With Good Intentions

Initial pediatric services, provided through an affiliation with (and uncountably large donation to) St Mungo’s, restored top-quality limbs to amputees, administered potions to those afflicted, lifted dark curses from little bodies — and did so without charging a knut.

The “Rainbow Ward for War Victims” morphed quickly into the “Draco Malfoy Free Clinics for Children and their Families”, available in a small number of Malfoy-built villages. Living with and marrying a muggle-born introduced the savvy Slytherin to socialized medicine and he fine-tuned the concept to change the status quo in his parallel universe — a place where medical care and galleons had once been inexorably linked. 

At each clinic’s opening, the Lord and Lady extolled their commitment to a world more balanced for the haves and the want-to-haves. No other facility in England treated vampire children, giant children, house elf children (a stroke of genius by Hermione) and — for the first time in the wizarding community — Merpeople and Centaur children in specially constructed facilities.

During the grand opening of the Malfoy-built “Abiding Mews” Village, the generous patrons walked, rolled, levitated or carried the first patients into rooms built to treat severely war-damaged and chronically ill magical children — young wizards, witches, giants, Centaurs, vampires (in sun-shielding clothing) and goblins. Hermione soothed a small house elf child against her shoulder; Lucius lugged a baby giant in his arms with the help of a levitation charm.

“Bloody hell, Harry — look at this place!”

Ron Weasley, pressed into service to handle the increasing crowds of supporters and objectors at these events, stared instead of watching for trouble.

“I see it. Malfoy’s going broke trying to buy out of his punishment.”

With a son the age of many of the patients, the Chosen One (raised in an abusive household with little in the way of real care), again noted the impact the dark wizard affected on the populace. George Weasley’s medical potions floated overhead in transparent delivery tubes to treatment rooms that created themselves to meet the crushing demand (extensible charms being a particular strength of his ex-best friend).

A child, who’d limped by Harry into a treatment room on a knee knurled and bent with infection, now skipped towards him after the visit with the healer.

“You’re Harry Potter! You saved us all!” he crowed, bouncing in front of Harry and Ron.

“I am. But I didn’t save you, mate; your healer did that.”

Ron, never as clueless as claimed, observed his best friend in thoughtful silence.