Arbitrary Alignment

AN: I want to thank everyone who has reviewed. If your puzzled about something and have questions feel free to ask.

Disclaimer: If Harry Potter was mine Dumbledore would still be gay but his lover would be Filch!

----Analysis----

Moody came.

He brought other order members with him, Lupin, Tonks, and others she couldn't name. Fresh faces, new recruits. She had sent word a couple days ago to report on Malfoy's condition. They seemed to know something she didn't. In fact everyone seemed to know more than she did. It rankled. Moody wanted to see Malfoy right away. She took them upstairs, Lupin and Moody. Malfoy was shifting restlessly, mumbling in his sleep.

“He's been like this for a while” she informed them.

“He hasn't woken up at all”?

“Well...he did, briefly, but he didn't seem to recognize me. He grew almost violent when I said his name. I wasn't able to heal his wounds. What was the curse you used on him?”

“Used on him? No we found him like this”

“Found him?”

Hermione was astonished. All this time she had thought, assumed even, that Malfoy had been injured in the skirmish between Deatheaters and Order members. But if the Order hadn't inflicted Malfoy's injuries then that would mean that he had been attacked by...by Deatheaters? His own side? It was too strange, she couldn't wrap her mind around it.

“It appears he was turned on. It seems he displeased Voldemort. They meant to do away with him. Would have succeeded too if we hadn't stumbled upon the group of Deatheaters. We didn't realize he was there until the smoke cleared and we were identifying the dead and casualties. Thats why we need him awake, conscious. He could have some information that would be valuable to us.”

As Moody spoke Lupin moved to the bed and drew off the blanket covering Malfoy's fitful form. When Moody finished Lupin sighed, drawing their attention to him leaning over Malfoy. He looked weary, older than his years, and saddened by what he saw.

“It is as I feared”. His voice was grave, resigned.

“What is it?” Hermione felt fear leap in her breast and she realized she didn't want him to die. She didn't want Malfoy to die. She should want it, she should crave it. One less Deatheater to terrorize the world. She wanted to want it. But she couldn't and it felt like the worst sort of betrayal to the memory of her parents.

“He's been bitten. From the looks of it by Greyback. He always did like to make a mess of his victims. Likes to tear them up a bit before.” Lupin said, words tinted with disgust.

“What does that mean? Was he turned?”

“Its to soon to tell, if he is it will become apparent on the full moon. As it is his blood is now tainted and he will be different from now on, what those differences are I cannot say”

Hermione thought of Bill Weasly. He was brutally mauled by Greyback on the night of Voldemort's attack on Hogwarts, in which Malfoy was solely responsible for the Deatheaters infiltration into the school, and therefore indirectly responsible for Bill Weasly's injuries. And now Malfoy had suffered a similar fate. The irony was not lost on her. Apparently, she thought, there is some poetic justice in the world after all.

As if reading her thoughts Lupin went on, “The Weasly boy, Bill, was attacked by Greyback you know, and he suffered similar injuries that did not result in an actual transformation”. Pausing, he pondered the statement he had just made. “Although, Greyback was in human form at the time of the attack, so it ended in part lycanthropy. Until Malfoy wakes and tells us himself if Greyback was transformed when the attack occurred we can not know for sure one way or another”.

“And just when will that be Remus” Moody gruffly questioned. “He could have vital information we could use and the sooner he is conscious the sooner we can force it out of him”.

“It won't be as simple as that Alastor. When and if he does wake he will most likely be disoriented, and terrified after the visions he is having. It could be some time before his mind is stable enough to answer your questions”. At Moody's skeptical look Lupin added “Regardless of how much vertiserum you give him”.

“What do you mean if he wakes up? and what visions are you talking about?” Hermione queried, her confusion, and much to her dismay, alarm growing.

“Im afraid few survive an attack as brutal as this Hermione. As to the visions, when bitten you relieve memories of the one who bit you, or in Malfoy case, nightmares, as I can only imagine any and all memories of Greybacks would be”.

It all made sense now. The incurable slashes and feverish infection, Malfoy's inability to recognize her in his disoriented and agitated state.

“How long Remus?” Moody sounded impatient.

“I can't be certain Alastor. If he is able to pull through this he will do so in the next few days. If he doesn't regain consciousness then...well..its unlikely that he will make it. You won't be able to ask him any questions for a while in any case as it is.”

They left almost immediately after making Hermione promise to contact them as soon as Malfoy showed signs of coming out of the comatose state he was now in. His thrashing had subsided hours earlier and now he lay still. She was terrified he wouldn't make it. She spent the night in a conjured chair by the side of the bed watching his chest slowly rise and fall.

The next morning she checked on Malfoy.

She had been given specific instructions by Lupin on how to treat Malfoy's wounds. He gave her a salve to apply. “It wont heal the damage, but it should help with the infection and numb the pain a bit” Lupin had told her. Hermione removed Malfoy's once pristine bandages, now red with blood. The slashes were red and oozing pus, and the torn edges were raw and tinted with green. If it wasn't for his shallow breathing she would have thought him a corpse.

She began to liberally apply the salve on his chest and was so engrossed in the task that she didn't realize that his eyes had opened. Indeed she had no idea that he was awake at all. She was reaching for the bloody tear on his neck, fingers thick with salve, when his hand shot out and wrapped around her wrist halting her hand.

Her startled eyes met his. “Granger?” he croaked out.

Ohh cliffy... *evil laughter :D

Next Up: Im not sure actually. Is Malfoy part lycanthropy or full? Is Malfoy a werewolf now? Let me know what you think should happen...