Harry Potter 1. Thank Goodness for Animagi

Seventeen year old Hermione Granger walked swiftly down the darkened corridor which led past her Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Her robes were wrinkled and dirtied; her eyes red and her face sweaty. She wanted nothing more than to reach her private quarters, reserved especially for the Head Girl. The Head Boy's quarters were right next door.

She thought she heard the sound of the classroom door open and quickened her pace. She had no intentions of letting anyone see her in this state.

Too late she saw the body before her; too late she tried to stop. She hit them and fell backwards, the back of her head colliding painfully with the stone floor.

Dizzied, she looked up to see Remus Lupin staring down at her in bewilderment.

"Are you all right?" he asked, squatting down to look at her more closely.

She shook her head to clear some of the fuzziness from her vision and then nodded. He took her tightly by the upper arm and pulled her to her feet easily.

"Sorry about that Professor," she said, blushing now.

Remus chuckled slightly. "It's fine Hermione," he assured her. "But, I must ask, what is it which has kept you out of you quarters at this time of night?"

She paused for a split second and then answered, "Head Girl duties."

"Ah. May I walk you to your rooms?" He didn't look as though he entirely believed her, but said no more on the subject.

She gave him a strange look and then nodded.

They walked there in silence. Remus noticed that her eyes were red and slightly wet. He also noticed her dirtied robes. Turning to face her when they reached the entrance to her room, he questioned her.

"Anything worrying you Hermione?" he asked softly.

She gave him the same strange look, but it was shorter lived this time. "I'm fine Professor." She forced a smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. "Goodnight." She tapped three stones with the tip of her wand and the door opened. Remus was left alone.

Once inside her rooms, Hermione bolted into the bathroom and ripped her robes off. Throwing them onto the floor she turned the faucet in the bathtub on and let the steam from the water calm her. She pulled a drawer under the sink open and removed six lavender scented bath beads from a package. Stepping into the hot water of the tub she dropped the beads into it. The scent of lavender enveloped her as she slid into the water.

How long she stayed in there she didn't know. She assumed maybe a couple of hours. When she had drained the tub and dressed in fresh, clean robes, she walked out of the bathroom. She almost fell over again when she saw the person who was sitting on her bed.

"Malfoy!" she cried, enraged that he'd had the nerve to disturb her that late. Not to mention the fact that he had managed to weasel his way through the room's entrance.

"Sorry to bother you Granger," he said with a slight sneer.

"What do you want?"

"Mind you attitude Granger, or my father shall hear of it."

"You father is nothing but a twisted fool taking orders from a snake," she shot back icily.

Draco's eyes narrowed slightly. "Relax Granger," he said after a moment. "I came to see if you were okay." She was about to snap back at him, but then it registered what he had just said.

"W-What?" she stammered.

"I know what happened to you and I came to see if you needed anything." This was very un-Draco like.

"How?" she asked, practically in a whisper.

"When I came back to my rooms, I used the Defense Against the Dark Arts hallway. I saw you come out of some room in front of me and then a few minutes later I saw some boy come out too. I checked inside the room while you were with Lupin and saw signs of a—struggle—on the floor. I knew right away what had happened." Draco watched her sink down on the bed beside him, clearly trying to avoid his eye.

"But—how did you know it was me?" she asked after a pause.

He laughed unpleasantly. "You were wearing your robes."

"You're not going to tell anyone—are you?" The fear in her voice was clear to him.

"I should—but I won't. Not if it will endanger you. And note this Granger—I'm not going to make it a habit of mine to save your ass."

"I wouldn't expect that of you," she snapped.

"Easy there Granger," he said coolly. "Like it or not I am not entirely black-hearted."

He stood up to leave as Hermione looked to the floor. "If he tries it again, fight him for Merlin's sake!" With that, he swept out of the room in a very Slytherin-like way.

A week had passed without any further problems. But on Sunday morning, Hermione woke early. It was so early that it was still dark outside and probably would be for another hour or so. She had hardly gotten any sleep—unpleasant dreams had been running through her head every night ever since the first incident. Sitting up, she pulled her robes tighter around her body and then stood up.

She entered the bathroom to shower and when she was done she ran a brush through her wet hair and then performed a drying charm on it. She pulled another, warmer robe over her current ones and exited through the door and walked slowly and silently down the corridor. She reached the main entrance and walked outside.

The frigid October air numbed her cheeks and nose, causing them to turn a rosy red. She walked out of view of Hagrid's hut and toward the Dark Forest. Not having any particular destination, she entered the forest and stopped by a tree well into the woods. She sat down and leaned her back against the trunk. The woods were silent except for the occasional shriek of some creature.

One of them in particular caught her attention, as it sounded rather close. She drew out her wand and held it in front of her protectively. A rustling in the bushes made her stand up and whip around.

Standing before her, was the largest werewolf she had ever seen. They both stood there, each transfixed in the other's gaze. After a moment, it let out a long, low howl.

"_Stupefy!_" Hermione screeched as it bounded toward her. The stunning spell bounced off of it and she had to duck in order to avoid it. A tree behind her exploded and fell, blocking her escape. The werewolf charged at her, jaws snapping and teeth flashing.

In an instant, she transformed into an _enormous_ jet-black horse with a white mane and tail and white eyes. She reared on her hind legs and came down upon the wolf. Unfortunately, she only caught its shoulder with one of her shiny black hooves.

The creature yelped in surprise but lunged at her once more. Its weight must have been almost equal to her own, as large as the horse form was. It caught her in the neck and threw her sideways. She half-reared and pivoted in time to stop herself from falling and took off at a full blown gallop. Even though she was no longer human, the wolf chased after her.

It jumped once and sank its fangs into her throat. She slid to a stop and spun to face it, rearing high and trumpeting in rage. Now nearly vertical in the air, the creature below her looked small. It gazed up at her with murderous eyes. She prepared to come down upon it, but before she got the chance the animal jumped and smashed into her stomach. She tried to catch her balance, but couldn't. White eyes rolling, she went down.

A searing pain shot through her entire body as the wolf ripped into her stomach. She shrieked in anguish and struggled to throw the large animal off of her. Eventually, one of her flailing hind hooves connected with something solid and the wolf was thrown to the side and moved no more. The horse attempted to stand, crumpling back to the ground several times before succeeding. She could not change back now; her human form would already be dead from loss of blood if she tried.

She managed to limp her way painfully to the edge of the forest. Why had she even gone there in the first place? Finally, after a few moments more, she collapsed to the ground, exhausted.

After what seemed like an eternity, she heard footsteps. They were quick and sweeping; she recognized them. Lifting her head ever so slightly, she was able to see the dark form of Severus Snape emerging from the Dark Forest. He did not appear to see her.

She let out a soft whinny. His head turned in her direction. He stood still for a moment, his dark eyes narrowed suspiciously. Finally, he came over to her. Seeing the wand nearby, he immediately realized that this horse must actually be a person. He looked questioningly into her silvery white eyes.

She moved a front leg weakly and tilted her head towards her shoulder. There, in the tiniest of brands, were the letters H.G. He studied her for a moment, obviously thinking.

"Miss Granger," he said after a moment. Her eyes flashed appreciatively. "What on earth were you doing out here at this early hour?" he asked, sounding slightly angry this time.

She moved her head in the direction of the werewolf. He glanced at it, his eyes narrowed slightly. "Change back now."

She longed to tell him that she could not, but she didn't know how.

"I said to change back!" When she didn't, his eyes flicked toward her wand. "Stupid girl! If you will not change back, then I will do it for you!"

He pulled his own wand from within his robes and pointed it at her. She began to struggle like a caged animal, desperate for some way to tell him she simply could _not_ change back now. She hated to do it, but needed to. She kicked him hard in the leg.

He dropped his wand and held back the scream threatening to escape his throat at the sharp pain in his leg. It was then that he noticed the huge lacerations on her stomach and throat. They were still bleeding freely. His eyes filled with slightly shocked realization.

"I understand your actions now, Miss Granger," he told her softly. Picking up his wand and pointing it at her chest, he muttered, "_Replentify!_"

She felt blood fill her veins once more and she knew that now she would be able to change back. With a pop, the human form of Hermione Granger was lying at Snape's feet. He knelt down to examine her more closely.

He noted the biggest wound of all—the one in her throat.

"Were you bitten before you transformed?" he asked, and she realized he sounded concerned.

She shook her head. Severus breathed out in relief. "Let me see that," he began, motioning toward her neck. He placed a hand by her chin and lifted it so he could better see her injury, which was still bleeding. She winced as he did so. He then moved on to look at the gash on her midsection.

Without a word, he muttered an incantation and all her injuries were relieved of their bleeding. Another incantation and they all closed.

"You're certain you weren't bitten?" Severus asked again.

"Yes," she replied softly, looking up at him.

"You are a registered Animagi, correct?"

"Yes."

"What were you doing out here?"

She couldn't answer that question. She could never explain that she felt safe away from the castle; that she felt filthy and used and needed to stay away from the castle. Something of her emotions must have showed on her face.

"Enough then, Miss Granger," Severus said quietly, looking her in the eye. "I sense you do not wish to tell me of your troubles." She gave him a grateful look as he pulled her to her feet. "I will tell the Headmaster of this however," he added as they walked toward the school.

"Oh, no—please don't," she cried, stopping.

"Miss Granger, I must."

"Why?"

Severus considered her for a moment.

"Miss Granger, if there is something you need to say, then by all means, say it now. You are far from the castle and I am the only other one here."

"You'll tell Professor Dumbledore about that too!"

Snape glared at her, and finally sighed.

"If you desire me not to do so, I shall _not_ tell the Headmaster of your little incident this morning."

"But you'd tell him about me and—" She clapped a hand over her mouth and fell to the ground, sobbing.

"My goodness child, what _is_ the matter with you?" Severus asked, thoroughly unprepared for this.

"You wouldn't understand!" she cried between sobs.

He knelt down once again and lifted her chin to look into her eyes.

"Try me."

"No!"

Severus sighed again and scooped her up into his arms.

"Put me down!" she screamed, kicking wildly.

"Miss Granger, please!" he snapped. "I am only trying to get you back to the castle in one piece!"

"PUT ME DOWN!" she screamed again.

Severus set her back on her feet, and raised his hand to steady her. But before he could attempt to do so, she had thrown herself to the ground and scurried away, tears streaming down her face. "Please, don't!" she cried.

Severus looked at her, wide eyed at her behavior. This was Hermione Granger for Merlin's sake!

"Miss Granger, I would never hit you, if that's what you thought I was going to do," he told her quietly, though keeping his distance.

After a few minutes, she was calm enough to continue back to the castle. Severus couldn't help wondering what had made her think he was going to hit her. She had obviously been hit before. But by _who_?


	2. First Suspicions

Disclaimer: Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich? Mine. Harry Potter books? Not mine.

Draco Malfoy was standing outside Hermione's quarters when she and Snape appeared at the far end of the corridor. When he saw her reddened eyes, his own narrowed in suspicion. What was _Snape_ doing with her? Surly he couldn't have...

"I believe you can take it from here, Miss Granger?" he heard Snape say when they neared the room. She nodded and he then turned his back on the two and swept off.

Draco confronted her.

"What were you doing with him?" he asked in a sharper tone than he had intended.

"What—Oh—I was outside and I got into a little bit of—trouble," she replied.

"What kind of trouble?"

"I—er—was attacked by a—by a werewolf."

"Did it bite you?" Draco cried.

"Only after I used the Animagi Charm."

He let out a breath. "Okay—for a second there I thought that you were gonna wind up like that monster that we call our teacher."

"Professor Lupin is _not_ a monster!" she spat angrily.

He snorted. "Oh—excuse me—that _creature_ then." He grinned unpleasantly.

"_He is not a creature! He is a human being!_"

"Who is a human being?" came a slightly hoarse voice behind them. Remus Lupin was peering at them over his clipboard and quill.

"Oh—We were just—talking about—Harry Potter, _Professor_," Draco answered quickly but choppily. He glanced at Hermione out of the corner of his eye.

Remus gave him an '_I don't believe you'_ look.

"Please sir," Hermione began softly. "But is it really any of your business what we were talking about?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Oh...so it's something I shouldn't know about then, correct?" He caught her eye briefly.

"Not necessarily something you _shouldn't_ know..." she continued, her face reddening slightly. "More so, it's something you don't _need_ to know."

His eyes flicked to Draco, who was fidgeting ever so slightly.

After a moment, he nodded to them and walked past without another word on the subject. As soon as he was out of earshot, Draco sniggered.

"Monster," he muttered.

That was it. Hermione's right fist smashed into Draco's face as hard as she could convince it to do so. He spun around and fell to the ground. Glaring up at her, he wiped the blood from his nose.

"You will _not_ talk about Remus Lupin that way!" she screamed, furious. "He is a good, respectable man and you should listen to him sometime!" She charmed her door open and stormed inside.

By the time she came out, Draco had gone. She had changed her robes and brushed her hair again. She then walked down the hallway towards the Great Hall for breakfast. When she entered, she saw her friends Ron Weasley and Harry Potter beckoning her over to them. She sat down next to Ron.

"Hey 'Mione!" he greeted cheerfully. "I feel like I haven't seen you in _ages_!"

Hermione didn't say anything, but she did smile halfheartedly. She was watching Harry. He kept glancing at her and giving her odd smiles. It was quite unnerving.

"Why don't you sit over here 'Mione?" he asked, motioning to the seat beside him.

"Here—I'll switch with you 'Mione," Ron said, getting up. He pushed Hermione into the middle seat with amazing strength. Harry smiled at her again. After Dumbledore had said his good morning, food appeared on the golden plates lining the tables. As she began to eat, she realized that she was hungrier than she would have thought she was.

She felt an arm wrap around her waist cautiously.

"What's the matter 'Mione?" It was Harry's arm. He looked at her in a concerned way.

"Harry—I'm trying to eat," she muttered to him softly.

Up at the staff table, Remus Lupin was talking to Minerva McGonagall when he caught Hermione squirming uncomfortably in Harry's touch. He paused for the shortest amount of time, before continuing his conversation. He didn't want to alert Minerva to his sudden and probably incorrect suspicions.

When he was done talking however, his eyes wandered back over to where Hermione was still clearly trying to escape from Harry's arm. Suddenly, he found that he had rested his gaze on her own. She immediately stopped wriggling. His eyes were questioning.

Abruptly, she clutched at her stomach, pulled herself from Harry's grip and rushed out of the Great Hall. Remus watched her with slightly widened eyes; the only people who seemed to have noticed were Harry, Ron and Seamus Finnigan. None of them bothered to go after her. Remus excused himself from the Staff table and went after her.

Once in the hallway, he looked both ways but saw no sign of the girl.

"Hermione!" he called, hoping for a response. The only response he got was a series of soft thumping noises. Instinctively, he ran towards the sound. He found himself at the stairs. At the bottom lay Hermione. She was half on the staircase and half off of it.

He started down, only to feel the staircase shudder and begin to move. In shocked realization, he saw the unconscious form of his student begin to slip as the stairs pulled away from her. If he didn't get to her, she would fall.

"Dammit!" he cried as he dashed down the stairs. He leapt the space between the floor and stairs and snatched Hermione by the arm and pulled her to safety. After he had caught his breath, he removed his wand from his pocket and cast a waking charm upon her. He eyes fluttered open and when she saw him, she scurried backward quickly, startled.

Remus did not let go of her arm right away, as if he had, she would have gone over the edge anyway. When she had relaxed some however, he did let go. Without warning, she turned away from him and vomited. Remus flicked his wand and cleaned it up.

"Are you feeling any better now?" he asked, chuckling slightly.

Hermione shot him a repulsive glare at his words. She started to speak, but vomited again. Again, Remus flicked his wand to clean it up.

"Your stomach must not have liked something that was in this morning's breakfast." She gave him the same hating glare. "What's wrong Hermione?" he asked, his voice becoming softer and more serious.

"Nothing," she replied, a bit too forcefully.

"I saw you at your table today," he said sternly. "Would you care to explain to me why Harry had his arm around you when you were clearly trying to avoid it?"

His blue-brown eyes searched her own.

"I—I told him I was feeling sick..." she began. "So he was trying to comfort me, but I didn't want to tell him he was making it worse—so I just wiggled around I guess." She prayed he'd buy it.

"Don't lie to me Hermione."

Darn.

Thinking quickly, she replied, "You have no right to know anything about me."

Remus eyed her with a considering look.

"Maybe you're right," he said after a moment.

Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"However—_if_ it involves the safety of one of my students, I _do_ in fact have the right to know."

"What makes you think it involves my safety?"

"The look in your eyes as I said that."

She immediately averted her eyes from his own.


End file.

Harry Potter, Angst, Romance