Call Me Professor

“Professor Malfoy?!” McGonagall’s rushed voice called out through the darkness of the dungeons in Hogwarts. She rushed towards the door that she knew held the sleeping form of the Potions Master. She knocked on his door roughly and awaited a response from the other side, feeling more and more urgent than the previous moment.

Draco opened his eyes, he had thought he heard a familiar voice calling his name from down a dungeon corridor. “Alice?” he asked himself groggily, pulling a long cloak over his night clothes. He opened the door a second later, after hearing the rough knocking, but was surprised to see Professor McGonagall. “What brings you to the dungeons at this hour, Headmistress?” Draco asked, obviously nothing good was going on to bring her down here to fetch him.

“Professor Smat needs your assistance. There was a student that was attacked.” McGonagall’s voice was strained as she made Malfoy follow her from the dungeons and up to the hospital wing.

“An attack?” Malfoy asked, “what would attack students now? Voldemort is dead….” The comment about Voldemort was more of an after thought. Even thinking about the Dark wizard made the dark mark that branded the flesh on his left arm burn.

Professor McGonagall pushed the doors to the hospital wing open, and rushed towards the bed that Alice was hovering over.

Draco followed McGonagall silently to the bed side of a girl who looked like she had been petrified. “Shall I start a Mandrake Potion?” Draco asked, looking to McGonagall, and then to Alice, who seemed to be uttering enchantments under her breath in a different language.

“That would very well kill her.” Alice told him in-between each enchantment. She stopped for a moment, seemingly doing all she could for the time being. “It appears that someone has casted a very ancient Russian curse on her.” she explained, wiping her forehead with the sleeve of her robe. “I’ve only seen this once before… Draco I need you to brew two potions for me.”

Draco looked up at the mention of his name, stepping forward slightly he nodded, “What potions?”

“Draught of Living Death, and Draught of Peace.” she replied. Alice took another look at the poor girl laying on the hospital bed. “Maybe it might be best if you brew some Mandrake potion after all…” she added.

Draco nodded, turned on his heel and left the hospital wing. At least he could get a few lessons out of this. Although, the sooner Alice got these potions, the better.

***

The sun was starting to rise, bringing golden and red beams of light through the windows of the castle.

Draco had been working hard all night. He had completed a Draught of Living Death, and Draught of Peace, all that needed to be completed was the Mandrake Potion. There was no doubt in his mind that it would take a couple days at best to finish that potion. Hopefully Alice would be able to hold out, without his potions for a couple days.

***

Classes had gone by as usual, students moaned and groaned when Professor Malfoy assigned them an essay due for their next class.

Draco scanned the teachers table when he appeared in the Great Hall for lunch. Just as he thought, Alice was no where to be seen. ‘Where has she gone?’ he thought to himself, but already knew the answer. Of course she’d be in the hospital wing. Deciding he would go help, he grabbed a couple apples and some bread from a nearby table, and left the Great Hall once more.

Draco pushed the doors to the hospital wing open, and was not surprised in the least to see Alice hovering over the female student.

Madame Pomfrey was standing at the other side of the bed watching Alice mutter enchantments in another language.

“You won’t be any good to anyone if you don’t at least eat.” Draco said, placing an apple and some bread on the night stand beside Alice. He rose his eyebrow in annoyance when all he got in response was a grunt.

“When are the potions going to be ready?” She asked, doing complicated motions with her wand.
“Draught of Living Death, and Draught of Peace are done. I will need a few more days for the Mandrake potion…” Draco felt a little uneasy about the tension and strain Alice had been putting herself under. ‘I’ve got to make this potion as soon as possible…’ he thought to himself, feeling an ache pulling at his heart.

Draco watched as Alice had restarted her enchantments, but this time it was in English. He tried to listen to what she was saying, but her words seemingly blended together, and her mumbling was too low for him to catch anything of what she said.

The two professor’s and the Hospital Ward’s official glanced towards the time when a bell had rung through the hall. It would appear it was time for class.

***

Draco wiped sweat from his brow. He had finally finished the last potion that Alice had asked for, the Mandrake Potion. He filled three large flasks worth of each potion and pocketed them. Giving them to Alice would have to wait until lunch to get them though.

He packed away his things as his first morning class arrived. It was a group of first years, and today would be there second class with him.

***

He didn’t even need to head to the Great Hall to know Alice would be in the hospital wing hovering over the girl that was attacked. She had been there every single day, at every spare moment she had. Multiple times Madame Pomfrey had forced Draco to take Alice back to her quarters to rest.

Shoving the Hospital Wing’s doors aside, Professor Malfoy rushed towards Alice, and held out the three large flasks of potions, each had a label with neat writing. “They’re complete.” he said simply, watching her take them in her fragile fingers. It seemed that she has grown weak, and exhausted from all her enchantments on this student.

“Thank you.” even her voice sounded worn and fragile. She waved her wand, a cauldron and small burner appeared out of thin air.

Draco watched as Alice pulled the cork from The Draught of Living Death, and pour three quarters of the bottle into the cauldron, then lit a flame beneath it. He was dumbfounded to see her then add half the bottle of Draught of Peace to the Draught of Living Death that was already in the cauldron.

“What are you doing?” Draco asked, thinking Alice had lost her mind. Was she planning on killing this student after all?

“A cure….” she whispered in a way that told him to just watch, but not to comment.

Alice continued to mix the potions together, stirring counter-clockwise thirteen times, then twice clockwise. The cocktail of potions started to turn a pale purple the more she continued to stir. Cautiously, she pointed her wand at the small flame beneath the cauldron which died down almost immediately, bringing the potion to a simmer.

Draco peered over Alice’s shoulder at the new potion. He had never seen anything like what she had done. The sudden realization dawned on him, she could easily take his job from him, if she wanted. Although, now was definitely not the time to worry about that.

Alice had just uncorked the bottle of Mandrake Potion, and added four drops to the pale purple potion. The reaction was instantaneous, the moment the Mandrake Potion touched the other potion, emerald sparks burst forth, nearly burning everyone in the immediate area. However, just as quickly as it started, it died down. “Now, for the final ingredient.” Alice murmured.

Draco watched as she pulled the silver knife from her leg halter and sliced her hand open, dripping blood into the potion. It seemed to hiss and bubble slightly, but then all was calm. “Madame Pomfrey.” Draco called, Alice’s hand needed some tending to.

Madame Pomfrey came bustling over, expecting to have to deal with a dead body. She looked between the only other three people in the room, then saw blood dripping from Alice’s hand. “Oh, let me fix that.” she said, giving Alice no choice.

Alice pulled her hand back from Madame Pomfrey, completely healed. “I need a goblet…” She murmured, looking around the room for something that would be a decent substitute.

Draco swished his wand, conjuring a goblet out of thin air. “Here..” he handed the goblet to Alice, and stood back.

Alice’s hands shook slightly as she dipped the goblet into the emerald potion.

Draco took the goblet from her, it looked like she would spill it at any second. “I just need to give this to her?” he asked, seeing Alice nod in response. He moved past the two women, and towards the girl that has been laying in the hospital wing for the past week. Carefully he tilted her rigid face, and made her lips part, so he could pour the potion into her mouth.

Draco stepped back with Madame Pomfrey and Alice after pouring the potion into the girl’s mouth. He was praying with all his might that he did not just kill the girl laying there.

The three of them watched for any sign of life, the Hospital Wing was dead silent as the tension built. Nothing broke their concentration, that was, until the bell to signal the end of lunch and the beginning of classes rang through the nearly empty Hospital.

“Keep and eye on her…” Draco heard Alice tell Madame Pomfrey, as she scooped up her things, and left the Wing, Shadow at her side.

Draco casted another look back at the student laying in the bed, before he too left the Wing, heading back towards the dungeons.