Disclaimer: I don't own and sometimes that makes me awfully sad.

Chapter 9

Fenrir was pacing in his office again, running his hand through his thick brown hair. What the hell was that about? Fenrir stopped and poured himself a glass of fire-whiskey and threw it back. He didn't have to defend her like that. But for some reason when Croxly had laid his beady eyes on her, Fenrir felt oddly protective of the girl. He didn't want Croxly to speak or think of her like that eve again. Without thinking about it Fenrir let out a small growl.

Then he stopped himself. This was ridiculous. It was his job to protect her that's why he did it, nothing more. He sighed and sat down at his desk and opened up another book on magical illness. Maybe Croxly was right, maybe it was a curse but who would curse a child and why? Fenrir had a few ideas but he couldn't prove any of them.

He sighed tiredly, lately he felt so taxed, so drained. There was so much going on right now, The upcoming war, taking care of the pack, sick children, and now he had to take care of this girl who dredged up memories that he thought he would never have to think of again.

Memories of Victoire's face floated in front of him and he was hit with another wave of guilt. She was one of very few people who hadn't treated him like a second class citizen and he had failed her. He had failed to protect her, and now he was charged with the protection of her daughter. He wouldn't fail this time. He would not make the same mistakes.

He poured himself another glass of the amber liquid and took a swig of it and set it down. He frowned and laid his head in his hands, breathing in deeply he sorted out his thoughts. In many ways Fenrir was almost OCD. He had to figure out which of his tasks needed his focus the most and put his attentions toward it. The children; they were the most demanding of his problems. But at the same time he could not just ignore his responsibilities. Fenrir began to feel a head ache come on. It had been a long time since Fenrir had felt overwhelmed. As the oldest living werewolf in the country he had dealt with many problems before and he didn't understand why this was effecting him so.

There was too much to deal with and not enough of him to go around.

…...

Hermione was shaken up, no matter how interesting the book in front of her was her mind kept wandering back to the events of earlier. It was so... tense. The way Fenrir had jumped in front of her like that had sent her heart racing. Croxly was a pig plain and straight. His comments had bugged her but they way Fenrir had acted was what was really got to her.

She didn't particularly like the guy but for a moment she had seen a different side of him. She had seen him in a different light. Not as the stuck up jackass that she ha originally thought of him, but as a protector.

As her thoughts wandered away from her on this topic something else came to her mind. The conversation she had heard whilst she was "not" eaves dropping. Someone was sick and by the worry in both their voices it was pretty serious. Obviously they had no such luck in finding out what it was that was ailing this person. But the other man had suggested that it may be a curse. Hermione contemplated this for a moment. There were many curse that could mimic illness. Curses that took a prolonged amount of time to deal it's final blow.

Hermione shuddered. Whoever was sick may not make it much longer. Hermione rose from the table she was sitting at and went through the library shelves. First she would look at the medical books and then move on to the dark curses.

After almost an hour of searching Hermione had discovered that all the healing books were gone. Most likely Fenrir had them all if he was trying to figure this out. So instead she looked for books that were more dark in nature. She picked out the first ten she found and sat down at the table. Some of these books were truly disgusting. There was one, thick black tome that had an odd black goo that was oozing from the spine. It was titled Devious Curses of The Most Foul. Hermione sighed and opened the book carefully trying not to get any of the goo on her fingers.

This was going to be a LONG night.

…...

After hours and hours of reading the most disgusting and foul books that she had ever laid eyes on, she found herself empty handed. Although it didn't help that she knew absolutely nothing about this illness the most she could was look for curses that could be mistaken as an illness. There were many possibilities but most killed within the first few days. And by the sound of it this had been going on for a while.

Hermione rubbed her eyes tiredly and tried to focus her eyes on the paragraph that she was trying to read.

The Morte Dolet curse was developed over 300 years ago and when cast it draws from the anger and hatred of the caster and turns it into a poison. Once the curse has hit it's victim it races towards the heart while causing pain so intense that the victim is barely conscious when it makes it's final strike. The magic takes a grip on the heart and begins to...

Hermione's vision began to double and come in and out of focus. She rubbed her eyes and shook her head in an attempt to keep herself awake. It didn't work her head began to nod and she even caught herself starting to drool. Soon she lost control completely and her head hit the table and she was off to dreamland.

…...

Fenrir had been in his study for god knows how long searching through medical books to no avail. Perhaps it was time to look into curses. There were dark circles under his eyes and he was dead tired but he couldn't stop looking. Word had come that a 7th child had become ill. Fenrir was to the point of sheer exhaustion but he would not stop till he found what was afflicting these children. He didn't understand though how another child could have become ill. All the others had been quarantined, how did this child become ill? Fenrir pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head while he stood up.

Fenrir silently made his way down to the library grasping the cool railing as he made his way down the staircase. The smooth wood felt good under his hand as it led him to the first floor. As he approached the library door he noticed that it was still cracked open and he peered inside. It was silent and looked empty so he walked in and went to move towards a shelf when he noticed a small form slumped over the table. Her light gold hair shimmered around her gracefully.

It wasn't until he moved closer to her that he heard her whimpering, she sounded like she was almost in pain. She must be having a nightmare. It was then that she fell off of her chair. He would have thought that the impact would have woken her up but it appeared that she was still anchored in her nightmare.

A pang of empathy hit him as he looked at the small girl on the floor. He walked over to her and knelt down brushing some hair away from her face. He sighed and gently picked her up bridal style. It was then that he noticed the books on the table. He frowned as he read the titles. What in the world was the girl up to? He shook his head and made his way out of the library.

He stiffened slightly as she nuzzled into his neck. He looked down at her with an arched eyebrow she looked content. Her tremors and whimpering had stopped completely. She looks so much like her mother. As soon as it crossed his mind he brushed it away. Now was not the time to get sentimental.

He continued up the stairs and when he reached the landing he realized that he wasn't sure which room she had chosen. So he decided to peek into each room until he found that one that looked inhabited. Once he found it he laid her softly into her bed, removed her shoes and pulled the covers over her. He stood there for a moment looking at her. Her blonde hair, pale skin, and bright blue eyes. He then turned to leave the room when he heard her begin to whimper again. He sighed and against his better judgment he pulled up a chair next to her and brushed away a strand of hair that had fallen into her face. It was going to be a very long night he decided.

A/N Gahhhh! I know, I know a super short chapter but if I went on this chapter would be wayy too long so I had to stop. Ahhh oh well. PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! I crave them! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!