Braving the Past

Chapter 9: The Full Moon

The circles under Hermione's eyes got darker and darker as the days went by. It had been nearly a month since she had come to this time, and yet not a single night did she have a restful sleep. She was constantly plagued by nightmares, both from what had happened and what may be to come. She made sure each night to cast a silencing charm over her room, but after someone had used Legilimency on her – someone she was almost positive was Tom – she almost wanted him to hear her and not get a wink of sleep because of it.

Hermione could feel herself getting weaker and skinnier, but she still couldn't bring herself to eat much more than a couple bites a day. Tom had tried several more times to dive back into her mind, but she was constantly on high alert and he was never able to breach her walls. If only Harry had learned occlumency as quickly, Hermione thought, she wouldn't have ended up here in the first place.

She immediately reprimanded herself for trying to blame Harry for her troubles. She knew it was her own fault Harry had lost to Voldemort, and she just had to learn to live with that.

Hermione went through that day like any other. She was able to act fairly close to normal around her new friends, though Kim seemed to be a little skeptical of her behavior as of late. During Potions Hermione made sure to get a seat in the back to keep Tom from being able to watch her and trying to get into her mind again. She laughed when everyone else laughed at the lunch table and made sure to do some studying with the other Gryffindors to keep from distancing herself too much.

The study session lasted so long that it was dark outside and practically curfew. Hermione found that the deeper the blue sky got, the more her bones seemed to ache and itch.

"I'd better go, guys," Hermione said, standing up with pain shooting through her body. "Don't want to get in trouble with my roommate."

The others groaned and rolled their eyes, none of them taking much of a liking to Tom either, luckily for her and her sanity.

"See you tomorrow, Hermione!" they all called at various times as she made her way from Gryffindor tower. She slumped down the stairs to the Head's dorm before moving weakly into her bedroom, avoiding Tom.

As she collapsed into her bed, Hermione was so tired, she completely forgot to cast a muffliato charm on her room so as not to disturb her roommate.

And unfortunately for both of them, that night was much worse than they could have ever imagined. Hermione tossed in her bed as her dream began like any other.

"I don't see why you should even be permitted to breathe the same air as us, mudblood."

"Don't call her that! She's more of a witch that you'll ever be," Ron spat at Bellatrix.

"Oh, I've hit a nerve, have I?" Bellatrix cackled. "Let's see how riled up we can get you, then."

She pointed her curved wand at Hermione and a second later, the brown-haired witch was writhing on the ground with horrible spasms and screams that cut into the air like a knife. Ron yelled and struggled against his captors, watching helplessly as Hermione's voice turned raw, yet her screams didn't cease.

Not until Bellatrix waved her wand did Hermione's body still on the cold hard ground, breathing ragged and uneven. Tears slid down her cheeks, but she refused to give in to Bellatrix's torture.

"No? Nothing? Well, let's start on the blood traitor, then."

Then Ron was curling in on himself, being held up solely by the Death Eater behind him. His jaw stiff, a scream ripping from his throat through his clenched teeth. All Hermione could do was whimper, wishing with all her might that he could be free and she could do something to stop his pain.

"Don't hurt him!" she scratched out.

Bellatrix stopped then, turning to look at the girl with a gleam in her eye.

"Just take me, he has no part in this."

"I'm beginning to think he has a very strong part in this," Bellatrix returned. "Tell me where Harry Potter is and I'll let your boy-toy live. Sound fair?"

Hermione looked desperately over to Ron, who steeled his features and shook his head at her. Another tear slid from the corner of her eye, dripping on the floor.

"Last chance, mudblood," Bellatrix said, bringing her wand up to Ron's chest.

"I can't," she whispered, looking solely to Ron, begging him with her eyes to forgive her. Though she knew by the look on his face that he had before she even said it.

"Avada Kedavra!"

This time the Death Eater released Ron, letting his lifeless body fall to the ground, facing Hermione with wide, dead eyes.

Bellatrix knelt over her, prodding her oddly bent wand at Hermione's throat.

"You're not making this any easier on yourself, mudblood. Tell me what I need to know or we'll be having some fun together."

Hermione kept her mouth firmly shut.

"Well, that is a pity. I thought surely after the Sword of Gryffindor fiasco that you'd be more accommodating this time around."

She didn't waste another second before slicing Hermione's stomach and hitting her with another Crucio.

Hermione struggled and thrashed on the slick black floor. Slick with Gryffindor blood. Another agonizing wail escaped her lips before she was pulled from the horrible dream.

"Hermione!" Someone shook her like there was no tomorrow before her eyes finally snapped open with more fear and ferocity than they had ever held. Her wand was in her hand in seconds and she immediately shot a blasting charm Voldemort's way. It barely missed him, zooming past to hit the wall behind him as he skittered out of range.

Immediately following, Hermione rolled off the bed and crawled back until her spine met the wall underneath the window. She could still feel the after effects of the Cruciatus zooming through her skin, deep in her muscles and bones. Though her hand shook considerably, she kept her wand pointed at the spot Voldemort had previously occupied.

"Hermione, it's me," came Voldemort's voice from behind the bed. She threw another spell his direction.

"Don't come near me, you bastard. You may have killed everyone else, but you'll never have me," she replied harshly.

"Hermione this is real! It's Tom! You're not in a dream, and no one is trying to kill anyone," the voice said desperately.

Her hand began to shake more violently as she tried to process this, her breathing sporadic and her bones feeling like they were about to break. She let out a groan and her insides felt like they were trying to tear themselves free.

"Gah!" She keeled over, her wand clambering to the floor and she gripped her body with tremoring hands.

Tom slowly reemerged from his hiding place, then hurried over to her side. Hermione tried to move away from him, but everything hurt so much that she couldn't move.

"What's – happening – " A strangled cry was released from her throat as she felt herself begin to morph.

So it was true. Fenrir Greyback had successfully turned a new werewolf.

"Tom! Get out of here!" Hermione coughed out, falling to the floor as her bones cracked and reformed. "It's not – safe!"

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Eeek! Sorry to do this to you guys....

JK, this is a great cliffhanger.

Stay tuned to find out what happens to Hermione and Tom, and don't forget to vote!