Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

. . . . .

Run.

Run.

Her legs obeying the one command as she ran through the thickness of the forest, her breath caught in her throat. Her arms tired as she pushed herself harder, hoping to outrun whoever was behind her. The wavy brunette girl gave a chance to look over her shoulder, and increased her pace as the snatchers attempted to close in on the witch.

Her chest tightened as she weaved through the trees, hoping to lose them as she went. Her hand gripped tightly onto her wand, and quickly shot a spell at the ground, murmuring the words silently as well as feeling the vibrations of the blast.

Upon hearing the grunts from the snatchers, the girl glanced quickly behind her shoulder, seeing the snatchers tangled in a heap on the ground with vines ensnaring them. She smirked briefly in triumph before increasing her speed. It was only a matter of time before the snatchers caught up with her again, and she was not going to go down without a fight. The brunette would run over and over until exhaustion claimed her, and even then, she would still put up a fight. She would not be known as the brightest witch of her age for nothing if she didn't use her brain all the time.

She reached the clearing of the forest in a matter of moments, her chest desperately aching for a small breath of fresh air. Hermione halted abruptly, skidding across the muddy floor of the forest. Her shoes were beyond ruined; caked in mud, leaves and who knows what else laid in the dirt. She bent her knees briefly, gulping down deep breaths before standing up to her full height.

The fresh but brisk air swirled around her in an invisible flow, its invigorating smell breathed in and around Hermione. The succulent odor of wet mud, decaying plants, damp leaves, and the faint scent of rein combined into a delectable concoction of autumn. Her favorite time of year; autumn was such a glorious time. The forest looked peaceful, so tranquil and calming but the young witch knew better than anyone that it was nature’s trick. An illusion that the forest played on its inhabitants, making them assume it was safe when, in all fairness, it lurked the most ruthless predators in its shadows. The brunette wanted to believe all was safe and quiet, her instincts screamed at her otherwise.

SNAP

A branch snapped from her left, and she promptly looked, her eyes training to the shadows of the trees. Her orbs rapidly darted across the spot, attempting to seek out the culprit of the unknown noise. Her chocolate orbs couldn’t make out anything at first, but after a moment’s hesitation, she stepped forward bravely to look for the suspect.

SNAP

A second branch crunched, halting Hermione’s advances from entering the shadowy realm. A large mass began to trepid into her line of sight, making its presence known to the unsuspecting witch. Her eyes widened as the large black mass trotted closer, its body growing in sheer size. All black and staring at her, a predatory gaze at the young girl, the creature slowly licking its jaws in hunger as a growl emitted from deep in its throat.

She wasted no time in wanting to know what or who the black mass was as she took off like a stag through the forest. She felt legs begin to weaken as she continued running, pounding her feet into the ground with her wand clenched in hand. She could hear the thunderous pounding of feet behind her, storming up on her quicker and quicker with each second. She had no idea where her legs would carry her; all she cared about was getting away from the creature as fast as possible.

The young witch was so caught up with running and looking back behind her to find the creature running just as fast to catch its prey. She had forgotten that she was in the forest and objects were always falling over. The brunette tripped over a log, and fell to the cold, leafy ground, tumbling and rolling down the large hill until she landed on the flat ground. Her body surging with pain, her chest constricted with fire, head spinning from disorientation.

The witch turned her head to the right as she heard the approaching pounding steps coming her way, and wrenched her eyes closed while praying for a quick and painless death. She waited with baited breath but nothing had come; no scorching pain, no limbs being decapitated, no crunching or slobbering sounds from the jaws of hell; nothing. The young brunette opened her eyes and turned her head slightly, gorgeous doe brown eyes widening at the sight before her.

A large, blackish gray wolf towered over her, infatuation shining in its orbs down at her. It had to have been at least two meters tall, and that was from paw to the top of its head if she had to guess. Its head cocked slightly to the side, debating if she were actual prey or not. Its golden amber eyes bore steadily into her brown orbs, whether it wanted to eat her or have her as its little plaything. It studied her, glancing over her supine body but staying real still above her. Its massive teeth were sealed away within the tight jaws of its muzzle.

The large wolf slowly lowered its massive head down towards her neck, its heavy breath ghosting over her pale flesh. The girl could feel its intimidating canines graze the side of her neck, making the female beneath the animal shiver and heave with fear. Her lungs struggled to catch any decent amount of oxygen as she waited for the moment the beast would strike, the anticipation putting knots into her stomach.

"I have finally found you, my mate." The voice echoed around her as she looked at the animal with disbelief.

Had she heard right? Did the wolf above her talk to her?

It was preposterous!

Ludicrous!

Animals were not supposed to talk like normal humans, were they?

Her mind was playing tricks on her. It was impractical; it was not normal for any species or animal to speak to her without moving its mouth. She blinked and looked up in shock and wonder as she saw a large man dominant over her before everything faded to black. Forever briefly, she managed to catch a small glimpse of him - long black locks of hair hanging down in a curtain around them, a slightly darker shade of skin than hers, but most of all, she saw the amber eyes and mouth full of sharp teeth.

“My Mate …”

XXXX

Hermione jerked out of her sleep, gasping heavy breaths in her tight bosom as she glanced around the dark room of her corridor. Her skin layered in sweat, her breath heaving in deep breaths to calm her pounding heart. She felt her limbs shake in effort as she wiped away the beads of sweat from her face, her lithe fingers shaking with fright as she surveyed her surroundings one more time to recognize she was back in reality. She breathed in a few shaky breaths before she calmed herself.

Hermione was in bed, pitch darkness engulfed her room with the exception of the light of the moon. She exhaled out slowly, her heart calming down and returning to its normal rhythm. Her wild unruly hair clung to her cheeks, the strands sticking to her almost as if it were a second skin to her. She raked her fingers through her wavy mane, keeping the strands as tamed as possible to her.

Ever since the beginning of her sixth year at Hogwarts, she had been having this strange dream for the last few months. At first, it was nothing, she paid no mind to it and thought nothing of it for the first few weeks. But afterwards, it was more and more like a never ending tale that refused to flee from her mind. It was all a dream; the same dream that kept replaying over and over again, never leaving her like a phantom in the darkest corners of her mind. Always the same dream, always the same large wolf, and always the same strange man that looms above her. Why couldn't she get this bloody dream out of her mind?

"Bloody hell. It was a dream, it was just a dream." Hermione chanted quietly over to herself as she slowly laid back down in her bed, doing her best to clear her thoughts of the nagging dream. She turned on her side, curling herself together while keeping the covers close to her. The dream nagged in the back of her mind, her eyes closing and hoping to not have any more dreams tonight. But no matter how hard she tried, her dreams kept returning her to the sight of the man above her with the amber eyes.

Who was he?

Chapter Text

XXXX

Hermione walked through the crowded halls of Hogwarts, her eyes glazed over with lack of sleep from last night's endeavor in her dreams. She walked down the corridor, her body running on autopilot so she could get to class. The young witch had dreaded going to Potions class, knowing that she was not able to function in that class without having any breakfast. And she also knew that Ron would be an annoying nuisance to her today, probably blowing up things that would be easy to do. She stepped around the corner, and began her descend down the stairs to Potions class when she heard a voice from behind her.

"Hermione!" A voice yelled from behind her, making the young witch stop in her tracks and turn around. She noticed her friend, Harry Potter, come running up to her, probably trying to catch up with her so they can walk together to Potions class.

Hermione was in no mood for any of Harry's ramblings about trying to find the whereabouts of the Horcruxes, the Dark Lord himself or anything in relation to that today. She was in a foul mood that would rival Professor Snape's daily attitude.

"Hi, Harry." The young witch mumbled as she walked down in silence with the young wizard.

"Are you alright? You seem a bit . . . under today." Harry said as he noticed his friend's behavior today.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but I'm just a bit tired." Hermione answered, trudging along to get on with her classes.

"Stayed up late reading again, eh?" Harry teased, knowing that she loved to read just about anything that was made of paper, whether it was a book, the newspaper, tabloids, articles, pieces of parchment paper or little notes in notebooks. The brunette gave her friend a look that could burn a hole in his head, if looks could do that.

Hermione said nothing, and continued on with Harry to Potions class, knowing that it would be a long day for the Granger girl. Harry knew that look, but said nothing, noting that she was in a foul mood.

XXXX

Potions class was brutal, and not just in any old fashion way. Not only was she running on little hours of sleep, but she was also teamed up with Malfoy, of all the idiots in her class. But, she was not one to complain, for it would deduce points from their house. And that was the last thing she wanted to do, especially this early in the morning.

"So, what's new in the world, Mudblood?" Draco asked, wanting to get her riled up already. If there was one thing that she hated, besides the pompous little brat beside her, was being called a Mudblood. It demeaned her in every way possible, and all she wanted to do was give him a nice punch to the face. But, as much as the little witch wanted to do that, it would mean detention and that would possibly be with Snape of all professors, which she wanted to avoid at all costs.

"Nothing, Malfoy." Hermione mumbled as she kept her eyes on the cauldron before her, not wanting to start anything for the sake of getting in trouble with Professor Snape.

"Oh, what's the matter, Granger? Not feeling up to the task this morning? Where's that Gryffindor spirit, Mudblood? Oh, that's right, you don't have any because of your Mudblood parents." Draco sneered, getting too close to Hermione's personal space.

Hermione breathed in deeply, looked at the platinum blonde boy, and turned around while grabbing her belongings and walking out the door. She had no desire, nor any care about dealing with this bloody idiot. She knew she should've stayed in bed, but, being the hard working student at Hogwarts, it wouldn't have felt right. But today, she just needed to be away from people especially pompous brats like Malfoy.

"Miss Granger, if you dare leave my class without an excuse, Gryffindor will lose 50 points from its house." Professor Snape drawled out, wanting to know what the brightest witch would do as her next move.

She looked at the black haired instructor, then to both Harry and Ron, who were wondering what had gotten Hermione all riled up all of a sudden. She had little care today, and proceeded to walk away from the dark corridors of the castle, leaving everyone wide eyed and in shock that she would walk out without any reason.

XXXX

Hermione kept on walking, not giving any reason to let anyone know where she was going. She had retreated to her chambers, only to throw her robes to the floor, and grab a blanket with her to venture out into the world of nature. She sniffed away the tears that dared pour out of her eyes, wiping her nose and cheeks with the sleeve of her shirt. The wind had picked up, blowing the unruly hair of her mane in its currents. Hermione clutched the blanket closer to her body, her brisk walking not pausing as she ventured out to the edge of the wood, pausing for a brief second. She knew it was forbidden to enter the Forbidden Forest, but as of right now, she did not give a damn as to what anyone thought of right now. She breathed in deep, and walked further into its welcoming darkness.

She slowed her steps, afraid of what she might disturb from its sleep. She looked around in awe, the sunlight spilling out from patches of the grove above her, scattering sunny spots here and there. The young witch wanted to make sure she was still in sight of the edge of where Hogwarts was, and not get herself lost. Hermione just needed to clear her mind, and even that, for her, was not enough. She put her back to a tree, and slowly slid down the bark until her bum met the hard, branch filled ground. The witch wrapped her arms around her knees, the blanket wrapped along with her, and set her forehead on top of her knees. She needed this, the quiet, and the silent the forest brought to her. In a strange sense, it felt very peaceful yet disturbing at the same time. Hermione began to cry, the silent sobs finally making their way up from her chest, wracking her body from the sheer force of her soft cries.

XXXX

Fenrir was out, in a sense, just to clear his mind. He had been wandering everywhere, towns, cities, even forests, to find his beloved mate. Since the dreams came to him almost every night, he had gone to the elders, and talked with them about this beauty of his mate. The elders of his pack had confirmed it - she was indeed his mate. All these years, he had been alone, no one to be by his side. And yet, here was this beautiful witch, hiding within the safe walls of Hogwarts, and never more beautiful than anything he had ever laid his eyes on. She was a rarity in life itself, and he would want nothing more than to have her in his arms, caress her soft, pale skin, and love her until there was no more room left in him.

He was irritated, in the fact that he, an alpha, could not be able to find his mate. He had been in the dark for far too long, and he felt that it was time to leave that side. But, he knew the consequences of leaving the Dark Lord's legion, and it would be severe on his part. His amber eyes searched the forest, looking for anything out of the ordinary. He had been in this Forbidden Forest many a time, but, for whatever brought him here, was truly making his blood surge.

Then, it hit him. Right in the center of his face. A brick, if you would say, has directly hit him hard. His sense of smell was on fire; he smelled the air - the scent. Her scent! The most glorious and mouthwatering scent he had ever smelt was before him - apple and lily, a combination that he would dare never lose. The scent alone made his insides burn, his blood on fire and pumping faster through his body. Fenrir smiled, taking a deep breath as much as his lungs would, and exhaled. It would be the death of him if he found the source of that scent. He couldn't risk waiting anymore time - he needed to find her now! He smelled the air, his wolf senses on autopilot as he silently but steadily quickened his pace, the scent only becoming stronger as he approached a clearing.

He stopped - utterly stopped. The scent was close, almost too close, he could practically taste it on his tongue. But, wait, what was this? He smelt tears as well as her scent. The salty tears combined with her natural scent meant one thing - she was hurt! Whoever dared hurt his beloved mate would pay for it! His keen hearing picked up the quiet sobs, and he turned to the right, where the clearing was. He stopped, his hearing sharper when he heard how much louder the sobs were. He was very close, almost as if he were on top of the source.

He looked over, and saw the most beautiful creature his amber eyes had set upon. Huddled up in a warm red blanket, unruly hair covering her face, was the beautiful mate his dreams had showed him. Her sobs tore at his heart, a sound that he should never hear from her. The witch leaned her head back, and almost, right there, Fenrir would've lost it. Her pale skin, plump lips, wavy brunette hair, lithe, slender built. She was so breathtaking - no other would have her, and no one would take her. He could almost taste of her skin on his tongue, making his mouth water even more for her. Why was she crying? Who had dared hurt her? He would know, one way or another. He slowly stepped towards her, but had not taken into account the branch underneath his heavy foot.

SNAP!

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Chapter Text

SNAP!

Fenrir cursed silently; he should've been more careful where he stepped, knowing that he could wake up any of the inhabitants within the Forbidden Forrest. He looked on at the beautiful mate before him, seeing her body seize up in shock and fright. He had disturbed her, and not in a good matter. He merely wanted to observe her, to be near her, take in her glory not as a witch, but as his chosen mate. It broke him on the inside, seeing her so frightened and panicked; his blood roiled just to bring her in his arms. But for now, he had to be out of sight before she saw. It was too soon for him, he needed more time to study her from afar before he could be able to have her. Fenrir needed to know more about this beautiful mate of his before he could have the chance to hold her and claim her as his alpha female. Fenrir reached into his pocket, pulling out his wand, and silently tapped it on his thigh, quietly murmuring a spell.

XXXX

Hermione heard the branch snap, and it was very close to her. She kept her eyes closed, wanting to take in the sounds around her before opening them up. She knew that there was a chance of encountering some wild creature within the Forbidden Forest, but she wasn't too sure of the chances of running into anything during the day. Hermione bit her bottom lip hard between her teeth, feeling her body quivering from the cold as well as fear. She clenched her hand around the end of her wand, her eyes never opening to see what was next to her. She shakily took a breath in, and whirled to the side with her wand at the ready, her eyes opening to see . . .

Nothing? There was absolutely nothing near her. She knew it had to be some trick, it just had to be. She was a smart witch, the brightest witch of her age; she knew that there had to be some sort of spell or trick that she was experiencing but could not either see nor break. Hermione looked around, her watery eyes trying to look and see anything that stood out. But, her Muggle eyes, as weak as they were, could not see anything except the scenery before her. She carefully swept her hand in front of her, trying to feel anything that might catch her fingertips. Sadly, nothing except for the soft breeze.

The young witch looked around her blindly, her instincts telling her to flee back to Hogwarts. But, something deep inside her, somewhere more - primal - was telling her that everything was going to be alright. Was the brightest witch losing her mind? Had she gone mad with such preposterous illusions? No, she knew better, but there was still something that she couldn't place. Hermione wasn't sure what to believe anymore, whether her gut instincts or her heart. The young witch settled back down into her spot, curling up into herself as she looked fearfully around her surroundings, wondering what it was that could be out there.

XXXX

Fenrir stood there for a moment, careful to not breathe too loudly as he studied his beautiful mate. She was cautious, trying to stay alert to her surroundings. He cursed himself silently, knowing that he should've been more careful where to step. He watched her settle back down, and knew at that moment, he needed to be nearer. With silent footsteps, he swiftly bounded toward her, and stood within one meter of her. Sweet wonderful moon goddess! She was more entrancing up close than he could ever imagine. Her unruly hair was more frizzled, her eyes red from the silent tears, her lips - more succulant up close that he had to stop himself from tracing them with his nail. Fenrir never dreamed of finding such a beautiful mate, and for one so young and fragile, he knew it was time that was molding him the perfect mate.

He knelt down on one knee, careful of the leaves beneath his heavy frame. He was itching, shaking so violently that he may fear of breaking the spell around him. The air around him was strange, eerie but also calming. He watched her with his amber eyes, taking in her alluring beauty. He wanted her right there, he needed her desperately. Fenrir knew it wasn't the right time, but still, he needed to hold her for one moment.

XXXX

Hermione felt the air around her beginning to calm. She felt her own being slowly drift into a calming aura, her fears and hysterias slowly slipping into an abyss that she never wanted to visit. She felt as if there was a power at work here, but whether it was from the Forest or from some other being, she felt at peace with herself and the air around her. She leaned back into the bark of the tree, smiling to herself, and hummed a quiet tune to herself.

XXXX

Fenrir couldn't look away, seeing the smile on her face. He only dreamed that he could be the one who made her smile. He held his breath as he slowly leaned into the witch's space. He raised his hand, only inches away from her smooth, pale cheek, itching to just touch her for one brief moment. The still air buzzing around the two, neither noticing that their magics together were infusing and bringing them even closer.

"HERMIONE!"

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Chapter Text

Good Morning/Day/Afternoon/Evening everyone! 

I know some people are wondering if I will ever update this story again. 

And the answer is - YES! 

I am currently in depth of working on my Resident Evil story Reincarnation, but it's been a slow comeback. I've been out of the loop for quite some time, and have had the chance to slowly start putting more thought and work into my writings. 

I don't want people to lose hope, so if you thought this was an updated chapter, I do apologize. 

But please note, I will be reworking this story as well as others here in my dash. 

If there are certain ideas, prompts or scenarios that you wish to see in FFM, please let me know by inbox. I will try my best to make sure it's one of the top stories to rework. 

Again - thank you loves for understanding! 

Keep you posted! 

~Kat <3