Healing

HEALING

The Accident

Chapter One

Post Hogwarts. Five years after graduation.

Hermione Granger pulled her brown curls away from her face and piled them on top of her head in one swift movement, pinning her hair up with a clip. She chewed on her lower lip as she glanced over the patient's chart in front of her.

She sat behind a cluttered wooden desk in a small square office with pure white walls inside St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuriesn on the fourth floor. Memorabilia and pictures had been placed on the walls in order to tone down the cold, sterile feeling usually associated with hospitals. Harry and Ron, during their days at Hogwarts, smiled and waved at her from the walls and helped ease her stress during the long days and nights she spent assisting the Healers. Hermione had even brought in a few small plants to give her small office a homier feel.

She flipped through the papers inside the patient's chart and made a few notes on a spare sheet of parchment she had pulled out of her top drawer. While she scratched hurriedly with her quill, she didn't notice the arrival of someone at her office door.

A tall blonde female, dressed in lime green robes, leaned casually against the doorframe and sighed heavily.

"It's lunchtime, Hermione," she said in her thick Irish accent, tossing her long braid over her shoulder.

Hermione glanced up at Sally O'Brien, one of her coworkers, and smiled sweetly. She and Sally had been working together on the floor for injuries and maladies caused by spell and potion damage of all sorts for the past year. They both worked as assistants to a small group of Healers, and they both knew that Hermione tended to overwork herself.

"I know, but I wanted to recheck Mr. Flotsand's medical chart again. I thought it was possible we had overlooked something that could help him," she said, twisting a stray curl around her finger and looking back down at the chart.

Sally stepped into Hermione's office and sat down in a chair in front of her desk. She placed her elbows on Hermione's desk and rested her chin in the palms of her hands.

"We've looked over his chart at least a hundred times. He is beyond our help, Hermione. We're only assistants and we don't find cures for our patients...it just isn't our job. All we can do is help ease his pain. You know we're doing all we can for him."

"I know...I just thought--" she began.

Sally pressed her hand down on the chart and Hermione looked up at her, stopping the movement of her quill as she did so.

"You just thought you'd give it another look over. You wanted to make sure we'd tried everything. Hermione, you have the biggest heart of anyone I've ever met. You are going to have to accept that sometimes we can't fix everyone. Not everyone can be healed completely."

"I don't know how to accept that," Hermione said quietly.

"I know; I'll make a deal with you. I'll look back over his chart with you when we get back from lunch. Sound good to you?" Sally asked, her eyes full of compassion.

Hermione heaved a heavy sigh, leaned back in her chair and rubbed her tired eyes. "Thanks, Sally. I really could use a break. Is Ron eating with us today?" Hermione said, smiling for the first time that morning. Hermione had introduced Ron to Sally after she'd been working with her for only a week. She'd known instantly that Sally would be a perfect match for him. With her long blonde hair and pale blue eyes, Ron had fallen for her instantly. And lucky for Hermione, Sally had been completely smitten with Ron also--they'd been together ever since.

Sally laughed and nodded her head as she stood to her feet. "Of course. He wouldn't miss an opportunity to eat. I think Harry is coming with him today, too."

"Great," Hermione said as her smile widened, "I haven't seen Harry for weeks. He's always so busy and consumed in his work."

"You're one to talk," Sally said, looking playfully at Hermione.

"I'm not consumed," Hermione said defensively.

"Okay, not consumed...well," Sally said as she creased her brow in thought, "what would you call it?"

"Dedicated?" Hermione replied and Sally laughed.

"Good answer," Sally said, smiling. "I'll give you that. You definitely are dedicated. Probably a bit too much. But then again, if you weren't, then you wouldn't be you." Sally laughed. "I sound like a sappy greeting card."

Hermione laughed, too. Then, she stood up and grabbed her cloak. She threw it around her shoulders and closed Mr. Flotsand's chart before leaving her office behind Sally. In truth, she welcomed the break offered to her by Sally. And besides, she wanted to see Ron and Harry--they were always able to make her smile.

* * * *

Draco Malfoy pushed open the heavy glass doors to Brinkback's Apothecary and Potion Emporium. This particular store had four floors packed full of potions for everything imaginable. There was even a Potions Master on the first floor who would mix up a concoction while the customers waited if they couldn't find exactly what they needed on the shelves.

It was early, not quite lunchtime, and the store was practically empty of shoppers, just the way Draco liked it. He couldn't stomach shopping and he especially couldn't tolerate waiting in lines behind screaming children or everyday people.

His girlfriend, Natasha Levensham, had bribed him into going in to town this morning to buy her a potion that would help the flowers in her garden grow faster; she'd never been one to exhibit lots of patience.

Draco's black designer shoes clicked loudly against the wooden floor as he walked through the emporium. He turned up his nose as his senses were assaulted with every scent known to man. He pulled his black gloved hand up and covered his mouth and nose as he continued to frown. Tugging his black cloak tighter with his free hand, he found the staircase and walked up a flight of stairs to the second floor. A large sign with a dancing flower loomed high above him as he walked down an aisle, looking for the potion Natasha had mentioned.

"Anything I can help you with sir?" a small, friendly voice asked.

Draco turned around quickly, slightly startled to find a short, round girl standing directly behind him. He frowned at her before speaking.

"I doubt it," he said rudely.

The young girl continued to smile despite Draco's cold nature. "I'm an expert on all potions agricultural, not to mention on most of the potions found in Brinkback's Apothecary and Potion Emporium." Her smile widened as Draco's frown deepened. "What are you looking for exactly?"

Draco glared at the annoying employee. "Mathilda's Magical Fertilizing Concoction in liquid form," he said flatly, pushing his blonde hair back from his eyes.

"Oh, that's heavy-duty stuff!" she said, her voice excited. "But I'm afraid you're on the wrong aisle. You'll find what you're looking for on aisle five. Follow me," she said, turning around quickly and disappearing quickly from Draco's view.

He had to speed up his sauntering pace in order to find the young girl. "Excuse me--" he began, thinking he'd lost her among the aisles.

"Here you are," she said and Draco turned around quickly to find the young girl directly behind him, holding a small bottle of Mathilda's Magical Fertilizing Concoction. She passed the bottle into Draco's outstretched hand before adding, "Make sure you don't mix this with anything, especially not any other fertilizers. The results could be explosive, if you know what I mean," she said, winking playfully. With that, she turned quickly on her heels and disappeared around the corner.

Draco heaved a heavy and annoyed sigh before walking up the aisle. Two young boys rounded the corner and knocked into him. "Watch out!" he yelled angrily. And all the other events that took place after those words left his mouth seemed to happen in slow motion.

The two boys continued to run even after knocking into Draco. The bottle of Mathilda's Magical Fertilizing Concoction slipped from his hand, flew through the air and shattered on the floor. The boy in the rear slipped on the green liquid that poured from the shattered bottle and began careening down the aisle, slamming into the first boy. Both of their bodies crashed into a nearby row of shelves while Draco cursed loudly. Draco took a few large strides down the aisle to pull the boys roughly to their feet and scold them accordingly. They needed to know what they did was wrong and they should be punished. Draco was barely two meters from the two wobbling boys when the row of shelves they had collided with began swaying back and forth.

The young employee hurried toward Draco and the boys with a strained look on her face. Before anyone could stop it the shelves swayed too far back and crashed into the aisle behind it. Bottles broke and leaked; liquids began to pool and combine together. The results were catastrophic. Within a matter of seconds, the rows of broken bottles and hazardous potions began to hiss and smoke. The fumes were suffocating and before Draco could cover his face with his hands or reach for his wand an explosion rocketed through the second floor.

The flames and fumes quickly consumed all four floors of Brinkback's Apothecary and Potion Emporium. Millions of potions and ingredients combined together in a roar of colorful flames, consuming everyone and trapping them all inside.

An explosion burst through the wooden floor beneath Draco's feet and the last thing he thought about as his body flew through the air was how angry Natasha would be if he returned home late.

* * * *

"There they are," Sally said as she pointed across the crowded restaurant toward Harry and Ron. Ron reached his hand into the air and waved them over.

Hermione and Sally, smiling as they walked over, took seats opposite Harry and Ron.

"Hey ladies," Harry said, smiling at Sally and Hermione.

"Hello, Harry. How are you? I haven't seen you in ages," Hermione said, leaning closer to Harry and placing a friendly kiss on his cheek.

He blushed and glanced away as he said, "I've been busy."

"Consumed in your work, you mean," Hermione said, sipping from her water glass slowly.

"I'm not consumed," Harry said defensively.

"This conversation sounds vaguely familiar," Sally said, nudging Ron and looking at Hermione.

"Yeah, Hermione, you're basically one step away from moving your bed into your office so you never have to leave work," Ron teased.

"I am not," she said, trying not to laugh.

"We really believe you," Ron said sarcastically. Hermione playfully tossed her napkin across the table at him.

"We ordered the soup of the day for you, Hermione," Harry said.

"What if I didn't want that?" she wondered, smiling at Harry.

"You wanted something different?" Ron wondered.

"No. Am I that predictable?" Hermione asked.

"Well..." Harry paused before smiling at her, "...yes."

Everyone at the table laughed. Their laughter was abruptly interrupted as a large black owl swooped in over the table and dropped a letter into Hermione's lap. The hostess near the front of the restaurant frowned at the sight and many of the patrons stared at Hermione in surprise.

"What's that?" Ron asked through a mouthful of bread.

Hermione opened the letter quickly, recognizing the black owl as one of the birds that sent out emergency letters from St. Mungo's. "It's an urgent letter from St. Mungo's," she said distractedly, scanning her eyes across the letter.

"What's going on?" Sally wondered, her face creased in concern.

Harry leaned over and read the letter over Hermione's shoulder and frowned deeply. "That's awful," Harry whispered quietly.

"What is it, Hermione?" Ron asked impatiently.

"Brinkbank's Apothecary and Potion Emporium had some sort of explosion that demolished the entire building. There were people inside," Hermione said solemnly and Sally gasped. "They've taken the survivors to the hospital and they need us to get back there as soon possible. They need all the help they can get. And they said to be prepared to see anything as well as put in some long hours until the patients are stabilized."

"I can't believe it," Sally said, unable to find words to express her shock and surprise at the news. Sally was unsure if she'd ever heard about anything so terrible. She didn't even want to imagine the side effects the people would suffer from because of their exposure to so many different potions at once. "We should get going. Sorry guys, but you understand," she said as she placed her napkin on the table and slid her chair back.

"Keep us posted," Harry said, standing up as Hermione stood from her chair and tossed her cloak around her shoulders.

"Okay, we will," Hermione said, her mind already filled with what they would find when they returned to St. Mungo's.

"Let me know when things slow down and we can continue this lunch again sometime," Harry said, walking Hermione to the door.

Sally placed a light kiss on Ron's cheek as she pushed open the door to the restaurant. "I'll talk with you when I can," Sally said to Ron.

"Okay. I'll see you soon," Ron answered as he and Harry watched Hermione and Sally disappear down the crowded street.