Chapter 3: Countdown to Judgment Day

The End-of-the-Year Feast at Hogwarts was always a swirl of emotions for one Harry Potter. Part of it was the joy that he, Ron and Hermione had survived another year at Hogwarts. The fact that every year so far had involved a plot in some way which endangered their lives, meant that they were never sure they'd make it to see the close of another school year.

The event was also a somber one for him as well. It meant leaving the one place he truly called home, the one place where he felt he truly belonged and was instead placed in world contempt, loathing, and a constant reminder of everything his life lacked. It also meant that he would be leaving his two best friends, who were more like family to him than his relatives ever would. Leaving behind the excitement of Hogwarts for the simple and monotonous Dursley's always managed to be a downer on him this time every year.

This year the feeling was even worse. His arm was still in a sling due to the bite wound being unable to heal for another week or two. Being reminded of the coming lunar phase were starting to wear his nerves thin. The fact that Harry's future would be determined in just a few weeks' time when the full moon rises, had set him understandably on edge. It wasn't the possibility of turning into a dark creature that frightened Harry. What truly scared him was the idea that whatever the outcome of the full moon was, it could possibly mean that the life he envisioned himself in the wizarding would soon be over.

He looked across the table at his two best friends, wondering how he would be handling himself right now if it wasn't for them. Ron had taken it upon himself to act as if nothing was wrong, reasoning that Harry didn't want to be treated differently despite current circumstances. Hermione on the other hand, had been completely understanding and compassionate in the case of his condition and for that Harry was grateful. Harry simply stared at his female best friend deciding that he would tell her the full truth about his predicament, no matter how much it scared her.

Hermione noticed Harry's stare and met his eyes, chocolate brown meeting emerald green, and gave him a small reassuring smile. She had taken note of Harry's reflective mood as of late and made it her personal mission to help him in any way she could. Her musings brought her back to conversation she had with Professor Lupin.

-Flashback-

"But it wasn't your fault Professor. I can't believe you're being sacked over this."

"No Miss Granger, I wasn't sacked. I resigned." Hermione wanted to argue with him, the old wolf just raised a hand to silence her. "I'm lucky that people like you, Harry, and Dumbledore understand that. Whether students' parents or the ministry would be equally as understanding seems unlikely."

"But sir, who will help Harry. Even if he won't admit it, I can tell he is frightened over all his and he'll need someone to turn to."

Remus smiled at the young witch. She reminded him of another young red haired witch who was as understanding and caring towards him as she seemed to be for Harry.

"You're very correct Miss Granger. Harry will most definitely need someone to turn to now more than ever. I will be around to help as often as I can but I'm sure that won't be enough." He then looked Hermione directly in her eyes. "That will be a role you'll have to fulfill Hermione."

To say that Hermione was shocked at this statement was an understatement. It wasn't that she hadn't planned on it being her job to help Harry, it was more so that someone else felt that she would have to do it.

Caught up in her initial confusion she immediately thought about her other friend. "What about Ron?"

"Yes. Though I don't' doubt that Mister Weasley's support will be needed, I feel that he won't be able to grasp all the changes Harry will be going through."

"I don't understand sir."

"Well Hermione, I believe that young Mister Weasley may have a hard time understanding that more things will be changing about your best friend than simply his transformations once a month." He paused considering his words carefully. He knew that at this current point in time, Harry had a lot on his mind. Just how much he told either of his best friends was completely up to him, and Remus didn't want to betray the young man's trust. "Though the changes may not be particularly noticeable, he may adopt some more wolfish characteristics."

"Wolfish characteristics? Like What?" This revelation had startled Hermione. She didn't want to lose her best friend to this affliction, she didn't want the boy who jumped onto a troll to save her gone.

"The exact extent of his behavioral changes won't fully be revealed until after his first full moon, so we can't be sure until then. What Harry will need the most help with is dealing with his scars."

Hermione's brows furrowed at this comment. She knew that the bite would heal completely after the initial transformation, and that the slash marks on his chest would always be present, but she read that there wouldn't be any complications from the wounds.

Seeing her confusion, Lupin continued. "Lycanthropy is not just an affliction of the body, but also of the mind and the soul. These new instincts and characteristics he will be forced to deal with may frighten him, but not as much as the impact it will have on his soul." Her eyes widened at these words. Poor Harry. The torment he's about endure was tearing her up inside. "What most people don't realize is that werewolves remember what happens when they transform. Those of us who turn are forced to relive those events as nightmares, making those dreams a form of torture our kind has endure, especially if…something happens."

At these words, Hermione knew exactly what Remus meant. He was going through this himself. He was probably forced to relive the night he attacked Harry in his dreams and it only added to the guilt the man was feeling. Forgetting herself, she immediately flung her arms around her former professor.

After letting him go she finally caught on to something he had said during their conversation.

"What did you mean by 'Those of us who turn' Professor?"

Lupin realized he almost let that piece of information slip. He looked down at the floor in front of him, unable to meet the girl's intense stare. "It's not my place to tell you Miss Granger."

-End Flashback-

After that conversation, Hermione had begun to notice small changes that were beginning to take hold of Harry. The first and easily the most noticeable change was his more deathly appearance. His complexion had become increasingly paler and he appeared to be skinnier, which made his already malnourished body look even sicklier. These changes went mostly unnoticed due to many believing that it was due simply to the healing process of his injuries.

His arm which was still held tightly in place by its sling, had shown no signs of getting better. Initially Hermione had seen that Harry was no longer favoring that arm, so she began to hope that it was sign that he was getting better. It wasn't until the third day after he was allowed to leave the infirmary that she realized that Harry had simply began to ignore the constant pain he felt. His façade would only drop when another student would accidently bump into it or when he moved to quickly. His continued pain however, wasn't what worried her the most.

No the most startling thing was occasionally she would look over at Harry and notice something was different with his eyes. At first she thought it was just like his other physical differences until she figured out what was truly happening. His eyes would actually change would actually change shape and color turning into a more golden-yellow hue instead of his normal green. If she were honestly with herself, his eyes looked more lupine.

Once the feast was over, the students all went to gather their belongings and began the journey back to Hogsmeade Station to begin the journey back home. Harry and company were able to find an empty compartment, making themselves comfortable as the Hogwarts express was under way, leaving behind Hogwarts for the monotony of the muggle world.

If one were to peak in on the Golden Trio's compartment, they would see nothing but three teenagers engaging in normal behavior. Ron and Harry talked about Quidditch for most of the trip while Hermione curled herself up in the corner, deeply enthralled with the book she was reading. It wasn't until the train was nearly an hour away from King's Cross Station before the conversation turned much more serious.

"So what's going to Happen with your 'furry little problem' Harry?" Ron asked. Harry chuckled at the comment, appreciating his best mates attempt at making light of his situation. Despite the attempt, Harry still felt uneasy about the whole.

"Well Dumbledore says I can still return to school next year."

Hermione, having her attention averted from the book to the conversation at hand, dropped the book onto her seat and gave him a relieved smile.

"That's wonderful Harry. I couldn't help but worry that you wouldn't be able to join us come next year."

"Yeah according to Dumbledore, there weren't any incidences at Hogwarts when Moony was there so he saw no reason I shouldn't be allowed. Besides they have the Wolfsbane Potion now, which'll help me keep control."

"But, what are you gonna do while you're at the Dursley's?"

"Well according to Moony, I can't take the potion my first time, so he's going to collect me from the Dursley's before the moon rises so I can spend it at Hogwarts. After that I should be able to take it, so there won't be any issues."

"Well mate, once we find out if we're going, I'll talk to dad about getting you a few weeks before the Cup starts." Ron then shifted his attention over to his other friend. "Hermione? You'll be coming too right?"

If she were honest, she really didn't enjoy Quidditch all that much. The only reason she attended games at Hogwarts was to support Harry. Since he wouldn't be playing, she almost saw it as reason enough to not go. She quickly remembered however, that witches and wizards from all over Europe and the world would be there and she saw the experience as an invaluable learning opportunity. That possibility however, wasn't the real reason she was considering going. She knew that Harry would need all the help he could get after his first transformation, so she decided she would go, interestingly enough, to support Harry.

"Yes Ronald, I would like to go. The opportunity to meet people from around the world is something I simply cannot pass up."

"Awesome!" cried the excited Red-head. "I'll go tell George and Fred so that we can decide what the sleeping arrangements will be at the Burrow," and with that, Ron sped from the compartment leaving Harry and Hermione to themselves.

They sat in a comfortable silence for several minutes, both individuals enjoying the calmness around them, knowing full well that it would not last. Hermione returned to her book, while Harry seemed to be deep in thought. The Boy-Who-Lived was thinking a lot about the past year and how it could've gone much differently. He might've never found out about Sirius' innocence, about his father and his friends during their time at school, or the real reason the Snape really hates him. He regretted little about what happened over the year, especially not risking his life for his best friend sitting across from him. He did however have one regret…

"Hermione?"

She looked up from the passage she was reading to see what Harry wanted. What she saw in his eyes was a look of repentance. At first she began to wonder if he regretted risking himself for her that night, but immediately dashed those thoughts away. This was Harry, he would always put others' before himself.

"What is it Harry?"

"I realize that I never apologized for freaking out about the whole Firebolt thing."

"Harry," she said as she moved to sit next to him "There's no need to apologize. I shouldn't have gone to McGonagall behind your back."

"No Hermione. You were only doing what you thought was right by looking out for me. I knew you meant well but I still wanted to be angry with you. You don't deserve that. Nor do I deserve a friend that cares as much as you do."

Hermione felt tears begin to build up in her eyes as she quickly pulled Harry into one of her signature hugs. "Thank you Harry. That means a lot."

She pulled away from him, looking him dead in the face and noticed that his eyes had changed again. This time Harry noticed her gaze and looked at her questioningly.

"What?"

"Nothing." She said as her face began to redden. "I was just…looking at your eyes."

Harry closed his eyes and began to shake his head wildly, reminding Hermione quite humorously of a dog, before opening his eyes revealing their usual tint.

"Sorry about that. I know they change on occasion. I just have no control over it." Harry said deciding to stare off into the empty space in front of him. Hermione could tell by the expression on his face that he was conflicted on what he needed to say. Sighing heavily, he pressed on.

"Moony says that my eyes changing is a good sign. At least as good of a sign as turning into a monster once a month can be," he added with a slight chuckle, hoping to hide the meaning the meaning of his words.

"What do you mean that your changing is a good sign? What else could happen?"

Harry rubbed the back of his neck nervously. He had hoped to deflect the conversation from its current course, but now saw that it was at the point of no return.

"I'm surprised you haven't come across it in all the research you've been doing for me Hermione." He was chuckling nervously hoping to defuse his own nervousness over the reality that was his situation.

"Most of the text I've come across either discussed how to kill a werewolf or how to manage one's affliction. I haven't come across anything about other outcomes of a werewolf bite."

"I suspect that's because they don't want to scare those who've been bitten by telling them the whole truth," he mused realizing that it was time to tell her.

"Moony told me that the bite doesn't take every time. Actually, he said it usually only work about 30 percent of the time. If being bitten doesn't turn you…it kills you." He hung his head low ashamed of the worry and anxiety he had just forced Hermione to bear.

"Oh Harry, that's terrible." She immediately embraced him again, attempting to put all her comfort and support into the gesture. "Is that why you apologized for the Firebolt thing?"

"I'm not apologizing because there's a chance I might die. I wanted to apologize earlier but I didn't get the chance because Ron started on about losing his rat and I didn't have an opportunity since then. I couldn't live with myself knowing that I not get the chance to say I was sorry."

She looked at Harry with a new sense of admiration in her eyes "As I said before Harry, there was no need to apologize. I'm just happy you trusted me enough to tell me the truth about your situation."

Minutes later, the scarlet train arrived at its destination and the students began to file out. Harry said bye to Ron and Hermione before moving over to where his Uncle Vernon was standing, his first steps down an uncertain path. Hermione watched him go before turning to leave with her own family, but one thought still plagued her mind and would continue to do so until she saw Harry again

Please be safe.

Author's Note:

Whooo! One more chapter down. Don't worry we'll get to Harry's firs full moon in the next chapter. After that, the story should get a little more exciting as it goes on.

I did want to make one quick note here. I'm not going to cover every little thing that happens in the book, so if I don't include something that's in the books and it doesn't interfere with anything I'm writing, just assume that the event happens just as it does in the books.

As always thanks for reading-

KaptainKnuts