Chapter 5

A week later, the next full moon already approaching, Hermione paid a visit to one of the Weasleys she only saw occasionally, but who she hoped could give her some answers, as her research about werewolves and mating rituals had come up with nothing useful, just like Harry had written. She knocked at the door of the hut, fingering the scar on her neck absent-mindedly; today, she had it covered with a small Disillusionment Charm.

"Hermione!" It was Fleur who opened the door, a warm smile on her lips. "Mon Dieu, you look tired... But come in, Bill is waiting inside."

"Thanks." As soon as Hermione entered, she was surprised to find it at least double the size of what the outside indicated. "This looks gorgeous..."

"Merci. Needed something to do after the War." Fleur led her guest through the living room area. "La famille misses you, you know? I think 'arry said you were back from your trip. Did you find then what you were looking for?"

"Yes, and that's the reason I'm here," Hermione replied with a soft smile when they reached the kitchen. "But we can still catch up afterwards..."

"Hermione, great to see you!" Bill stood up from the table to greet her, flashing a warm smile. "Fleur probably already told you that we all missed you."

"Yes, she did," Hermione said, winking at Fleur who was putting up the kettle for tea and then searching for something else. "Missed you all too." She sat down on chair opposite Bill.

"Vous deux, would you like some biscuits? I only have some sablés left from the last batch."

"You'd be surprised, but she makes great biscuits. Even Mum likes them."

"How's Molly doing? Ron told me when he got hold of Harry's device that she seems to get out more again?"

Bill nodded. "Yes, we all try to keep her a bit occupied, give her something else to think about. Which is easy as most of them decided to stay at the Burrow."

Hermione grinned when she remembered Ron's complaint about the thin walls of the Burrow, being forced to listen to the passion of others. "Yes, he did mention that too."

"Ron's been lonely too, you know?"

"Ben oui, c'est vrai, and then you gave that device to 'arry..." The kettle was finally whistling, and Fleur poured the water into the mugs.

"I only had those two, and I needed someone to help me with finding information and stuff. Harry still let him have the device often enough." Hermione sighed, she knew that Ron still missed her, and that he hadn't been happy that she hadn't given him the device; he hadn't said anything, but she knew that he had been disappointed that she seemed to prefer Harry then.

"Voilà, tea and biscuits." Fleur brought the tray to the table, balancing everything on it.

Hermione saw that there were three mugs on the tray. "Fleur? Please don't be mad at me, but I really need to talk to Bill alone... We can catch up later, okay?"

"Mais non, pas d'problèmes," Fleur replied to Hermione's relief, and took her mug. "I've got enough to do in the garden anyway. But I would love to hear about your trip later." With that, Fleur left the kitchen, winking before she closed the door behind her.

"You look different," Bill then mentioned, eyeing her closely. "Your owl said that you needed some information, but you didn't exactly say about what."

"I'm very cautious right now about whom I tell the whole story of my trip," Hermione began, not exactly sure what she could tell Bill. But she figured that he would understand the situation better than others once she had told him. "So please promise me you won't tell anyone else what I'm about to tell you. Or if you tell Fleur, make her promise too. I do not want it to get out, it would be too damaging..."

Bill nodded. "I promise. Some things are better kept secret."

"Yes, this is one of those things." She blew over her tea. "And thanks." She was surprised at the taste of her tea, black with a light flowery note.

"So, you found what you were looking for."

"Not what, but who." Her mug on the table, Hermione leaned back. "I was trying to find someone that everyone else thought dead—Draco."

"He isn't?" Bill asked, about to bite into one of the biscuits. "Everyone thought he was killed in action and we just hadn't found his body yet..."

"No." Hermione reached for a biscuit, but played with it for a few moments. "I found his name in the confidential Register for Creatures. He was bitten, and had been on the run through half of Europe ever since," she then added as matter-of-factly as she could. She remembered how Draco had finally told her the whole story, and that he was so upset afterwards that she had let him sleep next to her that night.

"He's a werewolf?"

"Yes. I found him about three weeks ago in Eastern Europe."

"You found him during a full moon? Hermione, I do hope you were careful in that phase because those are always the most dangerous days—not to mention nights—for anyone around them."

"I know," she replied, gnashing her teeth, and revoked the Charm on her neck to reveal the scar from the bite mark. "I know that. This is why I'm here."

"He bit you?! Hermione–"

"This happened the day after full moon, while he was human. Believe me, I've done plenty of research because he didn't just bite me, the whole thing is more complicated."

"The result is the same—he bit you, caused an open wound."

"That's part of the situation. Don't tell anyone else, not even Fleur, of the following – only you and Harry know about it. And Harry only knows about this because he insisted on the truth when he saw the mark on my neck. But if anyone else knows..." She glared at him warningly to emphasise her words. "As I said, I don't think he just bit me, but he actually kind of marked me. Look, this happened while we had sex that day–"

"Hermione, really! You had sex with him? With Malfoy, for Merlin's sake?"

"Fuck yes, I had sex with him," Hermione burst out irritated. After a deep breath, she closed her eyes and counted backwards from ten to keep herself from exploding. "It was only this once."

"Why? You were always the thoughtful one, the one that didn't rush into things..."

"I know! It was a mistake, but I can't make it disappear, now can I? And I don't need to justify myself right now..." She let out a frustrated groan, and then breathed in deeply. "I'm sorry. It's just that the past week has been a bit difficult. He told me how he got bitten, and he's been in a somewhat bad mood, falling back into a vicious cycle again. And I think I can feel some of the effects now too."

Bill nodded. "Yes, the mood swings are the worst part to get used to."

"Yes, absolutely! With the full moon coming up in a week, I start to feel more edgy than usual, more impatient..." She smiled faintly when she saw Bill nod in understanding. "I-I know he tries to keep it away from me, not wanting to hurt me again, but I can only imagine how more difficult it is for him. He tries to keep calm, but I can see the anger flash up in his eyes."

"He lives with you?"

"Yes. You think I could just hand him back to the Malfoys when his father considers disowning him? Who might just imprison him in some dungeon cell because he's ashamed of him as a son? No..." She defiantly shook her head. "I may have made a mistake, but I'm not running blindly into this, okay? I'm already preparing a room for the transformation; the Protection Spell will keep him inside, amongst other things. I'll do anything it takes to keep him."

"Hermione, everyone will probably tell you the same to some extent. Be really sure you want that, as werewolves are rather possessive creatures, even in human form, once they decide to have a partner. And it is Malfoy on top of that... Tonks told me once that she was surprised about this, Lupin never seemed the possessive type. And I don't need to mention the social prejudices against werewolves–"

"That's partly why I don't want you tell anyone else. The fewer people know about this, the less can leak to the public. And the fewer people are upset."

"You think my little brother shouldn't know." Bill snagged the last biscuit from the plate with a short smirk. "Yeah, who knows what he might do if he knows, the way he sometimes still speaks about you... I won't tell him. That's entirely up to you to let him know one day. All I have to say is, be damn sure about what you get yourself involved in."

"Thanks." She finished her tea slowly, glad that he seemed willing to listen. "I did find some reports about people who had been injured by a werewolf in human form, but I wasn't sure how truthful those reports were. And since we're now in the same position... I-It's just that I can deal with things better if I'm at least somewhat prepared... What else do I need to expect?"

"You? You'll be more aggressive when full moon approaches—Fleur compared it once to her menstrual cycle, that in the days leading up to it she's more moody as well. We have had our most spectacular fights when full moon meets her cycle. And a little secret: It's the best sex too." He ticked off one of his fingers.

Hermione nodded sheepishly. "As much as I'm still freaked out about that day, it still blew my mind. I mean we connected on such a primal level..." God, she remembered how it had felt when Draco had entered her that day in one quick move, sending a first wave of pure pleasure through her body. A similarly pleasurable shiver ran down her spine now.

"That's how it felt like for you when... you know?"

"Yes. Though it's difficult to describe, really..."

Smiling faintly, Bill nodded, and then ticked off another finger. "You might develop a fondness for raw meat–"

"Not looking forward to that one," Hermione responded, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

Bill grinned at her expression. "There are a few recipes; Fleur could make you copies if you want." Ticking his third finger, he continued, "Anyway, the scar on your neck is going to stay, just like those in my face."

"I was afraid of that." She rubbed over the scar, following its outline with her index finger.

"'Mione? You here?"

Draco watched Weasley from his spot in the garden, where he preferred to stay these days as he felt calmer there. He was patiently waiting for the redhead to stalk around the house and discover him. Oh yes, he was just waiting for him. And he knew that Hermione wasn't home right now, but rather back in Hogwarts for another research session in the library—either that, or she was giving them both some space to breathe, as the approaching full moon, only three days away, made them both feel on edge, just to different degrees.

As Ron finally realised that Hermione wasn't going to answer the door, he turned to walk around the house to maybe get a glimpse of her sleeping on the sofa or at her study desk.

"Watch where you put your feet, Weasel," Draco growled when Ron almost walked into him on his way around the house.

"You!" Ron exclaimed angrily when he recognised the other. "You have no right to be here!"

"I have every right to be here, invited by Granger and all. This is her place after all." Draco eyed up the redhead who was blocking out the sun he had just been enjoying on the blanket in his favourite spot. As the full moon wasn't that far off any more, the beast inside was raging, wanting to attack the annoying git. "What do you want? Besides to block the sun?"

"Checking on Hermione," Ron replied shortly.

Draco smirked deviously. "Well she obviously isn't here. Now leave. Or don't you know that a werewolf this close to full moon is dangerous even in human form?"

"No. I want to see what you've done to her."

"Ah, I see." Draco propped himself on his elbows. "Someone has been talking."

"What did you think you were doing? You bloody bit her, you filthy–"

"Watch your tongue, Weasley!" With surprising speed, Draco was up on his feet, and made a step in Ron's direction, his eyes glaring dangerously. "But yes, I bit her. And then I fucked her," he added, licking his lips. "She was great, you know, and so willing." Of course, he was goading that annoying example of a small-brained Weasel with it, but watching him grow visibly angry was too much fun, and excited the beast inside him.

"She would never agree to such a thing. Having sex with someone like you–"

"Like me? Didn't she tell you why she came looking for me? She knew that I was a werewolf, yet she came. She knew it, and yet she let me have her." Draco made another step forward, invading Ron's space even further, just to piss him off; of course, he had long since noticed that the annoying redhead had already drawn his wand. "You must be so pissed off that she left you for me–"

"You're still what you always were, Malfoy, a low, worthless, slimy creature. You should have stayed dead." With that, Ron raised his hand, pointing his wand at Draco.

"I tried," Draco remarked with an excited smirk, and—standing close enough—grabbed Ron's wand hand to twist it around so that the other had to let go of the wand. "Oh, you seriously have a death wish..." He let go of Ron's hand, and let out a malicious, excited laugh. "Run, if you want to make it out of here unharmed."

"I'm not scared of you," Ron retorted defiantly, rubbing his wrist. "Why should I be afraid of some filthy beast?"

"Because you should." With that, Draco pushed Ron backwards; the force used caused Ron to stagger towards the house. With a devious smirk, Draco pushed him again before he could react properly; Ron finally lost his balance and hit the ground rather hard, groaning in pain.

"What the–?" Ron let out, and immediately tried to get up again, but was stopped by Draco, who was now leaning over him to pin him down.

"God, I can't imagine how Hermione could even tolerate the smell of you," Draco taunted, demonstratively sniffing along Ron's neck and shoulder while the other tried to struggle his hands free, but he had no chance against Draco's strength. "But I have to say, your neck is tempting," he whispered into Ron's ear.

"You're not going to bite me, no..."

"It would be so easy, you know?" Gods, this was such a satisfying moment—smelling the fear of that annoying git was seriously exciting the beast now. And he was so close to giving in to the beast's begging to have a go. "You know, she smelled so delicious in that moment—sweaty and aroused. You, on the other hand, you smell of fear. Tempting, hmm... Very tempting for a werewolf so close to full moon." And to further emphasise his words, he licked Ron's neck along the pulse point. Gods, the smell of fear was almost overwhelmingly tempting. Oh yes, overwhelmingly tempting, but he wasn't going give in to the beast's begging, regardless how thin his control was.

"Let go of me, Malfoy!"

"You will apologise first for insulting both me and your precious Hermione," Draco retorted, breathing into Ron's ear, smirking at the shiver it was causing.

"I'm not going to apologise to you–" Ron didn't get any further, as Draco was suddenly pushed off him, landing a few metres away.

"You both back off, NOW!" It was Hermione who had her wand aimed at them both, looking thoroughly angered at the scene she had found. "Harry warned me you might do something as stupid as showing up here without warning me, Ron. Get up. And Draco, what the fuck where you doing? No, wait, I don't want to hear, I'll deal with you later."

Still shaking, Ron got up on his knees, and tried to find his wand. "'Mione. I was just worried. And then Harry told me that you were back and then about your bite mark. I just had to make sure you were okay."

"I AM OKAY. Accio wand." Ron's wand came flying towards her, and she caught it. "Get up, you idiot. Or do I have to make you?"

With that warning, Ron made it back up in seconds; he had apparently been on the receiving end of more than enough of her hexes than he would have liked to admit.

Draco remained on the ground, watching the scene between them, rubbing the spot where the hex had hit him. Oh, Hermione looked properly pissed off—she looked like he felt for days now. She just didn't have to hex him off that annoying git.

"You had no fucking right to come here and behave like I still belong to you, Ron. I thought I made that clear. This is my place! You can't just come here and think you can make Draco pay for that!" she now shouted at Ron, pointing at her neck with the visible scar; he ducked at her angry outburst. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"'Mione–"

"Don't call me that," she growled. "I hate it."

"He hurt you, Hermione! He bit your neck, so I'm supposed to just live with it?"

"Yes! Do you think I'm that stupid not to know the risks I was taking when I went on that trip? Draco has done nothing I haven't agreed to, even then."

"Hermione, he's not worth–"

"Get out. Or you will wish I had only hexed you like Draco."

"Herm–"

"Get out!" She was raising her wand at him again while holding up his in her other hand. "Take your wand and leave. We will have another talk about this, after the full moon. And don't think I'll forget about it."

Without any further word, and looking defeated, Ron grabbed his wand, then turned to leave.

"Now you, Draco!" Hermione turned her attention to him, raising her voice once more. "What the hell were you doing? Is it not enough–?"

"The hell, he just came here to insult me. Called me a filthy worthless creature amongst other things," Draco retorted, snarling at the insult. She looked about as angry as he felt for days now. Fucking full moon! He got up on his feet—he preferred to face her standing up, on the same level. "I was just teaching him a lesson. Gods, I would never have hurt your precious friend–"

"YOU WERE LEANING OVER HIM, DRACO! Full moon is too close to have complete control..."

"I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE LOSING CONTROL HERE!" Draco was shouting now, enraged by Hermione's accusatory tone. "You fucking hexed me! I wouldn't have hurt him, for fuck's sake! I'm not that far gone–"

"I had to get you off him!" she bellowed. "Full moon is only three more days away—how much control do you still have, really?"

"You're not in my skin, Hermione! You have no idea what it feels like... But I know how far I can go."

"You really think that? You really think you wouldn't have given in to the temptation? You already bit me–"

"Oh for fuck's sake! I knew you still weren't over it. I told you I'm sorry about that." He closed the space between them, aware of the wand she was still pointing at him; so he grabbed her wand hand, griping it so tightly that he could see her wince at the pain. "You knew the risks, and you took them. You can't hold them against me for the bloody rest of your life," he snarled, only inches from her face. "And your bloody friend was stupid enough to come here for your honour." He spat the last word.

Hermione tried to get her hand free, but his steely grip on it made it impossible. "You don't know Ron," she retorted, staring right back at him, not in the least intimidated by his proximity.

"As if I wanted to." Gods, he could smell her scent again, and it was so bloody tempting. His other hand slowly wandered up her waist, pulled her even closer, his eyes fixed on her lips that had devoured him so eagerly back in her tent in Hungary.

She grabbed his hand, and stopped him from going any further. "Don't. Touch. Me. Like. That."

"You liked it the last time," he replied, adding a low growl at the end. The beast very much wanted her right now, and her resistance felt like a challenge to him.

"But not today." She lifted her left hand, placed it on his chest, and just looked at him. Mere seconds later, Draco was pushed backwards several feet to his surprise.

"That's it. You don't trust me!" he shouted. "You're just like the others then—you think I'm dangerous even when I say I have it under control. But it's the other way round; it's you who hasn't herself under control. YOU!" And with that, he stormed past her into the house to barricade himself in his room. He had enough. Already his own anger was hard to manage—with the constant fight against the beast added to it—he didn't have the energy to fight her too. No, he would end up hurting her if he continued now.

"Draco, please. It's time. You need to change rooms before the moon rises." Hermione knocked at the door to his room. She hadn't really seen him ever since their fight three days ago, only occasionally heard him stir during the nights when he pulled the food plate inside she had placed in front of his room before going to bed—the plate had been empty each morning when she collected it again. "Draco, please. I prepared the other room." She knocked again. "You know that the spell holds." Finally, to her relief, she could hear him move, coming to the door which was then slowly opened. She put on a hopefully warm looking smile, and had to swallow hard when she finally saw him. Those two days since their fight had brought quite a few changes to his features—they looked harder again, the muscles on his uncovered upper body more defined, his eyes were searching her with that predatory look that made her feel vulnerable for a moment. Was this still Draco, or had the beast the main control already? "I'll keep watch, okay? You won't be able to leave this house in your transformed state..."

Draco simply nodded, his eyes still fixed on her, and snarling slightly.

This must be the beast answering, which didn't like the fact that he was going to be imprisoned for the night; Hermione let out a small sigh, but tried to keep her smile. "Come." She pointed at the door of her other spare room, which was now fully prepared to house a werewolf—she had removed all furniture to the cellar, had cast the Protection Spell around it in combination with another that would keep him from destroying the room, and added a Silencio so that the neighbours wouldn't hear him howl.

"You sure it will hold?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Now come, you don't have much time left." Hermione was actually surprised how fast he was moving, and with almost no sound—it was eerie. She then watched him sit down on the floor of the room, leaning against the wall, his eyes closed. How much pain must he already be in? Thinking about that, she placed herself at the wall opposite the door, left open so that she could keep him in her view, protected by the spells. Next to her, she had everything else ready—her wand, books that McGonagall let her take home from the Hogwarts library, fresh clothes for Draco the next morning, as well as some food and coffee for her to get through the night. She could see him breathe heavily now, and heard him repeatedly mutter something inaudible. She realised that this was the lowest moment in the whole cycle, the moment he would finally lose control of himself. And she was about to witness it. It made her feel like an intruder.

"No!" Draco let out in the room, curling himself into a ball. His voice sounded strained, or rather pained.

Hermione emphatically copied his position, and curled her legs up as well; it made her feel less like an intruder. If it weren't so damn dangerous to go into the room now, she would immediately go to him and try lessening his pain with anything; instead, and with a heavy heart, she watched him clench up further into a ball. On his back, she could see the first signs of the impeding transformation; after a deep intake of breath, he let himself fall forward on his knees, his hands landing on the floor, his back arched. It was obvious now that he was in pain; his screams were breaking her heart. If only that damn potion had already been ready for him to take, maybe he wouldn't have to go through this amount of pain anymore!

"NOOOO!" Draco finally lost control over himself, and the beast came through. His body started morphing—his spine became more defined; his hip changed the angle to make him go mostly on four legs; his arms became longer, and his fingers turned into claws that could rip anyone apart in seconds. Yet it was his face that changed the most. When the transformation was finished, all that was left of him was the pale grey colour of his eyes.

However, she was mostly fascinated by the colour of his fur; she had only ever read about werewolves being greyish-coloured, yet here was Draco with his white fur, staring right at her. His whole presence was fascinating, even mesmerising; he was actually surprisingly beautiful in this state. And the way he looked at her—he wasn't checking her out like some prey, but rather watched her with interest, even want. That thought sent a shiver down her spine; she remembered their first encounter back in that shack in Hungary when had admitted that they both wanted her, man and beast. This was going to be a long night.

TBC