Author's Note:

Hello all! This is a story I've been thinking about for a while, and I think I'm finally going to start writing it! Keep in mind, this story will take place during their 6th year, although some of the information from prior books/movies have been tweaked to better fit the story. Think of it as an Alternate-Universe piece, if that helps.

A few disclaimers before you move forward!

Disclaimers: This story will have descriptions of gore and blood (things like broken bones, gashes, and other grotesque things.) Alongside, this story will probably, at some point in time, have some descriptions of a sexual nature. If you are uncomfortable reading content that has either of those, this won't be the story for you.

Make sure to follow this story to get notifications when this story is updated, and leave a comment if you want to!

Get ready for some angsty romance and lots of supernatural action.

Enjoy! xxx

Chapter One: The First Attack

Harry's P.O.V.

They whispered as though no one was around to hear them. Like they weren't in the middle of the library, surrounded by other students.

"Do you think it was Hagrid who did it? He was the only one out there with him, wasn't he?" A small, second-year Hufflepuff looked around his table of friends with wide eyes.

"Of course not." A Ravenclaw girl with golden hair beside him scoffed. She rolled her eyes at such a suggestion. "Hagrid would never harm a student."

"It is a bit coincidental though, isn't it?" An older Hufflepuff at the table said. He looked deep in thought for a moment before he turned to the Gryffindor girl with dark hair beside him. "I mean, wasn't he also attacked during Hagrid's class a few years ago?"

"That was different. He did that to himself." The Gryffindor girl was quick to come to Hagrid's aid.

"Melanie said she saw him being carried out of the forest." The small Hufflepuff chimed in again. His eyes grew bigger with every word he spoke. "She said he was covered in blood. It tripped down his arms and left a trail on the ground behind them."

"You don't think he's… dead, do you?" The Gryffindor girl asked. She looked uncomfortable and glanced over her shoulder, as though to ensure that his ghost was not standing just behind her.

Harry caught eyes with her and held them. He tried his best to keep his anger at bay, but he was sure it showed on his face more than he'd have liked it to. The girl, a fifth year by the name of Emily, whipped back around and hushed the group after catching his gaze. She coerced them to get back to work, but Harry still couldn't pull his eyes away from the group.

He couldn't believe they had the audacity to question Hagrid. Of course it hadn't been him. No one in their right mind would believe that Hagrid would have attacked a student in the middle of the night. Not even one as annoying as Draco Malfoy.

Knowing he wouldn't be able to focus on his potions paper, and still brimming with anger and disbelief, he started to pack up his things. His hands shook as he forced the last bit of parchment into his bag before he snatched it and hurried out of the library. He couldn't remember another time he had ever been so angry.

Taking a quick right and heading down the staircase towards the school's entrance, he scanned the grounds for Hagrid's tall, bulky frame. He had refrained from going looking for him earlier, knowing that he probably had a lot on his plate at the moment, but he didn't think he could stand it any longer. He had to ask Hagrid what had happened that night in the Forbidden Forest. What had attacked Draco Malfoy so badly to have sent him to St. Mungo's through the emergency floo network. Whatever it was had to have been far worse than a pissed off Hippogriff's talons.

"Harry!"

He turned at the sound of his name and stalled in his mad dash across campus when his eyes landed on the familiar mane of Hermione Granger. She sat under a large tree by the Black Lake's edge. Ron Weasley's lanky figure was sprawled out on the ground next to her, hoisted up onto his elbows to look out to where Hermione had called.

Harry glanced once more over at Hagrid's hut before he admitted defeat and began to trudge his way over to his friends.

"You're still thinking about it," Hermione said when Harry had caught up to them and sat himself down on the ground.

"What?" He asked, trying to play dumb. He knew Hermione would never fall for that.

"About Malfoy's detention," Hermione said. She closed the heavy tomb she had been reading and looked at him closely. "Everyone knows Hagrid didn't do it –"

"But they don't," Harry said loudly. Hermione and Ron both winced at his aggressive tone, but he was far too frustrated to care. "I just overheard some students in the library talking about how it's coincidental for Malfoy to have been injured twice while being in Hagrid's care."

"Well, it is a bit coincidental." Ron mused.

Harry shot him an astounded look.

"As far as coincidences go… I mean." Ron mumbled when he realized how his words sounded out loud. "But we all know it's just a coincidence."

"And that Hagrid would never harm a student," Hermione said firmly, looking quite sure of herself.

"He'd be my hero, though, if he had done it." Ron continued, sounding dreamy. "A world rid of Malfoy. Can you imagine it?"

Hermione shot him an annoyed glare. "Honestly Ronald, how can you even say that?"

"Oh, come off it," Ron argued, rolling his eyes. "The guy's a menace. If it were up to me, I'd be giving Hagrid an award right about now."

"Just because Malfoy is a complete ass, that wouldn't give Hagrid the right to –"

"Hagrid didn't do anything!" Harry exploded, unable to keep his anger in any longer. "He wouldn't have! Whatever happened to Malfoy was his own fault."

A hush of silence fell over them. The sun shone down through the branches of the tree overhead and a gentle, warm breeze rustled the leaves around them. If it weren't for the feeling of impending doom and suffocation in Harry's chest, he would've dared say it was the most beautiful day he'd ever seen. Ron had laid himself back down on the ground, using his bag as a pillow.

"Harry," Hermione said gently.

He didn't want to look at her. He knew she was going to say something completely sensible and logical, and quite frankly, he didn't want to hear it. He wanted to be angry. He wanted to be allowed to be angry.

"Dumbledore would never allow them to take Hagrid away. You know he wouldn't." Hermione continued when it seemed apparent that Harry wasn't going to give her the time of day. "He didn't let them take Hagrid away back when they thought he opened the Chamber of Secrets and he's not going to let them take him away now."

Harry stayed quiet as he gazed out over the Black Lake. He knew, deep down, that she was right, as she always seemed to be. But Dumbledore's lack of presence around the school this year made it hard for Harry to trust that he'd do something about this situation. For now, he supposed, there was no use in being upset about it.

"As for Malfoy," Hermione said. "I heard he was still at St. Mungo's in a coma with some pretty severe injuries."

"Dreams really do come true." Ron joked.

Hermione glared at him before she pushed on. "St. Mungo's is a wonderful institute with experienced healers. He'll be out by the end of the week."

Harry glanced around at the other students out enjoying the sunshine. Perhaps he was imagining it or hallucinating, but something in the pit of his stomach told him that everyone was talking about the accident in the forest. He turned back to Hermione. "Hagrid hadn't done anything to Malfoy, but something did. Whatever it was that had landed Malfoy in St. Mungo's intensive ward is still out in the forest." Hermione looked at him with worried eyes and that made him even madder if it were possible. "What?" He asked defensively.

Hermione bit her lip, as though battling with something inside of her. "Harry… you can't go looking for it. You know that, don't you?" Harry didn't say anything. "Whatever attacked Malfoy will attack you too if you go. And with how things are lately…" She paused. "You just can't risk it."

Harry knew she was right. She was always right. With half the wizarding world looking over their shoulders for more Death Eater attacks, and Hogwarts being continuously under surveillance, the last place Harry should be is out in the Forbidden Forest tracking down monsters. Lost in thought, he almost didn't hear Ron shuffling to sit up.

"Dumbledore."

Harry and Hermione both turned to follow Ron's gaze up to the hill back to the castle's entrance. Dumbledore stood in his familiar robes with Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape by his side. Harry stood to his feet. He wanted to race up there and demand that Dumbledore tell him what was going on, but he knew from last year that wouldn't work. When Dumbledore didn't want to talk to someone, he became the most evasive man on the face of the Earth.

A hush fell over the grounds as more and more students began to become aware of their Headmaster's sudden presence. In a matter of seconds, Dumbledore had everyone's undivided attention. He pulled from within his pocket his long wand and pressed the tip against his throat to amplify the sound of his voice. "As of tonight, until further notice, all students are to report to their dormitories before nightfall. All Quidditch practices are henceforth suspended." A low rumble of shock and disapproval began to radiate through the ground. "All Quidditch games are henceforth suspended. Any other late-night activities outside of this castle's walls are henceforth prohibited." It could've been a trick of the light, but Harry thought he saw Dumbledore's eyes turn to fall on him. "Given the circumstances of the last 24 hours, it would not be wise to wander the castle at night… Should anyone be found gallivanting about after hours, they will be escorted home. Immediately."

Harry froze upon hearing this. A heavy ball started to manifest in the pit of his stomach. This had to be serious. Dumbledore had never threatened to send students home before. He had always believed that the safest place for his students to be was at Hogwarts.

Everyone seemed to have frozen in time, waiting with bated breath for Dumbledore to explain what circumstances he was referring to. But with a sudden flick of his robes, their headmaster turned on a dime and disappeared back into the castle with McGonagall and Snape hot on his tail.

"That's it?" Harry said out loud, flabbergasted. "That's all we get?"

"Maybe that's all he's allowed to tell us," Hermione said, though she looked just as unnerved as Harry felt.

"Yeah, I mean, a student was nearly mauled to death in our back yard," Ron said. He glanced over his shoulder at the dark parameter of the Forbidden Forest. "He has to choose his next few steps carefully. We could lose both him and Hagrid if this goes poorly."

Harry didn't say anything. He didn't know what he could say. He wished Malfoy was back at the castle so he could hunt him down and interrogate the pompous ass himself.

"Come on," Hermione said. Her fingers touched at Harry's elbow and gave a gentle tug on his sleeve. "Let's go get something to eat."

He wasn't hungry, but he knew Hermione wouldn't let him stay out here by himself. He took a breath and tried to force himself to relax. "Yeah. Okay."

By the time dinner came around, a whole new batch of gossip had begun to circulate throughout the castle. It would seem that Hagrid attacking Malfoy wasn't dramatic enough. Now, with Dumbledore having set a new curfew and canceled all outdoor activities until further notice, and refusing to explain the mysterious circumstances with which he had enforced said curfew, a new theory had started to form. That not only had Malfoy been attacked by some grotesque creature living in the Forbidden Forest, but he had been attacked by a creature sent straight from Voldemort himself.

"Impossible," Harry said firmly when Hermione had brought it up. "Malfoy is a Death Eater now. Voldemort wouldn't have attacked one of his own."

Hermione scoffed at this behind her cup of tea.

"What?" Harry asked defensively, setting his fork back down on his plate.

She sighed and set her cup down before she looked at him with a raised eyebrow and a skeptical look. "So you think Malfoy just attacked himself in the forest that night? He got tired of living?"

Harry glowered at her attempt to joke. He couldn't understand why it was so hard for her to believe that Malfoy had become a Death Eater over the summer. It was obvious. The whole lot of his family had been tied up in Voldemort's crap since day one. Harry had seen Lucius Malfoy with his own eyes that night in the cemetery during the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Why didn't she believe him? What more evidence could she possibly want? "Then why would he go after Malfoy in the first place?" Harry tried to counter. "I mean, it's only Malfoy. What threat could he have possibly imposed upon him?"

Hermione looked deep in thought over this. "Maybe he talks too much." She offered. "You have to admit; the boy never shuts up. Maybe he was gloating about something his father had done, and it had gotten back to Voldemort."

Harry looked at her incredulously. Of all the reasons she could have come up with, she went with this one?

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Look, I don't know why Voldemort would want Malfoy dead. I just think…"

Her silence caused Harry to look up from his plate. But she was no longer looking at him. Her eyes had wandered to the Great Hall's double doors and she looked uncomfortable and in sudden pain. Harry followed her gaze to see Ron enter the Great Hall with Lavender Brown, his new girlfriend, hanging off his arm. They were laughing about something or another while Lavender caressed the side of his face lovingly.

"Excuse me, I have to leave," Hermione said as she reached for her books in a hurry.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked. For the first time that day, the incident with Malfoy had completely evaporated from his mind.

"Anywhere but here," Hermione grumbled before she took off at a hurried walk.

Harry watched her leave, suddenly feeling uncomfortable and alone. He knew Hermione had been having some problems dealing with Ron and his new girlfriend. And while Harry couldn't say he particularly enjoyed the new addition to their group, he couldn't say there was anything really wrong with Lavender. She was just a bit loud and over affectionate. But to be fair, Ron seemed to enjoy it. Hermione's anger towards the other girl, however, seemed to be about more than just Lavender being annoying.

"Where'd she run off to in such a hurry?" Ron asked when they arrived at the end of the table near where Harry was sitting.

"The library, I think." Harry guessed, trying to appear casual as he went back to his food.

While Lavender and Ron prattled on about upcoming Quidditch practices and trips to Hogsmeade, Harry couldn't find it in himself to participate in their conversation. His eyes kept shifting towards the Slytherin table. Malfoy's crew seemed to be particularly quiet since their leader's incident in the Forbidden Forest. Pansy Parkinson looked the worst of them all. Even from across the hall, Harry noticed the redness around her eyes and cheeks from recent crying.

Something told him that whatever had happened to Malfoy in the forest, Pansy knew about it.

He watched her closely, noting the way she avoided the conversations around her. When her eyes darted around to meet his, he was quick to look away, pretending to be fascinated in whatever Lavender was talking about. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw her stand quickly from the table and head for the doors.

Before he had much time to think about what he was doing, he was already wiping his hands. "I'll see you guys later." He said half-heartedly to the couple across from him before he got to his feet and hurried after Pansy's quickly receding figure.

He caught up with her just as she had begun to descend down into the dungeons. He was surprised that a girl so small could move so quickly.

"Hey, wait." He called after her when she seemed determined to evade him by taking a quick left around a corner. "What happened to him." He reached out to grab her sleeve, but she was faster and yanked her arm out of his reach.

"What?" She asked, sounding annoyed.

"Malfoy. What happened to him in the forest?"

Pansy glared through a fresh shine of unshed tears. "What do you care?"

"You know what attacked him, don't you?" Harry asked. His heart had begun to pound inside his chest. "Tell me what it was."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Pansy said. She turned on her heels to leave again.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Yes, you do. Tell me what he's planning –"

With a quick jerk, Pansy yanked herself free. Now she looked furious. "No, I don't! Okay? I don't know anything about what's going on with Draco."

Harry stared at her hard. He couldn't tell whether she was lying or not.

"He's in the hospital. He might even be dead!" The tears that had been in her eyes suddenly started racing down her cheeks. Harry had to admit, he was shocked at how much she seemed to care for such a pompous ass like Draco Malfoy. "I can't tell you what you want to know." She squared her shoulders. "So just leave me alone." She hissed between clenched teeth before she turned and started off for the Slytherin common room. This time, Harry let her go.

He watched her flee around the corner and felt more confused than before. With how much Draco Malfoy loved to talk, as Hermione had pointed out earlier, he couldn't help but be taken off guard with how little his friends seemed to know. This made his suspicions grow even more. Whatever Malfoy's plan is, Harry would find out and he would stop him.

Hermione's P.O.V.

The circumstances with which Draco Malfoy received detention had seemed a bit odd to Hermione. While he had always focused his bullying and pranks on the students around him, more specifically the younger students, he had never had the gull to pull anything against a professor. And yet, he had stood in the middle of a full classroom and had a full-on argument with Professor McGonagall until she had screamed at him to get out of her classroom. The sight had been unsettling, to say the least.

But to think that Malfoy would have purposely gotten himself in trouble and had purposely planned to go out into the Forbidden Forest with the intent of getting mauled just seemed too bizarre. Especially for a coward like Malfoy. No, it had to be a complete accident. He had probably wandered off on his own, thinking he could handle himself and was instead proven entirely wrong. That seemed to fit his narrative better.

Still, listening to Harry babble on about Death Eater plans and Voldemort's intents to use Malfoy as an inside source was starting to do her head in. She sighed and set her cup down on the table before she turned to Harry, raising a disbelieving eyebrow. "So you think Malfoy just attacked himself in the forest that night? He just got tired of living?"

Harry glared at her, but she couldn't find it in herself to take him seriously. If he would just take a second to really listen to what he was saying and take a step back from his previously established distaste for Malfoy, he would hear just how insane he sounded. "Then why would he go after Malfoy in the first place? I mean, it's only Malfoy. What threat could he have possibly imposed upon him?"

This question stumped her. For as big and tough as Malfoy liked to pretend he was, they had all seen him in action. Cowardly and afraid, and he'd always resort back to fleeing before he ever stood his ground and fought back. So why would Voldemort have taken such an interest in him, if any at all? She shrugged. "Maybe he talks too much." She concluded. "You have to admit; the boy never shuts up. Maybe he was gloating about something his father had done, and it had gotten back to Voldemort."

Harry looked at her like she had lost her mind, which caused her to roll her eyes.

"Look, I don't know why Voldemort would want Malfoy dead. I just think…" She felt herself trail off but couldn't find it in herself to press forward with her thought. A flash of red hair over Harry's shoulder had dragged her attention away from him.

Ron strolled into the Great Hall late, which was incredibly unusual for him. Attached to his arm in a vice-like grip was Lavender Brown, a sight that, unfortunately, was not so unusual anymore. Hermione didn't know what was wrong with her. It wasn't like Ron was her boyfriend, or anything close to it. But seeing him with Lavender permanently attached to his hip made her stomach churn in a way that she wasn't used to.

She wasn't jealous. She couldn't be. How could she be jealous of something that was never hers in the first place? It was ridiculous. Besides, it was Ron. Obviously, her feelings of jealousy centered around him as a friend. Nothing more.

Lost in her thoughts, she almost didn't notice the duo had started making their way towards where Harry and Hermione sat before it was almost too late. Knowing she wouldn't be able to sit here quietly and watch the vomit-inducing displays of affection that would come with the new addition, she scrambled to grab her textbooks from the table and shove them back into her bag. She could feel Harry's eyes on her.

While Harry hadn't ever openly said anything to her, she knew he had started to notice her strange behavior. She kicked herself for being so painfully obvious and could feel a light blush beginning to creep up into her cheeks. "Excuse me," she tried to sound casual. "I have to leave."

"Where are you going?" Harry asked. Now he looked concerned.

"Anywhere but here," Hermione muttered before she stood and hurried down the long table towards the door. She tried her best to avoid making eye contact as she passed Ron and Lavender on the other side of the table. Her heart felt like it had plummeted down into her stomach. What was wrong with her?

With a brisk shake of her head, she sped up and disappeared from the Great Hall.