When We Were Beasts

Before: Part One

26 months earlier

Hermione's pounding head is what had awoken her; it felt as if someone was trying to kill her with a hammer to the temples.

Her hands shook as she sat up, barely holding her weight against her wrists. Something hot trickled down her neck to disappear into her robes. It was dark, wherever she was, so she couldn't see clearly the color of the liquid when she brought her fingers forward. The smell gave it away though, that hot mix of copper and death. A smell she had grown so accustomed to.

Blood.

She let out a whimper as she stood, her legs weaker than her arms. She almost collapsed. Her head pounded harder as she sucked in a deep breath through her teeth and tried to focus.
Where am I?

The first thing Hermione saw was that she seemed to be in a long hallway. The walls were painted brick, and the flickering lights were the bright fluorescent kind that the muggle world seemed to love and use in every building. Only two overhead lights flickered in and out, though. Most of the hallway was bathed in shadows. There was only one door, so far away from Hermione that she couldn't believe herself to be in the muggle world. Only magic warped things like this.

The first thing she smelt was the wickedly sharp scent of blood, and the disgustingly heavy smell of rot. It seemed to be coming from all around her.

The first thing Hermione felt was the all-too familiar uniform that hugged her body-her Hogwarts uniform.

This hadn't been the last thing she was wearing. Her heart began to thunder as she padded herself down; button-down top, pleated skirt,boots, thick robe embroidered with the gryffindor symbol over her breast. Her hair was wild and unruly, not in its usual braid. She'd have to find a bobble soon.

Who had changed her? What had happened to her other clothes? Who had touched her body and seen her-

Hermione's breath began to quicken as her chest fluttered with panic. She tried to swallow it, to push it down, but the more aware she became the more that her anxiety chocked her like a serpent.
She had almost calmed herself by reciting offensive attack curses when the first thing Hermione heard was the sound of a woman screaming.

She'd barely braced herself against the wall before another wave reverberated around her, a woman's terror curdling the space like rotten milk.

Instinct- or maybe foolish Gryffindor courage- told her two things: run, and ready your wand. But Hermione's wand wasn't anywhere to be found on her person, and the flickering lights made it hard to search for it on the checkered floor. Whoever had brought her here had taken it. It was the logical truth that threatened to choke her.

On the third scream Hermione began to sprint down the hallway.

Her head pounded in time with her feet as she picked up speed, her hands swinging wildly at her sides.

As she ran down the hallway, she realized with blinding panic that it wasn't shortening. She ran and ran, her lungs burning and breaths growing louder, and yet she never truly took a step towards the woman's piercing cries.

"No!" Hermione screamed aloud, pushing her body so far and so hard so quick that she slid over a puddle and landed on her back with a painful slap.
She saw stars. Hermione panted, wishing for an easy solution to conjure itself in her mind.

When she could finally stand again without seeing black spots, Hermione began to walk towards the lone doorway until she had the stamina to run. The woman shrieked again.
Hermione flinched, and bit her lip to keep from crying. The pain and panic pushed tears out of her eyes.

After a moment of walking, Hermione realized the doorway was coming closer.

Miraculously, the slower she walked the closer it came, until she was barely shuffling her feet.
Now, just a few steps away, she could open the door.

Hermione opened the door to find Hannah Abbott on the other side, covered in blood.

With Seamus Finnigan dead underneath her.