Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
"Remus Lupin!"
Hermione shuffled uncomfortably in her sleep vaguely registering a shrill voice abusing her ear drums.
It was only when she felt Remus' hand roughly nudging her shoulder that she couldn't ignore the interruption and rolled herself off his comfortable chest and onto her back.
"Miss Granger?!"
Hearing her name called in that same screech she opened her eyes to the darkened room. Disgruntled doubly that she was being awoken before sunrise she looked sourly towards the figure at the end of the bed only to see her Head of House towering over their intertwined forms.
"Professor?" Hermione's voice shook as her face froze in shock, mirroring the older woman's expression.
"Shit," mumbled a deeper voice somewhere above Hermione's ear.
"'Shit' indeed Mr Lupin." Replied McGonagall and Hermione flinched as she heard that familiar hard tone, so familiar to the Weasley twins, for the first time directed towards her.
Hermione opened her mouth to say something, anything, to somehow redeem herself to her mentor but the Professor held up a hand to stop her.
"No. I don't want to hear it Miss Granger. Suffice it to say I am very disappointed, in the both of you."
Hermione's eyes filled with tears. Although she knew she wouldn't have changed a thing she had done she felt ashamed to be so looked down upon by her dearest Professor.
"Detention. For you, Miss Granger. Do not doubt I would give the same to you Mr Lupin if you were not already to be indisposed this weekend."
Remus' hand stroked Hermione's arm discreetly as she struggled not to cry.
"Five minutes. I will be waiting in the common room. I will expect to see you ready to leave Mr Lupin and Miss Granger returning to her own dormitory. You have five minutes." And with that she swept from the room.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm okay really." Hermione brushed off his hand reaching under the bed to where she had placed her dressing gown the night before.
"No My, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have fallen asleep. I knew she was coming in the morning and I should have at least told you in any case. I -"
"Don't worry about Remus," Hermione replied slipping the robe over her bare shoulders.
When he didn't look convinced she leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips.
"It doesn't matter," she insisted as she stood up to tie her robe shut. "Just make sure your okay ... I'll worry about you." She whispered this last part.
He smiled smugly at her confession and stood to gather his clothes.
"The boys are coming this time, I'll be fine," he replied.
Hermione pursed her lips but chose not to comment on this particular activity of the Marauders, she knew it was important to Remus as she remembered his older version once explaining to her.
"I love you," she chose to say instead.
"I know," he gloated, pulling out a small bag and slinging it over his shoulder.
She reached across the bed to slap him playfully but he caught her hand before she could the momentum causing her to belly flop across the bed.
"I love you too," he whispered, leaning down to brush his lips against hers.
Long shadows were splashed across the walls of the first floor corridor as Hermione walked alone after finishing her detention that night.
McGonagall had passed her onto Filch and he had proceeded to have her reorganize each and every store closet on the first floor taking an inventory as she went. Hermione scowled as she stormed back through the corridors, papers in hand ready to take to Filch's office as she had been instructed, it was obvious Filch was making her do his own work. Despite it taking most of the night, the time she was guessing would have been about one in the morning, Hermione was at least grateful for the distraction knowing that she would have else wise been destined to wait out the moon's setting without even Sirius to seek comfort from.
Just as the thought flickered through her mind a black form flickered past the window she had been passing.
"Sirius?" her voice echoed lightly in the empty hall.
She moved closer to the large arched window and pressed her face as close to the glass as she could without actually touching the cold plane.
It was Sirius.
She could see the black dog bounding across the grounds, marking out a wide circle, and she looked through the darkness to try and see the others, slightly disconcerted at how close Sirius was to the castle knowing that their uncontrollable friend would be with them.
For a moment she had thought that she was seeing things; that her mind was replicating her fears as does a child's when their thoughts dwell on the monster that lives in their cupboard and at least once they will swear to their disbelieving parents that they saw the monster's eyes flashing from the partially opened door.
So when she first saw the flash of pale skin that highlighted the faces of three small figures making their way down the castle steps she ignored it, her eyes sweeping the darkened forest instead. It was only when she turned back and the vision remained that she froze, her face turning white as she heard the howl of a wolf uncomfortably clear in the still night.
No matter how close she was to the entrance hall it felt like days before she reached the large oak doors and the cold air hit her face. Her legs ached as she sprinted down the steps towards the students. They were so small she thought that they couldn't have been more than first years.
Somehow through the tight bands that were constricting her chest she managed to shout out, running to close the short distance between them.
They turned around startled, looking guilty for being caught, unbeknownst to any danger upon them.
That changed quickly. Hermione was saved the task of explanation as the large form of a sleek wolf emerged from the shadows, stepping into the dim light offered by the moon.
All four students froze as the wolf scented the air, its gaze flickering between the smaller forms before its amber eyes connected with Hermione's.
The beast didn't move and neither did it's gaze, intensely focused on Hermione.
Taking any chance she was offered she yelled at the students, "NOW! Run back to the castle, now!"
Thankful that they didn't hesitate and she could hear their scrambled footfalls as they sprinted back towards the castle.
The wolf hadn't even blinked either not noticing (which she doubted) or not caring about its leaving prey.
She could see the form, so similar to Harry's patronous, that she knew to be James emerge a few meters behind the stilled wolf.
As soon as she had seen him, it changed. A shrinking shadow until she could see the clear outline of his James' human form.
The wolf's mood changed immediately, finally turning from Hermione it sunk closer to the ground growling viciously at James.
"JAMES, NO!" Hermione shouted terrified of the wolf's vicious turn.
James sent her a worried glance but seemed to understand as he quickly changed back into his stag form.
The wolf snarled slightly but was satisfied with the new scent, turning back once more to Hermione.
Confused at the change in disposition between James' presence and her own, Hermione decided to test the limit to the wolf's complacency.
Tentively she tried to take a step back, keeping her eyes on the wolf.
The wolf didn't seem to notice but it moved closer to her, a steady pace, seemingly absorbed in her scent as it sniffed the air between them.
Her heart pounded in her chest but somehow she knew it wouldn't have been wise to turn and run even though her muscles seemed to burn in protest wanting to do just that but being forced to remain still. She prayed that the first years had been smart enough to go and fetch a Professor.
Much too soon the wolf had reached her. It stopped just in front of her and Hermione wondered at its strange behavior, but before she had time to recall any possibly helpful information on werewolfs it had jumped. It pounced, a paw upon each of her shoulders sending her to the ground.
Luckily her knees buckled and the impact on her head was reduced, but she was more worried about the werewolf now positioned above her.
Her breath hitched as the werewolf moved over her, its head tracing an unknown path over her neck and down her shoulder.
She could hear its short intake of breaths as its whiskers brushed across her burning skin and realized that it was still sniffing.
Too scared to watch, to see the flash of deadly teeth before they would rip her skin, she stared into the sky above her willing the tears to stay away.
Her attention was drawn back as she felt the wolf place its head at the hem of her skirt. She squirmed uncomfortably but the wolf merely placed one paw on her hip, another on her leg steadying her body to its perusal.
It nudged her skirt over it's head as it nuzzled further under her skirt. She stiffened as she felt it's muzzle brush against her crotch but the wolf growled deeply, triumphantly, and then all she felt was the blinding pain, unbelievable pain, as it's sharp teeth penetrated the soft skin of her inner thigh.
She screeched into the night sky as pain rippled through her body. The wolf's paws held her lower body in place as her upper half arched backwards her head tilted up towards the shining orb that decorated the sky.
Tears streaked her face, flowing freely onto the grass below, as she stared at the moon waiting for the inevitable transformation that would now take place...
She stared into the sky for minutes on end. She could feel the teeth imbedded in her throbbing muscles. She could feel the blood dribbling down her thigh. But she couldn't feel her bones shifting. She didn't feel her skin changing. She didn't feel anything else but the pain in her leg and the pain in her chest, her heart beating erratically and much too fast than what she knew to be safe.
Slowly the wolf retracted his jaw's vice like grip on her leg, the exit hurting almost as much as the entry as his teeth pulled on her torn skin. She whimpered pitifully.
The wolf rose off of her body, taking a step back.
She watched it fearfully, now unable to move to save herself.
Would it finish her off?
Before she got an answer to her unspoken question the familiar black dog had appeared from somewhere to the right of her, knocking the wolf out of her vision.
Another was instantly at her side and she barely saw the wrestling forms of dog and wolf before she was swept up into James' arms and he was running them back towards the castle.
James struggles a little with the bundle in his arms and Hermione tries to wrap her arms around his neck to make it easier for him but finds that she can't. Barely able to swing her arms up to reach his shoulders she definitely can't hold on and she vaguely wonders how much blood she had lost.
James didn't stop running until he reached the Hospital Wing, kicking the door open with his foot and calling out to wake the Hospital Matron as he placed Hermione gently on an empty bed.
As he pulled away both students stare at the bright red arm that had been hooked beneath her legs, James' arm was so smothered in Hermione's blood it appeared as if he was wearing a shimmering red glove up to his elbow.
"Sirius?" she whispers.
"Don't worry about him, he'll be fine," James replies his voice shaking as he brushed a brown curl out of her face, a red trail left by the path of his fingertips.