Silvaticus
Chapter 11
.0.
Greyback apparated to Knockturn Alley, and knew that he needed to make this quick. His two most loyal werewolves were waiting patiently for him to arrive at Caractus Burke's store. The old man owed Greyback a few favors and was willing to lend him the store for as long as he needed. He was running late. He was hoping Barguest and Holler would be patient, and wait for him inside of Borgin & Burkes. The werewolf trusted them enough, but they were some of the younger ones of his pack, and they had a tendency to run scared.
I should've brought a cloak, thought Greyback as he lowered his head in order to avoid anyone spotting the figure of Hermione Granger walking through the Alley.
Quickly popping into the shop, Greyback said while looking out of the window, "Alright, let's get this over with. I can't stay long."
Turning around to see his packmates, he was met with appalled looks. Barguest and Holler looked at each other and then back again at the slender figure of Hermione Granger. Thinking it was a set-up, the two werewolves drew their wands, ready to fight Harry Potter's well-known friend.
"What the hell are the two of you doing?" Greyback said to them making his men jump at the sound of their leaders' barking voice. With a sigh, Greyback said, "I don't have much time; hurry up and tell me what you know."
Without any further delay, they informed him that Gringotts bank was now an impenetrable fortress, which he already knew. Greyback ignored the peculiar looks that Holler and Barguest would shoot at him out of the corner of their eyes every couple of minutes. Word had traveled quickly about the sword that the Trio tried capturing previously, which was now all cozy in the Lestrange family vault.
Greyback bared his teeth in annoyance as he said, "I already knew that!" Which failed to have the effect he was hoping for in this young girl's body.
"Right," said Barguest, "but rumor is that their family vault is one of the oldest in Gringotts and is guarded by a creature."
"A dragon, from what we heard," finished Holler, "the creature is said to be as old as the bank itself! Not to mention, it's got some of the oldest goblin enchantments protecting it."
He knew he was taking too much time, so as soon as they updated him about his pack he left the shop. Weaving in and out of the tight and cramped buildings, he could feel his body beginning to change. I really should've brought a bloody cloak. He hadn't realized how exposed he was until now.
"Potter's girlfriend!" He heard a random wizard scream behind him. "She's here! HERMIONE GRANGER!"
Soon enough, there were shouts from everyone he passed. He had forgotten how he appeared to the general wizarding community, and attempted to put his head down, but to no avail. He had been spotted. Before he knew what was happening, he had lower-level Death Eaters throwing hexes and curses, which barely missed his head. Suddenly, a strange feeling came over his body as he felt his height and his weight began to shift. Every visible piece of flesh began to change from soft, young, and clean to rough, dirty, skin stained with blood. Not fully transformed, Greyback found that this body was not as adept to running as his former body had been and was completely out of breath as he found himself cornered by a small group of Death Eaters.
Standing there, Greyback knew he was no match for these four dark figures in the condition he was in, so he decided his best option would be to apparate. Greyback felt his body changing as he visualized Number 12 Grimmauld Place in his mind. Seconds later, he felt someone grab hold of this young girl's hair when suddenly he felt as if his body was being shoved through a small tube. The feeling of apparition was strange enough for a wizard, but it was an uncomfortable process for a werewolf. Given the fact that his body was morphing at the same time only enhanced the discomfort. Without warning, Greyback was struck with a spell. Bloody wizards and their body-binding curses.
"It's Greyback!"
"We need to bring him to the Manor."
"Bloody-traitor."
Standing over him, were the same four Death Eaters from Knockturn Alley, who were debating on what to do with the werewolf. Before he knew it, a handful of Death Eaters appeared, and all he could do was lie there as they started apparating on the street of the Order of The Pheonix.
Momentarily forgotten, Greyback's curse was beginning to wear off, so he attempted to reach for his wand in his coat pocket. Swiftly, he sent a cutting hex at the closest Death Eater, who fell to the ground with a scream.
What the hell am I doing? He thought as he tried taking cover against the onslaught of curses and hexes that were being hurled his way. He was holding his own, but was soon fighting a losing battle. These younger Death Eaters were desperately trying to please the Dark Lord, and nothing would make their Master happier than killing a blood traitor and taking down the Order of The Pheonix in one night. Only five minutes went by when other members of the Order were flying out of Grimmauld Place and were soon by his side helping him fight.
"Get inside!" Remus yelled as he threw a curse at one of the unknown followers of Voldemort.
As they deflected curses and hexes, the Order members made their way into the hideaway. Slamming the door behind them, Remus and Arthur Weasley began shouting orders at everyone.
"Molly," Arthur said, "Get any provisions we might need and we will deal with everything else later."
Remus asked everyone to pack their things and to gather in the main hallway, and began speaking. "We need to move quickly. Grimmauld Place is no longer safe."
"What the hell happened?" asked Ron.
"You be quiet, Ronald." Answered Molly in an annoyed tone.
"Where are we going?" asked Fred as he peered outside a window, " 'Cause wherever it is, we need to go there now. There are more of them out there, and they look like they're planning something."
"We're heading to Tonk's parents'. They still have extensive wards covering the house, and we should be fine there."
Hermione looked around, bewildered and scared. "How did they find us?" she asked.
Arthur looked at Hermione with a sad look on his face, which puzzled her, and said, "Hermione, dear…you can't come with us, I'm afraid."
"What do you mean?" Harry said jumping to the front of the small crowd, "Why can't she come with us?"
Remus cleared his throat, "There's no time to explain…we need to move now. Fenrir," he said turning to the werewolf, "I trust you'll take care of her and explain yourself."
Then Remus moved closer towards the werewolf and whispered something into his ear that no one else heard. Whatever it is…Greyback isn't happy about it.
Before she knew what was happening, Ron was wrapping his long and heavy arms around her neck and was slowly chocking her. "Ron, Ronald! I'll be fine….we won't be separated forever."
"No," Harry yelled at Remus, "We can't do this without her! Dumbledore wanted all three of us to complete this together."
"WE DO NOT HAVE TIME!" Remus yelled back at Harry, making him quiet, "I will explain it to you…in detail. Now grab hold."
Remus held out his arm waiting patiently for Harry as he hugged Hermione tightly. "We'll come back. I swear," Harry whispered in her ear.
Hermione just stood there blankly as she watched the only family she had left apparate in paired groups before her eyes. Is this what abandonment feels like? There was still the lurking figure of Fenrir Greyback still peering out of the window occasionally.
"You really like to be touched by the ginger one don't you, pup?" Greyback said while keeping his eyes on the Death Eaters outside.
"Where are we going?" she asked ignoring his lewd comment.
Unexpectedly, Greyback yanked her to his broad chest and said, "Hold on darling," and they instantly disapparated on the spot. She couldn't help but close her eyes as she hated the feeling apparition gave her. I feel like I'm going to be sick. Just as she thought she couldn't last much longer, her feet touched the ground. It's not firm. Her eyes were still closed when the smell of salt hit her nose.
"Hermione!" said a familiar voice.
Opening her eyes, Hermione was pleasantly surprised to see the welcoming faces of Bill and Fleur Weasley. Hermione couldn't help herself as she ran up to them both and gave them a hug. She wasn't normally an affectionate person, but she needed a hug.
"What the bloody hell is he doing here?" asked Bill as he pointed his wand directly in Greyback's face.
"Funny," said Hermione, "I was beginning to wonder about that myself."
.0.
A/N:
I'm sorry that I haven't been able to update…I've been fairly busy with work and school. Now that's the summer is here I can focus on work and my fanfiction. YAY!
I would love to announce…. I HAVE A BETA! A wonderful beta to boot! The lovely, Jamberine. I've been a fan of hers for a little while now and she surprised me by offering to be my beta. I couldn't have asked for a better one either. She's helping me by looking at my silly grammatical errors which helps me focus on the actual story. Thank You, Jamberine!
In this chapter, you get to see how Hermione and Greyback finally get to be alone! LOL I completely changed the storyline….maybe I might write another story with my original idea? Hmm….
Hope you all love this chapter as much as I do.