A/N: Greetings! This is a non-magic AU. Draco and Hermione are doctors at the U.S. hospital of "St. Mungo's," and Ginny Weasley is a battered woman who is a patient of theirs. The story begins with the Ginny story and that plot line continues at different moments throughout, but this is primarily a Hermione/Draco story.

Warnings: This story is rated M for language, sexual content, and violence. There will be other warning scattered throughout the various chapters.

Anyway, let's get on with it!

With every smile, with every tear
Wherever I am, he will be near
Sho'nuff as I'm standin' here
I'm gonna make it.

Whenever I'm right, whenever I'm wrong,
Whenever the road gets too long
I will carry on
Cause I'm gonna make it.

-Sanders Bohlke

Have Mercy

Chapter 1: Ginny

"Miss Weasley," the blonde-haired doctor said when he entered the room. He was tall and handsome and had a small, warm smile on his face. His hair was so blonde that it was almost white, and his features were sharp and aristocratic. There were few lines on his face, and his skin looked to be just very lightly tanned from a normally very pale pigment. He had only a very slight air of arrogance about him that gave him jus the lightest of struts in each step he took, but the concern etched on his face for the patient before him was genuine. A nurse followed behind him, and it was clear from the look on her face that she was an experienced nurse. She was relatively young, perhaps in her mid-30s, but she had a serious look on her face as if she had seen a lot of cases come through this hospital and she was proud of that fact.

The doctor glanced at his clipboard and approached the patient. She did not say anything when he addressed her, but only continued to stare straight ahead. At first glance, she looked as if she had been either in a terrible car accident or severely beaten, but after a closer look, it became clear that it was the latter. Both of her eyes were blackened, and one was nearly swollen shut. She had bruises on her face, and her jaw was swollen right beneath her swollen lower lip. She was wearing a hospital gown but from what could be seen, she had bruises all down her arms and legs, including bruises shaped like finger marks on her biceps. She was wheezing slightly and had finger marks around her neck as well, indicating that she had been choked and perhaps received severe injuries to her windpipe. Underneath her bruises, however, the doctor could tell that she was pretty. She had long red hair, soft feminine features on her face—like her pink lips and lightly freckled skin—and gentle curves that made her just the type of prey for this kind of attack. She sat incredibly still and erect on the hospital bed with her legs crossed, a blanket draped over them, and her hands resting in her lap.

When the doctor approached her, she cringed lightly but still did not look at him. If not for that slight cringe, it well may have been that she didn't even notice the doctor and nurse enter. The nurse stood close by and the doctor began to speak to the patient softly. "Ginevra," he said quietly. He was careful not to touch her or invade her personal space, but he stood relatively close to her in order to make her feel at least a little more secure. "I'm Dr. Malfoy," the doctor said gently. "Can you tell me who brought you here?" he asked her. When she did not respond after a long pause, he continued. "Can you tell me who did this to you?" Again, she said nothing and continued to stare ahead, so he changed the subject for now. His voice was soft but not patronizing. "I'm going to examine you, is that okay?" She did not respond, but her eyes widened just ever so slightly. He continued, still quietly. "I'm going to do a few tests to make sure you're not bleeding internally. Then I'll do some other tests just to make sure that all of your physical injuries are only surface level, okay?" Still, she said nothing, and Dr. Malfoy raised his hands to move them to her body. When one of his hands touched her hospital gown, she flinched violently and moved as far away from him as she could while still remaining on the bed. For the first time, she looked up at him. Her eyes were wide, wild, and searching.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Ginevra," Dr. Malfoy said as he took one small step closer. "I just want to make sure you're okay." His words did not seem to soothe her, but despite that, she allowed him to begin his examination, though she remained very, very tense. Several more times, she winced, but she did not speak. While he pressed gently on her abdomen and listened to some internal sounds, he questioned her to check for head injuries, but he asked her slowly so he would not overwhelm her.

"Ginevra, do you know what year it is?" She said nothing. Her eyes were closed very tightly as he touched her, and it almost looked like she wanted to cry out. "Do you know who the president is?" Silence. He waited a few seconds before he continued, keeping his tone light. "Do you know where you are? Do you remember my name?" Nothing. After he had finished his initial examinations he determined that her lungs and heart were fine, and as far as he could tell without more thorough tests, she had no internal bleeding. The most serious thing Dr. Malfoy had revealed as of yet was a possible bruised windpipe and perhaps some head injuries. He could not yet determine whether these head injuries were physical or psychological, so he made no judgments yet. He would wait to run some tests and get a recommendation from some of his colleagues.

Dr. Malfoy gave Ginevra a light pat on the arm before he walked over to the nurse who was standing stationary behind them. If he hadn't known she was there, he probably would have forgotten altogether that she was in the room due to her complete silence during all of this. The nurse was incredibly professional when it came to the patients, especially patients in fragile situations such as these. He stepped close to her and her professionalism faltered only briefly as she blushed. Despite her hardening over the years, she found Dr. Malfoy attractive and charming just as almost every female and gay male in the hospital did. She couldn't help it. She was only human. As he whispered to her, she struggled to keep her cool, calm composure. "I want Neuro down here as soon as they can, and get me Psych, too." The nurse nodded. "After you call them, come back in here immediately. I want you to do a rape kit. I'll run some other tests later when she's feeling a little more up to it." The nurse nodded and exited the room quickly and obediently. From where he stood, Dr. Malfoy saw her pick up the phone and make the necessary calls from the nurse's station. He looked back at the patient and walked over to her. When he reached her, he sat on the side of her bed.

"I know it's no use asking because I can guess the answer, but… are you okay, Ginevra?" He asked her. For several seconds, she did not say anything, and Dr. Malfoy stared at her intently. She looked sad—very sad—but other than that, there was nearly no expression on her face. Even now, it was her eyes that betrayed her; her beautiful brown eyes that had the utmost sadness throughout them. He noticed that they were very watery, but she was not crying. As far as he knew, she had not cried since she got here. He assumed she was in shock. Finally, Ginevra turned her head slowly to face him, but she did not speak. Then, the nurse reentered the room.

"Doctor?" she called gently. He gave Ginevra a soft smile and stood up. When he reached the nurse, she said, "Someone from psych should be down here in just a minute. Neuro might take a little longer. And I've got everything for the rape kit." She watched his hand as it traveled up and rested on her shoulder. She blushed again, deeper this time.

"Thanks, Pansy," he said. She smiled. He turned back to the patient.

"Ginevra," he said gently as he walked over to her. "I know this is very, very difficult, but Nurse Pansy is going to perform a rape kit and provide you with some medications to stop any possible infections or diseases that the attack may have caused." The patient's eyes widened, and she looked utterly frightened. Dr. Malfoy approached her and put a soft hand on her shoulder. At first touch, she jumped slightly, but then she relaxed just a little. "I know it's hard," he said quietly. "But we need to help you." She looked at him, and when Pansy approached the two of them and Ginevra did not protest, Dr. Malfoy stepped away. After he smiled at her, Dr. Malfoy turned to walk out of the room.

"2011," came a very hoarse whisper. Dr. Malfoy stopped in his tracks and turned back around to face the hospital bed. The patient cleared her voice, but when she spoke again, her voice was still very hoarse and she spoke slowly. "It's 2011, and the president is Kingsley Shacklebolt. I'm…" She stopped momentarily and swallowed hard. "I'm at St. Mungo's, and…" She looked up at the doctor. "You're Dr. Malfoy." She looked absolutely exhausted, as if the effort to speak had been too much to bear. But then she spoke again. "Ginny," she said hoarsely. "I go by Ginny."

The doctor smiled at her and said, "It's nice to meet you Ginny. I'm Draco." Draco turned to leave, but Ginny spoke up again.

"I don't need a rape kit," she said.

Draco looked at her with concern. "Ginny, Nurse Pansy isn't going to hurt you. But we need to make sure that you're okay."

"I don't need a rape kit," Ginny said more firmly.

Draco gave her a long, regarding look, and he knew he wouldn't be able to change her mind.

"Okay, Ginny," Draco said as he withheld a sigh. "We'll be back in a bit. Try to relax."

Next chapter: Ginny has a visit from someone in the psych department.