Chapter 18: Night of the Wolves
At 9 am on Monday there was a knock on the Manor's doors. Hermione answered and was happily surprised to see a house-elf standing on the other side. "Madam, are you the one who requested the portkeys?"The small elf asked her. Hermione nodded and was handed a shrunken box. "There are approximately two hundred and fifty portkeys inside the box, all programmed to go to Hogwarts." Hermione nodded again and the house-elf thanked her before it popped away.
Hermione walked back inside the manor and up the left staircase toward the bedrooms. She walked into the room she shared with Skylar and placed the small box on the large desk. "Hera is that you?" Skylar called out from their walk-in closet. "Yes, can you come here? I need to speak with you." A few minutes later Skylar walked out of the closet wearing a pair of black pants and a light green shirt. "Yes?"Hermione turned away from the box to look at her.
"I heard part of the conversation you were having with Harry the other day." Skylar's cheerful face fell at these words. "I don't want to talk about it."Hermione looked at her sister before she realized this was an extremely delicate subject. "Please Sky; I'm here to help you." Skylar shook her head. "It's not something I want to discuss Hera. I don't even like thinking about it."
"Please Skylar, if I can't help you how do you expect Harry to?" Hermione asked, crying on the inside. Skylar looked at her sister before she walked over to their bed and sat down. "The day before we left to visit with the werewolves, I found out that vampires that aren't mated with another vampire can't get pregnant." She said, he words becoming choked at the end. Hermione stared at her in amazement, so this explained why Harry was upset. "Is that why when Arianna asked to come with us, you instantly allowed her to?" Skylar nodded sadly. "I've always wanted children so when I found this out; I wanted to do anything to ensure that I would have a child, when I met Arianna I knew what I had to do, so when the war's over, I plan on adopting her."
Hermione nodded her head and they continued to talk about the information Skylar had gathered and then about the upcoming battle. The rest of the day passed by quickly after that and it was soon time for everyone to dress in their protective armor and grab a portkey to the battle field. As Hermione, Skylar, Harry, Ron and Draco made sure that everyone was ready, they signaled for the start of the portkeys to begin leaving.
When all but one portkey was left, Hermione walked over to the only remaining person in the Manor. "Ready?" She asked him quietly. Adrian nodded his head before they grabbed onto the portkey that was left for them. As the swirling sensation stopped, Hermione looked around her new surrounds. She was standing in the back of an extremely large group on the grounds of Hogwarts. All around her were werewolves which caused Hermione to smile before she changed into Hera. As Hera sniffed the air she heard Harry talking. "I'm glad to see that both of you made it here." It was obvious who he was talking to. "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. The time has come to stop hiding behind lies and take your rightful place in the war! Throw away your old bonds and join us!" Harry said a few minutes later causing Dumbledore and Voldemort to look around their armies in confusion. Surely no one had betrayed them.
Slowly there were pops of apparation heard throughout the castle grounds and when all was silent Dumbledore looked back to see half of his army had disappeared. Voldemort smirked before he turned to look at his still large group of followers. "Now that everyone is where they should be…" Harry said as he made his way to the very front of the Lycan Army where he
smiled at Voldemort and Dumbledore, who were standing at the Forbidden forest and the entrance to the castle respectively. Harry reached into his pocket and instead of drawing his wand, he pulled out his shrunken firebolt. He enlarged it wordlessly and mounted it. "Let's go!" He cried out and in an instant all the first and second years transformed and followed Harry into the air.
There were cries of shock coming from both opposing armies. While Dumbledore and Voldemort watched Harry circle above them, all the werewolves that were waiting hidden from view, slowly made their way to the front of the army. "So that's your leader? Harry Potter?" Dumbledore cried out in anger and confusion as he pointed to the floating boy above him. No one answered. Voldemort looked around the grounds knowing that Potter wasn't the one he was supposed to battle. Upon seeing no sign of the chosen one Voldemort cried out, "Where is the one you call Hera!"
Ever so slowly the wall of werewolves that were blocking the rest of the army from view parted and a medium white werewolf walked through. "I'm shocked that you, a seventeen year old witch, believes she can defeat me." Voldemort said as he took a few steps forward so he could see the beautiful werewolf more. Hera turned her amber eyes to him and smiled as only a wolf can. "You're not shy are you? Not ashamed of yourself, your other self?" Voldemort questioned her as he took another step forward. "Just admit your scared and I'll let you live." Hera shook her head before she changed back into Hermione. "Never" She whispered before she looked around at the two armies before her and quickly looked up to see that Harry had finished stabilizing his broom.
"You really shouldn't have said that, and you shouldn't have kidnapped me."Hermione said aloud to the other leaders. Dumbledore and Voldemort smiled but stopped and looked around startled when the birds above them started flying towards them and dropping vials onto anyone they managed to reach.
Hermione let out a laugh when she saw various people, Deatheaters and Order members alike, fall to the ground either paralyzed or petrified by the potions that had hit them. As Hermione was laughing Harry had jumped from his broom and changed into a hawk before he dive-bombed the nearest Order member and dropped one of his vials that contained the Draught of the Living Death on their head. This caused Hermione to laugh harder as the Order member fell to the ground fast asleep. While Harry continued to fly to the ground at an alarming rate he transformed again, into a black and gray wolf which landed on the ground and continued running in one fluid motion. "The war ends now!" Hermione cried out once Harry made it safety onto the ground, no longer laughing. These words caused the rest of her army to either transform or pull their wands.
Hermione transformed back into Hera and took off at a run with the rest of the werewolves and wolf animagi following behind her. As the Lycan Army ran forward, the Banshees slid over to the outskirts of the other armies. When they got close enough to army, the adult witches and wizards cast powerful stunning spells onto those who were still standing. There were screams across the battle field as the werewolves jumped onto and torn out their enemies' throats. Hera had stopped running and was now looking around the chaotic castle grounds. She smiled as she spotted her first target; she then ran full speed across the grounds and jumped the Headmaster from behind.
As he was pinned to the ground Hera changed back into Hermione for a brief second. "Goodbye Headmaster." She whispered before she changed back and clamped her jaws around the Headmaster's throat. Without hesitation Hera quickly yanked her head back, with
Dumbledore's throat still inside her jaws. There were screams of horror from the witches and wizards closest to Hera, seeing as she had just killed the most powerful wizard of their age. Hera shook the throat from her mouth before she turned to look at how the battle was going. She let a smile grace her blood stained mouth as she watched more and more enemies fall from either curses or potions. Everything was going according to plan with one part of the prophecy completed.
While Hera stood there watching happily, Skylar was running at amazing speeds, latching onto enemies and biting into their necks before she drained them of their blood. Draco and his father were dueling Deatheaters side-by-side, both happy to be on the right side because they wanted to, not the side that bullied them into service. Harry and the other animagi were taking turns changing into birds and dropping more potions vials or into wolves to help the werewolves out. Hera continued to stand where she was when she heard howls in the distance. She howled back in response and smiled at the scared faces around her. Slowly all the fighting came to a pause as they watched more werewolves come running out of the forest.
While everyone watched the wolves making their entrance, Hera dashed forward so she could get closer to Voldemort and his Deatheaters. As the new werewolves got closer the battle started back with a fury. Hera was getting closer to Voldemort when Tawny cried out, "Hera change back NOW!" Hera looked around startled, but did as her sister said. Hermione saw Tawny running towards her with a bloody shirt. "Hermione, help me." Tawny whispered as Hermione held her in her arms. "What happened to you?" Hermione asked her, not paying any attention to the battle around them.
"I got hit with a slicing hex, it barely got me though." Tawny said closing her eyes in apparent pain. Hermione was about to say something when she stiffen slightly and looked at the girl she was holding in her arms. "What's wrong Hermione?" Tawny asked, her voice calm despite the fact blood was pouring from her stomach. "Where's my sister?" Hermione asked as her eyes turned amber, her senses telling her to run. "Hermione what do you mean?" Tawny asked with a shocked look on her face.
"HERMIONE! WHY ARE YOU JUST STANDING THERE?" Someone yelled out from behind her. Hermione turned to the voice startled, standing about 200 feet away was her sister Tawny, her arm bleeding from a long gash. Hermione's eyes widen an inch as she turned back to the person in her arms. "Surprise" The imposter said before she disappeared without a sound and reappeared behind Hermione. "I have a present for you, big sister." The imposter said with a deeper male voice before they conjured a necklace around Hermione's neck.
Hermione let out an ear-piercing scream as it burned into her flesh. "Do you like it? It's made from the purest silver." The imposter whispered into her ear over her screams. Hermione continued to scream and all the separate battles over the grounds came to a halt as another Deatheater came up in front of Hermione with a small vial in his hands. Hermione thrashed around wildly as the Deatheater walked closer with the small lilac potions vial in his hands. "STOP!!" Hermione yelled out in fear. All the Lycan Army members' eyes widen at these words, never before had they heard such terror in their leader's voice. The Deatheater holding her laughed as Hermione tried her hardest to get free, from both the vial coming towards her and the necklace that was slowly going to burn a hole into her skin.
"HELP!" Hermione cried out before she screamed again in pain. In a matter of seconds the Deatheater coming towards her had opened the potions vial and was about to force her mouth open. "Avada Kedava!" A voice called out, hitting the approaching Deatheater in the side. He fell with a thud the vial crashing to the ground. Hermione didn't seem to notice since she was
slowly blacking out from the pain. As her legs gave out from under her she felt the hands holding onto her slide away and a pair of new, strong hands replace them and eased her onto the ground, where they quickly removed the silver necklace from her.
"Come on Hermione, stay with me." A soothing voice said beside her ear. Hermione's eyes fluttered a few times but they didn't open. "Hermione you can't give up now, everyone's depending on you." The voice continued as the hands rubbed a healing balm over her freshly burnt skin. Hermione's eyes started to water but remained closed. Once all of the healing balm had been absorbed into her now dark brown neck, Hermione's eyes finally opened. "Ron?" Hermione said in an uncertain voice. Leaning down beside her was her boyfriend, who was bleeding from a long dash along his face. "Hi sweetheart, feeling any better?" Ron said with a smile on his face. Hermione closed her eyes again before she opened them quickly. "Much better" Hermione whispered as her blue eyes darkened to amber slowly.
Ron smiled once more before he moved out of Hermione's way. She closed her eyes and changed back into Hera before she jumped up and made a straight line to the Dark Lord. After seeing that their leader was healed and ready to continue fighting all the Lycan members jumped back into the battle with full force, all ready for the war to come to an end.
Hera wasted no time in finding the Dark Lord, who was fighting behind a silver shield surrounded by werewolves and all of the wolf animagi. Hera smiled before she changed back into Hermione. "Well, it looks as if a seventeen year old witch can defeat you." Voldemort sneered at her, but before he could say anything the animagi jumped through his silver shield and pinned him to the ground.
Voldemort's shield flickered before it disappeared completely. Hermione smiled and walked over to him. "Your reign of terror has come to an end." She said before she changed back into Hera. Voldemort started to yell out the killing curse when he saw none of his followers coming to his aid, but he was cut short when Hera and Harry proceeded to tear out his throat. The battle field was silent as Hera swung her head, the blood from Voldemort's throat flying over the other werewolves around her. Finally she dropped the throat and raised her head to the sky and howled up to the full moon. All the other werewolves followed suit and soon the castle grounds were filled with the haunting sounds of wolves celebrating their kill.
After the killing of the two most well-known and most despised wizards of the Wizarding World, all the Lycan members made sure that the rest of their enemies were either dead, stunned, or under the effects of a potion before they joined the werewolves in celebration. The Aurors came once everyone was done celebrating and it took the rest of the night to clean the beautiful castle grounds of the bodies that littered it. During the clean up Hermione was taken to the Infirmary where she had her burns thoroughly healed. Also in the Infirmary, Tawny, Ron, Draco, Harry, Severus, Skylar and Ambrosial were treated for long gash wounds covering them, apparently Bellatrix Lestrange wasn't going down without a fight.
Hermione and the others were allowed to leave the infirmary once the grounds were cleaned. Hermione told her army that thanks to them, they had made their world a better place. She told them to return home and enjoy the rest of their lives without fear of death. Everyone smiled and personally thanked her before they apparated away or use a portkey back to their homes.
Soon it was just Hermione's family and friends left standing in the middle of the grounds. "So Hermione, what are you going to do now that the war's over?" Ron asked as his hand went up and messed his hair up in a nervous gesture. Hermione turned her blue eyes to him and smiled. "I'm going to be what I always wanted to be, a normal witch." She said before she
moved closer to him and gave him a kiss that they both needed. When she pulled away Ron was an interesting shade of red.
"Let's head home." Remus said as he place his arm around Ambrosial with a smile on his face as he looked at how happy his daughters were. Hermione turned her head to him before she smiled. She had fulfilled her fate and had come out victorious. Her smiled broadened when she realized that her future was now hers to make. Things were looking up for Hermione Lupin.