Chapter 3: Cave Canes*
18 August 1997
12 Grimmauld Place
Hermione walked to the kitchen, padding softly in her fuzzy socks. She stopped in the doorway and thought about turning around when she saw Sirius facing the wall as he poured himself a cup of tea. Both Sirius and Remus had been acting a bit strange since their conversation in the hall two days before. Hermione assumed that it was Marauder business and that it would be best for her not to get involved, but nonetheless she worried about the two men.
She was already almost constantly concerned for Remus, ever since her third year at Hogwarts. She considered her ex-professor to be one of the bravest men she had ever met, and her heart broke when she thought of the years of full moons he spent completely alone. From what she had seen of his suffering in the time Sirius had been assumed dead, she couldn't bring herself to imagine what it had been like before.
And then there was the whole mess with Tonks. Hermione just couldn't understand why Remus had kept the young aurora at a distance. It had been clear to everyone that Tonks wanted to be more than friends, but Remus had seemed completely opposed to the idea. It was no secret that Tonks was beautiful, talented, funny even, so that obviously wasn't the issue. Hermione thought it was perhaps the looming war that scared Remus, which made her laugh. She was supposed to be the overly cautious one, and even she thought if anyone had a chance for love now, it was well worth the risk.
So that really only left the age-difference. Remus was about 13 years older than Tonks, but it hadn't bothered the metamorphagus at all. Or Molly for that matter. Hermione admitted to herself, she felt a little disappointed in Remus for rejecting Tonks over something so trivial. Tonks was an adult. She could make her own choices and she had chosen Remus. If she was being truly honest with herself, Hermione feared for him. She was afraid Remus would never allow himself to find love and end up alone.
And if he couldn't do it, could she?
And then there was Sirius. The man no doubt had his issues that spanned a lifetime, but Hermione was worried he wasn't able to properly deal with everything now that he had been thrown right back into the middle of the war. Mad-Eye Moody was gone. Professor Dumbledore was gone. And then Regulus.
The day before Hermione had ventured out of her room to get a cup of tea in the middle of the night. Being knocked out for an entire day had messed with her sleeping schedule and she had hoped a nice cup of tea would help her relax. As she walked back to her room, she had heard a muffled crash coming from the other end of the hallway near what had originally been Regulus' room.
She'd inched open the door to find Sirius kneeling beside his brother's untouched bed. The lamp that had previously sat on the bedside table was across the room, and there was now a hole in the wall. Hermione's eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat.
"Sirius?" she whispered, completely unsure of herself. She had experience comforting Harry and somewhat Ron, although Ron never really showed much variety in his emotional range. But Sirius, Sirius was different. This man had known true horror, and he couldn't be fixed with a cup of tea or a trip to see Hagrid.
Nonetheless, Hermione slowly approached him, kneeling beside him and placing her mug of tea on the bedside table. Sirius had fallen to his knees beside Regulus' bed, one arm holding his face and head and the other clutching a ball of green and black fabric. Staring at him, Hermione wondered how he managed to hold the weight of the world and still be so much more than a shell of a man. She wrapped her arms softly around him so as not to spook him.
The moment dragged on as they sat there without talking. The only sounds in the room were the muffled ticking of the clock on the wall and their breathing, slowly synchronizing. After a couple of minutes, Sirius finally lifted his head.
"Hey, Pup." It was just a whisper, but by the hoarseness of his voice, Hermione could tell he had been screaming. He must have cast a silencing charm.
"Hi, Sirius," she whispered back. They moved apart, and Hermione reached for her forgotten mug. "I'm afraid it might be a bit cold now, but a warming spell will help."
Sirius took the mug and offered a weak smile in return. Hermione smiled back.
"Oh!" She turned and reached for her wand, mumbling a quick summoning charm. A small bottle of Ogden's Finest flew into the room. She unscrewed the cap and poured a bit into the mug of tea before saying a warming spell. She looked up to meet Sirius' eyes. He looked back at the witch with mirth in his eyes before standing and pulling her up with him.
"Better run along there, Pup," Sirius nudged her toward the door. "Wouldn't want Professor Moony seeing you out after curfew."
Hermione scoffed at the Marauder. "After all the stories I've heard about you two, I don't think I could take Remus seriously as a professor again." Hermione's eyes lit up with pride as Sirius weakly barked out a laugh before her eyebrows furrowed and a worried gaze fell across her face. "But honestly, Sirius, are you okay? Is there anything I can do?"
"You've done enough, Pup. Thank you." Sirius set the mug and the green and black cloth down and placed his hands gingerly on Hermione's shoulders. He sought out her eyes with an intense stare. "Thank you."
As Hermione walked back to her room, she knew Sirius was thanking her for more than just sitting with him for a moment.
The next morning when she had awoken the next morning, Hermione had been reluctant to see the Animagus. While she considered herself to be close to Remus, she knew she wasn't on the same level with Sirius. Their interaction last night had left her feeling a bit confused. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to acknowledge what had happened or not.
She managed to avoid him for most of the day, busying herself with the polyjuice potion while the boys looked at maps of the Ministry with Remus. But later that evening, Hermione took her chances and wandered toward the kitchen for a cup of tea. Glancing at Sirius, she started, unsure of how to proceed.
"Come on in, Pup, I've got enough for two cups."
"How did you know it was me?" Her eyes widening as Sirius turned around and tapped his nose twice. "You smelled me? I thought only Remus could do that."
Sirius chuckled as the pouting witch moved to grab a cup of tea. They wandered into the drawing room where Remus was napping. Hermione took a seat in her favorite armchair, while Sirius contemplated sitting on Remus before taking over the empty cushion at Remus' feet.
"Had a bit of a mishap when we were learning to become Animagi. Can't complain though. These heightened senses come in handy all the time." Sirius took a deep breath. "I like your new shampoo. It's different than what you had before, though I've always been a fan of lavender."
"Your sniffer must be broken, Sirius," Hermione laughed, shaking her head. "I've never used lavender shampoo."
"Oh, right. That's not what I meant."
Before Hermione could question Sirius, Remus violently kicked out, sending Sirius crashing to the floor. Hermione jumped up, dropped her mug, and stared at Remus in shock as he began shaking uncontrollably, a growl of pain ripped from his throat.
Remus' eyes flashed open and he rolled off the couch, landing on his hands and knees. His breathing was ragged and sweat was beginning to gather on his hairline. Sirius and Hermione both stared at Remus in horror before catching each other's gaze.
"It's not?"
"Oh Merlin, it is."
"But the potion-"
"Not since Snape."
"But how-"
"He usually hides himself away, but with you coming back, he must have forgotten. I must have forgotten."
"You need to get out of here."
"Sirius! I can't leave you here!"
"Animagus, remember? Get Harry and Ron, you all need to apparate away. This house is too old and Moony's too strong for me to bar him in one room."
"Are you s-"
"Dammit, Hermione. Get the boys and get out of here!" Sirius shouted, alerting Remus who was, at present, ripping away at his own shirt. His skin was expanding and breaking and moving, his bones snapping and reshaping. Hermione couldn't take her eyes off the grotesque sight. Remus was almost transformed.
"Hermione," Sirius's voice game out forcefully, almost a growl. "Get. Out."
Snapping out of it, the witch ran out of the drawing room and headed for the stairs. A large crash sounded from behind her and she dared to look back. She barely caught a glimpse of Padfoot being thrown across the room before she whipped her head around, continuing up the stairs.
She ran into Harry's room, and as luck would have it neither of the boys was there. She ran to Ron's room, bursting in to see the boys on the floor playing Exploding Snap.
"Get up," Hermione shouted, adrenaline running and out of breath. The two boys looked at her with a mixture of shock and confusion. In that moment, Hermione looked crazed.
"Hermione, what the hell?"
"Harry. Ron. Get up. We forgot. We forgot what day it was." She was moving quickly around the room, grabbing various items. "Follow me!"
The boys shared a look before chasing her into her room a floor below. Hermione grabbed her small beaded bag and opened it, pushing the items she had grabbed from Ron's room inside. She shoved the bag into one of Harry's hands, grabbed his other hand along with one of Ron's, and moved them back down the stairs.
"Hermione! What's going on?" Ron panted. His words faded out as an angry howl echoed from below. Hermione turned to face her best friends.
"It's the full moon and we forgot. Moony, the werewolf, is downstairs with Padfoot. We need to get somewhere safe." Another howl echoed, this time followed by frantic barking. The trio continued their way down the stairs, slowing toward the bottom.
"Harry, do you remember where I took us after the wedding?"
"Tottenham Court, right?"
"Exactly. Apparate there once we make it outside, and take Ron with you. He won't know how to get there. I'll be right behind you, and then we can decide where to spend the night." The boys nodded, and the trio moved quietly and quickly toward the front door. The banging and crashing in the drawing room, escalated before dying down a bit. The calm worried Hermione.
Finally, they made it to the door, throwing it open to the evening air. Hermione pushed the boys down the steps and gave them a powerful glare before Harry finally moved. She felt a tiny wave of relief as she heard the recognizable 'pop' of apparation. She was about to apparate herself when she felt a distinct absence at her side.
"My wand."
Hermione froze just a second before dashing back inside the house. She moved toward the drawing room. She could see her wand on the floor where she had dropped it. The door on the other side of the drawing room was open, claw marks scratched down its side.
Maybe they've left the room, Hermione thought, inching forward. She tried to focus on any and all sounds. It's just a few steps in. I think I can make it.
Hermione inched forward and dropped down to pick up her wand. She let out a sigh of relief. Much louder than anticipated. She gasped, immediately drawing another hand to cover her mouth. She started to stand up but was bowled over by a powerful force. Her vision blurred, and the back of her head stung. Hermione found she couldn't move her arms, and she looked up to see an enormous wolf towering over her, foaming at the mouth. A drop of drool fell from the creature's muzzle into Hermione's hair.
Moony opened his powerful jaws, a growl ripping forth from his throat, and Hermione turned away, trying in vain to escape. She screamed just as his fangs met her shoulder.
"Sirius!"
Chapter Title Translation: *Beware of Dog