Chapter 25

AN: Surprise! I know. I know. Random middle of the week post is random, but I have a good explanation for it. See, I actually meant to post this on Monday as a sort of...follow up chapter to the last. But, life got in the way, things happened, and I wasn't able to finish it in time. Because it is Thursday, I debated on whether I should just wait until next Monday to post it, but I think if I just posted this, literally almost everybody would hate me. So, I decided to post it now.

I don't really have much to say, truthfully. I'm glad everybody liked my Luna. I did think it was funny that somebody said it was a True Blood crossover and somebody else said that they wished they had thought of it because...honestly? I thought it was canon that she had some sort of creature blood in her. It was only after I got those messages that I actually did some research and saw that...nope...Luna was just a normal Witch. Well...not 'normal' exactly, but ya known what I mean. So yea, that was all completely by accident.

A few other people had some questions that I don't feel the need to mention and I think I PM'd everybody that had questions I could actually answer without giving anything away. I do want to hear back from you guys (whenever you get a chance). I don't want anybody to be confused over anything and if anybody has a disagreement with how I did a part, please let me know. I like to think that I'm a pretty reasonable person and will hear you out if you have an issue. So, yea, if you have any questions, complaints, concerns, etc. drop me a PM and we'll discuss it.

Disclaimer: Still don't own HP. If I did...so many things would be different. Starting off with the crybaby Harry from Years 1-7.

-xXx-

The young saber tooth bounded playfully after the large, black feline before her, lunging occasionally at the long, swishing tail. The reaction didn't produce the usual chuckle from her dame, but rather a growl of annoyance and the panther picking up her pace. The Kanaima never paid her mother any attention though. She quickly got distracted by the bugs buzzing around her and chasing the smaller creatures into cover. They had left the village nearly a week ago and she had grown used to her mother's swift pace.

The brunette smiled in her sleep and wrapped herself tighter around the object in her bed, burrowing into the soothing and familiar warmth.

It was approaching two weeks since they had left and they were out of their fur, walking through a Human village. The Kanaima hated this form. It was too weak and she couldn't run and jump as far as she normally could. She had complained to her mother, but the feline had said it was necessary for the moment. Said something about finding a big, floating hut to go across the bad tasting liquid. She asked why they couldn't return to the village, where their family was. The feline just wrapped her arms around the young Kanaima and moved to talk to some large Man, speaking in Their Tongue. The cub laid her head on her mother's shoulder and watched the Humans around them.

A hand buried itself into her curls, gently scratching her scalp and the brunette couldn't help the hum that was produced at the action. She heard a chuckle from above her, but never paid it any attention.

She couldn't remember the last time she had seen her friends. The young cub couldn't remember the last time she had been in her fur, if she was honest. Anytime she asked her mother if they could change back, the woman simply picked her up and continued walking through the treeless land. The loud, rolling boxes here had scared her at first, but after riding in them so often and being next to the hard ground they traveled on, one passing by didn't startle her as bad. A rolling box stopped a short distance away and she felt her dame breathe a sigh of relief, picking up her pace towards it.

A slight scratching noise was next to her head. Her eyes furrowed in annoyance, burying her face into the warmth to try and escape it.

They had been with these Men for a long time now. Their stench caused the cub to turn her head anytime one of Them came near. They laughed at her when she did this, but she didn't care. She didn't like Them very much anyways. The young cub had caught Them casting sparks of light out of a stick once and had went to her mother in fear. The feline told her that They were Magicals, kind of like them, but used sticks instead of bows. She was told to behave and try to like Them. The Men would help them and they would be there for a while. She still growled at the Men whenever They came near her though. Her mother didn't like that.

The Kanaima felt darkness surround her and whimpered in fear. She heard shushing above her and the hand returned to her hair, but she quickly jerked away, afraid she would be picked up by the scruff of her neck.

The roaring and cries of other animals scared her. The saber tooth buried her face into her mother's fur in fear as a dog began barking nearby. The panther hummed gently while pulling her closer, promising to always protect her. Those Men with the light sticks walked passed, laughing at them. Her mother quickly got up and roared while trying to swipe Them with her claws, but the Men leapt back. They laughed at her as the panther growled and spit, pacing back and forth along the bars, and threw a piece of terrible smelling meat into the cage, walking away soon after. She shook with fear as her mother padded back over to her, telling her that everything would be alright.

She flinched away as another hand was placed on her face, fear tightening her throat and making it difficult to breathe. The brunette whimpered once more and felt herself be pulled against another body, a thick vanilla scent quickly settling over her.

She lost track of how long they had been there. She felt so weak and tired that it was hard for her to get up anymore. Her mother kept trying to get her to stand, to play, but she wasn't interested. All she wanted to do was sleep. A noise close by caught her attention and she struggled to sit up to investigate it. A strange Man was walking towards them, his face so furry that she thought for a moment that He was one of them. This Man was taller than any other she had ever seen and the saber tooth quickly hid behind her mother. He stood there for a long time before calling out to one of the Men. They quickly discussed something before the Men laughed at the furry Man. She watched as one of Them motioned for something and a table was quickly set up between Them, cups of dice being set before the furry Man and the Alpha. The Kanaima had seen this game enough times that she quickly turned away from it, not interested in seeing Them play another round.

A set of hands were pinning her down and lips were being pressed against her face, a soft, musical voice speaking to her. She couldn't understand what the voice was telling her, but she felt a strange sense of calm being forced towards her. It was frightening and comforting all at once and she didn't know what to do.

A shout of anger forced her attention back to the Men. The leader had jumped up and flipped the table, yelling and pointing at the furry Man with rage on his face. All of the other Men had Their sticks out, looking between the two warily. The furry Man stood to his full height and said something in a deep voice. Even though she didn't understand the words, the cub felt herself shake in fear of it. Her mother quickly went to her, licking her face gently while humming. She told her how much she loved her and how she would always be there for her. She didn't have time to question her mother before a set of hands grabbed her, picking her up by the scruff of the neck, and pulling her from the cage. She quickly called out for her dame, hearing the big cat telling her to stay calm. The young cub was thrust towards the furry Man, who held her up to his face and bared his teeth at her. She tried to swipe at him, growling lowly, before he moved to cradle her in his arms. The cub tried to crawl away from him, back towards her roaring mother, but his large hands easily contained her. The furry Man said another few words towards the Men before pulling something from his coat. The last thing she saw before she spun away was her mother's face pressed against the bars.

"NO!" The Kanaima roared, sitting up straight and breathing heavily. Her curly hair was plastered to her head and she quickly moved her hands to brush her bangs back. Another cry for her mother quickly worked its way up her throat and it echoed throughout the room, almost as if the Spirits around her echoed her pain.

Hands being placed on her shoulders had the brunette spinning away, falling from the bed and landing on her hands and knees. She bared her teeth at the Woman as she heard footsteps outside the room running towards her. The blonde Woman quickly called out, her eyes never leaving the Kanaima's as the footsteps paused outside the door. Trapped, she thought, looking around the small room. There was a single doorway (and more Humans standing outside) and a window on the other wall. If she could get there, she could make her way to the trees she saw and finally be free. But the Woman and the bed were in the way of her only escape route.

Just as she was about to try and dodge around the bed, the Woman quickly said something, thrusting her hands out towards her. The brunette felt her eyes widen in fright as her body instantly froze. Her muscles were locked up and no amount of willpower could force them to move. She cast a light at me, the Kanaima snarled at the Woman, she can do it without a stick?! The brunette watched warily as the Woman moved carefully off the bed and kneeled before her, slowly reaching her hand out towards her face.

Her eyes closed in fear, unsure of what would happen once the Woman made contact with her. The rush of magic and emotions once her hand cupped her cheek was something the Kanaima never could've imagined. It felt as if her own magic was rushing out to meet the Woman's and she could feel it dancing and weaving with her's. As if that wasn't intense enough, strong thoughts of love were taking the rest of her breath away and she felt tears form in her eyes as she looked into the bright blue of the Woman's.

Mate, the brunette instantly thought, She's my mate.

The brunette turned to nuzzle into the hand cupping her cheek, reaching her own hand up to cover it. She heard the Woman breathe a sigh of relief and scoot forward to rest their foreheads together. The Kanaima frowned as the Woman said something in the Human Tongue. The words were lost on her so she rubbed their noses together, asking her to speak in their language. Surely her mate would be like her and know their language.

The blonde frowned at her and said a single word to her, confusion running through their magic and towards her. The Kanaima's eyes furrowed at the word, something tugging in the corner of her mind as it repeated over and over again in her head.

"Hermione."

Her mate said the word again, this time placing her hands on the brunette's shoulders. The feline felt a headache form as the word repeated itself faster, only louder this time. As if hundreds of voices were saying it at once. She cried out in confusion, wondering if this was another light or a Human trick being played on her. Finally she groaned out, What is 'hermione'?

A pause. The blonde looked at her desperately, tears forming in her eyes as they stared at one another. And just like that it clicked. I'm Hermione, the brunette thought in wonder.

As if a dam had broken, thoughts and memories came rushing back to her in waves. Two Man Cubs, one with red fur and the other with black, laughing and joking with her. Harry and Ron. Mock-fighting with a black furred Woman who would tease her for being awful at sword play. Andrée. Four blonde furred Women, two of them Cubs, and a black furred Man looking at her with so much love and joy that it took her breath away. Family. One of them coming to her and taking her hand. Fleur. Running through the forest with a shadow overhead. Fleur. Laying on the forest floor, looking up and into the eyes of the blonde just as she bent down and captured her lips in a fiery kiss. Fleur.

"Fleur?" Hermione asked, her eyes squinted against the light of the single burning candle. Her brain felt fuzzy, almost like the time that she and Fleur snuck a bottle of Firewhiskey into their room to celebrate the blonde's seventeenth birthday.

"Thank Apollo." Fleur breathed out, crushing Hermione into a fierce hug. The brunette choked slightly as the air was pushed from her lungs. She didn't have time to move her arms up to wrap around her mate before she was held at arm's length and shook slightly.

"What happened, Hermione?" Fleur asked, desperation clear in her voice. "One minute you were calm and the next you were feral. It was like you did not recognize me."

Hermione swallowed thickly as she rubbed her eyes, suddenly exhausted. She quickly glanced out of the window and saw the moon high in the sky. Must be close to midnight, she thought, what happened?

Another shake, "Hermione!?"

"Sorry! Sorry. I do not know what happened, Fleur. One minute I was walking to class and the next…" Hermione trailed off as the events of the day rushed back, a growl forming in her throat. Fleur shook her once more, gaining her attention.

"He's here, Fleur." Hermione hissed through clenched teeth, "The man who took me away. He's here."

"Oui, I gazered zat after you attacked 'im today." Fleur looked at her warily, "Do you not remember anyzing else? Nozing about what 'appened after I sent you to zee Forest? Or" the blonde hesitated, "about what 'appened when you were younger?"

Hermione felt her throat close up as her dream came back to her. Tears filled her eyes and she immediately moved to bury her face into Fleur's shoulder. The brunette could feel her mate's sadness, confusion, and (a small amount of) anger. It was that last emotion that forced Hermione to look Fleur in the eyes and tell her about her dreams.

Fleur listened intently as Hermione explained what she saw while she was in the magically induced sleep (Hermione remembered the glowing girl and the magic settling down around her like a blanket and jumped to the conclusion). After she had finished her story, Fleur told her what had happened while she was asleep. About Dumbledore's cover up, her detention with McGonagall, and extra lessons with Moody. And about Harry, Ron, Neville, and Luna's conclusions on her past.

"Do you think I am remembering it wrong?" Hermione asked in a small voice. They had moved to lay on the bed by then and were staring at each other in the light of the moon.

"No, but," Fleur winced slightly, "I think you were too young to catch all of the details. If what Harry and Ron said were true, then Hagrid could not have done all those things we think he did. And, by your own account, it sounds as if your mother was running from something."

Hermione moved to her back, staring up at the ceiling intently. "I barely remember the village. I think there was a waterfall and a river was nearby. I can remember playing with a small tiger and…I think it was a leopard? But I do not remember their names." Hermione squinted as she tried to follow the memory as it was fading, "I think there was a lot of shouting all the time. Like, I remember dreading going home, but I do not remember where home was or what happened there." A thought unexpectedly teased at her mind and she rubbed her eyes in weariness. She choked back a sudden sob as tears clogged her throat.

"What?" Fleur placed her hand against her cheek, moving Hermione's head so they were looking at one another again, "Tell me. What are you thinking?"

"I do not know what to think. Part of me blames Hagrid for tearing me away from her, but now." Hermione felt tears well up in her eyes, "Now, I kind of want to thank him. He more than likely saved me, Fleur. By the gods, you have no idea how weak I was back then." Tears streamed down her cheeks. "It took everything I had just to stand up. I did not know what was happening then, but now I know that I was starving to death. I cannot imagine how my mother survived that long. They barely gave us enough to eat and she gave me most of it. If it was not for Hagrid, I would probably be dead." A sob escaped her. "She probably is."

Fleur immediately pulled her in for a hug, wrapping her arms around her while Hermione bawled into her chest. A pain that Hermione had never felt before was tearing through her heart and left her winded and broken.

"I attacked him, Fleur!" Hermione wailed, "I attacked the man who saved my life because I was too stupid to remember what happened."

Fleur pushed her away slightly and shook her head, "No, Hermione. You are not stupid for not remembering. You had memory charms placed on you that caused you to forget. The only thing you knew was that he took you from your mother. And you reacted as any creature would. He did not blame you for the attack. If what you remember is true, then he more than likely expected it."

"I-I have to do something, Fleur." Hermione rose up and wiped her tears away. "I need to apologize or beg for forgiveness or something."

"Not right now." Fleur pulled her back down and wrapped her arms around her again. "We still do not know the whole story and I do not want us to rush to anymore conclusions. Let us figure out the whole thing before we act, yes? We still do not know how you ended up with the Granger's so he may have some faults to him still."

Hermione swallowed thickly but nodded her agreement. She couldn't have any more drastic events such as today. They had to wait and gather information, try and find out what all had actually happened. After that, she would make amends to those she hurt and go after those that hurt her.

"Good. I need to add this to the letter I am sending Grandmaman. She will want to hear of these events."

"Do you think she will blame me?" Hermione whispered.

"No! You are not to blame, Hermione. I have told you this." Fleur brushed her lips against the top of her head. "She will help us figure this out. Now that we know more to the story, she and her contacts can find out more about what happened. Families help each other, yes?"

Hermione nodded once more before hesitating, "And Harry and Ron? They were not angry at me?"

"I cannot say how they will be in the morning and I do not know whether it was the Fae magic keeping them calm or their own rational thinking, but no, they were not mad. Confused, yes, but I think that is understandable."

"I cannot lose them, Fleur." Hermione whispered, "I just found them again. I cannot go through this year without them."

"They will still be here, I promise. They may demand another meeting and hear your side of the story, but I think they will still be true to you. I told you of the oath they made, yes? Many wizards do not make them lightly so for them to do that, shows me that they are still loyal."

"I need to tell them the truth. The whole truth this time. No more secrets, no more half-truths. Everything."

Fleur heaved a sigh, "I agree. I did not expect this trip to turn out like this and, if it were a perfect world, we could have figured out how they would have reacted first, then revealed you to them. This way though? You are right. We accidently put them in the middle of this, so it is only fair that they know what we are facing."

"Not only that, but Harry has a way of getting Hagrid to reveal his secrets. Perhaps if he were to try, the Man might tell him what happened."

"True." Fleur smiled before pulling her closer, placing a delicate kiss against her forehead, "But, we have worried enough for today. I do not know about you, but I am exhausted. I am half tempted to skip tomorrow and allow myself to rest."

Hermione pressed her face against Fleur's neck, sighing at the faint vanilla scent she loved so much. "Can't do that," she mumbled.

A chuckle, "You are right. We need to be strong, now more than ever. I just hope that Grandmaman can help us with this mess."

Hermione hummed in agreement and tried to focus on the beating of Fleur's heart, hoping to calm her brain enough to go back to sleep. She was almost afraid to close her eyes, afraid to see the panther's face once more pushed against the bars of the cage. Afraid of hearing the dejected roar of her mother as she was Portkeyed away. Even though she was somewhat happy for remembering a bit more about her past, Hermione sort of wished she had remained unaware. Ignorance is a bliss and all that, she groaned to herself.

But knowing is half the battle.

-xXx-

Thanks for reading!