[Author's Note]
I've been writing like a mad woman these last few days and your wonderful reviews such awesome motivation. I have several chapters finished after this, a new record for me in terms of content for a new story but I owe a lot of it to those of you who have been tuning in and showing such lovely support. Thank you everyone, I read and seriously appreciate every kind word.

I want to make a special dedication to the The Death Eater Express group on FB, a great place to find amazing fics featuring the baddies of HP. They are such a lively and supportive group too!

Chapter 2

Białowieża Forest
Five Years Prior

He watched her fall, more surprised than anything by her sudden change of state. One moment she was standing the next unconscious on the cave's entrance. Greyback stared at the crumbled body of his enemy for only a brief moment before turning his back to leave. She likely would have done the same, he advised himself silently. Touching the long cut on his chest where she had hexed him in their fight, Greyback was entirely certain she would have killed him given the chance.

And yet something made him pause. The wolf, just beneath the surface, stirred and demanded his attention.

Protect her.

It was such a clear and yet peculiar command from his animal side but he would heed it nonetheless. In Greyback's many years on this earth as a werewolf he knew better than to ignore these instincts. So with a sigh he turned back around and scooped up the witch effortlessly. She was incredibly light in his arms. Like a bird. Greyback admitted silently that she was lovely in appearance if not for the deep dark circles etched under her eyes. She had gentle features framed by dark chestnut hair and a scent that was mysterious. Captivating.

But there was also something more complex that compelled him to take care of her.

The werewolf just wasn't entirely sure what it was just yet.

Hermione awoke and found that she was once again in a completely unfamiliar place. It was night time now and the forest that had greeted them earlier that day engulfed her world in shadowy trees and strange noises in the distance. She was curled up beside a crackling fire just inside a rock formation. It wasn't much of a shelter but it provided enough coverage from the spring winds howling over them.

"Oh good you are awake. Just in time too since I already did all the work," Greyback said but despite his words there was no venom in his voice as he stoked the lively fire with a stick.

Everything in her body ached as Hermione sat up slowly, ignoring Greyback's snide remark. She was surprised that he had not eaten her in her sleep. Well that's at least one delight in this situation, she thought to herself wryly.

"Eat," he commanded and handed her what appeared to be a roasted squirrel. She hesitated only for a moment before taking the offered food.

"Thank you," she murmured. Her suspicion was not wasted on the werewolf.
"It's not poisoned," he replied to her unasked question.
"And I thank you for that as well," she said taking a ginger bite of the meat. It was edible. In truth the hardships of the past year meant Hermione had consumed little else but meager meals of whatever they could scavenge. Such was life on the run.

Life on the run.

Hermione tried once more to recall the important memories that still evaded her. She was angry that she could remember so little. Think, think, think!

"I'd save your energy," Greyback advised. He motioned to his face and mocked her contorted expression of frustration, "you keep thinking that hard and your face will freeze that way."

She scoffed but secretly agreed. At least on the part of conserving her energy. Hermione knew she was going to need every bit of it to make it back to Harry and Ron, including her mental prowess. Now situated with better lighting than what she had in the cave, the witch took a proper inventory of her injuries: what felt to be a broken leg, a likely concussion, a collection of bruises and several large cuts along her arms and torso.

Hermione noticed that although badly injured, Greyback seemed oblivious to his various abrasions and bruises. But something more pressing took her attention: "Why did you save me?"

Greyback looked at her and raised a questioning eyebrow.

"When I fell unconscious you could have just let me there."

"Would you have preferred I did?" He asked, scratching the scruff of his cheek absently.

Yes, she thought hastily.

Maybe, she amended.

"No," Hermione finally replied, choosing the most neutral of the three options that ran through her head. "But it just doesn't make sense. You're-"
"The enemy?" he interjected. The flames flickered in the yellow hue of his eyes as he stared her down. She was afraid to say yes, feeling distinctly like a rabbit caught in a wolf's gaze. Absently she concurred that it was a rather apt comparison. Nonetheless Hermione mustered her bravest fasade, unwilling to let the werewolf truly unnerve her.

"Maybe I saved you because there is more to me than you comprehend," he continued. And then with a shrug the werewolf leaned back against a large rock. "Or maybe I saved you so I could eat you later."

While the latter seemed more likely Hermione noticed the werewolf's faint smile. Whatever his true reasons were Hermione doubted he would be forthcoming and decided to drop the matter. For now she would have to be content that he had not in fact eaten her. Yet.

"How's the leg?" Greyback asked, nodding towards her left leg.

"I think it's broken," she replied. "I'll need to make a splint for it if I am going to do any walking. Do you have any idea where we might be?"

"Might be Hell," he joked. Why was he so light-hearted about their predicament? Hermione was annoyed with this new humanizing facet of her foe. She made to sure to remind herself that nothing had changed despite their circumstance. He was still the villainous Fenrir Greyback. The same creature that had killed her classmate right in front of her all too recently. As a further reminder, the stains of the fallen student's blood were still on his torn shirt.

When Hermione did not even so much chuckle Greyback rolled his eyes and added on a more serious tone: "I don't know but I'd guess we are nowhere near Hogwarts. Judging by these trees we might be somewhere in Poland."

"Poland?" Hermione said sharply. How had she managed to transport them so far away?
"It's just a guess," Greyback replied nonchalantly. "But this forest reminds me of the ones from my homeland."

Hermione paused to consider this detail. For all the countless textbooks she had memorized she could not recall ever reading any details about Fenrir Greyback's personal life.

"Hmm," she considered their dwindled options. Apparation was out of the question as neither had the strength for such magic in their current state. But the extent of their injuries made an extraction just as impossible. In the end the latter idea seemed the more feasible of the two.

Hermione hoped that if she could make it to some small town she could get word to Harry and Ron and let them know she was alright. Hermione eyed her current company and added silently, for the time being.

"How are your injuries?" Hermione asked eventually, her voice breaking the quietude between them.

"I'll survive," he replied, evading the question. She wasn't sure if this was a testament to his stubbornness or whether the werewolf had some other healing properties she wasn't aware of. Perhaps it was both. Neither said much after that point but the silence wasn't entirely unpleasant. Hermione welcomed the steady hum of crickets chirping, it was a piece of normalcy in what was otherwise a completely bizarre circumstance. It wasn't long before she drifted to sleep again but only after Greyback had already done the same. She didn't want to close her eyes in the company of such a monster but exhaustion eventually prevailed, plunging her into a dreamless sleep.

Neville and Luna's Flat
Present Day

Neville and Luna's home was a perfect blend of the odd couple. Open and airy it was one part Luna's touch of whimsy paired with Neville's earthy sensibilities. Harry enjoyed coming over to their home, mostly because he was never quite sure what to expect. Whether it was flowers that sang or a strange creature he had never heard of before that Luna had adopted. Tonight the place had been transformed for their engagement celebration with floating candles and tables of food.

"Harry!" Neville welcomed as the dark-haired wizard stepped out of the Floo. He cleaned the soot from his glasses as Ginny and Luna embraced in a hug. The two men shook hands.

"Good to see you, Neville. Er, Ginny and I brought this," Harry said as he held out a wrapped gift. He wasn't exactly sure what was in it, Ginny having assumed all gift-giving responsibilities in their relationship. Neville accepted it with equal awkwardness as he expressed his gratitude and set it on a nearby table.

"How's Hermione?" Neville asked casually. He had more experience with people in Hermione's state given his parents' condition but Harry didn't have the heart to tell Neville that she was no closer to recovery. Somehow Neville understood Harry's hesitation and simply nodded, changing the subject.

"It's alright. We can talk about it later. Come on try some of the tarts Luna made," and just like that Neville redirected Harry to the nearby table of food where the wizard soon lost himself in some idle chatter with Seamus and Dean about the latest Quidditch roster. Harry watched across the room as Luna showed off one of Neville's newest plant creations to Ginny who feigned the appropriate level of enthusiasm.

Ron showed up later and there was a distinct awkwardness between the two best friends as they exchanged greetings. Unlike Neville, Ron didn't ask about Hermione. Only Harry wasn't grateful for it, he was distinctly annoyed and decided to broach the subject first. He couldn't help but notice the redheaded wizard flinch at the sound of Hermione's name.

"You need to visit Hermione, mate," Harry said quietly so not to disturb the party underway around them. It wasn't an accusation but Ron felt the sting of the words nonetheless. Harry knew the reason why Ron had avoided him these past few days had everything to do with their estranged friend. Harry even understood the turmoil that must have been going through Ron's heart as clearly as he felt it in his own; but perhaps selfishly, Harry didn't think he should be the one to bare this burden alone. Hermione was Ron's best friend too. At one point she had even been more than that.

"I know," Ron said and the sadness in his tone was palatable. "I just...can't handle looking at her. She isn't Hermione, she's...she's..."
"She is Hermione," Harry shot back. He was instantly reminded of the same exchange he had only the day before with Lupin. Had the older wizard not said similar to Harry? And yet why did it feel so hard to hear Ron say the very same words that Harry had uttered himself all too recently. "She will remember us, Ron. She will. But you can't hide from her, not when she needs us so badly."

Ron looked at the ground, ashamed. Quietly he agreed that he would go see Hermione soon if only to appease Harry's judging glare. Before Harry could say anything further Luna approached them and the conversation died.

St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries

Present Day

"What is your name?" Lupin asked.
Hermione stared back at him, unblinking.
"How are you?"

Nothing.

"How old are you?"
She growled in reply.

Sensing her annoyance the older werewolf relented and smiled warmly.

"Okay, okay," he said. Lupin removed a square of chocolate from his chest pocket and handed it to Hermione who accepted the offering greedily. "Thank you for trying, Hermione."

They had been doing this each day of her stay at St. Mungo's, rehearsing basic personal information in the hopes Hermione would show some sign of human speech. But thus far each time she had merely looked back at Lupin with sharp watchful eyes and an occasional animalistic sound. Lupin was unsure of why Hermione was so far removed from her human self and the mystery baffled the wizard who had dedicated so much of his life to understanding those with their affliction.

For one thing, she was strong. Extremely strong. She broke her restraints not once but twice even after they had been reinforced with extra spells. While not entirely uncommon, generally a werewolf's strength was tied to the phases of the moon which only made Lupin wonder what there was instore for them during Hermione's transformation. He made a note to request an extra set of wards for her space.

Hermione's eyes were a deep wolfish amber and her teeth had distinctly sharp canines. It was as though she was caught between wolf and woman, her body unable to distinguish between the two. Lupin made a few more notes in her file, writing a reminder to access his catalogue of cases to see if there was any precedence for the traits he was seeing in Hermione. There was only one person in particular that came to mind but Lupin was not sure how willing of help they would be.

It is worth a shot though, he considered silently.

Hermione's days passed with Lupin's morning exercises (as she seemed to most complacent in the early hours of the day) followed by afternoons in which she fought back against the nurses who administered her wolfsbane. By the early evening when Harry would stop by for his daily visit it was often a toss-up what sort of mood the witch would be in.

"Hey Hermione," he greeted as usual. In return she approached Harry cautiously, giving him a few cursory sniffs before settling back into whatever she was doing. Sometimes Hermione simply curled up by the window and slept, other time she wordlessly brought over one of the books Harry had delivered earlier so in turn the wizard would read a chapter or two of whichever she had chosen for the evening.

"I miss you Hermione," Harry said after finishing up the last page of the book for the evening. It tumbled out unexpectedly but once he started talking the words just kept rushing out, brimming over with emotion from his conversation with Ron. "Ron does too. I know he hasn't been by but it's not because he doesn't want to see you it's just...complicated now and I feel like I should be doing something to help you but what? What can I do for you?"

Hermione looked at him in confusion and the wizard tried to force a faltering smile. "I'm sorry. I don't even know what I am going on about. It's got to be just as hard for you too."

And suddenly she reached out and grabbed his forearm tightly. Harry, startled by the gesture, was not sure what to do as he pressed himself further into his seat.

"Ha..rry," she uttered his name and Harry was sure he had imagined it.

"What did you say?" He whispered in shock.

"Harry," she repeated firmly.