The Curses That Bind Us
~*~ By: Mae Noelle ~*~
Disclaimer -- This is all mine. Actually, it's not.
Stuff to know -- Rated because of swearing, possible sexual situations. and some other crap like that. To be a Remus/Hermione fic, so you are warned - if that bugs you, get out. Duh. ^___^
A/N -- The plot was created in five minutes by my awesome muse, Ducky, who resides under the same Pen name as I. She is awesome, and a-a-all mine. I don't think I have seen anything out there quite like this, but I checked all throughout the whole three pages of Remus/Herm fics and couldn't find anything. But, if it is a copy, then, sorry - but I didn't do it on purpose. Actually - I think the idea introduced in the beginning is seen somewhere else, but the road leads somewhere completely different. I assure you.
~*~ Chapter 1 -- ~*~
Hermione walked quickly down the cold, dark corridor, making her way towards the empty transfiguration room that Professor Minerva McGonagall should be in by now, waiting for her.
But, she wasn't Professor to Hermione anymore. Hermione had graduated from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry seven years ago.
She came to a stop in front of a large, oak door, and hurriedly patted down her dark brown robe. After trying once more to run a hand through her thick, bushy brown hair to tame it, she gave up and turned the doorknob, and poked her head inside the room.
"Minerva?" Hermione looked around the disserted room, hoping that her former professor hadn't left in frustration while Hermione had been late.
Looking down at her watch (one of the few muggle things she still used) and figured she was only eleven minutes late.
"Damn," She whispered, walking into the room. She walked in front of the first row of tables and seats, putting her hand on front side one, directly in front of the teacher. A smile crept up on Hermione's face. It was her most favorite seat.
After a few minutes of waiting, Hermione turned and walked down the aisle, and sat in the front desk.
She pulled a small bag she had brought with her onto the desk, and pulled out a thick book. Titled 'The secrets of the Animagi'. Along with the book, she pulled out a little pad of parchment, and a quill - and waited.
The door on her right creaked, finally, and in stepped A very old McGonagall.
She gave her former student a weary smile. "This school is finally starting to weigh in on me, I think,"
Hermione warmly smiled back, and stood up and walked around the desk to greet her. "You can't even tell," She lied, eyeing the gray bun on top of McGonagalls head.
"I am terribly sorry to have kept you waiting so long - but there was business I had to deal with concerning the Minister of Magic. Being head master is a lot harder then I had assumed - Dumbledore made it look so easy," For a second a sad look flashed over her eyes. "But, I am doing the best I can."
"That is completely all right," Hermione sighed. "I was late, myself." She turned back to her seat and sat down heavily.
"Oh dear, the world must be coming to an end!" McGonagall chuckled.
"I hope not," Hermione looked out the window, into the dark and forbidden forest. It looked darker then usual, Hermione noticed. She could feel it calling to her, almost.
"Well. So, you came back here to become an animagus, did you?" McGonagall looked at Hermione, the teacher-to-student expression glowing in her eyes. "Well, it most certainly won't be easy work - but I am sure you of all people will be able to deal fine with it."
McGonagall tuned her back to Hermione, and walked slowly to her large teachers' desk. "And it most certainly won't happen over night. Even if you prepare everything right, practice every spell correctly, it could take up to a year. And for most people it is longer, especially if you can't focus on what is needed to become an animagus. And the older and more wiser you are, the easier it will be."
Hermione nodded avidly, taking in each word of information, no matter how familiar it was to her already.
"You will probably be needing to come in here once a week, if not more, to get anything done. Now I know that is a bit demanding, especially with work and anything else you may need to do, but otherwise the process will never be done and completed."
Hermione nodded again, and looked back out the window. She was working as a reasercher in new technologies for the Ministry of Magic, and to apparate at the edge of Hogwarts grounds and run in here every day or so, for a few hours, would probably be hard to fit in with her work and such. She sighed.
"And you don't know what animal you would be, would you?" Hermione asked, looking up at McGonagall.
McGonagall stared straight ahead for a moment, her eyes slightly unfocused.
"Well," She began, sounding unsure. "I think that some people do know, and others think they do. But, it is really your inner self that decides. Everyone is a certain animal already, inside, but not everyone will ever become it." McGonagall looked at Hermione thoughtfully. "I knew that I would be a cat. It was just something that, well, I had a feeling about - not to be confused with 'seeing'," McGonagall scowled. Hermione put her hand over her mouth, to prevent herself from laughing. So, she still didn't like that old dingbat either.
"I am not sure what I would be," Hermione suddenly said, looking back at the window. "I want to be a cat, also - but I can see myself flying around as some kind of bird, too. or a lion, or a caterpillar, or a horse, or a rabbit -"
"I am sure that whatever you turn into will reflect you quite well," McGonagall said, looking at Hermione with her hard stare. "And don't worry - no one usually knows what they will be. Though, Anyone that is meant to be an animagus usually has some idea-"
McGonagall was interrupted by a heavy knock at the door. She sighed and walked to the door, swinging it open, and letting in the person behind it.
"Good - I was hoping you would be in here." Severus Snape stopped in his tracks, his now-narrowing eyes on Hermione. "Why is she here?" He looked her up and down, a nasty look on his face. Hermione narrowed her eyes and mouthed something inappropriate.
"Nothing you need to know, Severus, now what did you want?" McGonagall spoke quickly and eyed the bottle in Snapes' hand.
Snape hesitantly took his eyes off Hermione, and held out his hand with the vile in it. "I finished Lupin's potion, enough for two doses, but I don't know where to send it to - it seems that he moved off again. And I was thinking that you might have this information,"
McGonagall grabbed the potion from him and set it on her desk. "Thank you Severus - this does mean a lot. I am sure you are sick of hearing this, but, you can't understand how much he probably appreciates this,"
"I'm sure," Snape said sarcastically, sneering. "The potion is basically ready - he just needs to add this to it and stir for five minutes," Snape took a bag of some kind of powder out of his pocket, and dropped it on the desk by the bottle. "I am sure even he will manage."
With that, he turned and glided across the room and out the door, shutting it a little harder then usual.
A rush of air flew through the air after Snape shut the door, and McGonagall sighed loudly.
"He is so - so - uhhg," McGonagall walked behind her desk and pulled out her chair, plopping down into it. "If it weren't for Dumbledore asking him to continue making the potion for Remus, I am sure that he would never do it and wouldn't care if the poor man went about trying to fix it up himself. Never was too good with potions, Remus,"
Hermione looked at the bottle, slightly bubbling, on McGonagalls desk.
"Well - it is quite nice of Snape to do this, even if he is doing it out of the guilt of Dumbledores death,"
McGonagall nodded. "I think I am going to go up to the owlery to send this to Remus - only three days till the full moon. I don't want him to be caught without it," She shivered slightly. "I don't even want to imagine the problems and messes that would be created,"
"Poor Remus," Hermione stood and walked out in front of the table. "Do you mind if I join you down to the owlery? I want to have a look at my old school,"
"No, dear, of course you can come." McGonagall made her way out the door, pausing for a second as Hermione caught up, and then shut the door behind her.
~*~
Hermione walked out of McGonagalls office, saying her thank you and good bye.
She hurriedly walked down the corridors, halls, and stairs of Hogwarts, making her way to the entrance.
Walking across the open grass yard around Hogwarts, towards the Forest, Hermione's eyes caught on the bright, large, round moon glowing above her.
Stopping slightly to take in the beauty of the moonlit landscape, she caught sight of Hagrids little hut. Hermione wondered if she should stop and pay a visit to him, and chat a little about the old life.
Deciding to just hurry home, because she had already stayed late enough, Hermione hurried forward to the forest, to the end of Hogwarts' grounds, to apparate home.
Twigs and leaves crackled under her step, as she made her way through the beginning of the forest.
'It is so peaceful in here,' she thought slowly, looking around at all the dark and foreboding trees. 'Though a bit creepy,'
She found the tree with the yellow sparks flying by it, and walked as quickly as she could towards it, preparing to apparate home.
Just as she was getting the picture of her nice, warm, comfortable room into her head, she heard a muffled scream at her side. The picture vanished from her mind.
Slightly irritated, and slightly scared, she turned to where the sound had come from.
"Hello?" She called into the distance. "Is anyone there?"
A bush a few meters ahead of her twitched, and Hermione could have sworn that she heard a growl.
Forgetting about trying to help anyone, or anything, she tried to get the picture of her room into her mind again.
The bush twitched again. Hermione stepped back, and continued to do so, until she had unknowingly slammed her back into a tree.
After the bush moved again, it parted in the middle, and yellow light was reflected off two large orbs hidden deep inside it. Hermione strained her eyes as she shut them. Only a second longer, only a second until she was out of this place -
A howl erupted in the night. Thinking only of home, Hermione kept her eyes closed, and felt herself go flying into nothingness.
But not before a set of jaws tore into her arm, leaving behind a deep gash in the shape of a wolf bite.
~*~
Ok, this is my newest story, and I don't even know if I want to continue it or not - so if you really like it (or think you will like it, once it gets to the good stuff, ^____^) please review and tell me! And, if you have any ideas or suggestions that you would like to see in the story, or think would make it more interesting, tell me about them!
Shameless promoting -- go and read I've Never, the most hilarious game in the universe! Now with all the stuff that everyone wants to read. See my authored stories!
~*~ By: Mae Noelle ~*~
Disclaimer -- This is all mine. Actually, it's not.
Stuff to know -- Rated because of swearing, possible sexual situations. and some other crap like that. To be a Remus/Hermione fic, so you are warned - if that bugs you, get out. Duh. ^___^
A/N -- The plot was created in five minutes by my awesome muse, Ducky, who resides under the same Pen name as I. She is awesome, and a-a-all mine. I don't think I have seen anything out there quite like this, but I checked all throughout the whole three pages of Remus/Herm fics and couldn't find anything. But, if it is a copy, then, sorry - but I didn't do it on purpose. Actually - I think the idea introduced in the beginning is seen somewhere else, but the road leads somewhere completely different. I assure you.
~*~ Chapter 1 -- ~*~
Hermione walked quickly down the cold, dark corridor, making her way towards the empty transfiguration room that Professor Minerva McGonagall should be in by now, waiting for her.
But, she wasn't Professor to Hermione anymore. Hermione had graduated from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry seven years ago.
She came to a stop in front of a large, oak door, and hurriedly patted down her dark brown robe. After trying once more to run a hand through her thick, bushy brown hair to tame it, she gave up and turned the doorknob, and poked her head inside the room.
"Minerva?" Hermione looked around the disserted room, hoping that her former professor hadn't left in frustration while Hermione had been late.
Looking down at her watch (one of the few muggle things she still used) and figured she was only eleven minutes late.
"Damn," She whispered, walking into the room. She walked in front of the first row of tables and seats, putting her hand on front side one, directly in front of the teacher. A smile crept up on Hermione's face. It was her most favorite seat.
After a few minutes of waiting, Hermione turned and walked down the aisle, and sat in the front desk.
She pulled a small bag she had brought with her onto the desk, and pulled out a thick book. Titled 'The secrets of the Animagi'. Along with the book, she pulled out a little pad of parchment, and a quill - and waited.
The door on her right creaked, finally, and in stepped A very old McGonagall.
She gave her former student a weary smile. "This school is finally starting to weigh in on me, I think,"
Hermione warmly smiled back, and stood up and walked around the desk to greet her. "You can't even tell," She lied, eyeing the gray bun on top of McGonagalls head.
"I am terribly sorry to have kept you waiting so long - but there was business I had to deal with concerning the Minister of Magic. Being head master is a lot harder then I had assumed - Dumbledore made it look so easy," For a second a sad look flashed over her eyes. "But, I am doing the best I can."
"That is completely all right," Hermione sighed. "I was late, myself." She turned back to her seat and sat down heavily.
"Oh dear, the world must be coming to an end!" McGonagall chuckled.
"I hope not," Hermione looked out the window, into the dark and forbidden forest. It looked darker then usual, Hermione noticed. She could feel it calling to her, almost.
"Well. So, you came back here to become an animagus, did you?" McGonagall looked at Hermione, the teacher-to-student expression glowing in her eyes. "Well, it most certainly won't be easy work - but I am sure you of all people will be able to deal fine with it."
McGonagall tuned her back to Hermione, and walked slowly to her large teachers' desk. "And it most certainly won't happen over night. Even if you prepare everything right, practice every spell correctly, it could take up to a year. And for most people it is longer, especially if you can't focus on what is needed to become an animagus. And the older and more wiser you are, the easier it will be."
Hermione nodded avidly, taking in each word of information, no matter how familiar it was to her already.
"You will probably be needing to come in here once a week, if not more, to get anything done. Now I know that is a bit demanding, especially with work and anything else you may need to do, but otherwise the process will never be done and completed."
Hermione nodded again, and looked back out the window. She was working as a reasercher in new technologies for the Ministry of Magic, and to apparate at the edge of Hogwarts grounds and run in here every day or so, for a few hours, would probably be hard to fit in with her work and such. She sighed.
"And you don't know what animal you would be, would you?" Hermione asked, looking up at McGonagall.
McGonagall stared straight ahead for a moment, her eyes slightly unfocused.
"Well," She began, sounding unsure. "I think that some people do know, and others think they do. But, it is really your inner self that decides. Everyone is a certain animal already, inside, but not everyone will ever become it." McGonagall looked at Hermione thoughtfully. "I knew that I would be a cat. It was just something that, well, I had a feeling about - not to be confused with 'seeing'," McGonagall scowled. Hermione put her hand over her mouth, to prevent herself from laughing. So, she still didn't like that old dingbat either.
"I am not sure what I would be," Hermione suddenly said, looking back at the window. "I want to be a cat, also - but I can see myself flying around as some kind of bird, too. or a lion, or a caterpillar, or a horse, or a rabbit -"
"I am sure that whatever you turn into will reflect you quite well," McGonagall said, looking at Hermione with her hard stare. "And don't worry - no one usually knows what they will be. Though, Anyone that is meant to be an animagus usually has some idea-"
McGonagall was interrupted by a heavy knock at the door. She sighed and walked to the door, swinging it open, and letting in the person behind it.
"Good - I was hoping you would be in here." Severus Snape stopped in his tracks, his now-narrowing eyes on Hermione. "Why is she here?" He looked her up and down, a nasty look on his face. Hermione narrowed her eyes and mouthed something inappropriate.
"Nothing you need to know, Severus, now what did you want?" McGonagall spoke quickly and eyed the bottle in Snapes' hand.
Snape hesitantly took his eyes off Hermione, and held out his hand with the vile in it. "I finished Lupin's potion, enough for two doses, but I don't know where to send it to - it seems that he moved off again. And I was thinking that you might have this information,"
McGonagall grabbed the potion from him and set it on her desk. "Thank you Severus - this does mean a lot. I am sure you are sick of hearing this, but, you can't understand how much he probably appreciates this,"
"I'm sure," Snape said sarcastically, sneering. "The potion is basically ready - he just needs to add this to it and stir for five minutes," Snape took a bag of some kind of powder out of his pocket, and dropped it on the desk by the bottle. "I am sure even he will manage."
With that, he turned and glided across the room and out the door, shutting it a little harder then usual.
A rush of air flew through the air after Snape shut the door, and McGonagall sighed loudly.
"He is so - so - uhhg," McGonagall walked behind her desk and pulled out her chair, plopping down into it. "If it weren't for Dumbledore asking him to continue making the potion for Remus, I am sure that he would never do it and wouldn't care if the poor man went about trying to fix it up himself. Never was too good with potions, Remus,"
Hermione looked at the bottle, slightly bubbling, on McGonagalls desk.
"Well - it is quite nice of Snape to do this, even if he is doing it out of the guilt of Dumbledores death,"
McGonagall nodded. "I think I am going to go up to the owlery to send this to Remus - only three days till the full moon. I don't want him to be caught without it," She shivered slightly. "I don't even want to imagine the problems and messes that would be created,"
"Poor Remus," Hermione stood and walked out in front of the table. "Do you mind if I join you down to the owlery? I want to have a look at my old school,"
"No, dear, of course you can come." McGonagall made her way out the door, pausing for a second as Hermione caught up, and then shut the door behind her.
~*~
Hermione walked out of McGonagalls office, saying her thank you and good bye.
She hurriedly walked down the corridors, halls, and stairs of Hogwarts, making her way to the entrance.
Walking across the open grass yard around Hogwarts, towards the Forest, Hermione's eyes caught on the bright, large, round moon glowing above her.
Stopping slightly to take in the beauty of the moonlit landscape, she caught sight of Hagrids little hut. Hermione wondered if she should stop and pay a visit to him, and chat a little about the old life.
Deciding to just hurry home, because she had already stayed late enough, Hermione hurried forward to the forest, to the end of Hogwarts' grounds, to apparate home.
Twigs and leaves crackled under her step, as she made her way through the beginning of the forest.
'It is so peaceful in here,' she thought slowly, looking around at all the dark and foreboding trees. 'Though a bit creepy,'
She found the tree with the yellow sparks flying by it, and walked as quickly as she could towards it, preparing to apparate home.
Just as she was getting the picture of her nice, warm, comfortable room into her head, she heard a muffled scream at her side. The picture vanished from her mind.
Slightly irritated, and slightly scared, she turned to where the sound had come from.
"Hello?" She called into the distance. "Is anyone there?"
A bush a few meters ahead of her twitched, and Hermione could have sworn that she heard a growl.
Forgetting about trying to help anyone, or anything, she tried to get the picture of her room into her mind again.
The bush twitched again. Hermione stepped back, and continued to do so, until she had unknowingly slammed her back into a tree.
After the bush moved again, it parted in the middle, and yellow light was reflected off two large orbs hidden deep inside it. Hermione strained her eyes as she shut them. Only a second longer, only a second until she was out of this place -
A howl erupted in the night. Thinking only of home, Hermione kept her eyes closed, and felt herself go flying into nothingness.
But not before a set of jaws tore into her arm, leaving behind a deep gash in the shape of a wolf bite.
~*~
Ok, this is my newest story, and I don't even know if I want to continue it or not - so if you really like it (or think you will like it, once it gets to the good stuff, ^____^) please review and tell me! And, if you have any ideas or suggestions that you would like to see in the story, or think would make it more interesting, tell me about them!
Shameless promoting -- go and read I've Never, the most hilarious game in the universe! Now with all the stuff that everyone wants to read. See my authored stories!