Chapter Text
January 15, 2006
A loud knock sounded on the door of Hermione’s office. It was mid-morning and she wasn’t expecting anyone until later in the day. She glanced at the window behind her desk, the sky outside was a dull grey blanketed in rain clouds. Though the rain had yet to fall, the threat loomed overhead, nonetheless. Hermione quietly hoped it would turn to snow instead when it fell. She loved the rain in warmer months, but snow was preferable over the cold rain in mid-January.
The knock came once more before the visitor decided he had waited long enough. Theodore Nott stood in the now open doorway, dressed in his navy-blue healers robes and a thick cloak. His dark waves were brushed back off his forehead and his sapphire eyes shone with curiosity as he watched her straighten her desk and put away her work. His eyes lingered on the folder she tucked away in her drawer.
Hermione had worked alongside him for the past four years at St. Mungos. She finished her healing mastery within a year of leaving Hogwarts after they’d completed the Ministry mandated make-up year for those whose education was halted during the war.
After spending a better part of the war keeping Harry and Ron alive she realized she had grown to enjoy the rush of healing. In a way, the chaos of it all almost soothed her mind. She knew she would never be content in a Ministry office job, despite the Ministry’s many attempts to recruit her. The monotony of all the paperwork would have driven her mad. Kingsley respected her decision to stay away from the inner workings of politics, even when so many others didn’t. He saw firsthand the struggle she faced after the war, the damage it had left on her and the people who fought on both sides.
War didn’t just leave residual damage to memories and emotions in the form of trauma; it oftentimes left a physical manifestation on lives. People gone or injured, cursed, or driven to insanity, permanently disfigured and scared. The casualties and impacts were endless and yet the care provided in its wake were, unfortunately, limited.
So, she declined the Ministry after graduation and left for the Healer Academy, hoping to do something better with the time she was given. Time others would never have. After completing her mastery with the Healers Academy, Padma, who had attended with her, told her of a program in Africa where the Healers there learned better methods, using elemental healing. The pair decided to take the course, and over the following eighteen months they conquered wandless magic, as well as the ability to channel magic through ley lines rather than over extending their own magical cores. To say it was enlightening would be an understatement.
Most magical historical markers existed atop ley lines, Hogwarts, the Ministry, and St. Mungos included. The fact that Europe was stuck so far in the past, not bothering to teach wandless or earth magic to their community baffled Hermione to no end.
After returning to England, Hermione and Padma both applied to St. Mungos and were immediately hired after high praise from their instructors and peers from their learning institutions. Padma assumed a specialty in magical diseases with a focus on lycanthropy, saying she felt she owed it to her sister and hundreds of others who lost loved ones to Greyback and his pack. She was determined to find a cure and Hermione resolved to help her do so.
Hermione worked in the emergency ward while specializing in curses and dark magic. She was quicker to act than others and knew an abundance of counter curses in part due to the war but also from her studies. That’s where she was reintroduced to Theodore Nott, he also worked in the emergency ward.
They worked best together due to their quick thinking and ability to communicate with one another during a patient case without saying a word. They worked in sync on some of the most complex patients to grace the halls of St. Mungos and it benefited them both not having to instruct another person.
“Theo, what are you doing here?” She looked up at him. “Are we needed? I can grab my robes and—“
He stepped further into the room and held up a hand to stop her, “No, Padma actually sent me to let you know she can’t meet later as something happened with one of her trial patients and she has to go over a few things, as well as sign off on the report with the DMLE. She stopped by the emergency ward, but when she saw you weren’t there she asked me to relay the message.”
Hermione nodded, she expected something to happen sooner or later with the trial. The treatments had hit a dead end a couple months ago. Padma had created an alternate version of the previous Wolfsbane treatment that allowed patients to still retain their memories during their transition on the full moon with only two days of doses rather than the previous version which required a full week, however it had created a new problem in patients who weren’t safely confined during the transition as this version didn’t stop the transition or their wolf form from acting.
Most patients didn’t want to remember what happened when they shifted so finding volunteers for the trial was difficult, especially since most potential patients saw it as a step back in finding a cure. Both the pain and the actions they took while in their werewolf form mentally impacted the trial patients in ways they hadn’t prepared for, so over the past week they decided to temporarily withdrawal the alternate potion until they could figure something else out that would suppress the shift as well as allow those who did shift to retain memories while maintaining their autonomy. The ultimate goal was a complete cure, but cures happened in stages and right now they were at a difficult stage, one that was causing problems they couldn’t continue to risk. The final month of the current trial was set to end this month until further notice.
“What happened?” She finished the notes she had been working on before he arrived and quickly tucked them into their respective folders before storing them away in her desk and locking it.
Theo carded his fingers through his hair, “An older man who took part in the trial almost killed his wife and now the both of them are being treated. She was the one brought in last night.”
“I heard about that, the healers on call said the patients daughter brought her in and that the woman was covered in werewolf bites.”
He nodded and continued, “Their daughter came home after a night out with her friends, discovered her father mid attack and was able to subdue him with a stunning spell until the DMLE and healers arrived.”
Hermione sat back down behind her desk and gestured for him to take the vacant seat opposite her. Her office was decently sized, given to her last year after her promotion as one of four Head Healers in her department. Theo was another, and his office was directly across the hall from hers. The other two Head Healers were usually on the opposite shift.
The space was minimally decorated with a few plants scattered on the various surfaces, and photos adorning the walls. The wall to the left of the window had two floor-to-ceiling height book cases filled with some of the medical tomes, scrolls, and books on curses that she had accumulated over the years. A locked trunk on the bottom shelf contained several journals with detailed notes on potions, treatments, and experiments as well as their outcomes.
Theo sat at the large wooden desk and slumped back in his seat, “The DMLE Officers on scene said there were no signs of confinement, which means the bloke likely thought he could fight off the transition.”
Hermione sighed, “We had every patient who was a part of Padma’s trial sign a waiver stating that they understood they would still be required to seek safe confinement every month on the full moon since this variant is different from the standard potion.”
Theo nodded, “I know.”
“He either knew the werewolf side would take hold and didn’t care, or he was naively hopeful enough to believe he was cured. Was it Mr. Simmons? He only had one month of the treatment prior to this month, if it was him I’m not entirely surprised he disregarded all warnings.”
“Why is that?”
“When Mr. Simmons signed up to take part in the trial he seemed almost arrogant in the belief that it would affect him differently than what we told him, and that it would cure him where it hadn’t yet for others. Padma explained to him that it only lessened the amount of potions needed each month, and that while it still gave the patient the chance to retain their memory for now, that the trials have shown to cease the person’s ability control of their actions within their wolf state. He signed the wavers and agreed to update after each switch what side effects he had, and his wife signed on to be the one who would report on her side as well. They even had an excellent warded space within their home that was approved for observation and holding him during the full moon.”
Theo contemplated the information for a few moments and twirled his silver capped pen between his fingers. He had grown to favor Hermione’s muggle pens over quills once he saw how they weren’t messy nor did they require a pot of ink. She gave him a full set of expensive ink pens for Christmas the month before and had never seen someone so excited over writing utensils.
“So do we think he did it on purpose?” He finally asked, now tapping the pen on his chin.
“Perhaps, although after his dose last month and his insistence that he felt better afterwards compared to usual, I think it’s more likely that he was just ignorantly hopeful. Not that I blame him. He’s been living with the werewolf curse for more than half his life. Living with something you know is slowly killing you or hurting those around you is a horribly depressing way to live. Especially when nobody around you seems to know how to help you.”
Theo nodded solemnly and ceased his pen twirling. After a long moment of silence, he stood up and held his hand out to her, “Alright, enough of the melancholy. Let’s go.”
Her brows shot up, “What? Go where?”
He reached forward and grabbed her hand pulling her up from behind her desk, “To lunch of course. Your day has just been cleared and I’m hungry.” He grabbed her coat from the hook behind the door and held it open for her as she put her arms through it.
“Okay,” she smiled. “You’re buying though.”
“Deal.”
They made their way down the street towards what had become their favorite lunch spot. It was a small quiet bistro that mostly served sandwiches and soups during lunch hours, but they also had a wonderful breakfast selection with pastries and an array of tea and coffee varieties to choose from.
“Do you want your usual?” Theo asked as he held the door open for her.
“Yes, please. I’ll get us a table.”
Hermione made her way to the small round table near the front window that they usually sat at. It gave them the perfect view of the street beyond. The bistro was a short ten-minute walk from St. Mungos, and it was close to the muggle hospital which happened to be a fifteen-minute walk in the opposite direction. At this time of day, the streets were mostly vacant, people were either at work or inside avoiding the dreary weather.
Theo walked over to their table holding two cups in his hands, placed them down and turned back to retrieve their food before coming back. They ate in companionable silence for a while, watching as the rain began and slowly trickled down the window.
“What were you working on when I walked in earlier?” Theo picked up his coffee and took a sip. He had grown fond of trying all of the sweetened flavors the bistro offered, her parents would’ve lectured him for hours if they ever saw how sweet the man took his drinks. Not that they’d ever meet him, or any of her friends, of course, they didn’t even know she existed.
“I was reading over some of the older texts I borrowed from Minerva trying to find a better binding agent for the lycanthropy treatment. I have some ideas I took notes on; I had planned to bring them up to Padma today, but it’ll have to wait.”
He nodded his head and traced a line in the wood on the table, “Mhm.. And what else? I saw the other folder. You’ve had it out a few times before when I’ve stopped by. Was it for your research on memory charms?”
“Oh, erm… No, that’s been put off actually. That was a patient file.” She picked at her fingers where she’d folded them beneath the table.
His index finger ceased its tracing and he sat back, “Ah, a mystery patient then.” She didn’t elaborate so he went on, “Why has it been put off? I thought you said the mind healer you contacted in Paris had a possible cure. Did something change?”
Hermione swallowed and looked back out the window, “Yes, I suppose I did.” She inhaled deeply to repress the emotion building in her chest. She had long given up hope that she would ever recover her parent’s memories. Deep down, she knew the dream to be impossible. “The obliviate was done too thoroughly, the healer told me nothing could be done at this point. Besides, it would be cruel, would it not? To bring their memories back after eight years.”
He slowly nodded as he thought about it. “Are they happy?” He asked gently. He knew she took yearly trips to Australia where she could check in on them.
Last year she went for her birthday, a day they now celebrated as their anniversary. Something she had selfishly changed when she altered their memories. In the hope that they’d celebrate all of their love on the day they once celebrated their love for her.
“They seem happy. They have their own dental practice, a nice home in a quiet town. Their neighbors are kind and speak highly of them. They’re as happy as two people can be, given the circumstances. I can’t bring myself to upturn their world, it would devastate them. They’d never trust me or look at me the same again.” She toyed with the ring she wore on her right index finger. Her parents gave it to her when she was in her fourth year at Hogwarts. Her mother told her it held one of her bursts of accidental magic. It had a pear cut emerald that shone an almost blue colour in certain light, likely from the magic trapped within.
When she was little, before she found out she was a witch, she got upset about her father leaving for a trip with his friends and her outburst caused a beam of magic to shoot straight at her mother’s hand where it was absorbed within the stone. Her parents chalked it up to a trick of the light.
It wasn’t until later that Minerva explained that many gemstones could hold onto one’s magic. It’s why so many pure blood families had heirloom jewelry imbued with magic. Hermione found it ironic that her only magical heirloom was self-created and was initially a muggle ring passed from mother to daughter for the last four generations.
Theo cleared his throat as he broke the silence, “I suppose you’re right. A lifetime of memories colliding with the eight years of new ones they’ve created could be catastrophic on their brains.”
Hermione was saved from responding when a familiar face with curly black hair entered the bistro. The bell above the door chimed softly as Harry walked in and glanced around, as soon as his eyes met hers he walked over to the pair of them.
“Nott,” He dipped his chin in greeting.
“I’ve told you before, call me Theo.” Theo leaned back casually in his seat and smirked up at Harry.
Harry’s cheeks were already flushed from the cool air outside, but Hermione could swear they deepened in colour just a shade.
“Right, well then, Theo, I hope you don’t mind the intrusion,” he turned to face Hermione and cast a subtle wandless muffliato around the three of them. “I went by your office and saw you weren’t there. One of the healers mentioned she saw that you left for the day and went to lunch with Nott— Theo. I assume you’ve both been informed of the werewolf incident last night?”
They both nodded.
“I just got done talking with Mr. Simmons, he claims he and his wife were in the process of locking him within the safe room at their home when his transition started. He insists it all happened sooner and faster than they expected.”
Theo’s smirk dropped and turned serious, “As in, he transitioned before the moon was truly full?”
“Yes, and the transition took less time to complete then normal,” Harry pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and looked around.
“Do you think it has to do with the altered wolfsbane trial?” Hermione asked.
“We interviewed a few other werewolves who are a part of the trail, none of the others claim to have shifted early therefore, we aren’t sure what to believe. He’s being held for observation for now and his wife is still in critical condition, as you both already know. For now, the DMLE wants to keep the case under wraps and out of the media.”
“I think that’s best,” Hermione agreed. “Any public exposure would be harmful to the future of the trial if it isn’t related, and with Greyback and his pack still at large it could even encourage them to attack again.”
It had been four months since the last reported attack where several members of Greyback’s pack were apprehended. Since then, he had been laying low, likely recovering from the damage he himself supposedly sustained during the attack.
“Right,” Harry said. “Oh, one more thing, Hermione.”
“Hm?”
“Can I bring James to your place tomorrow morning? I know you’ve got the day off and Ginny asked if I could go with her to her portkey. She’s leaving tomorrow for her next Quidditch match, and I’ve got to run into the office afterwards for a few hours to fill out some paperwork.”
“Sure, is Molly busy?”
Harry’s eyes darted over to where Theo sat silently watching their conversation. “Erm, no, I just figured you’d want some time with him since it’s been a few days since he last saw you. Plus, he’s been asking about your cat.”
Theo snapped his attention to Hermione, “You have a cat? Is it that half kneazle you had at Hogwarts? I thought that hideous ginger beast would’ve died by now.”
Harry’s eyes widened in warning as he stared at Theo, Hermione on the other hand glared daggers at him. “He did, two years ago. So, no that is not the cat I have. I actually have two, although they are also kneazles, full kneazles at that. You’ve never been to my home so of course you wouldn’t know of them, beside they tend to retreat to their room or the garden when guests are over anyways .”
“Sorry, that was rude of me,” Theo apologized sheepishly. “Hold on, your bloody cats have their own room? Also, you’ve never invited me over. If they hide away when people are over how has James seen them?”
“I don’t want to hear it from you; you live in a manor that has enough rooms for every single one of our friends to have their own. So yes, my kneazles have their own space within my home. They’re excellent familiars and deserve their own space,” Hermione huffed at him. Harry looked ready to laugh but held off.
“Also,” she continued, “James was with me when I picked them out last year. I was babysitting him for Harry and Ginny and decided on a whim I wanted another familiar, so we went to the new magical creature rescue that opened in Diagon Alley after the war, and I let James help me find them. Honestly, I think they picked me rather than the other way around. One rubbed against me and refused to let me look any further while the other planted himself firmly in front of James. The shop keep said they were a bonded pair and couldn’t be separated so I adopted both.”
“Not to interrupt again, but I need to get back and sign off on the last of the reports from yesterday,” Harry said. “Thanks again, I’ll be by tomorrow morning with James.”
After he left Theo sighed dramatically, “It’s a shame he and Red didn’t stay together.”
“Do you ever think before you speak?”
Theo smiled at her, “Sometimes. But you knew that already. So, think I’ve got a shot with The Chosen One?”
Hermione only rolled her eyes as they stood to leave.
“I mean it, invite me over sometime. We are friends, right?”
“Yes, Theo. We’re friends.”
“Precisely, and you only ever come to my place so it’s about time we change that.” He stood in front of her looking affronted with his hands on his hips.
Hermione shook her head and laughed, “Very well.”