Chapter 7
Hermione
Two large eagle owls, standing out from all the other owls flying into the Great Hall to deliver post from home during breakfast, landed on their table, looking regally at Hermione and Draco.
It had become a common sight in the last three weeks that both of them received regular mail carried by eagle owls, but usually the owl with a package sat in front of Draco. When the house elves at the Manor had heard about his stay in the Hospital Wing, they had started to regularly bake some extra treats they knew their young master liked and the packages contained all kinds of cake, far more than Draco could ever have eaten. Said cakes were therefore shared with the others. Although Hermione did make sure that he ate some of it himself, even she had to admit that no one could expect him to eat everything. Besides, he had gained some weight and even Madam Pomfrey was content with his recovery. And the cakes were definitely among the best things she had ever eaten. Even Ron’s still remaining suspicion towards the Malfoys did not stop him from looking forward to those deliveries.
This time, however, the owl in front of Draco only carried a letter, while Hermione’s carried a rather heavy package.
“Well, too bad, mate, now they officially like her better than you,” Ron commented with a huge grin.
“Obviously. Are you going to share? You know Weasley is going to cry otherwise.”
Ron didn’t even bother to deny that.
Hermione rolled her eyes. “It’s too heavy for cakes,” she said primly and gave the owl a slice of bacon. It took off and the owl delivering Draco’s letter, not happy about being ignored so far, pecked his arm.
“Ow, Archie, you’re a prick!” He took his letter and gave Archie a slice of bacon anyway. He looked almost disgusted as he took it before following his friend.
“The owl is called Archie?” Harry asked. “I thought all of your owls have some kind of pompous name.”
“Archimedes. I call him Archie. It’s possibly the reason he doesn’t like me.”
Hermione grinned and curiously started opening her package. It was a book and a look of awe spread across her face. This couldn’t be what she thought it was!
She quickly opened the envelope with the accompanying letter.
Miss Granger,
Since you expressed your disappointment about “Ancient Asian Runes” no longer being available in English language, I thought you might enjoy this. As you know, this book is very rare, so please treat it with care and kindly send it back with Draco’s eagle owl once you’re done as they are more reliable with heavy packages than the common barn owls.
Sincerely,
Lucius Malfoy
It was exactly what she had thought it was. She couldn’t believe it! This book had been published in England in the late 1800s, but since British wizards had displayed a shameful lack of interest in runes used in other parts of the world, it had never sold well and there had been no second edition. There were very few books left, all of them in personal collections, and since Hermione had lately developed an interest in the difference between runes used across the world, she had mentioned in a letter to Lucius Malfoy how disappointing it was that there was only this one book in English literature that had ever covered the subject of ancient runes used in Asia and that it hadn’t been available for a very long time. Even the Hogwarts library had let her down this time, which she had taken as a personal offence.
Writing back and forth with Lucius Malfoy had become one of her favourite pastimes, although she would never mention that to Ron, he would probably have a stroke. The man was scarily smart, unbelievably knowledgeable about a wide variety of subjects (except for potions, Draco had once mentioned to her) and he challenged her, made her think, and surprisingly, he didn’t shut discussions down, claiming that his point of view was the only valid one. Instead, he made her think to come up with her next counterargument and either agreed or argued, but his arguments were always well-founded and even if she didn’t always agree, she always saw where he was coming from.
So they had written back and forth quite a lot lately, but she hadn’t expected him to lend her a priceless book from the Manor library.
“They sent you a book instead of cakes?” Ron looked at Draco. “I take it back, they don’t like her better than you.”
“Since that book probably costs more than your entire house, I’d say that’s arguable.” Draco’s voice sounded amused.
Hermione’s eyes widened almost as comically as Ron’s and she quickly packed the book into her bag before anyone could spill their drink over it. Draco’s grin widened and she couldn’t help but return it. “I’ll have to bring this into our room before class. Carrying it around all day will give me anxiety.”
“Can’t have that.” He actually did her the favour and ate a little faster as he knew that she wouldn’t get up before he was finished.
While at first it had been all about her feeling bad for more or less ignoring his steadily declining health, she had really come to care about him. He was smart, funny and a great roommate. They sometimes talked for hours about all kinds of common interests, including books they’d both read, but he also respected her privacy and need for quiet time, probably because he understood and was very much the same in that regard.
She was glad he was getting better, but she also knew that some days were still easier than others and while he sometimes slept through the night now, more often than not nightmares still plagued him. She had also witnessed another panic attack, not as bad as the one in potions, but still. She had just sat with him, talking to him until he had calmed down. But having company, spending some time of almost every day in the common room with her and the others, just having a good time, playing chess with Ron, seeing his mind-healer regularly and working on whatever potion he was working on with McNair helped him get to the point Hermione and the others had reached before school had started. She knew how good it was to do normal things, fun things, and not to think about the War all the time.
And while she did what she could to help him get better, he was also being a good friend to her. Twice now he had held her after one of her own nightmares, had waited patiently for her to calm down before returning to his own bed. He had been surprised when she had told him that they were almost never about what had happened in the Manor, but mostly about the moment she had seen Hagrid carry Harry’s lifeless body. It been the moment all hope had left her.
But generally, they were both doing well, all things considered, and their friendship grew each day.
Crookshanks even seemed to be a little torn between them. He had made fast friends with Draco and sometimes he switched between her and his bed several times a night and during the day, he tried very hard to make of them both do his bidding – pets, treats, picking him up, putting him down; she knew her cat could be very bossy and now he had two people to see to his needs. She had never seen him react to anyone but herself like that and she thought it was adorable. Draco had even ordered a pack of very expensive treats from the Magical Menagerie, so the affection obviously went both ways.
He accompanied her back to their room and watched with a smile as she carefully put the book on her desk. She couldn’t wait to read it tonight!
“By the way … you probably know that tonight is full moon,” he said as casually as possible as she turned back to him.
They hadn’t really talked about that yet. She nodded. “I know.” She gave him smile, hoping he knew she didn’t care.
“Yeah … I’ll keep my distance. If you prefer …
“Stop right there. I’ll give you privacy during the transformation. I’ll stay in the common room until I’m sure it’s done. But after that you don’t have to keep your distance.” She had read up on werewolves and had learned that while the potion did help to keep the one taking it conscious and sane, some wolf instincts were still there. Like some body language and the urge to roam in a pack. Draco had so far always been locked up in a room, alone, when in wolf form and while they would have to stay in their room for the sake of not being seen, she would not allow him to feel alone tonight or in the full moon nights to come while they were still at Hogwarts.
“I don’t have a dog phobia,” she said lightly. “While I’m more of a cat person, I like dogs. I don’t mind being around you on full moon.”
“Dog phobia? Seriously? We’re talking about a giant wolf here.” But there was a smile on his face, so she counted that as a win.
“Come on, we’ll be late for classes.”
Draco
With the excuse of having to do homework, Draco had left the common room before sundown. He had taken the Wolfsbane Potion and was now sitting on his bed, naked, waiting for the pain to set in. He really hoped that the potion he and McNair were working on would be a success. The pain was by far the worst thing about the whole werewolf business.
Crookshanks had followed him into the room and was sitting next to him, purring as he absentmindedly stroke through his fur. “I hope that this isn’t going to scare you too much”, Draco said quietly. The cat just gave him an unimpressed look.
Then it started, he got up, started pacing as he felt the now familiar restlessness setting in, then he felt his muscles tense, felt his bones change shape and screamed in pain as his body took a completely different shape, forcing him on all fours.
It wasn’t as bad as it had been last time, when he had already been in terrible health to begin with, but when the transformation was over, he needed a moment to recover.
Then he looked up to where Crooks was still sitting on his bed, eying him critically. He didn’t move, didn’t want to scare him, but then Crookshanks jumped off the bed, sniffed him, and then rubbed against his leg.
An hour later, the door opened, not wider than necessary for Granger to slip in, and was then closed immediately. She was very careful not reveal his condition to the others and he was grateful for that.
Draco made himself very small, lay flat on the ground, hoping that would put her at ease. Crookshanks, who had been around him for the entire hour, seemed to see that as an invitation to jump on his back and sit down, as if he were a fluffy pillow or throne. Bloody cat.
He needn’t have worried. Granger just looked at him for a moment, then grinned widely. At first, he thought it was because of the cat using him as a piece of furniture, but then she came closer and knelt before him. Draco lifted his head and against his will, his tail wagged a little. Her grin widened.
“I didn’t know there’s such a thing as white werewolves,” she said, almost in awe, and reached out her hand and his tail wagged more ferociously as she gently stroke through the fur on the side of his head. “You’re gorgeous.” His ears lay back; had he been in human form, he would probably have blushed. “And so fluffy,” she added in a teasing tone as she ruffled his fur. He let out a soft, playful growl from the back of his throat and she actually laughed!
He didn’t smell fear from her. He knew what fear smelled like. When he had transformed when Voldemort had still been living in the Manor with his followers, the smell of fear had been all over the place, so strong it had been suffocating. It had not just come from the prisoners, but also from the Death Eaters who too had lived in fear of their unpredictable master. Even hiding away in his own rooms, he had smelled all of it all night.
But there was no smell of fear now. She was completely at ease, still stroking him, and being close to someone felt so good. The wolf in him had always been restless at full moon, without anyone around. It was unnatural for a wolf to be alone and for the first time he wasn’t. Granger was there, unafraid to be close, unafraid to touch him, and so was Crookshanks, who still sat on his back. The wolf’s longing for a pack was satisfied for the first time and he felt himself relax and shift closer to her. She just smiled.
Hermione
She had always thought werewolves only came in shades of grey and black, but when she entered the room she shared with Draco, she saw that she had been wrong. He was pure white with golden eyes, the most beautiful wolf she had ever seen. Otherwise, he very much fit the text book description of werewolves. He was a bit bigger than regular wolves, as far as she could tell considering he lay flat on the ground, anxiously looking up at her with those expressive golden eyes, and the tail was a bit more tufted than a wolf’s and it started wagging when she knelt down next to him and started gently stroking through surprisingly soft fur.
She couldn’t stop smiling. The longer she was there, the more he relaxed, reassured by the fact that she wasn’t afraid.
When Crookshanks had followed him into their room, she had been a bit worried, but had comforted herself with the fact that he had been unafraid of Sirius’ dog form. And Crooks turned out to be completely relaxed around Draco, even sitting on his back, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to use a werewolf like a chair.
When she felt Draco’s head in her lap, she laughed softly. “You know, I do enjoy cuddling with you, but I still have a Charms essay to write for tomorrow.” Once more, she let her fingers glide through soft fur and then she got up.
Draco whined and got up himself – he was truly huge -, which caused Crooks to fall off his back and loudly express his displeasure. Hermione chuckled and they both followed her to the desk. When she sat down, she felt two furry bodies curl up at her feet. With a smile, she started writing and after finishing her essay, she spontaneously took another piece of parchment.
Lord Malfoy,
Lady Malfoy,
Draco told me you haven’t seen him in his wolf form yet. Did you know he’s pure white, like an Arctic wolf? He’s beautiful and currently curled up at me feet together with my cat. I wish I could send you a photo, they’re adorable.
Did you know werewolves could be white? In all the books I’ve read they’re described as grey or, more rarely, black.
Speaking of books - thank you so much for sending me the “Ancient Asian Runes”! I promise to treat it with care …
xxx
The next morning, Hermione woke up to a scream coming from the bathroom. Draco must have gone there to transform back.
It was a bit jarring after the quiet and peaceful night they’d had. After finishing up the letter and putting it into an envelope to send in the morning, and studying runes for an hour or two, she had gone to the bathroom to change and after going to bed, Crookshanks had jumped up to curl up on his usual place by her side.
Draco had stood there, unhappily looking at his own bed, his human consciousness and the wolf’s desire to be close to his new pack obviously at a turmoil.
“Come on,” she’d said softly, shifting a bit towards one side of the bed. She hadn’t needed to tell him twice and so she had spent the night cuddled up against a giant, fluffy wolf with a giant fluffy cat between them. It had been rather cramped on the small space, but it had also been really nice and would certainly provide an extra amount of warmth for the cold months to come.
She had almost been sorry that it was only one night per month, but after hearing the scream of pain from the bathroom, she was glad it wasn’t more.
After a while Draco, dressed in his usual expensive black clothes, came out. He was paler than usual and his movements were a bit stiff, but he looked nowhere as terrible as last month, which was a relief. He put on the signet ring he had left on his desk. “Good morning. How are you feeling?” She asked softly.
“Morning.” He gave her a somewhat tired and slightly sheepish smile. “Alright. Much better than last time, at least. Sorry I was so clingy last night.”
She grinned. “I don’t mind. You’re very soft and warm and I’m always cold in winter. I’m going to shamelessly use you as a heating pad.”
Draco laughed softly.
Lucius Malfoy
Lucius and Narcissa had spent a far less peaceful night, worrying about how Draco would take the transformation this time and also how Hermione Granger would take it.
From both of their letters, they had deducted that they had built a friendship within a very short time and they could easily read between the lines of Draco’s letters how much it meant to him that she had apparently forgiven him his past behaviour and his inability to help when she had been tortured by his aunt. Of course they knew by now that she didn’t hold any prejudice against werewolves, but seeing one up close without being afraid was another matter.
When they had just finished lunch, they heard a soft tap at the window to their right. It was one of the Hogwarts barn owls they were used to seeing by now. That always meant a letter by Miss Granger.
Lucius got up, took the letter from the owl and opened it immediately. He had not expected the light tone it started with and shook his head, an amused smile on his lips.
When he looked over to his wife, Narcissa looked back expectantly.
“She’s a remarkable young woman, I have to give her that.” Without reading the whole letter for now, he handed it to her and she smiled upon reading the first two paragraphs.
“He has that from you, you know.”
“Has what from me?”
Narcissa smiled. “The inability to do anything in a non-dramatic way. I’ve never heard about a white werewolf before. Have you?”
He chuckled. “No, certainly not. She’s right, all literature I know describe werewolves as grey or black. There were certainly no white ones in Greyback’s pack.”
“Hmm … We should send her a camera.”
“I’m sure Draco will be thrilled.”
~tbc~