Cursed Wolf II

Chapter 2 Hunted


Hermione fell as the world continued to spin, landing at the edge of the woods just down the path from her grandmother’s house. She sat there on the ground, fighting back tears; she didn’t even get to kiss Harry goodbye.
Opening the locket she called,
“Harry, Harry!”
A moment later she heard his voice,
“Hermione. It’s alright I hear you. Sorry, I just wanted to kiss you before you left.” Harry said.

“Me too.” Hermione said with tears in her eyes.
Just then Hermione heard something in the woods and looked around but saw nothing.
Feeling a little nervous Hermione said,
“Harry, I’m going to my grandmother’s now to get my things, talk to my parents, and see if I can calm things down by tonight. I’ll talk to you later.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Walking down the familiar path, Marcus jumped out from behind a tree, “Hermione, Oh my God, I’ve been … well we’ve been searching everywhere for you,” he gave her a huge hug and then holding her by the shoulders gently pushed her away to look at her face and body,” Are you alright? Are you hurt?” he asked.
“I’m fine, Marcus.” Hermione said, “I’m on my way home now, but thanks for your concern,” she patted the hand that was still on her shoulder and drew away from him.
Hermione began to run towards the house with Marcus right behind her shouting,
“Hermione, wait!”
She got to the broken gate and pushed it open.
“Mom!…. Dad ! Grams…!I’m back,” she called.
The kitchen door flew open and Hermione’s dad came running out,
“Hermione?”
Marcus came up behind her and said,
“Look who I found in the woods.”

Hermione turned to Marcus and said, “I was on my way home. I know these woods, I haven’t gotten lost yet.”
“Hermione!” Her father said giving her a big hug, her mother and grandmother following Hermione’s dad with big hugs.
They ushered her inside and sat her down.

“Hermione are you all right? He didn’t hurt you did he? How did you get away?” they all started to ask questions.
“Wait…! “ Hermione yelled, “ One question at a time, now. I’m fine. I’m not hurt. I’ve come home to tell you to call off your search. I’m perfectly safe. I was with Harry….”
“Perfectly safe?” Marcus shouted, “That thing tried to kill your parents,” he walked up to Hermione and pulled down her dress to show Harry’s marks on her,
“Look what he’s done to her … perfectly safe my arse.” Hermione’s father looked at the scratches and love bite Harry left on Hermione’s neck and shoulders.
“My God what did he do to you, beat you?” he asked.
“No Dad! He.. he … he loves me,” closing her eyes thinking ‘ they are going to think the worst they going to think he beats me and brainwashed me.”
“Loves you? How? By abusing you? By kidnapping you. Taking you away from your friends and family? Has he sexually attacked you?” Marcus asked.
“No, I went willingly. I wanted to go with him. I love him. I only came back to tell you not worry about me, that I’m fine.”
They all looked at her as though she were mad.

“Look, I’m fine. Harry didn’t kidnap me … we … we” she began. She was going to tell them about the wedding but with the expression they had on their faces Hermione didn’t dare.

“Yes…?” her grandmother said waiting for her to finish what she was saying.
Hermione suddenly felt very tired and just wanted to go to bed.

“I’m tired. I’m going to bed,” Hermione said angrily.
She walked up the stairs to her bedroom.
Once upstairs she pulled out her suitcase and started to pack her things up: the books Harry brought her, clothes, and money. There was a knock at the door and Hermione looked up. Her father was leaning against the doorframe arms folded across his chest,
“I thought you were going to take a nap.”

“Me too, but I’m just getting my things together. I’m going back dad,” she said softly, “Harry and I are getting married. I don’t belong here. I’m considered a freak here. I’ve known all my life I was different. Harry’s like me, I need him and he loves me.”

Her father looked at her sadly, “Why don’t we talk some more downstairs when you’re ready.”
Hermione packed all her things and then went downstairs to the kitchen. Entering she saw her father, mother and grandmother, sitting down Hermione started,
“Mom, Dad, Grams, I’m going back ... to live with Harry, we’re getting married at the end of the summer, beginning of fall. I want you to come and be happy for me... for us. Harry is wonderful.”

“Was he… that wolf that tried to kill us?” her father asked.

“Yes ... but it’s hard to explain. He was coming after me… well there‘s this thing… a curse. Well that part is over … that was only for one night,…” she looked at all of them.
Her parents looked at each other and then at her grandmother, her mother asked,
“Hermione are you sure you know what you are doing? Are you sure this is what you want? Your father and I have talked about it and we decided not to … send you to a hospital … as long as you’re not a danger to yourself or to anyone else.”

“Harry is teaching me how to control my powers and it’s working,” Hermione confided in them.

“Marcus said that Harry is a troublemaker. Always has been and always will be,” her father said aloud, “Marcus is the one who started the search party for you Hermione. He was walking all of last night in the woods looking for you. I think he has a little crush on you.”

“Marcus has got it all wrong, Harry’s not a troublemaker, and he’s good and kind. And if you don’t want to come to the wedding say it now, or if you need some more time think it over fine, but I’m going home tonight.” Standing, she started to go for the stairs.

“Hermione wait! This is a bit much to take in all at once you know. We thought you were kidnapped and now we find out you went with him well…let us catch up. Maybe we should have a talk with Harry.” Hermione’s mother suggested but the expression and weird tone in her mother voice made Hermione think it was a trap, perhaps to catch Harry and land him in jail. Her father nodded at the idea in a strange way.

“Maybe…” Hermione said with great reservation.

“Perhaps you should talk to someone about this with someone your own age who can give you their thoughts on it.” Hermione mother said.

“That might be a good idea.” Hermione agreed.
Hermione mother pulled out the phone book to look up wedding dresses and place to get married and where to have the reception,
“Well if you’re getting married you should start looking for things now.” Hermione’s mom said.

“She’s too young to get married!” Her father barked.
Hermione’s mother stared at her husband, “I don’t want to lose my daughter if she has decided to marry Harry. I’ll help with the arrangements. I want her to come back and visit.”

“I was hoping you guys would take this better but I knew it was going to be hard.” Hermione admitted.
All afternoon her mother looked at books for wedding gowns and looked for places to have the wedding all the while Hermione felt as thought her mother was only humoring her as though given enough time she would come to her senses and call off the wedding.
Hermione grandmother was putting dinner on the table in the dining room and they all sat down to eat. Her parents were still acting strange through dinner. After dinner Hermione went to her room and got her suitcase. Her father called her down to the kitchen. Marcus was there with some flowers in hand with a silly grin on his face.

“Hello, Marcus, what bring you here?” Hermione asked.
Marcus blushed a little as he stumbled over a few words and finally found his voice,

“Good evening, Hermione I was wondering if you would like to go for a walk and maybe talk?”
Hermione saw that he was trying to be nice and her father was watching her like a hawk.

“Sure let’s go for a walk.” Hermione agreed.
Her father stepped forward and said, “There are shooting stars tonight. I can drive you to other side of the hills away from the town lights so you can see them better.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hermione found herself in her grandmother’s carriage listening to Marcus and her father talk about how young Hermione was and how she should go to school and travel before setting down.
In the middle of the conversation Marcus remarked,
“Well there are exception to the rule about getting married early in life,” he looked at Hermione with a dreamy expression, “ Sometime you just know when you’ve found the right person to spend the rest of you life with and you want the life to start as soon as possible.”
Hermione father coughed and looked at Marcus with an expression that said, ‘You’re not helping.’
“Well, those are very rare cases,” her father added as he pulled into the parking lot. The sunlight was still visible when Marcus helped Hermione out of the carriage and her father said,
“I’ll come pick you up around 11:00 or 12:00. You just give me a call.”
Hermione excused herself and went into the girl’s bathroom and opened up the locket, “Harry?”

“Hermione, how did it go?” Harry voice came from the locket.
“Not so good but it could it been worse. I don’t think they will send me to the hospital. Mom is afraid I’ll leave and never come back. I think they just need some more time,” she said sadly.

“They’ll come around, especially when their grandchild are involved,” Harry commented.

“I’ve packed my things and I’ll be on my way home after I get home and I say goodbye to mom and dad.”

“Where are you now?”

“The park. Dad dropped us off here so we can look at the shooting stars. I’ll call him later to pick us up, then I’ll soon be home with you.”

“Who are you there with?”

“Marcus. Mom and Dad wanted me to talk to someone my own age.”

“Hermione… stay near people, don’t let him take you to an isolated place….” Harry started to say in alarmed voice but there was a knock on the door and Hermione got nervous and closed the locket.

“Hermione, are you alright?” Marcus voice came from the doorway.

“Yeah, coming.”

“Here, I got you a bottle of tea to help you relax tonight.”
They went up the hill and sat at a picnic table with some of the other stargazers.
Marcus drank down his drink and then left to go to the bathroom. Hermione was looking up and dosing off. She hadn’t had much sleep that morning and was physical and emotional drained. When Marcus returned he suggested they go up the hill for a better view; she agreed yawning.
They climbed for what seem like hours and then Marcus stopped.

“Here this looks good.”
But Hermione looked around saw all trees and not sky to see the fall stars.

“Marcus there not sky visible here.”
“We’re not going to look for fall stars,” he said walking up to her, “Feeling tired?”

“Yes” Hermione replied.

“Harry told you about the curse? But did he tell you that sometimes when two boys fancy the same girl, the one who kissed her first still has the right to win her heart?” Marcus questioned her.

“No. He didn’t say anything like that.” Hermione replied.
Marcus smiled and laughed walking away from her then quickly turned, marched back and struck Hermione across the face, knocking her down to the ground.

“The sleeping pill I put into your tea should be working right about now. You’ll have less fight in you when I catch and fuck you,” Marcus said as gently helped Hermione up on to her feet.

“What?” Hermione asked, still dazed from the hit; she stood up and started to back away. Hermione thought ‘the portkey!’ She pulled out the locket and opened both sides.
Marcus tugged it out of her hand and breaking the chain put it on a boulder, he picked up a rock and held it over the locket.
Hermione grabbed for the locket but the rock hit the locket as Hermione cried out, “No Marcus stop. Harry…”
There was as flash and the locket was in three pieces.

“Why? Why did you do that?” Hermione asked, tears welling in her eyes standing there dumbfounded.

“I don’t want you escaping ...or trying to escape yet. It’s my turn now.” Marcus said stroking her cheek.
He looked different, his eyes looked wild and cold and his voice was lower, his face looked darker.
And then he did something that made her heart stop.
Marcus smiled at Hermione as though she was prey and was an animal on the hunt; he whispered, breathing out in her ear very softly,
“Run!”
Hermione pulled away, stared at him in shock.

“No, no, no.” she said shaking her head not believing what she heard.

Marcus began to crouch down slowly transforming. Hermione turned and started running down the hill but she kept tripping and falling. Marcus ran past her and turned around running back at her. Hermione knew she couldn’t run so she climbed the nearest tree. After what seemed like an eternity Marcus walked away from the tree. Hermione ran down the hill in the dark with no lights. Somehow she just kept going, running down the hill and looking for lights to houses or the park.
The pills made Hermione lethargic, she had a hard time thinking where she was going and what to do next. She heard a dog howling or was it Marcus. Which way was home or to the village. She had to think. What did she do just a few nights ago? She had a wand. Looking on the ground here and there Hermione looked for a straight piece of wood.
Hermione heard something behind her and saw the wolf changing. He ran past her, nudging her and making her fall to the ground. Again and again the wolf ran past her knocking her down and running over her.
Hermione looked for the stick and tried a stunning spell but her head was all mess up with the sleeping pill and the world kept moving and swirling around. Hermione got to her feet, pointing the stick out in defense but the wolf had vanished.

She started making her way down the hill to the park where they had sat at the picnic table and she heard something behind her. She turned and there was a grey wolf stalking her. With all her might Hermione concentrated pointing the wand at the wolf and said, “Stupify.”
The wolf was catapulted in to the air and landed hard.

The pill was taking its full effect Hermione couldn’t move and she felt sick to her stomach and slumped to the ground.
When she opened her eyes she saw the wolf shaking his head waking up. She got to her feet as fast as she could but it wasn’t fast enough, his teeth were at her throat the next moment as she was kneeling. He growled and she held her breath. Hermione felt the wolf’s teeth puncture her skin and felt the warm fluid trickle down her neck. Hermione felt faint for a few moments. The wolf slowly eased back on his hold on her and his heavy paw pushed her down to the ground.
She remembered not to look in the wolf’s eyes or face.
A half-human hand held Hermione by the throat. He was squatting over her with a victorious expressio in his face. She could smell the half-human/half-animal, as his hairy naked body came closer, sweat dripping off him and onto her. Hermione struggled to stay conscious thinking of how to stop this attack. Her sight came back to her after few minutes as her mind started working again.
Hermione held her wand in her hand and concentrated, ‘just hit him in the face or side of the head,’ she thought and with three deep breaths she shoved the stick into the transforming Marcus’s throat making him fall back and off of Hermione.
She got to her feet and started for the path, but the wolf grabbed her foot with his mouth and sunk in teeth into her flesh, making Hermione scream out in pain. Once more the wolf started to transform half-man, half-wolf holding her down. Hermione tried pushing him off and but only angered him, he growled. The creature’s paw like hand slid its way up Hermione’s crotch. She started kicking and screaming,
“ No leave me alone.”

Suddenly there was a blur and the creature was off of her. She heard a commotion a few yards away from her. With fuzzy eyes Hermione saw two wolves rolling around on the ground.

“Hermione!” she heard her father call out. She looked around and saw him running up hill towards her.
Hermione glanced back at the wolves fighting. There was growling and snarling coming from both wolves. There was a high pitch yelp as they went at each other. Then there was a silence for a moment and then it all started again as the wolves fought each other diving spinning and jumping at one another, one or both were bleeding.
Hermione’s father was next to her now and taking off he shirt and cleaning off the blood that ran down Hermione’s neck and shoulders. The wolves parted for a moment and the grey one limped away looking like it was beaten. But in a flash ran past the black wolf and straight for Hermione’s throat.
The black wolf jumped on the grey, digging his teeth into its flesh. There was another yelp and the grey wolf fell still on Hermione’s legs, a small puddle of blood pool next to her from the silenced animal.
Hermione pushed it off of her. The black wolf growled. Hermione looked over and saw Marcus lying on the ground naked with bite marks here and there. The black wolf sat next to
Hermione crying and licking her ankle and heel. Hermione’s father tried to help Hermione to her feet but the wolf growled at him showing his teeth.
“Harry, please!” Hermione pleaded.
The growling stopped.
“No, Hermione, I understand. He doesn’t want me to move you.” her father said.
Harry was sitting beside Hermione the next moment. He too was naked and had bite marks here and there.
“Harry,” Hermione said as she leaned in to kiss him and then they embraced one another,
“How did you find me?” she asked Harry.
“Your father told me you were here. I heard you cry out from the locket and knew you were in trouble. I tried to tell you to stay with a crowd when you’re with Marcus. I was afraid he might try something, but I don’t think he’d try to take you for himself. He’s always hated me for some reason and wanted what I had.”
“What’s that?” Hermione posed.
“Right now? You…and your power, he’s not a powerful wizard, hardly any magic at all. He knew I was coming for you. But when he realized you were a witch, he wanted you even more,”
Harry said looking at her at her ankle.
“He was banished from our village in the wizarding world over a year ago for getting into fights and stealing. He’s getting too dangerous, the ministry will have to deal with him now.”

Harry reached his hand out and said,
“Accio wand.” and his wand flew in to his hand.
“Accio clothes” and his clothes fell at his feet.

Harry pointed his wand at Marcus and did a binding spell.
Harry dressed and he and Hermione’s dad helped Hermione down the hill to the carriage. Harry got a blanket out of the back and went back up the hill. A few minutes later there were a bright light coming from the park.
Harry came down the hill looking tired and he got into the carriage. He put his arm around Hermione and kissed her passionately and with out restraint.
Her father coughed loudly. Harry broke the kiss and turned to Mr. Granger,
“Mr. Granger, I haven’t seen your daughter all day. I’ve missed her more than you could even know. It’s been strain on me and I need to bond with her. Showing her affection and getting it from her is the key.”

“Well can you just hold hands for now?” Mr. Granger asked.

“Harry.” Hermione whispered looking at him, “Let’s wait until we’re alone.” But Harry eyes showed his need to love her.

“I need you. I’ve needed you all day,” Harry said kissing her neck where it wasn’t bleeding.

“I asked you to stop.” Mr. Granger said angrily.

“I think I have the right to kiss her. I saved her from the young man you wanted her to date. He was going to rape your daughter if we hadn’t gotten there and it looks like he was
going to rip her throat out.”

It was then Hermione noticed that her neck hurt a lot, “ Eh…Harry, my neck.”
Harry looked under the shirt that was covering her wound.
Harry let out a labored troubled breath he looked at Hermione, “It’s deep bite. Is it worse than mine?” he asked.
She nodded.

“Bastard! I should have killed him.” Harry said angrily.

“Why. What is it?”

“His way was more violent, rape rather than seduccion. He bit you deeper than I did.”

“Am I going to die?” Hermione asked.

“No, but if he howls in his wolf form, you’ll want to go to him”?“Like hell I will.”

“He’s cursed you, contaminated you. Everything you think and know will fade away and all you’ll want to do is go to him. But you have to fight it or you will end up fighting me. And
if you end up going to him he will hurt you, he may even kill you and you’ll beg him to do it.