Chapter 2

Once again Hermione sat, sunken into the couch, eat a bag of cheese balls, her pop resting on the coffee table. Her eyes darted around the screen as Po began to take out the surface cannons on the Dreadnought*. She leaned forward in anticipation, all the resistance bombers were gone, all but one. She had seen this movie many times before, but it still made her teary-eyed when the last bomber went out, killing the only girl left on the ship, but still accomplishing its mission. It went commercial break and Hermione flopped back into the couch cushions, she felt emotionally spent after watching that scene. She shook her head, I'm pathetic. Deciding to take a stretch break, Hermione got to her feet, her joints popped and cracked as she did.

"Is this old people feel?" She wondered aloud. She would never say something like that if someone else was around, but she was alone a free to be as rude and blunt as she sees fit. She walked to the kitchen, throwing open cabinets and digging through drawers for something eatable. She had gone to the store last week and was starting to run low on food. She considered simply ordering a pizza or Chinese food. Maybe a sandwich? She cocked her head at the idea, a sandwich sounds good, she decided. She walked into the living room and plucked the home phone from its stand, quickly dialing the sub place's number.

"Hello", a fake sounding woman's voice said through the speaker, "You have reached Billy's Burgers and subs! Unfortunately, we are having technical difficulties with our phone line and no over the phone orders will be taken. We are sorry for the inconvenience, have a nice day!" Then the voice cut off leaving nothing but silence and Hermione's growling stomach. Hermione groaned. She hated the idea of having to go out but she truly was hungry. She banged her palms to her forehead.

Sighing in defeat, she trudged up to her room. She threw on a tank top and some short jogging shorts before making her way downstairs once more.

She was in the middle of looking for her keys when she heard a sad song playing on the t.v. She made her way to the living room and started picking through the couch cushions looking for the remote.

"Ah ha!" She turned towards the t.v pointing the remote at it when her eyes locked with big brown ones. They were wide and scared, a dog shivering in its crude wire cage. It looked hungry and cold and all she wanted to do was cuddle them until they stopped shivering. Sighing she made herself listen to the whole commercials, she watched the cruel videos and looked into more sad eyes. Tears were slipping down her cheeks by the end of it. She hastily wiped them away then shut off the t.v.

As she walked outside into the peak of summer heat and nearly gagged at the thick, wet air that tried to make its way to her lungs. She hurried to her car, which was also sweltering, and blasted the AC her sweat level went from buckets to bottles. Sighing, she slouched low in her seat, taking a moment to bask in the cool air. When she finally started the car almost twenty minutes had passed. Her eyes widened, she could have done that ten times faster if she were allowed to use magic. But alas, she was still under age, which means she still had the trace. She rolled her eyes at the ministry, dogging students for using magic while the world was at war. She shook head head once more before pulling out of the lot.

She drove down the back roads, not wanting to get stuck in rush hour traffic. Her music was turned up loud so she could sing along without people hearing her. Her hand beat rhythmically against the steering wheel, head bopping slightly. She had begun to make it back to the busier part of the city when something caught her eye.

Caring hearts animal shelter and rescue

The eyes of the sad dogs played in her memory.

"It won't hurt, right?" She mutters.

She parked her car in the empty lot and walked to the grey building, taking deep breath before opening the door. Immediately the sounds and smells hit her. There was barking, mewling, cawing and the occasional growl or hiss.

Hermione considered turning around and driving right back home, forget her stomach, but then she saw a large van roll into the no parking zone and a jerkily stop. She cocked her head in curiosity. Two men clambered out of the truck, one from the driver seat the other from the passenger side. They both walked to the back of the van and yanked open the doors. They reached and started to heave something out, tugging and pulling, but whatever it was wasn't happy about being in or leaving that van. After a few more minutes, they finally pulled the thing free. Hermione squinted to see what it was, but couldn't. The men began to make there way to the shelter and Hermione gasped. There, straining between the two men was a lean, sleek furred greyhound. It would be considered gorgeous if not for the bleeding cuts that scattered its body. Finally, they reached they shelter, pulling the dog along with them as they entered. The greyhound was snarling and snapping at the men.

A shelter staff member came rushing into the lobby, the poor women flinched as the greyhound snapped its jaws and bared its teeth.

"R-right this way." She pointed to a blue door at the end of the hall. The men began to yank the greyhound towards the door, the young worker made to to go after them but paused when hermione call for her to wait.

"Ma'am, I'm in a bit of a rush. Can I send another staff member to help you?"

"Is he up for adoption?" Hermione asked, gesturing to the blue door.

The women sucked in a breath, "I'm sorry, miss, but that dog is very aggressive and must be put down." The girl looked sad, obviously not wanting to kill him.

"Can I see him?"

The girl's eyes widened and she shook her head vigorously. "N-no, miss I'm very sorry but that dog was reported to be very dangerous."

"Please I think I can help you, if he bites me I'll leave you to put him down...but if not I want to take him home, I want to adopt him." Hermione's heart hammered as the girl glanced anxiously from the door to her, eyes flicking with uncertainty.

"Please."

Finally the girl gave a curt nod, and pointed to the blue door.

"Ten minutes, that's all I can give you."

Hermione immediately rushed to the blue, only pausing only to take a deep breath before entering the room.

It was a starele white, the floor, the walls, and even the door were all drained of color.

The only thing the contrasted with the white was a steel table in the middle of the room. On it layed to greyhound. His eyes were wide and his breathing quick, the sight of him broke her heart.

Stepping fully into the room hermione could see the dogs wounds more clearly. Some, were deep gashes. Other, shallow scratches. They were all caked in brown looking dried blood, though some still leaked thick, fresh red blood.

Hermione whimpered, and the dog's eyes snapped to her's. She sharply sucked in a breath, those eyes. They were almost exactly the same as the man's she had encountered last week. But no the man's eyes had been lighter. She was fairly sure she was going crazy, he has grey eyes, no big deal. She assured herself.

The dog stiffened under her gaze, but still never broke eye contact. Hermione stepped closer, still not looking away. Another step. Another. And another. Till she stood next to the table were he rested on his side. She lifted her hand, but stopped just before touching him. Giving him time to growl or somehow tell her off. But he didn't, he just stayed rigged, still as a statue.

"Hey boy. I don't know what happened to you but I'm here to help" she said in a soothing voice.

Hermione's hand experimentally skimmed a patch of fur that was wound free, the dog only shuddered. She decided to take a risk by bending down till she was eye level.

"I want to help you," she stroked its fur lightly, "I won't hurt you."

Then the door creaked open behind her and the young worker poked her head into the room, her eyes widened at the sight of Hermione softly stroking the greyhound's fur.

Still gaping at the pair she began to stammer how Hermione could take him free of charge. When the worker snapped out of her shock she immediately began to go through the basic needs, medical health, physical activity levels and food.

When she finally finished her lecture, she nodded and told Hermione clear out as soon as possible. Hermione carefully lifted the greyhound from the table, she heard it hiss and groan in pain. She whispered apologies to him the whole time.

When they finally made it out of the shelter and into her Jeep a thought struck her.

"What should your name be?"

The dog beside her cocked his head.

"Hmmm" she thought aloud. The image of her recently passed cat, Crookshanks, slipped into her mind.

"I know! How about Crook?" They dog didn't look very happy but, Hermione liked it.

"Come on Crook, we have to stop at the store but then we can go home and watch Next Top Model!"

She could have swore Crook had groaned, but shook her head and turned the key.

—

*I know technically the Last Jedi wasn't out then but I think it's cool so *plop* into the story it goes(disclaimer: I do not own anything remotely related to the Star Wars franchise)

Hello again!

I'm back and ready for things to really kick off! I'm still a little indecisive about how the next chapter will go but when I figure it out I'll have it up ASAP! Ok, so, I'd love to thank Apieyah for the tip about the Animagi process, I'll do a little more research and change things around. Now, I'd like to warn you that this is a rated M story and you'll see a bit of why in the coming chapters. It will get uncomfortable if your not ok with cursing, sex(or sex references) and violence. There are may also, though many chapters away, be references to non-con, murder and torture(death eater activities and talk). Sounds peachy, doesn't it? I'm just warning you... I will tell you before and after when sensitive topics coming in the story, so can skip it if you'd like. Now, back on a less serious note what do you guys think of the lovely greyhound's new name? I died laughing when my friend suggested it, knowing he'd hate it. So just to bother are friendly neighborhood doggo, his name is Crook.

Hmmm...Ok I think that's it

Keep hanging on,

THA