A/N: Hey there! This is a Harmony story about what it means to become something other against your will. There won't be any Alpha/Omega stuff though because that's not my jam. Instead, there will be two lovable idiots in a Hogwarts Sixth Year AU who get into trouble, and not everything will be happy fluff. I'm writing this purely for fun, since I don't own Harry Potter — J.K. Rowling does (she's clever like that). English is not my first language. Enjoy and be excellent to each other!
It was dark and quiet as the motley group made their way back to Hogwarts, the only lights coming from the castle's distant windows whenever the view between the trees opened up. For a few minutes, the small crunches of their feet and Sirius' labored breathing were the loudest noises in the night. The fight with Snape had been exhausting for Harry's godfather, who was still recuperating from his imprisonment.
Harry didn't mind the silence, though.
He was ecstatic. For the first time this year, no, the last few years, he felt... hope.
Their long-planned trap had worked, they finally had Peter Pettigrew. They would be able to clear Sirius' name, they would clear up the whole mess in fact with the imperius'ed students and the murder of Professor Vectra, and incarcerate the man who'd betrayed his parents to Voldemort. See him lose his life's years in Azkaban, as Sirius had. He didn't want to execute the man, but wouldn't mind seeing him broken if he was honest.
Maybe they could even stop Minister Fudge's campaign against The-Boy-Who-Lived that had been going on for two years at this point, ever since Sirius had escaped after Death Eaters had ambushed Harry and his friends on that ill-advised trip to Knockturn Alley. At least if Dumbledore would allow him to actually fight back against the corrupt government for once.
And he would never have to go back to the Dursleys.
Not that his relatives would take him back anyway, they'd made that clear after the other Death Eater debacle last year. He'd never told anyone how uncle Vernon had thrown out his trunk after him after forcefully pushing Harry out of the door. The only way to go back there and stay within the house during his sixth year's holidays was by magical coercion. Harry suspected that might not be enough to sustain the fragile wards whose existence he'd deducted from some of the Headmaster's comments and with a lot of help from Hermione.
But first, he'd have to face his Head of House because Professor McGonagall was probably not going to be amused about any of tonight's events.
"Make one wrong move, Peter, please. I'm waiting for it." Lupin's words came as a low growl and were so different from the calm voice he'd used during his time as a Hogwarts Professor or whenever Harry'd seen him in Hogsmeade.
"Professor Lupin?"
"I'm not your professor anymore, Miss Granger," he snapped. The irritation of being so close to the now-exposed traitor certainly had the werewolf on edge. "Sorry about that," he mumbled, his growl almost gone.
"I didn't mean to upset you, Mister Lupin. But I wanted to ask about... our Expelliarmus. It was so forceful." She petted Crookshanks swiftly as he overtook her. "I've never seen it knock someone out like that before, let alone throw someone several meters into a wall. Why... why was that?"
Sirius chuckled. "Emotions and intent, Miss Granger," he said.
"But I've tried to disarm Harry and Ron lots of times before in DADA, and they were never thrown backward with such force. Unless we used spells specifically designed to do exactly that."
"I don't know all the troubles that Remus got you in during his time as a professor, but I'd wager none of you were in mortal danger during practice lessons?" Harry's godfather coughed dryly and threw a glance at Lupin and Pettigrew before he continued. "Because danger can turn even the simplest spell into something completely different. Since you and Mister Weasley very much wanted not to be obliviated earlier, and because Snivellus did threaten not only to have you expelled from Hogwarts but had also raised his hand to strike you, I'd say that Expelliarmus was, shall we say 'loaded'."
"Oh, you mean like when Harry repelled hundreds of Dementors during the Triwizard Tournament without a Patronus?" Ron asked and grunted as his foot hit a loose stone on the ground.
Harry gave him a hand so he wouldn't fall over his injured leg. "There weren't that many Dementors, mate."
"Sure, Harry. I know what I saw. And you..."
But he was interrupted when they stumbled into Sirius, who'd stopped because Lupin was looking at them with pure terror in his eyes.
The night became brighter now as clouds shifted.
"Remus, what?"
Their former professor opened his mouth but didn't answer as his body suddenly began convulsing.
"He didn't take his potion? It's the moon! He's not safe!", Hermione cried, stepping back from her former professor.
"Harry, run!" Sirius put himself between Remus and the boys. "Hermione, you too. Run!
The clouds parted now to expose the full moon, and the werewolf barked and snarled. His body changed with wet crunches as bones broke and muscles were torn apart to rebuild themselves, different and stronger than before.
Harry was frozen. He couldn't run away, Ron was shackled to Sirius and Pettigrew... what could he do?
Sirius' roar shattered his thoughts. "Pettigrew!"
But the traitor had already grabbed Lupin's wand and was aiming at them.
A loud bang and a flash of flight broke the night and Harry was violently thrown through the air, together with Ron and Sirius. They landed in a heap several paces away. Ron yelled as his injured leg was crushed under Sirius' back, and they got tangled up in the conjured manacles.
Harry hadn't lost his wand though and aimed at Pettigrew now. "Expelliarmus!" The former Secret Keeper lost Remus' wand and was knocked over.
"Stay where you are!" Harry was already running again, his eyes going wide as he saw the beginning of the Animagus' transformation. "No! Arresto Momentum!" But he missed both times and saw the rat scurrying out of the manacles and away into the night. "Damn it! No! Noooo!"
"Harry, look out!" Ron's yell caused him to turn to Lupin and Sirius, who'd also transformed back into the black dog. They were fighting with each other, the werewolf furiously scratching the dog's fur with its massive claws as it was pinned down. Lupin was huge now, probably having twice the mass of his normal self. Long muscles bulged under his brown fur. His teeth were as big as Harry's pinky, and he sunk them into Sirius one, twice and made the large dog howl in pain.
Hermione was sitting up on the ground, close to them. There was blood on her shoulder as she held her arm, wincing.
"Hermione!"
Harry ran toward her and pulled her back from the two fighting beasts. It looked as if Sirius had the werewolf under control for now despite his wound, but the two of them were snarling louder and flailing around more violently.
"Ouch, be careful, Harry!" Hermione almost jerked out of his grip, and Harry stopped.
"Sorry! Are you bitten? Where is your wand?"
"He scratched me," she said with clenched teeth. "We need to get out of here!"
"I know, but... "
"Expulso!" An explosion interrupted him, but this time Harry rolled off his shoulder as he was blown backward and immediately saw that Ron had blasted Lupin. Sirius was lying on the ground, bleeding. "Harry, get away!"
But the werewolf was back on his feet in an instant and raced toward the closest targets, which were them.
As he jumped in front of Hermione, who still tried to stand up and gather her wand, Harry saw the werewolf already leaping through the air. "Petrificus Totalus!" he shouted as he barely dodged its outstretched claws.
Landing hard on the ground again, he had the air knocked out of him. "Harry! No! Aaaah..." As he turned around to her screaming, he saw that he'd missed again because the Lupin was attacking her and had her wounded shoulder trapped between his wide jaws. The werewolf tried to shake her as if she was nothing but a small animal, and Hermione screamed again while being thrown around.
Something in Harry snapped. The time for cute little charms was over.
"Sectumsempra!" he yelled as he ran toward them. He made slashing motions with his wand. "Diffindo! Diffindo!" He didn't want to kill his former professor, but if blasting didn't help, maybe cutting would do the trick. "Get away from her! Diffindo!"
To Harry's relief, the red gashes he opened on the werewolf's torso made the beast howl in pain before it let Hermione go. It stood up to its full height and snarled down at him with its blood-smeared snout, but just as he was about to throw another curse it winced and ran away.
When Hermione gasped loudly, Harry lowered his wand and knelt beside her. Her left upper body didn't look good. She was crying as her feet shuffled on the ground erratically from being in shock. "Hermione, no... please, no..." He carefully peeled back the remains of her jumper and saw deep bite marks. There was white bone underneath the red, and she was losing a lot of blood.
"Ron! Are you hurt?" He didn't look away from Hermione's wounds as he called out. "Call for help!"
"I'm... argh, my leg. I'm fine. How is she?" He heard the redhead hobble closer. "And is Sirius okay? Bloody hell, that was close."
Harry glanced at his godfather and saw that he'd turned back into human form. He was wounded and unconscious like Snape who still hovered in the air, but he didn't appear to be dying. "He's fine, Ron, we're going to be fine," Harry mumbled. Crookshanks, who'd come back from his hiding place, cried out fearfully. "It's going to be fine", Harry repeated.
He put Hermione's head into his lap and wiped bloody strands of hair out of her face. Her teary eyes locked into his, and he saw how much pain she was in. Pain and fear. "I'm pants with healing spells, Hermione, but I'll try what I can. Episkey, Episkey, Episkey." His steady stream of charms slowed the flow of blood and caused a few of the torn edges of her wounds to knit together, but it didn't help.
She gasped again under his ministrations and grabbed his hand with such force that Harry almost dropped his wand. "Harry... help... "
"We're all going to be fine." He looked up at Ron. "Ron, for Merlin's sake, call McGonagall. We need healers from St. Mungo's!"
Ron, who'd only now seen the full extent of Hermione's wounds, paled and nodded. "Expecto Patronum!"
"I don't care that she's infected with lycanthropy, you can't just send her away." Harry tried hard to remain sitting and not get into his Headmaster's face.
"Harry, this school doesn't have the resources to really help her on her way at this point." Dumbledore sighed and folded his hands on his table. "Miss Granger needs to spend time with her family, under the care of St. Mungo's capable healers. It will take time. It would be better for you as well, I believe."
"Funny how it seemed possible to have a werewolf here when Professor Lupin was a student, but not now when it's a friend of mine. Because Remus always told us he wouldn't have made it without my dad and the others."
Dumbledore frowned. "I don't think an accusation like that is appropriate, Harry."
The student and the Headmaster looked at each other in silence, one angry and the other one worried.
"But I can see how it looks when I deny Miss Granger the special care that this school offered Remus all those years ago. I will see what can be done, but I do not have the final say here, Harry. The Board of Governors might still overrule me on this."
"And you wouldn't want to lose valuable political clout over someone as Hermione Granger, is that it?" Dumbledore's grandfatherly act really triggered him today. He felt the need to lash out and let the old man know exactly what he thought about his lack of support.
"Harry, your friends are as important as you are! Please believe that, if nothing else."
"I'd love to, Headmaster, but your love of secrecy makes that very hard. I still remember what happened in the Chamber of Secrets last year, and I also haven't forgotten Sally-Anne. I never will."
Dumbledore closed his eyes for a second and removed his glasses to pinch his nose. "Harry, please... I understand your pain and your frustrations, but... "
"Do you? You often say that, but I don't ever see you acting on this supposed empathy, Headmaster." He stood up from his chair and looked at the portraits of Hogwarts' former Headmasters and Headmistresses. Most of them were watching their conversation with open curiosity. "As much as it makes my stomach churn, I can live with the fact that Peter Pettigrew escaped. His face is plastered on every shop in Diagon Alley now, and I'll probably see him again sooner rather than later. Same as Voldemort." Some of the portraits flinched. "I also accept that it'll take time for Sirius to become my legal guardian."
Harry lowered his gaze to Dumbledore. "What I can't live with is losing Hermione just because she's been bitten by a werewolf. She stood by me for six years until now no matter what and without her, I would be dead several times over." He didn't mention that the Headmaster had also been saved by his bushy-haired friend when she'd stopped the elemental vortex that had threatened to swallow all of them in the Room of Requirements. Sirius had taught him that not mentioning obvious things was often advantageous to the flow of a conversation.
"I am sorry that you feel such antipathy toward me right now, Harry, but I understand that your words and actions are being made in defense of Miss Granger."
Harry didn't respond and walked toward the office door. "If Hermione says she doesn't want to continue classes in Hogwarts, that's her decision. But if you send her away in a misguided attempt to save me from something or, Merlin help me, because keeping her here would be inconvenient to your plans regarding Voldemort, I'm done. That's not antipathy, that's a fact."
He walked out.
As he decided not to go to his dormitory but to the Quidditch pitch instead to clear his head, Harry wondered if his guilt and self-hatred, even though unmentioned, had been as apparent to the Headmaster as that man's life debt had been to him.
"Do you have an appointment?" The receptionist, a young woman with a severe bun, looked Harry up and down. "Or are you here to visit someone?"
"I'm here to see Hermione Granger. She's in the Dai Llewellyn Ward on the first floor."
The woman checked one of the scrolls in front of her. "Ah, yes. Are you a family member?"
"No, just a school friend." Harry hoped he hadn't made a mistake by being truthful. "I have her homework and other things from Hogwarts she missed." He raised the bag he was carrying.
Surprisingly, the receptionist smiled at him. "That's really nice of you. I think she'll appreciate ist, although she didn't want to see any visitors these last days."
Harry frowned. "I... can I try at least? Please? I need to see her."
"Of course, as long as the staff nurse says it's okay. You know the way up?"
"I've been here before, thanks." As he walked over to Tonks and Shackebolt, Harry looked at the few patients sitting in the reception area. It was unusually calm compared to some of his prior visits at St. Mungo's, and he couldn't decide if the quiet atmosphere was preferable to the usual cacophony of shouts and cries or not.
"So, are you off to see your girlfriend, Harry?" Tonks waggled with her eyebrows.
"Ha-ha, you are hilarious. She said Hermione didn't want to see anyone so far, but I'll try."
"Should we come with you?" Shacklebolt appeared to be sympathetic.
"No, please let me do this alone."
Tonks giggled. "Don't do anything I wouldn't, Harrikins!"
Harry rolled his eyes and groaned while Shacklebolt chuckled. He knew that responding to her in any way would only increase his suffering. Tonks' sole purpose in life was to see him blush, and it was just his luck that she'd been sent to accompany him to St. Mungo's. He nodded and headed toward the stairs.
The prospect of seeing Hermione now made him feel a bit queasy, but the pull of his heavy bag grounded him. It contained one of his secret weapons in case Hermione was as stubborn as he expected her to be, judging by how shy she'd been the last time.
In all fairness though, the Polyjuice Potion accident couldn't have been fun for her. And only Merlin knew what she'd do if she ever found out how many cat jokes had been flying around in the castle at that time. It had only stopped when he and the twins had glued that foulmouth Paul McAllicot to the Grand Staircase's ceiling.
Lycanthropy however was no laughing matter, and he needed to steel himself. It was possible that she hated him now for his uselessness against Lupin's werewolf form. If he hadn't... but he was determined to try. He didn't know what he'd do if she spat in his face, though. His impulse to isolate himself from her as she did from the rest of the world right now was still present, but Harry'd decided to not give in. She was too important.
He opened the door to the ward and introduced himself to the nurse, who recognized him but thankfully didn't stare. "You can try, Mister Potter, but she's avoided everyone except her parents. If you upset her too much, you must leave, is that understood?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Good." She sighed. "I think it's nice that you're here. None of her other friends even sent so much as a letter."
Harry frowned. Hadn't Ron told him he would visit Hermione because he was excused for the weekend anyway due to one of his uncles being sick? He was sure of it. Well, they would sort it out later. He stopped in front of the door the nurse had pointed him to, but stopped himself from knocking. What should he say? How should he react if she was angry or afraid? What would make her listen? Maybe she needed...
"Harry, you can't see me. Please go away." Her muffled voice came through the door.
He looked around. "Hermione! How did you know it was me? Did the nurse...?"
"I... it's not important, Harry. Please go, I'm tired."
"Hermione."
She didn't answer. This appeared to be a lot more difficult than he imagined, but Harry was determined to try. When no clever plan manifested itself, he decided to just go with honesty and leaned his head on the door. "Please, Hermione. I don't care if you look different or if your hair is messy or whatever you believe might bother me. I also don't care that you're infected with lycanthropy. Not at all. You... you're still my friend, my best friend."
"Harry... it's different now. I'm dangerous. I can't see you."
But he chuckled. "Oh please. You're dangerous when Malfoy says something stupid in Potions or when Ron forgets his homework or when I fly recklessly. But here? In a hospital? They wouldn't have let me knock on your door if that were the case. Also, I haven't flown a broom in days."
He was sure he could hear her sobbing inside the room. Holding on to whatever confidence he had in himself, Harry decided to just go for it. "I am your friend now and forever, Hermione. Nothing will ever change that, not after all we've been through. Please open the door. Let me in."
Silence was his only answer, but as Harry opened his mouth to try again, the door finally clicked open.
The curtains were drawn over the windows so it was dark inside, but he could make out her silhouette behind the door. He'd read that the senses of people who were bitten by a fully-turned werewolf could be hyper-sensitive until their first transformation. She probably was overwhelmed by everything, so he needed to tread carefully.
"Hey," he whispered.
She didn't move. "Harry. I... it's not... "
But he stepped inside and put his bag on the floor before Hermione had a chance to deny him. She was wearing a blue nightgown that complemented her tangled brown hair and had her arms folded around herself. It seemed her shoulder was a lot better though because he didn't notice any bandages. But as his sight adapted to the twilight, he saw her blotchy eyes and trembling lips.
"Hermione, it's going to be okay."
She was shaking now. "No, it's not, Harry. I'm a werewolf. I... "
"Oh, come here you." Without conscious thought, he stepped up to her and embraced her, mindful of her shoulder but still pulling her close to him. He could count on one hands the times he had initiated a hug, but it had always been with her and it had always been... good. "You're not alone, I'm here." At first, she was stiff as a board, but then Harry felt her arms around his neck and the trembling of her body as she cried into him.
"Harry, I don't know what to do. It's all ruined... my life, everything!"
"It's going to be okay."
He didn't leave her until Tonks knocked on the door an hour or so later.
Against all odds, Dumbledore came through. Harry didn't believe it at first but just three weeks after the attack, Hermione was about to come back to Hogwarts. The girls in her dormitory had all approved of her return, even Lavender Brown. In any case, a separate room had also been made available for her in Gryffindor Tower that had once been used by the Prefects.
Also, Hermione's parents were okay with her early return to school. Harry didn't know what she had told them, but it must've been pretty convincing because he'd feared that he wouldn't see her again until the next year or so. Their final year at Hogwarts.
On top of that and on Dumbledore's orders, Snape, although still livid with rage for his defeat at the hands of Sirius, had brewed another batch of Wolfsbane Potion specifically for Hermione. Harry had offered to pay for the ingredients when the Headmaster had worried about the budget, since the Ministry was looking closely at the school's spending these days. In the end, they'd agreed that Harry would pay three-quarters of all costs from his mostly unused school vault, and Hogwarts the rest. His only demand had been that Hermione would never learn about this, which the Headmaster had agreed to with that trademark twinkle in his eyes.
There was just one thing left to do before Hermione arrived, and Harry wasn't looking forward to it. Good thing he was allowed to use McGonagall's or Dumbledore's Floo access to visit Sirius in his hiding place.
"He's not in a good state of mind, Harry. You need to give him time."
"Bullshite! I need him right now. I don't care if he's drunk or depressed, Sirius, I need him. Hermione needs him. She's not mad, she knows he wasn't in control."
His godfather grimaced as they settled down in Grimmauld Place's living room. "Language, boy."
"As if you don't curse like a sailor whenever Voldemort or Pettigrew come up."
"Harry... "
"Sirius, I mean it. He needs to get out of whatever funk he's in right now. I'm an expert in self-pity, but this is serious." He silently dared his godfather to make that one joke stupid of his, but the older man just smiled tiredly. "Can you please haul him in here so I can talk to him? It's really important. Hermione needs his advice on how to deal with all of this. There aren't exactly a lot of useful books out there to help her with being a werewolf, so she's going up the walls."
"Literally?"
He gave Sirius a deadpan look. "Please, don't."
"Okay, kid. Sorry. I'll see what I can do. But no promises, I don't even know where he's staying right now."
Harry nodded.
Sirius sighed. "How bad is it?"
"She... she has headaches, which make her grumpy. Reading helps though, it allows her to relax a little because her other senses are often overloaded. Especially her sense of smell." He felt a blush coming because there'd been a very awkward situation that he would never divulge even if he were to suffer another Cruciatus Curse at the hands of Voldemort. "She's afraid of the next full moon, understandably."
Sirius leaned to the cupboard behind them and got two glasses and a bottle that looked like some old brand of expensive whisky. With a shrug, he poured one for each of them. "It reminds me of Remus. I believe a little bit of liquid courage is just what the doctor ordered. Just don't tell anyone, Harry. Least of all Hermione."
Despite himself, Harry chuckled. "Thanks, and I won't." He took a sip and made a face. "Eww, isn't this supposed to be tasty?"
"It's an acquired taste, but an excellent one. If you don't like it, just down it in one go."
He knew he'd regret this, still Harry followed his godfathers' advice and felt his insides burn as the alcohol went down his throat. "Bloody hell", he coughed.
When Hermione came out of the girl's dormitory, Harry looked up from his book and smiled.
He couldn't help himself. Seeing her here, at Hogwarts and not some asylum far away, was just so... it was great. He didn't know if it'd been seeing her almost mortally wounded for the second time in three years now or something else, but a fierce protectiveness had arisen in him. She had forgiven him for not saving her from Lupin, had insisted there was nothing to forgive in the first place as she'd cried into his chest. He would never ignore her ever again.
"You know you don't need to wait for me down here every single morning, Harry." She smiled as she came down the stairs, tying her wild hair up with a hairband. "I'm not a fragile little girl."
"I... I know that. Sorry. But I just... ". He stopped when she came up close to him and put a finger on his lips.
She took a deep breath. "I appreciate it nonetheless, Harry. It's very sweet of you."
He nodded at her, slightly dumbfounded, as she removed her finger so they could make their way to the Great Hall. It had been the third time she'd done that now and her hugs, frequent as they'd been before, had become an almost hourly occurrence. The physical contact probably helped her regain some self-esteem, and she'd decided he was able to provide that. And if he was honest with himself, it was really nice.
"How's the Wolfsbane Potion? Are you getting used to it?"
"That stuff is just vile, Harry. Be glad you're not a werewolf, it makes my toenails curl up. I've never tasted something so disgusting."
"Sorry that you have to, now."
She waved him off. "It's okay. So many who've been bitten can't afford the potion and would do anything to have it. Meanwhile, I'm getting it free of charge from Hogwarts. I shouldn't complain."
Harry suppressed a smile, but she'd seen it anyway. "What? It's my hair, isn't it? I know it has been growing ever since... the bite. Maybe I need to use Sleekeazy's regularly too."
"Your hair is fine, Hermione. I think it looks good."
"Stop it, Harry."
But he'd seen her blush ever so slightly.
"Careful, everyone, don't scare them. They haven't seen you in a month, give them time." Hagrid's booming voice echoed through the plantation he'd set up on the borders of the Forbidden Forest for his Care of Magical Creatures class.
Harry held out his finger toward the bushy little tree in front of him. "Gail? You there?" He saw the Bowtruckle carefully peek out from under the green leaves. "It's me, Harry. You like to play?"
Around him, students attempted the same. A few tried to coax the tiny creatures with woodlice, others cooed and or cast harmless little charms to entertain them. Nobody knew if Hagrid's grand experiment of creating a permanent colony on this side of the Black Lake would work or not, but everyone sure loved the tiny Bowtruckles.
"Harry!"
He turned around to see Ron behind him, his Bowtruckle climbing around on his wand as if inspecting a twig for its healthiness.
"Better hope you polished that recently," he smirked.
Ron rolled his eyes, but had to chuckle as well. "Tosser." Then he stepped closer. "Say, what's up with Hermione?"
"How do you mean?"
"I think she's avoiding me." Ron looked over to their friend, who was carefully poking an elder bush to look for her own Bowtruckle.
Harry sighed. "No, Ron, it's the other way around."
"Huh?"
"You're avoiding her, mate. Us. You never sit with us during meals nowadays, and I remember how you flinched when she tried to help you during Potions on Monday. As if she was a leper or something."
"I... ". Ron looked around. "I can't help it, okay? I'm trying, Harry, I really do, but I saw what Lupin did to her, and now she's going to be like that too."
"Not if we stand by her." He looked away from his friend and watched Gail carefully step onto his outstretched hand. "Remember how my dad and his friends helped Lupin? We can do something like that."
"I'm not an Animagus! Neither are you, Harry! That's mental."
Harry tried to remain calm and was thankful for the Bowtruckle on his hand that forced him to stand still. "You're such an arsehole sometimes, Ron. Of course, we can't just snap our fingers and turn into animals. But we could start and learn! Or find another way. But we can't just leave her alone."
"This is dangerous, Harry! We're not talking about getting one over on Snape or smuggling some Honeydukes' into the castle. If she turns and loses control, she might bloody well kill people."
"Oh, you mean like I was officially called a murderer and a Dark Wizard or that I was for sure possessed by Voldemort? Because of my scar and the Parseltongue and all those people dying in third and fourth year? Look at me, killing scores of students each day because I am oh-so-dangerous. Beware of the monster!"
A sudden fit of coughing from Hermione stopped their furious whispering for a moment. When nothing else happened, Harry and Ron looked at each other again. The redhead appeared angry. "That's not the same, and you know it, Harry!" he hissed.
"Everything all right, boys? How are your Bowtruckles?" Hagrid came up between them. "I hope you're not trying to feed them candy."
"No, Professor. I think we're good," Harry said with fake cheerfulness, but Hagrid didn't seem to notice.
Something was off with Hermione, and Harry didn't know what.
She'd been short with him and everyone else before excusing herself from classes early to retreat to the Hospital Wing. He'd assumed that she might have a bad reaction to the Wolfsbane Potion, but Madame Pomfrey had shooed him away and said that Hermione wasn't there. He'd then decided to skip History of Magic and go help her, but the girl's dormitory was as impenetrable as ever and Hermione hadn't reacted to his knocks.
Right now he was watching her name on the Marauder's Map and tried to read one of the notebooks on werewolves Sirius had sent him at the same time. She seemed to be sleeping, which was good. Still, he worried. Looking at the clock, Harry noticed it was dinnertime, but he wasn't hungry. Maybe he should go get her something to eat?
When he glanced at the map again, he saw her name had gone to appear in the Grand Staircase. She was going down? To the dungeons, it seemed. Why would she do that? Then it came to him. Today was the full moon! She probably didn't feel good despite the potions and wanted to be alone. But why the dungeons? Why wasn't she using the special room in Gryffindor Tower?
Whatever it was, he didn't think it good for her to be alone, especially in the dungeons. She'd been so glad for his visit at St. Mungo's two weeks prior. Harry grabbed his map, threw on his cloak, and ran after her.
A few breathless minutes later, he heard her voice in a deserted corridor one level underneath the Potions floor. She appeared to be casting spells in one of the ancient and abandoned rooms. Carefully, Harry peeked around the entrance, only to stare at the tip of her wand.
"Who's there? I can hear your heartbeat. Reveal yourself!" Hermione's eyes darted across the entrance, but he was still invisible. Then, her nostrils widened and she lowered her wand. "Harry?"
"Hey, you." He pulled back his cloak. "I saw you going down here, what's up? Are you okay?"
She was pale, he now noticed, her hands were shaking. "No, Harry, you can't be here. Please, you need to leave and shut this door. Don't let anyone enter!"
"Hermione, what is going on? Are you allergic to the Wolfsbane Potion?" She stared at him, not saying anything. She looked very frightened. "Please, talk to me!"
"I DROPPED IT, OKAY? I DROPPED THE LAST VIAL, HARRY!"
"But why..."
"I slipped, it was a stupid mistake, nothing more. I dropped the vial, and now I'm going to turn when the moon is fully visible because the next batch won't be brewed for another two weeks. Please, Harry, you need to leave. This isn't like in my hospital room, it's actually dangerous. Just go!"
He shook his head. "I'm not going to do that."
"For Merlin's sake, what is it with you that you never leave me alone? I don't want you here, Harry. It's too much! Go away!" She was raising her wand now, but there were tears in her eyes. "Don't make me bind you. I will do it, Harry," she whispered.
He'd never seen her more afraid and more desperate, yet he believed her threat. "Okay. I will go. But..." What could he do to help? She would turn, and it would be very painful and she would be all alone down here with no one to help. If he couldn't get her another Wolfsbane Potion, maybe... He had an idea. Hermione would probably really kill him afterward, but there was no alternative. "Before I leave you, will you let me go get something real quick? Like, super quick. It'll help. Don't lock yourself in before I'm back. Please."
She stared at him and nodded, hesitantly. "You better hurry, Harry. There's no time."
He ran.
One level up, he smashed the door to the Potions classroom without thinking and made his way to the storeroom in the back. Snape's magical lock was nothing to sneeze at, but they'd broken in here twice now during the past few years. Looking at the stacked shelves, Harry grabbed a Blood-Replenishing Potion, two Strengthening Solutions, and finally one vial of Sleeping Draught.
Snape would kill him too. He would take turns with Hermione, and they would use Filch's old torture devices and laugh maniacally.
Running back down as fast as he could, Harry saw her kneel in front of a bag she'd brought with her. She was holding a red and gold jumper, probably because of the cold air in the dungeons.
"I'm back, I'm here!"
"I've heard you all the way, Harry. Now, whatever it is, I'll probably turn soon, I can feel it. My blood, it... you need to leave." Her eyes were pleading with him as she stood up, shaking slightly. "You need to lock me in."
Should he? Harry knew that she wasn't exaggerating the danger, he vividly remembered their encounter with Lupin a month earlier. But the very idea of leaving her alone in this cold and dingy room, which might or might not remind him of that loveless house he had to live in for so long, he just couldn't do it. Wouldn't do it.
"Expelliarmus," he whispered and snatched Hermione's wand out of the air before she had a chance to react. He threw it out of the room, same as his cloak.
"Harry, no, what are you doing? Stop!"
"Colloportus. Confirmatis. Velamenivisus." The door snapped shut and the sounds of his magical reinforcements rumbled through the surrounding walls. He wasn't done though, and drew three of his potions with one swift motion while stepping away from Hermione, who was now shaking his arm.
"Harry, you need to leave! Stop! This is suicide! Please!"
He drank all of them at once and threw the vials into the next corner. Hotness not unlike Sirius' whisky radiated from his stomach into his body, and he felt a massive shiver run through his arms and legs. He finally looked at Hermione. "I told you, I won't leave you alone, Hermione. I don't care if you hate me, I just... couldn't simply stand by."
She grabbed his collar now, her face close to his. "You may have just killed yourself, Harry. I will wrestle your wand away from you and hex you into oblivion. This isn't a joke. I'll turn into a monster soon."
He put his hands on top of hers and stared into her eyes. "I've read all I can about werewolves these past days, Hermione. I know that they're not completely mindless and don't in fact attack people they're close to."
"I've read those books as well, Harry, so you know there's no guarantee. I might still kill you! What do you think that would do to me? Why can't you just wait outside? This can't be stopped." She was hitting his chest with her fist now, but his strength allowed him just to take it. "Harry, please! Leave!"
"No, Hermione."
Hermione cried again. "You... bastard. I thought you were my friend."
"I still am, very much so!"
She drew a ragged breath, and Harry thought her transformation was imminent. "Then... ouch... then why are you forcing yourself into this situation? What... ahh... is wrong with you?"
Feeling the magical strength of Snape's potions course through his veins, Harry stepped up to her and carefully embraced her as her body began to convulse and shift. "What do you think those vials were for Hermione? I'm strong enough to hold you and to make sure you don't harm yourself because werewolves do that when locked up. I didn't prevent the bite that infected you, but I will try anything to help get you through this. Always."
She looked up at him and began to shift in front of his eyes. Harry desperately held on as her bones broke and mended themselves, as flesh ripped apart and fur and muscles replaced smooth skin. But her eyes, although they had an amber sheen now, were still the same. And they were locked onto him the entire time as she cried and screamed and eventually snarled.
"You have to leave now, Miss Granger."
"The Headmaster still allows me to visit him any time, Madame Pomfrey. I am quiet and there don't seem to be any other patients present, so why can't I see Harry?"
"He needs to rest!"
"I have no plans to shake him awake by force, Miss Pomfrey. Or do you believe I won't be able to control my bestial urges and attack him as soon as you turn around? Unlike the past two days?"
"What... no... of course not! The nerve of you, young lady!"
"I'm staying with him no matter what. Talk to Headmaster Dumbledore, if you must continue this harassment."
Harry didn't understand all the words spoken near him, but he recognized the voices. One was Hermione and the other one... a professor maybe? He felt the sleep fall away from him and swallowed once. His throat was parched. Where was he? Ah, it was Madame Pomfrey, which meant he was in the one bed he'd probably used more than his own at this point in his life.
What had happened? He remembered holding Hermione during her transformation, wrestling her down as the werewolf's instincts took over, and not flinching away from the blood and gore that apparently accompanied the first transformation. They'd both looked like mass murderers in the end, only that Hermione had been taller and heavier and way furrier than him.
"I know you're awake, Harry."
He opened his eyes with some difficulty and winced away from the bright light. "Wha... what happened?"
"You are the biggest idiot who ever lived, that is what happened."
"No argument there. "He reached for his glasses, but found a glass of water pushed into his hand instead.
"Here, drink this." He saw the blurry silhouette of Hermione sitting down on her chair by his bed again. "I am furious with you, Harry."
"I know." He put the empty glass away and sat up to crane his neck and roll his shoulders. He felt sore.
"After everything that you learned about the Wizarding World, about its dangers and curses, and after encountering Voldemort three bloody times and always getting away, you decided that locking yourself into a small room with a werewolf during a full moon was a nice change of pace?" Hermione's voice was low and her words fast. "I thought I was going to wake up to see your mangled corpse by my side. That I would've killed you in a mindless rage. I will never forgive you for that, Harry Potter."
He took a ragged breath. "I know it was a rash decision, and I'm sorry for frightening you like that, Hermione. But there was no other way!"
She huffed, and he could see her lean closer to him. Her face was still blurry. Where were his glasses? "Yes, there was, Harry. You should've locked the door behind me until the night was over. Nothing would've happened, only I wouldn't have almost killed and dismembered you!"
"And leave you alone? No way. We both read those books Sirius sent over, the first transformation is supposed to be the most painful one. I failed you so often, Hermione, I just couldn't...". He stopped himself as he felt his eyes getting wet. He wouldn't cry in front of her now, he just wouldn't. "I know you hate me now, and that's okay. But I... didn't have it in me to sit on the other side of that door and hear your pain and not be with you. I took away your choice, but I didn't see any other way. I... am so sorry."
Hermione didn't answer right away, and he wiped his eyes once. As he turned around to find his damn glasses, he heard a rustle and felt her sit down on the bed. Her arms closed around him and his face was pressed into her hair. "You might be the biggest idiot, Harry, but you're my idiot."
He hadn't known how badly he needed a hug and pulled her close. "I swear to you that I will never let you down again, Hermione. Please... don't hate me", he whispered into her hair, fighting his tears again.
"I don't hate you. I am angry, yes, but I'm always going to be with you, Harry. Just don't ever force me to do something against my will, no matter what you imagine will happen. I need to trust you."
He nodded, a single sob escaping his throat. "I won't."
As they let go of each other, he smiled when he could finally see her eyes. They appeared to be a bit brighter, as if the amber sheen from before had become permanent. It made her gaze more intense. "What happened after you stopped thrashing around? I only remember that I managed to feed you the Sleeping Draught, but that you didn't go to sleep."
She shook her head slowly with an exasperated look, and Harry imagined that he could see thin lines on her face, probably scars from her transformation. "You fell into a coma because you drank Blood-Repleneshing Potion and two Strengthening Solution at the same time. Those two should never be mixed, Harry. You poisoned yourself. And your heart... you almost died." She put a hand on his chest and seemed to reassure herself that his heart was in fact still beating. "You've been here for three days."
"But you didn't... bite me?"
"No." She adjusted the collar of his pajama jacket and fussed over him a bit. "I didn't bite you. Didn't even scratch you, it seems. When Snape and Dumbledore opened the door, they found you curled up with me. I'm only telling you as an advance warning because they're going to want to talk to you. It is going to be very embarrassing."
Harry felt himself blush, but still, he had to smile. "Curled up? So, your... inner wolf likes me, then?"
"From what I've read the last days, I kind of... imprinted on you, Harry. The Sleeping Draught calmed me down and made me just lie there and slobber over you or something. Did I just say that out loud? Oh, Merlin... please forget about it. Anyway, your stupid plan worked, in a way." She looked away. "Do you have any ideas how bad the rumors about the two of us are right now?"
"I can only imagine." He breathed in and smelled her hair, which was nice. It really was thicker than before. Looking down because he didn't want to appear being a creep, he frowned though. "Wait, is that my Quidditch jumper? Hermione?"
"I... err... ". She moved a bit away from him, flustered. "I can explain that!"
