Chapter Text
"You can’t be serious! We can’t go in there! Students aren’t allowed. And there are… Werewolves in there.” Malfoy said. That didn’t stop Hagrid though. None of the back and forth between Hagrid and Malloy stopped them from entering the Forbidden Forest. Harry, Ron, and Hermione didn’t argue against Hagrid, they trusted him even if they really didn’t want to go in the forest. Splitting into groups they entered the forest. Malfoy and fang with Harry, Ron and Hermione with Hagrid. After a while of searching they heard screaming from Malfoy and Hagrid left the pair to go find him and Harry.
”What if he forgets where we are?” It wasn’t Ron’s first complaint but it was the most reasonable one yet. “Even if he does, it’s not like we know the way back without him. We should just wait here.” Ron scoffed, “You just don’t want to disobey a teacher.” Hermione rolled her eyes, “Hagrid isn’t a teacher Ronald. He’s the Grounds Keeper.”
Before Ron could respond a low growl resonated through the Forrest. “What was that?” Ron squeaked more than said. Hermione drew her wand, “Lumos”. A small light lit the end of her wand. She turned in a slow circle shinning her light in each direction trying to find the source of the growl. Ron pulled his wand but made no effort to cast any spells.
”Do you think it was just passing by? Whatever it was.” She kept looking out into the forest and nearly kept going when her light reflected off a pair of eyes. She swung back in the direction of the eyes. Whatever it was started to move towards them. “Ron red sparks! Send up the sparks now!” Ron whimpered as the approaching beast came into full view. A werewolf. Malfoy was right.
”Ron! Sparks!” Hermione kept her wand trained towards the werewolf. Finally, Ron responded and sent up sparks. As the red flashed the werewolf lunged straight at Hermione knocking them both to the ground. Ron’s head smacked a tree root knocking him out cold as the wolf sank its teeth into Hermione’s shoulder. “Aaahhhhhh!” Hermione’s hand still gripped her wand and just as the wolf released her shoulder to move its teeth to her throat her fear manifested in accidental magic blasting out of her wand and throwing the werewolf away from her. The wolf began approaching her again but Hermione’s vision began to swim. She raised her shaking wand arm. The wolf stalked forward none the less. As it got closer it swiped with its paw, claws slicing into her arm and wand being knocked away as a second scream tore through her throat.
”Hermione! Ron! Where are you?” Harry shouted. They were close. The wolf turned it’s head towards the direction of Harry's voice. A growl slipped from it. It looked down to Hermione again just as Hagrid’s voice bellowed out, “Where are you two? Send up the sparks again.” Hermione’s vision swam once more as she bled on the forest floor.
“Mmmarrrgh!” Ron’s voice sounded from just behind her right before he began to scream. Ron’s screams were the last thing she heard before the blood loss dragged her under and she closed her eyes.
———
Hermione woke in the hospital wing the next morning alone. Madam Pomfrey told her the injuries could’ve been from claws or teeth. Hermione’s memories of what happened were foggy in the aftermath. Ron’s description of the attack changed every time he told the story. Hermione told what she could recall but when Hagrid arrived she was out cold and Ron was awake and so it was him that Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore listened to. Both were told not to talk about the incident with anyone who wasn’t at the detention or a teacher. After a week and a half Hermione was released.
During Hermione’s stay in the hospital she became more and more frustrated with Ron’s awful note taking and relied solely on Harry’s notes. Hermione and Ron bickered about penmanship and being a studious student. Even after Hermione was released they continued to bicker. As it got closer to Christmas break the bickering became yelling matches. Hermione seemed to get more short tempered by the day, and everyone already knew Ron's temper was short. The day before Christmas break the fighting grew so bad Hermione decided she wouldn’t stay at the castle for the holiday after all. Without telling anyone she packed her things and in the morning she walked to the train with the others.
It wasn’t uncommon for Hermione to skip meals in the great hall if she was studying so it wasn’t until two days after the train left that Dumbledore approached Harry and Ron during lunch to ask about Hermione and found that she hadn’t been heard from since their fight the night before everyone left the castle. Dumbledore rushed from the great hall and to the hospital wing where he went over everything with Madam Pomfrey and McGonagall before leaving the castle.
He arrived at the Granger’s home just after the full moon rose. A growl and two screaming voices could be heard inside. Dumbledore blasted open the door and immobilized the werewolf. He sent a patronous back to Hogwarts to tell the 2 witches it was as they feared. Hermione had turned. While he waited for the sun to rise he spoke to Hermione’s parents and wrote a letter to an old friend. He sent off the letter just before sun up.
When the light broke Hermione once again became herself. Madam Pomfrey and McGonagall arrived to care for the girl. They took her to her room while Dumbledore spoke one last time to her parents. Then he waited for his old friend to come.