First attempt at Nano andddddddd…..GO!

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Cross Tower, Tote Forest, Island of Skye, March 2003

Reaching up to the shelf Hermione grabbed a vial labeled thirty-nine and pulled it down, shook it and turned toward the gilded cage. Behind the bars stood a middle age man, about six foot with sandy blonde hair and an easy smile. He was dressed in a sleeveless shirt and sweatpants, barefoot and slightly unassuming. His eyes were another story, dark and wide. His skin had a fine sheen of sweat and his muscles twitched now and again.

"Are you sure about this Nathan?"

The man nodded and smiled, slightly pointed white teeth glinting in the light.

"Of course I'm ready, I'm always ready. Just say go."

Hermione laughed and passed the vial through the bars. Nathan popped the top on the vial and downed it in one go. He grimaced and stuck his tongue out.

"Still tastes like shit."

Hermione laughed again and held up her hands, what did he want from her, the thing to taste like chocolate? No medicine ever tasted great and she was pretty sure that was why it worked.

"Moonrise in about twenty minutes. Want anything else before I leave you?"

Nathan shook his bed and headed toward the shoebox sized bathroom.

"Gonna take a piss and do some reading, we'll see how thirty-nine works."

Nathan closed the bathroom door, ending the short conversation. Hermione just shook her head and left the makeshift closet space. Heading back to the work table she began cleaning things up from her research earlier that day. Number thirty-nine showed real promise, had some of the effects she was already looking for and that was why it had made it to the second phase of testing. Hermione was grateful for Nathan's help, he was one of few who had any faith left in her but considering how long she had been working at this problem she couldn't blame them. She bit her lip tightly, trying to ignore the nagging feeling that something bad was going to happen.

It had been one thing after another that day, from spilling her coffee to tripping over Crookshanks , stubbing her toes on the stairs and nearly falling down them on the way to her lab. Things weren't happening in three's, they were happening by the dozens. Shaking her head Hermione quickly wiped down the work table and banished the leftover contents of her cauldrons before sending them back to the closet. Looking at her watch she decided to leave the organization of her desk for later, the moon was going to be up in approximately four minutes and she didn't want to be in the lab. Though Nathan was locked up and in another room (if you could call it that) his senses would still be heightened if he did indeed change. Feeling her presence mere feet away would do nothing but rile him up.

Exiting the lab Hermione didn't bother closing the bookcase behind her and she headed for the kitchen, stomach rumbling after not being fed all day. Grabbing a pot of stew she prepared the night before she set it on the old fashioned wood stove, covering and adding a little magic to help it boil faster. With that settled she reached for bowls and set them on a tray, hoping Nathan would be able to share dinner with her. Spelling the pot so it couldn't boil over Hermione went back to the living room, curling up on the couch under a blanket. The fireplace was burning bright and had been for several hours because of the snow falling outside.

Snaking a hand out from under the blanket Hermione caressed a letter on the low coffee table. The parchment was thick with as many details as Harry could fit on the pages from his latest trip. He was excited and had finally gotten an offer to a quidditch team he liked and wanted to join. Two years ago he'd been offered a position at the end of his trip in Peru for their national team but hadn't really thought about a professional career. At the time he was still an Auror and had assignments waiting on his desk. In 2002 however he was approached by a representative with Puddlemere United after a regular summer pickup game on the Hogwarts quidditch pitch. The man said he knew Harry had left the Auror division and wondered if he was looking for something new, if he wanted to get serious about his talent on a broom.

Three days ago he was wooed by the Irish National Quidditch team (and probably a bit by the cute blonde keeper) and signed a five year contract to be their first string Seeker. The pay wasn't the biggest offer he'd had but he liked Ireland's ethics and the team warmed to him from the start. Victor Krum had offered him a Beater position with the Bulgarian team but Harry's first love was Seeker and Krum wasn't retiring until they made him. Plus, this way he'd get to play against the other man in the same position. Harry was starting camp in the summer and for now was staying with Krum, tearing up the town as it were. He promised to come by before camp began, as much as he could.

Hermione had sent a reply demanding they both visit, to behave themselves as best they could and more details about the cute blonde keeper. Hermione was waiting for the reply and bet the first line would be a denial of his interest in the blonde but he would go on to talk about her. Yawning Hermione pulled her arm back under the blanket and blinked slowly, maybe she'd take a short nap. She'd been up since just before dawn and had been brewing since shortly after that.

She'd nap, just for a while.

************HP/SGA*************

Hermione jolted up on the couch, her blanket and wand falling to the floor seconds after a loud crash echoed downstairs. The fire had long died down and it was still dark outside, the moon barely visible. Pushing up off the couch she bent down and grabbed her wand before padding toward her office. Everything was quiet, not a sound from downstairs. Poking her head around the office doorframe she took a quick look before proceeding to the open bookcase. Quietly she went down the spiraling stairs toward her lab and paused in the doorway, not noticing anything out of the ordinary.

Heading to the anteroom containing the cage Hermione stopped short when she saw the cage door was busted off the hinges, bent in a heap on the floor and the room empty. Whipping around she gripped her wand tighter, and scanned the room. Her magic was prickling, something was definitely wrong. If Nathan had hands he wouldn't have busted down the door, which only meant he had changed. The lack of noise earlier in the night however must mean that thirty-nine worked, at least for a while. That was all well and good but that also meant Hermione was in some serious trouble unless she was able to restrain Nathan. One of the keys to any of the success's Hermione had made was the fact you couldn't mix the inhibitor with Wolfsbane, they essentially made each other useless and turned the person into a ravening monster; this had been found out early on with number twelve.

Turning around Hermione scanned the room once more, unsure where he could have gone. When her eyes landed on the storage closet where her main ingredients and supplies were kept she could swear the door moved, just an inch. Creeping forward with her wand at the ready Hermione crossed the room, a stunner on the tip of her tongue. Bracing herself she gripped the edge of the door and took a deep breath before counting to three. On two she jumped the broom as it were and ripped the door open, her body suddenly tensing and going lax when she discovered nothing inside. Straightening she sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She had no idea how Nathan could have gotten past her but she needed to search upstairs.

A noise behind her had Hermione turning back around before a searing pain cut across her back and she was shoved to the floor. A scream erupted from her mouth at the same time there was a savage snarl above her and bright red blood sprayed the wall. Hermione instantly lost a grip on her wand as claws dug into her upper back and teeth gripped her shoulder. She screamed again in pain and struggled, fear clouding her senses. Another snarl sounded behind her, this one louder than before and suddenly she was airborne. Teeth were still locked in her shoulder as she was flung upward, and effectively shaken like a rag doll.

Hermione could feel the muscles tearing in her shoulder, blood flowing down her back and chest; this time razor sharp claws were cutting into her right thigh. Her vision had tunneled and the edges were black, inching close; she could barely hear anything over the whine in her ears. A dull shout behind her barely caught her attention before Nathan swung her violently once more and this time released her shoulder. Hermione's body hit the wall near the storage closet hard, her jaw locked up and she bit her tongue.

Her body was limp and she couldn't move, she had no strength. There was another shout and Hermione vaguely recognized it as Phineas Nigellus. There was another voice as well, a loud curse, a bright red light and Nathan howling in pain. Slowly Hermione blinked and turned her head, trying to focus on the occupants in her lab. Dark robes swished in her eye sight and there was another piercing howl from Nathan. She groaned and tried to lift her arm, fingers trailing the floor for her wand. Her lips were dry and her head light; she wasn't surprised when her fingers dragged through a puddle of her own blood.

When there was another curse and Nathan was silent this time, Hermione recognized the voice. Dark clad legs came back into view and stopped just inches from her nose. When the man crouched in front of her and placed a cool hand on her cheek she sighed.

"Don't hurt him Severus."

Severus grunted before pulling away his hand, fingers bright with her blood. Crouching, he slipped an arm under her shoulders and another under her thighs and lifted her from the floor almost effortlessly. Hermione let out a sharp cry at being moved. Her body was jarred and jerked every time Severus took a step, pain lacing up and down her spine and limbs. Her skin was on fire and the wounds burned at the infection making its way into her system. Carefully the potions master set her on the work table she had scrubbed down only hours before. Hermione tried to turn her head, looking for Nathan to make sure he was still alive, still breathing; but the pain was unbearable. When she met Severus's eyes she could swear she almost saw concern before it was gone and replaced by a form of disgust.

"Look at the mess you've gotten yourself into girl. You're lucky Minerva and I were in her office when Phineas came running. You owe him your life."

Hermione nodded, throat thick with pain.

"Nathan?"

Severus scoffed, his lips twisted into a snarl.

"That excuse for an animal is fine, nothing he won't heal from."

Hermione let out an audible sigh and suddenly found it a struggle to keep her eyes open.

"Sleep girl, I'll take care of everything."

For once in her life, Hermione gave in willingly.