Forget Me Not (Draco/Hermione)

Chapter Eleven- Blurred Images

‘And how is my favourite patient doing today?’

Hermione barely turned her head in acknowledgement. She continued to lay motionless on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. ‘You don’t need to sedate me today,’ she muttered, dully.

‘Of course not.’ McCarthy skirted around the bed and began her daily routine of checks. She pointed her wand at various pressure points over Hermione’s front whilst her patient merely stared blankly into space. ‘Everything seems in order.’ She waved her wand and the figures emerged in the air in front of her. ‘You’re one of the healthiest head traumas I’ve ever seen,’ she grinned, waving her wand and clearing away the figures.

‘Can I go home then?’ Hermione mumbled. McCarthy gulped.

‘Not just yet. We need to make sure you’re… ready for that.’

‘I’ve been awake for three weeks now. Everyday my stats come back fine. I don’t understand the wait.’

‘We just need to be especially sure.’ McCarthy began towards the door when something stopped her. ‘I have a present for you actually.’ Hermione didn’t respond.

What McCarthy was doing wasn’t technically… that much… possibly against the rules as such. Her patient was healthy physically yet mentally… Mentally, she wasn’t coping just as well. McCarthy had flicked through her files now and then and had come up with a little idea to boost her patient’s spirits up. It was a risky move. Healers weren’t supposed to become overly familiar with their patients. Giving them presents this side of November was widely frowned upon. But McCarthy could hardly imagine Hermione was in the state to go racing to grass her up to her bosses. At least she hoped she wouldn’t.

‘My ex bought it for me for my birthday a year ago. He’s a Muggle and I never got round to telling him the truth, you know.’ McCarthy sat on the edge of the bed. ‘Anyway, he was really into this whole computer thing and he bought me one of these to try and convert me.’ She held out a laptop, having just frantically wiped the teacup stains off of it. ‘I never really enjoyed it that much but a friend helped me magic-proof it and make it connect up to the- the inter- internet. It wouldn’t probably work at H- At the Ministry.’ She corrected herself quickly. ‘But if you can find a way around the spells in this place, you might get it to work.’

Sitting up slowly, Hermione took the laptop from her and slowly opened it. She gaped wonderingly at it.

‘My parents-‘ she said after a pause. ‘My mum, especially, had a few computers but they were a lot chunkier than this.’ She pressed the power button absently and almost jumped back at the speed in which it loaded up. ‘Thank you,’ she added.

McCarthy smiled, pleased to notice the sudden change in her patient. This had been the closest to a conversation she had since being assigned this patient and this certainly could be counted as progress.

‘Not a problem,’ she smiled. ‘I’m just going to go off and finish my rounds.’ Hermione was already tapping away. ‘But I’ll be back to check up on you later.’

****************************************

Closing the door behind her, McCarthy allowed herself a small victory fist pump before hastily pulling her face back into its usual professional look. Hermione was now her longest patient and McCarthy felt somewhat responsible for her happiness whilst she was stuck in.

Turning down the corridor, a new spring in her step, she hadn’t expected to walk straight into the path of her patient’s husband.

‘Oh Merlin’s pants!’ she exclaimed as her armful of notes fell to the floor alongside Draco’s cup of coffee. ‘Mr Malfoy, I am so sorry. Please excuse me.’ She waved her wand, the coffee vanished and the notes flew back to her hand. ‘Please, let me buy you another coffee.’ She had been doing so well today, she cursed herself inwardly. Merlin damn it. ‘I just need to do a few rounds first.’