Chapter 3: Day 1/180 Part Two & Day 2/180 Part One
She looked at the glimmering piece of jewelry in her hand. It wasn't gaudy, like she expected from something that was a part of the Black lineage. It consisted of intricately weaved platinum holding a black gemstone (Onyx? Obsidian? Black Diamond? She didn't know.) firmly in its center. It had elaborate etchings around the gem and on the back, which she assumed were magical inscriptions. She wished she'd had more time to research it, as Sirius was absolutely useless when it came to information about the amulet or even how it functioned. The only information he supplied her with was "once you put it on, it's not coming off unless a Black takes it off you, so don't worry about losing it because the chain's a tad flimsy-looking," which she supposed was an attempt at reassurance. She never did know with him.
She supposed she could always research it while she was in the past. She wasn't too concerned with the difficulty of her so-called primary 'mission.' She was more concerned about any side missions the Order would provide her with, but she reckoned that she would've been warned if it was anything dangerous. But then again, maybe not.
It was odd to her how little McGonagall knew. She knew basic details about Hermione's time in the past, because she lived through it, but every time she tried to remember specifics, she couldn't. Hermione wondered if it was a side effect of changing the past. She just hoped she didn't change it any further. It was too unpredictable and could be even more disastrous. She was already walking a thin line. All she wanted to do was cement the timeline and come back.
She just hoped that was a feasible venture.
"You ready to go, love?" Sirius asked her, hanging the chain around her neck.
She felt the heavy air she knew was associated with ancient magic, as the amulet burned against her skin, through her robes.
"What about Percy?" she asked, looking at her friend, who finished saying goodbye to his family and joined her.
"Simple enough," Sirius said, taking hold of the chain around her neck and pulling it roughly.
She flinched, expecting to feel the tug of the chain, but instead, the links duplicated, and the chain stretched to compensate for Sirius's actions. She watched in amazement as Sirius touched the chain to Percy's shoulder and let go once it glowed a bright orange color. The chain crawled down his robes until it found the bare skin of his left hand. It wound itself around his hand, returning to normal.
"It's Black-directed magic, but I've willed it to do the same thing on your return journey. I apologize for young me in advance, for throwing a fit when it doesn't listen to me," Sirius said, smiling apologetically. "The amulet is bound to you, so once you arrive, it should let go of Weasley and stay with you. When you're ready to come back, it's as simple as repeating what I'm about to do now, if you're ready."
"I'm ready," she said, looking around the room at all of the Order, sans Snape.
"Good luck, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger – Hermione," McGonagall said gently, sending her a forced smile.
"Thanks," she replied, taking Percy's hand, and putting on a brave smile for her comrades.
Sirius took the amulet into his hands gingerly and sent her the most devilish smile she'd seen in her life. "Happy journey, you two," he said, suddenly grabbing the amulet and pulling it to himself.
This time, she was pulled forward with it, almost painfully, and she watched in horror as Sirius threw the amulet – and them – to the side. The chain around her neck rotated her with it, and they began to spin with the amulet, but instead of slowing down like it normally would due to gravity, the blackness of the gem in the center grew outward, consuming the entire amulet and the chain in a sinister black light, and they began to spin even faster. As the spinning continued on its reckless course, the darkness spread. Or was it the other way around?
She gripped Percy's hand as firmly as she could, as her entire world, including herself, blacked out, and nausea overwhelmed her. And then, instead of gradually slowing down, just as they had sped up, she abruptly stopped, her neck lurching forward, giving her mild whiplash akin to what she felt when she'd been in an automobile accident with her parents as a child. She almost flew forward onto the ground, but she was caught by Percy, who somehow had avoided the injury she had.
He steadied her and let go, looking around. She followed his gaze around their landing area and furrowed her eyebrows, unsure of where they were. She was used to her time-turner placing her exactly where she had left from, just in a different time. But this was definitely not current Order Headquarters, and it was definitely not any place she'd been before. Nor was there anyone she recognized.
They were in a forest, dark looming trees obscuring her view of anything helpful in the distance. The foliage was so dense that she almost couldn't see the moon. Unlike when they'd left, it was the dead of the night, although she assumed through the placement of the moon and the time of the year that it would be morning soon.
She took a step forward, trudging through leaves, the shrunken trunk in her pocket bouncing happily as she tried to navigate the uneven ground. She walked forward, feeling Percy's nervous presence following her.
She knew it was a long shot, but she turned to Percy and asked, "do you know where we-"
She was cut off by a loud, low, rumbling growl that was closer than she would have liked. She was thrown onto the ground by Percy, who'd had a faster reaction time than she, and she narrowly avoided a dark mass flying over her.
Even though it was dark, and she had only caught a glimpse of what had just flown over them, she knew exactly what it was. She would never forget the sight of that long, irregular, barrel-chested wolf-like being, nor would she ever forget the menacing, yet painful growl that distinguished the creature as something beyond just a mere creature – as a human.
"That's a werewolf," she gasped, as Percy pulled her to her feet and took out his wand.
"What's your animagus form, Hermione?" Percy asked, not bothering to reply to her obvious statement. "Is it the same as your patronus?"
"No," she answered distractedly, looking around them frantically, trying to see exactly where the werewolf had disappeared to. "I'm a sable."
After he had lunged, he'd either halted, or he treaded more lightly, because she had no idea where he had gone, and the thought was terrifying. She did not want to contract lycanthropy, not in a year when the Wolfsbane potion hadn't been invented yet. Although she supposed that theoretically, she could make herself a batch if she could get ahold of the ingredients, since she knew how to brew it.
"Good," he said breathlessly, circling his head around in search of the unfortunate man who was hunting them. "If he comes back, transform and run for it. I'll try to follow you, but if we lose one another, I'll send a patronus when I'm safe."
"I don't like this," she said, skeptical of splitting up when they were in an unknown place and in a largely unknown time.
"I don't either, but werewolves hunt people, not animals, so we haven't much of a choice," Percy said.
She opened her mouth to reply, but she heard a rustling nearby, and she saw the glowering eyes of a werewolf, looking at its prey – them.
She knew he was right, but she still felt uncomfortable, as she willed her body to transform. Her bones compressed painfully, and she felt the familiar yet always strange feeling of fur coating her body. She was nimble and quick in this form, and she knew that if she was in danger, she could easily hide herself in any crevice she found, where the werewolf wouldn't be able to find her. She didn't take Percy's obvious relief at the fact that she wasn't an otter personally. She'd be easy prey on land if she was.
She craned her neck around, unsure of what she was looking for. She had no idea what Percy's form was, but as she looked around, then up, it became obvious. He was possibly the most interestingly colored animal she had ever seen. He was a small bird with a red belly, a yellow and green color-blocked back, and a bright blue head.
His aviary form explained why he said he would follow her. It would probably be substantially easier for him to follow her in flight than the other way around.
She stood still momentarily, watching him fluttering about, until she was shaken out her thoughts by a long, loud howl, and the werewolf lunged for Percy.
What the-? Werewolves didn't hunt animals. The simple act of transforming should have made him safe.
She watched with bated breath as Percy managed to dive to avoid him, and then he flew into the sky, trying to get out of reach from him.
Hermione wished that she could have been something bigger, something to combat with the lyncanthropy-afflicted wizard, but she wasn't, so when she saw the werewolf turn to set his sights on her, her eyes widened, and she ran for it.
She was happy that she fell into her stride easily, especially when she heard growling behind her growing louder. She looked around frantically, trying to find that crevice she desperately needed right now, since his long legs and knowledge of the terrain gave him the advantage, even in his altered, animalistic mental state
Luckily, she came across a hollow log, and she climbed inside of it. She wasn't confident about whether or not he would be able to reach his abnormally long limbs inside to get her, but she didn't get the chance to find out, as he clawed at the log, rolling it down, and dislodging her from it before it could even become a proper hiding place.
She called out for Percy, but he didn't reply, signaling to her that he'd already lost her, not that she blamed him. He'd been fighting for his life himself when the werewolf chased them apart. She then called out for any animals in the area to help her, but there was a strange silence in this area.
Usually, upon transformation, there was at least a simplistic line of communication between herself and other creatures, whether it was ants telling her to shut up or a dog asking if she wanted to be friends. Now, however, there was nothing. It was eerie, how silent it was.
She had a bad feeling, as she continued to run, looking for another place to hide, because the werewolf seemingly realized she was no longer in the log and was gunning for her.
She wasn't sure whether she'd be safer climbing up a tree or trying to burrow into a hole. She didn't know how well werewolves could climb, but she knew their strength would allow them to unearth her in a hole that was too shallow, and Hermione wasn't skilled enough in her animagus form to dig efficiently, so she launched herself onto a tree and began clawing herself up, feeling exhausted already, feeling that this didn't bode too well either.
Nevertheless, the adrenaline pumping through her body didn't allow her to stop her climb. She was fearful, not of death, but of being caught. If the werewolf caught up to her, she'd be forced to transform and use magic against him. She knew how powerful of a spell she'd have to cast to take down a werewolf, and she was fearful of what that would mean for the afflicted man when his body didn't possess the superhuman strength it currently did. She was afraid the poor soul wouldn't be able to cope once dawn broke.
Hermione pulled herself up the tree, craning her neck sideways and chancing a glance below her. He was right there.
Hermione continued her climb until she could go no further, and she began to crawl out onto one of the sturdier branches, knowing that it could support her weight, but there was no way in hell it would support his.
She only hoped even the animalistic frame of mind he was currently in was intelligent enough to realize this but not that he was intelligent enough to simply shake her down.
Luck was on her side this time, because the wolf, despite his abnormally lanky frame, couldn't continue his grip on the tree, and he slid down, circling it and staring upward.
She kept her eyes glued on him as her mind raced, asking a million questions, the first of which was a repeat of one she'd already asked – why was a werewolf hunting her in her animagus form?
'Percy,' she called out desperately. 'Percy, are you nearby?'
She didn't know whether the werewolf had injured him when he'd leapt for him. She was too low to the ground, her view obstructed of what had happened. She knew he'd seen him fly off, but she didn't know what state he'd been in. She hoped he was alright. With a small form, she knew from experience that any little injury could translate into a big injury once human again.
'Percy, if you're out there, answer me. If something happens to you, no evil Ministry boss, prophecy, big bad Keeper of Time, or werewolf is going to lead to my demise – it's going to be your mum,' she thought desperately, as the werewolf continued to circle around the tree she was perched in.
She looked into the sky and saw the moon had sunken further down, and the sky was beginning to lighten. She knew it was close to sunrise, and she was anxious to get out of this tree. She just hoped for two things right now – that Percy was alright and that the wizard below her was friendly.
'Who are you?' she heard suddenly, startling her.
'Hermione Granger. Where are you?' she asked, looking around.
She didn't get a response, but she heard nearby rustling on the ground, and she saw a large black dog appear just as she saw the first glimpse of the sun beyond the horizon.
She watched in relief as the werewolf calmed momentarily, apparently regaining some of his sanity. The relief she felt was short-lived, however, when she heard his howls of anger turn into anguished cries of pain, as wolf turned to human. She cringed, never having been so proximal to a transformation going this way. It sounded far more painful than the other way around, although she knew the notion was a naïve one. If anything, it was probably the other way around. She could see bite marks on the man's skin, which looked to be his own, and he had cuts and bruises everywhere. He looked to be unconscious, and she momentarily felt guilty at having forced him to go on a hunt up a tree, where he probably suffered further injury, although she knew she didn't have much of a choice.
As she crawled down the tree toward the now human pair, the better look she got affirmed what she'd suspected – it was Sirius and Lupin. That was why she was sent there.
Relief flooded through her, as she saw their familiar faces, even though one looked barely alive.
When she was on the ground, she transformed back into her human state. She reached out her hand to Sirius, who was looking between her and Remus with a hard expression.
"Like I said earlier, I'm Hermi- grggh."
And just like that, with a swift wave of Sirius's wand and a dark blue light, she was knocked unconscious.