Chapter 4 -

Draco (eventually) got himself to the house and threw open the front door. Hermione, who was now dressed and looking far more cheerful, looked up from a book she was reading (magical myths) and gasped. Draco looked like hell, and was spattered in blood. His trousers where torn to pieces, and a black eye was swelling up.

"Oh Draco!" She cried, leaping up and rushing to the sink to get a cold cloth. She busied about him and pushed him into a chair where she worried at his eye with the cold press.

"Are you okay?" Draco said, pulling her hand away and getting up. He hobbled to the door and locked it.

"Why yes. I'm fine! What happened?"

Draco hesitated. He was about to tell her all about the beast that attacked her. But she had been such a wreck for the past day or so he was afraid it might totally spook her. Dogs getting attacked was one thing, but her boyfriend is ten times worse. "A.uh.I was attacked by some men. But I fought them off!" He said, rather too quickly.

"Men?"

"Yeah. Bastards!"

"Men tore your trousers?"

"Umm. I think they liked the look of me." Draco said lamely.

"Draco, I don't buy that for a second! Now tell me!" Hermione stormed.

"Look. I don't know what attacked me. But it was huge, and strong."

Hermione's hands flew to her mouth "Black Shuck!" She mouthed before gathering Draco up in a suffocating hug. "Ohhh my baby! What happened? How did you get away? Did you look at its eyes?"

Draco flustered at all her smothering attention and batted her away. "No." He lied, knowing the truth would only upset her more. "I shot a curse out my wand and by sheer luck I managed to hit it without looking." He lied. He didn't believe in some stupid death curse. Course, he hadn't believed in Black Shuck either. He frowned.

"That's it! We are going home!" Hermione stamped her foot.

"How? We only have enough money for housekeeping!" Draco snorted "That's not enough for that bloody train."

Hermione sat down and started to cry "Well I'm not staying here! That thing killed Aunties dogs and it attacked you! What next?"

Draco bit his lip. What if the curse was true? If he wanted to make sure then the only way to be safe was to kill that Black Shuck. Course he wasn't stupid enough to tell Hermione that. "Keep your wand handy. And think of this as one of Hagrids stupid classes about deadly animals." Draco added a little more quietly "That big oaf!"

Hermione was about to chide him for saying bad things about Hagrid, but looking at his rather battered and bashed appearance she figured he wouldn't appreciate a telling off right now. Instead she hugged him.

**

The day flew past with little to speak of. Draco had a shower and changed into his usual black (he had gone for a few days in muggle dress before he flipped out) and now he looked a lot better. Hermione did a healing spell on his eye and all that remained was a little bruising. The whole milk episode was retold to Hermione over lunch, and she laughed so hard she snorted a pea across the table (much to Draco's horror!). Then it was at about 4.00-Oclock when somebody knocked at the door.

**Knock knock knock**

Hermione jumped in her seat (yes, she was curled up and reading again) and Draco reached for his wand and gave her a look that said 'it's okay'. And he opened the door. A girl was standing there, and her attire was just a little bit on the strange side. Black boots, black trousers, a few belts and a knife, a black vest top and a crucifix about her neck. Her hair was blonde and the ends flecked with red, kept tied neatly back in a pony tail. She looked Draco over and smiled.

"Hey." She said.

"What do you want?" Draco replied, any tone of politeness absent from his voice. Hermione popped her head about Draco's shoulder and looked at the pretty girl. She did look strange, who dressed like that in the country? And what did she want?

"My name is Grace." She said "And I think you had better let me in."

"Why the hell should we do that?" Draco drawled, once again taking a dislike to the Muggle kind.

"Because I'm a daemon hunter."

For the briefest of moments Draco's face went even paler than usual, but before Hermione could notice he swung open the door and let Grace inside. Grace strode in, as bold as brass, and sat herself down in Hermione's chair.

"You're here about Black Shuck, aren't you?" Hermione said.

"Yes. I was out in the woods, and found the most bizarre tracks. That of the monster I am hunting, a total mess of blood and disturbed ground, a dead deer and the tracks of two humans. One leading towards the town, one rather bloody set leading here."

Draco sat down and looked at Grace. A Daemon hunter no less? She looked the sort. He saw the necklace she wore, the cross reminded him of the church nearby. His father had taught him all about Daemon hunters. They can be muggle or magic kind. Mostly magic. Hunters belong to societies, ancient orders, and are loyal to the death. Their sole purpose is to hunt down the 'darkness' and destroy it. His father also told him about certain societies of Hunters who don't hunt the darkness, but the light! Draco thought they sounded cool and was considering it as a career option when he left School. That was before he met Hermione anyway.

"Tell me what you know, and saw." Grace said, lighting up a cigarette and interrupting Draco's train of thought.

"You're telling us," Hermione started "that you are here to hunt down Black Shuck? How do you know about him? And where do you come from?" "I know it kills and I know my order has sworn to bring down that beast. That is all you need to know." Grace said.

Hermione frowned. She had a great distrust of the newcomer. This so called Daemon Hunter. Draco didn't trust her either, but then Grace believed in the story, and had seen the tracks from Draco's run in this morning. What was the harm in telling what they knew?

"It killed our dogs a few nights ago. It attacked me this morning."

"What killed the deer?"

"That giant dog." Draco lied. "I remember it attacking me, and a deer happened to pass by at the exact same time. All I can think is it was Shuck. I somehow managed to poke its eye out with a stick. That's all."

"Hmmm." Grace drew upon her fag and puffed smoke out of her nose. "You are very lucky to have escaped. Tell me. Did you look into its eyes?"

Draco paused. He had lied to Hermione about that. But somehow he wanted to tell Grace the truth. If Grace knew, she could tell him how to break the curse. If there even WAS a curse. This was tricky. Draco remembered some of the things Hermione said about the Church, how its HQ was in Rome and was run by a big man called a Poop or something. If this chick had that sign about her neck she might be in with the big Poop's club. "Ho visto gli occhi*, so in answer to your question, No."

Grace nodded. Hermione just looked at Draco in a very funny way. "In any case." Grace said "If it attacked you once it may try again. I need you to help me."

"Help you?"

"Yes. I need you to be bait." Grace said lightly, as if what she asked was nothing at all.

"WHAT?? No fricking way lady!" Hermione burst out. Draco jumped, Hermione never spoke like that unless she was in a really bad mood. "You go and hunt your devil on your own! My poor baby was almost killed today! I'm not having him out there again to be attacked by some beast!"

"Yeah. Okay." Grace stood up and crushed the light from the end of her cigarette between her fingers. She shot Draco a look and said "For somebody almost killed by a Daemon, you're in quite good shape no?" and she left, leaving the door wide open. Hermione stormed after her and slammed it shut, bolting it fast.

"I don't trust her!" Hermione said.

"Me neither, but at least it seems somebody is out there doing something, right?"

** Grace **

Grace sat on the fence outside the warm redbrick house and lit up yet another cigarette. She kicked her heels and scowled as she dragged upon her smoke. Ho visto gli occhi. I have seen the eyes. So the boy knew Italian, he probably had assumed from her career and the cross she was connected to the Vatican. How odd. Most people's reactions to seeing devils is out and out denial. When she introduces herself as a Daemon Hunter most people laugh and call her crazy. These two didn't even hesitate in believing her. The beast would be back, and that boy is going to be her bait, whether he knew it or not.

**~** Yay! Things are starting to hot up no? Beast attacks, Daemon hunters, Hermione getting majorly pissed off and Draco with a pesky death curse ^_^ This is why I love writing fanfiction! Thanks for all your e mails, and reviews. I know I have been real lazy, but I still love getting them!**~**