Hermione couldn't really believe how quickly they were arriving at the time to test her cure. The Weresbane, fortunately, was brewing exactly according to plan, matching the test batch she had made in November. She was getting awfully close to a state that some might call jittery with excitement.
Severus had finally asked her if she had recently taken up or abandoned a recreational drug use of some sort. She'd reassured him that she was just getting excited about the end of the year and the impending N.E.W.T.s; he had let the matter go with a snort. It was actually almost embarrassing how little she'd thought about the tests compared to how much everyone assumed she obsessed over them. Right now, her attention was taken up by nearer and more pressing concerns, leaving her much less time to be preparing colour-coded study notes.
Of course, she was well ahead on her homework, and she was working on what amounted to the bonus project of the century, but that still meant that she was doing a lot of practical application rather than book-learning. She imagined that her twelve-year-old self would be appalled, but it was not unpleasant to realize that she had grown up since then. She knew that plenty of people thought she was still the same know-it-all she had been, but she knew better. Ever since she'd lied for Harry and Ron about that troll, her little rule-bound world had been slowly dissolving.
She might still be far more concerned about the rules than lots of people, but she'd lived through enough of the war to know that arbitrary laws made by the Ministry or the Hogwarts governors sometimes had to be ignored. That was probably her Slytherin side talking. Or possibly her Gryffindor one. It was hard to distinguish between them sometimes.
She had completely restocked the hospital wing during her "detentions" with Severus, and he was now letting her brew whatever she wished. Draco thought that a Gryffindor at the Potion master's beck and call for three hours a day for ten days was a brilliant way to get manual labour, but one look at the thunderous expression on Harry's face had made it clear that discussing the matter would not be wise. She said she was content, Draco narrowly managed not to comment on what that said about Gryffindors, and Harry reluctantly chose not to express his opinion.
Severus, for his part, seemed to be pleased that she was working openly in his lab rather than in her own, and she was happy to bounce ideas off him and find that he was still being amenable.
Pomona looked less worried now that Hermione wasn't visiting the greenhouse multiple times per day. She was still checking up on her plants, of course, but now that she'd harvested for her immediate needs and was brewing the Weresbane, she had other details to concentrate on.
Severus had consented to Draco's joining their training sessions, and the older man apparently found it quite amusing to put Harry and Draco together and split up the two Gryffindors. Hermione spent a lot of time internally smirking and trying not to let him realize how perfect this was as far as everyone else was concerned.
Before she knew it, it was Tuesday and time to discover for real if her Weresbane would allow werewolves to turn into Animagi. The potion wouldn't be ready until a quarter to seven in the morning, but she'd asked Remus to come at half five to minimize the possibility of his being noticed. She escorted him into her quarters personally so that Harry wouldn't be warned by the wards of the man's arrival, and she'd taken care to remove his presence on the Map as well.
While she knew that Harry wouldn't ever worry that the two of them were having sex, she didn't want him to ask awkward questions. If he knew that Remus and Draco were closeted in her lab during a moon phase, he might eventually work out that something werewolf-related was going on, something she didn't want to happen for all of their sakes; there was no need to get his hopes up with all of theirs, and she knew Draco would baulk at explaining his own involvement.
She led Remus through to her lab where Draco was already waiting and pacing. She had tried to convince him that sleeping would be a good plan, but he hadn't been able to manage it. He had been a nervous but otherwise not insupportable presence while she had been monitoring the Weresbane and adjusting the potion as necessary.
Fortunately, while she had Muggle Studies this afternoon, he had a free period; as long as she could convince Harry that the blond was doing something perfectly normal, he would be able to nap then. She wanted him to be well-rested and functional during this test, a fact which she had pointed out to him several times, but it hadn't really helped his seemingly frantic energy.
He ground to a halt, however, the moment she and Remus entered the room. Remus looked more than surprised to see the Slytherin, and the two of them just stared at one another. She tugged the older man all the way into the room and closed the door.
"Remus, I believe you know Draco Malfoy. Draco, I'm sure you remember Remus Lupin."
They both looked at her as though she were completely insane, but at least her words had ended the staring contest between them.
"I'm not likely to forget him," Remus said, inclining his head politely. "You could have been one of my best students, had you wished to be. I'm a little confused about why you're here, however."
"Hermione," Draco said warningly.
"Draco," she returned.
She hadn't thought he was going to be stupid about this; there was no way that they could get through these trials without the two of them knowing about each other. She bloody well wasn't going to administer it to them separately, not to mention the fact that she thought they could use the support.
She and Draco had a staring contest of their own, and Draco finally bowed his head.
"Remus, during the attack in January when Draco was being held by the Death Eaters, Fenrir Greyback had ... an active role."
Remus looked up sharply, his gaze skewering her before flying to Draco, who was still staring studiously at the floor, looking aloof but oddly vulnerable.
"It was before the moon rose but very close to transformation," she continued quietly.
Remus's eyes flickered closed briefly, pain etched starkly across his features. "He bit you."
The fact that this statement was directed at Draco seemed to get the Slytherin's attention, for his eyes rose and locked with those of the man who had been bitten so long ago.
Draco nodded jerkily.
"You believe you've been infected."
Draco nodded again, words coming with difficulty. "Hermione told me about her cure."
Remus spoke very gently. "You could wait and see what happens at the full moon."
The blond shook his head hurriedly. "I can't wait. I can't … I can't bear it."
Hermione had thought Remus might take offence at this, but there was nothing but compassion on his face.
"That's why we've got Hermione on our side, right?"
Draco nodded once more, eyes suspiciously bright, and Hermione suddenly wondered just how many new werewolves Remus had counselled over the years. She remembered his going to speak to the one who was in the ward with Arthur at St Mungo's. He was always doing his best not to make them feel ostracized; this apparently extended to Draco Malfoy without prejudice.
"Greyback was the one who bit me as a child."
Both Hermione's and Draco's eyes flew to Remus's. She had never heard him give that information so quickly before.
For an instant, she could have sworn that Draco's lips trembled, but when he spoke, it was to say with cool amusement, "He really gets around."
Remus nodded solemnly in response. "It's about time he was stopped."
They both looked to her.
"So, no pressure, right?" she said brightly.
Remus looked immediately chagrined, but she waved his attempt at an apology aside. "No worries. I'm glad you two are able to bond about something. I was a little worried that I was going to need to take away your wands before I went to class this afternoon."
Draco snorted. "I'm perfectly able to behave civilly, Hermione."
"Oh, I didn't say you weren't able," she responded promptly.
Remus gave a suspiciously laugh-like cough, and even Draco relented and smiled faintly.
"Now that the first disaster is averted, why don't you take your cloak off, Remus, and we can have some tea while we wait for the potion."
Remus obediently shed his outerwear, and the two men took seats at the wooden countertop and managed to quietly chat while she made tea and kept an eye on her Weresbane.
Right on cue, she added the very last ingredient to the potion, watching with satisfaction as it instantly turned a light, iridescent blue. It was done.
"Are we ready to do this?" she asked.
They both nodded.
She faced them seriously. "According to every test that I've done, this is completely safe, but if either of you have any unusual symptoms, you will find me immediately, whether that means Remus rushing into my Runes class or Draco stepping foot into the Muggle Studies classroom for the first time. We're not going a step further until I have your word."
They duly promised.
She ladled out two goblets of the potion. Remus looked down at his with evident surprise.
"It's completely different from the Wolfsbane." He sniffed it. "Smells much better."
"It's the antithesis of the Wolfsbane in many ways," she answered, "and I did the best I could. It's still not likely to be a pleasant taste, but the Weresbane actually bonds well with sugar, so you'll at least get a rush out of it. Remus, no chocolate for the rest of the day."
He actually pouted for a moment, but he nodded reluctantly, and she cleared her throat to avoid giggling. Draco clearly didn't get it, and she left it to Remus to explain later on if he were so inclined.
She smiled at them. "You'll drink these, and then we're going to take your vitals every ten minutes for the next hour. As long as nothing untoward occurs, Draco and I are going to go off to breakfast—nothing terribly sugary for you, either, Draco—and then off to class. I'll be back at lunch to make sure you're okay, Remus, and Draco has the afternoon off. I expect you'll both be able to take a nap. Even a short one will help," she said a little sharply when it looked like they were both going to argue. "I don't know how long this last step will take, and I'm not prepared to risk failure because one of you is too tired to manage a transformation of which you would otherwise be capable. Understood?"
They nodded agreement once more. They toasted her, drew deep breaths, and downed the potion in a series of continuous swallows. There was no shudder of disgust as she was used to from the Wolfsbane.
"Well?" she asked.
She'd never actually tasted it herself as she didn't suffer from lycanthropy; she could extrapolate based on what had gone into the potion, but that was hardly conclusive. Although it wouldn't cause any lasting harm to a non-infected human, it had nevertheless seemed foolish to try it just to find out what it tasted like.
Remus was looking thoughtful, and Draco appeared to be running his tongue over his teeth and gums in an attempt to get rid of the taste.
"A vast improvement over the Wolfsbane," Remus declared. "But a bit odd all the same. Sort of … grassy?"
Draco shook his head. "Sort of like a bowl of sugar flavoured with something really weird. Sickly sweet, actually." She was amused that Remus hadn't noticed. "I can't speak to the taste of grass, but if Lupin is sure that's what it tastes like, we'll have to go with his assessment."
"Wolves eat meat," Remus said, as though they might not be aware of that fact. "It tastes … the way wet grass smells after you roll in it."
"Again—" Draco began.
"You've had a deprived childhood, we know," Remus said slyly, and she was reminded that he was a Marauder.
Draco opened his mouth to protest, but Hermione added sweetly, "Maybe you want to explain to him when all the rolling in wet grass occurred, Remus?"
Remus looked immediately tongue-tied.
"He might like to learn about his cousin," she added softly.
Remus looked startled and Draco confused. "This is about Tonks?"
Now Remus looked confused, and she figured she'd given them plenty to talk about when they were stuck alone together.
"No," Remus answered slowly, "this is about Sirius Black."
"The mass murderer who broke out of Azkaban?"
"Harry's godfather," Hermione corrected.
Both Remus and Draco looked at her sharply. It was clear that Remus wasn't so sure that she should have spoken of it in front of Draco.
"It might be nice if Harry had someone else to talk to about it," she said pointedly.
Remus sighed. He'd never spoken of Sirius's death to Harry, and she still thought he'd made the wrong decision. As far as she knew, she was the only person who'd made Harry discuss Sirius; everyone else had been desperately avoiding the entire topic once rumour of the destruction of Albus's office reached them.
This had left Harry with such a well of anger and pain and guilt within him that it was a bloody invitation for possession by Voldemort, and she wouldn't stand for it. She'd pushed, and Harry had managed to knock her unconscious with—perhaps fittingly—a book that had struck her a glancing blow to the temple.
She had refused to give up, which had left him petrified that he would hurt her again and made it much easier for her to insist that he needed to work through his feelings for everyone's safety. It had not been an easy battle. She'd done her best to be sympathetic and a good listener, but she had always known that she could never feel about Sirius the way Harry had. She would be forever grateful to him for helping her with her parents, but she had seen what was happening during fifth year, and she knew that the years in Azkaban had not left Sirius unmarked.
For the longest time, Harry had remained utterly unwilling to apportion any blame for events during their fifth year to Sirius. She had nearly had to wring the boy's neck to get him to admit that it wasn't all Severus's fault, and it had taken weeks to get Harry to say that it was Voldemort's fault and sound as though he meant it. She knew that he would never hold himself blameless, but as she herself accepted part of the blame for the events that had occurred that night, she knew that she would never be able to talk Harry out of a belief in his own complicity. As long as the majority of the blame went to Voldemort, that was good enough for her.
Harry's attitude was now vastly improved when it came to the topic of Sirius, but it still hurt him, and she thought he would always remember Sirius more idealistically than the man perhaps deserved. Sirius was dead, though, and if Harry needed someone to hold up and admire, she wasn't going to destroy that image for him. Someone else to really share the image with, however, would have made him happier.
Remus's voice had a defensive edge to it. "It hurt me, too, you know."
"Of course it did," she breathed in ready agreement. "It probably hurt you more because you really knew him. But Harry needed support, and you could have understood his pain, just as he understood yours. He thought you blamed him."
Remus raised startled eyes to hers, gasping, "He what?"
She nodded. "Thought you weren't speaking to him because you blamed him for Sirius's death."
"I didn't," he said, clearly horrified. "I just needed some time to lick my wounds. I would never...."
"And so I told him," she said compassionately. "He mostly believes me, I think, but it would be much better if you seriously considered talking to him about it. It's about as stupid as your never talking about being a werewolf. Maybe you can change that one a little, too, for Draco? He's never transformed before, and he's going to need all the help he can get tonight."
She could actually see Remus squaring his shoulders as his gaze flickered to Draco. The Gryffindor always seemed to take responsibility for others when it came to their affliction, and if it wasn't quite the same as discussing it on his own account, it was better than nothing. Since she'd managed to chastise Remus for something that was hurting Harry, show Remus that she trusted Draco, and lay the groundwork for the two of them to bond and get closer to Harry—and all before eight in the morning—she thought that she should really not complain about her progress.
Taking out her Weresbane journal, she recorded the initial impressions and vitals of her two test subjects. Having one of the oldest werewolves and one of the probably newest would hopefully tell her if her cure had a good chance of working universally.
Once the potion had been in their bodies for an hour, she gave Remus the appropriate foods that she had set aside for his breakfast and told Draco that she expected him to eat something similar when they went up for breakfast. On a Weresbane day, they were doing everything in their power to suppress the Were, and that meant no consumption of any sort of meat.
Neither Draco nor Remus had thus far shown the slightest ill effect from their dosing, and after she threatened to dose them with Veritaserum—which would interfere with the Weresbane—in order to ensure that they weren't hiding anything, they swore up and down that they would let her know if they had so much as an unusual ache in a little finger.
Remus wanted to know if she really had Veritaserum on hand, but Draco told him that it was better not to ask. She left Remus, who promised that he was going to read up one final time on his Animagus training, and emerged with Draco into the common room.
Harry, who'd been sitting on the couch waiting for her, raised an eyebrow at the sight of both of them. She still marvelled a bit about that kiss because she didn't detect any of the sour emotions that he had evidently felt in spades after her and Draco's dance—and they'd just emerged from her bedroom.
"Another tawdry affair?" he asked.
Draco looked confused.
"She had Remus visiting one night and said they were having one."
Draco smothered a laugh, and she knew exactly what he was thinking and was glad that he couldn't say it in front of Harry.
"Draco's just helping me out with a potion," Hermione said with a reassuring smile. "Not something you'd be interested in doing, I'm sure."
"Well, I—" She raised an eyebrow, and Harry subsided. "Not terribly interested, no."
They headed up to breakfast together and had a mostly quiet meal. Draco was preoccupied with the potion that was coursing through his veins, and Harry was lost in some contemplation. She was slightly panicky about the Weresbane, busy thinking about how Remus was faring, and looking far too frequently at Draco, apparently, because he finally told her to bugger off.
Then she had to explain to Harry that she'd had the blond test an experimental Mood-enhancing potion; after they reassured him that it was completely non-dangerous, non-toxic, and not-at-all-a-risk-even-a-little, it was time to go to class. Draco looked pleased that Harry was so worried about him, and she shook her head, wondering how they hadn't managed to get together before this, given how much they seemed to obsess over one another. Draco had always been very sensitive to how much attention Harry paid him, she supposed, and this sudden heaping of all the right kind was doing wonders for him.
She and Draco went off to Ancient Runes with Hermione solemnly promising Harry that she'd look after Draco. Draco had smirked about it, but he hadn't realized just how truthful she was being. Every fifteen minutes she took a careful look at him; since they were sitting next to one another now, it was easy enough to do. After three such examinations, he'd taken to writing out and then pointing to a note which said, "I'm fine: no side effects," every fourteen and a half minutes so that she'd know he was doing all right. A couple of students had given her a few weird looks, and she realized that by the end of the day there was probably going to be a new rumour that she was looking to catch Draco Malfoy.
She was greatly relieved when lunch finally arrived. Draco pointed out that they couldn't abandon Harry without awkward questions, so they ate with him first in the Great Hall, and she did her best not to look horribly antsy.
"Look," Draco whispered, "don't you think you have a feathered friend who would inform you if something furry had expired in your room?"
She considered this and had to concede that Draco was probably right.
You didn't notice anyone die recently, did you, bird?
Fawkes offered her a mental eye roll. No one you know, Girlicorne. Are you sure you haven't taken up any drugs of any kind?
She mentally stuck her tongue out at him and relaxed enough that they were able to make it through the rest of lunch. Two students had asked if she'd taken enough Pepper-Up in the morning; she apparently really needed to find out if her cure was looking to be successful or not.
After lunch, she convinced Harry that Draco needed to be examined again for the test that they were doing. As soon as she intimated that Draco would be self-conscious if Harry observed with her, Harry backed right off, and she was able to get Draco into the lab with Remus and make sure that the two of them were really all right. Both assured her that they were totally fine, and their stats confirmed it. She reminded them that now would be a good opportunity to take a nap.
They forced her to go off to Muggle Studies when she started to suggest that maybe she could play hooky for once in her life, and she found that she was able to put her mind to her work when Fawkes promised to keep an especial eye on her room.
She was still more anxious that she should have been, but between the drug use, her love of school, and the fact that she had been away from Harry for two whole classes, there appeared to be adequate inaccurate rumours about why that was. She didn't dignify any of the supposition with a response, and when Muggle Studies was over, she made no attempt to go to dinner. She met Harry heading up the stairs as she was heading down them.
"We're not eating in the Great Hall today?" he asked, looking ready to turn right round again and head back with her.
"I'm not eating in the Great Hall today," she corrected. "I'm about to disappear into my room all night. Everything is fine, but it's important that you don't disturb me." She got this all out in one fell blow.
"What?" He looked confused. "You're not going to be at dinner? You'll be in your room? What about Draco? Is he going to be with you?"
She nodded.
"Is everything okay?" he asked, sounding suddenly panicked.
"Hey," she said reassuringly, "I said everything was okay. I just need to do some observation for an extended period of time, that's all. You don't have to worry."
"But can't I sit in even for a little of it?" he asked, looking at her with big, hopeful puppy eyes.
She shook her head.
"All right." He didn't sound happy or certain of what was going on.
"Please, Harry," she said, laying a hand on his arm. "It's important, but I can't talk about it any more right now."
He forced a smile. "If you say so. I just want him to be safe."
"I'll make sure that he is," she promised. "You don't have to worry about that."
On the point of heading back up the stairs, Harry turned back suddenly. "Hey, don't you have to spend the night with Snape?"
She nodded.
"But you're spending the night monitoring Draco instead?"
She nodded once more.
He looked completely astonished. "You're certifiable, but good luck with that."
She smiled. "Thanks, Harry."
Harry finally continued up the rest of the stairs, and she hurried down them.
She hadn't quite had the nerve to speak to Severus about her absence yesterday in case he forbade her; she had to attend Remus and Draco, and while Severus had been quite reasonable in the last few days, she had so much experience with him suddenly turning dreadful when he didn't get his way that she didn't think she could risk it. In February, once the Potions master knew what she had been doing, she thought he'd understand. She wasn't willing to say anything yet, and that meant that right now, he was likely to be furious. She'd written him a letter, though, and made sure he received it today.
She was no longer altogether certain that this was the most brilliant idea she'd ever had, but it was done now.
The moon set at 4:02 p.m., which meant that they were just entering the period during which this new transformation was possible. The new moon would occur at 6:01 in the morning, but the theory behind her potion was that the Were would be in abeyance from moon set to moon rise.
She hurried into her quarters, through her bedroom, and into the lab. Remus and Draco were quietly sitting in comfortable-looking armchairs that they'd conjured in her absence, and they didn't look as though they'd done one another injury in the three-odd hours they'd been alone.
"How are you—" she began.
"We're fine," they said in unison, grinning at one another. "No side effects."
She smiled back at them. "Honestly, though, I still need actual impressions."
She got out her log book again, and they tried to catalogue how they were feeling. Remus was more helpful at this stage because he was much more familiar with the feelings wrought by lycanthropy and thus whether or not there were differences now.
He tilted his head, closed his eyes, and considered.
"It's a little quieter, I think. Normally this is the most peaceful time with the werewolf. It's when I'm most human with the least sensory acuity, the least ... animal urges. It's hard for me to tell anymore, as I haven't been completely human for a long time, but it seems…." He struggled for words. "I can't pick up sounds in the other room or smell what you might have had for lunch. It's good." He shrugged. "It seems almost normal."
She smiled, nodding her thanks as she made notations in her book. "Draco?"
The blond offered a shrug of his own. "I don't really have anything to compare against, but it's like Remus said, I guess. I feel normal."
Hermione smiled at him, too. "I'm glad to know that you still feel human."
He blinked at her as he realized what he'd just said, the exact opposite of what he'd been claiming since he'd been bitten. He nodded to her in concession.
"Have you two had the chance to trade stories? Between the two of you, you've got firsthand wolf and Animagus experience, and I think it'll be really important and helpful for you to share your insights."
Given the lack of hostility when she arrived, she thought that they might have done some of that in her absence, but she figured it wouldn't hurt for them to keep it up.
They alternated between meditation and quiet discussion. They got into a long chat about the different physical characteristics between a wolf and a werewolf, and she smiled as they hauled out books and pointed at pictures and generally seemed to be acting like study buddies and not two people who were complete opposites in many ways and hadn't really been on speaking terms before today. She'd noticed that whatever else had happened while she was gone, Draco had started referring to Remus by his first name. It was nice to see, and she hoped that Harry would be able to witness it soon.
Before she knew it, it was almost nine o'clock, and her conscience pricked at her sharply.
"Would you two be all right if I ducked out for a few minutes?" she asked.
They looked puzzled but nodded, and then Draco saw what time it was, and his eyes went wide.
"I'll be back in a few minutes," she said as resolutely as she could.
"Good luck with that." He was looking at her the same way that Harry had, like he wasn't altogether certain that they would ever find the body.
She turned resolutely and left, the door closing behind her as she heard Draco begin to explain to Remus about her evenings with Severus. Harry was sitting with a book in the common room, but he apparently knew what time it was, because he didn't say a word as she checked the Map and then headed off to present herself to Severus in his office.
The Head of Slytherin was staring at the letter she had sent to him, and she stepped in and closed the door feeling as though she'd foolishly cut off her escape route.
She smiled as brightly at him as she could manage, which wasn't terribly much or very effective at all if the look on his face was anything to go by. Taking a seat without being invited seemed singularly foolish, so she remained on her feet, feeling very much like a recalcitrant school girl.
"I got your note," he said, holding it up and looking as though it were hugely offensive instead of a very carefully worded and polite missive.
"It seemed safest under the circumstances," she admitted, "but I found when it came down to it that I had to see you in person." She swallowed at the forbidding expression on his face, and added earnestly, "It's really important, I swear."
He waved the note again. "So I read," he said curtly. "I have obviously been too lax if you are under the impression that you can rearrange your detentions at your convenience. I—"
She knew that the next words to come out of his mouth were going to be a correction of that previous error, so she jumped in.
"Severus, please," she begged. "Honestly, it's of the utmost importance, I just can't explain why right now. I'll happily do another detention later to make up for this one. I just can't move or rearrange what's happening right now."
"How long have you known about it?"
His voice was deceptively mild, and she winced marginally. "Weeks."
His voice was cold. "Yet you only informed me a short time ago."
"It was obviously not my most brilliant moment ever," she said in a small voice. "I was … concerned that you weren't going to give me permission, and I have to do this no matter what. I don't mean to be disrespectful, sir, and I really don't want to upset you, but I can't be here right now. What I'm doing is really important," she repeated.
He regarded her through narrowed eyes. "Important enough to face detention for the rest of term?"
She drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. It was her choice, she reminded herself, her unwillingness to tell him yet. She could only imagine what he'd do to her when she skipped the detention on the full moon. Or when she had to brew. And if the trials tonight and in February were both successful, she'd be repeating the procedure twice a month until the end of term. But what choice did she have?
"Yes, sir," she said firmly, the die-hard swot within her wincing painfully, curling up into a ball, and screaming at the top of her lungs. "It's important enough even for that."
"Then I shall see you tomorrow evening at nine o'clock." His expression made the polite-sounding words a mockery. "My classroom, I think."
She drew another deep breath, reminding herself that lack of oxygen to the brain had unfortunate results.
"Thank you, sir," she said evenly.
She left before she could do something horribly embarrassing like break down into tears; it was her own fault, she reminded herself yet again, but she refused to tell him about what she was doing until she could present him with a beautiful fait accompli. Something really, truly clever. She passed through the common room where she only shook her head at Harry who looked at her quizzically and then with some alarm, and then through her bedroom to the lab.
Remus and Draco took one look at her, and Draco leapt up to bring her to a chair while Remus got tea and pressed it into her hands which she noticed distantly were shaking slightly.
"What happened?" Draco demanded. "It was bad?"
She shook her head. "No, it was fine."
There was absolutely no reason for her voice to be quavering slightly like that.
Remus and Draco exchanged glances.
"This is Severus we're talking about. Of course it wasn't fine," Remus said, and Draco nodded in agreement. "What happened?"
She shook her head again, swallowing down a long mouthful tea and letting it pool in her middle. She realized she felt very cold.
"It's fine," she said with more resolution this time. "He wasn't pleased, that's all, but he's let me off for the evening, and that's what matters."
"Wasn't pleased like he wants your firstborn child?" Remus asked, and Draco smirked.
"Wasn't pleased like Gryffindor has no points left?"
She sighed. "Wasn't pleased like I'm in detention for the rest of my career at Hogwarts."
They grinned at her, taking this as another outrageous comment. She stared them down.
"You're not serious."
"He gave you five months of detention?"
She forced a smile. "He probably won't need to give detention to anyone else for the rest of the year."
"I'll talk to him," Draco said. "I'll tell him—"
She shook her head. "You'll do no such thing. Detentions won't matter if we can cure lycanthropy."
"But, 'Mione," he protested, "I know you—"
"No," she interrupted. "He can't know yet, and I can take whatever he dishes out. Given what Harry, Ron, and I have got away with over the years, I'm sure this is just detention karma."
They both looked doubtful, and she took the opportunity to swallow more tea.
Remus opened his mouth. "But what are you—" He stopped abruptly.
Her smile was pained as she attempted to joke weakly, "I'm probably going to be promising the detention time of my children when I don't go again on the tenth, yes."
Draco grimaced.
"I'm not being handed over to Voldemort," she admonished. "I'm not getting expelled. I'm not even getting detention with Filch." She hoped. "It will be worth it."
They still didn't look convinced, but she knew that there was nothing for it. Letting either of them talk to the Potions master would only make Severus angrier, and it was still her potential cure and her decision when the information was disseminated.
"So how are you two feeling now?" she asked, rising from the comfy chair and walking over to her log book as she made a concerted effort to pull herself together; she wouldn't risk their progress because she was feeling out of sorts.
They reported to her that all was well, and she rallied further and smiled at them. They were going to do this, and they were going to do it right.
She reminded them of the agenda: "At midnight, you'll be entering the extended meditation that will make the change possible. The two of you are going to be dropping all the way to your cores, and you're going to open yourselves up to your animal selves."
They both nodded.
"When I'm satisfied with your progress, we'll begin the spell transformations, and I'm warning you right now that part of the process is resting when I tell you to rest. From here on in, you do exactly what I say," she said in her best no-nonsense voice. "I will not hesitate to give you the antidote and throw you out if you attempt to ignore my instructions. Understood?"
This bit of autocratic behaviour was rewarded by two more solemn nods; they didn't even make a crack about this being remarkably similar to her usual behaviour.
"There's an antidote?" Draco asked, a frown creasing his brow. "It's not permanent?"
Hermione shook her head. "At this point, nothing permanent has occurred. I can still counteract the Weresbane that's in your system, and you'd be no worse or better off than when we started. Once you've succeeded in transforming, however, the change is fundamental."
"So, I can stop obeying you once I can transform properly?" he asked hopefully.
"Nice try," she said with a grin. "You can stop obeying me just as soon as I throw you out of the lab or when I tell you that you are free to leave, whichever comes first. Clear enough?"
"Blind obedience," he agreed. "Until eight o'clock tomorrow morning, it's yours."
She nodded back, suddenly serious, not having quite considered what her demand would remind him of. She appreciated that he had clearly laid out what he was able to give her.
"Thank you, Draco. Remus?"
"Whatever you wish, Hermione, of course," he responded promptly.
They continued chatting quietly between light meditation, working their way up to the big one.
What do you think, Fawkes? she asked. How are they doing?
Pretty well. Boy-bird's mate still has some trouble getting that ferret out of his mind.
She snorted softly to herself. I guess it's a … powerful association.
It has been better since Golden Wolf spoke to him, but he may still have trouble.
I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for keeping an eye on us.
You know I always will, Girlicorne.
Draco was looking at her pointedly when she started paying attention to the exterior world.
"Hmm?"
"Lost in thought?" he asked with clear insinuation in his voice.
She cleared her throat. "Briefly. I'm better now."
Draco shook his head in wry amusement. Remus looked confused but left her to her secrets.
While they were in one of the light, almost trance-like meditations, she started an association game until they came up with only wolf-related words; she didn't want anything ferret-like or Were-influenced to pop in at an inopportune moment.
As she watched them go off into a tangent about wet grass since Draco didn't appear to want to let the topic go when Remus raised it in response to the word "running", she wondered if she could have left them here and done her detention with Severus after all.
She was still taking their vitals and staying in charge, but realistically, this part of what they were doing could easily have been controlled by either of them with a promise to come and get her if there were problems. But despite the fact that it would have saved her a lot of grief with Severus, she couldn't imagine being in his lab right now, working on some non-Weresbane-related potion and knowing that Draco and Remus were in her lab waiting to try to turn into Animagi as part of the cure for lycanthropy. No, she had to be here, and she would simply have to live with what that meant for her and Severus.
Midnight arrived. She took her Veritaserum capsule before she called attention to the hour, and then she sat them both down in the comfy chairs.
"This is one of the most important parts of the Animagus training. You need to let go of all outside influence and find your animal form. We know what I believe it will be, but now is the time when we make that belief a reality. Now is the time for you to close your eyes and meditate. Remus," she turned all her attention on the golden-haired man, "you're not likely to have any problems coming up with your form, but you need to concentrate on letting go of all Were influence. This isn't about Fenrir Greyback or being forced to change. It isn't about pain or hurt or disease or bloodlust." She listed all the problems starkly, knowing that they were never far from his mind. She continued resolutely: "That is all a part of you that you are going to let go of right now. All those problems exist, but they are going to be tucked away and pushed to the side. Because this is about the wolf inside of you, the one who runs in the grass and plays with his friends. You want to let him out, and you want to celebrate the fact that you are free and happy and at peace with your body, not fighting anymore." She smiled softly as she watched his eyes flicker closed as he drifted into the necessary meditation.
She put up the charms that would ensure Remus was not bothered by her speaking to Draco and turned to the Slytherin.
"Draco, fourth year was a long time ago. You have grown so much since then. You need to look very carefully inside of yourself, and you need to let the discussion you had with Remus guide you. You and your magic both know what the goal is today. So I want you to concentrate with that formidable mind of yours on all the things you have learnt this year. Think of everything that you know about the wolf. Think of what it would feel like to lope through the Forest on four paws. This is a wonderful gift. It is part of who you are, and anyone who cares about you is going to care about the wolf as well."
And Draco was gone, too. She stepped back and protected Draco from any sounds she might make. Standing there, she contemplated the two men meditating in her lab. This was extraordinarily important to both of them, and they needed her effort to be successful. She now had months of detention, and she didn't want that to be for no reason. She shook her head. It was worth it. Draco and Remus trusted her, and she'd sworn that she would say nothing until she knew if the cure was real or not. She let out another breath slowly. It was done, and it couldn't be fixed. It had been stupid to think that she could simply leave him a note, but there was that Gryffindor stubbornness—possibly idiocy—come to the fore.
She took the opportunity to slip out to the common room and reassure Harry that everything was just fine. He allowed himself to be persuaded to bed, especially when she promised that Draco would be present at breakfast tomorrow as though nothing had happened. She couldn't actually swear that he'd be fully functional given that he would likely be sleep-deprived and magically depleted, but Harry didn't need to know that now.
She poked her head into her lab to make sure that Remus and Draco were still doing all right, and then she took a quick shower to ensure that she was perky and clean. She returned to the lab and made more tea.
Well? she asked.
Fawkes sent her a mental nod. They've settled in right near their cores. It is hard for me to hear them from there. They are doing what they ought to do.
Good. Thank you.
She was going to be casting the first of the spells on them when they came out of the meditation. In the normal course of events, the spell was cast by the person trying to become the Animagus, but since they were working on an accelerated timeline, she was going to be powering the initial spells to help give them the proper focus and control.
Truthfully, she was making modifications as seemed appropriate along the way because she was certain that the first transformation needed to be made within the new moon so that the Weresbane could do its work properly and the Were didn't interfere.
When an hour was up, she lowered the Silencing Charm on Remus first, and without bringing him out of the meditation, she cast the initial spell.
"Känn Förvandlingen."
His eyes flew open, wonder in them as he felt what it would be like to turn into a wolf rather than into a werewolf. It was only in his head, but it would be no worse when it was really happening to his body, and she knew that he was shocked by how little it hurt. He smiled at her, absolute joy painted across his features in that moment.
She turned to Draco, lowered the second Silencing Charm, and repeated the spell.
Draco's eyes widened as they met hers, and she could see the panic in them.
Fawkes!
She saw in Draco's eyes the moment when the phoenix joined with Draco's mind and suppressed the ferret transformation, allowing the wolf transformation to assert itself when she repeated the incantation. Draco sagged with relief and offered her a nod of thanks.
Okay? she asked.
It was close, but he has the appropriate feelings now, the phoenix confirmed.
Thank you. Again.
Fawkes pulled out of her mind and Draco's. The blond's expression did not change; he was still feeling the correct sensations.
She made eye contact with both men now, received nods in return, and let the spells terminate.
"What happened?" Remus asked.
Draco admitted ruefully, "I started thinking about the wrong furry, four-legged creature. All of a sudden, it seemed too similar; I was used to the bloody ferret. Thanks for that."
She smiled. "Not a problem."
Remus was looking between the two of them. "Thanks for what?"
"Thanks for nothing that I can explain at the moment," she said brightly.
He rolled his eyes but didn't pursue the matter.
They ate again, the two men practicing the spell themselves until it felt immediate and natural. Now, they would be far less likely to baulk or panic when it came time to do it for real; neither of them had good associations with their previous transformations, and they wanted to correct that as much as possible now.
At two, she judged that they were ready for the next step, and once again cast the spell one at a time.
"Se Förvandlingen."
They still weren't ready for a complete transformation, but this spell made them display some of the physical characteristics of the animal they were soon to change into. Remus grew fur on his legs—it had itched enough for him to pull his trousers up to see what was happening—ears—also pointier—and arms—which were now as long as his legs. He reminded her of nothing so much as every werewolf she'd ever seen in a Muggle movie, but she was very careful not to say so, making sure that he focussed on how wolf-like the ears and fur were. She released the spell when he told her he was ready.
When she performed the same spell on Draco, she was a little surprised to see how different the results were given that he was going to change into the same animal. His face elongated into an approximation of a lightly-furred snout. His hands and feet both began to be furred and padded, while the rest of him remained largely intact. Seeing the very un-ferretlike face and appendages in the mirror Hermione had conjured made him visibly a lot more confident about what they were doing, and she was pleased.
She had them rest again before the next spell; the initial Animagus spells didn't seem that intense compared to the final transformation, but they actually took a lot out of the witch or wizard undergoing them. It was part of the reason that only strong wizards tended to make the transformation, though it had been proven that those of lesser power could be assisted.
This third spell had been her favourite, and she cast it on them at the same time because there was nothing for her to see or do.
"Märk Förvandlingen."
Now Remus and Draco had the senses of the wolf, able to pick out the smells in potions she had across the room and see much better than in human form even when she lowered the lights considerably. When Draco caught the whiff of an interesting smell, he miscalculated and fell over in his attempt to use his arms and legs as though they were four wolf legs.
She offered him a bruise salve for his shins and watched as his nose wrinkled at the strong smell.
Just before she released the spell, she performed one last test, drawing one of her clean, sharp knives across her forearm to create a shallow cut as she stood across the room from the two men.
Remus's head whipped up a fraction of a second before Draco's, both of their nostrils flaring, but neither of them made a mad attempt to get across the room to her. Remus let out a giant huff of breath and nodded at her.
She terminated the spell. He looked as though he needed a minute to compose himself.
"I never thought that I would be able to smell human blood again without being hungry." He smiled tremulously at her. "I knew you were bleeding, I could smell the blood, but I didn't particularly want it."
Draco nodded in agreement.
"Splendid," she said, getting out the skin-mending potion that would heal the cut.
"Remind me to kill you later, though," Remus added. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."
She shrugged. "It was a reliable way."
He nodded. "I understand; I just need to kill you."
"That seems fair."
Draco snorted. "Personally, Hermione, I suggest you make a run for it when he comes after you."
"I'll keep that in mind," she promised, feeling light-hearted that they were all able to joke about this. Who would ever have imagined?
There was only one more spell to perform, and that was the full transformation.
She insisted that they nap. They were both anxious to get on with it, and she appreciated that, but she thought the closer they were to the actual new moon, the safer they would be in terms of Were suppression—not to mention the fact that she didn't want either of them to make stupid mistakes because they were tired. When they tried to insist that they were ready now, she simply stared at them until they remembered their promise to obey her.
She transfigured the chairs into little beds and told them that if she didn't hear deep breathing in ten minutes she was coming round with Sleeping Draughts that would interfere with the Weresbane. Despite how excited they both were, they somehow managed to fall right asleep. She wondered if they would get suspicious at some point about so many potions she had on hand interfering with the Weresbane.
Rather than going to sleep herself, she brewed an analgesic potion as it kept her occupied; otherwise, she was in danger of drifting into horribly maudlin thoughts about her many detentions with Severus. When this trial was over, she was going to sit down and work out exactly how many detentions she had. She'd need to confirm, she supposed, whether they went to the end of classes or until the end of the school year so that she could correctly apportion her time.
She was such an idiot, she thought with a sigh. A stubborn, determined idiot with wonderful dreams, and there was nothing for it now.
After an hour and a half, she woke Remus and Draco, had them eat fresh fruit and nuts and have a hot mug of tea so that they were fully awake before they attempted a dangerous transformation for the first time.
Normally, after extensive preparation, a wizard wishing to become an Animagus would perform this spell himself, just as he had all the other spells. This was the most complete and invasive of all the spells; having someone else cast it could be not just ineffective but actually dangerous. Hermione was going to be working closely with their magic, however, and since her goals exactly matched theirs, she believed it would be the successful first step in their being able to do it on their own. The Marauders had managed it with Pettigrew, after all, so she was sure she could do it.
"Are you ready?" she asked.
They both nodded eagerly, although she could see the undercurrent of nervousness.
"I'm going to change you both, give you the chance to examine yourselves and the room from your new perspective, but it'll only be for fifteen minutes or so. Remember that there's more to the night after we make this transformation, and it wouldn't do to have either of you forget how to be human. All right?"
They assented once more. Even with someone assisting, it was possible that if a wizard stayed in his animal form too long—especially before he had any control over the transformation—he would get lost in the animal sensations. If that happened, casting the spell to render him human again would be ineffective. In some of the worst Animagus accidents, the human form had been retrieved but all that was left was the animal mind. No one had found a cure, and in the majority of the cases she had read about, the afflicted person had been transformed back into his animal form because that was the only way for him to live out the rest of his life—such as it was—in peace. It was one of the reasons that so few wizards ever attempted to transformation. Things could go horribly wrong.
She took out her wand and faced off from Remus, making sure that there was plenty of room around him. The older man regarded her steadily and then offered a careful nod. She drew a deep breath, watched him do the same, and then cast.
"Förvandlas till djur."