Perfectly Matched | ᴅʀᴀᴍɪᴏɴᴇ ✓

04 | Drawn to You

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-- ST. MUNGO'S

Hermione was nearly finished with her shift, but it felt to her as if she'd been mindlessly floating through the last few hours. Her mind kept revisiting a certain blonde who plagued her thoughts. Did he ever end up visiting the Beasts and Beings Ward? Did he heal alright? Harry hadn't said much in the few times she'd run into him, and she didn't think it was her place to ask. It had been a few days since she discharged him to Harry's care, and she hadn't heard a single thing from him since. The full moon was only two days away, so she could only hope he had his affairs in order.

"I swear to Merlin, if he sends me another flower at work, I'm going to bloody blacklist his mail," Katie spewed, walking up to Hermione with an overflowing pile of carnations in her arms.

"Can't get rid of an admirer?" Hermione smiled in amusement, grateful for the distraction.

"Hardly," she scoffed. "It's Nott- he keeps trying to apologize for his friend."

Hermione's eyebrows flew to her hairline. "Theodore Nott? The man who was here with Malfoy?"

"One and only," Katie grumbled.

"I don't know, that seems rather sweet to me."

"Believe me, I know," Katie huffed. "He even insisted on making sure I got home okay after you discharged Malfoy."

"Oh? So what seems to be the problem?"

Katie glanced at her shoes, biting her lip in frustration. "Don't judge me, okay?"

"I would never," Hermione immediately assured her friend.

"It's just..." Katie hesitated, closing her eyes. "I was cursed by a Death Eater in my seventh year- at school!"

"I remember," Hermione said softly. "I was walking not far behind you when you accidentally touched the necklace."

Katie closed her eyes at the memory, grimacing slightly.

"What does that have to do with Theo? Malfoy was the one who gave you the necklace."

"I know, I know! But... part of me was just thinking. Theo was a Death Eater too. He could've easily been the one to curse me if the mission was given to him instead of Malfoy."

"But he wasn't, and he didn't," Hermione reminded her. "Is everything alright? It isn't like you to jump to conclusions."

"Fine," Katie said a little too quickly. "You're right, I'm probably just being paranoid for no reason. I guess I just get a little nervous when it comes to that whole incident. Not a pleasant time, ya know?"

"Okay," Hermione said hesitantly. There was something Katie wasn't quite telling her, but she wouldn't push the witch.

"Anyway, are you leaving early?" Katie asked her. Hermione was already shedding her Healer robes for the night.

"Yeah, I figured it's the least they owe me for calling me in on my day off," Hermione said. "I'm exhausted."

"No, definitely, get out of here," Katie insisted. "You work much too hard as it is."

And for the first time in months, a bone-dreary Hermione couldn't help but agree.

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