Healing the Heart (Dramione)

35|| The Cure

Blaise nudged Luna who shook her head. "This is your doing. I simply ran errands." She stated softly.

"I couldn't have done it without your knowledge. Actually, it was Hermione's suggestion of Ashwinder Eggs and Fire Seeds that really did it. This was, an incredibly advanced Ague." He explained. "Our chemical make-up is different than that of a Muggle's but that doesn't mean that we can't contact similar illnesses. This one was a mutation of a highly advanced Ague and a Virus which are both easy to cure, however, there was also a poison involved which is why we couldn't cure this, we were only treating Agues and Viruses."

"A poison?" The Minister questioned. "What kind of poison?"

"I will get to that. First, Ashwinder Eggs, when frozen, they are a common cure for Simple Agues; however, because this was not a simple ague, we could not have those who were infected, simply swallow an Ashwinder Egg. No, we had to create mixture of the potentially fatal Cure for an Ague potion and the Potion for Uncommon Poisons."

"Now, the reason why this was so contagious, was the virus portion of it. Even with proper hand washing and other sanitary methods, a simple sneeze could infect anyone who came in contact with them. Which included, medical staff, kitchen staff, cleaning staff, family, friends. This is why the pass along rate was so much higher than the walk-in patients." He explained.

Luna lifted a finger up to interrupt him. "The virus was spread through contact, as long as you didn't come in direct contact with the infected person's blood or other bodily fluids, you weren't at risk for contracting the illness." She continued. "For example, a child is contaminated and catches a fever. The mother kisses the ill child's forehead and then the mother potentially has the illness as it could have been transmitted through the child's sweat."

"Exactly. Now, this illness was first spread though mosquitoes. A tiny parasitic creature which generally causes minor discomfort when bitten, was infected itself. But the body of a mosquito wasn't the right host for this particular virus so the mosquito was only a carrier."

The Minister nodded slowly as the two spoke. "The wizard we caught, he did mention the mosquitoes and how the people he was working with infected the things so they could spread the illness. Now that we know where it came from and how to treat it, what about the mosquitoes? How do we get rid of that threat? There could be thousands of other who are infected. Not just wizards but muggles too."

Dean Thomas, who had been sitting quietly up to that point, rose from his chair. "I believe I can help with that. Muggles have an organization who will spray a chemical to kill mosquitoes. I can work on getting the highest areas of illness treated first." He nodded to Blaise. "I also can work with Muggle healers to develop a treatment for any muggles with the illness and a possible prevention against future contractions of this illness."

The Minister stood abruptly and clasped a hand on Blaise's shoulder. "This is a much needed relief." He took Luna's hand and gripped it firmly. "You two have done outstanding work. You mentioned Miss Granger's role in this cure, where is she?"

"Recovering." Luna chirped. "She's been exhausted from working so hard." She smiled up at The Minister.

—-

Pressure on her right had was the first thing she noticed. The second, was how difficult it was to move. She struggled to open her eyes and keep them from fluttering shut. Her head felt foggy as her brain tried to sort out what was happening. The last thing she remembered was France. Blood, water, and deep regret. Draco. She fought with Draco and then they began working on a cure. She was helping with the cure.

"Mum, look." A muted voice carried through the air and stopped her thoughts.

She rolled her head to the side and tried to focus her eyes on the burry blobs surrounding her. After a moment of struggling, Hermione finally forced her eyes open and slowly her vision began to clear. "Ginny?" She swallowed thickly. Her eyes scanned the room. Her mother and father stood on one side of the bed, on the other was the Weasley family and Harry. The Director stood at the foot of her bed with a kind smile on his face.

"You gave us quite the fright, Healer Granger." He held up a clipboard. "Once you're ready, we need to run a few tests."

"Blaise did it?" She whispered. "He made a cure." Hermione sighed deeply before frowning. "Where's Draco?"

Ginny glanced to the side. "He, uh, he's helping Blaise and Luna." She forced a smile as Hermione's eyes slowly closed again. "Where the hell is he?" Ginny hissed towards The Director.

"Mrs. Potter, please understand that he's been through a lot as well."

"I understand that but even so, he's so important to her. Even if they aren't getting along right now. She just survived death. He should be here." She huffed. Harry shifted uncomfortably beside Ginny.

"Ginny, dear." Mrs. Weasley placed a light hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Why don't you stay with Hermione for a moment? I need to go grab some things from home. Gifts I made her."

Nodding stiffly, Ginny sat down in the chair beside Hermione's bed. "Come back quickly. She might wake up again."

Mrs. Weasley smiled and swiftly exited the room.

"Mrs. Weasley." Harry followed after her. "Let me help look. Two sets of eyes is better than one."

She smiled and patted his check lightly. "Thank you, Dearie. I think you should stay with Ginny and Hermione. You and Draco never really got along."

Harry shrugged. "Maybe if I were the one asking for his help, he'd say yes. Ya know, 'Harry Potter needing help from The Great Draco Malfoy.' Could work."

She chuckled softly. "If he won't listen to me, I'll bring you in to take a stab at him."

"You could convince a Yeti to live in the desert." He gave a small wave as he turned back towards the room. "Let me know if you need me."

Such a good boy. Continuing on, she walked through the halls of the hospital, checking each room she could open till she found Draco's office. Empty. She knew it was too much to hope that he'd be there. "Very well." Turning, she made her way to the conference room where Luna and Blaise were speaking with The Minister.

"Molly." Luna was just exiting the room when Mrs. Weasley arrived. "How's Hermione doing?"

Mrs. Weasley has always liked Luna, even if she was a little difficult to understand some times. The quirky, young, witch was a good friend to all her kids as well as Harry, and Hermione. She was incredibly loyal and always seemed to see the best in people. Sometimes, Mrs. Weasley wondered if she should have been sorted into Hufflepuff but then Luna would spout a deep response or give a different view to a problem and it was obvious she was a Ravenclaw. "She's doing well. Is Blaise around?"

Pushing the conference door open, Luna nodded. The room was empty, cleared of its previous occupants save a single person standing at the head of the table.

"Mrs. Weasley." Blaise looked startled. "Is there something wrong? Is it Hermione?" He grabbed his papers and walked over to her.

She lifted a finger and pointed towards him. "Yes, there is. Where's Draco?" An uncomfortable cough was her response. "Blaise, you're going to tell me where Draco is so I can go ask him why he isn't in Hermione's room."

"Ma'am," Blaise scratched his neck. "I think they broke up."

"They didn't break up." Luna piped in. "He loves her, always has. They just fought. That's all."

Mrs. Weasley cleared her throat. "Where is he?" The question of the day, it seemed to be.

"He's back at the flat." Luna stated. "He hasn't left in a couple days. Not since The Cure was created."

"Luna."

"All he's been doing is sitting there moping. He needs to be there for her. She loves him. She needs him." She said firmly.

Mrs. Weasley smiled at Luna before shaking her finger at Blaise. "Don't you dare tell him I'm coming."