Prodigal Witch

What's going on with Hermione?

Hermione knew it was not rational, but she hated hospitals and clinics. It was probably because she had spent so much time in them during her adolescence, either for herself or someone she cared about. Now she was sitting on an examination table in a flimsy hospital robe, twisting her hands nervously in her lap.

"Stop," Severus instructed sternly. He took her hands in his own and pulled his chair over to the narrow table.

"What if it is bad?" she whispered.

"Then we'll fix it," he assured her. "The two of us are smart and stubborn enough to beat anything. I think we've proven that over the years."

Hermione took a deep calming breath and lifted Severus' hands, rubbing them against her cheek.

"I don't like waiting," she sighed. "And I hate not knowing something."

"I know," Severus soothed. "We'll know soon enough."

They sat a few moments before the Healer entered. Healer Adams was a specialist in magical deregulation and the foremost expert in the Western Hemisphere. He was a very distinguished older gentleman, probably in his seventies - which was just middle-aged for wizards.

"Good Morning, Miss Granger. Oh, Master Snape! Hello!" He was surprised to see Severus, but recovered admirably. "I am Healer Adams. I've read over your records from Healer Korkmaz in Turkey. I know you must be anxious, but please try to relax. I will run some diagnostic tests today and ask you a great deal of questions. Some of the questions are sensitive."

Healer Adams glanced over at Severus.

"That is fine," Hermione smiled. "Severus knows all of my business."

Healer Adams used his wand to run a series of very complicated tests. He checked everything about Hermione's physical body, scanned every inch of her. At the same time, he asked her an enormous amount of questions about herself; how she grew up, school, the war (especially injuries), what she studied after Hogwarts, where she lived, where she travelled, how much she slept, what she ate, how many people she slept with, and every little detail of her daily routine. It took hours.

"Well, your physical body is fine," Healer Adams pronounced. "I assumed it would be, based on Healer Korkmaz's notes, but I wanted to check. You don't have a virus, infection, or cancer."

"That doesn't make me happy," Hermione frowned. "I mean, those things would be fixed easily."

"We aren't done yet," Healer Adams soothed. "I am going to run tests on your magic next."

Healer Adams ran a series of even more complicated tests on her magic. He looked at how it flowed, how it responded to Hermione's commands, how well it resettled in her when she wasn't using it, and every activity even remotely related to her magic. He also asked more questions, which did not seem possible because Hermione was certain she had told him every detail of her life - including how often she used the lavatory! Now Healer Adams asked about minute details of her magical development; when she first showed magical ability, the first spells and potions she learned, her favorite charms, and hexes, how often she used her magic, and how she felt about her magic. Severus piped in on occasion, giving third party observations.

They worked for hours, looking at her magic. As he worked and listened to the answers Hermione and Severus supplied, Healer Adams became increasingly consternated. He even started muttering under his breath, which was really disturbing.

"Healer Adams!" Hermione finally shouted, exhausted from all the tests and questions. "What is going on!?!"

Severus appeared to be equally put out by Healer Adams' strange behavior.