Mad Love: Psychotic Ex-Death Eaters and The Witches That Love them

Summary: Hermione Granger works at a wizarding psychiatric facility, and she dreads getting assigned to the problem-patient Draco Malfoy, who only talks to her. Why is that? Loosely based off Paul Dini's and Bruce Timm's 'Mad Love' Harley Quinn/Joker comic. Inspired loosely by 'The Silence of the Lambs' by Thomas Harris. You don't need an understanding of either inspirations to enjoy this story, although it will add an additional element of fun for those that do.

Disclaimer: I do not in any way own Harry Potter or the comic Mad Love or The Silence of The Lambs(as described above). This story is purely non-profit and for entertainment purposes only.

WARNING: This story has elements of the horror genre with regards to its overall narrative. There are depictions of ALL kinds of mental health, as well as mentions and sometimes descriptions of child abuse and other abuse, occur in this story. I DO NOT SUPPORT abuse of any kind: it is totally and utterly wrong, but unfortunately it happens. Thus, I describe it in my works as sensitively as I can in a given work. Minor warnings include swearing, drinking, dark literature references, sexual innuendos, sex, and generally dark subject matter. Proceed with caution. Basically, if you are NOT legally an adult (as in the UK) aged 18 or over, or feel you would be triggered by anything mentioned above, then please don't read. Thank you.

If you are old enough to be reading this story, and are fine with the warnings, (and they don't apply to you) then please go ahead and enjoy the story!

Chapter One - Healer Hermione Granger

'I must say, Healer Granger, I am surprised you chose to work here, in The Lucian Criminal Asylum: I would have thought a witch of your intellect and education record could have chosen to work anywhere.' Healer Leland told Healer Hermione Granger as she shut the door entrance to another ward. It was Healer Granger's first day at the Asylum and it was Healer Leland's job to give her a complete tour of the facility.

The Lucian Criminal Asylum was not an old asylum, as the name may suggest, quite the opposite, as it had only been three years since it had opened. What was once Malfoy Manor and its grounds being now The Lucian Asylum, which was a branch of Azkaban prison (and had the same board of directors), but it was reserved only for the so-called 'criminally insane witches and wizards' and from what she had seen so far, Hermione could believe that. There were witches and wizards here who had been talking to the flies around the poop they had just defecated in their cell (despite the fact all cells came with toilets and basins): witches who had tried to Avada themselves, wizards who had cut into their own arms with nothing but muggle pencils. It was horrifying, and Healer Hermione Granger could only hope she could handle the demands of the hospital.

'I know. But after the war, I wanted to continue doing some good for the wizarding community and although it may seem strange, but I felt I could…relate to these people in some way.' Healer Granger admitted to her supervisor.

Healer Leland nodded: 'I can understand your reasoning Healer Granger, but I can tell you right now that you will soon find that you will not be able to relate to a single one of these patients. In the three years I have worked here, I have discovered the patients I worked with are far more impulsive, reckless and are much more hard-core psychotics than any patient I've ever worked with in the muggle Broadmoor hospital.'

'You worked in Broadmoor?'

'Indeed. Before this place, there were barely any opportunities for Psych-Healers such as myself in the wizarding world, and thus being a muggleborn I chose to return to the muggle world after finishing Hogwarts to become a psychiatrist. Although nothing could have prepared me for this place. Some of these people would soon kill you as look you.' Leland told Granger quietly as they reached the entrance to the only ward Healer Granger had yet to see. 'I must say though, Healer Granger, it's a small blessing that you applied and accepted this intern position: I've had so many wannabe journalists apply in order to get a cash in and write a tell-all book about the more high-profile patients here: it was ever so tiresome weeding them out.' Leland said, shaking her head as she looked into the deep pockets of her white coat.

'I can assure you that I don't intend to cash in on your patients. You may call me Hermione, by the way.' Hermione Granger told her supervisor.

'And you may call me Joanna. I doubt you would be a cash in journalist from what I've read about you over the years, Hermione.' Healer Leland replied as she finally discovered a chain of gold keys inside her pockets. Hermione smiled back at the middle-aged lady modestly. 'Here we are, we are almost at the end of our tour, and so it's time I welcomed you to The Lily Ward.' Joanna said as she began to unlock the many locks on the double doors of the entrance.

Hermione tensed. All wards in Lucian were named after famous witches and wizards, in this case Lily Potter (one of the bravest witches of all time, according to several newspapers), but that wasn't the reason Hermione had tensed – the reason she tensed was because The Lily Ward was renowned even outside the Asylums grounds, as being filled with the most dangerous, psychotic, and volatile patients, some of whom, also happened to be Ex-Deatheaters.

Still, she summoned all other Gryffindor bravery and followed Healer Leland inside, jumping when the double doors slammed loudly behind her, trapping them inside. Hermione jumped even more when one of the patients jumped up at the glass of his cell and started to bang on the glass and scream imaginary words and hexes at the healers. It wasn't the first time something like this had happened to Hermione that day, but it still panicked her all the same.

'You get used to that, somehow.' Joanna told Hermione and gestured her to continue walking down the ward. 'So, this is The Lily Ward. The ward for patients who pose the most significant risk to other patients and themselves. Therefore, we pose equally significant boundaries for these patients. All staff are to keep behind these red lines you'll see on either side of the floor. No exceptions. This is so that you don't interfere with the multitude of charms that have been placed on the cell's glass. Unlike the other wards you've seen, a single protection charm was not enough for these patients.' Joanna said. Hermione nodded. She knew this already from her extensive studying back when she was training to be an intern at Lucian.

'The patients do not just suffer from psychosis, as the papers would have you believe, but also PTSD, depression, Schizophrenia and anxiety, amongst other conditions.' Healer Leland explained, and smiled once she realised Hermione had been reciting her lines which had been included in her An Introduction to Lucian Asylum textbook. 'I'm glad you know your research, and more specifically, my textbook.'

'Thank you, Joanna.' Hermione replied.

'You may recognise some of these faces from the Second Wizarding War. However, I urge you not presume anything about any patient – Death Eater history or no Death Eater history – is that understood?' Healer Leland said with authority.

'Yes, Healer Leland.'

'Good.'

They had reached the end of the ward and as Hermione turned around she noticed a peculiar patient to her left. 'Excuse me Joanna, but who is that patient in the last cell on the left?'

'Ah yes, I wondered if you'd ask about him. That would be Mr Draco Malfoy. A problem patient if ever there was one. His mother dropped him off here, without a word, just as it opened three years ago about six months after the end of the war. She refused to answer any questions about her son and only visited him a handful of times in the first year since Mr Malfoys admittance here, after that I believe his condition became too much for her to witness. He's steadily becoming more psychotic and more disconnected with reality. At first, he was just deathly silent: now, just last week he strangled a nursing healer who had been given instructions to clean his cell to his death and tried to eat his liver.' Hermione watched Joanna fail to hold back her shiver as she spoke. Hermione shivered too at the mere recitation before looking back at the patient Malfoy.

He didn't hold any physical resemblance to the boy who had studied and bullied her at Hogwarts. The man in the cell was skeletal and sat in a feral position after being magically bound to the floor of his cell. His vast locks of dirty white-blonde hair covered pretty much his entire body.

'Get back, Healer Granger!' Joanna suddenly shouted and yanked Hermione's arm. Hermione turned to stare at her supervisor in shock until she realised she had stood a cm over the red line a foot away from Malfoy's cell.

She turned to back to Malfoy's cell to see him staring at her with wide grey eyes.

'Grrrraaaannnngeeerrr' Draco loudly whispered in a long, sore voice. Hermione stood back as he spoke. She needn't have worried for as soon as soon as it had happened, Malfoy's head jerked away from view.

'Well…that was interesting.' Healer Leland commented as she tapped Hermione's arm and they started to walk towards the ward's exit.

'What's interesting?' Hermione asked, confused.

'That's the first time he's spoke, in any sort of way, in three years.' Joanna Leland said.

Author's Notes: And that, my readers, is Chapter One complete! Please review if you would like to see a continuation of this story. I wanted to publish this before the idea was forgotten and all the fans of 'Suicide Squad' have disappeared, haha. I probably will be focusing my efforts on The Pureblood Society and The Hogwarts Delacour more than this one (only because they were published first). But please, feel free to try and change my mind ;-)

Happy reading!

Lavendercrystals