The next few days went without incident as the excitement of the Quidditch World Cup began to settle. The reemergence of the Death Eaters had Magical Britain the most frightened it had been since the fall of the Dark Lord thirteen years ago. They terrorized all those in attendance, wizards and muggles alike, and disappeared as quickly as they appeared. The Ministry was seemingly unable to find any evidence in who the men were or even who conjured the Dark Mark. After almost of week of worry, most people let the events at the Cup drift towards the back of their minds.

The Burrow had found itself in a similar situation, courtesy of one Molly Weasley. The Weasley matriarch fussed over Harry for the first couple of days after he made it back to the house, insisting that he take it easy despite there being nothing wrong with him. Eventually, it evolved to her becoming even more overbearing, something her children had previously claimed was impossible, before finally being talked out of her manic state by an exhausted Mr. Weasley.

Harry's life, however seemed to heading in the opposite direction compared the rest of the Burrow. It was the day of the full moon and he had been diligently consuming his Wolfsbane potion, though due to Hermione's insistence he didn't have much choice. Given the positive effects that the potion would have come later that night, he'd expected that the effects it would have in the days leading up to it would be equally as good.

By the end of the week, he had learned that the opposite was true. His healthy and improved appearance that he had garnered since his first lunar cycle, was replaced by an almost corpse-like appearance, bringing with it another round of mothering from Mrs. Weasley. He was surprised by the fact that he senses seemed to diminish as well, but chalked it up to the potion taking effect.

He had just finished the last goblet of the potion when Hermione burst through the door, an exasperated look on her face.

"Five days of research through dozens of books and what do I have to show for it? Nothing."

"Come on Hermione, for the hundredth time, it's not that serious."

"But you partially transformed Harry, and it wasn't even a full moon. That's not supposed to happen." She pulled out, what had to be the twentieth book she'd found on werewolves and proceeded to pour through it looking for her answers. "I've found nothing on non-lunar transformations, let alone partial ones." Before she could continue reading, Harry had removed the book from her grasp and thrown it onto the bed.

"Hermione, relax please. I appreciate your concern but I don't want you worrying so much that you overexert yourself again." She looked into his eyes and only saw concern and finally relented to his request.

"Fine, but I'm still coming with you tonight."

"And I'm sure nothing I say could convince you otherwise." A sly grin adorned his face as he received a playful smack from Hermione.

"You've nothing to worry about Harry," her hand now returning to the place she just hit him, this time giving him a reassuring squeeze. "The potion will work and you've taken it every do."

"But what if it doesn't work. It tore me up that you could've been bitten that night, I don't want to even imagine how I would feel if it was me that did it." The look in his eyes was that of determination, courage, but also of great fear. She knew that Harry would never want to put her in harm's way and she respected him greatly for it.

She matched the intensity of his gaze, "I. Will. Not. Abandon. You." She enunciated each word clearly with a passion that left Harry no room to argue. In all honesty, he was overwhelmed by the warmth of having a friend that Hermione, that before he knew what he was doing, he wrapped her in a hug reminiscent of the ones she gave him.

"Thank you."

Later That Night

Harry and Hermione made their way through the passage under the Whomping Willow towards the shrieking shack. The former walked with hesitation due to the fear that something bad would happen when the moon finally did rise. The later walked with a confidence surrounding her in order to reassure Harry that everything would be fine, despite the fact that was also extremely nervous about the outcome of this night.

As they entered the dilapidated building they were greeted by Sirius but quickly noticed the absence of the veteran werewolf.

"Where's Lupin?"

"Sorry Harry, Dumbledore asked Remus to go do a job for him so he won't be able to be here tonight." He walked over and draped his arms over both teen's shoulders, a wry grin on his face. "Don't worry you two, you are both safe here in my very capable hands." A groan escaped Harry's lips as Hermione shook her head, she failed to hide the smile that currently dominated her face.

"Oh lucky me," Harry said in mock disgust, his godfather ruffling his hair for his trouble. It was still a few minutes before the rise from the moon so each of them found different was too pass the time. Sirius began trying out the wand that Dumbledore had procured for him, trying out a variety of simple spells to familiarize himself with it until he could get his old wand back. Hermione sat in a corner of the room, opened her copy of their new charms textbook, and began studying for the coming school year. She looked up from her book after a few moments and saw that Harry had simply began staring out the window waiting for the inevitable.

Sirius stopped his spellcasting and looked at Harry before moving his attention to the other teenager.

"You sure you want to be here for this Hermione?"

She looked over at Harry, whose eyes had left the window and were now focused on her, the same question could be seen in his eyes.

"Yes." The smile she gave him told Harry all he needed to know as he eyes moved back to the sky with a small smile on his face. Sirius also smiled at the scene in front of him. He was happy that Harry had the same support from his loved ones that he and the Marauders had given Remus. He was grateful that Hermione was so adamant to help Harry anyway that she could, her loyalty to the boy was undeniable. He also found himself wondering if there could be something more there...

His thoughts were broken by the sight of moonlight moving across the floor towards them. Hermione immediately put her book away as she moved behind a now transformed Sirius. She watched as the familiar sight of Harry's changing eyes took place and his muscles began to tense. Harry opened his mouth, which was now filled with sharpened fangs and roared into the air as his body began to change.

Hermione closed her eyes and not wanting to relive the sight she had to endure last time, deciding to only listen to what was happening right in front of her. Focusing on the sound of Harry's roar, she was startled when it slowly receded into a strangled breath, before the sickening sound of bone hitting the floor forced her eyes open.

She gasped at the sight of Harry sprawled on his side, convulsing violently as white foam began pouring out of his mouth. She moved faster than she thought possible over to his prone position cradling his body trying to stave off his violent shaking. Sirius soon followed lifting Harry's head up to get a good look at him. If the lack of life in his eyes wasn't already troubling, the fact that his eyes seemed to constantly shift back and forth without his control worried the man a lot more.

"Sirius!" The escaped convict seemed to not here her so she grabbed his shoulder and shook him to get his attention. "Sirius! We need to do something." Sirius quickly regained himself and pulled his wand from his pocket and pointed it at Harry.

"Stupefy" and Harry's body immediately stilled. Seeing the flicker of rage cross Hermione's face, he explained himself. "If he's conscious, his convulsions could cause him a lot of harm. It's better for him and easier for us to carry him to the infirmary." With that he lifted Harry into his arms and headed back towards the castle with Hermione in tow.

The Next Morning

Hermione, Sirius, and Professor Dumbledore were waiting patiently in his office for news about Harry. Madam Pomfrey had vacated the infirmary after admitting Harry, refusing to allow anyone to check on him until she was sure his condition had improved.

It was around this time that the hearth in the office erupted with green flames as Remus Lupin entered the office.

"Any news on Harry's condition?"

"Nothing yet Remus, but we have Poppy's assurances that once she knows something, she will let us know." A familiar silence fell on the room for several further moments before the head nurse entered the room, a look of relief on her face.

"Mr. Potter's condition is stable and he should make a full recovery. He should be able to leave the hospital wing in time for the start of term."

A collective sigh escaped the inhabitants of the room as it seemed that most of Harry's hardships were over for now. It was Sirius who next asked the question that was on everyone's mind.

"What exactly happened to him?"

"The best answer that I have is that Mr. Potter suffered from Aconite poisoning." A shocked look crossed the faces of the Headmaster, Remus, and Hermione while Sirius didn't seem to grasp the gravity of the statement. Turning towards the fireplace, Sirius bid farewell to everyone in the room before returning to where ever he was hiding out, leaving the remaining individuals to try and decipher this new turn of events.

"That shouldn't be possible. There shouldn't be enough Wolfsbane in the potion to poison someone." Remus looked at Hermione, h the stare he gave her was all she needed to know what his question was.

"I didn't mess up the potion. Professor Snape check my batch before I took it to the Burrow with me." She pleaded for them to believe her and was relieved when she saw the twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes returned.

"I trust that Miss Granger is not to blame for what happened to Harry. This does however, add certain complications to the young man's future in the magical world."

"What do you mean?"

"Harry's reaction to the potion means that using it to help control his transformations is no longer possible. We'll have to find another way for him to learn control."

Remus' eyes widened at what Dumbledore was implying. "You can't surely mean for Harry to try and learn control himself? It's impossible."

Hermione could sense the fear and tension in the room but didn't understand the conversation completely herself. "What do you mean?"

"Miss Granger, have ever heard the story of the Beast of Gevaudan?" She nodded her head in affirmation, prompting Lupin to continue. "The story has been adapted by muggle folklore but the true story goes that a werewolf killed over 100 people in the town of its namesake. Unable to control himself, he continued until he discovered that he had killed his wife and young daughter. According to our legend, he was overcome with grief and in an act of penetrance, managed to control the wolf within him long enough for someone to kill him."

"How did he gain control? Like you said Prof- I mean Remus, it's impossible."

"Since he died, we've no way to learn how he did it, or even he even did." The tone of his voice during the las part made it clear that he was skeptical of how true the story is. "The common belief is that he found an anchor, something powerful enough to help him hold onto his humanity, but again we're not even sure it's possible."

"But this is Harry we're talking about. If anyone can manage something like that...it would be him."

Lupin looked at the girl and what he saw briefly warmed his heart. He saw unbridled hope in her eyes and a determination he hadn't seen since the days when Lily Potter was still alive. He almost began to believe himself, but the reality of the situation came crashing back down on him. "I'm sorry Hermione but nothing about Harry's condition is abnormal. It's highly unlikely that something like this is possible."

Hermione felt her heart break at the news. She didn't want to accept that Harry was beyond help but the world seemed to be against him. This train of thought continued for a few more moments before something Lupin said caught her attention

Nothing about Harry's condition is abnormal.

Dumbledore saw the contemplative look on her face. "Miss Granger? Is there something that myself and Remus should know?"

"I'm not sure Professor but I've noticed a few other side effects of Harry's condition."

Intrigued and hopeful at the possibility of helping Harry, Remus took a step forward and asserted himself into the conversation.

"What do you mean side-effects?"

She hesitated at first but relented that her best course for finding the answers she's looking for. "At first...I noticed that his eyes would flash like they do when he turns sometimes. For a while that's all there was but eventually, I noticed that his senses and reflexes would improve when it would happen." She paused and looked the two men in eyes before continuing. "Then at the World Cup...he seemed to...partially transform."

"What!?" Remus couldn't believe what he was hearing. "That shouldn't be possible. It usually only happens with individuals who've been afflicted for a while but even then most wolves never gain the ability."

"What does all this mean?" She first looked at Remus but was disappointed when he seemed either unable or unwilling to answer her. Her focus then shifted to the headmaster, who seemed to be deep in thought.

"I'm not sur what these developments mean Miss Granger. We will discover in due time." His face then turned back to his usual grandfather-like smile. "Now however, I believe that Mr. Potter may be lonely by himself in the hospital wing." Realizing what exactly Dumbledore was saying, Hermione's eyes widened as she turned on the spot and dashed out the door towards the infirmary where her best friend was recovering.

"This news is rather startling Albus." He was deeply concerned about all the information they'd learned in the last 24 hours. "Harry's condition must come out to the public."

"Yes Remus. It seems as though Harry's situation has become infinitely more complicated."

"If certain people find out about this, Harry will be shunned from society. With the Death Eaters making themselves known again, this information could seriously help their cause."

"Yes, it is imperative that the likes of Lucius Malfoy and the Death Eaters never discover Harry's secret."

Remus looked away from Albus and gaze into the cackling fire in the hearth.

"It's not them I'm worried about."