“Are you alright, Harry? You’ve been getting distracted more recently…” Hermione said, trailing off at the end.

“Yes, I’m fine Hermione,” Harry said trying to keep quiet in the Hogwarts library, “I just have a lot on my mind right now. I’m sure I will feel better tomorrow. What was your question?”

“Oh! Well, uhm. I was wondering if you wanted to help me study for Defense against the Dark Arts? Lupin is sick again, so I wasn’t able to ask him any questions about things. That substitute from the ministry knows hardly anything that isn’t directly in his lecture notes.”

“Sure,” Harry said, “By the way how is your… friend? Did you see him over Christmas?”

“Oh, yes,” Hermione said, “He’s doing well, he really appreciates the money you are paying him to feed… your friend down below. He likes his job working the counter at the enchanting shop, but they don’t pay him as much as they should.”

“That’s not good,” Harry said, “I’m glad I can help him, helping him is like helping you after all.”

“I… well, I suppose. I do feel a little bad how highly he thinks of me,” Hermione said, “I mean I did all of that over a year ago, I haven’t done anything for him since then. All he has done is help me over and over since then without considering what he wants for himself.”

“He’s spending Christmas with you and your family,” Harry pointed out, “That’s worth more than you would think. It was like a whole different world when I had it with Alice, Frank, and Neville versus at the Dursleys. I’m sure he feels much the same about the Malfoys.”

“I suppose. I didn’t think about it like that,” Hermione said thoughtfully, “It is good you are getting along so well with Neville’s parents. Your birthday was truly something else.”

“Yes…” Harry said nostalgically, “That was the best day of my life.”

— — —

Harry crept up to his shared room with Neville and Ron, cage in one hand and wand in the other. It was midnight so everyone should be asleep. Even Peter. Harry carefully opened the door and shut it behind him. There was a squeak and some scurrying in the dark room, but Harry had already cast a darkvision spell, so he could see the room perfectly clearly.

The darkvision spell was very difficult and didn’t last for more than a few minutes at a time, but it was enough for this. Harry saw Peter running to the corner of the room towards the closet. Harry lifted the cage with the open door and pointed his wand. ‘Accio Peter,’ he cast silently and the rat shot through the air with a surprised squeak. Harry shifted the cage so Peter went inside and slammed shut the door of the cage with a clatter. He cast a final spell that locked the cage tight so Peter couldn’t wriggle out.

Harry glanced around and saw that Neville and Ron had shifted slightly in their sleep. But after waiting a few seconds neither of them moved despite the rat cries of Peter in the cage. Harry went back to the door and walked back down to the common room. There was a flicker of movement from the stairs from the girl’s corridor and Harry twisted to look in there. It was Hermione, and seeing Harry staring directly at her, she emerged from the girls corridor into the common room dressed in her school robes.

“Harry? What are you doing with Ron’s rat there?” She asked.

Peter started furiously scratching at the cage and squeaking as he noticed Hermione’s attention on him, but Harry ignored him.

“I have to check on something,” Harry said, “But I had to make sure before I told anyone.”

“Check what, Harry? You’ve been acting strange lately, does this have something to do with that?” She replied.

Harry debated what he should do for a moment, but decided there was no reason to hold back now that Peter was trapped.

“I’ll tell you in a second, Hermione.”

Harry lifted the cage up to his face so he and the panicking rat were at eye level.

“Peter Pettigrew…”

The rat froze as if paralyzed as it met his gaze and started trembling,

“This cage is enchanted,” Harry said softly in English, “If you transform back into a human then your body will remain in this little cage, no matter how many bones it has to break to do so. If you behave then this might not end with me eating you.”

Peter scurried to the other corner of the cage. He had seen Harry transform into his soul eater form, he knew what Harry's threat was referring to.

Harry lowered the cage with the now silent rat.

“What did you say to Scabbers, Harry?” Hermione asked, eying Harry suspiciously, “He looks terrified.”

“He should be,” Harry replied, “So it all started when Fred and George ambushed me when I was leaving the Chamber. They had a very interesting map with them…”

— — —

“…So I couldn’t tell you or any of the others until I had captured him. I’m sorry. I’m going to the shrieking shack now to ask Peter for answers,” Harry said, finishing his story.

Hermione came forward and leaned in to inspect Peter in the cage.

“Are you sure, Harry?” Hermione said, “He looks like a normal rat to me. The missing toe is definitely weird, as well as the name on the map. But there are plenty of intelligent animals out there. And who knows how that map thing works, it may just be a mistake. How would you even talk to him anyway? If what you say is true you can’t let him out of that cage or he would transform and be dangerous to you.”

“I’m sure, Hermione,” he replied, “Remember when Ron and Neville said I could talk to the Basilisk and Fawkes in the chamber? It works with all creatures. I can talk to him even while he’s a rat, I can feel it. I’m taking him to the shrieking shack right now to do it, I don’t want Fred and George snooping in at the wrong moment.”

“Well…” Hermione puffed up and got a defiant look, “I’m coming with you! You can’t go out there alone!”

“You really shouldn’t, more of us make it more likely to be caught and…”

“Harry Potter!” Hermione said sternly, “I’m not letting you run off by yourself again and getting hurt! I’m definitely coming with you. Don’t friends help each other? I get not telling us before, but you can’t just push us away as soon as something important happens!”

“I… well, alright,” Harry said, “But just you. Ron might freak out and try to release Peter, he would make too much noise and get us caught before we learn anything.”

“And Neville?” Hermione asked.

“He’s next to Ron, we can’t risk waking them both up accidentally.”

“Fine!” Hermione said with a little frustration, “Just me, I guess. Let’s go, but we’re telling them about it right in the morning, okay?”

“Alright,” Harry said. He was planning to do that anyway.

Harry walked out into the hallways of Hogwarts cage in hand and Hermione followed close behind him.

— — —

“There it is,” Harry said. The old dilapidated building loomed in front of them bathed in the light of the full moon above them. They had been able to sneak out of the castle easily and had walked for about twenty minutes to reach the shack. Harry handed Hermione Peter’s cage.

“I’ll go first,” he said, “You watch my back with your wandless magic.”

Hermione shifted side to side, but eventually nodded looking nervous as she accepted Peter’s cage from him, “Okay, Harry. But be careful, even ghosts can be dangerous.”

Harry approached the old rotted door and opened it with a flick of his wand. He took a step forward…

"AROOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!"

A massive howl boomed through the inside of the shack. There was a smash of splintering wood from inside and a humanoid form barreled around the corner. Its fingers ended with long serrated claws that it dug into the wall to stabilize itself and redirect its momentum. Its whole body was covered in fur and harry saw saliva dripping from the jaws of its wolf-like head.

“Werewolf!” Hermione screamed, “Harry, get back!”

The werewolf dashed forward, bounding forward on all fours, shattering furniture as it barreled right through the old wood and shattered it without even slowing. Its crazed eyes were fixed on Harry as he backed away and started shifting his wand and began casting.

“Go Hermione, Get out of here!” Harry shouted as he summoned all his anger at the werewolf that would dare try to hurt his friends.

“Discerpens Vinea!” Harry shouted, sending three black vines spearing out of the tip of his wand into the dark hallway, each of them lined with cruel barbs. He instantly calmed himself slightly so he wouldn’t lose himself in anger for the fight. The Werewolf batted one of the vines away with its claws into the wall. The second wrapped around its other arm while the third looped around and sunk into its chest.

“STOP!” Harry howled at the werewolf in its language, “Leave us alone!”

The werewolf tugged its arm back roughly digging the barbs deeper into its hide. Harry stumbled forward slightly but managed to extend the length of the vine in time to counter it. The werewolf, seeing its failure, slashed the extended part of the vine, severing it with one swipe of its claws. Its right arm was covered in dark wounds even as Harry saw his vine dissolving. Harry began commanding the remaining vine to start dragging itself over the werewolf's torso before it could react, opening big rents in its chest before it could react as the hooked barbs ripped themselves roughly. A second later the vine latched on again and began to repeat the process for maximum damage.

The Werewolf’s maddened eyes fixed directly back on Harry even as the vine continued savaging it.

“AROOOOOOOOO!!!!”

‘Kill, kill, Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill,’ It howled.

Ignoring the vine it charged forward even as its dark blood began spilling from its large wounds. Harry tried to shift the vine to trip it, but the werewolf leapt to the side and pushed off the wall in a burst of splinters to avoid the tangle that Harry had created.

Harry continued backing up and tried to create a wall of thorns right in the doorway. Harry glanced to the side and saw Hermione standing there with the cage looking uncertain and hesitant as she tried to look for a way to cast past Harry’s web of vines.

“Hermione, Run! Get out of here before it gets close!” Harry shouted, getting briefly distracted.

“Not without you!” She shouted back.

There was a crack as the werewolf slashed through Harry’s wall of thorns taking advantage of his distraction. The thorns dug deep into its hands until Harry could see the bone in some places, but the werewolf didn’t seem to care. Before Harry could reposition the vines it broke through and leapt onto the porch of the shrieking shack.

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Suddenly it stopped and its head snapped directly to stare at the full moon above it. Harry saw its eyes widen as it stared at it in a trance. Its muscles visibly bulged and the massive wounds that Harry had done to it began to seal over.

“Reducto!” Hermione shouted and the yellow spell launched out of her wand and hit the werewolf in its shoulder. With a crunch of imploding flesh a spray of gore sprayed out from a hole the size of a baseball that Hermione had carved out of it. The werewolf's head snapped away from the moon and directly towards Hermione.

“AWWWOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

‘Kill, kill, Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill,’ It howled again.

“Reducto!” She cast again with a little more panic. It hit the healing werewolf in the chest and more of its blood ran down its chest from the gory wound, but Harry could see that Hermione's first blasting curse was already healing under the light of the full moon. It took a step forward and Harry realized that it was too close now. With the speed it had shown before, it would be on Hermione in seconds.

She would be torn to shreds.

Harry looked at her and met her panicked gaze for a moment before she looked away again to cast another ineffectual blasting curse into the werewolf. A werewolf that had taken another menacing step towards her and started growling deep in the back of its throat. None of Harry's spells would be able to stop it. But Harry had more than spells available to him. Harry threw his wand to the side and began his transformation into his other form. At least Hermione would be safe, even if she hated him afterward.

Her eyes widened, seemingly forgetting the werewolf for a moment as her head started tilting up as Harry’s body twisted and grew. His robes tore into pieces as the world shrank around him. He took a step forward even as the werewolf seemed to have not noticed Harry yet. Harry took another step until he was in its path. It looked up, visibly surprised by Harry’s soul eater form even in the midst of its rage.

“YOU WON’T HURT HER!” Harry shouted as he opened his jaws wide and clamped them down on the Werewolf’s injured shoulder and started shaking his head to drag his layers of sharp teeth through its body. Harry leaned forward and caught the wrist of one of the werewolf’s arms as it went to strike Harry reflexively. The momentum from the werewolf’s charge knocked Harry onto his back even as Harry's jaws remained latched onto its shoulder. It took its free arm and dug its serrated claws deep into Harry’s side, causing him to leak his black blood over the grass.

Hermione was standing somewhere above Harry, scrambling away from him and the fighting werewolf. The werewolf twisted to the side, taking massive damage to remove itself from Harry’s jaws and fling itself to the side. Even as Harry watched the moonlight began to heal its wounds as it stumbled to the side. It lumbered out of sight as Harry held his bleeding ribs and saw it stalking towards a terrified Hermione. Harry leapt forward and opened his jaws as wide as he could and brought the werewolf to the ground. He looked up to Hermione.

“Hermione, Run!” he shouted one last time before bringing his jaws down to bite the werewolf’s partially healed shoulder and begin to tear into it again. They began to wrestle and fight on the ground in fierce combat, Harry versus Werewolf.

— — —

“Hermione, Run!” The terrifying creature shouted in Harry’s voice before its jaws unhinged and bit the werewolf again. The two were rolling around and fighting barely four meters away from her as she kept a tight grip on Peter’s cage. The werewolf plunged its claws into the gray creature's side with its claws over and over as the werewolf howled and snarled.

The creature released its grip on the werewolf's shoulder and let a full throated roar of its own in reply. Its cry shifted something inside her and she felt unsteady as the world seemed to twist around her for a moment before everything snapped back to reality. There was something unearthly about its howl and Hermione felt the corners of her vision twist for a few seconds before the world finally stabilized around her.

The creature was stronger than the werewolf and was doing incredible damage to it, but the werewolf kept fighting with furious swipes, regenerating from its wounds quickly under the light of the full moon. Hermione realized what she had to do, and pointed her wand into the sky.

"Summa Tenebris,” she shouted and a black smog poured out of her wand and billowed out through the area. Hermione was blinded as the smog cut off the full moon above them. The fighting in front of her continued for a minute more before everything went silent again. The werewolf howled again, but this time it was more of a yelp than a challenge. Another world twisting roar from the other creature emanated through the fog in between her and the werewolf. There was another scuffle then the werewolf whined like a dog as she heard it running off on all fours.

Before Hermione could think of what to do, she heard footsteps in front of her in the total darkness she had created. Before she could react a massive hand wrapped around her torso and lifted her off the ground. She screamed in surprise as she was suddenly moving fast out of the dark bank of smog. Somehow she just barely managed to not drop the cage with Peter inside.

She almost panicked and lashed out with her wandless magic, but realized that the hand was only gently squeezing her and wasn’t hurting her at all. It was the gray creature from before that spoke in Harry’s voice. Had it heard him speak before? Had it been watching them?

They traveled out of the darkness and it continued carrying Hermione away from the site of the battle. Its head would occasionally turn to her and even without any eyes, she could tell it was inspecting her as she stared back at it. She was ready to cast her wandless magic on the smallest sign of aggression from it. After running for a minute or two parallel to the forbidden forest at blazing speeds, the creature leaned down and placed her gently back on the ground.

Hermione stumbled a bit as she found her footing again before turning back around as the creature collapsed to the ground on its side, wounds deep in its chest from the Werewolf’s sharp claws. They were weeping black blood as it rolled to its side and started panting heavily. Its head was pointed towards Hermione and its mouth was slightly open as it breathed heavily and held its hands to the worst of the wounds.

Hermione carefully put down Peter’s cage, the rat seemed to have been knocked unconscious from all the motion of him being flung around by her by accident. Hermione cautiously approached, hands held in front of her. She was much more comfortable pushing it away with her wandless magic in an emergency if it tried to attack her.

“You were just trying to help me, right big guy?” Hermione said like she imagined one would talk to a dog, “Save me from that bad werewolf?”

“Her-Hermione…” the creature coughed and black blood trickled from the corners of its lips as it spoke in Harry's voice again. It was uncanny how a human voice could come from a mouth like that.

“Do you know where my friend Harry went?” Hermione asked as the creature continued coughing, “He was right behind you when you appeared. I’m sure he made it, but did you see where he went?”

The creature lifted one of its hands and the black blood spurted more. It put the hand back to staunch the flow.

“M….Me, Hermione. Me,” it said shakily.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know many healing spells, but uhm…” Hermione said as she tried to think of what she could do to stop the bleeding.

“R…Robes. Bandages,” The creature said weakly.

She looked at her robe and the massive creature, “I… I don’t have enough. Even if I sacrificed the whole thing you’re still too big.”

“Cl… Closer. Be ready,” It said. Hermione slowly edged forward as the creature watched her. She came forward until she was nearly touching it and still it did nothing.

“I… Will become smaller, weaker. Bandage me as soon as I… transform. Or I… will die,” the creature managed to say before rounds of coughs.

“What?” Hermione asked, “Transform? But…”

The creature was already shrinking. Hermione could only watch in shock as its skin turned pink and the blood exiting the wounds on its chest shifted from black to red. There laying with clear claw marks still on his chest and heavily breathing was a naked Harry Potter. She rushed forward and ripped a strip off her robe and quickly shoved it in the largest wound as Harry started to pale. She tore another strip and shoved it in another of his bleeding wounds. She was panicking, she didn’t know what else to do!

“Oh my god, oh my god. What do I do? Harry, don’t die on me!” She said in a rush.

“Hermione,” Harry said, instantly drawing her attention, “Flames. Sky. Call for help.”

She stood and pointed her wand into the sky and cast as quickly as she could and sent a roar of flames into the sky hoping that someone would notice.

She tore more strips from the hem of her robe until they now were up to her knees and tried to stop more of the bleeding.

“Hermione,” Harry said weakly and she focused back on his face as he stared intently at her even as his face was pale, “I…I’m sorry I didn’t tell you… I… you didn’t hate me, even when you… didn’t know that I was your friend. I was… afraid. I… I’m sorry. This isn’t your fault. I shouldn’t have brought you with me. All of this is my fault…”

“Shut up, Harry!” Hermione said, “Don’t talk like that, help is coming. You aren’t dying here!”

She pointed her wand in the air and blasted another blast of flames upwards. She was panting heavily now from overusing her magic. She… she had to make the flame spread, really make it something that someone couldn’t ignore!

Hermione turned her wand to the forbidden forest and unleashed the remainder of her magic into one massive burst of flame straight into its depths. She collapsed to the ground utterly spent, but weakly pressed on the bloody strips of her robe she had shoved in Harry’s wounds.

She saw the flame in the forbidden forest catching on the undergrowth and beginning to spread and grow as she struggled to stay awake to keep Harry stable and the cloth plugging his wounds…

— — —

Severus Snape looked up from his patrol and saw that part of the Forbidden forest a ways from the castle was ablaze. He rushed at full speed towards the disturbance as a bad feeling twisted in his gut. As he approached he saw a girl pressing something to the chest of a heavily injured and bleeding naked boy. She was crying, and the light of the flames reflecting off the gleaming streaks running down her cheeks.

Severus swept up and immediately cast healing spells on the boy whose features were shrouded in darkness with only the light of the flames to light up the scene. Severus’ healing spells barely worked and only lowered the bleeding a little rather than fully sealing them like they should.

“What happened, girl? How did he get these wounds?” Severus asked urgently. The girl looked up and Severus was surprised to see that it was the know it all Hermione Granger. What? Did that mean? He whipped his head around and cast a lumos charm casting light on the scene to reveal that the injured Harry Potter below him. In the better lighting Severus could see the wounds were obviously from claws of some type. He turned back to the girl, “Well!” he spat out, “Tell me girl! How was he hurt?”

“Were-Werewolf. Werewolf attacked him. Claws…” She stuttered. Severus looked around warily. Lupin had escaped his bindings and could be roaming around here somewhere? The boy must have dodged most of Lupins strikes, the wounds Harry Potter had were serious but nowhere large enough to explain a full force swipe of a werewolf striking the boy.

“Get up, girl,” Severus said, “We have to get out of here before the beast returns. I can only stabilize him for now, we must get him to the hospital wing.”

“Oh…Ohkay Prof… Snape,” She said before stumbling to her feet and walking the wrong direction.

“Girl! Where are you going!” Snape barked as he levitated the unconscious Harry off the ground, but she ignored him and leaned down to pick up a silver cage with a rat inside.

“This is no time for your moronic pets, we have to go!” Severus said bitingly. This idiotic child was risking all of their lives for some moronic animal she would forget about in a few years anyway!

She turned around and walked back to them, stumbling a little as she did so. Severus noted that her eyes were a little unfocused and she looked absolutely exhausted. Magic overuse perhaps?

“It is… important. Just don’t let Peter out of the cage. Bad… animagus,” she said, shocking Severus to the core. He almost started demanding answers from her right there as he stared at the unconscious rat in the cage. But Harry Potter was still bleeding out. Very slowly now that Severus had cast his spells on him, but still slowly dying. Severus noted that the girl had used the hems of her robe to form the makeshift bandages for the boy. At least she had at least one good idea in a real world emergency.

“Very well, bring the cage,” Severus allowed, “But hurry your pace. Both of you need to be at the hospital wing as soon as possible.”

He pointed his wand in the air and sent a flare emergency spell into the sky. He was the only one on patrol right now, but there was a chance that others might see and come to assist. Severus was slowed by having to monitor the girl and slow to her pace as they went. He could not leave her yet as it was unknown if the werewolf was lurking somewhere waiting to pounce.

When they were half way back to the castle, Severus launched another flare. In a twisting of displaced air, McGonagall appeared in front of them. She gasped as she saw the naked Harry Potter covered in blood.

“Werewolf wounds,” Severus said quickly, “I can only stabilize him for now. Someone needs to check the girl too.”

“I’ll apparate him,” McGongall said seriously. She stepped forward and put her arms below Harry’s floating form and Severus cut off his spell. As soon as Harry Potter was secure in her arms she disappeared again in a crack of displaced air.

Severus turned to the girl next who looked relieved and was swaying slightly on her feet as the willpower that kept her standing seemed to start to fade.

“Give me the cage, girl,” Severus said, “You are leaving next.”

“Don’t… no… don’t let him out. That’s what Harry… don’t let him out. Peter Pettigrew. Sirius Black. Supposed to be dead…” She muttered while clutching the cage to her chest as if Severus would rip it from her arms. He was almost tempted to.

“Yes, yes. Hand it over, I promise to not release the rat,” he said impatiently.

She reluctantly held it out after a moment and Severus swiped it away before she could change her mind. After another minute, McGonagall returned and apparated away again after retrieving Hermione. Severus stood there on the Hogwarts lawn for a long while, ten or fifteen minutes at least before McGonagall returned looking conflicted.

“Madame Pomfrey has stopped the bleeding and given him a blood replenishing potion,” she said, “But it is unknown if the wounds are enough for him to be… infected.”

“So he is stable then?” Severus asked.

“Yes,” she answered, “for now. Why are carrying a cage with a rat inside?”

“Hermione Granger said the most interesting thing to me before she handed it over," Severus said seriously, "She claims that this rat in it is… Peter Pettigrew. I have already checked, and this rat is indeed an animagus. She might be right.”

McGonagall stared at him in shock, then down to the cage. “Peter Pettigrew…” she whispered.

“Is it not time to call the ministry?” Severus asked.

McGonagall nodded, but then hesitated for a moment, “Severus, you are aware how it looks…”

“Yes, yes,” Severus said waving his hand, “I’m sure many will build a conspiracy on how this is all my doing. I assure you I had nothing to do with this. If anything I would worry about Lupin after this. Plus, if this is indeed Peter Pettigrew in here then they will have bigger things to worry about. Go, contact them before you draw suspicion as well.”

She nodded firmly, “Stay right here. Make sure you don’t hand that cage to anyone. Go with the ministry Aurors, but don’t let it out of your sight no matter what. Peter Pettigrew… We have to know what he knows.”

Snape inclined his head slightly, “Understood. Headmistress.”

“I’ll be off then,” she replied before she disappeared in one final crack of displaced air.