It took a few moments for his words to register after he'd closed the door and left her standing alone in the corridor clutching the cloak in her hand. She slowly raised the other to brush against the place on her neck that his lips had been dangerously close to touching. She wouldn't lie and say she hadn't expected it, she'd had an inkling he'd caught her scent since he'd returned to the clearing, but it had surprised her that he admitted it. He'd probably only done it to get a rise out of her, but little did he know, she was already well acquainted with that type of contact. She was just happy he was finally processing the changes his body had made. He'd spent the last two months focusing on one thing, and blocking out all the rest.

There was a loud clap as someone slammed a door a few rooms down. She didn't have time to be standing here thinking about what Malfoy had just done. She needed to get back to her own dorm.

She began stripping her clothes as soon as she arrived, fully intent on crawling under her blankets, but there was a small barn owl perched on her chair. "Hello, there." She said, gently patting the owls head. "You're not supposed to be here. The owlery is on the other side of the castle." The owl observed her and then looked down at its claws and back up at her.

It dawned on her. "Oh." She untangled the message from the owl's talons. "Harry." Somehow Harry had gotten an owl to bypass the usual correspondence procedures and sent her a message. She read through it and sighed, rubbing her eyes. She was so tired, but instead of turning down the comforter and climbing in, she pulled out a bottle of Pepper Up potion.

She gave the warm and inviting bed one last look before slipping out the door.

Harry was already sitting at a table in the corner, drinking a pint of some sort, when she entered the pub. "A little early in the day to be drinking, isn't it, Harry?"

He glowered at her over the rim of the mug. "When you haven't slept for twenty-four hours, nothing feels early."

Fair enough.

"So, I'm going to assume this isn't just a social call, then," she said, taking the seat across from him, "otherwise you would have come to the school directly." She thought about the owl sitting in her room. "Or sent me a message the normal way."

"You're right," Harry returned without missing a beat, "It's not a social call." He cast a silencing charm and leaned forward, brushing his hand against hers as he spoke. "Greyback is on the move again and I need you to warn Abner that he's getting damn close to his territory, if he's not there already."

"Do you think he's going to cause problems for him?" She asked in concern.

"I don't know," He said, scratching the darkening stubble on his jaw. "He knows I'm on his trail so he could possibly just be passing through."

"I hear a "but" in there somewhere."

"But," he sighed, "he turned another beta last week and considering I didn't find a corpse, he's kept this one alive. That means he has two newly bitten beta's on his hands. They'll be struggling, and he's impatient. I think he may have other motives for coming here."

Hermione's eyes widened, immediately thinking of Draco. "He's actually rebuilding his pack, isn't he?" A tiny shiver of fear ran down her spine at the thought. If that monster got control of a stable pack of wolves, they'd be in trouble. "He's not killing for fun anymore. He's serious. He'll want them to get stronger."

"That's why I'm here. Have you noticed anyone acting strangely? Has there been any attacks lately?"

Her heart sped up a little bit. "No," she lied, "I don't think he's turned anyone around here."

Harry didn't look like he quite believed her, but he didn't push the subject. "In that case, I really do think he's here to challenge Wesley for his pack. If he kills Abner, the rest of them will fall in line behind their new Alpha." he spat the last word like acid, and Hermione grabbed his hand.

"Listen, you'll catch him. He's not going to get away with all the evil things he's done or the lives he's ruined."

"I'm not so sure of that anymore." He sighed. "I've been after him for months now. The rest of the Aurors are chasing down the remaining Death Eaters, leaving me alone to deal with him, and it's starting to get to me."

"I still can't believe they didn't send at least one other person with you."

Harry made a sound that she was sure was meant to be a laugh, but came out rough and bitter. "I'm the Chosen One. Apparently, I don't need any help."

She frowned and felt angry on his behalf. "If Greyback starts another murder spree, they better get their heads out of their arses and send you some backup."

He gave her a genuine smile then. "It's alright, Hermione. You're right. I'll get him." She nodded and rubbed her eyes. Despite the potion, she was still rather tired. "Hey, are you doing okay?" He asked her, voice full of concern.

She nodded again, stuffing down the sudden anxiety. Draco. He couldn't find out about Draco yet. "Just tired. Didn't get much sleep last night."

"Well, don't overdo it." He stood up and she joined him. "I'll be keeping in touch. Something feels off. I'll let you know if I find anything, and make sure you speak to Wesley."

"I will."

He gave her a quick hug and said goodbye, leaving her alone on the pub. She groaned when she realized he hasn'd paid his tab. The waitress was looking at her expectantly. "Fine." She grumbled, giving the witch the correct amount and cursing her best friend's name."You so owe me, Harry Potter."

When Draco woke from his quiet, restful sleep, he had a strange feeling in his head, or was it it his chest? He rubbed the place next to his heart, but the sensation wasn't a physical one. It was airy and almost out of reach. A tiny tug that made him fidgety and forced him out of bed. He wandered aimlessly for awhile, but when his stomach growled he gave up his ridiculous pacing and headed to the Great Hall.

When he got closer, his thoughts wandered to Granger. He was surprised he hadn't thought of her first thing, but he had been a little out of sorts. Okay, he was almost always out of sorts these days but it had been a strange morning, even for him. He didn't know what exactly he'd been expecting when he finally saw her, but it wasn't a warm smile. It was like what he'd said last night hadn't affected her at all. Well, maybe it hadn't.

The pull inside of him faded into the background as he watched her eating and laughing with Lovegood and the female Weasley. Did she not hear him? Or maybe she just didn't care. He puzzled on it the rest of the time they were in the Great Hall, and when she rose and headed out into the corridor, he quietly followed.

Draco was about to make a comment about her shampoo when he caught her scent. He made a face as he got closer and paused, not immediately moving to her side. He inhaled deeply and narrowed his eyes. She smelled different. She'd been somewhere -Hogsmeade perhaps - where there'd been a lot of people. All the scents were mingling together, over powering her natural flowery one, but two scents stood out against the rest. And of those two, one caught his undivided attention. "You smell strange. Took a trip to Hogsmeade, did you?"

She must have known he was following her because she didn't startle before answering, "I don't see how it's any of your business," He could practically hear her roll her eyes, "but yes, I did."

"And met with Potter." He stated confidently, finally placing the spicy scent.

She almost dropped her books in surprise. "How…"

"It smells familiar," He moved closer to her still, but she didn't move away. She figured it was impulsive and he didn't realize he was doing it. "Process of elimination, really."

"Right."

"So, what was Boy Wonder doing back here? Thought he'd be too busy rounding up.." he stopped mid-sentence and rubbed his arm.

Hermione noticed his discomfort. "Harry is...he's not going after Death Eaters. His assignment is Greyback."

Just the mention if the wolf's name sent a trickle of worry through him. "Is that...is he here?" He and Hermione had been out last night. He'd left her alone. What if- He could have-

She shook her head. "He's close. Harry just wanted to let me know what was going on. There might be trouble for the closest pack and he was making sure he hadn't turned anyone else."

Well, if that wasn't a bucket of cold water. He stopped and stared at her. "Did you tell him about me?" He tried hard to mask the betrayal and fear in his voice, but it still managed to seep through.

"No! Why would I..No. I didn't tell him." She insisted, and he heard no stutter in her heartbeat. "He isn't in the best head space right now. He'd automatically assume you're Greyback's. He'd shoot first and ask questions later." Her head tilted a bit, "Metaphorically, of course."

"But you thought I was at first too."

"I'm also not a hard headed, sleep deprived wizard." She looked around the hall and pushed him to the side. "And I don't really need him thinking you're in cohorts with that crazy bastard."

Her scent shifted then. Changed into something close to sour. He still didn't know what any of it meant but something said it wasn't good. "What's wrong, Granger? Should we be worried?"

He could tell she wanted to say no, it looked like it was on the top of her tongue, but then she nodded slowly. "We think he is rebuilding his pack," she whispered. "He could be here to challenge Wesley, the Alpha of the Abner pack, or - " She stopped speaking and gave him a strange look. He grunted, urging her to continue. "I also thought...he could be here for you."

His stomach dropped and he could feel the wolf stirring. "No." He hissed. "He's not my Alpha. He's not."

"But we don't really know that for certain, Draco. No one in the surrounding territories is taking responsibility, and I've been in contact with them all, so there's still a chance it was him."

He shook his head furiously. "No. I'd know. I'd know."

"Yes, you.. probably would. You'd probably feel at least a tiny bit of a bond but -"

At her words, he felt his control slip right out of his grasp. His eyes changed and if it wasn't for her sudden and steady grip on his arms, he would have continued to shift. "What the hell was that, Draco? You can't just.." She lowered her voice, "wolf-out in the middle of the hall. Come on!"

He apologized and followed her to a secluded spot around the corner. "You said I'd feel a bond of some sort. You've said that since the beginning, but I never...I never did...just an absence...but today I woke up and there was a tug."

The color drained from her face. "He's ...Draco, if you felt something…he's..."

"He is not my alpha." He repeated, unable to control the angry growl. The very thought of that bastard having any power over him made his skin crawl. "No! I won't submit to him. If he is here for me he has another think coming. I refuse to be his!"

"It won't come down to that. Harry will get him."

"Forgive me if I don't put all my unwavering faith in his abilities, I am a Slytherin after all, but what is he going to do against an alpha werewolf and two betas? I know I'm not the fastest or strongest by any means, but even I could probably take Potter down."

She just stared at him and he felt like he was missing something.

"Don't underestimate him."

"Fine, okay. Let's say he can kill him, what happens if he challenged this Abner bloke first?"

"Good point." She bit her lip and he ignored the way his eyes followed the movement. "I was going to wait until tonight to tell him...but I'm not worried about my grades. I have to tell him now."

She spun around and half ran half fast walked down the hall. It only took a second for him to catch up to her. There was no bloody way in hell he was staying. He needed to be there. Protect her. "What are you doing?" She asked. As if she didn't know.

He raised a brow. "Going with you."

She halted and he almost knocked her over. "You can't! Greyback is out there."

"Exactly." He didn't want to think of her being alone...vulnerable. The thought of Greyback hurting her….his hands ached and he shut that trail of thought off. He really didn't want to lose control twice in ten minutes. "I'm not going to let you go tromping through the woods by yourself."

"Malfoy," she practically whined and stomped her foot in protest.

"Granger." He gave her the most serious look he could muster without it bordering on aggressive. "Listen to me. Even if I wanted to let you go alone, which I don't, my….my wolf wouldn't let you."

Understanding dawned on her face. "Okay. You're right. I just told you there's a threat, of course you'd be protective of me."

He wanted to say that it wasn't just his werewolf instincts, that he wanted to protect her too, but it was pointless. He just nodded in agreement and stuck to her side like glue as they exited the castle; and if he let himself take in her scent, well...that wasn't really his fault.