This will be a short story; two parts, maybe three at the most. It is a gift for my sister, who recently celebrated a birthday. Annamonk's writings are full of wonder and magic and fairy light. Thank you Precious One, for blessing us with your creativity. I love you, Sister Mine!

The Summer Queen: Part I

Hermione sighed. It had been another exhausting day at St. Mungo's. Healer apprenticeship was not for the faint of heart or for those longing for a sedentary lifestyle. Starting at six each morning, the small group of interns would be assigned to a healer for the day. Then they would follow said healer as they visited each patient. Magical surgeries came next, followed by a small break for lunch. The afternoons were filled with potion-making, ending with one more round to check on the patients before surrendering their care to the next shift taking their place.

Hermione had just gotten back to the lounge assigned to the trainees. She plopped down on one of the sofas in the room, groaning as she did. She was not as young as the other interns. The intensity of each day affected her more.

When she left Hogwarts, she hadn't pursued a medical career, even though she had the Newts for it. Her first apprenticeship had been in the Ministry, in the Magical Creatures division. Hermione wanted to make changes in the law; she'd wanted to make a difference for the often overlooked and unappreciated members of the magical world. But she'd not wanted the trappings that had come with a government job; the red tape, the hobnobbing, the pressure to kowtow to special interests….in short, the headache that came with working for an apathetic and at times, corrupt bureaucracy. She discussed it one night during a meal at Harry's house. He knew of her disillusionment.

"'Mione….the fact is…...you're just too pure to be in politics," he'd said.

"Pfft….I'm not pure Harry," she said, a double meaning in her words. "I get reminded of that everyday."

Ginny laid her hand on Hermione's. "You work with neanderthals, Hermione. It's not your fault."

"It feels like it is." She gave a big sigh. "I guess I'll just have to try harder."

"For what? More frustration? Bigger disappointments? I know you, 'Mione. You'll be unhappy staying where you are."

"But Harry….. what else can I do?"

He toyed with his breadstick while giving his wife a look. "Have you ever thought about being a healer?"

She blinked, a dumbfounded look spreading over her face. "A healer?"

"Why not?"

Hermione didn't know what to say. But the more she thought about it, the more something shifted inside her. She'd read the news that St. Mungo's was building a new section to the hospital dedicated to the different magical species found among wizardkind. Families who had veelas, werewolves, mermaids, dryads, giants and other magical creatures in their bloodline would now be able to be treated without fear of exposure or censure.

Maybe I could make a difference that way.

Hermione considered Harry's suggestion.

Why not indeed?

Harry and Ginny watched as Hermione's expressive face showed all she was thinking. Ginny looked at Harry's hopeful expression and winked. He sighed, happy that the sister of his heart had taken the bait. He'd heard through the ministry grapevine that Hermione's job was going to be terminated. It would have already happened if anyone but Hermione had filled it. Even though many in the ministry didn't like the muggleborn, they were too smart to flagrantly show it. She was a war hero, the best friend of the Chosen One. They'd tried to chase her off with their resistance to her bills, but she was a stubborn one.

"So….what do you say?"

Hermione grinned at Harry. "A significant career change might be in order."

000

Hermione had to walk fast to keep up with Healer Robbins. The older man was unusually tall, thanks to the giant blood from his father's side of the family. Shorter and less massive than Hagrid, Healer Robbins was still big.

"You did remember to turn your clothes inside out, didn't you?" he asked.

Hermione thought it a silly thing to request when he'd told her how to dress for work that day, but she had done it. "I did."

"And you brought some cold iron with you to keep in your pocket?"

"Yes, Sir." Hermione didn't understand. Why were these precautions needed? They never had been before.

"Good," he said. "Probably not necessary, but it's best not to take chances."

Hermione was still in the dark. She ventured to ask, "The subject we're about to see…are they dangerous?"

"I hope not. But no need for worry," he said as he turned back to look at Hermione. "I would never allow any harm to come to my interns."

They finally reached the door to the patient's room within the new magical creatures wing of the hospital. Hermione was stunned when the door opened to reveal Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy sitting on either side of the patient's bed. And on that bed was Draco Malfoy. Her one-time enemy. School bully. Death Eater. And now, one of her cases.

She looked at the former Slytherin. She still would have recognized him, although there were significant changes to the boy she knew. For one thing, he was no longer a boy. His hair was longer. He appeared taller, with a manly scruff decorating his face. Draco had filled out. Although still slender, hardened muscles filled out his frame. The pointy sharpness of his facial features had changed into the chiseled strength of a man. But the most shocking difference was in his arm where the dark mark had been. Taking its place was now a garland of ivy; very green, very vibrant and looking almost alive.

Hermione looked up to question Draco about it and saw his silvery eyes shining, his irises now outlined by an unearthly emerald color. It looked liked something out of a fairy tale. Or nightmare. She gasped, the sight of it alarming her.

"Healer Granger….are you alright?" Healer Robbins asked.

Hermione reluctantly moved her eyes from Draco to her instructor. "Yes…..uh, yes Sir. I was just surprised. His eyes…" she trailed off.

"Have you never beheld one of the Fair Folk before?" Healer Robbins asked.

"Fair folk?" Hermione repeated. "You mean…..fairies?" she gave Draco a look of blatant disbelief.

"We prefer fae," Lucius sniffed. "The Malfoy line has always been part of the Seelie Court. The summer elves. Hence, why our ancestral home is in Wiltshire and adjacent to Stonehenge. Draco has reached the age of ascension. The ley lines will answer only to his commands. He must be able to call to them with his power unleashed. It is his time to usher in the summer solstice and preside over the season of light."

"And I am guessing that is why you are here today?" Healer Robbins asked.

"Yes," Narcissa answered. "It's but a month to midsummer, and our son has yet to find his Summer Queen."

"I….I don't understand," Hermione said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Lucius looked at her steadily. "Only a King with a Queen by his side can release the royal magicks."

Healer Robbins leaned down to take a closer look at Draco. Hermione followed her trainer's movements, and without realizing it, moved closer to Draco herself. He had closed his eyes when they'd started their examination of him, and Hermione found she liked it better that way. Without him watching her, Hermione paid more attention to what she was seeing. The first condition that caught her notice was Draco's hair. It was was shimmering and pulsing as if it had a heartbeat. She reached out to touch a strand and jumped when the hair she touched became living, flowing light. Draco's skin was glowing as well.

"His magic is on the hunt," the older healer noted out loud for his quick-quills to jot down.

Draco had an otherworldly beauty to him, thought Hermione. She stared, mesmerized by it. A feeling of excitement and happiness began to envelope her. An intoxicating aroma of honeysuckle pervaded the air in the small hospital room. Hermione felt an irresistible urge to dance. To let down her hair. To kiss Draco. The last urge became a driving insistence, overwhelming her. Without being aware she was doing so, Hermione leaned down to capture his lips with hers.

A loud cough brought her back to her senses.

"Now you understand the preventive measures I insisted upon," said Healer Robbins. "A fairy king's allure is nigh impossible to resist."

"Why did you stop her?" Lucius thundered. "Draco could have been healed!"

"At what risk, though? Healer Granger could have been doomed. I do not condone the taking away of an individual's will. It's no better than being hexed with an imperious. Both are unforgivables."

Lucius looked ready to spit fire. But Narcissa gently said, "There is no doom in being loved, Healer. The Summer King adores his lady. None on earth are more loved than she."

The healer pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes at the Malfoy matriarch. "But what if Miss Granger turned out not to be the Summer Queen? What if his kiss didn't kindle her magic? What would have happened then?"

Both Lucius and Narcissa had the grace to look ashamed.

"Then she would be left outside the warmth of summer," Lucius admitted.

Hermione shuddered. She'd read enough to know what that meant. "I would become…..Unseelie?"

Narcissa's gaze held an infinite sadness. "Yes. I'm afraid so."

Unseelie. The Winter court. Dementors. Hermione had read long ago in a book from the restricted section at Hogwarts that Dementors were those who had been doomed to live outside the dominion of light. Perpetual winter was their fate. Magical beings having been trapped inside the realm of fairy, without being given any of its joy.

That was why dementors sucked happiness where they could. Why everything they touched shivered and died under a blanket of frost.

They were forever cold. Forever without.

Could that happen to me? wondered Hermione. Surely not. For one thing, she had no desire to marry Draco. Her wanting to kiss him was just a fluke, she assured herself. Just a reaction to the power of a Seelie's charm. Still. She couldn't help but be intrigued by Fay magic. So little was known of it. Their customs were guarded. They hid them as much as they did their existence. In some ways, fairies were the most xenophobic of all magical beings. Seen in that light, some of the actions of the Malfoys began to take on new meaning. No wonder Draco's family had always fought against muggleborns having access to the wizarding world. They had been afraid they would bring a greater chance of exposure to the muggle world. Hermione's curiosity rose.

"How is a Summer Queen picked?" she asked. She was proud her voice hadn't quivered. Lucius looked up, surprised. Most witches would have run off screaming by now. Then he remembered that she had been a Gryffindor.

Yes, that house boasts of many Summer attributes, he thought. Bright and brassy and bold. Courageous and passionate. Perfect qualities for a consort suited for his son. He smiled kindly at the witch. Perhaps she would be able to forgive him and his family for their past abominable behavior. Should she become their court's queen, he would have to explain the cruel choices that had been his fate. Why he had done what he did.

Answering her question, he said, "Should you be willing, you would go through the trials. There are three. One, I believe, you have already undergone."

"And what was that?" she asked.

"The Trial of Fortitude. Especially while under duress."

Hermione blanched. She didn't need to be reminded of what she had endured in the Malfoy's home. Looking at their guilt-ridden faces, she assumed neither did they.

"What are the others?" she asked in a steely tone. Again, Lucius was silently impressed.

She has strength. Perhaps more than Draco. Good. She'll complete him. She'll make up for my failures.

"The Test of Wisdom. Kings and Queens, by definition, have kingdoms and for such, they must be fit to rule with discretion."

"Oh? Then I would suggest a refresher course for your son, because by my recollection, he was equipped with neither sagacity nor sound judgment during the time I knew him."

Draco opened his eyes at that. Seeing her hovering above him, his face took on a malevolent edge. Hermione immediately took a step back. Too late she remembered he was no longer a schoolboy rival. An ancient magic, a kind Hermione could not even comprehend, coursed through Draco's veins. A primal instinctive fear shivered through her. It was the first time she'd ever been scared of him.

"The final trial is the Testament of Grace. You're already walking a thin line with that one, Mudblood," Draco spat out contemptuously.

Narcissa gasped at his insult while Lucius gritted his teeth in frustration.

Hermione's sudden fear evaporated. She bristled in fury. "How dare you! I'm not the one who's going to bite the dust if I don't find a mate. You are!"

She stomped away from his bed, but then turned around, her hair coiling like snakes under the strength of her magic. She pointed a trembling finger at his face. "I can't believe I actually felt sorry for you! But you know what? You can just die and go to fairy hell for all I care, ferret!"

With that, she opened the door to the hall and slammed it shut. But not before she had grabbed the cold iron from her pocket and tossed it behind her where it fell into Draco's lap, precariously close to his precious parts.

"Aahhh!" Draco yelled, the metal torturing his flesh.

Healer Robbins walked over and removed the iron from Draco's bed.

"Well that went splendidly. You have such a way with the ladies," he commented drolly. "How any of them can resist you is a wonder."

A scathing reply was on Draco's tongue, but Narcissa kept him from speaking.

"Draco! Why did you say that to her? She was your best chance!" she wailed.

"Son, you act like you want to die," complained Lucius.

Draco tried to rise from his bed, but fell back, weaker than he's been yesterday when he'd been admitted. "I would rather die than to be mated to that vengeful harpy," he growled. "She's insufferable! She would drive me insane."

"Now, now. Healer Granger is very a dedicated and compassionate witch. But she is not the type to tolerate disrespect. Nor should she be." Healer Robbins couldn't help but speak up for his intern.

But that wasn't the whole of it. He wanted to help Draco. The Fae needed their future King. The world of Magic needed Summer's enchantments to recover from the chill the Dark Lord had cast. But his patient needed to change his attitude if he wanted to live.

He needed Hermione.

The healer's sharp, practiced eyes had seen what the others had missed. When Hermione had been under the influence of Draco's allure, a pale opal-colored bubble, too light to be seen with the human eye, had enveloped the two for just a moment. Only his giant blood allowed him to detect it. The older healer had immediately recalled to mind an old lullaby he'd been sung to as a child:

When time it is for Summer's reign
The King must be a pair
The Queen is she who once was fought
Their magic lights the air.

When joined, then all shall be set right
The dove, the hawk shall nest
True love will wake and warm the land
And settle in his breast.

Patting Draco on the shoulder, Healer Robbins said, "I'll be back after lunch with Miss Granger. She still needs to learn how to treat fay."

Then he added, "And perhaps while I'm gone, you could consider how be more respectful to someone who might end up your Savior, Mr. Malfoy."

AN: I took such liberties with the fairy world. I hope that's okay.