Wolfblood

CHAPTER FOUR

Page count: 11

Monday morning came by a lot quicker than Hermione realised, and as soon as she'd readied for the day, she headed to the animal clinic to visit Dr. Deaton and the little owl she'd rescued. The doctor explained that he was going to make a full recovery, they just had to wait for him to gain enough movement and strength in his wing so he could fly again; he just needed someone with specialist training to look after him until that point.

Hermione had wasted no time in convincing the doctor that she could easily care for the little owl, and after witnessing her interactions with the wild bird and its apparent fondness of her, he'd agreed to let her take him, so long as she brought him back every few days so he could check on his progress.

Once Hermione returned to the cottage, she'd managed to find an old jewellery box which she transfigured into an owl cage, where her new friend would be safe from Magic, and allow him a place to rest and heal. Given the snowy white of his feathers and his crystal blue eyes, she'd named him Snowball, and the little bird was all too happy to stay with her, especially when she kept feeding him bits of cheese and meat.

After lunch, she and Magic had gone for a walk through the woods, exploring more of the territory and allowing him the chance to work off some of his energy, Hermione hoping that it would tire him out and he'd be a lot calmer for the rest of the day. It didn't work and she'd spent the rest of the day trying to get some reading done, but Magic had distracted her and she barely managed a chapter by the time it grew later.

As the sun set and the moon was high in the sky, she readied for bed, dressing in a cotton pair of shorts and a tank top and she slipped her dressing gown on over the top. She was ready to relax in bed and do some reading before she fell asleep, but first she had to let Magic out for the night.

She slipped on some shoes and placed a Warming Charm over herself before putting the lead on Magic and heading out into the dark night. She walked a little ways from the cottage, and before she could let Magic off his lead, he suddenly started barking and he darted away from her, the lead falling from her fingers as he ran off into the distance.

"MAGIC!" She called, but he didn't come back. "Damn it," she cursed, before pulling her wand and casting a Lumos, and she chased after him, her wand lighting the way.

She'd been chasing after him for ten minutes when she had to stop, her lungs burning with the need for oxygen and her limbs aching. She took a moment to rest, before she continued at a slower pace, only to stop when she heard a noise. She spun in a circle before extinguishing the light on her wand, plunging the area into darkness. She gripped her wand tightly and she had an incantation on the tip of her tongue, ready for whatever was lurking in the darkness.

Suddenly, a figure stepped out from behind a tree and approached her, and without thought she cast the spell.

"Bombarda!" She called, and before the spell left her wand, she quickly caught the feel of his presence. She wasn't able to stop the spell, but she was able to alter the direction of the intended target and rather than hitting him, it slammed into the tree beside him, sending it shattering to pieces.

She gasped loudly, horrified as he let out a noise of surprise and he darted behind a second tree, just in time for him to be shielded from the raining wooden shrapnel and she was forced to cast a shield over herself, too.

When the woods fell quiet once more, he stepped out from behind the tree and she dropped the shield and lit her wand, creating a small source of light. His eyes locked onto hers and it was clear she had surprised him.

"I'm really sorry," she said sheepishly. "You startled me and I still have my war reflexes."

He turned to look at the remains of the tree and then back to her. "I can see that; you'd be handy in a fight," he said, gaining a surprised laugh from her.