This is an M rated story.

A/N: Just wanted to say thank you again for everyone that has been reading and enjoying the story.

A/N2: Harry Potter and his world belong to J.K. Rowling, Warner Brothers and anyone that has received licensing rights. I am grateful she gives us the privilege of playing in her world.

Chapter 27

-oOo-

February 27, 1995

Scottish Highlands, Scotland

Sirius had been offered a major lead in the raid, but he originally turned it down, refusing to work for the Ministry or DMLE again. Then Le Brun had come to him and he thought about it. Now, Commander Le Brun stood on the far side of the ridge next to him. Sirius wore his ICW Captains badge inside his collar of his light blue robes, and his normal badge on the outside. No reason to paint a target on him. Le Brun had done the same.

Sirius found he liked being on this side of the law again. It also gave him a chance to protect Harry. Something he should have done thirteen years ago.

He was in charge of two squads, one Ministry and one ICW. The other groups were split the same. In total, forty-six Aurors and highly skilled civilians were spread out in three groups. They were all waiting for the Curse Breakers to do their thing.

"Captain," Le Brun said. "Are there any other details you remember now that we are here?"

"Nothing I have not told you. I just say caution. My gut is telling me they are waiting for trouble after our scouting mission two weeks ago." He looked at the group. Tonks was with his group. She was currently showing off some of her ability to those that had never met a metamorphagus.

"I see Weasley coming back," Le Brun said.

Sirius couldn't miss the tall muscular man walking down the slope. He came up to them looking tired. "This is going slower than we anticipated. Our original estimate was about twenty up and down the valley. It's more like quadruple that count. They are also tied into a natural ley line that runs the length of the valley. Looks like the wards have failed further up the valley, but are really strong here."

Sirius scrunched his brow. "Is that why they are still so strong. How long have they been here?"

Bill shrugged. "I would guess a few hundred years. This wasn't something done over night, and probably not in a single lifetime. If you want them down without warning the werewolves, this might take a few weeks, at best."

Le Brun frowned. "And what if we do alert them?"

Bill looked even less encouraging. "We could cascade them. That would bring them down in about ten minutes, but I can't guarantee the pull on the ley line would not cause other wards tied to it to also cascade. You may get a very good firework show, or level half a mountain if the caves are as big as Black describes."

Le Brun looked up the slope for a moment. "I would like to have as little loss of life as possible. Would you go back to HQ for a few to describe this?"

"You're the ones paying for this," Bill told him.

"Captain, you're in charge. Make sure we are not discovered,"

"Sure, Boss," he said. "Tonks. Smith. Take patrol up to that ridge. Tonks, use your wolf. Bridger. Gronk. That way. Trelew. Yanks. Go up and provide some support to the Goblins. The rest of you, dig in and make a rampart here. No need not to be prepared."

Sirius didn't like waiting. They had thought the wards would be down in less than an hour and then they could notify the other teams and apparate in close to the target. He had never known an operation to go smoothly and this was no exception. It was twenty minutes later when Le Brun and Weasley apparated back. Le Brun did not look happy.

Bill nodded to him and started up the hill. "I want everyone to move to the crest. We are going to provide support to the Curse Breaker and if this goes sideways, we get them all out."

Sirius had his answer. After issuing his orders, they had gathered closer to the stone they had been working around. He had seen what happens when wards fail. The explosion at Potter Manor had left only one tower standing next to a hole four meters deep. Half the grounds had caught fire and generations of farming, lands and history had gone up in moments. After that, many of the older houses had started to remove their link directly to ley lines.

At one time, they weren't this unstable, but many think that was because the old Druid Magic's that had been used worked with the lay lines, not just using them as an energy source.

He stepped up to Le Brun. "You think a cascade is going to happen and this will go bad."

His new Boss nodded. "How do you put it? I don't have good feelings of this."

"Close enough." He watched the six Goblins and two wizards gathered around the stone. He would have much preferred to just break the wards, but apparently, they were all connected.

The Goblins took out five jet black glassy stones with many runes on them. "Obsidian ablatons," Le Brun hissed. "I thought the Goblins were supposed to have gotten rid of them."

Sirius looked at the man. "Why," he asked, never having heard of them.

"I want all Aurors in pairs. Full shields and get absorbtion wards down in three spots. All our personnel are to remain in the ward areas. If anything goes wrong, get everyone out."

He was old enough to know an order that should be obeyed. Sirius didn't question it and got things set up. As he did, the wizards had backed up and joined them as the Goblins had started to trace the runes in the stones and do their own magic. The black stones started to emit a high frequency shriek as a blue glow lit the insides.

Sirius could feel the magic that was starting to charge the air and knew the ones they were after on the far side of the valley would soon. "Le Brun, are we too close," he asked as the hair on the back of his neck rose.

"It is too late now if we are," the man said. "Do you know how to make a sink?"

"No," he said.

"Gronk. Trewlew. Be prepared to make a magic sink."

The other two looked grim and took their wands in hand, sticking them into the ground and started to chant. Le Brun did the same. The goblins suddenly all got up and ran towards them. The stones were a vibrant blue. In a pulse that popped his ears, the stones dropped their magic into the ground around the stone. There was no other way to describe it. It was like watching a bolt of light firing into the ground and the ground around the stone for four meters glowed blue before the stone suddenly cracked. It sounded like the valley was cracking. It was loud. It vibrated through his bones and shook the ground. Dozens of similar lights showed along the ridge and then down into the valley as one after another stone cracked. The ground shown blue between each stone until it broke. After a moment, it stopped in the center of the valley.

Le Brun and the other still looked tense. "Is that it," he asked Bill.

"Hopefully," the redhead said. Bill didn't look certain. "It should have gone up the other side of the valley though."

After a moment, there was a crackling sound. Sirius could only think of that time Lily had dragged them to a muggle museum and they had seen some crazy scientamagician, or something like that, made lightening. It cracked and sizzled.

"Mon dieu," a man said next to him in feared awe. Sirius saw it too.

A line a few meters wide ran up the valley, mostly following close to the river, had started to spark blue arches of lightening. They ran in lines hundreds of meters long along most of the length of the valley. "Bollocks," he whispered.

"No one is to apparate until the leyline collapses or calms," Le Brun ordered.

Sirius watched the show. Movement caught his eye on the opposite slope. A few men and then a troll burst through a hole that hadn't been there before. There was an ominous sound like water squeaking through a pipe and then it sounded like a thunderstorm as the electric arcs shot in the air. Sirius clamped his hand his wand as the ground rolled below him before a jagged line through the center of the valley exploded up. It was like watching the earth unzip and fold up on jagged splinters, each rock slab meters and meters long and easy ten meters high. It made a sound that almost deafened him.

Unlike before were it had been a procession of blue streaks as the ward stones broke, it was one rapid pulse and dozens of spots suddenly glowed blue on the far slope up to the top of the mountain before exploding. The ground rolled under his feet knocking him down.

"The layline collapsed. Get us out of here," Le Brun yelled. Cracks of apparition were all around them. There were more sounds as the hills started to shake and he watched as a dust cloud shot out of the cave and then part of the mountain started to cave in. "Oh, shite," Sirius said. He was staying to make sure all his squad had gone. There was a crack and rumble he felt in his bones nearby and he saw a large landslide start. The base of some old rune covered ward stones were crackling and crumbling.

"Go, Black," Le Brun ordered.

He didn't need to be told twice. He turned on the spot. A second later, Le Brun popped in next to him. The man didn't look happy. Bones was there to greet them. "From this point on, my Aurors do not take your orders," Le Brun said angrily to her.

"Captain, check in with everyone and then I want you to lead a scouting mission in about two hours. The backlash should settle by then," Le Brun said before storming away from the HQ tent that was two valleys over. Sirius could feel the ground trembling. As he stood with Bones a patronus came to them. "Magical lightening seen in the valley. Do we investigate?"

She looked at him. "What happened?"

"The cascade collapsed the leyline. I hope we can find what we need." He pursed his lips before turning to Tonks. "Are you good?"

She nodded. "We all got out without harm."

He nodded. "Director Bones, may I have permission to take three members of Black group for the scouting mission at about 10:00 hours?"

She pursed her lips. He could see the look in her eyes of what a mess this would be to clean up. As far as he could tell, about three miles of the valley would be in total ruin. This would not go unnoticed by any muggles in the area. "Granted. Get me the paperwork and I'll sign it."

-oOo-

March 1, 1995

Somewhere, Scotland

Fenrir was still nursing a hurt arm. The last few days had been a mad scramble to flee the DMLE and ICW after they had destroyed the caves. His pack had scattered to avoid detection and capture. Now that they were together again, he snarled to see sixteen missing. He could only assume they were killed or captured. That meant in the last month twenty-one of his pack had been killed while serving the wizards and hags.

He had no issue killing people. He enjoyed it and would usually lead the charge, which was part of what upset him. His handlers wouldn't let him lead the way he should. Because of it, he had had two challenges to his leadership. The wolf understood power and strength and he was only maintaining his pack by strength. His power was being cut off at his balls.

Sniffing, he was disappointed to smell his two favorite tripes were not among current company. They were fun and one had been carrying his child.

He also smelt the two things that were undermining his power.

The doors to the old barn opened. He knew the tall man with a mask, it was Lucier. The hag Belnora was next to him. Behind stood the deranged one that kept licking his lips. The other was one he didn't know, but smelt familiar. He was as tall as Lucier in the same black robes and a mask.

"Fenrir," the man called.

He growled at the command. He was not going to be ordered around in front of his pack. A few looked up, as though trying to decide if there might be a chance. That was the issue with keeping former Alpha's. They made excellent beta's, but at times their need to be an alpha would show through.

Fenrir stared a few of them down. A caged wolf would as soon attack their own as others.

"Fenrir," the man commanded again.

Fenrir sat on an old tractor, determined not to come to his call.

The hag stepped forward. "Step outside, luv," the woman said. She was enchanted to look a very attractive woman in her thirties or so, with generous curves and narrower waste. He knew the disgusting thing it was beneath that veneer.

He felt the compulsion and waited as long as he could before the pain became unbearable before standing up. He walked out as though it was nothing. Others of his pack were starting to show signs of the pain. With the hags it was the whole pack. The idea was if the Alpha defied them too much, then a new Alpha may step forward. One that would be more amenable to the Hags. Fenrir was not going to allow that.

When they were out of the barn, he turned to face the men. "You cost me sixteen wolves," he said angrily to Lucier.

"And the ICW and DMLE cost me a half-million galleons. I think I made out the worse," Lucier said angrily.

"We are not here to figure who is worse," the other man in the mask said. Fenrir recognized the man's scent but could not place it. "Belnora, how much were you and the werewolves able to salvage?"

"Not much. The red and blue coats are all over the valley still. We lost Nagana," she told them.

Crouch smiled behind the man. "They did a good job," he told them. "The whole valley cracked down the center. It was marvelous to watch."

Fenrir growled at the man. That crack was what killed his pack. He could care less of the hag and trolls. "Was anyone captured," Lucier asked.

They looked to him first. "I don't know. Sixteen are missing. We have not been back to the caves. I think it most likely they are dead."

"Bollocks," Lucier said angrily.

"Calm. We have not heard of anyone captured," the other masked man said.

"I have no contacts in the DMLE anymore, Prince. I don't know what is happening. We are flying blind in this," the man snarled.

"Lucier, you promised us two more recruits of magical origin," the hag said. "We shall have our payment before we do anything else."

"You listen to me, you bint. Our deal was for you to provide a year's worth of ingredients, potions and the muscles to run the operation," Lucier snapped.

The hag snarled at him. "You made a deal. We fulfilled that deal. Would you like to bring this before the old Gods?"

"That deal included taking possession of those materials. Unless you can dig them up, we have not received our goods," Lucier stepped towards her.

Fenrir hung back a little. He was angry, but was enjoying the power struggle. There may be a way to exploit this. His devious mind was controlling the beast long enough to see this play out.

"The deal was we provide. We did. Do not blame me you did not take the materials when notified." He didn't miss that she took a bone out of her pocket. "And was it not enough what you already took?"

Lucier's wand came to hand and Fenrir growled, sensing danger to him and his pack. They were his and he would not allow a Wizard to do as he would. The other man stepped up and put a hand on his arm. Crouch had pulled his own wand. "Are we going to play," the insane man asked licking his lips.

"Wand down, Barty," the unknown man demanded. "Belnora, the material that were taken were ours to take. Lucier funded this project and only promised you the materials needed to make the ingredients and the potions. Any other materials were to be worked by you but were not part of the deal for delivery."

"My wolves worked the fields and greenhouse. We are owed payment for that," she told them.

He felt the wolf come to the forefront. "We are not your wolves, Belnora," he snarled. "My pack only serves you because of the Call."

She cast a malicious bloodshot eye at him. "You belong to me, wolf. Lucier, we have a deal. You are to pay up by the next full moon or you will have to talk with the old Gods. We are owed two girls of magical blood."

Lucier tried to raise his wand arm, but the other man kept it down. "I owe payment on receipt of product. We have the smaller operations at McGee Castle. You shall make up your end of the deal there. The mutts are to guard it and not be sent out on missions. That issue with the Potters has cost us other plans."

"You do not get to order us outside our deal, Lucier. A different party approached us about the Potters. You never made it part of the deal they were off limits." The hag looked upset at the man.

"I will kill them," Fenrir spoke up. Those upstart brats had cost him three of his pack.

"You will do as told," the hag snapped at him.

He growled.

"Belnora, we shall give you half the payment now and the other half two moons from now when the rest of the potion stock is received," the man in the silver mask told her.

"I will not agree to that," Lucier said.

"Lucier, now is not the time," the man told him in a low tone.

She took the bone and stuck it in her mouth, starting to gnaw on it. She regarded the man for a few minutes. "I will get the girl in the next week? One of magical kind?"

Fenrir couldn't keep from smiling. That meant one of the pure bloods, one that had been bred of magical blood for five generations or more.

Crouch smirked. "Can I have my fun with her first," he asked.

"She is to be unsoiled. If another is delivered alive and well enough we can consider another bargain," the hag told them. "She need be unspoiled. The second girl of magical blood, and unspoiled, will need to be delivered before the second moon from now."

Lucier stood ramrod straight and still for a few moments before his hood moved as he nodded. The man in the silver mask spoke. His voice was oily and with a slight drawl. Fenrir knew this man. "One. We will deliver one that is unspoiled. What age?"

"She must be of breedable age and not deflowered," the hag told him.

The man nodded.

"I am still owed for the blood of my pack," Fenrir told them.

The hag bit down hard on the bone and he let out a snarl as pain ripped down his spine. "You are owed nothing. We give you the meat and company you ask for."

He growled at her. One day he would have his revenge on the Coven and the men before him. He would have revenge on everyone that had dared to mess with his pack.

-oOo-

March 17, 1995

Hogwarts, Scotland

Andromeda really disliked this monthly ritual. She watched eight children and an adult go into cages they really didn't want to be in. She knew they all did it because they feared what might happen if they didn't. It was in each of their faces, as much as they tried to hide or accept the hand fate had dealt them, they viewed themselves as monsters. For much of their kind, werewolves were.

Looking at the Potters and their pack, she wasn't sure that wolfsbane potions were doing as much. She had proof now after last month it did nothing for the Potters. Hermione had been given a placebo and Harry the new potions. Neither of them showed signs of being any different. They were free and clear of the contamination on the lycanthropy taint she had been able to finally identify. The junk Daphne had spit up last month had left the infection in her, but had actually purge some of what she now was referring to the madness. This month Remus, Daphne and Annabel had agreed to try the new potion. Starting this week, Remus was going to start a new regime that might impregnate him with hagsbestian silver, like the Potters. She hoped it worked.

She did not like playing with patients like this. Her job was to heal, but if this worked, she would have found a way to help cure some of what lycanthropy is. If they could be cured of the Madness, then she may be able to press for them to not be in these cages, instead running in the forest or in an old valley with no one around.

Harry sat on the floor, holding hands with his wife and looking out the window. The last few months now, he had expressed his wish to run free on the full moon. She wanted to give them that if she could.

"How do you think this will go," her boss asked next to her.

"Well, I hope," she said.

The moon was already in the sky and sun was going below the mountain.

"Burns," someone said.

"Andromeda," a woman called from the far end of the building. She walked as fast as she could.

Daphne was hunched over, clutching her hands to her midsection. "She says it burns today."

This was a good sign, but the girl looked to be in real pain. She was whimpering. The other two werewolves by her were acting like she normally had seen werewolves. It hurt and they were on the floor curled up as the change started. "Burns," Daphne said again before crying out.

Andromeda hated to watch this. She could do nothing else for them as they went through their change. This time though, Daphne started to groan and her arms shook as the change started. This was not the normal reaction. She cried out, which kept going and turned into a long howl of pain. When the change was complete, she collapsed on the floor, panting and looking like she was still in pain.

"Something is wrong," she told them.

"You can't go down there," Jasper said coming up to them.

"Jasper, there is something wrong," she told him.

Daphne was curled up on the floor, whimpering. The curtains had been pulled back and Blaise was at the edge of his cage, his lips curled up in a silent growl and looking at the dark wolf below her. Daphne suddenly rolled onto her knees and started to throw up. It was the same sickly stuff she had expelled after the last turn.

"I need to go down," Andromeda said running for the stairs.

"Andi, stop!"

The two ICW Aurors at the end of the walkway stepped in front of her. She pulled her wand out. "Out of my way," she ordered.

"Regulations do not allow us or anyone on the floor until they turn back," one of them said. He was taller than her, with a wiry frame and a mustache.

"You will let me get to my patient or I will make you," she told him. Someone grabbed her wrist. "Jasper, you will let me go."

"If you go down there you will be brought before the board, Andi. We have our rules and this is in clear violation of them. This is too dangerous for you to be down there."

"I am going," she told him.

"Healer Tonks, we can not allow this," the Auror said again.

"Aurors, let her go," a voice said from behind them. She looked up to see Sirius. Her cousin looked quite dashing in the finely cut ICW Auror robes.

"Captain," they nodded and stepped aside.

"Andi, don't get hurt. I really don't want to visit Ted tonight."

She nodded and rushed down the stairs. Blaise was closest to the stairs. He had been perfectly mollified the first two cycles with the wolfsbane potion, but tonight he seemed to be powering through it. He growled and launched himself at her. She started and pulled back towards the wall. There was a meter between the cages and a meter and a half aisle on the outside of the cages meant for something like this. His arms came well short of her, but he was not happy with her.

His eyes had more of the fetid look of a werewolf, with his jaws snapping at her and him trying to push himself through the bars to get at her. "No. Stay," Sirius ordered his Aurors.

She took it a little slower, giving his cage a wide berth. She found herself wishing Nymphadora was here, but she was off with her new squad tonight. Blaise, realizing he couldn't get her, pulled back and stalked her as she approached Daphne's cage.

The poor thing was curled up on the floor, shivering and breathing hard. What had she done? Andromeda was starting to think that the potion had been made wrong. Looking at Remus and Annabel, she was not seeing the same reaction. Her brow scrunched.

"Daphne, dear, can you hear me," she asked softly getting as close as she dared, incase Daphne decided to attack her suddenly.

Daphne whimpered and Blaise growled. She looked over to see him eyeing her. He was in a crouch, ready to launch himself at her. She would worry about him later. "Daphne, can you look at me and shake or nod your head?"

The girl shifted and Andromeda held her breath for a moment. The girl's dark eyes looked at her. It wasn't the same half feral eyes it had been the first two months. Her eyes were almost human, like the Potters. "Buuuurn," she said. Andromeda's eyes widened. She had heard Harry and Hermione speak, but not any of the other wolves.

She kept her cool composure she had learned as a Healer. "Your blood burns," she asked.

Blaise wasn't backing away. He had put his muzzle between the bars, as though hoping Andromeda would come closer.

She kept her breathing steady. "Daphne, would you allow me to bind you in ropes so I can come in."

The girl whimpered and curled into a ball again. She waited a few minutes. Eventually Daphne moved to look at her and nodded. Andromeda still had her wand in her hand and flicked it. This set Blaise off again. He barked and slammed into the cell. She backed up quickly, almost stumbling. "Should we stun him," someone asked from above. She looked up to see Sirius' entire squad there, along with most of the Healers.

"Why isn't the wolfsbane working on him tonight," Bethany asked above. Andromeda was having her suspicions on the matter.

She gave a weary look to Blaise, who had backed up a little. He still looked ready to kill her. "No. Leave him be for the moment. Sirius, can you drop the wards on Ms. Greengrass cage."

"I am not in favor of this," Healer Jasper said. "Andi, you are breaking a half dozen regulations."

"Jasper, with respect, shut it," she snapped at him. "Sirius, please."

Her cousin sighed. "Auror Sorenson, please remove the wards from cage eleven."

"Ja," the man responded.

A moment later, she pulled the cage door open. Blaise was acting even more protectively towards Daphne. "Daphne, and Blaise, I am only going to remove this junk and then check you over. I will not harm her," she said to Blaise.

He bared his teeth again, but didn't growl. She took a glass jar and siphoned the junk into it. It looked just like the stuff she had collected last month. "Daphne, I am going to approach you from the back. Do not roll over or attempt to get loose," she instructed. The girl whimpered.

"I don't like this," she heard Jasper.

She ran a few scans. She had never been able to be this close to a werewolf in turned form besides Harry or Hermione, so she wasn't sure how normal the scans were, but they showed that Daphne was in pain. More surprisingly, the response to the lycanthropy scan had dropped significantly. When she was satisfied that Daphne was in no significant danger, she slowly made her way back out of the cell.

"See, I did nothing to harm her," she told the jet-black werewolf that hadn't taken his eyes off her. She made sure the cage was closed and wards up before removing the ropes.

Stepping back to the wall, she let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. Looking around, she was already in trouble for this, and this could be an opportunity she may not get again any time soon. "I am going to visit the Potters and then come back up."

"Andi, you're already in enough trouble," Jasper told her.

She waved him off. Tracey was sleeping in a ball at the far side of her cell. Looking at the Potter pack, the six of them were as close to each other as they could. They were sharing small yips, barks and other vocals, as though talking. As she approached, the black wolf she knew as Harry looked at her. He stayed far back in his cell, as did the others.

"Hello. How are all my wolves doing tonight," she asked conversationally. She really had grown fond of them all. The much healthier sandy hair wolf behind them was most likely going to be her son in law. She found it odd to say that, the man was only six years younger than her.

They nodded at her. Even without the new formulation of the potion, this pack looked in such better shape. She knew the Potters were part of it. If she could free the others of the Madness, that would be a huge win. "Harry and Hermione, would you mind if I get some scans of you? I have not been able to in quite a while." It had only been that first turn she had been able to be this close.

Harry looked at her and then Hermione. Neither of them moved before shaking their heads. If she knew them like she thought, they were probably concerned with biting her. "I promise I will stay behind the line if you come up to the front of your cages."

It was unmistakable the power in them. Even at their young age it oozed off them, both magically and physically. She doubted many adult wolves would challenge them now, never mind when they fully came into their own, and she had seen the punch they possess now. She had a feeling if they wanted out or to harm her then she would be hard pressed to stop them.

Instead, they walked up to the front of their cages and crouched on their haunches. Their eyes were totally clear of any sickness that she had seen in other werewolves. She could see their intelligence. She took the readings she wanted and they went back to their pack.

"Thank you," she said to Sirius when she got back up to the observation walkway.

"Andi, that was the most reckless thing I have ever seen you do," Jasper said angrily.

She just looked at him. "They are patients, not monsters," she said coolly to the man. "I will never let them suffer if I can help it."

Daphne had stopped whimpering and was sleeping. Blaise had settled, sitting close to her and keeping watch over her.

"You would risk yourself being killed, or worse, become a werewolf? How would you care for them then?"

"If need be, yes," she said. Ted would understand. Eventually. She didn't really want to be a werewolf, but she would if needed.

-oOo-

March 18, 1995

Hospital Wing, Hogwarts, 1995

Daphne woke to rain hitting the windows. She felt very dizzy and her blood tingling, much like it had that first month before their first change. She groaned as she tried to open her eyes, the light seemed too bright. Someone shifted next to her and she knew it was Blaise. His scent was strong and worried.

"Daphne," he said and she felt his hand on her forehead brushing hair away from her face. "Oh, thank Merlin. You're up. How do you feel?"

She blinked her eyes open to see his dark eyes looking at her. It was a shock for her to see them. Her body and wolf cried out for him and she shuffled to sit up and then threw herself at him. Her arms wrapped around his shoulder in a hug. "I heard you last night," she told him. "Healer Tonks was not trying to hurt me."

He had stiffened at her motion before wrapping an arm around her. She was so thankful he had. It was a comfort and settled her. "It was the beast. He didn't want anyone near you and all I wanted to do was taste her flesh and feed. I still have the urge, thinking she was going to hurt you."

She felt lightheaded now that she was sitting up and started to fall back. He gently helped her to lay back down. "The Healers and Madame Pomfrey said you should rest for now," he said gently.

"What happened," she asked.

"You threw up just after the change and then again this morning. Healer Tonks said its blood with other stuff, but you have no bleeding. They gave you some blood replenisher potion. Healer Tonks thinks it's a reaction to the potion," he told her.

"Was I the only one?"

Blaise ran his hand over her forehead again, brushing hair out of her eyes. She had never known him to do something so intimate with her, or for her to enjoy it so much. She closed her eyes for a moment to commit the feeling to memory. "No. Professor Lupin and Entwhistle did the same thing. You are all under observation for the next twenty for hours."

She opened her eyes again. "Where's Tracey? I don't want to leave her with the Potters."

He gave her a sardonic smile. "Tracey is well. I know you don't want her there, but she is up in Lobo House. The Potters and the others went there. Potter promised that nothing would happen to her."

She growled some. The future Lady Potter had been right. She did fear the Potters taking her friends, her pack. Daphne also realized she had been trying to assert her own dominance over the others and had been trying to dial it back. "Why are you not with her then?"

Her eyes drifted away from his, not wanting to see the rejection that would be coming. "I am where I should be," he told her after a moment.

"Blaise, I'll be fine. I want you two to be happy," she told him.

Blaise took her hand in his. "Daphne, I am not interested in Tracey that way. Why would you think that?"

"You've gone to Hogsmeade with her the last three times," she told him. She had stayed behind, not wanting to get in her best mates' way. She was warring with her wolf on this matter. The wolf wanted to claim what was hers. Blaise was hers, she knew what his smell did to her. Daphne didn't want to be a beast. Potter said she didn't need to be and she refused to step in the way of the happiness of her two best friends.

Blaise gently put a hand on her chin and pulled her head back to look at him. "Tracey wanted to go to meet with friends. A few of the Hufflepuffs have been very kind to her and she wanted an escort in case something went wrong."

She met his eyes. There was no lie on his face.

Daphne shook her head. "But you like Tracey. You have since Christmas before last," she told him.

He snorted. "I like Tracey as a friend and find her to be a very attractive person, but she is not what I want."

Her wolf in her wanted to call out to the day at the sudden way her heart started to beat faster and the butterflies in her stomach all seemed to go at once. "You weren't just trying to protect your potential Alpha, were you?"

He let out a long breath. "I have been fighting it since December and I am not sure I can hold the beast in me at bay anymore. Last night, to see you not feeling well, to see you get sick and the way you smelled in pain and different, all I wanted was to break the cells and get to you. I know Healer Tonks did not mean to harm you, but the urge to stand between you and her was able to overpower the wolfsbane potion."

Damn it! Why did Granger... Potter... ah, Merlin, whoever the girl was... Why was she right! When people call her the brightest witch of the age, she thought it was made up. How fecking smart was the girl!

"Blaise, are you sure you don't like Tracey?"

He growled at her and she felt the need for him overpower her objections. He leaned down and kissed her. She thought that she was going to pass out with the feelings if brought up. When he backed away, she felt like the room was spinning. She wasn't sure if it was the kiss or how she was feeling, but it brought a pleasant warmth to her.

"Are you alright," he asked in concern.

She smiled. "Perfectly." After a moment, she refocused on him. Her wolf was panting as her eyes fell on him. Why did he look so much more desirable?

"Good. Let me get Madame Pomfrey. She wanted to see you when you woke."