分卷阅读19（1 / 2）

They had found the cause of squibs, a chromosomal disorder stuck deep within the DNA, and now Draco and Hermione found the way to fix it. “Sort of.” Hermione was talking rapid fire again, the way she would when they were studying and she knew too much and tried to say it all in one breath. “It’s very experimental, and it’ll need to be tested, which Merlin even knows how we can ethically do that, it’s all up to chance, and we don’t know any of the symptoms, of course, so there’s really nothing, but…”

Draco put a hand on her shoulder, drawing her close to him, but Hermione just shook him off and went back to her notes.

“What’s that mean?”

Harry was desperate to know. It was Hermione’s idea in the first place, but it really all came back to Dumbledore, who had to hide his sister because her magic wouldn’t flow in the right way. And that had seemed something to do with the brain to Harry, and he had asked Hermione if she could find a way to fix it.

And since Hermione was Hermione, who never let anyone be discriminated against or withdrew a helping hand to someone in need, she said she’d try her best.

For the first time in this discussion, Draco smiled. “It means we found a bridge, Harry.” Then he laughs, clear and wild, and spins Harry around the room like he had done Hermione, because Hermione is apparently done celebrating. “And that’s enough.”

Draco

They have to celebrate. That’s decided from basically the moment that Harry bursts into the kitchen, because it had been a long few weeks neither Draco or Hermione thought they would ever make a break through, and here it was, puzzle solved.

(At least, they think its solved. Draco supposes that they won’t really know, until there’s someone to test it.)

Either way, it is further than any other healer or potions master had come before, if they had even tried to look, and Harry had deemed it worthy of a celebration. Ron had agreed, so now everyone was in Ron and Hermione’s flat, with more people arriving every minute.

Draco watches from the corner. Dean and Seamus are here, curled up together on the love seat, with Seamus not quite willing to leave the protection of Dean’s side. Ginny has set up camp beside Hermione, and Luna is off in the corner, apparently inspecting thin air. He recognizes other Gryffindors, and a few Ravenclaws who manage to be polite to him simply because they want to hear about the research. And Neville. He always can find Neville.

They are all Hermione’s friends. The thought saddens him, because he was instrumental to the process, it had really been his idea that had started it all, and now there was no one here to clap for him, except for Harry.

(Though Harry was very important. Maybe the most important.)

He’s almost getting full on melancholy when someone claps a hand down on his shoulder, the sudden contact making him jump. “Whoa, hey. Didn’t mean to scare you.” Someone looms ahead of him, and they grin, all teeth. It takes him a second to recognize George Weasley, who looks so much happier than he had the last time Draco saw him. “Just wanted to say congratulations.”

“Thanks.” Draco felt himself smile. “though you really should be telling that to Hermione.”

“Nonsense. She has enough admirers.” George holds up a bottle of wine and waves it in the air. “Where do you think I should put this?”

This is domestic. And familiar. Draco had played the host plenty of times before. “Kitchen, probably. Want me to show you?”

“Nah, I know the way.” Draco has just enough time to be disappointed before he pulls a bag out of the pocket of his trench coat. “But come anyways. You can help me dump my canary creams in with all Hermione’s fancy cookies.”

She would hate that, Draco knows, but everyone else would find it funny. So he goes.