Author's note: I am so so so so sorry to everyone who has reviewed/followed/favourited this story. I lost my notes which I only found recently and then when I tried to write dialogue nothing sounded right. Anyways, I bet no one really cares why I wasn't able to write, so I will thank everyone who reviewed/followed/favourite. I promise the next chapter should be up soon and has already been started.
Metamorphosis
Chapter 2
(Hermione's P.O.V).
The first one to step forward, albeit hesitantly, and take the brunt of my gaze, was Harry. It was slightly disconcerting, the sudden increase in my brain's capacity. It felt as though all of the neurons and neuroglia in my brain had multiplied, creating new pathways to be discovered and followed with the possibility of getting lost in where they led, spending eternity within my own mind. Even then it is likely that the structure, patterns and neurotic lattices would remain a mystery to me.
The tense silence was then suddenly broken by another one of the room's occupants.
"Miss Granger? How are you feeling after your challenging transformation? I have never overseen one before and it was quite intriguing! Although, yours didn't follow an average transformation's course from what I have researched on the topic during the two weeks the alteration was occurring. You were out for a little over a fortnight when most witches and wizards take just under a week. Of course, muggles take even less time than that! My belief is that the magic in one's body which usually speeds the healing process, puts extra effort into fighting the venom, leading to a longer time spent battling the inevitable. It is quite curious as to why you took more than double the normal transmogrification time. Maybe..."
It seemed as though the Hogwarts medi- witch had finished speaking to me, with only snippets of speech being spoken out loud, such as "injuries sustained could lead to..." and "recuperation from fatigue may also have proceeded in..." between unintelligible mutterings.
McGonagall then appeared to decide she had heard enough, cutting into the other witch's ramblings sharply with a "Poppy, now is not the time."
"Minerva, you know just as well as I do that Miss Granger should be privy to all of the information..."
A musical voice intervened before a fully fledged argument could occur,
"What happened?"
I found myself agreeing with the beautiful voice. What had happened? After the battle, after the vampire, after my spiral into an intense, pain- induced coma? The memories I retained end after Tom Riddle's defeat and the vampire attack. After the vampire was thrown off of my helpless body and I was left with nothing but pain and my own thoughts. Even those memories, the most recent ones I had, were slowly becoming hazy, having not been included in my brain's transformation. It was as though the well trodden pathways of my mind were slowly being restored to former glory, delicately massaged to full health with the result of memory loss. In the infallible vampiric memory, fuzzy human memories have little room. Work had to be done recalling important human events to help engrain them into the new expansive emptiness.
It took me a few seconds to think this, and then to realise I had gone off on a tangent and that the beautifully mysterious voice was actually a product of my new and improved vocal chords. Well, at least my formerly weak and gravelly voice had improved, a plus side to this new horror I thought – something to cling to in this foreign and slightly terrifying adventure. Improved sensory receptors were another plus, I supposed. Maybe that was partially why the memories are harder to recall, they are all seen as though through filters, smelt as though in smog, heard as though through a heavily echoing tunnel. Taste seems the only sense recalled with perfect clarity, but perhaps this was not as good a thing as it seems. Recalling tastes but never being able to enjoy the detectible and tantalising delicacies they came from. My future now had little room for food, only blood. Yuck. On the topic of blood, where was the lust for the life blood of someone? Was there something I'd not been told yet, or had it not yet set in? Shouldn't I have been jumping at Harry, Mme Pomfrey or McGonagall? Blood lust was the one well renowned trait of a vampire – even the muggles had that bit right, for Merlin's sake!
While my inner monologue was taking place, Harry had been explaining what happened (after he also got over the shock of my ridiculously musical voice, of course). I really needed to find control over my innate internal ramblings and quickly.
"... while Bill finished up the vampire, me and Ron,"
"Ron and I," was my automatic response to the grammatical error. That helped make light of the situation I suppose. At least I thought it did – Harry cracked a small smile.
"'Scuse me. Ron and I brought you to Pomfrey in the medical wing while Bill finished the vampire off. Then, after Pomfrey realised that it was too late to reverse the venom, McGonagall decided you shouldn't wake up surrounded by the wounded who reek of blood. That's how you ended up here. And as you probably already guessed – since you're Hermione – 'here' is the room of requirement."
Then was as good a time as any for some more in-depth answers.
"Where's Ron?"
"With his family, he was going to be here but I told him you would have forced him to be with his family than see you when you wake, as he wouldn't have been much help here – anyway, Mrs Weasley, George... they need all the comfort they can get after... ya' know, Fred's..." Harry stopped cleared his throat nervously.
"Yeah, I remember." Was all of the reply I could manage as I recalled what happened to Fred and the reactions of the whole family. Whilst everyone was upset – who wouldn't be? – George had to have fared the worst – George lost half of himself. The image of his face crumpled in absolute grief and his inability to communicate flew through my head. He would never get over Fred's death, they were one soul in two bodies.
McGonagall once again, although this time helpfully, if not artfully, cut in before the atmosphere could become any more stifling.
"Miss Granger... Hermione, I feel terrible having to say this, especially what with the ordeal everyone –especially yourself as well as Misters Potter and Weasley – just went through, but I am afraid we cannot continue to put the lives of everyone in the castle in danger. At the moment your bloodlust should not have made itself known because that was one of the main things we wanted from the room of requirement – an atmosphere where you could think rationally – but this cannot and will not be able to be a permanent solution, particularly with this room sustaining quite some damage. We therefore need to discuss some of your options."
"What McGonagall's tryin' to say, Mia, is that you need to be in a place with a sustainable food source for you which does not include loss of human life. Some of the professors were researching for you and they discovered that magical creatures (although not unicorns) can be a food... umm... blood source which is not dissimilar to human blood unlike ordinary muggle animals - something to do with the intelligence level of magical creatures over your average animal. 'The blood of animals, particularly magical creatures, is similar enough to humans on a molecular level. I could discuss it with you, but I believe you would show an inability to follow the delicate intricacies of the biochemistry needed to explain the information further. All you need to know is that animals should be a viable substitute food source.' I think is what Vector said to me." Harry told me - with his imitation of Professor Vector being surprisingly uncanny.
Right then, I thought I need a source of animals – preferably magical ones so that I'm less likely to go on a psychotic killing spree – so my new location ideally needed to be in a wizarding area as that should have more of them, a forest was a good way to go. I also wanted the location to be quite close to a wizarding society while being far enough away that I did not endanger anyone. Despite this, encase I encountered someone accidentally, I wanted to be near enough to experienced witches and wizards who knew about my situation so that they could prevent any accidents. So; a forest near a group of experienced and/or knowledgeable magical people.
"Why don't I stay in the forbidden forest?" That received some less than pleased looks from all other occupants in the room but it was no matter, perseverance was a virtue which I did not lack. "Hear me out, I would have a source of magical animals so my human bloodlust can be curved without taking human life, whilst still being near civilisation and furthermore anyone who ventures into the forest would be accompanied by an experienced person or be one themselves. Then when I get to the point where I can in some form of another control my... urges... I can start to slowly integrate myself into society again."
"What about the parents? Surely they would have something to say about their children living in close ranges of a vampire, no matter how famous said vampire is." Mme Pomfrey immediately asked after hearing my idea.
I hadn't thought of that. I was losing my touch. Or I was still not used to thinking in the new vast expanse some would call my brain. Take your pick.
Thankfully, it seemed McGonagall had an answer, because she replied with "Due to Miss Granger being off of school property the parents would not have to be informed but even if they were, Miss Granger should not be a danger to anyone in this institution if no interaction were to take place."
"She will also have the full support of many war heroes, and is a large one herself. The country couldn't totally shun one of the figure heads of the light side, could they?" Harry decided to add. Well, at least I knew he would still support me in my new life.
MetamorphosisMetamorphosisMetamorphosis
Revised: 9/2/2013, Reviews and constructive criticism welcomed -VineNight
