[Author's Note]
Hello dear readers! I am very eager to share the fic that has totally consumed my writing sessions as of late. When it first popped into my head I was in the middle of writing three other pieces and told myself this one would have to wait until the others were finished. Only inspiration waits for no writer and no sooner had I jotted down a cursory few paragraphs did this fic take total hold of me. Several thousand words later and down the rabbit hole I've gone.

Thanks for indulging this whim of mine, enjoy the read.

They won't tell you fairytales

Of how girls can be dangerous and still win.

They will only tell you stories

Where girls are sweet and kind

and reject all sin.

I guess to them

It's a terrifying thought,

A red riding hood

Who knew exactly

What she was doing

When she invited the wild in.

- Nikita Gill

St. Mungos Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries
Present Day

"What's wrong with her?" Harry asked in low voice, staring through the window in disbelief. Ginny bit the inside of her cheek so not to cry as she stood between Ron and Harry. Her hand was intertwined with Harry's and he could feel her grip tighten at the sight in front of them.

Ron stoically watched the familiar dark curly-haired woman pace inside the hospital room, his expression entirely devoid of emotion. It was still hard to process that the figure in front of them was their closest friend Hermione Granger. During the Battle of Hogwarts she had disappeared and was presumed a casualty of the war. The whole wizarding world had grieved her death; Harry still carried the bitter memory of her funeral in his heart. The crimson and gold tapestry they hung over her empty coffin was burned into his mind. How many times through the years had he spent standing over a marble gravestone with her name etched into it?

And yet here she is, Harry said to himself as he battled the waves of confusion.

No one could have imagined that she would reappear five years later like a vision from the past. Only the Hermione they had once known had been replaced with something altogether different and terrifying.

She was feral.

She snarled as a nurse approached to check her vitals, and in a flash of movement she was lunging at the woman with surprising speed and agility. The brutality in which she struck the woman made her friends flinch reflexively. At once three male nurses rushed forward to restrain Hermione even as she fought back against their hold. The witch screamed in fury and the sound pierced through their hearts.

"We don't know the full extent of her trauma just yet. Physically, she appears healthy but there seems to be significant language and emotional impairment that we must run further testing on." the doctor said carefully. His years of medicine had given him a level of cautiousness when presenting uncomfortable news to a patient's loved ones. "And there is one very delicate matter to discuss…"

When the doctor paused, considering the weight of the news and whether he should be discussing such with them, Harry interjected. "We are the only family she has left."

In truth, no one knew where Hermione Granger's parents were or even if they had survived the war. When she had set off with Harry to destroy the horcruxes she had Obliviated her parents, completely erasing her existence from their lives and changing their identities. Only she held the key to finding them but with each passing moment Harry wondered if there was enough of his old friend left to ever unlock that mystery.

"Very well," the doctor said. In such a circumstance, especially when concerning those involved, the older wizard obliged with sharing the diagnosis. "Hermione has been infected with lycanthropy."

"She's a werewolf?" Ron exclaimed, speaking for the first time since they had arrived at the hospital his voice had a distinct quake. Ginny wrapped her arms protectively around him. Harry frowned but kept his words to himself. He had so many questions but they were not for the doctor to answer. He wanted to know had happened to Hermione? Where had she gone all these years?

Harry knew some about lycanthropy both through his experiences with their friend Remus Lupin and his professional dealings as an Auror. But upon further reflection he realized he did not fully comprehend what this meant for Hermione's future.

"I know this is difficult to process but there are treatment options available. We can discuss the details later if you wish but right now what your friend really needs is support. She has gone through a great deal."

All three nodded solemnly but none could find the words. As the doctor left their side each of them were occupied with their own thoughts watching their friend finally succumb to the sedative a nurse had administered moments ago.

Harry, Ginny and Ron tentatively stepped into the room where moments ago they had watched Hermione attack a nurse. The remnants of the violence: a knocked over table, two broken chairs and a shattered mirror were now being tended to by a witch who said nothing to the three as they went to stand by the edge of their friend's bed.

Hermione was slumped against the pillow, eyes soon fluttering beneath heavy eyelids. Even in sleep, her eyebrows seemed faintly contorted into an expression of anger. Harry could see now upon closer inspection that her entire face was marred with scars in various stages of healing. He was the first to step forward, taking Hermione's hand. The witch did not stir. And for a moment he was taken back to their second year of Hogwarts when she had been Petrified, laying motionless in Hogwarts infirmary wing. They had been through so much over the years, and Harry could not keep track of how many times she saved him and Ron in their lengthy friendship. He had depended on her on so many occasions but now it was their turn to take care of her. To guide their friend back to their world and see her through whatever darkness she currently resided in.

No matter how hard the road ahead of them would be.

"We are here now 'mione," Harry whispered to the sleeping witch.

Ron did not stay long, troubled by what he saw and the news that Hermione was no longer the person he had known her to be. Ginny left with him to see to it that her brother would be okay. Harry nodded in agreement as they shuffled off, knowing that Ron would need more time than any of them to process these developments. Hermione had been his first love and when all had presumed her dead he had taken the news the hardest.

They were all trying to make sense of this.

What should have felt like an unbelievable gift was also terribly puzzling: Hermione Granger was alive! But what had happened to her? What fate had befallen the poor witch? This was the question that gnawed on Harry as he sat at her bedside in the chair that a staff member had furnished after she broke the other two.

For her safety and those around her Hermione was put in mechanical restraints. The sight of her wrists now bound to the bedside pained Harry deeply.

There was a soft knock at the door and Harry was relieved to see a familiar figure appear. Remus Lupin had once been their professor at Hogwarts but had grown to be so much more to Harry over the years. His mentor, his friend, if not like family. Harry had not seen the older man since Harry's Auror Academy graduation but was happy nonetheless despite the circumstances. He was tall with youthful features that had been aged prematurely from a life of hardship. The scars that covered his face seemed to mirror the ones on Hermione's features. His smile was warm and reassuring as he approached Hermione's bedside.

"Hello Harry, how is she doing?"
"Still asleep, they had to give her a sedative," Harry said with a weary tone. "She's changed, Lupin and I am not sure what I can do to help her."
"It will be okay, Hermione's tough and clever. Remember what everyone always used to say about her?"
"That she is the brightest witch of her age," Harry supplied with a slight smile.
"Yes, exactly. So let's give our friend here some faith. Hopefully I will be able to help as well."
"How so?" Harry asked and regarded the older man. He noticed that a hospital badge dangled from Lupin's coat pocket. The wizard acknowledged Harry's gaze.

"The hospital called me; they didn't tell me the patient's name until I got here though so I was taken aback to say the least. Harry, you recall my research?"

Harry nodded, remembering that Lupin had spoken of his research on werewolves from time to time. Filling in the gaps and misinformation surrounding lycanthropes had become Lupin's life mission. His work often took him deep into the forests of Europe to study packs but last Harry had recalled Lupin now resided locally.

"I have been helping those like Hermione-like myself--regain their place in society with therapy," Remus said.
"Like some sort of werewolf rehabilitation?"
"In so many words, yes. During the war a great deal of people, especially children, had been bitten. As you know there haven't been very many resources for my kind and there was a definite void to be filled in helping those that had been turned. So I took this job that no one wanted but apparently one I am perfectly suited for obvious reasons."

"So you think there is a chance she will be okay again?" Harry asked and was slightly embarrassed by the eagerness in his tone.

"I cannot make any promises but I will do my best. I am going to go speak with her doctor now and see what sort of plan we can make going forward. Do let me know if she wakes up."

Harry nodded and Lupin gave him a paternal pat on the shoulder as he repeated once more reassurances. "It will be alright, Harry."

Alone again, Harry buried his head in his hands and exhaled hard. For the countless time that day he wondered to himself: What happened to Hermione?

Battle of Hogwarts
5 Years Prior

Thunder roared over head as another pillar fell. She leaped back to avoid getting crushed. The deafening commotion around her was jarring as she tried to find her way in a castle that had once been her home since childhood. Only now Hogwarts looked nothing like it's former glory, rattled by a bloody battle underway all around her. Students were running past her but no one she recognized.

Hermione dodged the crumbling debris as she ran into the smoky passageway ahead. She held her breath but the burning fires still caused her eyes to sting. She had lost sight of Ron as the battle around them raged on. Harry had been separated from them as well and she was desperate to find the two boys. They had to complete their mission, they had to end this once and for all.

There was a jolt of violent purple the jutted through the smoke as a hex singeing the air around her and nearly missed Hermione's shoulder. She backed down another hallways and carried on forward with a white-knuckle grip on her wand. Searching for either Ron or Harry within the chaos, she tried to avoid drawing further attention to herself. But she knew she would have to be willing to fight if it came down to it.

Just as she turned down a corridor Hermione gasped at the sight of Fenrir Greyback hunched over a victim. Somewhere between human and wolf, his eyes glowed an eerie yellow as he looked up from his attack. Without thinking Hermione struck him with a spell that sent the werewolf flying. Upon further inspection she saw that bloodied figure was a girl from her year. Lavender Brown. She remembered their interactions and while they had not been altogether pleasant she still pitied the girl, her lifeless eyes looking up at Hermione in anguish. There was no time to mourn the unfortunate girl's demise as Greyback regained his composure, springing at Hermione. She tried to strike him with another spell but she felt the whole force of his momentum knock her to the floor. It took the air from her lunges as she let out a gasp.

"Hello pet," he sneered, standing over her in was a path of blood pooling down his face and staining his shirt. When the werewolf grinned she could see the streaks of crimson on his fangs. He was the very vision of terror.

Hermione's wand skid across the stone floor out of reach; heart racing, she mentally focused her magic with a silent accio. Greyback saw the movement but wasn't quick enough to react.

Springing to life the wand jumped into her hand just in time. With all the fury in her heart she yelled out a hex that hit Greyback square in the chest. He reeled back as the magic burned into his skin, roaring in pain. Hermione was just about to strike him once more when a rumble underneath their feet caused a new alarm. There was only a brief fleeting moment of panic as the floor gave way, tumbling them both into the abyss.

All she remembered was that brief moment. Falling and falling until there was nothing but darkness. It was the only memory she had of being Hermione Granger, a single instant immersed in utter helplessness.

She would be haunted by that darkness for many years to come.