Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter's world. That is the property of JKR, a most talented woman. So, don't sue me.
Plot: Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger are normal talented wizards who, on their 16th birthdays, learn otherwise. They are now burdened with family secrets that no one can ever know. They return to Hogwarts and struggle to get their lives back on track. However, both vows to find out one another's secret when they notice something different about each other.
READ THIS!>> A/N: Thank you for the awesome reviews. I loved them. Now for the story stuff. I have posted two chapters. You may review each individually or at the end of Ch. 13. Also there's a very important message at the end of Ch. 13.
Now enjoy!
The Moon's Call
Chapter Twelve
Hermione impatiently tapped her foot on the ground as Daniel was explaining their new patrolling schedules for November. She kept her eyes on Daniel's face, ignoring Malfoy, who just had to sit behind her, and the heat of his gaze on the back of her neck. It was Tuesday. She could have been watching the Gryffindor Quidditch team practice. Instead, she was here at the meeting.
"Now, I want to make this clear. You 6th year prefects will stick to the order in which you patrol—Patil, Macmillan, Granger, Malfoy, Goldstein, Abbott, Weasley, and Parkinson. The 5th years, however, will be switched." Daniel looked down at his papers.
Patil raised her hand, a frown on her pretty face. "What do you mean?"
"6th year prefects will patrol with 5th year prefects of the opposite sex, but same House." He must have seen a lot of confused faces. "Let me clarify with an example. Uh, Slytherin: Parkinson will patrol with Trevors and Malfoy will patrol with Devon. Ravenclaw: Goldstein with Phillips and Patil with Thompson, and so on, understand?"
Hermione nodded her head. Pamela handed out the patrolling schedules. When she received hers, she scanned it, knowing she'd patrol with Joseph Kennedy.
Pamela said, "So, to say this once more, on November 1st, Parkinson will do her rounds with Trevors. The next night, Patil will patrol with Thompson. All right? Any other questions?" No one spoke up. She clasped her hands together. "Okay, on to new business. At Professor Dumbledore's sudden request, we're to put on a Halloween dance for the school. I know, I know, it's very short notice, but with this many people, if we delegate tasks, we should be ready by Saturday morning to set up."
Rolling her eyes at the other girls excited whispers and giggles, Hermione barely kept a groan from emerging. She wanted this meeting to be over. Malfoy was unnerving her severely. She would have liked to have moved her shoulders, but that would give him the satisfaction of seeing her uncomfortable.
After her kiss with Zabini in the kitchens, he'd been watching her even more sharply. She wondered if he knew what happened. Zabini wouldn't have told Malfoy. He wasn't that sort of person, she thought. Of course, she didn't actually know what sort of person he was, but he didn't seem like that kind of person.
She had to say, though, that it felt like they withdrew physically, but their mental focus was always on her. She had adapted to it and breathed a sigh of relief. No longer was she tripping over them every which way she turned.
Pamela was listing all the jobs required: decorations, refreshments, arrangement of furniture, band, etc. Hermione half listened. This sort of thing didn't really interest her. She had better things to do with her time, like finding out who that black wolf is.
She met him before. It was during her first full moon. He'd boldly sniffed her bottom, that pervert. Hermione had walked away from him, determined not to allow him the same greeting, but he'd surprised her by drawing her into a game of tag. He must be muggleborn to have known the game. She didn't know if wizarding families allowed their children to play such games.
They'd played. Hermione had never felt so free and happy. She had someone to share the lonely night of her Change. It had felt good…safe.
No, she mustn't feel anything of that sort. The full moon was the only night she couldn't control her Change. It was a necessity to Change. It was not a time to be having fun. No one must know she was a werewolf. Not even Harry or Ron.
The black wolf went to this school. Hermione knew it in her heart and mind. She had caught traces of his scent, but it wasn't enough to identify him. Wolf scents were musky and earthy. Human scents were different, being spicy and sweaty. Hormones clung to their skins. It was difficult to tell the difference to say the least. She suspected the traces of his scent were from him slightly Changing consciously or unconsciously. He must have reined in his other side before too much happened.
There was something else, too. If she could detect his scent in the corridors and classrooms, then he had to be an Alpha. A Beta wouldn't be able to do any such thing like attempting to Change. The full moon was coming up this Thursday. With luck, she'd find him in the forest. Maybe they'd play again—
"Granger, which committee would you like to join?" Daniel's voice broke through her thoughts. She glanced up and instantly rolled back through the conversation to gain the correct answer.
"Uh, decorations, please." Daniel nodded as he wrote down her position.
He moved on to Ron beside her who said furniture arrangement. Hermione drifted back into her mind, but only emerged once more when Malfoy also said decorations. She didn't jerk or any other telltale reaction. It was her heart that skipped and her mind that tripped over itself.
She reasoned Malfoy probably forgot what committee she was on, so she shrugged it off. Parkinson went for refreshments and Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. Malfoy and Parkinson at the same time would have been too much for her.
"Now if the different committees will meet to discuss ideas, that would be great," Pamela said, drawing everyone's collective attention.
For a second, no one moved. Then Padma Patil, who was sitting in the row behind her at the very end to Hermione's right, called, "Refreshment people over here!"
Similar calls went on. Hermione managed not to jump when Malfoy said in his smooth drawl, "Decorations committee here by myself and…Granger."
He actually knew what committee she was on and he chose to be on it anyway? She then turned to look at him. She didn't want to give him the credit of seeing the clear plan. There were two decorations committee people right next together, already forming the nucleus of the committee. He glanced at her and only raised an elegant brow. She turned her chair around, taking care not to sit too close to him. They were soon joined by Tamara Phillips and Ernie Macmillan.
Ron was up at the front with Anthony Goldstein, Bradley Fine, and Daniel Smythe. Angelica was also at the front, but with Gwendolyn Devon, Andrew Thompson, and Pamela Dawson. Joseph sat with Seth Trevors and Eliza Watson on the other side of the refreshment committee, which consisted of Pansy Parkinson, Padma Patil, and Hannah Abbott.
"So, decorations, any ideas?" Malfoy asked the group at large. Hermione turned her attention back to the circle.
No one said anything. Suppressing another groan, she said, "Well, it's Halloween, so I think pumpkins will feature prominently in the decorations."
That seemed to break the ice for Tamara Phillips added, "How about giant spider webs with lights in them? It would make lighting more unique."
Malfoy cut in smoothly. "That's a distinctive look, but would it be enough for lighting the Great Hall? It's huge. So how many webs are you looking to have?"
No one spoke at all, but only glanced at each other in shock. Hermione looked down at her hands. Malfoy actually contributed something of intelligence without being a jerk?
Then Tamara cleared her throat. "I didn't think about that, Malfoy."
"Obviously," he drawled. "Look, I'm only trying to make this as painless and easy as possible. Don't take it as a sign that I enjoy spending my time with any of you."
There's the jerk she knows and hates. Hermione broke the uneasy silence that had lengthened following Malfoy's announcement. "The feeling's mutual, Malfoy, so let's get this done and over with then."
The dark glance he shot her was loaded with meaning, especially when he raised a brow at her. "Really?"
She glared at him. He was clearly speaking about the incident in the library. "Really." Hermione turned to Ernie and Tamara. "So, pumpkins and spider webs so far. Malfoy has a point about the lighting. What if we supplement the webs with candles?"
"Candelabras are pretty mood setting," Ernie suggested.
"Candelabras? That sounds pretty good to me. Anyone have a problem with that?" Hermione asked. No one spoke against it, so she made a mental note of it.
Then Pamela suddenly said, "Okay, everybody, we have about five minutes left in this meeting. Be certain to make up another time to meet with your group. On Saturday, we'll pool our ideas and begin to set up."
"When are we going to meet then?" Tamara asked. "I don't know if I can do it tonight or tomorrow. I have to study for a test."
Ernie nodded his head. "Same here. I'm busy during the day, but at night after dinner, I'm free. How about Thursday night?"
Tamara perked up. "Yeah!"
"No!"
It was two voices that'd said no. Hermione was one and the other was Malfoy. They looked at each other in surprise. She looked away first and said, "I'm busy that night doing an essay for McGonagall."
"I have to patrol that night," Malfoy said.
"And I patrol tomorrow night, so it can't be either night," Hermione said. "What about Friday? We get out of classes early that day. True, we'll be pressed for time, but we're all bright students, so we'll be able to come up with something good."
Malfoy cleared his throat. "That sounds good to me, even though it came from you, Granger. I vote Friday."
Ernie and Tamara agreed. The time was set for three o'clock in an empty classroom. Ernie was charged with gaining a professor's permission to use their classroom. Then they all left.
Ron was leaning against the wall outside. When he saw her, he pushed away. "How'd your meeting go?"
"Rather painless actually, but Malfoy is in my committee," she said.
"Are you serious? Just change groups with someone, Hermione," Ron suggested.
"And give him the satisfaction of knowing he drove me out? No thanks, Ron! Besides, he wasn't so bad today. He actually contributed something intelligent and thoughtful to our ideas. Malfoy wants the whole thing to be as easy and painless as possible. I agree with him completely."
Ron scoffed. "Are you kidding me, Hermione? He probably said that to throw you all off. He's planning something."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, Ron. I think I'd know if he was planning something. Besides, since he's in the same committee as I, I have to give him the benefit of doubt. It's only fair that I treat him the same as the others."
"Don't be so naïve, Hermione! He's a Slytherin. You're setting yourself up for a fool." Ron turned to her and put his hands on his hips. "Come on, be smart about this."
Unease rolled around in her stomach as she remembered what happened in the library last month. She felt anger coming to her rescue. "Ron, I can take care of myself."
"Don't be foolish. You can't trust him!"
Just as she was about to lose her temper, she scented Malfoy turning around beyond the end of the corridor. He and the rest of the Slytherins had been the first out the door. She looked around Ron and met his silver gaze. She started slightly. For once, loathing and disgust weren't evident in his eyes. Something must have shown on her face because Ron turned around and cursed under his breath.
"Weasley," Malfoy said stiffly as he passed by Ron. Hermione felt her heart pounding when he stopped beside her. "Granger, I need to speak with you for a moment."
"No, you're not, Hermione," Ron growled. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her to his side. "Sorry, Malfoy, but we're heading back to our common room."
Scoffing, Hermione twisted away from him. "You are not the boss of me, Ronald. Don't you dare tell me what to do!" She turned to Malfoy and glared at his amused smirk. "Shall we?"
He nodded. "Of course, Weasley, your precious girlfriend is safe from my lecherous ways. It is purely business that I need to talk to her about. We purebloods do not sully ourselves with muggleborns."
She should feel grateful he didn't use the word Mudblood, but then why did she feel like kicking his pureblood shin? Probably because he didn't seem to have a problem "sullying" himself last month. Gritting her teeth, Hermione said to Ron, "There, you see, Ron? I'm perfectly safe with him in that area. So don't you worry."
With that, she turned on her heel and went the other way, not waiting for Malfoy to follow. Hermione heard him chuckle tauntingly to Ron before trailing after her. When she was far enough from Ron to overhear, she stopped.
"What is it that you needed?" she used his word instead of "wanted." She knew he would not like that one bit and would retreat behind his usual veneer of disdain.
"I was thinking about the decorations and suddenly had a thought."
"My, that's a shock," Hermione couldn't help slipping in.
He shot a censorious glance at her before continuing. "I remember there was someone here that knows a specific spell to animate drawings. I've searched for the spell, thinking it was a charm widely used, but haven't any success. It seems that this person is the only one knows about it."
"I suspect you don't know who it is either, do you?" Hermione surmised. "Do you know anyone who would know this person?"
Malfoy frowned as he considered her question. He replied slowly, "I've only heard a few mutterings about it, but I believe I can 'ferret' it out." Hermione snickered, but he ignored it. "I just wanted to inform you of it, in case you heard something of importance or discovered the identity of this person between now and Friday."
"How thoughtful, Malfoy. I suppose this is coming from wanting this," she gestured vaguely, "to go as painless as possible? Well, I can't say that I fault you for that. I want that, too." She looked around and shrugged. "Thanks for the information. Have you told Ernie or Tamara?"
For a second, he looked uneasy, but instantly recovered. "I was hoping you would do so for me. As you know, neither of them are that comfortable in my presence."
She stared at him, wondering how they could possibly have had a decent conversation. He hadn't even insulted her once! Sighing, she nodded. If this is painless as possible, she had no qualms against it. In fact, she encouraged it completely. "Very well. I'll do it."
"Thanks." He turned away, but stopped and looked over his shoulder at her. "Really,
Granger, thanks, but don't take it any other way."
"Like I would, Malfoy," she retorted before going the other way.
She stopped when he spoke again. "And this isn't a plan to get rid of you. I need you in the group to speak rationally to the others."
"How…logical." Hermione walked away before he could say anything else, all the while feeling unbalanced. Malfoy was really being strange. He wasn't being his usual pigheaded self. She wondered if he was feeling sick. That would explain much, but it didn't explain why he would stop avoiding her.
Not watching where she was going, she walked straight into someone. Mentally groaning, she looked up after catching her balance. "Hello, Harry."
Harry smiled warmly. "Hey, where are you coming from?"
"Uh, prefects meeting. Very boring. Is Quidditch practice over?" At Harry's nod, she sighed. "Damn. I really wanted to watch. I hear the team is working on a new defense strategy."
He whipped his head around to look at her. "Where did you hear that?"
"Ginny." Harry's hackles subsided, as did his anger. He took the game too seriously, Hermione thought, but he wouldn't hear her say anything about it. She turned to walk with him back to Gryffindor Tower. "So, you and Ginny. How's that going?"
He colored. "Uh, you know, it's going okay. Better than you and Ron."
She groaned. "Don't mention it. The quicker we go back to being friends, the better. Honestly, he's more pig-headed than usual, trying to tell me what to do." Hermione shook her head to clear her uncharitable thoughts about Ron. "Anyway, there's going to be a Halloween dance Saturday, even though Halloween is on Sunday. You and Ginny should go together."
Harry shrugged. "Yeah, I'll ask her tonight."
Just then, she caught his scent. Stopping short, Hermione looked around, trying to get a fix on it. She spotted a corridor branching off behind her. Instantly, she knew he was down that way. Turning to Harry, she said, "I just forgot. I have to see Professor," she scrambled for who was down that way, "Vector about an assignment. I'll see you later."
Without waiting for his reply, she strode away. Harry weakly said, "Bye."
The corridor was full of his scent. His muskiness pervaded her nose. Hermione followed the scent trail, confused by the clarity of it. Whoever he was, must have been unable to prevent his Change fully. She could detect a small trace of human beneath it. She wondered what could have caused such a powerful reaction. An intersection of corridors came up. It was then she realized that he regained control for his wolf scent had faded back to his human scent. He smelled subtly like pine. She had the feeling she knew this scent.
Hermione committed the scent to memory. Whoever he was, the next time she scented him in his human skin, she'd…huh, what would she do? Go up to him and ask if he wanted to run together the next full moon? If he wanted to mate for life? She snorted. As if she would! But at the very least, she'd know who he is and go from there.
She followed his human scent down the length of the corridor until the intersection. Then she lost it in the mob of other students' scents. Hermione growled low in her throat. She was so close, but it was perhaps a blessing she didn't track him down. Who knows whom she might have found.
Her stomach growled. Smiling, she realized it was nearing dinnertime. She was far enough from the Great Hall to arrive in time for it.
That night emerged into the next day without incident. She didn't catch his scent at all that night or the next day. Hermione found that disappointing, but at least she could eliminate the boys from her House. If it had been any of them, she'd know when she studied in the common room that night after dinner.
She walked out of Charms and went on to her Transfiguration class. She'd be early for McGonagall's class, but she wanted to review her notes from her prior class. Walking passed a classroom, she stopped suddenly. She caught his scent, but a draft erased it from the air. Sighing, she started to move on when she heard a girl say, "Oh yes. You are my best yet. Let's see how you look in real life."
Hermione circled fully to allow her ears to pinpoint the girl. Was it the person they were looking for? The classroom she had passed held the object of their desire, found when she murmured a spell. Hermione went back and peeked into the room. It was empty save for a black-haired girl, her back towards Hermione, at the windows. An iridescent butterfly, colors changing in the light, delicately flitted above the girl's head.
"Beautiful," the girl said. Her voice sounded familiar. Then she said, "Finite."
The butterfly faded away into nothing. Not believing her eyes, Hermione's jaw dropped. Logic said she found the person they wanted to approach, but she was jumping up and down inside, screaming with joy. She struggled to keep her breathing even. She felt slightly dizzy from her discovery.
Clearing her throat, Hermione said, "Uh, excuse me?"
The girl whirled around, her arm dislodging the number of drawings on the sill. "Oh! I'm sorry, did you need the classroom?"
Hermione went closer to get a better look at the girl. "No. It's just that I, uh, couldn't help but notice you were in here. Then I saw that butterfly and I had to know who did it." She stopped by her, noting the blue eyes and black hair. "You're, um," she looked at the girl's robes and saw that she was in Raven claw. Hermione quickly ran through her list of Ravenclaws and managed to remember, "Lisa Turpin, right?"
Lisa smiled and nodded. "And you're Hermione Granger."
"Yeah." Hermione noticed Lisa's drawings on the floor and bent down to pick them up. Lisa followed and helped. Hermione said, "I was just wondering how you made that butterfly appear?"
"Oh, I don't really tell people anything about what I do," Lisa began, looking away.
"Please, Lisa, I'm just curious." Standing up, Hermione handed Lisa the drawings. "That's all I am. I'm not really interested in stealing your idea from you."
Lisa studied her for several long moments. She looked away and said, "Hermione, may I call you Hermione?" She went on without looking at Hermione. " I appreciate you wanting to learn, but I can't."
"Lisa," Hermione took a deep breath and jumped into the truth. "I wanted to know because I've heard that someone here at Hogwarts can bring drawings to life, and I think that person is you, Lisa. As you know, I'm a prefect and I just came from a prefects meeting. There is going to be a Halloween dance on Saturday and I'm on the decorations committee. I heard about you, so I was thinking you could help."
The other girl's blue eyes widened again. "I don't think so, Hermione. I don't want to advertise myself that way."
"But, Lisa, please? It would give the dance a whole new look and you'd get the credit for it. I'll make sure of it. Please, Lisa? If you are as good as they say you are…well, I want the best for the school, especially since it's all on short notice. It would be really great if you could, Lisa." Hermione clasped her hands together. "Please?"
Lisa looked away. Hermione felt dread. Sighing, Lisa nodded. "Very well. I'll help you out, but you owe me."
"Of course," Hermione said, nodding.
"When is the meeting?" Lisa asked.
"Friday afternoon. Ernie Macmillan is to get us a meeting place. I'll let you know when and where it is exactly once I find out, okay?" Hermione grinned. "Thank you so much, Lisa. I really appreciate it."
Lisa shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Hey, don't you have class?"
"Oh, crap!" Hermione twisted around and flew out the classroom, calling, "I'll talk to you later, Lisa!"
She was late, she could feel it. Hermione walked into Professor McGonagall's class and withstood the professor's sharp reprimand.
After classes, she wrote Malfoy a quick note and owled it to him. She hadn't seen him at all that day. He wasn't even in the Great Hall. Hermione didn't see him when she patrolled that night either. She wondered briefly if he was sick, then proceeded to kick herself for wondering such a thing. Late that night, an owl tapped at the window. Sleepily, she opened it and recognized Malfoy's eagle owl. It snapped at her once before allowing her to retrieve the letter. Then it flew back out the window and into the night.
Shaking her head, she grabbed her wand and muttered, "Lumos."
A soft light shot out of the tip of her wand. It was from Malfoy. He wrote to congratulate her on locating Lisa. He also added to not make a big deal out of his praise and to burn his letter once she's read it. Hermione rolled her eyes at this. Honestly, he was such a drama queen, but she did as he asked.
The full moon was tomorrow night. She could feel the wolf pace and howl inside. It wanted to run tonight, but she kept a firm rein on it. Tomorrow, it could run all it liked, but not tonight. She went back to bed, feeling very tense. It was a wonder that she fell asleep at all.
The next morning, Hermione woke feeling charged with tension. She hadn't run once this month. The wolf knew its time was near. She managed to get through her classes without snapping at anyone. Walking back to Gryffindor Tower, feeling particularly stiff with control, she took a shortcut going through a shadowy part of the castle. Because it was so dark and spooky, no one really went that way.
She was lost in her thoughts when she heard voices. Male voices. Slowing to a halt, she guessed they were around the corner. Hermione took a few more steps and she could hear clearly.
"So, how exactly are you going to make it look like an accident?" one said. There was a smooth quality to his voice. Hermione perked up and paid close attention.
"I told you," said someone else. His voice was slightly deeper, but the same smooth as silk quality was there. He sounded familiar. "I'm going to practice catching the Snitch. Then I'm going to fall and…"
Her heart began pounding. Hermione stopped listening as what he said ran through her mind. The puzzlement of his voice came into focus and clicked with his words. Why was he plotting? Was Ron right? She couldn't help but move closer to the sound of their voices.
"I'm telling you, Blaise, it's perfect. With my broken leg and your botched attempt to heal me, it'll work," Malfoy said firmly. "I'll heal up quickly and be able to run tonight."
WHAT?
Confusion tore at her. Did he just say…
"You better," Zabini growled. Growled? "I hate running by myself. It's no fun."
She was going into shock. Then she would drop dead. It was going to happen anytime soon.
"I've already apologized for last time," Malfoy snorted. "It wouldn't have happened if you hadn't gone all possessive on me and challenged me."
"Fuck off, Draco. You know as well as I do how hard it is to control our newfound instincts. Just because you have greater control over yours doesn't mean you still can't feel them beneath your skin."
Instincts? Hermione felt like she was falling and she couldn't stop. She had the most horrible sensation of knowing what was happening, of what she was going to hear.
"Don't be jealous," Malfoy laughed. "Just because you're still a little unbalanced about what you are, don't take your frustrations out on me."
Zabini growled again. Hermione felt the air charge with primal energy. The wolf clawed at her in animal recognition. "Merlin, I want to tear you to pieces sometimes."
"Come on, wolf boy, show me what you got," Malfoy taunted.
"I'll show you who's the alpha around here," Blaise snarled. Sounds of a scuffle reached her ears from where she stood.
Hermione clapped her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming. Oh, God, they were-they were…werewolves! She could now scent them, telling each other apart. There was Zabini, his scent full of sunshine and apple. Malfoy's was distinctly pine.
HE was the one she caught in the corridor the other day. Zabini said Malfoy had more control over his senses, but if that were so, then why did he lose control and almost fully change? He wasn't in class yesterday otherwise she'd have known he was a wolf then instead of now.
In fact, if they were werewolves, then they could see, hear and smell as well as she can. Oh, God, they could smell as well as she can. They could scent her even now! Just as she took a step away, they crashed into sight. Hermione slapped a hand over her mouth to keep a startled shriek in.
Malfoy had Zabini in a bear hug, holding him off the ground by several inches. Zabini kicked his legs out, face turning red as he fought to get free.
Hermione froze. What else could she do? The two Slytherins who had been haunting her dreams were right in front of her. What was worse was that now that she knew, all the things they had done made sense. It was horrifying to know that they knew what they were doing when they both had marked her.
Oh God, they marked her! Who was she to choose? She had kissed Zabini weeks after he had marked her. Did that mean she accepted his invitation? Surely there was a loophole around that. Hermione didn't even know he was a wolf when she kissed him. He can't hold her to that. She thought he was a human at the time.
Just then, two pairs of eyes looked at her—one silvery-gray, the other brilliant blue. Malfoy immediately dropped Zabini to his feet. Wariness stole over his face. "Granger, what are you doing here?"
"I, uh, this is a shortcut to Gryffindor Tower." Hermione fought to keep her heartbeat steady. "What are you doing here?"
Zabini smiled at her. "Nothing, just taking a walk."
Uneasy silence stretched. All three shifted nervously, instinctively reading each other. Hermione sighed. "Well, I better get going. Malfoy, Zabini."
She edged around them and walked away, aware their stares stayed on her until she turned the corner. Coming out of the shadowed corridors and into the bright one containing the Fat Lady's portrait, Hermione began to breathe easier.
Her revelations of the afternoon kept her in her room. How could she not have guessed what they were now? Neither of them had expressed any interest in her until this year. She wondered if they knew she was a werewolf, too.
Her earlier anticipation of meeting the black wolf—Malfoy—turned to ash. Wait a sec! If Malfoy was the black wolf, then he'd been the one to sniff her bottom! He is a pervert! What if she saw him tonight? No, it would be the both of them.
Malfoy had patrolling duty tonight! So that's why he was plotting to get out of it. Hermione couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief for him. If he couldn't get out of patrol, then he'd be screwed, and lose his cover. She hoped that didn't happen to her.
Somehow, she fell asleep. She was sleeping so deeply that she was shaken awake by excited hands. Usually, she awoke whenever someone came into the room.
"Hermione! Hermione!" someone yelled in her ear. The bed bounced up and down as whoever it was jiggled. "Wake up! Wake up, Hermione! You'll never guess what has just happened!"
The bed bounced beneath her. Hermione grumpily shoved herself up on her elbows and growled a dark "What?"
For a second, the bed stilled but she resumed jumping up and down. "Come on, you'll never guess!"
Hermione merely grunted and listened to Ginny's piece of news. She knew what it was, but to let her know was to bring many questions she couldn't answer.
"Malfoy fell off his broom when he was practicing catching the Snitch! He broke his leg and Zabini, who was there watching, tried to heal him with a spell to cover it up, but it went so wrong!" Ginny jiggled in delight and laughed. "His leg swelled up like a tree trunk and his leg didn't even heal. They had to go to Madame Pomfrey to undo Zabini's spell and to heal Malfoy's leg. I heard the swelling had a horrible effect on the healing spell, so he has to stay in the hospital for the night. Oh, it was perfect!"
Hermione forced a laugh. "Really?"
"Yeah! It was so funny! You should have heard the racket he was making when Zabini brought him in." Ginny rolled off the bed. "It's dinnertime, you know. Let's go eat."
About to say no, she stopped. She would need something to see her through the night. The full moon wouldn't allow her to Change back to her human form until dawn broke. She had to eat.
Groaning, she nodded and rolled off the bed. She searched fro her shoes and pulled them on. Hermione followed Ginny to the Great Hall and immediately searched for Malfoy and Zabini. She only saw Zabini working on a pile of food. Malfoy wasn't with him. Then she remembered that Malfoy was in the hospital. He would probably slip out and join Zabini if he recovered enough, but she thought Malfoy would slip out even if his leg was still broken.
Hermione felt nervous at meeting them both as wolves. Then she shook it off. Even if she met them, there was no way they'd know who she was. She'd make sure to leave them before she Changed back. She didn't even want to think about what they would say if they discovered her secret.
She proceeded to follow Zabini's example and piled her plate with food.
An hour later, she slipped out of Gryffindor Tower, feeling strung tight inside. The wolf prowled, howling and clawing. Its time was very, very close. It could sense it. Hermione stopped by the hospital to see if Malfoy had gone already. It was a risk, but she had to check. Only one bed was filled, but she knew he wasn't there. It was a pillow under the covers.
She hurried on her way. The bones in her fingers cracked and popped, but she kept a death grip on her control. She wasn't out of the castle yet. Hermione had to reach the safety of the Forbidden Forest before she could Change. She shouldn't have waited so long before leaving.
Her ears began pushing out as she hurried into the forest. She ran to her usual spot where she left her clothes, but her control slipped. Only some fifty yards in, the Change came upon her, breaking her inner barriers. Sweet relief went through her taut body as she Changed from girl to wolf. Collapsing on the ground, her clothes shredded and hanging on her body, she completed her transformation.
She rose up on her paws and stretched, feeling every muscle shift deliciously. Hermione howled, relieved of her burden as a human. Two answering howls came from the south. She nosed at her clothes and left them where they lay. She spun around, loping in the direction of the howls.
Her ears picked up the sounds of the nighttime forest. Her nose analyzed each scent. Hermione howled again. She was answered by two more howls. They were close. She went on and caught their scents on the wind. She stopped and howled, announcing where she was. The earth shook slightly beneath her paws as they ran towards her. She heard their pants and the pounding of their paws. They crested a small rise and spotted her.
She recognized the black wolf. It was Malfoy. She looked at his hind legs. There wasn't any sign of a limp in either leg, nor was there any sort of hesitation in his run. The other wolf, the gray one, was likely Zabini. Malfoy greeted her affectionately with a lick on her muzzle and slight bump against her shoulder. Hermione looked at Zabini, who was regarding her intently. He sidled up to her and sniffed along her muzzle and down her throat.
When he neared her tail, she growled low in her throat in warning. He did not take the hint. She felt him nose at her and she turned on him in an instant, snapping at his muzzle. Zabini jumped away with a yelp, his gleaming blue eyes stared at her in confusion. Malfoy padded over to him and bumped his head against Zabini's shoulder. Zabini looked at him before moving slowly towards her again. Hermione waited to see what he would do. She saw laughter in his eyes then. He greeted her like Malfoy did before turning away. The both of them walked away before realizing she wasn't following. Malfoy barked sharply at her and looked ahead, then looked back at her.
She surmised that they wanted her to join them. Inwardly shrugging, she walked after them. Once she joined them, they went on. Together, they chased after small game, sighted unicorns, and heard threstrals moving through the forest.
They ambled along, playing tag, confident nothing would harm them. Of course, they should never have let their guards down.
A few hours before dawn, hooves shook the earth, the smell of something like deer or horse filled the air along with angry shouts. All three slinked down instinctively. A band of six or seven centaurs surrounded them, yelling and shouting.
"Filthy animals," one cried in a deep, gravelly voice. "Stay out of our territory!"
"Kill them all," another shouted.
Hermione recognized one. He was black-haired and wild looking with a gleaming black body. It was Bane. He was the first to draw his crossbow and take aim at them. She growled in warning at him, stepping in front of the boys.
"Kill the female first!"
Malfoy or Zabini snapped at her tail and pulled just as Bane fired. The bolt hit the ground where she had stood. Zabini howled at the two centaurs behind them and they parted in fright, front legs kicking. Quick as lightning, they slipped through the opening.
"Stop them!" one boomed. A centaur galloped after them. Hermione was the last in the group. The centaur drew up next to her.
A crossbow fired and Hermione felt a pain unlike any she had ever experience on her left side. She yelped and fell. Malfoy and Zabini swung around instantly. Malfoy flew past her, snarling and growling. Zabini pushed against her, helping her to her feet. Hermione felt a throbbing pain in her shoulder. It hurt to walk, but Zabini pushed her on. She could hear Malfoy behind them, guarding their back. It seemed like an eternity before the sound of hooves no longer dogged their trail.
In a clearing not far from the edge of the forest by the lake, she fell to the ground, whimpering. It hurt so much! Pinpoints of light danced across her vision. Zabini had driven her relentlessly. Malfoy was on the other side of her, steadying her when she faltered. Their concern for her was something she had never thought to experience. Her heart cried for if they knew who she was before this night, they would have left her to die at the hands of the centaurs.
Malfoy nosed at the bolt embedded in her shoulder and licked at the blood trickling down. She felt weak from the loss of blood. Dawn would be coming soon. She had to get away from the both of them. Hermione began to push up, but Malfoy growled at her. Ignoring him, she rose to her full height. He barked at her and pushed her down to her stomach. She glared at him and he merely stared back at her with seemingly infinite patience.
She huffed in annoyance. The bolt shifted and she yelped uncontrollably. There was a quick yank and the bolt was gone. Air wafted over the exposed hole. Malfoy dropped the bolt and licked at the wound. Hermione panted from the pain of it. Zabini nudged her muzzle comfortingly.
Again, she tried to stand up, but Malfoy and Zabini growled warningly. She felt dizzy, so she laid back down. Zabini laid next to her, giving her his warmth. Malfoy licked at her wound a little more before stopping. He grunted in satisfaction. Then he laid down on the other side of her. Surrounded and enveloped by heat, her eyes drooped close.
Feeling safe, she would rest for a little while before leaving them.
Birds twittered distantly in her ears, drawing her from her dreams. Hermione sighed deeply and stretched. Her right shoulder ground into the earth and she blinked from the roughness of it. Her left shoulder ached dully. A rock dug into her hip and she could feel the dirt beneath her skin.
Instantly, she knew she was human again. Hermione shifted and became very aware of the two bodies pressing against her on both sides. She blinked again and Malfoy's face swam into focus. His left arm pillowed his cheek. His eyes were closed and his face was relaxed. Blond hair feathered his forehead. Then she noticed the blood on his lips and that he was very close to her. In fact, his right arm draped across her waist.
Her legs were tangled with heavy male legs—both his and Zabini's. She felt Zabini's back press against her bare back. It was hard to breathe. They were all naked!
Her heart began to pound as she tried to think of a way to get out of this mess. Her right shoulder began to throb painfully. She didn't think she could use her arm.
She moved slowly. Malfoy's arm about her waist shifted and he stirred. Hermione froze and prayed that he wouldn't wake up. He sighed deeply before settling down. She breathed a sigh of relief.
His eyes opened and centered on her. Horror and shock dawned in his pale gaze. His voice came out a strangled whisper.
"Granger?"
What did you all think? Review itand let me know.
Also there is another chapter that I posted too. That's Ch. 13.
- Always, TG