A/N: Man, I can't believe I'm breaking 50k words with this chap! So exciting! Don't know how much longer this is going to be (depends on my muse), but what I do know is that I'm having so much fun writing this and reading all of your amazing reviews!
Caution: More violence ahead.
Please Enjoy!
"I'm running out of good quotes and am getting tired of scrolling through so many that don't fit my
intentions."
-An Apologetic DarthMittens
Chapter 9 - Pierced By Wolf
Harry pushed his body to the limits, keeping his eyes closed as he focused on pinpointing Hermione through a combination of her heartbeat and presence.
Her heartbeat was slow and consistent, which suggested that she was unconscious at the moment. Harry didn't expect anything less from the werewolves, and quite frankly he was glad they hadn't killed her yet. He had a feeling, though, that he didn't want to discover why they were keeping her alive.
As for her presence, Harry could feel it in the back of his mind like some sort of internal compass. If you had asked him at that moment, he could've told you that she was about nineteen miles away from him. Unfortunately, the distance between them was growing.
Other than Hermione's presence in his head, Harry could feel the feeble attempts of takeover made by his inner vampire. It seemed that he hadn't rested long enough to resurface yet, though.
Harry still couldn't decide whether that was good or bad.
He sped through lush fields illuminated by moonlight, dark forests that allowed him to quickly Shadowalk through, and rolling hills. But somehow, Hermione was getting farther and farther away.
He needed more, he realized. Needed more speed. Needed more power.
Because there was no way anything was going to happen to Hermione while he was alive. Without her, he realized, there was no meaning in life. Without her, he would be nothing. He couldn't imagine never seeing her again; her smile, her beautiful hair, her keen eyes. He would miss everything about her. He couldn't live without her. And oddly enough, he smiled about that. He finally realized what he had been missing all along.
He loved her.
Harry felt a rippling sensation in his body that was oddly pleasurable, then he was running at a much faster pace, his powerful muscles pushing harder and harder. He looked down at his feet and tried to cry out in horror, but all that came out was a high-pitched keen.
His legs were covered in sleek black fur, and where his feet should have been were mighty paws that pounded into the ground.
Then his conversation with Hermione came back to him. That was right; she had told him that he had transformed into a panther on the night they had stormed the castle. Perhaps his feeling of love for her and the fact that she was in danger prompted this response.
He practically flew over the grass, covering dozens of feet with each mighty stride. He could feel himself getting closer to Hermione, though not very quickly. The pounding of his giant paws fell into a steady rhythm and he focused only on finding her again, his pace picking up the tiniest bit when he felt that her heart was racing like mad, which meant she had to be awake again.
Harry let out a loud, feral roar and pushed harder, fighting off the pain as his muscles screamed in protest. He felt an odd sensation in his head and tried to shake it off, but it only kept growing as the seconds ticked by. Eventually it came to the point where he couldn't focus on anything but the sensation and he slowed down, trying to fight it off. His feeling of Hermione had weakened, his intense focus diminished as he was assaulted by the sensation. It made his stomach twist, almost as if…almost as if it was a sense of foreboding.
Then a wave of pain slammed in to him, every inch of his skin on fire. He glanced at the horizon and saw the edge of the sun, its ultraviolet rays blasting through his skin painfully. He hopped behind a tall boulder sitting at the foot of a big hill, the relief from the pain making him collapse in a heap.
He looked towards the hill and swore internally, realizing he had barred himself from moving any farther. The sun was shining on the hill on the same side that he was sitting on, and there were no shadows to Shadowalk to on either side of him. Shadowalking relied on being able to see where he was going to end up, and if he stuck his head out from the rock to backtrack by Shadowalking and finding his way around, he would get fried by the sun.
He was stuck, at least for a little while.
He paced in small circles, his tail flicking back and forth agitatedly. He hated that Hermione was getting farther and farther away from him and there was nothing he could do about it. She was getting farther at a much slower pace than before, but she was definitely getting farther.
He gauged the hill with shrewd, calculating eyes, trying to determine how long it would take him to get over the hill and into the shadow it was casting. He glanced up at the sky and winced. There was no way he would be able to do it. Hermione would have to hold out until nighttime, or at least until there was a possibility that Harry could make it to the other side.
He heard a wooshing sound and whirled about, ready to attack. He only relaxed once he saw that it was Katerina, whose eyes were still crimson. Jean-Claude appeared a half-second later, his shirt a bit shredded. "Master, so good to see you," he said, "even if you are a panther at the moment."
Harry growled, indicating that he was in no mood for jokes. He began pacing again, feeling restless. She was getting farther.
Katerina had remained silent, staring at the hill thoughtfully. "Stay still for a second, Master," she finally said, stepping up to him and placing a hand on his back as he complied.
She closed her eyes and remained perfectly still, though a bit of strain began to appear on her face. "Jean-Claude, help me," she said, her voice strained.
Jean-Claude complied instantly, laying a hand on Harry just as Katerina had. Harry's eyebrows furrowed, his annoyance increasing as nothing happened. What were they trying to accomplish?
Katerina began speaking again, her voice strained even more than earlier. "Master, draw upon your power. When I tell you to, run for the backside of the hill."
Harry's annoyance was immediately replaced by confusion. How were they going to make it so he could go out in the sun? He glanced back at Katerina and Jean-Claude, whose eyes were squeezed shut in concentration. "Master, this won't work unless you bring out your power!" Katerina cried, sweat beading on her forehead.
Harry quickly looked ahead at the hill and began drawing on his power, doing his best to get every last bit of it out. Everything began growing dark as he felt his power begin to grow, supplemented as it was by Katerina's and Jean-Claude's. The power flowed through his veins, making his body thrum; he felt as though he could do anything. The only thing he couldn't figure out was why everything was beginning to grow dark.
"Get ready, Master," Jean-Claude managed, his voice weak.
He was already almost ready to go in the sunlight? Nothing was changing except that he was becoming blind!
"Go, Master!" Katerina choked out before collapsing, Jean-Claude joining her on the floor less than a second later.
Harry glanced back, then realized that he couldn't see anything at all at that point. So, in a panic, he ran for the hill, hoping against all hope that he wasn't going to burn into a crisp. The magic infused throughout his bones and body helped him blast up the side and over the top, and it was then that Harry realized that he was still, miraculously, alive. So he dashed to the other side and into what he knew was shadow, for he could feel it calling to him, sheltering him, protecting him.
The blackness slowly faded, Harry blinking as his sight gradually came back to him. He focused on the darkness closely as it dissipated, his mind finally putting two and two together as he saw that it wasn't that his sight that had disappeared, only that it had been covered. The darkness was wispy, and as it faded he felt his power waning.
Katerina and Jean-Claude had given Harry their power, ending up in him having so much that it had collected around him, blocking out the sunlight as he had raced through it. While it had allowed Harry to cross over the hill, it had unfortunately left him without the aid of Katerina and Jean-Claude.
But now wasn't the time to be worrying about that.
He focused on the shadows, letting them pull him towards Hermione as he melted through them and travelled along their path on the way to her location, which he was advancing upon at a rapid rate. He focused on her again, fear pulsing through her veins even though her heart was beating at a normal pace. She had stopped moving, and as she breathed he could taste the stale air that was circulating through her lungs.
She was inside. That was definitely to Harry's advantage. Sunlight shouldn't be much of an issue indoors.
Before the sun had reached its midday peak, Harry had reached the hideout, which oddly enough happened to be a cathedral.
Now that was a bit of a problem.
Here Harry was, thinking that since Hermione was being held in a building, he would have the advantage. He should've figured that the werewolves couldn't be that stupid.
It was impossible for Harry to enter a building of religion without permission from a human. He was a being of such evil, malice, and harm that the natural harmony of prayer, faith, and happiness completely repelled him. An invitation would allow him to bypass that certain security feature. Why, he did not know; he only knew that it worked.
But how could he trick one of the werewolves into allowing him inside? There was no way one of them would mistakenly think he was one of them, and if they did there was no reason for the werewolf to invite him in.
Think, Harry, think!
He camped in a shadow looking at the entrance for quite a while, in agony over the fact that Hermione was so close yet so far. Once he got inside, he knew it would be a breeze. It was daytime, so he knew the werewolves were no longer wolves but humans, which would be easy pickings. He just had to figure out how to get inside.
Then he saw a figure walking directly at him.
Harry hid behind the tree whose shadow he was using, his muscles tensing in preparation for a fight. The person kept coming, and as Harry read his mind he knew that the man knew where he was. But he had no ill intentions. Harry didn't relax completely though, figuring it would be better to stay on guard. Better safe than sorry.
The man's hood was pulled low over his face, keeping Harry from noticing that it was someone he actually knew until the last second.
"Hello, Harry," Remus Lupin said, pulling off his hood and stepping behind the tree with Harry, who was surprised that his former professor could recognize him. "I thought I'd find you here. Recognized you by the scar, of course," he continued, answering Harry's question. "And yes, they do have Hermione inside."
He peeked his head around the tree and made sure there was nobody around with wary eyes before turning back to Harry and whispering, "I have a plan."
o.O.o.O.o.O.o
Harry watched as Lupin went back into the cathedral (after inviting Harry in, of course), nodding at the two men standing watch. Along with his plan, Lupin had given Harry a disturbing bit of information. The werewolves still being in wolf form somehow was the most interesting bit of information.
He had mentioned it casually, as if he was used to it, so Harry hadn't been informed of the specifics.
But that didn't matter at the moment. What did matter was that the first stage of the plan was being implemented. While Lupin talked to Greyback, who was the leader of the werewolves, Harry was tasked with having to return to his human form. Which was too bad, really. Harry really liked his panther form.
Nevertheless, he focused on reducing and compressing his power, bringing it back down to a level more suitable for his human form. It took him a little while and a lot of concentration, but he eventually managed to return to his old self, clothes and katana all somehow still intact.
Then he went on to the next task.
He looked up at the very top of the cathedral, where a bell sat in a tall tower. He focused on the shadows and let them pull him in, blinking as he melted out of the bell's shadow. Shadowalking was another sensation he would never get tired of.
He was perched on the wall of the tower, the bell directly in front of him. Almost too late, Harry noticed that there was someone else up there with him. Luckily, the man's had his back turned to Harry, who had remained unnoticed.
He hopped off the wall and touched down with not even a sound, crouching to get ready to launch an attack should the man turn round. But he didn't, so Harry quickly snuck up on him and reached up to grab the man around his neck and choke him into unconsciousness.
He walked carefully down into the cathedral below, his eyes darting to the dark shadows in case anyone was waiting for him. He could hear the faint sound of Lupin talking somewhere on the ground floor and the scurrying of a couple mice that had found their way into the cathedral, but there was complete silence other than that.
Harry alighted on the second floor, keeping completely silent, of course, and crept up to the corner in the hallway leading to the stairs. He closed his eyes and sent his senses out to feel for anybody, grimacing as he felt the presences of three werewolves, the stairs to their backs. He fingered his katana, wishing there was some way he could get past them without killing them. He couldn't just sneak past them, of course, because then there'd be three more he would have to deal with when everything went down on the ground floor. He also couldn't knock them out, because how would he do so with two other wolves there?
Harry closed his eyes and whispered a quick prayer, to whom he did not know. It definitely wasn't to God, but he felt as though he had heard the prayer somewhere else before. It was almost like he had dreamed about someone saying it or something.
He swallowed and very slowly poked his head around the corner, instantly Shadowalking to one of the corners behind the wolves as soon as he could see it. He took a fighting stance as he stepped straight out of the shadow, ready in case he had alerted one of them. But they were still staring straight ahead, ready for the intruder to come from the front.
As he snuck up on the three werewolves, he couldn't help but feel bad about the fact that he was about to kill them so dishonorably. But he had to be as quiet as possible, and this was the only way.
Harry pulled the sword back, ready to deal a devastating killing blow to all three of them at once. He swung hard, not relenting as he cleaved through the flesh of the first one, instantly killing it as it was halved. The second had barely twitched its head in the direction of the noise before it was killed, its blood pooling around it as its innards decorated the stone floor.
The third had been more alert, though, and sprang just outside of the katana's range, the wickedly sharp blade missing it by mere centimeters. Harry quickly lunged at it before it had the chance to call out to its fellow werewolves, but had to spring over the beast as it struck out with its front paw with a speed that rivaled Harry's own.
This was no ordinary werewolf; Harry could tell that. He shifted his grip on the hilt, adrenalin flooding his veins and sharpening his senses. He met the werewolf's eyes and understood why it hadn't called out yet: it wanted the kill for itself. It wanted the glory, the fame, and the flesh.
Harry let his eyes close once more, standing in a more relaxed pose as he let his other senses see for him. He drew the shadows in to himself, obscuring his figure to the wolf as the thick darkness cloaked him and gave him more power. He could feel the wolf in front of him, feel when its muscles tensed, feel when it sprang at the shadows, paws with razor-sharp claws extended.
Harry took advantage of the fact that the beast had leaped and sliced at it faster than the human eye could see, then was knocked off balance as his blade was deflected by the wolf's paw. He had to spin away from it, wincing as it sliced his arm open. The skin mended instantly, Harry shuddering at the feeling the healing sent through him.
The wolf launched another attack that Harry managed to deflect, but the one attack turned into a wave of plenty. Harry ducked, dodged, spun, and deflected, his movements frantic as he did his best to keep up. In the short reprieve in the wolf's string of attacks Harry launched a barrage of his own, the wolf managing to dodge the blade as it sliced through the air at lightning-fast speeds.
On one swing, the wolf ducked and lunged at Harry again, sinking its razor-sharp claws into his stomach. Harry cried out softly in pain and stabbed at the wolf, but it was already out of range again. Harry grunted as his stomach healed, rubbing the tender skin afterwards and wincing.
The wolf growled, its hackles raised, and Harry warily took up his best defensive stance. The wolf lunged at him again, moving even faster than before. Harry did his best to fend it off, but received a multitude of deep, painful wounds from serrated claws.
The wolf relented and as they both recovered, Harry's wounds healing, his inner vampire spoke to him.
It has just as much speed and power as us, it said. Stop being an idiot and finish this thing off before it kills us!
I can't, Harry responded, grimacing as pain assaulted him, his skin knitting back together a little slower than normal. It's too overwhelming.
I just said stop being an idiot, the vampire replied weakly, his strength almost completely diminished. You have something the wolf doesn't. Use it.
What is it? Harry asked desperately, shifting his grip on the katana while he and the wolf tried to stare each other down.
No response came, making Harry swallow. He had no strength to tell him what it was.
The wolf gave him no more time to think, though, springing at him again with thick saliva dripping from its maw. Harry Shadowalked behind it and swung at it as he tried to think of what he had that the wolf didn't. He couldn't come up with anything.
He was doomed.
The wolf dodged the blade and pressed harder, pushing Harry back a little with each swipe of its massive paws and every snap of its massive jaws. Harry was fighting back desperately, trying to find any opening he could take advantage of. Going on the offensive was impossible, though, when he was doing everything he could to stay alive.
Time after time he felt the keen sting of his skin being ripped open, and time after time he felt the skin knit back together. The only problem was that he was healing slower and slower every time, each healing making him move slower and slower as the magic was drained from his body. The shadows had almost completely dissipated from around him, leaving him visible to the wolf. He continued to parry and block to the best of his ability, everything seemingly a blur as the two moved at incredible speeds.
Then disaster struck.
Harry's back hit the wall, throwing him off balance. He went to block a swipe of a paw but missed, disoriented as he was. Razor-sharp claws ripped through his thigh and hamstring from the side, not slowing down at all until the claws were embedded in bone. Harry cried out and dropped to his knees, using his katana as a prop as the claws were removed with a wet schlick, the wound immediately doing its best to close. It was having issues closing back up, though, Harry's reserves of magic greatly depleted. He was lame for who knew how long?
And then Harry's eyes widened.
Magic. Magic was the ability that he had and the wolf didn't; he was sure of it. And what an advantage and difference it was.
The wolf stood over him, seemingly gloating as it relished in the excitement of the impending kill. It raised a massive, shaggy paw and held it there as Harry focused on drawing in any amount of dark, powerful magic he could. Then the paw came slamming towards him, its intent being to take off Harry's head. Harry focused the magic to form a shield, wincing as the paw slammed into it so hard that the shockwave made dust fall from the walls and ceiling.
The wolf stopped, caught off guard. Harry took advantage of its confusion to take a swing at it, his katana whistling through the air. The wolf brought its head back just enough that Harry missed it, but its attacking paw wasn't nearly as lucky. The limb was severed cleanly, rolling on the floor as blood flooded from the wound. The wolf whimpered loudly and jumped back, raising its head to howl.
Harry gritted his teeth and launched himself at the beast, his leg screaming in agony but his brain knowing that if the wolf howled at this moment he'd be dead for sure. The howl turned into the slightest of strangled whimpers as the katana slammed through its throat, Harry burying it to the hilt. He quickly withdrew the sword and sliced the wolf's head off, collapsing on the ground next to the dead body and detached head.
Harry rolled on his back and did his best not to groan as his body recovered, pain and pleasure both shooting through his body as his wounds healed. He could still hear Lupin talking calmly, so he knew he still had time before the next part of the plan was implemented.
The wounds-especially the leg wound-took their time healing, his magic slowly recovering as most of it was expended on getting him back to fighting shape.
Then, when he had finally finished healing and was just resting to recover his strength and magic, he heard shouting begin downstairs. So he quickly hopped up on his feet and dashed to the stairs, mentally preparing himself for more fighting.
When he got to the bottom of the stairs, his eyes widened the smallest bit. Lupin was shouting at Fenrir Greyback, leader of the werewolves. Other than those two, there were probably anywhere from eighty to one hundred wolves lying down and watching the argument with little interest. Harry scanned the room some more and froze-Hermione was watching the argument with wide eyes from the chair she was tied to, her wrists chafed and bleeding from struggling too much.
Harry's resolve came back one-hundred fold and he went through with the plan, Shadowalking up to the rafters. Hermione glanced up at the movement and her eyes widened, her breath quickening as her pulse spiked.
She mouthed to him, What are you doing?
Harry smirked at her and projected a thought at her, hoping that since they had become one with their shared kiss, she would be able to hear him. What do you think? he sent back, smiling at her in relief when her eyes widened. She definitely hadn't been expecting that. I'm going to kill Greyback. It'll send the wolves into a panic. I'm going to grab you during the confusion and get us the hell out of here.
I don't think that'll work, Harry, she sent back. I think they'll all just attack you if you kill Greyback.
Harry's response was confident. Then I'll kill them all then grab you and get us the hell out of here.
I don't think that's the best idea, Harry, Hermione replied, worried (like usual). This isn't going to end well.
We'll see, Harry shot back.
The argument below reached a climax, which was Harry's cue. Greyback was directly below him, shouting in Lupin's face. Harry pulled out his sword and dropped down, raising the katana above his head. The blade whistled through the air and split Greyback from crown to groin, cleaving him in to two identical halves. Innards and blood spilled onto the floor as Harry alighted on the ground, his blade crimson and power thrumming through and around him. He got ready to face the horde, using the fact that Hermione was in danger as the source of his strength.
But not even one wolf had moved. They were all staring at him with what almost seemed disinterest even though their leader's guts and brains had been strewn about the floor.
"Harry!" two voices, which Harry recognized as Lupin's and Hermione's, cried out.
Harry whirled around just in time for a giant wolf to slam into him and pin him to the ground. The other wolves then suddenly sprang up and attacked Lupin, who cried out as he was engulfed by the wave.
Harry fought against the wolf, which was the biggest and most-ferocious looking werewolf he had ever seen. It was impossible to move even an inch, though, not only because the wolf had the leverage, but also seemingly greater strength. Harry heard the sounds of another struggle and turned around to find Lupin bloody and bruised, but alive and tied in a chair similar to Hermione's. Some of the wolves had turned back into humans, who pointed their wands at Harry and spoke binding charms.
Soon enough, Harry also found himself in a chair, all three of which were lined up with Hermione in the middle, her face scared and sad as she looked at Harry, who was struggling fiercely against his magically-reinforced bonds, once again to no avail.
As he looked at the approaching wolf, he couldn't believe it had come to this. How had he not felt the werewolf approaching him from behind? How could he not struggle free from its weight? How had he failed when he was supposed to be protecting Hermione?
Harry met the eye of the wolf and tried to stare it down, doing his best to avoid Hermione's tear-filled eyes. He would probably cry if he looked at them for too long.
The wolf suddenly shifted, reverting back to its human form. As soon as it did, Harry's eyes shot to the remains of the man he had sliced in half not two minutes ago. Then they went back to the man standing in front of him.
"Polyjuice potion, mate," them man said with a nasty grin.
"Greyback," Harry snarled back, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the leader of his specie's arch-enemies.
It seemed that they were going to get to know each other very well over the next few days.
A/N: This was a little shorter than the normal chapters, so I'll do my best to give you an even longer one next time. Maybe it'll end with a cliffhanger, too. Just because I love leaving you guys hanging. And yes, I know it's mean, but I think it makes the next chapter just that much better!
Anyway, please review!