Unofficial Portkey Archive

Hermione pulled her cloak tighter around her as she looked out over the Hogwarts Lake. Despite the fact that it had been a warm, spring day, the night sky was bereft of clouds and as a result, the temperature had fallen abruptly after the sun had set on the western horizon. She had come here in order to get a few minutes to herself; to enjoy a few final moments of peace because tomorrow was the day.

She had done her best not to dwell on it but it had proved to be nearly impossible. After Fred's funeral, some normality had returned to their lives - at least, as close as normal as it was possible to get for them. She and Harry had initially remained at the Burrow, both having nowhere else to go for the moment, until they had decided to head to Hogwarts. She knew she still had to decide what to do about her parents but she also knew that she had to deal with the full moon first. She had to know. She'd felt so lonely; had wanted more than anything else to see and hold her parents and for the first time in her life she had gained an insight - the merest hint of understanding - into what Harry must have to deal with all the time. She had nowhere else to go but at least she knew where her parents were. Harry had nowhere else to go but he'd never had anywhere to go his entire life. It occurred to her that he never spoke about it; that the closest he'd ever come to opening up about it had been on that bitter night at Godric's Hollow when they had stood at the graves of his parents. She had felt such an overwhelming sense of sadness as she realised how much she took things for granted. Harry had no family to speak of; something that she hoped never to have to face herself.

But he does have me! And Ron! And Ginny and all of the other Weasleys! She frowned suddenly as the thought reminded her of the events back at the Burrow when Harry and Ginny had broken up. As far as Hermione was concerned, Harry deserved happiness more than anyone else on earth and it saddened her deeply to think that he might no longer have the future filled with promise that had seemed open to him in the immediate aftermath of destroying Voldemort. Her own future happiness was in doubt, she knew, but she was also aware that she had Ron and Harry to offer her support if things tuned out for the worst. She also had her parents; she just had to decide what to do to bring them back into her life.

She sighed and looked up to the night sky. The moon shone brilliantly and she noted dispassionately that it was nearing its maximum size; that it was over three quarters of the way to being full and that tomorrow it would pass the critical point. She had been feeling it pull at her for a few days now. Nothing dramatic; just a sense within her, almost like a pulse beating through her that made her feel distinctly on edge. She knew that she was feeling highly strung at what faced her anyway and so was having trouble working out exactly how much she was being affected by the lunar cycle.

Maybe it's all in my head?

Her talk with Bill had certainly eased her fears. As usual, she had assumed the worst when first experiencing the effects of the lunar activity. She smiled; PLT indeed!

She turned at a footfall behind her and smiled despite her solitude being interrupted.

`Hi, Ron,' she said quietly. She had to admit that she had been pleasantly surprised by his behaviour recently. He had been a rock to her. They had shared a few chaste kisses, both of them nervous as they tried to move their relationship on from that of two close friends. Two friends who admittedly fought like cat and dog, she mused. But they had not fought since that moment during the battle when she had finally thrown caution to the wind and had kissed him. They were facing possible death; she had not wanted to die without resolving the issues between them. And she was glad she had done so; Ron had displayed a level of maturity and sensitivity that she'd thought beyond him ever since. His actions had dispelled her fears that they would continue to fight all the time. That was not the sort of relationship she wanted; she could deal with it in a friendship but not in a romantic relationship and so his change of heart was a source of joy to her.

`Hiya,' Ron finally replied. `Are you OK? It's freezing out here.'

`I'm fine. I just wanted a few moments alone.'

He seemed quite put out by this, she noticed.

`Do you want me to go?' he asked.

In response, she held out her hand and waited for him to take it. After a moment's hesitation, he did so.

`No; I don't want you to go. Thanks for looking for me. Your company is always welcome.' She paused for a moment as something occurred to her. `How did you know where to find me?'

She noticed that he looked a bit sheepish at the question. `Ah, well; I didn't actually. It was Harry who suggested that I would find you here,' he finally replied.

She smiled to herself. He would. He knows me too well. `I'm glad you went looking for me regardless of how you found me,' she said.

This seemed to mollify him and they stood in companionable silence for a few moments, both looking thoughtfully at the moon.

`Tomorrow then?' Ron finally asked.

She nodded and tried to keep her tone light. `Tomorrow.'

Ron gripped her hand tighter. `Whatever happens; I want you to know that I will not leave you. You know that, right?'

She smiled. `I know that. And thanks. I don't know what I would do without you. And Harry,' she added.

Ron smiled. `Well; thankfully, you won't ever have to find that out. I won't leave you and I know Harry won't be going anywhere either. I know too that he'll kick my arse if I let you down. He loves you, you know.'

`He does?' She found her heart giving just a little skip at the words but before she had time to reflect on this, Ron continued.

`Of course he does! He told me himself. He told me that he loves you like a sister.'

She smiled at these words, grateful for what Ron was trying to do. But then a niggling little voice penetrated her thoughts. It was her logical voice; the one that always interfered when things didn't add up.

How can he love me like a sister? He doesn't have a sister. How would he know?

`That's really sweet of him. I love him like a brother too,' she finally replied, aware that she had no answer to her own internal question. She also found herself wondering about the circumstances that would have led to Harry saying something so personal to Ron. There was a tale to be told there, she knew.

It was just at that moment that she noticed the briefest flash of relief pass across Ron's eyes at her words before he smiled warmly at her. It was then that the little voice in her head decided to speak again.

And how would you know? You've never had a brother either…

She had no answer to that question and found herself strangely disturbed as she leaned in against Ron and tried to savour the warmth of his embrace.

***********

Harry leaned back in the armchair that sat in front of the Gryffindor common room fire and sighed. He was dog-tired but found himself unwilling to go to bed until he discovered that Hermione was all right. When Ron had announced that he had been looking for her it had only taken him a few moments to work out where she might be. He had casually suggested that he try the lake for he knew that was a place where Hermione liked to go when she wanted to be alone with her thoughts. He'd surprised himself by voicing his opinion in this matter but had been pleased when Ron had taken his idea at face value and had immediately set off to find out if he was correct.

He rubbed his face with his hands in an effort to stay awake and turned his attention to his surroundings. It had been a busy few days. They had all been feeling a little stir-crazy at the Burrow so it was with some relief that they had received a letter from Minerva requesting help in the rebuilding of Hogwarts. He had been only too happy to comply with her request and not only because he'd wanted to find some time and space away from Ginny. He'd done his best to act as normal whenever she was near but this had proved nearly impossible. It was clear that Ginny was in denial and had tried to bring up their relationship whenever possible despite his protestations, so he'd grasped Minerva's request for aid in a manner akin to a drowning man grabbing a thrown lifebelt.

Besides; the school had given him so much pleasure in his life that it was the least he could do to contribute to its repair. When he had finally viewed the damage he had found himself extremely saddened at what he beheld. Minerva had seemed to sense his mood for she had gently reassured him that they would be able to restore the castle to its former glory. It was a magical building, she had explained. Sometimes all it took was for the magic to be given a little boost.

So they had been busy these past few days. They had repaired and restored; rebuilt and patched up the damage and he had been grateful for the work because it allowed him the opportunity to take his mind off things. He was deeply concerned about Hermione and yet felt impotent as there was nothing he could do to assist. It was a matter of waiting for the full moon and the knowledge that the experience must be infinitely worse for his best friend only served to darken his mood. His distress had only been alleviated by the thought that Ron and Hermione seemed to be making progress in their relationship and that this in turn seemed to make Hermione happier. Her wellbeing was of paramount importance to him and anything that helped her get through this latest challenge was a blessing as far as he was concerned.

He had to admit to himself that he had sometimes been worried at the prospect of the two of them ever starting a romantic relationship. He had been afraid that he might become the third wheel in what had always been a close-knit group but recent events had put those fears to the back of his mind. He closed his eyes as he remembered the moments immediately after his final meeting with Voldemort. For a few brief moments he'd thought that he might just have a chance of the ordinary life he had always dreamed of but he now knew that a lot would depend on the outcome of tomorrow's full moon.

One step at a time.

He looked up at the portrait hole swung open and Ron entered the common room, leading a rather pink cheeked Hermione by the hand.

`Everything OK?' he asked his eyes on his bushy haired friend.

She smiled at the question. `It is now, Harry. Thanks.'

`Good. Now come over by the fire, you look freezing.' He stood up. `I was just going to bed anyway. I wanted to make sure you…that you were OK first.'

She smiled again at his concern. `You're such a worry wart sometimes, you know that?' she asked and leaned in and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. `I'm fine, Harry. Just a bit worried about tomorrow.'

He nodded his understanding and turned to Ron who was making "go away" signs with his eyes. He smiled at his friend's rather poor attempt at subtlety. `I do know that. I can't help it. You're worth worrying about. Both of you,' he replied. `I'll leave you to it then,' he added with a smile and noticed with pleasure that they both blushed at his comment. `Goodnight then,' he added with a laugh. `Don't do anything I wouldn't do.'

He turned and headed for the stairs before either had time to reply and felt a deep satisfaction at leaving them both with faces redder than Ron's hair. Despite the seriousness of Hermione's predicament, it wouldn't have felt right to pass up a chance to needle his friends.

Some things have to stay the same.

***********

Harry looked grim as he turned his attention to Minerva and his expression seemed to convey exactly what he was thinking. He noticed that the headmistress looked distinctly uncomfortable under his scrutiny.

`It's the best we could do at such short notice, Harry,' she began. `Hopefully we shall have no further use of this room after tonight.'

Harry softened his expression and turned his attention back to the chamber in front of him. Chamber was the right word, he mused grimly; this particular room looked like it might have been a place of torture centuries in the past. It was about thirty foot square, the walls were of grey stone and the whole place was damp and cold. Even if he had not had to walk down to the dungeons to reach this place, he would have known from the frigid temperature that the room was located deep in the bowels of the castle. Other than that the room was fairly unremarkable save for two obvious things. The first were the iron bars that split the room neatly into two halves. It gave one the feeling that one was looking in on a prison cell and although the bars looked old and worn, when he had given them a good shake on first arriving it had been evident to him that they were as strong as they needed to be.

The second thing about the room that made it out of the ordinary - the thing that was causing him the most distress - was the presence of manacles that were chained to the far wall. One barely noticed them when first viewing this room but once these chains were spotted one could not help but see them to the exclusion of almost everything else. Their presence reminded an onlooker exactly what this room was for and he felt helpless as his eyes fell on them once again. He knew that in a few moments he would be chaining his dearest friend in them as if she was a wild animal. He closed his eyes and tried not to let the despair overwhelm him.

There will be time for tears later. I need to be strong for her right now.

He opened his eyes again as he heard some footfalls in the corridor behind him and he knew with certainty that it would be Hermione and Ron. He cast another quick glance at Minerva and saw that she was struggling to stop her own tears from falling despite her stern demeanour. He gave her a nod of encouragement before turning to await the arrival of his friends.

After a few moments, Hermione and Ron appeared from around the corner, hand in hand. Both looked extremely pale and he suspected that his own countenance would reflect that of his two friends. He nodded grimly to them both, noticing that Hermione was clad only in a white robe - almost like a sheet - and he suddenly realised that this was in case the worst happened. If she did fully transform then there was no point in wasting a perfectly good set of clothes. It seemed such a trivial thing to be worrying about right now but it really drove home to him what she faced at this moment. Her entire life was on a precipice and all they could do was hope that she didn't teeter over the edge.

`Are you OK?' he finally asked, breaking a silence that was becoming awkward. He cursed his own lack of subtlety on asking the question. Of course she's not OK!

She regarded him softly, almost as if reading his thoughts. She turned to a small, barred window placed high in the wall and as he followed her gaze he saw the final light of the sun as it dipped below the horizon. He turned back to her and saw that she was watching him.

`I just want to get this over with,' she said. `I just want to know. One way or the other.'

He nodded, understanding fully as he would want to know too if he were in her shoes. `Let's get this done then,' he replied, his voice grim.

He glanced to his left as more footsteps could be heard and he was surprised when Poppy Pomfrey rounded the corner. He knew he shouldn't have been surprised; that Poppy would obviously want to monitor the health of one of her students and also offer moral support to a friend. After all - save Bill Weasley, who would be dealing with the full moon himself tonight - those present were currently the only people alive who knew of Hermione's predicament. It was only right that they should all be here for her.

His attention was diverted as Hermione moved from her position and finally entered the chamber. He was struck by the composure she was displaying even though he knew that she was terrified. He did not know what to do at that moment and was caught off guard when she turned to face Ron and himself.

`Would…would you two mind if I asked you to…to chain me up?' she asked tentatively. `It won't feel so bad if you do it; I know that you two are always looking out for me.'

Harry was dumbstruck by the request and it took him a few moments to recover his composure enough to reply.

`Of course. Anything I - that is - we can do to help.'

With these words he entered the chamber and stood beside her, taking one of her hands in his own and gripping Ron's with the other so that the three of them were linked in a circle.

`Whatever happens, we will always be here for you,' he said and his voice was thick with emotion. She didn't reply; instead she merely nodded her gratitude before releasing her grip on them and stepping up with her back against the wall and holding out her arms. She turned and leaned her head back against the cold stones and closed her eyes, waiting for them to act. Harry shared a look with Ron and realised that his other best friend was suffering too. They locked eyes for a few moments, communicating in silence before nodding resolutely at one another and making their way towards Hermione. In grim silence they began to shackle her to the wall.

Harry felt his heart pounding in his chest as he gathered the chains in his arms. He saw that Hermione had opened her eyes; that she was trying to be brave and he saw too that Ron looked as if he was going to be sick as he placed her slim wrist in one of the manacles. The distress of his two friends matched his own and he suddenly decided to take a chance as he crouched down and gently placed her leg in the metal clasp attached to one of the chains.

`You know,' he began, his voice as nonchalant as he could make it, `you know that in just about any other circumstances, I would probably enjoy chaining up an attractive girl to a wall. It opens up a number of possibilities.'

He looked up from his crouched position and saw the astonished expressions on the faces of his two friends who were both looking at him with open mouths. He heard a gasp of surprise from Minerva and closed his eyes.

Oh, Shit! I've gone too far! Oh, shit!

He opened his mouth to apologise when he was suddenly surprised to see Ron's face split into a huge grin. His red-haired friend shared a glance with Hermione and Harry's heart swelled when he saw a tremulous smile appear on her face too. Finally the smile broadened and she began to laugh, Ron joining in too.

`Watch it, Potter,' said Ron in mock seriousness. `That's my girl you are talking about.' His grin broadened and he made a big deal of examining the chains. `Now that you mention it though, these chains do open up a number of possibilities…' he added mischievously.

`Ron Weasley!' exclaimed Hermione. `If I weren't chained to a wall right now you would be for it!' her tone was severe but her smile and - above all - her eyes told them both that she was amused. Harry found himself glad that he had made the joke now; glad that he had given them something to laugh about, even in such dire circumstances. His own smile broadened as he returned his attention to the job at hand.

When he had finished with her leg he quickly shackled her arm and saw that Ron had finished his task too. The three of them shared a look, none of them knowing what to say now. Involuntary, he turned his gaze to the window and saw that the daylight had all but gone. There was no time left. He turned back to Hermione as she started to speak.

`Thank you,' she whispered. `Both of you.' She took a deep breath before continuing. `Now, if you don't mind, I'd rather you weren't here to witness this if…if the worst happens. Can you do that for me?'

Harry had been expecting this because he knew that if the roles were reversed, he would not want his friends to see him transform. He nodded soberly. `Of course we don't mind,' he replied quietly. He leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, gripping her shoulder as he did so. `I'm here, no matter what,' he said and was rewarded with a smile. He turned to Ron and gave him a nod. `I'll leave you two alone for a minute.' He turned back to Hermione. `I'll see you in the morning,' he added, his voice starting to crack. He turned away quickly, lest she finally witness him break down and made his way out of the room without a backwards glance. He felt physically sick and he crashed down on to a nearby chair, his head in his hands. He did not look up until a few minutes had passed and he heard Ron's footsteps as he too left the chamber, closing the thick wooden door behind him with a loud slam and locking it with a large brass key.

The two friends shared a grim look before turning their attention to the window. The moon would be out soon.

All we can do now is wait.

***********

Hermione fought the feeling of nausea that threatened to overwhelm her as Ron finally left the room and closed the door behind him with a loud slam. The noise echoed throughout the room, reverberating and putting her in mind of a tombstone being slammed into place over a crypt. She heard the key turn in the lock and shuddered at the dark thoughts, realising that she had to stay focussed lest the panic take over. She turned her head to the right and wriggled her fingers in the manacles, satisfying herself that her friends had done a sufficient job in ensuring she had no chance of escape. She was cold and distressed and she knew that it could not have been easy for Ron and Harry to shackle her in this way but she'd needed it to be them that had done this for her. She needed to know that those that chained her were doing so out of love and not fear.

She thought back to the moment when Ron and Harry had chained her to the wall. She'd felt physically sick, both at her predicament and for having placed such a burden on her two dearest friends.

And then Harry had cracked the line about chaining up an attractive girl.

She had been shocked at first. Astonished in fact; the comment was out of character for her friend. She'd not known what to think but then Ron had smiled and she too had seen the funny side. It was not that what he had said was particularly funny - there was nothing remotely amusing about her current predicament. Rather, it was because she appreciated what he was trying to do. He was trying to alleviate her distress and also letting her know that this wasn't the end of the world.

It just feels like it.

She turned her attention to the small, barred window in the high corner of the room and saw the first glimmer of light begin to permeate through the bars.

Not long now. Minutes; seconds, even, and I will know.

She closed her eyes and waited, feeling the pull of the lunar cycle but she took some consolation from the fact that she was not feeling anything extra; not experiencing anything that was different from previous nights. This gave her some cause for hope.

She breathed deeply and steadily as she waited, her impatience beginning to get the better of her. What was particularly daunting about her predicament was that she had no frame of reference; she had no idea what to expect and she suspected that she would not know how much she had been affected until it was too late. She hung her head and willed the time to pass.

Such was her concentration on her breathing that she almost missed it at first. She opened her eyes in response to a sudden…surge within her but just as she was trying to decide what it was it had passed. She could almost believe that she had imagined it.

OK; don't panic. Bill said he still feels the pull at this time of the month. It doesn't mean anything - whatever it was…There! There it is again! What is that? Oh, God; help me; what is that?

She lurched suddenly, her body splayed forward and pressing against the tension of the chains, the white robe taut against her skin. Her head turned up to the ceiling, her back arched as she strained against her bonds. She felt a brief moment of agony before it passed and she slumped back against the wall, breathing hard. She waited for something else to happen but it seemed that whatever was going on was finally over.

Maybe it's going to be OK. Maybe I'm not…

The scream that she let out at that moment was one that echoed throughout the dank, dark dungeons. It echoed beyond the bars and walls of her cell and reverberated down the corridor, past the horrified group who waited for news. She splayed herself forward again, unable to control her own movements as pain coursed throughout her body; a pain that was more than anything she had experienced in her entire life. As she fought to remain silent it briefly occurred to her that not even the torture at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange came close to the agony she was now enduring.

Oh, God, what is happening to me? Help me, please?

She felt a surge through her veins once again; an agonising pull that dominated everything else and blocked out all reason and rationality. She screamed again and some distant part of her mind realised that her cries of anguish now sounded more like a howl. She felt herself baring her teeth and clenching her fingers as she strained against the shackles that tethered her to the wall. She experienced a sudden, great terror that eclipsed the agony as she realised what was happening; accepted that her worst fears were coming true.

Oh, Mum! Dad! I need you…Ron! Harry…Harry…

This was her last conscious thought as, with another surge of agonising pain, she finally lost control of her reason and the beast took control.

For the moment, Hermione Granger had ceased to exist.

Document created with wvWare/wvWare version 1.2.7

-->