AN: Okay kids, six more chapters to wrap this thing up! I still can't believe home many people are still committed to this story and still reviewing without fail, please know you are the reason I am still going :)

7 days later

Pansy woke suddenly from a restless sleep. She sat bolt upright in the uncomfortable cot she had refused to leave and looked around the hospital wing as the doors opened slightly and Harry slipped in, despite the late hour.

"How are they?" he asked her, crossing the stone floor on his tiptoes as he snuck past other injured students.

"Oh, you just missed Daphne and Draco's aerial gymnastic routine, she's really nailed that landing," Pansy retorted sarcastically, glancing at the girl who was lying prone in the arms of her husband.

"I thought Madame Pomfrey would have been able to separate Daph and Theo by now," Harry sighed, ignoring Pansy's scowl as he scooted her across so he could lie on the cot beside her. Pansy's bed was next to Draco's, across from Daphne and Theo's and near Hermione's.

"She still doesn't know whether Daphne's heartbeat is irregular or whether it is the baby's."

Three days prior, Hermione had finally been separated from the other students. She was now stable and supporting her own core, but she had not woken up yet. Draco had been healed and was sleeping in the hospital wing, still groggy from the medicine and the spells. He had howled and cried when Hermione had been separated, as if the girl had been in pain during the process. The Slytherin woke infrequently throughout the day, settling only when he saw Hermione's sleeping form in the cot across from him.

"You would have thought a war would have been enough for us all, but no," sassed Harry as he sighed. "For once, I would like a school year where it was just school."

Pansy smiled and changed the subject. "How's the new Quidditch coach?"

"Professor Mcnamara is probably the best thing that's come out of this shit," he replied. It had driven Ron insane when Professor McGonagall allowed Pansy to all but drop her apprenticeship to remain in the hospital wing, and he was not allowed to skip one practise. The keeper was annoyed, sore and drowning in homework which he had thrown himself into in favor of occupying his mind.

When he and Ginny visited the hospital wing, the sibling felt as if they didn't know the witch anymore. If they had thought her cold and cruel before the war, she was now detached and Ginny felt as though she would have to spend the next six months rebuilding the friendship they had created. Neville avoided talking to the girl as she was meaner than he had ever known. Harry knew it was a front, a wall of protection to preserve herself during the stress, but he was beginning to doubt his theory.

The only person Pansy seemed to open up to was Sirius when he visited her on a Friday night with her missed classwork.

He had brought Crookshanks with him, and the measly orange cat instantly jumped into Pansy's lap despite her protest. The constant company was something she had cursed at in the beginning but now, three days later, she was grateful for Sirius' gesture.

He had also brought her that days Prophet. The news of the attack had spread quickly worldwide and the headlines were subjective to the country of origin. The Bulgarian headlines had painted Alasdair Nott as the true criminal, ensnaring the star in a strong imperious. Rita Skeeter, for once, had written something half true. She had tracked Krum's decline since his dismissal from the national team and made him carry the consequences of his actions.

Pansy was relieved to find that both had been subjected to a quick trial and both had unanimously been handed life sentences in Azkaban.

"Is that possible?" she asked, her eyes fixed on a figure across the room which she could have sworn just moved it's left foot.

"Huh?" Harry was staring too, almost missing Pansy's question as they watched intently.

"Is it possible for us to have a normal school year?"

Harry nodded but he knew Pansy was looking at Hermione and so she missed it.

"Uh, yeah I... guess," he said, hesitating and mumbling as both of them climbed out of the bed, crossing to Hermione's side without a word.

"Did she just-"

"Yeah."

"Do it again," that was an order and it seemed as though the Gryffindor girl had heard Pansy as she flexed her toes.

Harry's eyes were as wide as dinner plates as Hermione systematically moved her body, starting with her toes. She rolled her ankles and then bent her knees slightly before rolling her hips. The kinetic energy that seemed to have overtaken her traveled up her hands and her neck and her company were moving and wriggling like she was.

Finally, she opened her eyes and was met with the slight of Pansy and Harry leaning over her to hug above her torso.

Hermione mouth felt like cotton wool and it took her a few attempts to make the noise which separated the two.

"Hermione!" they shrieked in twin excitement and Hermione cracked a smile, pleased that someone was there when she had woken up.

She had been dreaming the same cycle over however long she had been out. Her friends had abandoned her as she changed and shifted into a grotesque creature, not quite canine but definitely not human. She would scream and cry as shackles appeared on her wrists and all she could see was Draco, looking at her with disgust until he sent a green spell flying her way and then the cycle would start over.

"How long have I been out?" she whispered hoarsely.

"It's been a week 'Mione," answered Harry, slotting his hand in hers.

"What happened?"

Pansy's face softened and she pressed a kiss to the girl's forehead. "Daphne, the idiot, connected your magical cores as you bled out. Theo thought Draco was attacking Daph so he shot a slicing spell but it hit you too. Do you remember being on Draco's back?"

Hermione nodded gently.

"Theo and Daphne are still connected by their cores as the baby is causing some problems for the healers. You're no longer attached," Harry continued. "But, 'Mione, something else happened."

She struggled to sit up but the pair were quick to keep her down.

"Is it Draco? What happened to everyone else? It's not Neville is it?" She asked rapidly, attempting to look over Pansy's shoulder to the bed she knew Draco would be in.

"Hermione, everyone's fine. It's," Harry took a deep breath, "'Mione, when Draco saw you bleeding, just before Daphne connected your cores, he bit you and I mean he bit you."

"What? That doesn't mean anything, we're already bonded," she said, significantly calmer as she thought Harry was just being cautious.

"You're a werewolf Hermione. He bit you enough to infect you," Pansy said with finality.

Ginny was lounging on the sofa in her pyjamas, content to watch Blaise wear a hole into the carpet with his slippers as he paced in front of the fire. She was munching on a bunch of grapes and threw a few at him when he stood motionless and pointed to his mouth after every circuit.

"How can you watch him, it's making me dizzy," complained Ron from the table. He was scribbling his potion notes with his back to the fire and the seating area, but he could feel Blaise's tension in the air.

"I'm hoping he does it enough to tire himself out, and besides, he's circulating the heat," Ginny said around the grape in her mouth.

"Do you know how shit this is," Blaise barked as he pointed to his mouth. Ginny complied and tossed a juicy grape which he caught in his mouth. "Pansy is allowed to skip her charms apprenticeship because Flitwick is researching the core stuff, but I still have to slave behind a cauldron in Potions even though I am the only bloody one, and don't get me started on McGonagall's tutoring. It's just me and Ernie and nobody ever talks about what happened."

"Not anymore Mr Zabini," Professor McGonagall said, her intimidating figure in the doorway and her arms crossed. "It is nice to know how you feel about the tutorship however."

"Professor!" the trio gasped at her sudden appearance at such a late hour and Blaise blushed, the red tinging his dark complexion and he stopped pacing.

"Is everything all right Professor?" Ginny asked, pushing herself up from the sofa and crossing to the older witch.

Minerva smiled and the boys looked at each other, unused to the expression on her wrinkled face.

"If you accompany me to the hospital wing, I would be delighted to show you."

"Madame Pomfrey!" cried Harry loudly, surely waking the Mediwitch. He and Pansy stood as far away from the cots as possible, pressed up against the door as Hermione howled and Draco circled her.

After Pansy had finished explaining the chain of events, Hermione's shock had bled through the bond and Draco had snapped awake, knocking the Slytherin girl aside so he could hold Hermione as she cried.

She kissed him and the tears began to pour. Draco sniffed and blinked them away, dropping his head into the crook of her neck and she whined in pain.

Draco swallowed back bile as Hermione's body caught up to her. Harry grabbed Pansy's hand and dragged her back as the Gryffindor began to shriek and writhe in pain as Draco started to sob, choking on the loud noises in the quiet Hospital Wing.

Before their eyes, the girl's nose elongated into a muzzle, a soft covering of brunette fur appeared and her fingers lengthened and cracked, breaking and reforming into claws and paws. Hermione pushed Draco away as she lay on her back, breathless as her shoulder hunched and reformed, her spine following the same pattern. Hermione arched her back and dug her heels in the thin mattress of the cot, her legs staring to shift painfully. Pansy had either hand over her ears as the dull snap of Hermione's thighs echoed around the room, followed by the whine as her muscles tore and refused into an unnatural shape. Every inch of her anatomy changed excruciatingly slowly. Her teeth elongated and her gums receded. Her eyes shifted and her forehead reshaped itself. Small details like her breasts, nails and hair changed too and every cell seemed to tingle and burn as it either elongated, shortened, broke or fused. Hermione could do nothing but lie there as her body manifested into the monster she had been dreaming about since the war.

Werewolf. Monster. Pain. Draco were her only conscious thoughts as the pain became everything she had ever known.

Harry turned his head and when the crying stopped, two wolves, one white, the other a honey brown, were licking and rubbing each others faces on the small cot but he could still hear the cries and the sounds of her body breaking itself to reform.

"Did she just transform?" was all he could say and Pansy laughed as the obvious commentary but she was crying into his shoulder, unable to tun and look at her friends.

"I think I'm going to be sick," she said quietly before the nervous laughter bubbled over and mixed with her heaving sobs and hiccups.

Harry swore he would never again complain about the shrill tone of Pansy's laugh as he watched Theo jolt upright at the sound. The Slytherin girl was still laughing hysterically and Harry joined in, struggling to hold back the tears that were threatening to overflow. He glanced from the two wolves to Theo, sat ramrod straight as if he was possessed. His eyes were unfocused but it took a few seconds for him to slide into reality. The Slytherin boy's eyes widened comically at the sight of the wolves across from him.

"MADAME POMFREY!" Harry shouted again and Daphne propped herself on her elbow with an annoyed scowl in his direction as she woke up.

Harry whooped and hollered, scooping a crying Pansy up in his arms and twirling her around. "POMFREY! They're awake!"

The light in the mediwitch's office turned on and spilled out into the dark wing as she opened the door. She came bustling over to Harry and Pansy, her face one of shock as she looked at her patients. Her thin lips slowly broke out into a grin and she sent a patronus before going to Theo and Daphne.

"Harry my dear, try and get them to separate," she nodded towards Hermione and Draco and he swallowed nervously.

"She's joking right," Pansy wondered aloud as Harry rolled up his sleeves and put his palms out, advancing on Hermione's cot.

Within her mind, Hermione was reeling but she had never felt more connected to Draco. Their consciousness were dancing together and she was in awe the magic.

How do I change back? she thought and he nudged her with his nose.

His voice was crystal clear in her mind when he said will it, picture you body.

Hermione would have scoffed it wolves could and watched through her canine eyes as he returned to his human body, taking note of the process and how his recognisable anatomy returned. She watched his silver eyes return to their human shape, the shiny sectumsempra scar return to his naked chest, the prominent jaw and cheeks appear and his unmistakable fingers and hands come to rest on her back.

"Potter, stay at the foot of the bed," Draco ordered and they both stood shoulder to shoulder at her feet, willing her to change back. Harry had wet cheeks and an encouraging smile whereas Draco was blank faced and clutching the railing pf the cot. "Come on Granger," he whispered.

Hermione thought about herself and what she knew. Her curly hair was at the forefront. It's caramel colour and the frizz that came with the ringlets in the summer. Her scalp tingled and from Draco's rewarding smile, she guessed she was beginning to change so she continued.

She had delicate fingers and hands, but they were scarred and stained with short, blunt nails. Tanned forearms and toned upper arms connected to shoulders and a long neck which flowed into a sweetheart face with a nose and two eyes and full lips. There were freckles in the summer and a slight shade of red on her cheeks throughout the year. Hermione thought about her collarbones and breasts and how her body dipped slightly at the waist but flared again at her hips. There were stretch marks, shiny and silver on her skin which carried on into long legs, lean from the war. There was scar tissue on her left thigh, a deep cut from her childhood that had healed overtime. Hermione thought about her knees and her shins, the bruises that seemed to be forever on her lower legs. Her feet and toes were next and she flexed them as they shrunk and cracked, the bones and ligaments snapping to reform once more. There was a burn as her shoulder blades returned and Hermione knew there would be scars and moles, beauty spots and bruises returning as she was naturally clumsy and bruised easily.

By the time she had finished, she opened her eyes slowly to see both of the boys, her boys, crying as she lifted her hand to her face to inspect it, much like Draco had the first time she had slipped into his mind.

Unshed tears blurred her vision as she looked at Draco who was breathing shallowly. "I forgive you."