A Werewolf\'s Love

Chapter 9

That night, in the Gryffindor common room, Harry and Ron sought out Ginny and pulled her into a quiet corner. At first, she was rather reluctant to go, considering she was in the process of making plans for the night. But she took one good look at both boys’ faces and knew that they were quite serious.

“What’s going on?” Ginny asked, her eyes glancing from one boy to the other.

“Hermione skipped all of her lessons today,” Harry replied. “That’s two days in a row.”

“What the hell’s going on with that girl? Do you know?” Ron asked severely.

“No, I don’t,” Ginny answered honestly. “Last night, she wasn’t in bed. I was up for quite some time and she never showed up. In fact, when I woke up this morning, her bed was untouched. And I didn’t see her in there during break either. I don’t even know where she is right now.”

Ron eyes narrowed. “I don’t like this. Ginny, I’m ordering you to find out what’s going on with Hermione.”

Ginny looked taken aback. “What? Why?”

“Because I want to know and I think you can find out,” Ron said.

“How am I gonna do that?” Ginny asked. “I have a life, you know. And I have classes to go to as well. Do you honestly think I have the time to go around tailing Hermione? And what in the hell makes you think I’ll get the chance? I hardly see her as it is!”

“I don’t care how you do it,” Ron growled. “Just get it done!”

“I don’t know if I can,” Ginny said. “I’ll try, but I can’t guarantee anything.”

Ron grabbed her by the shirt. “Look, I get that you love being a little slut, but if you don’t get me my information, I’ll make you regret it.”

“Ron!” Harry exclaimed, pushing him off Ginny. “Calm down. This isn’t like you and you know it!”

Ron’s eyes flashed dangerously, but he slumped his shoulders and sighed. “You’re right. Sorry, Ginny. It’s just that I’m really worried about Hermione. Something’s not right.”

“I know,” Harry said.

Ginny stood up, flipping her hair back and glaring at Ron. “Congratulations, Ron. You’ve just failed Potions.” She stomped away.

“Oh shit,” Ron said quietly. “You don’t think she’d really let her brother fail Potions, do you?”

“Yeah, I do,” Harry admitted.

Ron sighed and leaned against the wall, pissed at himself.

Hermione was leaned against the wall in the bathroom, Draco’s leather jacket pressed against her chest. She breathed in his scent, imagining his body in the place of his jacket. Her mind kept replaying that scene in the bathroom, his words repeating in her head over and over again. Draco Malfoy, notorious badboy and sexiest guy in Hogwarts, was fantasizing about her, Hermione Granger. It was so…unreal. But was she going to be enough for him? She didn’t really think so. Something told her that she needed a change, a big change, one that would get him to fall in love with her for good. But what could she possibly do…?

Draco got up the next morning, yawning widely and feeling thankful that he was done turning into a werewolf for the next month. It pleased him to know that his pain was over for a short while. He began to get dressed, carefully brushing off any lint on his leather pants. It was as he was about to leave when he noticed something. His leather jacket, the one he wore the day before, was missing.

“Goddamn it! That was a $20,000 jacket!” Draco exclaimed furiously. “Where the fuck is it?” He sighed, angrily pushing aside the rest of his clothes. He grabbed another leather jacket, one a little more expensive than the other two, and slid it on. “I better not lose this one too,” he muttered, slamming his closet door shut.

He headed down to the Great Hall, his eyes searching for Hermione. He spotted her at the Gryffindor table, eating slowly and looking rather bored. He continued towards the Slytherin table, rolling his eyes as he saw Pansy eagerly waving at him. When he sat down, he immediately grabbed a steak and tore his way through it.

“Draco, baby, what’s wrong?” Pansy asked in a worried tone. “Don’t you want some eggs?”

“No,” Draco answered thickly, swallowing the first steak and starting on a second one. “I’m really hungry this morning.”

Crabbe and Goyle cast him a disdainful look as they sat down and began muttering to each other. Draco’s eyes roamed over to Hermione, who was ignoring Harry and Ron’s conversation. He failed to notice that Crabbe was holding something in his hand and was showing it to Goyle, who was frowning. After finishing his fifth steak, he laid his head down.

“Draco, baby, are you coming to class today?” Pansy asked.

Draco sighed. “Yeah, Pans, I am.” He stood up. “I’m gonna go head down to Potions. See ya later.”

As soon as he was gone, Hermione was up and following him, throwing the Invisibility Cloak over herself. At the Slytherin table, Crabbe and Goyle turned their attention to Pansy and Blaise, who had just arrived.

“Pansy, Blaise, we got something to show you two,” Goyle said.

“What is it?” Pansy asked in a bored voice, her mind still on Draco.

“It’s a video that I took on my new video camera,” Crabbe replied. “It’s from a few nights ago,” he added.

“Let’s see it, then,” Blaise ordered.

Crabbe pushed the play button on the camera and the video began. Blaise and Pansy watched as the video zoomed in on Draco, who was standing in the shadowy trees of the Forbidden Forest. Their eyes widened as Draco’s body began to shake and become longer, hairier. Pansy finally let out a blood-curling shriek that gained the complete attention of the Great Hall as Draco fully transformed into a werewolf. Her eyes filled with tears and she covered her mouth with her hand. Blaise just sat there in complete shock.

“I…I can’t believe it,” Pansy whispered. “Draco, my Draco, a werewolf…it’s so unreal! It can’t be! Draco can’t possibly be a rotten, filthy beast!” She glared at Crabbe. “Why the hell did you show me that? Did you want my heart to be broken?”

“I wanted to show you the truth!” Crabbe exclaimed angrily. “I knew something was up so I followed him the other night and got this on video! You should be thanking me, you worthless bitch! I’ve saved you from fucking a monster! He could’ve eaten you! You should be on your knees, thanking me for what I’ve done!”

Pansy stood up, tears glistening on her face. “I will never forgive you for this! And I will never forgive him!”

Draco arrived in Potions early, taking his seat for the first time in a while. He had been skipping most of his lessons, but knew that Snape wouldn’t deduct points from him. Snape was like a father to him, more of a father than his own. He knew Snape wouldn’t care that Draco skipped lessons and would give him automatic 100s for everything, no matter if he gave a reason for skipping or not. He had been sitting in there for several minutes when Snape’s office door opened. Draco’s eyes widened as both Snape and Ginny exited, the latter brushing her skirt off.

“So, I believe you owe my brother a failing grade, Professor,” Ginny said slyly, a smirk gracing her face.

“Yes, I do,” Snape said smugly. When he spotted Draco, he rubbed his neck and quickly added, “Now, off to your lessons, Weasley.” He smiled at Draco. “Back in class, I see.”

“Yes sir,” Draco replied. “Sorry I missed so many. I was just having…personal problems.”

“Oh, it’s no problem,” Snape said warmly. “You know I won’t penalize you for it.” He lifted his collar up, but not before Draco spotted a hickey on his neck. He smirked.

“Ah, Professor, I see you’ve been keeping busy.”

Snape’s face flushed. “Well, yes, I have,” he admitted. But he didn’t elaborate, as the rest of the class entered at that moment.

Draco’s eyes found Hermione instantly, who sat down at a table rather near his. He smiled, but his smile faltered when Pansy marched up to him, her face glistening with tears and her eyes hardened. She looked furious, something that half the class noticed.

“Pans, what’s wrong?” Draco asked quietly.

“You’re what’s wrong!” Pansy exclaimed loudly. “You must think I’m stupid or something, don’t you? Is that it? You think you can make a fool out of me, Pansy Parkinson?”

“Pans, what’s going on?” Draco asked in a whisper. “You’re not acting like yourself.”

“Oh, really? You’re one to talk about not acting like yourself! I know what’s been going on!” Pansy exclaimed, her volume increasing and her face reddening. “I KNOW YOUR SECRET, YOU LYING, TWO-FACED FUCKTARD!”

Draco’s face whitened. “Pans, look, I can explain-”

“Explain?” Pansy repeated incredulously. “I DON’T WANT YOU TO EXPLAIN! I WANT YOU OUT OF MY LIFE FOREVER! DRACO MALFOY, AS OF THIS MOMENT, IT’S OVER!” She slapped him in the face with all the strength she could muster and stomped off, leaving a shocked silence behind her.

Draco held the side of his face, his eyes swimming with tears. As they spilled out of his eyes uncontrollably, Hermione felt a pain in her heart. She hated seeing Draco like this. She was suddenly filled with an intense hatred towards Pansy and wanted nothing more than to strangle her with her bare hands. Draco fell to the floor, sobbing and screaming uncontrollably, making Hermione want to rush forward and comfort him. Next to her, Harry and Ron were snickering, Ron much louder than Harry.

“Look at him on the floor like that, he’s pathetic,” Ron said with a laugh.

“So lame,” Harry agreed.

Hermione turned on them, her face wild. “Shut your mouths, both of you, before I shut them for you!” she exclaimed, causing the class’s attention to shift to her. She stomped off, leaving Harry and Ron staring after her.

“What the hell’s her problem?” Ron asked angrily.

“PMS?” Harry suggested. “She’s a woman, what the hell did you expect?”

Draco looked up when he heard Hermione’s shout. Was it possible that she cared for him as much as he cared for her? He had to find out. Ignoring the rest of the class, he walked out and followed Hermione’s footsteps, which were rather loud. He traced her all the way into the girl’s bathroom, where he saw her punching the wall with vigor.

“Hermione, are you ok?” Draco asked cautiously, wiping his tears away.

“What?” Hermione snapped, turning around. “Oh, Draco, it’s you. Uh, yes, I’m fine.” She swallowed. “Are you ok?”

Draco took a deep breath, willing the tears to stay in. “No, not really.”

Hermione stepped forward tentatively. “Draco, I know,” she said.

“You know what?” Draco asked, stepping backwards.

“About your condition,” Hermione replied. She took a deep breath. “I know you’re a werewolf. I followed you into the woods one night and watched you transform.” She paused, staring at him. A tear slid down his face, which looked horrorstruck. “I’m not afraid, you know, and I don’t hate you for it,” she added quietly. “You can’t help it. I know you can’t. And I know you don’t like it. Pansy is just a heartless bitch for what she said. You can do better than her. You need to find someone who will accept you for who you are, the way you are.”

Draco’s eyes widened. Did she mean what he thought she meant?”

Hermione stepped forward slowly. “You need someone who will care for you and help you out in your time of need.” Their faces were now inches from each other. “Someone who will love you like you need to be loved.”

Draco gulped. “I…I don’t know,” he whispered. “My image…it can’t be tarnished. What if this girl’s appearance and reputation would ruin mine?”

“Don’t worry,” Hermione said soothingly. “If that someone really wants to be with you, she’ll change herself to better suit your personality and reputation.” She leaned forward. “Some things are worth changing your life for.”

The gap between them closed as Hermione pressed her lips softly against Draco’s, whose eyes widened. In the second that it took him to register what was going on, he flung his hands around her waist and pulled her closer to him, feeling her breasts pressed against his chest. They kissed fiercely, Draco pushing his tongue against her lips, begging for entrance. She granted it and their tongues dueled for dominance. One hand was on her waist and the other was on her shoulder, pushing her against the wall. But before they could move further, the bathroom door opened. Hermione gasped and shoved Draco into the nearest stall, adjusting her clothes as the person came into view.

“Oh, hey, Ginny,” Hermione said breathlessly. “What’re you doing in here?”

“Coming to use the bathroom,” Ginny replied slowly. “Is that a problem for you?”

“Oh no, not at all,” Hermione said with a smile. “Go right ahead!” She sighed in relief when Ginny chose one of the stalls that Draco wasn’t hiding in. “So, how was your night last night? Who did you get?”

“Ernie MacMillan and Justin Finch-Fletchey,” Ginny replied. “For Hufflepuffs, they sure know how to handle their business.”

“Damn, Ginny, at this rate you’ll have done the entire school,” Hermione laughed.

“I agree,” Ginny said mischievously, coming out of the stall. “This isn’t widely known, but I’ve been doing Snape on the side to get Ron better grades.”

Hermione laughed. “Oh my god! Are you serious? Holy shit!”

Ginny giggled. “I know, it’s awesome. Snape is amazing in bed. Little does Ron know that because he pissed me off, he’s just been guaranteed a fail.”

Hermione snickered. “You rock, Ginny. So, when are you moving on towards the Slytherins?”

“Soon,” Ginny replied, washing her hands. “I don’t know about you, but I’d love nothing more than to shove Draco Malfoy onto the floor and suck him dry.” At this, Draco gulped and felt himself involuntarily harden. Hermione’s eyes narrowed as she glared at Ginny. “I’ve heard that he’s packing quite the beast in his pants.”

“That’s…nice,” Hermione said coldly. “Well, shouldn’t you be off to class now?”

“What about you?” Ginny asked, raising an eyebrow. “I’ve heard you’ve been skipping classes.

“Well, thanks to your shit for brains brother, I’ll be skipping today too. I’m just too pissed off,” Hermione said.

“Alright, then. I’ll see you later.”

As soon as Ginny was gone, Draco slipped out of the stall. He spotted the look on Hermione’s face and knew she wasn’t pleased.

“Look, I’ve gotta be going,” Draco said. “People will be looking for me.”

“Will I get to see you soon?” Hermione asked, her eyes begging for him.

“Well, once you change your look to match my reputation, we can be seen in public together. But until then, we’ll have to meet like this,” Draco admitted. “I’m sorry, but that’s how it is.”

“Can we meet tonight?” Hermione asked hopefully.

“Sorry, but I really need to catch up on my homework,” Draco said. “I’ll let you know when I have some free time, though.”

And with that, Draco pecked her on the cheek and walked away, feeling rather good about himself. Hermione stood there for a few minutes, reveling over everything that had just happened. After a few minutes, she walked out and headed off to Transfiguration early, feeling pleased with herself on getting him. All she had to do now was guarantee that she kept him.