Note: This story takes place about a year after the final battle. In this fiction Sirius Black never fell through the veil, Remus Lupin and Severus Snape lived, and Tonks never existed. This fic is rated M for language and scenes of a mature nature later on. This fic is mostly HG/RL with some HG/SB as a possibility later on.
I do not own Harry Potter
Unexpected Consequences
He was worse tonight than they'd ever known him to be. Sirius and Hermione sat silently in the kitchen at 12 Grimmauld place trying, unsuccessfully, to ignore the howls and resounding thuds the werewolf in the attic made as he instinctively rebelled against his imprisonment. He had given up merely scratching at the door an hour ago and now it sounded like he was hurling his body against the wood in an attempt to escape the dark, lonely room he had been locked in at sundown.
"Shouldn't we do something?" Hermione asked when she couldn't take it anymore. She had been trying to drown out the cacophony of noise by covering her ears with her hands, but she had known it would be futile.
"There's nothing more we can do," Sirius told her sadly. "He took his potion, but it just doesn't seem to be working tonight."
Another loud thud, possibly the loudest so far, resounded through the house making them both jump. It was followed by a snarling howl, either of pain or frustration, they weren't sure. Hermione looked up at the ceiling nervously and then glanced at Sirius to see him doing the same.
Hermione, Sirius, and Remus had been living at Grimmauld place together for the better part of a year and never once had Remus' lycanthropy been a real issue until tonight. Usually, on the day of the full moon, Severus brought the wolfsbane potion to the house right after breakfast and Remus would drink it at lunchtime, making sure it had plenty of time to take effect before the transformation. Unfortunately today he had been late, having been held up by an emergency at the school, and he hadn't delivered the potion until dinner time, giving it only an hour to take effect before moonrise. Apparently that wasn't enough time to really have any effect because almost as soon as he'd been confined, Remus began trying to escape the little attic room.
"It's because we're here, isn't it?" Hermione asked, taking a nervous sip of her tea. "He can smell us, and that's why he wants out so badly."
"That is definitely a possibility," Sirius said thoughtfully. "Or he might just want to run. That room is terribly small. Of course, when the potion is working he usually just sleeps, so it's never been an issue before." He said this bitterly; obviously still upset that Severus had been so late.
"M-maybe we should just leave," Hermione suggested when another loud thud echoed off the walls.
Sirius looked thoughtful for a moment then shrugged. "I used a strengthening spell on the door to reinforce it, so it should hold. However, if you want to leave we certainly can. We just need to ward the all of the exits first so that he is confined inside the house should he escape. Werewolves are only just regaining some of their rights and it would be a huge setback if one got out went on a rampage through a busy city."
"It would make me feel a hell of a lot better to get out of here." She told him. "I feel bad just leaving him, but I don't know how much more I can take." As if to emphasize her point another long series of howls and bangs blasted through the house.
Sirius nodded then stood up. "Okay, I'll ward the third floor while you do the second then we'll meet back down here and work the first floor together, all right?"
They separated at the stairs and Hermione quickly began warding all of the second floor windows, using the strongest spells she knew. Once she was done she ran down to the first floor where Sirius was already hard at work warding every window in the sitting room. They had just finished when they heard the loudest crash yet. The sound of splintering wood and ferocious clawing assaulted their ears and they gave each other a horrified look. He had broken through the door.
"We have to go NOW!" Sirius shouted, as he turned and ran from the room.
Hermione gasped and her heart began to pound as she grabbed her coat and ran after him. She saw Sirius at the front door, a look of horror etched on his face as he stared at the second floor landing. Time seemed to slow as Hermione turned her head to look behind her. The large brown wolf was just above her, his hot breath rasping and his sides heaving as he lowered himself down to leap. Her mouth opened in a silent scream as she bolted for the door. Her heart stuttered as she heard the large animal, who was usually her calm, level-headed friend, land with a thud on the spot she had just been standing upon.
"Hermione, hurry!" Sirius shouted, as he raised his wand to fire a stunning spell at the wolf.
"Move!" she shouted, as she skidded toward him, the beast fast on her heels. Sirius stepped back just as she made the door way, but the handle slid out of his grasp. Using reflexes she didn't know she had, Hermione grabbed the handle and tugged as she flew past the door. She realized she was a millisecond too slow as the long snarling muzzle emerged and clamped down on her hand. She screamed and slammed the door on it and the wolf yowled and withdrew, allowing her to latch the door.
Immediately Sirius was there, casting spells on the door to secure the animal inside. Once he was done he turned to the woman beside him. "Whew, that was close," he grinned, and then he noticed her tears and the way she was cradling her hand. "Oh, shit! Did he get you?"
Hermione nodded and whimpered.
"Did he break the skin?" Sirius demanded, pulling her by the wrist toward him. He cast Lumos and examined her torn flesh. Blood was seeping slowly out of two long scratches and he cast Aguamenti on the wound to wash it. The scratches weren't deep, little more than superficial really. "Was it a bite, or did he get you with his claws?"
Hermione took a deep breath and shuddered. "It was a bite."
"Shit," Sirius hissed, running an agitated hand through his hair. "Okay, there's a chance it wasn't enough to pass the virus on. We won't know for sure until Remus has a chance to examine it. So, let's just bandage you up and find a place to stay for a night."
She gave him a watery nod and he conjured a long white bandage to wrap around her hand.
"Were will we stay?" she asked when he was done.
"Hmm, do you think Harry and Ginny would like sharing their flat for a night?" He asked, shooting her a sly grin.
Thinking of her newlywed friends' probable reaction, she laughed in spite of herself.
Okay, that's chapter one. There are at least six more waiting for me to upload them. Please Read and Review - I want to know what you think!