I know I never do this but I just wanted to thank Hoot95 for the nicest review I think I've ever had - it really made my day! And FabinaForever11 thanks so much for reviewing every chapter I appreciate it so so much! Enjoy this chapter and I look forward to hearing all your thoughts!
- HermionesPolyjuice xo
Chapter 14
Draco was right about his feeling for the Wolfsbane potion. They were getting further along that either of them had ever succeeded and it was making Hermione jittery. She knew it wasn't going to be ready in time for the next full moon, missing out by only a few days, but with the ability to store it for up to a year it made her excited that she may be able to finally stop relying on Remus to send over his supplies.
"You need to chill," Draco suddenly exploded one evening a couple of weeks later, a mere 3 days before the full moon. "It's not healthy. And being on edge the whole time isn't going to make the potion brew any faster. You're more likely to make a mistake. And don't think I haven't noticed you haven't eaten or drunk half as much as you need to. You're making it worse for yourself, Hermione. You need to be fit and healthy for Friday so please just relax." Hermione just stood in the living room and stared at her housemate. She knew he was talking sense, he normally tended to. But it was frustrating he would always resort back to her lack of appetite. It didn't help her knowing that he was keeping such a close eye on her. She knew he was only doing what he felt was best for her, but she wasn't exactly doing anything on purpose. She slumped into an armchair, looking defeated.
"Sorry," she mumbled, making Draco cringe inwardly. He hadn't meant to explode quite like that and certainly hadn't meant to shout at her but he was only been looking out for her.
"Hey, don't apologise," he said quietly, taking the few steps towards the chair and crouching down in front of her. "I care for you, that's all. And you're also driving me a little mad," he added with a chuckle. Hermione managed a smile in response.
"Sorry, I don't mean to be like this. I'm just full to the brim of different emotions, constantly feeling like I'm going to explode, and it doesn't help I'm so twitchy this close to a full moon. I'll try and calm down, but I can't promise anything until Saturday and it'll get better then" she said sadly.
"I know, Hermione. I know it's hard, I just want what's best for you, that's all," Draco said taking her hands in his and looking into her chocolate brown eyes. Hermione opened her mouth to respond but Draco cut in before she could say anything. "No, don't apologise. You have nothing to be sorry about." Hermione smiled.
"Where would I be without you?" she asked.
"Probably stuck on the ceiling with so much energy you can't get down," Draco said so seriously that Hermione couldn't help but let out a loud laugh.
"Thank you," she said after she had calmed down a bit. She stood up, pulling Draco up with her and did something she rarely ever did. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. Draco hesitated for a few seconds but then wrapped his own arms around her and held her close to him, rubbing circles on her back.
The potion suddenly let out a loud hiss, making the duo jump apart and spin around to face the now spitting potion. Hermione hurried over and looked down at it, looking worried. She then cast her eye down the pages of the open book sat next to the cauldron.
"I…I think that's a good thing," she said hesitantly sticking her face practically into the cauldron, far too close for Draco's liking. He hurried over and pulled her away from the cauldron.
"You don't need to get that close to examine it," he scolded. He then looked at it, it was now a very pale grey, almost translucent bubbling loudly and spitting up black and silver sparks. He smiled as he looked at the instructions in the book.
"Yeah, I think it's a very good thing too. Assuming nothing horrible happens, it should be done in a week," he said with a large smile. Hermione almost squealed in delight, throwing her arms around Draco's neck. It was a good thing Draco was somewhat prepared as Hermione jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist and threw her head back smiling broadly. Draco spun her around in a circle, unable to contain the laughter that escaped his mouth. Once she had leant back up Draco came to a standstill and stared straight into her eyes. He felt a fire light in his stomach. There was so much emotion in her eyes, so much more than he had ever seen. There was only one thing he wanted to do right then, something he had been stopping himself from doing for a while. His brain wasn't able to talk any sense into him before he ran one hand up Hermione's back and cupped the back of head. He pulled her face closer to his and before he knew it his lips had met hers.
Hermione's eyes widened in shock as she felt his lips on her own. She hesitated for just a second before responding and kissing him back. But that was for less than five seconds before her brain interrupted her and she pulled away. She stared at him, her eyes big and fearful. She untied her legs and slid down to the floor. She barely waited for her feet to hit the floor before she took off running. She skidded out of the living room and had thrown herself into her room and onto her bed before Draco had even turned around. She managed to lock the door just before she heard him knock for the first time. She ignored him. What in Merlin's name had just happened? Why had he kissed her? Why had she kissed him back? She screamed into her pillow. This wasn't meant to happen. This was not meant to happen. How could she have let it happen?
"Hermione. Please let me in. We need to talk," Draco said from the other side of the door.
"No," Hermione shouted back, sounding a lot angrier than she felt because there was a part of her, a tiny part of her that actually enjoyed that 5 second kiss. She liked the fact that he saw her for what she was and that he had never deserted her despite her being what she was. She appreciated it and felt that maybe, just maybe, her life wouldn't be quite so bad as she originally thought it would be those many months ago. But at the same time it had felt so wrong. It would be a lie if she denied that she hadn't felt a romantic feeling or two towards Draco but since they had moved to Romania, and if not before, her feelings towards him had turned completely platonic and she had seen him as a brother, another Harry or Ron, certainly not someone she should be kissing.
"Hermione, I'm so sorry. I don't even know what came over me. I shouldn't have done it. Please, I am so so sorry for what I did. It was completely unacceptable, and I promise it will never happen again. Please let me in, Hermione. I need to see you," Draco practically begged to be let in. Hermione could picture him on his knees outside her door, and couldn't stifle the laugh that escaped. She let out a loud groan, telling Draco she was not pleased to be doing this, but flicked her wand and unlocked her door. She looked over and, yes, could see Draco on his knees in the hallway. He jumped up as he realised the door had opened. He looked at Hermione, lying there on her bed, who cocked her head back in return.
"What the hell, Draco?" she asked, not angrily but almost calm.
"I…I don't know what happened. One second I was checking the potion, the next I was spinning you in a second and then I…I…I ki…" but Draco couldn't say the word.
"Yes, Draco. You fucking kissed me," Hermione said, finding is laughable.
"You kissed me back," he retorted loudly.
"You initiated it," Hermione said narrowing her eyes, but Draco could see the evil glint.
"I…I'm sorry," he said hanging his head morosely. Hermione rolled her eyes and patted the bed next to her. Draco shuffled over and tentatively lowered himself so he was lying next to his companion.
"You twat," she said suddenly, hitting him in the chest, a little bit harder than she had meant.
"Yeah," was all Draco managed.
"Well, as long as it doesn't happen again, we're all good. It was a mistake, shit happens it's not the end of the world and I don't want it to ruin our friendship," Hermione said rolling onto her side to face him. Draco couldn't stop his heart from plummeting at those words. 'It was a mistake' just on repeat through his head. But was it really a mistake for him?
"Yeah," he croaked. Hermione noticed the tone of voice and lifted herself onto her elbow to look down at him. Draco refused to look at her and continued to stare up at the ceiling.
"It…it was a mistake right?" she asked hesitantly. Draco sighed and turned his head so he was looking straight into her eyes.
"I…I don't know," he admitted quietly.
"Hmmm," Hermione muttered rolling back onto her back and staring up at the ceiling. They were silent for what felt like an eternity.
"How long?"
"What?"
"How long have you been wanting to do that?" Hermione asked sternly.
"A while," Draco confessed.
"Right," Hermione mumbled. She opened her mouth to speak but once again Draco cut her off.
"But, if you don't feel that way I can stop it, I promise. I don't anything you don't," he said so quickly it took a while for Hermione to process exactly what had come out of his mouth.
"I did. I think I did, I don't know when. Maybe a while ago. But more recently I haven't. I'm sorry, Draco. I know this will crush you but I just don't see you that way any more. You've taken such good care of me recently that I see you more of a brother than anything. I love you to pieces, just not like that," Hermione admitted. Draco was shocked that she had felt a similar way for him that he had her. And although it did kind of crush him that she only saw him as a brother, he couldn't say he was surprised.
"It's OK, Hermione. Give it a bit and I'm sure you'll feel like a sister to me," Draco said with a smirk.
"Ew gross," Hermione said scrunching up her nose.
"What? So, I'm allowed to be your brother but you're not allowed to be my sister?" Draco asked confusion evident in his voice.
"It just makes that kiss seem so much worse," Hermione said with a laugh. "Nasty." Draco couldn't help but agree with her a little. There were definitely some feelings there but he knew that over the next few weeks or so he would be able to trample over them and push them away.
[-||-]
It was a little awkward between Hermione and Draco for a few days after, but as they sat opposite each other having lunch the day of the full moon, it all evaporated. Draco said something that made Hermione drop her cutlery in shock and stare at him open-mouthed.
"Are you mad?" she practically shouted, making Draco shrink into his chair. "You…you want to come tonight?"
"Yeah, I think you could do with the company," Draco muttered quietly.
"No. You are not coming with me, Draco. Who knows what will happen, I could bite you or I could kill you. I'm not going to allow it," Hermione said gruffly.
"But you're on the Wolfsbane, you're still going to be Hermione just as a wolf," Draco argued.
"But I'll still be a werewolf, Draco. I've never been around a human in wolf form and who knows what I'll do," Hermione sighed, picking up her knife and fork that had fallen onto the floor.
"I trust you, Hermione. I know you won't do anything rash," Draco said seriously, staring straight into her eyes. Hermione, however, shook her head a fierce look in her eyes.
"I don't care, Draco. I am not going to risk it. You are going to stay here and make me breakfast for when I get back," Hermione said so sternly that Draco knew the conversation had ended.
Hermione tried to sleep for the afternoon, knowing that she wasn't going to sleep much at all that night what with the new surroundings and with that all the new smells she knew would fascinate her wolf form. As the sun got lower in the sky she started to get twitchy again, her senses heightened. She made herself eat some raw steak and it wasn't much later that she bade Draco goodnight and left the flat, her bag slung across her shoulder, her stomach full of butterflies. Why she was so much more nervous than usual she didn't understand. She had sought out a suitable transforming place earlier that week so followed her senses into the thick wood, following the trail until she reached a large oak tree, where she put down her bag and stripped down to a pair of leggings and a t shirt. She began to shiver in the cool, Autumn air. She paced around the small clearing in the hopes to warm herself a little until the moon rose in just a few minutes.
Just like all the past months, the transformation started suddenly and was agonising right from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. She was panting and on all fours by the time the transformation was complete. She stood up onto her hind legs and as per usual let out a howl into the dark night. But this time, something else happened. Something that had never happened before. Somewhere in the distance, probably only a mere 10 miles away or so, there was another howl, a distinctive howl coming from another werewolf, as if in responses to Hermione's own howl.
The hackles on the back of Hermione's neck stood up on end and before she could even comprehend what she was doing she had taken off at full speed towards where the sound had come from. She had only travelled a few minutes before the smell started to overwhelm the air. Yes, there was definitely another werewolf in the near vicinity. It wasn't long until she burst out from the woods into fields, that whilst covered in an eerie moonlight looked like they carried on for miles. She heard the trickle of a nearby stream. The impulsivity of her wolfish nature took her straight to the river, away from the scent of the other wolf. She bent down on her front legs and took deep gulps of the cold water.
Once Hermione the wolf was satisfied she stood up, turned around and continue to run towards the smell. It was getting much stronger than she would have expected and could only assume that the wolf was also heading her way, having identified her own scent as another werewolf. A sudden burst of flames made her jump but even as a werewolf she remembered it would likely have just come from a dragon in the nearby reserve.
Both wolves continued to run straight towards each others scent, both excited at the prospect of meeting another werewolf, but both apprehensive about what may happen. The wolf Hermione spotted the other one first, appearing from a ditch between two fields. Hermione came to a standstill, just seconds before the other wolf caught sight of her and also stopped. They seemed to have made contact, even across the large field and in the dappled moonlight Hermione could see grey wolf clearly, the copper fur speckled around it's muzzle and the blue glint of the grey eyes the most distinctive features.
The other wolf caught sight of Hermione and could see the chocolate brown fur, and big wide eyes. They knew instantly it was a new wolf. Someone who had been a werewolf for less than a year. The bright, excited looking eyes were easily recognisable to any older wolf. They reflected fondly back on their own first few months as a werewolf. the wolf carefully started to move across the field, towards the wolf Hermione. Hermione, however, didn't move. She could feel her heart hammering in her chest, and she could smell her own fear. She didn't know what to do or what to expect. How was she going to react? It was almost as if her legs had been glued to the muddy ground. She couldn't move, and how she wanted to. She wanted to turn and run in the opposite direction. She certainly wasn't ready to face another werewolf. She began to cower as the wolf got even closer. It seemed to happen in slow motion, but at the same time so fast. The wolf reached Hermione and stopped. They were less than a metre away. Hermione could smell its breath and could hear their heart beating fast in its chest. She almost felt as if she could read his thoughts, unaware that yes, some werewolves, especially those that belonged to each other's packs, could communicate telepathically to an extent.
"Hello."
(A/N: hope you enjoyed it - please leave a review, they honestly make my day whenever I see one and they motivate me to write more so thank you!)
