I don't own Hellsing or Harry Potter, and I'm not making any money from this.
Mihnea raced through the hallways, his mind overflowing with every hateful sort of curse he could think of. Of all the days and times Sirius Black could suddenly appear, it had to be now? Could he not slink about at night like any other self-respecting criminal in hiding would? Of course not. He had to pull this stunt in broad daylight when people were still milling about to hamper his movements. Getting to Black was important, but he couldn't afford to out himself in the process. Thankfully, he knew enough detours and side passages that allowed him to avoid most of the students in the immediate area and got outside fairly quickly.
The exit he'd been forced to use put him at an odd angle to his intended destination. The fastest way to Black would have him go downhill a ways, then back up – placing the trio of ignorant third years in-between the two of them. Mihnea didn't like the idea of that at all. However, if he got there quick enough, it might be possible to drag them back out of harm's way before they encountered the dark wizard. Exactly how he planned to pull that off, he wasn't sure yet, but he'd figure it out.
Mihnea began running through all of the possibilities in his head as he finally caught sight of the three Gryffindors. Black hadn't been moving when he spotted him on the map and assuming he hadn't changed position in the time it took him to run out here, he would be just over the top of the hill. If he knew those three were heading in his direction, it would be easiest for him to lay in wait, biding his time while Potter and his friends came right to him. He quickened his pace, determined not to let that happen.
Before he got anywhere close enough to do anything though, something small and fast came running out of the forest and hit him in the side at full speed. The blow sent him and his attacker tumbling to the ground, coming to rest in a nearby clump of bushes. There was a fair bit of ungainly flailing of limbs as Mihnea furiously scrambled to figure out what the hell had just happened. Whoever or whatever had just attacked him was unrelenting in its refusal to allow him to regain his balance. Thrashing wildly against it, he found himself shoved onto his back, and the unknown assailant scuttled on top of him and clamped both hands over his mouth.
"Quiet!" A feminine voice hissed at him. "You'll ruin everything!"
The sound made him go still. He knew that voice. Mihnea blinked to clear his head and stared up at the girl attempting to hold him captive. Hermione Granger? She… she couldn't be here. Not when he'd just seen her walking up the hill with Potter and Weasley. His eyes narrowed and he jerked an arm free to grab her roughly by the throat.
She – or whoever it was that had taken her form – looked at him in shock. "Wait!" She gasped breathlessly. "Dum… Dumbledore sent us back. He…" Her eyes flew upward in a panic, looking at where they'd come from, then back again with a flash of realization. "Read my mind!"
The request gave him pause, but he kept a tight grip on her throat. What was she playing at?
"Too much… to explain." She choked out, struggling for air. "Do it. Please."
Mihnea was struck by the overwhelming sensation that something important was going on here. If this person was lying, he'd leave their mind in shreds before he was through with them. But if she was telling the truth…
Not wasting another second, he locked eyes with her and dove into her mind.
As he told his Head of House earlier, mind reading was a skill that he didn't use often. He'd always been successful in his past attempts, but this was a unique situation that he'd not encountered before. His previous experiences had been with unwitting subjects that hadn't known what was happening. That was a hell of a lot easier than… whatever this was. Numerous images and sounds hit him all at once, as if the girl had balled up a collection of memories and was shoving them into his face. He couldn't tell if she was trying to be helpful, or trying to confuse him. Whatever her intentions, it was extremely unpleasant. And beneath everything was a steady hum of thick emotion. This, he could recognize. It was a sense of almost-panic flooding through her mind. It went far beyond discomfort – this was full on terror that was kept in check by the extremely delicate threads of her self-control.
Dear God, he wasn't going to get anywhere this way. His choking the life out of her probably wasn't helping the situation either. He loosened his grip on her throat enough to allow her some air.
Back off. He ordered, speaking into her mind. Breathe.
There was a rush of surprise from her as she registered the command. She sucked in several deep breaths as she attempted to fight back her panic. Once her emotions were somewhat under control, he had to order her again to stop trying to shove memories down his throat. The girl didn't immediately understand what he was saying, but he could sense that she was trying to sort out what he wanted. Finally, understanding registered within her and he felt a sensation akin to a slow release of pressure as she obeyed.
The onslaught of memories being thrust at him slowed to the point that he could actually interpret what they were. There was no rhyme or reason to their arrangement, but he wasn't about to complain given how it had started out. He delved into each one and began seeing the world through her eyes.
"What are you going to do about it?" Malfoy asked with a smug looking grin. "Mudblood."
Granger reared back her arm and slammed her fist into the boy's face. The sound of his nose snapping beneath her knuckles filled her with a deep sense of satisfaction.
...
A flash of red light sent Professor Snape flying across a dimly lit room. He hit the wall with a thud and sank to the floor, unconscious.
"Harry!" She gasped in shock. "You attacked a teacher!"
...
She and the boys stood outside the passage under the Whomping Willow, staring on in horror as Lupin's body began to twist and shift under the light of the moon. When he lunged forward to attack them, a huge black dog leapt at him to block the way.
After a brief confrontation, the werewolf easily tossed the smaller animal away and resumed his approach. Professor Snape slipped out of the passage beneath the tree, furious eyes fixed on the three of them as he advanced, demanding answers for their behavior. Hermione and the boys didn't acknowledge him. Following their gazes, Snape turned to see the source of their horror for himself. The man stiffened and roughly shoved the trio behind him.
...
"You know the rules, Miss Granger." Professor Dumbledore said with a meaningful glint in his eye. "You mustn't be seen. If you are successful, more than one innocent life may be spared tonight." He paused thoughtfully. "Three turns should do it, I think."
At his wink, Hermione nodded. She grabbed Potter's arm and pulled him away from Weasley's hospital bed as the older man walked toward the door. Once it was closed behind him, she flew into action.
"Sorry Ron, but seeing as you can't walk."
She threw the chain of her necklace over Harry's head and turned the device in her hands three times. The room began to spin.
...
Professor Lupin offered a hand to Black, who had been shoved back against a table. The man took it and Lupin jerked him forward into a fierce hug.
"Sirius. It's been so long."
"Remus, my friend." Black said, his voice cracking with emotion. He pulled back and clutched at Lupin's shoulders. "He's here. We can kill him!"
Lupin faltered. "Sirius, wait…"
"No!" Black shrieked, his face suddenly twisting in anger. "No, Remus! I've done my waiting! Twelve years of it! In Azkaban!"
Lupin took in the frustrated tears welling up in Black's eyes and turned to regard Granger and two boys. The three were huddled up, clutching each other in fear on the other side of the room. His shoulders slumped.
"Alright." He conceded, handing a wand to Black. "But we do it together. And he deserves to know why."
Granger immediately jumped in front of Harry and drew her wand defensively. "You'll have to go through us first."
...
Black and Potter had Weasley's arms draped over their shoulders, balancing him between them as they worked their way through a dark passage.
"I apologize for the bite." Black said to the red haired boy, who was favoring one leg over the other. "I'm usually quite sweet as a dog. More than once, James suggested I make the change permanent. The fur I could handle, but the fleas are murder."
Ron didn't seem to find the joke very funny.
...
Harry was equal parts furious and scared as he fought to get past Granger.
"You killed them!" He screamed.
Lupin had planted himself in front of Black just as Hermione had done with Potter. He held up his hands as if to calm the situation.
"No Harry! I thought so too until I saw a name on that map." He said. "The name of someone who until very recently, I believed to be dead."
"The map was wrong!" Potter insisted.
Lupin looked offended by the statement. "The map is never wrong, Harry! I know because I helped make it!" He gestured to Black. "We both did."
Harry faltered. "But…if it wasn't Black, then who…"
"Peter Pettigrew." Black declared. He had a wicked, almost demented glint in his eyes. "And he's here, in this very room. Right there."
Weasley's eyes went wide when he found Black's finger pointed directly at him.
"Me?" He squeaked.
The dark wizard rolled his eyes with a huff. "No, not you, idiot! Your rat!"
"Scabbers?" Ron questioned, confused. "But… he's been in my family for…"
"Twelve years?" Black asked. "Awfully long lifespan for a common rat. And he's missing a toe, isn't he?"
Potter went very still, realization dawning in his eyes. "The only thing they found of Pettigrew was…"
"His finger." The older wizard declared harshly. "The bloody coward hacked it off and left it behind so everyone would think he was dead."
...
A short, pudgy man with wild thinning hair, covered in filth, was cowering on the floor. He crawled on his hands and knees toward Granger and desperately pawed at her as she tried to back away.
"Pretty girl… clever girl! You won't let them have me, will you?" He pleaded. "Don't let them take me!"
...
"As usual Snivellus, you've put your abnormally large brain to work and come to the wrong conclusion!" Black spat at Snape.
"Sirius!" Lupin snapped. He looked pleadingly at the other wizard who had burst in. "Severus, please calm down. We can explain…"
"Oh yes, I'm sure you can." The Potions Master said with a sneer. "I've been telling the Headmaster all year that you weren't to be trusted. That Black had help getting inside the castle. He refused to believe it. What will he think, I wonder, when he finds out you two were here, bickering like an old married couple?"
"Why don't you go slink back to your dungeon to play with your chemistry set, you great slimy bat!" Black exclaimed in derision.
Snape quickly shoved the man back against the wall and planted the tip of his wand into his neck.
"The dementors have been eager to get their hands on you." He said, seeming to take great relish in the flash of fear in Black's eyes. "Oh yes… the dementor's kiss. How horrible. I've been told it's nearly unbearable to witness, but for you, I think I'll manage."
"Did you hear that?" Potter's voice asked.
Mihnea's head reeled as he extruded himself from Granger's mind. Downloading so much information in such a short period of time was overwhelming, and he was sure that if he'd been standing, he'd be feeling faint. The girl's hands were still firmly clamped over his mouth to keep him quiet, but her gaze had shifted upward, toward the direction of the voice. She took short, shallow breaths, trying to remain as silent as possible.
"It came from those bushes over there." Granger's voice replied.
There were no words to describe how odd it was to hear her voice at a distance when the girl herself was sitting on top of him. Mihnea craned his neck to look toward the sounds himself.
"Best leave it alone, mate." Weasley said. "One of Hagrid's blast-ended skrewts may have gotten loose again. I wouldn't want to get too close to the business end of one of those things."
The others seemed to agree that investigation wasn't the wisest course of action. The sound of their voices slowly moved away and Granger let out a deep sigh of relief.
"We can't interfere. We have to let certain things happen." She told him, giving him a cautious sort of look. "Do you believe me?"
Mihnea nodded once. He was still processing everything he'd learned from her information dump, but had a basic grasp of the situation. She finally took her hands away from his mouth and he responded in kind by releasing his hold on her neck.
He cleared his throat. "Do you want to get off of me now, Granger?"
The girl blinked for a second then looked down, suddenly realizing the position they were in. Her face went bright red and she quickly scrambled off of him.
"Sorry." She murmured, embarrassed. She turned away from him, poking her head through the foliage enough to take a look at their surroundings. "I think they're far enough away now." She glanced back. "I have to get back to Harry. Please don't tell anyone what you saw."
There was a note of finality in her tone that Mihnea didn't like. As she moved to make her exit, he reached out and grabbed her arm.
"Wait."
Granger whirled around as fast as she could crouched down as she was. "Let me go!" She hissed, trying to pull her arm free. "We don't have much time to work with here. I have to get back!"
"I'm going with you."
"What?" She exclaimed. "You can't. Did you not hear me before? You can't interfere in this!"
"Maybe you should have thought about that before you decided to tackle me." He shot back. He tightened his grip just enough to show he was serious. "I've been trying to track Black all year. I won't be left out of this now."
"We're not trying to catch Black! We're trying to save him!"
"Yeah, I gathered that much." He told her, reminding her that he'd just been inside her head. "Do you have a plan?"
Granger faltered, looking down and pulling her lower lip between her teeth. "Well…"
One of Mihnea's brows went up. He knew it. "You don't have a plan."
"We've been a little busy." She insisted, looking offended. "There is a plan, we just… haven't come up with it yet." At his unconvinced look, she huffed. "I don't need your help."
"I didn't say you needed anything." He snapped, surprising her. "You attacked me, Granger. I've seen enough to know what's going on. I'm telling you that I'm involved in this now, whether you like or not. It will be easier on both of us if you'd stop arguing about it." He gave her arm a final squeeze then let go and gestured toward the outside. "Now lead the way."
Granger looked thoroughly put out with him, but Mihnea didn't care much at the moment. He would not be dissuaded. With a final disapproving huff, she turned around and pushed through the foliage surrounding them.
"Fine."
A quick study of the surroundings outside confirmed that the trio had moved out of sight, and they both slipped out from the cover provided by the bushes. The girl led him across the grounds and into the Forbidden Forest. She and Potter had chosen a strategic position near the tree line. It gave them a decent view of the Whomping Willow and the path leading up to it, while still providing enough cover that they wouldn't be spotted. It was a good location, he thought with approval. He probably would have selected it himself for all the same reasons.
He turned to look back the way they had come while Hermione went over to Harry to explain his presence. It was then that he realized how she had been able to intercept him when he was running faster than she should have been able to keep up with. From this position, she would have been able to see him the moment he exited the castle. She must have deduced where he was headed and took off the second she saw him. It was a complex maneuver that would have required precise timing to pull off. It was rather impressive, all things considered.
When he turned back to join the others, he found Potter giving him a considering look as Granger whispered into his ear. The boy appeared to be more open-minded about him joining their little mission than Hermione had been. As Mihnea crouched down next to the pair, Harry cleared his throat.
"Why were you running at us like that?" He asked.
Mihnea glanced at him. "I was delivering the wolfsbane potion to Professor Lupin, but he wasn't in his office." He told him. "He had that map of yours lying out on his desk. I saw Black's name on it."
Potter nodded, accepting the answer. Next to him, Granger looked thoughtful. "That does explain why he hadn't taken the potion tonight." She commented.
She stopped suddenly and gestured toward the Willow. The trio had finally reached the top of the hill and were now facing a large black dog. The animal growled and leapt toward them, clamping its jaws around Weasley's leg. It dragged the red haired boy down into an opening in the roots of the tree. When the other versions of Potter and Granger attempted to follow, the Willow sprang to life, its branches swinging wildly through the air.
"This is so… odd." Potter said, his eyes fixed on the sight before them.
Mihnea could certainly understand how it would off-putting to see yourself from a distance. As he watched the other Harry and Hermione fight off the attacks of the Whomping Willow, something he'd seen within the girl's memories clicked into place in his mind.
"Sirius Black is an animagus?" He asked.
No wonder he hadn't been able to track him. The man's scent would have changed every time he switched forms. He could have kicked himself for not considering the possibility.
Granger blinked at him. "Yes?" She said, sounding confused. "I thought I showed you that?"
Mihnea made a face. "What you showed me was a jumbled up mess. If you hadn't been so damn jumpy, I might have been able to figure that out sooner."
"Well, excuse me for not being too excited about someone digging around in my head, considering how well it went last time it happened!" She spat, losing her temper.
Mihnea's mouth snapped shut. A pained look crossed her face and the girl grew quiet, her eyes falling to the ground, steadfastly refusing to look at him. He hadn't considered that before. He had felt her panic, but thought it was due to a fear of being caught. Knowing now that it had been something else – especially that - made him feel… uncomfortable. Like something unpleasant was crawling beneath his skin.
Harry looked back and forth between them awkwardly before his attention was caught by something in the distance.
"Lupin's coming." He announced.
Granger shook herself as if coming out of a trance. When Mihnea looked for himself, he saw that the past (or present?) versions of the younger students were gone, apparently having found a way past the violent tree. Sure enough, Professor Lupin was swiftly rushing toward where they had been. Avoiding the swinging branches that had become active again, he pressed one of his hands against a knot near the bottom of the trunk. The tree suddenly froze in place.
"It's starting then." Granger said, watching as Lupin slipped into the hidden passage. "I'm guessing Professor Snape won't be far behind."
As if on cue, the Potions Master in question appeared once Lupin was no longer visible. He slunk toward the tree and followed the same path the previous man had taken, quickly disappearing from view.
"I saw a dark room." Mihnea said quietly, wondering about their destination. "Where does the passage lead?"
"The Shrieking Shack. It's the place Professor Lupin used to go during his transformations when he was in school." Potter replied off-handedly. He looked toward the girl who was still studying the tree line. "So what do we do now?"
"Now?" She repeated back to him. "Now, we wait."
Time was a funny thing. Since she had been allowed the time-turner to take extra classes, Hermione had been required to learn more about the mysteries of time to ensure that she used the device properly. The safest, most secure manner of proceeding with time travel was to facilitate a closed loop. Anything that she and those around her personally witnessed could not be changed. To do so would create a paradox – and very bad things tended to happen to people careless enough to create them. If they didn't witness it with their own eyes though, the event wasn't technically set in stone.
Since they had nothing to really do until their previous selves returned, they decided to spend the time planning out their next move. That involved Hermione explaining the rules and restrictions that she and Harry had to operate under.
It had been possible to set Buckbeak free because none of them had actually seen his death. They had only seen an axe being swung and heard it hit something – the event itself had been obscured from view. Peter Pettigrew, the one truly responsible for the death of Harry's parents, had escaped during all the confusion that had taken place. Since they had all seen the event, it unfortunately had to remain the same.
Harry wasn't the least bit pleased when she told him.
"You want me to just let him go?" He demanded. "After everything he did?"
Hermione winced. "The event is fixed, Harry." She said. "There's nothing we can…"
"The hell there's not!" Harry snapped. "He sold out his friends and let Sirius rot in prison for a crime he didn't commit! There has to be a way. Even if we were spotted, surely we could explain…"
"No, Harry." She said firmly. "We can't allow that to happen. Even without the paradox to worry about it would be too dangerous." She jerked her head toward Bassarab. "He attacked me because he didn't know if I was who I said I was…"
"Wait a damn minute." The Slytherin in question interrupted, crossing his arms. "Who attacked who, now?"
Hermione huffed in frustration. "You know what I mean! Seeing two versions of the same person is disconcerting and it would make anyone suspect dark magic was being used. We can't do it, Harry."
The boy grit his teeth. "You don't understand, Hermione. I can't…"
"You think I don't?" She challenged in a sharp tone. "You aren't the only person who's ever lost someone, Harry! Don't you dare act like I don't understand!"
Harry's face went slack at her words and she knew she had gotten through to him. Hermione understood his desperation perfectly. She had felt the same way about her parents. If she had taken the time turner home with her over the holidays, she absolutely would have done something foolish in an attempt to change what had happened. It had taken Connie talking her through it to force her back to her senses. She still wondered from time to time if it would have been possible, even though she knew deep down that it wasn't. The rules for time travel existed for a reason. They couldn't afford to break them now. Not with so much at stake. Harry would come to accept that eventually, just as she had.
"I'm sorry, Hermione." He said quietly. "I shouldn't have said that to you."
She closed her eyes and shook her head. "It's fine." She said, then took a deep breath to refocus on the task at hand. "There are too many factors in play here to get caught up on the one we can't do anything about. We need to focus on how to help Sirius."
Harry slowly nodded. "I know. You're right."
Bassarab, who had been silently watching the exchange between them, suddenly cleared his throat. "For this to work, Black has to be alone, correct?" He asked.
Hermione nodded in assent. "Yes. We'll have to wait until after he's captured to make a move. That's the only time he'll be completely isolated. He'll be locked up in one of the unused classrooms in the tallest tower of castle while they wait for someone from the Ministry to come for him."
"How do you plan on getting him out?" He pressed.
She faltered and looked instinctively at Harry. They hadn't quite figured that part out yet. When things like this happened, they tended to think on the fly and work out solutions as they needed to. This though… was going to be complicated. The girl pursed her lips.
"It would take too long to sneak through the castle." She said, thinking out loud. "We'll have to get in through a window."
Harry's eyes widened a hair. "I could fly us up there to break him out." He said.
Bassarab shook his head. "You could probably manage a broom with two people, but there won't be room for three." He said resolutely. "And how, exactly, do you intend to get him off the grounds? Are you going to send him flying off with that brand new broomstick of yours, Potter?"
Harry went still, having not taken that into account. Hermione, meanwhile, felt her irritation start to rise up again.
"What would you do then, if you're so clever?" She demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't see you offering up any ideas."
"You rescued Buckbeak, didn't you?" He asked, arching a brow.
"What does Buckbeak have to do with…?"
"For the love of…" Bassarab groaned and rubbed a hand down his face. "How can you be so bleeding smart and forget that hippogriffs can fly?"
She gaped at him in shock, her arms slowly dropping to her sides. How had she overlooked that? Of course, that was the perfect solution! Buckbeak had a price on his head as well, so Sirius using him to escape would get them both out of harm's way.
"Oh my God, you're brilliant!" She exclaimed.
He sniffed in response. "I'm aware of that." He said, rolling his eyes. He muttered something under his breath about Gryffindors and their lack of planning. "Where is it anyway?"
"Who, Buckbeak?" Harry asked with a blink. "He wandered off a while ago, but he's been staying nearby. I imagine he's enjoying being able to run free for the first time in months."
"But you could get him to come back if you needed to?"
The boy scrunched up his face in thought. "I'm sure I could." He said. "Hagrid had the whole herd pretty well trained."
"Hippogriffs are very intelligent creatures." Hermione said, interjecting herself. "And Buckbeak seems to really like you, Harry. He'll come if you call him." She caught a flash of moment in the corner of her eye and turned to look. She grabbed Harry's arm. "I think they're coming back."
The small collection of wizards climbed out of the passage one by one. It was a bit hard to see details as it had gotten very dark, but they could see well enough to make out who it was. Harry and Sirius emerged first, carrying Ron between them, followed closely by the past version of herself. Pettigrew was next with Professor Lupin directly behind. One of his hands firmly held the man's arms clasped behind his back, whilst the other kept the tip of his wand pressed into the back of his neck. Harry and Sirius helped Ron sit down on the roots of the tree and the other Hermione went to check on him as the two stepped away for a moment.
"Do you see Sirius talking to me there?" Harry asked quietly. "He's offering to let me come live with him if I want."
Hermione wasn't sure what to say at first. It was an incredibly kind and meaningful gesture – one that she was sure Harry had taken to heart. After what happened over the holidays, she couldn't imagine him looking forward to returning to his old home. And with Sirius being his godfather and a close friend of his parents… it was probably the closest he would ever get to living with them.
She reached out to touch his shoulder. "That's very good of him." She said. "I know that means a lot to you."
With the situation the way it currently was, she didn't know if that would happen or not, but she wanted to be supportive.
A loud cry from the group at the Whomping Willow interrupted, making the two of them jump in surprise. Bassarab's head snapped in the direction of the sound as Harry and Hermione both turned to look for themselves.
The full moon had risen high into the sky and Professor Lupin was beginning to succumb to his transformation. It was almost worse, witnessing it from a distance. Their position offered them an unimpeded view as the man's body twisted unnaturally into a new form, accentuated by the stark shadows provided by the moonlight filtering through the gnarled tree nearby. Hermione tried to look away until the worst of it was over. It was too horrific to watch.
"How did you get out of this before?"
She nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of Mihnea's voice. In the span of a few seconds, he'd gone from a few feet away to right behind them without making a sound.
"Sirius kept him back." Harry said once he'd recovered from his own surprise.
The older Slytherin narrowed his eyes at the scene playing out before them, looking unconvinced. "A dog isn't going to last long against a werewolf."
Harry and Hermione both knew that as they'd seen it for themselves. In the distance, the pair in question were already fighting. Lupin easily slung Black's animal form away from him. Snape then appeared and planted himself in front of them, but he was no match for the great beast either and was swiftly knocked aside with a heavy swipe. The werewolf turned toward the past versions of themselves and Hermione felt a rush of panic. He was going to kill them all if something wasn't done. But, in the past something had drawn him away, hadn't it? Something…
Realization hit her. Without a word of explanation, she leapt to her feet, put her hands up to her mouth, and howled.
Both boys stared at her in shock.
"Hermione!" Harry hissed, jumping up to grab her. "What are you doing!?"
"Saving your life!" She exclaimed, shoving him away. She howled again, louder this time.
At the tree, Lupin's advance halted. The werewolf thrust his nose high in the air, sniffing, then slowly turned in their direction. Hermione's blood froze when he looked directly at them.
"Great." Harry sputtered, taking a few steps backward. "Now what?"
Hermione started backing up herself. "I… didn't think about that."
Lupin took a step toward them, then another, then surged forward into a full sprint.
While she and Harry remained frozen, unsure of what to do, Bassarab jumped in front of them and tore off his outer robe.
"Take this and run." He told them, tossing the robe at Harry. He jerked off his tie and threw it at him as well. "Find the closest tree you can climb and get up as high as you can."
Hermione's eyes flew from the approaching beast to him and found him rolling up his sleeves.
"What are you saying?" She demanded. "We can't leave you here!"
"You will." He replied, not taking his eyes off of Lupin. "Now go."
"But…"
Bassarab whirled toward her with a deep snarl that showed fangs and glared her down. His eyes glowed red in the darkness.
"I said run!"
He shoved them both back so hard that they were nearly knocked off their feet. Harry recovered first, grabbing her arm roughly and pulling her along behind him as he broke into a mad run deeper into the forest. Behind them, the sound of wild snarls and growls and the crashing of foliage being crushed rang through the air. Hermione wanted to turn and look, but Harry wouldn't allow it, continuously pulling at her arm to keep her moving forward. They were nearly out of breath when they finally spotted a tree with branches low enough for them to reach.
A cacophony of loud thumps not far behind signaled the approach of something large and fast. The pair threw themselves at the tree and Harry, being a bit taller, jumped up to grab the lowest branch. As he pulled himself up, Hermione finally dared to turn and look behind her. She immediately regretted it.
Lupin was less than 20 feet away, barreling toward her at full speed. His jaws were wide and dripping with foamy saliva.
The girl spun back around and jumped up, trying to reach the branch herself.
"Harry!" She screeched. "Hurry!"
The boy finally got himself up on the limb and twisted around to secure his balance before reaching down. One last solid jump and she was able to catch hold of his hands. Running on pure adrenaline, Harry jerked her upward in one quick motion. Hermione was able to swing her leg up and over the limb to pull herself out of the way just as the werewolf went skidding underneath them. His outstretched claws had just barely missed her foot.
Not wanting to tempt fate any further, the pair of them scrambled up a few more levels of branches to ensure they couldn't be reached from below. A loud crash beneath them sent a tremor through the tree, pulling their attention downward. The canopy blocked out most of the moonlight, making it difficult to see, but they could just make out two dark forms clawing at each other on the ground. The only way to distinguish between the two was the somewhat fuzzy outline of one, and the occasional flash of red eyes from the other.
It was hard to imagine that it was Bassarab down there. The figure with red eyes looked human… at first. The longer the fight went on, the more Hermione noticed that its form seemed to shift and morph at times. Almost like it were becoming one with the shadows around it – or as if the shadows were coming from it. But, God, the sounds. The sounds the two made were… horrifying. The snarls and growls rising up from below were unlike anything human vocal chords could produce. They were like two wild animals, struggling for dominance.
The shape that Hermione assumed was Bassarab appeared to be fighting to get Lupin away from the tree she and Harry were in. He looked to have the upper hand for a moment, but then the werewolf slipped underneath one of his limbs and landed a hard swipe across his back. The dark figure went flying a good distance away. Lupin gave chase and leapt on top of him with an imposing snarl. The two forms rolled downhill and beyond their sight.
There was a brief rustling sound and pained grunt, before everything went silent. Harry and Hermione looked at each other, holding their breath. The sudden quiet after such a vicious battle was unnerving.
"No, no, no, no, no!" A panicked voice rang out. There was a short pause then the sound of a struggle, though much less intense than before. "Shit! Spit it out! Spit it out!"
It was Mihnea's voice, but Hermione had never heard him sound that way before. What on earth was going on down there? She struggled to look, but couldn't see anything in the darkness. There was just this… awful noise. A broken, gagging sound, both sharp and wet, followed by a deep retching that made her stomach clench.
A strained, fearful whine bubbled up from Harry's throat. "Dear God, what is that?" He whispered.
Hermione shook her head in response and they listened intently to the silence that had fallen again. The pair exchanged a look between themselves and the girl hesitantly cleared her throat.
"Should we…" she began.
"POTTER!"
The two of them jumped at Bassarab's voice, stunned to hear him speaking. They both looked down, scanning the forest floor to see where it was coming from. Hermione spotted movement a short distance away and pointed.
"There!"
Mihnea's tall form was leaning up against a tree. The red glow was gone from his eyes from what she could tell, and he appeared to be clutching at his shoulder.
"Potter!" He called out again – his voice insistent but less panicked than earlier. "Get down here. I need your help."
That wasn't terribly reassuring and Hermione noted with growing unease that they couldn't hear or see Lupin anywhere. They carefully climbed down to the lower branch before pausing there. Bassarab seemed to sense their wariness.
"It's safe." He said. "Bring my cloak."
Harry faltered. "Professor Lupin…?"
"He's alive, but very weak." The Slytherin replied. "And he's a bit out of it right now. Hurry."
Concern overtaking his fear, Harry jumped down from the limb without a second thought. Hermione moved to do the same, but Bassarab held out a hand.
"Stay put, Granger. We'll tell you when to come down." He instructed. "You don't need to see this."
Her brows furrowed but she halted in her attempt to climb down. She watched as Bassarab led Harry down to wherever Lupin was. She didn't need to see this? Hermione couldn't imagine what Harry had to help him with that she couldn't be a part of.
For a couple of minutes she waited there, alone on the branch, with only their faint voices in the distance for company. It was impossible to hear what they were saying, but she could make out the notes of worry. Finally, after what felt like ages, Harry called out to tell her she could come join them.
Hermione immediately jumped down from her perch and rushed over to where she'd heard his voice. He met her at the top of the small hill Bassarab and Lupin had rolled down earlier. The boy held out a hand to help her keep her balance on the way down.
"What happened?" She asked quietly.
Harry took a deep breath. "I… don't really know. Bassarab said Lupin bit him, and…"
The girl's eyes went wide. "He bit him?! Is he okay?"
Well, I think so…" He replied, looking like that wasn't the issue at hand. "Hermione, he said his blood is poison and Lupin swallowed some. It looks like he got him to throw most of it up, but Lupin… he's not a werewolf anymore."
"What?!" Hermione exclaimed, not believing it.
"I don't know what happened down there and Bassarab said he didn't either." The boy told her in a rush. "He just said that his blood made Lupin sick and forced him to transform back into a human. That's why he didn't want you to come down until now. He didn't want you to see him before we got him settled and covered up.
Understanding dawned within her. Professor Lupin's transformation had ripped his clothes to shreds. If he was human again, he'd be naked as the day he was born. And while she was grateful to be spared the sight of one of her teacher's nude forms, that wasn't really the most pressing issue at hand, was it? She never heard of anything that could force a werewolf to return to human form before. It was… well, she might have said it was impossible if it hadn't just happened.
She followed Harry's lead to a cluster of smaller trees not that far away. Though she couldn't see it, the gentle sound of water made her realize just how far into the forest they were. There was a small spring in the Forbidden Forest everyone had heard about, but no one had actually seen due to it being so far away from the castle. As they got closer to their destination, Harry cast a quiet "Lumos" to give them some light.
Hermione gasped at the sight that lay before her eyes. Professor Lupin was indeed human again, though he looked positively ghastly. He was propped up against a tree, wrapped in Mihnea's cloak and bent at an odd angle as he vomited off to the side. Bassarab was right next to him, holding him steady to ensure he wouldn't fall over. He, shockingly, looked worse than the professor did. His shirt was so covered in blood that it was more red than white. It was hard to tell where it came from. The sheer amount of the substance made her think some of it had to be from Lupin. If it all belonged to Mihnea, he wouldn't be upright and able to move about as well as he was.
Harry left her side to rejoin the pair. Unsure of what to do but eager to help, Hermione transfigured a nearby stone into a glass jar and conjured a blue flame into it to give them a better light source. The flickering flames seemed to help the professor regain some of his awareness. He blinked and held up a hand to shield his eyes from the light, then froze and pulled it back a bit, staring at his fingers like he'd never seen them before.
"Professor?" Harry asked gently as he scooted closer.
Lupin dropped his hand to peer at him, still wincing at the light. "Harry?" He asked in a weak voice. Hermione pulled the jar of flames back so the illumination wouldn't hit him so strongly and his eyes darted toward her. "What…?" He looked around, taking in their surroundings. "Where…?"
The man moved like he was going to get up, but the moment he tried his limbs gave out from the effort. Bassarab grabbed hold of him to help him right himself.
"Whoa there, Professor." He said, and carefully pushed him against the tree trunk. "Try not to move too much."
Lupin blinked again and turned to stare at him. "Mihnea? Wha…" His face went pale and he pitched sideways, retching up bile tinged pink with blood.
Harry and Hermione both moved forward hoping to help, but Bassarab threw out an arm to stop them.
"Don't crowd him." He said forcefully, shooting them both a hard look. He focused on Harry. "Keep an eye out for Pixie. She's bringing supplies we can use. And you." He turned his attention to Hermione. "Conjure up something he can drink from."
Had the situation not been so crazy, she might have thought to do that herself, but she was grateful to be given a job to do. Just as she had with the flame jar, Hermione found a suitable rock nearby to transfigure into a drinking glass, and whispered a quick spell to fill it with water. Bassarab took it from her once Lupin appeared to have finished emptying the contents of his stomach.
"What… happened?" The man asked between deep gasps for air.
"Professor Dumbledore sent us back, sir." Hermione let out in a rush. "We explained everything to him in the hospital wing. He sent us back so we could find a way to save Sirius."
All of the teaching staff had been informed of her use of the time turner, so he would surely know how they managed it. The man just blinked at her.
"That… sounds like Dumbledore." He wheezed out, then gestured to himself with a wince. "And what is… this?"
Mihnea helped him sit back up. "Did I ever tell you my blood was toxic to dark creatures, Professor?"
Lupin stared at him, then closed his eyes and coughed. "I believe you failed to mention that."
The Slytherin made a face. "Well, now you know." He said, passing him the glass of water. "Swish and spit before you drink. I don't know the full effect my blood has on werewolves, but if it can do what it does to vampires, you don't want to risk swallowing another drop of it."
Professor Lupin took him at his word and rinsed his mouth out without question or complaint. When he finished, he took the smallest of sips from the glass and let his head fall back against the trunk.
"I bit you." He said slowly, looking at Bassarab's bloody shoulder.
Bassarab wrinkled his nose. "I've been worse." He said flatly. "It won't do anything to me. I'm immune."
Lupin snorted. "Of course you are." He opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by a loud rustling sound nearby.
Everyone's attention snapped toward the trees. An angry squawk flitted through the air, punctuated by a low, feline hiss.
"Buckbeak?" Harry questioned, his eyes going wide.
Mihnea bristled and fixed a hard glare at him. "If that bloody beast tramples my cat, I'll kill it myself."
Harry swallowed and shoved himself up from the ground to go see what was happening. Buckbeak must have heard all the commotion and returned to investigate. It sounded like he had come across Bassarab's cat and the two creatures apparently didn't like each other very much. After a few moments the giant feline bolted into view, dragging a medium-sized bag behind it by a strap held in its teeth. Harry reappeared shortly after.
Mihnea beckoned the cat over and took the bag from her. He dug around inside of it and, much to their surprise, pulled out a full change of clothes.
"They'll be too big for you, but it's better than nothing." He said, looking at Lupin. "At least so you won't be running around in just a cloak."
Hermione blinked at the clothes. "Why would you have a bag like that packed this time of year?" She blurted out.
Bassarab cast a sideways glance at her. "For emergencies." He said emotionlessly. "In case we ever have to run. Connie keeps one as well."
Oh. She thought dumbly. She had never thought of the need for such a contingency. To have to live with the threat of that hanging over your head at any moment… She shook herself to attention when someone spoke to her.
"What?" she asked.
"I asked if you could turn around." Harry said again. "We'll help him get dressed. It should only take a minute."
"Right." She said, pushing the odd thoughts away. "Of course."
She got up and took a few steps away before turning to give them some privacy and space. She fought not to think about what they were doing just behind her, though it was hard not to with the distinctive rustling of fabric. Harry quietly questioned if the Professor ever ate, only to have Bassarab hiss at him to shut his mouth. After a few moments, she was given the clear to turn around and rejoin them. The Slytherin's clothes weren't obnoxiously large on Lupin width-wise, but they were obviously made for someone much taller in stature. They wound up hanging so long on the man's frame that he looked almost childlike. The boys helped him sit back down so they could assist with rolling up the trouser legs so he wouldn't trip over them.
With Lupin somewhat stabilized and Harry and Hermione nearby to help if necessary, Bassarab seemed more comfortable with the idea of relinquishing some control. He tossed a medical kit at them from his bag and instructed them to keep an eye on him. Putting a hand to his knee, he moved to push himself up from the ground. He got into a crouch fairly easily but when he attempted to get up onto his feet, his face went ashen and he threw out an arm to catch himself.
"Are you alright?" Hermione asked worriedly, instinctively reaching out.
He jerked away with a snarl before she made contact. "Don't touch me." He snapped.
The warning flash of red in his eyes made her gasp and fall back, scuttling away from him. Mihnea's gaze narrowed. With an unimpressed snort, he shoved himself up from the ground – albeit a bit slower than before – and disappeared beyond the reach of their jar of flames.
AN: Sorry. I couldn't stand it. I'm about three chapters ahead of this right now, so I've got some wiggle room. :)
Please review!