Cure
In a world gone mad, Hermione Granger struggles to find a cure. A muggle 'cancer cure' has gone horrifically wrong, leaving both the Muggle world and the Wizarding world in a shambles. Harry Potter has been scratched and is dying. Racing against the clock, she desperately hunts a cure for her adopted brother. While gathering research materials, she falls into the hands of someone most unexpected. Fenrir Greyback has a bitten, dying pup. On a supply run, he finds a beacon of hope. Is she the answer to his prayers? Hermione makes an astonishing discovery but will she be able or allowed to share it? Greyback has something she needs, she has something Greyback needs. Will they be able to compromise before it's too late?
Hermione gathered all the potions she could see into her knapsack. 'One of these had to work! It just had to! Harry hadn't been spared from fighting Voldemort only to fall victim to a SCRATCH, of all things! She paused momentarily. She could have sworn she heard breathing nearby and she felt goose pimples rise on her arms, as if she was being watched. She'd tried to make sure none of the infected were around but it was possible that she'd missed something. She had a pick axe that Harry had scavenged and given to her. She sent another slow look around as she tightened her grip on it. After a moment, she crossed the room and began gathering potential potions ingredients. She didn't intend to overlook a single thing! She didn't need any of the equipment, per say, but having extra equipment always helped. She did, after all, have her own little mini potions lab set up in the Ministry. After gathering everything she thought she'd need, including a bonus find of two potions books she couldn't resist, she was ready to leave.
She opened the door, took a long look around and prepared to run for her life again! Just as she set foot on the sidewalk, an arm wrapped around her! Before she could scream, there was a hand clapped over her mouth. So fast she had no time to react, she found herself being lifted, twisted around and flung across the shoulders of a very tall, broad shouldered man. From how high she was, he was an extremely tall man. For a moment, Death Eaters swirled through her head. Several of them were this tall but she didn't see Voldemort letting any of his ring of protection out into this whole mess!
She looked over her shoulder but all she could make out was the fact that he had dark brown hair. He wore combat boots and what she thought were leather pants. She wasn't sure if she was looking at the back of a leather jacket or a battle robe. Two things were obvious though, he wasn't Order nor Auror because he turned away fro the Ministry. As he prepared to run down the street, she tried to talk to him. "Please, I need to get to the Ministry!"
The man ignored her and took off in a fast sprint. Just in time, as a group of the infected wandered into sight from an alley. She counted at least seven. They screamed and ran after them. "Um, ok, forget the Ministry, please just run!" she screamed in panic. She felt a rumble under her stomach as he laughed loudly. He only ran a short distance, however, before he nimbly jumped a huge pile of debris blocking another alley.
He banged a wall and a door opened up. They disappeared into a building. Inside it was dimly lit. She could hear quite a few male voices swirling around the man. Suddenly she was taken off his shoulder, put on her feet and shoved into the wall. He gripped her by the throat, not tight enough to strangle her but tight enough to prevent her escaping from him. She gripped his big hand in both of her hands.
"Please! I have to get to the Ministry! It's important! They'll kill him if I don't come back. I'm trying to find a cure! You have to let me go back, please, I can't lose him! He's all I have left!" she begged. She looked up into the face of her captor and almost passed out.
Standing before her was one of the most feared magical beings in the Wizarding world and one who had pursued her before, the notoriously savage werewolf, Fenrir Greyback! She knew the instant he recognized her as well. The cruel eyes widened as he gave a loud howl. All his wolves joined in, howls ring off the walls.
"Not so fast, little missy! Tell me, what is Potter's little Muggleborn doing, by herself, out there? Why were you in the apothecary? What are you hunting for? Who is it you're so worried about?" he leaned closer to her.
"I'm hunting a cure, there has to be one! Harry, he got scratched on our way here. We were almost to the Ministry, they came out of nowhere, just like they did with you and me just now! I'm by myself because nobody else wanted to leave the safety of the Ministry! They called me crazy for wanting to look! Ron wouldn't leave Harry, the Minister wouldn't release any Aurors. But I know there's a cure, there has to be! The whole war didn't get sidelined just for Harry Potter to die from a scratch, damn it!" she glared defiantly at him.
"You're after a cure? You're that sure there is one?" he stared at her absently, his thumb stroking up and down the length of her neck.
"There is one. I'm going to find it. But I also have to get back to Harry! If he goes downhill and gets violent, they will kill him! He's not dead and he is still cognitive! They think he's already gone but he's not! He still knows me!" she needed Greyback to believe her!
"How long has it been since he was scratched?" Greyback asked.
"Last night, um," she looked at her muggle watch. "About twelve hours ago, give or take a couple of minutes. Why?"
He released her and motioned her to follow him. Puzzled, she followed him down a long hall into what she know recognized as an abandoned warehouse. He led her to the middle of the room. His wolves all gathered around and a path formed directly ahead of him. Looking down that path, she could see several men struggling as they made their way slowly to Greyback.
"He was ready to kill when we got back to Malfoy Manor and you three were gone. He'd intended to come back and lay claim on you, you know that, right? As handsy as he was with you until we got to the Manor the first time, you had to know he wanted you." Greyback said conversationally. Hermione glanced up at him, frowning. He was smiling at her, amused. "It's the reason we're here now, instead of at the Manor where we had pledged our loyalty. He wouldn't let him dirty his family line with a filthy mudblood so the boy took off. Dirtying the line wouldn't matter much anyway as the boy had asked me to bite him, turning him so he could be accepted into my pack. Naturally, there was a fight since I wasn't staying there without him. We broke the alliance with the Death Eaters and followed him. We'd almost caught up to him when we saw him fighting one of the infected. He was bitten, we finished off the dead one and I bit him. He wanted to die a wolf." Greyback shrugged. Then he looked ahead.
Hermione looked as well. Now they were closer, she could see it was three men, one struggling and two holding him back. As they came into the light she gasped. Scabior! That's who Greyback was talking about! He was being restrained by the other two men. He looked up and went still as his eyes meant hers. She slowly walked to him. Just as she put her hand out to touch his face, Greyback grabbed it. Just in time, as Scabior lunged forward with a growl and a snap of his teeth!
She knelt in front of him. "Scabior, do you remember me? You have to. I'm the girl you chased through the woods. You have my scarf around your neck." She lifted her wand and cast a diagnostic on him. "How long since he's been bitten?"
"Two months. We expected him to die that first night but he didn't. He had a very rough week but then he seemed to even out. We've had to keep him bound except for potty breaks and eating. After his last potty break of the night, we'll fill the tub back there with hot water and duck him down into it. It pisses the living hell out of him but he always seems calmer and sleeps easier. I have to say, you, Potter and Weasley know how to hide your tracks! We've been trailing you ever since the break in at Gringotts, hoping to catch up with you and snatch you back."
"And what? Take us back to the Manor!" she seethed.
"No, we were going back home. Let the pup die in peace. And since you were the last thing he wanted, before this whole shit show came to town, we were going to make sure he had you." He chuckled at the angry look on her face.
"Knowing he would rip me to shreds the moment you put me in front of him? What good would that have done?" she snapped.
Greyback shrugged again. "He'd have you in his arms when he died. There was no other reason to snatch you. But you can see, he didn't die. So I'm afraid, if you want to help Potter, you'll have to do it from here. I'm not letting you leave Scabior."
Hermione looked at the young wizard, now wolf, in front of her. It was unbelievable that he had been bitten two months ago. "Are you sure about when he was bitten? That would have put it very much at the beginning of, as you called it, the shit show!" one of the wolves restraining him rolled up his right shirt sleeve. There were two distinct sets of teeth marks, one set above his elbow, one below. The upper set was pointed out. Both sets were recent but healed.
She reached out, bringing her hand down onto his hair. She was watching for signs of cognitive behavior. If he showed no signs, then his mind was already gone. He remained alert and focused on her, a silent snarl curling his lip. She moved her hand down to his left arm and felt him tense up. The wolves were gathered around her, watching every move. She slid her hand to his left hand. Immediately he curled it into a fist. It was the first direct move she'd seen that gave her hope. She hooked her fingers into the top of the fingerless back glove he wore and tugged gently. He growled and tried to lunge at her again, jerking his left hand back at the same time.
"Oh my, you didn't like that too well, did you, Scabior? Attached to that glove, are we? That's ok. You can keep the glove. I'm not going to take it away from you. Your reaction was exactly what I was looking for. It tells me you're still in there. Your mind has you locked out at the moment but you are still in there. Hang on, Scabior, don't give up." She told him, uncaring of what the rest of them thought. She was focused on Scabior.
She pulled her knapsack off and dug three pieces of material out of the small front pocket. She waved her wand in a very complicated pattern, then motioned the wolf on his left to hold his arm out. She slid a glove over top of his glove and magically fastened it around his wrist. "Release his arm, not him, just his arm." The wolf looked at her strangely but released his left arm. Scabior immediately lashed out at her but was unable to scratch or stab his claws into her skin. She put another glove on his right hand with the same result. They were all murmuring. They could see a confused look flashing across his face. "Greyback. I need you for this next part. You need to hold his head still. He's still confused but getting angry about his hands and he'll really throw a hissy fit over this part." She waited until Greyback had a good hold on both sides of his head before she moved forward. The closer she got, the louder he growled.
"I'm sorry, Scabior, I really am. I love your beautiful smile but right now I have to hide it. Don't worry, though. You'll be better soon enough, then you can flash the beautiful smile at me as much as you want to." She told him seriously.
"Greyback, you and I are the only ones who will be able to remove these restraints. I hope that's ok." Greyback nodded his approval. He looked questioningly at the restraints with an arched brow. "These are called Soft Claws. The muzzle is designed to keep him from biting or nipping me. Same with the Soft Claws, he can't scratch or stab me with his claws. The enchantments won't hold forever. I'll have to renew them once a month or thereabouts."
Hermione motioned for both wolves to release Scabior. He shot forward like a bullet, growling and snarling and went straight for her neck. They tumbled over as she laughed. He was desperately trying to bite her and couldn't get past the muzzle. His face slid into her hair and he suddenly went motionless. Then they all heard the deep breath he took as he sniffed her hair. He rolled away and sat up. She followed him. "You remember me, don't you? I remember watching you hold my scarf up and smell it time and again. Then you'd smell my hair, just to make sure I matched the scarf. You know me, you chased me through the woods. I know you're lost right now but I'm going to find you. I will, Scabior. I'll find you. Just hang on, don't die! Please! I will bring you back!"
There was a moment of silence, then it was broken by a beeping noise. Hermione dug into her knapsack again and brought out a device none of the wolves had ever seen before. She flipped it open and began talking. "Kingsley, I'm fine. Yes, I'm safe. I almost ran into a pack of them. Luckily I had help getting away from them." Her eyes met Greyback's. "No, I won't be back soon. I need you to bring Harry to me. Yes, I mean it. I need Harry here with me. I can't leave this warehouse! Kingsley, I can't! There's another survivor here, he can't be moved. Either you bring Harry to me or you release him to a delegation with the man who helped me. No, Ron doesn't need to be here. I just need Harry! Please, tell Ron I can hear everything he's screaming and it's not going to do him the least bit of good pitching a temper tantrum. He's not coming, I JUST NEED HARRY! Thank you. If you don't want to leave the Ministry, that's fine. He'll bring a delegation there and collect Harry. It's." she took a deep breath. "Greyback. Fenrir Greyback. No, I'm not crazy! He's no longer allied with him! I can't leave, he has a dying pup, he needs me to look after him! Scabior! Yes, the Snatcher, Scabior, yes the same one who took us to the Malfoys! Kingsley! Listen to me! He is dying! I refuse to let him die, not on my watch! Now! You bring Harry to me or you let Greyback bring Harry to me! Either or!"
She let out a growl of frustration and started pacing. The wolves were amused to watch Scabior, watching her, also let out a small growl and begin pacing with her. Soon she turned and discovered her shadow. She smiled and reached up to ruffle his hair. He became still as she stepped closer and tied most of his hair away from his face, into a long loose ponytail. She braided the red streak of hair and tucked it behind his left ear. She walked around behind him and noted how much longer his hair actually was now. Before it was just below his shoulders. Now it reached past the middle of his back.
As she came back around, the beeping started again. She flipped the device open again and listened. "All right. He'll be there in a few minutes and, Kingsley, I wouldn't attempt to detain him if I were you. You have little enough Aurors as it is." She looked Greyback dead in the eye as she said. "Greyback has my full permission to engage if you should try to resist handing Harry over to him."
Greyback nodded as he understood. She was still expecting resistance. He'd need to take his fighters with him. They left her and her shadow pacing worriedly. She pulled out more fabric from her knapsack and made another pair of Soft Claws and a muzzle for Harry. Scabior backed away from her momentarily until he seemed to realize that these weren't intended for him.
Within moments, they heard a bang on the wall and Greyback strode in, easily carrying the struggling body of a teenage boy. His head and hands were covered by thick bags. Greyback knelt before her as his wolves removed the bag from the boys head first. She got the muzzle on him. Then they held his arms as Greyback held his body. She put the Soft Claws on him. Again, Hermione was tackled and had a confused, angry male wondering how he wasn't able to bite or scratch her. Then Scabior jumped on Harry and they began scuffling. Fortunately, same as with Hermione, without their hands and teeth, neither could inflict any damage on the other one. They rolled apart, both grabbing one of Hermione's hands and growled jealously at each other.
