[Author's Note]
Please mind the errors I might have missed I plan to go back over this chapter later.
Chapter 10
Present Day
Artemis Home
The full moon was only three days aware and all of the residents at the Artemis Home were feeling the forces of it. Tempers were shorter and everyone was feeling restless as the air became thick with the buzz of magic. The staff had allowed for shorter lessons and more time outside in the hopes to lighten the mood of the werewolves with only some measure of success. As older members of the household, Aisling Tobey and Killian enjoyed the privileges of being able to do work around the manor in exchange for a stipend. It was not much, Killian had told Hermione, but it was more than what they would have received in the outside world. The end goal for every resident in the manor was to go on and lead prosperous and independent lives but getting there was no easy feat. As non-lycanthropes were transitioning from the safety of school to vocational trainings and secondary schools, holding down jobs in the ministry and other sectors of the magical world, Aisling, Killian and Tobey were playing catch-up with many of the skills their wizarding peers would take for granted.
As part of today's work the three of them were outside tending to the orchards, Hermione was happy to join them if only to escape the stuffy confines of the manor's interior. Hermione appreciated the ample fresh air and smiled with her eyes closed as she faced the afternoon sunshine.
It had been several weeks since she had arrived at the stately manor and while the forest still felt more like home then the grandeur of the property she now lived in, Hermione had acclimated to her new surroundings as best she could. Most of her days were spent in a variety of lessons and tasks that kept her busy through the days, punctuated by the frequent visit of Harry or Ginny.
On several occasions Tonks had stopped by and brought with her Teddy. Hermione was enthralled with the small human and his rainbow colored hair. He had the faint scent of a werewolf but mostly smelled of graham crackers. Teddy would regall her with animated stories of his adventures and while he spoke in such a hurried air Hermione couldn't understand him very well she thought he was completely delightful.
The only person who she had not seen since coming to the manor was Ron. He would not have crossed her mind if Harry did not bring up the person so frequently, mostly in an apologetic tone. Hermione had pieced together that the person she had snarled at in st Mungos had once been someone dear to her in the past. All she knew now was that he had reeked of fear and an unmistakable undertone of disdain and pity that Hermione found abrasive to her wolfen senses. Regardless of their past she didn't much care for the man's presence now.
"Hermione, mind handing me that basket?" Aisling asked and broke Hermione from her thoughts. She glanced towards the large fruit basket beside her and walked it over to where the other werewolf stood on a ladder. Beneath the wide arms of an apple tree, Hermione watched in curiosity as Aisling held out what appeared to be a stick and swished her wrist carefully. At once an entire branch of apples jostled from the tree and landed in a neat pile inside of the basket Hermione was still holding.
Hermione dropped the basket in slight alarm.
"Oh sorry about that," Aisling said sheepishly. Killian and Tobey were standing by a nearby tree and paused in their tasks to see what the mild commotion was about. Hermione had seen people around her use the same device to invoke strange things and it fascinated her. Wand, the word sprang to her mind suddenly as she recalled vague images of wielding one.
Hermione extended her hand expectantly and Aisling climbed down the ladder with a cautious frown. Her light blue eyes darted around to see if anyone else was looking. "I don't know about that. Mr. Lupin had to teach us how to use these very carefully."
"Please," Hermione said with her hand still outstretched. In her observation this word seemed to hold weight among humans. As the werewolf pups had told her over lunch once it was a 'magic word'.
And sure enough it seemed to have worked. Aisling gave another conspiratorial look around them to make sure none of the staff were around. Killian and Tobey had now approached just as Aisling placed the wand in Hermione's hand.
"I am not so sure this is a good idea," Tobey said with equal nervousness as Aisling. Killian said nothing and merely watched Hermione with silent curiosity-although he did have the sense to stand a meter or so behind Tobey.
Hermione regarded the fine grain of the wood, feeling the familiar weight of the wand in her hand. A flood of memories rushed to her mind like a film roll of experiences projecting across the back of her skull. With a thoughtful look, Hermione pointed the wand at the basket of apples and gracefully flicked her wrist.
"Wingardium leviosa," she said the words with clear determination, even though Hermione couldn't be sure what they meant until upon witnessing their effect. At once the basket began to float, swaying in the breeze as though dangling from some sort of invisible cord. She smiled faintly to herself, nearly forgetting her audience of Aisling, Tobey and Killian.
"Where'd you learn that?" Killian asked as Hermione returned the wand to its owner. The basket landed on the ground with a soft thud.
"Hogwarts," she answered without thinking. It was strange how certain facts about her life remained a mystery, like there was pockets of information missing from her repertoire only to reappear under the right timing and formula of a situation. She wondered if one day someone would say the right word or phrase and everything in her world would suddenly make sense. Hermione was hopeful but not hedging her bets that it would ever be that simple. Just like the spell she had uttered moments ago, she wasn't even sure what Hogwarts meant even as the word slipped from her lips with ease.
"Well aren't you full of surprises," Tobey said. The three werewolves revealed they had not attended Hogwarts but recognized the name. It was a place that continuously captured the imagination of Artemis's residents as this distant vague place where one learned how to be a proper witch or wizard. Killian referred to it as 'the fancy shmancy wizarding school' with only mild bitterness. The lack of an opportunity for proper education were one of the many disadvantages to those who grew up with lycanthropy and lived on the fringes of society. Hermione had not been told all the details of their past but Hermione could feel through their silent exchanges that life had not been easy for any of them.
They spent the rest of the afternoon finishing up the outside chores; Hermione mostly went back to her silent observations of the other werewolves while a part of her daydreamed of who she might have once been. She thought about the young woman who had gone to Hogwarts and learned to wield magic with a wand.
"Ah, I was told I could find you all out here," greeted a voice. The four werewolves looked up to see Lupin approaching. Three of the four smiled warmly and responded with polite salutations. Hermione merely looked at him with vigilance.
His use of the stupefying spell was still fresh on her mind so Lupin reasoned her suspicion was valid. The nature of their last interaction was precisely why he had made the effort to build up the trust between them once more. No one said anything about Hermione having used Aisling's wand for fear of reprisal but they all looked amongst each other with guilty-looking expressions.
Lupin quirked an eyebrow but did not try to seek out the reason for their reactions. "I was hoping I could borrow Miss Granger for bit. Would you join me for a walk?"
Hermione was sure she could have simply walked off in the opposite direction but in all likelihood the older werewolf would have caught up to her no matter where she retreated. She had avoided him since their exchange in the infirmary. He could not be trusted not to use his magic against her nor did like that he had defended the other werewolf. Malfoy, she said the name in her head with rising contempt.
Instead of avoiding him further, Hermione took up the invitation with silent acceptance. They walked at a measured pace down through the path that lead to the gardens. The long-legged man shortened his stride for Hermione even though she would have been just fine if they did not walk together.
For what it was worth, Hermione did not hate the other werewolf. She mistrusted him now but knew enough from Harry that his intentions were likely good.
"It is a fine day, isn't it?" He asked conversationally but Hermione did not oblige a reply. She did not care for the human practice of small talk. More directly Lupin asked, "have you been enjoying your stay here?"
She nodded.
"Good," Lupin said with a warm smile. "I am happy to hear it. I want you to feel safe here, Hermione."
Safe, Hermione thought about the word. Since arriving back in this strange world of civilization everything had felt jarring. From the scratchy material of clothing to the fluorescent lighting at St Mungo's, all the sights and sounds of the wizarding world were accostment to her senses. She had felt an underlying sense of dread every moment she had spent trying to reacquaint herself with this life. Safety only felt tangible when she was outside, the clear sky above her and the warm earth at her feet.
"I also wanted to speak with you openly about something," Lupin said as he stopped walking. He turned to face her, inspecting her expression with earnest expectation. She recognized that face. It was the same one he had each other time Lupin had asked her what she remembered of the past five years. She could never offer him anything of value. She remembered running and running, and the sensation as though her heart would burst in her chest. These were hardly clues.
"Do you know the name of the werewolf who bit you?" he asked.
Golden eyes, the image popped into her head of face she could hardly remember save but his wolfen gold-hued eyes.
"Was it Greyback?" Lupin pressed, still scanning Hermione's face for any traces of recollection, any sign that his assertions were to be true.
"Greyback," she murmured the name in soft echo. It felt familiar on her tongue. This was hardly the confirmation Lupin wanted from the younger werewolf. However now her eyes had the thousand yard stare that said she was suddenly somewhere else even as Lupin tried to bring her back to present. 'Hermione? Hermione…'
A flutter of birds scattered from the trees above them. Hermione craned her neck to watch them take flight; she became deaf to the world around her as her mind drifted to the hazy past.
5 Years Ago
The birds had stopped singing in the trees above. It was an odd thing to notice in such a tense moment but the eerie silence that punctuated the scene stood out. It was as though all of nature was holding its breath to see what happened next.
Hermione had never fought in any sort of hand to hand fight in her life. She had been in plenty of wizarding duels over the years, tallying up most of her experiences in the time she spent with Harry and Ron on the run. However the closest she had come to brawling was when she tried to start a fight with Millicent Bulstrode. A Slytherin student in her year, Millicent had towered over her and pummeled Hermione without batting an eyelash. If it hadn't been for Harry jumping in to save her she probably would have left that situation a little more worse for the wear than she already had. Although in the other girl's defense, Hermione had started the fight. It had only been in a miscalculated attempt to get a lock of the girl's hair for a polyjuice potion but the results had not worked in Hermione's favor. In conclusion, one embarrassing fight under her belt did not make Hermione a worthy opponent to four very large centaurs.
But it did not matter as she tightened her hand in a white-knuckle grip on the dagger's hilt. The four centaurs said nothing as they stalked closer. Hermione took a quick survey of them. She could see now that each of the centaurs donned either a bow and arrow or held a spear. Three of them had reddish brown colorations and blue paint staining their human body with various shapes and archaic designs. The one that was closest to Hermione appeared to be the leader, his equine body was a dapple gray. Dark colored hair with lighter rings of silver dotting his sinewy limbs. His human body was tan from years in the sun and provided a stark contrast to the white of his hair. Despite these human features there was nothing welcoming about the cold brown eyes staring down at Hermione.
Hermione knew enough about centaurs to know they were both violent and unsympathetic to humans. The long history of subjugation between their kind and the wizarding world had left the creatures with little empathy for those outside their group. While Hermione understood their hostility she was in no position to play ambassador as much as she wished she could. She did not know how they felt about werewolves but any possibility of rapport seemed unlikely between the two classes. Instinctually Hermione sensed the preprogrammed prey versus predator hardwiring of her wolf self. Almost acting outside of her own human mind, the bloodthirst in her rose. The centaurs hoofed at the earth in agitation as she emitted another low growl.
Greyback was still unmoving on the ground but Hermione only stole a brief glance in his direction, she did not want to look away from the advancing creatures even for a moment. She prayed that he was to survive his injuries and it struck her faintly how surreal of a thought that was; she wanted Greyback to live.
"Stay back," Hermione warned. She was not even sure if they understood English but as she brandished the dagger, the centaurs seemed to heed caution and paused. There appeared a fifth centaur, stepping out from the brush from behind where Hermione stood.
She was surrounded.
The leader of the group laughed and the sound was like a soft rumble. The four other accompanying creatures joined in and it made Hermione's hackles raise. The standoff could not have lasted long but for Hermione it felt like eternity waiting for anyone to make a move. And then the leader of the group charged forward. He reared up on his hind legs and Hermione was amazed at creature rose to his full height. Was she not trying to defend herself and Greyback from certain death Hermione might have admired the magical creature. Instead she leapt out of the way just in time to avoid being trampled. It was a clumsy tumble but she quickly scrambled back up to her feet. One of the centaurs, a sleek bay colored one lifted the unconscious body of Greyback and tossed him over his back.
"Put him down!" She snapped.
Hermione clutched the dagger and bolted towards the centaur that now possessed the other werewolf. Three of the other centaurs moved in between her and her desired target. She swiped with the dagger and missed the agile centaur. Despite their large sizes, she was surprised to see how incredibly fast their reflexes were. The group sneered tauntingly. It did not matter the the odds were stacked significantly against her in that moment: Hermione was not backing down.
She dodged one of the centaurs as it leapt to kick her just as another stabbed with it's spear. Hermione moved but was only fast enough to avoid being impaled, the blade of the spear slicing her shoulder as she evaded the attack. The young werewolf yelled out as she struck one of the centaurs and felt as the dagger connected with one of the centaurs legs.
It screeched in pain and doubled back as blood pooled on the forest floor. There was no time for Hermione to feel triumphant as the other centaurs closed in. She could see the one with Greyback was just outside the circle watching stoically. In a split second she shifted on her feet just in time to avoid another spear. Hermione swiped back with the dagger and caught the centaur in the side. But it wasn't enough to do serious damage. Another centaur from behind reared back and knocked her down with a swift kick.
She lost the dagger as she fell. Shit, the young woman cursed to herself. Before Hermione could recover the leader of the group was standing above her. Their eyes met with a flash of venom just as his deadly hoof came down and struck her in the face.
After that there was only darkness.