April 2006
Draco grumbled while looking through the stack of papers on his desk, "Fucking idiots…can't even bother to turn over paperwork correctly….who thought this was a good idea…."
He tossed his black wire-frame glasses on the desk before rubbing his hands over his face. Leaning back in his chair, he stared up at the ceiling, content with ignoring the amused smirks from his team. Blaise and Theo didn't often get a chance to see their friend flustered at work as he usually was the epitome of calm and collected. Theo held out his hand and Blaise begrudgingly tossed two galleons to him.
"I swear if you two made another bet, I will suspend you right now," Draco growled while still looking at the ceiling.
The two men just chuckled; it was a hollow threat.
"C'mon Drake, you knew as soon as we heard that you requested paperwork from Weasley's team what would happen. How could we not?" Theo grinned.
"Precisely," Blaise added, "it's not our fault the dunderhead's team is still incompetent and can't fill shit out correctly. A first year could do it better."
Draco glared at them, trying his damndest to not throw something, "You take delight in my misery?"
"Well, I wouldn't say delight precisely," Blaise smirked again and exchanged a look with Theo.
Draco growled to himself and took a few seconds to school his features and lock up another book before he flipped the goddamn table on his friends. They could be such pricks sometimes.
"Back to the matter at hand…" he drawled and positioned his glasses on his nose once again. Damn his eyesight. It kept getting worse over the years, probably from all the glaring he did in his youth. But hell, how could Potter stand wearing these things forever? "According to this report from Robere, there was another werewolf sighting two weeks ago in Devon, looks like not too far from the Burrow?"
He raised a brow at them. Both had furrowed expressions of their own as they took time to think.
Theo spoke first, "Well, they obviously didn't make it to the Burrow. Otherwise, those wards would've knocked them back and we would've been notified immediately."
Blaise nodded in agreement, "I haven't had any reports of more dark creatures popping up unannounced. It's been quiet since the last one was found. That's a bit concerning now that I think of it."
Draco hummed and scanned the report again. He had read it four times, already committed to memory. There was just something odd about it. The wolves had been sighted moving in a mass pack, slinking towards the edge of London. Suddenly they disappeared, leaving barely any trace. They'd reappeared on the edges of Devon, nearly in Dorset, not too far from the Burrow. A local farmer had heard the ruckus and nearly fainted while recounting what he witnessed. There had to have been no less than twenty wolves prowling around the trees and field near his home. Snarling and snapping, circling a creature in the middle. When questioned what creature, the farmer sheepishly said all he could see were silhouettes, even with the bright moonlight. He could tell the creature was similar in build to the wolves but seemed more agile and less hulking. The wolves had stood still for a long while when the creature was suddenly pounced on by a giant brute. The description of its sheer size left Draco with little doubt that it was Greyback as he was the only werewolf recorded being that large—at least so far.
The farmer went on to describe the scuffle, that it had gone on for a couple hours, the pack shifting stances depending on the position of the two in the middle. He remembered hearing whimpers and the sound of flesh being slashed. At one point the other creature had gotten hold of the brute's ear and flung to and fro as the brute tried shaking it off. With one final swing of its head, the creature was hurled towards the cluster of trees and disappeared. The pack howled angrily and took off after it, the brute at the lead.
Blaise's voice shook Draco from his musings, "There's no other description of whatever creature it was? Nothing? Did anyone go back and physically look at the man's memory?"
Draco shook his head, "Not that I can find. Thankfully he's a wizard farmer so he won't be Obliviated but I doubt he'll want to talk to any Aurors again. Based on the report, he wasn't too keen on us being there in the first place. And we're probably out of luck getting a Ministry order to take the memory."
"Well, he's a fucking idiot then, isn't he?" Blaise crossed his arms, seething. "If we can't get all of the information then how in the holy hell are we supposed— "
He was cut off by a knock at the door and red hair filling the doorway, "Blaise, what did I tell you about your language?"
"Like you have any room to talk," he grinned sheepishly as the redhead walked over to him, "You're just as bad as I am."
Ginny Weasley smiled and touched his cheek adoringly, "I know to curb my language when I'm at work."
"Bollocks, you swear on the quidditch pitch all the time."
"Fine," she smirked, "IF I worked in the ministry I would."
Draco and Theo shook their heads at the exchange. It still baffled them how those two ended up together. Then again, Pansy had married Potter and given birth to his spawn so maybe the universe was on to something…
"Coming for cake, boys?"
The three men exchanged a look before Draco nodded, "You go on ahead, I'll meet you there."
"Don't be too late, Malfoy," Ginny said over her shoulder as she walked with Blaise, "You know how my mum is about punctuality. And James is waiting for you too. He mentioned requesting a song?"
"Right, right," he shuffled the reports back together as the door closed.
Draco couldn't help but feel peeved while looking at the piles of reports cluttering his desk. Years, it had been years since this case started and it felt like they were always just out of reach catching these infernal wolves. They had attempted sting operations, stake outs, ambushes. Nothing seemed to work. A few would be captured, taken in for interrogation, sent to rehab or prison. The one they wanted however…always eluded them. Greyback seemed to have no problem sending his peons to the front while he somehow escaped.
Draco sunk into his chair, turned towards one of the shelves and begrudgingly eyed the box sitting on the bottom shelf. It was open, papers spilling out of it that had been shoved aside in haste. It was her box. Everything from the months of searching and every time something new came up, it was added to the pile. Draco couldn't help but feel a little guilty. It felt like he had cast her to the side when the werewolf case had become excruciating worse and demanded his full attention. He could never forget about her. But there hadn't been anything sighted or new since the case had started. He feared that meant…
No, no, Granger is too smart to get killed. She's out there somewhere.
He reached over and pulled out the photograph sitting on the top. There she was, sitting on a couch with Draco in that little A-frame house, arguing about the latest intel they had brought her. Theo had found the exchange amusing for some ungodly reason and quickly snapped the picture before they could react.
He was thankful his friend had done so. Draco's gaze softened as he looked her over. She had still been pale, almost fragile looking at that point. But she was still fierce, having just hexed Blaise viciously for a rude innuendo. Draco smirked at the memory as his fingers traced over her face. He remembered how she had lit up as she argued with him, her amber eyes sparkling. It had been the most animated he had seen her in months. And he had relished in it–the look on his face in the photograph showed it plainly as Granger had looked away from him.
Draco sighed and gently put the picture back in the box. Disdainfully, he finished organising the files on his desk. His mind was automatically Occluding but he still couldn't help but bristle every time the thought of Granger entered his mind and the fact that she was still missing. No matter what everyone said, he felt like it was his fault. He hadn't been able to help when they had been brought to the Manor that night. She had expressly forbade him from offering them aid if they were captured; telling him that he couldn't risk blowing his cover because someone else might take her place. It had caused many arguments between them. And when the time had come…
Draco slammed and locked that book shut before shoving it far into the deeper shelves in his mind. He couldn't start thinking about that night again. Not yet. He wasn't ready to try and address that memory. Thankfully, Potter and Weasley hadn't held that night against him, especially after learning about his cover for those three years. It was admittedly rough going for a while and he never blamed them for taking so long to trust him. He had been a prat to them for most of their lives. He knew though that if Granger ever came back, she would be ecstatic to know that he and her best friends got along with hexing each other constantly. It was at least small progress.
He finished cleaning up his desk, grabbing his cloak before heading out the door towards the Floo fireplace at the end of the hall. Typically, he would just Apparate to the perimeter but Theo's stricter wards wouldn't allow it. Theo had explained that it wasn't necessarily Anti-Apparition but was more like a Muggle electrical fence.
"Think of it like when those Muggles put up those fences that shock their pets. I used that same concept but to keep people out. The Weasleys don't want anything related to blood magic to limit access, so this is the next best thing."
And he wasn't wrong. As Draco came through the Floo, he could hear the crackle from the wards snapping at an unwelcome visitor. Molly Weasley had complained a few times, being concerned about any unfortunate wildlife that would be hurt. Theo eased her concern, reminding her that only Dark creatures or creatures with Dark intent would be harmed. Humans on the other hand could only come through via Floo, to limit access and threats. Draco internally praised his friend for his ingenuity.
As if on cue, the second Draco exited the fireplace, James was attached to his legs completely ignoring the soot that puffed out onto his face. He couldn't help but give a small smile when James looked up with his dusted face, grinning widely.
"Uncle Dray!" he giggled, "You made it!"
"Of course I did. You thought I would miss your birthday?" Draco pretended to huff in offense.
James giggled again and finally let go to help Draco dust off his pant legs. At James' insistence, Draco lifted the small child into his arms and carried him to the living room that was bustling with more people. He had to temper his anxiety being in the crowded room. It wasn't nearly as bad as the first few times he had visited but he still felt the urge to keep his back away from anyone and always eyed escape routes. Old habits were surely dying hard.
Draco could honestly admit, at least to himself, that he did feel accepted by the Weasley+ clan. It had taken a while for everyone to be accepting of him, Blaise, and Theo. Now though, Molly and Arthur treated them as their own sons, much to their feigned annoyance. Blaise was sitting with Ginny who was animatedly telling some of her brothers about her latest practice. Theo was sitting across from Ron, both deep in thought at the chess game placed between them. Harry watched them while seated in a chair in the corner, a smirk playing on his lips.
At noticing Draco holding James, Harry raised his hand in a half wave, beckoning them over. The entire time Draco had been surveying the room, James had yet to take a break from talking. The child truly never ran out of things to tell Draco.
"James, you're talking his ear off," Harry chuckled and reached up to relieve Draco of the toddler.
"No, Dada!" James squealed and strengthened his grip on Draco, "I wan stay wit Uncle Dray!"
The two men rolled their eyes as James began to fake crying at the very idea of being taken away from his dear Uncle Dray.
"Grandma Molly probably has a snack in the kitchen for you."
Harry had barely gotten past saying snack before James was thrashing around trying to escape Draco's hold. He dropped down to the floor and took off towards the only thing that was his absolute favourite—the promise of food. Draco and Harry shook their heads and chuckled at the small boy's antics. To be young and your biggest concern was food, what a dream.
"How have things been, Malfoy?" Harry asked.
"Oh, fantastic. Why I was just telling Theo and Blaise about the lovely paperwork from Weasley's team that I received," Draco's voice was low and heavy with sarcasm, careful for only Harry to hear, lest he upset said redhead.
Harry grimaced and looked towards Ron from the corner of his eye, "Let me guess, it was filed by Robere?"
Draco smirked and cocked a brow, "Oh, so you're familiar with him?"
He let out a heavy sigh and shrugged defeatedly, "Unfortunately. Don't be too hard on Ron about it though. We've tried…several times. I'm not sure how else to get through to Robere about his paperwork skills."
"Firing him could be effective," Draco deadpanned and kept his face straight while Harry shot him a glare.
"Ha, ha, very funny Malfoy. Terminating employment doesn't solve all of the world's problems."
"Do you want me to offer any other advice?"
"Fuck no."
The two men started laughing, trying to hold it in but failing. The rest of the room ignored the oddballs, used to their inside jokes over the last few years. Ron looked over from the chess game with an eyebrow raised. He watched for a few seconds before shaking his head and returning his focus. Theo was an insane chess player, one that kept Ron on his toes.
"Harry and Malfoy are at it again," he mumbled and moved a pawn.
Theo scoffed but smirked, "Aren't they always? Not to be offensive but sometimes they could pass for best friends with the little nuances they share."
Ron snorted and took a long pull from his bottle of beer, "I've actually had that thought a few times over the last couple months. Malfoy isn't a prat like he used to be. Still don't know why Mione kept their meetings a secret."
Theo raised a brow, "Yes you do. You just don't like that she kept it from you. Everyone has their secrets, even Granger and even you."
Ron grumbled to himself and took another drink, deciding to drop the subject. Fortunately, his mother chose that moment to enter the living room and announce that cake was ready. Draco sat at the far end of the table with Theo and Blaise who were flanked by Ron and Ginny. He watched with a small smile as James beamed at the chocolate cake glowing with candles placed in front of him. Pansy and Harry stood on either side of James, smiling proudly, while everyone joined together to sing.
Draco couldn't help the slight ache that had settled in his chest while observing the merriment. He kept the smile facade on but inside, he grimaced. Normally he would slam his Occlumency into place but right now, he let himself feel the emotions, to feel the sadness and the ache. But damn it all, a tear would not be shed.
No, he tucked it away slowly into the same latched book.
You should be here. You should be surrounded by your family and celebrating your nephew's birthday—even if he is an annoying little shit.
Clapping and cheers as James blew out the candles brought Draco back to reality. Theo and Blaise shared a look and peered warily to their friend who shook his head to dispel their concern. James was a somewhat patient now four-year-old and waited until his parents had finished serving everyone before spearing the rest of the cake with a fork.
"So, Gin," Ron started around a mouthful of cake, "When are you gonna just move in with Zabini?"
Ginny almost choked on her drink while Blaise's fork didn't slow on its way to his mouth.
"How eloquent of you, Ronald," Blaise slowly chewed before continuing, "But I fail to see how that is any of your business."
"She's my sister."
"And a grown adult," Blaise raised a brow and crossed his arms, prepping for the barrage.
"Which is more than I can say of your behaviour at the moment," Ginny glared at her brother, "Since when do you care about my boyfriends?"
Ron shrugged, "You've been together a while, just wondering when it's gonna be more permanent I guess."
Ginny couldn't stop her mouth from dropping open and Blaise's eyes went wide. For the first time, Ron had made them speechless and he was looking damn proud of it, too.
"Theo," Draco said quickly, "how's the cake?"
"Oh, splendid. Dessert and a show. I love visiting this family," Theo grinned widely and took a bite of cake.
Ginny and Blaise took a little longer to recover from Ron's shocking statement while the others continued enjoying each other's company. Draco stayed quiet, barely eating the lovely dessert Molly had made, his stomach feeling made of stone. It was always when he was with the Weasley clan that he found it difficult to shake the feeling. Just as he was about to stand to take a walk, the conversation turned to the subject on his mind.
"Still no news of Hermione then?" Arthur looked back and forth to Ron and Harry. The two men shook and bowed their heads in defeat.
"Sorry dad," Ron said glumly, "Haven't had anything in over a year."
"Well, wherever she is, hopefully she's okay," Molly nodded and squeezed her husband's shoulder.
"Molly," Blaise started, adding the gentle drawl he used when he would ask uncomfortable questions, "Do you know anything about the werewolf fight that happened a few weeks ago near here?"
"Oh! Oh, of course, we heard about it from someone in the village," she nodded, looking towards Arthur. "That poor old farmer about had a coronary from the sight."
"Do you remember anything from when it happened?"
"Not really. Do you, dear?" She turned to Arthur.
Mr Weasley shook his head, "Not particularly. I had been outside in the gardens and thought I had heard something in the wind. Thought maybe it was birds or something. The updated wards don't let much through."
"Good to hear," Theo raised his glass with a smirk.
"Should we be concerned?" Ginny looked pointedly at Draco.
"No," he said with no hesitation, "Theo's wards are impeccable. Blaise is only asking because we just now received the report from the responding team."
Draco and Harry looked towards Ron with irritation. The redhead held his hands up and stuttered, "Hey, I've done everything I can to get him to properly do his paperwork."
"The simple fact you know who, without us revealing anything else, should be very concerning," Blaise drawled while lazily drawing circles on the tablecloth with his fingers.
"Ron," Harry groaned with a sigh.
"I already talked to the Director about him. Can't do anything til they find a suitable replacement," Ron grumbled and crossed his arms in a huff.
"A troll could be a suitable replacement," Ginny grinned widely as Ron flipped her the bird.
"Uncle Dray," James appeared by his side, shyly holding onto a guitar, and successfully attempting a puppy-eyed look, "Play?"
Draco smiled and took the guitar. James clapped excitedly and followed him back into the living room, leaving the rest of the adults to bicker; Ginny guffawing at Ron's expense again. James sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the corner armchair, waiting expectantly. Draco lightly strummed the strings and adjusted the tuning.
"Any requests?"
James shook his head, "Something new? And sing?"
Draco nodded and quietly started playing the intro to Drops of Jupiter by Train. His tenor singing voice was soft and James grinned widely, swaying from his seat on the floor. Draco noticed out of the corner of his eye Pansy quietly slipping into the room and sliding into the chair next to him. As his fingers strummed, he could still hear Ginny and Ron talking animatedly in the kitchen/dining area. Theo and Blaise would periodically add quips just to egg them on.
Draco closed his eyes as he continued singing. His mind wanted to wander freely again. Rather than force it back, he let it. Images flitted through his mind.
Memories of brown curls and honey-coloured eyes.
Sitting in a garden, strumming a guitar before she surprised him with a kiss and stole the guitar, running from him.
A war raging around them but comfortably sitting at the bay window, fire crackling nearby. Rain pattered on the windows and she curled into him.
Draco kept his eyes closed as he felt Pansy's hand gently rest on his shoulder. Somehow, he managed to keep his focus and held back the tears that threatened to breach. He wouldn't cry at the Burrow in front of everyone—he was Draco Malfoy for gods' sake.
As he opened his eyes when the song ended, James clapped enthusiastically and asked for another one. Draco thought for a moment and started playing a song without vocals. He didn't trust his voice at that moment. He chanced a glance towards Pansy. Her eyes were glistening and she squeezed his shoulder in understanding. He gave her the smallest smile. She was the only one who knew of those few years. Blaise and Theo had suspicions—but Draco had only trusted Pansy with holding his secrets of what had really passed between him and Granger.
Pansy was the one who had held him the one time that he broke, years ago when Granger first disappeared. He had drunk himself into a stupor, abhorrently incoherent, and eventually thankful Pansy had been the one to find him. He had been slumped in a corner of his bedroom, eyes swollen and bloodshot, a half empty bottle of tequila dangling from his hand. She had sat with him for hours, magically switching the tequila in the bottle for water unbeknownst to him, and listened to him blubber. He had been embarrassed after finally sobering up. Thankfully, Pansy had only smiled and never mentioned it again other than warning him to stay away from tequila lest he end up like that again.
"Mum, that fox is in the garden again," Ginny called from the back door.
"Oh, is it? I've got some scraps for it," Molly excitedly bustled out the door with a plate.
Draco handed the guitar to Pansy who shushed James's sad protests with promises he would be right back. He joined Theo and Blaise outside as they watched Molly approach the little fox and place the plate at the edge of the garden. Arthur chuckled and shook his head.
"Oddest thing really. Molly was concerned your wards had stopped working but then we had watched it crackle in the distance. Somehow the little thing had either already been here or gotten through," he shrugged, "Makes Molly happy to have something to dote on."
They watched as Molly crouched away from the plate and talked softly to the fox, encouraging it to come closer. Its eyes darted from Molly to the small crowd by the door. It slowly crept closer and sniffed the food, keeping its eyes on everyone.
"Of course, mum feeds strays," Ron laughed and nudged Harry.
Draco watched as the fox perked its ears towards the two. He could've sworn he watched its eyes roll, almost human-like. But that would be absurd…wouldn't it?
"Drake," Blaise murmured so only Draco and Theo heard, "that's not a normal fox."
Draco and Theo tensed, glanced towards Blaise then back to the creature. "What do you mean?"
"Its behaviour. Even if she's been feeding it, it shouldn't be that friendly. Foxes are very sensitive to certain magical energies, specifically wards. It should be anxious, wary of us. It's not."
"You said this is too far for a kitsune to be here? What else could it be?"
"Yes, and it's not one of those either. I don't know what it is, but that is not a true fox."
They watched with rapt attention as the fox slowly ate from the plate, its gaze flicking constantly to each person. Its amber eyes staying longer on the three men with each pass until eventually it held only their gaze. Draco's hand flexed, ready to grab his wand that was secured in its holster along his forearm. Theo's hand on his arm gave him pause. He looked over and saw that Blaise held the fox's gaze with narrowed eyes, unblinking. Before any of them could react, it suddenly whipped around and sprinted towards the tall field grass. Theo gripped Draco's arm, his other hand grasping the back of Blaise's shirt, ensuring they didn't alarm the Weasleys and take off after it.
"Remember how my wards work? Dark creatures. They can't come in. Dark wizards with evil intent, can't come in. Whatever that is, it has no ill will towards this family," Theo hissed quietly through gritted teeth and held the two men still as everyone else went back into the house, oblivious to their discussion. They stood still for another minute before Theo released his hold on them.
"Should we tell them?" Blaise asked, scanning the property for any sign of it.
"No," Draco said softly, "it would just alarm them. They might panic. If it truly has no ill will towards them, we'll let it be for now. Come on, let's go back insi-."
There was a howl in the distance. They paled and whipped their heads in the direction of the noise.
Fuck…fuck…fuck…
She pressed herself closer to the ground and watched as the three men still stood outside the door, talking quietly. It had been so, so tempting. And she had been starving, going on three days without food. Molly was always so kind and gave her scraps when she visited. But every time it left a sour taste at the thought of deceiving her friend. And today…today they had all been there.
James' birthday…fuck I'm an idiot…
But she had been so hungry. Seeing them all, together…her heart ached. She wanted desperately to show herself, to tell them everything, to apologise and beg their forgiveness for all of the secrets.
She couldn't. She knew she couldn't. Not when Greyback was still a threat. Not until she figured out what the bastard was planning. The wolves kept getting too close to the Burrow, too close to Godric's Hollow. She had tracked their movements but there wasn't a distinct pattern. She had already risked getting too close in order to lure them away. If she tried again…She grimaced as her ribs throbbed. She wasn't sure she could take another ambush like that. She had berated herself for letting her guard down. If she hadn't, maybe she could have ended it.
Yeah right…you're one against how many? Think logically.
And oh god, seeing him? It took everything she had not to run to him. Seeing him again, he looked divine. He had grown out his hair, now wore glasses, and was bigger, broader than before.
All she wanted, all she dreamed about anymore was to be held in his arms again…but…
She shook her head at herself. The way he looked at her? She could tell the moment Blaise had figured it out, whispering to him and Theo. They knew she wasn't "normal". She ran, unsure if they would deem her friend or foe and draw their wands on her. She didn't want to find out.
Stupid. You're stupi-
A loud howl tore her gaze from them. She sat up swiftly, eyes darting around over the top of the tall grass, ears flicking back and forth. Her eyes could just make out the dark figures along the edge of the wards on the other side of the field. They were prowling, low to the ground; a few times they tested the wards and were shocked in return. It wasn't a full moon tonight but that wouldn't stop them from acting so disgustingly feral. She was thoroughly fucked in this situation. No matter what she did, she risked being hexed or attacked by the wolves.
Her decision was made for her when she saw Harry and Ron racing ahead of Theo, Blaise, and Draco towards the wolves. She felt the panic start coursing. They had no idea how many were there, they couldn't see properly–they were going to die.
Without a second thought, she sprinted as fast as her legs would move. She needed to get ahead of them, to stop them. But she was too late–they had stepped through. Her lungs burned as she pushed faster, hearing snarling and crashing as spells found their targets. She ran through the wards just in time to see Ron tackled to the ground, Blaise wrestling someone on the ground behind him. She acted on instinct and pounced, her teeth tearing at the man's back and neck. She snarled and grasped an ear, pulling and ripping. The man howled in pain as blood pooled into her mouth. She locked her jaw and held on until the man released Ron. Standing back, the man grasped desperately at her fur, tearing out a few handfuls. She continued scratching until she felt her teeth fully tear through the ear. The man screeched and the other man who had been wrestling Blaise stood next to him.
Blaise had pulled Ron closer to himself, holding his wand out towards them. She crouched protectively in front of them, baring her teeth at the other men. The other wolves started to crowd around them–she snarled and snapped. She had been right–there were far too many of them, even for the experienced Aurors. Harry, Theo, and Draco were somewhere off to the side; she could still hear snarling and spells being cast, red and purple light would flash across the air. While they were exceedingly proficient duelists, it did little to help in a fistfight with a partial werewolf. Draco was the only one who had the physical strength to hold them off and he was being overrun.
This close to a full moon? Only Dark magic would work against them.
Her friends were going to die…
She had no choice…
She steeled her thoughts and pulled for her magic. Her limbs shook as they grew longer; skin prickled as it stretched, her fur grew and turned silver; her paws flexed into elongated fingers and claws; her muzzle lengthened, teeth growing longer and piercing sharp. Her ears lay flat against her head and she crouched over Ron again, covering him significantly more now. A deep rumble of a snarl left her throat as she bared her teeth threateningly to the crowd of wolves.
They baulked at her dominating display; she realised that Greyback wasn't among them, otherwise they would've attacked regardless of her new form. They could overpower her in numbers but it would be more devastating and lethal to them as none could transform outside of the full moon. The wolves growled but backed away, retreating to the nearby trees. She looked over and saw that some were still attempting to attack the others. She glanced back: Ron was unconscious, Blaise was staring with wide eyes, his wand lowered to the ground. She decided they would be safe for now and ran at full speed..
She threw all of her weight and rammed the attackers, knocking them to the ground. One attempted to stab her with a small knife. She pinned him down, her claws digging into his chest, and grasped his throat between her jaws. Glaring at the other wolves, she forcefully bit down. The man's screams turned to gurlges as blood poured from his mouth. The other wolves snarled at her and backed away. She tightened her grip and pulled, ripping her jaws from the man's throat. One of them yelled angrily and broke away from the group, scrambling towards her. She dodged and twisted his outstretched arm until she heard the bones crack. The man let out a shrill scream and in a desperate attempt to cut her, flung his other arm. She curled her fingers and thrust forward, claws spearing into his stomach. She twisted her wrist, grasping part of his intestines and ripped. The man dropped in a bloody heap.
She turned to the other wolves, curling her lips. Blood dripped from her teeth and hands, strips of skin and muscle dangling. It had the effect she wanted–the remaining wolves fully retreated. She spat the gore from her mouth, the foul taste making her want to vomit. She waited until they were completely gone before slowly turning and finding four wands pointed towards her. She looked at each of them, her eyes staying on Draco as she backed away slowly. She could tell they were all in shock and their reflexes might be delayed but she wouldn't risk hurting them. She dropped to all fours and continued backing away. She pulled at her magic and willed herself to change back to a fox. Her magic refused and pushed against her..
Of course…fuck my life…