A/N: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters
This is for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Assignment #9 Task #7: Cave of Altamira: The Cave of Altamira represents a fascinating example of where the fields of archaeology and anthropology meet to tell a beautiful story. The Spanish cave contains prehistoric paintings of mammals and human hands, and when it was discovered in 1880 it was the first find of its kind.
Prompt: Caveman!AU - Alt: Write about someone interacting with an animal
Warning: murder, slight gore
Word Count: 1195
The world was on fire. Hermione was sure of that. She'd seen the sky fire shooting down to the trees. She'd been out gathering food when the sky water fell upon her and the sky fire shot. Curiosity got the best of her as she walked towards the fire, towards the flickering light.
She'd never been this close before, not to something so large, so awe-inspiring. She could feel the heat radiating from the former forest. Creatures ran past her bare feet. She grabbed at them. Meat would be a gift. The herds had migrated as the weather turned cooler, as the air dried and the leaves browned. The ground trembled as something larger approached. Hermione stared at the fire, mesmerized by its shifting colors. She could feel the heat coming closer, becoming more intense. A small part of her brain screamed 'danger', but she was unable to move.
"Watch it!" a voice yelled. Hermione felt herself being yanked from the ground.
"I got you," the same voice exclaimed. Hermione blinked, realizing someone had pulled her onto the back of a large creature. A snake maybe? It seemed tubular and covered in scales. She turned and faced the person who had pulled her from her daze, from the fire that would have likely consumed her if she had remained standing motionless.
She'd never seen a man such as himself. He wore dark pelts around his waist. His pale chest was bare. His long black hair hung loosely around his pale face. Hermione blinked. She had never seen anyone pale before. The sun touched everything with its golden glow making everyone she'd ever met golden as well.
"You are unharmed?" he asked, looking at Hermione. The snake was walking from the trees, away from the fire. They were safe as long as it was moving.
"I am," she answered, wondering where he had come from. He was not like the people of her clan, nor the clans she'd met before.
"Good. Fire is dangerous, a big fire like that, big dangerous," he stated.
"I saw it happen. The sky fire struck the trees. They became fire as well," Hermione said, watching the world go by as the snake lumbered. She wondered if the fire would spread, if it would consume more. Fire was greedy, never stopping until everything was gone.
"Those trees were my home," he said softly, looking back at the destruction. Hermione nodded.
"Caves are safer. They do not burn. They offer safety from creatures, from weather."
"I have always lived in the trees. Now I must find a new home."
"Come home with me," Hermione offered. This man needed a home, she liked the way he looked, liked that he had saved her. Maybe it was her turn to save him?
"A cave?"
"Yes."
"And your clan, they would accept me?" he asked. Hermione frowned slightly. She knew they wouldn't, not unless...
"I will speak for you," she answered after a moment. He nodded.
"What are you called?"
"Hermione. You?"
"Tom," he answered.
"What became of your clan, Tom?"
"They were killed. I am the last of my clan. Which way are we going?"
"Straight," Hermione replied. Tom steered the snake in the correct direction. Hermione could see the caves her clan inhabited coming closer. She'd always been an outsider in her clan, not strong like the rest. That was why she always was sent to gather. She was smart though, knowing where things grew, noticing when they grew. The pair arrived at the caves and Hermione dismounted from the snake. She could see people coming out to greet her. They paused seeing the giant creature. Tom climbed down, looking around.
"Who is he?"
"He rescued me from the sky fire, Papa," Hermione answered. "His clan is dead and he is without shelter."
"And you speak for him, my daughter?"
"I do," Hermione answered, looking at Tom and then back at the clan's elder.
"Very well, he may stay. There is a hunt in the morning, with his beast, we might get the upper hand finally."
Hermione smiled leading Tom into the cave. She led him past several beds of fur.
"You will sleep here until you have proven I have spoken true," she stated, pointing to a smaller pelt, just barely big enough to cover Tom.
"Thank you, Hermione," he whispered, sitting down on the cold cave floor. Hermione sat down next to him.
"It does get cold at night. If you are cold, I can share my warmth," she offered. Hermione was past the age of bonding, she'd been promised to a neighboring clan, but her intended had been killed in a hunt. No one had wanted to court her after that, saying she was cursed.
"I will consider your offer," Tom stated. Hermione nodded, heading back to her own bed.
The whispers started once the sun had set, once darkness had descended upon the land. Hermione tuned them out. She knew they were talking about her, about the strange man she had brought home. He rode a giant snake, something none of them had seen before.
"They are talking about you," Tom said, walking over to Hermione.
"I know. They often do. Nothing I do is correct in their eyes. However, me speaking for you will not affect your standing, your own skill will do that."
"Do you even care about them?"
"They are my clan."
"They do not seem to care for you. Why?"
"I was to unite clans, my intended was killed. I am past bonding age and unbonded. I am a failure in their eyes."
"Then why not leave?" Tom asked.
"They... they are my clan," Hermione answered softly. "I could not."
Hermione watched as Tom seemed to consider this information.
"I see, good night then, Hermione," he said, laying on his pelt and closing his eyes.
The next morning, Hermione was awakened by the screams. She flew to her feet and saw her clan slaughtered. The ground was red with blood. Tears streamed down her face as she realized only she had survived. Tom was no where to be seen. She started searching for him, finding him moments later with a bloody arm.
"Tom! What happened?" she screamed.
"Raiders," he answered. "I tried to stop them, but...they were heavily armed with strange weapons," he said. Hermione stared at the caves, at the place she had called home. She could not stay here. It was no longer safe.
"We need to move," Tom stated. Hermione only nodded numbly as Tom pulled her back onto the giant snake and left her home behind. Her clan was dead now, same as Tom's, together though, maybe they could start a new clan? Find somewhere safer. She clung to Tom as they rode, her mind replaying the images of her clan, of the twin gaping holes in their chests. What kind of weapon could the raiders have used to make such a horrible mark? She forced those thoughts from her head. It did not matter. She was safe now, she and Tom were safe now and they would find a new home, start a new clan, and everything would be alright.