A/N: Yikes, this is late and a bit shorter than the others, for that I apologize. As I was editing this chapter, I noticed a lot of sentences that didn't need to be there because they didn't really add to the story. I couldn't really combine this chapter with the next one, so unfortunately it's just a short update. With that said, I'll make a point to update the next chapter before I update anything else. :) Thanks for your patience and sticking with the story!

Chapter 21 - The Dark Knight

Hermione sat alone at breakfast the next morning, a hand lazily dragging her spoon across her cereal, letting the milk soak deeper into the flakes. Her stomach growled, but her mind was too distracted from last night's party to bother eating more than a few bites. Not even the apple biscuits held her attention today.

What had Snape wanted with Malfoy? And why was Malfoy trying to sneak into Slughorn's party to begin with? It was odd behavior, even for him. Malfoy was proud, too proud to bother sneaking into a party he wasn't invited to. Hermione didn't know why this made her so curious. She supposed they were friends now—well, not exactly friends, but certainly not enemies. And it was reasonable to be curious about your kind-of-friend-but-no-longer-enemy, right?

Hermione glanced up at the nearly empty Gryffindor table. Harry and the Weasley's were personally picked up by Mr. Weasley early this morning—extra security for Harry, Hermione guessed. Already, she was missing her friends; even Ron, whom she was still angry with. It was going to be a long holiday without them.

Ron.

Thinking of him only made Hermione think of Lavender. Where was Lavender when they battled Fluffy and the chess board? Where was she when they chased Sirius Black across the grounds? Or last year, when they battled Death Eaters at the Ministry? Not by Ron's side, not where she's plastered now.

I sound—no, I'm not jealous, Hermione thought bitterly, but she knew it was a lie. She was jealous, wasn't she? What she didn't know was what she was jealous about. Was it jealousy over Lavender herself? Over their relationship? Maybe the fact that they had each other, that Ron had somebody and it wasn't her? Or that they both had someone in general and she didn't? Hermione didn't want to sort through it, to figure out the root of that jealousy. She had time for that someday, but not today.

She had decided to stay at Hogwarts for the Christmas holidays. Her parents had written to her at the beginning of the year, saying they were visiting Paris for Christmas. As much as Hermione wanted to join them, she decided to let them visit alone. Her parents hardly took vacations and Paris was the romance capital of the world. If anyone deserved a romantic treat, it was them, even at her expense.

Hermione usually didn't mind staying at Hogwarts for the holidays. She had done so in previous years, but this year she was going to be utterly alone. With her close friends already gone, the only Prefect staying at school to her knowledge was Ernie. There was the odd case of Malfoy, but maybe that's what Snape wanted? Did Malfoy miss his train?

With Ernie, at least they could study or work together on Snape's ridiculously long essay over recognizing the differences between werewolves and shapeshifters. Snape always gave a long assignment over the holidays. Lucky for her, she had started on it already.

Hermione looked down and grimaced at her breakfast. She had twirled it so much it appeared to be a bowl of dog food. She quickly pushed it aside and grabbed a piece of toast, nibbling on the crunchy edges slowly. There was a familiar morning whoosh and her eyes shot up. The owls were delivering mail, even though there were not many students to receive them. An oversized barn owl stopped abruptly in front of Hermione and held up its leg. She untied the letter and opened it.

Hermione,

We are sad you won't be joining us for Christmas. We're in Paris! And missing you terribly! Your father is hoping for a white Christmas, but it hasn't snowed yet. Maybe we will get lucky on Christmas Day. We will send your gifts on Christmas Eve. It is so strange how an owl always seems to come on Christmas Eve the years you are at Hogwarts for Christmas. Like magic!

How are your classes? How are things with Ginny, Harry, and Ron? We have not heard much from you recently. Take care and Happy Christmas dear! We love you very much and hope to hear from you soon.

Love,

Mum and Dad

Hermione smiled and wrote her reply, adding as many details as she could think of. Her mum was right. She had been so busy lately that her recent letters were lacking in depth. Scraping quill against parchment always made her swell with purpose and joy, and she spent a good while writing back. When she finished, she tied the letter back to the owl and watched it fly out of the hall.

Shortly after, she began to walk back to her Common Room, wondering what she was going to do for the day. Read further into her books, perhaps. Unfortunately, Madam Pince was closing the library two hours earlier than usual, not to mention closing it on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. By the time Hermione stepped through the Hogwarts Crest, she was feeling even more deflated.

She came to an abrupt halt, her breath catching in her throat as her eyes landed on the boy in front of her. Malfoy glanced up, sitting in an armchair by the fireplace in their Common Room. His face was paler than usual. Was he ill?

"You look like you've seen a ghost," said Malfoy.

Hermione blinked, snapping out of her reverie. "Why are you still here?" she asked.

"As if it's any of your business," he said, "I'm leaving tomorrow morning."

"Why?"

"Why are you asking?"

"Why are you not answering?"

He raised a brow, but made no move to actually give her any real answers. Hermione threw up her hands. Why was he so frustrating all the time? "Fine, don't tell me," she said, and she stormed out of the Common Room.

She didn't know where she was going, only that she wanted to put distance between herself and that prat. So Hermione left Vladimir's portrait in a rush, descending the stairs two at a time. In her haste, she almost missed it, but a swift glance out one of the windows made her halt. And do a double take.

Something, several something's, were running—no, galloping across the grounds. Hermione squinted her eyes, pressing her nose against the too cold glass. She tried to make out the distinct figures, but they were far away and the snow coming down made it too difficult as they darted into the Forbidden Forest.

The Forbidden Forest was near Hagrid's hut. Maybe they were his creatures.

But what if they weren't?

Out of Gryffindor instinct and without much rational thought, Hermione bolted down the spiral staircases toward the clock tower. The doors to the courtyard were unlocked and she pushed them open. Wrapping her scarf tighter around her neck, she shivered as fat snowflakes snowed down around her. She sprinted across the long wooden bridge, which thankfully wasn't too icy.

She could see her own breath as she trudged down the stone steps that lead to Hagrid's. A warmly lit hut indicated he was home, smoke coming up from the chimney. Her boots sank into the snow with each step, causing her to move slower than she would have liked. She paused, considered hiding behind one of the large rocks and sending a patronus to warn him, but in that moment a horrifying noise caught her attention. It was howling. And they were too close for comfort.

Hermione froze completely and pulled out her wand, trying to see any threat through the falling snow. "Lumos," she muttered, hoping the light would help.

It did.

Crouched on all fours by the edge of the Forbidden Forest were four wolves that were too large to be called wolves.

Hermione felt a sharp intake of breath as her mind worked quickly. She could scream, maybe Hagrid would hear, or she could take her chances and run back to the bridge. Her mind was also going through a list of jinxes and hexes that might penetrate the large beasts', maybe stun them enough for her to escape.

The moon above was shimmering brightly, casting a sparkling glow to the snow, as if mocking her. Hermione had a flashback to third year and knew immediately these were not wolves at all; they were werewolves. A pack of werewolves. On the grounds of Hogwarts!

And she was not equipped to take on four werewolves on her own.

Every wolf had yellow eyes and ivory bared teeth. Their fur was frazzled with dissolving snowflakes and Hermione noticed several patches were missing from some of the wolves, as if they had been in a fight with their own kind. Their bodies looked a bit thinner than what Hermione remembered reading about and certainly thinner than Professor Lupin had been. By the look in their savage eyes and their lean stature, they were quite hungry.

Hermione gripped her wand tightly, and as frightened as she was, she held her chin up. Her heart was pounding as she waited for their attack.

But then their snarling stopped. The two brown wolves in the center spread apart, allowing a much larger, black werewolf to step into the middle, emerging from the forest.

Hermione gasped loudly, stumbling backward a step. This beast stood on two legs, towering over them almost like…like a human. Its narrow snout was dripping with blood, and its bright yellow eyes glowed with excitement at the sight of their new prey.

For one horrifying moment, Hermione didn't know what to do.

She made up her mind quickly, sensing their impatience as they started to pace back and forth, jaws snapping. Hermione flicked her wand and shouted, "Stupefy!"

The spell hit one of the wolves. Hermione bolted up and ran for her life, fleeing toward the forest. It wasn't much of a plan, and the snow slowed her down, but at least the trees made a better cover than the open grounds of Hogwarts and the too far away bridge. Hermione sent more stunning spells over her shoulder—a loud thud told her one must have hit its target. She glanced backward as she ran into the trees, and noticed the wolves splitting up, their snarls ripping through the silent forest. Hermione knew this was how they hunted—she had written about it in Snape's essay. Oh, the irony!—circling their prey until it was cornered and trapped.

Hermione ran through the trees, the cool wind stinging her face. She had to work twice as hard to trudge through the snow. She needed to run, to keep running, despite the cramp in her side, and find a tree suitable to climb.

The pain increased and she stopped abruptly, catching her breath and clutching her right side. In the brief second she had paused, the large black wolf lunged at her from behind a tree, grasping the bottom of her cloak in its mouth and smacking her foot with its enormous paw. Hermione screamed as she fell backward onto the snowy forest floor.

The wolf shook its head violently, attempting to shred her robes to bits. Hermione kicked with her other foot with all her might, and hit the breast square in the face. She stumbled up quickly as the wolf was distracted, whimpering in pain.

Frantically she glanced around, noticing her wand a few feet away. She must have dropped it when she fell to the ground. She lunged at her wand, ignoring the pain in her left ankle. She felt the tiny stick in her fingers when a sudden blow to the stomach sent her flying in the air, knocking her into a tree.

The initial impact nearly knocked her out and for a moment, she couldn't breathe.

Hermione coughed hard, spitting up blood onto a pile of frozen leaves that lay on the snow. She was crouched under the tree, her wand grasped in her hand. She looked up and saw three wolves slowly moving her way, snarling, trapping her against the tree. The big black wolf was in the center, his lips drizzled with fresh blood…her blood.

The pain in her left ankle was almost unbearable now. She knew her chances of standing were slim; running would be impossible. Her ankle was burning so badly it might have been on fire if it wasn't wading in snow. The pain was starting to make Hermione dizzy. The wolves were starting to blur together. She had no energy left to cast a spell. Her lip was throbbing, she was so cold, and her ankle was beyond aching.

She had to try. She would not die here, not freezing and cowering at their feet. She would not be another meal. Hermione raised her wand.

"R-R-Reducto…" she said weakly, aiming for the black wolf. Her wand gave a tiny spark, but nothing came out. She tried again, attempting to gain strength. "Stupefy…"

The wolves continued to slowly stalk her way, as if they knew she was weakening by the second. For a fleeting moment, she wished they'd stop toying with her and just get on with it.

Her lip quivered. Please help me, she thought desperately. Someone, please help me!

Hermione felt a burst of cold wind ripple her hair and body. She glanced up, noticing the wolves sniffing the air at the sudden wind storm. The freezing wind increased, and her scarf flew off. The wolves made whimpering sounds and started to back away, as if the wind hurt them as much as it did her. All but the black wolf, who fell on all fours and endured it.

As her eyes left the wolves momentarily, they rested on something Hermione never thought she'd see outside of Hogwarts.

Lying by her feet was the Hogwarts sorting hat. Hermione just stared. She felt a burst of hope as she remembered Harry in the Chamber of Secrets; how he had told her that the hat had come to his aid. But she didn't know what to do and she was so cold, all she could manage was shaking the hat wildly and thinking: Please…I need help.

The hat glowed dimly in the darkness of the forest, and Hermione reached inside instinctively. She pulled out what looked like a black orb made of glass. What…what was it? She couldn't focus, she couldn't think. She didn't know if the wolves were retreating, if the biting wind was too much for them to endure. Her eyes were shut and she leaned forward, gripping the orb as if it were a portkey. Maybe it was, maybe it was just her own wishful thinking, but she thought it anyway.

Take me somewhere safe.

It was the last conscious thought she had before the world started to spin and a bright, white light blinded her. She felt the sensation that she was lifted from the snow and the wind carried her away—and then she was slammed into a wall.

"What the—Granger!" a familiar voice shouted. "Alfred, stop!"

Hermione forced her eyes opened and blinked. It took her a moment to realize the wind was not biting, and she was not cowering in the snow. She was not outside at all. She was in a large carriage of red velvet, sitting across from none other than Draco Malfoy.

Her head was still spinning, her ankle was on fire, and she could taste the blood from her lip in her mouth. Moments ago she was in the forest facing death by a pack of ravenous werewolves, and now she was sitting in a carriage with Draco Malfoy.

She did the only thing she could do in that moment. She screamed, a frantic sort of sound that quickly turned into choking sobs. She was hysterical.

Hermione finally stopped when a pair of strong hands gripped her shoulders and shook her.

"Granger, stop! What….how the bloody hell did you apparate into here?" The alarm in Malfoy's voice caught her off guard. His eyes roamed over her quickly, his mouth slightly open in shock.

Apparate? Is that what she did?

"What happened to you?" Malfoy asked, his voice oddly quiet. He couldn't seem to stop staring at her ankle.

Hermione didn't know. She was so confused and in such pain, all she managed was a whimper as the carriage door opened and a tiny, old man stepped in.

Before she could see who it was, he and Malfoy began to swarm out of focus. She fought to hold on, even as the old man was asking her a question, but she was too tired and too weak. Her body fell forward; Malfoy caught her in his arms. Her eyes fluttered shut as she began to drift to unconsciousness, finally away from the wolves and finally safe. The irony did not escape her, even in her state.

In the arms of Draco Malfoy, she was safe.

A/N: Thanks for reading! The next chapter was originally in Malfoy's POV, but I haven't decided if I'll do that or make it a bonus scene and continue from when Hermione wakes up. :P We'll see. I'll be updating with review responses soon!