Howl at the Moon

Sick of trying to find a way inside
Sick and tired of all the after
Sick of trying to find a way to slide
Even though it always ends in laughter
Its never hard to tell when things are done
She looked into my eyes and a voice said run!

She ran.

Her heart thumping wildly in her ears like a drum, nearly deafening her. She stumbled for what seemed like the fifth time, and she cursed as it slowed her down. The forest was dark and dense around her.

A chilling howl pierced the air.

The sound spurred her to run faster as she desperately tried to gasp for breath. Her lungs burned and her legs were starting to feel heavy. Despite her body's protests however, she kept on as she leapt over a tree root.

He was closing in on her.

She could feel it deep within her bones.

She could also hear the loud thundering of paws and menacing growls over her own wildly beating heart.

She ducked under a low hanging branch as her mind raced trying to think of a way to survive and get away. She nearly flew through the thicket of trees, the only source of light being the pale full moons silvery glow that broke through the thick canopy every now and then.

The galloping of paws were drawing ever nearer...

She knew she wouldn't be able to out run it forever.

'I got it!' She thought as she made a mad slide behind a nearby bush. Breathing labored, she grabbed her beaded bag and began to furiously dig. Knowing she had only a few precious seconds before she was caught. 'Come on...come on...' Making a little victorious sound in the back of her throat she held what she needed by a long, thin, gold chain. Quickly her nimble fingers grabbed the trinket and began to turn. ' If I can go back just a few hours...twelve ought to do...'

Before she could finish the last turn however , a loud growl sounded from behind her, hot heavy puffs of breath caressed her ear as horror gripped her heart. As quick as she could she tightened her grasp and stuffed the trinket into the palm of her left hand just as sharp, snapping teeth bit down on her shoulder. Crying out in pain she could feel the beast dragging her roughly out from behind the bush. She bit her lip to keep from screaming out in pain as it tore and mutilated her shoulder by dragging her into a small clearing of trees.

Whiskey colored eyes widening as she realized the clearing was full of Death Eaters.

"Oh, look at what Greyback found." Bellatrix giggled madly, her wild black rat nest of hair full of leaves and twigs from the chase. "My play thing that got away."

The burning in her shoulder was intense and blinding as Greyback tossed her forward with a shake of his head. His yellow wolf eyes following her every move. She laid there, panting for breath on the forest floor. Rivulets of blood mixed with dirt caked to her skin. 'Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.' She internally chanted, her eyes wide and wild as she gazed up into the night sky that was shining down on her through the canopy.

"The mudblood will be a half beast now." Chuckled a Death Eater toward her right. Even though he still wore his mask she knew the voice of Antonin Dolohov anywhere.

"If she'll even make it to the next full moon." Another Death Eater she didn't quite recognize snorted. "Bella usually breaks her toys."

She recoiled at the thought of going back to her own personal hell hole that others knew of as Malfoy manor. Her arm still burned from the enchanted blade that was used to carve racial slurs into her arm. The only small relief she had is knowing that with everyone that was after them were now surrounding her and that had meant that Harry got away.

As terrible as it was she also felt empty at the thought of Ron getting away as well. His betrayal when he deserted them was still too fresh and deep in her mind.

Bellatrix was circling her now. A cruel smile twisting her blood red lips distorting what would have been a very beautiful face into something sinister and ugly. "I've been wanting to get my hands on you again mudblood." she cooed. " I wasn't done with you the first time." Bellatrix pulled out her wand and lazily pointed it in her direction. She laid frozen and terrified on the forest floor.

"You've been a right pain in the arse poppet. The Dark Lord knows the – boy- who – lived wouldn't nearly have gotten as far if it wasn't for you."

"It's a shame your blood is so filthy." Bellatrix continued getting real pleasure from terrifying her. Greyback soon joined Bellatrix in her game of circling and playing with their prey. Bellatrix giggled in delight.

"It seems Greyback here wants another taste. Don't worry poppet after I'm done playing I'll throw him the scraps. He'll rut and kill you in the end."

'Hermione. You're brave. You can get out of this.' She thought of the time turner still firmly in her grip.

While it wasn't exactly wise if she crushed it in her hand it should still throw her back in time. The danger would be that she wouldn't be positive on exactly how far she would go, but even if it was just one hour back it would at least get her the hell out of here. They were all so close. Herself and Harry had almost gotten all of the Horacruxes and at this point she really couldn't afford to be in the Death Eater's clutches. She needed to help and see this thing to the bloody end. Taking a deep breath she slowly raised her left hand into the air.

"What is she doing?" One of the Death Eaters questioned.

Before any of them could react she slammed her hand palm down as hard as she could onto the hard forest floor. The time turner shattered underneath her hand and in an instant she disappeared in a blur of color, Bellatrix's shrieking echoing in her ears as she left them behind.

Hermione landed with a loud thud and a crack onto the hard cold ground.

She groaned as she attempted to open her eyes, the pain coursing through her body intense and constant.

"Bloody hell mate! It's not every day a bird falls from the sky!"

The sound of feet approaching had her eyes shooting open in panic. Frightened and still in flight mode she attempted to move, to get up, anything but her battered and bruised body wasn't having it.

'So this is the end?' She mused bitterly, wondering halfheartedly why fate was cruel enough to thrust her in new possible danger. When the footsteps fell closer there was sudden shouting and cursing and then suddenly two boys fell in her line of vision.

"What happened to you love?" A young man with black shaggy hair asked, peering over her with a worried frown.

Hermione blinked and for the first time tried to calm down enough to take in her surroundings the best she could. She noticed she was no longer in a forest but instead on a grassy hill and it was now daytime. She attempted once more to move her body, to try and sit up to get a better look around.

The shaggy haired boy stilled her with a gentle hand. "I wouldn't try to move just yet."

Finding her voice she rasped, "Where am I?"

"Hogwarts. Not far from the Whomping Willow." The other boy spoke. Turning her head slightly to get a better look at him she noticed he was blonde haired, with dull blue eyes and slightly pudgy. Something about the two were setting alarm bells off in her head and while she tried to make sense of it. Her everything was simply too exhausted.

"Oi! What's going on?" A voice shouted from the distance

"Peter and I found a girl!" The black haired boy shouted, "Looks like she has been through hell mate! We're going to have to get her to the hospital wing."

Hermione turned her head to the side in a further attempt to see who else was now approaching. Her breath caught seeing what looked like Harry holding up a sandy haired boy as they slowly made their way over. It looked like the sandy brown haired boy wasn't in much better shape than she was. As the boys got closer her eyes got wider in realization. This wasn't Harry, but someone who looked a great deal like him. The biggest difference were in the eyes that were actually hazel in color.

The other boy with him didn't say a word but instead his forest green eyes were focused on the terrible wound on her shoulder. A wound she now realized from the sharp look in his eyes that he knew wasn't an ordinary wound.

Her mind was slowly piecing everything together as she was finally able to gaze at all four of them. All so familiar and yet so different... these boys could only be... With a shaky hoarse voice Hermione asked, "What...What year is it?"

The black haired boy gave her a strange look and the more Hermione stared at him the more she had a sinking suspicion of exactly who he was and when she was. "Well, It's 1977 love."

It was then that everything just became too much for her. The last thing she remembered as she faded was panicked yelling before her world went black.

When Hermione was able to wake again it was in layers. The first thing that brought her back to consciousness was the migraine that was building in her left temple. Then she could just barely make out hushed whispers by her bed side, and finally when she found the strength to open her eyes she was greeted by a blindingly too bright room where she found a suddenly younger Madam Pomfrey and a no longer dead Albus Dumbledore by her bed.

The past several events came rushing back to her and she groaned at the realization that she is well and truly fucked.

"Ah. You're awake." Dumbledore stated in as soothing a voice as he could manage. His blue eyes full of concern that filled Hermione with a sense of longing. Knowing that in her time the great headmaster was well and truly dead.

Hermione tried pulling herself up to a sitting position but Madam Pomfrey was up and tucking her back in before she could even blink.

"It's best if you don't move dear." Pomfrey soothed, "You have sustained a lot of injures that are still healing."

"Do you know where you are at my dear?" Dumbledore asked,

"The right question in this situation sir is when not where." Hermione whispered

Dumbledore picked up on what she meant instantly "Ah Poppy? Would you give me and this young woman a bit of privacy?"

Madam Pomfrey looked like she wanted to protest but wisely kept her mouth shut by pursing her lips and nodding curtly. "I'll be back to check on her shoulder in about an hour." With that she moved from the bed and began drawing the curtain around the pair to give them some privacy before taking her leave.

As an extra precaution Dumbledore did a quick silencing charm his eyes twinkling as he took in the young girls expression. "I believe this may be a conversation we do not want overheard."

Hermione nodded as Dumbledore settled himself in the chair beside her bed. "Now, when did you come from?"

"1997, sir."

"My that is quite a long way from home."

There was a long pause before Dumbldeore asked, "So tell me my dear, How did you come to be here?"

Hermione at the moment decided not to hold anything back, she told him her name, and that she was muggleborn, she told him of Voldemort and the current events happening in her time, she told him of all who had died, how she was tortured, she even went on about what they had learned about the deathly hollows and finally she explained Horcurxes and how Voldemort has used vile, forbidden magic to keep himself from dying for all these years and how she eventually smashed the time turner she had kept from her third year in an attempt to escape another round of torture and possible death from Bellatrix. By the time Hermione was done she was mentally exhausted and there were tear tracks running down her cheeks.

"I- I choose to tell you all of this because...well because maybe we can stop it before it ever really begins."

The idea came to her while she kept speaking and she couldn't help but wonder...what if everyone had been forewarned. Would Harry's parents still be alive? Would Sirius? Could they stop Snape from becoming a death eater? So many possibilities to do so much good.

After all she had lost literally everything in her time what did she really have to loose in changing the future?

Dumbledore sat quietly for what seemed like an eternity but what really must have only been a few moments.

"You know my dear, you telling me this means, you can no longer go back."

"I know, and honestly I wouldn't want to go back."

Dumbledore nodded along, "We'll need to come up with a plan, I'll need to notify the Order and explain what you have shared. May I take some of your memories for a pensive?"

Hermione nodded

"Wonderful. I will make sure to do so once you are on your feet. Time traveling can be hell on the body and you did travel twenty years back into the past. I would prefer to wait until you were better."

"Thank you sir."

"Now let's discuss what will become of you."

"Sir?"

"Time is a funny thing Miss Granger, with you being displaced so to speak it will work itself to try and fix the problem."

"Does that mean..."

"You won't disappear from existence, no." Dumbledore hurried to explain seeing the horror on the young girls face, "However it is likely the young Hermione Granger when she is born will either actually be born a boy, not born at all, or be born without magic. After all there can be only one Hermione Granger in a single time period that can exist as there can only be on of me."

"But, all those times I used the time turner for classes..."

"There is a reason the golden rule of time travel is you must not be seen."

"I see, so because I have been seen by others and already changed things by telling you the future..."

"Exactly." Dumbledore confirmed

"Well...I suppose that makes a back story easier to come up with." Hermione mused, "I can basically use the truth with just changing a few key details."

"That would be best. Since you will be staying you want something easy to remember, and if you end up forming relationships and friendships you don't really want to base those on lies." Dumbledore continued, "Now as you came here with barely anything but a wand and some clothes on your back I insist that I become your legal guardian."

Hermione's whiskey colored eyes widened in surprise "I beg your pardon?"

"Well, while you are eighteen now and a legal adult you still need to complete your last year at Hogwarts correct?"

"Well yes but..."

"So you will need someone who can provide to your needs and I would be more than happy to do it. After all you coming back here could mean a great deal the Wizarding world as a whole."

"Sir.. you're too kind...I" Hermione nearly choked on her emotion.

Dumbledore patted her hand reassuringly, "Don't think much of it my dear. There will be some difficult times ahead of us, and with what I have learned from what you have told me I feel the need to not be such a lonely old fool anymore. I think it would do everyone some good for me to take on a ward. And please call me Albus. When you are all better I can take you out to Hogsmeade to get some necessities."

"Thank you, Thank you so much."

Hermione was overwhelmed with emotion.

"One more thing Miss Granger. What house did you belong with in your previous time? I do believe from your story you should have been in my old house."

"You're correct, I was a Gryffindor."

"Wonderful. We can get you settled back into Gryffindor tower once you're better. I'll make sure to have the head girl retrieve you once Madam Pomfrey gives you a clean bill of health."

With that said Dumbledore released the silencing charm and got up, patting her hand in a grandfatherly gesture promising to take her out soon and iron out more details. And just as soon as he left Madam Pomfrey came back in fussing over Hermione and taking stock of her wounds.

"I tried to heal what I was able to my dear." Pomfrey began, "Most of the cuts and bruises will heal, I gave you a potion while you were out to help mend some of your broken bones but..."

"Is it about the bite?" Hermione asked softly seeing the way Madam Pomfrey trailed off pity shinning the the older woman's gaze.

"Among other things."

"I see." And Hermione did see it hadn't been that long since Bellatrix tortured the ever loving piss out of her. She was positive she knew what Madam Pomfrey was to tell her.

"I'm not sure what kind of hell you've been through sweet girl." Pomfrey began, " It left a few marks and life long side effects. Do you remember how many times you were hit with the Cruciatus curse?"

Hermione frowned as she tried to remember, " I believe I lost count after ten..."

"Oh my sweet dear." Pomfrey muttered tears pooling in her eyes "Usually such prolonged exposure causes madness. Which thankfully it seems you have escaped from however, you will still most likely suffer the other side effects which would normally be temporary in nature but due to your high exposure..."

"They're permanent?"

"More than likely yes."

"What side effects can I expect?"

"Joint stiffness, Dull aches and pains, the worst of it will be seizures."

"Lovely." Hermione muttered

"I...I also want to ask about your scar. Was it a cursed blade?"

"It was."

"I thought as much." Pomfrey replied. "With cursed objects the wounds inflicted by them is very difficult to heal, and with it left alone for as long as it had...well there is no way to get rid of the scar. I'm sorry."

Hermione fought hard not to cry. She has always believed that once this whole mess was over she could go to St Mungos and get the scar magically removed. Apparently that won't be the case and she will now be forced to live with that hateful slur carved deep into her arm.

Pomfrey gave Hermione a moment to collect herself. Knowing it had to be hard on the poor dear. After all she did deliver some pretty bad news and she hasn't even gotten to the large bite on her shoulder... 'What in the seven hells has this girl been through?' She thought to herself.

"and the bite?" Hermione asked softly startling Madam Pomfrey from her thoughts. Hermione already knew what the bite probably meant but she still wanted to hear it anyway.

"It was a werewolf bite." Pomfrey stated plainly. "While it doesn't necessarily mean you'll turn we'll have to exercise caution. Your chance of turning is pretty high."

"It isn't pretty high. It's certain."

Pomfrey was once again startled by Hermione's words. "beg your pardon?"

"The bite is from Greyback. He made sure I would turn...the person torturing me you see...worked for the dark lord and planned...she planned...I was going to..." Hermione couldn't finish. The complete horror of the situation she would have been in. The terror grasped her tightly in a vice like grip and her whole body felt like it was under icy water.

Madam Pomfrey seemed to have been able to pick up the pieces in Hermione's fragmented explanation and rushed to the young girls side to envelope her in a gentle hug. "Shh my dear, you're safe now. Greyback won't be able to get you here."

Hermione could only weep into the matrons shoulder as she let it all out. Completely unaware of the two prying eyes that watched from what would one day be Harry's invisibility cloak.

A/N: That is chapter one of my first fanfic! Please R+R