A/N I'm back! And it's only been about a week! Hope you like this one, it takes a bit of a turn towards the end...
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Doctor Who, just the plot to this story.
Chapter 19: Wolf Within
~ HERMIONE ~
Hermione lifted her head from the book she had been reading (Hogwarts: A History, again) and looked around her dormitory. It was currently empty except for herself. She observed the other four beds in the room, each belonging to Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil, Fay Dunbar, and now Amy Pond. Amy's bed used to belong to Eloise Midgen, but her parents withdrew her from school a few weeks ago due to Voldemort's return. Before then, Amy had been staying in the dorm with Ginny and the girls in her year.
Hermione looked at her watch which now read 8:54 pm. Today was September 26th, the first full moon of the school year, and Hermione was due to meet with Amy and the rest of her friends in the Common Room before the full moon began. Tonight, it began late: not until 3:52 in the morning of the 27th. During the summer, Amy had told Hermione about what happened the previous summer with Lupin in the Forbidden Forest.
Amy made arrangements with Snape so that he would stay with her in his office under the Wolfsbane potion every full moon until she had finished attending Hogwarts.
Soon enough, Lavender, Parvati, and an upset-looking Fay entered the dormitory around 11:30, which Hermione saw as her cue to head down to the Common Room. Although it was late, Hermione needed to stay awake for her friend. Only four and a half hours to go, Hermione, she kept telling herself.
She sat in the Common Room with Amy, Harry, Ron, and Ginny for the next few hours making small conversation; not exactly knowing what to say. They had never been with Amy the night of a full moon, and Hermione was scared for her. Hermione didn't know what to expect: what if something went wrong and Amy ended up roaming around the castle in half-wolf form? What if Snape couldn't control Amy and she ran away from everything? As the time came closer, it felt as if time was speeding up.
"3:30," Amy breathed. "I should go. I'll see you guys in the morning." Then she stood up and walked out of the room, leaving Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny behind.
"Why don't you guys head up?" Hermione suggested. "I'll wait down here for when Amy gets back in the morning."
"Hermione, we're all waiting. Amy's our friend, too."
"I know, but you guys should get some sleep. Now that all three of you are on the Quidditch team you need your rest."
"She's right," Ginny agreed. "You boys go upstairs while Hermione and I wait down here." Ginny put her arm around Hermione as she waved the boys upstairs.
* 3:45 *
Hermione and Ginny sat quietly in the Common Room by the fire. Hermione was curled up on the couch with Hogwarts: A History and Ginny was on the floor with all her school books spread out, trying to complete her homework.
Suddenly, a blue mist flew through the Common Room door and float towards Hermione and Ginny. They both backed up from it, not knowing what it was. Hermione squinted her eyes towards the mist and soon realized that it was in the shape of an animal — a mountain lion. "Is that… is that a Patronus?" Ginny questioned.
"I'm not sure..."
"Ginny, it's Amy. Don't be scared, the mist won't hurt you. It's just the Order's way of sending a message by Patronus. I need your help: Snape was supposed to be here to watch over me during the full moon, but he left a note saying that he had something else to do. I need you to come watch over me so that I don't break out of Snape's office while under the potion. Please come quickly!"
The blue mist disappeared completely.
"Hermione..."
"Ginny, you have to go now."
"But… I don't think I'll be able to handle her on my own. Come with me."
"Ginny, she asked for you —"
"But I need you. Please."
Hermione sighed, "Alright, let's go. We don't have much time." The two rushed out of the Common Room and through the corridors, trying to get to Snape's office as fast as possible. Hermione looked at her watch. 3:49. Three minutes. They ran faster than they had ever run before; even faster than they had run in the Department of Mysteries.
Finally, they reached Snape's office, whipped the door open and step inside. "Amy?" Ginny asked. "Are you okay?"
Amy was sitting in Snape's chair with her arms and legs tied to the chair; her wand was on the other side of the room. "I took the potion. Just one minute left." They looked up through the window, the moon was just coming into range.
All at once, Amy began to go crazy.
Hermione had only seen one werewolf before and that was when Lupin turned in her third year. Hermione knew that under the effects of Wolfsbane, Amy would not turn, but it wouldn't stop her from hurting herself or anyone else.
Hermione and Ginny, as promised, never left Amy's side the entire night. Which was soon found out by a certain Slytherin that had been lurking in the corridors that evening.
Hermione woke up and looked around the room. She realized that she was no longer in Snape's office, but in a dark room with her hands tied in front of her. She could not see if anyone else was in the room, but she could feel blood seeping out from her forehead. She began breathing heavily and tried calling out her friends' names. "Amy… Ginny…" she could barely speak.
"Herm… Hermione? Is that you?"
"Ginny? Are..." she croaked out, "are you okay?"
"I'm fine. What about you? And where's Amy?"
"I don't kno— " Hermione coughed; she coughed up blood. "Gin — Ginny, are you bleeding?"
"No, why? Are you?"
"Yeah."
"Oh my Merlin, Hermione." Hermione heard Ginny shuffling around in the room.
"Don't even bother, Weasley. There's no use."
"Malfoy," Ginny whispered. "You did this to us."
"I may have had a part to play in this, Weasley, but do tell me why I would tie myself up as well as yourselves?"
"You're tied up, too?" Ginny asked. "Why?"
"I know as much as you know about this, Weasley. You okay, Granger?"
"Of course she's not okay! You heard her coughing, she said she's bleeding! She can barely speak." Ginny snarled. "Where's Amy, Malfoy? Tell me right now."
"I don't even know if she's here..."
"Then where is she?"
"I don't know, Weasley. Just like I told you: I know as much as you do."
Then the lights came on. Hermione looked around, but there was no one there besides herself, Ginny, and Malfoy.
"Oh my Merlin, Hermione! You're covered in blood!" Ginny stuttered.
Hermione looked at her hands; they were covered in cuts leading all the way up her arm She imagined her face looked the same.
"Who did this to us, Malfoy? Who did this to Hermione?"
"I… I don't know," Malfoy mumbled. From what Hermione could see, Malfoy looked completely disoriented. He kept shooting worried looks in her direction as if he knew this was his fault. But when had Malfoy ever taken fault for anything? Hermione asked herself.
Ginny, again, tried moving closer towards Hermione to get a better look at her. Ginny was barely three feet away from Hermione when her chains pulled her back to her original spot. Hermione looked around once more; she guessed they were in some sort of dungeon. The walls had no windows and the only way out was a small door all the way on the other side of the room.
"Draco..." Hermione pleaded. "Where are we? You know, don't you?"
He shook his head 'yes' and tears began to fall from his face. "We're at Malfoy Manor. This is my home."
Ginny breathed out.
"Who brought us here, Draco? Where is Amy?"
"I'll tell you everything you want to know, Miss Granger," spoke a cool voice, "I just need you to answer a few questions."
Hermione was taken by the arm, her chains were undone, and she was dragged across the room and up the stairs.
"No! Take me! Leave her alone!" Hermione heard Draco scream as she began to black out; but not before she got a look at her captor. His skin was light gray; his eyes red; two slits in place of where the nose should be.
She was about to face Voldemort.
