Chapter Text
I was just millimeters away from the huts door.
My breath fanned out and covered its woody exterior, my enraged panting loud enough for all to hear, but I could move no further.
Hagrid, Luna, and Longbottom had my person in their grasp.
The larger Beta alone should’ve proven enough, but my Alpha hindbrain had surged my body with strength because of my white-hot anger.
It was proven, by a renowned dynamic philosopher named Marley Lacework, that emotions could strengthen or weaken one when a dynamic was involved. I had compared it to adrenaline when one was strengthened, like a mother lifting a car off her child, but more potent because of the magic running in a witch or wizard's veins. The magic served to boost this magical variation of adrenaline and gave a witch or wizard enhanced strength for a time. It was also true of the opposite that one’s dynamic could weaken a witch or wizard in a multitude of ways. It was more typical in Omega’s because of their horrid mistreatment, but Alpha’s were most known to undergo this phenomenon when losing their soulmate.
All three of them did this until I calmed myself down to a point where I was manageable once again.
But…
The anger coursing through me was still a simmering, feverish warmth that made my very bones ache…
My body had already felt like it was on the brink of collapse because of my daft reaction to the fire, but now as I as I harshly breath into the open air, I felt fatigued beyond compare and wanted nothing more than to feel the cool, silk sheets of my bed.
“It’s all right.” Luna said, her hand gently rubbing soothing circles on my back. “I know you’re tired, but there is something you must do. Someone you must meet or you won’t see them for a very long time.”
“What?” I dumbly replied, my feet stopping in the middle of the grassy field we had been traversing on. “What in Salazar's name are you talking about, Luna?”
The Omega Gryffindor looked equally confused, his own body just a ways away from my own, but the Beta Ravenclaw was looking at the stars that brightly glittered in the night sky with a wondrous smile on her face.
“You will know in time.” Luna dreamily said, still looking away from my person. “We’ll wait here while you find that someone in the Forbidden Forest. They need some help. The faeries are practically screeching at you to run there now.”
“Luna-” I tried to say, but Luna was having none of my back talk.
“Enough.” Luna shot back, her body quickly facing mine. “You will go. Now. And remember… Three is the key to everything, Hermione. Everything!” She added as she stalked up to me and pushed me in the direction of the Forbidden Forest.
I slightly stumbled like a newborn centaur and rumbled disapprovingly at the situation I now found myself in.
“Luna and her indistinct words…” I scoffed, my nostrils flaring, as I stomped into the forest's muddy floor. “And again with the mud…”
Who am I supposed to meet?
And why in the world are they in Forbidden Forest?
The forest was alive, filled with dangerous creatures that could very well be my own demise at any given moment, but I still aimlessly trudged along. The dense fog was low to the ground and the tension was palpable. My ears were tuned into every noise, my eyes keen to see every slight movement, and my mind spinning me mad. My enhanced senses that were allotted to me by my dynamic served useful to me in a situation such as this.
My Alpha hindbrain was on high alert.
I had to be prudent when walking through these magical woods.
Centaurs, Acromantula, Unicorns, Trolls, and quite possibly a number of other magical creatures could be waiting for their chance to dispose of the Alpha witch that had trespassed into the forest. Albus had always stressed that no students who attended Hogwarts should wander into the Forbidden Forest, at least without a Professor, but the Beta Ravenclaw had expressed for me to do so and here I was.
Gaia…
This mysterious someone had better be worth this trouble…
A crunching of leaves drew my attention, sharp in the stillness, and the stench of blood slid into my nostrils. It wasn’t a scent I was unfamiliar with, yet this time something about it felt different. It was compelling in a way that made my stomach tighten even as my instincts urged me closer. Two distinct scents tangled together in the air, twisting and blending, and I drew in a slow breath to separate them.
The stronger one pulled at me.
It carried strange notes that did not belong in the forest. They were a sweet perfume I didn’t recognize, something soft and floral, undercut by a faintly nutty scent that reminded me of almonds. Beneath it all lingered iron and a cloying richness that brought cacao to mind, thick and almost suffocating. At first, I assumed the iron was simply the blood saturating the ground, but as I focused on that single note - isolating it and tasting it in the air - I realized with a creeping chill that it was something else entirely.
It was the smell of death.
Blood lingered in the air, but death lingered in this someone’s blood…
Their death?
Were they dying?
Or were they dealing death?
I didn’t have time to think about the conundrum any longer because a clamorous, pained whine filled my ears and I immediately bounded for said noise…
Body be damned.
It was like I was under some sort of compulsion.
My mind, my person, and my very atoms were screaming at me to protect.
It was a need rather than a want.
It was like nuclear fission.
My very neutrons struck the nucleus of my heavy atoms, causing them to split into two smaller nuclei, releasing a significant amount of energy and additional neutrons which then triggered further fission reactions in a chain reaction that had me cresting into unseen territories.
I soared over fallen trees that were in my path like a wild gazelle and felt myself align with my Alpha hindbrain. We were in perfect harmony as I sprinted through the forest and focused on the goal that had consumed my very being.
Quickly…
Quickly!
After my frantic sprinting, my feet carrying me in a direct line to my goal, I saw two persons.
One was a wizard who had their wand out…
And another was a magnificent witch, one who wore a glittering black dress that clung to her form that shimmered in the moonlight and had furs draped over her shoulders, who was on the forest floor. The fog partially covered her body, but I could see the pained look plastered on her face. I realized the two blood scents I had smelled were coming off of them, my mind spinning with the implication of the scene I had just stumbled upon, and my hand quickly released my wand from its holder that was on my leg.
This disgusting wizard, who looked to be enjoying what he was doing, had hurt the witch on the floor.
He.
Hurt.
HER!
“SECTUMSEMPRA!” I inhumanly growled, my magic core humming and my wand tip glowing a bright green.
This was a…
…spell…
Severnia and I had come up with as a last resort, but my mouth blurted out the words and my stiff hand waved the wand movements. My broken magic core shouldn’t have been able to handle this type of spell, but the healing of one of the cracks was why I hadn’t dropped dead. I, for some unforeseen reason, held a deep hatred for the wizard standing before me and deemed him worthy of the pain that still coursed through my person.
I watched, as a jet of green light that formed an X, crashed with precision into the wizard who was caught unaware and a vile, nauseating… squelch made it to my ears. The… spell… severed the wizard in multiple places, his insides spilling onto the forest floor below him, blood flowing like a river from his gut, and his face was one of pure horror as his hands fumbled with said intestines. His fingers sifted through blood and guts, but they served useless in his endeavor. It was even more horrifying because half of his face had been removed from his head. I could see his brain thumping with the last vestiges of his weakening heart. The neural oscillations were one of a dead man and, a second later, he fell to the floor with a loud thud. He was reunited with his blood and intestines, his mouth uttering a terrifying sound that Muggles attributed to as a ‘death rattle.’ but all was silent after that chill-inducing sound.
Merlin, Salazar, Morgana, Nimue, and Circe…
What…
What have I done?
My breathing was heavy, my mouth retching at the stench that permeated from the now dead wizard, but I was…
Pleased?
My Alpha hindbrain rumbled within the back of my mind and I felt jo- joy at protecting the woman.
My eyes found the older witch who was on the floor, but who was now lithely standing up in one consecutive motion. Her facial expression changed to that of the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland and I felt even more nauseous if that was possible. She had begun to walk toward my person, but my own body remained rigid and my feet planted firmly where I stood. I watched, with bated breath, as her body rhythmically swayed and intuitively with each cat-like step. She no longer looked like an injured witch, but a woman who was instead the predator.
And…
Her pheromones.
Gaia, her pheromones…
This woman was an Alpha.
Her and I’s pheromones mingled in the air as if they were dancing.
Our scents combined as if that was what they were meant to do.
Her body was now close, but a few paces away.
The other witch was eyeing me up and down, her tongue dashing out to lick those bright red and very plump lips of hers…
“Oh… You are truly… magnifica…” She purred, her voice silky and titillating to my thudding ears.
(Magnificient)
“I…” I tried to reply, but the words just came out as strangled nonsense from my very dry mouth.
The older witch hummed, a rumble that made my very spine shiver, and she started to advance on me with measured steps, her feet unapologetically crunching twigs and leaves under her heeled feet. Her luscious locks swayed, the brown shimmering just as her dress did, and I felt severely outmatched by this goddess of a woman.
I didn’t even understand how she was walking in those heels, but she made it look…
Effortless.
“Does a cat have your tongue, amore?” The witch asked, once again purring as her hand drifted up to the scarred part of my face, the back of her hand sensually caressing the textured skin.
Warmth…
All I felt was a more than pleasant warmth with her touch…
It wasn’t the type of warmth I had felt in Hagrid’s hut or the agonizing heat when my very skin burned, but a sensation that was oh so similar to when Minerva touched me…
A low growl slipped from my lips and I leaned into the scant touch.
“Why?” I said, my voice rough and scratchy, my eyes closed as I reveled in the familiar warmth.
“You are oh so lovely…” She replied smoothly. “Forged from the fires of Pompeii themselves… A strapping Alpha witch who, no doubt, is as intelligent as she is powerful…” She added, her lips so very close to my ear, her words a sweet whisper that constricted my very soul.
“Why?” I asked again, my eyes now open and narrowed at the smaller woman before me, my voice tight. “I… I killed him. I killed him… For… you. Why?”
The older witch chuckled.
“A question for another time, my stella.” The witch replied, her lips brushing the corner of my mouth. “We will meet again, but I will not leave you wanting. I will give you a name. My name.”
(star)
“And it is?” I asked, my breathing heavy as I stayed in this woman's presence.
“Anathema…” Anathema whispered, her name heavy on her lips, her body leaving my personal space and slowly backing away into the fog that seemed to swallow her person whole.
The warmth from Anathema’s touch had ebbed away and a sense of longing replaced the sensation. She had also felt oddly familiar, my mind meticulously trying to dredge up memories of why she had felt so familiar, but I couldn’t quite place the feeling.
My eyes swiveled to where the body was supposed to be, but…
It was no longer there.
“What in the-” I tried to say, but a hand on my shoulder had me jumping out of my skin and spinning to see who would dare touch me.
When I turned around, I was met with the face of a concerned Hagrid who was holding up a lantern and three others who were behind him. Luna and Longbottom were, of course, here, but Malfoy was looking at me with a smug smile. My euphoria from Anathema’s touch was all but forgotten and a simmering rage started to build within me at the sight of the Omega Malfoy.
“Hello, little dragon.” I growled, my jaw clenched.
The experience with Anathema left me more frazzled than when Merlin had to deal with twentyfour men's egos and the control I would usually have over my pheromones was lessened by a significant amount. The twit of a Slytherin felt the full force of them. He staggered back, whimpered, and started to shake at the intensity of an Alpha who was angry.
I was lost in the haze that was my negative emotions, but another gentler hand replaced Hagrid’s larger hand on my shoulder.
“Don’t become them, Hermione.” Luna whispered, my eyes focusing on Longbottom who was also shaking and I immediately felt dread course through me. “You’re better than those Alpha’s who use their pheromones to dominate. Fight the flames. Extinguish them and let your brilliance shine through…”
That's…
That's right…
Be better you daft bint.
You wanted to be better!
My eyes screwed shut and I focused on reining my Alpha pheromones in. I could taste my anger, it suffused the air I breathed, filled my lungs, but I didn’t stop. It had been so easy to control them before and now it seemed I was fighting for that same control.
I was exhausted.
I was aching from head to toe.
My magic core had been strained by the spell I had used on that man and it to ached.
Droplets of sweat dropped from my face, the strain of today's events weighing heavy on my soul, but I preserved.
I had to.
I was better than them.
All of them.
I was not the Horror of Hogwarts.
I was not the same as all the other Slytherins in my house.
And I was not an Alpha who abused their dynamic.
You are…
Stop LYING to yourself…
I had to push the horrid thoughts to the back of my mind.
And push through I did.
I found the strength I had left and smelled a less commanding presence in the air.
My pheromones had slowly started to stop pouring out my person and, by Salazar's mind, I eventually felt that the air around us had shifted entirely. I could no longer smell the anger or feel the commanding presence that was thick and speculated that I had done what I set out to do.
They had receded.
And I was painfully panting as I clutched my robes.
“Bloody hell, Hermione…” Longbottom mumbled, a shiver wracking his lanky body.
“If yer done throwin’ a fit…” Hagrid said, his eyes narrowed at me. “Why in Dumbledore’s name were ye out ‘ere by yerself, missy?”
“I was…” I tried to say, my breathing still ragged. “Investigating… A disturbance…”
The larger Beta huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Right…” Hagrid lowly replied, his eyes scanning the forest behind me. “Ye’re comin’ with us. These lot behind me are bein’ punished, an’ so are ye now. Ye know th’ rules… No students allowed in th’ Forbidden Forest.”
“Never would’ve taken you for a rule breaker, mudblood.” Draco spat as he tried to steady himself, his voice quivering and betraying his true emotions at the moment.
I ground my teeth together and was just about to spit venom back at the twat, but Hagrid interrupted before I could get a singular word out.
“That’s enough outta ye, Mr. Malfoy.” Hagrid rumbled as he walked a few paces and looked at all of us. “There’ll be no slurs used in me presence. All o’ ye will listen t’ me, or I’ll be forced t’ report yer continued bad behavior t’ Headmaster Dumbledore.”
No words were spoken, but all of our heads nodded at Hagrid's words.
I felt like a chastised child.
But I deserved the chastisement.
And at least the git got what he deserved…
“We’re here because Draco, the bloody prat, tattled on us…” Longbottom whispered as he made his way over to me, a small huff coming from his lips.
My Alpha hindbrain flared at the news.
“Of course the little he did…” I snarled, the noise tone filled with displeasure.
“There are more Nargles flitting around your head, Hermione…” Luna said with a tiny giggle.
I sighed and rubbed the bridge of my nose.
I just really couldn’t deal with this nonsense anymore.
I just…
I just killed someone for Salazar's sake!
The spell Severnia and I developed was used to slaughter some wizard!
I wanted to wrap myself in Minerva’s arms and forget what transpired here…
No…
No, that isn’t right, Hermione.
You don’t want to forget…
Her…
“Everything will be alright.” Luna soothingly and airily whispered, her hand gently rubbing lulling circles on my back. “She has made sure of that.”
“Was the Grim meant for me? Or for her?” I whispered back, thinking back to Professor Trelawney’s words about the Omega Gryffindor and I.
“I doubt she would’ve met an untimely end to a wizard like that.” Luna replied, more giggling coming from her mouth.
“You and your knowings, my little seer.” I said, a rumble following those bemused words.
“Finally admitting that I may not be… Loony?” Luna replied, her voice clearer and a seriousness to her tone that wasn’t there just a moment ago, but still a whisper.
“I would’ve never called you that horrid nickname, but I decided to stop waltzing around the topic.” I responded.
The Beta Ravenclaw knowing…
Her…
Where Anathema was going to be, and the importance of meeting her tonight, had all but made this decision a straightforward one. It was time to stop hiding this secret in the dark and allow Luna to be her true self. Being a true seer in the Wizarding world was a revered position. Even though I thought she was full of nonsense, witches like Professor Trelawney held the respect of even Albus. He had told me before that her ramblings could prove useful in the future, but I failed to see the merit when all she did was make a fool of herself and foretell students' deaths.
Unfortunately, Hagrid interrupted our discussion and loudly coughed to get our attention.
“Enough chatter.” Hagrid said, his eyes settling on Luna, Longbottom, and I. “We need t’ move, an’ move quick.”
The larger Beta didn’t give us enough time to respond to his statement and turned around to stalk deeper into the woods.
“Hagrid isn’t too happy right now because they took away Norbert…” Longbottom whispered as the four of us started to follow in his wake. “Draco didn’t just tattle on us, but told Headmaster Dumbledore about the baby dragon and looked smug about being an absolute git.” He finished, huffing a bit at the end of his explanation.
“They… They what?” I growled, my voice quiet enough to not be heard by Hagrid and the Omega Slytherin, but aggravated enough for the two walking beside me to know what state I was in.
I swear to Merlin I’m going to wring his pure-blood neck!
“Draco came back with Professor McGonagall, who scolded us for being out after curfew, and Headmaster Dumbledore. We all walked back in silence to his hut where Headmaster Dumbledore and Hagrid got into a verbal shouting match… It ended with Headmaster Dumbledore apparating away with Norbert and Professor McGonagall depositing us with Hagrid for our punishment.” Longbottom explained in more detail.
“Poor Norbert…” Luna sniffed sadly. “He was screeching for Hagrid until the very end…”
An uncomfortable silence settled between us until Longbottom quietly spoke up again.
“And… Somehow Professor McGonagall knew you were still out here, Hermione. I have no idea… I swear to Godric Gryffindor himself! She looked… pale? Worried? She said she wanted you to come back to her chambers after this punishment was over. She kind of jumbled her words, but that was the jist of them…” Longbottom added in a whisper, his eyes darting to me nervously and then back to the woods that surrounded us.
“I wonder why Professor McGonagall was acting in such a way…” Luna added, her voice full of mischief.
“I’ll-” I started to say, but cleared my throat. “I’ll make sure to see what the Professor wants when we get back to Hogwarts.”
Saying the unadulterated truth…
It was right on the tip of my damnable tongue, but I couldn’t spit it out…
I wasn’t fearful of their judgment.
I wasn’t untrusting of them either…
I was still a coward who clung to my own self-preservation.
Truths…
They could be devastating when told to the erroneous witch or wizard…
I’ll tell them…
In time, I’ll tell them…
My conflicting thoughts were interrupted by our group halting and the larger Beta bent down to the forest’s floor. The fog wasn’t as thick the deeper we delved, but it still hid what Hagrid had found. It wasn’t until he stood back up, a silvery liquid coating his finger, that I knew now exactly why we were here…
“Some say th’ gods bleed gold…” Hagrid started, the silvery liquid dripping off his finger. “But silver? Silver’s for th’ pure. Alchemists can bend gold t’ their will, shape it from th’ very dirt we’re standin’ on… Potioneer’s can brew it in th’ form o’ Liquid Luck… But gold… gold can spoil somethin’ nasty, while silver… silver can’t. So what d’you reckon that means fer th’ liquid I jus’ found?” He asked, a sad glint in his eyes.
“Unicorn blood…” I answered, my voice tinged with danger.
My Alpha hindbrain at attention and the alarm bells started to ring once again.
“True, that’s unicorn blood, that is,” Hagrid replied, his bushy eyebrows furrowed. “Found one dead a few weeks ago an’ now… now, this one’s been hurt real bad by somethin’.”
My body became alive and felt like that…
Something was watching us at this very moment.
My head swiveled to the dense forest around us, the darkness concealing movement that my one good eye followed, and I knew we weren’t alone. This forest was filled with magical life, but the stench of death filled my nose.
It was…
Familiar.
My mind spun with the implications of that thought while a howl pierced our very ears.
“Salazar, we are going to be eaten by a bloody rabid mutt…” Draco mumbled, his voice filled with fear.
“A witch or wizard needs a bit o’ excitement to grow hair on their chest…” Hagrid commented, chuckling softly. “Anyways, this is why we’re here. We’ll find the poor beast an’ see what made it bleed.”
“Why would a witch need hair on her chest…” Draco muttered and I rolled my eyes at the comment.
“Of course… Why wouldn’t we hunt something dangerous in the Forbidden Forest? This is where I’m going to die. The Grim… Professor Trelawney… My fate is sealed…” Longbottom whined, his and Malfoys Omega pheromones flaring at the potential risk these woods posed, while Luna moved to pat him on the shoulder.
“Miss Luna an’ Mr. Longbottom, you’re with me,” Hagrid said, glancing at the pair before turning his eyes to the remaining two. “An’, Miss Hermione, you’ll be goin’ with Mr. Malfoy.”
Then Omega Slytherin whined about being paired with me while my good eye started to twitch.
“Of course, Hagrid.” I replied while giving Hagrid a short, curt nod and then turning fully to Draco. “Seems like we’re now paired together, little dragon.” I sarcastically rumbled.”
“Let’s just get this over with.” Draco replied as he snatched the lantern out of Hagrid’s hand, a sneer on his face, his feet stomping off into the distance as I followed the tantrum-throwing Slytherin.
I take one last glance at the three who throw me their looks of pity, the sounds of Malfoy’s cursing getting more and more distant, and then proceed to follow the git once again…
“Hagrid is a very very petty man for this…” I whispered, a scoff leaving my lips.
I didn’t have to walk far, even with my labored state, and…
…bumped into the ever-whinging Omega Slytherin.
Accidentally…
“You wait till my Father hears about this, Granger.” Draco hissed my way as he regained his footing.
“Why would I care about your spineless Father?” I growled back, our feet continuing to move forward. “I would be more afraid if you enacted your Mother’s name, then his.” I huffed, a chuckle escaping my lips.
“Keep my Mother’s name out of that dirty mouth of yours, mudblood!” Draco replied, his voice going up a few octaves.
I looked around, the forest eerily serene, and glared at the moron.
“Salazar’s snakes! You bumbling twit… Keep that trap shut!” I angrily whispered back. “Or do you actually want to meet your end in this dreary forest?”
I was exhausted, running on fumes, while the memories of her and the incident were still fresh in my mind.
At the moment…
I had no patience for a spoiled brat.
Another howl reached our ears and the two of us stopped walking. Malfoy looked around in a frenzy, his control on his Omega pheromones slipping once again, and his hands trembled as he held up the lantern to shine light into the murky darkness.
I softly snarled and my Alpha hindbrain was ready for a clash between beasts.
Werewolves were different from those who had dynamics.
The Omega Slytherin was right to fear them.
The majority, those who have a dynamic, were susceptible to their dynamics desires, but held the metaphorical reigns. We didn’t transform nor did we have another consciousness in our person. One’s dynamic was a feeling, an inherent part of one’s person that was unlocked, and was an extension of one's personality. Werewolves were two people in one. The wolf and the person. Yin and Yang. It is similar to one who had multiple personality disorder. I had read an article on the topic and found it fascinating. The wolf is equivalent to an alter and is a separate entity. When the full moon blooms, the wolf is brought to the forefront and is broken free of their cage.
Primal desires unleashed…
Useless…
It is not to say that werewolves were inherently dangerous…
It was that the wolf was a predator…
Plague…
And one should never interfere with the prey of a predator…
Because that howl?
That was the call of a predator who was hunting.
Horror…
“Salazar’s bloody basilisk…” Draco cursed, his hand wildly swinging the lantern to see in every-which direction.
“Scared, Malfoy?” I teased, my lip curling upward to reveal a wolfish grin that showed my sharp incisors.
“I. Am. Not!” Draco scoffed, his teeth gritted in annoyance.
I didn’t dignify that childish answer with a rebuttal and continued walking. The tree's roots were more elongated, more robust the further we went, and I could feel the hum of magic in the air. It wasn’t the pleasantness of Minerva’s warmth or the excitement I felt around her, but the same darkness that seemed to follow us through this dreaded forest.
My burn scars thrummed painfully and my feet came to halt while I clutched my body in pain.
I made no noise, but Malfoy noticed that there was something amiss with me. His words reached my ears, but I didn’t understand what he was saying.I couldn’t focus on him. I could only focus on the mounting pain. It felt like my skin was burning once again, my mind cursing that this was happening once again, but there was nothing there like always.
There were no triggers.
No cause for this sudden agony…
Nothing is-
BLOOD-TRAITOR!
The Omega Slytherin and I’s head snapped to a slurping sound that was coming from right in front of us. He quickly lifted his lantern, the light illuminating where the vile noise was coming from, but what we saw was something truly horrid…
I saw…
I saw….
A hooded figure with glowing red eyes, mouth covered in silver blood, and their skin…
I squinted my eyes, at least the one eye that still had sight, and could see a bit of flesh drop from their face…
Their body was rotten.
“AAAAHHHH!!!” Draco screamed, his Omega pheromones pushing out violently and staggering the being in front of us.
The absolute git didn’t wait a moment longer and ran in the other direction while screaming like a small witchling.
My body was stock-still.
My eyes darted from the poor, lifeless unicorn to the cloaked figure that was now growling over it.
The cloaked figure swayed, almost reminiscent of a snake’s movements, their body coming closer and closer to where I was. My hand gripped the holster that housed my wand, but I doubted I could cast even one spell with how currently drained I was. I had just started on the path to recovery, some hope flaring in my soul, but I was now facing the second threat to my life only just this night…
The closer the cloaked figure got the more my burn scars painfully thrummed…
My mind was a cacophony of unending agony, my breath ragged, and my feet refused to move…
Move!
MOVE!
My stunted mind seemed to register the panicked thought, the singular word I screamed into the void that was my panicked brain, and I started to stumble back away from the haunting, cloaked figure that had now closed in on my person.
I stumbled and stumbled…
My feet tripped over the thick roots that lay on the ground…
And my arse met the forest’s floor…
My Alpha hindbrain whimpered in utter fear.
All the while, the cloaked figure and I’s eyes were still locked onto each other…
BLOOD-TRAITOR!
HORROR!
CURSE!
UNWANTED!
DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!
DIE!!!!!!!!!
It was like looking into the eyes of death itself, one who had given up everything in pursuit of power, and I truly believed this was how I would pass the veil and be reunited with my parents.
The sight of the cloaked figure felt familiar, but I couldn’t place where in Salazar's name I would’ve encountered this…
…this evil.
My thoughts swirled back to Professor Trelawney, Longbottom’s own words he spoke earlier resonating within me now, and I couldn't help but wonder if the old witch truly saw my death.
You survived almost being burned alive and now some rotten corpse is going to be the death of me…
Shakily, my hand quickly fumbled with my wand that was in its holster, un-holstered it, and started to point it at the cloaked figure. I knew casting a spell would most likely kill me also, but I was a Slytherin, and I wouldn’t die in some ditch. Luckily, a noise thudded through the forest and it got both of our attention. It was getting closer and closer, the sound reminiscent of hooves clopping, and the cloaked figure startled back as something large soared over my head, Wide-eyes, I looked on at the centaur who now stood before me, protecting me, it front legs rearing in the air as it kicked at the hooded figure.
“BEGONE WITH YOU FOUL, CIRIHTOR!” The centaur boomed, his voice seemingly reaching all.
(Reaper)
The cloaked figure seemed to let out a terrifying screech that chilled my aching bones and fled to the dense fog that was behind it. The centaur stood guard, watching as the being vanished from our sight, and relaxed there broad shoulders when they could no longer see the threat. My body, although worn to the nth degree, felt the oppressive, vile magic recede now that the cloaked figure had gone and I took a few deep breaths that replenished the air that was lacking in my lungs.
The voice…
The voice stopped…
To live another day, I suppose…
Cautiously, and on uneven legs, I stood up from the ground I had been sitting on. The centaur trotted toward me, his spine straight and fur glistening, but his facial expressions were not one who seemed to be in an amicable mood. Those features were drawn tight and I could see that they held great worry for what had just transpired. I was cautious in approaching them, my Slytherin ways tickling the back of my mind, but they had just liberated me from an early grave, so I tried to be less hesitant with my trust.
“Hermione Jean Granger…” The centaur started, their face grimacing as their eyes roamed over my person. “You must leave at once.” They firmly added.
“I would usually be quite stubborn, but I have almost met death twice tonight…” I replied, a tired sigh leaving my lips. “But may I ask why? And also could I ask for your name? You are my savior and it is only polite…”
“The forest is not safe…. Especially for you.” The centaur said, their hooves stomping anxiously. “That was… I am not sure exactly who they were, but I know that the stars have foretold that a great evil will plague the world once more.” The centaur explained with an irritated huff. “And I am called Firenze. Alpha Firenze.”
“Interesting…” I hummed, intrigued about a centaur having a dynamic. “And this great evil has been hunting unicorns?”
“Indeed…” Firenze answered, their lips now downturned and his tone one of sadness. “It is a terrible crime to slay such a pure being such as a unicorn…” They continued, looking back at the dead beast. “This death makes two. The first looked as if someone had bitten into its flesh and it seems this one is the same. Drinking the blood of a unicorn.. It is- is unthinkable. Unicorns blood will keep one alive, even if they are on the brink of death, but… at a terrible price… For you to obtain this blood, you have to slay something pure, so pure, that from the moment the blood touches your lips you will have a half-life. A cursed life.”
“So this… being… wanted to extend its life? This prophesied evil?” I surmised, my mind spinning with the implications of such a thing.
“Ineed and if this being wants to extend its life… Can you think of the one thing that could grant that, Hermione Jean Granger?” Firenze asked, leaning closer and conveying the importance of what they were asking in their tone.
“Merlin, Morgana, Nimue, and Circe…” I cursed, my own pheromones flaring at the realization. “The Philosopher’s Stone…”
“You again correct, young witchling.” Firenze replied as they backed away at my rising anger.
“Does Albus know?” I asked, my head snapping up, my fiery eyes finding Firenze’s. “Is that why he is having the cerberus guard it? Does he know who is after it?”
“I am not sure.” Firenze responded, their own pheromones tightly locked within themselves. I would’ve been impressed by Firenze’s control, their ability to remain composed when presented with an irate Alpha, but I was spiraling with that one simple question.”But what I do know is you are important. Keep asking questions, Hermione. I can only read the stars and trust the Fates, but if there is one thing I can do…. One thing you can take away from this meeting… It is to question everything…” They added, a seriousness to their voice that made me take the advice thoughtfully.
A rustling caught both of our attention and we saw a group of four crest a hill that was some ways away.
“Hermione!” Neville squeaked, his eyes wide as he stared at Firenze.
Luna had a bright smile on her face, her hand waving at Firenze, while Malfoy scowled at the centaur and stood further away than the rest of the group. I could smell two sets of Omega pheromones in the air, but one was defensive while the other smelled like fear. I could guess who belonged to who, but Longbottom did his best not to show his emotions and for that I felt something akin to pride for the Gryffindor.
“Hullo there, Firenze.” Hagrid said warmly. “I see ye’ve met our bright Miss Granger.” He then turned to me. “Ye alright?”
“I’m perfectly fine, Hagrid.” I answered, my eyes flitting from Firenze to the large wizard.
I wasn’t fine, but I would not show weakness in front of so many people.
You can crumble into tiny pieces when you get to Minerva’s chambers.
Well…
That is if my soulmate doesn’t kill me first…
“Well, Hermione Jean Granger…” Firenze started out, their voice pulling me back to look at them. “... this is where I leave you. You are safe now. My duty is done, but… remember what I have said. Ask questions. Never stop being the creator of your own destiny. The Fates and the stars may know of the paths you may take, but you, you are the one who chooses those paths…” They explained, their eyes lingering on my own for but a moment until they turned around and stalked back into the forest. “You are more than you know…”
All was silent after Firenze’s departure.
We all could only look at the dead unicorn, its pure life slain carelessly, and wonder about the future of the wizarding world…