"Hermione wishes to speak with you," Draco informed Oskar on being admitted into his room. "She overheard some of the pack members talking about the twins." Draco then recounted the conversation as relayed to him by Hermione. It turned out Oskar was already aware of the matter discussed; as per usual, Oskar was on top of pack gossip.
"A few came to me for counsel last night," he offered by way of explanation. "Is that all she heard?"
"There may have been some talk about us having bonded- which isn't possible as my wolf hasn't claimed her, yet."
"But the wizard has, presumably." Oskar gave Draco a knowing look. "Considering our keen sense of hearing and smell, she would have needed to maintain a substantial distance to avoid detection. It would require wolf like hearing to eavesdrop at such a distance. I wonder how she came to develop such superior hearing."
Draco ignored Oskar's teasing words and moved on to what he was dying to ask of his sire.
"Lycans! Cora said the pups were normal boys and now I hear they may be lycans. What does this mean, Oskar?" Before Oskar could reply Draco jumped to his feet. "I should get Cora, she probably knows something and she won't lie if you're the one asking."
"Wait, Draco. Settle down."
For the first time in a long time Draco felt his sire command him; his body instinctively responded.
"There's something I need to share with you," he said ominously and waited for Draco to be seated before he continued. "When I told you the story of our creation and extinction, I left out some parts of it. You see wizards alone were not responsible for our predicament. In the beginning there were many Were breeds, each one believing themselves the favourite of the Moon Goddess and wishing that others would concede to their superiority. They upset the harmony in their dual natures when they chose to indulge in their baser instincts. What started as petty jealously and power struggles between the were groups eventually led to prolonged wars that wiped out entire breeds. Saddened by the acts of her children Luna turned her back on us.
"Between the constant warring among the weres and the attacks from their natural enemies all other breeds, except for werewolves, died out over time. Possessing innate strength, stealth, intelligence and magic, the werewolves were able to adapt and survive, till they came in contact with wizardkind.
"The ancient ones underestimated their enemy; it was already too late when the true purpose of the wizards' curses became apparent to them. Unable to bear children and hunted by wizards, they faced certain extinction. The Elders gathered together and cried out in distress to Luna, who either out of an abiding love for her creation or mercy at our plight made us a promise. She said if we embraced our dual natures and coupled with our true mate under the light of the full moon she would give us children who although from us, would be unlike us. Born free from our affliction, our children would escape persecution as they would be born either entirely wizard or entirely wolf."
"Okay, so you didn't mention a detail or two, but I believe I'm familiar with this tale for the most part. Besides, this doesn't address any of my quest-"
"Patience, my child. I'm getting to it. And you need to pay close attention as it is very relevant to the answers you seek."
Draco nodded in acknowledgement, giving Oskar his full attention.
"The Fates had dealt us a lethal blow but Luna reassured the Elders she would intervene on our behalf and made another promise. Her promise- a prophecy, once well known to all werewolves- now only remembered by the Elders.
"Born from false love, a false god bearing false promises shall emerge ushering in an age of turmoil filled with suffering for both wizards and weres. A descendant of the ones who first cursed us will unknowingly deliver the Goddess' blessings to us.
"A fated pair of unlikely lovers - a woman with great magic, yet despised by her kind, and a powerful were, damned by those who once revered him; joined by force, their union shall bear the fruit that carries the Moon Goddess' blessing to save our kind. Their issue, born free from the curse, shall possess a body and soul with the harmony in their dual natures restored."
Draco accioed a self inking quill and a piece of parchment lying on the table; he made Oskar repeat the words so he could write them down and study them properly.
"This part sounds a lot like the Dark Lord, doesn't it?" asked Draco when he finished writing the first half. "He's got people believing he's some kind of god who's defeated death when he is in fact still a mortal. Plus for all his talk of blood purity and ethnic cleansing he is most likely a Halfblood. The Order published something a while back claiming his mother used Amortentia to make his Muggle father fall in love with her. Of course, it was immediately refuted as nothing but lies being spread to turn public support against the Dark Lord and his agenda, but I always suspected it to be true. It didn't feel like the Order's style to publish slander and it especially didn't make sense for them to risk their lives the way they did only to publish outright lies... So, the Dark Lord's going to help restore our heritage?"
"It's funny how people can wait for ages for something to happen and not even realise when it does."
"What do you mean?"
"Note the second half," advised Oskar before repeating the rest of the prophecy.
Draco read and re-read the lines to himself before looking up at Oskar.
"I still don't see how any of this relates to my question about the twins?"
"...Because the prophecy is about the twins, Draco. The blessing we have long awaited was delivered to us the day they were born." Oskar's eyes appeared shiny as he made the declaration.
"I still don't understand," Draco replied continuing to stare at Oskar in confusion.
"Luna has blessed your sons, Draco. They won't suffer from lycanthropy the way we have. They are Lycans," he stated with awe, "blessed with the ability to shift at will, and have children, same as every other species."
"You think the prophecy is about my sons?!" Draco was glad he was sitting as Oskar's words finally began to penetrate the fog surrounding his mind.
"Mudblood, that's the derogatory term the wizards call her despite her abilities, right? And you... practically a Pureblood prince till you were damned to the existence of a werewolf by your own people. The two of you are mates but you would most likely never have gotten together if not for the actions of your Dark Lord... I've tried to remind the pack time and time again, we are creatures of fate. Children will only be born to true mates as promised by Luna. And if the Dark one is successful in his experiments, he won't be creating anything new, only restoring our heritage."
Draco nearly laughed out loud at the irony behind the Dark Lord fulfilling one prophecy while trying to escape the fulfilment of another. But there was another thought niggling at his mind as he pondered the words of the prophecy.
...the fruit that carries the Moon Goddess' blessing to save our kind.
While Oskar's explanation was reassuring, Draco believed it did not bode well for his sons to be the subject of a prophecy, if Potter's life was anything to go by.
"I'm assuming this is a translation" -Draco tapped the words on the sheet, he waited for a nod from Oskar to continue- "so, there could be an alternative interpretation?"
"The Elder, who was my sire and my teacher, informed me that while the translation lacks the poetry of the original it is entirely accurate in its message."
"Okay. So how are the twins meant to save our kind?"
For the first time, in all the time he had known his sire, Oskar appeared uncertain about what he had to say. "I'm not sure... Your sons are Lycans, of that we can be certain, and they are the key to the salvation of our people. How? I don't know. There was never any consensus on the outcome. Some, like me, took the words to mean that the fated pair will produce children who will start a new line of werewolves possessing the abilities of the ancient ones. Other Elders insisted that the birth of the prophesised children would destroy the curse, freeing all of us from its effects. While still others argued the children would possess secret knowledge of how the curse could be destroyed so every werewolf came to possess the same abilities as them. I realise my words must not inspire much confidence at the moment, but bear in mind it's been well over twenty years since I last spoke with another Elder, and back then neither one of us expected to live long enough to see the prophecy fulfilled."
Draco raised a brow and shook his head. "I think you should share this with Hermione. She's good with research; she's also got some experience when it comes to decoding prophecies. But, more importantly, she'll want to know since it concerns our sons."
He tapped the parchment and made a copy for Hermione, rolled up both sheets, handing one to Oskar and tucking the second into his robes so he could read it again later.
"Draco, before you came here, I planned to come speak with you. Our guests have been acting rather suspiciously today- something has happened."
"Yes, Gunnolf shared the same concern. The Dark Lord's angry about something- my mark began to burn earlier today for the first time in a really long time." Draco rubbed his forearm still experiencing the phantom sensation of the burn.
"They're scared and being unusually tight-lipped about it. It's making me uneasy."
Oskar had his network of spies within the pack who kept him abreast of the goings on within the castle be it the werewolves, the Death Eaters or the Black Cloaks. He may have retired from his position as alpha but his old habits remained.
"Well then, perhaps we need to employ a more direct approach to shaking the information out of them," said Draco with a smirk. "I think I'll take Gunnolf along to make it look more official," he thought out loud in a cheery tone. "Meanwhile, will you go speak with Hermione? Tell her what you've told me, answer her questions. Please?"
Oskar agreed to Draco's request. Knowing what he did about the pack's concerns, he was certain Hermione had more questions for him than she'd let on.
After his talk with Oskar, Draco was even more determined to discover what was going on with the Dark Lord's followers. Though the Death Eaters were gone the Black Cloaks, who weren't considered nearly important enough to be included in the Dark Lord's gatherings, would still be around and likely to spill the beans given the right motivation.
Draco met with Gunnolf and together they headed towards the North-East section of the castle keep. It was well known that the series of balconies in that part of the castle was favoured by both, the Death Eaters as well as the Black Cloaks. The place was easy to access from the dungeons and offered a stunning view of the land but the main attraction of the place for the bigots was its distance from the areas commonly occupied by the werewolves.
As Draco and Gunnolf spoke to one Black Cloak after another, pressing them for information on what they knew, Draco was filled with a growing sense of foreboding. It was time for some drastic measures if he wanted to stay ahead of the problem.
"I hear congratulations are in order." At the look of confusion from Hermione, Oskar explained. "Well, it was my conclusion that the only way for you to have suddenly developed wolf like hearing was if you were bitten by a werewolf. And it's hardly a mystery who that werewolf might possibly be. What remains a mystery is why you two haven't completed the bond."
"The bond, no, all the different bonds- it's what I wanted to talk to you about. I don't really understand what you mean when you and the rest of the werewolves talk about all these bonds."
"You didn't mention this to Draco." It wasn't a question.
She shook her head, "I thought you would be able to shed more light on the subject as you were an alpha once," explained Hermione, and then proceeded to share with Oskar the parts of the overheard conversation she withheld from Draco. "They were panicking in a way that made it clear there was something odd about the bonds where I was concerned," she said in conclusion.
"Pack bonds are usually formed when you accept the alpha of the pack as your alpha- the alpha bond precedes the pack bond. But, you can also form a pack bond through a mate bond. This happens when your mate belongs to a different pack and you already have an alpha. In such cases you end up bonding with your mate's pack as well, though this bond is far weaker. The thing to keep in mind is that the alpha is the pack and there is no pack without the alpha. Whether you choose to accept the alpha bond or not, you cannot bond with a pack or any member of the pack without its alpha becoming aware of the existence of that bond- you can bond with an alpha without your mate knowing about it, but not the other way around."
"So Fenrir knows about me and Draco?"
"It's possible, but my experience with Fenrir makes it difficult for me to imagine he knows and hasn't punished Draco for attempting to bond with you. A situation like this is unusual. It's almost as if the pack has bonded with another alpha."
Hermione opened her mouth more than once looking like she was going to speak but didn't say anything. It was clear to Oskar she was struggling to articulate whatever was on her mind. A few more seconds of confusion passed before she finally appeared to settle on a question.
"Is Draco an alpha?"
Oskar looked at her curiously. "Why would you ask that?"
"I'll confess that before Bleidd my knowledge of werewolves was limited to information found in wizarding texts. I now know a great deal more thanks to Draco and Cora, but there's still a lot I don't know. Excuse me if I'm mistaken, but, it is my understanding that pack members cannot transform at will. Only an alpha is capable of transformation without the full moon."
"Have you seen Draco transform?"
"Yes. No. I mean, not completely. I'm not sure."
"What did you see?"
"I've seen his eyes change, it was brief but his eyes went from their usual grey to amber. And I've felt him sprout fur, again very briefly... Even when he bit me, his teeth didn't feel like human teeth."
"Is there any chance you could be mistaken about these things?" Oskar wasn't being dismissive even if his question came across as such.
"The instances I mentioned were so brief, there is a possibility I could be mistaken, but I do have one distinct memory of a time when I'm certain he was transformed." She hesitated, mortified over the prospect of having to share intimate details with a man old enough to be her great-grandfather.
"My memory of the first few days of captivity is foggy, especially the first day. The potion the Death Eaters fed me was either too strong for me or I was given something else that affected my memory, I don't recall the specifics of what happened to me the first night, however, I do know there was a full moon out that night. Yet, I remember being, ah, visited again by Draco's wolf the following night. And I know he was in his wolf form because you see we were... erm... locked together for a really long time and I could feel his fur and his claws as he, well, you know..." Hermione trailed off in embarrassment.
Oskar looked pensive as he pondered over the information she provided. "Sounds like you have good reason to think he's an alpha. Since he was sired by me I knew Draco would be very powerful, but I'm so old and weak now and it's been so long since I was an alpha, I didn't consider the possibility of those abilities passing on. Have you discussed this with Draco?"
She shook her head. "I doubt he's even aware it's happening when it does. I asked him about it indirectly once. He was telling me about the pack and something about transformations. I asked him if there was ever anyone who managed to transform into their wolf in the absence of a full moon. He said, as alpha only Fenrir was able to perform such a feat..."
Hermione went quiet as if considering something. "Oskar, is it possible I've accepted Draco as my alpha?"
"If, as you say, Draco is displaying signs of being an alpha, it is possible though it's not something I considered before. I have my own theory on what is going on." Oskar looked as if he were scrutinising the woman before him. "Tell me, Hermione, what do you know of your own heritage?"
"Mine?" asked Hermione. Being one of the most hunted Mudbloods her heritage was so well known the question amused her greatly, nevertheless, she provided him with an earnest response. "I'm Muggleborn, only Muggles on both sides of my family. In school there were some who insisted I must have a squib ancestor but I've found nothing in my ancestry to support such a theory."
"Then either your research was incomplete, or you were misinformed. You can be sure you had ancestors who were not Muggles."
The flabbergasted expression she sported made him soften his tone.
"I hear you're like Cora, don't put much stock in the science of divination. Still, may I share with you a lesser known prophecy concerning our kind?"
The non sequitur furthering her state of bewilderment, Hermione replied with a hesitant, "Okay?"
"Long after we were cursed to our current state by the wizards, there existed a werewolf renowned for her ability to divine the future as written in the stars. She foretold of the arrival of a Promised One, an Alpha of incomparable power who would become the Alpha of all alphas. The actions of those who followed the false god would awaken a formidable beast with unrivalled authority who would be a catalyst in the creation of a powerful alliance which would rid the world of a great scourge, ushering in a time of peace and cooperation between the Beings of the world."
Hermione remained silent for some time but when it looked like he wasn't going to offer any explanation she spoke. "What does that have to do with-" she began, but stopped abruptly to stare at Oskar in shock as she caught on to what he was trying to tell her. "You can't possibly think that's me."
"No? Why not?"
"Does any of this sound like me- alpha of alphas, formidable beast! I'm not even a were-" Hermione stopped herself as another piece of the puzzle slid into place. She gasped. "You think I'm the other alpha, don't you? You think the reason Greyback hasn't sensed my bond with Draco or other members of the pack is because you think I am an alpha?"
"Correct," remarked Oskar, looking impressed at how quickly she had put it together. "I have a justifiable reason for my belief. Do you recall the time I visited you before the pups were born? When I laid my hands on you my wolf trembled. I've lived a long life, Hermione... been in countless fights over the years, yet my wolf has never backed down or submitted to anyone. The one and only time I yielded, it was as a symbolic gesture to my successor when I stepped down as alpha. But that time I touched you- for the first time I felt my wolf cower in fear."
"Why has Draco never mentioned it then?"
"I doubt he realises it. As your mate, the extent of your power would inspire pride not fear in his wolf. Now before you ask me any other questions, may I interrupt to ask you a few of my own?"
Hermione politely agreed. "What would you like to know?"
"Why have you not completely bonded with Draco as yet? You two clearly care for each other, so why the delay? I know Draco protects you a great deal so you may not know how bad things could be, but surely you're aware of what the alternative is for you here?"
Oskar's tone was gentle enough that despite the bluntness of his words Hermione didn't bristle at the question. She was still thinking of how to answer him without giving away her plan to escape when her thoughts were interrupted by a loud sigh.
"You still plan to escape then." Oskar looked past Hermione at the twins asleep on the bed.
Hermione remained silent unwilling to confirm or deny Oskar's statement.
"Here," he said, giving her the parchment handed to him by Draco.
"What's this?" she asked even as her eyes quickly scanned the text before her.
"Well, it is a prophecy about your sons."
Once more Hermione stared at Oskar in disbelief before re-reading the words on the parchment.
"Has Draco ever told you about any of our legends?"
She nodded. "Just a little something about how werewolves were first created and then cursed by wizards so they lost the ability to reproduce."
"Close enough. This prophecy talks about the people and events that lead to the breaking of the curse so werewolves can once again possess the abilities of the mythical Lycans." For a second time that evening Oskar spoke about their legends and why he believed the prophecy was about Hermione, Draco and their children.
Hermione reflected on Oskar's words within the context of the prophecy she held in her hands.
"A descendant of the ones who first cursed us will unknowingly deliver the Goddess' blessings to us. The false god, Tom Riddle will deliver the blessing. After listening to your account I first thought that the blessing refers to the boys, since werewolves consider children a blessing from Luna, but that doesn't fit with this line, their union shall bear the fruit that carries the Moon Goddess' blessing to save our kind, where the children are referred to as the fruit and the blessing is something they carry..." She twisted at the waist to look at the boys asleep behind her. "They carry the cure?" she whispered feeling awestruck at the realisation. She looked at Oskar. "In what way do they carry the cure? How are they meant to save-"
Hermione was interrupted by Draco bursting into the room. Noticing Oskar's presence he adjusted his posture to appear more relaxed.
"Oskar, can you please take the twins and return to pack quarters? There's an urgent matter I need to discuss with Hermione in private."
Regardless of the calm facade Draco was attempting to project, Oskar sensed Draco's concern for his family as he carefully moved the twins from the bed to the bassinet. Without asking any questions Oskar took the precious cargo from Draco's hands and left the room, but not before giving Draco a look that said he expected a full explanation later.
The door was barely closed behind Oskar when Draco turned to Hermione and blurted, "It's time for you to go."
Hermione was startled at the abruptness of Draco's words. "What do you mean? What's happened?"
"The reason he's angry- no, raging mad- is because he discovered that Potter stole something very precious to him and destroyed it. I think we can safely assume what the object must be for him to be furious enough to summon all his Death Eaters. I doubt the Dark Lord cares particularly for jewellery in and of itself."
"...Jewellery? Do you know what it was?"
"The Black Cloaks I spoke with mentioned a locket. Now, the only other time I've known of the Dark Lord foaming at the mouth over a piece of lost jewellery was when it had contained a piece of his own debauched soul; I'm assuming this piece shares a similar distinction."
"Slytherin's locket, it's Slytherin's locket! They did it," she declared excitedly, bouncing up and down in place while simultaneously tearing up. "By Godric, they finally did it."
"Just two more to go then, right?"
She nodded enthusiastically then flung herself at Draco, arms thrown around his neck in a fierce hold as she pulled his face down, in level with her own, and peppered it with kisses.
As much as Draco was enjoying the feel of her body pressed against him as well as the joy radiating from her they didn't have time for such things, not anymore. With great regret he pulled her arms away from him.
"You and Ginny are the only prisoners we have that are related to Potter or the Order in any way. You need to get away before that noseless bastard comes for you. Do you have my wand on you?"
In response, Hermione tapped at her arm to show where the wand remained hidden from sight.
"Good. Give me a twenty minute head start then make your way towards the castle bailey. Do you know the southern corridor that leads to the kitchens?" Hermione nodded. Draco proceeded to give her directions to a secret passage- whose existence was known to only a handful of them- that led to the stables outside the castle. "I've taken down the protection wards so a simple Alohomora should reveal the hidden doorway. Inside, you'll find a parcel with some essentials I've left for you- robes, potions, food and a portkey.
"Once out, be prepared to cast a Silencio at the horses in the adjoining stalls. Some of them possess a nervous disposition so you're likely to startle them when you exit the hidden passage. The portkey point is south of the stables. It's the best spot to cross the magical barrier without raising an alarm- they'll assume it's just one of the Dark Lord's followers leaving. I'll steer pack members clear of that part of the castle grounds, but I have no control on the movements of the rest. Any loud noise is likely to attract attention and make them want to investigate.
"Head south of the stable- towards a cluster of tall English Oak trees. Keep going south well beyond the trees. Listen for the sound of the stream. Move towards the sound till you see the shimmer of the magical barrier. Upon crossing, don't apparate immediately- our trackers can follow the trace of your magic. Walk towards the stream till you see a stone slab resembling an altar- it's the portkey point.
"The portkey I've left you belonged to a Death Eater. Ever since they started monitoring portkey travel I began collecting official portkeys issued to careless Death Eaters who don't even realise it when their stuff goes missing- I've quite a collection now. Your portkey will take you to a busy town in Dover with scant Death Eater presence. Once there you can safely apparate to a destination of your choice without fear of being tracked."
"Ginny," Hermione cried out soon as Draco was done making her repeat his instructions back to him. "I can't leave her behind," she firmly stated then rushed out of her quarters without waiting for a response.
"Gods damn it, Granger!" Draco cried in frustration upon seeing her sprint out of the room. As much as he wanted to run after her, he didn't. Watching her run off messed with his own instincts, that were demanding he chase her down and make her submit so she would never think of leaving him. He could just see it now- him pushing her down on all fours and fucking her right there in the corridor till he emptied the contents of his balls into her. Fuck, the very thought of it excited him but he couldn't put her at risk by causing any delays.
Draco waited for a few minutes to calm himself before going after Hermione. He was barely out the door when an out of breath omega came to a halt before him.
"Message from the beta, sir."
As head beta, most of the omegas simply referred to Gunnolf as 'the beta' out of respect for his position.
"Yes, go on Lou."
"There was a floo call, sir. The alpha's returning with some company. The beta said you should wrap up your business quickly and be there when the alpha arrives as he was asking for you."
Draco thanked the omega for the message and went after Hermione. When he caught up to her he found her standing a few feet away from Ginny's bed looking uncertain. Ginny, who lay on the bed with her back turned to them, appeared to be asleep.
"That witch is going to get you captured or killed," he declared forcefully.
"No," said Hermione with a vigorous shake of her head, "I'm going to fix her first. I'm going to obliviate her. It'll be safe to take her with me if she doesn't remember anything that's happened."
Her statement gave Draco pause. Memory charms were tricky, it didn't matter how good you were with them there was always a potential for things to go horribly wrong. In general memory charms were avoided unless one cared more about protecting one's secrets than worrying about the prospect of causing permanent brain damage to the person one was casting the spell on. Regardless of the challenges with execution, they were undoubtedly effective. If Ginny Weasley was obliviated of her traumatic memories she wouldn't be a liability to Hermione. Begrudgingly, he nodded in agreement.
"Okay. What do you need from me?"
"Nothing. Just, let me do this by myself... How long before we leave?" she asked, her eyes still locked on Ginny.
"I'll need twenty minutes to clear the way for you."
"I'd like to say goodbye to the boys."
"I'm sorry, we don't have time."
She spun around and pleaded with her eyes, but he offered no consolation. Hermione closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath before nodding. She understood.
"Fenrir is headed back so don't take more than twenty minutes for whatever you plan to do with her," he said pointing to Ginny's sleeping form. "If it takes longer or anything goes wrong, just leave. I promise we'll take care of her."
"Where will I see you?"
"I'll have to keep the others occupied." He swallowed the lump in his throat, finding it too hard to tell her this was goodbye. She appeared to be similarly affected. Her mouth was a tight line and her eyes watery before she nodded again.
"Once you're safely back with the Order, send an owl addressed to Gunnolf Olsen. Our mail isn't monitored but don't risk your safety by writing anything that will give you away as the sender. Make it an order confirmation letter for a batch of cauldrons- I'll know it's you and that you're okay."
He looked at her, for what could be the last time for a very long time, drinking in his fill of her while she did the same. From the way her hands twitched at her sides she was clearly fighting the urge to touch him just as he was resisting her.
"I will come back to you," Hermione promised, her voice laced with steely determination.
Draco found it hard to say anything so he nodded and turned around. If he didn't leave now he was very likely to grab her and never let go.
"Twenty minutes, then you need to make a run for it," he called out as he walked away. "The Death Eaters could be arriving at any minute now."
...
Hermione stared at the spot Draco had stood in long after he was gone. She didn't think it would hurt so much to watch him walk away, but it did. It was bad enough she was leaving them behind, but not even getting to say goodbye to her sons and to Draco... A vice tightened around her heart, slowly crushing it. She rubbed at her chest in an attempt to ease the pain and took several deep breaths. Now was not the time to lose her composure and turn into a blubbering mess.
She walked up to Ginny pulling her wand out of its holster and positioning the tip against Ginny temple. She closed her eyes in preparation and was about to say the spell when the wand was jerked out of her hand followed by a hard shove that had her stumbling backwards.
"I can't believe you were going to obliviate me!" Ginny's expression was a mix of hurt, disgust and fury as she stepped off the bed with the wand pointed threateningly at Hermione. "You'll go to such lengths to please your Death Eater lover, even betraying your own side? Well, let's see how you like it when the tables are turned."
There was no time to move out of the way or even think as Ginny cast an angry Stupefy. Hermione instinctively raised her hands hoping to cast a wandless Protego but failed. It proved to be unnecessary anyhow as the spell backfired on Ginny, the wand forcefully surging out of her hands and into Hermione's while her body was flung back where it crashed against the wall with a sickening sound before landing as a crumpled heap on the floor. Her body appeared lifeless lying on the ground. There was now a rapidly growing spot of blood under her, indicating injuries that could lead to her dying from blood loss if left unattended for too long.
Hermione began casting every diagnostic spell she could think of, followed by every healing spell she knew in an attempt to heal whatever was broken, but couldn't get the bleeding to stop. Afraid that her friend would end up dead before her eyes, Hermione cast a patronus informing Cora of the accident and begging her to save Ginny.
There was no way she could take Ginny with her now, and it would help no one to stick around when she finally had a chance to escape. Hermione holstered her wand and ran out of the room. She was running against the clock as the Death Eaters and werewolves would be alerted once they saw her patronus dashing about the castle. As quietly and as quickly as possible she ran down the corridor and down the stairs. Left, right, down another flight of stairs and another corridor. A few more turns and corridors before she made her way to the portrait concealing the secret passage. Inside, she found the satchel containing the items Draco left her. As instructed, she quickly changed into a set of dirty robes; the scent from the robes, which had belonged to some Black Cloak, was meant to mask Hermione's from the trackers.
Using her new wand to light her path, Hermione ran left, right, right, right, left; keeping an eye for the symbols that marked the correct way, she was able to avoid the pitfalls and dead-ends to follow the serpentine path all the way to the exit. It was exhausting and took her far longer than any of the known exits would have, but it was the safest option, and as Draco had predicted, she didn't run into anyone along the way.
Unnerved by what happened to Ginny and in her rush to escape, she forgot about the horses. She gave them a fright when she burst out of the stall. Rather than wasting precious seconds to stop and deal with the noisy creatures, she kept running. Her leg muscles had started to burn, but she kept running till she was past the magical barrier.
Hermione gave out a cry of relief as the stone slab marking the portkey point finally came into view. Her fingers barely grazed the portkey in the satchel she held when something large slammed into her and knocked her to the ground, also knocking the wind out of her in the process.
Lying on the ground, dazed, exhausted and breathless, Hermione looked up. A large figure loomed over her, blocking her view of everything else. As the figure drew nearer, the features appeared in focus. She was staring into the smiling face of Fenrir Greyback. He grabbed her hand, placed it on an object in his hand and muttered something under his breath. She had no time to register what was happening when she was overwhelmed by the nauseating sensation in her gut which signalled she was being portkeyed away.