Hermione was sighing desperate. An enormous pile of books had grown before her, increasing in size as time passed. Night had finally blossomed outside, and darkness extended its veil across the skies and the earth. Her tired, puffy eyes were able so see due to the creamy flickering of a candle's flame. Letters were beginning to blend with each other, playing and leaping through the pages of the book she was trying to read.
"Where is it? Why isn't it here?" Hermione yelled desperately, glaring at the book with all her anger.
"Because you are not looking where you have to." Said a voice behind her.
Hermione turned around. Her eyes widened considerably as a golden glimmer reflected on them. A smile spread across her lips, a gentleness flowed through her eyes, and her face was a picture of joy.
"You are alive!" she gasped breathlessly.
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"I have to go now, Ron!" said Harry, glancing at the sky darkly. "Being the one to kill Voldemort has its consequences." The youth said with a half heartedly grin.
Ron was rubbing his horse with a brush. He turned to look at the youngster and smiled calmly. The red headed slapped the animal's neck when he tried to bite him, then resumed his conversation, growling warningly at the animal.
"I know, Harry. It's ok, I'll care for your horse for you!" Ron said with a saddened smile.
Harry nodded thankfully and retreated. The moon still hadn't appeared in the sky, but it wouldn't take long before the beast inside him was released, uncontrolled. Harry, definitely, didn't want to be near his friends when that happened.
"I wonder what Hermione is doing?" questioned Ron to nobody in particular, once he was alone.
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Hermione was chatting placidly with a youngster. His hair was platinum blond, sleek, and fell upon his cheeks in loose strands, while part of it was brushed backwards. His eyes were a glimmering silver, sharp and studious, silent yet attentive, like a cat's eyes. His skin was pale, and thin, and his features were sharp and rough, and he seemed to be eternally smirking.
"But how? Why were you gone?" the young woman asked, still shocked at the boy's presence.
"That's irrelevant, Hermione. Listen, I don't have much time, but you must find that magic. It is the only way of defeating that monster!" the youth said worriedly, his eyes glancing at the moon fearfully.
"But what do you know about that thing?" Hermione questioned suspiciously.
"Enough as to tell you that tonight the murderer will be nearly invincible, you HAVE to hurry!" the boy hissed, gritting his teeth, and staring at the outside.
Hermione was about to reply when a voice calling for her silenced her attempt, and shut the boy's mouth. His grey eyes widened upon seeing the newcomer. It was a familiar youngster, but the change was, to say it, impossible. His pale skin was suddenly a reddish tan, not too noticeable, but enough to realize it. His flaming hair suddenly had spiked up, like a frightened cat's fur. To make matters even stranger, the boy had sprouted fangs, whiskers, pointed, furry ears and a fluffy tail.
"You?" Ron gasped, glancing at the boy with disconcert.
"Hi Weasel!" the boy smirked, grinning a dangerous smile.
Ron growled a guttural sound and pounced towards the boy. A strong arm pinned the young male against the wall. The red headed growled deeply, threateningly, while his chestnut eyes bore into those silver orbs. Those silver orbs that reminded him of something cruel, of something vicious and evil. Sure, he had been on their side, but they just never made a good contact. The moon, the full moon was submerged into the depths of those eyes.
Ron's eyes widened, realization beginning to nag him in the back of his head. Him jumping over Hermione's fallen body. Revealing his secret. The white puma, the spiritual beast, glancing at him murderously through those silver eyes.
"YOU!" Ron gasped filled with shock, "You are the assassin!" the boy growled threateningly.
"Ron please…" Hermione started severely.
"Yes! I am! The monster has possessed my body, and gets strong at night!" the boy explained, looking at Ron very straight, "And tonight there is full moon, tonight the wolf and the beast will become one, and the monster will be invincible…" the boy shuddered under Ron's grip.
"You have to fight it, Draco!" Hermione pleaded, believing that the boy could outsmart the spirit's presence.
"Only magic can fight it, Hermione. You need to go to Dumbledore's office, find the books, learn the spells… and kill me!" Draco pleaded, staring at Hermione with sincere desperation.
"NO!" Hermione yelled shocked, staring at the boy as if he had gone crazy.
"It's the only way!" Draco said angrily.
Taking Ron's momentary distraction, the young man pushed the red headed aside and began running across the corridors. Ron yelped with shock when the boy pressed his hand upon his chest and applied a strong force, releasing part of the air from his lungs. The young Anthro began running after him, yelling at him to stop.
"Stop pursuing me, stupid fool!" Draco howled at him, "The moon is almost up!" the boy said knowingly.
Draco sprinted up the stairs, racing rapidly to the top of a tower. The boy pushed the door open and emerged in the astronomy tower. Ron leapt into the room right behind him. The fox extended his arms to stop another attempt of escape from the Malfoy heir. Draco glanced at Ron, the full moon illuminating his face, his features were saddened as the young boy shook his head miserably.
"Stupid Weasley!" Draco said, nearly furious with him.
The golden haired youth collapsed on a heap. Ron recoiled lightly, as his eyes widened. The newcomer was struggling with himself, as if he was being coiled by an invisible snake. White fur sprouted all over his body, his bones shapeshifted, and his whole body grew a good metre and a half taller. When the boy stood up, he had become and enormous jaguar creature, a killing machine standing on two legs, with claws and fangs, and a head as large as Ron's torso.
"Crap!" hissed Ron, when the beast bared a collection of fangs as large as his hands, and began growling.
The monster pounced upon him, a delicious delight glimmering in the silver eyes. Ron leapt aside and climbed up to the stone barrier that protected people from falling off the tower. The feline hissed at him, and licked his lips hungrily. Ron did all he could think of, he jumped. The red headed was cautious enough as to let his body fall towards a roof, which was a good, five metres down.
The fall was not as pleasant and agile as he would have thought. The strength accumulated made his nervous knees buckle under his weight. Ron collapsed and began rolling down the roof. The boy was trying with all his might to grip the red tiles, yet his clawless hands simply slipped down. Emptiness was right under him, the height was enormous, and his howl echoed in the night. In the last second he managed to grip from the roof's edge, where several metallic things were pointed upwards to sustain the large amount of snow. It was hurting his palm, which began to bleed, yet it maintained him alive.
The monster roared with frustration and anger, as if he had been hoping for the boy's fall and demise. He leapt onto the roof and began galloping down, drooling crazily, baring his fangs and growling at every step. Ron gasped fearfully, the monster was about to reach him, and he just couldn't leap down. That was until he saw the brightly coloured glass standing proudly at the height of his waist and feet. The boy started to swing, back and forth, back and forth, hand bleeding and searing pain stabbing his arm. Release.
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Hermione rushed to Dumbledore's office. Once there she practice an exhaustive examination of every book. She found it. Elemental magick, runic magick. The language of runes was the language of the spells, the consonance with nature filled the being with magick. She knew the names of runes, she had been in nature for long now, she could do it.
"Fire!" she hissed in the language of runes, feeling the heat filling her being, the flame flickering on the palm of her open hand.
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Ron flew and crashed against the window. He entered in one of the corridors, rolling on the ground. His whole body was full of tiny cuts, most of which were bleeding, yet his aching body was invisible in comparison with his fear. Ron stood up and sprinted down, not looking back, not wanting to know what had happened to that rampaging beast. Ron slipped down the stairs, leapt towards the main entrance, and began rushing towards the Great Hall.
A roar filled the air, increased by the echo. Ron slipped down in his braking effort. Before him was the beast, smirking in such a Malfoyish way it was impossible not to recognize the human below that monstruous appearance. Ron recoiled, looking up at the growling monster. The spirit smirked and pounced forward, throwing his clawed paw at the small Anthro.
The Main Doors exploded in a collection of twigs and splinters. The small fox creature had flown through the hard, yet now slightly rotten wood. Ron collapsed on the grass and rolled on the moist grass. He laid there, very still, whimpering lightly, feeling weak and broken. All his body ached, all his bones hurt, and the various cuts in his body were bleeding more profusely.
"Stupid boy!" the Spirit growled leaping through the shattered door, and landing next to him. "I must thank you for allowing me to enter this world, but that will not save your life!" the beast growled and pounced forward, claws and fangs ready for the kill.
Ron shut his eyes tightly, waiting cowardly, weakly, for the inevitable. He was too weak to run away, or to fight back, and by far too injured to hope survival. The gentleness of a song filled his ears, the fear of a feminine yell hurt his head. Both songs blended, yet Ron never opened his eyes to check on the situation.
A neigh similar to a whisper and a melody filled the night. A white horse galloped towards the entrance t full speed. A large, silver horn was resting on his forehead, between two pale eyes. Hermione had arrived just in time to see the scene, Ron torn and broken, laying on the ground. The unicorn galloping towards the monster. The spirit raising his head and shrieking fearfully at the elegant creature racing towards him.
"Whisper!" Hermione gasped, running down the stairs to help Ron.
The horse stabbed the beast straight in the chest. The white spirit emitted an acute, long shriek. It meant pain and suffering, yet no blood was pouring and no wound was made. The beast fell to the ground, but there was a separation of beings, since the creature that rested unconscious on the humid grass was a golden werewolf. A hazy mist, resembling a jaguar or a puma, still lingered in the atmosphere, hissing at the group like a snake.
"Hermione, use the spell!" the unicorn urged, nodding at her with his horn.
"Fire!" Hermione gasped in runic language, not bothering to question herself why a unicorn was talking.
A flame was born in her hand, and grew to a magnificent ball of pure fire, hot and red like a coal. Without loosing time, she threw the magick at the monster. The flame licked and fed on the monster's ethereal substance, consuming it and growing stronger. The spirit shrieked and shrilled until his nonexistent voice faded into nothingness. Then the flame sparkled gratefully and vanished back to the world of elements.
"Good work, Hermione. You truly are a magnificent Witch!" Whisper said, shapeshifting into something human.
"Professor?" Hermione was awed, glancing at the horse becoming the old Headmaster.
"As you can see, my decision of eradicating magic was wonderful. Fortunately there are people like you, intelligent, brave, sacrificing, and determined. However, Magick is far more powerful than our old tricks. You must keep it something private. You can give class, but to enough people as to control who will make a good use of it, and who will not." Dumbledore explained, a smile in his lips.
"I will, Professor!" Hermione started reassuring, yet her words dried when a whimper filled her ears, "Ron…" she gasped fearfully.
Hermione kneeled next to the boy, and grabbed his hand, as tenderly as she could. Tears were swelling her eyes, falling and dripping down her cheeks with a deep, profound grief.
"Oh, please Ron, hold on, please, hold on!" Hermione whispered, staring at Dumbledore with pleading eyes.
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The young woman was laying on the empty bed. She sighed deeply, staring around. The sun was glimmering through the curtains, bright and clear, cleaning away all the darkness and grief from that terrible night, almost two years ago. She looked down, her forehead was sweaty, and her whole body ached, exhausted, yet it had been worth it. A new joy had bloomed to wash away all the grief that could have once filled their hearts, a new hope arrived.
"Congratulations, Hermione, it is a boy!" Ginny came in, carrying a little being, tenderly cradled in her arms.
"Oh, my little boy!" Hermione cooed, her eyes sparkling with the illusion of seeing her little child for the first time.
It was a tiny boy, thick and wrinkled, and full of baby fat. The baby's skin was a little darker than the normal paleness. The eyes were observant, a clear chestnut colour. The hair was a thin mop of reddish fur. Two furry ears flicked back and forth, and a small, fluffy tail wagged happily at the comfort of being with his mother.
"Hello, George…" Hermione rubbed her nose against the baby's face.
"Why George?" a voice said in mock anger.
"Oh, Ron, I like that name!" Hermione said with a grin, staring at the man, and at all the people gathered around her, including a healthier Draco and a grinning Harry.
"Hey mate, I wouldn't say the baby is your son, start looking for suspects!" Harry smirked, patting the red head's shoulder.
"Pity, I was planning on making you his godfather, but since he is nothing mine I can't say!" Ron said grinning, looking proudly at Harry.
Harry went silent and pale all of a sudden.
"His… Godfather?" the boy said, his green eyes flickering with a park of unbelievable joy.
"Yes, we thought you would like it, but if you don't…" Hermione started saying, her eyes staring at the boy seriously.
"I'D LOVE TO!" Harry howled, hugging Ron tightly and smiling pleasantly at Hermione, yet not going near with fear of hurting the child.
"I have one question, shouldn't you be imparting classes?" Hermione questioned, trying to catch a glimpse at the outside, where a sound of joyful voice was beginning to become too obvious.
Draco looked at Harry and Ron, who shrugged and smiled foolishly at each other, making Hermione roll her eyes. Yet the pride glimmering in Ron's eyes was a priceless gift she would have given gold to see. There was never a father so loving, so gentle and so caring as Ron Weasley.
The End.
AN: Ok,it is finished, FINALLY! I just decided I needed to get this through, and I'll continue writing the rest of them. I'll try to get everything done before I start writing my book. Well, I hope everyone enjoyed it, since I think it's a really good story. Not as good as A Life To Live, but pretty good.