More Problems Arise

A/N: Thank you to my wonderful beta. To my readers – I hope you like this chapter. I had debated on which way to go with it, but I thought you would like some background.

The room was coming into focus as Hermione struggled her way back to consciousness. Before her eyes were completely focused, she could make out the shape of a person sitting next to her bed. The person's back was to her, so she couldn't see their face.

“Severus?” she asked, figuring that would be who was sitting next to her.

“Erm, no,” the person said, turning around.

She blinked as she came face to face with Ron. “I'm sorry I fainted. I just never expected to see you.”

“How do you think I felt? You went off to Merlin knew where without even saying goodbye.”

“Ron, I didn't have time. I got the owl from Dumbledore and had very little time to get things packed and ready.”

“You owled Harry and Ginny,” he said quietly.

Realizing that he was feeling left out, she decided to turn it around on him. “Wait a minute. You were bit by a werewolf, and you didn't tell me. So we were both keeping secrets from one another.”

“I wasn't bit, Hermione. In fact, I didn't even know I was a werewolf until last month when the full moon came.”

“What do you mean you weren't bit? That's how the disease is transmitted, through a bite.” This didn't make sense. If he wasn't bit, how did he become a werewolf?

“That's what I thought too. But a few weeks before the last full moon, I was out, investigating suspicious activity with my partner. We were ambushed. My partner was killed, but I was only stunned. The last thing I remember is someone coming towards me with this sharp thing. I had never seen anything like it.”

“It sounds like a syringe. Muggles use them to administer medicine. So you think that this person injected you with something that turned you into a werewolf?”

Nodding, he said, “Must have, 'cause I don't remember getting bit.”

Hermione rubbed her temples as she thought about what this could mean. “Maybe it was saliva, or blood, or a concoction of both...” Realizing that Ron was looking at her, she blushed. “I'm just thinking out loud.”

“Used to it by now,” he said, getting to his feet. “Good to see you again. If anyone can figure out how to make a new potion, you can.”

“Thanks, but I'm not working on this alone.”

“Oh, yeah, Snape is helping you. Don't think I didn't notice you thought it was him sitting with you.”

“Ron, it's not like that. We're just working together to help the wizarding world.”

“Right. You keep thinking that, Hermione.” Ron headed in the direction of the door, and soon he was out of her sight.

What in the world did Ron mean by that?

***

Severus watched as Potter's sidekick left the room where Hermione had been taken after her fainting spell. He could tell it had been a shock to her, seeing her friend as one of the test subjects. He hadn't wanted Weasley in there with her, but he couldn't protest too much without arousing suspicions.

When Weasley was out of sight, he made his way into the bedroom. He was relieved to see Hermione was sitting up and that her color was better. In fact, she seemed to have the same calculating look on her face that he had often seen at Hogwarts.

“Did Ron tell you how he became infected?” Hermione asked, looking at him.

“No, Mr. Weasley didn't have a word to say to me. He seemed to have eyes only for you.” Severus' eyebrows went up as he looked at her.

“Yes, well, that is in the past. But what he told me may make things more difficult. Apparently, he wasn't bitten. He was attacked, and it sounds like someone injected something into him to turn him into a werewolf.”

Severus thought for a moment. This did make things more difficult.

“Have you ever heard of something like this happening before?”

Shaking his head in response to her question, his face masked the worry that he was feeling. “We should head back to the house. We have research to do.”

***

Less than thirty minutes later, Hermione was in the library again. She chewed on the end of her quill thoughtfully as thoughts of everything she'd learned went through her head. And, as she had so many times at Hogwarts, she started making a list.

Injection Serum possible ingredients

Serum can go right into bloodstream and possibly make a stronger werewolf

She looked up as the door to the library opened.

“Are you alright?” Severus asked as he entered the room.

“I'm fine. I'm just trying to get into the minds of whoever is doing this to Merlin knows how many people.” She held out the list to him and waited while he read through it. “It's not finished yet, but it's a start. I thought I would delve deeper into the books that we have already read and see if there is anything in them that sets a precedent.”

He nodded, looking distracted. “That is a good idea. We should also find out whether or not Mr. Weasley is the only one of our subjects who was affected this way. What works for those who were affected in the usual way may not work for him. Well, I will leave you to your work. I too have some work to finish before full moon.” He placed the parchment back on her desk and turned to leave.

She watched as he left the room, closing the door behind him, and then turned back to her list. There was nothing else that she could think of to add, so she put it aside and picked up one of the books from her desk. Taking out a fresh piece of parchment and a quill, she opened the book. It was going to be a long night.