Chapter 6

Hermione's Husband

When Harry appeared in the cottage it was a very different scene than he'd experienced two nights before. The horrible metallic smell of blood filled the room, and the pop of Kreacher's departure was little more than a pin drop over the pounding in his head. His eyes went to Hermione first. Her prone form was splayed on the rug of the sitting room. She was so very still, covered in blood, horribly pale. Her throat had been torn open, it was grotesquely mangled and blood poured freely from the wound. There was a long, open scratch that ran from her right temple under her chin, it too, was bleeding and staining her frizzy blonde locks. Her bloody figure felt in such stark contrast to the pristine room around her, with its almost Dursley-ish cleanliness and homey furnishings. It didn't even feel real.

Harry dropped to his knees beside her and felt traitorous tears slip down his cheeks. This was the image that visited his nightmares come to life, the fear that had been his constant companion the last three years become real and physical in front of his eyes.

That's when she moved. Harry sobbed at the sound, she was there. When she spoke it was a near-whisper, "Harry?" He nodded and tentatively touched her blood-wet curls, "did Kreacher get Lily?"

Harry nodded again, "she's safe Hermione, George has her. She's safe." He softly reassured her.

"It's him, it's Greyback, Conner, he's Greyback, Harry." She breathed.

Her eyes fluttered shut and Harry pleaded with her, "Hermione, please, stay with me. Don't do this. No, no, no. Come on Hermione." He begged.

"I warned you Potter, I told you what I would do if you came back." Harry heard his chilling voice behind him and he turned with his wand drawn, it was removed from his hand almost lazily into Greyback's. Ropes sprung forth from Greyback's wand and tied Harry to the floor beside Hermione. He had been short-sighted once more, to come alone, knowing he would be distracted, unfocused with Hermione so near death. Greyback no longer resembled his Conner persona, he was as Harry remembered him, terrifying and wolf-like, even away from the full moon, more monster than man. "As I was trying to explain, do you know how I knew you were there? Under the cloak?"

Harry didn't bother to respond, he had nothing to say to this animal and the longer they sat here discussing it, the longer Hermione bled on the floor. He didn't have time to listen to the explanations, he intended to get them later, preferably from a cell in Azkaban. He struggled further against the ropes that bound him and shot another worried glance at Hermione's too-still body.

"I could smell you, Potter, did you think I would forget the stink of self-righteousness on you?" He gave a dark chuckle, "and that house elf, only too happy to do your bidding, right after sending your mutt of a godfather off to his death. Did you think I wouldn't recognize the elf that spent the better part of your fifth year skulking about Malfoy Manor? Foolish as ever."

"What do you want with Hermione anyway, what's she matter to you? You hated us!" Harry shot back. He was desperately hoping George would appear, he wasn't doing a very good job of figuring his way out of this on his own.

"I hate you Potter," Greyback corrected. "I hate you, but your little mudblood friend? Her, I had a fondness for." He gave another dark laugh, "When I took her I just wanted to kill her, to taste her. It was so easy, I stunned her while she slept in the castle, tucked away in that little tower. Once I actually had her, I realized, I could do so much more than kill her. I wanted my own children, and she could give them to me, and hurt the great Harry Potter in the process. It wasn't easy, she fought me, fought the new memories, I had to confund her nearly every week, at first. I planned to kill her after the second child. I could turn them into wolves, raise them as wolves. Instead, you found us, and now? You've killed her. I need you to know that Potter, before you die I need you to know you cost her her life. She was happy, she loved Conner, and you've killed her."

Harry was feeling the desperation creep up and cloud his vision. His heart hammered against his ribs and Hermione was becoming frighteningly pale. He wasn't sure if she still drew breath, he certainly couldn't see the rise and fall of her chest he needed as badly as he needed the oxygen that filled his own lungs. He turned to Greyback's looming form and did the only thing that occurred to him, spit in his deformed face.

"How dare you!" Greyback screamed, "crucio!" Harry felt it before he heard it, he had nearly forgotten the horrible pain of this particular unforgivable. It came rushing back in a wave of agony and even with his monumental effort to keep himself from crying out, a scream of pain was ripped from his lungs. He begged for death, anything to end the pain. The misery refused to cease, he could feel his aching muscles straining against the horribly constricting ropes, powerless to control it. Through his watery eyes he could see Hermione, her life fading fast, if she wasn't already gone, and he begged her forgiveness in his mind, if only because he knew his own time was short. His focus was limited to her soft blonde hair and deathly white cheeks, the last image he'd ever see, burning in his darkening vision like a promise. The pain was threatening to overwhelm him and he didn't want to go, didn't want to leave her, but wanted desperately to escape the awful pain that was currently setting his entire body on fire.

Suddenly, blissfully, it was over, and Harry heard George's voice as though from a great distance, "fashionably late always makes an entrance, wouldn't you say, Harry?" If he'd had the ability, Harry would've hit him.

"Hermione, get Hermione, George." Harry croaked instead. His body would not cooperate with his desire to move in her direction and he could barely lift a shaky arm to gesture toward her.

"Blimey." George breathed heavily, he was still attempting to sound light but Harry could hear the fear seeping into his tone, and the sudden whisper-like quality his voice held, as though speaking over a grave. "Greyback's stunned Harry, I'll be back for you." Just like that, George was gone, Harry wasn't sure how he'd gone or where, but he'd taken Hermione with him, and that was enough. It was enough to allow Harry's heavy eyelids to flutter closed, and his exhausted body a moment to rest.

Harry woke to more pain, horrible, stomach turning, pain. He screamed harshly, his lungs searing from their recent abuse. If he'd thought he'd exhausted his ability to scream, he was quickly disavowed of that idea. His body seared with the pain of the spell and his chest burned with his screams. Until blackness loomed the edge of his vision and he heard Greyback's voice once more, "where did they take her, Potter?! Answer me! I'll kill you, do you understand?! Crucio!"

"I don't know!" Harry shouted insolently, "and if I did, I'll still tell you to go to hell!" He spit again in Greyback's general direction, though he knew he did not reach his target. He wouldn't go down without making it perfectly clear that he'd sooner bunk with Neville's parents than risk Hermione's life for even a moment. "Kill me, you fucking coward!" Harry screamed, ignorant to his own position of weakness, powerlessness. Greyback approached his useless form. He could do nothing to stop it so he shouted, "do it! I'd rather die than give up anything, you monster!" Then he was screaming again. Screaming as though it might save him, as though it might save Hermione. His chest was burning, his heart ached with the pressure, then, the world was wonderfully quiet. Black, and quiet and exactly what Harry had begged for, and he still asked for her forgiveness. "I'm sorry Hermione," and the last words he spoke, the last words he thought he'd ever speak, were to her, "I love you."

For Harry, the world went black.

Authors note: Good work, CastleHHR and DianneBaquiran, for the detective work!

I will say that the name Conner means "lover of hounds" in certain cultures and Slate is a synonym for Grey. Kudos to those who sorted it out. I also chose the name Conner because there was a similarity to a 'con man' in the title. Which he is, in my fictional imagination.

Although McLaggen was a good guess, he does seem a likely character, so sleezy.

Also, Lily is absolutely Greyback's, there will be no magical way she ends up being Harry's.

In my real life I have an extraordinarily demanding job and this has been an especially trying week. Like a more than 50 hour, trying week. I normally write chapters on my extremely rare breaks, which is why it took me a while to update. I apologize for the delay. I admit that during this particularly trying week, your reviews meant the world, so thank you. Thank you very much for your support, it means more than you could know.