Everything Is Eclipsed by the Shape of Destiny

Vicious snarls emanated from the mouth of the massive black jaguar as it chased its prey through the dimly lit forest. Its dark brown eyes were firmly locked on the bearlike figure that belonged to Fenrir Greyback, a cruel werewolf that took pleasure in harming others. Though, at that moment, the fiend known for his cruelty, had lost his tough demeanor and was fleeing for his life. Even he knew that he was no match for the young woman that had shifted into a menacing jaguar before his very eyes.

When he’d first set eyes on her in the forest, he’d thought her a woman that would very easily fall to him, just like all the others he’d coerced and taken advantage of, over the years. It was with that thought in mind that he approached her, ready to have his way and perhaps even have a taste of her warm flesh. He told her that if she cooperated, he wouldn’t be too hard on her.

That was when she phased into her jaguar form and when he took off running.

And they’d been running ever since.

They’d been at it for well over twenty minutes and with each step they took, Fenrir felt his predator growing closer. There were moments when he could feel the warm breath on the back of his neck, others when it felt like there was an entire mile between them. It was a cruel game that was being played on him and had he still had possession of a wand, he would’ve surely stopped to fight, but as it was, he couldn’t. All he could do was run and hope that a Death Eater would come to his aid or that the jaguar would grow tired.

A few yards back from him, was Emerson in her jaguar form. Her dark frame blending into her surroundings, making it nearly impossible to spot her in the forest, the only thing that gave her away were her eyes. Her dark brown eyes shone in the darkness, their determination and anger visible from afar.

She had been the first to spot him. Her eyes had caught his movement in the forest and as such, she took it upon herself to take him into custody, even if it meant ignoring Bill’s pleas for her to stay with their small group of three wizards. There was no time to stay in a group, she’d thought. That would require wasting to much precious time and time was not a luxury they had much of.

So she took action, she ran to where he was, called out his name and stood bravely before him. Doing her best not to flinch as the monstrous man eyed her as a potential sexual partner and meal. On the inside, she was squirming. She’d never met anyone more barbaric. He was completely devoid of human emotion or thought. The way he carried himself told her so and his words secured her opinion of him.

He’d told her that he wouldn’t be to harsh if she went willingly to him.

The idiot had insulted her by thinking that she’d just give into his little game and as a result of having been so deeply insulted, Emerson phased before she’d even had a chance to strip out of her clothes. Her precious outfit had been ruined, its fabric now littered the forest ground and she would have nothing to wear when she’d phase back into her human form and for that, he would pay.

And so she chased after him, her paws crushing anything that was unfortunate enough to be in her way. She didn’t pay attention to their surroundings. The trees, the rocks, the animals were of absolutely no importance. The only thing worthy of her attention was the foul creature that was struggling to stay afoot.

Had she wanted, she could’ve killed him within the first five minutes of their meeting. One swipe of her paw would’ve sufficed to knock him onto the ground, but she was taking her time with him. She planned on torturing him as he had tortured so many during his life. No pity would be taken on him. He was going to suffer up until his last breath and if there was such a thing as hell, he’d suffer there in the afterlife.

Her paced picked up when she saw him grow farther away from her. He was acting like he was actually going to make it out alive. Wanting to crush his foolish notion, Emerson leapt from the rock upon which she stood and landed upon him, squishing his body under hers.

“Get off me!” Fenrir struggled underneath, punching at her underbelly in a desperate to be free from her. “Get off me you flee bitten mutt!”

Emerson obliged his request and got off him, but she didn’t leave. She was crouched right in front of him, her lips hitched up into a snarl so her sharp teeth were on full display.

“Now, I don’t bloody know who you are, girly, nor do I care to know,” he told her. “But I know for a fact that I’ve never crossed your path before so you should get going, because if you kill me, you’ll end up dead.”

Emerson growled in response.

“I-I’ve got friends in high places.” Fenrir declared. “And if something happens to me, they’ll hunt you down! They won’t stop until you’re dead! So leave and it’ll be like nothing’s ever happened. That’s the best offer you’ll be getting girly.”

She moved closer, her gaze never leaving his.

“Alright, alright,” he put his hands up. “How’s about we make us a deal? You let me go and I’ll get you some gold. That’ll do. Everyone could use a bit more gold. No such as thing as to much, am, I right?”

He was not right and the look in her face told him so.

“What do ya want?” he bellowed. “If this is about what I said back there, I was just messing about. Not really gonna do any of those things to you. Just trying to give you a fright so you’d leave,” Fenrir lied.

Emerson was growing tired of humoring him.

“Won’t reason with me, will ya?” his expression hardened. “Well I ain’t going down easy. I won’t be done in by some stupid mangy mutt!” and he lifted his hand to strike her.

Fenrir was under the impression that if he hit her head hard enough, she’d be forced to return to her human state. Then, once she was human again, he’d be able to have his way with her, to feast on her flesh and run off. That was what he thought would happen when he hit her.

Problem was, his arm never collided with her head.

When it was halfway to her, she lifted her head and bit his upper arm. Her teeth sunk into the flesh, tore the muscles apart and broke his bone. He was no match for her. Not when he was a human and she was a jaguar. If he’d been in his werewolf form then there would’ve been a fairer fight, but at that moment, he was just a creature with brute strength that was overshadowed by hers.

He struggled against her, sending powerful punches to her head as he tried to get her off his other arm. The pain consuming him was extraordinary. It was of a nature he hadn’t experienced in decades. The last time he’d ever felt anything remotely close to it was when he’d first been bitten, but as he stood there, he knew it was far worse than being infected with lycanthropy.

And when Emerson pulled away, he saw why.

In her mouth was his arm, the bloodied limb that she’d savagely torn from him dangled there, much like a chew toy would have. The blood drenched her fur and for the first time in his life. He felt that there was something darker in the world than Lord Voldemort. That his evil was nothing compared to that of the brunette whom had appeared to be harmless.

Fenrir closed his eyes, readying himself for what he believed to be, his inevitable death. He was mistaken. Death did not come for him on that night. The Death Eaters that had accompanied him to Tulloch had returned from their meeting at Malfoy Manor and were now within eyesight. They drew their wands and proceeded to send curses at the massive jaguar from their side of the forest.

From the other side, spells were thrown by Bill and Kingsley.

What ensued was a short lived battle in which Fenrir escaped with the Death Eaters and Emerson lay stunned on the ground. The Death Eaters had focused all their attention on her, sending stunning spell after stunning spell her way. And although magic did not affect her as strongly as it did humans, the sheer volume of spells being thrown at her, were enough to render her unconscious on the forest floor.

“Marie!” Bill yelled as he ran towards her.

His wand was still drawn and her wand was tucked into his coat. She’d dropped it on the ground shortly before she’d taken off running to catch Fenrir. That was a habit of hers. She’d drop her wand somewhere and then go searching for it afterwards, usually with the help of Everett whom would summon her wand, but on that day that wasn’t necessary. Bill had picked it up and kept it safe for her.

“Marie!” he shouted again, this time with more urgency in his voice.

A mangled sob rang from his lips when he saw the bloodied fur. He immediately thought the worst, thinking that Fenrir had mauled her as he had done to so may others, but when he saw Fenrir’s arm in her lips, he grew calmer. The blood was from the arm. It wasn’t hers. It wasn’t hers, he kept repeating to himself.

“Rennervate!” he pointed his wand at her and a bright light flew from the tip of his wand.
The spell didn’t work.

“Kingsley!” Bill shouted. “Kingsley, I need your help!”

“With what?” he asked.

“With bringing her back . . . I remember her telling me that spells don’t affect her like they do everyone else so it’s going to take more than one wizard to fix this.” Bill rubbed her fur, the blood staining his hands. “Can you please help?”

Kingsley nodded. “It would be my honor.”

“Rennervate!” they shouted in unison.

Still, the spell did not work.

“Wake up!” Bill shouted at her. “Damn it, Marie, wake up!”

“Perhaps more wizards are needed.” Kingsley spoke. “She’s a big girl, Bill, and two wizards aren’t enough, but maybe if we get another two or three, then she’ll get better. If you want I can go to The Burrow and come back.”

“No.” Bill quickly replied. “It’s not safe out here and if they ambush us, one wizard and a passed out shifter won’t be enough to keep us safe.” He buried his hand in her fur. “I’ll apparate with her to The Burrow.”

“I honestly don’t think that’s a good idea.” Kingsley crouched down beside him. “She’s a massive creature that can very easily be splinched.”

Bill closed his eyes. “She won’t get splinched.”

“Oh alright then, but try to keep a strong hold of her as you apparate.” Kingsley caressed her fur. “She’s been through a lot tonight, last thing she needs is to be put through more pain.” He stood up, smoothing out his robes. “I’ll go to your house and round up your parents and anyone else that’s home. Please. Remember to hold on, the more of her you have, the less likely she is go get splinched.”

“Thank you, Kingsley, for everything.”

“No need to thank me,” Kinsley patted Bill’s back before taking his leave.

And with a pop, Bill knew that Kingsley had left.

“Have to wake up from this, you know.” Bill whispered to her unconscious body. “There’s no way I’ll let you get away with sleeping for the rest of your life. That’s lazy even by your standards . . . bad joke. Horrible, really, but you know I make terrible jokes when you’re not around so wake up.” He rested his head atop hers. “Promise to wake up when we get home. If you do, I promise I’ll take you to go eat in Los Angeles, to that place you love so much. That a deal?” he asked her. “Deal,” he spoke after a short silence. “Suppose we should be on our way now.”

Bill climbed atop her, not even covering half of hers. He wrapped his legs around her midsection. He buried his hands in her fur and grabbed fistfuls, so as to keep her pressed to him in their journey and then, when he felt comfortable enough; they apparated.

Shortly after, they landed in The Burrow’s backyard.

“Bill!” shouted his mother. “Kingsley! Arthur! The children have arrived! Get the twins!” her stubby legs carried her to where her son lay. “How is she, dear? Kingsley told us what happened and oh my!” she cried. “Is t-that an arm?”

Bill nodded.

“What on earth is she doing with an arm in her mouth?”

“She took it from Greyback,” Bill explained. “And they stunned her with it in her mouth so there really wasn’t any getting rid of it.”

“Greyback?” repeated an astonished Molly. “Merlin’s beard,” was all she could say.

The three Weasley men accompanied by Kingsley ran out of the house with their wands drawn.

“Who’s that blood from?” asked George.

“Greyback,” answered Bill.

“Then why’s it all over you?” Fred questioned.

“This isn’t a time for your bloody questions!” snapped Bill. “Once she wakes up, I’ll answer whatever you want, but just shut your mouths and help me. Can you do that?”

“Geez, no need to get your knickers in a twist,” muttered Fred.

George nodded in agreement. “Need to calm yourself down, old boy. Keep talking like that and you’ll end up with a nasty hex thrown at you. Ain’t that right, Fred?”

“Boys, enough!” hissed Molly. “Emery needs our help and your threatening your brother with hexes isn’t helping her!”

“Alright, alright, we’ll threaten him after she wakes up.” Fred muttered.

George nodded in agreement. “Should we get this show on the road then?”

“Yes, we should.” Kingsley stepped forward, his cloak in hand. “Here Bill, cover her with it so she’s not exposed when she comes to.”

“Thanks,” Bill took the cloak into his possession and draped it across her midsection. “On three then?”

“On three.” They replied in unison.

“One . . . two . . . three . . .” Kingsley counted.

“RENNERVATE!” they bellowed.

That did it.

Emerson regained consciousness. Her dark brown eyes fluttered open, confusion the only emotion that she felt and at the same time that she struggled to remember where she was, her body returned to its human form. She tried to speak but soon realized that something was in her mouth and when she reached out to remove it, she remembered it was Fenrir’s hand. His hand was removed from her lips and she spat on the ground, trying to take away the tastes of blood that had trickled into her mouth and down her throat.

“Nasty ass shit,” she muttered, completely oblivious to the individuals surrounding her.

“Shouldn’t really be talking like that in front of my parents.” Bill commented.

Her face snapped to his voice. “Am I at their house?”

“In our garden, actually,” Molly spoke.

A faint blush spread across Emerson’s lips. “Sorry Molly, I know cursing isn’t allowed and I'm sorry.”

“It’s alright dear,” Molly reassured. “Odds are I’d allow anything from you. Now, get that cloak wrapped around you tight and come into the house. There’s a shower with your name on it as well as some clothes. Fred, George, go get some clothes for Emery, lay them out on Bill’s bed for her.”

“But we wanted to talk to our wife,” they whined.

Molly shook her head. “After she’s cleaned up and settled in, you can pester her. Now go on. Get going.”

“Love, we’ll be with you soon!” they cried overdramatically before disappearing into the house.

Emerson chuckled softly and sat up, clutching the cloak to her chest as she did so.

“Those twins have quite the imagination.”

“That they do,” agreed Molly. “I'm going to heat up some supper for you dear. Kingsley, would you like to stay for supper?”

“You know I’d love to Molly, but I have some things that need tending to with the muggle Prime Minister.” Kingsley politely explained.

“I don’t know how you do it, Kingsley. Always running from one place to another! It’s a miracle you can stay awake with all that work.” Molly told him.

Kingsley smiled. “We’ve all got to do our part, Molly.”

“That we do,” she agreed.

Kingsley directed his attention to Emerson. “Emery, make sure to get some rest. You’ve had one hell of a day.”

“Wasn’t that bad, I got a souvenir out of it,” Emerson lifted the hand that had once belonged to Fenrir.

“One hell of a souvenir,” Kingsley chuckled. “Farewell friends, stay safe.”

“Farewell Kingsley!”

“Come on Arthur, let’s go inside.” Molly took her husbands hand.

“But what if Emerson needs help?” Arthur inquired.

“I'm sure Bill, will manage.” That said Molly dragged him in.

Emerson stood up slowly. “Did Fenrir end up getting away?”

“Yeah, he ran off with the Death Eaters.”

“Fuck!” she cursed. “I was really hoping I’d killed the son of a bitch.”

“That wouldn’t be very fair.”

“And why not?” she wiped some of the blood from her face.

“Because Remus and I want a go at him,” he answered with a smile. “Need to repay the favor.”

“But I’d do it so much better than you guys! You should’ve seen the way he was begging me to spare him. This may sound fucked up, but it was pretty funny to see a monster like him begging for his life.” Emerson shook her head. “Think it’d be alright if I skipped out of the shower and meal? I bet Tonks wants to know what’s going on and I don’t want to keep her waiting.”

“Mum’s set on you eating here.”

“Can’t I get out of it?”

“Only if you want her to hate you,” he said.

“Oh, fine then. I’ll stay but as soon as I'm done, I'm going back to Tonks. I’ve got to present her with my trophy.” Emerson began to walk towards the kitchen, leaving Bill standing there on his own.

“Marie!” he yelled.

“What?” she spun to see him.

“Glad you’re alright. For a moment there, thought I lost you.”

“Bill, you’ll end up losing your gingeriness before you lose me. Now come on, I don’t know how to turn on the shower here and if I ask the twins for help, they’ll end up spying on me.”