Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Instinctive	By : goldhorse Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 33804 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the HP universe, JK Rowlings does. I made no money doing this. Seriously. Just ask mhy cheque book.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
‘How long?’ Hermione asked, stretching her back after her nap.
‘Don’t know,’ Draco growled, looking out into the zoo.
‘What do you mean you don’t know?’ Hermione growled.
‘I mean I don’t bloody well know,’ he snapped. Her scent was still driving him crazy but now she was standoffish and fighting her instincts. It was killing him. ‘I’ve lost time Granger. I don’t have a clue how long I’ve been here, but it’s only be five days for you. And I only know that because each one has been trying. I always lose time.’
Hermione huffed and sat up, studying him. ‘What did you do to get here?’
Draco hunched his shoulders, not wanting to have this conversation. ‘I told you. I spied.’
‘I know that. I didn’t believe Harry at first, but I recognized the handwriting on the notes. How did he catch you? What did he catch you doing?’
Draco growled in annoyance, knowing that she wouldn’t stop until she knew the entire picture, as awful as it was. He didn’t want to remember that day. And he hadn’t needed to… until she’d demanded it. He was really starting to hate the fact that she was his mate. He couldn’t deny her things like this. He could pull rank when she was in danger, but he couldn’t disappoint her by withholding information or affection.
‘Timber?’
Draco ducked his head. She’d learned he had a weakness for his wolf name. He felt more comfortable as the wolf and she knew it. He sighed and put his head on his paws, closing his eyes so he wouldn’t have to look at her.
‘I was looking for the blasted cup,’ he growled. ‘I’m glad Potter destroyed the damned thing. It was horrible.’ He shuddered at the memory.
She scooted closer to him, trying to show her support. ‘How did he catch you?’
‘Bloody Bellatrix,’ he snapped, giving her his best glare. ‘She wouldn’t willingly give that information up you know. I thought… once Snape told me what Potter was looking for, I figured Bellatrix was the one person who would know.’
‘How did you get it?’
‘Slipped some veritiserum and a paralyzing agent in her glass so she couldn’t move when she realized it. I asked her what I wanted and obliviated her after I got it.’
‘How’d you get caught?’
Draco turned his head away from her. ‘Stupid mistake. Didn’t give her a false memory. The Dark Lord noticed that she was missing about an hour from her mind.’
She scooted over to the other side so she could see his face. ‘But how did he pin it on you?’
He snarled in memory. ‘That stupid tattle-tell Wormtail. He saw us going in the parlor together right before she lost her memory.’
She whimpered and he felt a little better. At least she felt bad for him. He felt bad for himself. He turned his head the other way so he wouldn’t have to see her face and continued. ‘The Dark Lord was furious, accused me of being a traitor, of trying to send information to the Order.’
‘Did you tell him?’
‘No! That would have been instant death. I told him… I told him that I wanted to talk about girls and I was embarrassed so I obliviated her.’
She made a sound he knew meant she was confused and he had to admit, it was pretty pathetic. He growled low in his throat when she scooted back around to his other side, eager to see him. ‘And he bought it?’
‘I’m here aren’t I?’ he grumbled. ‘He tortured me until I couldn’t breathe and then threw me in the dungeons with Greyback. I… I don’t know how long I was there. He wasn’t transformed yet. I know that much. It took a long time. When he finally turned me, they threw me in another cell with a bowl of rancid water and a few rotten scraps of meat. I don’t remember much after that, except the pain. I do know that the Dark Lord never figured out what Bellatrix told me.”
‘How?’
Draco did have to laugh at his cleverness. ‘I erased my memory after I sent that missive to Potter.’
‘How? Obliviating yourself is dangerous!’
‘I brewed a potion,’ he yipped softly. ‘It was designed to delete a certain part of the day. I deleted my chat with Bellatrix, but I didn’t erase the knowledge of why I did it or what I was looking for. I buried those memories under different ones, made different triggers for them, innocuous ones he wouldn’t think to check. He never found them.’
She put her head on her paws and stared at him for a while. It was uncomfortable, being the object of her scrutiny. At least he could look at her too. He had to admit she was a beautiful creature. Her fur shined in the morning light. She was lithe and powerful, strong and yet somehow delicate. He studied the way her muzzle tapered and wondered if it corresponded to her face structure as a human. It was her eyes that captivated him though. Flecks of gold in amber caught the light and sparkled like jewels. He wanted to bite his own tail for those sappy thoughts but he let it go. She really was pretty.
‘That was very brave,’ she finally barked.
‘Yeah, happens to the best of us,’ he sighed.
‘The pack doesn’t like me,’ she grumbled, changing the subject.
He was thankful for it. ‘They’re always leery.’
‘There’s more.’
‘They heard about our adventures the other day,’ Draco admitted. ‘They’re worried about dynamics.’
‘Are the keepers going to move us all together?’
‘Don’t know,’ he yipped. ‘But Tuley’s pretty determined.’
‘I like her. She reminds me of Tonks.’
‘Why?’
“Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin. She’s Andromeda’s daughter.’
‘Oh, Dora. Yeah, I thought she looked like her too.’
Hermione sat up suddenly. ‘You know Tonks?’
Draco sat up and wished again that he could roll his eyes. ‘Yes. She is my cousin. I finally met her… right before this.’
‘About this,’ she said softly. ‘What happened the other night… it can’t happen again.’
‘Why?’ he barked harshly. He couldn’t help it. His wolf was sensing her rejection and was none too happy about it.
‘Ron,’ she said quietly. ‘We were dating.’
‘Were,’ he growled. ‘Past tense.’
‘Draco-‘
‘No,’ he snapped. ‘You are wolf. I am wolf. You might want to refresh your memory on how wolves mate in the wild.’
‘But I’m a werewolf,’ she said. ‘I’m still human somewhere.’
‘And where is the weasel?’ Draco snarled. ‘Not here. You don’t get it Hermione. I’ve been trying to get out of here for a long time. You can’t charge the bars and the muggles don’t care how intelligent you are. There is no way out. Only the Death Eaters know we’re here and I promise they don’t care. They come around to make sure we’re good and miserable and nothing else. Besides, even if we did get out, we have no magic. We’re stuck like this. Forever.’
‘Draco, you can’t think like that.’
‘Draco is gone,’ he roared. ‘He died in that cell. I’m Timber now. And you are Honey. Get used to it.’
He stalked off, nervous about leaving her alone while she was still in heat but too angry to stay around. His wolf was livid, jealous of a man who they’d probably never see again. His mate didn’t want him. He wanted to hunt, to maim... to kill. He wanted to challenge the one his mate wanted, to win, to watch the admiration in her eyes when she saw how strong and powerful he was. He was the better mate. He wanted to run wild and feel the wind in his fur, hear the bugs and the animals in the forest. He wanted to be a wild wolf. He wanted…
No. No. No. NO!
He shook his head to clear the thoughts away. They came more often now, the instinctual urges to act full wolf. He felt a little wilder than normal. Usually, a chat with another werewolf helped with that but ever since Hermione Granger was forced into his life, he couldn’t control himself. He hoped he wasn’t going feral. Seeing Blaise like that had really concerned him. He didn’t want to end up like that, clueless and dangerous, nothing more than an animal. He’d rather them put him down.
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‘How long?’
Draco looked over to his mate and whined. She asked him that every morning, how long. How long had they been there? How long until they found a way out? How long? He’d asked himself that a hundred times but it was hard to keep track of time as a wolf. He’d lost so much of it before he’d regained his mind. But Hermione, she’d only lost five days between her arrival and her mind returning, probably only a day or two for transport. After that, he couldn’t remember. Too many sunrises, too many sunsets, too many hours of being watched like zoo exhibits. He’d tried scratching the days out once, but a good rain had erased that plan.
At least the keepers understood now. They’d managed to get his pack in one enclosure and for that he was thankful. It made him feel less uneasy, less like an utter failure. His pack wasn’t spread out anymore. He could keep an eye on them. He still spoke to the other packs every day, on the lookout for new recruits or information but none had come. Had the war ended? He didn’t know.
Hermione whined and scooted closer to him for comfort. Their mating had pleased the keepers to no end, but it hadn’t been an easy road for them. They had trust issues. She didn’t trust him and he understood but was resentful for it anyway. His wolf took the rejection hard, sending his mind spiraling into thoughts of murder and proving himself worthy. He had a hard go of trying to keep himself straight. She didn’t make it easy either.
She was still feeling guilty for betraying the weasel. But they couldn’t ignore their instincts despite him blowing a fuse the first time she’d brought it up and damn near snapping at her every time after that. He was hard pressed not to overpower her and claim her until she couldn’t deny that he was her mate. She was his. His. He was just glad he still held onto a shred of his sanity or he would have made it so much worse.
It had taken time. She’d been well out of heat before she let him near her and for that he was glad. It kept him from doing the stupid things his wolf was urging him to do. It let him concentrate on other things. Most importantly, it ensured she didn’t end up with pup. Luna’s impending pups weighed heavily on his mind. Even Hermione, with her vast knowledge of practically everything, had no clue. Who even studied werewolves forced to stay in one form anyway? Hermione said there were no documented cases of a werewolf going into labor in wolf form. That wasn’t comforting in the least.
He’d overheard the keepers talking about her. They wanted to tranquilize Luna and give her something called an ultrasound. He wanted to rip their limbs off but Hermione explained that it was a muggle method for taking pictures of babies in the womb. He’d made it a point to be extremely overprotective of her since then. Pictures might help, but he couldn’t guarantee the child in Luna’s womb was actually a pup. That would have gotten them shipped to some sort of experimenting lab somewhere and he couldn’t have that.
It was the talks of other werewolf breedings that made him the most nervous. Luna wasn’t the first one in this predicament. A couple from the Alpha pack had ended up pregnant. One had died from the strain. The other had mauled the pup before anyone could check it out. He wondered if it was because it was dead, defective, or worse… human. He shuddered. It would be instinct to get rid of it if it was, especially if they’d gone feral. They wouldn’t recognize a human as anything but food, even from their own body.
He was about to go check on Luna when he smelled it. Death Eaters. He snarled in anger. They just couldn’t leave them alone, could they?
‘Go back to the cave,’ he ordered his mate.
‘Why?’ she asked, looking around for what had alarmed him.
‘You don’t want to see this,’ he said softly. ‘Go on. Make sure Luna is comfortable. Keep her company.’
‘But-‘
‘No buts,’ he snarled. ‘You go. NOW!’
She cowered from his sudden burst of anger and slunk away with her tail between her legs. He felt bad for making her feel that way, but her safety was more important. The others had learned to hide when he ordered it. She would need to as well.
“New cage, little blood traitor?”
Draco bared his teeth. He hated when McNabb came to visit. He didn’t curse, which was a blessing, but he’d spew insults for hours. With his wavering grip on his sanity, Draco wasn’t sure how much he could take of him.
“W-wonder why they m-moved him.”
Draco snarled, feeling satisfied when Pettigrew jumped back in fright. He really wanted to kill that fat little rat. As McNabb started going off about his mother, he settled in for the long haul. As long as his pack was safely hidden, he’d take the abuse all day. He just wondered how long he could do it consecutively.
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“Hey mummy, look at the huge wolves!”
Draco had to resist the urge to snarl at the little child who was clinging to the bars and pointing. He hated people staring and pointing at him. Worse, they all smelled unbelievably delicious. Humans were a werewolf’s main prey after all. But he knew the second he tasted human blood, it would be done for. Hermione had assured him that she’d not been able to actually draw blood on a human and he strongly cautioned against it. That was a sure way to go feral.
“Yes sweetheart, they’re very lovely.”
Draco was relieved that the child’s mother had pulled its hand back. As intelligent as they were, instinct still ruled them. It was a maddening war that tested their sanity on the best day. He wondered if that was the Dark Lord’s plan, make them slowly lose their mind while being treated like side-show exhibits. Perhaps it was the thought of them being torn to shreds by a pack of wolves. Then again, he could have counted on them going nuts and destroying the muggles. Either way, it was cruel… and lingering. That was probably the most satisfying part for the sick bastard.
Every day, they’d send a Death Eater or two to jeer at them, sending stray curses and cruel words to tease and torment them into going mad. He wondered if that was why Blaise had gone feral. The last time they’d come, he’d barely gotten Luna inside before they struck. They grew tired quickly that day. He wasn’t so sure he’d be lucky the next time.
“They are rather large, aren’t they?” another woman asked one of the keepers that were nearby.
“Yes ma’am,” the keeper answered. “Best we can figure, they’re some sort of hybrid. That white one, he’s smart as a whip. We call him Timber because he looks the most like a Timber wolf. He was the first one to be able to live with the other wolves in the next enclosure.”
“Then why do you have him separated out?”
“Found out these guys are all part of the same pack,” the keeper said with a shrug. “Damnedest thing really. That white one mated with that female beside him; we call her Honey. He took her and led her over to meet with those other four, wouldn’t stop until we allowed it. It’s the strangest thing since there is a pregnant female in the group as well as another male who doesn’t seem as submissive as he should. They interacted well and were so happy together we just didn’t have the heart to separate them.”
“Oh, how sweet,” the woman cried.
Draco wanted to vomit. Sweet his arse. The only reason they were together is because Tuley threw a fit and threatened to call the zoo board and complain about the injustice of keeping a pack animal separated. He owed a lot to that keeper.
‘This is demeaning,’ Hermione growled, lying down underneath him to try and escape the stares.
Draco licked her ear and muzzle, trying to comfort her. ‘It is grating on the nerves but you get used to it. If it gets to be too much, we can go have a lie down in the caves if you’d like.’
Hermione whined. ‘No, Luna needs it more than me. She’s so uncomfortable.’
Draco scratched the dirt restlessly. The keepers were worried about Luna, as they should be. Her gestation had been much longer than a wolf’s normal couple of months. Hers was more like six… maybe seven months. Maybe. He’d lost count. If she had a human’s gestation, the baby wasn’t due yet. But they were in uncharted waters and everyone was feeling it.
“Blimey, that’s a huge wolf, eh Harry?”
Hermione sat up so fast she cracked the top of her head against Draco’s jaw, making them both whimper in pain. She hadn’t heard that correctly. She couldn’t have.
“Shut it Ron,” another voice hissed. “We’re supposed to be lying low. Besides, Remus is certain that the scrying found a trace of her blood signature here. I still wonder how Snape managed to modify the spell to locate. We have to keep an eye out for her.”
“Relax. What Death Eater comes to a muggle zoo?”
‘I’m going crazy,’ Hermione yipped.
‘No you aren’t,’ Draco growled. ‘I heard it too. Would they be polyjuiced?’
‘Probably,’ Hermione said, looking at all the humans through the bars. ‘Or under Harry’s invisibility cloak.’
‘How the fuck are we supposed to get their attention?’ Draco growled, getting up and pacing in front of the bars, careful not to get too close. He didn’t see anyone he recognized.
Hermione barked loudly, but all she managed to do was startle some of the younger muggles. ‘Come on Honey, think,’ she muttered to herself.
Draco stopped, staring at her. She’d started thinking of herself as Honey. Granted, they all thought of themselves as their wolf names after living with them for so long, but Hermione was new. Or was she? Had they really lost that much time? He whined, looking out frantically now. He’d been struggling with his identity for a while now, fighting the feral feelings that crept up more and more frequently. He hadn’t told anyone but he damned sure didn’t want it to happen to Hermione. He couldn’t stand the thought of her losing her mind.
‘I’ve got it,’ she cried. ‘Morse code.’
‘Who the bloody hell is Morris?’ Draco asked.
‘No, not Morris, Morse. It’s a muggle code, a series of dashes and dots that muggles used during their wars to communicate over long distances. They are represented by different lengths of tones, short for dots, long for dashes.”
‘How does that help us? I’m pretty sure the weasel hasn’t studied up on his muggle war codes lately.’
‘But Harry would recognize it,’ she yipped and then stood still, striking a beautiful pose.
Draco studied her as she barked three short times, three long times, and then three short times again. He wondered what she was saying in that… more code… or whatever.
‘The shorts, three longs, three shorts,’ she told him. ‘S.O.S. It’s a distress signal. I’m calling for help.’
“Strange,” Weasley’s voice came again.
Hermione growled and paced back and forth. ‘Come on Ron, quit being so bloody dense.’
Draco gave a wolfly snicker to that. ‘I don’t think he can understand you, love.’
Hermione stopped dead in her tracks and stared at him. He gulped and looked away. He hadn’t meant to call her that. Well, he hadn’t meant to say it out loud anyway. He was falling for her. She was his mate. But she probably wasn’t ready for that yet.
“Did that wolf just… laugh?” Potter asked.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say yeah.” Weasley shrugged. “Maybe he cracked a joke. Too bad you can’t speak wolf, eh?”
They zeroed in on the voices. They were coming from two ordinary looking boys, both with plain brown hair, brown eyes, and medium builds. Polyjuice then. Draco watched as is mate crept up as close as she dared to the bars and whined at them, begging them to listen. He wasn’t sure they would, but she was giving her best effort. He couldn’t say he wasn’t excited too, though he was apprehensive. Theirs had to be the first friendly human faces he’d seen in a very long time. This was their shot.
“That would be nice,” Potter sighed.
Hermione whined again, opening her eyes as wide as they’d go. Then she barked that code again, trying very hard to communicate.
“Funny,” Potter said. “That sounds like Morse Code.”
“What?” Weasley asked.
“Morse Code. Muggles use it to communicate sometimes.”
“What’s it do?”
“Makes it easier if you can’t hear very well,” Potter said, studying Hermione as she barked again. “That sounds like an S.O.S.”
“What’s that?”
“Distress code.”
“What, like that wolf is begging for help?” Weasley said incredulously.
Hermione was so happy she yipped and tried to leap on the bars. Draco sprang forward, barking a warning, trying to spare her the pain he’d learned the hard way but it was too late. Her paws landed on the bars and she yelped, falling backwards she pulled back so fast. Draco sprinted over to her, dragging her away from blasted things. Stupid silver charm, always bloody hurt. Getting it on the feet was worst of all. It was hard to three leg it. Losing two legs for a while was just awful. He’d hit his front legs and his mouth the first time, couldn’t eat for a couple of weeks, barely drink. He’d almost starved to death after that one and he cursed himself for letting his mate come to harm.
“What the bloody hell is in these bars?” Potter asked in alarm.
Draco growled at the bars, angry at them for hurting his mate. How dare they? He shook his head, realizing those thoughts were not warranted and went back to trying to alleviate the pain. He grabbed Hermione by the scruff of her neck and pulled her over to the water so she could soak her paws. Water helped the burns. She was still shaking from pain and he was torn, not wanting to leave her, but he had to continue her mission. He called for the twins, breathing a sigh of relief when they came padding out. They remembered the burns too. It seemed no one had been able to escape at least one burn, not even Luna. Speaking of her…
‘Sunshine?’ he asked, wincing when he’d used her wolf name. The more they were together, the more natural it was.
‘Tired, but okay,’ Padma answered.
Draco breathed a sigh of relief. At least she wasn’t in pain anymore. He barked orders to stay with Hermione until she’d recovered from the shock and padded back over to the witless duo. They appeared to be studying the bars, looking for what could possibly burn the wolves but not themselves. He hoped it was a clue, at least. He thought it was stupid but he stood straight and tall, staring the boys in the face and barked Hermione’s code. He just hoped it was the right one.
“Blimey,” Weasley said. “This one knows that code too.”
Potter narrowed his eyes. “I don’t think these are normal wolves. Look how much bigger they are than that other pack.”
Draco couldn’t help but peer through the side they were looking at. He could see the submissives, all lounging about sunning themselves. Once again, he sniffed at the set up. There were five enclosures, all adjacent to each other connected by the hall with only one entrance. The muggles only saw had to walk in a circle to see everything. The bars were cleverly concealed between the enclosures outside, but they were there. At least he could still see the submissives.
He barked a hello at them, receiving one in return. He still kept up communications with them, unwilling to let his position slip. They gave him regular reports, keeping their eyes peeled for ‘bad ones’ as they’d been labeled. Death Eaters weren’t exactly picky in which wolf they hexed. He’d taken the brunt of them, jumping in front of ones not meant for him to spare his pack. That’s how he earned his respect and in turn, they kept watch. It was a good system.
“Huh,” Potter said. “Those other wolves sound different.”
“Come on Harry. A bark is a bark.”
Draco wanted to smack the little weasel, beyond wanting to murder him so his mate wouldn’t see him as competition. Of course a bark wasn’t a bark. Even he knew that as a human. Strangely enough, he actually wished Hagrid was there so the big oaf could recognize what was happening. Instead he shook his head and barked Hermione’s bark again, hoping to keep them thinking. Surely Hermione had rubbed off on them a little.
“Something’s not right here,” Potter said, studying Draco. “They’re bigger, they bark different, they seem to be able to understand us, and something in these bars hurts them.”
“So what?” Weasley said. “They aren’t supposed to cross the bars anyway.”
Draco growled in annoyance and barked a request to the submissives. He wanted one of them to touch the bars to prove to them that they weren’t harmed. Luckily, they complied easily and Potter gasped in shock.
“See? He can understand us.”
“What?” Weasley said, his brows furrowed.
“You said they aren’t supposed to cross the bars. Then he barked to that other group and one of them bit the bars… and they weren’t hurt. Don’t you get it? He’s trying to prove they are different.”
“Harry, no offense mate, but I think you’ve gone round the bend.”
Draco barked in annoyance. Granted, he’d think he was going a bit barmy if he were on the other side, but he didn’t think he’d be so bloody dense. What was he going to have to do, stand on his hind legs and assume the dueling stance? Actually, that wasn’t a bad idea, but he was shit at trying to balance on his hind legs. He’d learned that the hard way too. His ears perked when Hermione whined in pain, splashing around in the water. He couldn’t help himself, running over to her.
‘Go see if you can get Potter and Weasley to see sense,’ he ordered the twins before taking over Hermione’s care.
‘Hurts,’ she whined.
‘I know,’ he whined back. ‘Silver.’
‘I’m stupid,’ she moaned.
‘At least you didn’t get your mouth.’
She looked horrified as she tried to peer in his mouth. He chuckled and stuck his tongue out, showing her the black stripe he’d earned because of his stupidity. She licked it, making him growl affectionately before nuzzling her.
‘It gets better. It will hurt for a while.’
She nodded. ‘Do they get it yet?’
He whined. ‘No. Potter is starting to see though.’
‘Harry,’ she yipped sadly. She tried to get up to walk over to him but her sores were too fresh.
Draco took pity and ordered her to lie on his back and just walk with her hinds. Real wolves wouldn’t do that. Maybe that would get Potter’s attention. It was slow going, but they finally mince stepped over. Hermione whined, wanting to look her friends in the eyes. Draco grumbled to himself and shifted so she could stand to see them, using him as a prop. She was certainly taller then.
“Hey girl,” Potter said softly. “How are you?”
Hermione yipped and then cried when her paws scrapped against Draco’s back. Draco cringed and shifted again, trying to help her stay comfortable.
“This is ridiculous,” Weasley snorted.
Hermione growled at him, annoyed at both her pain and him being dense. Then she barked the code again. Potter cocked his head and studied them.
“Her eyes look really familiar.”
“They’re brown,” Weasley said with a frown.
Potter rolled his eyes, which Draco wanted to shake his hand for, and clapped his mate on the back of the head. “No, don’t they remind you of people? I mean, that male she’s leaning on, he’s got grey eyes. How many grey eyed wolves are there?”
“Dunno, hundreds?”
“No, they’re blue,” Potter said. “They’re eyes are green, blue, or brown… not grey.”
“She’s got brown eyes Harry,” Ron sighed.
Hermione growled again, cursing a blue streak and making Draco laugh. Potter joined in but calmed after a few minutes.
“I want to try something,” Potter said suddenly. “Hey girl, do you understand me?”
Hermione yipped and nodded her head.
“No bloody way,” Weasley squeaked.
“That’s what I thought,” Potter said. “One bark for yes, two for no, yeah girl?”
Hermione nodded her head and barked once.
“Are you really wolves?” Potter asked.
Hermione barked twice and whined.
“What are you?” Weasley asked.
Hermione growled and yipped, admonishing him for asking a question that wasn’t yes or no. Weasley flinched and backed up. Draco shifted so he could lick her muzzle. She had to calm down or she was going to scare the Weasel away.
“Real brilliant Ron,” Potter snorted. “And she’s even annoyed at you. It’s just like Hermione used to act when you were being dense.”
Hermione whined loudly and barked once, nodding her head and wiggling her tail. She wanted so badly to tell him. Draco felt both happy and sad. If they understood her, he’d lose his mate. He just knew it. But he didn’t want her to have to live this kind of life. He was pretty sure it was too late for him. He could barely remember how to act like a human, let alone interact with them. Maybe he could get them all out safely. At least his pack would be okay.
“No,” Potter breathed.
Hermione barked once, whining and squirming, trying to keep her paws from touching anything.
“Quick girl, which of Golpalott’s laws is for making antidotes?”
Hermione didn’t even hesitate, barking three times and then whining, wagging her tail.
Weasley’s eyes widened and Potter was grinning, ready to fire another question. “How many principals are there in Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration?”
Hermione barked five times, impressing Draco so much that he licked her muzzle again. She nuzzled him and wiggled her tail, happy that they were getting somewhere.
“How many girls has Harry kissed?” Weasley blurted out.
Hermione barked twice, snickering at Potter’s blush.
“Hermione?” Potter asked.
Hermione barked once and whined, putting her muzzle as close to the bars as possible without touching them.
“What happened to you?” Potter asked sadly.
Hermione whined and snugged her head into Draco’s fur. She couldn’t exactly explain it in terms Potter would understand, but he seemed to get it. He started to reach through the bars but Weasley stopped him.
“No mate. I think I understand what happened. She’s a werewolf now.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Potter said. “It’s not the full moon.”
Weasley looked really sad, a surprising look for someone Hermione had reported had the emotional range of a teaspoon. “There are curses you can put on them to keep them in wolf form.”
“That’s awful,” Potter breathed. “Hermione, is that what happened?”
Hermione barked once before howling mournfully. Draco joined her, unable to resist the urge. It was truly an awful thing. The twins joined in, singing their unhappiness to the world. Two other voices joined them. Draco caught Neville and Luna out of the side of his eye, slowly making their way to the enclosure.
“Blimey,” Weasley whispered. “There’s more of them.”
“Are they all like you Hermione?” Potter asked.
Hermione barked once.
“Wonder who they are,” Weasley wondered.
“No way to know for sure unless we guess,” Potter said with a frown. “But we can’t leave them here.”
“Mate, they’re stuck,” Weasley said, looking close to tears. “They’re too dangerous to let out.”
“You don’t know that,” Potter growled. “They seem sane.”
“Sane is a relative term mate. Humans are still their target prey.”
Draco was torn. He could hear the sincerity in the weasel and he couldn’t blame him. He wouldn’t trust them either, not after all they’d been through. He didn’t understand why he had his mind in the first place but he was glad he did. Still, he wanted Hermione out of there. This was no way to live. At least out there she could be free.
A piercing howl caught his attention. He knew that howl. It was the alarm. Death Eaters. He jerked, cringing when Hermione cried out in pain. There wasn’t time to be gentle though. He quickly ordered the twins to drag her into the caves. They’d be safe there. He barked a warning at the submissives, pleading with them to take cover. He wouldn’t be able to get to them fast enough and it would be too risky to change cages during the day. Then he turned to see Neville having trouble. Luna couldn’t move fast enough and she was too delicate to just drag away. He whined, running over to her, gently coaxing her faster but she couldn’t go. What the fuck was he supposed to do? She’d be a prime target.
“What the bloody hell is happening?” Weasley asked.
‘Quiet,’ Draco barked. ‘Run, hide, don’t let them catch you.’
It was useless since neither man could understand him. But he could see the black cloaks now and he was in survival mode. He charged the bars, startling them both before turning towards the cloaks and barking frantically. He hoped the Death Eaters would notice him and not take it out on his old pack. They wouldn’t understand. He looked behind him. Luna had collapsed. Shit. He ran, skidding beside her. He ordered Neville to grab a hank of her flanks while he grabbed her neck. They lifted together, walking as fast as they could. It seemed to take a century but he finally got them behind a few rocks. They’d be safe there, somewhat anyway. He dashed back out, barking crazily and jumping up, trying to get the Death Eater’s attention. He could see their wands, aiming for his other pack.
“Something’s wrong,” Potter said. “Quick, blend in.”
Draco breathed a sigh of relief when they mingled further into the crowd who was now watching him go nuts. That wouldn’t stop the Death Eaters, but at least they wouldn’t be caught. They couldn’t afford that, not when Hermione and his pack were so close to freedom.
“Well, well, looks like wittle Dwaco wants to play.”
Draco snarled. His aunt’s sickeningly sweet voice made him want to rip her limb from limb. At the same time, he heard Potter and Weasley mutter their surprise. They’d known he’d turned spy but he supposed they thought him dead. Well, he might very well be after this. The keepers would think him feral and destroy him like they did Blaise. He tried to keep centered, keep his reactions down, but it was impossible. The scent of his mate and his pregnant female pack member were driving him to distraction, filling him with the urge to protect.
The first curse skidded under his feet as he leapt in the air. If he could draw fire long enough for someone to notice what was going on, the torture would end quicker. The Dark Lord had specifically ordered them not to get caught. It wasn’t that he cared, just that he preferred not having to set up muggle means of transfer more than once. They’d tire after a while, but if he could catch the attention of the keepers, they’d leave quicker.
He wasn’t fast enough to escape the next one. It was a doozy too. Bellatrix spared no expense when dealing out crucios. He yelped in pain and tried retreating in his mind to keep his sanity. He knew when she finally released him from this, he’d see red. Last time, he’d damned near killed a pack member for checking on him. He couldn’t afford that this time.
‘TIMBER,’ he heard Hermione bark for him and he panicked.
She couldn’t come back out here, not now. He wrestled himself from the ground, surprised when the curse fell away. Before he could think about it, he raced towards the back, ordering his mate to stay put. He realized his mistake too late as a searing pain shot up his side. His fur was already matted with red by the time he turned around. They’d cut him. He saw red and charged the bars, seeing his chance. One of their wands was sticking through. He jumped and dodged, ducking curse after hex before flying in the air and catching the wand in his teeth. Unfortunately, he hit the bars when he did. The searing pain of the silver didn’t even faze him as he made it his mission to chop the wand in half. He hated wands.
Another curse flew at him and he jumped again, successfully snapping the wand in his jaws and lunging for the other. The sweet, sweet taste of heaven flooded his mouth as he bit down. He chomped, hearing a delightful snapping sound before lapping at the flavor. It was amazing, like no food the humans had ever fed him before. He wanted another taste. But then there were screams. It made his ears hurt. Then he saw the gun and made a break for it. His paws hurt but he remembered his mate and his pregnant female. They had to be okay. He ran as fast as he could. But he heard the shot, two shots, three, the stings, more shots… and then… there was nothing.

AN: And here's the second installment. I tried to explain the enclosure the best I could. Basically, it's a giant circle. The middle is where they'd do exams, transports, etc. It has one hall that goes outside and that main gate is electrified. That way, the Death Eaters could charm the outside bars with a silver charm and they wouldn't have a chance of getting out. One more installment to go. Thanks to everyone for your reviews. I was a little leery about this one since it is so odd, but I'm glad you're liking it. Keep those reviews coming and let me know how I'm doing. Until next time... Love you guys!
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