Dark, Twisted and Time Turned

Chapter 24: Beneath the Full Moon

(*Warning: language, kind of violence?)

In several weeks, Hermione and Abraxas slipped out of the public eye. No more romantic caresses in the common room. She wasn't disappearing into his dorms late in the night, and he drastically reduced the intensity of his pursuing her. However, their friends suspected otherwise, and Cyriss Mulciber was nearly certain it was a complete falsity. They gave him nothing to confirm or deny that fact.

However, behind closed doors, in abandoned classrooms and passages there was always something lingering. When their hands could surf over each other, their lips could tentatively touch, and she would lean into his embrace for hours, both tucked in with a book.

It was how they celebrated her past birthday, entwined with each other with several books around them- nearly a dozen of which had been appearing in her room over the course of that week. He had also left her a bag with some rather suspicious silver garment in it, which she had no doubt was the dress they had looked at on their London outing. She didn't chatise him, but he did get a stern look when she found another stack of books waiting for her. Her trunk, though spelled with an undetectable extension charm, was filling steadily with books he had given her.

Tom had scraped together enough money through illegal potions to buy her a watch, sheepishly explaining that it was traditional for a wizard or witch to receive a watch when they come of age. It gleamed silver on her wrist. It had been a Tuesday, so she was quite limited to free time, but that Saturday she enjoyed a dinner with her friends in the astronomy tower, late in the night.

It was a few weeks after that when she felt it, on an early October Monday. She knew it would have come any day now, the shift of magic within her, and she jumps at the sensation. Her body tingled as if poked by needles.

"Abraxas," she mutters, leaning across their desk. Dumbledore was distracted as he leans back over to listen, thumb rubbing circle on her hand under the table. "It happens tonight." His thumb stills.

"Are you alright? Any pain? Take your draught, love, it'll get rid of your pain. You should be with the examiner. You should be under observation-"

"I'll be ok, Brax." She whispers, taking her potion out of her satchel and knocking it back. "Don't worry too much. The draught just help me retain my own head during the transformation; they say there's some other force that takes over- like the denizen, yet not as hostile. It keeps my energy up enough to be able to use magic."

"Do you want me to be there tonight? When you transform?" She shakes her head.

"No, no. I need to learn to do it by myself. I'll come find you, though." She brushes her hand over his knee. "As soon as I have control of the ability, I'll come find you. Promise."

"Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy, if you have something to share with the class I encourage you to do so. Any revelations regarding self transfiguration, perhaps?" Dumbledore interrupts them, and her back burns before Abraxas can say anything.

"I was just wondering Professor- and so I asked Abraxas as he is rather knowledgeable in Transfiguration laws- why there are so many limits on conjuration, when both Vanishment and Untransfiguration seem to be completely unrestricted." Dumbledore blinks, surprised.

"Well, Miss Granger, Conjuration is principally limited by the Five Principal Exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration. It's only a short paragraph in your book, you'd have to procure the book specific to Gamp's Law." He turns back to his demonstration, but she, apparently, wasn't done talking.

"Sir, I've read that the mind is altered differently between Human Transfiguration into an animal of lower intellect, or as an Animagus. Could you elaborate?" He glances back at her, the light catching his eyes to make them almost appear yellow.