[Author's Note]
Greetings readers, I apologize for the delay. I was recently accepted into grad school (YAY!) and in preparation of that I have had very little time to write. However, I have been outlining the future chapters and I am very excited to share how the story unfolds. It takes a lot of planning to make sure all the pieces come together so I appreciate your patience. Seriously, thank you all who are following along! I read each review and the support continues to inspire and motivate me.

PS I haven't had a chance to edit this chapter in full. I will fix the errors in the morning but I was too excited not to post this.

Chapter 6

Sometimes the night wakes in the middle of me
And
I can do nothing
But
Become the moon.
- Nayirrah Waheed

"Thank you again for stopping by," Lupin said as he escorted Draco Malfoy from the meeting room they had just occupied. The young man nodded stiffly, a gesture of feigned politeness. It was clear the wizard had no keen desire to spend even a moment longer in his current company.

But just as they turned a corner heading down the long stretch to the manor's main entrance Draco froze in his steps. The residents of the Artemis Home were done with their morning routines and filing into the dining hall in small groups. However Lupin quickly realized it was not the sight of young children and adolescents that had halted the former Slytherin where he stood.

He knew at once that Draco had recognized the young woman with unruly brown hair leaving a room. She was trailed by two residents her own age and a staff member. Hermione paused, sniffing the air. Her eyes scanned the vincity and narrowed as they landed on Draco. Suddenly a dark shadow crossed her demeanor, a quiet snarl tugging at her lips. If there was any doubt whether she remembered the adversary of her youth it was quickly confirmed by her next reaction.

Hermione moved too fast for the staff member, Draco or even Lupin to respond appropriately. Moving at renatural speed and dexterity she closed the distance between her and the pureblood wizard. With one powerful arm she pinned him by his throat to the wall, stealing the air from his lunges. Draco, while momentarily caught off guard, instinctively reached for his wand to defend himself. The faster and stronger of the two, Hermione snatched his arm and dug her nails tightly into his skin until he released the wand. There was a clank as it hit the ground.

"Foul...cockroach," she hissed.
"HERMIONE!" Lupin bellowed, the normally soft-spoken man yelling in alarm. Both the staff member and the older werewolf attempted to pull Hermione off before she could suffocate her victim. She released her grip on Draco's throat just long enough to swing at Lupin in retaliation. Acting quickly now Lupin retrieved his wand and struck Hermione with a stupefy spell.

At once she crumbled to the ground, unmoving. Even unconscious she wore a fierce scowl that betrayed the violence she had just unleashed. Everyone seemed momentarily paralyzed by what had transpired.

Draco clutched his neck, gasping for air. He grabbed his wand and quickly took several defensive steps away from Hermione as though worried she would awake at once to continue her attack. Lupin, although sure the young woman would be out for at least a short while, found himself doing the same.

"What in the bloody name of Merlin was THAT!" Draco said with barely contained rage. Despite the stress of the moment a part of Lupin ruefully expected the young man to add "my father will hear about this!" However there was no smile on his face. He had just witnessed Hermione try to kill someone without hesitation.

"Are you alright?" Lupin asked. "Matilda can see to your injuries in the infirmary-"
"Are you not going to tell me why I was just attacked by her? What is she even doing here!" Draco snapped, not about to be redirected from the question at hand. The younger man crossed his arms, his posture straightening. Despite his sympathy for the would-be victim, Lupin was not intimidated by his demeanor.

By now they had an audience. Curious residents peered from the dining hall while the staff member that had been with Hermione along with her two peers, Tobey and Killian, were helping move the unconscious woman to the infirmary.

"It is not at my discretion to discuss her with you anymore than I could discuss any other individuals here," Lupin said in a quiet tone. His calm eyes regarded Draco closely and as if understanding an unspoken message behind the words. Those that came to the Artemis Home were afforded a certain level of privacy; while Draco wanted to demand further explanation he knew none would be provided.

"Fine," he said with a huff. "Have it your way. See to it that she is properly managed in the future unless you want a lawsuit on your hands."

"Is that a threat, Mr. Malfoy?" Lupin asked calmly, his use of the title mister sounded more like an adult addressing an impudent child than an exercise in decorum. Draco glowered.

"Consider it a warning to the wise; Granger is apparently more mental than she was when I knew her in school."

And at that the wizard turned his back and stalked off indignantly. Lupin still wasn't sure whether those words were going to result in any direct action from the wizard's family. He was relieved that Malfoy had not persisted further. No one knew Hermione was a resident at the Artemis Home and he had hoped to keep it that way for as long as possible. She needed space from the public eye in her recovery.

In any case he knew he was going to need to take better care that such a close call didn't repeat. Either way Lupin anticipated there would be an angry letter arriving by Owlpost before long. Leaving behind the retreating figure Lupin went down the opposite corridor towards where he knew the others had taken Hermione.

"Thank you for your assistance, gentlemen," Lupin said to Killian and Tobey just as they were leaving the infirmary. They gave a cryptic look between themselves before Tobey spoke.

"Will she be alright?" He asked.
Lupin nodded, feeling a pang of shame that the situation had escalated so quickly. Using stunning spells was considered a very last resort in their establishment and the older Lupin understood that his decision might have eroded the trust and rapport he tried so hard to build with the youth of home.

"Yes, it was only a temporary spell. Did she say anything to either of you before she attacked?" Lupin asked but he already anticipated their answer.

"No, sir...but Hermione doesn't say much though," Killian replied. The young man's sharp blue eyes were looking at Lupin with curiosity as if he might hold the answer to why their new friend had gone berserk.

"I figured as much, well thank you again. Please go get yourselves food in the dining hall before it closes," Lupin said and the two younger werewolves bid their good-byes. Walking into the infirmary, he gave a polite nod to the medic nurse before pulling a chair to sit beside the infirmary bed currently occupied by Hermione.

It didn't take much guessing for him to piece together why she had attacked Draco Malfoy. After all, they had been at opposite sides of the war and even before that, likely as early as their first year of Hogwarts, they had feuded. Werewolves were known to be aggressive by nature and at least several times a day Lupin and his staff members found themselves breaking up fights. Sometimes the wolf's impulse to fight overrode the human's ability to reason. For those like Hermione that still struggled to reconnect with their humanity this was particularly true.

He wasn't pleased with himself for stunning her; they had procedures at the Artemis Home to de-escalate crisis situations. But in that moment Lupin saw nothing but blind fury in Hermione's eyes and he had reacted on instinct. Perhaps if he hadn't the situation might have ended with far worse consequences for all parties-particularly Draco.

As Lupin expected it wasn't long before Hermione revived. He had just enough time to collect his thoughts when her eyes fluttered open, casting a wild look around the room. Immediately she looked down at her hands and expected them to be shackled as they had been on several occasions at St. Mungos.

"We don't use mechanical restraints here," Lupin said softly. Her eyes narrowed at him as she sat up. The medic witch paused in filing paperwork in the corner of the infirmary, waiting to see if she was going to be needed. Hermione was tense but she didn't move to hurt Lupin.

"Also we do not attack our guests here either," Lupin added. "I understand you and Draco Malfoy have had a very difficult past but I cannot allow you to ever attack him again."

Hermione gave him a challengingly glare. Silent or not, her defiance was understood.

Lupin sighed in mild exasperation, "there is a lot you need to learn, Hermione. A great deal has happened in your absence. Perhaps in time you and Mr. Malfoy could even learn from one another-"

But just then his words were cut short by the harsh voice of the fiery female werewolf. Her amber eyes shone with an intense fire as she chose each word with deliberate and immense effort: "He is not worthy to be one of our kind."

It shouldn't have been a surprise to Lupin that Hermione had uncovered Draco's nature. While the wealthy wizard had gone to great lengths to hide his lycanthropy it was something most perceptive werewolves could sense in another. Lupin should have been pleased by Hermione's sudden use of a full sentence and would have praised her efforts if the topic of their conversation did not require his full attention. What sort of rabbit hole was this discussion going to lead? Up until this point no one had any inkling of the thoughts Hermione harbored in her head or her perception of her condition.

"What do you mean by "not worthy"?"

"He doesn't deserve the gift," Hermione said with continued strain as if it required all her strength to form the words in her mouth.

Lupin's mouth went dry at her description of calling lycanthropy a gift. Never once in his lengthy life had he considered his condition to be a gift. Certainly it afforded him a unique perspective but not quite a gift in the sense she was emphasizing. Lupin couldn't shake how the coincidental choice of words reminded him of someone else. A dangerous loathsome creatures that had haunted his childhood nightmares...

The older werewolf wanted to press further but was just then interrupted by a sudden arrival. "Is everything alright?"

Harry entered the spacious bay with a concerned look as he regarded Hermione in the infirmary bed. He still donned his auror robes and by the looks of it had hurried from the headquarters straight after. She immediately slid off the side of the bed and went to greet him with a hug. "Harry," she murmured happily.

"Everything's alright, there was a bit of scuffle but all is fine. Hermione has assured me there won't be any repeated events."

The female werewolf had made no such promise but she simply cast a look over her shoulder before leading Harry out of the room in haste. It was clear Lupin wasn't to be one of her favorite people for a while to come and he accepted that. He would need to build their trust again and hopefully she would eventually tell him what had happened.

Five Years Ago

She was fading in and out of consciousness but awoke to the sensation of a cool wet rag on her forehead. Hermione opened her eyes and saw Greyback staring back at her, his eyes were a more intense gold than ever before. In her haze she guessed this meant that it was nearly time for his transformation..

"It won't be long before the moon rises," Greyback said, confirming her thoughts. "Are you prepared? There is no going back after this."

Hermione was aware but her choices seemed simple: live as a werewolf or die as a witch. Between the two Hermione would pick the former. And yet she couldn't help but appreciate faintly that the werewolf had given her the power to make the decision herself. This gesture undermined the hatred she had towards him and she wasn't sure how to feel about that. He had taken so many lives but now he was to be the one to save her's. She had watched him murder an innocent person and yet even so he was the one who had kept her alive in the remote wilderness of their predicament.

Above all Hermione hoped she would live long enough to reconcile these conflicting impressions.

Her vision blurred and she felt each ragged breath in her chest but with all the energy she could muster Hermione willed herself to keep holding on. She could no longer see Greyback but distantly, as though she was straining to hear underwater, Hermione could hear sounds that were not entirely human. The snap of bones and the harsh echo of a man's voice yelling out. Was it pain? Rage? Or a mixture between the two?

And then there was silence.

Hermione was slipping once more into the oblivion of unconsciousness when the booming werewolf's howl drew her back to the waking world. It was such a powerful, haunting sound. The witch forced her vision to focus and she saw the advancing blur of a wolf approach. Up close the creature was enormous and there was no mistaking it for a normal canine. His grey fur glowed a surreal silver hue in the bright light of the full moon but it could have been Hermione's delirium that gave him that glowing aura. Without thinking Hermione reached out and touched the soft fur on the werewolf's chest; perhaps it was the fact that her life was already on the cusp of death that she did not fear repercussions for petting him. She knew that at any other point Hermione would have been utterly terrified of such a beast. This was the first time she had ever been so close to a werewolf. Her mind faintly recalled the brief encounter she had with Remus Lupin on Hogwarts grounds. Whereas the poor professor had very little control over his senses in that instance, Greyback stood in front of her with a calm that might have otherwise been considered docile.

He regarded her hand with an inquisitive tilt of his canine head that would have been endearing if not for the fact that this wasn't a playful puppy in front of her but the infamous Fenrir Greyback.

"Okay," she exhaled and closed her eyes, bracing for the pain. "Let's do this."

Hermione didn't want to see but she could feel the wolf's hot breath as he loomed over her. He bent down and with one measured bite sank his sharp teeth into her shoulder. The witch yelled in agony as the magic of the bite consumed her instantly. Every cell in her body felt as though it was on fire, threatening her skin to combust. She could hear nothing else but her own hoarse voice screaming in the night air.

She thrashed, her head slamming against the earth with such force Hermione wished it would have knocked her unconsciousness if only for a reprieve from the pain. It was unlike anything she had ever felt, even the torture inflicted upon her under the deranged Bellatrix Lestrange paled in comparison. It blinded and deafened her to the world around her even though she could feel Greyback's fur beneath her hand, a sign that he was still at her side.

Stay calm, witch... A distant voice called to her. Only it wasn't really a voice but rather a familiar presence in her mind. A projection of soothing intentions. Somehow she recognized the presence to be Greyback. Surrender to the pain, embrace it.

Hermione Granger had never surrendered to anything in her life but as each moment drew on and the torment ensued she tried to steady her breath and find something to keep her afloat in the waves of pain. She focused her mind on the sensations afflicting her as though it was a distant experience.

She could not have been sure how long it lasted. Perhaps hours or maybe even just several minutes. When Hermione regained her vision she slowly sat up to find that her surroundings had changed. Greyback was nowhere to be seen and the forest had given way to an unfamiliar field. Hermione looked down at her body and saw her ragged clothes had been replaced with glistening white robes. Her injuries were gone and Hermione felt whole-at peace.

For a brief moment she considered that she was surely dead. Hermione had not given the afterlife much thought up until this point but even in passing musings this was not what she had imagined.

There was a lone person standing in the middle of the field and as Hermione approached she could see it was a woman. Dressed in similar white robes the unfamiliar woman turned and welcome Hermione with a loving smile. The woman wore a crown of golden chains upon her brown plaited hair. Upon closer inspection Hermione could see beads of moonstone intertwined with the woman's braid.

"Hello my child," she greeted. Hermione was not sure what drove her to kneel before the mysterious person, only that her instinct compelled her. It was as though she moved under some sort of Imperius curse but she did not fight the sensation. It didn't feel like a circumvention of her free. The gesture felt right.

"Rise so that I may look closely at you," the woman said and Hermione did so. The woman inspected her with open curiosity; she was older but there were no distinct signs of aging in her face. There was something altogether comforting in her presence. Maternal even.

"Who-who are you?" Hermione asked once she could find her voice.

"I am the mother of all those that feel the moon's call," she replied with an ethereal tone.
"I don't understand. Does this mean I dead?" Hermione asked. She thought she would have felt disappointed, angry even, that she had not survived the transformation. However it was because deep down she innately knew she had not died. But did this mean she was dreaming? Was she in the middle of a vivid hallucination brought on by the lycanthropy's onslaught?

"Oh no my dear, your life has just begun. There is no time I am afraid. You must go now, your destiny awaits."

The woman kissed Hermione's forehead.

Hermione couldn't reply as the moon above them grew brighter and brighter until it consumed everything in sight. Her vision went white and when the light cleared she was back in the familiar setting of the forest landscape. Whatever bizarre dream had just transpired was quickly dispelled by reality. Greyback was standing now, nudging her in the side repeatedly with his muzzle. It wasn't until she felt the sharp sting of his fangs on the nape of her neck that she realized he was dragging her to her feet.

Except she didn't possess feet. The weight of her new body was held upright on four massive paws of her own. Once the cloud faded from her conscious mind she couldn't help but rejoice; she had survived her injuries and the transformation. While exhausted from undergoing her new body's changes, Hermione felt undeniably healed.

Instinctively she let out a howl of joy and was surprised by the sound of her new voice. Hermione felt Greyback's gaze on her. If wolves could smirk he would certainly have done so. Had she ever felt this alive before? Every sense was heightened beyond any human threshold. She could hear the snap of a twig miles away as a forest animal scurried by and the symphony of nocturnal life greeted her with astounding clarity. Every scent was new and inviting and begged to be explored, driving her thoughts in a million different directions.

Strangely, Hermione still felt present. She was aware of her identity as a young woman but it was coupled now with this new fascinating presence. The part of herself that was wholly wolf. And right now in this instant it was this side that held the reigns. Hermione found herself willing to relinquish control, to given in to the animal's impulses.

Greyback was already bounding off into the darkness to chase the trail of nearby prey. Hermione didn't need to think, she was already force of her paws took her into the cover of the trees with blinding speed. In another life hunting would have made Hermione the witch cringe but she was no longer that person. As her new body took her faster and faster from her original location, she found herself speeding away from her old self too. This realization should have frightened her but it didn't.

She couldn't be certain of who she had become in the moonlight that night, only that this new self was exhilarating. And for the first time she didn't fear the darkness of the night, instead the shadows enveloped the wolf like a warm embrace. It felt as though she was coming home.