Chapter 14: The Bigot and the Beast
When she arrived for her revision session in the library the next day Hermione was surprised to notice that Severus was not sitting alone. Her surprise grew when Regulus did not move when she sat down, they only stopped whispering as he got out his books. She raised an eyebrow to Severus but he just shook his head and they continued to work in silence.
This continued to happen for the next couple of days and Hermione eventually grew more comfortable around the younger boy. Although he was a year younger than them in school, he was actually quite intelligent and so would often contribute to their conversations about their course. Unsurprisingly, he had a very similar sarcastic, dry humour to Severus, and Hermione began to enjoy his company more.
During the horcrux hunt, when she had first learnt about Regulus's betrayal of Voldemort, she had imagined him as some sort of quiet and brooding hero, but she couldn't have been more wrong. She knew that a lot could happen in the two years before he was supposed to die, but Hermione was amazed at how young he was acting.
He may have only been 15 or 16, but Hermione likened the way he talked to that of an annoying younger brother. Often found whining at what he was expected to do at school and at home, Hermione was reminded of how Malfoy used to act. The comments he offhandedly made regarding those he saw as lesser than him obviously demonstrated someone who had grown up with these opinions thrown in his face as if they were facts.
His naivety and lack of thought when he spewed certain opinions often made Hermione and Snape have to look around hesitantly to see if anyone else had heard what he was saying. Oddly enough Snape didn't mention the fact that he knew Hermione was a muggleborn until Regulus had dug himself into a very deep hole. Hermione took great pleasure in bringing him back to reality, after a week of spending time with him.
He was in the middle of a tirade about the differences between how muggles raise their children to be barely literate when Hermione interrupted. She was glad to finally put a stop to his harmful and ill-thought-out comments, and hopefully return to the casual calm of her past revision sessions with Severus.
"So has it been an issue getting help from and studying with me then?"
"What are you talking about?" He mumbled offhandedly, obviously not listening.
"Well my parents were too stupid to teach me how to read and write, so you must have been having issues copying off of me then." Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione noticed Severus smile.
"Hermione, I think you're confused. I'm talking about Muggle methods of child rearing, I'm sure you had the finest tutors growing up." He continued writing notes while the other two shared sly smiles.
"Oh I did, my parents ensured it. The issue comes with the fact that my parents weren't actually wizards, so that would suggest that I shouldn't be able to comprehend the contents of these sheets that you were so happy to receive, let alone be able to have written them." By this point, Regulus was staring at her with a confused look on his face. "That is if your sources are correct."
"I don't understand…"
She paused before asking,"Are you calling me stupid?"
"No, of course n.."
"I assume you don't need my notes then if your superior wizarding childhood means that you know more than me then." She continued, ripping the sheet he had been working from out from underneath his nose.
"What are you talking about?"
"Are you aware that I have been achieving the top marks in the majority of my classes?"
"Obviously, that's why I wanted your hel…"
"Well then," she sighed and smiled at him, "Could there be the slightest possibility that what you believe is incorrect then, seeing as the top student in the year is in fact a muggleborn girl?"
She put emphasis on the final part of the statement and to her delight, his jaw dropped when he grasped her meaning, "Maybe before you swan in here and insult me to my face, you could do me the courtesy of actually doing your research?"
As he gaped for a second more while scrambling for something to say, she let the awkward pause drag out before he replied "But you're a Dumbledore!"
"I thought it was common knowledge that I was adopted?"
"Well yeah, but your familys are friends, aren't they?"
"Yes but that doesn't make me a pureblood. You just assumed," she stared down at him, "And it's never polite to assume. I'm sure your perfect pureblood tutors taught you that?"
"Uh-huh" he mumbled out
"So now that you truly know what dirty company you keep, do you wish to leave?" She finished coldly, gesturing to the door, "If not, can I kindly ask that you keep your misinformed beliefs about me and my family out of the conversation!"
She was annoyed to see that he actually seemed to contemplate it before shaking his head to decline. After that, he was much less vocal about his beliefs, but Hermione often caught him looking at her oddly when she solved a particularly difficult Arithmancy problem or said something that made him laugh.
As October drew to a close she finally began feeling that she was on top of her workload. Unfortunately, this was before they began to ramp it up for the mocks that were scheduled to happen before Christmas. This meant that she still didn't have much time to look into the positions of the horcruxes. In the time she had when she woke up in the middle of the night screaming, she decided to dedicate her time to reordering the events on the 'Death Book' into Aberforth's gifted notepad.
It was times like these when she considered just how much time she had left. In just under 4 years, Harry was supposed to die and Voldemort would be eradicated, and that was truly the last deadline she had to execute her mission. Other than that, she had 4 years left, and she pretty much already knew all of the important information that they had needed to gather the first time around!
According to the 'Death Book' the majority of the Order deaths were due to happen in 1981, so Hermione couldn't help it when little niggles of doubt would worm their way into her psyche. What if she just let her mission slide for the time being, and took the time to rest and enjoy her childhood? So much of her innocence had been taken away, would it hurt to take the rest of the year, to just enjoy what she had left?
An announcement had recently popped up on the noticeboard in the Gryffindor common room about a Christmas Ball and her friends were all excited to go. Would it be the end of the world to at least wait until after Christmas to begin her mission? She was enjoying joking about with her new friends much more than she thought, who could blame her if the distant issue of the horcruxes went forgotten?
With that in mind, she decided to focus more on her studies and with helping her friends. One problem she had encountered was that she couldn't work out how to become an animagus. She had dabbled with the idea when she first discovered what Harry's dad had achieved in her 3rd year. Unfortunately, no matter what she tried, she couldn't get past the first steps of quieting her mind to discover which animal would suit her. She had assumed it would be an otter like her patronus, but that didn't sit well with her and neither had any other animal she thought of.
Frustrated with her lack of progress, she decided to confront McGonagall about her proclivity towards Transfiguration. Claiming that it was for her mission did nothing to help Hermione when the Professor described that certain witches and wizards simply cannot transform when they are at war with themselves. The fact of the issue was that Hermione would not be able to get past this first step without being comfortable with herself and her place in life. Disregarding this notion, Hermione vowed to continue practicing, not allowing herself to be bested by Rita Skeeter of all people.
It was for this reason that Hermione found herself feeling angry and resentful as she strolled across the Hogwarts grounds in the middle of the night. After an evening of failed attempts of 'finding herself' she now had to collect the aconite that would be blooming that night. Dumbledore had promised that Remus would somehow be kept away from the forest's edge on this full moon so that it would be safe for her.
Nonetheless, it was bloody terrifying walking out in the open in the middle of the night. Thanks to the clear sky and the bright moon, shadows seemed to pop up everywhere making Hermione jump at the most inopportune times. Whilst she was collecting the herbs she needed from the forest's edge she couldn't help but feel like she was being watched and so hummed quietly to herself to distract her from the encroaching shadows.
Thankfully free of the treeline, Hermione glanced over her shoulder for a last cautionary look. If she wasn't mistaken, that shadow had moved. She stopped a second to pay closer attention to it but it remained stationary causing her to dismiss her first thought.
Then it moved again. And this time it was whilst she was watching it. Looking straight into a pair of bright red eyes.
It was tall and built, perched unright as if it were a human but as it moved slowly towards her she noticed that it began to lope forward on all fours. From her experience of her third year Hermione knew that the creature before her was a werewolf, what she also knew was that it could not have the mind of the man inside it, and it definitely was not her old Professor.
She stayed stock still as they both regarded each other from a distance and she observed the mottled patches of grey in the beast's matted fur. Unlike the battered werewolf she had encountered in the future, this one was fully at peace with the man and the wolf and delighted in baring its teeth at Hermione, it's maw already dripping with blood. Making sure to not make eye contact, she lowered her head in submission towards what she knew used to be Fenrir Greyback.
Distinctly remembering Lupin's description of the man's wolf, she could pick out the grotesque, scarred features that could only belong to him. She was unhelpfully reminded of his comments at Malfoy Manor when he thought that he would be gifted her and she shuddered. The beast saw this and somehow seemed to smile, accepting it as a sign of fear from his prey before he could strike.
The snarl that ripped forth was all the notice she got before it leapt and she turned and fled, bellowing at the top of her lungs. There was still a considerable distance between the pair but she knew that he would cross that in mere seconds, she whimpered as she regarded the short distance that she still had to make towards the Entrance Hall. She wouldn't make it.
Hearing Greyback's growl much closer than she would have liked, she instead turned to run to the Whomping Willow, hoping the flailing branches would protect her in some way. As her panting increased, she was thankful for the cardio and endurance training she had been putting herself through. Just as she began to feel the heat of his breath on her neck, something dark suddenly collided with her side, winding her and taking her out of the path of the rampaging beast for a few seconds.
Quickly scrambling from her position laying face down on the grass she leapt up and turned to face her saviour. To her horror, she found that the only thing standing between her and the most violent werewolf in living history was none other than Sirius Black. She swore and sent a quick patronus to Dumbledore, simply saying the word help before she was interrupted.
Still in the form of a black dog, Sirius snarled and snapped in the face of Greyback, and Hermione noticed a stunned stag standing not far off with a smaller shadow hanging from his antlers. Before any altercation could begin, a wall of muscle and fury barrelled into their adversary.
She had been so preoccupied with keeping an eye on Greyback, that Hermione hadn't noticed a considerably younger looking Remus emerge from the Whomping Willow passageway. It seemed that even without his mind present, the young werewolf remembered who was the one that had given him this curse. He did not look happy about it.
Taking the opportunity that presented itself, Hermione leapt to her feet and ran off to the castle, ignoring the flail of claws and teeth that were clashing behind her. In the short seconds that she had stayed, she could see that the smaller werewolf was going to lose and she pitied how Remus would feel tomorrow. Assuming he made it until then.
Sure that she had seen a silhouette in the open doorway of the Entrance Hall, Hermione was momentarily distracted when she heard the battle end behind her. It seemed that Remus had been struck and was now collapsed on the floor, Hermione gasped as James and Sirius stepped before the form of their fallen friend in defensive poses. This, however, proved pointless when the monster sniffed at the air and his eyes once more came to rest upon Hermione.
Knowing that there was nothing else for it, Hermione steeled herself as she stood her ground, the beast scrambling towards her while the dog and the stag lagged behind, belatedly attempting to come to her aid. Hoping against all else that this actually worked, she cast a sonorous to her throat and bellowed, "FENRIR GREYBACK!"
By some miracle, it seemed that the myth of calling the man's true name had been correct because he momentarily froze mid air. Thankful that those would not be her last words, she summoned all of her magic to cast a stunning spell.
She was not alone in her cry and Hermione jumped back to see that she had Dumbledore and McGonagall on either side of her, doing the same. Thanks to her calling and the force of 3 stunning spells, the werewolf was frown backwards about 20 metres and seemed to come unstuck from whatever spell she had put him under. Amazed that the combined magic of three spells did not take him down, Hermione could only watch as Fenrir snarled and ran back off into the forest.
"Took you long enou- Ahhhh!" Hermione groaned as she sank to her knees and cradled her stomach, all thoughts of yelling at Dumbledore falling off her lips. Stabbing pains racketed through her as she breathed in and she could feel the edges of her vision start to blur and blacken. The last thing she saw was the concerned faces of her professors and the approaching sight of three animals before she fell backwards. "Remus…?" was the last word that escaped before everything went dark.
Up next is Chapter 15: The Problem Period