awful. He had been dealing with all of this alone, his house teacher not just neglecting his duty to help him, but actively bullying him, and his new dorm mates … neither her nor her friends had made any effort to include him, except for Luna maybe. She couldn’t imagine how alone he must have felt.
McGonagall turned to her and as Madam Pomfrey followed her gaze, she turned pale. She truly hadn’t noticed that she was still there.
“Yes, I knew, Poppy,” McGonagall said with a small sigh. “Miss Granger, I don’t have to tell you how delicate this information is. Mr Malfoy is not registered with the Ministry, if this comes out …”
Hermione stood up, fuelled by righteous indignation. “Of course I am aware this can’t come out! And good for him that he didn’t inform the Ministry. I happen to think that the duty for werewolves to have themselves registered is dehumanizing and wrong.”
The Headmistress’s lips twitched into a small, knowing smile before she turned back to Madam Pomfrey. “Well, Poppy, I think this secret is safe with her. How is he otherwise?”
The medi-witch scoffed. “Severely malnourished and sleep-deprived. I’m surprised that he managed to get up this morning after the transformation.” The horrible, sinking feeling in Hermione’s stomach returned. She hadn’t noticed how bad it had been, or she hadn’t wanted to see for the sake of having a ‘peaceful year’. “I gave him Nourishment Potion, Dreamless Sleep and something against the pain from the burns. I treated them with Dittany, they’re the least of my worries. A day or two and they’ll be healed. There wasn’t anything in that potion that will cause further harm.”
“Well, at least that is good news.”
“Yes, but I think we are all aware that it can’t go on like that. I’ll keep him in the Hospital Wing for the rest of the week or at least until Friday afternoon, we’ll see how he’s doing then. Give him two or three days to rest, then he can have his first meeting with a mind-healer. I don’t have to be one to see that he has had no chance at all to recover from whatever happened during the War.”
McGonagall nodded. “I will personally take care of that. And I have an idea for Horace’s replacement. If I can get him to teach for at least the rest of the year, he will take his responsibility for his students far more seriously.”
“And … we will try to include Draco more,” Hermione said in a quiet voice.
“Miss Granger, while I would be very grateful, if you did, please remember that Mr Malfoy’s wellbeing is my responsibility, not yours. What happened is not your fault.”
“It’s not yours, either. It was Slughorn’s responsibility to make sure the students of his House are taken care of.” She knew the other house teachers had taken great pains to make sure their students knew that they could always come to them, if need be. Not just their small group, but everyone who had been affected by the War. McGonagall had had no reason to suspect that Slughorn hadn’t done the same. ‘Because you haven’t told her,’ a nagging voice in the back of her mind insisted. “We did not interact much with Draco, but when we did, he was always civil. I don’t mind trying to get closer to him or at least make sure he’s not completely left out. It’s a shame the Ministry insists he has to room alone,” she added as an afterthought.
McGonagall actually looked a little sheepish. “Well, about that … I said that because of the transformations. I wanted to ensure he has privacy and won’t be seen.”
“Oh … of course.” Hermione’s mind raced. She hated being roommates with Ron and she knew he hated it, too. But Ron was her friend at least, Draco wasn’t. But objectively speaking, if he hadn’t been such a prick in earlier years, she was sure he would make a far better roommate than Ron. She had often thought that they would have gotten along just fine, if he hadn’t considered her beneath him. He was studious, she had often seen him in the library, and she was reasonably sure that he wouldn’t just throw his dirty clothes on her bed and on the ground and forget them there until the house elves picked them up.
And honestly, she didn’t think he still thought she was beneath him. When he had been caught up in a flashback, fully believing he was back in the Manor, with Death Eaters, with Bellatrix Lestrange, he had told her to run. “You need to run! Bellatrix will …” And he had looked at her with the same helpless terror she had seen in his eyes when Bellatrix had tortured her.
She took a deep breath. “Do you think you could tell the others that you talked to the Ministry and they agreed to lift this particular condition?”
“Well, I could, but Miss Granger, you don’t have to …”
It wasn’t her way to interrupt teachers, but in this case, she did. For the second time today, she realised. “I don’t have to, but I’d like to try. I’m currently in a room with Ron and we don’t really get along very well on such close space. We’re fighting all the time and it’s annoying. I think objectively speaking, Draco and I would make better roommates, at least from what I know about him. And I don’t mind him being a wolf once a month. I’m sure he’s taking Wolfsbane, so he won’t be a threat to me.”
McGonagall looked at her thoughtfully, then nodded. “Alright, I suppose it’s worth a try. How about we talk to Mr Malfoy tomorrow and see, how he feels about it?”
She nodded. “Sure. I’ll be here after classes.”
Minerva McGonagall
Unfortunately, Draco Malfoy’s health wasn’t her only problem right now. There was also the lack of a potions master. After a meeting with all of her teachers before dinner in which she had informed them that she had fired Horace and why and that Mr Malfoy wouldn’t be in class for the rest of the week, she had apparated to Edinburgh. An old friend of her lived there, Devon McNair. They had grown up in the same town as friends and they had gone to Hogwarts together. Him being sorted into Slytherin and her into Gryffindor had done no harm to their lifelong friendship. He was a famous potioneer, had made many important discoveries and his books counted to the most influential in his field. He had never worked as a teacher, but he had had many apprentices in his time. He hadn’t accepted any in recent years, but he still worked on new potions and published the occasional book. More importantly, he was a good man, responsible and empathetic. There were few people in this world she trusted as much as him. If he accepted the teaching position and the position as Head of House of Slytherin, at least for this one year so she had time to find someone else, she knew she wouldn’t have to worry.
At almost 7 pm she knocked on the door of his familiar town house and she didn’t have to wait for long.
He smiled when he saw her. He looked as always, a tall, thin man her age, elegantly dressed, his once black now mostly silvery hair combed back, his goatee and moustache neatly trimmed. “Minerva, what a pleasant surprise! Come in.” She followed him into the living room. “Would you like a tea?” He grinned. “Or a whiskey?”
She smiled. “You know, after the day I’ve had, I’ll take the whiskey.”
He left the cozy room for a moment, only to return with a bottle of fine whiskey and two glasses. He handed her one.
“So, what was so bad about today? Is the job as Headmistress so stressful?”
“To be honest, it’s mostly tedious.” She took a sip of her whiskey. “All those endless discussions with the schoolboard, the paperwork … I miss teaching.”
He smiled sympathetically. “I’m sure you do.”
“But that’s not the reason today was so bad.” She knew they were alone in the house. Like her, he had lost his spouse early and had never remarried. She could speak freely. So she told him everything that had let to her dismissing Horace Slughorn. “Now I’m without a potions master and a student who is in dire need of a house teacher who takes his responsibility seriously,” she finished.
He thoughtfully looked into his glass. “And that’s why you’re here, I presume.”
“Well, I am here because you’re the only person in the world who will listen to the ranting of an old woman.” They both chuckled. “But yes, I’m also here because I’m hoping you would consider taking teaching position. Just for the one year, Devon. I can find someone else until next year.”
They were both quiet for a moment and she gave him time to think it through. Minerva was all too aware that this was not a small favour to ask.
“Oh well,” he said eventually, emptying his glass. “I suppose it’s never too late to try something new. I’ll take it. But I won’t promise anything beyond this one year.”
It was like a weight was lifted from her shoulders. “I wouldn’t ask you to. Thank you.” She hesitated. “There’s something else. And in this matter, I very much rely on your discretion.”
He raised his eyebrows at her. “Minerva, I know all your dirty secrets. Has any of them ever reached your students?”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re impossible! But this quite a bit more serious.”
“You know I’ll keep quiet.”
She nodded. She was glad she had not brought that up with Horace. She considered it, he had been Malfoy’s house teacher after all, but something had stopped her. Maybe knew him too well by now, after all these years of working together. “During the War, Mr Malfoy was bitten by a werewolf. He told me that he has enough Wolfsbane Potion left for the next full moon, but then he’ll need more.”
Devon looked taken aback. “Is there anything that boy doesn’t have on his plate?”
“Apparently not. But when he gets better, you’ll find he’s very talented at potions. Severus thought extremely highly of his ability. His performance in the last two weeks wasn’t so great, it seems …”
“I can’t brew a decent potion, if I can’t focus either. Nobody can.”
She nodded. “But he is talented. He brewed the Wolfsbane Potion himself, secretly, in a house filled with Death Eaters and Voldemort himself.”
He looked impressed. “He brewed it himself? That’s a bloody complicated potion. Far beyond NEWTS level. I usually didn’t make my apprentices attempt it before the second year of their apprenticeship.”
“I know.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting the young man. And don’t worry about the Wolfsbane Potion.”
Hermione
She had talked to the others after classes had ended; not about Draco being a werewolf, of course, that was his secret to tell, not hers. For now, she had also left out the possibility of her changing rooms soon, but everything else had been addressed. Those who hadn’t been present in the fateful potions class were shocked to hear what had happened, Luna had even cried and Neville had held her, trying to talk her out of feeling guilty. Even Ron hadn’t made a fuss about the proposal to include him more in their little group this time.
The next morning, McGonagall had introduced the new potions master during breakfast, a man named Devon McNair, apparently an accomplished potioneer. Hermione thought she’d heard the name before, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. It hadn’t been mentioned why exactly Slughorn wasn’t there anymore, but it was common knowledge by know. Things like that didn’t happen in front of a full class without the whole school knowing the story by dinner time.
Now she stood in front of the Hospital Wing, waiting for the Headmistress and she didn’t have to wait long. “Hello, Miss Granger.”
“Hello, Headmistress.”
They went in, briefly spoke with Poppy, who assured them that he was doing better, and then went to Draco’s bed. He was propped up with a few pillows and Hermione couldn’t say that he looked much better. Maybe he wasn’t quite so pale anymore.
He was obviously embarrassed about the day before and avoided Hermione’s eyes. But he greeted them in a quiet voice before turning to McGonagall. “I’m sorry about yesterday, I …”
“You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for, Mr Malfoy. Well, I would have preferred you coming to me before it got this bad, but that can’t be helped now. Otherwise, you have done nothing wrong. Has Madam Pomfrey told you that Professor Slughorn is no longer with us?”
Hermione suppressed a smile. She made it sound like she had murdered him.
“She has.”
Before he could say anything else, she continued. “We already have a new potions master and Head of House for Slytherin. His name is Devon McNair.”
Now he perked up. Hermione actually saw excitement in his eyes. “The Devon McNair? The author of books like ‘Potions Making Throughout History’ and ‘Advanced Medical Potions’?”
The Headmistress gave him a small smile. “I guess you’ve heard of him.”
“Who hasn’t? The man is brilliant!” Hermione did not mention that she had not been sure where she had heard the name before.
“He has also been a lifelong friend of mine and I can assure you that he will take his responsibility as house teacher more seriously than Professor Slughorn has.” The smile left her lips. “I apologize, Mr Malfoy, I should have made sure that all house teachers do what they should to support all students.”
“It’s not your fault. You told me to come to you, if there were any problems, but …” He shrugged.
Hermione understood what he didn’t say. Sometimes it was hard asking for help, especially when you weren’t personally close to someone.
“Well, what matters now is that you are getting better. I made an appointment with a mind-healer for you for Thursday, until then I want you to rest. Professor McNair will come to meet you tomorrow.”
He nodded.
“And there’s something else. I don’t think it’s good for you to room alone.”
“But …” He looked at Hermione, then back at McGonagall. “The Ministry will …”
“Mr Malfoy, this is not necessary. Yesterday when Madam Pomfrey came to me after treating you, she did not realise immediately that Miss Granger was also still in the room. She asked me if I knew about your lycanthropy.” Draco’s eyes widened. “Don’t worry, I think you know that Miss Granger is trustworthy and will keep it to herself.”
“I will, I promise.” She gave him a what she hoped was a reassuring smile and to her relief, Draco relaxed.
“Thank you,” he said quietly. “Also for yesterday.”
“Don’t worry about it. I know panic attacks aren’t exactly pleasant.”
“No, they really aren’t.”
“You may have noticed that Miss Granger and Mr Weasley are not really happy about living in a room together,” McGonagall now continued and Draco nodded. Did he fight back a smile or was that her imagination?
“I may have noticed some bickering.”
“Hmm … Anyway, she said she wouldn’t mind trying out whether you two get along better. And she already knows of your condition, it would be the perfect fit, if it works.”
Draco obviously hadn’t expected that. “You would want to live in a room with me?”
She gave him an innocent smile. “Well, the alternative is to stay with Ron and by the end of the year one of us will be dead and the other in Azkaban. I don’t want to go to Azkaban.”
He actually laughed! She couldn’t remember the last time she’d heard him laugh. Since their fifth year had ended and he had come home to a place Voldemort had chosen as his personal base of operation, he probably hadn’t had much reason to. Her smile became genuine.
“I don’t think you’d be caught.” At that she joined in. Her joking around with Draco Malfoy - who would have thought?
McGonagall smiled. “If anything happens to Mr Weasley, I have a main suspect.” She pointedly looked at Hermione, who giggled.
“Don’t worry, if we don’t live in the same room anymore, I won’t have a motive.”
“What is so bad about living with him?” McGonagall asked curiously. “You two usually get along so well.”
Hermione huffed. “He’s messy, he constantly whines while doing homework and worst of all, he always tries to talk to me when I read.”
Draco looked sympathetic at that. “There’s nothing worse! Why do people always assume you’re doing nothing when you’re trying to read? Pansy, Blaise and Theo are the same.”
“There’s nothing more annoying!
“Very well, maybe you two will get along after all,” McGonagall said with a small smile. “I’ll leave you now. I will come to visit again after your appointment with the mind-healer, to see how it went.”
“Thank you, Headmistress.”
She nodded, said her goodbyes to both of them and left.
There was a brief moment of awkward silence, before Hermione broke it. “So, do you mind, if I move in as long as you’re still in the Hospital Wing? I promise, I won’t touch your things.”
“Sure, it’s fine.” He smiled briefly. “Can’t wait to get away from Weasley?”
She grinned. “Actually, no. I mean, he’s one of my best friends, I love him, but I’ve lived with him in a tent for months, then some more months in the Burrow. I stayed there until school started. I guess my patience is running out.”
“I see. That’s understandable.” He hesitated. “I’m sorry … for the way I treated you before. It wasn’t right, I know that now. Sorry it took a war to make me see that.”
That was certainly a good start to their new life as roommates. She appreciated the apology and happily accepted it.
xxx
“You’re going to live with Malfoy?” Ron goggled at her while she packed her things. Harry, Ginny, Neville and Luna were also in the room. Harry looked sceptical as well.
“Yes. We had a very nice conversation, he apologized to me for being a prick for so long and I see no reason not to room with him.”
“I think it’s a lovely idea,” Luna chimed in happily. “Some company will do him good. And it will be easier for him to warm up to the rest of us when you two make friends.”
At the prospect of Hermione and Draco becoming friends, Ron actually had to sit down.
Hermione rolled her eyes. “Ronald, we are constantly on each other’s throats lately and before that does permanent damage to our friendship, I think we both should get some space.”
He made a face. “But he’s Malfoy!”
“Yes, but I think he has changed and he deserves a chance.”
xxx
She finished unpacking in her new room and sighed happily. Despite him not feeling well, he had kept his room clean and tidy. There were some books on his nightstand that weren’t school books and – while she kept her promise of not touching anything – she could see that they were novels, some of which she had read herself. Maybe she should bring him something to read tomorrow. As he got better, he would appreciate something to do.
She had also magically copied all her notes she had taken in class so far this week, so he could read up on what he had missed. But that could wait until he was out of the hospital wing. She had some books that qualified as light entertainment with her and she would bring him one of those, something relaxing. She wondered, if he would be willing to try Muggle literature. She had two Terry Pratchett books with her, two of her all-time favourites. “Hogfather”, which she religiously read every Christmas, and “Guards! Guards!”, which was, in her opinion, absolutely hilarious. She would bring him the latter.
She pulled the copies of her notes out of her bag and placed them on his desk. Her gaze fell upon an empty potion vial, which had probably contained the Wolfsbane Potion. Next to it was a piece of parchment.
Draco,
We understand, if you are busy, but please let us know how you are doing. A short letter will absolutely suffice.
Your Father
Her brow furrowed. They were probably worried. It sounded like he hadn’t written in a while and now he wouldn’t until he was out of the Hospital Wing.
She looked at Crookshanks, who was busy licking his bum. “What do you think, Crooks? Should I write to them?”
Crookshanks looked up, his tongue sticking out, then he continued with his task.
“You’re not helpful,” she said with a small smile.
Before she could overthink, she sat down on what was now her desk and started writing.
Lord Malfoy,
Lady Malfoy,
It is not really my place to write to you, but since you probably won’t hear from Draco until the end of the week, I would think you are worried. There was a potions accident on Monday and he’s in the Hospital Wing. He will be completely fine, so please don’t worry, but Madam Pomfrey wants to keep him there until at least Friday. I am sure he will write to you after his release.
Sincerely,
Hermione Granger.
She hurried to bring the letter to the Owlery before curfew.
~tbc~