DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter.

When Hunting Monsters

Chapter 7: A Dark Lord's Retribution

The man turned around, his silver mask gleaming in the moonlight. His eyes widened in fright and he moved backwards, stumbling on his robes and falling on his ass.

"Avada Kedavra!" The light fired with such desperation missed its target. There was a deep guttural roar, and claws attached to a large paw smashed into the man's mask knocking him on his back. The mask was ripped off his face and fell to pieces on the forest floor. The man's face was revealed now. Ugly and pudgy, twisted in fear. The other paw came down, and claws slashed through the man's jugular, spraying blood. The light began to leave the man's eyes.

"Come here sweets, what's the matter?"

"Let go of me!" A femine yell in response.

He was in an alleyway now, a large man stood with his back to him, holding a struggling girl who looked a little younger than him with blonde hair and brown eyes, wearing a purple dress. She tried to kick and slap at the man, who grabbed her wrists and roughly shoved her against the wall. The girl looked past the man's shoulder and let out a scream of terror, renewing her efforts to escape.

The man was suddenly knocked off his feet, and crashed backwards into the opposite wall of the alleyway. The girl ran, her heeled shoes clacking against the cobblestone. The man looked up and let out his own scream of terror before shiny white teeth lowered, the jaws of death closing around his life, as the jaws of this great animal closed around his throat.

"Crucio!" A snakelike voice hissed. A nondescript woman on the ground screamed, and thrashed in pain, writhing on the carpet. Suddenly she stilled, foam frothing at her lips.

"Get away from her!" A man shouted running at the figure. His face was blurred.

A fick of the figures wand and the man fell on the floor next his wife, dead. His head separated from his shoulders. Blood was pooling onto the white carpet, staining it red.

"Stupefy!" A girl shouted. The red spell was knocked aside, and the figure with the snake like voice laughed, waving his wand. The girl was thrown to the floor, joining her parents.

She looked up, her brown eyes dilated in fear, her bushy brown hair fanned out behind her head.

'As you took from me now I take from you, Harry Potter.' The voice hissed.

"Avada Kedrava!"

"Nooo!" Harry screamed, jerking out his bed and falling onto the ground, he quickly got up and looked around his room.

'That definitely wasn't a dream. It was a vision." Harry thought. "But is it just a trick?"

Harry decided it didn't matter. Even if there was only a slight possibility of it being real he needed to find out. He threw on his robes and in his desperation Harry willed himself to where he had been in the vision, disappearing with a loud crack.

He reappeared in the Grangers living room. The first thing he noticed was that their carpet was beige and not white. The next thing he noticed was the head of a stag mounted on the wall. It hadn't been in the dream.

"Hermione! Hermione where are you?!" He shouted, frustrated. There was a pounding of feet and then he saw Hermione reach the bottom of the stairs. She stared at him, shock in her eyes, before running at him and seizing him in a fierce hug.

"Oh Harry, I was so worried about you! Dumbledore said you got captured by deatheaters, and then you escaped, but no one knew where you were! Where'd you go? When'd you get so tall? Why are there tattoos on your face, and why are you wearing deatheater robes?" She fired all of these questions rapidly into his ear, still clinging onto him.

"Jesus Hermione! Let go first and then I'll answer your questions." He laughed.

"Oh, sorry." She let go of Harry and stepped back, blushing. She was wearing a white summer dress that Harry thought looked very nice on here, and no shoes, her feet bare.

"I've been hiding out in muggle London, the tattoos are from a ritual I put myself through, the height is from the same thing, and the robes I took from Bellatrix Lestrange after I killed her."

Hermione looked horrified. She opened her mouth to ask a question.

"I don't really want to explain anymore right now. " He cut her off. She closed her mouth, and annoyed look on her face.

"Listen has there been anyone here, death eaters, people you don't know, anyone who looks strange or out of place at all?"

"You mean besides you?" She joked, grinning.

"Damnit Hermione! This is important, think!"

The grin was wiped off her face. "Um, I'm not sure. I don't think so, but I've been inside all day."

"Fuck!" Harry cursed.

"Harry! Don't use that language!"

Harry was about to make an acidic retort when the door to the backyard opened and a woman stepped in.

"Hermione is everything alright? We heard voi-oh." She saw Harry standing in the middle of the living room.

"Dear, who is this?" Mrs. Granger was slightly frightened at Harry's ragged appearance.

"Mum, this is Harry. Harry this is mum. You two met the summer before my second year." Hermione introduced them nervously.

"Didn't you say Harry still had short messy hair, glasses, and was still scrawny?" Mrs. Granger asked confused. Hermione's parents had inquired about the boy they had met, when they picked her up from King's Cross a few weeks ago. Harry glared at her.

"Oh, um, well he grew, I guess." She fidgeted under Harry's glare, trying not to laugh.

Mr. Granger walked in behind his wife. He was a big man with curly brown hair. He was wearing black trousers, and a burgundy dress shirt. In the dream, he'd been wearing a white one. Harry noticed Mrs. Granger was wearing an expensive black dress, a silver chain around her neck, opal ear rings, and her hair was pulled back into a neat bun.

"Hello! Who is this?"Hermione's dad strode over and stuck his hand forward. Harry seized it, and gripped as hard as Mr. Granger was.

"A good grip you have lad. I like this one Hermione, you can keep him!"

"Dad!" Hermione hissed, mortified. "This is Harry Potter, you've met him before."

"Oh, right." Mr. Granger ran a hand through his hair embarrassed. "I didn't recognize you at all, you've sure grown up."

"Er thanks."

"Well dear we'd offer you a tour of the house, but we really must be going. Hermione's father and I have an appointment at a restaurant in London."

"Honey can't I just show Harry the trophy room?" Mr. Granger begged his wife. "I'm sure we've got time."

Mrs. Granger sighed. "Men! Oh, alright, go ahead then. Be quick though, we don't want to be late. Like we were last time." She directed a glare at her husband.

"Yes dear." He said distractedly and grabbed Harry's arm pulling him towards the staircase. They entered the first room on the left, and Harry's eyes widened in amazement.

Heads of many exotic creatures lined the walls. Wildebeests, tigers, rhinos, giraffes. Stuffed animals stood in life like poses. A lion with a thick mane, a stag. A huge bear caught Harry's eye and he stood transfixed in front of it. It towered above him, standing on its hind legs, at least eight feet tall. It's claws were outrtretched towards him, its mouth open in a silent roar. Harry reached out and touched it. The brown fur was rough and thick.

"Ah like that one do you? He's a beauty, and was a right stubborn bastard. Took eight shots to bring him down."

"Wow" was all Harry could say.

"Come look at this elk over here, I bagged him in America." Harry took one last look in the bear's eyes, and felt something stir inside him, a deep ocean of rage coming to life, surface rippling, and waves crashing. He tore his eyes away, and walked over to Mr. Granger, taking a breath to reign in the primal feelings inside him.

Harry and Hermione waved to her parents as they drove off in their Mercedes. Mrs. Granger had been somewhat reluctant to leave Hermione by herself with the suspicious looking, tattooed Harry but Mr. Granger had convinced her, whispering in her ear about how Hermione never brought home any men.

"She'll be forty before she's married." Harry had heard him say.

"So Harry, how exactly did you get here?" Hermione was staring Harry's tattooed hands as they sat on her front porch.

"Erm well I'm not sure, I think I apparated. " He said, scratching his head.

"You what?!" She screeched. "Harry, you don't have a license for that!"

"I know, I know. But I had this vision. Voldemort was about to kill you. I had to get here and find out."

Hermione's eyes softened and she smiled a little. "Well I'm glad you came to check. Thank you." She hugged him. Harry stiffened, uncomfortable.

She frowned at his coldness.

"I know the vision with Sirius was a trick, but I had to check anyway."

"I understand, I would have done the same thing."

"I'm starting to think it was just a dream."

A wolf howled. Harry ran out onto the front yard, staring at the night sky. It was a full moon. He ran over and grabbed Hermione, trying to apparated. With a pop they disappeared but reappeared in the same place. Harry cursed. He looked around wildly, the grangers had another car.

"Hermione do you know how to drive?"

"Um, yes but not that well. Why?"

"Get in the car."

"Harry are you alright?"

"Just get in the damn car Hermione!"

Hermione looked startled and walked over to calm Harry, before noticing the moon, and hearing another wolf howl.

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine, don't worry about me."

"What do you mean don't worry about you? Are you in-mmphh"

Harry placed a hand over her mouth. "Hermione if you ever do anything for me, do this, please."

She looked at the seriousness in his eyes, and resigned herself to his decision, sighing, and running into the house to grab the keys, before getting to the car. As she got in there were more wolf howls, many of them.

Harry stood, blood pumping hotly through his body, in his head. Rage began to overtake him as the oversized wolves came closer. They were running down the hill that the Grangers' house was at the bottom of. Harry could see their yellow eyes shining, their white teeth, saliva dripping and flying from their long snouts as they ran. They were close now, and one leapt at him, its jaws wide. Harry gave himself willingly to the abyss consuming him. He threw back his head and roared.

Hermione watched from the car as the werewolves got closer to Harry. He was just standing there. One leapt at him, and Hermione screamed. She almost opened the door to help, grasping her wand tightly before Harry suddenly transformed. His form shifted and grew, sprouting thick black fur and long claws, a snout. The robes were ripped away from his body. As they fell, a gigantic black colored bear swiped at the werewolf with one paw, and it was sent crashing into the ground. Another leapt and the monstrous bear caught it by the neck with its teeth, shaking it violently. Hermione heard the snap of its neck from the car.

She started the ignition and put the car in reverse, driving slowly so she could see what was happening. The wolves had leapt onto the bear now. One was biting at its legs, while another was on its back, and the third was hanging from its throat. The bear roared and struggled. A wolf ran past it towards Hermione and she floored the gas pedal. The car didn't have enough time to accelerate and the wolf jumped onto the roof, claws scratching and scrambling on metal. She shrieked as they pierced through right above her head, before suddenly being ripped away. There was a whine of a wolf and a roar of the bear, before a sickening crunch. Hermione looked into the rear-view mirror to see that the bear had snapped that one's neck too. The wolf hung loosely from its jaws. Hermione braked and stopped the car so she could see, as ten more wolves encircled the bear, stalking slowly and growling. More wary and cautious now they had lost a number of their pack.

The bear swiped out and the wolf it had attacked wasn't quick enough, howling in pain as it lost an eye. Four wolves leaped at it at once, and the bear attacked furiously, catching one here and there with its claws. When a wolf tried duck in under the bears reach, and the bear caught it with its teeth which were now red with blood. As valiantly as the bear fought a few wolves were getting through its guard, biting and retreating before it could retaliate. The bear kept turning, and Hermione realized the wolves were trying to get behind it so they could hamstring it. One leaped at its side, and the bear caught it with a powerful swing, cutting its throat, and spraying blood in all directions. The distraction however had proved costly, for a wolf had finally gotten behind it. The wolf bit viciously into its hamstring and the bear roared in fury. It spun around , throwing the wolf off, and brought a paw down, slicing through the wolfs stomach. Its entrails spilled out onto the street. The remaining wolves howled in anger. The great bear fought harder now, desperate, and took down more of the foul creatures. Finally only two remained. The last two wolves jumped onto the bear's enormous back, and it fell over, wrestling with them as they snapped at its face.

Hermione saw one of the wolves the bear had felled get to his feet, preparing to pounce. Harry would be overwhelmed.

She swore and turned the car around, before slamming her foot down on the pedal. The car bucked forward and picked up speed as it shot towards the oblivious wolf. The beast finally looked up in shock as the car slammed into it. It rolled up onto hood and onto the windshield, cracking the glass, before rolling off, hitting the pavement with a thud. The car was swerving and Hermione braked and cut the wheel hard, narrowly missing a tree before going back around and running the wolf over again for good measure. There was a thump and then another thump as the tires drove over it.

The bear had finally killed the last two wolves and it lay on the ground, on its back, panting. Hermione watched in horror as it turned a naked, blood covered Harry. She got out of the car and ran over to him, kneeling at his side and cradling his head in her arms.

"Harry please be alright. Say something! You can't die!" His chest was rising and falling slowly. Hermione calmed a little. Her eyes caught sight of his bits and she felt her face heat up despite her panic.

'Now is definitely not the time to be thinking like that, you pervert!" Her inner voice scolded her.

"Accio Harry's robes!" She shouted, pulling her wand out. The tattered mess zoomed over from in front of her house. She covered Harry and his multiple bleeding wounds with it. She knew magic could do nothing for werewolf inflicted runes so she didn't try. She ripped off a few pieces of the robe with her wand, and then tied them around the wounds that were bleeding particularly heavy. Harry didn't even make the slightest noise of protest. His wand and a piece of parchment fell out of the torn robes, and Hermione pocketed it before reading the note. It was an apartment rental contract for Building 10236, Suite 316, Charing Cross Rd. London.

"You're gonna be alright Harry, I'm going to make sure of it." She stroked Harry's face, lingering on his closed eyelids, before levitating Harry carefully into the backseat of the car, and driving off towards London.

Dudley Dursely was sitting anxiously on the couch in His and Harry's living room. He had been awoken at ten o clock P.M. on a whim and had checked on Harry, finding his bed empty. There were however no broken doors or any sign of an animal.

'What then," Dudley thought, 'Happened to Harry.'

He had sat up all night waiting, and sun began to shine through the recently bought drapes when Dudley heard a voice whisper what sounded like a spell outside the door. He quickly got up to go open it, only for the door to open by itself. He was greeted by Harry's floating body, and a girl with brushy brown hair standing behind it, levitating him with her wand. Her hands were covered in blood.

"Who are you?" They both asked at the same time. Dudley took a breath before saying,

"I'm Harry's cousin Dudley. I'm living here with him. What happened?"

"I'm Hermione, his friend from school, and we got attacked by werewolves. Harry fought them off but got hurt badly."

"Why was he fighting them by himself?" Dudley asked angrily. "You're a witch aren't you?"

"Well if you knew anything about magic, which you obviously don't, you'd know that it can't do a whole lot against werewolves!" Dudley backed off startled.

"Now would you show me where his bed is so I can put him down, and attempt to help him?"

"Uh ya, it's over here. Look I'm sorry I'm just freaked out." Dudley walked with her to Harry's room and she set him down gently.

"It's fine, I guess I probably would be too. Do you have a first aid kit or bandages or something?"

"Ya, we grabbed the kit from the hotel where we staying at, and Harry made sure we bought some medicinal supplies while we were in London." Hermione looked slightly scandalized at their thieving from a hotel but didn't say anything.

Dudley returned with the supplies and laid them on the bed. Hermione pulled off the robes covering Harry, and picked up the bottle of alcohol.

"Uh, I don't know how Harry's gonna feel about you seeing him like that."

Hermione's cheeks turned pink. "Well he'll get over it. I'm sure he'd rather this than bleed to death which is what he's currently doing." She untied the strip over his chest, and poured the alcohol into it. Harry let out a groan, but didn't stir.

"I'm sorry Harry, but we've got to get them clean." Hermione muttered, pouring alcohol into the many other wounds covering his body. She marveled at the detailed tattoos, and noticed they'd be perfectly aligned again when the wounds healed.

"I doubt he's even feeling it much right now." Dudley said, putting a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"You're probably right." Hermione picked up the needle and stitching thread, poking the needle through the wound on Harry's chest.

"So what animal did he turn into? I'm guessing that's what happened since magic can't do much against werewolves."

"He turned into a bear. A gigantic bear. And fought off at least twenty werewolves! It was amazing and terrifying at the same time."

"A bear huh? That sounds like Harry."

"What do you mean?"

"Well you know, protective. And he's got a temper, really aggressive. Even when he was a scrawny, little runt. He'd try fight off me and all my friends when we were little sometimes. And when he'd help me train this summer he'd occasionally get the upper hand despite being half my size."

Hermione snorted. Dudley's description of Harry was really pretty accurate.

"You know Harry's told me about you."

"He has?" Hermione asked surprised. She wasn't sure why he'd bother telling anything to his bully muggle cousin.

"Ya, he's talked about you a lot. About how smart you, and how good with magic you are. How you've always been there for him at Hogwarts."

"He said that? Wow." Hermione smiled before thinking of something. "No offence but why would he be telling anything to you. From what he's told me you two hate each other."

Dudley looked down, blushing. "We did, but you know, since last summer, when he saved my life I've been thinking about things differently."

"Oh?"

"Ya I mean my parents always made him out to be this freak, a bad kid, and I bought into it. But when I found out what dementors were and what could have happened to me, I realized he couldn't be all that bad. And so what if he's weird? I mean I was ridiculously obese my whole life doesn't that make me abnormal too?"

Hermione opened her mouth, but Dudley didn't wait for an answer.

"And then this summer, he actually helped me with my training and let me help him with his ritual."

"Ritual?"

"Ya he had me help him with this one that turned him into something called an animagus. Someone who can turn into an animal."

"I know what an Animagus is." Hermione said, scrunching her nose. "But you don't do a ritual to become one."

"Harry said the real ones do and that the magical ministry hid that information and gave people a botched up version so they could regulate it."

"I've never heard about that."

"Well Harry wouldn't have either but his godfather left him some books." He handed Hermione the scissors so she could cut the stitching thread.

"Oh." It kind of made sense now to Hermione. Sirius would have access to information like that, growing up in his ancient pureblood house. That kind of information was the kind a muggleborn or even a low class half blood or pureblood would never see.

"So what happened with the deatheaters? Dumbledore came to my house and told me they kidnapped Harry.

Dudley chuckled. "Barely kidnapped. Harry slaughtered all of them. As I was leaving I saw him jump at the last one and stab him. They fell out of the window and vanished."

"The deatheater must have apparated them both before he died."

"Ya that's what Harry said. Except the guy he stabbed lived cus he didn't kill him until he escaped. Oh ya, the one, Bellatrix, apparently managed to survive and get away."

"He almost killed Bellatrix?!"

"Well he did kill her but not til later. When he escaped. He said he choked her with the chains she had him tied up with."

Hermione's face was green and she put the needle and thread down, her hands shaking. She hadn't really been thinking of the werewolves as people but now the truth hit her like a sledgehammer.

'Oh God,' Hermione thought. 'Harry killed all those people.'

Dudley glared at her. "Look I can guess what you're thinking, and you're wrong. Harry's not a bad person. He did what he had to. They were torturing him, and probably would have killed him. Harry may seem dark sometimes, but he's not evil. He's a good person."

Hermione looked unsure.

"He didn't have to make sure I was alright, or look after me like he's been doing, but he did. And he protected me from the deatheaters when they attacked our house. That makes it twice he's saved my life. How many times has he saved yours? Last night counts as one by itself."

Hermione let out a shaky breath. "You're right, you're right. It's just I can't imagine Harry killing people, and I don't want to. But it happened in front of my eyes tonight, and he did it to protect me. I can't think like I used to, because this is becoming a war, and I can't be that soft anymore. You're right, of course you're right. Harry did the right thing."

Dudley handed her the needle and thread she had put down, and Hermione resumed stitching up her best friend. She and Dudley worked well into the afternoon, over Harry's shallowly breathing body. He never once stirred.

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An: Nothing to translate this time, haha. Sorry if there's some grammar and punctuation mistakes. My beta is having computer problems.

Thanks everyone for the reviews, and hopefully the story is continuing to be enjoyable. Feel free to tell me if it isn't.