A/N I realise that many will be disappointed by the direction I have taken with this story but this was my intention from the beginning so I hope you will all stay with this story and not be overly sad. Thank you for reading.
He knew something had happened while he was away the moment he set foot inside St Mungos. No one would look him in the eye and no one asked how his confrontation had gone.
"Ok what's happened?" He asked Pansy.
"I think it's best if Potter tells you" She replied.
Draco looked around.
"Where is he?"
"He's just gone in with a ummm healer" Ron clarified.
Draco narrowed his gaze but decided to play along, sitting down.
Harry emerged from the room, immediately stiffening when he spotted Draco.
"Since no one else will tell me what's going on, I hope you will" Draco stated.
"Well I had an idea while you were gone and I went with my gut on it" Harry replied awkwardly.
"So what's the problem?" Draco asked carefully.
"I know what your opinion is on muggle doctors but..."
"You went behind my back and plucked a muggle out of muggle London and brought him here?" Draco asked angrily.
"No I asked a squib friend of mine who is a muggle doctor to take a look at Hermione" Harry clarified calmly.
"A squib?" Draco didn't know what was worse a muggle or a wizard devoid of all magic.
"Now Malfoy you need to get past your prejudices and give the man a chance" Harry shot back.
"Give him a chance to do what?" Draco ground out. "If the greatest healers in the wizarding world don't know what's wrong with her how in Salazar is a squib supposed to know?!"
"Hermione's a muggle" Ron intervened.
"What?" Draco had no idea what that had to do with anything.
"Well you seem hell-bent on not believing a squib is capable of much yet look at the incredible magic Mione can do and she's a muggle" Ron shrugged.
Draco knew when to keep his mouth shut. He was ashamed at the way he was handling this maybe he hadn't quite changed as much as he had believed. As far as he knew his family had never had a squib which was a good thing too given the stigma associated with it. However as Potter and Weasel were trying to tell him it didn't necessarily mean they had no talents to offer. So he sat in silence waiting for Potter's squib to emerge, not being able to bring himself to thank him for something he still thought of as a mistake.
It seemed like hours passed before a short bald man wearing muggle clothes emerged from Hermione's room, a grave look on his face.
Draco stood up slowly still not believing he was actually discussing the matter with a squib, he was grateful Potter was there right beside him.
"Mr Malfoy?" The squib presumed.
Draco nodded politely.
"I'm sorry to have to tell you this but after drawing some blood and examining her I've come to the conclusion Miss Granger has stomach cancer" The squib revealed.
Draco just stared at him not understanding what that meant but judging from Harry's sharp intake of breath, it wasn't good.
"I'm sorry what is stomach …." He looked at him with confusion.
"It's an abnormal growth on the tissue of the stomach" The squib simplified.
Draco was still at a loss as to what was actually wrong with Hermione, so what if she had a growth on her stomach?
"Is it early stages?" Harry asked quietly.
"Unfortunately the tumour is quite advanced" He replied softly.
"What's that mean?" Draco asked angrily.
"The chances for survival are not good"
Draco felt the floor underneath him shift, as the man's words sank in. There was no way he was going to let her die without a fight.
"Surely with magic she can be cured" He said.
"I don't know of any potion or spell that could help" The squib shook his head.
Draco stopped himself from pointing out that not only was he a squib but he had lived in the muggle world; of course he wouldn't know anything.
"You need to prepare yourself Malfoy" Harry whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"No Potter I will not prepare myself for something that is not going to happen. I refuse to believe that we are capable of killing someone with two simple words but we are unable to save a life!" Draco bellowed, shrugging off Harry's hand and stalking off.
"Draco!" Pansy shouted.
Draco ignored her, not waiting this time until he reached outside before he apparated to Malfoy Industries.
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Draco wasted no time in making his way to the laboratory once he arrived at the company. He would look through all of the research and find her a cure, even if it took him all night to accomplish it. Casting a lumos, he lit the laboratory up stalking over to the storeroom and retrieving several potion's books. It was a great tragedy that the master of potions Severus Snape was not here to help him especially as Draco had never had a penchant for them.
Flicking through the pages frantically he kept the fear on the outer edges of his mind, ignoring it completely. He knew if he allowed himself to actually think about the squibs words, he would lose it. Throwing the first book away, he began flicking through the next growing angrier and angrier the more he did so.
Suddenly he heard the door open, alerting him to the presence of someone. Turning he was angered to find his father standing there.
"Who told you?" He ground out.
"From what Pansy told me I guessed you would be here" Lucius cleared his throat.
Draco turned back to the book flicking through once again intent on ignoring Lucius.
"You won't find what you're looking for in there" Lucius said softly, coming to stand next to his son.
"Yes I will" Draco argued, still flicking through the book.
"You need to come to terms with this son"
"NO!" Draco screamed throwing the book across the room. "I will not come to terms with the fact that I'm going to lose her to a muggle disease. We're supposed to be superior!"
He suddenly crumpled to the ground, tears spilling over as he lost control over his emotions for the first time in his father's presence, his body shaking with the sobs he couldn't contain.
"We're supposed to be superior" He repeated in between his sobs, shaking his head.
Lucius lent down and placed his hands on his son's shoulders.
"There are some things even we can't do"
Draco kept shaking his head, having no words left.
"All I can promise you is that I'll try to find something" Lucius whispered.
Draco stilled wiping away the shameful tears he had allowed to flow, trying to regain his composure.
"I won't lose her" He whispered.
Lucius simply nodded, remaining on the floor with his son.
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"I can't believe this is happening" Ginny shook her head in disbelief.
Harry had explained to them exactly what stomach cancer was and the likelihood that she would eventually die.
"Shouldn't she have known before now?" Ron asked.
"The symptoms can be really benign Ron, for all we know she just thought she was having an off week" Harry sighed.
"Where do you think Malfoy went?" Ron wondered.
"No idea, he was pretty beat up about it" Harry shrugged.
Ginny remained silent, her eyes tearing up as she thought about her friend lying in the room oblivious to the fact that she was dying.
"When will she wake up?" Ginny asked quietly.
"Soon, the healers have given her a draught" Harry answered.
"Who's going to tell her?" Ron asked.
"I think that's up to Malfoy don't you?" Harry said.
"I guess so" Ron nodded.
The three fell silent, each reliving the many happy memories they had of their best friend. The girl who had always been there to lend logical reasoning to every situation. The witch who was so smart she had helped defeat a powerful wizard who ranted that her kind was not capable of such a feat. It was just impossible that someone with such a huge heart could suddenly be taken from them.
"How is she?" Draco's voice made them all look up.
"She'll wake soon" Harry cleared his throat, composing himself.
Draco nodded, he didn't really know what else there was to say.
"Mr Malfoy" The female healer called.
Draco turned around to look at her, his face impassive as he waited for her to continue.
"She's awake"