Not Quite Dark Magic

Bane of Wolf

Seven days.

There were seven days before the next full moon.

Brewing wolfsbane took at least twenty one days, if the potions master was skilled enough. Which, Snape probably was, but the problem that kept spinning around her mind, with no solution making itself known, was that Snape wasn't around enough to attend to such a tricky potion.

When Harry entered her room, she was sitting crossed legged with a quill between her teeth and a ballpoint pen tapping idly against her knee. She didn't glance up from the parchment she was working on.

"Doesn't that hurt?"

"Doesn't what hurt?" She spoke around the quill.

He pointed to her torn leggings. "You're bleeding profusely onto your blanket."

Hermione glanced down. It was just a few hours after she had returned and there hadn't been a spare moment to change. They needed to collect ingredients and begin the wolfsbane as soon as possible, which meant she would have to head out tonight, if they couldn't find anyone else to go in her place.

She capped her pen and stood up, heading to her wardrobe for a change of clothes.

"You'll cover for me, won't you?"

Harry slammed the door she was attempting to open shut. "You're not going anywhere, Hermione. Ginny's a mess downstairs and Luna's holding it together with a fake smile and poorly constructed Occlumency shields, but I can feel her agony. They need you."

"Harry, if we don't get started on this wolfsbane then we have at least two full moons where we'll need to deal with a newly transformed werewolf with no drugs to help him cope." She tugged on the handle but he refused to budge. The idea of stomping her foot crossed her mind, and she seriously considered it before writing it off as too childish. She punched him in the arm instead. He flinched.

"One night isn't going to make a difference." he bit out, rubbing his arm gingerly. "Besides there are plenty of uninjured members that would be willing to collect the needed ingredients, after a good night's rest."

Hermione raised her eyebrows and pulled roughly at his arm, smirking in victory when air hissed through his teeth.

"Seems to me like I'm not the only one with unhealed injuries." She shoved her door open once more, snatching her grey sweatpants out and flinching when Malfoy's Slytherin jersey dropped to the floor.

Harry sighed, picking it up and fisting it into a ball. "Blimey, Hermione. Slytherin, really?"

She turned up her nose to hide the blush from her cheeks. "Honestly Harry, I've no idea what you're talking about. Malfoy just keeps a few things in my room."

Harry rolled his eyes. "For what purpose?"

"Does he need one?" she asked, walking towards the bathroom. "Anything to annoy me seems to be reason enough."

He reached out for her before she could shut the door, and in the yellow light of the bathroom she could see the shimmering blood still seeping from a deep wound on his forearm.

"I'm sure you won't help Luna's mental state by passing out from blood loss."

Harry chuckled, shaking his head, grip remaining firm. "Luna's in pieces because her boyfriend is unconscious and someone will have to break the werewolf news to him."

Hermione, sensing that Harry really wouldn't let her change into her clean clothes without first getting healed, turned to exit her bedroom. "She should leave Ginny to that."