The Healer II- The Patient (Draco Malfoy Fanfiction)

Chapter 18- Infection

Little disclaimer that some of the ages and dates might not match up because I changed it a lot while writing. Scorpius was born in January of 2006, so when the story picks up again in August of 2011 he is five. Draco is about twenty-nine and Erica is twenty-eight (her birthday is in December). 

The attached picture is close enough to what Erica looks like now (drop the skincare routine sis). -kittyhawk

-August 2011-

A new award was fighting for space on my desk. It arrived just this morning; a bawdy, 12 inch gold-plated statue of two serpents winding around a cross in the familiar medicinal symbol, the Caduceus. I pursed my lips, noting how it stood out amongst my other ordinary desk items; the same old Pukwudgie paperweight, a picture of my parents with my daughter at Christmas, and next to that: the blaring black print of a pile of divorce papers I had yet to serve.

The story behind the divorce papers was surprisingly related to the award. Over the past four years I devoted my time to werewolf mood stabilization medicine- something that I was personally invested in, but which would also benefit countless other people. My husband Len had kindly agreed to be a part of my study. After numerous trials, my drug was declared a success. Every werewolf who participated in the study reported improvement in overall mood and temper control, with one exception. Len. I was forced to face the reality that the beast inside him wasn't a beast at all. His temper unfortunately belonged to the human side of him, and could not be fixed with any drug I could make.

I shoved the divorce papers into my bag just as a woman entered my office. The young woman had shoulder-length walnut brown hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. A small drawstring bag dangled from her knuckle. It took me a moment to recognize her as Cora Nygard, the mediwitch that had been my assistant four years ago, who had taken over Astoria's care. The job kept her busy enough to keep her away from the hospital most of the time.

She eyeballed the 12 inch Caduceus on my desk and smiled. "I came to say congratulations on your lycanthrope calmative, but it seems MACUSA beat me to it!"

I smiled back at her. "Cora! I haven't seen you in..."

She sighed, shoulders drooping. "I know. I've been away for so long. But I've heard you had a daughter!" She perked up. "You and Len must be over the moon."

My smile twitched. "Yes, well, Len's still adjusting." My pregnancy had been a surprise to us both. Len had been "adjusting" to it for the past four years, and quite poorly.

"Listen, I cannot thank you enough for your referral to the Malfoys," she chattered. "I was able to move out of that dingy apartment and get a house all on my own in Manhattan."

Hearing the name Malfoy felt like someone had dropped a stone right on my stomach, but my genial smile never faded.

"That's great, Cora. How... how are they?" I asked. Not a day went by that I didn't think about Astoria, Draco, and Scorpius. I restrained myself from checking in on them for four years because I still felt guilty about what transpired on that stormy night. Whether Draco loved his spouse or not was beside the point that what we did was adulterous and wrong. And whether I still loved him after all these years was something I couldn't allow myself to think about for too long, for I knew I would go insane thinking about a married man I simply could not be with.

Cora's lips pressed into a line. "The wife passed away two weeks ago. The husband dismissed me immediately after."

Cora wasn't aware of how well I knew Draco and Astoria, so she delivered the news very bluntly. I had to stifle my floored reaction.

I cleared my throat. "Astoria is dead?"

"Yeah, from that terrible blood curse," Cora added. "Can't say I'll miss working for them. I mean, she was the same age as me but always talked to me like I was stupid or something. The husband was alright I guess, but then again, he barely spoke to me and spent most of his time in his study. I think they had something against Americans."