Serpent On Fire | DRACO x OC | HERMIONE x OC

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Io woke up in the hospital wing. It was bright, sunny, and warm much unlike the night before. It was hard to imagine that only hours prior, Hogwarts had been a small battleground, and now it was a sanctuary once again. Everything was hazy when she opened her eyes, and what she thought was blinding light was actually Aster's hair, pale and gleaming in front of her.

"She's awake!" Aster called out, and soon after, Madame Pomfrey joined them, drawing back the curtains halfway and revealing a room full of others being treated for various injuries. Aster had a fresh bruise on her cheek, and her forearm was wrapped snugly in gauze.

"What happened to you?" Io croaked as she sat up. Madame Pomfrey started to inspect her head before applying a pale blue potion that cooled down the fresh pain.

"Don't worry about it," Aster gave a small smile. "Broken glass is no one's friend, and I can handle a little blemish."

"Io." Altair stood before them with a serene look on his face.

"Uncle," Io reached out, and he sat to join her. "What are you doing here? When did you arrive?"

"Just recently." He adjusted his glasses. "I have been inducted into the Order per Dumbledore's request. Luckily the muggle who purchased my old home has since retired elsewhere. I shall look forward to settling down in London once again."

"But what about -"

"Ilvermorny will still be there when it's all over." He reassured them both. "Right now, I need to be here with my girls who, I might add, fought the good fight. I've already given Aster my praise for saving Mr. Weasley and the others from further damage. And of course, I regret the circumstances, but you were able to get the information we needed about Albus - God rest his soul. You and I will talk later, so we can extract your memory of last night."

"Mr. Weasley? Is Ron alright?"

Aster fixed Io's hair with a small brush. "Not him. His brother Bill is here. That werewolf, Fenrir Greyback, got his face... There was a lot of blood, but he seems to be doing well."

Altair pulled back the curtain fully, and Io could see the others who were being treated. Among them were people she'd never met though she could guess who they were just based on the familiar red hair.

One of them walked over, a taller gentleman with patches on his coat. "Io, it's wonderful to meet you. Harry and Aster told us all about you. Arthur Weasley." He motioned to himself then to a woman who sat at one of the beds. "And my wife Molly."

"You're Ron's parents." Io shook his hand.

He nodded. "And Ginny and Bill's. Thank you again, Aster, for your help."

Aster waved off the praise. "Of course, Mr. Weasley. I hope everything will be alright."

"He may be a bit... different from now on, but at least he's alive. That's all that matters."

Io swung her legs down from the bed. She could still feel the large bruise under her hair, but the pulsing was faint thanks to Madame Pomfrey's potion. "Where's Draco?"

The room fell silent. Aster fiddled with her fingers, looking to their uncle for an answer. Any conversation ceased as everyone tried to listen in. While not many of them knew what happened, they all knew one student did not return to Hogwarts last night.

After a few seconds, Altair cleared his throat. He put his hand on her shoulder with a small squeeze. "He's gone, Io. Harry saw Draco apparate with the Death Eaters in the Dark Forest. From what we gathered, Voldemort is using Malfoy Manor as a gathering place for them all."

"I can't believe he actually did it." Aster shook her head.

"He didn't." Io said firmly.

"But -"