Werewolf in Disguise

Hermione suddenly found herself outside by the lake. As she looked around, she saw the very shocked faces of four young boys about her age. She thought she might recognize them, but no names came to mind.

“Excuse me miss, are you okay? Do you need some help?” asked a tall boy with very messy black hair and glasses. “You kind of look like a lost gypsy wandering around.”

“To be honest, I’m not sure. I..I..I’m not sure about a lot of things,” stammered Hermione. The boys all looked at each other like they just found a girl who was completely mental.

“Did you apparate here?” Asked a short boy, with watery, beady eyes.

“You can’t apparate inside Hogwarts grounds. Haven’t you ever read ‘Hogwarts, A History’?” Hermione snapped, wondering where that remark came from and if she had ever read that book.

“Um, no, not really our thing. Where did you come from then?” The first boy asked her, looking concerned, and a little annoyed by her earlier statement.

“To be honest, I have no idea. I have no idea what’s going on, but I get the impression that I should,” she replied, again looking confused.

“Let’s get you to the Headmasters office then beautiful,” said a very good looking boy with long, shaggy, black hair and amazing grey eyes. Hermione looked at him and grinned.

“Thank you,” she said taking the arm of the good looking boy, “I do know my name is Hermione, what about all of you?”

They didn’t get a chance to answer, however, because as soon as Hermione started walking, her right leg gave out and she let out a cry of surprise and pain. The quick reflexes of another boy she didn’t get to see saved her from falling to the ground in a heap. “Easy there. Are you okay? What’s wrong with your leg?’ he asked looking concerned as he laid her gently on the ground. He felt shock waves run through him when he caught her and they just intensified as her body came in closer contact with his own. He also felt a very strange pull towards her that he didn’t understand. She seemed to feel the same and jerked her head up to him quickly, her breathing increased, and her face flushed slightly.

From a slight distance, another girl hesitantly walked over to the group of boys. She didn’t really want to get close to them, but felt something was definitely wrong with the girl she had been watching and since she was Head Girl, it was her duty to take care of things. She gasped when she saw the strange young girl laying in the middle of them and Remus Lupin running his hand slowly down her leg. “Remus, what are you doing and who is that?” she asked loudly.

Suddenly, one of the boys, the one boy she didn’t want to see more then the rest, shot to his feet and grabbed her arm gently. “Lily keep your voice down. We don’t know who she is or where she came from, all we know is she can’t walk very well and she seems to have some memory issues,” he whispered.

The girl, Lily, was shocked on many different levels. For one, strange people just don’t turn up on Hogwarts grounds and for two, not only did James Potter just call her Lily, but he didn’t act at all like his normal, arrogant self.

Remus was slowly rolling up the material on her leg and could see blood seeping through further up. The wound became visible and Sirius said, “What the bloody hell happened to her? That looks awful!”

Remus immediately knew what had happened. Only one wound looks like a werewolf’s bite, and that’s a werewolf’s bite. The full moon however, was two weeks ago, and this wound looked only a day old. He wasn’t sure why, but he didn’t want to tell his friends what he knew, settling instead on telling them what to do. “We need to get her to the hospital wing then find Dumbledore. Can you walk if we help you?” he asked, looking at Hermione with concern.

“Yes, I think so,” she replied braver than she felt.

James wrapped one of her arms around his shoulders as Remus got her other one and they placed their arms around her waist to help her up. This didn’t work very well, because as soon as she put weight on her leg, the pain returned full force. Remus scooped her up instantly into his arms and began walking with her, feeling very protective and very worried.

Lily led the way, clearing a path in the students as she went, while Sirius, James, and Peter walked around them, really unsure of what to do. They quickly walked her up to the entrance and then on to the hospital wing, sitting her down gently on a bed, while Lily went to find Madam Pomfrey.

She came in looking slight harassed and said briskly, “I should have known you boys would be involved.”

“But we didn’t do anything.” “Yea, all we did was bring her up here.” James and Sirius said defending themselves.

“They’re right Madame Pomfrey. I was with them this time,” Lily said, shocking both James and Sirius, along with herself, by defending them.

While the rather loud conversation was taking place, Remus bent down and whispered in Hermione’s ear, sending shivers up and down her spine, “I’ll go talk to Dumbledore. No one else knows what happened and I won’t say a word.” She looked at him quizzically and nodded her head. What was he talking about, she didn’t even know what happened?

“I’m going to go find Professor Dumbledore and tell him about our stray Gypsy here. I’ll be right back.” With that, Remus walked out of the doors in a hurry and with a very concerned look on his face.

“Right, well, um, okay. I don’t want to be rude and I do thank you all for bringing me up here, but, um, who are all of you?” Hermione asked.

“Well, gorgeous, I am Sirius Black,” the good looking, shaggy haired one answered, “this is James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and Lily Evans. The one that just left is Remus Lupin,” said Sirius grinning down at her. He had immediately taken a liking to this new and strange girl.

“Back away boys, the last thing she needs is you ogling over her. Sirius keep your hands off!” Madame Pomfrey said, then glancing at Hermione added in a gentler tone, “It’s ok dear, lie back and let me look at your leg.”

Hermione did as instructed and everyone but her missed the look of horror on the medi-witches face. “When did this happen dear?” she asked Hermione, although this time, her voice broke slightly.

“I’m not sure,” she replied, “I’m not sure of much right now, my brain is all foggy and I get the distinct impression that that’s not normal for me.”

“Well, then let’s give you something to help you sleep and ‘unfog’ your brain. I’ll give you something else for the pain while I treat your leg,” Madame Pomfrey said gently and then walked away.

She returned, giving Hermione several healing and calming potions and then placed a liberal amount of something smelly on her leg before bandaging it. Finally she gave Hermione another potion, telling her it would help her sleep.

Hours later, as Hermione was coming to, she heard several muffled voices. Her head was much clearer and she had several more disturbing memories, like a werewolf attack for instance, floating around in her head. When she slowly opened her eyes it was to find the same people still surrounding her as when she fell asleep along with an older wizard, with a very long, white beard, looking at her with concern.

“Um, hello, sir,” Hermione said timidly. She had a high level of respect for her professors and assumed he was one of them. For reasons she couldn’t explain, she trusted this wizard instantly.

“Hello my dear, I am Professor Dumbledore, and I hear your name is Hermione.” She nodded her head slightly but was afraid to say more. It was then that she realized her hand was warm and enclosed in someone else’s, both hands actually. When she looked over she saw the cute, sandy haired boy, Remus, holding one hand, and the other girl, Lily, holding the other. She smiled sweetly at them and thanked them.

Dumbledore then asked them to leave so he could speak to her alone. For some unknown reason, Hermione seemed to calm down at this suggestion and look much more sure of herself. As everyone filed out of the room, he turned to her and smiled. “So, I’m curious to know how you suddenly showed up at my school. I see you’re in muggle clothing, but you seem to be a witch, a witch who also seems familiar with Hogwarts although Hogwarts is not familiar with you.”

“Um, would you believe I have seen things in dreams, sir?” she asked lamely.
“No, miss, I’m afraid I would not,” he chuckled, the twinkle returning to his eyes. “The truth if you please miss, starting with your last name if you know it.”

“Okay. My last name is, um, Granger, yes I’m sure that’s right. Hermione Granger. I know Hogwarts backwards and forwards I believe, but I don’t know how. I don’t know anyone I’ve seen so far, but a few look like I should know them, like the group that brought me in here today. Oh, and I, uh, sir, I remember now what happened to my leg. I was bitten, um last night actually, by a werewolf.” She said all of this slowly, making sure it was right before she said it.

Dumbledore jerked his head to her leg and back to her face again saying “Strange, very strange indeed. Well, anything is possible actually, so let me have a think on that one for awhile. Do you think you are a student here?”

“Yes sir, I know I am a seventh year Gryffindor. I just missed being Head Girl for a very important reason, but I can’t remember what that reason is. I also know all my classes, but can’t remember my professors or dorm mates. Does any of this make sense to you?” she asked all this rather quickly and he slowly smiled at her.

He seemed to be working on a puzzle of sorts. He then clapped his hands together and said, “Yes, that’s got to be it. Miss Granger, if you’ll excuse me a moment, I’ll be right back.”

Meanwhile, the group was waiting outside the doors for any information on the young girl when the headmaster came out. “Mr. Lupin, will you please join us?” he inquired. Looking at the others he said, “Miss Granger is doing fine and you guys should head down to dinner. Please save your new friend a seat as well.” With that said, he ushered Remus into the room and beside Hermione’s bed. She was now starting to sit up and looked at him expectantly.

Remus immediately felt drawn to her again. Although he had a feeling it was because she was now a werewolf, he still didn’t understand the feelings. He walked over to her, helping her sit up, and smiled asking, “Hey, how are you doing?”

He had had girlfriends in the past, he was after all quite popular with the Ravenclaw house, but he refused to let himself get attached to anyone, or allow them to become attached to him. When the girls were persistent, which could be rather often, they would have a physical relationship, but nothing more, and he always made that clear up front. No one knew his secret except for James, Sirius, and Peter. Well, Severus Snape and Professor Dumbledore knew too, but that was different. He preferred no one knowing, because he was terrified of what would happen if word were to get out. He had never, however, felt so attracted to someone before, and it was an immediate reaction upon meeting her.

She smiled back and said, “better now, thanks.”

Dumbledore then walked up on her other side and they both helped her to sit up completely, then each took a seat in a plush conjured chair. “I’m going to be completely honest with you two, or as much as I can anyway, but it absolutely can go no farther than the three of us. Is this understood?” It was easy to tell he meant what he said and they both nodded their heads. “It would appear that Miss Granger was sent here for a specific reason.”

“Sent here, sir?” Remus questioned.

“Yes, sent here Remus. I don’t know from where yet, but I have several theories. She could be from a different country, or perhaps was cursed and sent here for her own safety, but I don’t think those are it.”

“Then what do you believe it is, sir?” Hermione asked, becoming very intrigued by this point.

“I‘m not sure Miss Granger, and I‘d rather not say without knowing,” he stated simply.

“But why do I know Hogwarts so well then. And why can’t I remember anything sir?” Hermione was starting to see a predicament that she could perhaps analyze and solve while pushing the slight panic to the back of her mind.

“If you were sent, meaning you just showed up because someone else wanted you to, then it was by a certain spell. The spells I have heard of, although rare, are very strict. You won’t remember anything from your place in hopes that you don’t um, spill any secrets of what you might know. But this doesn’t explain about Hogwarts itself,” he replied, further intriguing them.

They sat in silence thinking of what they heard. Remus then asked, “Sir, not that I don’t appreciate it or anything, but why are you including me in this?”

“Oh yes, I almost forgot,” he said, his blue eyes twinkling merrily, “I believe, due to her recent accident that Miss Granger may actually have been sent to you.”

“To me, sir? I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

Remus was looking even more confused than ever when Hermione responded gleefully. “I remember! I am from somewhere, but I don‘t know where, it’s like I’m not allowed to remember events or people. Somewhere in the foggy part of my brain, I know too much to actually be able to remember safely. Sir, I‘m not sure, but I think I may be important. I also remember the attack. By why would I be sent to Remus, sir?”

“I believe you are right. If I had to guess, I would say you were sent here to recover and adapt so that you can become active again in your own place quicker. Time will move much slower while you’re here then it will where you’re from, so it will be like speed recovering yourself. Ingenious I must say, I do hope I have the chance to do that.” Dumbledore was now looking at her like a prize, then seemed to get himself back under control. “However, I believe due to the nature of your, um, bite, you were sent to Remus, by someone who knows of him, so that he can teach you how to deal with what’s to come. Remus here, was also bitten many years ago,” he responded looking at Remus with compassion and trust.

Hermione simply said “oh,” but was wondering if maybe that was why she felt so connected to a complete stranger. It was like she knew him and she trusted him already.

“We will need to come up with a story for you. We’ll use your lack of memory as the reason you’re here, since you quite literally wandered in. The dream story you gave me was actually quite good. That will explain how you know things you shouldn’t about the castle and such. Just don’t pretend to be a seer, I really have no use for Divination and would prefer not to have it taught here.” he chuckled to himself then continued again. “We will say you were sorted into Gryffindor and place you with Lily Evans, our head girl. She shares a dorm with two other seventh year girls and they will help get you acquainted and such. Now, you’ll need to go shopping for supplies and you’ll need money. I’m sure the girls will lend you clothes to get you through this week and you can shop next weekend since you will all be going into Hogsmeade. The school has a fund to help in circumstances like this, so financially you’ll be all set. I will take care of getting your supplies for school and have them delivered tonight along with extra robes and such,” at this he finally took a breath and stood back up.

“Well, I do believe there is dinner waiting for us in the Great Hall and I am very hungry indeed. Welcome Miss Granger and I look forward to seeing more of you.” He then walked out and allowed the two younger students to come behind him. He knew he misled them somewhat, but if Miss Granger was from the future, as he suspected, then she had to be kept from that knowledge. She had to live her life here as though that were exactly what she was doing, living her life, and not worrying about the future.

Hermione was thankful her leg wasn’t hurting and she could walk with only a slight limp. Her wound still looked gross, but her robes would hide that as well. Madame Pomfrey bustled back in saying, “Is he gone? Am I allow to care for my patient now? Miss,” “Granger ma’am,” Hermione supplied. “Yes, yes, Miss Granger, you will need to see me daily every afternoon for potions and treatments. For obvious reasons, keep your upper leg covered and out of sight. If you have any questions feel free to see me. I’m sure Mr. Lupin will be glad to escort you up here in the evenings in case you need help getting back. Here is a set of school robes. I would, however, recommend that you stay away from Mr. Black and Mr. Potter on your way up here. They tend to be quite dramatic and such.”

“Only for you Madame,” Remus replied chuckling with the older witch. “I’ll take care of her and make sure she comes daily like a good little puppy.”

“HEY!” Hermione yelled at him, “that’s not funny! Is that really what I’ll be, a puppy? Never mind, don’t answer that! Let’s go eat, I’m starving!”

He wrapped his arm around her waist unconsciously and helped her down the hall. He was blissfully unaware of how easy it was to be with her and how easy it might be to become attached to someone after all. He was not, however, unaware of the electricity he felt every time he touched her. Or of the strong desire to touch her all the time. Hermione, not knowing what Remus was thinking, was having similar thoughts herself. How nice it would be to have a guy like him around all the time. She felt a very strong connection with him and he made her think of things she was sure should make her blush. However, not knowing how he felt, she kept her thoughts to herself and headed to the Great Hall.