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.
A/N: Here's the last chapter I post before leaving. Hope you enjoy it. It's a little short and very fast paced. By my calculations, I should have no more than three chapters left, even less. Also, I am planning to do a sequel because you all love this story so damn much. I know you all don't really care if it isn't finished before the sixth Potter book comes out. I love you for it. Happy Reading and thanks for the well wishing of fun for me!
The Moon's Call
Chapter Fourteen
Hermione sat at one of the tables, watching the students of Hogwarts laugh and dance. She felt very removed from it all, almost as if she was looking in on a bubble. She felt emotionally devoid of everything. Yesterday had taken a lot out of her control and composure.
So far, the Halloween dance was a success. The decorations, refreshments, and band were perfection. Lisa's gift really helped. From her seat, she saw the bats flying overhead and a few werewolves weaving in and out of the crowd. It was really something to behold. Dumbledore had told them they had truly outdone themselves.
"Hermione? Why aren't you dancing?"
She looked over her shoulder and attempted a smile. Harry sat down beside her. "Hello, Harry. You enjoying yourself?"
"Not really," he said, emerald eyes flashing. "You're one of my favorite girls and you don't look like you're enjoying yourself. Ginny has given me permission to dance with you."
Hermione shook her head. "No, that's okay, Harry. You don't have to. I really…don't feel like dancing."
"You know, you've been really quiet since yesterday. If you were reading or something, I wouldn't have thought anything of it, but you went to bed early and stayed in your room until you had to come here to set up. Did something happen?" Harry leaned forward and covered her hand with his. "If something did, you can tell me, you know."
A flash of blond followed by black winked at the corner of her eye. Hermione turned slightly and saw Draco and Blaise walking towards her with vague threatening expressions on their faces. She felt her eyes widen and she hurriedly looked back at Harry, knowing every second that Harry would look to see what caused her to act so. She couldn't stop herself. It was a completely unconscious reaction.
"What the hell are they doing?" Harry said under his breath. He stood and moved in front of her. He tipped his head in abbreviated greeting. "Malfoy, Zabini."
"Potter," Draco returned evenly. Blaise merely nodded. She stared at him when he turned to her and said, "Hermione. Why aren't you dancing?"
"Since when are you on a first name basis with her, Malfoy?" Harry asked intently. He turned to look at her. "Is this why you're so quiet? Because of them?"
"Harry, you don't understand," she said softly. Hermione got up and looked at Draco and Blaise. "You shouldn't have come for me."
"You were alone when we came in, Hermione," Blaise said, looking meaningfully at Harry. "You can't blame us for wishing to keep you company."
"She doesn't need your company," Harry said, spine straightening. His entire frame thrummed with anger.
"Harry," she said softly. "It…it isn't what you think. I just…don't make this harder than it is, Harry. You don't understand—"
"Explain it to me, then, Hermione, because you're right. I don't understand!"
Staring into his angry, confused eyes, Hermione couldn't find the right words to say. She just repeated, "You don't understand."
"And they do?" Harry pointed at them. "What the hell is going on with you, Hermione? What did they do to change you in so little time?"
They know and accept me for what I am, she thought bitterly. Just as I know and accept them for what they are.
Hermione shook her head sadly. "If I could tell you, I would, Harry. You must believe that, but I have to do what I must to protect myself…" she looked passed Harry at Draco and Blaise, "and them. If that means I have to break our friendship to do it, then," she swallowed, "then that's what I'll do."
His face blanked with shock. Pain followed on its heels. He began, "Hermione…"
She walked passed him and stared at Draco, then Blaise. "You forced my hand. Don't think I'll ever forgive you for it, or forget about it."
Blaise stepped towards her, hand out. "Hermione, we didn't—"
"No!" She slashed her hand through the air. Taking a breath, she said, "Just don't, Blaise." She felt lightheaded. This was all too much. Her head hurt. She wanted to throw up, scream, curl up on the ground and never get up. The wolf inside howled in anguish. Her heart felt like breaking.
"Hermione, your face turned white," Draco said. "Are you all right?"
She pinned him with a glare as she swayed. "You do what I just did and tell me how you feel then, Draco. Until then, you can fuck off." His eyes rounded, as did Blaise's. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need some fresh air."
Hermione stumbled passed them and made her way out to the courtyard, ignoring her name called by three different people. A minute later, someone followed her out. The footsteps were light, not heavy. A sweet perfume teased on the wind. It was a girl. She looked back, startled to see Lisa Turpin watching her.
"Are you okay, Hermione?" Lisa asked, stepping out of the shadows. Concern lit her blue eyes. "I saw you come out and you didn't look very well."
"I just feel a little sick. I think I may have done permanent damage to something very precious," she said. The words bubbled over before she could stop herself. Finally, she told herself that she had to talk to someone. Ginny would be frosty towards her once Harry told her what happened. Besides, having an impartial Ravenclaw to listen might be for the best. Lisa wouldn't be clouded by emotion. She'd see a logical way through this confusing maze she had lost herself in.
"What do you mean?" Lisa asked gently, taking a seat beside her on the stone bench.
"I…Harry…" she couldn't go on. It was too hard to find the words. She couldn't even reveal the cause of her break with Harry. It wouldn't do any good to talk to Lisa. "I'm sorry, Lisa, but I can't talk about it right now. The reason for what I did, I can't explain it to you."
Lisa smiled encouragingly and patted Hermione's hand. "Don't be sorry, Hermione. I'm sure that your reason why has to be something very big. You're a loyal sort of person. I think, after you've stopped and think about the whole picture, everything will be clear to you. It can't be that bad, can it?"
Hermione didn't answer. Air seemed thin. She had to go somewhere private. Standing, she said, "Lisa, thank you for the talk, but I have some thinking to do…as you said."
"Don't worry about it, Hermione. This talk won't leave this spot. I promise." Lisa stood, too. "If you need someplace to think, you can try the lake. With everyone at the dance right now, no one will be there until much later."
"Thank you, Lisa. That sounds nice." Hermione nodded to Lisa and walked out of the courtyard. The waning moon glowed beautifully, making the grass glint silver and the lake reflect like a mirror. She walked along the well-trodden path and rounded the shoreline, going back to the big rock where her life had changed dramatically. It wasn't fair, really. Why did she have to change everything in her life while they did nothing of the sort?
Boys, she thought disgustedly. Males, actually. They're all the same. Don't have to be human to be selfish.
There was a chill in the air and she was grateful for her black velvet cloak. Hermione hadn't done anything for the dance. She just straightened her hair again and put on a slinky black dress she'd bought as a dare that was concealed by the cloak. It was nothing special.
Hermione stopped in the shadow of the rock and slumped against it. It was quiet out here. The water lapped at the shore. She could barely hear the music.
The lake was more pungent at night it seemed. Her nose filled with the watery scents. Closing her eyes, she tried to think.
How could they do that to her? After what she asked of them, to not approach her during the dance, it was unacceptable. Just because she was a female, they expected her to submit. Well, she was not all wolf. She was also part human. She had backbone in her, and she'd be damned if she let Draco and/or Blaise to walk over her. They might have accepted her into their little pack, but they seem to have forgotten she was Hermione.
But Harry…how could she say those things to him? She might as well have told him to find out their secret as fast as he can. He would not stop until he knew.
Actually, that might not be a bad thing. He knew about Lupin. He even accepted him and defended him. Harry could cope with the knowledge of her being a werewolf. Yes, he'd even cover for her and maybe he'd step up his plans to become an Animagi, too! It was perfect. It could work very well. It could—
No. She sighed. Just because she was a werewolf, it didn't mean she could tell him. It was because of the fact of what kind of werewolf she was. If she told him she was just a werewolf, she'd run the risk of wolfing out when there was no full moon. She couldn't do it. She'd endanger Draco and Blaise.
Hermione had yet to formally pledge her allegiance to them.
"Females are always the ones to join packs formally. Males, they fight. They come and go. Changes in the male ranks of packs are uncertain," Kaitlyn said. "Only females stay, but should there be more than one female in a pack, status must be made… Your father and I were once part of such a pack. Those were some of the best years of my life. Until, that is, when the hunters decimated the pack. Until only your father and I were left—"
"Hermione!"
Whirling around, she saw blonde hair turned silvery by moonlight bob towards her. Hermione steeled herself with anger. "What do you want, Draco? I thought I told you to fuck off."
"You did. Very succinctly," he bit off. He stopped before her, towering over her. She shoved him away. "What did you expect us to do, huh? You were with him."
"I was talking to a friend, Draco!" she cried. "A friend, does that ring a bell in that hollow head of yours?"
"Yeah, it does! A friend is one of those fragile things that can surprise you by being pretty damn unbreakable sometimes. It's someone you can trust," he growled. "Just like I trust Blaise!"
"And what about me?" she yelled. "Don't I count as anything?" Hermione had been careful not to say friend. She didn't think she was ready to hear such a brutally honest admission from him.
"You," he stressed the word heavily, "I am still deciding. I don't know if I can trust you regardless of what we are. Just because you joined us, six years of knowing you isn't going to change how I see you overnight."
"I feel the same way, Draco. I don't care what you two thought, but you should have stayed the hell away from me. I haven't done anything formal to announce my loyalty to either of you."
"Stop fucking around and do it already," he exploded. "You are risking us by not doing anything." Draco took a deep breath and went on in a low voice. "You're a werewolf. I'm a werewolf. Blaise is a werewolf. As far as I can tell, from the differences in your scent and other girls, it's just the three of us who are wolves here at Hogwarts. We are the makings of a pack, Hermione. You have to decide now."
She felt like screaming. He wasn't making any freaking sense. "Decide what?"
He spun around, away from her. He stared at the castle, body rigid with tension. "Sometimes you are just so…dumb!"
He turned, holding his wand. She stared at it, dumbfounded, before raising her gaze to look at him. His pale eyes were glowed brightly. She saw rage in him. Feeling a trickle of fear, she tried, "Draco, what are you…"
His hard gaze suddenly went from her to the forest behind her. She saw and heard him scent the air. Draco's face turned harder and his lip curled. He lunged and caught her arm in a steel grip. He shoved her behind him with a harsh curse, wand pointed at the forest.
Hermione peered around him. She didn't see anything out of place in the night. "Draco, what—"
"Sh!" His wand was fixed on one point in the deepest shadows. He whispered, "Someone's there." She could feel an animal ferocity building in him. The air charged and the wolf inside reacted, growling nervously and pacing. He cursed under his breath. "Damn them to hell."
Her hand went to touch him, but before she did, a twig snapped explosively. Hermione stared at the shadows. She strained to hear, to scent something. Then she heard a slight whuff of air, like someone exhaling. Hermione went for her wand.
Draco waved at her behind his back. He turned his head slightly. "Get ready to run, and I mean run, Hermione. Those are Death Eaters out there."
Her heart sped up like a rabbit on speed. Death Eaters! She edged around the base of the rock. Then she noticed Draco wasn't backing up with her. Hermione reached out and grabbed his sleeve. She pulled him towards her. He whipped his head towards her and shook her off.
Roughly, Draco said, "No! You go. I'll hold them off while you go back and warn the school." He looked back at the forest. "Damn them to hell!"
Another twig snapped closer. Draco glared silver at her. "Run!"
For a second, she froze. Time seemed to freeze. Draco's profile cut into the night. His face was aggressively set. Still staring at her, he saw her hesitation. Draco growled at her. The harsh sound of it unfroze her. She turned and heard Draco yell, "Stupefy!"
Hermione ran as fast as she could. The whole way, she called herself a coward for running and a fool for listening to Draco. She hadn't wanted to leave him to face this danger alone, but he was right. The castle had to be warned.
She ran silently along the path, her heartbeat pounding in her ears. It was by luck that she looked towards the forest and saw a cloaked figure in the shadow of a tree. She pointed her wand and shouted, "Expelliarmus!"
The jet of light hit him square in the chest. His grunt reached her after he fell back into the bushes. She could still hear Draco shouting curses and answering ones echoing across the lake.
She dashed up the stairs leading to the courtyard and ran through it. No one was there. Hermione put on more speed, heedless of the danger of running so fast inside. She burst through the doors and screamed, "Death Eaters! In the Forbidden Forest!"
The students closest to her gasped and screamed. Hermione looked around for a professor and spotted McGonagall. She pushed through the students and gained her side.
"Professor!" she gasped. "Death Eaters in the Forest. They're attacking!"
McGonagall's face turned white as a sheet and pinched. She looked passed her at the frightened students. The din grew louder as what Hermione screamed circulated through the large room. She levitated herself and raised her voice to be heard. When that didn't get any attention, she pointed her wand at her throat and said, "Sonorus."
Hermione remembered she heard that spell during the Quidditch World Cup. Someone grabbed her by the elbow and she whirled around, fist raised.
Harry put his arm up in defense. Blaise stood behind him.
"Blaise!" She pushed by Harry and grasped Blaise's arm. "Draco's down by the lake fighting them off. He told me to run and warn the school. I shouldn't have left him alone. He could get hurt. He could die!"
"Hermione, calm down," Blaise said. "Draco can take care of himself. He's not stupid. He knows how to cover his ass."
She pushed at his chest. "Don't tell me not to worry, Blaise!"
"I didn't tell you not to worry. I told you to calm down," he replied.
"Hermione," Harry said behind her. She looked over her shoulder at him. "What's going on? I heard Death Eaters were attacking!"
"They are!" Hermione had to shout. Panicked screams filled the air and McGonagall was talking in her loudspeaker voice. "They're in the Forbidden Forest!"
"What were you and Malfoy doing by the lake?" Harry shouted.
Before she could say anything, Dumbledore swept into the Great Hall. "SILENCE!" As easy as that, everyone stopped screaming. "The Death Eaters are attacking, yes. There's no time to send for help. You all will have to defend this castle. It cannot fall to Voldemort."
Gasps and soft screams rent the air.
"First and Second years, you will go with Professors Vector and Trelawney," Dumbledore said. The two professors stepped up immediately. The First and Second years trickled from the crowd, gathering around the doors. Dumbledore spoke softly to the professors and they nodded. The young students were led out.
"As for the rest of you," he boomed. "You will be spread out across the castle, defending certain points. Sixth and Seventh years will cover the ground levels. Third years will defend the west. Fourth years will cover the east. Fifth years, the north." He looked across the whole of the Hall, seeming to stare at each face. "Go to your positions and spread yourselves out accordingly. Other professors will be in the area to direct you accordingly. I…hope to see you all soon."
With those words, everyone came alive. Students poured out of the Great Hall and moved to their places. Blaise kept a firm grip on her hand as they tacked through the crowd.
"Look for Draco," she hissed at him. Blaise was taller. He could see over the other students.
Someone grabbed onto her sleeve. Looking back, she saw Harry. He said, "I don't know what the hell's going on, Hermione, but I'm staying with you to make sure nothing happens to you, so you can tell me everything."
They followed a group of Sixth year Ravenclaws. Others followed them. They spread themselves out. Blaise, Harry and Hermione found themselves by the courtyard. It was quiet now.
Where are you, Draco?
Hermione searched the darkened courtyard and the doorway leading to Hagrid's hut and the lake for him. She turned to Blaise. "Did you see him anywhere?"
He didn't look at her. "No, Hermione, I didn't."
She looked back out across the courtyard. She shouldn't have listened to him, the asshole! They weren't even done with their argument. And what the hell was he about to do with his wand?
Damn it, Draco, you better be alive!
Someone shouted down the line, over where huge open windows overlooked the open grounds between the Forbidden Forest and the castle walls, "Here they come!"
"They're going for the courtyard!"
"Hold the courtyard!"
A shadow ran up the stairs. Harry and Lavender raised their wands. Hermione stared at the shadow, which turned to look behind him. That hesitation made her realize who it was. Before Harry or Lavender could even form the first syllables, she grabbed their arms and pushed them down. "NO!"
She broke the line and ran out into the courtyard. The shadow stumbled and fell out into the light, and into her arms. "Draco," she breathed. "Are you…you're bleeding!"
He grunted as she manipulated his body right within the circle of her arms as they moved back towards the safety of the open corridor. He mumbled, "Er…mia…silver…"
Silver. Blood in the air. Her own blood chilled.
"Oh, Draco," she whispered.
"Hermione!" Harry shouted. "IMPEDIMENTA!"
She turned to see a masked figure blown off his feet and out the doorway. Hermione caught a gleam of silver fall to the ground. She stared at the knife for a moment before dragging Draco back to the others.
"Thank you, Harry," she said, lowering Draco to the ground. Catching Blaise's eye, she motioned him closer. She whispered low enough that only he heard. "Silver." He stared at her in horror. "Watch the courtyard."
He nodded and got up. Harry took his place. "Is he hurt?"
She pushed his robes open, spreading her hands over his chest. She quickly skimmed over his chest. Then she ran her hands down his arms and moved on to his abdomen. She hated that he wore black tonight. She could smell the blood, but she couldn't see it. Then her fingers touched something wet.
Gasping, she grabbed her wand and muttered, "Lumos."
The light revealed his shirt was shiny. Hermione yanked his shirt out of his pants and raised it up. Red contrasted sharply with his pale abdomen. "No," she breathed. "Oh, God, Draco…you stupid jerk. I shouldn't have left you."
"They're coming!" Blaise yelled.
"Stay with him, Hermione," Harry said. He stood and hurried to stand by Blaise.
If he was stabbed with a silver knife…could he survive it?
The battle began behind her. She tuned it out, trusting the others would hold the courtyard.
"Mia," he grabbed her wrist. "They know! They're coming, especially for us."
"Mia?" The question slipped out before she could think otherwise.
He laughed and gasped. "I've always known you as Granger, or that foul word that doesn't even come close to describing you!" He swallowed and looked at her beneath lowered lashes. She could barely see the silver in his eyes. "Even when I called you Hermione, it didn't seem right after what I put you through…you're Mia to me now."
"Draco…" What was she supposed to say after something like that? Thank you? She coughed. "Uh, don't worry about all that now. Just…just rest. Gather your strength."
He smiled softly. "I don't have much time, Mia. You know that as well as I do." He groaned softly. "I'm burning, Mia." He stiffened and nearly raised himself up off the floor. He growled deep in his chest. "I'm sorry for everything."
She was tearing up! Trying to cover it, she laid a hand on his bare skin. "We can heal it. Don't you worry, Draco. I'll take care of you—"
His skin was hot. She felt his forehead. He's burning up! "Draco, what do I do? My mother never told me how to counteract silver. "
"It's too late, Mia. It's in my bloodstream." He twisted on the ground. "Fuck, I'm burning up!" He growled, stretching it to a high whine. "Help me, Mia."
"I don't know what to do, Draco." Her voice hitched on a sob. She breathed in deep and turned her overwhelming helplessness into something else. Rage. "Don't you dare die on me, Draco Malfoy! We haven't finished our fight!" Hermione hit him on the chest. "Don't die, you-you fucker!"
"If you had chosen me…" he left the rest of the sentence unsaid. He didn't have to. His smirk said it all.
"But about what you said, Draco. How did they know about us?"
"My…father," he said tiredly. "He must have broken out and pissed off a lot of Voldemort's followers. He…must have…revealed his other form. Be careful, Mia."
Beneath her hands, he started to twist and curl in on himself. His whine turned into a howl of pain. He broke off and panted, relaxing. "Just kill me now, Mia. Please. Make it stop."
Hermione smacked him. "Stop it! You can't die. I won't let you!"
She beat at his chest. She couldn't stop the tears from flowing. They streamed down her face and dropped onto him. "Don't die, don't die. I'll never forgive you if you do!"
He let her hit him. He let her cry for him.
She couldn't stop the sobs from racking her body. Hermione slumped against him. His blood soaked through her cloak to her dress. She raised herself up a bit where she could see his wound directly beneath her.
A tear dropped when she blinked. It fell directly into it, mixing with the blood steadily pumping out. A wisp of smoke billowed up. Another tear dropped and the same thing happened.
For some unexplainable reason she couldn't comprehend, Hermione made herself cry even more. She stayed where she was, hovering over his wound. Her tears spilled into his wound more and more. Smoke billowed up, but tears blurred her vision so much.
A hand stroked her head. She looked up and into his eyes. Hermione wiped her eyes and looked down at his abdomen. It was covered in blood, yes, but the wound was gone!
"Thank you, Mia." She straightened and watched as Draco shakily sat up. "I don't know what you did, but thank you." He touched her chin and leaned forward. His lips caressed hers for the barest second and were gone.
"Draco! You're okay?" Blaise yelled.
Like a vacuum popping, all sound came rushing in to fill the void. Hermione looked around and saw more Seventh years helping to hold the courtyard. Draco stood and raised her up to her feet.
"Careful! The silver in your blood may still be fatal," she hissed at him as he pulled away.
"Don't worry about me," he shouted over the yells. "Fight, Mia!"
She turned and gripped her wand. She saw the whole battle in front of her. Death Eaters took cover in the doorway across the courtyard. Curses and hexes were fired one after another. There were several people lying still on the ground.
Hermione took up an open spot between Lavender and Padma Patil.
Shoving all thoughts of Draco's miraculous recovery, she entered the fray.
Here's the last chapter you all requested I post before I left. Hope you all enjoyed it. I know it was a little fast paced, sue me. It felt like a good place to leave off.
I'm out then. Have fun while I'm gone! Be good. Don't forget to review!
TG