𝒜𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓂𝒶𝓉𝒽 | 𝒟.𝑀.

6 | ﴾ Too Late ﴿

I left Draco's room feeling flustered. Having to hold his nearly entirely naked body in my arms had been unbelievably stimulating and frustrating. He was slightly thinner than before but his form hadn't changed that much from the one I knew so well, and I was starving for his body.

Naturally, he smelled identical to his prior self and his skin felt the same on mine. There had been several moments filled with sexual tension where he'd looked at me with his familiar silvery eyes, our noses close as I held him up in the warm water, and all I had wanted to do was kiss him. But it was imperative that I keep in mind he was both terribly injured and also, he didn't remember me at all. Any move I made on him would be wildly inappropriate and might even upset him deeply.

I braided my now damp hair as I walked towards the fireplaces in the front lobby, having previously dressed myself properly for a visit to the Ministry of Magic. Unfortunately the bath scenario could not have been foreseen and now I was questioning whether or not to wait an additional day to apply for a job there, given that I was slightly less presentable.

The job idea had announced itself to me after waiting days for a return owl from France with no luck. I had been fidgety in my room, and could no longer withstand the sensation of being trapped there once again. If I couldn't go home, I wanted to keep myself busy instead of mulling around in the Manor depressed and trying to forget about Draco. I had been horribly nauseas every morning so far which was only tempting me to try and sleep in to avoid it, which could in turn snowball into a terrible habit. It was important that I structure my days more appropriately.

As I entered the lobby I abruptly halted, almost running into Dr. Hallewell who was poking at a stone statue with awkward, feigned interest. When he noticed me eyeing him down he turned and popped on the spot like a popcorn kernel on the stove, then straightened his yellow suit with his mustache twitching, "Ah. Madeleine, what excellent timing. I have come again today to evaluate Draco and yourself - you and I have yet to speak regarding your...recovery." An ill expression drifted across his face.

"I am busy," I curtly replied in a rude tone. I crossed my arms and stared at him darkly, daring him to challenge me.

He coughed and tugged at the collar of his dress shirt, "Your mother...mother IN LAW, my apologies, has insisted that you be examined immediately. This is without request. It is compulsory of us both that we ensure that your health is being met to standard." His brown eyes held my gaze in return, and I was impressed. He was clearly scared of me, but somehow standing his ground.

I decided the day was already thrown off by having to take care of Draco, so I let my arms drop to my sides. "Very well," I snarled in a rancid tone, fighting to control a sneer creeping across my face. He nodded, swallowing deeply, and gestured his thick hand towards the informal dining room down the hall. I followed him with my high heels clicking rhythmically and threateningly behind him. 

He stopped and pulled out a pale pink dining chair with rose patterns that groaned with the movement, obviously dating back decades. I sat across from him in a matching one. It was silent for a moment as he ruffled in his briefcase, pulling out stacks of research parchments and placing them on the table. I glanced out the arched windows into the gardens as he set up for what was likely going to be more of an interrogation rather than a basic assessment. He prepared a blank piece of parchment and paused with a quill at the ready, "Madeleine, you were in winter for nearly three weeks. Tell me, what was this experience like for you? What level of sentience did you possess for the duration of the chrysalis?"

I narrowed my eyes at the odd verbiage. "What do you mean in winter?"

He pressed his lips together in a weighty frown and his thick, white mustache twisted in a half moon on his round face, "Surprising, that you are lacking knowledge of such matters. What I refer to is termed as a Veela winter. An ancient comatose transformation, occurring when a Veela overexerts one's magic, and crosses the line. My research suggests that it is a dark place within the mind."