Chapter Text
The werewolf tossed Padfoot to the side. Its golden eyes snapped to Hermione, Ron, and Harry.
"Professor!" Hermione yelled.
"Sirius!" Harry called at the same time.
Those golden eyes carried none of the intelligence and kindness Remus had just hours earlier. The creature leaped toward the trio. Harry stepped out in front, pushing the others behind him. On instinct, he raised his left arm to fend off the bite. He had learned the hard way that it was best to give an animal something to chew on while keeping his main hand free. All those visits from Marge were finally paid off.
Except a werewolf was not a dog.
Harry screamed as the teeth tore into his forearm. Some part of him realized that if the jaws had snapped together then it meant the teeth had gone through his bones in the process. He brought his wand around, holding it like a knife, and stabbed it into Lupin's face, aiming for the eyes. A large, clawed hand caught the wand as it wound back for another stab.
The edge of his vision began to lose color. Darkness pressed in on him. Harry gritted his teeth. This was not how he was going to die. There were too many things about tonight that needed to happen. He had to make sure Sirius escaped. He had to make sure his friends survived. He had to keep the dementors away from everyone.
His scream turned into a roar. The wolf paused, considering the strange creature in its maw. It was enough of a break to allow Hermione to blast Lupin with some spell. The werewolf dropped Harry as it tumbled away across the grass.
"Harry!" Someone yelled.
They were too far away for him to make out who it was.
"Get Sirius." He said. "Get him out of here."
He used his good arm to push himself up onto his knees. The world lurched as he tried to stand. There were voices around him. He had lost his glasses at some point. His vision was too blurry.
Harry pushed through the pain and the dizziness. Something was wrong with his right hand. He held it up to see that his wand had been broken. Shards of it pierced his palm and wrist. His hand, while still in one piece, wasn't supposed to bend that way. He tried to move other arm but found it wasn't working the way it was supposed to. He looked down to see that his left arm was covered in blood from the elbow down.
He glared at the direction Lupin had run off. The werewolf was somewhere in the Forbidden Forest now.
"Damn it." Harry grumbled. "How am I supposed to hold a broom with my hands like this?"
The world lurched and his vision went black.
~ ~ ~
Three Weeks Later
~ ~ ~
Harry remained unchanged. His body floated above the hospital bed, surrounded in an orb of golden energy. No spells, potions, or rune could get through. They had admitted him to St. Mungo's as soon as they could. The shell had formed once Harry had lost consciousness. Nurses and Doctors had checked on him hourly at first. Now, they got a status update three times a day when they delivered meals to Hermione.
No one was around when the shell began to crack. The golden orb faded away, seeping into Harry's skin as he settled gently onto the bed. He blinked awake. Hospital sheets, no matter the hospital, always felt the same. At first, he expected to be at Hogwarts, but a quick look around the room proved him wrong.
He was in a private room. Flowers and cards covered two of the walls. To his left sat Hermione. She was asleep with a book in her lap. A thin blanket had been draped over her. The impressive stack of books beside her made him think she had been here for a while.
Harry stretched. He was more than happy to find that both his arms were in perfect working order. Wiggling his toes proved that they were doing what they needed to do as well. He had a couple of new scars. A gnarled bite on his forearm mingles with the basilisk fang scar. The palm of his right hand had a string of small starburst where his wand had pierced his skin.
He frowned. That was a nice wand. How would he get a new one?
Other than that, he appeared to be in one piece. Harry swung his legs over the side of the bed. He shifted forward, testing to see if he could hold his weight. The cold floor made him squeak in shock. He froze as Hermione stirred in her chair.
He let out a long, slow breath as she stayed asleep. Harry smiled at her and leaned forward to see what she had been reading. The entire stack focused on healing magic from around the world. As well as common reactions to lycanthrope infection.
Harry looked back down at his forearm again. He had been bitten by a werewolf on the full moon. The chances of him not being a werewolf were so infinitesimal that not even the Potter Luck could save him. At least Hermione and Ron were safe. He would adapt. It wasn't the first time he had been cursed.
"Sirius." He whispered.
He needed to know what had happened to Sirius.
"Hermione." Harry whispered.
No response.
"Hermione." He raised his voice a little louder.
"Harry." She moaned in her sleep.
Something about the way she said his name sent a thrill through his body.
"I need you to wake up, Hermione." Harry tried to keep his voice even.
"Again?" She grumbled. "Three times was enough."
Harry flinched. What was she dreaming about?
"Ten points from Gryffindor, Miss Granger." Harry said in his best McGonagall impression.
"Sorry professor!" Hermione snapped awake. "I didn't mean to fall… HARRY!"
She burst from her chair and wrapped him in a tight hug. Harry returned it, only to realize he was naked aside from a thin hospital gown. He stepped back, taking a seat on the bed, and quickly covering himself with his pillow. She was dressed in a matching set of cloud-patterned pajamas.
"You're awake!" Hermione grabbed his arms.
She quickly examined the bite mark. "Flex your fingers. Any numbness? Are you hungry? Do you need raw meat? Follow my finger with your eyes. Can you see alright? Where are your glasses?"
"I can see fine." Harry soothed her. "Take a breath. Tell me what happened."
She took a deep breath.
"Remus bit you. You fought back, but he broke your arm and destroyed your wand. I was able to push him away with a spell. He ran off into the forest. You passed out and we brought you here." Her voice was shaking by the end. "There was so much blood. I thought we were going to lose you. I thought I was going to lose you."
Hermione leaned forward, kissing him deeply.
"What were you think? Jumping in front of a werewolf? That's reckless even for you!" Hermione continued after she pulled away.
Harry blinked, trying to catch up to what had just happened.
"Did you just kiss me?" Harry asked.
"Yes." She blushed. "Don't distract me. What were you thinking?"
"I was trying to protect you." Harry shrugged. "And Ron too. I didn't want you to get hurt. Or Ron." He leaned in, dropping his voice low. "What happened to Sirius?"
"He escaped on Buckbeak, just like we planned." Hermione matched his volume. "It was almost impossible to get him to leave you. Once they brought you here, he finally had to go. They have a way to reverse the animagus form around the building in case they have a patient that needs to be treated. We couldn't risk it."
"Thank you." Harry hooked a finger on her pants, pulled her in, and planted a quick kiss on her lips.
She gasped.
"What?" Harry asked. "You started it."
"It was in the heat of the moment." Hermione poked his chest. "You scared me."
"How long was I out?" He asked.
"Three weeks." Hermione replied.
Harry froze. "Did you say weeks?"
Hermione nodded. "Not only that. You were wrapped in some sort of magical shield. A cocoon, or egg. Whatever it was stopped everything from getting close to you. No one could touch you."
"I was in a magical egg?" Harry asked. "Oddly enough, that isn't the weirdest thing I have ever said."
"You were bitten by a werewolf." Hermione said softly. "It's been three weeks. They are going to move you to a containment cell. They couldn't take the chance of you transforming."
Harry sighed. "I don't like it, but that makes sense."
A loud sound and a scream made them both jump. Harry hopped from the bed, sliding in front of Hermione, getting between her and the danger.
"Harry." She huffed. "Really! You just woke up. No more heroics."
A rather shocked nurse stared at him from the doorway. Her hands were still held out as though she was holding the lunch tray that was scattered across the ground around her. The nurse hurried out of the room. She returned with a squad of doctors. Hermione stepped back as Harry was put through an extensive examination. An hour later they were finally alone once more.
"So, where are they going to move me?" Harry asked.
"They have a special room for lycanthropes." Hermione sat on the bed next to him.
"You can say werewolf." Harry bumped her shoulder with his.
"Are you sure you're alright?" She asked. "You haven't asked for you glasses. Can you see without them? Do you have any unusual urges?"
"Unusual urges?" Harry chuckled. "Such as?"
"The books I've read say that the first transformation is the worst." Hermione took his hand. She stroked the back of it lightly with her fingertips. "There have been reports of increased aggression, hunger, and."
The last word was lost in a mumble.
"What was that?" Harry asked.
"Mating." She whispered.
"I'm not angry." Harry counted them off. "I am hungry, but not overly so." Another finger. "Aside from having a pretty girl in my bed, I'm not horny."
"Harry!" She giggled.
"Did you just giggle?" Harry asked.
"No." She continued to giggle. "I do not giggle."
"Mister Potter?" A female voice spoke from nearby.
Harry turned to see an attractive woman with curly black hair in the doorway.
"My name is Andromeda Tonks." She held her hand out as she crossed the room. "I'm one of the healers that have been observing you."
"Nice to meet you." Harry took her hand and kissed it.
Her cheeks flushed. Harry held her hand for a moment longer. He leaned in, taking a small sniff.
"Do I know you?" He asked as he let her hand go.
"You know my cousin." She smiled at him. "Sirius."
"He's innocent." Harry said quickly.
"I know." Andromeda shook her head. "I've been saying that for years. No one will listen."
"Welcome to my world." Harry nodded. "I'm guessing you aren't just here to say hi."
"No." She gave him a small, sad smile. "We need to move you to a secure area. You'll be staying there until after the full moon."
Harry hopped off the bed. "Lead the way."