Cut this chapter in half to give you a cliffhanger. And this, my fiends, is thanks to Betty Anne Poopy Anne, sittin on the can. Keep flaming, I really enjoy marshmallows.

{I'm 12, not eleven, and where I come from, not ONE of the 12 year olds don't swear. For fucks' sake, half of us aren't even virgins, so blahhh! {Sticks tongue out at you}

Enjoy!

chapter #22

Friday 14th , September. {7:00 P.M.}

"Now, Professor Snape is gonna take you two into the forest. You see, he's runnin' out of wolfsbane. So you two behave yourselves, okay? It's dangerous in there, bein' a full moon and all." Hagrid said quickly, flashing Hermione a sympathetic look.

"Come on, you two. It's foolish behavior that got you here in the first place." Snape ordered. Draco and Hermione glanced at each other nervously.

"Ern, Sir? What if we find some werewolves?" Hermione asked nervously.

"Miss Granger, you have nothing to worry about. If you stay close together they're more likely to be scared of you." Snape replied. Draco snorted.

"Yeah, more likely, but there isn't any guarantee that they will stay away from us." Snape dug in his pocket and waved his wand in front of Draco, who blinked.

"There's your guarantee, now come on." Hermione glanced at the nervous slytherin.

"I wouldn't worry too much if I were you, Malfoy. Professor Snape is right, werewolves won't hunt you down if you're in a group." She said with a smile.

"Come along." The two teenagers scrambled to keep up with Snapes' long, swift strides. It was dark in the forest, but Snape held a lantern in his hand, and his wand in the other hand, making them feel a bit more secure. Finally they came to a stop. Hermione looked around, feeling an uneasy prickle down her back. James wasn't very far from where they were. Just about a mile to the left.

"What do we do?" Draco asked doubtfully. Hermione groaned.

"Honestly, weren't you listening to Hagrid?"

"No. I have better things to do than to listen to that."

"Quit bickering, you two. Now, take these bags and collect as much wolfsbane as possible. It's the little flower, see there? I only need the blossom, though, and don't pull them out by the root, as that would be wasting." Snape said, handing them each little pocket knives.

"Uck! My hands are all dirty!" Draco muttered in disgust a while later. Hermione grinned. It wasn't that bad. Nothing to be nervous about. Besides, her bag was already half full.

10 minutes later...

"Did you hear that?" Draco whispered. Hermione shrugged, then stiffened.

"Yes." The low growl came again, causing Snape to look up.

"Oh dear." The two looked where Snapes' wand was pointing. It was crouching, blanketed by the darkness, it's yellow eyes peering hungrily out at them "Werewolves." Snape added in bitter realization. Dracos face paled in horror.

"Werewolves? AHHH!" He screamed and took off, running hard to the left of them. Snape tried to call the boy back, but Hermione had already started to pull on his robes.

"Professor, please, let's get out of here." The wolf snarled then took off after Draco, bounding swiftly and easily through the forest. Snape shook his head.

"Foolish boy. Come on, Miss Granger, let's .." Her professor could not finish his sentence. Something was on top of him, snarling viciously. "RUN, RUN HERMIONE!" He screamed. Hermione spun around, back towards the castle, then stopped. No, she really ought to help Snape. Looking back Hermione wasn't sure what to do. The werewolf looked up at her, wondering if he should bite the girl or the man. It sprang at Hermione, knocking her to the ground.

"Oof !" Hermione gasped as the beast pushed her to the ground.

"Miss Granger." Snape whispered. A flash of red-hot anger raced through his mind as the wolf pushed her with his nose, farther away from Snape. "Where are you." Severus thought wildly. A noise filled the air suddenly, causing the werewolf to look up. Severus could identify the sound immediately. Hoofbeats.

Hermione raised her head as the deer galloped into the clearing, lowering his head and charging straight at the werewolf. It yelped and ran, then turned and leapt onto the stags' back. The animals' head shot up, and he reared, falling back on top of the wolf. It yowled, scrambling up and running as fast as it could away from the angry stag. The stag charged again, barely missing the wolf, who took off galloping into the forest.

"Oh, James." Hermione whispered before fainting from shock and exhaustion. The stag lowered his head and nudged the small girl gently.

"Get away from her you." Severus faltered as the stag disappeared, and a man took it's place.

"What?" the man asked, straightening up and stiffening. "Severus?" Severus struggled to his feet and stared at the deceased man that he looked up to for protection.

"I..I don't believe it. James? Is it. is it really you?"