By: Adelaide
Disclaimer and such in Chapter 1
WARNING: Graphic descriptions of injuries at the beginning of this chapter! If this bothers you then read the first four paragraphs then skip down to the sixth.
Hermione woke to the sensation of warm sunlight on her face. It seemed odd to her somehow that she could feel the sunlight through the thick fabric of her tent, but she ignored that thought and decided, instead, to get up so she could get an early start on making her observations.
Groaning slightly, she sat up and stretched her arms over her head. It wasn't until a few moments later that she realized, one, she was not in her tent, and two, she was no where near her campground.
Panic was the first emotion to rise in Hermione, followed closely by confusion. She could not think of any reason as to why she would be in her present location. The last thing she remembered was putting down Hogwarts and Its Inhabitants and going to sleep. She quickly took a glance at her surroundings. From her sitting position she could see nothing that would tell the reason why she was here. With a frustrated sigh, she placed a hand to her forehead in an attempt to concentrate on the events of the previous night. Her brow furrowed in confusion, though, as she felt a warm, sticky substance rub off of her hand and onto her face.
"Wha...?" Was all Hermione could get out before her gaze moved from her unfamiliar surroundings to her raised limb. Using all of her will power, she tried desperately to fight off the light-headed feeling that overtook her as she stared dumbly at her hands and arms. They were drenched in blood, her blood.
Suddenly there was pain, a lot of it. Her head hurt, her ankle hurt, but, most intensely, her shoulder hurt. With shaking fingers, she brought her right hand to her left shoulder to figure out the source of the pain. Shuddering, she gently moved it along where her Trapezius muscle should have been, only to find several still-bleeding, deep wounds and curled sinew. Feeling nauseous, she snapped her hand away and let out a sick groan. It was then that the events of the previous night came back to her all too clearly: the werewolf, the bite, the tree root. Remembering her fall, Hermione looked down at her ankle and gasped. The twisted sight that greeted her made the bile rise in her throat. Her ankle was bent inward at an unnatural angle and was about three times the size it should have been.
She didn't know what to do. Her first instinct was to run, to get away, but her body wouldn't moved. It was fixed in its rigidly shocked state. Tears began to spring from Hermione's eyes as she thought of her own helplessness. How could she have been so stupid as to run from a werewolf, of course it would catch her. And now she, too, would be infected with Lycantrophy, for there was no way she could get help soon enough. Her hands fell to the ground in defeat. No more friends, no job opportunities, and, worst of all, no more school. It was official; her life was over.
A loud shower of sparks to her right brought Hermione out of her distressing thoughts, though. Peering through some particularly tall grass to find the source of the display, her eyes fell upon a much welcome sight. Never before had she been so relieved to see her trusted wand. Grasping for it with delirious intensity, she brought it to her chest and held onto it for dear life. All she had to do now was use Dumbledore's enchantment and he would be there immediately.
Hermione frowned.
Why hadn't she thought to use his charm when the werewolf was chasing her down? Another frustrated cry left her lips. So much for being the intelligent one of the famed trio. Before she had time to think more of her error, however, new sparks started to emanate from the tip of her wand.
"What is going on?" She whispered out loud, too fazed to keep her thoughts straight.
A rustling in the bushes to her left distracted her from her wand, though, and filled her with a new fear. Not knowing whether it was a rescuer that was coming or another dark creature wanting to finish her off, Hermione decided she was not going to take any more chances. After pushing her still-sparkling wand to her side in an attempt to hide it from whomever it was that was coming, she inched herself towards the trunk of the tree behind her and tried as best she could to conceal herself in the shadows.
Within moments of her making it to the tree, a very familiar barking sound reached her ears. Fang! Hermione bolted upright, completely forgetting her incredible blood loss and poor ankle. The giant pooch was indeed bounding into her line of vision, followed closely by his master, and, to Hermione's utter joy, Dumbledore.
"I'm over here!" She tried to shout with her hoarse voice, briefly wondering how long it had been since she had used it.
All three rescuers turned to the sound of the young witch's voice. From her position, Hermione couldn't see their reactions to, what she could only assume to be, the horrible sight she made, but she did note the slight pause in each of their steps upon seeing her. Once they realized the situation, though, they reached her within moments.
"'Ermione?" Hagrid questioned in disbelief as he stepped towards her, his face going white. "What happened?"
"Professor..."
Hermione would have said more, but she felt the world in front of her start to fade. Reaching towards one of the men for support, she uttered a few unintelligible words and collapsed, her body seeming to realize that it didn't need to fight any longer. The last thing she remembered, before she finally passed out from her loss of blood, was looking into Dumbledore's eyes and, for the first time in her life, seeing no hint of a twinkle there. Then, everything went dark.
Remus ran a hand through his hair as he waited for the golden spiraling staircase he was on to reach its destination. He had been flooed a few hours earlier with the urgent request from the Headmaster to meet him in his office. He had no idea as to why the meeting had been called, but he figured it had to be some sort of Order business or another. Dumbledore rarely ever called on him otherwise. Any way, he never looked forward to impromptu meetings with the elderly man. They almost always meant that something bad had happened, and he just hoped that this time it was nothing too serious in nature.
Feeling the stairs come to a halt in front of an old wooden door, Remus quickly stepped off and raised a hand to knock. Before his fingers touched the wood, though, a muffled 'Come in' was heard.
Grasping the gilded handle, Remus slowly let himself inside.
It was still the same office that he had encountered every time he came to Hogwarts, and the same one he remembered from his days in school: same portraits of previous headmasters, same odd gadgets, and same worn Sorting Hat. Remus let a small smile grace his lips. At least some things never change.
Making his way to a particularly comfortable looking chair situated in front of the waiting Headmaster, he noticed several of the portraits cease their activities and turn their attentions towards him, as if sensing that an important conversation was about to take place. It seemed strange somehow. Yes, there were usually eavesdroppers when meetings took place in the Headmaster's office, that much could always be counted on, but it was a rare occasion when the majority of the portraits stopped their various tea times and naps to listen to a conversation. This did not bode well.
Taking his seat, Remus frowned. Dumbledore did not look good. Dark bags hung under his lifeless eyes, and wrinkles lined every corner of his grim face. Remus could not remember any time that Albus looked anywhere remotely close to his actual age, but the sight of the man's present condition would make anyone believe that he was well over a century old.
"Ah, yes, Remus, thank you for coming," the Headmaster said mirthfully, but his eyes did not reflect much joy in seeing the young man. "Tea?" he offered with as much cheer as he could muster.
"No, thank you." Worry-filled lines appeared on Lupin's brow. If Dumbledore could not even feign geniality then something was definitely wrong.
"Albus, I have never seen you in such a haggard state. What's happened?" A sharp pain of anxiety flew through him. "Is Harry all right?"
"Oh, yes, Harry is just fine." Dumbledore stated, emphasizing Harry's name too much for Remus' liking, "However, something grave has indeed occurred." He conjured of a cup of steaming tea, while Remus shifted nervously in his chair.
"I'm afraid one of Hogwart's students has been attacked," he said while catching Lupin's gaze with sad eyes.
Remus felt fear rising up in him. Had someone died? Someone he knew? Ron or Hermione? His throat suddenly got very tight. Why else would Dumbledore request for him to come if something terrible had not happened to one of the golden trio?
"Who?" he heard himself ask softly, knowing full well that he would hear one of only two names.
The Headmaster set his tea down on the table with a gentle 'clink' and sighed. This was not news he had ever hoped he would have the displeasure of sharing.
"I'm sorry to say, but Miss Granger had an unfortunate encounter in the Forbidden Forest."
With the mention of the dark woods, Remus immediately felt a rush of anger.
"What was she doing in the Forbidden Forest?" he said in shock, almost shouting.
Dumbledore took another sip of his tea and ran a hand over his long beard. He wasn't sure how he was going to tell the former Defense teacher that he had allowed students to spend a weekend alone in the forest. He would surely think him senile.
"We can discuss why she was there at a later time. Now, however, we must discuss your involvement in her attack."
Dumbledore's words surprised Remus more than anything. Where was the Headmaster going with this dialogue?
"I don't understand, Albus." He shook his head and furrowed his brow, trying to make sense of Dumbledore's implication.
"Now, I do not wish you to be alarmed, Remus, but you must tell me your whereabouts last Friday, during the full moon."
A sick feeling started to settle in the pit of Remus's stomach. Now he knew why Albus had called him here. Hermione had been attacked by a werewolf and he wanted to know if he had done it. He slumped back in his chair and placed a hand over his eyes.
"Did she contract it?" he asked quietly, not sure if he was ready for the answer.
Dumbledore's eyes softened at the man's sadness. He knew what he had to say next would distress the person in front of him greatly.
"She laid unconscious in the forest for four days until we were able to find her," he stated, the emotion very evident in his voice.
Remus closed his eyes in pain. He never wished his curse on anyone, but to hear that it befell one of the three students he cared for most in the world was almost too much to bear.
Dumbledore's soft words brought him out of his unpleasant reverie.
"Remus, I need you to tell me where you were." He tried to sound as understanding as possible, but there never would be a polite way to ask such a question in the context in which it now was.
Lupin sighed. "I was in my bedroom, completely of mind, Albus. You may ask Severus if you wish, for he watched as I drank my Wolfsbane potion earlier in the evening."
"No, there will be no need for that." He seemed to relax a little. "However, now that I know that you were not involved in Miss Granger's incident, I must ask a favor of you."
The hand that had been covering Remus's eyes raised a little, allowing the full view of the Headmaster to be seen.
"What kind of favor?" Remus asked while an eyebrow involuntarily inched upwards. With this many twists and turns in a conversation, he could never tell what Dumbledore's true intent could be.
"The circumstances surrounding the attack on Miss Granger are very suspicious, to say the least, so I would like you to take her into hiding at your house for a while, until I have determined it safe enough for her to return."
At this Remus sat straight up. He didn't even know where to begin with that sentence. Suspicious circumstances? Hiding at his place? Two werewolves in the same house for an indeterminable amount of time? Was Dumbledore crazy?
"Albus," the ex-professor started slowly, "I'm not sure about this." He ran his hand through his hair again. "I mean, how could I adequately look after her during a full moon? Not to mention, the, um, side effects of having male and female werewolves in constant close proximity of each other." Much to Remus's irritation, he could feel himself starting to blush at the mention of the much more carnal aspects of being a werewolf.
Dumbledore simply smiled.
"I do believe that you would be well-suited to protect Miss Granger in any situation that may come along, no matter the time of the month. As for your other concerns," The familiar twinkle finally reentered his eyes, "as long as you both make sure to take your Wolfsbane potions then I see no problems arising."
Remus slumped back into his chair. He still wasn't quite sure he should take on the responsibility of caring for a newly-turned werewolf, even if it was such a close friend as Hermione. The whole prospect made him very uncomfortable. However, he knew he could not let the headmaster down.
Sighing, he nodded his head. "All right, Albus, I will do this for you."
Dumbledore's whole persona changed then. The smile came back to his face and the worry lines melted away. It was as if he lost fifty years in a matter of seconds. He was not his usual, peppy self, but his appearance now was a vast improvement over how he had looked when Remus had first walked into the office.
"Thank you, Remus. This means a great deal to me." It was all he had to say for the young man sitting across from him to understand his relief and gratitude.
"Now," Dumbledore continued while getting up from his chair and rounding the desk, "I believe I shall discuss the details of yours and Miss Granger's situation with you while we walk to the infirmary. If that is all right with you, of course."
Remus could only nod mutely and rise from his own chair. He couldn't believe what he had just agreed to do.
"Good," the headmaster said while a frown started to form on his lips, "because I'm afraid that Miss Granger has yet to learn of the events surrounding her contraction of Lycantrophy, seeing that she has not currently awakened, and I would like you to be waiting nearby when she does so you may take her to your home immediately."
Again, Remus only nodded. Things were happening much too fast for his taste, but he knew that there was no time now for great reflection. That would come at a later hour.
With a mental sigh, he followed Dumbledore out of his office and into the stairwell, feeling somehow that he had only begun to see the tip of the iceberg. Things, he was certain, were going to get much more complicated.
After a few minutes of walking and discussing the finer details of Hermione's stay at Remus's house, the pair reached the large oak doors of the infirmary. This was it.
Preparing himself one last time for whatever he was about to see, Remus took a deep breath and walked inside.
TBC...
Hope ya'll liked it. I should have the next chapter up sometime soon.