Braving the Past

Chapter 15: Fenrir Greyback

Previously...

The door abruptly opened itself and a snarling heap of dirty hair and ripped clothes came out. It was a man by the looks of it, but how was that possible? How had he gotten in there?

"Food!" the man raged, finally lifting his head. Tom almost recognized the unruly man that had hair all over his face and large, jagged teeth. "I need....blood."

The man sniffed the air and turned his eyes to Hermione, who seemed to stand frozen. Her face had gone completely pale and her mouth hung open in utter fear.

"No..."she breathed.

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"Such nice skin..." Fenrir Greyback cooed hungrily, licking his lips. "Too bad I can't save you for later, pretty."

But how had he gotten here? How was he in this time, coming from the Room of Requirement?

The man roared and threw himself toward Hermione, who screamed desperately and tried to get away. He caught her arm and threw her against the wall, forcing the breath from her lungs, and causing her to drop her wand.

Tom seemed to be flinging hexes at Fenrir from behind, but the werewolf hardly seemed to notice, too absorbed in getting his next meal. He grappled with Hermione who tried to push, hit and kick him with all her might. He scratched her neck with his long nail and licked it disgustingly. From over his shoulder, she saw Tom's eyes go red and he leaped onto Fenrir's back with a growl. Greyback finally released Hermione and proceeded to rake his claws along Tom's arm causing Hermione to cringe.

Tom yelled, but held on tightly, pointing his wand at the man's face. They grappled like madmen until Hermione's voice rang out.

"Stupify!" Hermione screamed, and Fenrir, Tom still on his back, went flying through the air. Tom released him midair and they both landed harshly on the floor, rolling another foot. Tom grunted in pain, but Hermione's focus was solely on the unconscious man across the hall, her wand still pointed at him.

"Incarcerous," she said shakily, and thick robes wrapped themselves around the unconscious Greyback.

Tom stood up with a wince, sending the man the foulest look Hermione had seen him produce.

"Are you alright?" he asked her. But she her mind was completely reeling.

"How is this possible?" she said more to herself. "How did he get here? How is he even alive?"

"Let's get you down to Madam Richter," Tom said, offering her his hand. She stared at it for a moment before ignoring it and helping herself up shakily. He sent her an annoyed look, which made her feel a little guilty for rejecting him. He did save her life, after all.

"Thank you," she told him. "For helping me."

This seemed to please him a bit more. "That was him, wasn't it? The werewolf who infected you?"

Hermione nodded. "We'd better get Professor Dumbledore."

"Why would we do that?" Tom asked her. "Don't you think the Headmaster should know about this?"

Right. Stupid Hermione, she scolded herself. Professor Dumbledore wasn't the Headmaster yet.

"You're right, I wasn't thinking," Hermione said, shaking her head. "Let's go."

Together, they levitated Fenrir Greyback's bound form down the few flights of stairs until they reached the entrance to Headmaster Dippet's office. As they walked, Hermione's mind kept going back to two things: Fenrir Greyback found a way into the past and was held in the Room of Requirement for who knows how long, and Tom's eyes turned bright red – just like Voldemort's would be. She couldn't help but think that either fact was a bad sign.