BLOOD MOON
CHAPTER ONE:
THE ATTACK
He was running through the Forbidden Forest, the tall dark trees either side
of him a blur ... he realized that he wasn't human; he was an animal, running
on all fours, hunting something that had trespassed in his forest ... still
racing, he sniffed the air, smelling his prey ... with a howl he sped up, his
paws pounding the ground ... he raised his head and looked up at the dark
sky, lit only by a full moon...
He then knew what he was, a werewolf. The prey was right ahead of him trying
in vain to outrun him ... the prey was human, no more than sixteen years
old ... he could smell its fear, almost taste it ... it was like a drug to
his system, making him run faster. The prey screamed for help and he knew it
to be a teenage girl, he looked at her, black Hogwarts robes fanned out
behind her as she ran in terror ... long brown curly hair bobbed with every
step she ran ... it was Hermione, his human brain told him.
Then he knew he was sharing the sight of a werewolf chasing Hermione, watching
helpless through its eyes as it hunted her down. He could hear her screaming
for help, but he couldn't do anything to help her, he tried to wake himself
but it was an ongoing nightmare. He saw her trip over roots, slowing her
down ... it gave the beast its chance, he felt its muscles tighten as it
jumped into the air, slammed into Hermione and brought her to the ground. She
let out a bloodcurding scream as claws ripped into her black robes and
skin ... then the vision started to fade, he was finally waking up. But
before he was fully awake he could hear clearly the dreadful sounds of teeth
ripping into flesh.
"HERMIONE!" Harry awoke yelling. He was half out of bed by the time his yell
had woke the rest of the room.
"What the hell's going on?!" Seamus' voice came from behind his bed hangings.
Harry didn't care, he ripped open Ron's bed hangings. He was sitting up in
bed blinking awake.
"Ron, I've just had a dream about Hermione..." he panted.
Ron rolled his eyes "Keep the details to yourself, Harry."
Harry shook his head. "Not 'that' kind of dream, the kind of dream I had last
year about your dad being attacked by a snake!" Ron's eyes widened.
"You mean Hermione's been attacked by a snake?"
"No I was a werewolf, I...it was chasing her, it attacked her and then I woke
up."
"Harry, are you sure it wasn't a nightmare, I know you've been having alot of
them lately" Harry glared at Ron, he was wasting his time.
"No it wasn't a dream. I... can still taste her blood in my mouth," he said it
with a shiver. "Ron - Hermione, out there in the Forbidden Forest! Alone! God
knows what its done to her... I'm going to see Dumbledore." he said, grabbing
hold of the jumper that lay on the top of his trunk. He pulled it on and
raced across the room not waiting for Ron, but Dumbledore was already
standing at the top of the stairs. Harry stopped in his tracks.
"It's Miss Granger, isn't it?" Dumbledore asked simply. Harry nodded.
Dumbledore led him out of the castle and across the grounds towards Hagrid's
hut. The hut door opened and Hagrid stepped out.
"She's in here," he told Harry.
"She's alive?" Harry questioned, fearing the answer.
"She's alive," Hagrid confirmed, stepping aside as Harry raced into the large
room.
He saw Hermione straightaway. She was lying on top of Hagrid's large bed, her
Hogwarts robes were in tatters. She looked very pale, almost ghostlike. Harry
fell to his knees by the bed and reached out and ran his hand over Hermione's
hair, she opened her eyes and looked at him.
"Harry..." she whispered, and Harry took hold of her hand.
"I'm here, you're safe now" he told her. Dumbledore and Hagrid had entered the
hut by now and Dumbleldore stepped up to them.
"We had better take you to St. Mungo's, Miss Granger," he said, as Hermione
nodded slowly in pain. Harry watched as Dumbledore took a teapot from
Hagrid's boat size table. Dumbledore pointed his wand at it casting a portkey
spell on it. "If we're all ready?" he asked.
Hermione looked up at Harry. "I don't I think I can stand," she said. Harry
nodded as he bent down and gently lifted her from the bed, she gasped in pain
as he wrapped his arms around her.
He winced. "I'm sorry..." he said and she gave a weak smile.
"Just don't try to move much and I'll be fine." Harry returned the smile and
gently walked over to where Dumbledore was standing, he reached out and
touched the teapot, straightaway he felt the powerful jerk behind his navel.
A few seconds later, he, Hermione and Dumbledore were standing outside the
disused shop Purge & Dowse Ltd. Harry watched as Dumbledore walked up to the
dirty glass window.
"We have a emergency", he told the dummy. After a few seconds the dummy nodded
and Harry looked down at Hermione who was biting her lip agaist the pain.
"How are you doing?" he asked her.
She looked up at him tears pooled in her eyes. "I don't feel so good," she
said. Harry nodded and Dumbledore motioned for him to step through the
window. Once past the window they were met in the reception area by a small
group of healers. One of them stepped up to Dumbledore.
"What type of emergency do we have?" she asked him.
"A student of mine was attacked by a werewolf it seems to be quite serious!"
Dumbledore replied. The healer nodded and walked over to where Harry was
standing with Hermione in his arms.
"We'll take her now, she'll be safe" she said to Harry and he let her take
Hermione from his arms. The healers started to walk towards the double doors
by the reception desk. Harry went to follow but Dumbledore stopped him with a
hand on his arm.
"She's in safe hands now Harry, I know you'll want to stay around, so why
don't we go up to the fifth floor and wait till we hear some news, and have a
cup of coffee... I think we both need one right now."
Two hours later Harry was still sitting in the virtually empty tearoom.
Dumbledore had left him five minutes earler saying that he would send a
member of the Order to keep him company. His coffee lay untouched in front of
him, he sat with his hands covering his face. Thoughts were racing through
his mind.What was Hermione doing in the Forbidden Forest in the middle of the
night? Harry sighed to himself and took his hands away from his face. Apart
from two other wizards the tearoom was empty. Standing up and leaving the
tearoom, Harry entered the shop, and a plump-looking old witch smiled at him.
He walked around glancing at things, his mind elsewhere. he passed a few
shelves full of teddy bears and stopped to pick up a soft pink elephant which
lifted its truck and softly trumpeted at him. Harry smiled slightly and with
the pink elephant walked to the cashdesk.
"2 Galleons and 3 sickles please" said the old witch and Harry then realized
that he didn't have any money with him.
"Er...." he started to say.
"Wotcher, Harry," a voice said to the left of him. He turned to find that
Tonks, who today had short blonde spiky hair, and Lupin, who was looking a
bit worse for wear, were standing next to him.
"I'll pay for these Harry," Tonks said, taking the latest copy of Witch Weekly
and adding to his elephant.
After paying Harry followed Tonks and Lupin back to the tearoom and ten
minutes later they were all sitting together with fresh coffee.
"I didn't realize Dumbledore was sending two people?" Harry asked Lupin.
"Dumbledore did send for Tonks, but when she told me what was going on, I
thought it be best for me to come as well, I can always talk to Hermione...
try and tell her that its not all doom and gloom from here on in...."
Harry looked at Lupin with a confused expression. "What do you mean?" he
asked.
Lupin looked across the table at Harry. "Harry, Hermione was attacked by a
werewolf, there is a high chance that she was bitten by it as well", The
coffee cup that Harry was just about to take a drink from slipped from his
hands and smashed to the ground. In the aftermath of the attack Harry had
forgetton that if a human was bitten by a werewolf they would become one
themselves. Harry stared at Lupin while Tonks repaired the coffee cup with a
quick wave of her wand.
"Are- are you telling me that Hermione... might become... a werewolf? " Harry
stuttered, not wanting Lupin to answer, but to Harry's dismay Lupin nodded
slowly.