
Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/8630356.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
  Category:
      F/M
  Fandom:
      Harry_Potter_-_J._K._Rowling
  Relationship:
      Hermione_Granger/Draco_Malfoy
  Character:
      Draco_Malfoy, Hermione_Granger, Fenrir_Greyback
  Additional Tags:
      Werewolves, Hogwarts_Sixth_Year, Alpha/Beta/Omega_Dynamics, Pack
      Dynamics, Wolf_Pack, Sexual_Content, Light_Angst, Action/Adventure,
      Malfoy_Manor, Second_War_with_Voldemort
  Stats:
      Published: 2016-11-23 Completed: 2018-02-07 Chapters: 39/39 Words: 168700
****** Becoming Beta ******
by crochetaway
Summary
     Draco's summer after 5th year was off to a terrible start. Father was
     in Azkaban. Mother was barely holding it together. The Dark Lord and
     his Death Eaters were living in his house. Fenrir Greyback and his
     werewolf pack was living in his dungeons. The Dark Lord had given
     Draco a seemingly impossible task, and now he had to accept
     punishment on his father's behalf.
***** Chapter 1 *****
Draco awoke with a start and a groan. He felt like he had been in a hippogriff
stampede, everything in his body hurt. His head was pounding, and his mouth was
dry and scratchy. What had happened? He wasn't sure he remembered. He knew the
Dark Lord had called him to a meeting. Was that yesterday? Or the day before?
He couldn't quite remember. Did he receive the Dark Mark? Draco wasn't sure if
he even wanted the Dark Mark. With some trepidation, Draco raised his left
sleeve, and was greeted by smooth pale skin. No Dark Mark in sight. Draco
sighed in relief. At least he hadn't been tied to the Dark Lord yet.
Gathering his will, Draco heaved himself out of his large bed. He was in his
bedroom at Malfoy Manor that was comforting at least. He wobbled as he stood up
and noticed his hip and thigh were covered in dark, dried blood, and there was
a large, dark stain in the center of his white sheets.
Maybe that explained some of his pain? What in the hell had happened to him?
Draco moved stiffly toward his en suite bathroom. Once there, he stripped and
looked in the mirror.
"Oh shite," he said aloud with some shock looking down at his hip.
On his right hip was a large, crescent shaped bite, still oozing blood. Draco
could practically count the teeth marks the bite was so vivid.
"Shite, shite, shite!" Draco hobbled back into his room and headed for his
bookshelves. He grabbed The Essential Defense Against the Dark Arts book from
his third year at Hogwarts. He flipped quickly to page 394 to read about
werewolves.
"A fresh werewolf bite will bleed for several days, most heavily the first day,
and taper off as it heals. The bite will almost always be a crescent shape and
turn silvery as it finishes healing. There is no known cure or treatment for a
werewolf bite." The book fell listlessly from his fingers and landed with a
thump on the floor.
Fucked, I am completely fucked. Scenes from the last week started filing into
place.
~~~~~
Draco walked into the drawing room at Malfoy Manor, his head high and his face
a mask of well-bred imperiousness.
The Dark Lord was sitting at the head of a long table, his pet snake Nagini was
slithering along the floor, winding herself around the chairs. The rest of the
Dark Lord’s inner circle was also present, including Aunt Bella, on the Dark
Lord’s right hand side. She was looking at Him with adoring eyes. The rest of
the Death Eaters present were studiously avoiding the Dark Lord’s gaze. Aunt
Bella was the only Death Eater to escape capture from the debacle at the
Department of Mysteries 3 weeks ago. Draco's father and the rest of the Death
Eaters who battled Potter and friends were in Azkaban.
Draco bowed deeply to the Dark Lord, his blond fringe falling over his eyes,
"What may I do for you, my Lord?" Draco straightened and smoothed his hair back
from his face. He clasped his hands behind his back, ever the picture of pure-
blood, well-bred elegance.
"Draco, my ssson," the Dark Lord hissed, "I am afraid you will be punished for
your father'sss missstakesss. He hasss disssappointed me, deeply. I had warned
him of the consssequencesss of hisss failure." The Dark Lord cast his red-eyed
glare around his table of followers before landing heavily on Draco.
"Yes, my Lord. I will accept any punishment you see fit," Draco lowered his
eyes. He really hoped it wouldn't be the Dark Mark. Draco loved both his
parents, he would do anything to help ease his father's burden with the Dark
Lord, but that didn't mean he wanted to serve the maniac. He had been hoping
that due to his age he could get out of service entirely, but now it seemed
that was unlikely. Damn my father.
"Fetch Fenrir, Bella. He will help me punish your nephew."
Double fuck, Draco thought as Aunt Bella left the room. The Dark Lord summoning
Greyback could mean nothing good. Maybe Greyback had a muggle for him to kill
as a part of his Dark Mark ceremony? Not that Draco particularly wanted to kill
a muggle. Aunt Bella had been trying to corner Draco into accepting
Unforgivable lessons from her. His mother had been helping him dodge her
efforts, but if that’s why Greyback was being called, he may be in trouble if
he couldn’t manage the killing curse. Draco was thinking hard and almost missed
the Dark Lord’s next statement.
"I have a tasssk for you Draco, I want you to kill Dumbledore thisss year. You
are a sssmart boy, I am sure you will be able to accomplish thisss in a timely
manner. If you can manage thisss tasssk, you will have the honor of joining my
ranksss next sssummer."
Draco was gob-smacked, he just barely managed to keep a stoic face. How in the
bleeding hell am I supposed to do that?!?
Aunt Bella and Greyback walked back into the room, Aunt Bella grinned
maniacally, and gripped Greyback's wrist.
"My Lord, I have brought you the werewolf," Aunt Bella said breathlessly.
Greyback scowled at the back of Aunt Bella's dark head and ripped his arm out
of her grip.
Greyback was intimidating, he stood at almost two meters and was easily twenty
stone. His black hair had fat dreadlocks brushing his shoulders. He had dark
eyes with winged brows. And when he sneered you could see his pointed teeth. He
was very unkempt in his personal hygiene, Draco thought, he could smell
Greyback from where he was standing six meters away.
"Excellent, thank you, Bella. Fenrir, you know the young Malfoy heir, do you
not?" Aunt Bella skipped back to her seat at the Dark Lord’s side, making puppy
eyes at Him.
Greyback grunted his acknowledgment.
"Good, I want you to bite him on Tuesssday. That isss the next full moon, isss
it not?”
Draco was shocked, of all the things he imagined the Dark Lord was going to
punish him with, becoming a werewolf wasn't one of them. Triple fucked.
“He isss sssmart, ssso Bella tellsss me. He could become your Beta."
Aunt Bella appeared shocked as well, "But, my Lord, are sure..."
The Dark Lord quelled Aunt Bella with a look, "Luciusss, my mossst ssslippery
friend, mussst pay for hisss failuresss, what better way than to make hisss
ssson live with the consssequencesss?"
The threat was very clear to Draco. Draco gulped, he did not want to become a
werewolf, he did not want to be bitten by a werewolf and he certainly did not
want to go any closer to Greyback than he already was. Better a werewolf than
dead, Draco. Let’s just figure out a way to survive and we’ll deal with the
implications later. Thinking quickly he asked, "My Lord, I will accept this
punishment gladly, however, how will you ensure that Greyback does not kill
me?"
Greyback tossed a glare and a scowl at Draco.
"Excellent quessstion, Draco. Sssee Bella? Your nephew isss a man and can
handle himssself. Ssseverusss, do you have the Wolfsssbane ready?" The Dark
Lord leveled his red eyed gaze at the Potions Master of Hogwarts.
"Of course, my Lord. Greyback has taken a dose every day this week, I have
watched him to ensure he takes it." Severus Snape looked from the Dark Lord to
Draco. Snape’s mask was too good, Draco couldn’t see through it. Snape looked
as blank as ever. He’s my godfather, how can he stand this?
"The Wolfsssbane will ensure that Fenrir isss of sssound mind after hisss
transssformation. Once he hasss bitten you, sssomeone will pull you to
sssafety." The Dark Lord focused on Draco once more, tapping his long fingers
against the table.
"Yes, my Lord." Draco did not want to be bitten by a werewolf. Hold it together
for a bit longer, then you can freak out.
Greyback didn't particularly look like he wanted to bite Draco, he sneered in
Draco’s direction.
"As you wish, my Lord" Greyback growled out.
 
~~~~
 
Tuesday had arrived quicker than Draco could have imagined, he was dreading
this day. He really did not want to be bitten by a werewolf and he did not want
to become a werewolf, but he couldn't figure a way out of this mess. If he ran,
his mother would be killed, and probably his father as well. He couldn't risk
either of their lives, regardless of how stupid he thought his father was for
getting involved with the Dark Lord to begin with. He hadn’t even given any
thought to the task the Dark Lord had assigned him. The looming threat of the
werewolf bite was consuming him.
Draco spent the days leading up to Tuesday looking for anything he could find
related to werewolves. He pulled all of his Defense Against the Dark Arts books
to see if he could find anything more that he didn’t already know. He didn’t
find anything. He had searched the Malfoy Manor library as well, but the
library seemed to be lacking in any werewolf literature or books. What good was
having a three story library if it didn’t hold anything worth reading! He was
frustrated that he couldn’t find anything and he was angry that this was going
to have to happen in the first place. He cursed his father for the thousandth
time that week.
Draco spent the day of the bite with his mother in her rooms. Pacing and
worrying about what was to come that night. His mother tried to assure him that
both of his parents would love him regardless of his status as a werewolf.
Draco was pretty sure his mother would always love him, he wasn't as sure about
his father. Ever since the Dark Lord came back, Lucius had been cold and
demanding toward Draco. Gone was the father who was open and loving within the
confines of the family home. Nobody would have described Lucius Malfoy as open
and loving in public, but at home, he had always been a great father.
Encouraging Draco to do better, but understanding his son’s limits. Playing
with his son in whatever game Draco had been interested in at the time. Tucking
him in at night, reading him a bedtime story had always been Lucius’ job.
Draco’s entire childhood had been spent looking up to his father.
Now that the Dark Lord was back, that man was gone. Draco didn’t have the
courage to ask his mother if this was what his father was like during the First
Wizarding War, he was afraid of the answer. If this was his father in wartime,
is this personality the fake one? Or was it the loving father Draco remembered
from his childhood the fake? Draco didn’t know, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to
know. There was a good chance that his father wasn’t going to survive this war,
and if that happened, Draco would be the head of the Malfoy family. Something
he knew he wasn’t ready for. His father hadn’t really started going through the
family businesses and accounts with him. He was supposed to have started that
this summer.
More worries for Draco. Head of the family, managing Malfoy business interests,
upcoming werewolfness, killing Dumbledore, maybe becoming a Death Eater,
starting his sixth year at Hogwarts. The list seemed impossible for Draco to
manage. He continued pacing and fretting.
At moon rise, Snape knocked on the door to his mother’s personal sitting room.
He was there to escort Draco to the dungeons where Greyback had been locked up
for his transformation. Snape looked severe, his dark hair swung forward as he
bowed his head. He clasped Draco's shoulder in a show of support.
"I know this is difficult, Draco," Snape began, but Draco cut him off.
"I do not need your comfort. I am a man and will take my father's punishment
like a man." Draco shrugged Snape's hand off of his shoulder. Draco heard his
mother sigh behind him.
“I’ll need your wand, Draco.”
“What? Why?” Draco asked suspiciously. No good could come from not having his
wand.
“You are about to be bit by a werewolf, on the Dark Lord’s orders, you must not
fight back. If I have your wand, you will not be able to injure one of the Dark
Lord’s favorite Death Eaters,” Snape explained silkily. He managed to keep the
annoyed tone out of his voice, which Draco appreciated. Had Draco been thinking
clearly, he would have realized this. Draco turned back to his mother and
handed her his wand. Snape might be his godfather, but he trusted his mother.
Narcissa wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.
“Be brave,” she whispered.
Draco pushed past Snape and proceeded ahead of him toward the dungeons. Snape
followed behind, matching Draco’s pace.
Several hallways and staircases later, Draco and Snape were standing in front
of a cell in the dungeons with a pacing werewolf in it. Greyback was a
monstrous wolf, he had black shaggy fur and yellow eyes. Draco could hear each
thump of one of Greyback's huge paws as he paced the dirt floor of the cell.
Greyback was calmer than Draco thought he would be, the Wolfsbane, his mind
supplied. Draco had assumed he would be facing a wild and raging beast. This
looked like a calm predator, you could see his intelligence in his piercing
gaze. It certainly didn't make Draco feel any better, he was still terrified of
being bit. Greyback howled making Draco flinch and take a step back, almost
stepping into Snape. The Dark Lord turned a corner at the howl and stopped
beside Snape, Draco looked at him over his shoulder.
"Draco, we will both be here to ensure that Fenrir doesss not lossse control.
Asss sssoon asss he hasss finished biting you, we will ssstun him and pull you
to sssafety."
Draco breathed deep, closed his eyes, and squared his shoulders to the cell,
"I'm ready."
Snape unlocked the cell with a flick of his wand and shoved Draco inside before
quickly slamming the cell door closed again and locking it. Greyback paced in
front of Draco for a few moments. Draco’s mind was completely blank, he was
terrified, but held himself absolutely still knowing the Dark Lord was watching
him carefully. Greyback howled again. Then he sniffed all around Draco like a
dog would sniff a newcomer, circling him. Once Greyback was behind him the
second time he reared back and pushed Draco to the dirt floor of the cell,
surprising Draco. Draco flipped onto his back quickly and looked up at
Greyback. Draco could see each of the werewolf's pointy yellowed teeth, saliva
was dripping out of the corners of the beasts’ mouth. Draco cringed back,
bringing his hands in front of his face as if to ward the werewolf off. Then
Greyback struck, he ripped Draco's robes, and bit him hard on the right hip.
Draco threw his head back, arching his back he screamed. Oh gods, oh gods, this
fucking hurts! Then everything went black.
~~~~
Draco shook his head, clearing it of the memories. He felt nauseous, as he
stepped into the shower. Draco stood under the spray a long time, watching his
blood mingle with the water and go down the drain. Once clean, he bandaged his
seeping wound the best he could and dressed. Walking back into his bedroom he
called for his personal house elf.
"Tink!"
Tink popped into view, her large ears folded over, "Master Draco, what can Tink
do for you?"
"Change the bed, Tink, and food, I'm starving, bring a lot. When I'm finished
eating I want to speak with my mother, is she available?"
"Tink will check, Master Draco."
Tink flicked her hand and the sheets and blankets from Draco's bed rolled into
a ball and disappeared. With another flick, new sheets appeared and the bed
made itself. Tink popped out and a few moments later popped back with a large
tray of sausages, potatoes, and a glass of pumpkin juice. Tink deposited the
tray on a small table near a settee in front of the fireplace in Draco's room.
"Mistress Narcissa is in her solar, Master Draco," Tink relayed to Draco before
popping out again.
Draco wolfed the food down. He was hungrier than he thought. Even after eating,
Draco's head still pounded. Grimacing Draco grabbed his robes and headed to the
solar to find his mother and his wand.
Upon reaching the solar, Draco breathed deep and opened the door.
"Mother."
"Darling, how are you?" Narcissa asked. She had a tea cup and saucer in her
hand and set them down on the small occasional table next to her. She stood and
walked toward Draco, hugging him tightly. She slipped him his wand as she
backed up and looked up at his face. Draco could see that she was holding back
tears, and his mother brushed his fringe from his eyes.
"How long have I been out? Has anything happened?" Draco was shaking with rage.
He searched his mother’s eyes looking for answers. Draco was so upset he didn't
notice that his mother wasn't the only person in the room.
"Draco, nephew, are you angry with the Dark Lord?" Aunt Bella was sitting in a
chair facing his mother’s chair, she turned her head and looked at them both.
His mother patted his shoulders and returned to her seat, waving him over to
sit next to her. Narcissa looked wan and pale. She had been taking his father's
imprisonment hard. And the extra, unexpected and difficult house guests were
not helping.
Draco turned to Aunt Bella and gave her a slight bow, then walked and sat next
to his mother's chair facing the door and Aunt Bella. Aunt Bella was a tall
woman with a crazed look in her eyes. She had spent over 10 years in Azkaban
that was more than enough time to turn anyone mad. Her black hair was sprinkled
with gray and had a wild unkempt look about it.
"Aunt Bella, of course I am not angry with the Dark Lord. He is right to punish
me for father's mistakes. I apologize for sounding angry. The bite hurts more
than I expected and is making me grouchy,” Draco lowered his eyes and clenched
the fist that Aunt Bella wouldn’t be able to see. He was spitting mad over
being turned into a filthy half-breed. Stay calm, nothing good can come of
getting angry in front of her.
Aunt Bella eyed Draco with some suspicion before nodding to him and picking up
her teacup.
"The Dark Lord is creating a new kind of army, a werewolf army. Led by Greback,
with you as Beta, if you can prove yourself to him," Aunt Bella sipped her tea.
"Tell me, Draco, how does it feel to be a werewolf?"
"I haven't had much time to get used to it, truthfully," Draco gritted his
teeth. He poured himself some tea and added a squeeze of lemon before taking a
sip. "I am sure I will be able to prove myself to Greyback. I am eager to serve
the Dark Lord."
Aunt Bella smiled at that and finished her tea.
"Lovely, Draco. Narcissa, we must speak again after dinner this evening." Aunt
Bella stood up and swept from the room, banging the door closed.
Draco looked at his mother, she wouldn't meet his gaze. Fuck, I need to be
strong for her.
"Mother," Draco grasped his mother's hands, causing her to look at him. "It'll
be alright, Mother. I'm angry, and it hurts, but it's not your fault. I'll do
what needs to be done. I'm a Malfoy." His voice was hard and cold at that.
Narcissa put her hand on Draco's cheek, "I know, darling, I am sorry. I don't
seem to have much influence in the Dark Lord's circle. Bella has been keeping
me informed, but..."
"I know, Mother, I'll be our eyes and ears. I will try and figure a way out of
this mess for all of us, Father included."
Narcissa looked down again, before smiling tremulously at her son. She patted
his cheek and picked up her teacup. Draco didn’t even think to mention the task
the Dark Lord had given him. He could see that his mother was straining at the
seams. She did not need another thing to worry about. Draco was a man, he knew
it, the Dark Lord knew it, he would handle his task on his own.
***** Chapter 2 *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Fenrir stalked through the long, twisting hallways of Malfoy Manor looking for
his newest pup. He should be up and about by now, Fenrir had bitten him two
days ago. He had no idea how many other people he had bitten before the Malfoy
boy. Hundreds probably. His intention had been to bite as many people as he
could in order to take over the wizarding world. That goal was on hiatus now,
though. Now, he was a Death Eater, he would follow the Dark Lord's objectives,
as long as they aligned with his own.
The new army that the Dark Lord wanted to create was right up Fenrir's alley.
Fenrir would be in charge of this new army and he would rule it with an iron
fist. If he was good enough, he might be able to surpass the number of Death
Eaters, and that's what he really wanted. Fenrir had grand plans for himself
and his pack. He just had to find his new pup to get started.
Five days ago when that bitch, Bellatrix Lestrange, told him he was needed for
part of an “inner circle” meeting, Fenrir had about hexed her. How the Dark
Lord could put up with her, he had no idea. She had gone on and on about the
“inner circle” this and the “inner circle” that. Like Fenrir cared about the
gods-be-damned inner circle. He didn’t want to be part of the inner circle, he
had enough on his plate trying to get his pack in order. He didn’t want a pack
of new pups. His policy had changed, now he was contacting every loan wolf he’d
bit in the last 30 years trying to convince them to become pack. There had to
be intention with a werewolf bite, if you didn’t intend for the recipient to be
pack, then they wouldn’t be. If Fenrir or the recipient wanted to become pack
later on, Fenrir had to bite them again with the pack intention. Second time
wasn’t as bad of course, but still, took some convincing.
Over the last two days, while recovering from the full moon Fenrir had come to
terms with who his newest pup would be. He hadn’t any idea what the Dark Lord
wanted when he called him into that meeting earlier in the week. It was just of
a surprise to him as it seemed to be to the Malfoy kid. Fenrir did have to
admit to being impressed with the way the pup had taken the news, yes he looked
shocked, but he had recovered quickly. He took his “punishment” like a man.
Fenrir chuckled to himself under his breath, being a werewolf was the best
thing that had ever happened to him. Sure, as a kid he had felt plenty of
resentment, it was the reason he went around and bit as many people as he
could, he wanted everyone to have to go through what he did.
But then he’d gotten a pack and everything changed. It took him a few years to
figure out what it was about having a pack that made being a were better, but
he finally did. It was the collective. It was subtle and took a while to find
it and really tap into it, but the collective was the best part about being a
werewolf. He almost felt sorry for all the lone wolves out there who didn’t
have access to the collective, but then he thought about Lupin and snarled.
Dumb sods, the lot of them.
Fenrir stopped and sniffed the air, turning slowly as different scents hit his
nose, ah, there, that's it. Fenrir took off at a quicker pace and ended up on
the ground level near the solar, his new pup was just leaving.
"Malfoy," Fenrir growled at him.
Malfoy turned around and looked at Fenrir, he couldn't hide his revulsion fast
enough. Fenrir saw the look slip through before the pure-blood mask was back in
place. Fecking pure-blood prince.
"Let's talk," Fenrir turned around and headed to the dungeons, there was a
dueling court under the east wing. The Dark Lord had directed Fenrir to train
his recruits there.
Fenrir didn't even bother to see if Malfoy was following him, he could hear him
keeping pace. He hoped the pup would be strong enough to be Beta, Merlin knew
the rest of the pack was singularly unqualified to be Beta. He couldn’t believe
the stupidity of his last Beta to get himself killed by dueling a Death Eater.
He was just happy the Dark Lord had decided that losing his Beta was punishment
enough. While Fenrir’s goals aligned with the Dark Lord’s at the moment, he
didn’t think he wanted to take anyone’s punishment. Fenrir was a cold-hearted
bastard, he knew this, the Dark Lord was a fucking terrifying psychopath.
Fenrir was smart enough to know he didn’t want to get on his bad side.
After passing through the dungeons Malfoy and Fenrir arrived at the dueling
arena. Malfoy Manor was built on a hill, the dungeons were all underground, in
the hill. The dueling arena was on the side of the hill, so while it was mostly
underground, the east wall was made of windows, with a set of French doors in
the middle of the wall. Outside the windows the lawn sloped downward until it
met the river that ran through the Malfoy lands. The dueling court was a large
open space, it used to have a small set of bleachers on either side of the
center circle. Since Fenrir and his pack had taken over, the bleachers were
gone. The dueling circle was still there, and when Fenrir and Malfoy had walked
into the room, there were two men in the circle, fighting hand to hand. Around
the outer edges of the circle there were several tents set up, other men were
moving in and around the tents.
"This is the rest of the pack,” Fenrir waved his hand around the court. “You’ll
be staying here, I’ll show you to your tent.” Fenrir started moving forward
once again.
"What? No, I have a room upstairs..." Malfoy began, hurrying to catch up.
"Not anymore, you're pack now, you'll be staying with the pack." Fenrir tossed
over his shoulder. “Don’t make me get the Dark Lord involved, pup. You won’t
like it.”
Fenrir walked to the furthest corner from the eastern wall, he stopped in front
of a tent, "This one is yours, just had one of the Omega’s set it up for you.
The Dark Lord wants you to be Beta, you know what that means?"
"Not really, I looked through my Defense books…."
Fenrir laughed, "You can't learn about being a werewolf in a damn book, pup.
Look, I know this isn't what you wanted, but this is your lot. The Dark Lord
wants you to be Beta, so that's what we'll work on. There's no guarantee that
you'll get to be Beta, someone could always challenge you for it. But Bellatrix
assures me you are smart, that's what I need in a Beta. My tent is over there,"
Fenrir gestured to the right. Fenrir's tent was the largest of the lot. "Beta
gets second best tent position in the pack. I'll call in my sire and have him
start your lessons."
===============================================================================
Fenrir walked into his tent and found his sire, Arnou Mingan, lounging in his
favorite chair. He sighed heavily, Arnou refused to be pack, but he was so old,
Fenrir couldn’t bear to throw him out on his own. Fenrir might look, sound, and
act fierce, but he had tremendous loyalty. Arnou hadn’t meant to bite him as a
kid, it had been an accident. It had taken Fenrir 30 years to come to terms
with it, but now Arnou was one of his best advisers. Probably his best friend.
“Arnou, don’t you have your own tent? I swear I had asked an Omega to set one
up for you.” Greyback walked to the small kitchen and grabbed a bottle of fire
whiskey off the shelf. He pulled out two glasses and looked at Mingan.
“None for me, pup.” Fenrir let out a low growl. “You’ll always be my pup, firs’
and only pup I ever bit, you’ve had 30 years to get over it. So get over it.”
Fenrir nodded and put one of the glasses back. He poured himself a fire whiskey
and knocked it back in one go. Then he poured himself another one and went to
sit in the chair next to Arnou’s.
“I jus’ came by to see how your newest pup was settlin’ in.”
“I’ve just found him and brought him down. So we’ll see. He took the bite like
a man for the most part. He’s got an awful girly scream, but I suspect that
can’t be helped. Bite hurts something fierce, I do remember that,” Fenrir mock
glared at Mingan. Mingan had bit Fenrir when Fenrir was eight. He had been out
on a dare from one of his friends, he was supposed to trek through the woods
between his cottage and his friends and go back again. Mingan had been in
Whales, it was his first change not in America and he hadn’t been able to find
lodging for the full moon. Fenrir had been in the wrong place at the wrong
time, he might tease Mingan about it, but Fenrir knew how much regret Mingan
had over biting him.
“I need you to give him the were rundown, politics, etiquette, whole works.
Didn’t even know what a Beta was.” Fenrir took a sip of his fire whiskey and
looked toward the door as a cheer went up from the middle of the room. Fight
must be over.
“Aye, I can do tha’. Yer Dark Lord still want him for Beta, then?” Mingan
swished his wand and his cane jumped up off the floor and settled itself
between his knees. Mingan put both hands on top of his cane in preparation to
stand up.
“Yes, the Dark Lord and Bellatrix both think he’s smart enough for Beta. Looks
like a nancy, but he’s got a spine of steel. He’ll need quite a bit of trainin’
up in order to become Beta though. You up for that?” Fenrir swallowed the rest
of his fire whiskey and banished his glass to the sink.
Mingan slowly pulled himself to his feet, nodding at Fenrir.
“I’ll go find the kid and give ‘im the low down,” Mingan began his slow shuffle
toward the tent flap.
“I want you to spend every morning with him. We’ve got a month before he’s got
to be back at Hogwarts. Damn, we need to figure out what to do with him for
full moons at Hogwarts. I guess Snape can brew him Wolfsbane, that should help
him some, we’ll still need a place for him to be during the transformation.
Lupin went to Hogwarts, what did Dumbledore do for him, do you know?”
Mingan raised a bushy white eyebrow at Fenrir, “Now why would I know a thing
like tha’?”
“Och, you’re right Arnou, off with you, I’ll see if any of the younger wolves
know.” Fenrir waved his hand at Mingan, dismissing him from his tent.
Fenrir ran a hand down his face ruminating his newest pup. He hoped the kid
wouldn’t be as bad as he feared he would be. Seemed like a damned spoiled brat
to Fenrir, but hopefully he wouldn’t cause any problems. Fenrir needed a Beta,
damn Raul for getting himself killed. Since he didn’t have a Beta, Fenrir would
have to figure out what the plan was going to be when the pup went back to
Hogwarts. Maybe he could owl Lupin? They hadn’t spoken in a few years and Lupin
had always had a pretty contentious relationship with him. Part of it had to do
with Lupin being an Alpha in his own right, even if he didn’t have a pack. The
rest was the resentment between a sire and a pup. He did not want Dumbledore to
know he’d turned the Malfoy kid into a were, it would be better if it was kept
as secret as possible. Snape might be better to contact than Lupin. He was at
Hogwarts with Lupin, so he would know. Salazar knows Lupin probably wouldn’t
answer his damned owl. Snape it was then. Fenrir left his tent to head to the
Malfoy Manor owlery.
 
Chapter End Notes
     A/N: Don't expect an update every day! I don't have that much more
     pre-written, but I liked this chapter and wanted to get it out there.
     Still looking for a Beta if anyone is interested, PM me!
***** Chapter 3 *****
Greyback walked into his tent, leaving Draco out on his own. Sire? What the
hell? Draco looked around the room again, the two men who were fighting in the
circle, were still going at it. Others were surreptitiously looking Draco’s
way, and the rest were staring openly at him. Draco’s tent was situated closest
to Greyback’s, the rest of the tents in the room were arranged in a semi-circle
around those two tents. It looked like the Quidditch World Cup camping grounds.
Draco had no idea there were this many people living down there, he counted 15
men that he could see.
When Greyback and Draco entered the dueling arena, Draco was surprised to see
it changed from last summer, the last time he was down here and before the Dark
Lord and his followers had taken up residence at the Manor. Draco turned back
around and ducked into his tent, thankfully, it was a standard wizarding tent,
with all the amenities. If he had to camp in his own house, at least he had a
toilet.
The first thing he did after he scoped out his tent situation was throw up a
silencing charm around the tent. Then Draco allowed himself to freak out. He
hexed every piece of furniture he could find and screamed and cried. He was a
whirlwind of action, twirling around the tent, nothing was safe from his wand.
How could this have happened? A few weeks ago he had been the Slytherin Prince,
with the world at his feet. He was rich, and young, and his family was in high
standing. He had been a little worried about this Dark Lord situation, but his
father hadn’t spoken much about Him. It was the change in his father’s attitude
that had him scared. And now here he was, a filthy half-breed. Draco gagged at
that thought. No better than a mudblood, really. Fuck, why did this have to
happen?? What kind of punishment was this for his father? It was a punishment
for him! He’d have to endure the hugely painful transformations every month for
the rest of his life. He was the one who now had a whole new culture to learn
to navigate. His father was locked up and couldn’t help him now. He might not
even ever see his father again.
Suddenly spent, Draco’s wand clattered to the floor and his shoulders slumped.
He sat heavily on the floor and held his head in his hands. A few tears leaked
down his face as he sat amidst the destruction. Fuck. He didn’t really feel any
better after destroying everything in his tent. No way Greyback is going to let
me be here by myself for too long. Pull it together, Draco. He wiped his face
with his hands and looked around him. Debris was everywhere and he still needed
to get his stuff from his room. He may not be allowed to stay in his bedroom,
but he needed clothes to wear and his school trunk.
“Tink!”
Tink popped into place next to Draco, her eyes were wide as she eyed the mess
in the tent, “Yes, Master Draco?”
“Fetch my school trunk and clothes, looks like I’m moving in with the werewolf
pack I didn’t know was living in my basement.” Draco shook his head at the
irony of that. He didn’t even know who was all living in his own house? Wasn’t
that kind of fucked up?
Tink popped out and Draco stood slowly and surveyed the damage. Grasping his
wand he started muttering Reparo’s under his breath as the items in his tent
fixed themselves. Slowly, Draco’s tent started looking like it had when he
walked in 30 minutes ago. His breathing had calmed and the sweat was drying on
his back as Tink popped back in the room with his school trunk in tow.
Draco had just finished putting away his clothes in the small dresser provided
when, a very old man walked through his tent flap. Draco had a look of surprise
on his face, didn’t anyone around here knock?
“You the Malfoy boy?” the old man asked in an American accent. He hardly had
any hair left, and what he did have was wispy and grey, circling his head, the
top left shiny and bald except for the liver spots. The old man bent over his
cane and sniffed.
“Yes, I’m Draco Malfoy,” Draco ran a hand through his hair trying to straighten
it.
“Good, pull up a chair, we’re gonna chat,” the old man hobbled over to the
small table and chairs in the dining area of his tent, he let out a loud sigh
as he settled into one of the chairs.
Draco groaned to himself and flopped down in the other chair, he cocked an
eyebrow at the presumptuous old man.
“My name’s Arnou Mingan, I sired Fenrir,” Mingan pulled out a wand that was
just as gnarled as his fingers and brought the tea service to the table and
began making himself a cup.
“Sired? What does that mean?” Draco was curious, but trying hard not to show
it. He affected a bored countenance.
“Means I bit ‘im to make ‘im a wolf. Wannat on purpose, I shoulda been locked
up, but I wasn’t. And he’s the result. He asked me to teach you ‘bout werewolf
culture. Can’t find it in any book. It’s passed down sire to pup.” Mingan
sighed as he took his first swallow of tea, he filled a second cup and slid it
toward Draco.
“Pup?” Draco asked as he squeezed a bit of lemon into his teacup. He was still
trying to hide his curiosity, but he couldn’t find anything about werewolves
prior to his bite. If he was going to be a werewolf, he’d be the best damn one
there was.
“That’s you, yer a pup, yer Fenrir’s pup. He sired you, bit you dinnit he?”
Draco nodded, taking a sip of his own tea.
“Mmmhmm,” Mingan set down his teacup and pulled a pipe out of his robes. He
started packing it with tobacco and breathed deep after he had it lit.
“Well, let’s see. Fenrir’s an Alpha, not all wolves is Alphas. Alphas are
sumpthin’ special. I’m not an Alpha, not even a Beta. But at least I’m not an
Omega. I was a lone wolf, tried to do what I could for Fenrir, but I didn’t
have a pack to support him. Packs are important to wolves, you survive longer
as a wolf if you have a pack to look after you. I’m probably the oldest lone
wolf in the world at 98.” Ninety-eight isn’t all that old for a wizard, but
being a werewolf is hard on the body. That explains Mingan’s bent appearance,
Draco mused as he sipped his tea again.
“Ok, so a pack is good. Greyback has a pack here, he bit me, I’m part of his
pack?” Draco was thinking quickly trying to put all the pieces together.
“Aye, you’ve a pack, pup. Greyback told me you were smart. He’s hopin’ you’ll
be Beta to him,” Mingan eyed Draco through his pipe smoke and took another
puff.
“What is a Beta? Everyone keeps telling me they want me to be his Beta, but
I’ve never heard of the term before,” Draco had lost the bored look and started
looking interested. He wasn’t even bothering to hide his curiosity anymore.
Knowledge is power, and he needed all the knowledge he could get if he was
going to have any power in this pack business.
“Beta is second in command, Alpha is the general, Beta is his lieutenant.
Fenrir makes the orders, you advise him and make sure his orders are carried
out. I don’t know much ‘bout this Dark Lord you got over ‘ere, but Fenrir tells
me ya’ll are workin’ for him?” Mingan puffed on his pipe some more, when he
wasn’t able to inhale any smoke, he tapped the bowl and looked down into it.
“Yes, we are working for the Dark Lord. Greyback wants me to be second in
command? Why me? There have to be at least 15 other people out there,” Draco
gestured to the room beyond his tent. “And hasn’t he bit hundreds of people?
Where are they all?”
“Just cuz yer bit doesn’t mean yer pack, firstly. The men you see here are
pack. Sometimes you bite someone and they don’t want nothin’ to do with you, or
they are their own Alpha. Or they don’t survive the initial bite. Used ta be a
Chief Alpha who was in charge of all the packs in Europe, he always had the
largest pack. I don’t right know, but I ‘spect that’s what Greyback is hopin’
to achieve here.”
“So I’d be Chief Beta?” Draco liked the sound of that, power was good. All
Malfoy’s knew that.
“Sumpin like ‘at. Let’s not worry about tha’ jus’ yet. As to why all those
other fella’s won’t be Beta, well, maybe one of ‘em will be. See, ya gotta
fight for Beta, and the Alpha’s gotta accept ya as Beta. Greyback’s last Beta
got himself killed, so he’s needin’ a new one and he don’t want any of those
men out there. You as smart as they all say, you’d be good for Beta.
“Beta’s are strategists, top advisers, gotta be smart, gotta know the lore,
gotta know the political clime. ‘S why you were bit, I ‘spect. Malfoy’s got a
lot o’ political power behind ‘em. Greyback needs a strong Beta in order to
make hisself Chief Alpha. Ain’t been a Chief Alpha in 400 years, not since
Statute of Secrecy was established.”
Mingan filled Draco in on more were culture, pack rules and roles. There was a
lot Draco didn’t know. There were almost as many pack rules as there were pure
blood etiquette rules. Who could eat first when the pack sat down for the meal.
Who was allowed to vie for a new position in the pack. How to vie for a new
position in the pack. What happened when you lost your position in the pack. It
was a lot to take in. Mingan finished his pipe as he was talking and tucked it
back into his robes.
“What’s an Omega? Sounds bad,” Draco finally asked.
“Omega’s not what anyone wants ta be. They’re the bottom of the totem pole, so
to speak. They’re the scapegoats and always vying to get higher in the pack if
they can. Usually only one or two of them, dependin’ on the size of the pack.”
“So, if Greyback’s the Alpha, I’m the Beta, there’s only one Omega, what are
the rest of the wolves?” This werewolf stuff was a lot more convoluted then
Draco had ever imagined.
“Pack, they’re jus’ pack,” Mingan finished his cup of tea and leaned back with
a sigh.
“Why aren’t there any women? I’ve never heard of a woman werewolf before?”
“Women don’t survive the change. Werewolves can have mates, they’re rare
though. If you find your mate, you hold on to her.”
“How will I know if I have a mate?” Draco was only 16, he knew his parents had
been thinking about setting up a marriage contract for him, but he didn’t like
the idea of being tied down to one woman for the rest of his life at 16.
“You smell ‘er. Instinct, I’m told. Never had a mate myself. You smell yer mate
and you’ll know. Works both ways though, she smells you, she’ll start hangin’
‘round more. Once you bond, she’ll have some of the same wolfy characteristics
you have, but without bein’ a were. Ask Fenrir ‘bout bonded, I’m too old for
tha’ talk. Chances are if you ever find yer mate it won’t be fer years yet.
Like I said, mates are rare. I don’ think any of the wolves in Fenrir’s pack
got a mate.”
Mingan stood slowly, “Tha’s enough for today, pup. I’ll be ‘round camp, you got
anymore questions. I ain’t pack, but Fenrir tolerates me hangin’ ‘round.”
Draco had a lot to mull over after Mingan had left. Being a werewolf hadn’t
even sunk in yet, he had 26 days until his first change. He’d be lying if he
wasn’t scared about that. He knew the change would be painful, he wasn’t too
afraid of the pain, but losing his mind? That terrified him.
~~~~
Draco was lying on his bed in his very own tent in the middle of a werewolf
encampment that was housed in the dungeons of Malfoy Manor. Suddenly, a bell
rang throughout the room. Draco left his tent to and saw that the dueling
circle had been filled with tables loaded with food. Thank Merlin! Draco was
starving, he started walking toward the feast at the center of the room.
Greyback loped up next to Draco, “Alright, pup?”
“Yes, Mingan just left,” Draco fell into step beside Greyback.
“Good, he’s a good resource, knows all the lore, I can’t keep up with all that.
Hopefully you are better with it than I am. You’ll be sitting with me for
meals. Need to find out if you’re the Beta material your crazy aunt thinks you
are.”
Draco raised an eyebrow at that. Aunt Bella was the Dark Lord’s right hand
lieutenant, it wasn’t often that someone who wasn’t family talked about her
like that. That would be a comment to mule over in the coming weeks.
Dinner progressed much as it did at Hogwarts, lots of people eating and
talking. Greyback listened as Draco gave him a report on what Mingan had told
him. He asked Greyback a few questions about who was who in the pack. Draco
didn’t recognize anyone else in the room.
“I’m the only Death Eater, the Dark Lord didn’t want them all. Just me. Suits
me, means they are under my control and not the Dark Lord’s. But He does plan
to continue to use me as punishment, so we might catch a few Death Eater’s
along the way. I’m going to have Mingan see you each morning to discuss more
lore and were politics.”
Greyback gestured to the man sitting to his left, “This is Rand, he’s going to
get you started on your physical training in the afternoons.”
“Physical training?” Draco asked, helping himself to seconds.
“Sparring, hand-to-hand, what you saw the lads doing when you came in.”
“But, I’m a wizard, why would I need to learn to fight physically?” Draco
wasn’t necessarily opposed to exercise, he was a Quidditch player after all,
but he didn’t know why he needed to learn how to fight physically when he had a
wand and magic at his disposal.
“And when you’re disarmed? What then? Most wizards, especially pure-bloods,”
Rand spat, “won’t be expecting a physical attack. Besides, being physically fit
helps with your transformations, and being a wolf in general. Gets you in tune
to your body and your inner wolf. Your first transformation is coming up in 3
weeks and if we don’t get you in fighting form, you are not going to have a
good time of it.”
Draco nodded at that and took a drink of his pumpkin juice. That made sense, he
sure had been shocked as hell when that crazy Granger bint slapped him back in
third year.
“We’ll get started after lunch, pup,” Rand told him as he pushed back from the
table and walked away.
“Rand’s gruff, but he’s a good instructor. Listen to him and you’ll be in
fighting shape in no time. I expect you to be here in the dueling court most of
the time, you can go upstairs to see your mother occasionally, but your
childhood bedroom is off limits. You have to live with the pack if you expect
to be Beta.” Greyback pushed back from the table as well and loped off to speak
with a pack member Draco didn’t know.
Great, not only am I a werewolf, I have to live with a bunch of other
werewolves and strangers to boot, Draco huffed to himself. He was not looking
forward to the rest of the summer. He was in werewolf bootcamp and he still had
to figure out how to kill Dumbledore. Maybe he could just maul him at a full
moon? Draco shuddered at that thought. That was definitely off the list. He
would have to think of some other options. Did Greyback know what his task was?
He hadn’t been in the room when the Dark Lord gave the task to Draco. His Aunt
Bella knew about the task, but that didn’t mean that Greyback also knew.
Greyback could become a valuable ally in this new world Draco was forced to
navigate. He had always done his best to be the best Malfoy he could. Now that
he was a werewolf he would have to make his own rules about what being the best
Malfoy meant.
~~~~~
After the meal was over, the tables vanished and Rand waved him over to the
center of the circle. Another werewolf was there, Rand introduced him as Seff.
Seff was very average looking, maybe a year or two older than Draco. He was in
a word, forgettable. He was average height, shorter than Draco, and had mousy
brown hair and ordinary brown eyes.
“Seff’s an Omega, he probably won’t ever be higher than Omega. So he’ll be a
good training partner for you to start with.”
Draco scoffed, “Surely, if you are grooming me to be Beta, I’ll be better than
a lowly Omega.”
Seff lifted an eyebrow and looked at Rand. Rand nodded.
The next thing Draco knew he was flat on his back and Seff was sitting cross-
legged on his chest. Rand bent over and looked at Draco, smirking.
“You’re a pup, even an Omega can beat a pup. You aren’t Beta yet.”
Draco grumbled to himself as Seff climbed off his chest. Seff held out a hand
to help Draco off the floor, and Draco ignored it, pushing himself to standing.
“Ok, so how did you do that? I did not even see you move!” Draco shrugged off
his robes and tossed them to the side of the circle. He unbuttoned his shirt at
his wrists and started rolling up his sleeves as Seff explained the moves to
him.
Rand jumped in, “You’re a pup, you don’t have all your wolf senses yet. Your
hearing will get sharper, your nose will get better, your vision too. And of
course, your reflexes will improve. After your first change, you should be up
and running as far as your senses go. We’ll be practicing getting you in shape
for your first change. It’s always a doozy.”
Draco glanced down at his trim body and back up at Rand. Rand laughed at the
look on his face.
“Aye, you aren’t fat, but that doesn’t mean you’re in shape. Quidditch only
does so much. Take a look around at the rest of the wolves here,” Rand gestured
at the rest of the room.
Draco turned in a slow circle taking in all the other men in the large room.
The one thing they had in common was that most of them were pretty brawny.
Draco was slim, slimmer than his father, even his father wouldn’t be considered
brawny, broad at best.
“Am I going to look like the rest of them?” Draco was a little incredulous. How
could his body change that much?
Rand laughed again, “Oh yes, pup, you’ll bulk up. Only wolves who don’t bulk
are loners and sometimes Omega’s. The rest of us bulk within the first year of
being bit if we’re bit as adults. If we’re bit as kids, then it happens during
puberty. You’ll be buying new clothes by Christmas, mark my words.”
Rand directed Seff and Draco through several more move combinations. Seff beat
Draco every time. By the time Rand had finally called it quits, Draco was beat.
He had sweat rolling down his face and was panting hard.
“Pretty good for your first session, pup,” Greyback called walking up to the
circle. Draco turned to look at him. He was dressed in Death Eaters’ robes and
had his mask in his hand.
“Dark Lord’s called a revel for tonight, I’ll be back late. Omega’s will have
dinner out in 30 minutes,” Greyback told Draco as he walked out of the door.
Seeing Greyback in his Death Eater’s robes had Draco suddenly very glad he
hadn’t received the Dark Mark. He was glad he didn’t have to attend revels, his
Aunt Bella had cornered him several times in the last 3 weeks waxing poetic
about revels. It was everything Draco could do to keep a straight face and not
grimace at her descriptions.
Draco left the circle and went to his tent to shower before dinner. He was
going to be in pain tomorrow. He had worked harder that afternoon than he had
at any Quidditch practice he had ever attended. He could only hope that
everyone was right and that the hard work would pay off when his first
transition rolled around. It would be here in 25 days.
***** Chapter 4 *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
The next few weeks flew by in a blur for Draco. He spent his mornings with
Mingan, Greyback came in at lunchtime and shared news. Then they usually played
a few games of chess, Draco suspected Greyback was testing his strategic moves.
Draco usually won the chess matches, but he couldn’t quite figure out if
Greyback was really that bad or if he was letting Draco win. In the afternoons,
Draco worked with Rand and Seff on his physical training. Those were always
tough sessions, Draco was better than he had been that first day, but he always
left panting and sweating. At least this past week he had been able to pin Seff
twice. In the evenings, Draco usually went to visit his mother. She had been
looking worse as the month went on and Draco hadn’t been around enough to know
what was going on in the rest of the house. Occasionally, his Aunt Bella joined
them, those evenings were always strained.
Most surprisingly, Draco and Seff had become friends. While Mingan gave Draco
all the passed down lore and rules, Seff was able to give Draco the specifics
on Greyback’s pack, the pack Draco was now a part of. Draco asked Seff how it
was that he was an Omega, he didn’t seem particularly weak, he was shocked at
Seff’s answer.
“Nobody knows whether they will be an Omega or not until after their first
change. You’ll see in a couple of days, Omega’s are small, much smaller than
the rest of the wolves in the pack. Sometimes you can tell someone will be an
Omega before their first change, but it’s not really until the first change
happens that the pack figures out where the pups fall in line. Alphas are huge
wolves, Betas are big too, but usually about the same size as pack. That’s part
of why I’m so slight even as a human. I never bulked up, and I was bit over 6
years ago,” Seff explained to Draco over dinner one evening.
“So, I could be an Omega? And I won’t even know it until the first change? Why
bother with all the training then if nobody knows?” Draco was frustrated
thinking about all the time he had possibly been wasting. What if he was an
Omega? There was no power as an Omega, and he’d been told over and over again
that you couldn’t escape being an Omega. From Seff’s description it sounded
like if he was an Omega he wouldn’t even be able to challenge for a higher
position in the pack because of his size. Draco wasn’t quite panicking, but it
was a close thing.
Seff laughed at the play of emotions that crossed Draco’s face, “Naw, you won’t
be an Omega, I can tell by your personality.”
“What in the bleeding hell does that mean?” Draco was slightly relieved, Seff
definitely seemed to know his stuff in regards being a werewolf.
Seff laughed again, “It means that certain personalities are disqualified from
being an Omega. Don’t get me wrong, being Omega isn’t awesome, but it’s also
not the worst thing, at least in my opinion. Yes, I have to do grunt work, and
am basically a glorified servant, but that also means I don’t have to make any
decisions on behalf of the rest of the pack. There’s not much responsibility in
being an Omega, and that suits me just fine. I can see that you would never be
satisfied as an Omega, so it’s most likely you won’t be one.”
Draco thought that made sense, but his worry and anxiety over the upcoming
change just cranked up an extra notch. He had asked Snape last week if he could
take Wolfsbane, but Snape told him he hadn’t had any prepared. Draco thought he
was lying so he asked Seff about it.
“Oh, you can’t have Wolfsbane for your first transformation. It’s great stuff,
don’t get me wrong, but you need to come to terms with the wolf inside of you,
and you never will if you take Wolfsbane for every transformation,” Seff had
explained to him. That probably made sense. The presence in the back of Draco’s
mind had steadily been making itself known. Draco knew to expect something like
that, he and Mingan had talked at length about it. Apparently after his first
full moon, the wolf would become even more present. And making peace with the
wolf was the best and easiest way to making peace with being a werewolf.
~~~~~
The full moon was tonight and Draco felt like he was crawling out of his skin.
He had never felt such anticipation before. Well before noon, Mingan had
released him stating, “If you can’t pay attention, pup, just get out of here,”
before walking out of Draco’s tent. Draco took his advice. He went for a walk
around the Manor grounds to try and clear his mind and ease his anxiety. It
didn’t help.
He went to visit his mother after his afternoon training session. He was a bit
calmer after the physical activity, but even Rand had called that training
session short, “You’ll need your strength tonight, pup.”
Draco knocked on the of his mother’s solar before walking inside.
“Draco, darling, how are you feeling?” Narcissa asked as she stood to greet her
son. Draco came and gave her a tight hug, accepting Narcissa’s kiss to his
cheek.
“I feel stir-crazy, like I need to keep moving,” Draco stated as he started
pacing. Narcissa had sat back down and began serving tea.
“Sit, Draco, you’ll wear a hole in the carpet,” Narcissa scolded. She held out
a teacup with a squeeze of lemon already in it for him.
Draco grasped the teacup and sat next to his mother on the settee in front of
the fireplace.
“What news of the overworld, Mother?” Overworld was Draco’s new term for the
Manor above the dungeons. He so rarely got out of the dueling court that he had
to settle for asking his mother for news.
“Hmmm, Bella is mad as ever, she practically drools after the Dark Lord as she
traipses around the Manor behind him. Severus has been by frequently, checking
in on me. He is such a dear friend. I had to banish Rabastan from the Manor
altogether, he was terrorizing the house elves. And I had the elves get the
south wood ready for tonight.” Narcissa patted Draco’s hand.
“Is that where the pack will be allowed to transform and roam? The south wood?”
Draco sipped his tea thinking about all of the protections that would have to
be in place in order to make the south wood safe for the pack and the residents
of the Manor and surrounding area.
“Yes, it’s where they were for the last full moon. It’s really an ideal
location for the pack to spend the full moon. It’s in a natural hollow and with
the standing stones to anchor the restrictive spells on wolves around the wood,
it’s quite impenetrable. Although, if some silly human crossed the boundary,
they would be able to, it’s really meant to keep the wolves in the wood, not
humans out,” Narcissa explained.
Ah, that makes sense. The south wood was well within the bounds of the Malfoy
lands, which meant that the muggle repelling charms would ensure no random
muggle entered the wood, and any wizard or witch would recognize the wards
around the wood instantly. That actually made him feel better, he was nervous
enough about this first change, at least he knew there wouldn’t be any humans
nearby. Logically, he knew that as a wolf he would go crazy and crave human
flesh, but thinking about it now made Draco’s stomach turn. He couldn’t imagine
ever wanting to maul a human, he hoped he never would.
“Darling, how are you feeling about tonight? I’m worried about you.” Narcissa
poured herself more tea and offered the pot to Draco. Draco shook his head.
“I’m not sure, I’m scared, and nervous. It’s supposed to be extremely painful,”
Draco got up and started pacing again. “What if I don’t remember anything? I’ve
been taking ‘werewolf’ lessons from Mingan, but he hasn’t really talked about
what the transformation is like. He says there really isn’t any way to describe
how painful it is the first time.”
“You are a strong boy, Draco, I’m sure you will be able to handle it
gracefully. What are your chances of becoming Fenrir’s Beta?”
“I’m not sure, everyone tells me they are grooming me for it, but Seff just
admitted that we won’t know until after my first transformation whether I’ll
end up being an Omega or not. He suspects not, but nobody knows until after the
first transformation.” Draco was still pacing, and now had started running his
hands through his hair and tugging at the ends as they brushed his collar.
“You need a haircut, would you like me to take care of that for you?” Narcissa
gestured to her wand, which was lying beside the tea service.
Draco threw his mother a withering look, she had been trying to cut his hair
most of the summer and he had been resisting her each time she offered.
“Mother, I am trying to grow it out, I have told you that several times this
summer,” Draco continued glaring at her.
“Calm down, darling, I won’t cut it without your permission.”
Draco definitely noticed that she said that with a smile in her voice, he hated
when she laughed at him. He was trying so hard to be the man of the family, but
this werewolf business had eaten up so much of his time that he didn’t even
know what was going on in the rest of the world. Greyback had forbidden him
from reading the Daily Prophet saying he needed to be concentrating on his
“werewolf” lessons. Draco was beyond frustrated with all of Greyback and
Mingan’s little rules in regards to his lessons.
Narcissa looked at the grandfather clock in the corner of the solar, “Darling,
it’s 9:30, the sun is setting, I think it’s time you meet up with your pack.”
Draco looked out the window and could see the sun dipping below the horizon,
“You are right, Mother. I must be off.”
Narcissa stood as Draco moved to embrace her, she hugged him hard and Draco
felt his throat close up. He was so scared about what was going to happen in
the next few hours.
“Be strong, my son,” Narcissa whispered in his ear and kissed him on the cheek.
Draco nodded and left the solar. He hurried to the dueling court, he didn’t
want to get in trouble for being late for his first transformation.
Upon arriving in the dueling court, Draco was shocked to see 18 nude men
gathering together. Greyback spotted him and walked over, “Strip, pup.”
“What? Why?”
“So you don’t ruin your clothes, we’re pack, you’ll see plenty of nudity with
us, get naked so we can get goin’,” Greyback turned back from him and motioned
to Rand.
Draco sighed and ran his hand through his hair again, he walked off toward his
tent, undressing as he went. He joined the pack at the eastern door once he had
stowed his clothes in his tent.
“Alright, pup?” Mingan asked.
Draco nodded, shuffling his feet. He was nervous, and being naked didn’t help.
He was also uncomfortable, sure he’d showered with his Quidditch mates at
school, but this was different somehow. And a lot more people. Greyback gave a
wave and opened the doors, the pack followed him out and started off to the
south wood in a light jog. Draco fell toward the back of the pack where Seff
was jogging along.
“We always run to the wood?” Draco asked.
“Yep, gets the blood warming. Not so bad now that it’s summer, but in the
winter, it gets right cold before your transformation. Don’t be nervous Draco,
it hurts, but everyone lives through it. In time you’ll find it doesn’t hurt as
much and you might even like it. If you embrace your wolf, learn to live with
him, you’ll be able to handle your transitions much better, trust me.”
Draco nodded, but kept quiet. He was really too uneasy to make conversation. He
was concentrating on trying to keep as calm as he could. It wasn’t long before
they were entering the south wood, he could see Snape and Aunt Bella standing
off to the side, ready to cast the final enchantments to keep the wolves in the
wood. As he crossed the standing stone boundary he felt the wards wash over him
and shuddered. He saw a few of the other pack members shudder too, but as a
Malfoy and being on Malfoy land, he could feel the magic of the land better
than anyone other than his father. Even his mother wasn’t able to feel all of
the things he could feel, despite living on the land much longer than Draco, it
came from being a Malfoy by blood.
It wasn’t long after that Draco felt the last of the wards fall into place as
Snape and Aunt Bella finished casting. Soont twilight ended and the moon began
to rise. Draco’s heart was practically pounding out of his chest, especially
when he saw Greyback was the first to change, it was quicker than Draco had
thought it would be and Greyback didn’t make a noise during the change, it
almost seemed like a relief for Greyback to finally be back in his wolf form.
Just as Draco had that thought, Seff standing next to him started to
transition. Seff’s wasn’t as quick, quiet, or easy as Greyback’s had seemed,
maybe it was an age thing? Greyback was older and had been a werewolf a lot
longer than Seff. Other pack members were changing as well, but Draco’s
transition hadn’t started yet.
Shite, what if I’m not really a werewolf! Shite, I’ll be killed if I’m not one,
there are too many of them and I don’t even have my wand! Then Draco felt the
worst pain he’d ever felt when his right hand seemed to catch fire, he stared
at it, eyes wide in shock and horror as his hand started sprouting silver fur,
and then lengthened and each of the little bones broke, grew, and reset
themselves. Draco could dimly hear someone screaming, and it took him a moment
to realize it was him. He had been so transfixed with his hand he hadn’t even
noticed that his left hand and both feet were sprouting hair as well. Draco
screamed and screamed and screamed as every bone in his body broke, grew, and
reset itself. He sprouted fur all over and his face elongated. It seemed as if
an eternity had passed before Draco realized he wasn’t screaming anymore, he
was whimpering, and panting and lying on the ground of the wood. There was a
foreign presence in his head. One that he had only felt brushes of before.
“Ahhhh,” the presence spoke in Draco’s mind. “I’ve been waiting for this. I’ve
been waiting for us to transform so I could play with my pack! And you’ll get
to be part of the collective now!”
Collective? What is the collective? And who in the bleeding hell are you? Draco
thought at the strange presence. He had a fleeting thought that he knew who the
presence was, but it hadn’t been spelled out in any of his werewolf lessons and
he wanted to be sure.
“I’m your wolf, I don’t have a name, yet.” The presence spoke at Draco again.
My wolf? And I get to name you, does that make you my alter-ego or something?
“Something like that, you going to give me a name or what?” The presence’s
voice sounded deep and gruff in Draco’s head, deeper and gruffer than Draco’s
voice sounded to himself. He thought for a minute.
Reule, will that suit?
“Famous wolf, eh? I like that, Reule it is,” Draco could almost feel Reule
preening in his mind. “Now that that’s taken care of, I’m taking over control.
You’ll get your body back in the morning.” Draco suddenly felt shoved into the
corner of his mind. He couldn’t see or hear anything, it seemed Reule had taken
total control and Draco was stuck.
Reule walked amongst the rest of the pack, he smelled each wolf he came across.
He found a very small wolf, no bigger than a beagle, the wolf was all a dull
brown color, Reule gave him a sniff and realized it was Seff. He woofed at Seff
and gave him a doggy grin. Then he moved on, when he came across a huge all
black wolf, as tall as a Great Dane and as broad as a St. Bernard, he
recognized him as Greyback and bowed low in deference. Greyback sniffed him and
gave him a lick on the ear. Reule moved through each of the pack members, he
memorized all of their smells. Mingan was a large black and silver wolf, about
the size of a labrador and moved very slowly. Reule bowed to him as well,
recognizing him as his sire’s sire.
Once introductions were made amongst the pack and Reule, the play started.
Reule and Seff play fought and Reule found that he could pin Seff every time in
their wolf forms. Not something he was capable of when Draco was in control.
Reule played with each of the pack members, they rolled and fought throughout
the whole south wood. Reule spent time exploring the whole area, sometimes
chasing down prey, other times just chasing down Seff. As the Omega, Seff was
prey when there wasn’t any other prey to be found. Even Greyback and Mingan got
in on the wolfy games.
The night passed quicker than Reule could have thought possible. Soon it
started getting lighter and the sun was peaking over the horizon. Reule began
his change back to human and gave up control to Draco. The change back to human
wasn’t any easier on Draco. It was just as painful and when it was over he lay
on the ground sweating and panting, thoroughly unable to move. This hurt worse
than when he woke up after his bite. He wanted to die.
“Come on, pup, let’s get back to the house,” Greyback was crouched in front of
Draco, offering him a hand.
“Ugmph,” Draco responded elegantly.
Greyback huffed a laugh, “I know it hurts, sooner we get to the house, sooner I
can give you some pain potions.”
That had Draco moving, he pushed off the ground and grasped the hand Greyback
had held out to him. Greyback hauled him to his feet and stuck an arm under his
shoulders to help him to the house.
“You did better than I expected, pup. The training definitely helped,” Greyback
hugged Draco a little closer.
Draco just looked at Greyback through his fringe, he lifted an eyebrow.
“You didn’t pass out, most people their first transition they pass out both
ways, coming and going. You didn’t. That’s impressive. Took Seff two years to
stop passing out during transitions. You are also not an Omega, I know you were
worried about that,” Greyback huffed a laugh again.
Draco tensed, he didn’t think Greyback knew about his secret worry about being
an Omega. But he wasn’t one, so that was a good thing. Draco tried to think
about what had happened during the night, but he couldn’t quite piece it all
together and Reule was being totally silent. Draco couldn’t even feel him in
his head.
“Can I ask you something, Greyback?” Draco’s voice was hoarse and raw from the
amount of screaming he had just done as he changed back into a human.
“Don’t you think it’s time you started calling me Fenrir? What’s your question
pup?”
“What’s your wolf’s name? And can you talk to him all the time? Or does he only
come out during the full moon? I don’t really remember anything that happened
last night, is that normal? And what is the collective? Reule kept going on and
on about the collective right after the change.”
“Woah, pup, that was five questions, not one. Slow down a bit there, you just
had a very trying night. We’ll discuss it all after you’ve had your pain
potions, breakfast and slept for a few hours, let’s get back to the house
first.”
Greyback and Draco finally reached the dueling court. The circle was filled
with tables laden with food. The rest of the pack was there, still naked as the
day they were born, feasting on breakfast. Draco’s mouth immediately started
watering once he could smell the food. Greyback led him inside and sat him down
next to Seff. Seff shot him a quick grin in between bites and Draco loaded his
plate up. Draco ate three plates of food before he finally started feeling
full, Greyback shoved two potion bottles at him, one was light blue and the
other a very dark purple.
“Blue for the pain, the dark purple is dreamless sleep, take them both, and
you’ll thank me when you wake up,” Greyback told him. Draco looked at them,
then at Greyback. He uncorked the blue potion and gave it a sniff, smelled like
a standard medium-dosed pain potion, so he swallowed it. Then he uncorked the
dark purple potion and sniffed it as well. It was definitely dreamless sleep,
Draco corked it again and stood up from the table.
Greyback laughed at Draco, “Like I’d poison my newest pup. You’re pack, kid, I
don’t ever plan on getting rid of you.”
Draco eyed Greyback, hopefully that was true, Draco was in over his head and he
could use all the allies he could get. He nodded at Greyback and then the rest
of the pack and loped off toward his tent. Once back in his tent, Draco threw
on some pajamas and uncorked the dreamless sleep, once Draco was lying in his
bed, he took the potion and passed out, still holding the potion bottle. It
dropped to the floor a few moments later when Draco rolled over and started to
snore softly.
Chapter End Notes
     Beta love to twztdwildcat!! Please leave a review, even if it's just
     to say you liked it!
***** Chapter 5 *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Fenrir looked around for his newest pup, where is he? The rest of the pack was
gathered, as he walked through his pack members, he made comments to some,
slapping others on the shoulder, making the younger ones laugh. Tension was
high as it always was right before the pack left for a full moon, tonight
especially. The pack hadn’t had a new pup with them for a full moon in over a
year and a half. And that had been his last Beta, Raul, who had been dead for
two months. Hopefully the Malfoy kid was better than Raul. What a waste of a
good wolf.
Just then, Malfoy walked into the dueling court and stopped dead, staring at
the group of huge, nude men waiting for him.
“Strip, pup,” Fenrir told Malfoy as he walked toward him, relief settling his
nerves.
“What? Why?” Malfoy asked him. Everyone thinks he can be Beta and he goes and
asks a question like that?
“So you don’t ruin your clothes, we’re pack, you’ll see plenty of nudity with
us, get naked so we can get goin’,” Fenrir turned back from Malfoy and motioned
to Rand. He looked over his shoulder and saw Malfoy stripping on his way to his
tent.
“Rand, keep an eye on the pup while we’re out there tonight? I’m going to have
plenty to do and I want someone else’s eyes on him. We can compare notes after
we wake up tomorrow,” Fenrir patted Rand’s shoulder as he walked the pack to
the eastern door. He gave a wave, and started trotting to the south wood.
Once the pack was in the wood and the last of the wards settled into place,
Fenrir started his change. Not many were aware, but Fenrir had worked hard and
become an animagus several years ago, he’d had a thought that if he could
become an animagus it would help with the transitions, and he was right. He
still had the compulsion to change at the full moon, and once he had changed,
he couldn’t change back no matter what he did until morning, but it made the
transitions so much smoother. He had plans to introduce it to the rest of the
pack, he needed a Beta before that could happen. Once he coached his Beta
through the change, he could leave some of the pack business to the Beta and
work on the rest of the pack. If his theory was correct, then being a werewolf
should make it easier for the pack to learn to be an animagus, their true
animagus form should already be a wolf.
Malfoy was the last of the pack to change, which was common for the first time.
It took Malfoy ten minutes to fully change into his werewolf form, not bad for
a pup. For some pup’s it took as long as thirty or forty minutes to complete
the transition for the first time. The training Rand and Seff had put Malfoy
through seemed to help. Once he was fully transformed, a huge silvery blond
wolf lay on the ground panting in front of him. Fenrir gave him a few minutes,
knowing he was getting acquainted with his inner wolf.
As Malfoy finally stood, Fenrir took in his size. Shite, the pup might turn out
to be an alpha! He’s at least as big as I am, and not full grown yet.
Malfoy walked around the whole pack, sniffing and playing with each member as
he came across them, he seemed to be adjusting well to the pack. When Malfoy
walked up to him and gave him a sniff, he bowed low, as was proper respect to
his sire and Alpha. Fenrir sniffed him back, memorizing his wolf scent,
embedding it into his brain so he would always know when one of his pack was
near. He gave Malfoy an affectionate lick of his ear and nudged him toward the
rest of the pack for play. He made eye contact with Rand, and through the
collective thought, “He’s larger than I expected, I think he’ll be buying a new
wardrobe well before Christmas.”
Rand snorted and pawed the ground replying through the collective, “Better
watch your back, old man, we may have a new Alpha in town.”
Fenrir snorted and tackled Rand, pinning him easily. He licked Rand’s neck and
left off to go chase some prey down. Being an animagus helped in more ways than
just the transition, Fenrir was present in his mind as a wolf. His wolf
instincts became much more present, especially during the full moon, but the
animagus training helped him merge his two personalities, so he was really one
person. He had named his wolf, Wolfy, he was an unoriginal kid, but Wolfy was
more a subconscious voice these days and not an active presence in Fenrir’s
mind. Part of it could be being an Alpha as well, Fenrir hadn’t had a chance to
speak with another Alpha in over twenty years, so he wasn’t sure how it worked
for them. And for the first ten years or so of being a werewolf, Fenrir didn’t
have a pack. Not being attached to the collective, not having that bond, really
was detrimental to the psyche of a werewolf.
The collective was the web of his pack, the wolf counterparts formed the
collective. When a pack member was in extreme danger, the rest of the pack was
alerted through the collective, regardless of what phase the moon was in. It
had been agony when Raul had gotten himself killed. He’d been behind anti-
apparition wards at the time, and although the pack had all arrived as close to
Raul as they could, the wards prevented from getting to him in time. He’d been
killed by a village of simple magic users in the Pindus mountains in Albania.
The Dark Lord had assigned him a task that Fenrir still knew nothing about.
Raul had been a Death Eater and had begged Fenrir to bite him. He had gained
the Dark Lord’s permission and begged Fenrir for close to six months before
Fenrir had finally agreed. Raul had been a great werewolf, but reckless, and
being a Death Eater first, his loyalties were split. He was much more loyal to
the Dark Lord than he was to the pack. By the time the pack had all apparated
to the remote village, Raul had been strung up and disemboweled. They hadn’t
even been able to collect his body, they weren’t sure what clued the villagers
into Raul’s status as a werewolf, but that was surely the reason he was killed.
Fenrir had been sick over it, but refused to lose any more pack and had ordered
the rest of the pack to apparate home.
Fenrir shook his large shaggy head, clearing himself of thoughts of his last
Beta. He needed to concentrate on the Malfoy kid and see if he would make a
good Beta. He certainly had the size for it, which meant he’d likely be able to
best anyone in a fight, that wouldn’t be the issue. What Fenrir needed was
loyalty to him and the pack, and that’s what concerned him. The Malfoy kid had
been given some kind of task by the Dark Lord. He had heard Bella talking about
it, but she clammed up when she saw him and gave him a sneer before sweeping
away. He needed to befriend the kid, find out what the task was and help him if
possible to ensure the kid’s loyalty. Which probably also included befriending
Narcissa Malfoy. Draco Malfoy was definitely a mama’s boy. If he had Malfoy’s
loyalty, hopefully that meant he wouldn’t have to worry about his position as
Alpha for a few years.
===============================================================================
The night passed quickly, and soon morning was upon the pack. Fenrir was first
to change back to his human form. As the rest of the pack changed back he spoke
with each of them, asking about their moon and sending them to breakfast back
at Malfoy Manor. He happened upon Malfoy last, he was lying on the ground,
sweating, panting, and groaning very quietly to himself.
Fenrir crouched down in front of Malfoy and extended his hand, “Come on, pup,
let’s get back to the house.”
“Ugmph,” Malfoy responded elegantly.
Fenrir huffed a laugh, “I know it hurts, sooner we get to the house, sooner I
can give you some pain potions.”
That had Malfoy moving, he pushed off the ground and grasped the hand Fenrir
had held out to him. Fenrir hauled him to his feet and stuck an arm under his
arms to help him to the house.
“You did better than I expected, pup. The training definitely helped,” Fenrir
hugged Draco a little closer, giving him some of his strength and warmth.
At Malfoy’s sardonic eyebrow raise, Fenrir continued, “You didn’t pass out,
most people their first transition they pass out both ways, coming and going.
You didn’t. That’s impressive. Took Seff two years to stop passing out during
transitions. You are also not an Omega, I know you were worried about that,”
Fenrir huffed a laugh again.
“Can I ask you something, Greyback?” Malfoy sounded terrible, hoarse and could
barely get the sentence out. That happened usually the first year or so of
changes, it’s painful until you can embrace the wolf fully, and pain usually
means screaming.
Fenrir offered Malfoy to start calling him by his first name, he was pack now
and well on his way to being Beta, he ought to address Fenrir as such. Then
Malfoy asked him five questions rapid fire style, and Fenrir threw back his
head and laughed.
“Woah, pup, that was five questions, not one. Slow down a bit there, you just
had a very trying night. We’ll discuss it all after you’ve had your pain
potions, breakfast and slept for a few days, let’s get back to the house
first.”
After making sure Malfoy had eaten enough breakfast, Fenrir passed him a mild
pain potion and a small bottle of dreamless sleep. He watched him uncork each
bottle and sniff the contents, which made Fenrir laugh again, “Like I’d poison
my newest pup. You’re pack, kid, I don’t ever plan on getting rid of you.”
Fenrir shook his head at Malfoy’s antics and watched him walk off toward his
tent. Hopefully he’d be up and about within a few days and he could start
answering some of his questions.
“He look bigger to you?” Rand asked, sitting down beside Fenrir.
“Yep, he’s definitely Beta material, you were right earlier, he could be Alpha
one day too. Needs to learn a lot more before that, and we’ll see if he gets
any bigger once he’s an adult, but it wouldn’t surprise me,” Fenrir plucked
some bacon and chewed thoughtfully. First change went as well as it could have,
we’ll see how the aftermath goes, then it’s time to start befriending Malfoys.
Fenrir patted Rand on the shoulder and headed off to his own tent for a nap.
===============================================================================
Fenrir woke with a start, he’d been dreaming. What about? He could still smell
the faint scent of woodsmoke that had been in his dream, woodsmoke and death.
That’s what he’d been dreaming about. Fenrir scrubbed his hands down his face
and got up to take a shower. It had been a long night, looking at his clock he
realized he had only been asleep three hours. Not nearly long enough, won’t be
sleeping after a dream like that, though.
After his shower, Fenrir planned to head upstairs, he wanted to seek out
Narcissa, Bella if he could find her, and Snape. They were all close to his pup
and he needed allies if he was going to get his pup to trust him. Walking out
of his tent, he noticed the rest of the dueling court was quiet, everyone else
was still sleeping off the night, good. Knowing the pack was safe and all in
one place always settled Fenrir’s soul. The rest of the pack was his
responsibility, they felt like his children, and just as any parent feels most
at ease knowing their children are home and safe, that’s how Fenrir felt about
his pack.
He made his way upstairs to Narcissa’s solar, he had been in there only once
before when she had assigned them the dueling court for pack residence and
discussed using the south wood for full moons. Knocking on the door, he waited
quietly to see if she was there.
“Draco, darling, is that you?” Narcissa called out.
Fenrir pushed the door open and poked his head around, “Mrs. Malfoy, I was
wondering if I could have a word?”
“Mr. Greyback, do come in! Would you like some tea?” Narcissa waved him through
to sit with her. Fenrir walked in the solar, the morning light blinding him as
he adjusted from the dark hallways. Fenrir crossed the room to sit opposite
Narcissa as she poured the tea. It was comical, here he was a huge hulking man
sitting on a dainty settee next to an equally dainty society wife being served
tea. Fenrir fought to keep a smirk off his mouth at the image.
“What can I do for you, Mr. Greyback?” Narcissa handed him his tea cup and
gestured toward the milk and sugar on the tray. Narcissa was a small woman, her
blond hair as vibrant as it had been in her youth, but she looked pale and not
well this summer. Must be the stress, husband gone, only son now a werewolf,
the Dark Lord and his inner circle living with her.
“Please, call me Fenrir, or Greyback, if you must. Mr. Greyback is too formal
for me,” Fenrir replied stirring some sugar into his tea before taking a sip,
his large hands dwarfed the tiny cup.
“Fenrir then, what can I do for you?” Narcissa repeated.
“Just wanted to talk to you about Draco, how is he doin’? He’s hard to read
sometimes, and I was hoping you could give me some insight. I’m not sure how
much you know about werewolves, but each member of my pack is family to me,”
Fenrir explained to Narcissa a bit sheepishly. He didn’t like showing any
emotion or feeling to anyone, but he was pretty sure that in order to get her
to open up, he’d have to show her that he cared for her son. Even if at the
moment he only cared because he was pack.
“Oh, well, Draco seems fine really. He was quite nervous about last night, he
almost paced a hole into the rug. He was concerned about the possibility of him
being an Omega, which I gather is a bad thing?” An elf popped in then with a
plate of biscuits, Narcissa smiled at the elf and waved it away, after it had
deposited the biscuits on the table.
Fenrir leaned forward and snagged a biscuit, eating it whole before replying,
“He’s not an Omega, no need to worry there. Biggest pup I’ve seen in years
actually. He will definitely be able to be Beta if that’s what he chooses to
do.”
Narcissa looked relieved at that. Knowing that Fenrir valued him enough to be
Beta must have eased her fears quite a bit.
“Do you know of his task?” Narcissa asked sipping her tea, her pure-blood mask
firmly in place.
“I know he has a task,” Fenrir edged, he wasn’t sure how much she would tell
him. But he needed to know it all.
“The Dark Lord has honored my son with the task of killing Albus Dumbledore,”
Narcissa told him very flatly. Her face a mask of calm. They could have been
discussing the weather.
Fenrir choked on his tea, “Dumbledore?!” He was gob smacked. Dumbledore was one
of the most powerful wizards in the world, he had defeated Grindelwald, he was
probably the only other person on earth that the Dark Lord feared, and his new
pup was supposed to murder him? Fuck. We are all fucked.
“Mmm, I believe that was Draco’s reaction as well. Bella is quite excited for
Draco to become a killer, has been offering to help him practice his
Unforgivable’s all summer long,” Narcissa seemed totally calm as she discussed
events that would corrupt her son and turn him into a completely different
person. Fenrir wasn’t fooled though, Narcissa was the perfect pure-blood
hostess, she wouldn’t lose her cool if someone was Avada’d in her presence.
She’d just direct an elf to clean up the mess and continue the party.
“I see,” Fenrir paused thinking quickly, “I will do what I can to help him with
this task. He’s a pup, and this is probably too big for his shoulders. I’m sure
I will be able to come to an agreement with him,” Fenrir closed off his
emotions, he needed to play it as cool as Narcissa was playing it, there were
eyes and ears everywhere in this house.
Narcissa sighed in relief, her shoulders sagging just a bit before remembering
herself and squaring them again. “Yes, that would be helpful, thank you,
Fenrir.”
Fenrir nodded and stood to take his leave, “Mrs. Malfoy, I meant what I said,
pack is family, I’ll take Draco under my wing. I’ll teach him and protect him
like family.” He bowed over Narcissa’s hand, just brushing her knuckles with
his lips as was a proper goodbye in her circle.
Narcissa nodded and offered a very tentative smile to Fenrir as he walked out
of the solar.
One down, two more to go. Fenrir headed off in search of Snape.
===============================================================================
Fenrir didn’t find Snape. Must not be in residence, he would corner him after
the next time the Dark Lord called them both.He didn’t find Bella either, which
suited him fine. She was a crazy bitch and he’d rather avoid her if he could,
but he needed to protect his pup, and that meant trying to become allies with
her. He made his way back toward the dueling court, it was almost noon and
lunch would be served for anyone who was awake. I don’t know how my pack
survived before house elves, we’re almost spoiled these days. Fenrir was happy
that his pack was able to stay in a place like Malfoy Manor, they each had
their tent, but they were together, they were safe, and most importantly, they
were fed and protected at the full moon. The full moon was almost as dangerous
for werewolves as it was for wizards to be around werewolves. Wizards would
kill a werewolf if they came across one, and if they came across a pack? They
would hunt that pack down and kill every last one of them. That’s what Fenrir
was fighting against, an ingrained prejudice that had been going on for a
millennium.
Rand was awake and eating when Fenrir arrived in the dueling court, perfect,
just the wolf I needed to see. Rand had no interest in being a Beta, but he was
serving as Beta while Fenrir looked for a new one. Rand preferred to be pack,
he liked helping to train the pups, but he wanted no more responsibility than
that. Which was fine with Fenrir, he wasn’t about to push someone to be who
they weren’t.
“Rand, how was your nap?” Fenrir asked as he sat next to him and started
filling a plate.
“Shorter than I would have liked, nightmare woke me up.” Rand replied around a
mouthful of sandwich.
“You too? I’ve been upstairs speaking with Mrs. Malfoy already because I
couldn’t sleep. What do you think of the pup? Settling with the pack ok? Think
his first night went well? There weren’t any fights were there?” Fenrir dug
into his food while he listened to Rand’s report.
“Malfoy is going to be a damn fine werewolf as long as he commits to his wolf
side. You could hardly tell he was a pup once the change was over. You know how
pups are normally, shy, they hang back and don’t get in on the games. The
Malfoy kid was leading half the games, he greeted each pack member, and showed
deference where it was needed too. Bowed to Mingan, don’t know if you saw
that?”
“Mmm, I didn’t, that’s good, pack doesn’t pay him much attention, and that’s
fine, he’s technically not pack, but I like to see that he’s being honored.”
Fenrir filled his plate for the second time.
“Yes, it was a good thing, he could definitely be a leader in the pack, despite
being a pup. He’s smart, he’s befriended Seff, did you know? More than just a
training partner, actually looks out for him and is interested in what he has
to say. Hard to say this early in the game, but he seems genuine, loyal, which
is what we need in a Beta, someone who is loyal to us before they are loyal to
anyone else.” Rand leaned back on the bench and refilled his goblet with
pumpkin juice.
“That’s my goal, I’m working to befriend all of Malfoy’s allies, his mother,
Bella, and Snape. Not sure if there is anyone else he’s close to that isn’t a
school kid, but if you know of someone, let me know. I like to hear he’s
befriended our Omega, Omegas get a lot of shite, but they perform an important
function in the pack and Seff is an excellent Omega. Some get resentful, but
not Seff, knows his place in life and is happy with it.”
Rand nodded his agreement, more of the pack had woken up at the smell of food
and were filtering toward them. Fenrir made his way back to his tent, after his
meal he was feeling sleepy again. He’d had a pretty successful morning, worked
on his alliance with Narcissa Malfoy and it looked like his newest pup would be
the Beta the pack needed, maybe now he could get some uninterrupted sleep.
 
Chapter End Notes
     A/N: Beta'd by twztdwildcat! Hermione is coming up in Chapter 6 and
     narrating Chapter 7!
***** Chapter 6 *****
Draco awoke with a start and a groan. He felt like he had been in a hippogriff
stampede, everything in his body hurt. His head was pounding, and his mouth was
dry and scratchy. What had happened? Oh, that’s right, I’m a werewolf now, full
moon was last night. Draco cast a tempus charm and saw that it was six in the
evening, dinner time then. Good, I’m bloody starving.
 
Draco rolled out of bed and headed toward his bathroom. It wasn’t nearly as
nice as his en suite upstairs, but the water worked and the shower was hot. He
relaxed, letting the warm water sluice down his body and ease his aching
muscles. He wondered if the rest of the pack felt this bad, or if it was just
him because he was a first timer. He was glad that it was only one night a
month he had to deal with this shite.
 
He still couldn’t believe that he was a half-breed werewolf. He couldn’t really
remember anything from the night before, if not for his aching body and
recalling his horror at seeing his hands deform and sprout fur he would have
thought it was all a prank. Some sick joke someone made up for him. But as he
shut the shower off and looked in the mirror, he could see evidence of the
night before, he had scratches and marks on his body where he had played with
the rest of the pack. And had he grown? He looked taller than he did just
yesterday, and surely he didn’t have that much muscle definition in his abs
yesterday. He had always been fit, but on the slimmer side, never bulky enough
to have muscle definition.
 
Draco shook his head to clear his thoughts and proceeded to get dressed. It was
as he was buttoning his shirt he confirmed that he had indeed gotten bigger,
his sleeves were tighter, almost uncomfortably so, and while the shirt tucked
into his trousers, it was shorter than it had been the last time he wore it,
the tails weren’t nearly as long as they had been.
 
Once dressed, Draco headed out of his tent and to the circle in the dueling
court. As he arrived he saw that the rest of the pack was there and eating, but
they all stopped and looked at him. Greyback stood up and gestured him over.
 
“You alright pup? Sure you want to be out of bed?” Greyback slung an arm over
Draco’s shoulders while talking to him quietly and turning him from the rest of
the pack so they were facing the door to the dungeons.
 
“Yes, I’m achy and sore, but otherwise I feel fine,” Draco replied, but looked
at Greyback questioningly. What was with the babying? He doesn’t normally act
like this.
 
“It’s just, normally after the first change, a werewolf sleeps for two,
sometimes three days. And I gave you dreamless sleep this morning, you took it
right?” Draco was pretty sure he could hear a note of concern in Greyback’s
voice. Why does he care? I know we’ve gotten along a bit this last month, but
he’s still a savage, filthy, half-breed, right?
 
“I took the dreamless sleep potion, but really I feel fine. I’m hungry, I don’t
want to sleep until I’ve eaten again,” Draco was almost petulant in his
rebuttal.
 
“Alright, pup, calm down. I’m impressed with your stamina, rest of the pack
will be too.” Greyback turned to the rest of the pack, “Let’s hear it for the
pup! First full moon and he’s up and about twelve hours later, never seen
anything like it myself.”
 
The pack cheered, they actually cheered for him. This is insane!Draco was
secretly pleased, he didn’t know the last time anyone had cheered for him, his
birthday last summer perhaps? Draco could feel his cheeks reddening in slight
embarrassed pleasure. As the cheering died down, Greyback squeezed his
shoulders affectionately and Draco moved to sit in the empty seat next to Seff.
 
“Alright then, Draco?” Seff asked as he started adding food to Draco’s plate.
 
“Yes, is it really so strange to be up this early after the first full moon? I
mean, I don’t feel great, but I’m not in the worst pain of my life either.”
Draco nodded his thanks at Seff as he started eating.
 
Seff laughed, “I slept for almost four days, I was so sore and tired. So yes,
it’s a bloody miracle you are up and about this early. But what it speaks to is
your strength, which is good if you really want to be Beta. I know people keep
telling you, but have you thought about it at all? Do you want to be Beta? It’s
a lot of responsibility.”
 
Draco mulled over this question as he ate, it had been running through his mind
over the last week or so. He was pretty sure he knew the answer, from
everything he had been told, Beta was a powerful position in the pack. Draco
recognized power, and would do everything he could in order to get more power.
It was one of the guiding principles of his childhood, learning how to
recognize power and use it to your advantage to gain more power. From the
Malfoy perspective, yes, Draco wanted to be Beta, his father would accept
nothing less. Not that his father even knew he was a werewolf. Draco had been
avoiding thinking about what Lucius Malfoy’s reaction to that news would be,
but one day, unless his father never came home from Azkaban, he was going to
have to face that demon and that was not something Draco looked forward to.
 
“I think I do want to be Beta, yes, it’s a lot of responsibility, but I’ve been
raised my entire life to become a leader, to be responsible. My life is turning
out different than I had expected, obviously, but I still want that,” Draco
finally replied to Seff.
 
Seff nodded and his brown hair flopped in his eyes, he brushed it back and shot
Draco a grin. “Good, I think you’ll be an excellent Beta. Much better than the
last one.”
 
Draco had learned of what happened to Raul from Mingan several days prior. The
thought of being disemboweled terrified and sickened him, and knowing that the
only reason Raul had even been in that village was due to the Dark Lord, made
Draco even more determined to do everything he could to avoid taking the Dark
Mark. Being a werewolf half-breed was bad enough, he didn’t need to add being a
Death Eater on top of that.
===============================================================================
The next month passed swiftly for Draco. He still had werewolf boot camp,
lessons with Mingan in the mornings, and training with Seff and Rand in the
afternoons, but now his evenings were taken up with Greyback, Fenrir, he
corrected himself. Fenrir had taken the time to answer all of Draco’s questions
about the collective. He still didn’t quite understand how it worked, but
Fenrir assured him that over the next few moons he would be able to “share” his
brain a bit, and thus be able to access the collective.
 
“First moon is hardest for the human, every moon after that it gets a bit
easier for the human to be more present in the mind,” Fenrir had told him. He
had explained to Draco that the more he accepted his condition and the wolf,
the easier time he’d have.
 
“What do you mean accept it? I’m resigned to it at this point,” Draco had told
him.
 
“That’s the point, you’re resigned to it, that’s not acceptance. It’s really
more about embracing your wolf. You can’t just accept that now you’re a
werewolf, and secretly resent it. The wolf is part of you, you gave it a name
right?”
 
“Reule.”
 
“Famous wolf?” Fenrir laughed, “You are definitely a Malfoy. You named the
wolf, but he’s really just another side of you, the closer you get to that
side, the more you merge together as one. That’s what all werewolves strive
for, oneness. Being bit turns you into something else and splits your
personality, you have to work on putting that personality back together again,
and when you do that, you’ll have more control at the moon. Don’t get me wrong,
pup, it’s hard. And not all werewolves can manage it. There’s a lot of stigma
being a werewolf, but it can be done. I have some ideas on how to help it too,
but you aren’t ready for them yet. You need to work on embracing the wolf.
Which also means I can’t allow you to have Wolfsbane for the first year or so.”
Fenrir looked at Draco knowingly.
 
Fuck, there goes that idea.Draco had been thinking of asking Snape to show him
how to brew it so he could take it during the school year when he would be away
from his pack. Wait, did I just think of it as my pack? When did that happen?
The pack, it had always been the pack. Draco scolded himself, it was still the
pack. He may be a half-breed, and he may be part of this pack, but it wasn’t
his. He even liked some of the other wolves, Seff was a legitimate friend,
despite being almost ten years older than him, and Rand wasn’t so bad once you
got past the gruffness.
 
Draco rubbed his face and thought back to his conversation with Fenrir about
Reule. He hadn’t felt him lingering at the back of his mind since a few days
after the moon had been full. As the moon was closer to growing full again he
started feeling tickles of Reule at the very back of his mind, but he couldn’t
lure him out. It didn’t help that Draco barely had time to see his mother the
last few weeks, he certainly didn’t have time to sit and think. He suspected
that sitting and thinking is how he would be able to draw Reule out into a
conversation and then begin this embracing concept.
 
“Fenrir, what’s a werewolf mate? Mingan said something about it, but wouldn’t
explain it beyond you only get one?” Draco asked out of the blue while they
were playing chess one evening a few days after the embracing the wolf
conversation.
 
Fenrir laughed sardonically, “A werewolf mate is a once in a lifetime
opportunity and most werewolves don’t get the opportunity.”
 
“Why? What makes a mate special? Is it different than just having a girlfriend
or a wife?” Draco asked pushing his bishop forward.
 
Fenrir scrubbed his face with one hand, “Pup, of all the things to ask,” Fenrir
groaned out. He knocked over his king, conceding defeat to Draco and stood up.
They were in Fenrir’s tent and he headed toward where Draco knew he kept his
firewhisky. He grabbed a bottle and two glasses and sat back down.
 
“I’m going to need to drink to tell this story, you want a little pup?” Fenrir
asked pouring a healthy amount of firewhiskey in one of the glasses.
 
Draco couldn’t believe his luck, his father had never let him drink firewhisky,
it was all butterbeer, mead, or elf wine, nothing stronger than that. He tried
to play it cool, but was sure he let on how excited he was to try it, “Sure,
I’ll have some.”
 
Fenrir chuckled under his breath and poured less than a finger’s worth into the
second glass, “Take it easy, pup.”
 
Draco picked up his glass and knocked the whole thing back in one go. And
coughed for the next two minutes. Gods! That shite is awful! How do people
drink this stuff?His throat was burning and it felt like his stomach was on
fire.
 
Fenrir threw his head back and laughed at Draco’s reaction. “Takes some getting
used to. You’ll get it one day.”
 
Fenrir gave Draco another finger and told him to sip it this time. It went down
a bit better the second time. Draco was feeling pleasantly tingly when Fenrir
started speaking again.
 
“I had a mate once, her name was Uma. I met her when I was young, before I had
a pack. Her smell,” Fenrir closed his eyes and breathed for a moment. Draco
could see that he was remembering his mate. “She smelled divine, it’s hard to
describe, I think it’s like that love potion. You know, the one that smells
like your true love? But it’s different for everyone?”
 
Draco nodded, he didn’t want to interrupt.
 
“That’s what your mate smells like, not the potion, but your true love. When
you smell it, you’ll know. I was young, traveling through northern India, I
didn’t have a destination in mind as I was without a pack. I knew I was an
Alpha, I could feel it, but I didn’t understand what being in a pack meant, I
was just biting victims and leaving them, not collecting them for a pack. One
day, in a small village on the foothills of the Himalayas, I smelled her. It
was a fresh spring breeze, and strawberries, and warmth, and home.
Instinctively, I knew I had to find whatever it was that smelled like that. I
circled the village, spying for several days, until I finally figured out where
it was coming from. She was beautiful, an eldest daughter still living at home.
Her father had died and she was working with her mother to feed her younger
brothers and sisters. She was a witch, but hadn’t been formally trained
anywhere, she just had her home magic, potions, and healing, and the like. Her
mother was the local healer, she practiced Sa-Rigpa in the village and Uma was
learning from her.”
 
“What happened?” Draco asked after Fenrir had been quiet for too long. Fenrir
still had his eyes closed and he opened them when Draco spoke. The look in his
dark eyes spoke of so much pain that Draco reached out and touched Fenrir’s
hand.
 
“She died. Another village raided hers and she was killed in the raid trying to
protect her younger siblings. I had only spent three months with her and her
family.” Fenrir said flatly, like it was a script he had memorized to keep him
from talking about the details of the day.
 
Fenrir poured himself another glass and drank it all. He immediately poured
another one.
 
“If you ever find a mate, hold on to her and don’t let her go. You only get
one. Nobody has ever heard of a wolf who had more than one true mate in their
lifetime. Sure I could find a woman, marry her, what have you, but she won’t
ever be my mate,” Fenrir said this with such intense fierceness that it made
Draco long for a mate for just a moment. He shook his head a little, what was
he thinking? I’m only sixteen, I don’t want to be tied down to one woman at
this age!
 
“Were you bonded with Uma?” Draco asked quietly. He knew how painful this must
be for him, he could hear in Fenrir’s voice that he was holding back tears. It
seemed impossible to Draco that someone as fierce as the great Fenrir Greyback,
was this upset about a woman. Having a mate must be extraordinarily rare if
Fenrir showed this much emotion over it.
 
Fenrir glared at Draco for a moment, and then threw back his head and laughed.
What in the world? One minute he’s practically in tears and the next he’s
laughing?
 
“Nosy thing, aren’t you, pup?”
 
Draco could feel heat rising in his face, “I - I didn’t mean…”
 
Fenrir laughed again and sipped at his firewhisky, “It’s alright, you need to
know. I’m guessing Mingan talked about it but told you to ask me for the dirty
bits?”
 
Dirty bits? Draco just nodded and took another small sip of his drink.
 
“I was bonded with Uma, it’s what made her death worse, actually. I could feel
how scared she was and I couldn’t do anything to stop it. Bonding happens
during sex, pup.” Draco’s face just got redder, he really did not want to talk
about sex with Fenrir.
 
“I won’t go into the gory details, but if you find a mate, and you bed your
mate, you’ll want to bite her. You can resist, but biting her while bedding her
is how you finalize the bond. You can bite other women during sex and you won’t
form a mate bond with them. The mate bond only happens with your true mate.”
 
Draco was thoroughly embarrassed by the sex talk. No wonder Mingan didn’t want
to go into this with me. He quickly changed the subject to other topics. He
wasn’t a virgin or anything, but Fenrir was his parents age. He did not want to
think about people his parents age having sex.
===============================================================================
Fenrir had kept Draco so busy he had hardly had a chance to see his mother or
gather any news of the overworld. How was he supposed to be her eyes and ears
like he promised if he didn’t have time to be up there?Draco was frustrated, he
felt like he was failing his duty as a Malfoy by not being around to protect
his mother. Not that when he went to school this week he’d be able to protect
her. Damn my father,Draco thought for what must have been the millionth time
that summer. Draco had vowed to owl his mother every other day while at school.
He told her that if he hadn’t heard from her two days in a row, he was planning
to come home and make sure she was alright.
 
“Darling, you are over reacting. I am a grown witch and perfectly able to take
care of myself,” Narcissa had sniffed at him when he told her this.
 
“Mother, please, I worry about you. You haven’t been well since Father went
away. I hold my vow, if I haven’t heard from you in two days, I will be showing
up here to ensure you are safe. Someone has to be the man around here.”
 
“Draco! Do not think ill of your father, he does the best he can,” Narcissa
lowered her voice, “this is a difficult situation for all of us. Your father
very much regrets what has happened to his family, I need you to believe in
him, Draco.”
 
Draco rolled his eyes at his mother and nodded his agreement. They did not see
eye-to-eye in regards to his father’s culpability in this mess.
 
“Have you grown, Draco? Your robes seem snug,” Narcissa commented, expertly
changing the subject while giving Draco the eye that meant she was thinking
about shopping.
 
“According to Fenrir, I am a huge wolf, which means my wizard form will grow
larger to match the bulk of the wolf. Rand and he have a bet that I’ll need a
new wardrobe by Christmas, according to Seff. I’ve already transfigured these
to as large as I can get them with the amount of fabric available.”
 
“Excellent, we can go shopping this week. We’ll get your school things and some
robes you can grow into. It’ll be a fun trip out of this gloomy house,”
Narcissa clapped her hands in excitement while Draco rolled his eyes again. He
may be acting put upon, but he was pleased to give his mother an excuse to get
out of the house.
 
The trip to Diagon Alley was uneventful, Draco secured his school things, and
Narcissa doted on him with new robes. They bought several sets a few sizes up
as well as what currently fit him, Madam Malkin raised an eyebrow, but didn’t
comment.
 
The week passed quickly after that, there was another full moon where he romped
and played with the pack. The transformation still hurt like nothing he had
ever felt before, and he was still horrified at the memory of watching fur grow
out of his hands and feeling every bone in his body break and reform. But he
had been able to coax Reule into letting him have a closer view of the night
than the first full moon. Draco actually remembered bits and pieces of the
night, unlike last time when it was a complete blank.
 
He was not looking forward to starting his sixth year. He did not want to leave
his mother alone at Malfoy Manor with nobody to look out for her. He had asked
Fenrir to take tea with her a few times a week if he could manage it and Fenrir
solemnly promised him that he would. Draco searched his face, but didn’t see a
hint of laughter that was usually present in Fenrir’s dark eyes, so he took him
at his word and hoped he would keep his promise.
 
He had put off thinking about his task all summer, but now that he was on his
way to Kings Cross Station, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. How am I going
to kill Dumbledore? He had no ideas. Maybe he could spend his time on the train
contemplating it. He could only hope that something would present itself and
Draco could take advantage of the opportunity.
 
Once at the station, he told his mother goodbye and stiffly accepted her hug
and the kiss on her cheek. He wanted nothing more than to hug her back tightly,
but they were in public now. They had said their private goodbyes at home,
before leaving for Kings Cross.
===============================================================================
Oh, gods, she smelled delicious.
 
Draco could smell his mate the moment he stepped onto the train. His sense of
smell had improved drastically since his first change. He had started at a car
in the back of the train and as he walked forward he refined the smell. She
smelled like apples, and trees full of fall leaves, and cinnamon, and home.
Fenrir was right, she smells like home. Wait, mates are rare, how is it I have
a mate and she’s on this train?Draco continued walking forward toward the
prefect car and her scent got stronger the closer he got. Alright, so she is
probably a prefect. But what are the odds? Seriously, I am going to have owl
Fenrir as soon as we get to Hogwarts.
 
He was the last prefect to arrive and he stepped into the prefect’s car as the
train started chugging out of the station. He took a seat in the back, she was
definitely in this car. The smell was so strong it was almost overpowering. He
looked at each girl in the car, trying to figure out exactly where it was
coming from. It was about halfway through the meeting that someone in the row
in front of him tossed her hair and he got a huge whiff of her scent. That’s
it, that’s her, that’s my mate! He was excited, and nervous, and scared. He was
pretty sure he knew who it was by the bushy brown curls on the back of her
head.
 
He furrowed his brow as he stared at the back of her head, that couldn’t be
right. First he’s bitten by a werewolf as punishment, learns all about them, is
encouraged to become Beta, but nobody says how he’s supposed to become Beta,
and then finds out about mates and how rare they are. He asked Seff about it,
Fenrir was the only person in the pack whoever had had a mate. Ever. Out of
eighteen werewolves, just him.It’s insane that as essentially a two month old
werewolf I’ve immediately found my mate.
 
The girl turned around and he locked eyes with her. Granger. This whole
situation is insane and completely fucked. No way, my mate is Granger. She
lifted an eyebrow, he shook his head and looked away from her, still thinking
furiously.How the bleeding fuck am I supposed to cope with something like this?
First werewolves, then Dumbledore, now fucking Granger? Draco was livid, he was
owling Fenrir as soon as he got back to his cabin, there was no way he could
wait the six hours it was going to take to get to Hogwarts. Gods she smells
amazing.
 
As the meeting broke up and Weasley pulled Granger out the door, she turned
back to look at him. He lifted his own eyebrow in return and smirked. He
followed them out of the compartment and down the train to find his own
friends, smelling her delicious scent the entire way.
***** Chapter 7 *****
Hermione Granger was not excited to begin her sixth year at Hogwarts. She
hadn’t recovered from the curse that Antonin Dolohov had hit her with until
halfway through the summer, and was still on a potion regimen and would be
until almost Halloween. Last year had been the worst year yet at Hogwarts, and
it was getting harder and harder to explain to her parents what was going on.
She had kept them in the dark as much as possible, but being on a potion
regimen most of the summer and healing from a dark curse with no known counter-
curse, had been rather difficult to explain. In the end, Professor McGonagall
had told her parents that it had been an accident during exams, and that
Hermione had had a worse reaction than most people do to that type of curse. A
lie of course, but a necessary one if Hermione planned to continue her studies
at Hogwarts. And while, she realistically knew that her survival chances were
extremely poor due to being best friends with Harry Potter, she was loyal to a
fault.
Hermione was on her way to King’s Cross Station with her parents. They had
finally come around to letting her go back to Hogwarts, so she was doing her
best to not ruffle any feathers until they had arrived. She loved her parents,
she really did, but she knew she belonged in the wizarding world. No way was
she going to let some creepy megalomaniac take over the world she belonged in.
And Harry, bless his heart, was not going to be defeating Voldemort on his own.
Hermione was determined to be there each step of the way, helping Harry and
ridding the wizarding world of Voldemort once and for all. Hermione was a very
determined witch.
Bidding her parents goodbye at the train station, she told them she didn’t need
them to walk her to the platform. She knew it was uncomfortable for them to
watch her disappear into a wall when they couldn’t follow, being muggles. She
found a trolley, and hauled her trunk with Crookshanks’ cage on top and made
off for Platform 9 ¾ where she stowed her trunk on the train and let
Crookshanks out of his cage to roam free while she headed up to the prefects
car for the first meeting of the year.
As the train pulled away from Kings Cross Station, the last prefect entered the
cabin, Draco Malfoy, and the Head Girl and Boy started the meeting. Having been
a prefect last year, Hermione knew the spiel already, prefects could only take
points from their own house, and could only scold and recommend students for
punishment to house heads of other houses. Head Boy and Girl would assign
patrol times and routes. They were told that if a prefect couldn’t make a
patrol time, then it was their responsibility to find someone to swap with
them. On and on the meeting went. The only new item this year was that patrol
was to be done in pairs from different houses and years. Last year they had
patrolled with their prefect pair, which meant every patrol Hermione had gone
on had been with Ron Weasley. Ron was sitting next to her in the meeting and
they exchanged looks at this last bit, Ron bumped her shoulder and gave her a
smile. Hermione smiled back.
That was when she started feeling like someone was staring at her. Hermione
didn’t want to attract the attention of the Head Boy and Girl, so she looked to
each side of her to see if she was being watched, nobody was turned her way. So
it must be someone behind her. She and Ron had sat near the back of the car in
order to make a fast exit when the meeting was over, there was only one row of
seats behind them. She turned away to cough so she wouldn’t disrupt the meeting
and see behind her and caught the gray eyed stare of Draco Malfoy. Well, that
at least answers the question of who’s staring at me. She raised her eyebrow at
him, questioning why he was looking at her. He suddenly seemed to realize he
was staring and shook his head and looked away.
Hermione turned back to face the front of the car just as the Head Girl and Boy
were concluding the meeting. That was weird. She shook her head and looked at
Ron as he stood and tugged her arm.
“Come on ‘Mione, let’s go find Harry and Ginny,” Ron called over his shoulder
pulling Hermione after him. Hermione still felt like she was being watched and
turned around to see that Malfoy was looking at her again. What a creep. He
smirked and she scowled at him and hurried out of the car after Ron.
===============================================================================
Ron and Hermione finally found Harry and Ginny three cars from the back of the
train, Neville and Luna were also in the compartment.
“Gang’s all here,” Ginny announced glumly as Ron and Hermione sat down on the
same bench as Harry, facing Neville, Luna, and Ginny.
Harry looked at the floor, his face grim. Hermione reached over and slung her
arm around his shoulders giving him some silent comfort. Sirius’ death had been
extremely difficult for Harry, she knew. He nodded at her and squared his
shoulders, shrugging her arm off. Their compartment was a quiet one, a word or
two was spoken, but most seemed to be in a mood similar to Harry’s thinking on
the events that had taken place two months ago at the Department of Mysteries.
The snack trolley came around and Hermione hopped up to buy snacks for the
group. Normally, Harry did this, but he didn’t even seem to notice that the
trolley witch was there, he was staring out the window watching the landscape
roll by. After gathering snacks for everyone, Hermione decided she needed a
breather from the heavy atmosphere in her train car. She told the group she was
going to the bathroom and left. Once outside the compartment and past the
windows she leaned against the wall, sighed heavily, and closed her eyes. She
really wasn’t feeling that great, the potions she was on due to her curse scar
from Dolohov tired her easily. She had hoped once on the train, she would be
able to coax Harry into a better mood and thus the group into a better mood,
but that hope was in vain. Harry was determined to sulk, and once Harry got an
idea in his head, there was no removing it.
Hermione sighed again and turned to head toward the bathroom at the end of the
car. As she turned she opened her eyes and nearly slammed into someone else
making their way the opposite way down the train. Whoever it was caught her
elbow to keep her upright, looking up, she saw it was Malfoy. Great, just what
I needed. Malfoy stared down at her with a slightly confused look on his face.
Hermione searched his eyes before shaking herself loose from his grip.
“Pardon me,” she muttered and pushed passed him. As she reached the bathroom,
she looked back over her shoulder and found that Malfoy was still staring at
her, his brow furrowed and his gray eyes intense.
What a creep,she thought for the second time that day as she closed the door.
Why was he staring at her? She looked in the tin mirror above the tiny sink in
the bathroom to make sure she didn’t have anything on her face or in her teeth
or something. What was with him?He always had a comment to make to her
regarding her friends, her blood status, her appearance, or all three. But both
times she had caught him staring today he hadn’t said a word. He had just
looked confused like he was thinking hard about a puzzle he couldn’t figure
out. Hermione sighed again, not what she needed this year, another puzzle to
work on. Sixth year was not going to be a good year.
When Hermione left the bathroom, Malfoy was waiting for her. She sucked in a
breath through her teeth and looked at him with wide eyes, surprised to find
him there. He was slouched against the opposite wall with his hands in his
pockets, he hadn’t put on his school robes yet. His silvery blond hair was
long, he was no longer wearing it slicked back and it hung past his eyes. He
had been looking at his feet before she stepped out and looked up when he heard
the bathroom door open. His slate gray eyes caught hers again, and this time,
something in the pit of Hermione’s stomach flickered. Malfoy inhaled deeply and
his eyes fluttered closed for a moment before he snapped them open again.
Hermione dimly recognized that the bathroom door slid shut behind her. Malfoy
was blocking the hallway and her back was to the door.
“Granger,” he all but growled at her. His voice deeper than what she had
remembered from the year before. The sound of that voice made her stomach feel
even funnier than catching his eyes had done. What was happening?
“Malfoy, what can I do for you?” Hermione was determined to be polite, he was a
foul, loathsome, cockroach, but so far this year he hadn’t insulted her. The
least she could do was the same.
“Don’t you feel it? I was told you’d feel it too.” He got that confused look on
his face again and scrubbed a hand down his face.
“What are you talking about? Feel what? Feel like shite because one of your
father’s little buddies almost killed me two months ago?” Hermione hadn’t meant
to lose her temper, but he wasn’t making sense and she was already feeling
terrible and she snapped at him.
She could visually see him lose his temper, his face got red and he clenched
his fist. He slammed his hand on the door beside her head and stepped into her
personal bubble, his body practically touching her. She flinched and
immediately regretted it.
“Do not talk about my father.” His voice was cold and hard and his eyes were
flinty as he stared down at her.
He had grown so tall over the summer that she had to crane her neck to meet his
eyes. She scowled at him in return and crossed her arms over her chest to try
and create some room. He was being ridiculous. First asking her nonsense
questions, then basically threatening her. She had faced Death Eaters, actual,
full grown Death Eaters two months ago. She was not afraid of this Death Eater-
in-training.
“You don’t scare me, Malfoy.” She attempted to move past him and he blocked her
again with his body, stepping closer so he was touching her. His other hand
came up to the door behind her and she was trapped.
His eyes were half-closed as he brought his mouth close right ear, his voice
was deep, almost sensual, “Maybe you should be scared, Granger. I’ve had a hell
of a summer, I’m not the same person I was two months ago.” His hot breath
puffing hotly against her ear sent a shot of electricity through Hermione and
something pulsed low in her belly. She closed her own eyes and inhaled deeply.
Oh, he smells divine.
Malfoy stepped back and smirked at her, folding his arms across his broad
chest. “See you around, Granger.” He walked out of the train car towards the
end of the train.
Hermione stood there a moment longer, trying to calm her racing heart. What had
that been about? What happened this summer that changed him? Had he been
hitting on her? What was going on? Her brain was in overdrive trying to puzzle
out this new Draco Malfoy who didn’t insult her, touched her voluntarily, and
maybe flirted with her? She shook her head and opened her eyes again, the train
car hallway was empty. No Malfoy in sight. She walked back to her compartment.
Ron had coaxed Harry into a game of Exploding Snap, and Harry even had a small
smile on his face, which cheered Hermione up considerably.
“Alright, Hermione?” Ron asked, looking over his shoulder at her.
“Of course, why wouldn’t it be?” Hermione sat down next to Ron, closest to the
compartment door.
“You were gone for a long time, almost ten minutes.” Ron’s hand exploded just
then making a loud noise.
“Oh, I ran into a friend from Ravenclaw and we chatted for a bit,” Hermione did
not want to tell her friends about Malfoy’s strange behavior. She didn’t know
if it was going to be a big deal or not, but her friends would latch onto it
and talk it to death. She wasn’t ready for that. She still didn’t know how she
felt about her most recent interaction with Malfoy so she didn’t want to go
repeating it to anyone. After the game of Exploding Snap ended, the mood in the
compartment was considerably lighter. There was even some laughter as they
approached the station in Hogsmeade.
As they were leaving the train, Harry told the group, “I am going to be right
back, just have to check on something,” with that he walked out of the
compartment.
Hermione and Ron exchanged glances. “What was that about?” Hermione asked.
“He saw Malfoy acting shady in Diagon Alley a few days ago. He’s been talking
about it non stop, I bet he’s gone to spy on him. He had his cloak wrapped up
in his arms,” Ron informed her.
Hermione rolled her eyes hard, “Seriously? He thinks Malfoy is up to something?
Is this going to be his thing this year? You know the thing he obsesses about
all year?”
Ron looked surprised, then thoughtful, then he laughed, “I reckon it is, it’s
something every year isn’t it?”
Hermione and Ron left the train and waited at the carriages for Harry. They
were the last students still there quarter of an hour later. All the carriages
had gone, they would have to walk up to the school now.
“Should we go look for him?” Ron asked Hermione. Hermione huffed and nodded.
They headed back for the train, they were near the last car so decided to start
there. Halfway through that car, Ron tripped on something and fell. But he
didn’t land on the floor, he landed about a half a meter off the floor, it
looked like he was hovering.
Hermione grasped his shoulder and pulled him up, then grabbed at the ground and
caught hold of Harry’s invisibility cloak. Harry was lying on the floor of the
train, clearly he had been petrified and someone had broken his nose. Hermione
ended the petrification spell and fixed his nose, while Ron offered a hand to
help Harry up off of the floor.
“Alright, mate?” Ron asked peering closely at Harry.
“Malfoy,” Harry sighed. “He found me and hexed me then stomped on my nose as
payback for his father being in Azkaban. Apparently it’s my fault that his
father decided to break into the Department of Mysteries and wreak havoc. Maybe
I ought to take blame for making him follow Voldemort in the first place back
during the First Wizarding war, too?” Harry asked bitterly.
Hermione had gasped when she heard it was Malfoy who had attacked Harry. That
at least was in Malfoy’s character, unlike the interactions she had with him
earlier in the day. What is going on with him? It was so puzzling to her and
she couldn’t figure out his motivations. Prior to a few hours ago, Hermione had
barely ever given Malfoy much thought. But now she couldn’t seem to stop
thinking about him.
“He’s up to something, and I’m going to find out what it is,” Harry told them.
He had that determined look in his eye as he started for the castle. Hermione
met Ron’s gaze  before they followed him up. Harry was not doing well and he
would need watching or he was going to get himself in trouble trying to follow
Malfoy around the castle.
By the time they reached the castle they had missed the sorting and start of
term announcements. Luckily the Welcome Feast was still going on and they were
able to get some dinner.
After dinner, Hermione and Ron helped direct the first years who had been
sorted into Gryffindor to the tower and get them settled for bed. As Hermione
entered her own room, Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil were in there already,
gossiping away.
“Alright, Hermione?” Lavender asked sweetly. “Did you have a good summer?”
Hermione nodded and smiled as she began getting ready for bed. They didn’t know
anything about the Department of Mysteries and she was careful to keep her back
to them so they wouldn’t see the large scar she bore on her torso. It started
at the top of her left breast, cut past her nipple and ended at her right hip
bone. It was purple and raised and angry looking still. Madam Pomfrey had
promised that it would fade in time, Hermione hoped so. She had never
considered herself pretty before, but with the new scar she thought she was
down right ugly. She had insisted on an entire new wardrobe for the school year
so that all of her tops hid  her scar completely. She didn’t want anyone to see
it.
After she had dressed, she opened her trunk and lined up the three evening
potions she would have to take, she also brought out an empty water glass and
cast the Aguamenti charm to fill it. She downed each potion in one swallow and
then chugged the glass of water. She filled it again and chugged it again to
try and remove the foul taste the potions left in her mouth.
“That’s a lot of potions to be taking, Hermione. What are they all for?”
Parvati asked, her eyes were wide with concern.
“Oh, well, I was injured over the summer, so they are to help heal my
injuries.” Hermione kept the description vague, she didn’t want or need
anyone’s sympathy nor did she want to explain in depth what exactly had
happened.
“How was your summer?” Hermione asked both Lavender and Parvati. Lavender
smiled and launched into a long tale about spending the summer at a wizarding
beach and all the good looking boys she had met there. Parvati giggled and
asked questions in all the right places, while Hermione smiled and nodded her
encouragement, happy to not have to carry a conversation with her roommates.
Hermione liked Lavender and Parvati well enough, they got along, but they
weren’t good friends. Which was fine with Hermione, Lavender and Parvati cared
about boys and makeup and clothes. Hermione cared about school and defeating
Voldemort.
After the three roommates had chatted for a while, Hermione felt her evening
potions kicking in and bade them goodnight. She pulled the curtains around her
bed and cast a silencing charm. She was happy to be back at the castle and able
to perform magic. Her parents had had to sleep with earplugs over the summer
because Hermione’s nightmares woke them up so much. As she drifted off to
sleep, the last thing she thought about was how intense Malfoy’s eyes had been
on the train.
===============================================================================
A/N: twztdwildcat gets all the beta love! I'm going to be MIA due to real life
commitments for the next week or so, so I wanted to get this chapter out early!
***** Chapter 8 *****
What in the bleeding hell was he doing standing outside of Scarhead’s train
compartment? Oh, that’s right, Granger is in there. And bloody hell does she
smell enchanting. Gods was he a creepy stalker or something? Oh, but her
scent.He was half hard already and he had only smelled her, he had gotten no
closer than when they were in the same car for the prefect meeting.
The trolley witch brushed passed him and he walked down the train car, he
didn’t want to get caught in this train car when she stopped at their
compartment. He was heading back to his own compartment at the end of the train
car. He had almost walked through the door to the next car when he caught
another whiff of eau de Granger and turned around, looking longingly at her
compartment. Suddenly, the compartment door opened, he stood still, like a deer
startled in the forest. He wasn’t sure if he should turn around and flee, or
pretend he was going the other way when he saw Granger walk out of the door,
she closed the door and leaned against the wall with her eyes closed, sighing
heavily. He almost couldn’t believe his luck, he was acting on pure instinct at
the moment, there was not a rational thought in his head and he started walking
toward her.
She turned and headed in his direction almost colliding with him, she would
have if he hadn’t grabbed her elbow to stop her momentum. She rocked back on
her heels and looked up at him. He didn’t say anything, couldn’t say anything.
His brain was completely blank as he looked down into her cinnamon colored
eyes. She’s beautiful,he thought, right before she muttered an apology and
brushed past him. He stood there for a moment, his brain registering that she
had walked to the end of the car and entered the bathroom. What? She’s
beautiful? Where in the hell had that come from? Get it together, Malfoy!
He stood another moment, still undecided. He was still running on all instinct,
his brain hadn’t really caught up to what was going on with his body. He
decided he had to talk to her, so he stood across from the bathroom door and
waited for her to exit. This was about as private as they were going to get on
this train and he was going to take advantage of his good luck.
He had been looking at his feet when he heard the bathroom door open and she
gasped. When he looked up, he caught her gaze, he thought he recognized
something in it, some kind of affinity. He breathed deep, inhaling her aroma.
He said her name, almost unwittingly, it wasn’t until she replied that he even
realized what he had said.
“Malfoy, what can I do for you?” Her voice was cool, distant, and polite.
He almost groaned at the sound, “Don’t you feel it? I was told you’d feel it
too.” What was he doing? This is insane, she’s going to think I am crazy.
And then she got angry with him, “What are you talking about? Feel what? Feel
like shite because one of your father’s little buddies almost killed me two
months ago?” She spat at him. Her eyes were flashing and a blush crept up her
neck and cheeks. Gods, she’s gorgeous when she blushes. Wait, what? When do I
even think things like that? Then her comments registered, she was talking
about his fucking father. Fuck her. He slammed a hand to the door behind her
head and moved in close.
“Do not talk about my father.” He was at his most pure-blood imperiousness,
cold, detached. He towered over her small frame. She scowled up at him and
crossed her arms in front of her chest.
“You don’t scare me, Malfoy,” she bit out. Oh, she is glorious when she’s
mad.Her hair sparked with her anger. He closed his eyes for a moment and moved
in closer to her, speaking directly into her ear, breathing the smell of her
hair, apples.
“Maybe you should be scared, Granger. I’ve had a hell of a summer, I’m not the
same person I was two months ago.” He was savoring being this close to her, and
his cock was throbbing with need. The sight of her flushed and angry was
enchanting. Then he forced himself to step back out of her personal space. He
smirked at her. “See you around, Granger.” He turned and walked out of the
train car and headed for the back of the train.
He stopped in the bathroom in the next car, the car right before the one he was
sharing with his friends, to try and calm down and get himself under control.
What in the bleeding fuck had that been about?What was going on? Was this all
due to the mate thing? This did not bode well for his year. He did not need
another problem to deal with this year. Werewolf. Check. Figure out a way to
kill Dumbledore. Check. The Dark Lord and company living in his house. Check.
Wasn’t that enough? Did he have to add navigating the mate waters with a
mudblood to it? Not that he was much better than a mudblood, he was a half-
breed after all. Draco banged his head against the door of the bathroom in
frustration. What the fuck am I going to do? Maybe he should have Fenrir meet
him in Hogsmeade or something for the first Hogsmeade weekend. He certainly
needed some kind of guidance from someone. Loathe as he was to admit it, right
now Fenrir was his best bet.
Fuck, Malfoy, now you’re relying on a savage fucking half-breed for your
advice? Where in the hell did your life go? Draco cursed his father once more
for putting him into this situation. It wasn’t fair! Draco hadn’t fucked up, he
hadn’t failed the Dark Lord! He hadn’t even met the Dark Lord prior to this
summer! And he’s the one with all the problems. His father doesn’t have to deal
with them. I’m sure Azkaban isn’t much fun, but still he’s sitting on his arse,
while I’m the one attempting to clean up the mess he made. Fuck him. Draco took
a deep breath and walked out of the bathroom and back into the train
compartment he was sharing with Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson.
Once he got into the train car, he sat down and scribbled out a note to Fenrir.
Fenrir,
We need to talk, something important has come up. First Hogsmeade weekend will
be third weekend in September. Meet me at the Hog’s Head at noon.
D.M.
He opened his eagle owl’s cage, “Come here, Maestro.” Draco coaxed his owl out
and tied the note to his leg. “Bring this to Fenrir,” he whispered to the owl,
not wanting his friends to over hear him. He opened the window of their
compartment and let Maestro out to fly home.
“Draco, what was that about? You come tearing in here, not a word to anyone and
are being very secretive,” Pansy narrowed her eyes in suspicion at him. Not
really what he wanted to deal with. Pansy was a friend, but they weren’t dating
like the rest of the school assumed. She was a friend that he had occasionally
fucked. Pansy was in a betrothal contract with the Flint family, either Marcus
or his younger brother, Marion, depending on how the next few years shook out.
Draco had his own betrothal contract with the Greengrass family, Daphne or her
sister, Astoria. Guess that’s gone then. Thinking about marrying one of the
Greengrass sisters had always disturbed him, they were pretty birds, sure, but
on a level of crazy Draco hadn’t seen until meeting his Aunt Bella earlier in
the year. Despite the weird thing going on with Granger, Draco was a little
relieved that he probably wouldn’t have to marry one of the Greengrass sisters
now.
“Don’t worry about it, Pans,” Draco tried to reassure Pansy. “Just some stuff
that came up over the summer.”
“Did you do it? Did you have to take the Mark?” Blaise asked, keeping his voice
low.
Draco rolled up his left sleeve in reply. Both Blaise and Pansy looked wide
eyed and sighed with some relief in seeing his pale forearm.
“How did you manage to escape it and not be dead?” Blaise asked.
Draco shrugged, “I had another punishment. I don’t really want to talk about
it.” He looked out the window, hoping Blaise and Pansy would drop the subject.
The three friends passed the rest of the time on the way to Hogwarts catching
up on each other’s summers and gossiping. Pansy’s father was a Death Eater and
Draco had seen him around his house frequently over the summer. Blaise’s father
was dead and while his mother was a sympathizer, she wasn’t a Death Eater
herself.
As they approached the Hogsmeade station, Draco noticed that the door to their
car opened and closed, but he didn’t see anyone walk through. He suspected it
was Potter. He knew about the invisibility cloak, he had known about it since
their 4th year. He waved Blaise and Pansy on toward the carriages and told them
he’d catch up to them. After his train car was completely empty, he walked
through it looking for Potter. He finally heard him breathing, he was hiding up
on a luggage rack. Draco grasped the cloak and gave it a tug and there was
Potter, curled in a ball on the luggage rack looking at Draco with wide eyes.
Potter jumped down off the luggage rack and brandished his wand at Draco. Draco
already had his wand out, “Petrificus Totalus,” he hissed.
Potter fell over, perfectly immobile, still looking at Draco with wide eyes.
“Spying, Potter? Tsk, tsk.” Draco stomped on Potter’s nose. “It won’t do to spy
on your betters, Scarhead.” Draco dropped the invisibility cloak back over
Potter and walked out of the train car with his hands in his pockets. He wasn’t
so late that he still caught the same carriage as Pansy and Blaise. He saw
Granger and the Weasel standing around, probably waiting for Potter and
chuckled to himself, they’d be waiting a while.
===============================================================================
The next few weeks passed quickly for Draco. He made himself stay as far away
from Granger as he could, but they shared Defense and Potions. Those classes
were the hardest, especially potions. He had a hard time concentrating with all
of the smells in the room, his nose had become so sensitive. And with Granger
only sitting a row in front of him, every time she tossed her hair he got
another whiff of apples and cinnamon. He clenched his jaw and his fists and
kept his head down whenever he was in the same room with her. He had to talk to
Fenrir before he could act further with her.
The first Hogsmeade weekend arrived and Draco was ready to see Fenrir. He had
gotten a terse note earlier in the week from him saying he’d be there. It was
odd, Draco hadn’t thought he would, but he kind of missed Fenrir. He definitely
missed Seff, and he missed his training sessions. He was glad that Quidditch
had started back up, but it wasn’t near as intense as what Rand and Seff had
been putting him through. He had only had two full moons, and was nervous about
the one coming up in the middle of next week.
Snape had been by to see him last week, he took him outside to the Whomping
Willow and showed him a tunnel that led to the Shrieking Shack. He knew there
were tunnels leading from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade, but had not known of that
particular one. Then Snape let him in on a bigger secret.
“Lupin used the Shrieking Shack as a child to hide during full moons. It is set
up for a werewolf to be kept safe from the rest of the population. And that is
why it’s considered one of the most haunted sites in England,” Snape rolled his
eyes as he pronounced this.
That made sense, at least I’m not the first werewolf attending Hogwarts. Draco
eyed the shack around him. It was dusty and dirty and looked like nobody had
been in the shack in years. He wandered through and noticed that the windows
and doors were impervious and there weren’t any handles on the doors leading
outside. Good, killing humans will not happen in here. He wondered if he could
convince Tink to come and clean before the first full moon.
Snape told him he’d meet Draco in the shack the morning after the full moon to
escort him back into the castle. Which, despite not trusting Snape very much,
made Draco feel better. It hadn’t occurred to him at first, but he missed the
pack. He missed the loud and boisterousness of the pack. And the companionship
of the pack. His pack he guessed, although he wasn’t Beta yet. Hopefully, he
could get Fenrir to spill on that today as well. Maybe even convince him to
send someone to spend the full moon with him. Wolves were pack animals, the
thought of not being with his pack during the full moon opened a hole in his
heart.
Draco walked down to the village with Pansy and Blaise, he told them he had a
meeting with one of his father’s associates at the Hog’s Head and he’d meet
them later. Upon entering the Hog’s Head he didn’t see Fenrir anywhere, he had
been in a time or two, and was always disgusted with how dirty it was. He did
not order himself a drink, there was no way the glasses were clean and
butterbeer didn’t have enough alcohol in it to get a fly drunk, let alone clean
a glass. He sat for a few minutes waiting on Fenrir to show up and eyeing the
other patrons. There were a couple of old men at the bar, their beards so long
they were tucked into their belts. And a shifty couple in one of the corners,
he was pretty sure the woman with the hood up was actually a Hag.
Finally, Fenrir walked in the door, he checked out the rest of the joint before
joining him. Draco stood when he walked in and Fenrir hugged him. Draco didn’t
respond for a moment, he was unused to getting hugs from other adult men, but
he finally hugged Fenrir back. He hadn’t known he missed his Alpha so much
until Fenrir had hugged him. What in the hell? The only way he could be feeling
like this was due to being a werewolf. Draco did not have feelings like this to
anyone other than his parents.
Fenrir released him with a hearty pat on the back, he shouted over his shoulder
for the barkeep to bring him a firewhisky as he sat down in the chair across
from Draco. He pulled out his wand and cast a Muffliato around the table for
privacy.
“Alright, pup? You are a sight for sore eyes, the rest of the pack is missing
you something fierce.” Draco raised an eyebrow at this pronouncement, but it
warmed him to know that the others seemed to miss him as much as he was missing
them.
“I am well,” Draco answered, “So, missing the pack is normal?”
Fenrir grinned at him, his sharp pointy teeth showing, “Oh yes, part of the
pack bond. We’ll be sending a few people to the Shrieking Shack with you later
this week. Can’t have you changing on your own, it would be too stressful on a
pup.”
Draco sighed in relief, thank the gods. He had been terrified of having to
change on his own.
“Wait, how do you know about the Shrieking Shack? Snape just told me about it
earlier this week? Did you go to Hogwarts? Who do you plan to send?” The
barkeep walked up at that point and plonked a bottle of cheap firewhisky and
two glasses on the table in front of Fenrir.
“That’s 7 galleons,” he held out a grubby hand as Fenrir dropped them in his
palm and waved him away. He poured himself a glass and asked Draco if he wanted
some. Draco eyed the dirty glasses and shook his head. You couldn’t pay him to
drink out of that filth.
“You and the questions, pup. Snape and I have been owling. You know I went to
Durmstrang. I’ll probably come and I’ll bring Arnou, Seff, and maybe Rand,
haven’t quite decided or asked any of them yet,” Fenrir replied draining his
glass. He set it on the table and refilled it. He raised his eyebrow at Draco.
“You asked me here, pup. Made it sound like something important.”
Draco sighed and blushed very slightly. This was so embarrassing,
“IthinkIhaveamate,” he rushed out.
“What was that? Didn’t quite catch that, pup.”
Draco huffed a breath, “I think I have a mate,” he repeated very quietly.
Fenrir then did something Draco was not expecting. He laughed. And laughed. And
laughed some more. He laughed so hard he almost fell out of his chair. He
laughed so hard that his laughs turned into a coughing fit. He laughed so hard
that the rest of the patrons were glaring at them. He laughed so hard and loud,
his huge shoulders were shaking and his face turned red and tears were
streaming down his face into his beard. Draco sank in his chair and his cheeks
reddened.
“Oh, gods, you have to be fucking joking, pup.” Fenrir had finally gotten
control of himself.
“I wish I was, I haven’t even told you who it is yet,” Draco crossed his arms
and huffed angrily, looking away from Fenrir and out the front window of the
pub. He didn’t care to be laughed at, and Fenrir might find this just fucking
hilarious, but Draco didn’t. This was serious and a complication he did not
fucking need.
“That doesn’t sound good, not family approved then? Is it a blood traitor? Half
blood? Mudblood?” Fenrir poured himself another glass of firewhisky and drank
it slowly.
“It’s The Mudblood, Potter’s best friend, Hermione Granger.” It was one of the
few times Draco had ever said her name aloud and he relished the chance to do
so. Even while he was angry at himself for this situation to begin with.
“What’s she smell like?” Fenrir raised his eyebrow at Draco and shook his
dreads away from his face.
“Apples, cinnamon, fall leaves, and home. Gods she smells like home. I ran into
her on the Hogwarts Express, but haven’t spoken to her since. I was waiting to
get some advice from you. It’s been fucking torture.” Draco’s voice was pained
and he clenched his fists together at the thought of her. His mate. This close
to the full moon it was getting much harder to keep his distance.
“Oh, shite, that’s a mate alright. You are fucked, pup.” Fenrir ran his hands
through his dreads and looked thoughtful for a moment.
“Well, nothing for it I suppose. You can’t pick your mate. And your instincts
will take over, it’ll be worse if you ignore it. Fuck, not what you needed. I
can’t hardly believe a two month old pup has a mate,” Fenrir chuckled to
himself again.
“What does that mean?” Draco glared at him.
“It means that you already have a lot on your plate. You’re a newly bitten
werewolf, living in a castle without your pack nearby, your mum is essentially
being held hostage by the Dark Lord, your dad is wasting away in Azkaban,
you’ve basically been compelled to become my Beta, and you’ve been tasked with
killing Dumbledore. When were you planning to tell me about that anyway?”
Fenrir asked him coolly.
Apparently there were hidden depths to Fenrir. Every time Draco thought he had
him figured out, he threw a curveball like that at him.
“How did you know about the task?” Draco asked carefully. He had been sure that
Fenrir didn’t know about it, he hadn’t said anything prior to leaving for
Hogwarts.
“How do you think, pup? I’ve been owling Snape.” Fenrir sounded angry now.
“When were you planning on telling me?” His voice was hard and cold and Draco
could see that he was almost trembling with rage.
“It has nothing to do with you! It’s my task, the Dark Lord gave it to me, it’s
part of the punishment for my father’s failures last spring.” Draco’s voice was
just as hard and cold. He glared at Fenrir.
“It damn well is my business, you are my pup. Mine. Do you understand? You
belong to me first, you haven’t taken the Dark Mark and if I can prevent it,
you never will. That means you tell me fucking everything, do you understand?”
Draco nodded tightly. He wasn’t sure he understood, but on some level that felt
like an order that he would be compelled to obey.
“Good, what have you come up with so far?” Fenrir’s voice had warmed up
fractionally.
“I haven’t,” Draco’s voice was still hard and cold and very small. He felt like
a failure. He had had almost three months to think of ways to kill Dumbledore
and nothing had occurred to him. The things that had were instantly nixed, he
couldn’t maul him in werewolf form. Draco knew he’d never be able to live with
himself. And it’s not like he could cast anAvada in the Great Hall over
breakfast. That would be a one way road to Azkaban or his own death.
Fenrir sighed heavily, “Of course you haven’t. Fucking madman giving a pup a
task like this. This isn’t a fucking task, Draco, it’s a death sentence.”
Draco nodded, he had come to that realization, but had still hoped there might
be a way out. “So I’m properly fucked then? I’ll get killed trying to kill
Dumbledore?”
“Not necessarily, just because you haven’t thought of anything doesn’t mean I
haven’t. Snape tells me there’s a vanishing cabinet in the Come and Go Room.
It’s broken, but its pair is in Borgin and Burkes. Fix it, let Death Eaters
into Hogwarts, and one of us can take care of killing Dumbledore. Should be
close enough to being your plan that the Dark Lord will let it pass.” Fenrir
downed the last of his firewhisky and sent the bottle back to the bar.
“You make it sound so simple,” Draco replied sullenly.
Fenrir chuckled at his petulance, “Of course it won’t be easy. You have to fix
the cabinet first. Then figure out a time Dumbledore will be in the castle. And
you’ll be the arsehole kid forever known for letting Death Eaters in Hogwarts.
Sorry, pup, nothing in your life is going to be easy for the time being. Talk
to Snape about fixing the cabinet, he should be able to help.”
Draco nodded again and looked down at the table. He didn’t like the idea of
asking Snape for anything, but he supposed he would have to in this. He had no
idea how vanishing cabinets worked. All he knew is that they were temperamental
and had fallen out of fashion after the end of the First Wizarding War.
“What am I supposed to do about my mate? I can barely stand to be in the same
room with her without wanting to fuck her silly,” Draco told Fenrir quietly. He
was embarrassed to be talking about this, but this had been why he wanted to
meet with Fenrir.
“Let’s get out of here for this, pup.” Fenrir stood and Draco followed. They
left the pub and walked along the back alley of Hogsmeade until they were on
the outskirts of the village on the far side away from Hogwarts.
“You are going to have to approach her. The more you interact with her, the
more your pheromones rub off and the more attracted to you she will become. I
told you the mate bond works both ways. She won’t fully recognize it until
you’re bonded, but even now it pulls on her. She’s probably been thinking about
you for weeks, not knowing why. Have you caught her looking at you?”
Draco nodded.
“I thought so, you have to interact with her. If you don’t, you will explode as
the moon comes and do something you will regret. Try to find her today if you
can, if you get a kiss in, even better. Having a mate around the full moon is
ideal, helps burn off some of that restless energy beforehand if you know what
I mean,” Fenrir winked at him lasciviously. “After the full moon, a cuddle with
your mate is almost better than sleeping all day. Don’t ask me how it works, it
just does. Something to do with pheromones I’m guessing.”
Draco nodded once more. “So, I have to try and kiss her, and get close to her.
Should I sleep with her? Bond with her? How much should I explain to her? How
do I explain it to her? What if she doesn’t like me? I can’t force her.”
“Gods you and your damned questions. Yes to the first two. You should explain
what you can depending on the questions she asks. Do you think she’ll ask you
as many questions as you ask me?” Fenrir shook his head at him.
“Probably,” Draco smirked.
Fenrir laughed again, “No I wouldn’t force her, it’s not your style. And
really, you won’t have to. The pheromones work on her too, she’ll be unable to
resist you. But you have to spend time with her, reinforce the bond that’s
forming.”
Draco nodded, it made sense. Bonds had to be reinforced, renewed in order to
keep them in working order. He knew that. Marriage bonds worked similarly. He
didn’t relish the idea of being tied to a mudblood, but it looked like he was
stuck with it. Probably easier to go along to get along. And maybe she would
know about fixing the vanishing cabinet, she was dead clever after all, top of
their year and all that. He’d have to think about that some more.
Just then one of the old men from the bar walked by them on his way out of the
village, he spat at Fenrir muttering, “Filthy fucking half-breed.”
Fenrir’s relaxed demeanor changed in an instant. He growled so deeply, Draco
could feel it in his chest. Fenrir grabbed the old man by his throat and lifted
him so that his feet dangled off the ground. This was the savage beast Draco
had known prior to being bitten. He was almost afraid, looking at Fenrir
swinging the old man by his throat.
“Say that to my face, fucking peasant,” Fenrir growled at the old man, shaking
him. He held him one-handed and hadn’t even broken a sweat that Draco could
tell.
The old man whimpered and pissed himself. “Disgusting,” Fenrir dropped him then
and the old man collapsed on the ground. Fenrir aimed a kick at his ribs as the
old man crawled away.
“Fucking peasant, doesn’t know a gods damned thing,” Fenrir muttered under his
breath. He ran his hands through his dreads, breathing deeply.
“Alright, Alpha?” Draco asked, his voice bland and respectful.
Fenrir sucked in a breath through his nose and turned to look at Draco. His
gaze was level and measuring.
“Pup, that was well done. You sounded like a proper Beta there,” Fenrir told
him. Draco was surprised. He hadn’t been trying to sound like a Beta, he was
just trying to diffuse the tension in the air. It was too close to the full
moon, neither of them had their heads on straight.
“I’m fine, pup. Just hate being denigrated by rubbish,” Fenrir breathed deeply
for a few moments. “I want to meet your mate as soon as possible. I want to see
her today.”
Draco was gob smacked, why does he want to meet her? It’s bad enough she’s my
mate, but now my Alpha wants to meet her?
“Why?” Draco asked carefully.
“Because, she’s your mate, that means she’s pack. I need to know who to look
out for. We are in a war and she’s on the other side, isn’t she?” Fenrir raised
his eyebrow at Draco. I should have known that, Draco thought.
“Of course, I can point her out to you. We might be able to meet her. Depends
on where we run into her. She sticks pretty close to Potter and the youngest
Weasleys.” Draco scrubbed a hand down his face. He turned back toward the
village and started walking toward the bookshop. That was the best place to
find Granger he figured. He could hear Fenrir behind him. He hoped his Alpha
would be able to keep his temper, he was really fucking scary when he lost it.
As they got closer to Tomes and Scrolls, Draco saw Granger bidding farewell to
Potter and Weasley. She headed into Tomes and Scrolls by herself while Potter
and Weasley continued on toward Zonko’s. Perfect, she’ll be by herself. I might
even get a chance to talk to her. Draco motioned Fenrir forward and they
entered Tomes and Scrolls as well.
Granger had already disappeared into the stacks, she was nowhere in sight when
Draco walked in. He turned to Fenrir, “That was her who just walked in. Let’s
see if we can find her.”
He started wandering through the aisles piled haphazardly with books looking
for his mate. His mate? When did that happen? He logically knew she was his
mate, Fenrir confirmed it. But he had never thought of her has his. He’d had
one tiny little conversation with her all year! How could she be his? He was so
deep in his thoughts that he didn’t even realize that he was about to bowl his
mate right over and would have if Fenrir hadn’t grabbed the back of his robes
and pulled him back.
“Watch out, pup, there’s a lady in the aisle,” Fenrir lightly growled in his
ear. Draco reddened and straightened himself pulling his cloak free from
Fenrir’s grasp. Granger looked up at the pair of them and raised an eyebrow.
“Granger,” Malfoy said. “Enjoying Hogsmeade?” What? Could I be any more inane?
“Malfoy,” she replied, her voice polite, but her eyes narrowed. “I am. And you?
Who is your friend?”
“Allow me,” Fenrir jumped in and grasped Granger’s hand that had been hanging
at her side. He brushed his lips along her knuckles, the sight of which made a
hot flare of jealousy roil through Draco. “I’m Fenrir Greyback. An associate of
Draco’s.” His voice was deep and melodic. He sounded like he was flirting. Why
is he flirting? The jealousy flared hotter. He bumped Fenrir’s shoulder to get
him to drop Granger’s hand. He growled at Fenrir. Fenrir just raised an eyebrow
at Draco and smirked.
“Associate? Are you also a Death Eater?” Granger asked her voice falsely
innocent.
“Granger!” Draco shouted at her. Was she really this fucking stupid? “That
isn’t a question you ask in polite company.” Fenrir just laughed.
“The pup isn’t a Death Eater, don’t worry about that Miss Granger.” Fenrir
smirked at them both. “I must be on my way, look for my owl tomorrow, Draco.”
Fenrir whirled around and left the shop.
Granger looked questioningly at Draco. “What was that about, Malfoy?”
“I have no idea, he wanted to meet you,” Draco rubbed the back of his neck. He
was not ready to deal with this. But he needed to follow Fenrir’s advice,
ignoring Granger hadn’t worked and the full moon was four days away. He could
feel Reule pacing in the back of his mind.
“Why would he want to meet me?” She asked him. She had moved closer to him, he
didn’t know if it was consciously or not, but he wasn’t going to complain if
she wanted to get closer to him.
“No idea,” Draco muttered again. He leaned forward slightly and breathed deep,
cinnamon, apples, mmm.
“What are you doing, Malfoy?” Granger looked up at him, alarm written on her
face.
“Are you feeling it today, Granger?” He asked her instead of answering her
question. He reached out and tugged one of her curls, then brushed them behind
her ear.
“What is it? I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind,” she admitted, she
leaned closer to him. Looking up at him with her wide brown eyes.
“It’s the bond,” Draco whispered. Her mouth was pursed and as he glanced down
her pink tongue came out and wet her lips. He groaned. That was more erotic
than she probably knew. He leaned down, his breath ghosting over her lips. “May
I?” he whispered.
She nodded and closed her eyes. He pressed his lips to hers. Oh gods, her lips
are so soft. He flicked his tongue against the seam of her lips, tasting her,
wanting her to open up. Her own tongue met his when the bell over the door to
the shop rang, breaking them out of whatever spell had enthralled them both.
She jumped back from him, her eyes wide. “’Mione? You still in here?” He heard
the Weasel call out.
Draco closed his eyes and sighed for a moment. He opened them and Granger was
still looking at him with wonder on her face. She had the fingertips of one
hand pressed to her lips as if she had burnt herself. He bowed slightly to her,
“Granger.” He whirled around and left the store, brushing past Potter and the
Weasel on his way out.
As he walked back to the Three Broomsticks to meet up with Pansy and Blaise he
thought about what Fenrir had said. He felt good about the little kiss he had
shared with Granger. He could feel his bond to her, it was stronger than it had
been. So Fenrir was right about that. The bond had to be renewed. And renewing
the bond would make him feel better. He felt calmer than he had all week and
had really only spent ten minutes with Granger. He would have to make it a
point to continue running into her. They only had a couple of classes together,
but he knew she studied in the library most nights of the week, maybe he’d seek
her out there. He felt better knowing he had some plans in place. Fix the
vanishing cabinet and spend more time with Granger. He could do that. Maybe
this werewolf thing wouldn’t be so bad. He walked into the Three Broomsticks
with a bounce in his step.
===============================================================================
Tonight was the full moon, Draco had been edgy all day, he was just glad it was
Wednesday and he didn’t have any classes with Granger. After their kiss on
Saturday he was pretty sure he wasn’t going to be able to control himself
around her. Fenrir was meeting him at the Shrieking Shack and Snape was
planning to walk him out there. He was due at Snape’s office at promptly at
seven this evening.
“Draco, where are you off to?” Blaise asked him as he passed by on his way out
of the common room to meet Snape. Fuck, I did not think this through.Draco ran
a hand through his hair and turned to look at his friend.
“I have an appointment with our Head of House, I’ll be back later,” he gave
Blaise a tight smile and rushed out of the common room before any other
questions could be asked. He knew he would eventually have to figure out
something to tell his friends, they weren’t completely thick. They would figure
out something was going on, and if any of them were still taking astronomy they
would catch on rather quickly.
He berated himself on his way to Snape’s office for not thinking about
something to tell his friends. He also needed to have a chat with Snape about
spilling secrets to Fenrir. While he was a little relieved that the Dumbledore
thing was mostly out of his hands, he did not appreciate being talked about
behind his back, or worse, coddled. He knocked on Snape’s office door and it
clicked open after a moment. Draco pushed it all the way open and shut the door
behind him. He stood before Snape’s desk. Snape was marking papers, not looking
at Draco. He waved him to take one of the seats in front of his desk. Draco sat
stiffly, waiting for Snape to look at him. When he continued marking for
several minutes, Draco cleared his throat. Snape still ignored him. Finally,
Draco couldn’t hold it in, he exploded.
“Listen, Snape, you…”
“Professor Snape,” Snape interjected blandly finally looking up at Draco, his
left eyebrow raised.
Draco glared at him, “Professor Snape,” he bit out. “I don’t have time to wait
on you, unless you want a werewolf in your office, I suggest we get going. And
while we’re talking about werewolves, what in the bleeding hell do you think
you are doing talking to Fenrir behind my back?” Draco’s hands were clenched
and his cheeks began to redden with anger.
Snape snorted, “I think I am your godfather, I’ve taken an oath to protect you,
do you forget? I will do what is necessary to protect my godson.”
Draco huffed, “It’s not like you ever act like my godfather, how in the
bleeding fuck am I supposed to know you’re acting as a godfather and not one of
the Dark Lord’s minions?”
Snape arched his eyebrow again. He folded his hands on his desk and leveled
Draco with a stare. “Draco, just because I am a loyal follower of the Dark
Lord, does not mean that I won’t do what I can to protect you. I made a binding
oath to your parents on your name day. That oath still holds, despite the oath
I’ve made to the Dark Lord. Besides, you are not a killer. You need help with
this task. You should be thanking me.”
Draco growled at Snape, he knew he was right, but that didn’t mean he would
have to admit it. He threw up his hands and paced toward the door. “We should
get going.” He pulled the door open and walked out into the hallway.
Snape got up from his desk and followed. They were silent as they left the
castle and walked out onto the grounds. It was late September, so the sun was
just beginning to set and had the castle and grounds lit in a golden-red light.
When they reached the Whomping Willow, Snape froze the tree and then walked up
and hit a knot at the base of it. That opened the trapdoor and Draco nodded at
Snape before hopping down into the tunnel. Snape didn’t follow.
Draco proceeded to the Shrieking Shack, when he pushed the trap door up on the
other end of the tunnel he could hear voices. Definitely Fenrir and he wasn’t
sure on the others.
“Draco! Finally, we were worried we would miss you,” Mingan said as Draco
climbed through the trapdoor. He looked around, in addition to Fenrir and
Mingan, Seff and Rand were also both there.
“Seff! Rand! Good to see you both,” Draco called. Seff bounced over and gave
him a hug, surprising Draco into a laugh. Rand slapped him on the back a couple
of times, grinning at him.
“Pack’s missed you, pup,” Fenrir told him. At that point, the sun sank below
the horizon. All five wolves felt a shudder roll through them that meant the
change was close. They began stripping so as not to tear their clothes. This
was only Draco’s third change, so it still took him by surprise. He was in
agony as his hands grew fur and his bones each broke and regrew into a new
shape. Once he was finally done, several minutes later, he could feel that
Reule hadn’t shoved him back as he had before.
“When are you going to make a move on our mate?” Reule asked him.
Our mate? Draco questioned, he had grudgingly accepted that Granger was his
mate, but how did Reule fit into that?
“Yes, our mate. We’re the same, Fenrir’s told you that. She’s ours. If you
don’t make a move, and make one soon. I will.”
What does that mean, that you’ll make a move? You can only take over during the
full moon. Draco was pretty sure that was correct. He just heard Reule laughing
as he was shoved into the back corner. He had a tiny window that he could see
what was going on, but nothing else and he was stuck for the rest of the night.
===============================================================================
Sunlight was filtering through a very dirty window, shining right into Draco’s
right eye. He groaned and rolled over. That’s when he realized he was naked and
lying on the floor. What happened? Oh, full moon. That’s what happened. He sat
up and could see the other four werewolves were slowly stirring for the day as
well. He scrubbed his hands down his face, trying to wake himself up. Seff was
the first off the ground, he went around and offered a hand to everyone else.
He patted Draco on the back after helping him to his feet. Draco found his pile
of clothes from the night before and gingerly started dressing. He didn’t think
he’d ever get used to the change.
“Alright, pup, we’re off. Write me this week, we still need to discuss your
mate,” Fenrir told him and pulled him into a hug. Draco hugged him back, he
didn’t want to, but he knew he would miss his Alpha and his pack. He shook
hands with Mingan and Rand thanking them for spending their full moon with him
in a dingy shack. Seff gave him a hug and pat on the back. Draco then headed to
the trapdoor and the tunnel back to Hogwarts.
Snape was waiting for him at the end of the tunnel, he offered him a hand as he
clambered up and beyond the magically frozen Whomping Willow. Snape waved his
hand and the tree shivered as if caught in a cold breeze and began moving
again. Snape led him back to the castle, the further they walked, the slower
Draco got. How had he never noticed how huge Hogwarts grounds and castle was?
Finally they were at the infirmary.
“Madam Pomfrey knows and is under strict patient confidentiality rules, she’s
the only other person other than me in Hogwarts who is aware of your
condition,” Snape muttered to him as they stood outside the infirmary doors.
Draco nodded and pushed the doors open.
“Oh, you poor dear, come here, come here,” Madam Pomfrey waved him over to a
bed, she had the sheets pulled down and the side table held several potions
bottles and a full English breakfast.
“Eat, Mr. Malfoy, eat, then take each of these potions and sleep. I’ll pull the
curtain for privacy, dear.” She proceeded to run diagnostics while he ate. She
seemed satisfied with what she found and patted his shoulder, pulling the
curtains closed. Once he had eaten his fill and drank his potions, he promptly
passed out.
===============================================================================
When he woke up, he could tell it was evening based on how the light came
through the huge windows at the end of the ward. He coughed and made to sit up.
“Here, let me,” a quiet voice said next to him. He wasn’t expecting anyone to
be there, and turned and stared into the warm brown eyes of Granger. He
breathed deep, inhaling her intoxicating scent, just having her near him calmed
him, and he felt more relaxed. She moved the pillows behind him so he could sit
easier and poured him a glass of water.
“How long have you been here?” he asked, sipping at his water glass. She sat
back down in her chair and folded her hands on her lap.
“Since you didn’t show up for any classes or meals, I came by after dinner.
It’s just ended,” she replied.
“Why are you here?” he asked. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer, but
he felt like he needed to hear it.
“Is this what you meant when you said you had a ‘hell of a summer’?” She asked
in reply. He didn’t know what she meant. Surely she hadn’t figured out that he
was a werewolf. Had she?
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Granger,” he began and she cut him
off.
“It’s the day after the full moon, Malfoy.” She was calm as could be, he
couldn’t read anything off of her.
“Thanks for the astronomy lesson,” he snarked.
Granger huffed, “Listen, Malfoy, I came by with your assignments because you
weren’t in class. Do you want them?”
Draco was confused, he thought they were talking about something else, and she
was offering him her notes? What was going on?
“Sure, I’ll take them,” Draco said slowly. Granger dug through her bag and
handed a copy of her notes to him for each of his classes for the day. She
stood to leave then.
“I’ll give them to you next month too,” she said over her shoulder as she
pulled his curtain aside and walked out of the infirmary.
Draco stared after her, his mouth hanging open. How in the bleeding hell had
she figured out he was a werewolf so fast? He knew she was clever, she beat him
in every class, but there had only been one full moon this year! She shouldn’t
have been able to figure it out so quickly. He knew she could keep her mouth
shut, she had about her little club with Potter and Weasel last year. He just
hoped that she would keep her mouth shut about him too.
***** Chapter 9 *****
The  first few weeks of Hermione’s sixth year were about as normal as they
could be. Harry was still obsessing over Malfoy, but Malfoy’s movements were
normal. He wasn’t wandering the castle at odd times or acting furtive at all.
Despite the evidence, Harry was convinced that something fishy was going on.
It didn’t help that Hermione couldn’t get Malfoy out of her mind since the
incident on the train. What had he meant by having changed over the summer? She
was watching him almost as much as Harry was. She couldn’t figure him out. He
stayed out of their way and he didn’t even bother insulting Harry and Ron. He
was still a prat, he had broken Harry’s nose on the train, but he hadn’t called
her a name or been mean to her at all. It was a puzzle.
She walked to Hogsmeade with Harry and Ron, it was a glorious fall day. The sun
was shining and it was warm, leaves were occasionally falling from the trees
that lined the grounds and village.  A perfect day , Hermione thought. She
linked her arms with Ron and Harry as they chatted happily about the places
they wanted to visit in the village.
“I need to go to Tomes and Scrolls,” Hermione told them. “I have a book on
order and I’d like to browse their new section.”
“I’m shocked, Hermione Granger  needs  to go to a bookstore,” Ron teased
laughing with Harry.
“So funny, Ronald,” Hermione huffed at them both, until Harry started tickling
her ribs and she laughed. She was so happy Harry was in a good mood today. They
were few and far between, and since Malfoy hadn’t been acting very suspicious,
he seemed to have even relaxed a bit on that front. She grinned as they entered
the village and headed to Honeydukes. She needed more Sugar Quills, they were
her guilty pleasure. They browsed Honeydukes for a while before making their
purchases and moving on. She was in such a good mood that she even went into
Quality Quidditch Supplies with the boys. Usually that was the point they would
split up, but she was relishing being with her friends today.
When they had finished at Quality Quidditch Supplies, Hermione bid Harry and
Ron goodbye as she went into Tomes and Scrolls. She promised them she would be
quick. They were planning to meet at Three Broomsticks in a while for a
butterbeer and some lunch.
She wandered through the aisles of Tomes and Scrolls, breathing deeply the
smell of new books and old parchment. It was one of her favorite smells. She
was dimly aware of the door bell tinkling, signaling that another patron had
entered the shop. She was in the new arrivals section browsing for a new book
on Arithmancy. The longer she studied the subject, the more fascinated she
became. She was even considering getting her mastery and making a career of it.
She had found an Arithmancy book and was reading the back cover when she
noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. She looked up and saw Malfoy and
someone she didn’t know heading her way. Malfoy’s friend was huge, he stood
half a head taller than Malfoy, who was tall to begin with, and he was so broad
at the shoulder she wondered if he had to sidle through doorways sideways.
“Watch out, pup, there’s a lady in the aisle,” the stranger told Malfoy.
Interestingly, Malfoy got bright red when he looked up and saw her. Hermione
was amused at his apparent embarrassment and raised an eyebrow at them. She
breathed deeply,  oh, there it was . She had been smelling an elusive scent at
Hogwarts for weeks now, it was always just out of range. But now with Malfoy
and this stranger standing in front of her it was strong and she could finally
identify it. It smelled like spring grass, fresh parchment, spearmint
toothpaste, and home.  That’s strange, why does Malfoy smell like home?  She
realized that Malfoy had just spoken her name. He had to be playing some kind
of trick on her, she narrowed her eyes at him.  Why does he care about whether
I’m enjoying Hogsmeade? What is going on with him?
“Malfoy. I am. And you? Who is your friend?” She asked him, pulling the
Arithmancy book close to her chest with one arm.
“Allow me,” the stranger said. He grabbed her other hand and gave it a light
kiss along her knuckles. He must have had a static charge built up and he
shocked her as his lips touched her knuckles. “I’m Fenrir Greyback. An
associate of Draco’s.” He told her, still holding her hand. His eyes were dark
and fierce and his voice was melodic and smooth. Fenrir Greyback? Where had she
heard that name before? She knew she didn’t know him, had never met him, but
the name was familiar. That was when Fenrir abruptly dropped her hand because
Malfoy rammed him with his shoulder. Did Malfoy just growl?
“Associate? Are you also a Death Eater?” she asked. She was trying to get a
rise out of them both. This was one of the oddest exchanges she had had in the
wizarding world. Something was up and she wanted to get to the bottom of it.
Malfoy shouted at her then, telling her she wasn’t fit for polite company. Ah,
here are the insults. This she could handle, she was used to insults. Greyback
laughed at Malfoy’s reaction and spoke up.
“The pup isn’t a Death Eater, don’t worry about that Miss Granger. I must be on
my way, look for my owl tomorrow, Draco.” He gave a short bow and left the shop
in a whirl of robes. Pup? What a weird nickname. What is going on?
“What was that about, Malfoy?” She asked looking up at him. When she locked
eyes with him she could feel something pulling at her.  Oh, he does smell
incredible , she thought not for the first time. She missed part of what Malfoy
was saying because she was concentrating on his smell, and the heat pouring off
of him. She moved closer, not realizing it.
“He wanted to meet you.” Malfoy rubbed the back of his neck.  Was he nervous?
“Why would he want to meet me?” She moved closer again, trying to keep her
voice down. She had a sudden thought that she had been gone too long from Harry
and Ron and they would come looking for her. Malfoy muttered something under
his breath and tilted his face towards hers.
“What are you doing, Malfoy?” she asked. This was not normal. Not normal at
all. Malfoy wasn’t nice to her, he didn’t go around introducing her to his
“associates” let alone his friends. And he certainly didn’t get looks like this
on his face. He looked like he wanted to kiss her!  Oh, I bet he tastes as good
as he smells. Wait, what? Where did that come from.  She shook her head, trying
to focus.
“Are you feeling it today, Granger?” he asked her. He reached one long fingered
hand toward her face, she thought he was going to touch her cheek but he must
have thought better of it and pulled a curl instead. Then he brushed her curls
behind her shoulder. She breathed his smell in, it was exhilarating. She
couldn’t think straight, she realized she did want him to kiss her.  Why would
I want that?  This was the longest exchange they had ever had in six years of
knowing each other and suddenly she wanted to snog?  What is wrong with me?
“What  is  it? I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind,” she leaned
closer and locked eyes with him. His pupils were blown wide,  no way he’s on
drugs. Is he? Aroused?
“It’s the bond,” he whispered to her.  Bond? What bond?  She couldn’t
understand. What was he talking about? He leaned closer and his breath swept
over her face,  spearmint toothpaste.  “May I?” he asked. She nodded and closed
her eyes without thinking. He pressed his lips so gently to hers that at first
she didn’t think he was even touching her. When his hand dived to the back of
her neck to hold her there is when she realized he was kissing her and his
tongue was seeking entrance. She opened her mouth and darted her own tongue out
to meet his as the kiss deepened. She didn’t even hear the bell ring, but
suddenly Malfoy stepped back from her and she jumped back, startled.
“’Mione? You still in here?” Ron called out. Her lips were tingling, she raised
her hand to cover them and looked at Malfoy in wonderment. What was that? She
couldn’t say she regretted it. It had been an wonderful kiss, maybe even too
short. She wanted another go.  What? What is going on with me? Since when do I
want to kiss Malfoy?
“Granger,” he said farewell with a bow and left the store. She stood there a
moment more until Harry and Ron walked down the aisle.
“There you are!” Harry called. “Didn’t you hear us calling for you?”
“Hi Harry, Ron. Sorry, I was reading this new Arithmancy book,” she said
vaguely, and turned the book around to show them. She knew as soon as she
started talking school they would tune her out.
“That’s great, ready to go to the Three Broomsticks?” Ron asked. Hermione
nodded and headed to the counter to pick up her book on hold and purchase the
Arithmancy book. She was still puzzling over Malfoy. Why couldn’t she stop
thinking about him? And what had been the deal with Fenrir Greyback? Why was
that name familiar to her? She was going to have to do some thinking. If only
she could remember who Fenrir Greyback was, she would be able put some of the
pieces together. She made her purchases and followed the boys to the pub for a
butterbeer.
===============================================================================
 
The evening of the Hogsmeade trip Hermione had received a letter from Remus
Lupin. She wrote him regularly - he was a trusted adult, willing to write back,
and he had the time for her. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were lovely, but they had
seven kids to worry after and she didn’t want to bother them. She and Remus
discussed everything from magical theory to wizarding world history and
etiquette. Remus was able to tell her things she wouldn’t know about because
she was a muggleborn.
She also wrote him to discuss Harry. Since Sirius’ death a few months ago, she
had been increasingly worried. Remus was his last link to his parents and she
wanted both Harry and Remus to stay in contact with each other. They needed
each other, whether they realized it or not. Maybe Remus will know who Fenrir
Greyback is? She had just completed her letter back to him when she had that
thought. She added a postscript asking Remus if he had ever heard of someone
with that name and headed to the owlery to send her letter off. Hopefully she
would be getting an answer from him soon, before Dumbledore sent him out on
Order business again.
The rest of the weekend was a flurry of homework, and then it was Monday again.
They had double potions with the Slytherins first thing on Mondays. Potions was
a class that Hermione had typically looked forward to, despite Professor
Snape’s poor treatment of Gryffindors, particularly of her, Ron, and Harry.
Hermione didn’t have much of a knack for potions, but she was fascinated by the
subject. She had to work hard to maintain a good grade in that class, and that
didn’t change with Professor Slughorn now teaching potions. Harry had found a
book, apparently owned by someone calling themselves the “Half-Blood Prince”,
whatever that meant. It seemed like a brilliant potions manual, allegedly
improving upon many of the recipes. Harry was beating Hermione in potions and
she could hardly stand it. She had tried telling him to not trust a book, look
what happened to Ginny back in second year! She had shouted at him one night.
Harry had brushed it off, insisting he was just following the updated
directions on potions, not anything else. That is, except for the  Muffliato
spell, but that was dead useful. Even Hermione could agree to that, despite her
feelings of unease about the whole situation.
When they walked into the potions room, Professor Slughorn had three cauldrons
set up in the front, each had a potion in it. Professor Slughorn called on the
class, asking if anyone knew what any of the potions were. Hermione raised her
hand, she recognized them as Draught of Living Death, Amortentia, and
Veritaserum. Professor Slughorn talked a bit about each of the potions, then he
asked Hermione to smell Amortentia and tell the class what she thought it
smelled like. He told them that it would smell differently to each of them.
“It smells like fresh parchment, spring grass, spearmint toothpaste, and-”
Professor Slughorn cut her off.
“Excellent, Miss Granger, excellent! Ten points to Gryffindor,” he continued on
with his lecture, then had the class make the Draught of Living Death. Hermione
had a bit of trouble with her potion, Harry’s was perfect of course, due to the
Half-Blood Prince’s instructions. In the end she was able to finish the potion
with an Acceptable.
While she was brewing she concentrated fully on the potion. But now that it was
lunchtime she thought over what Professor Slughorn had said about Amortentia.
He said it would smell like your “true love”, she hadn’t finished what she was
going to say in the classroom and she was glad that Professor Slughorn had
stopped her. She had been awfully close to saying Malfoy’s name, because the
other scent she smelled in the Amortentia had been the smell of Malfoy’s
cologne.  Was this because of the kiss they had shared? How did one kiss make
Malfoy her true love? It didn’t make sense . She hadn’t been able to stop
thinking about him and the kiss they shared most of the weekend. She had so
many questions and not near enough answers.  What bond had Malfoy been talking
about? And why did Fenrir Greyback call him a pup? Who was Fenrir Greyback? Who
was he to Malfoy? Why did he want to meet her?
She let out a low growl of frustration. Hopefully Remus knew who Fenrir
Greyback was and would reply to her quickly. She felt that this Fenrir Greyback
was the key to unraveling the mystery with Malfoy.  Gods, I hope this thing
with Malfoy is temporary.  She didn’t even want to begin to contemplate the
ramifications if Malfoy turned out to be her one “true love”. How messed up was
that? She wasn’t even sure she believed in this “true love” nonsense. Pure-
blood king of Slytherin himself, meant to be with her? The idea was laughable,
absurd even. And yet, that kiss had been divine. Hermione wasn’t overly
experienced, but she had been kissed by a few different boys. And none of them
had felt like Malfoy’s kiss had. She had also never obsessed over another boy
like she had been obsessing over Malfoy the last few weeks.
===============================================================================
A few days later, Hermione had received a reply from Remus and everything
clicked into place. Fenrir Greyback was the werewolf that bit Remus. Which
meant he called Malfoy pup because he had probably bit Malfoy. And that could
explain why he wasn’t a Death Eater yet, because he had either been assigned a
different role or something. She hadn’t quite worked that part out yet. Remus
was curious as to why Hermione was asking about Greyback. She didn’t want to
worry him, so she planned to tell Remus she had heard one of the Slytherins was
talking about him in the hallway. The timing was good, it was a full moon
tonight, so she would just have to see if Malfoy showed up in any of their
classes or for meals tomorrow. If he didn’t, he was probably a werewolf.
So what did that have to do with a bond? There wasn’t much written on
werewolves, she had scoured the library back in third year when she figured out
that Remus was a werewolf. All she had found was the same dry facts touted in
her Defense book. There had been more written about Veela’s and Vampires than
she could find about werewolves. She had asked Remus a few years ago, but he
hadn’t known any more than her. From what she remembered, Remus had said that
Greyback was a very angry man. He had said that Greyback’s goal was to create a
werewolf army so large that it would be able to overthrow the wizarding world.
Hermione shuddered at the thought. Werewolves during the full moon were
terrifying creatures. She remembered all too well in her third year when Remus
had lost track of time and turned. Had Greyback’s goals changed? What would
have made them change? While some of her questions were answered, she just had
more.
There was nothing for it, she would have to wait and see what happened
tomorrow. She didn’t have any classes with Malfoy today, so she only saw him at
meal times and was too far away to see if he looked as tired as Remus usually
did before a full moon. After dinner, she spent some time in the common room
with Harry and Ron before heading up to the girls dorm to get ready for bed.
She liked to get up to her dorm well before Lavender and Parvati came up, it
gave her time to dress in peace and take her potions without any more
questions. She had about another month of potions to take and as long as she
was cleared by Madam Pomfrey, she’d be done. She couldn’t wait to be done. It
felt like she had been on potions half her life, when it had only been half a
year. Still, she should be thankful she was alive. Madam Pomfrey and Professor
Snape still weren’t able to identify what curse she had been hit with.
Professor Snape assumed it was a curse Dolohov had created himself. Which meant
there was likely no known counter-curse.
===============================================================================
The day after the full moon dawned bright and clear. It was a completely normal
day in all respects, except that Malfoy wasn’t in any of her classes. She was
pretty sure this confirmed her suspicion of him being bitten by Greyback over
the summer. She planned to go to the infirmary after dinner and see if he was
there. Remus usually slept most of the day away, only rising at dusk. Hermione
assumed it would be similar for Malfoy.
After dinner was over, she told Harry and Ron she had to run an errand and
she’d meet them in the common room. She copied her notes for the day with the
Geminio  charm. When she entered the infirmary, Madam Pomfrey wasn’t in sight,
but there was a curtain pulled at a far bed. She peeked behind it and found
Malfoy sleeping peacefully. She sat down in the chair beside the bed to wait
for him to wake up. She hoped she would be able to get at least a few answers
out of him.
It had only been a few minutes when he started to stir. She stood quickly and
helped him into a sitting position, moving some pillows around and pouring him
a glass of water.
“How long have you been here?” His voice was hoarse, probably a combination of
sleeping all day and screaming during the change. She had only ever seen Remus
change once, but it had looked incredibly painful. And if she was right, Malfoy
had only been a werewolf for a couple of months. He was probably not used to it
yet. Despite the rough night he clearly had, he was still Malfoy, which meant
he was good to look at. His hair was brushed back from his face and was longer
than it had been the last time she was this close to him. It was getting to be
just below his ears. It looked soft and silky. The exact opposite of her own
hair, she wondered what it would feel like to touch it.
She told him that dinner had just ended and that she noticed he wasn’t present
for any classes or meals during the day. She wanted to see what he would say to
that. Would he try to lie to her? He evaded instead.
“Why are you here?”
She wasn’t going to let him get away with evading her that easily. “Is this
what you meant when you said you had a ‘hell of a summer’?” Clearly, she needed
to be more direct with him.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Granger,” Malfoy started, but she cut
him off.
“It’s the day after the full moon, Malfoy,” she worked hard to keep her voice
calm and her face blank. He snarked back at her about an astronomy lesson.
That’s when she lost her patience. She offered him a copy of her notes from the
day in a huff. If he wasn’t going to have a productive conversation with her,
she wasn’t going to stick around.
She handed him her notes and stood to leave. Before she walked through the
curtain she faced him again. “I’ll give them to you next month too.” And walked
out of the infirmary.
She couldn’t be more clear than that without outright calling him a werewolf.
Hopefully, he would figure that out and they could have a conversation in the
next few days. He looked surprisingly better than she had expected him to look.
Maybe it’s because he was younger than Remus? Or a younger werewolf as it were?
If she and Draco ever progressed their relationship far enough, she’d have to
ask him about that.
Relationship? Hermione, you daft bint. You don’t have a relationship with him!
You snogged once! Once! That doesn’t make a relationship!  She scolded to
herself as she walked back to the common room. What was she doing? Giving
Malfoy her notes? Why? I mean, she would do it for anyone else, but why Malfoy?
Why could she not get him off her brain?
She stomped into the common room with a growl in her throat. She couldn’t
figure out Malfoy, she couldn’t figure out why she cared about Malfoy, and she
couldn’t figure out how she could stop thinking about Malfoy. She thought about
him almost as much as she thought about her homework. Almost.
===============================================================================
The week after the first full moon of the new year found Hermione on prefect
rounds with Hannah Abbott, one of the Hufflepuff prefects. They were chatting
quietly as they finished up. It was their last sweep, and it was almost curfew
for the fifth, sixth, and seventh year students. Hannah and Hermione parted
ways at the Entrance Hall to head back to their respective common rooms.
Hermione only had ten minutes to hoof it up to the seventh floor and the
entrance of the Gryffindor common room. She was thinking about a difficult
Arithmancy homework problem from Professor Vector and didn’t notice that a
classroom door had opened up halfway down the fifth floor hallway.
Suddenly a hand reached out and grasped her right arm. She was pulled into an
unused classroom and the door banged shut loudly behind her. She whipped out
her wand and had it under the chin of the person still holding her arm. The
grip was firm, but not crushing. She shook her head to clear the hair from her
eyes and found herself looking into Malfoy’s silvery eyes. He was gripping her
with his left hand, and his right hand was palm up, showing her he wasn’t
armed. She pulled herself away from him and lowered her wand.
“What can I do for you, Malfoy? It’s almost curfew,” she told him as she backed
away toward the door. She wasn’t sure what she was feeling at the moment.
Apprehension at the look in his eyes certainly, maybe even a little fear.  Had
he grown again?  He looked so much bigger standing there in front of her than
he had last week in the hospital bed. He pulled out his wand and with a
muttered  Lumos  the torches on the walls lit up.
“Granger, you aren’t stupid. You know what I am.” It wasn’t a question.
Hermione raised her eyebrow at him.  He wanted to be blunt today, did he?  She
nodded, but didn’t elaborate.
Malfoy stared her down like he was waiting for her to comment. She pursed her
lips and crossed her arms. She was getting impatient with him as he studied
her. Finally, he spoke.
“Do you know what a mate is to a werewolf?” She frowned at him.  Now, why was
he asking her that?  She knew he was a werewolf. He had just confirmed it.
Does he have a mate? Was  she  his mate?
“I don’t. I’m not sure I want to know why you are asking me that question,” she
replied. She wanted him to admit it, if she was his mate. That had to explain
his behavior, right? He hadn’t been mean to her all year, and a week ago they
had kissed. Kissed! She still couldn’t believe she had kissed Draco Malfoy,
Slytherin extraordinaire, the pure-blood prince himself!
Malfoy groaned and ran his hands through his hair. She could feel the
frustration pouring off of him in waves. He paced the room for a few minutes,
he almost seemed to be arguing with himself about something.
“Malfoy, clearly something is going on that involves me. Tell me what it is. I
have a right to know.” She thought if she laid out the terms to him, maybe that
would make up his mind and he would start explaining. When he started talking,
he surprised her.
“Werewolves only get one mate. Did you know that? If a werewolf is even lucky
enough to find his mate. My pack has nineteen wolves in it, and only Fenrir has
ever had a mate. Out of nineteen wolves, one has found his mate. Until me. I’m
barely a werewolf, I’ve had three transformations. I’m still a pup. And here I
am with a mate.” He chuckled a bit to himself. “And the funny thing is,
Granger? I don’t even mind that it’s you. With everything else going on this
year, I don’t mind that it’s you.” He stopped pacing and looked at her. His
arms hanging at his sides like he didn’t know what to do next.
Hermione felt sorry for him. He sounded so frustrated and confused. She
couldn’t imagine having her life turned so upside down in the span of one
summer. At the beginning of the summer, he was a normal sixteen year old kid,
and now he was a werewolf! And apparently, she was his mate?  What did that
mean?
“Alright, you get one mate. And I’m it. What does that mean? What does it mean
for you and what does it mean for me?” She asked him. She walked to the front
of the room and cast a  Scourgify  at the teacher’s desk and sat on it. Then
she locked the room and cast a  Muffliato  on the room. It seemed they might be
there for a while and it wouldn’t do to be caught out of their common rooms
after curfew.
Malfoy sighed and sat next to her on the desk. “It means that no matter what
happens, I’m going to be driven instinctually to want you, to protect you, to
be with you. It’s not something I can help according to the elders in the pack.
My pack. It’s been hell trying to stay away from you since start of term.”
Hermione was surprised by his candor. She didn’t think he would be so honest
with her. “Ok, so it’s instinct driven. And since you are a werewolf you’re
basically ruled by your instincts, correct?”
Malfoy nodded, he was looking at her intensely. Like he wanted to kiss her
again. She thought she might want to kiss him again too, but she needed more
answers.
“Is this like a forever thing? You won’t want anybody else?”
Malfoy nodded again and looked down at his feet. She thought about that. She
didn’t really know Malfoy. She knew of him, Slytherin, pureblood, prat. But she
didn’t know what he liked to do, what subjects were his favorite, his favorite
color, what kind of girls he liked, things like that. How was she supposed to
make a decision like this? Could she even make a decision like this?
“Look, this is weird and I don’t really understand what it even is. Before this
term, I hadn’t really ever thought about you. I mean, I did when you were being
rude, and you pick on Harry a lot, but not beyond that. You weren’t on my
radar. So, I’m not really sure where you want us to go from here. I will admit
that since the run in on the train, I’ve had a hard time getting you out of my
head.” She looked up at him then, trying to catch his eye.
“It’s the bond,” he told her quietly.
“You said that before, what bond?” She was curious. There wasn’t much written
about werewolves, but they had to have their own culture and traditions, right?
“The mate bond, it works both ways. As soon as I smelled you on the train - my
sense of smell is off the charts since my first change - I knew you were my
mate. It activated a bond, and when you smelled me for the first time, it
reciprocated, just a little bit. And then, when we kissed last weekend,” he
smirked at her, “that renewed the bond. It’s like a marriage bond-”
“What?!” A marriage bond? She couldn’t be married, she was only seventeen for
Merlin’s sake!
Malfoy laughed, “No, we aren’t married, Granger. I mean the bond is similar to
a marriage bond, each interaction we have, strengthens and renews the bond.
When the bond is strong, you’ll feel it, and you’ll feel me. That’s not really
the right word, but you’ll be more attracted to me, according to Fenrir
anyway.”
“So, by sitting here, chatting with you, we’re renewing the bond?” Hermione bit
her lip in thought. She could handle that. Chatting was easy and relatively
harmless.
“Yes, ‘chatting’ will renew the bond. But my wolf has demanded that I make a
move toward you, he will want to get physical.” He was looking at her intensely
again. Like he wanted to kiss her.
“Your wolf?” She asked. She knew Remus called his ‘wolf side’, Moony. But she
thought that was just a nickname for Remus himself. What did Malfoy mean by
‘his wolf’? He made it sound like it was a different person or entity? How did
that work? This discussion was becoming fascinating.
“Yes, my wolf. His name is Reule. Your personality splits when you’re bit. And
the feral, animal side of you becomes your wolf, while the human side stays
you. It’s complicated and hard to explain. But I’m working on reconciling the
two halves. Apparently, that’s the best way to live as a werewolf. Reconcile
with your wolfy-self and you’ll be a better, happier werewolf.” Malfoy huffed a
laugh at that last bit. It startled a laugh out of Hermione as well. That made
sense, she could even see why Remus was so tortured. He had never made peace
with his wolf, with Moony.
“Reule, huh? Doesn’t that mean ‘famous wolf’ in French?” Hermione asked,
quirking an eyebrow up at him.
Malfoy laughed again and rubbed the back of his neck a bit sheepishly. “I am a
Malfoy.” That pronouncement made Hermione giggle.  A wolfy Malfoy , she
thought.
“So, this Reule, wants to make a move? Can he make you, make a move? Or is he
only allowed out during the full moon?”
“I’m not sure. I would have said that he can’t make me and he can only be out
during the full moon, but I suspect that if I were to ignore him and his
direction long enough, he would figure out a way to come to the forefront of
our mind.”
“I see. This is a lot to take in, Malfoy.” She was still thinking furiously at
what all of this meant. She had a mate. A true love? And it was Draco Malfoy.
And he was a werewolf. And he was going to be driven by his instincts to want
to be with her, to mate with her. She shook her head at that thought. She
didn’t want to go too deep down that path.
“Draco, call me Draco. Hermione.” She shivered at the sound of her name on his
tongue. It sounded delicious coming out of his mouth.
“Draco, then. What do you expect me to do with this information? You say we
aren’t married, but that you won’t want anyone else. And that you’ll be driven
to want me and to protect me. How does that work? We’re practically at war, and
the last time I checked, we were on different sides of that war.” She said this
in a serious tone. It was a concern, Harry Potter was her best friend after
all. She didn’t know the full details, but it sounded like Draco had been
pushed into being a werewolf, not chosen it. Which means someone made him do
it. His father was in Azkaban and she couldn’t imagine Lucius Malfoy being
pleased that his son was now a werewolf.
“I don’t know where that leaves us. I don’t know how this works. Believe me,
Granger, if I had a choice, I would not have chosen to deal with this mate
business this year. Or any year. I wouldn’t have chosen to become a werewolf.
Did you know this is my punishment for my father’s failures at the Department
of Mysteries?” Hermione raised her eyebrow at him. She had suspected, but
hadn’t been sure. And she was surprised he was bringing up the Department of
Mysteries fiasco. The last time it came up, he had gotten very upset.
“My father, sits on his arse in Azkaban, while I have the Dark Lord and his
minions living in my house, including my bat-shite Aunt Bella, my mother is
practically under house arrest, and now I’m a fucking werewolf.” Draco had
stood up from the teacher's desk and began pacing again. He kicked a chair over
in his rage, Hermione hadn’t been expecting it and squeaked at the clatter.
Draco looked up then, he was breathing heavy and his hands were clenched at his
sides. As she stared at him, with wide eyes, she could feel the rage pour off
of him, he stalked toward her. She was still sitting on the teacher’s desk and
shrank back, trying to make herself smaller, it was an unconscious movement. He
placed his hands flat on either side of her on the desk and leaned down. His
mouth was parted, and he was panting as he asked, “May I?” He leaned close his
mouth just a few centimeters from hers.
She nodded and in that moment he was kissing her. He moved one hand to her
waist and pulled her to the edge of the desk as the other one cupped the back
of her neck, tilting her head to a better angle. He slanted his mouth over hers
and dipped his tongue to taste her lips. She gasped at the feel and he took
advantage, gliding his tongue forward and into her mouth. Their tongues tangled
and fought for dominance. Her own hands reached up to clutch at the back of his
head,  his hair  is  silky,  she thought. He changed the kiss up, now it was
slower, with more languid strokes of his tongue. His hand was making small
circles at her waist and he slid her forward even more, her legs parted and he
put a knee between them, pushing them apart even farther. She wrapped her legs
around his. Holding him close to her.
Suddenly his mouth was gone and she could feel his hot breath at her ear,
“Hermione,” he growled. She moaned in response and her hips bucked toward his
as he nipped her earlobe and down her neck. He sucked on the skin where her
neck met her shoulder and she shuddered. He was going to leave a mark, but she
didn’t care. As long as he kept touching her, kept kissing her, she didn’t
care. Her hips bucked again, and this time, his responded. She could feel his
hard length pressed against her, heat pooled in her belly.
“Oh, gods,” she moaned as he licked up her neck and to her ear again.
“I want you,” he panted in her ear, pushing his hand underneath her jumper to
find bare skin at her waist. Hermione’s hips bucked a third time at that
pronouncement. She never thought talking dirty would be such a turn on. She
grabbed the back of his head and directed his lips back to hers. She needed to
taste him again,  spearmint toothpaste, he tastes like spearmint toothpaste.
She took control of this kiss, and he let her, he let go of the back of her
neck and dropped his other hand to her waist, pushing and pulling her jumper
up. His hands danced along her waist and abdomen and lower back, drawing
nonsense patterns.
Suddenly, they heard a commotion in the hall and Draco jumped back from her. He
spun toward the door and had his wand pointed at it, standing in front of
Hermione so that she couldn’t even see the door. They heard Peeves cackling and
Filch cursing through the  Muffliato  that had started to wear off as Hermione
had gotten lost in Draco’s kisses.
“It’s after curfew, Draco,” Hermione said, smoothing down her jumper and
pushing at Draco’s back so she could stand up. Draco turned back toward her,
pocketing his wand.
“You should get back to your common room so you aren’t caught out after
curfew,” he told her. “I’ll walk you there.”
“Walking me to my dorm will only get you caught, if not by Filch or a
professor, than by a Gryffindor. It’s only two floors up, I can get there by
myself.”
She could see him clench his jaw like he was about to argue and then he shook
his head like he thought better of it.
“Alright, goodnight, Hermione.” He leaned down and gave her a small kiss to her
cheek, brushing her hair behind her shoulders as he did so. And then he was
gone, through the classroom door and to his own dorm.
Hermione took a couple of deep breaths. She was sure she was bright red and her
lips were swollen from snogging.  Gods, what has gotten into me?  She didn’t
normally lose her head like she had tonight. Draco had given her a lot of
information. She was going to have to take the time to think about it all and
about it’s implications in her life. Maybe she could ask some very general
questions in her next letter to Remus? She didn’t want to elaborate further as
she was pretty sure if Remus knew about Draco being a werewolf, being in
Fenrir’s pack, and apparently being her mate, he wouldn’t be able to keep quiet
about it. And right now, Hermione needed to sort through her own thoughts and
feelings before the rest of the world knew what was going on between her, a
member of the ‘Golden Trio’ and Draco Malfoy, Slytherin Prince.
===============================================================================
 A/N: Beta love to twztdwildcat! She's the best! And you guys, your reviews are
amazing! I'm getting all of the warm and fuzzies thinking about them. Thank
you! Keep them coming! And with the holidays approaching, I may not have
another chapter for you until the new year. Hope everyone has happy holidays
and stays safe! Don't forget to leave a review!


***** Chapter 10 *****
Chapter Notes
     Trigger Warning: non-con, dub-con, violence, torture, death, etc.
     This is a Fenrir chapter, he attends a Death Eater Revel. If this
     will upset you, skip this chapter.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
After Hogsmeade, Fenrir apparated to Malfoy Manor. Arnou, Seff, and Rand popped
into place near him. As they walked toward the Manor and the dueling court, he
thought about his newest pup. He needed to figure out when he was going to get
the pack together so he could get his Beta officially installed. It didn’t much
matter that he was just a school boy - Fenrir needed a Beta and he could tell
the pup was going to be a good one. He was sure that having a plan for killing
Dumbledore had taken a weight off his pup’s shoulders. He smirked to himself
thinking about the pup’s other problem. A a mate was fortunate for his pup, and
for the pack. And what a mate she was. The little bird his pup had introduced
him to was delectable. That put him in the mood for tea with Narcissa Malfoy.
Fenrir smirked to himself and waved the others forward. He had just thought of
the perfect excuse to get the rest of the pack together before the next full
moon.
He walked towards Narcissa’s solar; he was almost there when he ran into
Bellatrix Lestrange. Fenrir groaned to himself. He had no idea how sisters
could be so diametrically opposite as Bellatrix and Narcissa were.
“Greyback! Have you been to see my nephew?” She asked him, extending her hand
for him to kiss. He did, reluctantly.
“Bellatrix, I have just come back from spending last night’s full moon with
young Draco. He is doing well, I’ll be sure to tell him you’ve been asking
about him.” Fenrir turned to move past her when she grasped his arm to stay
him.
“Excellent, so glad to hear that Greyback. I do have to say, you look like you
have been putting an effort into your appearance these days. Is that my
nephew’s influence? Or is there a woman in your life?” She raised an eyebrow at
him and smirked, almost knowingly.
Fenrir coughed and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. He had been
hoping that none of the other Death Eaters would notice something like that. It
was due to Draco, who had told Fenrir months ago that he would be more
respected if he adopted pure-blood customs. Fenrir had thought about it, and
decided that if he wanted his plan to work, he would need to play along to get
along. So he had taken his poor hygiene off the table, grooming himself,
showering, and wearing high quality clothing. Trust Bellatrix to take notice of
something like that.
“Your nephew is quite brilliant in political matters and had suggested that if
I wanted to further advance myself in that arena that I dress the part.” He
smiled tightly and nodded at her in farewell, heading off to speak with her
sister.
He knocked on the solar door, and heard Narcissa call out a greeting. He pushed
it open to find her just on the other side of the door about to open it.
“Fenrir! Hello, I was just coming to find you!” She grasped his arm and pulled
him into the room, shutting the door behind him. She snapped her fingers and a
house elf appeared; she ordered tea and biscuits and led him over to a settee.
She sat right next to him, asking how Draco was doing and how the full moon
went, and if other members of the pack went with him. He answered her questions
as she poured the tea and handed him his cup.
“Mrs. Malfoy,” he began, but she cut him off.
“Really, Fenrir, I insist you call me Narcissa,” she patted his knee and sipped
at her tea, smiling demurely.
“Narcissa, then,” he replied, returning her smile. “I want Draco to go through
the Beta Ceremony before the next full moon, which is the day after Halloween.
Do you think you could arrange Draco to be home from school that week? I know
it’s unusual, but I was hoping with the Malfoy influence, you would be able to
manage it.”
“Oh! I’d love to have Draco home for Halloween! I will go up to the school this
week and speak to the Headmaster about it. What is involved in the Beta
ceremony?”
Fenrir hummed to himself, trying to decide how much to tell her. “He has to
fight every member of the pack for the position, including me. If he beats
everyone, and loses to me, he’ll be Beta.” He left out that he would need to
mark the pup again.
Narcissa’s eyes widened in surprise. “As a human or as a wolf?”
“Both, we’ll do it as humans first the day before the full moon. Then at the
full moon, he’ll have to fight again. It’s not a fight to the death, and I
wouldn’t have him do it if I didn’t think he was prepared.” He told her, trying
to be his most reassuring. She nodded, still looking frightened for her son.
“Will he be injured?” She sipped her tea again; Fenrir could detect a very
faint shake to her hands. She must be terrified for her son. He felt a stab of
pity at the precarious position she and her family were in.
“Probably, but it shouldn’t be anything serious. Nobody else in the pack wants
to be Beta, so the fighting is really nominal.” He put his hand over one of
hers, trying for comfort. It must have worked, because she smiled softly up at
him. He moved his hand and snagged a biscuit, while she looked lost in thought.
“Fenrir, thank you again for taking such good care of my son these last few
months. I know he can be difficult, and I know this is a difficult path for
him, but I don’t know what I would have done had the Dark Lord inducted him as
a Death Eater instead of this,” she looked apologetic, like she wasn’t sure of
herself or her feelings. Fenrir could understand. He imagined no mother would
want her son to become a werewolf. And being a Death Eater wasn’t much better,
regardless of your thoughts on blood purity.
“Don’t worry about it, Narcissa. It’s my duty as Alpha to look after all of my
pack. Speaking of, I’m sure Draco hasn’t mentioned it to you, but he has a
mate. I’m not sure what you know about werewolf mates?”
Narcissa looked confused and told him she had never heard of werewolf mates
before. So he told her how it was once in a lifetime occurrence and that not
all wolves found a mate. But that once they did, it was forever and for life
and there was nothing, literally nothing that would keep a werewolf from his
mate. He wanted to prepare her for who the mate was. Narcissa needed to know,
he explained, because his pup needed someone else to confide in. But it needed
to be kept a secret, not many knew Draco was a werewolf, and it would be
disastrous if that leaked beyond the Death Eaters.
“I’ve met her,” he told her.
“His mate? How? Where? Can I meet her?” She asked him rapidly, reminding him of
his pup in that moment.
“Hogsmeade weekend, I went up to meet with Draco. He figured it out on the
Hogwarts Express, and needed some advice. Keep in mind everything I just told
you about mates, how they aren’t chosen, but they are for life and there isn’t
anything he can do about it.” She nodded, and leaned forward, clearly eager to
learn who his mate was. “It’s Hermione Granger.”
“What? How can..? But?” She looked lost for a moment. Before her mask slipped
into place. “I see. Well, I’m glad you told me. I should be able to help manage
Lucius at least. I’m assuming you don’t want the Dark Lord knowing about
Draco’s mate?” She recovered quicker than he had expected. He was proud that
she was so quick to catch on. He nodded in reply to her question.
“I’m sure we can manage this,” she told him with a tight lipped smile. He
nodded his agreement and picked up her hand, leaving a lingering kiss on her
knuckles. She blushed prettily and he left the room.
===============================================================================
The Dark Lord had called for a Revel that evening. Fenrir stood in his spot
just outside of the inner circle. Black Death Eater’s robes on and his mask in
place as Lord Voldemort pontificated about blood purity. Rabastan Lestrange had
angered the Dark Lord again and was suffering punishment. His screams were
finally fading as the Dark Lord waved his arm, and Crabbe and Goyle tugged
forward the ten or so muggle captives they had tied together in a row. The
muggles were mostly women, and a just few men. All young, some clearly not of
age yet, but Fenrir preferred it that way. He loved the Revels. For all he
might play at being a sophisticated pure-blood, he wasn’t. He had been
recruited as a Death Eater in the First Wizarding War and he loved it. He had
been one of the most feared then, and it hadn’t changed now. In fact, the
Ministry had just put out a wanted poster with his face on it. When Rand had
brought it to him, he laughed. He wasn’t worried.
He circled the muggles, trying to decide which one he wanted this evening. He
was about to select a young brunette with curly hair that reminded him of his
pup’s mate, when Rodolphus made to grab her. He whipped his wand up to his
fellow Death Eater’s face and growled.
“That one’s mine,” he bared his teeth menacingly. Rodolphus narrowed his eyes
at him, and seemed to think for a moment. Before releasing his claim on the
girl and nodding at him, grabbing the young man next to her.
“Oh, thank you sir! Can you get me out of here? I don’t-” She stopped speaking
when he kicked her in the stomach.
“Shut up,” he told her as he grabbed her hair and pulled her away from the
crowd. He didn’t give her the chance to stand, as he pulled her behind him and
she tried to free herself from his grip. Her hands pushing ineffectively at his
own. Once he was a decent distance from the rest of the lot he threw her to the
ground. She lay there, panting, looking up at him with panic in her eyes. He
loved seeing the panic. It always started his blood boiling, and he could feel
himself getting hot.
“Please, sir, whatever it is you want, I could-” she begged, getting onto her
knees.
“I said, shut up!” He shouted at her. “Stay on your knees though,” he unbuckled
his belt, and pushed his trousers down his hips, pulling his robes aside to
free himself.
He grasped the back of her head, and when she gasped, he shoved himself in her
mouth. “Don’t even think of biting me, suck it.” He told her. She proceeded to
suck him. It wasn’t the best blow job he had ever had, but the fear in her eyes
kept him hard. Before he could make himself come, he pulled her away from him.
He needed blood, and a lot of it. The girl collapsed on the ground, beginning
to weep heavily.
“Look at me,” he told her. He wanted to see her face when he started torturing
her. She didn’t move, just sobbed harder. He kicked her again, this time using
enough force to turn her over onto her back. She didn’t look as pretty as she
had; her face was red and splotchy, wet with tears and snot. But her eyes were
still full of fear for him. That made him grin; he breathed in deeply and
savored the smell of her fear rolling off her in waves. He began casting
slicing hexes at her, some small, some large. Enjoying the way her blood ran
out and mixed on the ground. He loved a good slicing hex. The tangy, metal
smell of blood always made him just a little hungry. It reminded him of the
days he spent biting everyone he could come across during the full moon. Now he
was ready.
She scrambled back on all fours and wiped at her mouth. He just laughed at her.
He followed her down and turned her over on her hands and knees. Pulling her
slacks down, he thrust himself inside her. She was crying properly now, he
could hear her wailing and begging him to stop, but that just spurned him
further. Begging was music to his ears. He continued to slam into her until he
finally allowed himself to come, shuddering as he released.
He pushed up from her and tucked himself back in his trousers, pulling his
robes closed.  He rolled her over and grinned down at her, noticing the way her
eyes had glazed over. He kicked her again and she didn’t move. He’d killed her.
Earlier than he had wanted.
He turned around and noticed most of the other Death Eaters were still playing
with their toys. He turned his eyes up to the Dark Lord and saw that the Dark
Lord was watching him. Lord Voldemort crooked his finger, and Fenrir loped up
to where he was standing.
He kneeled down and kissed the hem of the Dark Lord’s robes. He hated this part
of being a Death Eater, but it was required.
“Rissse, Fenrir,” the Dark Lord hissed at him.
He stood and looked into the Dark Lord’s gaze, he wasn’t worried about the
Legilimency the Dark Lord was capable of, being a werewolf protected against
that. He was just enough of a non-human that the Dark Lord couldn’t easily
access his thoughts.
“Tell me how your Beta progresssesss.”
“Of course, my lord. He is doing well. I want him to do the Beta Ceremony
before the next full moon. Which is at Halloween,” he told his master.
“Excellent, I want you to attend the next inner circle meeting, Fenrir,” the
Dark Lord smiled at him.
“I’m honored, my lord,” he bent his head. He truly was honored; he had been
working a long time to become part of the inner circle.
The Dark Lord patted his shoulder. “We almossst have the Minissstry. Once they
fall to usss, I will be releasssing our brothersss and sssissstersss from
Azkaban.”
“A most excellent plan, my lord. I am glad to hear that our imprisoned brothers
and sisters will be able to join us once again.” That really was good news. The
Ministry was almost theirs, and once they had the Ministry and Azkaban, they
would just need Hogwarts and the rest of Wizarding Britain would fall into
line.
“It isss, I would like your Beta to take the Mark, once he isss Beta of
courssse,” the Dark Lord informed him. This was not good news to Fenrir. He
enjoyed being the only Death Eater among his pack. It let him relieve his
stresses as he just did with the muggle girl. Nobody in his pack needed to see
that side of him, especially not his soon-to-be Beta.
“Of course, my lord. Whatever you will, so it shall be,” he told the Dark Lord
with another bow of his head. He wondered how long he would be able to put off
having the pup Marked.
The Dark Lord nodded in dismissal. Fenrir stepped back and took his place just
outside of the inner circle again as the Dark Lord clapped his hands together
and called his Death Eaters back to their places. He spoke once more of blood
purity and how close they were to taking over Wizarding Britain. Then he
dismissed his cabal for the evening. Fenrir headed back to the dueling court,
murmuring Tergeoto remove the blood from his robes. It wouldn’t do to walk into
a pack of werewolves covered in blood.
===============================================================================
Pup,
You’ll be doing the Beta Ceremony before the next full moon. Your mother will
be taking you out of school that week. It coincides with Halloween, and you’ll
be spending the full moon with the pack. Your mother sends her love.
F.G.
He sent his missive off to Hogwarts and leaned back in his chair. Arnou entered
his tent then and he waved him over to a seat as he muttered an Accio at the
firewhisky and a couple of tumblers. He poured them both a glass and took a sip
of his, waiting for his Sire to speak.
“What of the pup?” Arnou finally asked.
“What of him?” Fenrir replied, raising his eyebrow.
“How will he take this slow seduction of his mother?” Arnou asked, surprising
Fenrir into a laugh.
“I didn’t know you noticed, old man,” Fenrir replied with a snort.
“I’m old, not blind. I still have my sense of smell, and I can smell her all
over you,” Arnou replied with a sniff.
Fenrir chuckled, thinking back to the interesting afternoon he had had in
Narcissa Malfoy’s solar. He was sure she was doing what she could to ensure her
son’s safety, but Fenrir was not a nice man, or nice wolf. And he would take
advantage if offered to him.
“He doesn’t need to know what his mother does for his safety,” he told Arnou.
“And you won’t be telling him, either.” He pointed his finger at Arnou in
warning. Arnou could be interfering and Fenrir did not need his pup getting
defensive on his mother’s behalf.
“Mum’s the word,” Arnou told him with a snort. Fenrir guffawed and poured more
firewhisky for the both of them.
“So the Beta Ceremony is going to be right before Halloween?” Arnou asked
sipping his firewhisky.
“Yeah,” Fenrir ran a hand through his dreads. He was looking forward to having
a Beta finally, he could unburden some of his pack duties, but he knew the Dark
Lord wasn’t going to forget about wanting to Mark his pup.
“The pup’s mother will be gathering him from Hogwarts the week of the full
moon. He’ll spend it here with the pack and preparing, then we’ll have the
human part the day before the full moon, with the wolf part taking place at the
full moon. It’ll be good to have the pack all together then.” Fenrir thought
about how it would feel to have his whole pack back under one roof. It would
feel good, complete. It always felt like a part of him was missing when a
member of his pack wasn’t living under the same roof.
“I want you to mark me for the pack,” Arnou said quietly disturbing Fenrir’s
thoughts.
“What? Why? You’ve never,” Fenrir started, he was shocked that Arnou would want
this.
“I want to be part of the pack, if you’ll have me that is,” Arnou admitted, he
looked embarrassed. Fenrir was sure he had never seen Arnou embarrassed in all
the years he had known him.
“Why?” Fenrir repeated. He couldn’t understand it.
“Damnit, pup, I’m not getting any younger. And your new Beta needs me, which
means you need me. I want to be part of the pack. I want to feel the
collective. I’m sick of being a loner.” Arnou looked angry and wouldn’t meet
Fenrir’s eyes. He had always known his Sire was a lone wolf, but maybe he was a
lone wolf because he hadn’t been part of a pack, not because he wanted to be a
lone wolf. He wasn’t Alpha material. That was for sure, which meant he couldn’t
really make his own pack. Fenrir thought back, trying to remember if he had
ever asked Arnou if he wanted to be part of his pack, he didn’t think he had.
Damn, what an idiot, he thought to himself. Of course, Arnou wanted to be part
of his pack, and he’d never even asked him!
“Of course, next full moon, after the Beta Ceremony, I’ll mark you for the
pack,” Fenrir told him. He smiled at Arnou and clasped his shoulder.
“It’ll be good to have you as one of us, finally, old man,” he told him and
filled both firewhisky glasses again. Arnou tipped his glass toward him. Fenrir
clinked them together, and they both drank the fiery liquid down in one gulp to
seal the pact.
Chapter End Notes
     Beta love to brownlark42 and twztdwildcat!
***** Chapter 11 *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
 
Pup,
 
You’ll be doing the Beta Ceremony before the next full moon. Your mother will
be taking you out of school that week. It coincides with Halloween, and you’ll
be spending the full moon with the pack. Your mother sends her love.
 
F.G.
 
Draco had just finished the missive from Fenrir and crumpled it up when Blaise
sat next to him in the Great Hall for breakfast. It had been several days since
he had cornered Granger on the fifth floor and he was getting itchy for her
kisses again.
 
“Who’s the letter from, Draco?” Blaise asked, piling his plate with eggs and
toast.
 
Draco glanced at him, trying to decide how much to confide in who was supposed
to be his best friend. He couldn’t tell him about being a werewolf, not yet.
Blaise wouldn’t understand, and he couldn’t stand it if he started looking at
him with horror. Or worse, sympathy.
 
“Just an associate of my father,” he says as imperiously as he could. Draco
pulled out his wand and muttered an Incendio at the scrap of paper, burning it.
 Blaise just raised an eyebrow at him.
 
“What are your plans for this afternoon?” Blaise asked him. It was a Saturday,
and not a Hogsmeade weekend. The weather was still holding nicely, which was
good since Slytherin had Quidditch practice before lunch today. Blaise was a
Chaser, and after having perused the schedule closely, Draco discovered to his
surprise that none of the Slytherin games fell in or around a full moon. That
meant he could still play as Seeker this year, something he was quite pleased
with. This year was crazy enough without having to give up Quidditch as well.
 
He told Blaise he planned to study that afternoon, but in reality he wanted to
find Granger and snog her senseless again. Then maybe he could work on the
damned Vanishing Cabinet that Fenrir told him about. He had found it in the
Come and Go Room, so that wasn’t the problem, but he couldn’t figure out how to
make it work again. He needed to scour the library for books on Vanishing
Cabinets and see if he could find anything. If not, he would be searching
Malfoy Manor’s library come Christmas hols. He needed to get that cabinet fixed
before the end of the school year, and the earlier the better. He was glad he
hadn’t been Marked, because it meant he didn’t have to face the Dark Lord
unless he was at home.  
 
Draco was glad that Fenrir had sent word about his mother. He was still writing
her on an almost daily basis and she was replying, which gave him a small
measure of relief. He hadn’t heard any rumblings in the Daily Prophet about the
Dark Lord, and he couldn’t decide if that was a good or a bad thing. Maybe it
meant that the Dark Lord wasn’t gaining as much influence? Or it meant the Dark
Lord was gaining influence more quietly than Draco had expected. Wasn’t that a
scary thought? Draco shook his head, clearing himself of those thoughts. He
looked across the hall to the Gryffindor table and caught Granger staring at
him. He smirked at her. Was that a blush? She looked down at her tea, dropping
his gaze. He laughed to himself and stood with Blaise to head down to their
dorm to change for Quidditch practice.
 
Being on a broom again was glorious. Draco swept around the Quidditch pitch,
higher than the rest of the players, enjoying the feel of the wind in his face
and the broom gripped between his legs. He had grown so much that  Quidditch
uniform was uncomfortably tight. He would need a new one from Madam Malkin’s
before the next game.  He was glad his mother had insisted on several sets of
robes in larger sizes - how plebeian would it be if he had to wear robes that
were too small? He shuddered at the thought. He did another sweep of the
Quidditch pitch, looking for the practice snitch his captain had released.
Then, he ran through a few drills and feints. The first Quidditch match of the
season was Slytherin against Hufflepuff and it was next weekend. He knew
Slytherin would crush them. 
===============================================================================
 
After lunch, Draco was up on the seventh floor, pacing in front of the Come and
Go room when he spied Granger down the hallway. He stopped what he was doing
and decided to follow her. She must have heard him behind her, because she
turned around and looked at him.
 
“Malfoy?” she asked, turning fully to face him.
 
“Granger, I thought I told you to call me Draco,” he smirked at her and leaned
against the wall, putting his hands in his pockets. Hopefully he looked cooler
than he felt at the moment. His heart was racing and all he wanted to do was
take her in his arms.
 
She rolled her eyes and sighed, “Draco, what can I do for you?”
 
“Just wondering where you’re going, Granger.”
 
“I was planning to go to the library, the common room is too loud. What are you
doing up here on the seventh floor?” she narrowed her eyes at him as if just
realizing that this was not a part of the castle he would normally be in.
 
“I’m working on a project,” he said cryptically, hoping she didn’t ask any more
questions.
 
“What project?” she asked. Of course, that was a stupid thing to hope for, she
was the queen of asking questions.
 
“Don’t worry about it, Granger.” He moved closer to her and tugged on one of
her curls. He could see that she inhaled deeply, as she leaned forward a bit
and closed her eyes. He smirked down at her, so the little witch wanted a kiss?
He leaned down to meet her and brushed his lips along hers. She sighed against
him and grabbed at his robes at his chest. He swept her into his arms and
deepened the kiss, swiping his tongue against her closed lips until she opened
up for him. Suddenly, she pulled back from him her eyes wide.
 
“Malfoy! We can’t be seen kissing right outside the Gryffindor common room!”
She hissed at him. She grabbed his hand, looked around and took off down the
hallway in the same direction he had come from. He caught up to her, until they
were walking side by side, still holding her hand. He couldn’t believe she was
letting him hold her hand like this. She walked up to the blank wall that was
the Come and Go Room and dropped his hand. She paced in front of it until a
door appeared and opened it, grabbing his hand again to tug him inside.
 
They weren’t in the room of lost things like he had been intending earlier.
Instead, it looked like a comfortable sitting room. There was a couch in front
of a fireplace, and a couple of bookcases full of books. He raised his eyebrows
at Granger.
 
“I didn’t know it worked like this,” he told her, dropping her hand and laying
back on the couch. She smirked at him.
 
“Seems you don’t know everything, Mal- Draco,” she told him primly. She dropped
her bag on the floor and walked toward the bookcases, skimming their contents.
 
He watched her for a moment, folding his hands behind his head and crossing his
feet. The couch was rather comfortable.
 
“Granger.”
 
She turned to look at him. “Yes?”
 
“You brought me in here, I thought I’d at least get more snogging,” he smirked
when she blushed. He could see her blushing clearly in the small room the Come
and Go room had conjured for them. He stood up off the couch and stalked toward
her. Trapping her between him and the bookcase behind her.
 
“Don’t I get more snogging?” he asked as he nuzzled her ear, inhaling deeply
along the column of her throat. The scent of cinnamon and fall foliage filling
his nostrils.
 
“What do I get in return?” she whispered teasingly, snaking her arms up his
shoulders and playing with the hair at the back of his neck. He put his own
hands on her waist and nipped at her earlobe. She moaned in response and stood
up on her tiptoes, bending her neck to give him better access. He growled at
the skin presented to him. He could feel Reule pacing in the back of his mind,
wanting to bite that delicious tract of skin. He licked and kissed his way down
to where her neck and shoulder began and lightly nipped the area, then laved it
with his tongue. He was sure he would leave a mark, but didn’t care. He wanted
to mark her, to make her his for everyone to see. She was his.
 
“Me, you get me, Granger,” he groaned into her neck as he backed her into the
bookcase and lifted down to grasp her arse before finally putting his lips on
hers in a searing kiss.
 
She returned the kiss and threw a leg around his hips. He lifted her up and she
wrapped both legs around his waist, locking her ankles behind him. He pushed
her into the bookcase behind her, hard enough that a book was knocked off one
of the higher shelves and fell with a bang to the floor beside them. They
pulled apart and looked at the book for a moment, before looking at each other.
 
“What else?” She asked him, quirking an eyebrow up.
 
“A werewolf isn’t enough for you, Granger? Greedy,” he told her.
 
Granger was flushed and her lips were already swollen with his kisses -it was
the most erotic thing he had ever seen. He ground into her and she gasped, but
then pulled his hips closer to her. He dipped his head in for another kiss and
ran his hands up her sides, cupping her breasts through her jumper. She moaned
into his mouth and rocked her hips against him. He reached down to the bottom
of her jumper, grasped it and pulled it off. He went back to kiss her again,
when his hands come across a thick scar on her abdomen. He pulled back and
frowned. And then dropped her. He was horrified by what he saw.
 
Granger stumbled a bit before catching herself, she saw the look on his face,
and she must have been embarrassed, because she reached for her jumper to pull
it over her head. He stopped her, grabbing on to her shoulders and keeping her
pinned to the bookcase. He was so angry he could barely talk.
 
“What. The. Fuck. Happened. To. You?” He asked, he fought to control his voice.
He could feel Reule in the back of his mind howling for blood.
 
“Draco,” she tried to cover herself with her arms and looked away from him. He
could see tears in her eyes.
 
“Oh, gods, Hermione, I’m not mad at you. Gods, fuck, I’m sorry,” he let her go
and turned around, running his hands through his hair.What the fuck had
happened to her? He had never seen a curse scar that bad before, it was thick
and ropey and ran from the top of her left breast all the way down to her right
hip.
 
She put a hand on his back and he turned back around to face her. She had
pulled her jumper back on, her eyes were still brimming with tears.
 
“Draco, it’s ok, I understand. I’m ugly with-” he cut her off before she could
say anything else.
 
“Ugly?! Hermione, I don’t care about that! I care about why you have the
biggest fucking curse scar I have ever seen! What the fuck happened? I want to
know who did it, and why it wasn’t healed! Have you seen Pomfrey? Maybe we
should go to Snape, he should be able to do something to fix it.” He was
gripping her shoulders again staring down into her wide brown eyes. Hermione
sniffed and rubbed a tear that had fallen down her cheek. She pulled herself
out of his grip and went to the couch, slumping into the corner. She pulled her
jumper sleeves over her hands  and hugged her legs to her chest, curling into
as tight of a ball as she could.
 
“I understand. I’ve been to Madam Pomfrey, and I’m already on a potions regimen
from Professor Snape,” she explained in a small voice.
 
“It’s from the Department of Mysteries last summer, when I went there with
Harry and met your father and his fellow Death Eaters.” Her voice got quieter
and quieter. He squatted down in front of her, so he could look at her eyes
while she told the story. She wouldn’t meet his eye though, she stared past him
into the fire.
 
“We were running through the rooms, trying to escape the Death Eaters. Two had
just caught up to us, I silenced one and Harry petrified the other one. We
thought we were safe, but then he slashed his wand at me, and purple fire
rained out of his wand toward my chest and I blacked out. I don’t remember
anything else that happened at the Ministry. When I finally woke up, I was in
the Infirmary and Professor Snape and Madam Pomfrey were standing over me
casting spell after spell on me. We never did find out exactly what I was
cursed with, but Professor Snape thinks it was one of Dolohov’s own curses with
no counter curse. So that’s why the scar is so prominent. I understand if you
think…” She couldn’t finish the thought, she ducked her head and Draco could
see her crying.
 
Fucking Dolohov, Draco had always hated the man. He was a pig, always leering
after Draco’s mother. Now he had a reason to kill him. He’d make it a priority.
The next time he saw Dolohov, he was a dead man. He turned to his mate in front
of him. He reached out and ran a hand down her back, underneath her hair. As he
rubbed her back, she sobbed harder. He shifted forward and sat on the couch
next to her, pulling her onto his lap.
 
“Granger... Hermione, it’s ok,” he murmured to her as she cried into his chest.
Finally she calmed down enough and looked up at him.
 
“You - you’re still here?” She looked almost awed.
 
“Of course I’m still here, you are my mate!” He told her emphatically.
 
“But,” she began.
 
“No buts, you are my mate, a curse scar doesn’t change that. I can’t believe
you survived it, to be honest. You must be incredibly powerful to have survived
something Dolohov created, regardless of him being silenced.” He pulled her
close and hugged her again, so thankful that she was alright. She may not have
been his mate at the beginning of the summer when this happened, and his life
might be easier without a mate, but now, he didn’t think he could give her up.
He pulled back from her and tilted her chin up and kissed her very lightly on
the lips. She melted into him, and he groaned. He could still feel Reule in the
back of his mind, pacing, wanting to kill the wizard who did this to his mate.
We will, don’t worry, Reule, we’ll kill Dolohov, he thought to himself, kissing
her harder.
 
Granger pulled back after a few moments and looked into his eyes, searching for
something it seemed.
 
“Hermione, I know I haven’t explained myself that well,” he ran a hand down his
face, and put it back around her, holding her to him. “Seeing an injury like
that on my mate, it feels like someone gutted me and that I failed to protect
you.”
 
“But-” she started.
 
“I know, you weren’t my mate then, it doesn’t matter. That’s how I feel. Like I
failed to protect my mate. Half of me wants to lock you away and keep you safe
from the rest of the world, and the other half wants to hunt down Dolohov and
murder him with my bare hands.”
 
She turned in his lap, so that she was straddling him and grabbed his face in
both of her hands, looking deep into his eyes.
 
“Draco, you can’t go after Dolohov, promise me you won’t! He’ll kill you! I’m
fine, honestly. The scar is ugly, and the potions taste terrible, but I’m fine.
I’ll be fine. You can’t go after Dolohov.” She looked at him emphatically, he
gazed back and came to a decision: he would be killing Dolohov. The next time
he saw him, he was a dead man. So he lied.
 
“I won’t, Granger, I won’t go after him. I’m glad you told me who it was
though. It gives me someone to hate for it,” he told her pulling her in for
another kiss. 
===============================================================================
Draco was humming to himself as he walked into the Slytherin common room after
dinner. He had spent a pleasant afternoon snogging Granger in the Come and Go
room. She wouldn’t take off her jumper again, but he didn’t blame her. Her
curse scar was enough to frighten anyone, it was deep and twisted, still purple
and fresh looking. He could feel his blood boiling just thinking about it, his
good mood instantly gone. Fucking Dolohov, he thought to himself. Trying to
decide the best way to kill him, should he know why he was dying? Or should he
just surprise him?
 
“Where have you been?” Pansy asked him as he sat down next to her, and pulled
out his Potions book.
 
“Hmmm? Oh, just working on a project,” he told her absentmindedly.
 
“Is that why there’s a love bite on your neck?” she asked him with a smirk.
 
“What?” He reached up to his neck. Pansy conjured a mirror for him to look
into, and there it was under his left ear. Just looking at it, stirred him. He
could imagine Granger on his lap, sucking on his neck, he almost moaned before
he caught himself. He quickly glamored it and handed the mirror back to Pansy,
who banished it.
 
“So, who’s the lucky lady?” she asked him, crossing her arms. She would work
her damnedest to wheedle it out of him, he knew, but he couldn’t tell her.
 
“Nobody you know, Pans. Drop it,” he said in his most bored voice and turned to
his Potions essay, tuning Pansy out.
===============================================================================
A few days later in double defense against the dark arts with the Gryffindors,
Draco was daydreaming about Granger’s intoxicating kisses. He was sitting right
behind the bench she was sharing with Weasley. Weasley was busy, copying
everything Granger was doing, Draco rolled his eyes. The only reason Weasley
hadn’t failed anything yet was because he took complete advantage of Granger.
Snape had finished his lecture and was watching the room take down the rest of
the notes on what he had written on the board.
 
“Pair up, we’ll be practicing our nonverbal disarming hexes. Be sure to keep
them nonverbal,” Snape sneered at the class.
 
Draco got up and nodded at Blaise who was sitting next to him. He angled Blaise
to stand near Weasley and Granger. As Blaise attempted to disarm him
nonverbally, Draco cast a Protego and watched Weasley and Granger. Granger had
already disarmed Weasley once and was handing his wand back to him. Weasley
looked upset, he was red in the face and huffing a bit. Draco snorted, he was
probably upset that the smartest witch in their year had disarmed him, as if
Weasley could compare to her. He turned back to Blaise and muttered
“Expelliarmus,” under his breath, disarming him. Draco smirked at him and went
to hand his wand back.
 
As he was turning away he heard Weasley shout, “Expelliarmus!”
 
Granger didn’t get out of the way in time and was thrown back at the wall
behind her slumping down after her head cracked loudly against the stone.
 
Reule howled in the back of his head and he whipped around to Weasley,
“Stupefy!” he shouted. Then turned and ran toward Granger. He shoved Potter out
of the way and cradled her head, brushing her cheeks.
 
“Come on, Granger, wake up,” he murmured to her. Snape made his way over after
having muttered Rennervate at Weasley. He lifted a sardonic eyebrow at Draco.
Snape waved Draco back, but Draco didn’t move. He growled lowly at Snape. Snape
turned to the rest of the class.
 
“Dismissed. Weasley fifteen points from Gryffindor for failing to follow
directions.” When the class didn’t move fast enough he crossed his arms and
barked, “Get out. Now!” That got the rest of the group to leave. Weasley and
Potter were the last ones out, casting longing looks over their shoulders at
Hermione, still lying motionless on the floor, her head in Draco’s lap.
 
Draco barely noticed the rest of the classroom emptying. He was still murmuring
to Granger, trying to get her to wake up. Snape pointed his wand at her, and
before Draco could react muttered, “Rennervate.”
 
Granger woke up slowly, and made a moue of confusion when she saw Draco,
“Draco?”
 
“Shhh, it’s ok Granger, I’ve got you,” he muttered to her stroking her face.
 
“What happened?” she asked trying to sit up. Draco helped her to her feet where
she wobbled for a moment before he slung an arm around her waist to steady her.
 
“The Weasel happened, he slammed a disarming jinx at you so hard you hit the
wall and cracked your head. Are you alright? I think I should take you to the
hospital wing.” Draco was looking in her eyes, trying to determine if she had a
concussion.
 
“If you are quite through playing nursemaid, Mr. Malfoy,” Snape drawled at him.
He stepped back from Granger and looked at Snape with a scowl on his face. It
was strange being able to meet Snape’s eye. Just a few weeks ago he was looking
up to the tall man, now they were the same height.
 
Snape ignored Draco’s posturing and cast a diagnostic spell at Granger. Draco
didn’t know what the varying colors meant, but Snape seemed unconcerned. He
reached into his robes and pulled out a flask filled with a light blue potion.
 
“It’s Headache Remedy. You don’t have a concussion Miss Granger. Take this and
you should feel better shortly,” Snape told her, passing her the flask. Granger
took it and swallowed it in one gulp, wincing.
 
She handed the flask back to Snape and thanked him. They turned to leave when
Snape called back out to him.
 
“Mr. Malfoy, a word, if you please.” Draco grimaced, not what he needed. He
needed to take care of his mate, not discuss whatever it was his damned
godfather wanted to discuss.
 
“I’ll wait for you in the hall, Draco,” Granger told him softly, grabbing her
bag on the way out of the room.
 
Draco turned to face his professor, cocking an eyebrow and crossing his arms
over his chest.
 
“Shove the attitude, Draco. What was that?” Snape asked walking toward him.
 
“It’s nothing,” Draco said tightly, clenching his jaw.
 
“It didn’t look like nothing. And it will be all over the school in a matter of
minutes that you sat in defense class cradling Miss Granger in your arms. What
if the Dark Lord gets wind of this?” Snape hissed at him.
 
Draco groaned and dropped his head to his hands, running his hands through his
hair. He hadn’t meant to make such a public declaration. Fuck, fuck, fuck. He
would have to tell people now. Maybe just a few people who mattered? Not
everyone needed to know he was a werewolf. He could just tell Blaise and Pansy
that his project for the Dark Lord was to get close to Granger. Fuck!
 
“She’s my mate,” he said very quietly, reluctantly. He was still embarrassed
about being a werewolf, and now he had to admit that he was a slave to his
hormones and had a mate that he couldn’t help but protect.
 
“Your mate,” Snape repeated dryly.
 
“Yes,” Draco said, finally looking up to meet his eyes.
 
Snape smirked at him, “Well, this should make things interesting.”
 
Draco sneered, “Glad you find it so amusing, sir.”
 
He grabbed his bag and turned to go.
 
“What do you plan to tell the rest of your House about your actions, Draco?”
Snape asked following him to the door.
 
“I plan to tell them that she’s the project the Dark Lord assigned me,” he bit
out. A twisty, uneasy feeling sliding in his gut. This was not good.
 
“And the Dark Lord? What do you plan to tell him when he inevitably questions
you about it?” Snape followed up with, blocking him from leaving the classroom.
 
“That she’s my mate, that I don’t have a choice, and that I can use her to
gather information on Potter,” he said quietly. Hating himself for every word
that he uttered. He did not want to do any of that. He didn’t want to talk to
the Dark Lord about Granger at all. He had been hoping, foolishly perhaps, that
he could keep the two separate. His life at home under the Dark Lord’s control,
separate from his life at school at school with his mate. That wasn’t going to
happen now. Now he had to figure out a way to explain this to Granger. And
hopefully she would understand.
 
Oh gods, what if she hates me for this?He didn’t think he could bear it. She
was the one good thing going on in his life at the moment. He could think about
her for a few minutes and all seemed ok in the world. That is, as long as he
didn’t think beyond her soft, warm body and her heady kisses. When he started
thinking about who her friends were and their roles in the war, he started
hyperventilating a little.
 
He had his hand on the door knob, intent on wrenching it open and wallowing in
self pity, when Snape said, “Come find me, Draco, if you ever need someone to
talk to.” There wasn’t a sneer or a smirk in his voice, he sounded as sincere
as Snape ever sounded. Draco locked eyes with him and gave a tight nod, before
walking out of the room to find Granger. 
===============================================================================
She was waiting for him in the hall, leaning against the wall, reading her
defense book. She looked up when the door opened and offered him a small smile,
placing the book back in her bag.
 
He loped across the hall to her and scooped her up in his arms, breathing her
scent in deeply, “I’m so glad you’re alright.” He told her, nuzzling into her
hair.
 
“Draco! Put me down! Someone might see!” She told him, urgency in her voice and
her small hands were slapping at his shoulders. He let go of her and looked in
her warm honey eyes, smirking at her.
 
“I think the cat’s out of the bag, Granger,” he told her.
 
“What am I going to tell my friends? What are you going to tell your friends?
What did Professor Snape want? Oh, Draco this is bad!” She pulled away from him
and began pacing. Draco looked at his watch and saw they still had about a half
an hour until lunch started. He grabbed Granger’s hand and pulled her along
behind him. He found what he was looking for and pulled her into an abandoned
classroom.
 
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her, he couldn’t seem to help himself
when he was around her. She was irresistible to him. But she pulled back.
 
“As much as I want to keep kissing you, Malfoy, we have to talk about this,”
she told him. Putting her hands on her hips. He thought she looked adorable and
wanted to kiss her again, but he knew she was right. They were fucked and they
had to figure out a plan.
 
“I don’t know what you should tell your friends, but I know how I’m going to
have to spin it. I can’t have anyone knowing I’m a werewolf, I’ll get kicked
out of Hogwarts. And getting kicked out of Hogwarts is not an option. The Dark
Lord will kill me if I do,” he told her and ran a hand down his face. He kicked
at a chair knocking it over. The clatter seemed to scare Granger because she
jumped at the sound. He made a face and sat down on a desk, beckoning her over
to him. He scooted back and picked her up so she could sit between his legs and
lean her back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her.
 
“I think better with you in my arms,” he told her, kissing her neck. She sighed
and sank into him.
 
“Draco, this is so weird. It feels so right, more right than anything else, but
what am I going to tell Harry and Ron? They’re probably worried sick right now,
looking for me in the hospital wing or something,” she said, she had wrapped
her hands around his and was tracing her fingers up and down his forearms.
 
Draco growled when she said the Weasel’s name, “Fucking, Weasel. We wouldn’t be
in this mess if it wasn’t for him.”
 
“That’s not fair, Draco. He didn’t do it on purpose, he-”
 
“Stop making excuses for him, Granger! He threw all his power behind that
fucking hex, you could have been seriously hurt!” Draco tightened his arms
around her and set his chin atop her head.
 
She sighed, “I know, he has a temper, let’s not talk about that. What are you
going to tell your friends?” She started kicking her feet into his and leaned
her head back on his shoulder.
 
“That you are my assignment from the Dark Lord. That he wants me to get close
to you so you’ll spill all your secrets about Potter to me, that I’ve dosed you
with a lust potion, maybe. Something along those lines,”
 
Granger nodded, “That makes sense, I guess. Although why would he think you
could seduce me away from my friends?”
 
“Well, that’s not what I’m telling him. I’ll have to tell him the truth, that
you’re my mate. Hopefully, Fenrir can garner enough protection for you through
the pack. I just have to make my friends believe that the Dark Lord trusts me
enough to seduce you. Speaking of seduction,” he growled in her ear, inhaling
her scent and nipping at her neck. She tilted her head and moaned at the
contact.
 
“That feels nice, Draco,” she told him gripping his forearms as he moved on to
suck the spot where her shoulder and neck met. It was his favorite spot, he’d
marked it several times now. He was pretty sure he always wanted to keep it
marked.
 
“Ok, so your problems are mostly solved, what about mine? Should I try the same
approach? I’m trying to turn you to the light side? I don’t think Harry and Ron
will buy that.” She still had her head tilted and he lifted his lips from her
neck, leaning forward to catch her eye.
 
“I could pretend to start coming around to your side,” he offered seriously. He
needed this to work for her too, and she couldn’t be seen to having a big
falling out with Potter and Weasley, otherwise his cover would fail.
 
She frowned, “Maybe. You’ve been better this year. Not picking fights or
anything, except for the train.” She glared at him. He smirked down at her and
kissed her nose.
 
“Got it, no fights with Scarhead and Weasel. Anything else?” he asked, staring
at her mouth. He really wanted to kiss her again.
 
“I’m not sure. Do we spend time with each other in public? With each other’s
friends? I don’t think anyone is ready for that. So maybe our friends know, and
we keep it quiet to everyone else?” She looked up at him with worried eyes. He
could see her point, things were heating up outside the walls of Hogwarts, and
they both had their parts to play.
 
“I agree, friends can be in the know, but let’s keep it quiet from everyone
else. No time spent hanging out in the library or with each others friends.
Let’s not make it more complicated for ourselves,” he told her. She leaned back
into him and closed her eyes. He hugged her close, enjoying the feeling of
having her in his arms.
 
Distantly, they could hear feet shuffling, “Must be time for lunch,” she
murmured. He hummed his agreement, not letting her go. She pushed at his
forearms and hopped off the table, turning to face him.
 
She grabbed the sides of his face and put her forehead on his. Looking into his
eyes, she said, “I don’t know why this feels so right, Draco. But I’m going to
go with it. There’s so little in the world right now that feels as right as
this does.” Then she leaned in and kissed him. His hands were on her waist
pulling her close to him as their tongues twirled around each other. After a
moment she pulled away and smiled at him. Then she grabbed her bag and left the
room, leaving him still sitting on the desk staring after her.
Chapter End Notes
     Beta love to brownlark 42 and twztdwildcat! Let me know your
     thoughts!
***** Chapter 12 *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
“Hermione! Where have you been? We went to the Hospital Wing, but Madam Pomfrey
said she hadn’t seen you,” Ron blurted. He and Harry had just rushed into the
Great Hall for lunch and spotted Hermione eating at the Gryffindor table.
“I’m fine, Ron. Professor Snape healed me. I sat in the classroom with him for
a bit so he could monitor for a concussion,” she told them.
Harry had worry written on his face, “Are you ok? You got hit pretty hard
there.”
Harry and Ron took a seat across from her, and she reached to grab Harry’s
hand, “Really, Harry. I’m fine. Professor Snape gave me a headache tonic, so
good as new.”
Ron started piling food on his plate and nodded at her. Hermione narrowed her
eyes, well, the least he could do ist apologize!
Ron jumped suddenly, “Oi, what’s that for, then?” He scowled at Harry.
“Aren’t you going to apologize to Hermione for knocking her out in Defense,
Ron?” Harry asked, raising his eyebrows and gesturing toward Hermione’s own
narrowed eyes.
Ron flushed, “Oh, right. Erm, sorry Hermione. I didn’t mean to knock you out in
Defense.” He quickly looked back at his plate and started shoveling food in his
mouth.
Hermione sighed loudly, “It’s fine, Ronald.” She offered Harry a small smile
and a roll of her eyes. Harry seemed to agree. He rolled his eyes in return and
shifted his attention back to his food.
So far, so good. At least they haven’t grilled me about Draco. Hermione smiled
to herself. Maybe she would be able to keep this a secret.
After lunch they all had a free period, and Hermione decided to sit with Harry
and Ron in the Common Room. She should have known they would eventually
confront her about Draco. As soon as they were in the common room, Harry
started with the questions.
“What’s going on with you and Malfoy?” he asked, trying to sound casual. But
Hermione could hear the suspicion in his voice.
“I don’t know what you mean,” she replied evenly. Looks like I’m not going to
be able to avoid an explanation after all.
“Don’t try to pull that, ‘Mione,” Ron told her.
Hermione rolled her eyes, “It’s nothing. We’ve talked a few times. We ran into
each other in the library and I had noticed he has been looking peakish and-”
“He’s a Death Eater!” Harry shouted.
“Peakish, you noticed he looked peakish?!” Ron shouted at the same time.
“Honestly,” Hermione sighed. “It’s really not that big of a deal. Harry, you
are convinced he’s up to something, right? Has following him around all these
weeks gotten you anywhere?”
Harry glared at her and shook his head, “No, but that doesn’t mean you have to
be chums with him.”
“I’m not! I just figured that if he was up to something, I’d see if talking to
him would get it out of him,” she told them.
“Talking to him? You’re talking to him? What does that mean?” Ron fumed.
Hermione huffed at them both and went to sit in an armchair in a corner of the
Common Room. At least the room was relatively empty. When they joined her,
dropping into armchairs facing hers, she cast a Muffliato around them.
“Has he been a prat at all this year? Teasing you? Calling you names? Bumping
into you in the hallway? Because he hasn’t to me. So when I see him, when we
run into each other in the hallway or library, we talk. I ask him questions.
I’m trying to find out if he’s up to something like you are so convinced,
Harry. I don’t think he’s a Death Eater.” Hermione told them, leaning forward
with her forearms on her thighs. She wanted her two best friends to understand
that Draco wasn’t a bad person simply because he had been born to a bad family.
She clung to the idea that her mate had a good side. And while having a mate
didn’t have the same meaning for her as it did for him, clearly it was
something pretty serious. She wanted to write to Remus and ask him about mates,
but couldn’t figure out a way to do it without raising his suspicions.
“Broke my nose on the train, didn’t he?” Harry asked pointing at his nose.
“Well, since then?” Hermione asked.
Ron scoffed, but Harry looked thoughtful. Finally, “I guess he hasn’t, but that
doesn’t mean you should be talking to him! What if he hexes you?”
“The only person who’s hexed me recently is Ron,” Hermione replied dryly.
“I said I was sorry!” Ron told her. Hermione waved a hand at him, but didn’t
take her eyes off Harry. Ron was a hothead, but he would inevitably follow
Harry’s lead.
“I don’t like it,” he said, but Hermione rolled her eyes at this pronouncement.
“You aren’t my father, Harry, you don’t decide who I talk to. You are my best
friend, and I want you to understand that this could be the way to figure out
what he’s up to. I’m not even the one who cares about what’s going on with
him,” her heart twinged at the lie. “You are. I’m doing this for you. Your
cloak-and-dagger approach hasn’t worked. Please let me see if I can make this
work.” Hermione sent her most pleading look his way.
Harry considered this and Hermione was worried he was going to keep arguing,
but he finally nodded tightly.
“Fine, talk to him. See if you can find anything out. But be careful, Hermione.
He’s a snake,” Harry told her.
“And I’m a lion,” Hermione replied with a raised eyebrow. Ron looked back and
forth between the two of them before throwing his hands up as he stood.
“Nutters, the both of you,” he muttered as he walked away.
Hermione smiled faintly at him. “Friends still?”
Harry softened and smiled back at her, “Always.” Then hopped up to find Ron.
Hermione decided she would go to the library during the rest of her free period
after both Harry and Ron went up to the boys tower. She knew Harry would work
on Ron until he saw things her way.
The conversation had gone better than she thought it would, and she was quite
pleased with herself. They hadn’t questioned why Draco jumped to her aid in
Defense. They might still press her about it, but at least she had steered them
away from the intimacy Draco had shown and toward the suspicious behavior Harry
was so convinced of.
She felt a twinge of frustration as she thought about  relationship, if she
could even call it a relationship, with Draco. She hadn’t really sat down to
sort through her feelings, and her thoughts were jumbled and confused.  Every
time she tried to think things through, she was interrupted by something. And
then she would run into Draco again, which inevitably led to more snogging. She
hated the knowledge that her actions were impulsive, mired in instinct.
 And yet, the snogging was wonderful. She probably liked it a little too much,
craving it, and hoping she’d run into Draco in the next empty hall or deserted
classroom. But then she would consider who she was snogging. A relationship
wasn’t built on physical attraction. She needed to spend time with him not
snogging, and talking instead. Talking about his life, and about her life.
Seeing if they had any shared interests. She knew she would never get approval
from his parents, and she wondered if that’s something he would care about.
From everything he had said, a mate was for life. Even if she chose to be with
someone else, Draco would always want her. Although, thinking about being with
someone else made her stomach tighten. Had a few kisses really turned her off
the thought of anyone else?
Over the summer, it had seemed like she and Ron would finally be able to make
things work, but that clearly wasn’t going to happen now. The thought of
kissing Ron with any sort of passion almost made her gag. What had changed so
abruptly? She had spent many summer afternoons daydreaming about kissing Ron,
pressing her mouth against his, and now the thought made her queasy? She
couldn’t determine if this had to do with being Draco’s mate, or if her
feelings had just changed that much? What if it was due to being a mate? What
did that mean?
It frightened Hermione to think that she was being controlled through this
werewolf mate business with Draco. She had reached her favorite nook in the
library, near the back of the Restricted Section. She sat along the wall under
one of the tall windows that looked out over the lake. She pulled a spare bit
of parchment out and started a letter to Remus.
Dear Remus,
How are you? I hope you are back safely from your last mission for Professor
Dumbledore. My classes are going well, although I wish Professor Vector would
move on to imaginary numerologies as soon as possible. We’re revisiting
werewolves in Defense this year, but I’ve noticed a few gaps in the literature
that I’m hoping you might be able to fill. I was wondering if you knew anything
about werewolf mates? I came across a short reference to a werewolf having a
mate, but the book didn’t provide much information. I was curious about what
the significance of a mate is for a werewolf?. Do they have mates for life? Do
they often meet a mate? And how does being a mate affect someone?
She continued the letter discussing an obscure point of warding magical theory
Remus had included in his last letter to her. When she was finished. She folded
the parchment, then hexed it to only open for Remus. It was a spell Remus had
taught her and something the Order had used in the First Wizarding War. If
someone other than Remus attempted to open and read the letter, it would
incinerate itself. Hermione had told Remus that it reminded her of Inspector
Gadget, but he had just given her a blank look while she giggled.
===============================================================================
Harry cornered her later that evening in the common room. Ron was busy playing
a game of Exploding Snap with Dean and Neville. He threw himself down on the
sofa she was sitting at reviewing her notes from Transfiguration and twirled
his wand to put up a Muffliato.
“Listen, Hermione, I was able to get Ron to come around, but you and I both
know there’s something more going on with Malfoy,” Harry told her. His tone was
relaxed and calm, not really like the Harry she knew. She wondered where this
was coming from.
“I’m not sure what you mean?” she asked. She closed her Transfiguration text
and turned toward him.
“I mean that he cradled your bloody head,” Harry hissed at her, his eyes
narrowing, and he leaned forward. Ah, there’s the Harry from this summer.“He
hexed Ron! Like he was defending you!”
“How am I supposed to account for Malfoy’s reactions? I was knocked out at the
time!” Hermione responded, turning more fully toward Harry. Her back was
against the armrest behind her and she curled her left leg under her right.
Harry eyed her. He obviously didn’t believe she wouldn’t know why Malfoy had
acted the way he did.
“I’m not asking you to account for his actions, Hermione. But even you have to
admit that this is not Malfoy-like behavior. Why would he act like that toward
you? Doesn’t he think you are beneath his notice? Being muggle-born and all?”
Harry questioned her closely.
She closed her eyes and leaned into the back of the couch. What was she going
to do? Would Harry believe that she was in a relationship with Draco? Would he
believe that he was a werewolf and she was his mate? This was such a conundrum.
She could have fooled Ron, but Harry always looked deeper. Could she trust
Harry not to tell Ron? He was her best friend, right?She would have to put her
faith in him.
“I’m his mate,” she told him quietly.
“HIS MATE?!? What in the bleeding hell does that mean?” Harry practically
shouted at her. The Muffliato was still doing it’s job, but Hermione looked
around the common room to see if Harry had attracted anyone’s attention. Nobody
was looking their way.
“It means that he was asked by Voldemort to become a werewolf this summer.
Fenrir Greyback, the same one who bit Remus, bit Malfoy over the summer. He’s a
werewolf, Harry.” She told him calmly.
Harry threw up his hands, “Oh really? And he didn’t immediately off himself for
becoming a ‘half-breed’?”
“Harry! He is not a half-breed! Would you call Remus a half-breed?” Hermione
was indignant at Harry’s reaction.
“Of course not, Hermione. But you know that’s the way Malfoy thinks!” Harry
seemed just as angry.
“Because it was the way he was raised! He’s a product of the environment he was
raised in! Just like you are!” Hermione explained to him. She knew Harry wasn’t
a scholar, but surely he had to be exposed to some introductory psychology?
“What is that supposed to mean?” Harry bit at her, he was sensitive about his
terrible childhood with the Dursleys.
She groaned, “It just means that how you were raised affects you the rest of
your life, unless you work to change it. It affects your thinking and how you
feel about things. Of course, he thought I was inferior being muggle-born, and
he probably did think that werewolves are half-breeds. It’s all he knew. I’m
sure his thoughts have changed now.” She wasn’t trying to upset Harry, but she
needed him to see that Malfoy couldn’t help his prejudice’s anymore than Harry
could.
“How do you know? Has he told you?” Harry was back to grilling her.
“Well, not in so many words,” she admitted quietly, “but his views must have
changed right? I’m his mate! According to him, it’s instinctual, and for life.
Even if I choose someone else, he will always, always choose me! You saw him in
Defense, from what you said, he was trying to protect me. You think he chose to
blow his cover?” As she made this argument, she began musing about why Draco
hadn’t told her his views had changed. They clearly needed to have a
conversation about this. They needed more conversations and less snogging in
general, her rational mind insisted.
Harry thought about that for a moment, “Maybe. So what you told us earlier
about him looking peakish?”
Hermione nodded, “Well he does, but it’s not entirely truthful. I don’t know
what being a mate really means for me yet. He seems to not entirely know
either. I’ve written Remus to see if he has any information. But I have not
told Remus that Malfoy is a werewolf, and you have to promise to keep it quiet.
Nobody else knows... “ she paused to consider, “I suppose Professor Snape and
Madam Pomfrey probably know, which means Professor Dumbledore probably knows.
But I don’t think any of the other students know, not even his friends know.
“He mentioned that Voldemort would kill him if he got expelled from Hogwarts by
being exposed as a werewolf. I think that means that being bitten wasn’t the
only thing Voldemort made him do over the summer. I think it means he’s up to
something else. I haven’t asked him what that is, but I’m planning to. He might
be my mate, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let him follow some stupid
command from Voldemort.”
Hermione reached out to Harry as he appraised her. “Harry, trust me on this.
I’m going to figure out what he’s up to.”
Harry sighed, “I won’t tell anyone he’s a werewolf, but Hermione, you just...
You don’t know guys like him. You don’t know how guys think!”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Hermione bristled at Harry.
“You are being naive! You aren’t his mate! He’s playing you, Hermione! He’s
just trying to get to me!” Harry pleaded with her, but Hermione couldn’t hear
it.
“Not everything in this world is about you, Harry James Potter!” Hermione
snapped at him.
“This is, though! Hermione, I swear to you that he’s using you in order to
gather information about me!” Harry was emphatic. Hermione glared at him.
“You are wrong,” she stated smartly.
“Fine, I’ll prove to you that he’s just using you,” Harry told her in a huff.
He threw one last glare at her before walking away and breaking the Muffliato.
How could Harry think that Malfoy was using her? Hermione knew that he wasn’t.
He had been too real in his interactions with her. He wasn’t nearly smooth or
focused enough to be lying to her. She’d wait to see what Remus had to say
about mates. That would prove Harry wrong.
===============================================================================
 
Daily Prophet - October 15, 1996
Rufus Scrimgeour Dead!
It is with great sadness that this reporter brings to you the news that our
illustrious Minister for Magic has died. He was found early this morning in his
home. Causes are unknown at this time, but it appears to be natural.
Pius Thicknesse, the current Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement,
has been appointed by the Wizengamot as the new Minister for Magic. Read the
riveting tale of Rufus Scrimgeour’s life on page 3, and Pius Thicknesse’s life
on page 2.
Scrimgeour was only Minister for little more than a year. He succeeded
Cornelius Fudge (background on page 17), who was removed from office for
denying that He-Who-Must-Not-Be- Named had returned.
We at the Daily Prophet will endeavor to keep Wizarding Britain apprised of all
new updates during these Dark times.
===============================================================================
Daily Prophet - October 19, 1996
Lucius Malfoy Exonerated!
In a surprising move, the new Minister for Magic, Pius Thicknesse (background
on page 6), has exonerated Lucius Malfoy (background on page 10).
Readers will remember that Lucius Malfoy was imprisoned in Azkaban in June, due
to his involvement in the Harry Potter (background on page 15) break-in the
Ministry of Magic’s Department of Mysteries.
When this reporter reached out to Mr. Malfoy’s beautiful wife, Narcissa Malfoy,
she commented, “Having Lucius home will ease the great suffering I’ve had since
his false imprisonment at the beginning of the summer.”
Lucius Malfoy is expected to return to his home in Wiltshire later today.
Stay tuned dear readers, we will continue to report on this story.
===============================================================================
Hermione slammed down the Daily Prophet and caught Draco’s eye across the Great
Hall. He nodded to her and tilted his head toward the doors. Hermione responded
with an almost imperceptible nod and began to gather her things.
“Where are you going, ‘Mione?” Ron asked, around a mouthful of food.
“I remembered a book I wanted to look up in the library,” she began, but then
noticed Ron had stopped paying attention to her. She waved goodbye to her
friends and headed out the doors. She didn’t see Harry narrow his eyes as he
watched Draco get up to leave the same time.
 Draco was waiting for her in the hallway. They walked up toward the third
floor, but not really walking together, in case someone spotted them. Upon
reaching the third floor, Malfoy turned down a little used corridor that ended
in a very small, but clearly abandoned classroom. When they got into the room,
Hermione warded the door and Draco started pacing, pulling at his hair.
“Not good, Granger, this is not good. This is very bad and not good,” he was
mumbling to himself as he paced.
“Draco, calm down. I thought your father-” she started.
“You know nothing of my father,” he spat at her. His voice was cold. He had his
emotionless mask on, she could see. She realized it was the mask that he used
to always wear, but now seemed unfamiliar. He never put that mask on when they
were alone together, and made her sad that he thought he needed it now.
She approached him and put her arm on his arm, looking up into his icy gaze.
“Draco, maybe you could tell me about your father?” she asked, tugging his arms
so that he was hugging her.
He took a deep breath and looked down at her, “I love my father, but since the
Dark Lord has come back, he’s a different man. Not the man I knew when I was
younger. He’s colder... harsher.”
Hermione nodded and hugged him, wrapping her arms around his waist and laying
her head on his chest to listen to his heartbeat.
“Granger, what if? What if he, gods, finds out I’m a werewolf! He’s going to
kill me.” Draco moaned into her hair miserably.
“Draco, he’s your father, he’s not going to kill you. And he won’t be
disappointed in you, even if he’s disappointed that you’ve been bitten. But
Voldemort,” Draco hissed at the sound of that name on Hermione’s lips, but
Hermione plunged ahead anyway, “commanded it of you. Surely he’s not going to
go against his Lord and Master, is he?”
Hermione could apply her logic to any situation. Draco was the Malfoy Heir, so
no way his father was going to just kill him. She almost scoffed at the
thought, but didn’t want to upset Draco. She was exhausted byall the boys in
her life being upset. This just made her think of Harry, and she groaned and
felt self-conscious. She desperately wanted to ask Malfoy if he was using her
like Harry thought, but she didn’t want to add anything to his worries right
now. She bit her lip in thought, still holding onto Draco. She decided she
wasn’t going to bring it up with him. He had enough things to think about.
“Draco, even if your father is out of Azkaban, and you and I both know he
shouldn’t be, well, you won’t have to see him until Christmas hols, right?” She
asked, moving so that she could look at him, resting her chin on his chest as
she gazed into his silver eyes.
“That’s, actually, you’re right, Granger. I won’t have to see him until
Christmas. And maybe something will happen and I won’t have to see him at all!”
Draco seemed almost excited about the prospect of never having to see his
father.
“Well, I thought you said you loved him?” She was confused by his reactions. He
pulled away from her and started pacing again.
“It’s not that I don’t love my father, but I still want him to respect me. I
told you he’s changed. He never has a kind word anymore. And I don’t want to
hear all of the unkind words he’s going to have to say to me about this
werewolf business. He’s never cared for Fenrir, and while Fenrir can still be
bloody terrifying, I at least feel like he’s always on my side. My father
hasn’t always felt like he’s on my side. And, it was kind of nice not having
him around this summer,” Draco admitted to her quietly.
She could understand that. Not everyone had great supportive parents. Her own
parents knew nothing about the war that was taking place in her world at the
moment. She had kept it from them, because she knew it would terrify them. She
had a duty to her world and to her friends. She wasn’t going to let her parents
get in the way of that.
“Let’s not worry about it just yet. You aren’t going to have to see him for
months,” she reached out to turn him around to face her again.
He smirked at her, and pulled her in for a kiss. She melted against him.
His kisses were heaven.
Chapter End Notes
     A/N: Beta love to brownlark42 and twztdwildcat! I am in awe of the
     amount of people reading and reviewing this story! You guys are the
     best! Let me know your thoughts on this chapter! We have a couple of
     action packed chapters coming up, can't wait to see what you think of
     them!
***** Chapter 13 *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
“Granger? Really, Draco?” Blaise asked, flopping down into an armchair next to
Draco in the Slytherin Common Room. Draco groaned. He had done well avoiding
his friends for a few days - this was a conversation he was not looking forward
to. Blaise was a dark-complected Italian, whose family was politically neutral,
but he played the Slytherin pureblood games along with everyone else at
Hogwarts.
“What are you talking about, Blaise?” he asked airily, flipping through his
Potions text, trying to look much calmer than he felt.
“What happened in Defense earlier this week? You cursed the Weasel and held
Granger. You.  Draco Malfoy, Slytherin Prince, Pure-Blood Scion of the House of
Malfoy. You touched a mudblood. Voluntarily,” Blaise replied dryly. He leaned
forward and put his hand on Draco’s textbook, forcing him to look up. Draco
glared at Blaise and closed his book, leaning back into his arm chair.
“Don’t call her that,” Draco said.
Blaise’s eyebrows shot up, “Mudblood? Aren’t you the person who introduced her
to that word?”
Draco hissed when Blaise said it again. Blaise was right of course. He and
Granger hadn’t done much talking in the last few weeks, but eventually they
would have to. He was a blood purist, and that hadn’t really changed despite
becoming a werewolf. He couldn’t think of Granger in terms of being a mudblood
though. Not since finding out she was his mate. He felt like being his mate
made her pure somehow.
Draco nodded at Blaise, “She’s my assignment,” he muttered. Trying to extricate
himself from the conversation as soon as possible.
“Your assignment? For what class?” Draco looked around and saw that nobody was
paying them any attention. He cast a Notice-Me-Not spell around himself and
Blaise.
“Don’t play dumb, Blaise. It doesn’t suit you,” Draco replied. “She’s the
assignment the Dark Lord has given me.”
Blaise smirked at Draco, which made Draco’s insides crawl uncomfortably, but he
smiled back, his mask too well-practiced.
“You are supposed to seduce her? Pansy won’t like that.” Blaise turned his
smirk into a full-on grin. Draco almost grimaced at the thought of having this
same conversation with Pansy, but shrugged his shoulders for Blaise’s benefit.
“It doesn’t matter what Pansy likes or wants. It’s what the Dark Lord wants.”
Draco ran a hand through his hair.
Blaise hummed his agreement, “But still... how can you stand touching her?”
Draco’s gaze narrowed for a moment before he was able to catch himself. He
lifted his shoulder in reply, “Don’t have much of a choice, do I? Touch a
mudblood,” he almost choked over the word, “or disobey the Dark Lord. One of
those is much, much worse than the other.” Why couldn’t he say mudblood? He had
never had a conscience before learning of his mate, and now he didn’t even
think of her as a mudblood, and couldn’t talk about her as a mudblood either?
“Has your seduction succeeded then? Tell me the details! What is Granger like?”
Blaise said leaning forward eagerly.
Draco could feel Reule waking up in the back of his mind, trying to push
himself forward to protect his mate. Calm down, Reule. I’ve got this.
“You better, boy,”Reule growled at him. Strange, he had never had a
conversation with Reule when he wasn’t a wolf. Did that mean Reule was getting
stronger? Or Draco was adapting? He shook his head; he couldn’t think about
this now. He’d ask Fenrir in his next letter.
“Listen, even if I had succeeded in getting the mudblood to drop her knickers,
I wouldn’t be telling you about it. I might ask you to Obliviate me, but I
wouldn’t want to share the details and have to relive it myself,” Draco
shuddered for effect.
Blaise rolled his eyes at him, “It’s not like she’s a troll, and she’s fit. For
a mudblood, anyway.”
Draco smirked at his oldest friend in agreement, “She is fit.”
Blaise smirked back at him, “So no fucking yet, but definitely something is
happening?”
Draco nodded, but didn’t say anything. He was a little lost thinking about
Granger and how delicious she smelled and how much he wanted to bond her. Mark
her. Make her his, for everyone to see.
Blaise waved his hand in a go-on gesture. But Draco shook his head.
“I told you I wasn’t sharing details, go bug someone else,” Draco told him
frowning a little.
“Fine,” Blaise threw up his hands.
As Blaise stood to go, Draco asked, “Your mother has a Vanishing Cabinet,
right? Left over from the first war?”
Blaise raised his left eyebrow, “Yeah, but I don’t know where the other half
is. Or if it still works. Why?”
“Just wondering what you knew about them. Thought they might be useful this
time around too,” Draco replied nonchalantly.
Blaise furrowed his brows, “I’m not sure, I’ll write mother and ask her.”
Draco nodded his thanks as Blaise walked out of the Common Room.
===============================================================================
Draco was just leaving the Come and Go Room when he was accosted by Potter.
That didn’t take long.
“Malfoy! I need a word,” Potter said, flagging him down. He almost sounded
polite.
“Well, if it isn’t Scarhead. What can I do for you?” Draco asked guardedly.
Potter scowled at the way Draco had addressed him, which made Draco smirk.
“What the hell do you think you are doing with Hermione?” Potter asked,
fingering his wand. Draco eyed Potter’s wand hand and stood so his own wand was
easily accessible. Draco wasn’t about to be caught unaware by the Boy Who Lived
to Irritate.
Draco looked around, feigning innocence, “I’m not doing anything with Granger.
She’s not even here, Potter. Need your glasses fixed?”
Potter scowled even deeper and his body tensed. Maybe I will get out of this
without divulging too much. I wonder what Granger told him?
“Look, I know your little secret, but I am not buying it. Seriously, you have
her convinced that she’s your mate?” Harry practically shouted the last word.
Draco could feel his lips thin in anger; Reule was awake and pacing in the back
of his mind. He pulled his wand and flicked it to cast a Muffliatocharm. He
drew himself up and glared down his nose at Potter.
“I don’t know what the fuck you are on about, Potter. But you need to learn to
not speak that way to your betters. I’m not doing anything with Granger, so
just go along your merry way, little boy.”
Potter took a step back, forced to look up at Draco, “Hermione told me
everything, Ferret. How you got bit by Greyback and now you have a furry
problem once a month. And how you are telling her she is your bloody mate! I
won’t let you lie to her! You are on opposite sides of this war. You can’t have
her!”
Potter was shouting loudly now, and Draco was grateful he had the presence of
mind to cast the Muffliato that he had picked up from Granger. He looked
around. No other students were in sight, but they were standing in the middle
of the seventh floor hallway and the Gryffindor Common Room was just around the
corner. He glared at Potter and turned around, trusting that Scarhead was too
much of a goody-two-shoes to hex him in the back. He paced in front of the Come
and Go Room and when the door appeared, he tugged it open.
He found himself in a dueling court and chuckled to himself at the sight. How
apropos, he thought. He heard Potter slam the door behind him and he whirled
around to face him.
“I don’t know what Granger told you, but I’m not a bloody werewolf, and
therefore, she can’t be my mate.” Draco growled.
“Expelliarmus!” Potter shouted, but Draco was ready for him. And he had his
werewolf instincts and months of training with Seff and Rand on his side. He
twirled neatly out of the way and shot a silent jelly-legs jinx at Potter. It
caught him for a moment, before Potter muttered the counter-curse. But Draco
was ready for him and tossed a Confringo his way.
Potter sidestepped the Confringo and shouted, “Bombarda!”
Draco laughed as it sailed over his head, he had ducked and rolled, missing the
next curse Potter flew at him.
“Are you so bad at Defense that you can’t duel silently, Potter?” Draco taunted
as Potter’s next jinx hit his shield spell and bounced back.
Potter ducked out of the way of the rebounding jinx and threw a trip hex at
Draco. It caught Draco and he went down.
“Incarcerous!” Potter shouted, standing over him. Ropes shot out of Potter’s
wand and wrapped themselves tightly around Draco. Draco was stuck lying on his
back looking up at Potter.
Potter stood back and laughed. Suddenly, Reule jerked Draco back into his mind.
It felt just like being the wolf. He could see, and knew what Reule was doing,
but he was powerless to stop the wolf as he took control. As Reule, Draco
growled at Potter and flexed his arms, pushing them hard away from his body.
Draco was pretty sure this was not something he could manage if he was in
control, but since it was Reule, his arms caused enough force to break the
ropes. He stood quickly and towered over Potter, then shoved him easily to the
ground.
Potter looked stunned and propped himself up, his mouth was hanging open. He
was looking at Draco with wide, wary eyes.
“Stay away from me, and stay away from my mate,” Draco growled menacingly at
Potter. He kicked the shorter teen so hard that Potter flew across the floor
and into the wall. Draco wheeled around and left the Come and Go Room, banging
the door behind him.
You need tolet me back up front, Reule. But Draco could see that Reule was
taking him to the dungeons. This could be good and bad. Good because he needed
to get away from Potter, and bad because he was still trying to avoid his
friends. He did not want to come across anyone in the state he was in now. He
was vibrating with rage.
“You were going to let that little shit win! I always win, boy. Remember
that,”Reule growled as he shoved Draco back forward and settled in the back of
Draco’s mind.
What the fuck was that? Draco had never lost control like that to Reule. In
fact, prior to this week, Reule had only been an issue near the full moon. Now
he was not only feeling him all the time, pacing in the back of his head, but
Reule could suddenly take charge? That was not good. Draco had enough to deal
with; and having to control the wolf inside his mind was not going to help
anything. He steered toward the Entrance Hall and went outside to calm down
before heading back in the Great Hall for dinner.
===============================================================================
Granger was sitting under a tree near the lake when Draco happened upon her.
Perfect, he groaned to himself. He didn’t really want to see her at the moment
-- but then, what the fuck was she doing telling Potter that he was a werewolf?
He had enough problems, without Boy Wonder sniffing around.
“Granger,” he growled at her, startling her. She jumped a bit and looked up at
him, frowning. She glanced around and saw they were the only two still out at
the lake this late in the day, dinner was about to start in the Great Hall.
“Draco, hello, how are you?” she asked and smiled at him. He loved her smile,
and she looked beguiling in the late afternoon light. Her hair was down around
her shoulders, surrounding her small frame. She was still in her uniform from
classes, but she had taken off her robe. It was warm outside for late October,
and her skirt had ridden up above her knees, showing several inches of creamy
thigh. He felt himself stir.
“Why did you tell Potter?” he asked her bluntly. He pushed aside thoughts of
how delicious she looked. He was too angry to get distracted.
“Draco, he’s my best friend and he’s not stupid. He would have figured it out
eventually.” She patted the cloak next to her, inviting him to sit. He shook
his head, and turned to face the lake.
“He just accosted me outside the Come and Go Room,” he told her flatly.
“What! Are you ok? What happened?” She rose and was standing behind him; he
could smell how close she was. He turned around to glare down at her.
“We dueled.”
He watched her eyes widen. She raked her gaze over him, clearly looking for
injuries.
“Don’t worry, Scarhead couldn’t get anything to land other than an Incarcerous,
which I broke,” he told her a bit smugly. He wasn’t comfortable with what Reule
did, and he didn’t like being out of control. But, an Incarcerous wasn’t broken
unless it had been left in place too long, or you incapacitated the person who
cast it.
“Is Harry ok?” she asked in a small voice, meeting his gaze again. He scowled
at her as he realized how fearful she was that he had done something to Potter.
Did she really think he would hurt her friend? He was disgusted. Clearly she
thought he was a monster. But was he?
“Potter is fine, probably pissed his pants, but he’s perfectly fine,” he spat
at her.
“Draco -” she started.
“Don’t. Don’t ‘Draco’, me. Just run along inside and check on him. Clearly
that’s what you want to do,” he told her bitterly, turning toward the lake
again. She was his. She was his mate, and she was more worried about her
precious Potter.
“That’s not fair, Draco. If you say he’s fine, I trust you.” She stood in front
of him, her back to the lake as she pulled at the arms he had crossed over his
chest to clasp his hands.
“I’m sorry,” she pleaded. “I’m sorry he attacked you, and I’m sorry I told him.
He’s so protective and he cornered me in the Common Room. I had to tell him
something! And, Draco, he’s so suspicious of you this year. He’s been following
you around, keeping an eye on you., That’s why he found you outside the Come
and Go Room. I - I told him that I would keep an eye on you. That we were
talking, because I thought you looked ill. I told him I would figure out what
you were up to,” her explanation started loud and got quieter and quieter as
she admitted the truth.
He wanted to trust her, and he knew there was no way that she would give up six
years of friendship with Boy Wonder for him. Even worse, she still had more
loyalty to Potter than to him. He glared down at her.
“And what am I up to, Granger? You told him I was a werewolf, and you told him
you are my mate. Do you know how protected that information is? And you go
blabbing off to your friends? Do the Weasel and Weaselette know, too? Are you
sitting up in that damn tower giggling and laughing over how you have the slimy
Slytherin by the fucking balls?!” He was shouting at this point, and Granger
had dropped his hands and backed up from him toward the lake. She looked
frightened. Good, he thought.
“Draco! That’s not how it is!” He could see that she had tears in her eyes, but
he didn’t care.
“I don’t care, Granger. I’m done dealing with this shit. Keep Potter away from
me,” he spat before turning and walking back to the castle.
“Draco, wait -” he didn’t hear anything else; he turned his quick walk into a
light jog.
===============================================================================
The next day, Draco was hoping to keep a low profile. It was a Saturday, and he
was catching up on homework in the library. He had just finished his Ancient
Runes translation and pulled out Potions when someone pulled out the chair next
to him. He glanced up and saw Pansy glaring at him. Fuck.
“Draco Malfoy, what the fuck is your problem?” Pansy asked him, her voice was
cold. Pansy had dark hair that was cut in a short page-boy style. She had
everyday dark green robes on, which Draco noticed brought out the green flecks
in her blue eyes.
“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean, Pans. I’m working on my Potions essay,
have you finished yours yet?” Draco tried to change the subject.
“You have ignored and avoided me for two weeks! And I know why, too. The
question is why didn’t you tell me?” Pansy looked hurt.
“What was I supposed to have told you, Pansy?” Draco was trying to figure out
what exactly she thought she knew. There was no way she knew he was a werewolf
right? This had to be about Granger.
“That you’re dating that fuzzy-headed mudblood,” Pansy replied, her tone
clearly telling Draco that he was an idiot.
“I’m not ‘dating’ Granger, she’s my assignment. Haven’t you talked to Blaise?”
Draco really did not what to have this conversation with Pansy. It was bad
enough having it with Blaise.
“Your assignment?!” Pansy shrieked.
“Keep it down!” Draco hissed at her. He looked around and could see some fourth
year Hufflepuff’s looking their way. Draco packed up his books and grabbed
Pansy’s hand to pull her out of the library. He needed access to the library so
he could look for information on Vanishing Cabinets, and it wouldn’t do to be
kicked out by Madam Pince because Pansy was a loud mouth.
They found an empty classroom a few doors down the corridor and Draco pushed
Pansy inside, ahead of him.
“Yes, she is my assignment from the Dark Lord. That’s all you need to know,
Pans,” Draco explained, running his hands through his hair. He really wished
Blaise and Pansy had talked to him at the same time. He hated having to talk
about Granger this way. It made his insides squirm uncomfortably.
“So, what? You aren’t dating, but she’s your assignment? What the fuck does
that mean? What does the Dark Lord want you to do with her?” Pansy had her
hands on her hips and was glaring at him full force now.
“You know what he wants me to do, Pansy. Why are you acting like this? Do you
think I have a choice?” Draco was getting angry and started pacing in front of
her.
“It’s not like the Dark Lord called me into my drawing room. Yes, my drawing
room, because he lives in my fucking house! To give me a choice on what my
assignments were. ‘Here, Draco, take your pick of assignments’.” Draco laughed
darkly.
“It was more like, ‘Draco ssseduce Potter’sss mudblood’,” Draco hissed for
effect, stopping in front of Pansy and scowling down at her.
“Draco!” Pansy looked around with wide eyes. “You can’t talk like that! You
don’t know who’s listening!” Pansy pulled her wand out of the sleeve of her
robe and flicked it at the door, locking and warding it. Then she set a
silencing spell on the walls of the empty classroom.
Draco groaned. He was so fucking stupid! “You’re right Pansy, I shouldn’t speak
like that. The Dark Lord wants me to seduce her and gather information on
Potter,” Draco admitted to her, sagging to a seat on a dusty table.
“And he thinks you are the best person for this job?” Pansy sassed.
“Ha, bloody, ha, Pansy. Obviously he thinks I’m the best person. Clearly my
past behavior isn’t ideal, but Granger is such a bleeding heart Gryffindor that
I think it’s working. She’s less suspicious than I would be in her shoes,
that’s for sure,” he replied quietly. In fact, it was strange how easygoing
Granger had been this whole time. Sure, she had questions, but they hadn’t
really argued until he ran into her after the duel with Potter.
Pansy raised an eyebrow at him, “The Dark Lord clearly doesn’t know you that
well.”
“Good thing for that,” Draco muttered, surprising Pansy into a bark of
laughter.
“Well, if you want any help with it, let me know,” Pansy offered. She primped
her hair and smirked at him.
“Really?” Draco asked. He couldn’t believe that Pansy would help him woo
Granger.
“Sure, I’m a girl, I know what girls like,” Pansy smirked at him. Draco didn’t
like the look in her eyes. “Like, I really like it when I guy does this thing
where he. Well, come here I’ll show you.” Pansy began reaching for the zipper
of her skirt.
“Pans! I don’t need that kind of help. Thanks, but no thanks.”He decided there
was no way he was talking to Pansy about anything to do with Granger.
Pansy offered a real grin this time. “Let’s go to lunch.” Draco followed her
out of the empty classroom and to the Great Hall.
===============================================================================
My Darling Son,
I have good news! I have spoken with Headmaster Dumbledore and he has granted
you leave to celebrate Halloween at home with me and your father. I know your
father looks forward to seeing you again; it has been so long since the two of
you have been able to spend any time together.
He is a little worn after being released from that awful prison. You will need
to keep that in mind when you speak with him.
However, he has asked after you. He longs to see you again, dear. I am happy
that our family will have the chance to be together again.
I will be by Hogwarts to pick you up on 27 October. You will be with us through
2 November, when I will escort you back to school.
Study hard my beloved Draco. Know your father and I are proud of all of your
accomplishments.
With all of my love,
Your Mother
Draco groaned, oh fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. He was being summoned home to see his
father. This was not good and he was not prepared. He had been thinking he
wouldn’t see his father until Christmas. It was 21 October already, which meant
that in six days he’d be seeing the father he hadn’t seen since Easter holidays
during his fifth year. His father had been taken away to Azkaban immediately
following the battle at the Department of Mysteries, and Draco hadn’t seen him
at all over the summer.
Oh, shite, Halloween! The Beta Ceremony!How could he have forgotten? Fenrir had
written him that it would take place over Halloween; he looked at his schedule
and saw that the next full moon was going to be on 1 November. It was all
clicking into place. He would not only have to worry about the Beta Ceremony,
but his father was going to be present. He read through his mother’s letter
again, trying to read between her lines. He’s asked after me, so has someone
told him I’m a werewolf?He couldn’t be sure, but he didn’t think his mother
would unless she had to. But that didn’t mean that someone else wouldn’t. Any
number of people could have told his father. The Dark Lord, Fenrir, Aunt Bella,
Snape, and anyone who had been at that bloody meeting he had been summoned to.
He wasn’t one for lists, but he suddenly found himself making a list of all the
things he needed to do while he was at home for a week. First on that list was
scouring the Manor library for any mentions of Vanishing Cabinets. Second,
figuring out a way to kill Dolohov. He could feel Reule’s approval at adding
that item to the list. Beta Ceremony, both in human and wolf form, was third.
Fourth would be talking to his father. Hopefully that would be the end of it.
It was going to be busy enough, and he was sure he wasn’t going to be able to
escape an audience with the Dark Lord. It was Halloween after all; and the Dark
Lord obsessed about Halloween. Draco guessed it was because that’s when the
Dark Lord had disappeared the first time, having tried to kill Potter.
Draco groaned He really needed to start figuring out the Vanishing Cabinet in
the Come and Go Room. He had examined it thoroughly; he’d even tried to send an
apple through, but nothing happened after he spoke the incantation. He
desperately needed to get into the Restricted Section of the library. Maybe
Snape would write him a pass? He had offered help; he thought through the rest
of his teachers and knew none of the rest would write him one without a valid
reason. He decided he’d speak to Snape after his next Defense class.
===============================================================================
Draco found Granger in the library later that week. She was in a back corner,
near the Restricted Section. He had been avoiding her, but his mother was due
to pick him up tomorrow. He knew he had to talk to her before he left for home.
It was obvious she had been there most of the day, based on the amount of books
she had stacked in front of her. He put his bag down and slid into the chair
next to her.
“Hermione,” he greeted, pulling one of the books she had on the table toward
him, Magick Moste Evile it read. He raised an eyebrow at her when she finally
looked up at him. She saw which book he had and avoided his eyes.
“Doing a little light reading?” he asked with an arrogant half smile.
“Malfoy, what can I help you with?” she responded coolly, closing the book she
had in front of her and leaning back. She was keeping an eye on the book he had
started to leaf through.
“Not reading material I would have expected Gryffindor’s Golden Girl to be
into,” he murmured as he leafed through the book.
“I didn’t realize you were into alliteration, Malfoy,” she was clearly trying
to distract him - or provoke him. He decided it wasn’t really worth riling her
up, especially when he was fighting with himself between wanting to snog her
senseless and hex her for spilling secrets to Potter.
“Let’s find a quiet place to talk,” he said quietly. She looked up at him,
questioning.
“Why should I go somewhere alone with you, Malfoy? The last time we were alone,
I got yelled at,” she responded primly.
Draco groaned, “Can we please discuss this somewhere privately?” A pair of
third year Ravenclaws had turned the corner. He turned to glare at them and
they took one look at him and fled the area.
She began stuffing books in her bag and huffed, “Fine, Room of Requirement?
I’ll meet you up there.”
“What? You mean the Come and Go Room?” he asked, confused. He hadn’t heard it
called the Room of Requirement before.
“Same thing, different names,” she said. “Hogwarts: A History uses them
interchangeably,” she informed him, still piling her books and parchment into
her bag.
“I’ll be up there in ten,” he told her and walked out of the library.
He paced in front of the Come and Go Room, thinking about the last time the two
of them were in there. She had shown him that horrific curse scar from Dolohov.
When he opened the door, the room gave him the same space. There was the same
couch, a couple of bookshelves, and the fireplace. He sat down on the couch to
wait for her.
He didn’t wait long, the door opened, and she stepped inside, dropping her bag
on the floor. Then she just stood in front of the door, her wand dangling
between her fingers.
“Granger, put your wand away. I’m not going to yell at you. But we do have some
things we need to discuss, Potter among them,” he admitted, running a hand
through his hair.
Granger’s lips tightened and she nodded once, and tucked her wand back up the
sleeve of her robe. She stepped closer to the couch, but didn’t sit. He patted
the spot next to him and she snorted.
“I’ll stand thanks.”
He wanted to be mad at her for telling Potter; he wanted to snog her because
she was so damn lovely looking down at him; and he wanted to talk about being a
werewolf with her because she was so bloody smart and insightful.
“I’m worried about Reule, he took control when I dueled Potter,” Draco
admitted, standing up and pacing toward the fireplace.
“Reule stepped in? How does he do that? And why? Was it because you were
cornered? Or because he didn’t think you could take care of yourself? That is
fascinating,” she sounded like she was deep in thought, and when he turned to
look at her, she had a faraway look in her eyes.
“Granger,” he snapped, getting her attention back to him. “I’m sure it’s
because I was cornered, Reule basically told me that. I just have never had him
take over like that when I wasn’t already a wolf or near the full moon.”
She nodded, “That makes sense. I’m glad you are all right. And that neither you
nor Harry are hurt. Could Reule do that? Hurt someone when you aren’t in
charge?
“That’s what I’m worried about, it was bloody scary. I don’t like losing
control, what if it happens in a class? Or in front of the Dark Lord? I don’t
know what Reule is capable of,” he confessed.
“You’ll have to figure out how to become one with Reule. It’s possible, right?”
She had a worried look on her face that made him want to hold her.
“Yes, it’s possible. Fenrir basically told me that I wouldn’t be happy until I
was able to reconcile the two halves,” he sighed in frustration. He walked back
toward her and put his arms on her shoulders, but she shrugged him off.
“Fine,” he threw up his hands in frustration and paced back to the couch. “I’ve
been summoned home,” he told her flatly, and flopped down onto the couch.
“Oh, Draco, no! Does this mean you’ll have to see your father?” her demeanor
softened at the pronouncement that he was going to have to go home. She toed
off her shoes and curled her feet under her as she knelt next to him on the
couch. She must not have been as angry as he thought. He nodded at her
question. He was glad she wasn’t fighting with him; he didn’t think he could
stand it if they fought right now.
“What are you going to do?” she asked, worry lining her brows.
“There’s nothing I can do, the Beta Ceremony is scheduled to happen at
Halloween, and my father will be home. I wasn’t sure from mother’s letter, but
it sounds like he knows that I’ve been bitten. Mother comes to collect me
tomorrow,” he leaned back into the couch and closed his eyes.
“Fenrir can help, right? And your mother? Your father wouldn’t hurt you, would
he?” He looked up and saw that she was biting her lip and her face was
scrunched with concern. He felt himself stir at the sight. He wanted to be the
one biting that lip. He put his hand on her cheek, and ran his thumb over her
lip, tugging it out of her teeth.
“I’ll be fine. My father can’t really do anything worse than he’s already
done,” he told her, his voice sounded husky to him as he eyed her lips.
She darted her tongue out to wet her lips, and when he looked up at her own
eyes, he could see she was looking at his lips in return. He dipped his head in
for a soft, chaste kiss. She put her hands on his chest and leaned toward him,
so opened his mouth to let his tongue explore that lip she had been biting.
When she gasped, he took advantage and plundered her mouth. He moved his hand
from her cheek to the back of her neck and tilted her head to a better angle,
his other hand gripping her hip. He pulled at her hip until she picked up her
leg and straddled him. Her hands clutched at his chest, and then went up around
his neck to card through his hair.
He put both hands on her hips and pushed her down, so she could feel what she
was doing to him. She gasped at the contact and broke the kiss, looking down at
him. He lifted his hips, feeling her hot center, her skirt draped around his
lap. She started at the contact and then moaned and tossed her head back as she
ground on top of him. He leaned forward to nuzzle her neck, marking his
favorite spot. He could see a very faint bruise and resolved to never stay away
from her long enough for it to disappear entirely.
“Draco,” she moaned, breathless.
“Hermione, I want you so bad. I want to take you and mark you as mine,” he
rumbled into her neck.
“Please,” she said, pulling her head up, eyes laden with lust.
“Not yet. Gods how I wish I could, but not yet,” he leaned his forehead against
hers and they both breathed heavily.
 
Chapter End Notes
     A/N: Beta love to brownlark42 and twztdwildcat! You can find me on
     tumblr at crochetawayhpff where you'll see manips for each chapter
     and other stories I write. As always, I live for your reviews. For
     everyone who has reviewed thus far, you are amazing and fuel this
     story. Next few chapters are super action packed, can't wait to get
     them up!
***** Chapter 14 *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Narcissa Malfoy (née Black) was not a stupid woman. She did not have a Dark
Mark on her arm, unlike her simpering sister and her principled husband. Nor
did she want to have a Dark Mark on her arm. Narcissa Malfoy played things
closer to the chest than that. The number one priority in Narcissa’s life was
her son, Draco. Number two was her family: Lucius and the extended Black
family. But Draco always came first. Every decision Narcissa made was with
Draco in mind.
She sat drinking tea with the werewolf, Fenrir Greyback, smiling like a love-
struck fool. Narcissa Malfoy was not a love-struck fool. She was nobility,
according to wizarding standards. She was raised on political intrigue, and she
knew how to play within those rules and constructs.
Narcissa always got what she wanted.
She smiled demurely at Greyback, noting that he was dressed decently and no
longer stinking. Her son’s influence, she was told. She was proud that her son
was able to have influence over his Alpha to such a degree. It spoke to the way
Draco was raised. Narcissa wouldn’t need her furniture cleaned after this
visit, like she had after the wolf’s first visit to her solar. She batted her
eyelashes and looked up through them, like a schoolgirl on a date with her
intended. Narcissa Malfoy played the game.
“Fenrir, darling, I am so happy you have been there for dear Draco. He needs a
strong, male influence in his life,” she cooed. She knew werewolves typically
weren’t the fastest brooms in the shed, but the way Greyback was lapping this
up surprised even her. How had he become Alpha if he was so easy to fool?
As a woman in pureblood society, she only had so many tools in her arsenal to
use, and her beauty and mild flirtations were some of them. She wielded those
tools the way a warrior witch would have wielded her wand: with power, finesse,
and ruthlessness.
She could see Greyback puff up at her compliment, and she fought the urge to
roll her eyes. A well-heeled witch never rolled her eyes. All men, even
werewolves, were typical.
“He will be my Beta, Narcissa. I would do anything for my pack, and more for my
Beta,” Fenrir boasted, as he clumsily patted her hand.
I’ll need a bath after this, Narcissa thought, as she forced herself to conceal
the shudder of revulsion that rolled through her.
When Greyback stood to leave, Narcissa stood with him and followed him to the
door.
“Do come back and see me soon, Fenrir. It does get lonely up here with just my
sister for company and Draco away at school,” Narcissa pouted up at the hulking
man and lightly laid her hand upon his forearm.
“The pup will be home soon, Narcissa. Full moon is just a week away,” Greyback
leered down at her. Narcissa smiled up at him in response.
“Of course, I’ll be fetching him in a few days. It will be so good to see him
again,” Narcissa said.
Greyback grasped her hand and gave it a lingering kiss, gently pressing his
tongue on her skin. As he lumbered out of the room, Narcissa pulled her wand
and cast a strong Scourgify at her hand.
Werewolf saliva, she grimaced to herself. She called for an elf to take away
the tea and decided she could do with a bath after all.
===============================================================================
When Lucius arrived at Malfoy Manor after his incarceration at Azkaban, he was
dressed in the rags he had been given in prison. Narcissa was not allowed to go
to the Ministry to collect him, so her dear sister Bella had that honor.
Bella pranced through the door, tugging on the sleeve of Lucius’ tattered grey
prison robes. Lucius staggered in behind her, looming in the doorway - he was a
large man, despite the time he had spent in prison. His long, blonde hair was
no longer sleek and shiny, but a ratted mess at the back of his head. Every
centimeter of skin that Narcissa could see looked filthy, and he had open sores
oozing on his knees and elbows.
“Narcissa,” Bella called out in a sing-song voice. “I’ve brought your husband
home to you!”
Narcissa had been standing the foyer, dressed in her customary black robes,
hands clasped in front of her as she awaited the return of her husband. Sadly,
it wasn’t her husband who was returned to her. The man that she saw in front of
her was not the Lucius Malfoy she had fallen in love with. This was a shell, an
empty shell of a wizard.
Stepping forward, she greeted her husband, “Lucius, it is good to have you
home. Let’s go and get you cleaned up.”
She held out a hand to him, intending to lead them up to their shared suite. He
stared at her hand a moment, before reaching out to grasp it - his hand was ice
cold in hers. He seemed to look through her and Narcissa felt sure her original
thought was correct. This man was not her husband.
Narcissa led him up the sweeping staircase and to the east wing where the
family lived. She didn’t say a word to him until they were behind the closed
doors of their suite, with all of the appropriate wards, locking, and silencing
charms in place.
She called for an elf and had a bath drawn for Lucius. She banished the rags he
was wearing and helped him into the tub. Lucius didn’t move or attempt to wash
himself. He just sat there and didn’t say a word.
Narcissa sighed heavily and knelt down to wash him. She grabbed the flannel and
rubbed it with the soap bar - it was the sandalwood scent he had always
favored. She slowly, softly began scrubbing him, reaching every part of his
body. Careful around his oozing wounds, but cleaning them thoroughly.
Finally, she washed his matted hair. It took her a long time to work through
all of the knots and mats, but she was finally able to comb her fingers through
his mane without snagging them. It still looked sickly and frayed when she was
done, but at least it was clean. She felt him sigh when she was finished. She
vanished the dirty bath water and refilled the tub with clean hot water,
intending to let him soak. As he soaked, she rubbed his shoulders, neck, and
scalp. He slowly, so slowly, began to relax to her ministrations.
“Cissy,” he rasped out. His voice was hoarse with disuse. The word caused him
to break into a hacking coughing fit, Narcissa slowly rubbed his back until he
was still again. Her heart broke at the sound of his voice. The thought that
her once proud husband had been reduced to this was heart wrenching.
“Yes, I am here Lucius,” Narcissa replied calmly. She was working her way down
his arms and pulling on his fingers. His hands began to feel warm at last. When
she looked up in his eyes, she could see that he was back. The fire he had
always had was there, perhaps dimmer than it had been in the past, but it was
there. For the moment, her husband was back. She could only hope that it would
last.
“Lucius,” she murmured to him.
“I’m here, Cissy. I’m here,” he responded, his voice somewhat stronger this
time. He lifted a hand and cupped her cheek. She leaned into his touch, closing
her eyes. She wanted to fall into his arms a blubbering mess, but pure-blood
witches did not fall apart like that, not even with their husbands. Especially
not to their husbands that they weren’t sure they could trust. His mind might
be back now, but this was still not the same Lucius she had gotten used to in
all the years that the Dark Lord was gone. Even before Azkaban, her Lucius had
changed. He became harder, colder. He was not someone she recognized.
“Draco, is he-?” Lucius didn’t seem to be able to ask the question.
“He is fine, Lucius. He is up at Hogwarts as we speak,” Narcissa reassured him.
He visibly slumped at the news.
“The Dark Lord is merciful,” Lucius muttered. Narcissa just nodded. She stood
and grabbed a towel that had been lying on the vanity. She vanished the water
from the tub, and began to dry her husband. When he was dry, she helped him
step out of the tub and into pyjamas and a dressing robe. Then she helped him
into their marital bed.
Once he was settled, she called for broth and water from a house elf, feeding
Lucius herself when it arrived.
Narcissa tended Lucius for four days, while he convalesced in their bed. Nobody
came to see them, and Narcissa did not leave their suite. Even when Lucius was
napping during the day, Narcissa only went as far as the sitting room that
fronted their bedroom suite. She did not tell Lucius anything that had happened
to Draco over the summer. He wasn’t going to hear that news from her. If she
could, she’d keep it from him entirely.
===============================================================================
Narcissa arrived at Hogwarts on a blustery fall day. The wind whipped her cloak
around her and rain spattered on her boots. At her touch, the gates opened and
she made her way to the entrance of the castle. She was glad she had written
ahead and the Headmaster knew to expect her. Severus was waiting for her when
she arrived at the Entrance Hall. He extended his arm to her and led her to the
Headmasters office. They didn’t speak.
Draco was waiting for her in the Headmaster’s office, and she offered him a
sincere smile - it was good to see him.
“Mother,” Draco greeted her, he took her hand from Severus’ arm and kissed the
back of it before tucking it in his own arm. It warmed her heart to see his
good manners.
“Mrs. Malfoy, would you like a lemon drop?” The headmaster offered, without any
twinkle in his eyes.
“Thank you, but no, we must be on our way Headmaster. Thank you again for
releasing Draco from school this week. His father has just arrived home and
yearns to see his son,” Narcissa responded regally, looking down her nose at
the Headmaster.
“Of course, Mrs. Malfoy. Mr. Malfoy, you can lead your mother to the gates?”
Headmaster Dumbledore gestured to the staircase leading down.
“Of course, Headmaster,” Draco replied offering a nod to both the Headmaster
and Severus before leading Narcissa down the staircase and out of the castle.
They didn’t say a word as they exited the castle. Upon reaching the gates,
Narcissa looked up at her son. He had grown again, he might even be taller than
Lucius. She smiled at him and pulled out her wand, Apparating them both to the
front foyer of Malfoy Manor.
“Welcome home, Draco,” Narcissa whispered as she hugged her son close. Upon
releasing him, she saw both Bella and Lucius waiting for them.
“Father,” Draco said, moving toward Lucius. Lucius looked him up and down, and
then embraced him. She was right, Draco was now several centimeters taller than
Lucius.
Draco nodded to Bella and then proceeded down the hall toward the dungeons and
the dueling court.
Bella cackled at the family reunion and left in the direction of the drawing
room, where the Dark Lord had taken up court.
“Narcissa, what happened to our son?” Lucius asked calmly. She could tell by
the way he was moderating his tone that he knew something was wrong. This was
not how she wanted this to happen.
“Let’s go upstairs and discuss this in the privacy of our suite, husband,”
Narcissa replied tightly, extending her hand to him.
“I think not,” Lucius told her coldly. “The Dark Lord has asked for my
presence.” He puffed his chest a bit, and Narcissa sighed sadly. This would be
Lucius’ first audience with the Dark Lord since his recovery. She could only
hope that it did not result in torture.
“Of course, Lucius,” she nodded and swept up the stairs to their suite.
===============================================================================
Lucius did not make it to their bed that night. Narcissa could only hope that
meant he went to his study to catch up on the various family business interests
and correspondence. Not that he was lying somewhere in there house too injured
to get up or worse, dead.
Narcissa sighed heavily as she rose from her bed and dressed for the day. The
one bright spot she had to look forward to is her son being home for the week.
She hoped that she could ease the relationship between Lucius and Draco,
especially since Lucius didn’t know that Draco was a werewolf, yet.
Narcissa had just finished breakfast in her solar when Lucius stormed in. He
appeared freshly bathed and it didn’t look like he recently suffered torture.
There was no bruising or tremors the Cruciatus curse usually left.
“How could you let this happen, Narcissa?” Lucius cried. Narcissa raised an
eyebrow, subtly placing the family wards on the room and adding a silencing
charm.
“You’ll have to explain. What have I let happen, Lucius?” Narcissa asked,
gesturing for him to sit in the chair across from her.
Instead of sitting, he kicked the chair she pointed at and it toppled over.
Narcissa palmed her wand. This was not the Lucius she married, this was the new
Lucius. The one that didn’t appear until the Dark Lord rose again.
“Bella tells me that our son is a filthy half-breed. That - that beast,
Greyback bit him. HE’S A FUCKING WEREWOLF!” Lucius roared at her, spittle
flying. Narcissa was glad that his wand was still out of sight.
“Lucius, do you think I had a choice?” Narcissa asked soothingly, her wand
still ready in her hand. She wasn’t taking any chances with this Lucius.
Lucius glared at her. He kicked a table and the vase on top wobbled before
shattering on the tile floor.
“The Dark Lord demanded it of him as payment for your mistakes, Lucius. What
would you have had me do? Contradict the Dark Lord?” Narcissa asked.
“Taken his place! Asked for him to be Marked! Anything but become what he is
now! He can’t be the heir if he’s a bleeding half-breed wolf!”
“Have our only son be Marked by the Dark Lord? I would rather him be a
werewolf,” Narcissa told him quietly.
Lucius hissed at her in response, glaring.
“You are too old to have another heir, Narcissa,” Lucius said crudely.
“Lucius Abraxas Malfoy! Draco is still your son, despite his change in
circumstances. He is your heir,” Narcissa was livid at his implication that
they would need to have another child now that Draco was a werewolf. Yes, it
was a setback, but it wasn’t the end of the world. It would be a small, hidden
detail in the history of their family.
Lucius sneered at her, “Clearly I need to find someone else to bear me a new
heir!”
That’s when Narcissa lost her temper. She hexed him. She had only hexed Lucius
a handful of times the entire time they had been married, but he deserved it at
this moment.
Lucius dodged Narcissa’s stinging hex and disarmed her silently, catching her
wand as it went sailing by his head.
“I don’t think so, Narcissa,” Lucius laughed coldly at her as he towered over
her chair.
He backhanded her then, his signet ring digging into her cheek as her head was
knocked against the back of the chair at the force of the slap. He grasped her
chin and forced her to look him deep in the eyes. The husband she had married
and loved was nowhere to be seen. This was the new man, the one who only
appeared after the Dark Lord came back. This was the monster. She could feel
the blood from the cut his ring had made trickle down the side of her cheek.
She wrenched her chin away from his hand.
“Lucius, there was nothing I could have done! I wasn’t informed what would be
happening until Bella told me the day before the full moon. Even Draco wouldn’t
tell me!” Narcissa pleaded with him. She wasn’t backing down, not yet, she held
herself stiff and erect. She pushed aside any thoughts of her Lucius. He was
gone, and now the only thing she could do was protect Draco.
“You could have stopped them! That was my son you relegated to a half-breed!”
Lucius was shouting again, leaning over her, she could feel his breath ruffling
her hair. She stared straight ahead, not meeting his gaze. It was as if she was
suddenly a young girl again and Lucius had morphed into her father. She was
raised by a man like this, and she knew how to get out of an argument without
any more injury.
“I’m sorry, Lucius. I failed,” Narcissa said quietly.
“That’s right, you failed. And now there isn’t a Malfoy heir!” He roared at
her, grasping her by the shoulders and leaning in toward her. He was so close
that his mouth was almost touching her ear, and she could feel his hot, angry
breath against her neck. Narcissa kept herself from flinching, but it was a
near thing.
Suddenly Lucius hissed in pain, released her, and clutched his left forearm. He
was being called away to his master. Narcissa allowed herself a tiny breath of
relief.
“This isn’t over,” he hissed at her as he swept out the door, slamming it
closed.
Narcissa sat a moment longer before she started shaking, and at once broke down
into tears. How could she go on without the warm, caring man she had married?
The man she had raised her son with? Lucius had always been proud, he lived by
the same rules Narcissa did. The refined pure-blood face in public, but they
raised their son with love and laughter.
The man that just left this room was not that man. She would not get her
husband back. Lucius had turned into a man just like her father. She would not
allow him to hurt her son, and she would not allow him to hurt her family. If
there was one thing that Narcissa believed in, it was protecting her family.
Family mattered.
===============================================================================
Narcissa invited Greyback to her solar later that afternoon. She didn’t want to
have to resort to this, but Draco came first.
“Fenrir, I’m so glad you were able to join me for tea again,” her smile dazzled
as she poured his tea and added the three lumps of sugar he liked.
“Of course, Narcissa,” he smirked back at her, sipping his tea.
“You know that Lucius is home?” Narcissa asked. She figured she would get this
conversation over with as soon as possible. Draco needed protection.
“Yes, I am part of the Inner Circle these days, I have seen your husband
finally take his place at the Dark Lord’s side,” Greyback told her smugly.
Narcissa offered a weak smile, “Of course, you have. He is unhappy with Draco’s
circumstances-”
Greyback hissed and glared, but Narcissa patted his arm.
“I’m not unhappy at all, Fenrir, I think it’s all rather grand. A werewolf,
Beta to the Alpha, the Dark Lord’s new army. It’s all very exciting, and
werewolves are so powerful” Narcissa told him. “Lucius doesn’t see it that way,
and now that he’s home from Azkaban, I’m worried he will take it out on Draco.”
Narcissa lowered her eyes to her lap, trying to conceal her tears. They were
genuine tears of fear. She had found in the past that being able to cry in
earnest - and on command - was a useful skill to have.
Greyback grasped her chin to have her meet his eyes. He brushed away a tear
with his thumb and cradled her cheek.
“Narcissa, I promise to look after Draco. Nobody and nothing will happen to him
under my watch.”
She could hear in his voice that Greyback made the promise sincerely. And
despite having his filthy paw still on her face, she leaned into it as if
gathering comfort from his touch, and she felt the coil of tension in her
release a little at his words. One more person looking out for Draco. She
needed someone, and it was clear Lucius was incapable.
“Fenrir, thank you so much,” she told him as she lifted her own hand to cover
his. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. When she opened them, Fenrir was
just inches from her face, looking hungrily at her lips. Oh no, it can’t go
this far, think Narcissa! She pulled away slowly and looked up at him with wide
eyes.
“Oh, Fenrir, you are such a dear friend. Lucius is positively livid at the
moment. I mustn’t do anything to anger him further,” Narcissa said, dropping
her hands back to her lap, “even if I might want to,” she added softly.
“Of course, Narcissa. It was inappropriate of me,” Fenrir backed off.
“I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for Draco, I very much want him as my Beta and
I will do everything I can to make that happen,” Fenrir said as he stood and
headed toward the door.
“Thank you, Fenrir,” Narcissa replied as he left. She waited until the door was
closed before wiping her hands with a handkerchief.
One down, one to go. Narcissa stood and went to her desk in the corner of the
room. She needed to compose a letter to Severus, one that would convey her
worry about Draco and Lucius, but also gave nothing away. Severus was her
friend, before he became Lucius’ friend. She felt sure that he would work to
protect Draco on her behalf.
 
Chapter End Notes
     A/N: Beta love to twztdwildcat and brownlark42! Those ladies make me
     a better writer! And I'm loving all of the reviews, they make my
     heart happy. Let me know your thoughts on this chapter! As I
     mentioned last time, the next few chapters are pivotal and action
     packed, as such, they may take a bit longer than normal to get out.
***** Chapter 15 *****
Chapter Notes
     A/N: Graphic violence/torture below.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Fenrir watched Draco walk into the pack’s dueling court and a huge cheer went
up. Draco grinned as he saw that the whole pack had been waiting for him to
arrive. Fenrir grinned in response and walked forward to greet his pup.
Fenrir shook Draco’s hand, then pulled him into a hug. As Fenrir turned back to
the group, he squeezed his pup close. It was good to have everyone together
again.
“Our future Beta is back! Let’s celebrate!” Fenrir announced. The center of the
dueling court was set with tables, laden with a feast. The butterbeer and
firewhisky were flowing as the pack relaxed, each of them eager to catch up
with Draco.
The collective felt complete again, and that alone was enough to ease Fenrir’s
nerves. He joined Draco, Seff, and Arnou at the table, keeping silent as he
listened to his pack talk, joke, and laugh with each other. It was good to have
his family home.
“Wha’s this I hear abou’ a mate, pup?” Arnou asked Draco, waggling his shaggy
eyebrows at him.
Fenrir chuckled at the dull red color that appeared on Draco’s cheeks at the
question.
“You have a mate? Why didn’t you tell me? What’s she like? What does she smell
like? I hope she’s pretty. Is she pretty?” Seff asked, rushing his words
together. This only made Fenrir laugh harder. Seff had never met a wolf with a
mate before - they must seem almost mythological to him.
Draco’s blush deepened even more at Seff’s questions.
“She’s pretty, smells amazing,” Draco mumbled to the group.
“I’m afraid they’ll want more details than that, pup,” Fenrir prodded. Draco
glared at him for a moment and then huffed.
“Fine, she’s the smartest witch in our year. Bloody beautiful to boot. And
powerful, never gets a spell wrong, learns them all on the first try. And she’s
kind. We weren’t friends, never have been friends, but she’s been so damn nice
to me. Almost inexplicably nice,” Draco sounded puzzled over this.
“Tha’s the bond,” Arnou piped up.
“But I haven’t marked her yet…” Draco’s brows furrowed.
“But you’ve kissed her? Done other things?” Fenrir raised an eyebrow at him. He
knew about mate bonds. They were heady, and they sneak up on you if you weren’t
paying attention.
Draco admitted a bit sullenly, “Yeah.”
Arnou nodded in response, “It’s the bond. The mate bond reaffirms with each
touch, kiss, lick, fuck…” He trailed off, looking at Draco like he was hoping
for details.
Seff’s eyes went wide, “You’ve had sex with your mate already? You’ve only been
gone two months!”
Draco groaned and dropped his head into his hands. Fenrir chuckled. This was
better entertainment than a Death Eater revel. He loved his pack.
“No, Seff,” Draco bit out. “I have not had sex with my mate. Not that I didn’t
want to. The bond is powerful. Two months ago, if you told me that this is the
girl I would be panting after, I would have laughed in your face. Now I can
hardly stand to be in the same room with her without wanting to shag her silly.
It doesn’t help that we share a lot of the same classes.”
Fenrir grinned, “Aren’t you going to tell them who your mate is?” He addressed
the rest of the group, they had all stopped to listen about their almost-Beta’s
mate, “She’s famous.”
Draco glared at Fenrir, and Fenrir just chuckled, “Own up to it, pup. They’re
all going to find out eventually. Especially when we go tell the Dark Lord.”
“It’s Hermione Granger,” Draco told the group, very quietly.
“Granger? Did he say Granger?” Arnou asked, acting like he was hard of hearing.
Draco glared at him as the rest of the group laughed.
Seff looked awed, “You snagged Hermione Granger as your mate? Isn’t she best
friends with Harry Potter? Didn’t she date Viktor Krum?”
Draco growled at Seff. While the rest of the group guffawed. Rand had stalked
up by that point and clapped Draco on the back.
“It’s alright, pup. Nobody but you will be dating your mate anymore,” Rand told
him.
“So, do you know Harry Potter?” Seff asked.
“Seff! Of course, I know bloody Saint Potter,” Draco spat at him. “He’s not
that great.”
“Omega. We are guests of the Dark Lord,” Fenrir reminded Seff. Seff nodded,
looking away.
“We will have to discuss this with the Dark Lord, Draco. I think I have enough
favor with him that we will be able to protect her,” Fenrir told Draco. He
waved at the rest of the group and they went back to their meal.
“Fenrir, can we chat about my mate privately?” Draco asked, not meeting
Fenrir’s eye. Fenrir nodded and stood up, he led Draco to his tent and gestured
for Draco to sit at the small table in the kitchenette once they were inside.
Fenrir poured them each a glass of firewhisky from the bottle that was on top
of the table.
“Spill, pup,” Fenrir said.
“You know who she is, she’s already fought in a battle in this damn war that’s
brewing. She has this scar. Gods, Fenrir, you should see it, it goes from her
left tit to her right hip. It’s thick and ropey and it looks so fucking raw,”
Draco told him, holding the glass of firewhisky. Draco took a drink and
couldn’t stop the wince - but soon enough his mask was back in place.
“A curse scar?” Fenrir asked, sipping his own firewhisky.
“Yeah, from the battle at the Department of Mysteries. Half of my fucking
family was at that battle! What if it had been my psychotic fucking aunt who
did that to her? Or my own father? When she told me who did it, I could feel
the rage pouring off of me.” Draco became increasingly agitated. “My vision
went red for Merlin’s sake! I wanted to fucking murder him! And then, she was
so vulnerable, trying to tell me how she wasn’t pretty enough or something
now…” Draco rambled on and Fenrir let him. He could see that his pup needed to
talk to someone about this.
After Draco had fallen silent, Fenrir asked, “Who was it?”
“What?”
“Who gave her the scar, pup?” Fenrir’s voice was controlled, but inside he was
seething. He hated seeing anyone in his pack in as much pain as his pup was.
And the thought that someone had maliciously hurt the pup’s mate. He’d met his
pup’s mate, she was just a little thing, seemed sweet as honey. It made him
burn with hatred.
“Dolohov,” Draco replied. “I want him dead.”
“Consider it done, it would be my pleasure,” Fenrir grinned at the thought of
being the one to murder Dolohov. He wouldn’t even plan to ask for the Dark
Lord’s permission. He’d just make it so Dolohov’s body was never found.
“No, Fenrir. I want to do it,” Draco told him his voice firm and strong.
“You sure, pup? Once you kill someone, there’s no going back from that,” Fenrir
chided.
“She’s my mate. I’m going to be the one who kills that twisted fucker,
Dolohov.” Draco’s voice brooked no argument.
Fenrir just nodded, “All right, you can kill him. I’ll secure it with the Dark
Lord. He wants to mark you, pup. And I’m going to have to let him.”
“What!? You don’t think this is punishment enough!?” Draco shouted at him,
pointing between the two of them. Fenrir paused and looked at Draco
impassively. He knew being a werewolf was not in Draco’s life plans, but he had
expected him to come to terms with it over the months.
“Sorry, that was in poor taste, Fenrir.” Draco looked away.
Fenrir just nodded, “He wants to tie the pack closer to him. I told you he
wants us to be the brunt of his army. It’s the deal I made with him, and it
aligns with my own goals.”
“What are your goals?” Draco asked him.
“Same as the Dark Lord’s, I want to rule the world,” Fenrir grinned at his pup.
“You can’t both rule the world,” Draco replied.
“That’s why you will be my Beta before his Death Eater,” Fenrir told him. Draco
looked surprised, realizing exactly what they were discussing in the Dark
Lord’s headquarters.
“Are you saying what I think you are?” Draco asked.
“I’m saying that my goals align with the Dark Lord’s goals. For now at least,”
Fenrir replied with a wink. Draco nodded and gulped his firewhisky.
===============================================================================
“Fenrir, how isss your Beta?” The Dark Lord asked him.
When Fenrir had arrived to answer his summons that evening, he was relieved to
note it was just him and the Dark Lord. It was much easier to give the Dark
Lord what he wanted if there wasn’t an audience around - aside from the Dark
Lord’s familiar, Nagini, winding around on the floor of the drawing room.
Fenrir held back a grimace at the thought of that giant man-eating snake.
Fenrir didn’t mind most pets, but there was something different about that
snake.
“He’s not my Beta yet, my Lord. But he will be in a few days. The first
ceremony is the day after tomorrow, then he’ll be the official Beta after the
ceremony held during the full moon,” Fenrir told the Dark Lord.
The Dark Lord nodded at him. “And how isss dear Draco sssettling in with your
pack? Luciusss isss becoming a problem. Hopefully, it’sss not a family isssue.”
The Dark Lord was standing at the window, looking over the rolling, moonlit
hills of the Malfoy estate.
“He’s doing well with the pack, my Lord. He will be a fine Beta, and an even
better Death Eater,” Fenrir capitulated. He was working on massaging the Dark
Lord’s ego. He planned to inform him of his pup’s mate status and ask for
Dolohov’s head as part of his pup’s Marking.
“Excellent, Fenrir,” the Dark Lord grinned at him, his pointed teeth gleaming.
“I do need to bring to your attention the issue of Draco’s mate,” Fenrir began.
“Hisss mate? What do you mean?” the Dark Lord looked suspicious as he turned
away from the window to fully face Fenrir.
“I’m assuming you know about werewolf mates, my Lord? I would be happy to
provi-” Fenrir was cut off by the Dark Lord’s hissing. Fenrir took a step back.
“Get on with it, Fenrir. I know all about werewolvesss and their matesss,” the
Dark Lord snapped at him.
“When Draco boarded the Hogwarts Express to go back to school, he encountered
his mate. It will be very beneficial for us to make use of her,” Fenrir told
him flatly.
“Who isss it?” the Dark Lord asked with narrowed eyes.
“Hermione Granger, Potter’s mudblood friend,” Fenrir replied. Nagini reared up
and hissed at the sound of Potter’s name. The Dark Lord hissed back at her,
clearly they were speaking to each other.
“That isss interesssting, Fenrir.” The Dark Lord looked thoughtful for a long
moment. “She would be a good resssource to cultivate. I will revoke the order
to kill her on sssight. It will become a capture order,” the Dark Lord replied
imperiously.
“You are merciful, my Lord,” Fenrir replied, bowing his head.
“I also would like to beg a favor, as a part of Draco’s Marking,” Fenrir went
on.
“Yesss? I am inclined to grant a favor to sssomeone who can bring me one of
Potter’sss inner circle,” the Dark Lord told him. Fenrir was relieved; he
thought he was going to have to fight harder for Dolohov.
“It has to do with his mate, my Lord. Last spring when she fought my brothers
at the Department of Mysteries, she was injured by one of them. The injury has
left a severe scar on her, and Draco, wants revenge on the Death Eater who
caused the injury.”
“Who isss it?” the Dark Lord asked, twirling his hand in a hurry it up gesture.
“Dolohov,” Fenrir replied, wincing. He couldn’t meet the Dark Lord’s eyes. He
was pretty sure he wouldn’t instantly be killed, but one never knew with the
Dark Lord.
“Done,” the Dark Lord told him.
“Really?” Fenrir couldn’t stop himself.
“Do you quessstion your massster, Fenrir?” the Dark Lord asked. Fenrir
flinched.
“Of course not, my Lord. I apologize. I will let Draco know that he will be
able to kill Dolohov as part of his Marking,” Fenrir replied.
“Do it before the Marking ceremony. It’s Halloween, and we have a packed
schedule that evening,” the Dark Lord said.
“Of course, my Lord. You are most merciful and kind,” Fenrir bowed and kissed
the hem of the Dark Lord’s robe. He backed away quickly as the Dark Lord
flicked his fingers in dismissal.
Fenrir let out a sigh of relief as he exited the drawing room of Malfoy Manor.
It was stressful meeting with the Dark Lord, but that meeting had gone about as
well as it could have.
===============================================================================
Fenrir didn’t manage to track down Dolohov until the day before the first Beta
ceremony. As soon as Dolohov crossed through the Malfoy wards, Draco could feel
him. He alerted Fenrir.
Fenrir stalked the halls of Malfoy Manor until he came upon Dolohov, who had
Narcissa Malfoy cornered in the hallway outside her solar. His arm was blocking
her passage forward as he leered down at her.
“Dolohov! There you are, mate, I’ve been looking for you,” Fenrir called from
down the hall, waving a hand at him. Narcissa shot him a grateful smile, but
Dolohov looked suspicious.
“Greyback? What do you want?” Dolohov practically spat at him in disgust.
Fenrir rolled his eyes. He was used to the other Death Eaters treating him
this. He clapped Dolohov on the back, and grinned at Narcissa, lifting her
clenched hand to his lips and giving it a kiss.
“Good Afternoon, Narcissa. You look lovely today,” he winked at her and she
giggled.
“Fenrir, you are too kind. I must take my leave, gentlemen,” she replied as she
swept away down the hall.
Slinging his arm further around Dolohov’s shoulders, Fenrir started guiding him
toward the stairs that led to the dueling court.
“It’s been too long since we’ve had a chance to catch up, Dolohov,” Fenrir told
him. Dolohov held himself stiff and was trying to break free of Fenrir’s grasp.
But Fenrir was a werewolf, and had the superior strength to keep a hold of him.
“We don’t catch up, wolf,” Dolohov snapped. He started trying to shove Fenrir’s
arm off his shoulders.
“We don’t?” Fenrir asked, pulling Dolohov tighter to him as they started down
the stairs. “Well, we should. Come, I have someone who wants to chat with you.”
Fenrir grinned, excited about what was to come.
“Gerroff me, wolf!” Dolohov practically shouted, pushing at Fenrir. Fenrir
grasped the back of Dolohov’s collar and started dragging him. They were
halfway down the staircase to the dungeons and dueling court, each bump of the
stairs had Dolohov cursing Fenrir.
“Now, Dolohov, is that any way to treat an old friend?” Fenrir was downright
giddy at this point. It had been too long since the last revel. He relished the
thought of introducing his near-Beta to the art of torture. His mouth watered
at the thought of fresh blood.
As they neared the dueling court, Dolohov still cursing and struggling against
Fenrir’s grip.
 
Draco stepped out of the shadows and cast an Incarcerous hex at Dolohov.
Dolohov’s arms and legs were tidily wrapped up in the ropes that had shot out
of Draco’s wand. Dolohov struggled harder.
“Aw, pup, you’ve taken all the fun out of it,” Fenrir pouted.
Draco glared at him. “Better that he can’t get out of your hold, Alpha,” he
snarked. Fenrir was going to have to work on loosening his pup’s attitude about
this. He should be much happier about destroying the wizard who disfigured his
mate.
“Are they all in there?” Fenrir asked Draco, nodding at the closed doors of the
dueling court.
“Yes, I told them to stay in there until you or I returned,” Draco replied
quietly, pocketing his wand.
“Good, let’s go,” Fenrir began dragging Dolohov again, as Dolohov kicked up a
storm. Draco pulled his wand once more to silence him.
“Seriously, pup, listening to them beg is half the fun,” Fenrir frowned.
“He can beg when we get out to the south wood, I don’t want anyone following us
out. Especially not my nosy fucking aunt,” Draco snarled.
Fenrir decided to keep quiet the rest of the way to the south wood, but he
couldn’t stop the whistle from escaping his lips or the jaunty spring in his
step. Torture was so much fun.
It took almost ten minutes to reach the south wood with the struggling Dolohov
in tow. He couldn’t break free of Draco’s Incarcerous or Silencio, but he was
still wiggling around in Fenrir’s grip.
When they finally reached the clearing in the center of the wood, Fenrir
dropped Dolohov and Draco cast a few protection and sanctuary wards. It
wouldn’t do to have to hunt Dolohov down if he escaped the area. Not that they
couldn’t hunt him down, but the full moon was coming up and they each needed to
conserve energy for the upcoming Beta ceremonies.
Fenrir banished Dolohov’s bindings and muttered “Finite Incantatem,” to get rid
of the silencing spell. Immediately, they heard the sound of Dolohov’s cursing
in Russian in the clearing.
Draco glared at Fenrir, “Really? We could have let him be silenced a bit longer
- ooph.” Draco was abruptly cut off when Dolohov tackled him.
Fenrir chortled, that was the wrong move for Dolohov. Draco laid on the ground,
with Dolohov’s fist raised above him for a moment, but Draco caught Dolohov’s
fist before it hit his face. Draco had several centimeters on Dolohov and he
had been practicing his sparring with Seff and Rand all week.
Draco twisted Dolohov’s fist in his grip until Dolohov was screaming. Fenrir
grinned as he heard the distinctive crack of a bone snapping. He knew his pup
had it in him. Dolohov wrenched himself out of Draco’s grasp and lay on the
ground panting, cradling his broken wrist.
“You permanently scarred my mate, you fucking Russian prick,” Draco growled at
him as he stood up. He aimed a kick at Dolohov’s stomach, turning him over on
his back.
“Listen, Malfoy, I don’t know what you’re talking about, I didn’t -” Dolohov
didn’t get to finish because Draco stomped on his stomach, making Dolohov cough
and choke as the breath was forced from his body.
Fenrir clapped his pup on the shoulder, and Draco tensed. He looked over his
shoulder at his Alpha his blonde hair hanging in his eyes and look of raw
hatred on his face.
“Don’t end it too quickly, pup. Make him suffer. How many potions is your mate
still taking every day?” Fenrir needled.
“Ten! She’s taking ten fucking potions because of this arse-licker,” Draco
kicked Dolohov’s shin at that, making Dolohov howl in response.
“Kid, seriously,” Dolohov wheezed.
“Hermione Granger, you cocksucker!” Draco roared at him. Dolohov did have the
good grace to flinch at that.
“I - I didn’t mean-” Dolohov started, but Draco kicked the back of his head. It
worked too well - Dolohov was unconscious.
“Ah, pup, that’s all right. We’ll rennervate him here in a moment,” Fenrir told
Draco, clapping him on the shoulder.
To Fenrir’s surprise, Draco shrugged his hand of. The Alpha looked closely at
his pup: Draco’s chest was heaving and his face still had that look of pure
hatred. His fists were clenched tightly at his sides, and he dug into his
pocket for his wand.
“Rennervate,” Draco hissed.
Dolohov came to with a gasp. He rolled over onto his back, and while Draco was
distracted, Fenrir plucked Draco’s wand from his hand.
When Draco turned to glare at him, Fenrir said with a grin, “I know, but it’ll
be so much more satisfying if you do it with your hands.”
Draco nodded, then bent down and picked Dolohov up by the front of his robes.
Draco had him upright and standing, before slamming a fist into Dolohov’s
belly. Dolohov groaned and spat on the ground.
“Do you enjoy inflicting pain on school girls?” Draco asked him.
“Malfoy, it was the Dark Lor-” Draco punched Dolohov in the face, his lip split
open and blood began to trickle down Dolohov’s chin.
“Kid, your own father was there-” Dolohov tried again, but this time Draco
dropped him. Draco put a boot on Dolohov’s chest.
“Do you think that makes it better? Do you think that makes it ok? MY FATHER IS
A FUCKING MADMAN!” Draco screamed down at Dolohov, grinding his boot into
Dolohov’s sternum. Fenrir could hear ribs cracking from the pressure Draco was
putting on the wizard.
Draco abruptly stalked away from Dolohov a few paces and the Death Eater tried
pleading once more.
“Listen, kid, the Dark Lord is not going to be happy that you’ve got me out
here torturing me. He doesn’t like people to punish his followers except for
him,” Dolohov wheezed out.
Draco turned back to the wizard with a wicked grin on his face. Fenrir couldn’t
help but grin, too. He loved the idea that Draco was going to taunt and play
with his prey.
“Don’t you rate high enough for the inner circle, Dolohov?” Draco asked. Fenrir
would have thought the pup was being too polite, but he could see the smirk
deepen on Draco’s face.
“What are you talking about?” the Russian asked.
“I will be taking the Dark Mark on Halloween, the Dark Lord is ever so excited
to have me join his ranks. In fact, the Dark Lord is so merciful and great, he
has given you to me. You are my assignment.” Draco’s smirk widened into a grin,
and he began rolling up the sleeves of his robe. “I get to torture and kill
you, and the Dark Lord will reward me with his Mark.”
“That’s not true! The Dark Lord wouldn’t… I’ve been faithful to him… I went to
Azkaban!” Dolohov protested, trying to back away from Draco who was stalking
toward him. It was difficult with his broken wrist and ribs.
“There are more important things to the Dark Lord than loyalty,” Draco said
cryptically.
Fenrir watched as his pup crouched over Dolohov, wondering what his pup would
do next.
“She’s Potter’s friend! A mudblood! How was I-” Draco cut him off with another
blow to Dolohov’s gut.
Once Dolohov got his breath back he made a very grave mistake, he spit into
Draco’s face. The glob of spittle and blood landed on Draco’s cheek.
What happened next would have seemed impossibly fast, if Fenrir had not known
Draco was a werewolf. Draco lunged forward onto his knees and grasped Dolohov’s
head, bashing it into the ground with a dull thud. Then he picked up a large
rock, brought it above his head, and crashed it down onto Dolohov’s nose.
Fenrir could hear it break and Dolohov began to scream and squirm. Draco
straddled his chest, pinning Dolohov’s arms underneath his knees.
He brought the rock up again, held with two hands this time, and looked down
onto Dolohov’s face.
“That mudblood, is my mate and the Dark Lord knows all about it. Malfoy’s
protect their own,” Draco growled out. 
Draco brought the rock down with all his strength, and suddenly blood was
splattered everywhere. Fenrir took a step back. His new robes were expensive;
he didn’t want them to get stained.
Draco smashed the rock down into Dolohov’s face again and again. Dolohov’s
screams turned to whimpers and finally he was silent. All that could be heard
in the clearing was Draco’s heavy panting and the dull thud and squish of the
rock hitting what used to be Dolohov’s head.
Draco was covered in his blood and flecks of white brain matter. He didn’t seem
to notice that he had killed the wizard. Fenrir was glad in that moment that he
had taken his pup’s wand away.
“Pup, he’s dead,” Fenrir said softly. Draco didn’t stop pounding away with the
rock. Fenrir could hear now that Draco was sobbing. The first kill was always
the hardest.
He stepped forward and grasped his pup’s shoulder, shaking him. Finally, Draco
dropped the rock to the ground. It was covered in gore, as was Draco. He pulled
his pup off of the body. Draco’s sobs had subsided, and he had a blank, grey
look on his face. Fenrir pushed him back several steps. Then he pointed his own
wand at Dolohov and transfigured him into a tree leaf. He cast a few Tergeo’s
at the ground, siphoning up the blood that had spilled. The pack was due out
here in a little over forty-eight hours, and it wouldn’t do to have the area
coated in human blood.
Fenrir turned back to his pup, he had his mask back in place. Fenrir nodded at
Draco and handed him back his wand. Draco cast his own Tergeo at his own cloak,
along with a Scourgify. Fenrir sniffed at him. He could barely smell the blood.
“Go in, take a shower, then join your pack, pup. You did good tonight.”
Chapter End Notes
     A/N: Beta love to brownlark42 and twztdwildcat! I couldn't do this
     without them! And you guys, your reviews are amazing! Thank you! I'd
     love to hear what you thought about this latest chapter, it's a
     doozie, I know. And more to come soon! I can't wait to get the next
     few chapters up! You can find me on tumblr I'm crochetawayhpff over
     there. My lovely beta twztdwildcat makes manips to go with every
     chapter, you can find them all on tumblr.
***** Chapter 16 *****
Chapter Notes
     A/N: So sorry for the late update! Real life has been a bit of a bear
     lately, our house has all been sick for weeks. So hopefully updates
     will be coming quicker than this one. Thanks to brownlark42 for beta
     services! Enjoy!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
I've just killed a man, Draco thought dully as he walked back to the dueling
court.I've murdered a man in cold blood.
Draco looked down at his hands as he plodded along, despite the cleaning
spells, there was blood caked under his fingernails. He lifted his sleeve to
his nose, and he could still smell the tangy metallic scent of blood. He needed
a shower. And maybe a drink.
Upon entering the dueling court, the rest of the pack turned toward him. Seff
loped over, but as soon as he got a whiff of Draco he stopped and looked at him
with wide eyes.
Draco didn't acknowledge Seff; he didn't acknowledge anyone as he trudged to
his tent in the back of the large room. Once inside, he stripped down and
vanished his clothing. He stepped in his shower and scrubbed and scrubbed and
scrubbed. Getting each fleck of blood out from under his fingernails. Removing
the scent from his hair and skin. He turned the water on as hot as he could
stand it and stood there for a while, still feeling dirty when he finally
stepped out.
He dressed himself and then sat at a small table, staring bleakly at his tent
walls. He didn't know how long he sat there, but eventually Fenrir flipped his
tent flap open and entered the tent.
"There you are, pup. I've been looking for you," Fenrir said, sitting across
from him.
Draco looked at him, his gaze listless.
"You all right, pup?" Fenrir asked with concern.
Draco nodded, then in a hushed voice said, "I killed someone tonight."
"That you did! Excellent job, the Dark Lord will be proud when he hears my
report," Fenrir replied.
Draco nodded. He didn't know what else to say. He was a murderer. He didn't
want to be a murderer, he had never wanted to be a murderer. Part of the reason
he never wanted to take the Dark Mark was because it was a requirement. Every
Death Eater murdered someone before taking the Mark. He knew why he murdered
Dolohov. Granger. He was pretty sure he loved Granger. He knew he would do
anything for her, anything to protect her. She was his. She belonged to him.
Malfoy's protect their things. Malfoy's protect their family.
But he couldn't square that with having murdered Dolohov. He couldn't remember
the emotions he felt when he was in the thick of it. He was so consumed with
rage that Reule had stepped forward and taken over.
"It was Reule," Draco finally said.
"What do you mean, it was Reule?" Fenrir asked he had his brows furrowed in
confusion.
"Reule took over and murdered Dolohov," Draco told him, finally looking up to
meet Fenrir's eyes.
"Pup," Fenrir said gravely, "you and Reule, you're the same person. Your
personality split when you were bit, but he's still you. He's your base
instincts and desires. You can't blame Reule for actions that happen when he's
in charge. He is you. You have to come to terms with that." The look of concern
and affection on Fenrir's face calmed Draco.
Draco nodded, but didn't respond. He knew that. He knew that Reule was him.
Logically he knew that, but in his heart? He wasn't sure. Reule was his base
instincts and desires. Did that mean that it was Reule who loved Granger, and
drove him to protect her? Not Draco? Reule had never taken charge while with
Granger, so how would he even know her? Because he's you and you've known
Granger for six years, his mind supplied. Draco shook his head to try to clear
his confusion. He was Reule, Reule was him. They were the same person, just
split.
"How do you reconcile the two pieces?" He asked Fenrir his voice pensive.
"Time, acceptance. Meditation, maybe. It's something we need to work on during
your Christmas hols," Fenrir told him. He reached forward and grasped Draco's
forearm in camaraderie.
"The rest of the pack, they aren't killers. They won't understand. You will be
Marked tomorrow, if you plan to survive this war that's coming. You have to
figure out a way to deal with how you are feeling right now," Fenrir's voice
was stern, but kind.
Draco nodded. Fenrir had become someone that Draco could depend on. Every time
Draco owled Fenrir, Fenrir's response came immediately. He always had an answer
for Draco. Draco couldn't even blame Fenrir for turning him into a werewolf,
even though Fenrir was the instrument used.
No, the blame lie with his father. His father had joined the Dark Lord during
the First Wizarding War. His father returned to the Dark Lord's fold, when the
Dark Lord reappeared at the end of Draco's fourth year at Hogwarts. His father
had been the one to fail the Dark Lord and go to Azkaban. Fenrir had been the
instrument, but Lucius had been the cause.
Suddenly, there was a commotion in the dueling court. Draco heard arguing and a
fracas break out.
"This is MY gods damned house! DRACO!" Lucius shouted from the front of the
room. They could hear scuffling and the sounds of curses firing off.
Draco's eyes widened. This was the exact person he did not want to see right
now. Fenrir nodded at him and gestured for him to leave his tent.
Draco took a deep breath and squared his shoulders before coming out of his
tent. His father was being restrained near the circle of the dueling court by
Rand and another wolf Udolf.
Draco sauntered up, his pureblood mask in place, "Father," he drawled.
"Get these beasts to unhand me! I will not be manhandled in my own home!"
Lucius shouted, his mouth was frothing in his anger. His sleek blond hair was
mussed from the struggle and his cane was lying on the floor.
Draco nodded at Rand and Udolf, indicating that they could release his father.
Lucius bent down to pick up his cane and tossed his hair over his shoulder
dramatically, scowling at Draco and the rest of his pack.
"Why are you down here living with the animals, son? You should be in the
family wing," Lucius scolded, as he lifted his cane and poked Draco in the
chest with it. He was glaring at the rest of the pack as they all came to stand
behind their future Beta, in a show of solidarity. Draco rocked back on his
heels and batted the cane away from him.
"Really, Father? Don't you know how dangerous werewolves are? Even in their
human forms? You shouldn't antagonize us," Draco smirked at his father. He felt
braver than he ever had with his father. In the past, he never would have
directed a snide comment at Lucius.
Lucius' eyes narrowed at Draco.
"Us?" he spat. "You align yourself with these fiends? YOU ARE A MALFOY! ACT
LIKE ONE!" Lucius shrieked at Draco, spittle flying. Draco wiped the saliva
from his cheek.
Draco lifted his chin at his father, glaring and clenching his jaw. He knew now
that there would be no reconciling with his father. Draco had chosen his pack
before his father. It was already too late for Lucius.
"I am a werewolf, Lucius," Draco said as calm as he could. He was pleased when
his voice didn't waver. Stronger, he stated, "This is my pack," gesturing to
the werewolves standing behind him.
"They come before you," he said finally. His voice cold and unforgiving.
Lucius pulled his wand, pointing it at Draco's chest.
"I see. You are NOT my son, I should kill you where you stand," Lucius' voice
shook with fury. Draco could feel the rage roiling off of his father in waves.
Draco sneered at Lucius, catching him off guard. Lucius swayed at the sight of
his son looking at him with such condescension.
"Do it," Draco whispered. "Kill your only son, Lucius. I'd like to see what
happens to you when you try. If you succeed, you realize you won't be leaving,
don't you? My pack will eat you alive." Draco's sneer turned to a grin at the
thought of what his pack would do to his father should Lucius follow through
with his threat.
Fenrir clasped Draco on the shoulder, Draco looked back at him and winked. He
turned to face his father again to see that Lucius' wand lowered and pointed
toward the ground.
"I won't kill you, Draco. I'll disown you. And kill your mother, who's an
easier target than you. She's already shown herself to be disloyal. I'll find a
new wife, someone younger, to give me a new heir. A wife who is obedient and
not swine. An heir who will make me proud and not consort with filth," Lucius
growled at him. Draco clenched his teeth.
He made a decision and shook off Fenrir's grip. He dove at his father and
tackled him at his waist, scrambling to pin him to the ground, his wand
forgotten in the moment. He put his hands around his father's neck, and Lucius
began to choke and gag. Lucius had his hands wrapped around Draco's wrists,
trying to pry them off, but Draco was too strong for him. He was much larger
than his father and Lucius was weak from his stay in Azkaban. Lucius was no
match for his son.
"You will leave my mother alone!" Draco shouted at him, banging his father's
head on the floor beneath him with each word. Draco was so enraged at this
point that he could feel Reule slipping to the forefront of his mind.
Rand hauled Draco off his father by his elbows, pulling him back several
meters. Draco was puffing and trying to break Rand's grip.
"Pup!" Fenrir shouted as he stepped in front of Draco. "The Dark Lord has not
given you permission to kill your father. You'll have to satisfy your bloodlust
with what you've already done tonight."
Fenrir placed both hands on Draco's shoulders while Rand held Draco back by the
elbows.
Draco looked over Fenrir's shoulder and saw his father's eyes go wide when he
realized that Draco might have already murdered someone that night. Draco
smirked at his father, as Lucius clambered up off of the floor, picking up his
cane and flicking his long locks behind his shoulders.
"We aren't finished, Draco," Lucius growled out as he turned and left the
dueling court.
Draco took several deep breaths trying to calm himself down. At that moment, he
wanted his mate. He knew that Granger would be able to calm him down, he felt a
longing so strong for her that it almost bowled him over.
Fenrir patted his shoulders, "Get some sleep, pup. Tomorrow is the first part
of the Beta Ceremony. You'll need your strength. Ceremony begins after lunch."
Draco nodded and headed towards his tent. When he reached the flap, Seff was
there waiting for him.
"The Alpha wants me to be on hand to serve you, Beta," Seff said deferentially.
"I'm not Beta yet, Seff," Draco responded tiredly as Seff lifted the flap of
the tent so Draco could go inside.
Seff followed him into the tent and pulled out his wand. He conjured a large
tub and began filling it with water. Draco raised his eyebrow at Seff.
"I just took a shower," Draco said.
"And what is your stress level right now?" Seff asked, he was adding chamomile
to the tub for relaxation, Draco assumed.
"Probably a twelve," Draco muttered and began to undress. It was after he
undressed and was in the tub that Draco realized how sore his body was from the
extra training he'd put it through the last few days.
Draco relaxed in the tub as Seff placed an order for a late dinner with Draco's
elf, Tink. Seff then began washing Draco's hair and rubbing his shoulders down.
Draco sighed, it felt great, he had been so tense the last few days and he
missed his mate and the physical comfort offered by her.
Tink popped in with dinner and Seff helped Draco out of the tub. As Draco
dressed, Seff vanished the water and the tub and began to set the small table
with the food Tink had provided. They ate in quiet, each lost in their own
thoughts. Draco had pushed Dolohov out of his mind, he was currently obsessing
over what he was going to have to do with his father.
His father was going to be a problem. He couldn't allow Lucius to kill his
mother. As a child Draco had always wanted a sibling, but Draco was selfish
enough at this point to not want to give up his inheritance. His father would
have to go. Draco felt cold at the thought. He was a murderer, but that didn't
mean he wanted to commit patricide.
On some level, he still loved his father. He had been there for him throughout
his childhood, healing scrapes, teaching him to fly, playing pickup Quidditch
games with him and his friends. This was the man who taught him to read, and
who had taught him everything about politics and being a Slytherin. How to be a
man, how to be a Malfoy, what it meant to be a Malfoy man. Those were things he
had learned at his father's knee and Draco was sad that the man he had grown up
with was gone.
The look in his father's eyes tonight was deranged, maybe even unhinged. He
looked the way Aunt Bella looked, and that scared Draco. He couldn't go back to
school now, leaving his mother in this house with not only the horde of Death
Eaters and the Dark Lord, but his father as well. He would have to do something
about his father before he went back to school.
Draco stood from the table and nodded his thanks at Seff. He went to bed,
thinking he would toss and turn, but slept peacefully through morning.
===============================================================================
 
"Draco, Draco, wake up," someone was shaking his shoulder. It was gentle and
Draco moved away to burrow deeper under the covers. Draco fell back asleep.
"Beta, you have to get up!" The covers ripped off of Draco and he sat up in bed
looking around, searching for his wand under his pillows.
Seff stood at the end of Draco's bed with the bed clothes in his hand.
"Lunch is almost served, the ceremony will be starting in an hour. Time to get
up, Beta," Seff told him dropping the sheets on the end of the bed.
Draco groaned. He had been having such a delicious dream of his mate, but he
rolled out of bed and headed for the shower. He dressed in loose robes, no suit
underneath. Even the human part of the Beta ceremony took place in the nude,
even though the Dark Lord and some of the inner circle would be down to observe
Lunch was served in the center of the dueling court, and the pack was rowdy
today. Ceremonies were celebrations to the pack, and they all seemed to have
faith that Draco would pass the test. Each wolf made a point to say a few words
to Draco during lunch. The wolves he knew the best sat near him, Rand and
Mingan at his left, Seff at his right, serving Draco portions and keeping his
glass filled with pumpkin juice. Fenrir sat across from him, grinning.
"Don't look so happy about the prospect of beating me to a pulp," Draco groused
at Fenrir good-naturedly.
"Can't help it, pup. I'm ready for a Beta," Fenrir told him, his grin softening
to a smile.
"And once I'm Beta, will you stop calling me pup? It's emasculating," Draco
sniffed at Fenrir, affecting the pureblood mask he had so often worn before he
became a werewolf.
He had a harder time controlling his emotions since being bit. He worked hard
on keeping his mask in place in public, and he thought he did a decent job of
it. But he had stopped trying with his pack. The pack was family. He put it on
now to rile Seff.
Seff grasped Draco's arm above the elbow and squeezed, "Draco…" he whispered
under his breath looking at Fenrir. Fenrir didn't hold the joke, he laughed.
"I think we'll be calling you pup for a long while yet. Pup," Fenrir winked at
Draco and Seff.
Draco laughed, while Seff seemed to realize the joke was on him and rolled his
eyes, turning back to his meal.
Once the meal was over, the tables were cleared and Fenrir raised his wand to
his Dark Mark, calling the Dark Lord down to witness the ceremony. Usually any
kind of werewolf ceremonies would not be witnessed by anybody but pack, but
this was requested by the Dark Lord himself.
Draco stood to the side, trying to loosen up his muscles and not be a nervous
wreck. He would start with the toughest wolf, move down through the pack until
he reached the Omega, Seff, and then finally he would fight Fenrir as the
Alpha. He would lose to Fenrir - that was required to become Beta. But the rest
of the pack wouldn't go easy on him. His position wouldn't be solidified if
everyone in the pack only pretended, it had to be real and Draco had to win. He
would win, he was determined to win. He could taste the power that being Beta
would offer him.
The doors to the dueling court blew open and the Dark Lord walked through. Aunt
Bella, his father, Uncle Rodolphus and his brother Rabastan, as well as Snape
all followed behind him. Fenrir stood in front of the Dark Lord and knelt to
kiss his robes. The rest of the pack dropped to their knees, bowing their
heads.
"My Lord, thank you for coming to witness this important event for our pack,"
Fenrir said still on his knees, his head bowed.
"Rissse, Fenrir," the Dark Lord hissed. He flicked his fingers and the doors to
the dueling court slammed shut and locked. Another flick conjured the throne
that was currently occupying Malfoy Manor's drawing room. The Dark Lord took a
seat and gestured to his followers to do the same. Five distinct different
chairs were conjured by each of the followers present. They sat arranged around
the Dark Lord, half a meter or so behind him, Snape, Rabastan, and his father
on the Dark Lord's right, Aunt Bella and Uncle Rodolphus on the Dark Lord's
left. Aunt Bella had pulled her chair as close to the Dark Lord as she could
get and was casting doting gazes his way.
The pack still knelt, Draco was near the back and was looking through his blond
fringe at the gathered Death Eaters. Fenrir had coached the pack on what was
expected: they served the Dark Lord whether they were marked or not.
"Draco, rissse," the Dark Lord called to him. Draco stood and wound his way
amongst his pack to greet the Dark Lord.
"My Lord," Draco knelt to kiss the Dark Lord's robes and rose to meet the Dark
Lord's eyes. As a wolf he was protected from Legilimency, the virus that caused
werewolves changed the human brain enough that Legilimency didn't work on it.
Draco had no fear of meeting the Dark Lord's gaze. That didn't mean it was a
pleasant gaze to meet. The Dark Lord was tall, but Draco had a few centimeters
on him. The Dark Lord was also very skinny, almost malnourished looking. His
skin was a grey, waxy color. The eyes were the worst though, red and slitted
like a snake's, inhuman.
"Do well today, Draco, and I will reward you tomorrow," the Dark Lord told him.
Draco nodded, "Of course, my Lord."
"Begin," the Dark Lord commanded.
Draco stripped out of his robe, letting it flutter to the floor behind him and
turned to face his pack. The rest of the pack stood, stripping from their robes
as well until the dueling court was filled with naked men, and six clothed,
seated Death Eaters. Every pack member stepped back out of the circle, except
Rand. Draco had expected that. Rand could be Beta if he wanted it.
Rand grinned at him, and then quicker than Draco could track, he was on his
back, his head thudding to the mat beneath him. Rand quickly stood, waiting for
Draco to make his move. Draco growled and swung his arms above his head and
then down to launch himself into a standing position. He glared at Rand.
"I won't play nice, Rand," Draco said as he swiped at Rand with his left fist.
Rand turned just in time that the blow glanced off the back of his shoulder.
Rand smirked and Draco decided he'd had enough, he dove at Rand, catching him
around the waist. Rand's cock and balls flopped near Draco's armpit. Once he
had Rand on the ground, he flipped Rand to his back, placing his knee on the
small of Rand's back and twisted Rand's arm behind his back, forcing his hand
up past Rand's shoulder, almost breaking it.
"Yield! I yield, pup," Rand grunted out. Draco smirked and hopped off Rand,
offering his hand to the other wolf. Rand took it and gave him a congratulatory
pat on the back.
Draco didn't have a chance to compose himself before Udolf came at him. Udolf
put too much of his weight into the attack, and Draco ducked the first blow and
retaliated before the older wolf could recover. Draco lashed out a kick at
Udolf's midriff, catching him off guard and sending him to the ground. He went
down hard and Draco followed, straddling him around the waist, careful to keep
his own genitals away from Udolf's. He put his hands around Udolf's neck. Udolf
yielded.
And so it went. Each wolf gave it his best shot against him, a few even landed
blows, but as the wolves got weaker, Draco was beating them quicker and
quicker.
When Seff finally took his place he grinned at Draco, waiting for him to make
his first move. Draco was panting hard and slick with sweat, he moved to punch
Seff, but Seff ducked and grabbed Draco around the waist taking him to the
ground, despite Draco's superior size. After fighting with sixteen other
wolves, Draco was exhausted. He managed to get Seff on his back and Seff
instantly yielded. Every other wolf had made Draco take it to a winning move or
position, but Seff as the Omega knew he wouldn't be able to beat Draco.
Draco stood, weary now, and offered Seff a hand up. He was breathing hard. He
hadn't paid much attention to his audience, but as soon as Seff stood, the pack
cheered.
"Excellent job, Draco," the Dark Lord hissed. Draco turned his attention from
his pack and to the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters. His father was sneering at
him. His Aunt Bella was checking him out, her eyes running greedily up and down
his body. Draco felt nauseous at the look on her face and turned his attention
back to the Dark Lord.
"Thank you, my Lord," he nodded to the Dark Lord.
Fenrir stepped up and clapped Draco on the back.
"My turn, pup," Fenrir said in Draco's ear. Draco nodded and moved to turn
around but before he could, he felt a hand in the middle of his back and he
went sprawling on the ground. Draco wanted to give Fenrir a run for his money.
Fenrir had become his mentor, but that didn't mean he didn't want to put on a
good show. It wouldn't do to look weak now.
Draco flipped to his back and swept a leg around, catching Fenrir behind the
knee. Fenrir went off balance and went down to his knee. Draco sprung up and
kicked Fenrir's head. Fenrir saw the blow coming and ducked, Draco's foot
glanced Fenrir's cheek. Fenrir grinned and grabbed Draco's foot before he could
pull it back and Draco landed on his back. Again.
"Let's go, pup," Fenrir said, holding his hand out for Draco to take. Draco
took it and heaved, pulling Fenrir on top of him. Draco rolled to the side
before Fenrir could land and Fenrir was lying on the mat next to him, face up.
He had pulled Fenrir down so hard, it knocked the breath out of Fenrir, and he
lie there gasping.
Draco pounced, he straddled Fenrir's chest and placed his hands at his Alpha's
throat. In a hazy moment of surprise, he thought that Fenrir might concede and
then he would become Alpha. He was almost there. Adrenaline surged through him
and he could almost taste the victory. But his cockiness worked against him.
Fenrir was still stronger than Draco. Using the grip he had on Draco's wrists,
Fenrir wrenched Draco's hands from his neck, breaking Draco's wrists, Draco
screamed at the pain. Fenrir rolling so he was lying on top of Draco, their
legs tangled together. He pulled a fist back and slammed it into Draco's face.
Draco's vision went fuzzy and he panted, "Yield, Alpha. I yield." Before he
blacked out.
Draco awoke with a start and a groan to see Fenrir holding a hand out to him to
take. Draco grasped it and stumbled on his way to standing. Fenrir pulled Draco
to him, throwing an arm around his shoulders. He tucked Draco into his side,
using his own body to hold his new Beta up.
"Congratulations, Beta," Fenrir whispered to him as he turned them to face the
Dark Lord.
Draco's head was pounding and it took everything in him to pay attention to
what the Dark Lord was saying. He completely ignored his family and godfather,
he was so focused on the Dark Lord.
"Draco, well done. Congratulationsss on becoming Fenrir'sss Beta. Asss a
reward, you will be gifted with my Mark tomorrow night at the Halloween revel,"
the Dark Lord hissed as he stood from his throne.
"Th-thank you, my lord," Draco muttered, still trying to catch his breath, he
went to kneel, but Fenrir kept him upright.
"We'll never get you back upright if you kneel now, pup," Fenrir told him
quietly.
"My lord, are you sure it's wise-" Lucius started, but stopped when the Dark
Lord glared at him.
"You are here becaussse you are Draco'sss father Luciusss, not becaussse you
are in the inner circle. Mind your place." The Dark Lord's voice was icy and
brittle.
Draco finally looked at his father and saw his eyes widen imperceptibly before
he nodded. When he caught Draco looking at him, Lucius glared so fiercely that
had Draco not been so completely drained, he would have been terrified. At the
moment, Draco couldn't find it in himself to care much about his Father.
Aunt Bella had sidled alongside of him as he had been contemplating his father,
unnoticed by Draco. He noticed her when she placed a cold, clammy hand on his
abdomen.
"Nephew," she breathed, "Who would have thought you would have turned into such
a fine, strong specimen." She batted her eyelids as she looked up at him. Draco
recoiled further into Fenrir's side as Aunt Bella's hand drifted toward his
cock.
"Aunt Bella!" Draco shouted, turning so she couldn't reach him. Uncle Rodolphus
saved him.
"Come, Bella. Leave the incest to others, you are a Lestrange, no longer a
Black," Uncle Rodolphus spat as he gripped Aunt Bella's wrist and pulled her
away from Draco's side. They were the last of the Death Eater's to leave.
When the dueling court was empty of Death Eaters, the pack seemed to let out a
collective sigh of relief. Fenrir flicked his wand and the pack was dressed in
their robes. Another flick of the wand and Draco was sitting in a chair Fenrir
had conjured. Someone had healed his wrists before they had Renervatedhim, but
they still ached.
Fenrir called for food and drink, and the pack settled in around their new
Beta. They had begun the ceremony after lunch and it was now after dinner.
Draco was hungry and tired, but feeling satisfied about completing the first
ceremony.
Once every wolf had a glass of firewhisky in hand, Fenrir raised his own in a
toast.
"To our Beta!"
Shouts of "Beta" were heard around the dueling court as each pack member
repeated the toast and drank deeply. Draco had never felt more accepted than he
did in that moment, surrounded by his pack, who were toasting to him.
Chapter End Notes
     A/N: So many reviews! You guys are amazing! Let me know your
     thoughts!
***** Chapter 17 *****
Chapter Notes
     A/N: All of the beta love goes to brownlark42 and twztdwildcat! This
     is another of those chapters that has some super graphic violence,
     you have been warned.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Fenrir could not be prouder. Finally, after a year and a half he had a Beta. He
could feel him in the collective. He could feel his Beta's energies radiate
through the pack. It was brilliant. The pack felt more cohesive and at home
than it had since before Raul died. Fenrir could feel the tension ease in his
chest and shoulders. They still had the wolf ceremony to get through, but the
human ritual was enough to solidify his pup as Beta.
His pack celebrated late into the night with round after round of firewhisky.
Fenrir laughed as Seff helped Draco back to his tent. They had plied his pup
with so much drink that he could barely walk. Fenrir and Arnou were sitting
watching the party disband as everyone stumbled back to their tents. As Seff
was on his way out of Draco's tent and back to his own, Fenrir called him over.
"Alpha," Seff said with a nod and a smile.
Fenrir kicked a chair out from underneath the table he was sitting at and waved
Seff over to take a seat.
"I want you to move your tent next to Draco's, Seff. I know you are the Omega
to the pack, but he's going to need you," Fenrir told him.
"Of course, Alpha. We get along well. I would be happy and proud to serve our
Beta and in turn, you," Seff said deferentially. Fenrir nodded his dismissal
and Seff stood to move his things.
"Pup did good today," Arnou commented. Fenrir nodded again.
"He'll make a fine Beta for you," Arnou said, clearly trying to lure Fenrir
into conversation.
"What's bothering you, sire?" Fenrir asked, turning his gaze toward the old
man.
"Lucius is gonna be a problem," Arnou didn't beat around the bush.
Fenrir gave a heavy sigh, "I know. But I don't know what to do about it."
"Dark Lord dunnit seem too pleased wit' him..." Arnou prompted.
"You think I should manipulate the Dark Lord into getting rid of the pup's
father?" Fenrir mused. He thought it could work. The Dark Lord had been
granting him favors, so he clearly needed something from Fenrir.
"I think it's worth a shot," Arnou told him as he heaved himself out of the
chair, his joints cracking and popping loud enough that Fenrir could hear it.
Arnou shuffled off to his own tent while Fenrir sat in the middle of the empty
dueling court and brooded over what his sire had suggested.
As he listened to the snores of his pack, Fenrir felt more at peace than he had
in a long time, maybe since Uma had died. It was an unexpected coincidence that
his Beta, a pup who hadn't even had a year of changes, had a mate. At least she
was a useful mate. According to everything Fenrir had dug up on the witch, she
was smart - really smart. And being best friends with Harry Potter wasn't a bad
thing in his opinion. Sure, it was a bit tricky, but the Dark Lord had seen
reason. He knew t would be an asset to have someone in Potter's inner circle
feeding them information, although Fenrir wasn't convinced she would feed them
information. He had only met her the once, and his pup had been surprisingly
silent about his mate. Draco had written to Fenrir about his mate, over the
past month. Expounding on all of the thoughts and feelings she inspired in him,
but he hadn't mentioned much about who she was as a person, or anything about
her personality or friendships. She was still very much an unknown to Fenrir.
And unknowns could be dangerous.
Fenrir decided he would need to have Draco bring her around to meet the pack,
maybe at Christmas. The pack would need to recognize their Beta's mate,
especially because she was the only mate in the pack. It would be good for the
pack and the collective to have her around. Fenrir swallowed the last of his
firewhisky and headed off for his own bed. Tomorrow was Halloween, which meant
a Death Eater revel. His Beta would be Marked, and while Fenrir had always
enjoyed a good revel, he suspected his pup would not.
===============================================================================
 
Halloween dawned bright and clear, but for all of it's glory, Fenrir missed it.
He didn't leave his bed until he felt a burn in his forearm. He woke and cast a
Tempus charm to discover it was lunchtime. He muttered the Congregabo charm,
and his Death Eater robes and mask came flying out of his wardrobe and into his
hands. He trod out of his tent, pulling on the robes and he left the dueling
court without seeing a single member of his pack. Judging by how he felt at the
moment, he assumed they were all still in bed.
"Tink!" he shouted as he headed up the stairs toward the drawing room.
His pup's elf popped into existence as he was crossing the marble foyer.
"Yes, master Alpha, what's can I gets for you?" Tink asked, hurrying to keep up
with his long stride.
"Sober-Up potions for the whole pack, on their nightstands," Fenrir grunted and
flicked his fingers in dismissal. He pocketed his mask as he reached the doors
of the drawing room. The Dark Mark was an ingenious invention, and Fenrir had
always assumed it was based on a werewolf pack's collective. It worked like a
collective. Through the Mark, Fenrir could feel when he was near the Dark Lord,
and he knew instinctively that the Dark Lord was within the drawing room. Just
like the Dark Mark, the collective meant that Fenrir knew where each of his
pack members were.
He walked into the drawing room and was once again relieved to be the only
Death Eater present. It was so much easier to manipulate the Dark Lord when
others weren't around to question and muck up his proposals and suggestions.
"My Lord," Fenrir said and knelt in front of the Dark Lord's throne. He lifted
the hem of the Dark Lord's cloak, laid a gentle kiss upon it, then dropped his
head down. He knelt there, bowed until the Dark Lord spoke several minutes
later. What is taking so long? There wasn't anyone else in the room when I
arrived. The Dark Lord wasn't even speaking to Nagini; he was totally silent.
A cold hand patted Fenrir on the head, and threaded through his dreads before
the Dark Lord spoke, "Rissse, Fenrir."
Fenrir waited for the hand to remove itself from his head and rose to stand
before the Dark Lord.
"Tell me, Fenrir, how doesss it feel to finally have a Beta?"
"Excellent, my Lord. Draco is a superb addition to the pack. As Beta, he will
elevate the pack. He is the final piece that we need for your Were Army,"
Fenrir told the Dark Lord, holding his gaze and letting his pride show.
"Very good," the Dark Lord replied, steepling his hands in front of him. "I
want Draco to begin working on bringing other packsss under my reign. He might
ssstill be in ssschool, but I believe we can work on him going on missionsss."
"Of course, my Lord. That is a brilliant idea. With the Malfoy fortune, Draco
will be perfectly poised to cajole or bribe the other packs to join you,"
Fenrir nodded, thinking about how well this was going to turn out for him.
"That wasss my plan, Fenrir," the Dark Lord reminded him. Fenrir nodded again
in agreement.
"I do see an problem with Lucius, my Lord," Fenrir began.
The Dark Lord raised his brow in inquiry - or rather, he raised what would have
been his brow if he had any - and twirled his fingers for Fenrir to go on.
"He came down to the dueling court and instigated an altercation with Draco
because he is a werewolf. I do not want Draco to become confused about where
his loyalties lie. They lie with you first, my Lord, then with his pack, then
his family. Draco knows and understands this now, but I'm afraid that Lucius
may influence him away from this. He may try to convince Draco to have his
first loyalty to the Malfoy name."
The Dark Lord nodded and fell quiet for a moment.
"I have been very dissspleasssed with Luciusss. I agree that it isss time for
him to go. Thank you, Fenrir, for bringing thisss to my attention."
The Dark Lord waved his hand in a clear dismissal and Fenrir exited the drawing
room, pleased with himself.
===============================================================================
 
When Fenrir arrived back in the dueling court, lunch had been served and a
handful of wolves were up and eating. Fenrir was happy to see that those who
were up were clearly no longer hungover. It appeared that Tink had followed his
command. He took this to mean that his pup placed the pack first - typically a
wizard would not share command of a house elf with anyone else. Despite what he
told the Dark Lord, Fenrir wanted his pack's loyalty to him and the pack first,
the Dark Lord second. He was clear in this expectation during his conversation
with Draco several days ago. Fenrir hadn't planned the break with Lucius, but
he was willing to take full advantage when fate handed him something so
fortuitous.
All Lucius had to do to secure his son was to accept him. Draco was a teenager,
and teenagers craved acceptance. Instead, Lucius did the opposite: he pushed
him away, straight into Fenrir's arms. It was a brilliant move. Once Lucius was
out of the picture, Fenrir would control the richest wizarding family in
Britain.
Fenrir whiled the afternoon away with his pack. The revel wouldn't start until
sundown, so he spent the time bonding with pack members and his Beta. It was
helpful to the collective for the pack to be together. It was a bond, something
like the mate bond. The more the pack was together, around each other, touching
each other, the stronger the collective became. If a pack or pack member was
separated for long periods of time, they could cease to be a pack. The
collective would only stretch so far before it shattered.
As the sun began to sink, Fenrir put on his cloak and mask and directed his
Beta to get ready for the revel. As soon as he felt the burn of the Mark,
Fenrir grasped Draco's arm and apparated them away to where the revel was
taking place on the north side of the Manor. Fenrir had advised the Dark Lord
that the farther the revel was from the south wood, the better for the Beta
ceremony the following evening.
Fenrir told Draco to stay out of the inner circle, while he took his place. As
the Dark Lord called the meeting to order, he summoned Fenrir, pushing aside
Lucius who had been standing on his left.
"Thisss isss your place among my followersss, Fenrir," the Dark Lord stated.
Fenrir smirked behind his mask. Things were working out better than he had
planned. He was rising quickly within the Dark Lord's ranks.
"Death Eatersss! We have a Marking tonight! Luciusss hasss failed missserably,
but hisss ssson isss ready and willing to ressstore the Malfoy name to itsss
full glory!" The Dark Lord beckoned Draco forward. Fenrir watched as Draco
stepped into the inner circle, his head held high. Fenrir could feel Draco's
terror through the collective, but nobody would know by looking at him. His
blond hair was swept back - it was long enough to brush his shoulders now - and
his grey eyes were shuttered, giving nothing away. Fenrir was delighted in how
well Draco was doing despite his fear.
Draco knelt before the Dark Lord, kissing the hem of his robes, keeping his
head bowed. The Dark Lord bent down and lifted Draco's chin to meet his eye.
"You will become one of a very ssselect few, Draco. Are you ready?" The Dark
Lord asked, a cruel smile on his face.
"Of course, my Lord. I must return honor to the Malfoy name," Draco stated, his
voice not wavering at all.
"Good," the Dark Lord gestured for Draco to lift his left arm.
Draco gave the Dark Lord his arm, and the Dark Lord grasped Draco's wrist
pushing his black robe above his elbow. The Dark Lord pulled his wand out and
began tracing the Dark Mark on Draco's skin muttering, "Të djegur lëkurën, të
bëjë të shënojë, lidh me mua." Repeatedly under his breath.
Fenrir could smell his Beta's flesh as the Dark Mark was burned into it. Every
other Dark Mark twinged at the creation of its newest brother. His Beta was
silent the entire time - a very impressive feat. Every Death Eater Fenrir had
ever seen marked had at least grunted, if not outright screamed. Fenrir himself
had whined a bit when he had taken the Dark Mark during the First Wizarding
War.
The Dark Lord finished after several minutes. He dropped Draco's hand and Draco
continued kneeling, his head bowed as he panted. Fenrir could see the sweat
dripping from the boy's brow.
"Rissse, Draco. You shall be rewarded for that impresssive performance. I think
we'll have you sssit at the left hand of your Alpha," the Dark Lord said,
extending a hand to Draco to help him out of the dirt. Fenrir had never seen
the Dark Lord help anyone do anything before, especially not help a new
follower stand. Draco thanked the Dark Lord for the privilege of serving him
and moved to stand next to Fenrir, demoting Lucius down another spot. Draco
ignored Lucius, and greeted Fenrir with a very tiny quirk of his lips.
"Let the revel begin!" The Dark Lord bellowed as Crabbe and Goyle brought forth
the muggles. There were more this time, almost twenty-five or thirty by
Fenrir's count. He clapped his Beta on the shoulder and moved them both
forward.
"This is the best part, pup," Fenrir said quietly as the rest of the Death
Eaters either jumped forward to select a captive, or held back to engage in
conversations. Fenrir led Draco forward to select a captive, Conversations were
pointless when you could murder and torture instead.
"You want to choose, pup?" Fenrir turned to Draco, and saw that he looked paler
than normal. "Guess not. I'll take care of it."
Fenrir scanned the hostages, looking for a female. He settled on a buxom blonde
who was fiercely kicking and spitting at anyone who came near her.
"Ah, she's got some fight in her, pup. Those are the best kind," Fenrir grabbed
the blonde by her hair, surprising her, and dragged her behind him for several
meters until they were away from most of the crowd. The woman screamed and
fought the entire way, and Fenrir could feel himself get hard. He was pretty
sure his pup was going to be too soft to get in the action, but this was what
being a Death Eater was all about. He hadn't wanted to show Draco this side of
him before, but it was time now, and he would get Draco to participate one way
or another.
Fenrir flicked his wand and unbound the woman. She immediately stood and
attempted to run, but before Fenrir could stop her, Draco sent a trip jinx her
way. Fenrir was impressed - he had assumed his pup would just sit back and look
queasy until Fenrir made him participate.
"Well done, pup," Fenrir grinned at Draco as he grabbed the woman by the hair
again. He pulled the back of her button down top and it ripped off, revealing
her full breasts to his pup.
"Want to get a feel in?" Fenrir asked as he struggled to hold the woman still.
She was clawing at the hand that held her, and Fenrir leered at Draco. Draco's
face blanched even more and shook his head quickly, darting his eyes around.
"Don't worry, pup, nobody else is interested in what's going on here. They've
all got their own playthings," Fenrir smirked as he shook the blonde. Her
screeches got even louder, and he decided to shut her up with a punch across
the face. It dazed the woman, and she stopped screeching. Fenrir's punch had
knocked her to the ground. She knelt and was about to stand, but Fenrir stopped
her with a hand to her shoulder.
"You're prettier down there, sweetling," he told her as he unbuckled his
trousers. He pulled his cock out and smacked her in the face with it.
"Open up," he commanded in a sing-song voice. The woman clenched her jaw and
shook her head violently. Fenrir laughed cruelly.
"Pup, how about you get her to open her mouth? A spot of cruciatus should do
it," Fenrir told Draco in a tone that brooked no argument. Fenrir didn't even
look back at his Beta to enforce the order. He trusted the power of the Beta-
Alpha bond - if he implied the right command, his Beta would not be able to
deny his order. Very quietly he heard Draco whisper, "Crucio."
The woman flopped on the ground, still not screeching, but she shook and quaked
with such violence that she must have bitten her tongue. Blood began to pour
forth from her mouth.
"Enough, we don't want her dead," Fenrir commented. The woman stopped moving
and lied on the ground, panting.
Fenrir lifted her by the hair again so that she was kneeling. This time when he
slapped her in the face with his cock, she opened up and began sucking. Fenrir
fucked her mouth harshly, even as the blood flowed out and covered his dick.
The sight of the blood made him even harder and he snapped his hips forward
viciously, shoving his cock down her throat and making her choke.
He pulled out after several minutes, "As lovely as that was, my dear, I have
something else in mind for the grand finale."
Fenrir looked over his shoulder to find his Beta looking at the ground, and now
he looked green instead of pale. Fenrir had to admit that torture could be an
acquired taste. He turned back to the blonde and ordered her on all fours,
vanishing her muggle jeans and knickers. He shoved himself into her puckered
hole, using the blood that covered his cock as meager lubricant. She screamed
and clenched down on him, trying to fight him off. It felt amazing.
He began with a small, light slicing hex to her left buttock, reveling in the
feel of the warm blood as it trickled down against his hip. He made a larger
slice in her right buttock and grabbed the cheek, grinding the edges of the
wound together, causing her to shout and buck at him. He continued on in this
manner, wandlessly casting small slicing jinxes intermixed with a few burning
and stinging hexes. She bucked and fought with each hex, clenching her muscles
tighter and tighter around him.
"Pup," he panted, "give her a little cruciatus." Again, his tone was
commanding, an Alpha giving a command to his Beta. His Beta couldn't ignore it.
Draco whispered, "Crucio," again and the woman shook and cramped so violently
that it surprised Fenrir into an orgasm and he came with a roar. His Beta held
the curse and her spasms caused Fenrir's cock to harden again, his juices
combined with her blood made her back passage slicker this time around. He
pumped away, forgetting all about the hexes and jinxes he had been casting, too
busy chasing down a second orgasm. It was even rougher this time, and when he
arrived, he held the captive to his hips for a moment and then dropped her. She
fell heavily to the ground and didn't move again.
As Fenrir tucked himself away, he asked Draco to check to see whether the woman
was still alive. At his Beta's nod, he casually cast an Avada Kedavra at her
and ushered his captive back to the Dark Lord and the inner circle. Fenrir felt
amazing, but judging by the look on his Beta's face, he didn't feel quite as
good.
"Work on your mask, Beta," Fenrir commanded. Out of the corner of his eye, he
watched as Draco stood straighter, held his head higher and a blank, bored look
overcame his features. Fenrir nodded in approval.
They were one of the last groups to arrive back at the inner circle and
dutifully take their spots. Draco ignored Lucius as he stood next to him and
Fenrir could feel pride welling up in him. If he could continue the chasm
between father and son, his plans would be solidified.
"Fellow Death Eatersss, I hope you enjoyed yourssselvesss thisss evening. We
have one lassst event. Unfortunately, one of your brothersss hasss failed me,
and continuesss to fail me. He will be eliminated thisss evening. Luciusss?"
The Dark Lord beckoned Lucius forward.
Lucius fell to his knees in front of the Dark Lord, "My Lord, please! I can do
better, I will do…"
"Quiet!" the Dark Lord bellowed. Lucius stopped speaking, but his shoulders
moved up and down, and probably only Fenrir and Draco could hear his silent
sobs. Fenrir looked at his Beta. He didn't look any paler, but he swayed on his
feet a bit. Fenrir reached out a hand and steadied him by grasping his
shoulder.
"You have failed me, and you didn't even want your ssson to join my ranksss.
Now that I have Draco, what do I need you for, Luciusss?" the Dark Lord asked a
question, but every Death Eater in the circle knew he was not expecting an
answer.
Lucius just shook his head. He looked up at the Dark Lord and Fenrir could see
tear tracks on his face. Fenrir frowned. He hoped that if he was ever faced
with the Dark Lord like this, he would have the balls to not sob like a baby.
"Fenrir," the Dark Lord called out, "would you do the honor?" Fenrir looked at
his Beta, Draco's eyes were large, and he looked dazed. He didn't want to make
this harder on him than it needed to be.
"My Lord," Snape spoke up, stepping forward from his place in the circle.
"Ssseverusss?" the Dark Lord sounded annoyed.
"Perhaps the Dark Lord might excuse young Draco from…" the Dark Lord cut him
off with a silently cast Crucio. Snape fell to the ground twitching.
"Does anybody elssse have anything to sssay?" the Dark Lord asked, the menace
clear in his tone. When nobody moved, he beckoned Fenrir forward.
"Draco…" Lucius gasped looking at his son, reaching a hand forward to him.
"Sssilence!" the Dark Lord thundered as he beckoned Fenrir forward.
Fenrir made it quick for the sake of his young Beta. He cast an Avada Kedavra
at Lucius, who crumpled to the ground on his back. He was staring straight up,
clearly dead. Behind him he heard a commotion, and Draco was turned away,
vomiting, while Snape consoled him.
The Dark Lord narrowed his eyes at his newest follower and dismissed the rest
of his Death Eaters.
"My Lord," Fenrir began, "please forgive my Beta, he is young yet, not even of
age."
The Dark Lord nodded, "Of courssse, Fenrir. He shall be given a passs tonight."
The Dark Lord took one last look at the heaving werewolf and whirled toward the
house.
"Snape," Fenrir greeted the other man. His Beta was kneeling on the ground,
still dry heaving.
"Beta," Fenrir began, he put a hand on Draco's shoulder.
"Don't! Don't you fucking touch me!" Draco screamed at Fenrir as he shrugged
off his touch. Fenrir could hear tears in his hoarse voice. He removed his hand
and took a step back, sharing a silent communication with Snape. He turned and
left the dueling court, trusting Snape to take care of his Beta tonight.
===============================================================================
 
Fenrir slept late the following day; he needed to save his energy for the full
moon tonight and for the conclusion of the Beta ceremony. He didn't see his
Beta when he exited his tent and strolled to the center of the dueling court
for lunch. He did see Seff though.
"Omega!" Fenrir called out to him.
Seff trotted to Fenrir and walked with him the rest of the way to the tables,
which were laden with food.
"Where's the Beta?" Fenrir asked, keeping his voice casual. The more he had
thought about the previous night, the more worried he was about what had
transpired. Draco had clearly been upset during the torture of the muggle, and
watching his Alpha kill his father could not have helped his state of mind.
Fenrir realized he had been outmaneuvered by the Dark Lord. He wanted Lucius
gone, but the Dark Lord had made him the bad guy - and now Fenrir had broken
Draco's trust. He would do everything he could to repair his relationship with
Draco. Fenrir couldn't afford to have a Beta that hated him. He and the pack
needed a strong Beta.
"He hasn't shown up since you left last night," Seff replied.
Fuck. That wasn't good, he would now have to hunt him down in his childhood
home. He was sure if Draco didn't want to be found, Fenrir wouldn't be able to
find him.
He wandered the halls of the Manor after he had eaten his fill at lunch. Fenrir
had already checked Draco's room and the family wing. He had even ducked into
Narcissa's solar, but nobody was in there. He had knocked on what he knew to be
Narcissa and Lucius' bedroom suite, but nobody had answered. When he went to
open the door, he was knocked back by the strength of the wards. He could only
assume that's where his Beta was, but he continued wandering the halls in hopes
that he would see him before the change tonight.
Fenrir had hoped in vain. Just before the pack was due to leave for the south
wood, Fenrir finally made his way back to the dueling court, stripping as he
went. When he arrived, he found Draco in the crowd. He was shaky and pale, and
he looked as though he had spent the majority of the day crying. This was not
going to be an easy transition for him. Fenrir decided their talk would have to
wait, and he waved the pack forward to the south wood.
Once there, he gave a nod to Snape and Bella, who were waiting for them to
start the ward casting. He walked through his pack as they all staked out a
place to make the transition, but Draco was avoiding making eye contact with
him. Fenrir never could have imagined how sad he would feel to see his Beta
treating him like this. As the moon rose, he vowed to himself that he would
make it right. He would do everything he could to make it right between them.
Once the entire pack was changed, Draco had taken the longest and he still lay
on the ground panting while Fenrir trotted around to greet them all. It had
been several months since he had a full pack for a transition. The collective
hummed with all of the energy and happiness of the pack being together. When
Draco finally dragged himself up, Fenrir nodded at Rand, who tackled Draco.
During the human portion of the ceremony, Draco had fought well. He fought
fair, never intending to actually hurt anyone, but things were different
tonight. Fenrir could see that his blood was boiling. Draco had Rand pinned
down with his jaws poised to rip out his throat before Seff nudged Draco's side
to get him off Rand. Fenrir was glad Seff was there to help referee the fights.
If Draco was that upset, it could get really ugly.
His Beta made his way through the pack, beating each member. Some fights were
easier than others, and Seff and/or Rand had to pull Draco off of a few of the
wolves before he went too far.
Finally, it was Fenrir's turn to fight Draco. When he turned toward him, Fenrir
felt unexpectedly afraid. Draco had blood dripping from his muzzle and his eyes
were crazed. He growled and raised his hackles at Fenrir just before he
pounced.
Fenrir rolled, trying to get out of Draco's way, but Draco seemed to have
anticipated the move, because he rolled with him and bit Fenrir's shoulder.
Fenrir let out a yelp at the sudden pain and bucked his back legs, making Draco
fall off of him. Fenrir didn't give Draco a chance to get up. He tackled him
and went for Draco's throat, trying to end the fight quickly.
Draco was able to shimmy away and bit Fenrir's ankle before rolling and
standing again. He tackled Fenrir's back, surprising the older wolf, who went
down to his stomach with the added weight. Draco bit Fenrir's ear and Fenrir
growled at him, bucking himself again to dislodge the other wolf. Fenrir
thought the pup had to be exhausted at this point, but he came at him yet
again, barreling into the Alpha's side with his head and knocking him over.
Fenrir swiped at Draco and hit him in the head with his paw, drawing blood.
Fenrir was finally able to get on top of Draco and pin him down, his teeth at
Draco's neck. He didn't let Draco up until he stopped struggling. The pack
howled in celebration. Their Beta was confirmed. Fenrir laid down in the middle
of the pack, enjoying the festivities, but he couldn't ignore how his Beta had
separated himself from the rest of the pack. His pup curled up at a distance
and avoided the celebration in his honor.
Just before dawn and the change, Fenrir found Arnou in the middle of the pack.
He was planning to honor his sire's wishes. He greeted the other wolf with a
sniff, before biting his shoulder and pouring his thoughts toward making Arnou
a member of his pack. He felt the magic swirl around them as Arnou joined the
collective. The collective as a whole sighed with recognition of the addition,
and Fenrir felt his pack welcome Arnou. Even his Beta acknowledged Arnou
through the collective, although he didn't join the rest of the pack in
welcoming him as a wolf.
Draco stayed at a distance from the pack, ignoring the wolves as the change
came upon them all.
Chapter End Notes
     A/N: I love to hear your thoughts! Also, I or twztdwldcat makes a
     collage for every chapter, you can find it on various facebook
     groups, or my tumblr crochetawayhpff. And finally, thank you, thank
     you, thank you to everyone who is following, reading, reviewing, all
     of the things. It's amazing to me that anyone is interested in this
     little fic, but I am so glad you are! Finally, all translations are
     courtesy of Google Translate.
***** Chapter 18 *****
Chapter Notes
     A/N: Eternal thanks to my betas twztdwildcat and brownlark42. Those
     lovely ladies really make this story. And huge enormous thanks to all
     of you for reading and reviewing, it really is lovely seeing an inbox
     full of reviews, so thank you!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Draco was the last of the pack to make it back to Malfoy Manor after the full
moon. He was avoiding Fenrir and the pack in general. Instead of heading to his
tent in the dueling court, he Accio'd his cloak and headed up to his parent's
bedroom.
Just his mother's bedroom now. He felt his eyes sting at the thought of his
father.
He knew that he had irrevocably changed his relationship to his father and his
family when he chose his pack over Lucius. But that didn't mean he wanted him
dead. It made it even harder that it had been his Alpha who had done the deed.
He had trusted Fenrir and he had needed him, especially after the break with
Lucius. Now he didn't feel like he had anyone other than his mother. And he
needed to protect his mother.
"Draco, is that you?" Narcissa called as he entered her suite of rooms.
"Yes, mother," Draco responded. He sat heavily on the settee in the sitting
room, calling for Tink to bring him tea and breakfast.
Narcissa came out of the bedroom, fully dressed, even though it was just past
dawn. She looked her usual impeccable self, but her red-rimmed eyes gave her
away. She sat next to Draco and opened her arms to him, letting her son he
collapse into her in tears. It felt as though the only thing he had done over
the past two days was cry, and yet there were always more tears waiting.
"Oh, Draco," Narcissa murmured to him as she held and rocked him. Tink popped
back in with breakfast and the smell of the food made Draco's stomach rumble.
He was tired and upset, but he still had the appetite of a werewolf a few hours
after a full moon. His body demanded fuel. Draco broke away from his mother and
began to eat, but Narcissa didn't touch anything.
"Mother, have you eaten?" Draco asked around a mouthful of roll.
"I'm not hungry," she patted his hand absently as she stared into the
fireplace. Draco cringed. He would need to have someone look in on her after he
went back to Hogwarts today. He didn't know who he could ask. He was not going
to reach out to Fenrir, and Snape would be at school with him. Aunt Bella was
too insane and unstable. Maybe Uncle Rodolphus? Draco sighed heavily.
"I have something to do before we go back to Hogwarts, mother. I'll be back
shortly, then we can go," Draco hugged Narcissa again and quietly slipped out
of the suite. He returned to his childhood bedroom to change into school robes
before hunting down his uncle.
He found Uncle Rodolphus in the smaller dining room on the first floor eating
his breakfast. Nobody was with him, and he was in a chair facing away from the
door.
"Uncle?" Draco asked as he closed the door behind him. He must have startled
the wizard, because he whirled around and away from the table, crouching next
to his chair with his wand trained on Draco. Draco held his hands up to show he
wasn't armed. Slowly, Rodolphus stood and pocketed his wand, retaking his seat
at the table.
Uncle Rodolphus was a large wizard who had been imprisoned in Azkaban until the
past year. Draco hadn't had much time to talk to him, but he knew that he was
relatively stable for having spent so much time in the prison. Given that his
uncle was saner than either his brother or his wife and had, in fact, kept Aunt
Bella in check, Draco was hopeful that he would be able to keep an eye on his
mother.
"What do you want, Draco?" Uncle Rodolphus asked, returning to his breakfast.
Draco swallowed at his tone. He hated having to do this.
"It's mother," Draco began. "She hasn't eaten since Halloween." Draco moved
around the table so he could face his uncle. Uncle Rodolphus quirked an eyebrow
at Draco, but continued his breakfast.
"I'm going back to Hogwarts today. I - I didn't know who else to ask to look
after…" Draco sighed and ran a hand through his hair. This wasn't going well.
He barely knew his uncle, so why would he look after his mother for him? And
this man was married to his crazy, sick fucking aunt.
"I'll get her to eat, and I'll keep Bella and the rest away from her,"
Rodolphus said with an air of dismissal.
Draco nodded, "Thank you, I owe you one, if you ever…" Rodolphus cut him off
with a flick of his hand.
"Family matters," Rodolphus said as he stood and strode out of the room.
That went better than I expected, Draco thought running his hand through his
hair again, he was relieved that someone would be in the house to look after
his mother. It was bad enough when Lucius was in Azkaban, but now that he was
dead? And with Draco still being at school, his mother was in charge of the
Malfoy fortunes - another worry for Draco. He left to go find his mother and
get back to Hogwarts and his mate.
===============================================================================
 
Draco convinced his mother that he could walk from the gates to the school on
his own and shooed her home. It was a windy fall day, but the sun was shining
and Draco enjoyed the feeling of it warming his skin as he made his way to the
Entrance Hall. Once inside the castle he headed to the Come and Go Room, glad
that he was returning on a Saturday and had no obligations to be anywhere.
Pacing in front of the blank section of wall, he thought of Granger and the
room she had initially conjured for them. When a door appeared he was surprised
to find her already in the room, sitting on the couch with a heavy tome. It was
the same couch, fireplace, and bookshelves that had been there before. Their
own secret room.
"Granger," he whispered in disbelief. She whipped her head around to see him.
"Draco!" she cried, hopping off of the couch, the book thumping to the floor.
She ran to him and jumped into his arms. He caught her holding her close,
breathing deeply to inhale her scent. Home. She smelled like home. He buried
his face into her shoulder and her curly, frizzy locks. They stood like that
for several moments before Granger pulled away to study his face. She must have
seen something she didn't like, because she coaxed him to the couch and sat
down with him.
"Draco, what happened? You look terrible." Granger cupped his face and stared
into his eyes. Draco couldn't help it - when he saw her looking at him like
that, he started crying for the second time that day and buried himself back in
her arms. She held him close, one of her arms around his back, the other around
his neck massaging his head. She rubbed his back and whispered that it would be
all right.
"I'm sorry, so sorry," Draco murmured over and over again into Granger's
shoulder as his tears continued.
"Draco, what happened? I need you to talk to me. I want to help you, but I need
to know what happened," Granger pleaded with him.
He pulled away and stared into her warm, cinnamon eyes., He was a Death Eater.
Didn't that make him a different person now? She had fought against people just
like him a few months ago. Would she still accept the mate bond if he told her?
Would she accept him? He needed someone now more than ever, but he didn't know
who he could trust. His mother seemed to be breaking down. Pansy and Blaise
wouldn't understand it all, especially about him being a werewolf. Granger was
the only one who knew most of his secrets.
"Boy. She's your mate, tell her," Reule whispered in the back of his mind.
Draco nodded. Reule was right. He had to tell her.
Draco wasn't a Gryffindor, so when he rolled up his left sleeve, he turned his
face away from Granger. He couldn't bear to look her in the eyes when she
realized what he had become. He heard her gasp and felt her get off of the
couch. He pulled his sleeve back down and dropped his gaze to his lap, closing
his eyes as more tears leaked out.
"Draco, oh, Draco!" Granger cried out, and he could see her pacing out of the
corner of his eye. He sneaked a glance up at her and saw that she had her hand
over her mouth and her cheeks were damp.
"What happened? I thought Greyback wasn't going to make you take the Mark?"
Granger asked from the fireplace. Fuck. She won't even sit next to me she's so
disgusted. What did I do?
"I don't think he had a choice. I definitely didn't have a choice," Draco said
quietly. "I - I killed Dolohov as my initiation." His voice got quieter until
he was barely whispering.
"Dolohov's dead?" Granger asked, sounding horrified. Draco nodded, not looking
at her, and he dropped his head into his hands, covering his face. This was
awful. It was worse than killing Dolohov, worse than taking the Dark Mark, and
almost as bad as watching his father be murdered in front of him. How was he
going to survive when Granger decided she wanted nothing to do with him? She
was his mate. He would always protect her no matter what she decided.
"And that's why you're so upset?" Granger moved and stood in front of him. She
reached out to grasp his hands, pulling them away from his face, and meeting
his eyes.
Draco shook his head., He didn't care about Dolohov, not really.
"Draco, are you going to make me play twenty questions with you?" Granger
almost stamped her foot in her agitation. The thought of making Granger
agitated raised Draco's spirits a bit, but he shook his head. He pulled her
down to sit on his lap, and she acquiesced and folded herself to fit in his
arms. He leaned back against the arm of the couch, pulling Granger with him,
until she was settled between his legs with her back to his chest. He put arms
around her, holding her to him, burying his face into her hair, surrounding
himself in her intoxicating scent.
He told her the whole story, about how he killed Dolohov and was rewarded with
a Dark Mark. How the human version of the Beta ceremony went, skipping the part
about his creepy Aunt Bella. Then he told her about the revel, and how sick he
thought Fenrir was, getting off on torture and rape. He could feel her slight
shudders as she wept for the muggle, and Draco let his own tears fall into
Granger's hair as he remembered her screams. He told her what he remembered
from the wolf ceremony.
Finally, he told her about his father. How Fenrir had murdered him at the
behest of the Dark Lord. Draco broke down again, holding Granger tight to him
as he sobbed for his father. Granger somehow managed to turn in his arms and
was straddling his lap, holding him once again. She rubbed his back and
murmured to him. He could feel her own tears against his neck as she cried with
him.
Draco and Granger stayed like that for what seemed like hours. His tears
eventually subsided, but Granger continued to hold him to her. She seemed to
know exactly what he needed. Comfort, someone to be in his corner. When she
finally pulled back from him to look him in the eye, he could see how hard she
been crying. He hoped her tears were from empathy and not pity. He didn't think
he could handle being pitied by her.
"Draco," she said, her voice sad. Draco's breath hitched, full of sudden fear.
This was it, she was going to tell him he was vile and disgusting and that she
didn't want anything to do with him. He could feel his body tighten in
response, he looked away from her. He knew he wouldn't be able to bear looking
her in the eyes as she told him off. He had his hands on her hips, and moved
them to cross them over his chest.
"Draco!" she said sharply, and he looked up at her.
"Go on Granger, just get it over with. Tell me what an awful fucking person I
am and how you couldn't stand to be around me anymore," Draco spat at her
bitterly.
"I'm not abandoning you… how could I ever do that?" her voice raising. "You
have been manipulated by everyone in your life in the last year. Everyone." She
paused, and continued emphatically, "You need someone, and I'll be that
person." She had her hands on either side of his face and was boring her gaze
into his. Draco felt his breath release and his entire body relaxed. He reached
out to grasp her hips again.
"You will?" he asked. He couldn't believe what she was saying.
"Of course! You're mine, aren't you?" she smiled softly down at him.
Draco nodded in response and pulled her down for a searing kiss, wrapping his
arms around her back to pull her close. She was his mate, he was her mate, and
she wasn't going to leave him; he was more relieved than he could express in
words.
When Granger pulled back from his kiss she said, "What we need to do now is
figure out how to get you out of this mess."
She pushed his hair back and leaned her forehead against his. Her fingers
played with his hair at the back of his neck.
"Do you think you could betray Volde-" she started to say, but stopped at
Draco's hiss. Her eyes widened as she pulled back.
"Hurts when you say his name," Draco grunted, tightening his arms around her.
She nodded in understanding.
"Do you think you could betray You-Know-Who?" she asked, leaning her forehead
against his again, looking into his eyes.
Draco snorted, "Easily, he's a fucking monster."
Granger pulled back and nodded, looking like she was thinking deeply. Draco
studied her face, counting the freckles across her nose while he waited for her
to speak. She bit her lip before nodding again.
"Do you think you could betray Fenrir?" she asked, her voice wavering a bit.
Draco nodded, but didn't say anything for a moment. Could he betray his Alpha?
Maybe if he became Alpha, then he could take over the pack. There was a lot of
loyalty to Fenrir, but Draco was sure nobody else in the pack knew about
Fenrir's fetish for torture and rape. That could make him lose the loyalty he
had, and the pack would see him as the monster he was.
Draco also suspected that the Dark Lord was just using the pack for his own
gains; he didn't really believe that the pack would be elevated beyond where
they currently resided in society. He would have to convince the pack that he
was the best thing for it. It was going to require some tricky maneuvering -
they wouldn't be able to leave the service of the Dark Lord en masse. He looked
at the witch in his lap. He had the brightest witch of their age on his side.
If anyone could figure it out, she could.
"Follow your mate, boy. Alpha sounds… perfect for us," Reule whispered to him.
"I think it would be less of a betrayal of Fenrir, and more of taking the pack
from him," Draco told her quietly. "I almost beat Fenrir in both Beta
ceremonies. I think in time, a few months or maybe a year, I could supplant him
and become Alpha."
Hermione's eyes widened at that, as though she hadn't expected that answer. She
smiled, "Alpha," she murmured softly and rolled her hips along his. Draco had
been half-hard since their heated kiss and the feel of her warm center rolling
along his cock was enough to fully inflate him. He lifted his hips in response,
his hands on her waist, pushing her down more firmly against his erection. She
moaned and tipped her head back, rocking her hips forward again, finding a
tempo.
Draco slipped his hands under her shirt, stroking the soft skin at her waist
and stomach. He traced her scar, starting at her hip, then up to her breast,
stroking her through her bra. She met his gaze and leaned forward, kissing him
softly on the lips as she continued rolling her hips. Granger slipped her hands
around and began pushing off his robes. Draco shrugged out of them and returned
his hands to her blouse, unfastening all of the buttons as he pushed it off
her, continuing to kiss her. When she pulled her arms out of her blouse, she
pulled back from the kiss and undid the clasp on her bra, letting that fall to
the floor. She bared herself to him - breasts, thick ropey scar, everything.
Draco was sure he had never seen anything more beautiful in the world.
He was entranced at the sight of her breasts, her nipples were dusky and
hardened into peaks. He leaned forward and gave the left one a lick and was
rewarded with a moan and another hip roll. He licked and suckled at each
breast, giving each nipple an equal amount of attention. Granger moaned and
rocked into him, lost in the pleasure Draco was giving her. Draco slipped his
hands down her hips and to her skirt, finding the zipper and pulling it down as
Granger worked on his own shirt between grinds. He didn't want Granger to get
up yet, so he wiggled a hand between them to find her slit. He got a finger
into her folds and Granger cried out in surprise at the touch. Draco smirked up
at her, and she flushed in response, turning red from her cheeks down her chest
to the tops of her breasts.
"Draco," she panted and closed her eyes, clearly enjoying his fingers. He found
her clit and pressed it with his thumb, causing a series of jerking hip
movements from Granger. She was unexpectedly wet when he finally slipped a
finger inside of her, so tight, so wet. His cock grew so hard that he didn't
think he could get more turned on. Granger rocked and rolled above him, using
his fingers to bring her to her orgasm, he thumbed her clit in time with the
tempo she set. Draco kept one hand on her back to keep her breasts level with
his mouth as she worked herself over him. He continued to alternate sucking at
each nipple. Draco could feel her impending orgasm, her walls fluttered around
his fingers and he curled them forward, hitting that spongy spot at the front
of her channel and with that Granger came around him with a moan of his name.
It was the most lovely thing Draco had ever heard. He vowed to himself he would
hear that sound as often as he possibly could. She lay her head on Draco's
shoulder as she panted and came down from her orgasm.
"Merlin, Draco," Granger mumbled, kissing his neck. Draco's fingers were still
buried inside her. He wanted to mark her, to make her his. He wiggled his
fingers a bit, Granger's walls fluttered a bit around him and she moaned into
his ear. He pulled his hand out from her skirt and lifted her chin to give her
a kiss.
Draco maneuvered Granger to lie back on the couch, he pulled her skirt and
knickers off. Then took a moment to tug her shoes off and roll her stockings
down her legs. She stretched back gazing up at him, the sight of her post-
orgasmic bliss made Draco's heart swell in pride.
He stood from the couch and shrugged off his shirt, then shoved his trousers
and pants down, toeing off his boots and socks. He lay down on top of her,
balancing himself on his arms and knees, she looped her arms around his
shoulders and pulled herself up to kiss him. He returned the kiss and laid over
her, covering her body. His erection bobbed against her stomach and he couldn't
help but to grind it into her, moaning at the feel of her soft skin.
"Are you sure about this, Granger?" Draco asked pulling back from the kiss and
looking into her eyes.
"Hermione," she moaned, lifting her hips into his, her legs falling open to
cradle his hips.
"Hermione," he said with a nod and she moaned in response, running her hands
along his back.
"Hermione," he murmured again, her hands clenched, her nails digging into his
back, making him flinch.
"Yes, Draco!" she cried out as he slipped a hand down to her mound again,
sliding a finger inside and pumping it slowly.
"I'm going to have to mark you," Draco panted. "I'm not sure I'll be able to
keep Reule back." He told her urgently as she bucked against his hand.
"Gods, yes, Draco. I need you," Hermione pleaded with him, lifting her hips in
time with his fingers pumping in and out of her.
"I need you to say it, Hermione. Say you want me to mark you," Draco groaned
out as Hermione clenched around his fingers. She opened her eyes and looked at
him.
"Draco, gods, Draco. I need you to mark me. Make me yours," she whispered
staring into his eyes.
Draco moaned in response and removed his fingers from her. He grasped his cock
and rubbed the head along Hermione's clit, coating it in her juices. He lined
himself up and slowly sank into her. Hermione threw her head back arching up
into him, and Draco dipped his head and licked one of her nipples, sucking it
into his mouth and teasing it with his tongue as Hermione continued to buck
into him. He held himself still, allowing her to work herself on him. She drew
him close, holding his head to her breast as her hips jerked into his. Finally,
Draco moved, pulling out slowly and pushing back in a little faster, Hermione
pulled her knees up and tilted her hips so he bottomed out, his sack lightly
slapping at her arse.
"Yes," Hermione hissed at him as he pulled out and pushed back in a little
harder. "Right there," she moaned tilting her hips toward his. Draco felt like
fire was running through his veins as he took his mate. He could feel Reule
pacing in the back of his head, itching to come forward in order to mark her as
his mate.
"Where?" Draco asked as he continued slowly pumping in and out of Hermione.
Hermione looked up at him confused.
"Where do you want me to mark you? I assume you don't want something too
public?" Draco panted, working his hips a little faster, his sack slapping a
little harder against her soft skin. He was struggling to keep from coming at
the sight she made, with her skin flushed and her hair spread around her like a
halo. The look of want and need on her face, the want and need she could feel
for him alone was enough to make him come. Hermione touched her left breast,
right above her heart, between her scar and her sternum.
"Here, mark me here," she moaned as he sped up even more, grinding his pubic
bone into her clit. Draco nodded and allowed Reule to come forward. He had been
working hard on keeping him back so he could make it good for Draco. But Draco
didn't really know what he was supposed to do, and he figured Reule would know
best, with his connection to the collective. He did. He didn't shove Draco back
as he normally did, but instead it felt like he just came forward and shared
control with Draco.
Draco leaned down, suckling on Hermione's left nipple. He slipped a hand down
to her clit, wanting to mark her as she came around him. Several minutes and a
deep thrust with his cock and she was groaning his name through her orgasm. He
bit her left breast, just to the side of her scar, tasting her hot, salty
blood, which sent him to his own orgasm.
Reule howled in his mind as Hermione was bonded to him. "The collective is
pleased," Reule told him once the bonding was complete.
They lay on the couch panting for a few minutes, before Draco pulled himself up
so he wouldn't crush her. He looked down at the mark he made on her breast and
was pleased to see it was already healing itself, part of the magic of the mate
bond, it wouldn't react like a normal werewolf bite.. It was small enough, just
his four canines. He looked up to catch Hermione's eyes.
"Is it ok?" he asked, suddenly unsure of himself and what she was going to say
now that he had marked her.
She smiled at him and pulled him into a kiss, seeming to know exactly what he
was thinking, "It's perfect," she said when she pulled away. She brought his
hand to the mark, pressing her hand on top of his.
He smiled at her and leaned down for another kiss, then broke away and kissed
down her neck to his mark. His. She was finally his. He nipped at her left
nipple and licked along her scar. She stiffened a bit when he did that, so he
shifted to lie on his side with his back to the back of the couch, pulling her
in front of him. She grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and settled
it over them.
"Hermione," he whispered in her ear, holding her close. "How are we going to
make this work? Do you have a plan?"
"Shhh, let's sleep for a bit. We'll figure it out, I promise," Hermione said
with a yawn as she snuggled deeper into his arms. Draco hadn't slept well since
the night of the revel, and he felt himself nodding off quickly.
His last thought before sleep took him was that he was sure he was in love with
Hermione. He felt Reule nod in agreement just before he slipped into
unconsciousness.
Chapter End Notes
     A/N: Well, she's marked! It's official! Let me know what you think, I
     estimate that we're about at the halfway point in this fic. And don't
     worry, lots of Hermione action coming up. :-)
***** Chapter 19 *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Harry Potter had been following Draco Malfoy around Hogwarts all year - there
was something off about him. He was different this year and Harry was
determined to figure out how and why. Harry suspected it was because he was a
Death Eater, although Hermione had scoffed at him for that idea. Then that
curious display in Defense class happened. Ron cursed Hermione, pretty
unfairly, even Harry could agree with that, but Malfoy jumped to her defense.
Cursing Ron and cradling Hermione. What happened to Malfoy that he was now
protective of her? It could not be because he was a Death Eater, as a Death
Eater he would have been thrilled to see Hermione hurt. And why did it seem
every time Harry turned around Malfoy was bigger? He was at least 15
centimeters taller than he had been at the end of the year last year, and now
he looked like a lock for a rugby team, tall and built like an ox. That was new
and different and couldn't be attributed to being a Death Eater. It must be due
to being a werewolf, which Harry only knew about because Hermione told him.
When Hermione told him that Malfoy was not only a werewolf, but also claiming
to be her mate, he was immediately suspicious. How convenient for Malfoy and
the Death Eaters for Hermione to be his 'mate'. Harry didn't buy it and he
couldn't believe that as smart as Hermione was, she was buying it either. The
more Harry thought about it though, it made sense that Hermione was being so
naive. Hermione had never really dated anyone, unless you count attending the
Yule Ball with Krum. She probably thought Malfoy was being earnest, but Harry
was a teenage boy. He knew how other teenage boys thought. As soon as Malfoy
seduced her, he would drop her. Or even worse, pump her for information about
the Order of the Phoenix and bring that information back to Voldemort. Harry
couldn't allow that to happen.
He had learned a thing or two in the last six years. Instead of having a huge
blow-up with Hermione, Harry decided it would be much easier to stay on
friendly terms with her. It may even make it easier for him to follow Malfoy,
which was a win-win in Harry's mind. He had been doing well until this last
week, when he watched as Narcissa Malfoy came onto Hogwarts property via the
Marauder's Map. He followed her dot as she went up the stairs to the
headmaster's office where she spoke with Snape and Dumbledore.
Harry was sitting comfortably in the common room as he watched the action
unfold on the map. When he saw Malfoy and his mother leave the headmaster's
office together, Harry knew he had to investigate. He had his invisibility
cloak shoved in his bag; he'd had it there for moments like this, for whenever
he got a chance to sneak away and follow Malfoy. He left his bag by the chair,
cleared the map and shoved it inside while pulling the cloak out at the same
time. He ran out of the portrait hole and flew down the stairs to the Entrance
Hall. He was scrambling down the last staircase to the Entrance Hall when he
spotted the Malfoy's exiting the castle. Harry threw his cloak over his
shoulders and followed them out the door.
He stayed back, even though he didn't think they were talking. It wouldn't do
to get caught, so he kept back so he could watch from a distance. They left the
grounds and disapparated away with a loud crack. Huh, Harry thought, why was
Malfoy leaving school grounds?
Harry knew about the Azkaban breakout of course, maybe Malfoy was being
summoned home to see his father? If he wasn't already a Death Eater as Hermione
claimed, maybe he would be when he returned? And even if he wasn't a Death
Eater, he still had some strange habits that weren't explained away by the
lycanthropy. Why was he spending so much time in the Room of Requirement? By
himself? He never went in with anyone else, so it must be a secret meeting
place for him and his Death Eater junior mates. Harry had never even seen him
go in with Hermione. They must be meeting elsewhere in the castle.
Malfoy had been gone for a week. He hadn't come to the Great Hall for meals
since before Halloween, and he wasn't in any of the classes Harry shared with
him. Harry was sure he had been summoned home to take the Dark Mark - there was
no other explanation in his mind.
Harry had taken to leaving the map open and engaged at all times, constantly on
the lookout for Malfoy's name. If he was fixated before, now that Malfoy had
gone, he was obsessed. He had the map with him in class, at meals in the Great
Hall, and even took it down to the Quidditch pitch with him. The only time he
left the map alone was when he was in the shower, which is how he somehow
missed the exact moment that Malfoy came back onto school grounds.
Harry was drying his hair as he realized that he could see Malfoy's dot
climbing the stairs, clearly heading for the Room of Requirement. Harry hurried
to get dressed, tugging on his shoes as he stumbled out of his dorm room and
down the stairs to the common room. He tumbled out of the portrait hole and
took off at a sprint for the Room of Requirement, trying to head Malfoy off. He
turned the corner and watched as Malfoy disappeared into the room, the door
shrinking until it vanished. Harry pounded on the stone a few times, but the
door didn't reappear. He paced back in forth in front of that section of wall,
thinking about Malfoy, thinking about finding Malfoy, but it was to no avail. A
door would not appear.
Harry looked down at the parchment he was still clutching, and sure enough,
Malfoy's dot was nowhere to be found. He decided he would just wait for Malfoy
to emerge from the Room of Requirement. He had him cornered and wasn't about to
let him get away without seeing his forearm. Harry sat down in the hallway
across from where the Room of Requirements door would open.
For the first hour or so, Harry kept himself busy by tracking people on the
map. He started feeling himself nod off and stood up to job around the hallway
a bit. He looked at his watch: he'd been waiting for four hours already, and
dinner was going to be starting soon. Harry contemplated going down to the
Great Hall to grab something before deciding he would wait it out a bit longer.
He was glad he did. As he was pacing the hallway, he heard a door open and
whirled around to see Hermione peeking out from the Room of Requirement. Had
she really been in the Room of Requirement with Malfoy for hours?
"Hermione!" Harry shouted as he jogged to meet up with her. Hermione turned her
head toward him and her eyes grew wide. She slammed the door, but it didn't
disappear this time. Harry banged his fist on the door.
"Hermione! Malfoy! Open up!" Harry cried out as he pounded on the door, the
loud booming reverberated throughout the hallway.
"Merlin, Potter, are you trying to get the whole castle up here?" Malfoy
complained, swiftly opening the door again. He grasped Harry's wrist to keep
him from pounding into his face.
"Malfoy, let go," Harry growled pulling his hand back away from the taller boy.
Malfoy just smirked in response. Hermione had her school bag slung over her
shoulder and she stood next to Malfoy. She looked up at him and gave him a
small smile.
"Come on, Harry, let's go back to the common room," Hermione said to him as she
made to exit the room.
"Not yet, Hermione. I have to ask Malfoy something," Harry replied with steel
in his voice.
Malfoy sighed dramatically, "Go on, Potter."
"Did you get the Mark?" Harry asked bluntly. He didn't miss Hermione's gasp or
the fact that her eyes flitted to Malfoy's left arm before looking up at the
blond.
"What business of it is yours, Potter?" Malfoy spit at him.
"It's my business when you drag Hermione into it!" Harry shouted at him. He had
his wand up his robe sleeve and slipped it down. He wasn't leaving until he
found out whether Malfoy had the Mark or not. He was going to see his arm, even
if it meant he had to hex both Malfoy and Hermione.
"Harry!" Hermione shouted at him.
"She's a big girl, Potter. She can take care of herself," Malfoy smirked at
Potter. Harry didn't miss the way Hermione glared at Malfoy and elbowed him in
the side, or the way Malfoy's arm snaked around Hermione's waist.
"I know she can take care of herself. She's the brightest witch in this school.
That doesn't mean that I won't look out for my friends, Malfoy. Show me your
left arm," Harry brandished his wand at Malfoy, ignoring Hermione's glare at
him.
"I don't think so," Malfoy said, narrowing his eyes at Harry. Harry glared
back. He reached out with his left hand and grasped Hermione's arm.
"Come on, Hermione," Harry said tugging her arm. He wanted her to get behind
him so she wouldn't get caught in the crossfire. He could see Malfoy's wand
tapping against his thigh. Hermione tugged her arm away from Harry.
"Harry, put your wand away," Hermione told him - crossing her arms over her
chest and elbowing Malfoy again in the process.
"Not until I see his arm. Come on, Hermione. Get behind me," Harry told her as
he tugged on her arm again.
Malfoy tightened his arm around Hermione's waist.
"I don't think the lady wants to go with you, Potter," Malfoy sneered at him.
"Hermione!" Harry said louder, raising his wand again as Malfoy tucked her even
closer into his side.
Hermione stepped away from Malfoy; elbowing him a third time in the stomach,
harder than the last two times if the grunt Malfoy gave out was any indication.
She pushed Harry's wand down and shoved his chest as well.
"I am not a possession to be fought over!" Hermione shouted at the both of
them, glaring, a palm on each of their chests.
"Hermione, he's using you!" Harry shouted.
"You think I am so gullible, Harry Potter?" Hermione snapped back, eyes
narrowing at him.
"Hermione, please. I know how he thinks," Harry pleaded with her.
Malfoy chuckled, darkly, "I really don't believe you have any idea how I think,
Potter." Malfoy had taken a step back and crossed his arms over his chest as he
watched the two Gryffindors argue.
"Shut it, Malfoy!" Harry shouted as Hermione said at the same time, "You aren't
helping, Draco."
"Hermione, just tell me. Has he taken the Dark Mark?" Harry asked her, looking
into her eyes. Hermione looked down and Harry could see the guilt creep in
before she recovered.
"Of course, not Harry! Why would You-Know-Who want a kid as a Death Eater? He's
not even a fully trained wizard," Hermione lied to him.
"Granger!" Malfoy whined. Hermione turned to look over her shoulder at him, and
whatever expression she had on her face seemed to mollify Malfoy.
"Don't lie to me, Hermione. Our friendship may not survive it. I am sick to
death of people lying to me!" Harry told her. He couldn't believe that Hermione
of all people was going to lie right to his face! He knew she was lying - she
had looked at Malfoy's arm when he first asked. And now, he could see the guilt
of the lie in her eyes as she tried to hide it.
"Harry, please. You have to trust me," Hermione pleaded.
"How can I trust you when you are lying to me right now? And sleeping with the
enemy!" Harry shouted at her.
"Harry!" Hermione yelled, turning beet red, Malfoy smirking behind her. Harry's
suspicions were confirmed. She was sleeping with Malfoy. He had lost his best
friend to fucking Malfoy.
"I can't believe you, Hermione. Does loyalty and friendship mean so little to
you?" Harry asked, the hurt clear in his voice.
"Fuck, Potter. Don't do this," Malfoy said running a hand through his hair. He
moved further back into the room to give them a little privacy.
Hermione grabbed Harry's arm and dragged him into the Room of Requirement,
letting the door shut behind him.
"Draco, this is your decision," Hermione said quietly, moving to stand next to
Malfoy, her hand on his back They both faced the fireplace at the far end of
the room. Harry glanced around the room, it seemed to waver for a moment before
it turned into an empty room. There was a fireplace at one end, near where
Hermione and Malfoy stood. Then there was an old work table, that looked like
it had seen years of potions classes. Otherwise, the room was empty.
"Hermione, tell me what's going on," Harry said again.
Hermione turned back to him, "I've already told you, Harry. Draco's punishment
over the summer was to be bit as a werewolf, you know this. I'm his mate -"
Harry interrupted, scoffing, "You don't really buy that shite do you?"
"Potter," Malfoy warned with a growl. Hermione turned back to Draco and
whispered to him so quietly that Harry couldn't hear it before turning back to
him.
"Harry, did it ever occur to you to ask the werewolf you do know about mates?"
Hermione asked him. Harry could feel himself redden. He hadn't. He hadn't
written Remus to ask about them. He just assumed Malfoy had to be lying to
Hermione.
"No, I didn't write Remus," Harry forced out quietly. He was leaning back on
the door. Maybe Malfoy wasn't lying? It didn't really fit with the previous six
years of Malfoy's behavior. Harry was convinced that Malfoy must have wanted
something from Hermione.
"So, are you telling me that even though you didn't do any research, and you
didn't write the only werewolf you know, you are an expert on werewolf mating
habits?" Hermione asked him as Malfoy snickered by the fireplace.
"Gods, Hermione, cut the shite. You aren't an expert on werewolf mating habits
either. Neither is he!" Harry pointed to Malfoy.
"More of an expert than you are, Potter," Malfoy drawled, pointing to himself.
"I'm a werewolf."
Harry rolled his eyes at Malfoy's antics.
"Merlin's pants, Harry! What do you want?" Hermione asked.
"I want to see his left fucking arm! I want to know if there is an unaccounted
Death Eater in this castle!" Harry shouted at the both of them. Hermione turned
back to Draco, clearly pleading with him.
"Draco, if we don't tell him, I'll lose any protection I have," Hermione said
quietly.
"What protection?" Harry asked, suspicion heavy in his voice.
"The protection of being the Beta's mate who also happens to be best friends
with The Chosen One," Hermione snapped at him.
"He's Beta? What does that mean?" Harry asked.
"Potter, seriously, one thing at a time," Malfoy said with exasperation.
"Draco," Hermione warned.
"Fine, I'll tell him what I can, but only what we decided we'd tell Lupin,"
Draco replied.
"Wait, you were going to tell Remus?" Harry asked.
"Circe, Potter. Sit down and shut up," Malfoy said pointing to the old table.
Hermione glared at Malfoy, but grabbed Harry's arm and led him to the table.
She perched next to him and turned to face him while Malfoy stayed standing by
the fireplace. Nobody said anything for several moments.
"Well… Is someone going to start talking? Or am I supposed to use Legilimens on
you both?" Harry asked.
Malfoy ran his hand through his hair again and glared at Harry. Hermione turned
to look at Malfoy.
"It's your story, Draco. But I'll tell it if you want," Hermione offered,
smiling softly at him. Harry grimaced at the look on her face. She looked like
she was in love with the tosser!
"I'll start, but you can fill in the bits you know," Malfoy replied. He turned
to Harry, "You know about the punishment over the summer, and you've been
following me all year. I'm guessing you know I was out of the castle for the
last week?"
Harry nodded.
"I was summoned home for the Beta ceremony. You can ask Lupin, or Hermione,
about that later. It's not that important. While I was home, there was a revel-
"
"A Death Eater Revel? Did you attend? I knew you were a Death Eater!" Harry
jumped up from the table and brandished his wand again. Hermione plucked it out
of his hand and pushed him back.
"Sit down and listen, Harry!" Hermione admonished.
"When the Dark Lord has been living in your house for the better part of a year
and a half and has your mother held hostage, you do what the Dark Lord wants,"
Malfoy stated coldly.
"It was required attendance. At the revel, I finally saw just how horrible
Greyback is," Malfoy seemed to shudder at the memory.
"What did he do?" Harry asked. He had to know how bad these revels were.
"It's not important. Let's just say that I am glad the muggle he tortured is
dead, because I wouldn't want anyone to have to live through that." Malfoy
turned around to face the fireplace. Harry narrowed his eyes. He was definitely
faking all of this angst right? No way Malfoy actually felt bad for a muggle.
When Malfoy turned back around, Harry could see that his eyes were red, like he
had been trying to not cry. Malfoy shot a pleading look to Hermione, who had
been leaning against the table and walked to Malfoy. She wrapped her arms
around him in a hug. The way Malfoy sank into her comfort sent a shock wave
through Harry. This was proof, whether he wanted to recognize it or not, that
on some level Malfoy cared for Hermione. Harry didn't think he would show that
much vulnerability with anyone he didn't care for. Despite this, Harry was sure
that Malfoy had an ulterior motive and he would be the one to figure it out,
with or without Hermione's help.
Hermione broke away from Malfoy and stood next to Harry. Malfoy turned back to
face the fireplace, so Harry turned to Hermione and raised an eyebrow.
"He's that broken up over a muggle?" Harry asked in a low voice, clearly not
believing this performance.
"He is upset about the muggle. What he had to watch and was forced to
participate in was… inhumane," Hermione started.
"Participated?!" Harry shouted leaping from the table again. "Granger!" Malfoy
exclaimed at the same time, shooting her a warning look.
"Both of you, calm down! Will you let me talk?" Hermione glared at them both
until they complied. Malfoy turned away again and Harry leaned back against the
edge of the table.
"I will Silencio you both, so help me," Hermione murmured just loud enough they
both could hear it. Malfoy nodded, still not looking at either of them. Harry
narrowed his eyes at Hermione but nodded as well.
"He's more upset by what happened after the torture of the muggle," Hermione
said. She looked back at Malfoy and even Harry could see the tension in his
shoulders as he gripped the mantle of the fireplace in both hands, head hanging
down between his shoulders. What in the world could be so terrible?
"You-Know-Who ordered Greyback to kill Lucius Malfoy," Hermione stated quietly.
"Lucius is dead then? That's one less Death Eater," Harry responded, not
thinking about who else was in the room with them.
"Happy Potter? My father is dead and so you have one less enemy in the world?"
Malfoy spat at him as he whirled around from the fireplace and pointed his wand
at Harry.
"Harry!" Hermione shouted at the same time.
"Er, that came out wrong," Harry tried. Hermione went to Malfoy, talking to him
so quietly that even though Harry strained his ears, he couldn't hear.
"Uh, sorry Malfoy, about your father," Harry said quietly, looking at the other
boy. Malfoy met his gaze and gave a sharp nod before turning his attention back
to Hermione, ignoring Harry completely.
Bullocks, Harry thought. It was good that Lucius Malfoy was dead, but he could
see how insensitive it was to say that in front of the younger Malfoy. No
wonder Malfoy had holed himself up in the Room of Requirement as soon as he
returned to the castle.
Hermione stepped away from Malfoy and walked to Harry once more.
"Draco planned to go to Remus, because he thinks he can take over the werewolf
pack, especially with Remus' help. He doesn't want to be a Death Eater, and he
doesn't want to serve You-Know-Who," Hermione said.
"What changed?" Harry asked, clearly not believing that Malfoy wouldn't want to
serve the Dark Lord.
"He moved in," Malfoy replied. "Not that I care what you think, Potter, but if
you believe me, Granger assures me that the rest of your side will follow.
Prior to the Dark Lord's return, he practically felt like this mythical figure.
Then he returned and reality struck. I don't know if he's getting much in the
way of new followers, other than his current followers' kids. Anyone with two
braincells to rub together can see that he is bat-shite crazy. He kills almost
as many of his followers as he does muggles, his so-called 'scourge of the
earth'."
"So, what, you like muggles now?" Harry asked, pretending confusion.
"Sure, Potter, I'm a huge muggle lover. Does that fit your requirement?" Malfoy
asked snidely. Hermione turned her glare to Malfoy again.
"He doesn't have to love muggles in order to not want to serve You-Know-Who,"
Hermione stated. When Harry raised an eyebrow at her, she went on. "Do other
wizards love muggles? Most of the wizarding world doesn't love muggles. The
wizarding world, in general, choose to limit their relationships to only
include other wizards. You don't love the muggles you live with. Look at the
Weasley's, look at Neville. You aren't questioning whether they want to serve
You-Know-Who, are you?" Hermione's voice just as snide as Malfoy's had been.
Harry leaned back against the table and thought about that for a moment.
Hermione did have a point. For a wizarding family headed by Arthur Weasley, the
Weasleys were pretty backwards when it came to understanding muggles. And they
definitely weren't the only wizards like that, Harry had seen that with his own
eyes from his dorm mates. Of course the Weasley's wouldn't back Voldemort,
Harry knew that even if they weren't hip to muggle culture. He turned and
contemplated Malfoy. He still didn't buy this total change of heart, but he
could see how watching your father be murdered in front of you would make you
decide to be on the other side of the war.
"So, are you a Death Eater?" Harry finally asked Malfoy.
Malfoy sighed heavily and pushed up the sleeve on his left arm, turning his
head so Harry couldn't look him in the eye. Harry was immediately drawn to the
ugly, angry, black tattoo marring Malfoy's forearm. Harry was right! Malfoy was
a Death Eater! Vindication! Hadn't he been telling Hermione all year?
"The revel on Halloween included Draco taking the Dark Mark. He can work from
inside the Death Eaters to bring them down, and he can take over the werewolf
pack. It's the largest pack in Great Britain and would be a huge win for our
side," Hermione told him. Halloween, Harry grunted to himself, so he hadn't
been a Death Eater all year. Still, Harry was right, Malfoy was a Death Eater.
"Fine, I can buy your story for now, Malfoy. But you put one toe out of line,
you hurt Hermione in any way? And you are a dead man, werewolf or not," Harry
threatened as he straightened himself.
"Thank you, Harry," Hermione said with a relieved smile. Malfoy nodded at him.
"We can't say anything to Ron," Hermione cautioned.
"I'm not that big of an idiot," Harry replied with an eye roll. Ron would blow
a gasket, and then the whole school would know. No, this secret was too big for
Ron.
"When do you plan talk to Remus?" Harry asked as he walked back toward the
door. Hermione following close behind him.
"Next Hogsmeade weekend, I hope. I'm off to write him now," Hermione replied.
"I want to be there," Harry told her. He could see Malfoy rolling his eyes, but
he didn't care. He wanted to know what Remus thought about all of this and he
didn't want to hear it secondhand.
"Fine," Hermione nodded in agreement.
Harry opened the door and gestured for Hermione to lead the way back to the
common room, but she shook her head.
"I'll meet you back there," she said. "I want to chat with Draco for a moment."
Harry nodded, giving Malfoy one last glare before exiting the Room of
Requirement and heading back to the Gryffindor common room.
It had been an interesting afternoon, and he'd finally discovered that Malfoy
was a Death Eater. Although, it appeared he was a reluctant Death Eater. Harry
still wasn't sure about Malfoy's motives toward Hermione - he planned to write
to Remus today to see what he could find out about werewolves and their mates.
He was cautiously optimistic that Malfoy could be an asset to the Order, but he
fanreally wanted to hear what Remus thought about it.
He vowed he would still keep an eye on Malfoy and by extension, Hermione. He
did not trust Malfoy, not for a minute.
Chapter End Notes
     A/N: Apologies for the long wait, my dears. This was a difficult
     chapter to write, apparently writing Harry is hard? Or something?
     Anyway, thank you to the lovely brownlark42 for fixing all of my run-
     on sentences. This would be illegible without her valuable
     assistance. I make collages for each chapter I post, you can find
     them on tumblr at crochetawayhpff, follow me there! And I would love
     to know what you thought about this chapter!
***** Chapter 20 *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Dear Miss Granger,
I'm sure my son has explained his situation to you by now, if anything Fenrir
Greyback has told me about werewolf mates is true. I hope you know that I am a
loving parent to Draco and would do anything in my power to see him survive the
coming conflict. He has taken the death of his father harder than I expected.
Please watch over him for me.
I want to reiterate that I would do absolutely anything for my son and his
survival.
Regards,
Narcissa Malfoy
 
===============================================================================
 
Dear Mrs. Malfoy,
Thank you for your letter. Draco and I have spoken about his difficult week at
home. I am happy to follow your directive. I will be sure to reach out if I
need help in the future.
Hermione Granger
===============================================================================
 
Darling Draco,
I hope you are doing well and are able to keep up in your classes. I worry
about you, dear, with you so far away from me during this difficult time.
Please take care of yourself. It would break me if anything were to happen to
you. I hope you know that I would do anything for you, son. Absolutely
anything.
Your uncle Rodolphus has been more attentive than usual. Is that your doing?
Thank you for looking out for me. However, I am capable of taking care of
myself.
While I do appreciate that both Bella and Greyback have been scarce the last
few weeks, it has been lonely without the daytime companionship. I am a
Slytherin; I do know a few things about dissembling.
However, in Bella and Greyback's absence, both Rodolphus and Severus have been
by, making more time to visit with me in the evenings. Please know who you can
count on.
Write to me again soon, my darling son.
All my love,
Mother
===============================================================================
 
Dear Mother,
I am doing well, and Hermione is making sure I stay on top of all of my
classes. Never fear there - she is relentless in her pursuit of knowledge and
education for herself and all of her friends.
I hope you know that your sentiment applies to me as well. It would break me if
anything were to happen to you. I worry about you alone in that house. I hope
you are keeping yourself safe.
I will admit to speaking with Uncle Rodolphus before I left. I'm glad he's kept
his word - I wasn't sure he would after the conversation I had with him. I'm
glad he and Snape are able to keep you company. I'd prefer you spent time with
stable, sane people.
I am hoping to come home for Yule holidays and I may be directed to bring
Hermione with me. I will keep you informed on that front. Please know that if I
do bring Hermione, she will be staying with me in my room in the family wing.
This is not up for debate.
Stay safe,
Draco
===============================================================================
 
Dear Hermione,
Apologies for the late reply! I know it has been a couple of months, and I'm
sure you are worried - but don't be. The Order has kept me busy. I'm working to
liaise with other werewolf packs in Britain, as you know, and it's difficult
and sometimes dangerous work.
Not to worry, though, Dora has been taking good care of me and reminded me that
I had never gotten to your last letter. As you have found, not enough is
written about werewolves in any book. Most of our history is passed on from
Sire to newly bitten. As I did not (and do not) get along with my Sire, most of
what I know is gleaned from other lone werewolves and low-level pack members.
A werewolf mate is almost legendary in how infrequently they happen to the
common werewolf. From the little I know and have been able to find out, the
werewolves who often run across their true mate tend to be those from a pack
and high in the pack organization. Alpha's and Beta's tend to have mates. Lone
wolves very, very rarely find their mate.
I am lucky in that I found my mate in Dora. Extremely lucky, as she is wont to
remind me.
That isn't to say that a werewolf can't mate for life without finding their
true mate. That does happen and is commonly accepted by packs. However, a true
werewolf mate is instinctual to the wolf: he can smell her and she smells like
home to him. Once bonded, a mate and werewolf will only part in death, and the
werewolf would rather die than let his mate die.
It's rumored that Greyback had a mate and that's the reason he's as cruel as he
is. I don't know how true it is as I try to not think about him.
I'll let Dora tell you how being a mate affects someone. I'm sure she can tell
it better than me anyway, so be on the lookout for her letter.
Hopefully this is helpful for your knowledge about werewolves. I expect that
you are far enough ahead in Defense that it's still relevant for the essay
Professor Snape undoubtedly assigned you. Feel free to cite me as a resource;
however, I'm not sure Professor Snape would consider me a valid one.
I hope you are doing well and keeping the boys in line. I'll try to be more
attentive in my communication when I can be. There's something big going on in
Greyback's pack, but I can't get close to it because of the location. My
missions will be on hold for a little while.
Best,
Remus Lupin
===============================================================================
 
Wotcher, 'Mione!
Remus tells me you were asking about werewolf mates? And were wondering how
being a mate affected you? Is this for a class? I'm sure it is. Anyway, I'm
happy to tell you.
Before I convinced Remus to bond me, being a werewolf mate didn't mean a whole
lot. In fact, I didn't even know I was Remus' mate, even while I was pursuing
him. He had never told me. Stubborn man.
After he bonded me though, my world opened up. I could feel Remus and his
emotions through the bond. We had to be close in order for me to feel them, but
I could. It was like a niggling in the back of my mind, just a small voice that
said things like, "he's happy about that" or "he doesn't want to talk about
this thing". It's kind of weird. But has brought us so much closer together.
Remus thinks that if he were in some kind of mortal danger, the bond would let
me know.
We plan to run some experiments on the bond to see how close or far away I am
from him in order to get it to work. We're hoping that it'll be useful in the
war. Apparently it works both ways, but Remus is pretty tight-lipped about it.
Maybe once we work on the experiments, he'll open up more to me.
Anywho, hope you are doing well! And that you are keeping Harry's spirits up.
Tonks
===============================================================================
 
Dear Tonks and Remus,
Thank you so much for answering my questions! I think it really fleshed out my
essay for Professor Snape. Although, I'm sure he will deduct points because I
cited you both.
I would love to know more about the bond and your experiments with it, if you
are willing to share. It all sounds very intimate, so I understand if you
aren't.
I am well and the boys both send their love. I'll write again soon.
Best,
Hermione
===============================================================================
 
Dear Remus,
Thank you again for the information on werewolf mates. I was wondering if you
would be available to meet Harry and I in Hogsmeade during our next visit?
It'll be the third weekend in November, if you are free. Tonks is welcome too,
if you would like to make a day of it.
Best,
Hermione
===============================================================================
 
Dear Hermione,
Dora and I would love to see you and Harry (no Ron?) in Hogsmeade. We'll meet
you at Three Broomsticks at 11 AM.
Remus
===============================================================================
 
Dear Remus,
11 AM is perfect., However, we may need more privacy than the Three Broomsticks
offers. Let's still plan to meet there, but we may change our location upon
meeting. I look forward to seeing both you and Tonks.
Hermione
P.S. Ron has a date for this Hogsmeade weekend and won't be joining us.
===============================================================================
 
My darling son,
I am so glad you have Miss Granger to keep you on track with your schooling.
She sounds like a sensible young woman. I look forward to meeting her when you
come home for Yule. In fact, I insist that both you and Miss Granger spend Yule
with me at the Manor.
I am concerned about your insistence that she stay in your room, but I do
understand your thoughts behind this. I am sure this will not be a problem for
anyone else who will be staying at the Manor at that time. I will be sure that
those expectations are clear with our guests.
Severus has also accepted my invitation to Yule at the Manor and will be
escorting you and Miss Granger when break starts. I look forward to seeing you
all and spending the holidays together.
Since your father's passing, we will forgo our annual New Year's Eve ball, in
favor of a closer, family and friends gathering. Unfortunately, Miss Granger
will not be invited to that. Severus will escort her back to Hogwarts.
I look forward to meeting Miss Granger and seeing you again.
All my love,
Mother
===============================================================================
 
Hermione was looking forward to the approaching Hogsmeade weekend. It had been
a long few weeks since Draco had returned to Hogwarts and she was hoping that
all of their planning would pay off come this weekend. She had spent every
spare moment with Draco, squirreled away in the Room of Requirement going over
their plan.
First, there would be no lying. They had decided to withhold whatever
information they felt necessary, which at the moment was two tasks: Voldemort's
directive that Draco kill Dumbledore; and Greyback's instruction to fix the
vanishing cabinet in the Room of Hidden Things.
Both of those tasks had come as quite a nasty shock to Hermione when Draco
finally divulged them. They had been in the Room of Requirement when Hermione
had asked Draco if there was anything else they could bargain with in order to
obtain help from the Order. Draco had turned to her with a sheepish expression
on his face. She knew instantly that he was keeping something from her.
"Draco, you cannot keep secrets from me if you expect me to help you!" Hermione
had told him at the time. She was upset that he felt like he needed to keep
secrets to begin with.
And then Draco dropped the bomb on her. Not only was he assigned to kill
Dumbledore, but Greyback thought he was doing Draco a service by offering to do
it for him. And then Greyback gave Draco details on the vanishing cabinet in
the Room of Hidden Things, telling him that its pair was in Borgin and Burkes.
Greyback charged Draco with fixing it so that Draco could let Death Eaters into
the castle. Death Eaters! Hermione had nearly exploded with anger that he had
kept this from her.
She promptly left the Room of Requirement and didn't return for almost a week.
True to Tonks' word, she could feel the niggling in the back of her head that
was Draco's emotions through the mate bond. He was despondent and sorry. He
hadn't said a word to her the whole week though, and she knew he thought that
she was going to be done with him for good. That wasn't the case, but Hermione
was just so angry. She was angry that he had kept secrets, she was angry that
he was made to be a Death Eater, and she was angry that they were stuck on
opposite sides of this war. She had come to know Draco so well over the last
few months and she knew in her heart he wasn't a bad person. Not really. Did he
spout the prejudice nonsense he was raised with? Yes, but that wasn't his
fault.
How quickly had he accepted that he was now a werewolf and was embracing it?
How quickly had he discovered her as a mate and suddenly none of the blood
purity propaganda mattered anymore? How quickly had he discovered he was not
Death Eater material and was ready to change sides? All of these things showed
to Hermione that he wasn't some evil, Death Eater git. They also meant that as
mad as she was, when she finally met him at the Room of Requirement again, she
had to convince him that she wasn't ever going to leave him.
They had had a long conversation about their feelings for each other and
Hermione felt optimistic about their future together. Yes, they had a war to
get through. A war where they were on opposite sides, but she knew they could
get through it together. And she was going to fight for Draco and their
relationship. Whatever it took, Hermione was going to bring him out the other
side with her. When Hermione thought of her boys, now she wasn't just thinking
of Harry and Ron, she included Draco. He was one of hers and she was never
going to give him up or let him down.
This was why she was working so hard with him on their plan. The start of the
plan was to approach Remus. Hermione hadn't told Draco that Remus was charged
by the Order to infiltrate the packs in Britain, but Draco knew he was a
werewolf, and another pup of Greyback's. And that Remus hated Greyback.
This meant Draco and Remus had a common enemy, and Hermione was hoping that
together, they could take down Greyback to overthrow the pack. She knew that
Remus would rather die than take the Dark Mark, so that was the wrinkle they
were going to have to discuss. How would he join the pack and become Draco's
Beta without also getting branded with the Dark Mark like Draco had? They'd
have to wait for their discussion with Remus to answer that question.
Once Remus was infiltrated into the pack, Draco would take down Greyback in an
impromptu Alpha Ceremony. Draco knew he could count of Seff and Rand for their
support. He was hoping he would be able to count on Mingan's help as well. Four
out of nineteen wasn't great odds, but Draco was Beta and Rand held a
surprising amount of weight with the pack. And Draco did have another card up
his sleeve. He could always show the pack how much Fenrir enjoyed being a Death
Eater.
Finally, once Fenrir was taken down, Draco would work with the pack to
undermine the Death Eater's organization as a whole. Spreading information back
to the Order, messing up missions, and causing general chaos and mayhem. This
could cost Draco in the eyes of Voldemort, but both Hermione and Draco thought
it was worth the risk. The endgame wasn't winning the war, the endgame was
winning the war and coming out of the other side with a life to live. Draco
wouldn't have a life to live if his whole pack was either slaughtered or locked
up in Azkaban.
And with Remus and Tonks as their liaisons to the Order, hopefully after the
war ended there wouldn't be a lengthy trial process for Draco and the pack.
They were hoping it would quickly come to light that the pack had been
undermining Voldemort and the Death Eaters most of the time. That was the hope
anyway, and Hermione was sure they could do it. Before they could do any of it,
they had to get Remus and Tonks on board.
Hermione hummed to herself as she pulled her messy nest of hair into a bun at
the back of her head, shoving her wand into it for storage. She quickly pulled
on her trainers, and threw a school robe over her more casual muggle clothes
before heading down to the Great Hall for breakfast. It was finally Saturday
morning of the Hogsmeade weekend and Hermione was as excited as she was
nervous.
As she ate, she browsed the Daily Prophet, noting the small news articles that
indicated that Voldemort had truly taken over the Ministry. Harry plopped down
beside her, giving her a gentle nudge with his shoulder. She looked up at him
and offered a small smile and then looked to see what he was nodding at.
Further down the table, Ron and Lavender were engaged in a liplock so heated
that Hermione was a bit surprised that they weren't sending off sparks.
"Isn't it a bit early for that?" Hermione asked, her lip curled in distaste.
She didn't begrudge her friend his happiness, but she didn't need to see him
trying to sneak his hands up his girlfriend's shirt at the breakfast table
either.
"Mmm," Harry muttered, "you didn't have to cast a Silencio at his bed curtains
in the middle of the night."
Hermione shuddered at the thought, glad that the girls dorms weren't accessible
by the boys and she didn't have to deal with that.
"Ready to see Remus and Tonks?" Hermione asked after Harry had finished his
breakfast.
"Sure, is the Ferret walking down with us?" Harry asked quietly.
"Don't call him that!" Hermione snapped. "And no, he plans to meet us at the
back entrance to Madam Puddifoot's. They apparently have private rooms above,
and he's reserved one for the five of us."
Harry nodded thoughtfully, "How does he know that?" He waggled his eyebrows at
Hermione.
"It doesn't matter," Hermione replied primly and swept by Harry. She could hear
him chuckle at her expense as he followed her out of the Great Hall.
The walk to Hogsmeade was uneventful. They were early for their meeting with
Remus and Tonks, so they decided to go to Honeydukes first and then to Three
Broomsticks. When Hermione and Harry were finally finished browsing all of
Honeydukes' sweets selection, they went to the Three Broomsticks to find Remus
and Tonks standing outside.
"Let's walk for a bit," Hermione said after each of them exchanged greetings.
The group started off on a slow stroll heading in the direction of Madam
Puddifoot's.
"I wasn't entirely forthcoming when I asked for this meeting," Hermione began.
She blushed when she saw Remus looking at her with a raised eyebrow. It was a
very professorial look.
"There's someone else meeting us. We've secured a private room at Madam
Puddifoot's," she told Remus and Tonks.
"Not Ron?" Tonks asked and Harry shook his head no.
"Not Ron," Harry confirmed. "Ron's playing tonsil quidditch with Lavender Brown
at the moment. He might be at Madam Puddifoot's, but it's not to meet with us.
In fact, he doesn't know anything about this meeting. And if he did, he would
flip his lid."
That comment made Remus' brow rise even higher and Hermione picked up her pace.
When they reached the infamous tea shop at the end of the High street in
Hogsmeade, Hermione glanced around and directed them all down the alley that
ran between it and the small apothecary next door. Behind the tea shop, Draco
stood leaning casually against the back wall. Had Hermione not known him so
well, she would have assumed he was lounging about, but she could see the lines
of tension in his shoulders, and that his hand was in his wand pocket.
Remus inhaled sharply when he got a scent of Draco and Hermione was proud of
herself that she was able to keep herself from flinching at the sound. She
greeted Draco with a small smile and went to stand next to him. She took his
non-wand hand in hers as she turned to face the rest of the group.
"This makes sense," Remus muttered. Hermione looked at him with a question in
her eyes.
"Later, let's get upstairs," Remus said as he pulled open the back door and
gestured to the group. Hermione and Draco led the way up the narrow, wooden
stairs that greeted them when they opened the door. Once in the dark upstairs
hallway, Draco turned left, pulling Hermione along and they entered the room
with a number six on the door.
Hermione was greeted with a round table, with a hideous floral tablecloth.
There was a small stove in the corner, keeping the teapot warm, and five
mismatched chairs circled the table. The teacups that graced each spot did
match, but unfortunately they matched the ugly table linens. Once all five of
them were inside and the door was shut, Hermione turned and began casting
privacy and warding charms at the door, walls, floor, and ceiling. She received
another raised eyebrow from Remus at her thoroughness.
"You can never be too careful," she murmured as she took a spot at the table
next to Draco. He pulled her chair closer to his, so he could place his arm
around her shoulders. She rolled her eyes at his machismo show in front of the
other werewolf.
"What makes sense?" Tonks asked once they were all seated and the teapot had
been levitated to the table.
"Hermione smells different," Remus replied. Draco let out a low growl,
apparently at the thought of another werewolf smelling his mate.
Tonks raised her own eyebrow at her cousin's antics. So far she had kept her
mouth shut about the display Draco and Hermione were putting on, which Hermione
was grateful for.
"She's his mate," Remus stated flatly, keeping his face neutral.
"He's a werewolf?!" Tonks exclaimed in shock.
"Apparently," Remus replied.
Up to this point, Harry had been silent, "Why don't you tell them why we're
here, Malfoy?" His tone was just on the polite side of snide.
Draco glared at Harry and tightened his arm around Hermione. Hermione rolled
her eyes at all of the posturing going on in the room.
"There is a valid reason for the privacy wards. Tonks, Remus, we want to share
a confidence with you. And we want your help with the rest of the Order,"
Hermione said.
"I haven't told Draco anything confidential about the Order," Hermione stated
in reply to the outburst she could see written on both Tonks' and Harry's
faces.
"Well, I already know he's a werewolf. I assume Greyback bit him," Remus said,
spitting out Greyback's name.
Draco nodded in response, but said nothing else. Hermione looked up at his set
jaw and sighed to herself. It seemed she was going to have to do all the
talking.
"Greyback bit him over the summer. It was Draco's punishment for his father's
failure at the Ministry back in May." Tonks let out a gasp at the idea that
Draco was punished for his father's crimes. Hermione continued, "a few weeks
ago, Draco returned home for a week. He's Greyback's Beta." Another raised
eyebrow from Remus, but this time there was a look of consideration and maybe
even approval. "Draco was then made to attend a revel where he received the
Dark Mark and then watched Greyback rape, torture, and kill a muggle woman.
Later that evening, You-Know-Who ordered Greyback to murder Lucius Malfoy."
"Lucius Malfoy is dead?" Tonks confirmed. Draco nodded sharply.
"I'm sorry, cousin," Tonks replied with real regret in her voice. Tonks was
sitting on the other side of Draco, and she reached out to touch his hand in
comfort. That lifted Hermione's heart. She wasn't sure whether they could count
on Tonks as a family connection, but it appeared they could. Draco nodded
again, closing his eyes as he did as if bracing his emotions.
"That's a lot to take in," Remus replied. "What are you wanting from us?"
"As you've already discerned, I'm Draco's mate. His bonded mate," Tonks smirked
at her, but Hermione ignored it as she went on. "Draco doesn't want to be a
Death Eater, and he certainly doesn't want to be Beta to his father's
murderer…"
"Why don't we hear the ferret tell us that," Harry snapped at Draco with
narrowed eyes. Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed at Harry's antics.
"Potter, I know it's hard for your tiny, pea-sized brain to comprehend, but I
do not want to go around murdering people for a living. It seems to be a poor
proposition all around," Draco sneered at Harry, looking down his nose at him.
"Besides, it's not like I can care much about blood, being a werewolf and all,"
he finished dryly. Hermione looked up at him and squeezed his thigh under the
table. He had such a tough few months and she was so proud of him that he
genuinely wanted to be better than his father, to be a better person.
"As I was saying," Hermione went on, "what I propose will reveal some Order
secrets to Draco should I go on, the ones involving you Remus. I hope you will
agree to help us, in return Draco will help the Order. But I won't reveal
anything to him that you don't want me to."
Remus sat back and thought for a moment before he replied, "What you know about
my Order work is fine to share with him."
Hermione nodded and offered Remus a small smile in thanks. She turned to Draco,
"Remus has been charged with infiltrating the other werewolf packs in Britain
and convincing them to support the Order and not You-Know-Who. He has been
unable to infiltrate the largest pack in Britain."
"Mine," Draco replied.
Hermione and Remus both nodded in agreement.
"Your plan makes so much more sense now, Granger," Draco smirked down at her,
squeezing her around the shoulders. She returned the expression.
She turned to the rest of the group, "The plan is that Remus, with Draco's
assistance, joins Greyback's pack. Since Remus isn't hampered by school, he can
gather support within the pack. Draco can give him guidance on which wolves
would be most receptive. Once Remus is firmly embedded in the pack, Draco
challenges Greyback as Alpha. This of course, hinges on Draco's ability to beat
Greyback, but he thinks with a few more months of training, that won't be a
problem."
"It's a solid plan," Remus replied, clearly deep in thought. "It would help the
Order immensely to not only have Greyback's pack, but to take out Greyback in
general. You understand what it takes to beat the Alpha of a current pack?"
"I will kill him with pleasure," Draco responded coldly.
"You have to kill him?" Harry asked.
"Did you not write Remus like I suggested?" Hermione snapped. At Harry's dull
blush she inferred he did not.
"Remus, Harry knows nothing about werewolves and insults me or Draco every time
he brings it up. Could you take it on yourself to educate him later today?"
Hermione asked with a sweet voice.
Remus chuckled in response, "Of course. Harry, what do you think of all this?"
"I think that Malfoy has an ulterior motive," he glared at the other boy's
sneer. "I don't believe him that he's Beta and until you confirmed it, I was
skeptical that Hermione was his mate. I still don't like that."
Remus chuckled again, "First lesson in werewolves Harry, the bigger they are,
the higher they rank. Draco meets my height and has me outweighed by four stone
at least. That tells me he's at least Beta, if not Alpha of his own pack, and
that's just by sight. His smell confirms it.
"Second lesson, the reason I thought Hermione smelled differently is that she
has been claimed and bonded by another werewolf, a werewolf who is more
dominate than I am," Remus told Harry. Harry looked like he was about to
protest, but Tonks silenced him with a look and a pinch to his arm.
"What is your plan after Greyback is taken care of? From what I can gather, the
pack is living on Malfoy grounds," Tonks asked.
"They are living in our dueling court. There won't be a way to extricate the
pack from the Dark Lord. We'll have to work from within the Death Eater
organization to pass information, sabotage raids, and cause general mayhem and
chaos. Right now, the pack is kept largely separate from the Death Eaters. That
is at Greyback's behest. He doesn't want the pack to know how depraved he is,
and he's right about that. If the pack knew how much he enjoyed a revel, they
would turn on him. It's my quaffle in the hoop for when we overthrow him,"
Draco told the group.
"Our hope is that you'll become Draco's Beta," Hermione told Remus.
Remus nodded in reply, "That makes sense. Once you are Alpha, you'll need to
solidify your power base. Who else in the pack do you have?"
"The Omega for sure, and probably Rand. He should have been Beta, but had no
interest in the position," Draco replied.
"The Omega? That's good, a lot of new wolves don't properly value the Omega. I
know Rand, he's a good wolf. Those are good allies, but at my last count there
were almost 20 werewolves in that pack," Remus was thoughtful as he worked on
the numbers.
Draco nodded his confirmation, "There are 20 wolves, once you join there will
be 21 and I'll only have four of them for sure. That's where you come in. I'm
not there to woo anyone else in the pack. I only had a couple of months this
summer to spend with them."
Remus nodded.
"So, Remus joins the pack, gathers support. Draco overthrows Greyback. Remus
becomes Beta, then what?" Tonks asked, quickly summing up the plan so far.
"We need to make the pack more useful to the Dark Lord. Greyback keeps them
separate and I don't want any of them to take the Dark Mark. But as soon as I
became Beta, the Dark Lord demanded it of me. I'm worried that he would demand
it of Remus as well. That's a wand in the cauldron that will have to be dealt
with. I'm assuming you don't want to take the Dark Mark?" Draco asked Remus
dryly.
"I would if it meant defeating Volde-" Draco hissed in warning. "You-Know-Who,"
Remus corrected. "I want him gone as much as the next person."
"Well, that brings us to endgame," Hermione said.
"Planning the endgame already, 'Mione?" Tonks teased.
"The endgame isn't to defeat You-Know-Who, the endgame is to defeat You-Know-
Who and come out alive and with a life to live. It's no use winning if you are
both thrown in Azkaban for having Dark Marks. Personally, if we can keep Remus
from getting a Dark Mark, his and Tonks' influence on the Order could help in
keeping Draco and the rest of the pack from Azkaban or worse."
"You really are the brightest witch of your age, aren't you?" Remus asked with
amusement. "Here we are talking about next steps, and you are plotting ten
steps ahead of the rest of us."
Hermione blushed at his praise, and Draco dropped a kiss down onto the top of
her head. She warmed at the show of affection, but didn't miss Harry's eye-
roll. That boy had another lecture coming, Hermione was planning it now.
"Well, Remus? What are your thoughts? I'm guessing you'll need to take this
plan to the rest of the Order for approval? When I said I haven't told Draco
anything, I meant it," Hermione was trying to hint meaningfully, that while
Draco didn't know about Snape, she would like to tell him.
"I think it's a solid plan, and I think the Order will too. Incidentally, we're
meeting later this weekend. So I'll write you when I've run it by them. This
means we'll probably have to induct you three," Remus said thoughtfully.
Harry perked up at that, "Really? You'd induct us even though we're still
students?"
"You and Potter aren't even in the Order?" Draco asked, grinning down at her.
Hermione felt her face warm in slight embarrassment, "Not yet, Mrs. Weasley
keeps vetoing our joining. But I figured with a project this large, they would
have to. The trick will be to keep Ron out of it."
Harry nodded in agreement at that. Hermione and Harry had numerous discussions
about Ron over the last few weeks, and the only thing they were in agreement on
was that Ron could know nothing of their plans with Draco.
"If the Order does accept your plan, how do you expect to get me to infiltrate
the pack?" Remus asked Draco.
"Draco changes each month in the Shrieking Shack, usually Greyback, the Omega,
and a couple of other wolves come up to change with him. We figured you would
join them on your next full moon. Saying Professor Snape tipped you off and
that you'd like to join Greyback's pack," Hermione explained.
"I see," Remus replied, clearly disconcerted by the idea of begging Greyback
for anything.
"I know you are going to have to beseech Greyback, but I don't think Draco will
be able to take over the pack without you. And if he can't take over the pack,
then his life - and by extension my life - become much, much more dangerous,"
Hermione pleaded with Remus. She knew the whole plan was a big ask of Remus,
but she hoped that he was committed to fighting Voldemort enough that he would
agree.
"I hate the idea of playing nice to Greyback, but I can see the value in the
plan. As I said earlier, I will do what I have to do in order to defeat Vo- er,
You-Know-Who," Remus replied.
"Full moon is in a week," Draco commented.
Remus nodded in response as he stood and helped Tonks out of her chair. He held
his hand out to Draco. Draco looked at it, before standing and taking it. He
pulled Remus forward into a hug, clapping his back once before releasing him.
"If you do this for me, I will be indebted to you," Draco told Remus. Remus
nodded in response and looked to Hermione to remove the wards. She did, and
Remus and Tonks took their leave after their goodbyes to Harry and Hermione.
Harry also left soon after, mentioning how he wanted to go to Quality Quidditch
Supplies for broom polish.
Hermione and Draco were alone in the private room. Draco flicked his wand at
the door, closing and locking it and adding a silencing charm.
"I have this room booked for another couple of hours, Granger," Draco smirked
down at her as he tugged on a curl. She dimpled up at him.
"What are we going to do? I brought my Charms…" she didn't get to finish
because Draco pulled her bodily to him and engulfed her lips with his own. She
moaned into the kiss and he deepened it by sliding his tongue into her mouth.
His hands on her hips, pulled her tighter to him so she could feel his
erection. She slid her own hands up his arms to his shoulders and around his
neck, pulling him closer to her. They were standing so close, their chests were
mashed together and Hermione could feel the heat pouring off him.
She wanted to feel skin against her hands, so she slipped her hands down his
chest to tug his shirt from his pants and began unbuttoning it from the bottom.
Each portion of new skin she exposed, she glided her hands across. He gasped
when she reached his flat nipples and she took advantage of him pulling back to
slide his shirt off his shoulders completely.
"Miss Granger, are you seducing me?" He asked her, comparing their different
states of dress, even as he pushed her against the wall and ground his pelvis
into her.
"Is that what you call this?" Hermione asked as she reached for his belt
buckle. She moaned and lost her concentration when he kissed his way down her
neck to renew the love bite he kept leaving where her shoulder and neck met.
He'd been renewing that love bite since long before they had bonded. It was
like he was leaving it as his show of possession, since he couldn't flaunt
around her actual bond mark.
Hermione's shirt soon joined Draco's on the floor and her bra followed shortly
after. They were both panting hard when Draco lifted her against the wall,
pushing her against it, her center aligned over his cock.
"Gods, Granger," he panted into her neck as he fondled her breasts. "The things
you do to me…"
Hermione moaned in response and tightened her legs around his hips, pressing
his cock even tighter against her. She pulled her wand from the bun on her head
and silently cast a divesting spell. Draco's gasp at suddenly being naked, with
his cock stuffed between her pussy lips.
"That is a handy little spell, Hermione," he murmured as he rubbed his erection
along her slit, hitting her nub with the head of his penis.
"My own," she replied, gasping at the sensations he was causing in her. Draco
growled in approval before reaching a hand down to ensure she was wet enough,
and then impaled her on his member. Hermione cried out at the intrusion and her
walls clenched down on him. He groaned at the pleasure she was causing him as
he slowly pulled out and pumped back in.
"You….bloody brilliant….fucking amazing….gorgeous witch….you are mine," he
growled into her neck between pants. He had a hand gripping her hip so tightly,
she was sure she'd have bruises. She didn't care, every thrust was hitting that
soft, spongy spot at the front of her walls and dragging a small yelp out of
her. The tension coiled tighter and tighter in her belly as he pounded her into
the wall.
"Say it, Granger. Tell me," he insisted as he began to lose control.
"I'm yours, Draco," she panted at him, feeling her orgasm take over. She cried
out his name as she fell off the cliff into oblivion.
"Mine," Draco growled into her ear as he reached his own orgasm, spurting deep
inside her. Hermione nodded her agreement.
Hermione's breath slowly returned to normal and Draco gently let her down. They
both slid down the wall to sit on the floor with their backs against the wall.
A comfortable silence settled over them and Hermione had her head pillowed onto
Draco's shoulder.
"Yours," she said. "Yours as long as you are mine."
"Always," he replied.
Chapter End Notes
     A/N: All the beta love goes to brownlark42, she's like climbing into
     a bed with sheets fresh from the dryer. I am blown away by your
     reviews! I think I have the rest of the story mapped out and I would
     say we're almost to the halfway point. I can't wait to hear what you
     think of this chapter! As usual, I post a collage of every chapter on
     my tumblr, follow me at crochetawayhpff. All my love!
***** Chapter 21 *****
Chapter Notes
     A/N: All of the beta love goes to brownlark42. She's like the smell
     of freshly cut grass.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
The day after the Hogsmeade meeting, Draco knocked on the Slytherin Head of
House's office door. He had received a terse note at breakfast, asking Draco to
stop by. He wondered what Snape wanted. It wasn't often that he was called to
his Head of House's office, unless he had been into some trouble. Draco thought
back over the week - he didn't think he was in trouble for anything.
"Come in, Draco," Snape drawled as his office door popped open. Draco entered
the office and noted it was the same as always. The same disgusting pickled
potions ingredients lining the walls and the same gloomy lighting. Snape was
sitting at his desk - there was nothing on top of it but a thick book. His
hands were steepled in front of him and his elbows were resting on the desk.
Snape also looked the same as always, lank black hair curtained his face. His
skin was sallow and pale, and his hooked nose dominated his facial features.
"Sit," Snape hissed, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk. Draco slipped
into it and sat ramrod straight, awaiting his Head of House to speak.
"How is your task coming along?" Snape asked, quirking an eyebrow. Draco sighed
and closed his eyes. He hadn't thought about either of his tasks in the last
few weeks he'd spent plotting with Hermione. He couldn't tell Snape anything
about that. Draco was thankful once again for being a werewolf and immune to
Legilimency. Snape's prowess in Legilimency was legendary among the Death
Eaters.
"Which one?" Draco hedged, opening his eyes to see that his professor had
pushed the book closer to him.
"Greyback's," Snape replied, gesturing to the book. Draco picked it up and read
the title Olde and Forgotten Bewitchments and Charmes by Eldon Thaddeus
Fleming. He quirked his own eyebrow at Snape.
"It should help with the cabinet you are attempting to restore," Snape snapped.
When Draco didn't respond, he went on. "Use your head boy, don't make me spell
it out for you."
Draco nodded in response. As much as he wanted to trust Snape, he knew that he
couldn't. Not with the most important things, like how he was planning to
betray the Dark Lord. Snape couldn't know anything about that. But Snape was
helping Draco. He was visiting Draco's mother, which eased Draco's heart more
than he had imagined possible. Thinking about that made Draco trust Snape, a
little bit. Enough to accept the book and actually want to read it.
"Anything else?" Draco asked. He was in a hurry to get to the Room of Hidden
Things and read through what the book had on vanishing cabinets. Snape
dismissed him with a flick of his hand and Draco rushed up to the seventh floor
of the castle.
Upon reaching the Room of Hidden Things, Draco sat next to the vanishing
cabinet and flipped through the book. It was written in runes. Of course it
was. He flipped to the index and dug his Ancient Runes textbook out of his bag
and began translating. It was long and painstaking work, but he finally had the
index translated an hour later. Nothing in the index said anything about
vanishing cabinets. What a dud, Draco thought to himself as he tossed the book
aside. He had been sitting with his back to the cabinet and banged his head
backward a couple of times. What am I going to do? How am I going to fix this
damned cabinet?
The door to the room banged open. Draco was grateful he was sitting on the
floor and out of eyesight of the front of the room. He quietly began packing up
his books, when Hermione rounded the corner. She was beautiful. It took his
breath away every time he saw her again.
"Oh, thank gods, it's you," he said as he stood and wrapped his arms around her
in a hug.
"I'm glad I found you here," she replied returning his hug. As she stepped
away, she kicked the book Snape had given him.
"Oh no!" she cried out and bent down to pick it up. She read the cover and then
flipped through it, her shoulders sagging at seeing it was written in runes.
"Shoot," she muttered. "It'll still be helpful, but it'll be a pain to
translate it all." She looked up at him with a smile.
"What do you mean? I translated the index and it didn't say anything about
vanishing cabinets," Draco told her. He handed her the bit of parchment he had
used during his translation.
"Well it wouldn't, would it?" she asked as she looked over the parchment. She
grabbed a self-inking quill she had shoved in her messy bun at the back of her
head and began placing a small star next to various lines of his translated
index.
"Granger, explain," Draco said, losing patience with her.
She looked up at him, startled by the tone. "Oh, sorry, umm, it says right
here," she pointed to a line on his translation parchment, it read 'linking
charms page 293'. And she pointed to another and another they were all linking
charms, movement through space spells, and disappearing charms.
"I am an idiot," Draco stated drily. How could he have overlooked what she was
pointing out? She smiled up at him.
"You have a lot on your mind. Let me help you," she said as she ran a hand down
his arm and linking their fingers together. He nodded but was internally
kicking himself. He was as smart as she was, how could he not have seen what
she had seen immediately?
"Seriously, Draco. It's all right. I am here to help you," Hermione told him.
"How can you want to help me get Death Eaters into Hogwarts?" he asked her. His
tone and expression petulant, even though he tried to keep it civil. It was
still a shock to him that she had accepted his tasks. She accepted them and
then decided what needed to be done next.
"I don't want to help you get Death Eaters into Hogwarts. But it's what you've
been tasked with, so I will help you. It's not the task itself, it's you,
Draco," Hermione explained. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his
neck, pulling him closer. "It's you I want to help, Draco. I love you."
Draco's mind went blank when she confessed her love for him. She loves me. She
loves me. He almost had a hard time believing it, but not one to look a gift
pegasus in the mouth he swooped down and gave her a heated kiss. Pouring each
of his emotions into it. He loved her too. He hadn't said it yet, had no plans
to say it, but hearing it out of her mouth had set his heart free.
Hermione broke the kiss after a few moments. She looked up at him and he felt
lost in her whiskey-colored eyes.
"Let's work on the translations," she said as she backed away with a smile.
Draco nodded. They were both top of their class in Ancient Runes. Working
together, they would get the necessary pages of the book translated in no time.
Draco made a quick copy of the index using the Geminocharm and handed it to
her. She flipped to the first spell she had starred and copied the pages. Then
handed the book back to Draco who went to the next spell and did the same
thing. They sat together in a companionable silence throughout the rest of
their free period. By the end of it, each of them had translated three of the
spells. That meant there were only fifteen more spells to translate. There were
hundreds of spells in the book, but the twenty-one Hermione had picked out
seemed like they would be most useful for the vanishing cabinet. It was good
progress for an hours worth of work.
===============================================================================
 
The following day found Draco standing in front of the teller's desk at
Gringotts with his mother beside him. He had received a missive from Gringotts
to present himself to have all the Malfoy family vaults and accounts
transferred over to his name and keyed to his wand and handprint. He had been
expecting it, but standing here in front of Brodkit, the mean goblin who always
handled his family's vault, Draco felt angry. Angry that he had to do this.
Angry that he was missing Defense Against the Dark Arts, one of the few classes
he shared with Hermione. And angry that at sixteen, he had to gain full control
over his family's complicated financial concerns.
Brodkit handled Draco's wand deftly and with reverence, which Draco
appreciated. He hadn't wanted to take the time to go down to the main vault,
but it was required for the handprint identification. Draco sighed as he
escorted his mother behind Brodkit to the carts at the back of the bank lobby.
Once they were settled inside, the cart took off at a breakneck speed heading
straight down. The ride seemed to take forever. The Malfoy vaults were some of
the oldest in the bank, so they were the furthest down. Draco didn't quite
understand how it worked. From what he did understand, the goblins pushed the
earth downward to make room for newer vaults at the top as needed. It was a
complicated bit of magic that Draco had been interested in when he had first
learned of it as a child. His father had put a quash to the conversation Draco
had started with Brodkit about it. Draco sighed at the memory.
They finally reached the main Malfoy vault, a place Draco had only been a
handful of times. He didn't get to visit Gringotts often, and when he did, he
usually only went to the heir's vault a few levels above the main vault.
Brodkit hopped out of the cart and led the way to the vault door. There were
only a few vaults on this level; they each ringed a large open space that held
an honest-to-the-gods white, mostly blind, dragon. As a child, Draco had been
fascinated and thrilled when he got to come to the main vault and see the
dragon. As he grew older, he felt sad every time he thought of this dragon.
Dragons were wild and fierce, but this dragon seemed sad and frightened.
Approaching the door, Brodkit performed some bit of goblin magic and had Draco
put both palms on the door. Another spell was muttered by the creature, and
Draco's handprints were recorded as Head of House Malfoy. They entered the
vault ,and Draco's mother went to the wives section. She was no longer
considered a wife of the House Malfoy. She was a widow and had her own widow's
vault several levels above the heir's vault. She placed a few pieces of her
jewelry in the wives section and then beckoned Draco over.
"Do you think you should pick something for Miss Granger's Yule gift?" Mother
asked as she gestured at the jewelry in front of her. Draco was taken aback at
the offer.
"No! Mother, this stuff is all yours and will be for a long time!" Draco told
her.
His mother looked at him with sad eyes, "It's yours now Draco. To do with what
you wish. If you wish me to have access to it for a while longer, I will gladly
accept. But I have no plans on imposing on your future wife."
"I - I mean, I hadn't thought that far…" Draco trailed off. Hermione was his
mate. He loved her, he had to protect her, and he wanted to spend the rest of
his life with her. But wife? That thought hadn't crossed his mind.
"Not yet, Draco. You are only sixteen, but Mr. Greyback has told me of mates,"
she reached up a hand and cupped his face. "I want you to be happy, my little
dragon."
She hadn't called him that in years. It's what she called him when he was a
little boy. He wrapped his arms around her and despite how much bigger he was
than her these days. She held him while he cried.
===============================================================================
 
Pup,
Meet me in at the Shrieking Shack at dusk. We have some things to discuss.
Alpha Greyback
Fuck, fuck, fuck,Draco thought reading the missive from his Alpha again. He
crumpled it in his hand. It was the middle of the week and the full moon would
be the following Monday. They hadn't heard from Lupin yet, and Draco didn't
feel ready to face Greyback. He could still hear Greyback crying out the Avada
Kedavra at his father. And then hear his father's body hit the ground. He
shuddered at the thought. He was having nightmares over it and had taken to
sleeping on the couch in the Come and Go Room. He hadn't told Hermione about
any of that. She didn't need another reason to worry about him. Or another
thing to try and fix for him. She was doing enough. Probably too much. He
should work on shielding her from some of his burdens. She was his mate and he
loved her and he had to protect her.
It had already been dinner time when he received the owl from Greyback. He
slipped into the dungeons to grab his cloak and slip outside before curfew came
at 9 o'clock. He sneaked out the front doors and walked along the castle walls
until he was in front of the Whomping Willow. The tree swung wildly in an
unseen breeze and when an owl got to close, it reached a branch out and swatted
at it. The owl hooted and flew off away from the tree. Draco sent a silent
Immobulus to the tree and watched as all the branches came to a shuddering
halt. He ran forward and hit the knot at the base of the tree to open the
trapdoor. He slid inside the tunnel and released his Immobulus once he was in
the tunnel.
He took his time walking through to the shack, working on keeping himself calm.
He spoke with Reule in his mind. He told him that Greyback was still his Alpha.
He would remain his Alpha for the time being, regardless of how angry and upset
he was, it wasn't time to show his hand. He was pretty sure Reule was
listening. At least that was his hope.
When he reached the trap door at the other end of the tunnel, he paused
underneath of it and used his wolf senses to see if he could hear or feel
anyone on the other side. He didn't want to use magic and give himself away. He
closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He turned his head so one ear canted up
toward the trap door. There, a scuff from a shoe. He sniffed as quietly as he
could; he was only getting tunnel dirt, dust and wood from the house above him,
and werewolf. Which werewolf? Greyback. Draco shook himself from the slight
trance he had been in and pushed the trap door open. He gripped thefloor and
hauled himself out of the tunnel and kicked the trapdoor shut behind him.
Greyback was standing, facing away from him, toward the broken fireplace on the
other side of the room. On the mantle were two glasses and a bottle of
firewhisky.
"Pup," Greyback said, his voice welcoming as he turned to face Draco. He opened
his arms, expecting Draco to hug him.
Draco stood where he was, he did incline his head in respect, "Alpha."
Greyback's face fell and he dropped his arms. He ran a hand over his dreadlocks
and turned back around. Greyback opened the bottle of firewhisky and poured a
healthy amount into both glasses. He turned and handed one to Draco. Draco took
it but didn't sip from it. Not until Greyback took a sip first, with a roll of
his eyes. Draco thought it was smart not to trust the man. Once Greyback had
taken several sips and nothing happened, Draco took his first sip of the
liquor. It burned his throat, but tasted good and warmed his belly.
"Listen, pup, I hope you realize there was nothing I could have done," Greyback
started, but he wasn't looking at Draco. He had turned back toward the
fireplace and spoke to Draco over his shoulder.
"I understand," Draco said, his voice formal and cold.
"I don't think you do," Greyback replied as he turned back to face him.
"I'm branded with the same mark as you, Alpha," Draco said. "I understand that
the needs of our Lord come before the needs of our pack."
Greyback inhaled sharply at that. Draco knew that wasn't Greyback's philosophy.
Or at least that was the philosophy Greyback had been trying to feed Draco.
Greyback had told Draco that he was playing along with the Dark Lord until he
could get what he wanted. He'd said that the pack came first; it always came
first. Now Greyback wasn't going to be sure where Draco's loyalty lay. Was it
with the pack? Or the Dark Lord?
Draco's loyalty lay with Hermione. She was his mate, and she would always have
his first loyalty. Second was his mother, then his pack, then the Order. He had
no loyalty to the Dark Lord. But what better way to put Greyback on wrong
footing than to make him think that Draco was truly a Death Eater?
"Yes, as you say," Greyback replied slowly. He looked to be thinking hard and
was casting an appraising eye over Draco. It looked like he was seeing Draco in
a new light and didn't like what he saw.
"Then all is forgiven?" Greyback tried. If Draco was truly a Death Eater, he
would follow the Dark Lord's command regardless of his personal feelings on the
matter.
"Of course, Alpha. As you said, you had no choice. Our Lord gave you an order
and you followed it," Draco bowed slightly in Greyback's direction. He had his
pure-blood mask and manners on.
"Great," Greyback replied and downed the rest of his drink. He gave himself a
refill and then nodded at Draco. Draco shook his head. He needed to keep a
clear mind if he was going to manipulate his Alpha in the way that would make
Hermione's plans work.
"Let's discuss Beta duties," Draco suggested. There was a set of worn table and
chairs shoved into the corner of the room. Draco levitated them up and over to
between where he and Greyback were standing. He made his way over to the chair
closest to him and sat down. Greyback grabbed the firewhisky bottle and joined
him at the table.
"Yes, let's," Greyback agreed once he sat down. Greyback asked Draco how he was
coming along with getting the vanishing cabinet to work. Draco relayed as much
detail as he dared, while imparting that it wasn't anywhere near ready yet.
Then Greyback began explaining to Draco that he wouldn't be able to take on
most of the traditional Beta duties, being so far away from the pack at school.
That said, he did have other duties he wanted Draco to take on. These duties
required financial persuasion, and with Draco now the richest wizard in
Britain, he was ideal for the job.
Greyback wanted Draco to bring lone werewolves out of the woodwork and either
have them join Greyback's pack or their own packs, below Greyback. Greyback
wanted to be Chief Alpha of all European werewolf packs. There hadn't been one
400 years. The way to become Chief Alpha was to have the largest pack and have
other packs pledge fealty to him. This was what Greyback had pitched to the
Dark Lord that he could bring to the table and it was time Greyback started
following through.
"I've already grown my pack in the last year by about half," Greyback told
Draco. "Packs can't get much bigger than 25 or 30 werewolves, it's hard to
sustain. We'll have to start forming smaller packs. Packs that have their own
Alphas and Betas, but swear fealty to us."
"That makes sense," Draco replied. This would work perfectly with Lupin wanting
to join the pack at the next full moon. "How do you plan for me to begin
finding and recruiting these lone werewolves?"
"Two ways actually," Greyback told him. "First, there's the werewolf registry
the Ministry keeps. Get your hands on a copy of that. Second, here," Greyback
shoved a piece of parchment across the table to Draco. It was grubby and looked
like it had been in Greyback's pocket for some time. When he unfolded it he
found a list of hundreds of names. Draco looked up at Greyback in confusion.
"As many of the people that I know that I bit," Greyback told him. There wasn't
even a hint of remorse in his voice or on his face. Another reminder to Draco
that Greyback was a monster. Draco might be resigned to being a werewolf
because he was caught in a punishment he didn't deserve by family
circumstances. But that didn't mean that he wanted to be a werewolf. If he
could go back in time and not get bitten? He would do it in a heartbeat. He
just nodded in reply to Greyback and looked back at the list.
"Don't know how up to date it is, might not even all be alive or in Britain
anymore. But cross-reference with the werewolf registry and you should be able
to come up with some addresses. I'd start with a letter. Maybe hold a meeting
or two during your next Hogsmeade weekend," Greyback said. He went on to give
Draco tips and pointers on how to coax and cajole these lone werewolves to want
to join a pack. Greyback told him he would have to play to his audience. If
they seemed like werewolves who wanted Wolfsbane, then promise them that. If
they seemed like werewolves who wanted a parcel of land and plenty of running
space on full moons, then promise them that. Whatever they seemed to need, use
that to convince them, no matter what it was.
Draco absorbed Greyback's lessons. He may hate the man, and despise everything
he was trying to do, but he was still his Alpha. And he had been a werewolf for
a lot longer than Draco had been. He knew he could learn something from him.
Draco had been raised in a world of politics and intrigue. He took the lessons
from his father and his mother and applied them here. Don't think about your
disgust; think about how much use he will be in getting what you want. The more
Draco knew, the better off he would be once he became Alpha.
This Chief Alpha business was worrisome. Draco did not want to be Chief Alpha.
He didn't even really want to be Alpha. The only reason he was doing that was
so that he could give the Order the best possible use of the pack. What would
happen if Draco was successful in forming these smaller packs who swore fealty
to Greyback? Was it just Greyback they were swearing fealty to? Or was it the
pack in general? What would happen when Greyback was overthrown? Draco didn't
know the answer to any of these questions. And he didn't think Lupin would know
either. The only person who might know was Mingan. But Mingan was pack now.
Would he answer these questions for Draco? Or were they too close to treason?
Would Mingan's loyalty to Greyback supersede the grandfatherly role he had
taken to Draco?
Greyback was looking at him expectantly. He must have asked a question and
Draco had been too busy worrying.
"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that," Draco replied, hoping Greyback would repeat
himself.
"I asked if you had any questions pup?" Greyback asked as he refilled his glass
for the fourth time.
"Nothing pressing," Draco replied, and he downed the rest of his firewhisky.
Chapter End Notes
     A/N: You can find manips on my tumblr crochetawayhpff. Thoughts?
***** Chapter 22 *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Fenrir Greyback was worried. The Dark Lord had manipulated him and he had been
forced to kill his Beta's father. Fenrir was not used to worrying. He hadn't
ever needed to worry about anything since his mate had died all of those years
ago. He was worried about his Beta, his pack, and his place with the Dark Lord.
His Beta was proving extremely worrisome. Fenrir had met with Draco last week
and Draco had shown complete loyalty to the Dark Lord and the Dark Lord's
cause. Prior to Draco taking the Dark Mark, Fenrir had been sure that Draco
would be most loyal to the pack.
Fenrir didn't know what to think about the fact that his Beta was suddenly a
Dark Lord loyalist. He wasn't pleased. Fenrir's long-game had never been to
support the Dark Lord. He was using the Dark Lord to get what he wanted: to
first consolidate the werewolves and packs of Britain, then to create a
collective that spanned all of Europe. That's what Fenrir wanted: power over
the werewolves. The rest of magical Europe could go hang as far as he was
concerned.
Fenrir had been pacing the dueling court. The full moon was coming up tomorrow,
and he had plans to spend it with his Beta as usual. For all he was worried and
unhappy with his Beta, Draco was still just a pup. Both in human and werewolf
terms. He wasn't even of age, and both Fenrir and the Dark Lord were placing
heavy burdens on him. He needed to win back Draco's trust and affection, but he
had no idea how to go about doing that.
Maybe through his mother? Fenrir had been very friendly with Narcissa Malfoy
prior to her husband's release from prison. That closeness had faltered after
Lucius' death for obvious reasons. Narcissa was a smart woman, surely she would
realize that he had no choice in the matter?
Draco acted like he knew that, but Fenrir wasn't convinced. He heard Draco
screaming at him in his nightmares not to touch him after Fenrir killed Lucius.
He should have expected such a reaction, but it had felt horrifying to know
that his Beta reviled him so much. That was not supposed to be how and Alpha/
Beta relationship worked. The Beta was meant to be the Alpha's right hand man,
his number two. And right now, Fenrir wasn't sure he could even trust his
number two wolf.
Fenrir made a decision to visit Narcissa in her solar. He hadn't been there in
weeks, not since before he killed Lucius. He hoped she would receive him.
He knocked on the door and heard Narcissa bid him entrance. When he walked
through the door Narcissa gasped. It was clear she hadn't expected him.
"Fenrir, hello," her voice stiff as she beckoned him into the room.
Fenrir could feel the animosity as he stepped into her solar. She did not want
him here. But Fenrir needed her, without Narcissa he was sure he would lose
Draco entirely. Draco's position in the pack was too high to lose him now. He
would need to be his most charming to woo Narcissa back to his side. Or it
might take more than charm to convince the woman to stand by her husband's
murderer.
"Narcissa, I hope you can accept my deepest condolences on the loss of your
husband. And my humblest apology for my part in it," Fenrir added quietly as he
sat on the settee next to her. She had tea brought in and they were both quiet
as she poured them each a cuppa.
"Fenrir, Lucius was a complicated man. I am saddened at his loss, but he hasn't
been the man I married for several years now," her eyes were downcast and she
wouldn't meet his gaze. Fenrir felt hope flutter through his chest. Maybe
Narcissa wasn't a lost cause, he thought.
He didn't want to scare her off, so he knelt in front of her, took her hands
into his, and tried to catch her eye. When she finally pinned him down with her
deep blue eyes, he spoke.
"Narcissa, I vow to do anything in my power to protect both you and Draco.
Without Lucius and with Draco at school, I know you're in a precarious
situation. Let me be your champion," he pleaded with her, the magic of the vow
swirled around the pair of them. He hadn't planned on a magical vow with her,
but he meant it.
"Please," he added with sincerity.
Her face was a mask when he started his vow, but had crumbled by the end. She
nodded faintly and Fenrir felt the relief sweep through him. He had Narcissa.
Thank the gods.
In his excitement and relief, Fenrir surged forward and captured her lips with
his own. He drove a hand through her hair and cupped the back of her neck,
pulling her down to meet his lips.
He was about to pull away, shocked by the action he had just forced on the
pure-blood witch and then she began returning the kiss, opening her mouth to
his. Fenrir was a selfish man; he took full advantage of what she was offering
and plundered her mouth with his tongue.She is kissing me back. He could hardly
believe that this woman was kissing him back. He stood and dragged her to stand
with him. He crushed her body to his; he wrapped a firm arm around her waist
and pulled her close. His other hand still at the back of her head directing
their kisses. She clutched at his shoulders and pulled him as close as he was
pulling her.
He maneuvered them back toward the wall next to the settee and pushed
Narcissa's back into the wall as he pressed himself into her. He couldn't get
enough of her and pulled at her robes. His hands were quick and frantic in
their need to feel her skin. Her robes fell from her shoulders and she was just
in a sheath dress as he began kissing his way down the column of her throat.
Her own hands were busy pulling at his robes and soon his robes were on the
floor and his shirt was half-unbuttoned. He sucked at her pulse point and his
cock twitched at the resulting moan.
Fuck, he thought, I never thought she'd be like this. Fenrir had expected the
prissy pure-blood to be just that. Prissy. He was hoping he wasn't going to
have to take a cold shower after this. Now that they had started he was
desperate to have her.
He abruptly turned her around and unzipped her dress. He slid the dress down
her arms and she stood with her back to him, and he realized she wasn't wearing
a bra, just knickers. He paused for a moment and took in her gorgeous pale
skin. It was perfect and unblemished. Realizing he had been taking too much
time, and not wanting to give her time to think, he quickly put his hands back
on her body. Running them all over in an attempt to feel every bit of her.
He ran his hands down her smooth, warm back. When he reached her knickers, he
pulled those off and dragged them down her legs. On his way back up he took a
large sniff at the apex of her thighs, savoring the scent of her arousal. She
stood there calmly, didn't say a word, her back to him the entire time. He
could feel her trembling. He didn't know if it was in fear or anticipation, but
he sorely hoped it was anticipation.
He dragged his hands back up her legs and grasped her hands that were hanging
by her side. He pulled them up and pressed them into the wall above her head.
Then he pushed on her back so she was bent at the waist with her hands
supporting herself on the wall. She made a lovely sight with her back arched
and her bum and sex in the air.
Fenrir unzipped his own pants and pulled out his stiff cock. He stepped between
her legs and pushed on each one. Narcissa widened her stance and sank lower
along the wall. He rest his prick along the cleft of her bum as he reached
around Narcissa and palmed a breast in one hand. He began tweaking her nipples.
The other hand he dragged down to her clit and began a gentle stroke there. He
slipped his cock into her tight channel. Oh gods, so hot, so tight, he thought
as he pulled out and slipped back in. He still had a hand on her clit and gave
her firm strokes in time with his entry into her cunt. She orgasmed quickly and
it surprised him. He wasn't ready for it so he clenched his teeth and rode it
out. She was breathing hard, but hadn't said anything. When she finally relaxed
he began pounding into her. He had a hand around her waist to hold her up and
in position and the other clenched her hands on the wall.
"Mine," he growled over and over again as he snapped his hips into hers. She
was gasping in reply, her hips lifting to meet his, helping his rhythm along.
Moments later he had worked her into another orgasm and he let this one take
him away. The clenching of her walls around his cock did him in and he spurted
his seed deep inside her with a low growl.
He pulled her to him and they both slumped to the floor. She stayed in his arms
for a few moments, but eventually untangled herself, rose, and slid back into
her robes. She moved toward the door, pausing briefly to look back.
"You can leave now, " she said.
Fuck,Fenrir thought as the door closed softly behind her.
===============================================================================
Fenrir apparated to the Shrieking Shack to meet with his Beta for the full
moon. He was early. Nightfall wasn't for another few hours, but his Beta had
written to ask him to meet early. Fenrir was happy with Draco's request. He
hoped that meant their relationship was healing. He was the first to the Shack,
but his pup wasn't there yet and the rest of the wolves tapped to meet them
weren't due to arrive until right before nightfall.
Fenrir got comfortable on the one good sofa in the sitting room of the
Shrieking Shack, when he heard a scuffling below him. Must be the pup coming
through the tunnel, Fenrir thought to himself. He took a big sniff and realized
there were two wolves in the tunnel. As far as Fenrir knew, there was only one
wolf at Hogwarts. He felt his hackles rise at the thought of another wolf
either intruding on his time with his Beta. Or worse, forcing his Beta into
something. He stood from the couch and pulled out his wand, pointing it at the
trap door as it opened.
Draco was the first through the trapdoor, and the wolf who followed nearly
shocked Fenrir into sitting back down.
Remus Lupin climbed through the trapdoor behind his pup.
"What the fuck is going on here, pup?" Fenrir growled at Draco. He yanked him
by the collar of his shirt and was thankful that he was still bigger than
Draco.
"He followed me! He told me he had to talk to you, I don't even know how he
found out!" Draco cried out as he stumbled to regain his footing.
"It was your damned mate, obviously, pup," Fenrir replied as he pushed Draco
into the couch behind him. He had thought Draco was smarter than that. Hadn't
he realized she would tell the Light side?
"Greyback," Lupin began bowing slightly and turning his head to show his neck.
Fenrir's anger dialed back a little at the show of deference and trust.
"What do you want Lupin?" Fenrir asked. He was sure nothing good could come of
this. He hadn't seen Lupin in years, and the years had not been kind to him. He
looked like an old man, his sandy hair greying and he had a slight stoop to his
back. He was as large as ever, though, and had he not chosen the route of lone
wolf, Fenrir was sure he could have been Alpha of his own pack.
"I've been cast out," Lupin stated and his shoulders slumped even further in
defeat.
"Cast out?" Fenrir asked. He was not going to make this easy on him. He and
Lupin had bad blood between them.
"The Order has cast me out. I - I took things too far with an Order member and
they have decided I'm more trouble than I'm worth," Lupin replied. He didn't
meet Fenrir's eyes. Fenrir wasn't sure he could believe him. He stalked forward
and grasped Lupin's chin, forcing the other man to meet his eyes.
Lupin's eyes were sad, morose even. Fenrir still had a niggling of doubt, but
he didn't think he was lying to him.
"What do you want?" Fenrir asked again.
"To join you. I'm tired of being a loner. I won't survive long, I need a pack,"
Lupin replied wearily.
"My pack is full," Fenrir replied. He lifted the sleeve on his left arm and
showed the other man his Dark Mark. "I serve the Dark Lord. Stop lying to me,
Lupin. I know you don't want to be a Death Eater."
"You're right, I don't. But I don't know where else to go. I don't have anyone
else to turn to. I can feel my mind, and it's searching for a collective. If I
don't find one, I'm going to die," Lupin replied in an utterly defeated tone.
Fenrir wished he could read his mind or emotions through legilimency or a pack
collective. But he couldn't, because when he had bit Lupin he had not been
biting to create a pack. Lupin wasn't pack and he clearly had pack sickness.
Fenrir didn't trust him enough to make him pack now either. What to do with
him? He would hate to see one of his pups die because of something as simple as
needing a pack. Pack-sickness wasn't common -usually a wolf bit another person
to create a pack before they were as far along in the disease as Lupin was.
Lupin had two outcomes: death or join a pack. He came to a decision.
"Then make your own pack, and swear fealty to me," Fenrir stated.
"My own? But how?" Lupin asked, his face genuinely confused.
"You're a werewolf, man!" Fenrir shouted. "How bloody far along are you?"
"I won't bite anyone else! I won't curse anyone else to this damned disease!"
Lupin shouted a sudden wave of energy engulfing him.
Fenrir knew that's what Lupin would say, he always was a nancy-boy. "Fine,
swear fealty to me, but I won't put you in my pack. You can work with Draco to
assume some of the others I've bitten over the years into your own pack."
Lupin didn't say anything for a moment, but finally nodded. He must be far
enough along in the pack-sickness to agree to anything at this point.
"Good, a wizarding oath if you please. Draco, come be our bonder," Fenrir
stated as he stepped forward and grasped Lupin's right forearm with his own.
Draco stood and walked to the two werewolves as he pulled out his wand.
"I, Remus John Lupin, do so swear my loyalty and faithfulness to you, Fenrir
Bertram Greyback."
A gold ribbon of light erupted from Draco's wand and wrapped around the wrists
of both men.
"I pledge you my allegiance, constancy, and devotion."
Another gold ribbon of light wrapped around the wizards wrists from Draco's
yard.
"I pledge you my pack's loyalty and fealty, I so swear."
A third gold ribbon of light wrapped around their wrists and sank into their
flesh. Fenrir felt the bond in his magical core. He released Lupin's hand.
"I assume you want to stay here for the change?" Fenrir asked Lupin as he
stepped away from the other wolf.
Lupin nodded, "I've taken a full course of Wolfsbane."
Fenrir laughed, "You're the only one of us who has," he taunted. Lupin's
shoulders tightened at the taunt and Fenrir laughed again.
"Come on, pup. Start discussing your wolfy business with Lupin," Fenrir said as
he sat on the sofa again. The three spent the next hour or so discussing which
loners would be best to approach first for Lupin's pack while they waited for
sundown and the rest of Fenrir's pack to show up.
===============================================================================
Right before sundown, several pops were heard and Fenrir made a quick sniff.
Arnou, Seff, Rand, and Udolf were here. The four pack wolves walked into the
setting room and other than the raised eyebrow from Rand, none of them had
anything to say about Lupin joining. They all knew better than to ask
questions.
Each of them greeted both himself and Draco with the proper respect due to the
leaders of their pack. They each showed their neck. Draco was boisterous and
happy to be rejoined to even this small amount of his pack. Fenrir could feel
his good mood through the collective and he leaned back into the sofa to await
the change. He enjoyed the mellowness of having his pack around him. Even this
small portion felt like home. He had lived for a lot of years before forming a
pack. But at the first signs of pack-sickness he had bit Rand and Udolf with
the intention of forming a pack. It had saved Fenrir. He hoped Lupin was smart
enough to let forming a pack save him too.
The pack played for the first half of the night. They enjoyed and rejoiced to
be in each other's company again. Lupin was not pack and he had taken a full
course of Wolfsbane. So he slept in another room while the pack played.
It hadn't been his choice, the pack had chased him out of the main room at the
strong scent of aconite radiating from him. Fenrir tried but couldn't feel too
badly for the other wolf. He had his beta and his omega and some of the most
important members of his pack with him. He couldn't worry about a guest wolf
this night.
Upon sunrise the pack rose and stretched. They joked and jostled as they
dressed for the day. Even Lupin joined them in the morning and Fenrir could see
he was enjoying the camaraderie.
The pack took its leave from Draco and Lupin after a half hour or so. Fenrir
wanted Draco to get fed and to bed to recover, and the rest of his pack as
well. He was shocked when Draco allowed him a hug in farewell and felt sad as
he apparated away from his Beta and his newest vassal.
Fenrir hadn't detected any underlying tension between Draco and Lupin. He had
no idea he had just laid to ruin their plans. He had no idea his own death was
being plotted by the two even now.
Chapter End Notes
     A/N: All the beta love to brownlark42! She's like the first bonfire
     of the season.
     I make a manip for each chapter, you can find it on my tumblr,
     crochetawayhpff.
     Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your kind reviews! They
     mean more to me than you could possibly imagine!
***** Chapter 23 *****
Chapter Notes
     A/N: You guys! Your reviews are the light of my life! Thank you for
     reading and telling me your thoughts. I can't respond to them, but I
     love each one I get. I make a manip for each chapter, so find me on
     tumblr at crochetawayhpff
     The lovely brownlark42 was my beta and idea-bouncer for this chapter.
     She's like putting on warm sweats from the dryer. Enjoy!
Hermione looked over her shoulder to ensure the hallway was clear before she
paced in front of the Room of Requirement. When it opened, it was the same room
her and Draco always shared, and he was lounging on the couch in front of a
roaring fire. The full moon had been yesterday and instead of recovering in the
infirmary, Draco chose to recover here. It was away from his dorm mates and it
allowed Hermione to tend to him.
"Draco, I have the assignments you missed yesterday and today," Hermione said
as she moved his legs from the end of the couch and sat down. He promptly
placed his feet on her lap and she rolled her eyes when he gave her his puppy
dog look, clearly asking for her to rub them.
"Did I miss anything important?" Draco asked as Hermione began a light massage.
"Everything is important, Draco. Professor Slughorn gave us a quiz yesterday,
but he probably won't let you make it up. Maybe you could ask for some extra
credit? I heard he is giving it to sixth and seventh years to brew potions for
the infirmary," Hermione told him as she switched her massage to his other
foot.
Draco nodded absently. Hermione wished he would share what was on his mind with
her.
"Why won't you tell me what's bothering you?" Hermione asked. "You've been in a
funk since you came in this morning."
Draco gave a heavy sigh and pulled Hermione into his arms, cuddling her to him.
Hermione snuggled into him, putting her face into his chest so she could
breathe in his scent. This was home. Draco felt like home to her and she
couldn't imagine being anywhere else in the world than here.
"Our plan didn't work. Fenrir didn't bite Lupin and make him pack. He's
directed Lupin to make his own pack," Draco said quietly.
"Merlin's pants!" Hermione swore as she lifted her head and set her chin on his
chest to look into Draco's grey eyes. All of her careful planning hinged on
Remus becoming pack so they could overthrow Fenrir.
"What are we going to do?" Draco asked. He rubbed his hands down her back, and
one slipped under her jumper to rest on bare skin. Hermione shivered at the
touch.
"Well, Greyback has given you a list of every wolf he bit, right? Maybe Remus
can make them part of his pack," Hermione said and bit her lip in thought.
Draco had her lying atop him and she crossed her arms over his chest and rested
her chin on them.
"That's basically what Fenrir told Lupin," Draco said as he traced patterns
with his fingers on the small of Hermione's back.
"That's good. This may not be such a bad thing. What if Remus uses his pack to
undermine Greyback's? He recruits to his pack wolves who are patently against
Greyback," Hermione mused. She drummed her fingers on Draco's chest as she
mulled over the snag in their plan.
"It could work, but without Lupin's support in my pack, I have no hope of
overthrowing Greyback," Draco reminded her.
"I know, you might have to live with him for a bit. We may have to put that
portion of the plan on hold until you can spend more time in the pack and get
more allies," Hermione admitted. She felt bad for Draco, she could tell he was
chafing being under Greyback, his father's murderer.
Draco groaned and closed his eyes, "But I don't want to be under Greyback's
thumb," he sighed.
"I know. And I don't want you to be either, but what would happen if you tried
to take over as Alpha and failed?" Hermione asked. She hated that their careful
plans had gone off the rails so soon.
"I'd likely be killed," Draco admitted and he opened his eyes to meet
Hermione's gaze again.
"Then that's not an option," Hermione said firmly. "I don't think I would
survive losing you," she admitted as she slipped her arms around his chest and
hugged him tightly to her. Hermione knew that if Draco didn't survive this
upcoming war, she wouldn't have a life worth living.
Draco's arms tightened around her, "I'm not going anywhere," he said fiercely.
Hermione leaned up to give him a searing kiss. She knew that Draco would do
anything to keep them together. Even if it meant living under Greyback's rule.
===============================================================================
 
Harry was waiting for Hermione when she returned to the Gryffindor common room
just before curfew that night. He sat on their usual couch in front of the fire
and was bouncing a leg. He was clearly agitated about something. Hermione sat
next to him and cast a Muffliato around the couch as the common room was
particularly full just after curfew.
"Are you ok, Harry?" Hermione asked her friend.
"I'm not sure. You know I've been meeting with Professor Dumbledore?" Harry
asked. Hermione nodded and he continued. "He's been showing me these memories.
Voldemort created Horcruxes. Do you know what a Horcrux is? They're bits of his
soul. He performs some magic when he kills someone and it splits his soul...
and then he houses it in an object of his choosing. It's why he didn't really
die the night my parents were killed," Harry explained.
"I've never heard of them?" Hermione asked. She wracked her memory but Horcrux
wasn't there.
"It's foul magic, Hermione. I'm guessing there won't be anything in the library
about them. The thing is, you've seen his hand, right?" Hermione nodded. "I
think he's setting me up to look for these Horcruxes. I think that he means for
me to find them and destroy them before I'm to face Voldemort. And I don't
think Professor Dumbledore will be around while I do it."
"Merlin, you think he's going to make you do it on your own? While he sits here
at Hogwarts?" Hermione asked. She was shocked that Professor Dumbledore would
send Harry out alone on such a dangerous mission. She could see that Professor
Dumbledore had been manipulating and using Harry for years. While it had taken
her a few years to recognize it, it made her irrationally angry that he would
pin so much on a child.
"No, I think he's dying. I think the curse on his hand is killing him," Harry
told her quietly.
Understanding dawned on Hermione. Professor Dumbledore was doing what he had to
in order to give Harry enough information to defeat Voldemort for good. She
couldn't agree with his methods, but she didn't have the tools to change the
path Professor Dumbledore had already laid out. They were going to have to
follow it in order to defeat Voldemort.
"Well, has he told you how to destroy a Horcrux?" Hermione asked. She slumped
against the back of the couch and closed her eyes as she listened to Harry. She
needed to incorporate this new information into her plan with Draco and Remus.
If she, Harry, and Ron couldn't return to Hogwarts next year because they were
hunting Horcruxes, how would that affect Draco and Remus?
"It's really hard. Professor Dumbledore reckons Tom Riddle's diary from second
year was a Horcrux and I destroyed it when I stabbed it with a Basilisk fang.
So Basilisk venom works, but where are we going to get that? There was also
this wizard, Herpo the Foul, back in ancient Greece, who created the first
Horcrux. His was destroyed by Fiendfyre."
"Well Basilisk venom is impossible to get, unless we get some fangs from the
Chamber of Secrets. And even then, the fangs would have to still have venom in
them. I'm not sure they would after four years," Hermione mused. "I think
Fiendfyre may be a possibility. I know it's a difficult spell and hard to
control, but at least we wouldn't have to carry around something extremely
dangerous with us when we go looking for the Horcruxes."
"What do you mean we?" Harry asked. "You aren't coming with me. Professor
Dumbledore wants me to do it, and I don't want you to be hurt. Besides, I'm
going to not come back to Hogwarts next year. I'm looking for Horcruxes
instead. I know you won't miss a year of school."
"Of course I'm coming with you Harry! Haven't I been right there with you since
first year?" Hermione asked. She couldn't believe Harry still thought he could
protect her from this. Harry wouldn't last a day without Hermione's help.
"School isn't as important as defeating Voldemort and saving the wizarding
world, Harry," Hermione scolded.
"And besides, did Professor Dumbledore even tell you where and what all of
Voldemort's Horcruxes are?" Hermione asked him. Harry shook his head. She had
thought not. Professor Dumbledore himself probably didn't even know where and
what all of the Horcruxes are.
"He thinks most of them are related to the Hogwarts Founders. Two are probably
gone, but he thinks Voldemort made at least six," Harry told her.
"Six?! Circe," Hermione breathed.
"It's why he was so unstable when the killing curse rebounded off of me and hit
him the night my parents died," Harry explained.
Hermione nodded. Everything made sense. To have split your soul seven ways
though? It was horrific.
"How does a Horcrux work?" Hermione asked. "Is it that he splits his soul in
half each time he makes one? Or is he able to carve out just a bit?"
Harry shook his head, "I don't know. But if he split his soul in half each time
he made one, he'd hardly have any soul left."
"I think that must be the case. He doesn't seem to have much of a soul now,"
Hermione replied. "So the diary was one and it's gone. What's the other one
Professor Dumbledore thinks is gone?"
"A ring. Professor Dumbledore found it in the house Tom Riddle's mother grew up
in. It's from the Gaunt family and it was what cursed his hand," Harry replied.
"I've seen memories of a cup from Helena Hufflepuff, a locket from Salazar
Slytherin, and the ring from the Gaunt family."
"So there are four known Horcruxes, what about the other two?" Hermione asked
as she opened her eyes and looked at her friend. Harry was staring into the
fire. He had a haunted look on his face and Hermione could imagine the weight
on his shoulders.
"Something from Ravenclaw for sure. I don't know what. And Professor Dumbledore
has no idea on the last one," Harry told her. He didn't meet her eye and
Hermione knew he was feeling hopeless that this fight against Voldemort had
just gotten that much more complicated.
"Well, two down, four to go, and then we just have to defeat Voldemort,"
Hermione said falsely bright in an attempt to cheer Harry up. "I'm sure we can
find the other Horcruxes. Does Professor Dumbledore have any leads on them?"
"He reckons he knows where the locket is. He said he needs to do more research,
but promised he would bring me with him when he went to retrieve it," Harry
replied. "You make this sound like this is going to be a grand adventure,
Hermione."
"I know it will be hard, but we have to keep our spirits up or we'll fall into
despair and hopelessness. That won't do anyone any good. We still have
Professor Dumbledore, so hopefully before he…" Hermione couldn't say it,
"before the curse gets too bad he is able to locate a few more of the other
Horcruxes. In the meantime, I'm going to figure out how to cast Fiendfyre,"
Hermione told him.
"If anyone can do it, it's you," Harry told her with a small smile. Hermione
returned his smile, happy that he seemed at least a little calmer than when she
had arrived in the common room.
At that moment, Ron finally realized his friends were in the common room as
well and pulled himself from Lavender's arms.
"Harry, Hermione, so good to see you both," Ron said loudly as he approached
the pair. Lavender pouted in the background and Hermione had to roll her eyes.
"Getting sick of her already?" Harry asked as he made room for Ron on the
couch.
"She's like a bloody octopus," he replied quietly as he sat down and Hermione
giggled at his description, which in turn made Lavender's pout turn into a full
blown glare at Hermione.
"What are you two talking about? Did I feel a Muffliato as I walked up?" Ron
asked.
"Harry was telling me about the meetings he's been having with Professor
Dumbledore," Hermione began. She and Harry relayed the conversation to Ron
about Horcruxes and what the plan for the following year would be.
"Count me in," Ron replied. Hermione smiled at him proudly.
"You don't have to come," Harry told Ron.
"Like I'm going to go to school while you two are off on adventures?" Ron
scoffed. And Harry finally had to agree that his two best friends were not
going to let him do this on his own.
===============================================================================
 
A few days later, after Defense Against the Dark Arts, Hermione cornered
Professor Snape.
"Professor Snape?" she asked as the last of the students left the classroom.
Professor Snape sighed heavily and turned toward her.
"What can I do for you, Miss Granger?" he sneered. His tone was annoyed and
Hermione couldn't tell if he was truly annoyed or if it was the act he put on.
"I was wondering if you would consent to tutor me privately for a spell I'm
trying to learn," Hermione explained.
"What? The know-it-all can't get a spell to work?" Professor Snape mocked her.
She glared at him.
"You know what Professor Dumbledore has asked Harry to do?" Hermione asked. She
could tell that Professor Snape was shocked by her question when his eyes
widened a fraction and he made a quick glance around the classroom. Noting that
it was empty, he whipped his wand to the door and locked it, then cast privacy
and silencing spells around the room.
"Are you trying to get me killed, girl?" Professor Snape hissed to her as he
gestured her to sit before his desk.
"I'm not, but I needed you to know how serious I was," Hermione replied. She
didn't apologize though. Professor Snape was a git.
"I do know about the mission Dumbledore has placed on Potter's shoulders,"
Professor Snape admitted. His face gave away nothing.
"Then you know what we'll be searching for? I need to know how to destroy them.
I want to learn how to cast Fiendfyre," Hermione told him.
Professor Snape rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Want me to pull the moon down
for you too, child?"
"I know it's a difficult spell, but I also know that getting Basilisk venom is
equally hard. And then we're carrying an extremely dangerous and toxic
substance. I thought Fiendfyre would be the best destruction method," Hermione
explained.
"It is, but it's almost impossible to teach. And if you don't have a fire
affinity, you won't be able to control it," Professor Snape replied as he
steepled his hands in front of him.
Hermione grinned at him and conjured her signature bluebell flames in the palms
of her hands. Professor Snape tried to look unimpressed, but Hermione thought
she detected a glint of respect shining in his black eyes.
"Very well, we'll meet on Thursday's after your last lesson and before dinner.
I'll have to consider where the best place to practice is at,. For now meet me
at my classroom."
Hermione jumped up and squeaked in delight, "Thank you, thank you, Professor
Snape!"
===============================================================================
 
The following Thursday, Hermione arrived right on time at Professor Snape's
classroom. She was excited for her first lesson in Fiendfyre and bounced on her
toes as she waited for the professor. When he arrived, he gave her a slight nod
and motioned her toward the entrance of the castle. Hermione had to jog in
order to keep up with his long strides. As soon as they were out of the castle,
he headed toward the Forbidden Forest beyond Hagrid's hut.
"Are we going to practice in the Forbidden Forest? Isn't that too close to
Hogwarts?" Hermione called out as they passed Hagrid's hut.
"Silence, girl," Professor Snape snapped at her. Once they reached the forest
Snape stopped and held out his hand. Hermione just stared at it. Did he mean
for her to take it?
"Well, take it girl, I don't have all night," Professor Snape huffed as he
punctuated his words with a shake of his hand. Hermione tentatively reached out
to grasp his hand and Professor Snape Apparated them away. Hermione hadn't
known that the Anti-Apparition wards only extended to the grounds and not the
Forbidden Forest.
When they landed, Hermione couldn't keep to her feet and fell. She quickly
stood up and looked around, they were in a deep valley, a canyon almost, with a
river running down the middle of the valley. It didn't seem as though they had
left Scotland as the weather hadn't changed.
"Where are we, sir?" Hermione asked as she looked around.
"We're still in the Forbidden Forest, just a very remote part of it. It's far
enough from Hogwarts not to attract any attention, but still covered by most of
Hogwarts wards. Professor Snape strode forward until they were in the middle of
the valley near the river. It was November, so the few plants that grew in the
valley were brown and dead.
"First, let's discuss the uses of Fiendfyre and the theory behind it,"
Professor Snape began. He was firmly in lecture mode and conversed about the
origins of Fiendfyre and why it was created. Hermione was fascinated. She had
read everything she could find out about in the library, but she had trouble
finding a lot of detail. She had no idea it was what the muggles called Greek
Fire.
Professor Snape spoke for close to half an hour. As soon as he began, Hermione
had pulled out a piece of parchment and began taking notes. Despite his
appearance and caustic behavior, Professor Snape was an excellent lecturer and
very knowledgeable.
"The incantation is Ignis pe Fende and the wand movement is a very large circle
to create the fire. In order to create a beast within the fire you must draw
the wand up through the center of the circle and flick your wrist. I'll
demonstrate," Professor Snape turned around and Hermione scrambled up from her
seated position on the floor of the canyon to peer around him.
The professor faced the river and made a large circle with his wand arm, it was
the range of his movement that surprised Hermione. Wand movements tend to be
very subtle, but this was the full extent of Professor Snape's arm extending
all the way around. He paused for a moment once he reached the bottom of the
circle and then spoke the incantation as he slowly drew his wand up the center
and flicked his wrist.
After he said the incantation, fire began pouring out of Professor Snape's wand
in a steady stream and at the flick of his wrist it turned into a massive,
coiling fiery serpent that wound it's way to the river. When it reached the
river, it bounced back as if it knew the water would douse it. It turned
abruptly and headed straight for them. Hermione's eyes grew very wide at seeing
the large jaws of the fire serpent heading their way, and she had to stop
herself from stepping back
"Mergit ignis," Professor Snape muttered and flicked his wrist again. The fire
began to dwindle and seemed to draw itself back into Professor Snape's wand
until it was extinguished.
"Wow," Hermione breathed. She knew that controlling Fiendfyre was extremely
difficult and she was impressed with Professor Snape's control.
"It's very difficult to douse Fiendfyre, and it is unequivocally dark magic,
Miss Granger. Make no mistake about that. It will require dark intentions in
order to perform correctly. And a seemingly impossible amount of control over
your magic in order to extinguish the flame," he cast a skeptical eye toward
her. "Let's begin with you practicing the wand movements, then we'll see if you
can cast it," he told her and turned back to face her.
Hermione nodded eagerly and began practicing the wand movements that Professor
Snape had just shown her. He made a few corrections and then let her cast the
spell. The first three times she tried to cast it, nothing happened.
"What are you thinking about, Miss Granger?" Professor Snape finally asked.
What did it matter? She was obviously thinking about Fiendfyre, the theory
behind the spell, and the instructions Professor Snape had given her and making
sure she was making the correct pronunciation. She told him all of this.
"Didn't I say this was dark magic? You have to mean it, Miss Granger. Think
about something or someone you hate. And not someone you don't really know,
like the Dark Lord, but someone you hate personally. A childhood bully or one
of the prettier girls in your year," Professor Snape sneered at her.
Hermione glared at him. She didn't care that he didn't think she was pretty. He
was her professor, that would be gross. But it still hurt to hear.
Hermione took a deep breath and turned back to the river. She thought about
Fenrir Greyback, his love of blood and violence, and how Draco was going to
have to continue to serve him. She thought about the pain that Greyback had
caused Draco so far and soon she felt her blood boiling. She made the large
circle and at the bottom she shouted, "Ignis pe Fende!"
A jet of fire quickly shot from her wand, Hermione flicked with her wrist and a
glorious phoenix emerged from the fire. The same as the serpent, it hit the
river and turned back around to them. Hermione was so shocked and pleased at
her success that she didn't think about trying to douse it right away.
"Put it out, girl!" Professor Snape shouted behind her.
Hermione jerked into action and flicked her wrist saying, "Mergit ignis," but
nothing happened. She did it again and again and the fiery phoenix was still
heading toward them.
Finally, over her shoulder she heard Professor Snape roar, "MERGIT IGNIS!"
The fire ended abruptly a meter from where they were standing. She was shaking
and could hear the professor panting hard from the exertion of extinguishing
someone else's Fiendfyre.
"Clearly we need to work on control," Professor Snape said flatly after he had
caught his breath.
Hermione nodded. That had been frightening, but exhilarating all the same. She
was sure she could learn to master it, and she was excited to continue her
lessons.
"You need to work on finding your magic and controlling it. Have you tried
wandless magic at all?" Professor Snape asked as he led her away from the
center of the canyon, back to the point they had first arrived.
"No," Hermione replied. Wandless magic? She knew that supposed to be incredibly
difficult.
"Look up some books in the library on the theory of it. Those techniques to
find your magic and center yourself and reach out with your magic will help in
the controlling of the Fiendfyre. We'll meet again next week and see if your
control is any better," Professor Snape held out his hand and as soon as
Hermione grasped it, he Apparated them back to the edge of the Forbidden
Forest.
"Nobody should know about these lessons," Professor Snape warned as he strode
away from her. Hermione was so happy and excited that she had been able to
successfully cast the spell that the dour man's attitude didn't put a dent into
her mood.
She ambled her way back to the castle, stopping by Hagrid's for a few minutes
to catch up. When she got to the Entrance Hall it was dinner time, but Hermione
was too keyed up to eat. She went up to the seventh floor and the Room of
Requirement instead.
When she arrived, she saw that it was in the Room of Hidden Things form and
Draco was inside working on the Vanishing Cabinet.
"Hermione, I thought you'd be at dinner," Draco said as she approached him. The
Vanishing Cabinet was about halfway into the large room, and it was a winding,
twisty path in order to get there from the door.
"Not hungry," Hermione said with a shrug as she joined Draco. They both stood
facing the cabinet.
"How's it going?" Hermione asked as she slid an arm around his waist in a half
hug. He leaned down and dropped a kiss on the top of her head.
"Good, you smell like fire," Draco replied as he put his own arm around her.
"I'm working on a project," Hermione said. She didn't want to tell Draco
everything. It's not that she didn't trust him, but he didn't need more
burdens. And she really didn't want to tell him that she had no plans of being
at Hogwarts next year. He would insist on coming along on the Horcrux hunt,
which would be disastrous. Not only would he fight with Harry and Ron, but he
needed to be with his pack. He'd never get rid of Greyback if he didn't spend
more time with his pack.
"What project?" Draco asked. He finally turned and looked at her, both of his
hands resting on her waist and he pulled her close to him. She slipped her own
arms around him and rested her head on his chest, still looking at the
Vanishing Cabinet. If she didn't look him in the eye, it would be easier to lie
to him, she reasoned. She hated lying to him.
"Nothing important. It might not pan out anyway," Hermione replied. She hugged
him close and when it felt like he was going to speak again, she pulled him
down for a kiss.
This kiss soon turned heated and before Hermione knew it they were both on the
floor and only half clothed. Draco was dropping kisses down her body as his
mouth made it's way down to her center. He flipped up her skirt as he reached
it and pulled her knickers off. Draco had never shown an interest in kissing
her there before and Hermione wasn't sure she wanted him to. She grasped his
hair in order to stop him.
"You don't have to," she said as she blushed and looked away. She was unable to
meet his eyes.
"Hey, Granger, look at me," Draco said as he reached an arm up to touch her
cheek. She turned to look into his slate grey eyes finding them molten and full
of want.
"I want to," he told her. "Do you have any idea of how bloody good you smell
and taste to me? The thought of being able to lick you makes me harder than I
think I've ever been."
"But don't I smell weird?" she asked. She was self-conscience of her feminine
odor. It was a big topic of conversation between Parvati and Lavender. There
were even spells to make you smell better down there.
"Merlin, no! You smell like apples, and trees full of fall leaves, and
cinnamon, and home to me. You smell like home," Draco replied as he surged
forward and kissed her on the lips.
"I won't though if you don't want me to," he told her once they broke for air.
"I'm curious," Hermione admitted. "But embarrassed," she blushed and looked
away again.
"You have nothing to be embarrassed about," Draco told her. "I'll stop if you
want me to, just say the word," he told her as he began kissing down her body
again. He spent some time at each nipple, getting her back into the mood and
soon she was flushed again, this time with passion and desire instead of
embarrassment. She stiffened when Draco settled between her thighs, but he
reached a hand up to grasp hers.
With his other hand he stroked her gently and then gave her a long lick from
the bottom of her slit to the top and Hermione keened at the pleasure of it. It
felt heavenly to have his tongue down there doing these things to her. She
quickly forgot to be embarrassed and grasped Draco's hair in order to keep him
down there. He teased the button at the top of her sex with his tongue,
swirling it around and around. It drove Hermione's pleasure and desire higher
and higher and soon she was on the verge of coming.
"Draco," she whined, "please… more…"
Draco insert a finger into her and made a come hither motion, sending Hermione
careening over the edge of her orgasm. She rocked her hips into his face as he
licked her down from her high.
When Hermione was finally sensible to the world again she found Draco grinning
above her, his cock positioned at her entrance.
"Still embarrassed?" he asked as he nudged her with the head of his cock. She
smiled up at him, she was still a little embarrassed but it had felt so good
she knew she would want him to do it again sometime.
"Please, Hermione," he moaned as he rocked his hips forward again, begging her
permission to enter.
"Yes, gods Draco, yes," Hermione cried out as she wrapped her legs around him
and pulled him closer to her. He entered her and Hermione luxuriated in the
feel of his hot length filling her.
"Merlin, Granger. It's like coming home," Draco groaned as he dropped his head
to trace her mark with his tongue. When he touched her mark Hermione could feel
her desire ramp up. She could almost feel the bond between them thrumming.
Draco pulled out and pushed back in so slowly that Hermione bucked her own hips
to get him to move faster.
"Ah, ah, let's take this slow," Draco said as he licked the scar that had just
missed her left nipple. He rocked in and out of her again. Hermione relished
the feel of him, but her body wanted it to be faster and harder. To go, go, go,
like they had every other time before this.
"There's a certain pleasure in a slow buildup," Draco told her as he pulled out
and pushed back in again. This time he twisted his hips a little and hit the
spot inside that made Hermione see stars.
"Draco," she whined at his slow pace as he made her see stars again. "I'm not
going to last," she breathed out as her orgasm built and built.
"That's alright, come for me, mate," Draco growled increasing his pace.
Hearing the animalistic quality of his voice and his claim on her tipped
Hermione over the edge and she came with a shout of Draco's name. Draco
peppered her face and throat with kisses as she came down and he rocked his
hips very gently.
"Gods, I love hearing my name on your lips as you come," he told her and his
pace increased again. Hermione moaned in response, she was so sensitive she
didn't think she'd be able to orgasm a third time. It was almost too much
having Draco pound into her.
"Mate," she hissed and bared her neck for him. They hadn't played much with the
mate bond beyond that first time. But Hermione was curious about how possessive
Draco felt over her. She didn't think she'd wanted that until he was.
"Merlin, witch," Draco breathed as he bit down on her neck and rocked even
faster into her.
"Mine, always and forever mine," he told her, his hips snapped into hers at a
frenetic pace.
"Yours, Draco. Yours, Beta," Hermione keened as impossibly she felt another
orgasm begin to build.
"Fuck, I can feel your tight cunt fluttering around me. Gods, mate, come for
me," Draco moaned as he bit her mate scar, mimicking the actions of creating
it. At the same time, he reached a hand between them and thumbed Hermione's
clit. It was enough. Hermione felt her orgasm come and crest over her, wave
after wave of pleasure crashed into her and she moaned out Draco's name over
and over again.
Draco came with a shout soon after, "H'mione!" he cried out. He slumped on top
of her, completely spent.
"We keep getting better at that," Draco finally said with a slight smirk as he
moved off of her and lay on his side, still propped above her. Hermione snorted
and felt herself flush.
"Merlin, I love your blushes," Draco said as he leaned down and kissed her
soundly. Hermione cuddled herself into his side and wished the world wasn't so
complicated right now. All she wanted was to be with her mate and never have to
leave his side.
***** Chapter 24 *****
Chapter Notes
     A/N: Big thanks to guest beta Mahawna! My normal beta, brownlark42
     has a busy few weeks ahead of her and was unable to get a chance to
     look at it.
     Thanks as always for your awesome reviews, I read each and every one
     of them and they fill me with joy.
     I have plotted the end of this story! I always knew where it was
     going, but it's official, we have about 12 chapters left after this
     one. Action will start going quickly from here! Enjoy!
Narcissa wasn't sure what she had been thinking following the werewolf's latest
visit to her solar. She was avoiding the room now, and instead kept to the
family wing. She would do anything to keep her son alive, she knew that. It
wasn't so much that she regretted the sex. What concerned her more, was how
much she had enjoyed it. She and Lucius hadn't had sex in years. She had almost
forgotten how great sex was. She didn't know what it meant for her now that she
was filled with that need again.
Since that afternoon, she had felt a sexual awakening. She had repressed that
side of herself for so long and now with the Dark Lord taking up residence in
her own home, how could she even think of sex? But now, now she remembered the
thoughts and feelings and emotions that came with it. She couldn't stop
thinking about it. Sex. The proper, well-bred, pure-blood little girl inside
her was disgusted at the thought of having slept with a revolting werewolf. The
woman in her wanted to do it again. Narcissa shook her head. She had bigger
problems to worry about than her sex-life.
A knock sounded at the door to her sitting room, "Come in," she called out as
she refreshed the teapot. Her sister waltzed through the door, leading
Rodolphus by the hand behind her. Narcissa gently rubbed her temple with her
fingertips. She wasn't sure she could deal with Bella's antics today. At least
Rodolphus was here to rein her in when she became too overbearing, too crazy,
just too everything.
"Cissy!" Bella shrieked and cackled loudly. She skipped into the room, her wild
black curls flying about her head as she grinned maniacally.
"Bella, dear, how are you?" Narcissa asked and indicated the couple should sit.
Narcissa kept her face neutral and pleasant. It was always the best way to deal
with Bella when she was riding her manic high. Rodolphus remained standing and
turned his back on the sisters. Smart man, Narcissa thought as he waved his
wand and a small silencing spell settled over him.
"Oh, you know me, Cissy," Bella smirked at her. Narcissa smiled back faintly.
Unfortunately, she did know her sister all too well. She poured tea for Bella
and handed her the cup. Narcissa was the youngest of the Black sisters and
Bella always liked to lord over how much older, and therefore, wiser she was.
The indulgent smile Bella gave Narcissa as she handed her the teacup made
Narcissa want to hex her sister. Instead, she smiled blandly.
"Yes, well, what is it I can do for you, Bella?" Narcissa asked.
"The Dark Lord," Bella almost moaned out and paused as if she relished saying
the name and Narcissa had to suppress a shudder, "has asked that I help you
plan the festivities for the New Year Revel." Narcissa knew of her sister's
sexual attraction to the Dark Lord and couldn't understand it. Maybe during the
first war, when he looked like a man it was more obvious. He had been a good
looking man at that point in time. But now? This snake-like, gray-skinned
creature that lived in her house wasn't even reminiscent of a human being. At
least not in Narcissa's eyes. How anyone could be physically attracted to him
was beyond her.
"Revel? I thought it was to be a ball," Narcissa asked. The Malfoy's had always
hosted both a Christmas Eve Ball and a New Year's Eve Ball. The Christmas Eve
Ball was generally a smaller, more intimate gathering. Sacred Twenty-Eight
only. The New Year's Eve Ball was open to the wizarding public. Advertisements
were put out in the Daily Prophet and anyone could come. Clearly, that was
going to change this year. Narcissa had no plans to invite the wizarding public
to what was going to be a deeply horrific function.
"Oh, no. Not a mere ball, dear Cissy. We have planned all manner of dark and
dirty deeds for that night," Bella whispered insidiously. Narcissa worked to
suppress the shudder of revulsion that threatened to overtake her. "It is quite
an auspicious night after all," Bella continued in a prim, pure-blood tone. She
tossed her hair over her shoulder and offered a wink to Narcissa. Narcissa
smiled that bland smile she had perfected over the last year or so, to cover
her displeasure and disgust with the current topic being expressed.
Narcissa thought fast - Draco and his Miss Granger were due to arrive later in
the afternoon for the winter holidays. She would have to ensure that Severus
left with the girl, well before the New Year's Eve festivities started. There
was still the Christmas Eve Ball that the Malfoy's traditionally hosted.
Hopefully, the Dark Lord didn't also have a plan for that event.
"And the Christmas Eve Ball?" Narcissa asked her sister as she set her empty
teacup and saucer down on the table between them. The thought of putting any
kind of food in her body when she could practically see her sister's plans for
the revel made Narcissa queasy.
"Oh, that's all yours to plan Cissy. We must all be invited of course, but the
Dark Lord has decided that event can go on as is," Bella replied airily.
Narcissa nodded and smiled at her older sister. At least one event over the
holidays would be normal for Draco. Narcissa vowed to herself that she would do
her best to keep these holidays as normal for her son as possible. Although,
she knew he would have to attend the New Year's Eve Revel. Hopefully, between
Severus and Rodolphus they could keep him from the worst parts of it.
"Of course, Bella," Narcissa agreed. "More tea?" Bella shook her head and
propped her feet on the coffee table between them.
"When is ickle Draco's mate coming?" Bella asked. She spat the word mate like
it was something she had discovered stuck to the bottom of her shoe.
"This afternoon. Severus is bringing them both from Hogwarts," Narcissa replied
warily. She didn't like the gleam in Bella's eye.
"Good, I should like to be here to greet them," Bella cackled. It sounded like
a threat to Narcissa.
"Of course, Bella," Narcissa said again. When Bella was like this, placating
her was always the best move.
"It's the Granger girl, right? Potter's mudblood?" Bella confirmed with an evil
little smile playing about the corners of her lips. Narcissa nodded and managed
to keep her mask in place, but she was nervous for the girl. She was nervous
for what she knew Bella would try to do to the girl.
"Good," Bella tittered. Narcissa's worry edged upward. She would have to warn
Draco when he arrived that Bella had something nasty planned. And Severus. She
had never been more grateful that Severus had planned to stay for the holiday
than she was in that moment. She had put Severus in the family wing, next door
to Draco as an added precaution. Of course, the girl would be staying in
Draco's room and seeing Bella's thoughts whirling confirmed that those
arrangements had been a good decision. Draco would protect her. Really,
Narcissa didn't care about the girl, but if Potter's mudblood ended up dead,
Narcissa didn't want to be the one who ended up in Azkaban for allowing it to
happen.
"And where will the mudblood be staying?" Bella inquired, twirling her wand
between her fingers. Narcissa went cold at the look on her sister's face. No
way was she giving that information to her sister. She knew Bella would attempt
something, but she didn't need to give her any time to plan.
"It shouldn't matter to you, Bella," Narcissa snapped and narrowed her gaze.
She may not have many chips to play, but Narcissa was a mother bear through and
through. She would protect her son with everything she had. Even if that meant
protecting his mudblood mate as well.
"Aw, Cissy, you're no fun. I wouldn't hurt the girl," Bella pleaded. Obviously
insinuating she would indeed like to hurt the girl. Bella and Narcissa were
both raised in Slytherin, they knew the undercurrents better than anyone.
"It is none of your concern," Narcissa spat. She was suddenly glad that she had
decided Bella and Rodolphus should stay in the guest wing with the rest of the
Death Eaters and not the family wing. She could add the girl, Miss Granger, to
the family wards and set up a ward around the family wing alerting Narcissa if
anyone who was not supposed to be there crossed the wards. Bella had never been
added to the Malfoy family wards, Lucius hadn't allowed it all those years ago.
At the time Narcissa had been hurt, but now she was grateful. Severus being
Draco's godfather was already keyed into the wards - one less thing for
Narcissa to have to deal with.
Rodolphus must have sensed something was going wrong because he canceled the
silencing spell and grabbed Bella's upper arm, forcing her out of her seat.
Bella squawked at her husband and demanded that he release her. Rodolphus' face
didn't even register that he had heard her as he turned to speak to Narcissa.
"Come, Bella. Let's leave Cissy to her party planning," he offered Narcissa a
nod and swept from the room, dragging Bella behind him.
Narcissa breathed a sigh of relief when the door closed behind the couple. Her
sister was becoming more unbalanced and while Narcissa was relieved that
Rodolphus seemed to have things in hand, it was nerve-wracking to contemplate
what Bella might get up to if Rodolphus weren't around. Narcissa sent up a
silent prayer to anyone who was listening that if Rodolphus died in the coming
conflict, Bella would go with him.
===============================================================================
Later that afternoon, Narcissa stood in the foyer with Bella, Rodolphus, and
Greyback awaiting the arrival of Severus, Draco, and Miss Granger. Narcissa had
offered Greyback a small smile but otherwise ignored the man. It wouldn't do to
have the man know that Narcissa was interested in the possibility of having
relations again in the future. Narcissa forced her thoughts away from him. He
may look good, especially now that he was dressing appropriately, but he was
still a savage.
Severus had Apparated himself and his two students to the front gates of Malfoy
Manor. The harsh winter wind made their cloaks flap as they walked up the long
drive leading toward the house. Narcissa stood on the threshold with the doors
open wide as she watched her son guide his mate up the drive. She was thankful
to note his good manners and how attentive he was toward the girl. Narcissa had
spent a lot of time and energy instilling those manners into him. It always
gave her a sense of pride when she watched him employ them. When the hood of
Miss Granger's dark cloak fell back, Draco was quick to replace it and help her
hold it in place, even as he wound his other arm around her waist, pulling the
girl closer to him. Narcissa did not miss the warm smile Miss Granger gave him.
Bella stepped forward to stand next to her as the group approached the front
door. Narcissa gave her a gentle shove with her elbow, but Bella didn't move.
"This is still my house, Bella," Narcissa muttered at her sister, but she
didn't take her eyes off of the approaching group. She wouldn't be intimidated
in her own house, not by her sister.
"And I'm an honored guest in it," Bella cackled into her sister's ear before
twirling away again to stand next to her husband. Narcissa took a deep breath,
trying to calm her nerves so her son wouldn't notice the strain she was under.
It was going to be a difficult few days, and she hoped she would get some one-
on-one time with Draco.
"Mother," Draco greeted her as they mounted the steps and he handed Miss
Granger inside the Manor. "I'd like to introduce you to my mate, Miss Hermione
Granger." The Granger girl bobbed a sketchy curtsy and Narcissa held out her
hand. Miss Granger took it and gave it a light shake. The girl pushed back the
hood of her cloak and revealed her atrocious hair, a muddy brown color with
riotous curls. The wind had blown them every which way and the bushy mess made
Narcissa want to shudder and call for her personal elf. She refrained, if only
just, and took in the rest of the girl. She was rather short, standing next to
her son, shorter even than Narcissa herself. But since her son had become a
werewolf, he had grown immensely. He towered over everyone in the room, except
his own Alpha and had become far broader than Lucius had ever been.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Malfoy. I was saddened to hear the news of
your husband, please accept my deepest condolences," the girl murmured quietly.
Too quiet for anyone behind them to hear. Narcissa narrowed her eyes at the
girl. She had been under the impression that Miss Granger was quite formidable.
The creature standing in front of her seemed meek and soft. Narcissa was
suddenly worried that this wasn't a good match for her son after all. Her son
needed someone strong and powerful to stand at his side.
"Welcome, Miss Granger," Narcissa said and planted a smile on her face, "I hope
your stay here will be enjoyable. And please, let me introduce some of our
honored guests." Narcissa stepped away and led the Granger girl to her sister
and brother-in-law. Draco followed behind, keeping a hand on the girls back.
Severus shut the doors behind him as he nodded to the group and began to climb
the stairs. Narcissa wished he would have stayed for introductions, but hoped
that with Rodolphus and Draco, Bella wouldn't try anything too terrible.
"Miss Granger, this is my sister Mrs. Bellatrix Lestrange, and her husband Mr.
Rodolphus Lestrange," Narcissa extended her hand to the pair and the girl
offered a wobbly curtsy to them both. But since neither Bella or Rodolphus
offered a hand at least the girl knew enough to keep her own hand at her side.
"Pleased to meet you," she said demurely. Narcissa's worry went up several
notches. This girl was no good for her son. She just knew it in her heart. Her
son did not need another thing in his life he had to protect.
"Mudblood Granger," Bella began with a cackle and she stepped forward. The
moment she stepped forward, Draco stepped in front of his mate. Blocking her
from Bella's view. Narcissa did note that the girl didn't flinch or reach for
her wand. She wasn't sure if that indicated there was more to the girl than
there appeared, or if she was too simple to appreciate the threat that was her
sister.
"Aunt Bella, so wonderful to see you," Draco said tightly as he leaned forward
and kissed the air near Bella's cheek. "Unfortunately, we're tired from our
journey and will be heading upstairs now." He grabbed the girl's hand and led
her up the stairs without another word. He didn't even take the time to do more
than nod at his Alpha. Narcissa was taken aback, but covered it, not wanting to
show the surprise to her sister.
"Your son is rude," Bella bleated at her angrily. Narcissa nodded in agreement.
That had been quite rude after all, but she couldn't help but feel happy that
he was home and healthy. It was a mother thing, there was always this small
pebble of worry when your children weren't under your roof.
"They have just finished with exams for the term, I'm sure they are tired.
Let's go have tea, shall we?" she said to the group and led them to her solar.
Greyback peeled off from the group at some point and it was just her and Bella
and Rodolphus for the second time that day. Narcissa sighed as she entered the
room and began preparing the tea.
===============================================================================
"Draco and Miss Granger chose to eat dinner in their rooms," Narcissa explained
to Severus and Rodolphus who were the only ones she had invited to dine with
her in the small dining room on the first floor. It was the family dining room
and much more intimate than the grand dining room on the ground floor. Narcissa
knew Rodolphus preferred this dining room and that Severus hated to socialize
with his brethren.
"It's to be expected," Severus commented. "They are young and in love," he
sneered.
Rodolphus chuckled at Severus' comment and Narcissa smiled tightly.
"Cissy, the food is wonderful as always," Rodolphus commented with a sly smile.
Narcissa returned his smile with genuine affection. She felt bad for the man
who had to corral Bella at every turn. His wife had not been invited, in fact,
she was eating with the rest of the Death Eaters in the grand dining room. Over
the last several months, Rodolphus had done his best to keep Bella away from
her and Narcissa was very appreciative of that effort. Maybe she should find
some way to repay him? She figured inviting him to spend some time away from
his wife was a relief for him. She would think on it and see if there was
something else she could do for him.
Severus had been spending as much time at the Manor with her as his duties at
Hogwarts allowed. Narcissa had always been a little sweet on Severus. When he
was a firstie in Slytherin Narcissa had been in her first year as a prefect and
she had taken him under her wing. He had been so small compared to the rest of
the children in his year. Her heart had melted when the Sorting Hat had called
out Slytherin for the boy. Even at that first feast, she had pulled him to sit
next to her.
"Severus, I have been told there is to be a revel on New Year's Eve instead of
a ball. I want you to take Miss Granger back to Hogwarts the day before. Draco
would never forgive any of us if something were to happen to the girl,"
Narcissa stated as she finished her meal. She didn't like talking business over
dinner, it was uncouth, but sometimes exceptions had to be made.
"Of course, Cissy. I had already told both Draco and Miss Granger to plan for
that," he let loose a light shudder at the apparent thought of Miss Granger
involved in a depraved revel. The man leaned back in his chair and stretched
his legs in front of him. Narcissa eyed him appreciatively. Ever since her
encounter with Greyback several weeks ago, she had been doing that a lot.
Enjoying the view the men in her life offered her. Something she was sure she
hadn't done since she was a young woman.
"Is there any way Draco could join her?" Narcissa almost whispered. She hadn't
even meant to say it out loud, but she was not a stupid woman. She knew just
what happened at those revels.
Rodolphus leaned across the table and grasped her hand, "I'm afraid not, dear."
Narcissa nodded and straightened her spine. Her son was strong. He would be
able to handle attending another revel.
"Severus, tell me about Miss Granger? I'm concerned she isn't what my son needs
in a mate," Narcissa commanded as she levitated a decanter of wine to the table
and began to pour for the three of them. Rodolphus always appreciated a good
wine and while Severus usually wasn't one to indulge, he was staying for the
bulk of the holidays and nodded his thanks at her when his glass was filled.
Severus smirked, "That little act she put on this afternoon was just that, an
act. She is the brightest witch in her year and devious to boot. I had always
thought she would have made an excellent Slytherin had she not been a
mudblood."
"Really?" Rodolphus asked. He looked thoughtful for a moment. "She certainly
fooled both Bella and I. I had to listen to Bella the rest of the afternoon go
on about her plans to destroy the mudblood." He leaned forward onto the table,
resting his elbows atop as he swirled the wine in his glass around.
Narcissa gasped, "Rodolphus, you mustn't let Bella anywhere near her!"
"Calm yourself, Cissy. I have no plans of letting Bella have her way with the
girl. That's what revels are for. Besides, the Dark Lord himself has extended
his protection to the girl as a courtesy to Greyback," Rodolphus told her and
patted her hand again.
Narcissa breathed a small sigh of relief. The Dark Lord's protection was
powerful and she was thankful that Greyback was savvy enough to gain it for
both his Beta and his Beta's mate. She wondered if this meant she would need to
thank Greyback in some way. Which, inevitably, led to thoughts on what had
occurred in her solar a few weeks ago. Narcissa fought the blush that
threatened to rise, but Severus had always been very perceptive.
"Cissy, what are you thinking of?" he murmured, his velvety voice giving her a
flash of sweaty limbs writhing on silky sheets.
"Nothing that can be spoken of in polite company. If you'll excuse me,
gentleman," she said tightly and stood to leave.
Both Severus and Rodolphus stood with her. Severus escorted her to the door and
grasped her hand unexpectedly. He lifted it to his lips and gave it the barest
of kisses.
"Until tomorrow then," he softly smirked, using that same tone. This time,
Narcissa could not stop the blush that rose to her pale cheeks. She nodded and
swept from the room.
***** Chapter 25 *****
Chapter Notes
     A/N: Hello! It's been a while, sorry about that. Hope you all are
     having a great summer! You can find me on tumblr at crochetawayhpff.
     I post a manip for every chapter. So check it out!
     Big thanks to beta extraordinaire, brownlark42, she's like driving
     down the road with your windows down and your favorite song on the
     radio.
     As always, I love to hear your thoughts, so drop me a line!
     And I had to break this chapter into two parts. So the second part
     should be coming out in a couple of weeks. Enjoy!
Draco flopped heavily onto his bed in his childhood bedroom. Its decor hadn't
changed for as long as he could remember - Slytherin greens and dark browns
covered the room. He stared up at the green canopy as Hermione walked around
the space. She opened the door to the bathroom and tossed a grin at him.
"I'm thinking we can put that tub to good use," she said. Draco sat up on his
elbow to look at his mate. She was beautiful with her wind-tossed hair. He
loved the color. It wasn't just brown, but it had lighter and darker
dimensions, and in the candlelight of his room it almost shimmered.
"Now?" he asked as he stood from the bed. He moved toward her, kicking off his
shoes as he went.
Hermione responded by tugging her shirt out from the waistband of her skirt and
began unbuttoning it.
"No time like the present," she replied as she tossed the shirt from her
shoulders. Draco frowned as he spotted the long scar that marred her torso. He
didn't regret killing Dolohov, not anymore, but it still upset him that his
mate had been hurt and he didn't do anything to protect her. Draco shook his
head to clear his thoughts, now wasn't the time to mull over his mistakes. He
began unbuttoning his own shirt.
Draco grinned at her and then pulled his shirt over his head. Hermione turned
from him and entered the bathroom, stepping out of her skirt and knickers. She
turned on the taps of the tub. It was a large tub - not as large as the one in
the prefect's bathroom - but big enough for two people to be comfortable. She
managed to get the bubbles working and slid into the hot water with a hiss.
Draco quickly tore off his pants and joined her.
He laid back against the wall of the tub and reached for Hermione to lay her
back against his chest. He brought his arms around her and hugged her to him.
Then he put his hands on her thighs, swirling them around, closer to her
treasure, and then farther away, teasing her. They stayed there for a few
moments, enjoying the heat and the comfort of each other.
"Draco, it's going to be ok, right? Me being here, I mean?" Hermione asked. Her
voice was small and Draco could tell how terrified she was. His mate was so
brave, walking into a snake pit like this. He nuzzled into her hair at the
crook of her shoulder, breathing in her scent. She still smelled delicious
after all these weeks - he'd never tire of it.
"Of course, it's going to be ok. I'm here to protect you. And Snape's here. I
know Greyback's a monster, but he'll protect you too," Draco told her as he
tightened his arms around her. "You're safe with me, love," he kissed the side
of her neck.
"I love you," Hermione told him. She turned in his arms and straddled his hips,
her knees on either side of him, the water sloshed gently with her movements.
Draco trailed his hands up from her legs, up her sides, and cupped her breasts.
He offered her a smirk before he leaned in and licked her nipple. She moaned in
response and arched her back, offering herself to him. Draco pinched her nipple
with his hand, as he sucked on the other one and rolled it around with his
tongue. He was rewarded by Hermione rolling her hips, and dragging her heat
across his rapidly hardening cock. The hot water, the steam, and Hermione's hot
body was all enough to make him stand at attention.
"Gods, Draco," Hermione moaned. She gripped the back of his head tightly even
as she reached between them to palm his shaft. She aligned herself and sank
down on him. Draco groaned at the feel of sliding into her slick warmth. She
was even hotter than the water that surrounded them.
"Fuck," he panted. "You're so tight." He rolled his hips upward as he slid his
hands down to her waist. He pulled her up and slammed her back down again and
this time they both gasped. Some water splashed out of the tub, but Draco
ignored it in favor of giving Hermione's breasts more attention with his mouth.
"Tell me how you feel, tell me what you want," Draco muttered as he lifted her
again. This time she rolled her hips as she descended and Draco felt his eyes
roll back. She was so good, this was so good. The water in the tub was
splashing in time with their combined rocking.
"You, I want you," Hermione sighed. "Fill me up, feels good."
"Mate," Draco hissed as he pumped his hips to meet her downward stroke. A
particularly large splash landed outside of the tub.
"Mate, yours," Hermione agreed. She slid her arms from his shoulders up to his
hair and pulled. Draco found himself facing her and her half-lidded eyes were
almost enough to do him in. He surged forward and met her lips with his own. He
devoured her lips, exploring her mouth and tangling their tongues.
"More," Hermione murmured. Draco pulled back and lifted her again and again.
Watching her bounce up and down on his cock was enough. He brought his hand
down to swipe at her clit. Water was freely splashing around them now, the
floor was soaked, but neither Draco or Hermione cared.
"Come, mate," he commanded her and she did, screaming out her orgasm. Draco
followed shortly after with a grunt.
"Fuck, 'Mione," Draco muttered as he gathered her into his arms and held her
close.
"Mmm, love you," she said with a small kiss to his chest. Draco nodded his
agreement as he stroked his hand up and down her back. He loved her more than
he could express in words. He would do anything for his mate. The water in the
tub slowly grew calm as they rested their weary bodies.
===============================================================================
The following day Draco brought Hermione down to meet the pack. He hadn't
really planned on having her meet them, but he was getting bored in his room.
He was itching to get out and do something, and he figured the pack would be
safe enough for Hermione. And he wouldn't have to subject her to his mother. He
loved his mother, but he could also read her. The look she had on her face when
she met Hermione was enough for Draco to know that his mother didn't really
care about his mate. Draco didn't much care what his mother thought, but he
wouldn't subject Hermione to anyone who didn't really like her.
The pack was sure to like her. Mates were rare. So very rare. And a pack that
had a wolf with a mate would protect that mate with everything they had. Draco
knew this, and he figured it was as good a time as any to get the introductions
over with. He also had an ulterior motive. If the pack knew Hermione's scent,
they would remember it. They would protect her in the future if necessary. And
it would be easier for them to protect her if they knew what she smelled and
looked like.
He walked into the old dueling court and grinned to see Rand and Udolf
sparring. This was what Draco needed. He hoped he'd get a chance to spar with
some of his pack throughout the rest of the Yule holidays.
"Pup!" Greyback cried out when he spotted Draco and Hermione.
"And Pup's mate," he said as he got closer. He pulled Draco in for a hug, which
Draco returned with a sinking feeling. It was times like these that Draco
didn't want to betray Greyback at all. He was a wonderful Alpha when he was
focussed on being Alpha.
Greyback pulled Hermione into a hug next and she let out a squeak as she looked
at Draco with wide eyes. Draco grinned to reassure her.
The commotion brought the pack over and introductions were made.
"Our Beta is home for the next few weeks. He's brought his mate with him. We
should celebrate!" Greyback announced. At the mention of his mate, the pack
cheered and Hermione was brought around to meet each of them.
"Welcome home, Beta," Rand said as he stood next to Draco. They were watching
Hermione speak with Seff, and Draco couldn't keep the grin off his face.
"How are things here, Rand?" Draco asked. Rand hummed and Draco turned to look
at the other man. He had a dark look on his face.
"What's wrong?" Draco asked. Rand glanced at the rest of the pack and pulled
Draco further aside.
"Greyback," Rand whispered. Draco stiffened and pulled Rand even further away
from the pack.
"What did he do?" Draco asked Rand once they were out of earshot of the rest of
the pack. Greyback had ordered a feast be brought in for lunch and the pack was
taking full advantage.
"There was a revel a few weeks ago. He didn't cover his tracks as well as he
has in the past," Rand hedged. Draco winced. He knew what Greyback did at
revels. And he was sure Rand knew that Draco knew.
"What do you mean, in the past? Do you know how Greyback acts at a revel?"
Draco asked Rand. This could be a good opportunity for him if he could get Rand
on his side. Rand carried a lot of weight in the pack. He was the pseudo-Beta
in Draco's absence.
"Greyback didn't bite me to be in his pack, Beta," Rand said. Draco inhaled
quickly. Using his official title meant business.
"I thought that everyone here was bit with the creation of the pack in mind.
Greyback had pack-sickness and needed to create one," Draco replied.
"Aye, that's true for most. Not me. He bit me as a child. I needed a pack, and
he bit me again as an adult to become pack. I remember him from my childhood.
I've always known Greyback wasn't a good man," Rand told Draco as he ran a hand
through his hair, "I thought he had changed," he muttered.
Draco looked at Rand grimly, "Who else knows?"
"Mingan, Seff, a few others. There was almost an uprising when he walked in
here reeking of blood, shit, and come," Rand's hand clenched at his side. The
aggression in the other wolf was clear. He could only imagine what the pack
thought when they smelled Greyback that night.
"Fuck!" Draco exclaimed and paced away from Rand. He had to think. This was not
a complication they needed. He wanted to take over the Alpha-ship, but Draco
knew he wasn't ready. Not even close to ready. He didn't have the pack behind
him, not yet, not really. Not in any way that mattered to become Alpha. He'd
have to leave or finish school to be Alpha. Could he really give up Hogwarts to
lead his pack? Draco thought he could. His pack was second only to his mother.
"I'm not strong enough to take him, and I won't be ready before I have to go
back to Hogwarts," Draco muttered.
"I know. It's too bad you're still just a pup, in both senses," Rand replied,
his voice was resigned and Draco wished that he was stronger, more capable,
ready to become Alpha.
"Can you hold the pack together?" Draco asked. He needed the allies, and Rand
would make an excellent ally when the time came.
"Maybe... it was near mutiny though. If he fucks up again, the pack will
split," Rand warned.
"I'll talk to him," Draco promised. He had to figure out a way to keep the pack
together until he could take over.
"And after? After this war? What then?" Rand asked. Draco could appreciate
someone with an eye for the future. The war wasn't going to last forever, as
Hermione liked to point out.
"I'm working on it," Draco said cryptically. He couldn't afford to tell Rand
more. What they were speaking of was already near treason for a pack.
"Are you planning a takeover?" Rand's question was blunt and Draco didn't
appreciate the implication. If Rand was secretly more loyal to Greyback than he
was the rest of the pack, he could take Draco out with a question like that.
Draco had no desire to leave the pack nor be pushed out by a wolf who didn't
even want to be Beta when he easily could be.
"I'm not sure we should be having this conversation," Draco scowled.
"I'm not going to be part of a pack led by a madman," Rand replied. That at
least Draco could identify with. He was glad Rand had clarified his motives.
"I'm not a madman," Draco replied. "I am working on it. I need you to hold the
pack together for me while I figure it out. I have a plan."
"Fine, but keep me in the loop, yeah?" Rand asked. Draco nodded and they shook
hands before heading back to the feast.
Draco spent the rest of the afternoon with his pack and his mate. He sparred
with several pack members, including Seff and Udolf. He hadn't felt this
relaxed since before becoming a werewolf.
Draco eventually found a spot next to Hermione, who had been speaking with
Mingan about the history of werewolves and pack sickness.
"Draco, did you know that werewolves without a pack almost all get pack
sickness? And that the lone werewolf stereotype is not only extremely rare, but
they've never been documented in werewolf lore?" Hermione asked him, speaking a
mile a minute.
Draco chuckled. She loved learning new things and he loved seeing her light up
when she did.
"I do know that already, and I know a few other things," he leaned in close
like he was going to tell her a secret, "I'm a werewolf," he whispered.
Hermione's peal of laughter echoed around the dueling court and most of the
pack who had been watching the pair joined in. It was a light-hearted day in
the middle of a cold, dark war with winter approaching. Draco looked around the
room and smiled contentedly at the scene.
===============================================================================
That night Draco and Hermione had a private dinner with Greyback. Draco was
reluctant to involve Hermione, but Greyback insisted he wanted to know her
better. He was acting the werewolf and not the Death Eater, and Draco had a
hard time resisting his Alpha.
They met in Greyback's tent in the dueling court and Seff served them dinner
before bowing out of the tent.
"Seff, he's the Omega?" Hermione asked Draco.
"Aye," Greyback replied to her. "Every pack needs an Omega. The Omega keeps the
pack together and absorbs excess aggression."
"Absorbs aggression? What does that mean?" Hermione asked. Draco smiled at the
perplexed expression on her face. He knew she wouldn't be pleased with the
answer, but it was the way of werewolves.
Greyback laughed, "Pup tells me you're smart, I'm sure you can figure it out."
Draco watched as Hermione thought about it for a moment and saw the moment it
clicked and the horror that crossed her face, "You mean… you…" she sputtered,
she couldn't quite get the words out.
"Depends on the pack, Hermione," Draco explained. "We've got a good pack, and
most aggression is taken out during full moons and sparring between moons.
Packs with poor leadership allow more aggression to be taken out on the Omega."
Understanding dawned on Hermione and she nodded, "You don't let the others beat
up on poor Seff? He's half the size of most of you!"
Greyback laughed, "No, Seff spars plenty. And he's mighty quick too. But I've
built my pack with purpose, choosing good werewolves with steady constitutions
to be part of it," Greyback told her with obvious pride. Draco smiled, feeling
that pride sweep through the collective and fill him up. They shared a look and
it wasn't lost on Hermione.
"What was that? That look? Was that the collective? Are you feeling emotions
through it?" Hermione's questions made them both laugh.
"Are you writing a book?" Greyback asked, his eyebrows raised in incredulity.
Draco laughed, but Hermione replied seriously, "No, but I might! There's next
to nothing written about werewolves and their culture. The little amount of
time I've spent around Draco and your pack is fascinating."
"Our pack. It's your pack too, sweetheart," Greyback smirked at Hermione. Draco
didn't like the pet name and shot a warning glare at Greyback, who nodded back
in reply.
"Our pack," Hermione replied with a bit of wonder in her voice. "I've never
been a part of something like this before. You seem to be as close as a
family."
"We are a family. Pack, family, they mean the same thing to a werewolf,"
Greyback told her.
Draco knew how little family Hermione had left and that she wasn't particularly
close to her parents. Not since becoming a witch. They had many conversations
regarding her sorrow of not being able to share her world with them. He threw
his arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. It meant a lot to her to
be included in something like this. Even if Greyback was the Alpha of this
pack.
Dinner continued as they discussed pack dynamics and histories. Hermione found
it all enthralling and Draco could see she was itching to take notes. Finally,
he summoned her some parchment and a quill and that's exactly what she did.
"If you ever do write a book someday, make sure to run it by your mate or
another werewolf. Can't have all our secrets spilled to the outside," Greyback
laughed as Draco and Hermione were leaving his tent late that night. Hermione
grinned and agreed. Draco grabbed her hand and pulled her along with him to his
tent several feet over.
"Not your room?" Hermione asked as they entered the tent.
"Not this time of night, too many Death Eaters between here and there," Draco
scowled at the thought of who was in his house at the moment. Hermione nodded
and didn't say anything else.
They settled down for sleep in the small bed in Draco's tent, with Hermione
practically lying atop him.
"Besides, where do you think you're spending the full moon?" Draco asked her
sleepily.
"Not your room?" Hermione guessed.
Draco chuckled deep in his throat and wrapped his arms tighter around her,
"Nope, I want you close when I get back in the morning."
Hermione nodded and they soon were both asleep.
===============================================================================
It was finally Christmas Eve and Draco was equal parts nervous and excited
about the ball that night. He wasn't sure how Hermione's reception would go.
The ball was basically their coming out party to the Sacred Twenty-Eight
families who weren't inner circle Death Eaters. The couple hadn't even
officially come out at school yet.
Maybe Draco hadn't thought this through. How was he to parade Hermione around
their schoolmates who didn't know they were dating? Or that Draco was a
werewolf and Hermione was his mate? What had he been thinking? Hermione
couldn't attend the ball, not as his date at least.
He hurried to his mother's rooms where she had insisted Hermione ready herself
for the ball. Draco's mother had a personal house elf that she swore was a
French hair designer in an elf's body. Draco wasn't too sure on that, but it
was best not to fight his mother on certain things. Beauty was one of those.
"Mother!" Draco shouted as he entered her suite of rooms at the end of the
hall. Hermione and the house elf, Elvis, were nowhere in sight, but his mother
came barreling out of her dressing room with her wand raised.
"Draco, what is it?" Narcissa asked urgently.
"Who's coming to the ball tonight?" Draco asked.
"Oh, is that all?" Narcissa asked and lowered her wand. She guided Draco to the
settee by the window and poured them both a cup of tea.
"I invited the Sacred Twenty-Eight and your brethren, but not the pack,"
Narcissa frowned. "Should I have included the pack?"
"No, it's fine, Mother," Draco shook his head. "I meant, who of the Sacred
Twenty-Eight is coming? Nobody at school knows about Hermione and me, and I've
kept me being a werewolf and Death Eater secret from everyone. I don't think
Hermione should come to the ball. I'm not going to leave her alone, either, so
I think it would be best if neither of us attended."
"Oh, well, only the Death Eaters are attending. Everybody else replied with a
no," Narcissa replied. Draco thought she sounded sad, but he was ecstatic. If
fewer people knew about what was going on in his house, things would be much
better after the war ended.
"It's probably for the best, Mother," Draco reminded her as he patted her hand
and drained his cup of tea.
"Is Hermione still here? I'd…"
"You can't see her yet! Elvis isn't finished taming that dreadful hair. You
must wait until she's dressed and ready to go down to the ball," Narcissa
commanded.
"All right, all right," Draco placated his mother. He would never stand between
her and one of her beauty projects. Even if that project was Hermione.
He left his mother with a kiss on her cheek and went back to his own rooms. He
was pleased that the only other person staying in the family wing was Snape. It
meant he didn't have to see any of the Death Eaters who were occupying the
guest wing unless he left the family wing. In the week he and Hermione had been
at the Manor, they only left the family wing to go down to the dueling court.
They had successfully avoided all Death Eaters and Dark Lords currently in
residence. Unfortunately, tonight their presence was going to be required at an
event that was exclusively Death Eaters and the Dark Lord.
Draco glanced at the clock and realized the ball would be starting within an
hour. He stripped as he headed toward the shower. He had tried on his dress
robes earlier in the week and was pleased that with a few minor transfiguration
spells, they would still fit his larger frame. He was glad his mother had
thought to buy him a set of dress robes in a larger size to accommodate his new
body.
He stepped out of the shower and into the steamy bathroom when he realized he
wasn't alone. His Aunt Bella was standing in the doorway and she had her wand
in his hand. He reached for his towel and just as he grasped it, it went flying
toward his aunt.
She tutted at him, "Alone, at last, dear nephew," Aunt Bella crooned. Draco
cringed and went to cover himself from her greedy gaze.
"Petrificus Totalus!" Aunt Bella shouted and suddenly Draco couldn't move. He
wobbled for a moment before he steadied. He was glad he'd planted his feet and
hadn't crashed to the ground. He was utterly helpless to stop his aunt. He
began trying to wiggle his fingers or his toes to see if he could break the
spell.
"You are beautiful," Aunt Bella commented as she walked forward. She placed
both hands on Draco's chest, keeping hold of her wand as she felt him up. Draco
winced and tried to recoil from her touch, but was unable to move. She licked
his chest, just a small lick right in the center at his sternum. If Draco had
the ability, he would have shuddered in revulsion. As it was, he stood stock
still. He was glad that in his current position, he couldn't become aroused.
The magic would override the physical body. He just hoped that someone would
find him before she went too far.
Aunt Bella was circling him now, dragging her hands across the planes of his
body. She even slapped his arse.
"Shall I ease up on the spell, Draco?" Aunt Bella said as she cupped his cock
and stroked his balls with her fingers. Draco thought he might vomit at the
look on her face. What would happen to him if he did vomit in his present
situation? Would the magic override that impulse too? Or would he choke on his
own vomit? His mouth was closed; there was no escape for it.
"What in the world is going on?" Hermione shrieked from the doorway. She
flicked her wand and the steam in the bathroom disappeared, leaving the
sickening tableau in full display. Draco was standing stock still with his
hands attempting to cover himself, and his Aunt Bella had one hand on his cock
as her tongue twirled around his right nipple.
Hermione was beautiful in bright red dress robes that fell to the floor with
ruffles down the skirt. She had a red lip to match and her hair was pulled back
from her face, but left to flow down her shoulders in soft ringlets. Draco
couldn't help the embarrassment that flooded through him. And that he was
powerless to do anything about it.
"Draco?" Hermione asked. Draco tried to shoot her a pleading look, but he
couldn't move. He was trying his hardest to break the spell, but nothing was
happening.
"Care to join us, mudblood?" Aunt Bella asked. "Draco seems to be having fun,"
she punctuated that with a rather long pull on Draco's cock. He winced
internally.
"I… no… I mean…" Hermione seemed at a lost for words. Draco felt the small toe
on his left foot move. He was succeeding. Either Aunt Bella was distracted by
Hermione or the spell wasn't very strong. Slowly he could feel some of the
power come back to his limbs. It presented other problems, though, Aunt Bella's
administrations were stirring something inside him. He willed himself to think
of anything to stop his cock from hardening.
"I'll just… I'm going to go, ok?" Hermione said and she bolted from the room.
Draco wanted to hang his head in shame, but his muscles weren't quite his own
yet.
"Good, I'll take you all to myself," Aunt Bella smirked up at him. Draco did
feel his lip curl slightly as her sour breath washed his face.
She began kissing her way down his torso and Draco was finally able to close
his eyes, but he still couldn't move his arms or hands.
***** Chapter 26 *****
Chapter Notes
     A/N: Beta love to brownlark42. She turned this around super fast,
     just for you guys!
     There's a mini-rant on this chapter on ffn if anyone is interested in
     reading it. But I didn't get near the level of comments as I did on
     there, so no need to repost. But you got this chapter early - so I
     don't know. Maybe bitching at me in comments is a good thing? (I'm
     kidding, don't bitch at me in the comments, please.)
     No manip for this chapter. I didn't have time to make one. But you
     can still find me on tumblr at crochetawayhpff.
"I'll just… I'm going to go, ok?" Hermione said and she bolted from the room.
Draco wanted to hang his head in shame, but his muscles weren't quite his own
yet.
"Good, I'll take you all to myself," Aunt Bella smirked up at him. Draco did
feel his lip curl slightly as her sour breath washed his face.
She began kissing her way down his torso and Draco was finally able to close
his eyes, but he still couldn't move his arms or hands.
===============================================================================
It was then that the door to his suite blasted open, and Snape and Uncle
Rodolphus stood in the doorway with Hermione hovering just behind.
"What in the bleeding hell are you doing, Bella?" Uncle Rodolphus shouted as he
grabbed his wife by the upper arm and yanked her away from Draco. Draco
desperately wanted to sigh in relief, but couldn't.
Draco stood frozen for a moment longer before Snape realized he'd been
petrified and canceled the spell. He tossed a towel at Draco, while Hermione
pushed from behind Snape to reach him. Draco just managed to cover himself
before she threw her arms around him and asked if he was alright. He could only
nod.
"I've told you before, Bella, you are a Lestrange now. Not a Black. No incest.
He's your nephew for Merlin's sake! It's disgusting," Uncle Rodolphus lectured
as he pushed Aunt Bella out of Draco's suite.
Draco looked from the pair to his godfather, "Thanks," he muttered. It was
humiliating to be caught out like this. He should be better. But he also
thought he would be safe in the family wing.
"She tripped the family wing wards. Your mother was tracking me down at the
same time Miss Granger found me. Do be sure to keep a wand on you," Snape
glared down at him. Draco nodded and dropped his gaze to the top of Hermione's
head. She still had her arms around him and was hugging him fiercely. He felt
like he needed another shower.
"All the same, thank you, Severus," Draco replied and extended his hand. Snape
raised his eyebrow at him, nodded, and left, leaving Draco with his hand
hanging in the air. He ran it through his drying hair instead and then pushed
Hermione from him so he could see her face.
"Thank you, too. For realizing what was going on. I…" he couldn't finish.
"Oh, Circe, I was terrified when I found her in here with you! I didn't know if
it was just petrification or if she had Imperiused you or was using some spell
I've never seen. I'm so glad Professor Snape and Mr. Lestrange were there to
help. And I wasn't sure if I could break character and hex her..." Hermione
rambled.
Draco let her go as they moved back out into his suite. Snape had repaired his
door on the way out and Draco felt another wave of gratitude wash through him.
For all the man's poor personality and bad attitude, he truly was an excellent
godfather.
Hermione wrung her hands nervously as Draco showered again - quickly this time
- and then dressed for the ball. The last thing he wanted to do was go
downstairs and glad-hand Death Eater's while they all laughed behind his back
for being a werewolf, for being saddled with a mudblood, for being impure. He'd
much rather take Hermione away for Christmas, showering her with all the gifts
he'd bought her, making love to her. That sounded like the perfect Christmas.
As they made their way downstairs, Draco briefed Hermione on what was going to
happen over the next few hours. "Any of the Death Eaters know I'm a werewolf. I
haven't come right out and told Pansy or Theo or anyone at school, though. They
might be here and they might have heard from their fathers. They believe that
you are my 'assignment' from the Dark Lord. So, put on a show, act enthralled
and simpering. Just play it like you did when you arrived and you'll be fine.
The Dark Lord will be here, but I don't know if you'll have to greet him or
not," hesitated, "If you do, don't make eye contact. He's a master Legilimens
and he'll read you just from the eye contact alone."
Hermione nodded, "Ok, could we have talked about this before right now?" Her
voice was only slightly panicked.
"I didn't want to overwhelm you," Draco said.
Hermione laughed uneasily, "Not overwhelmed at all."
"I know, I'm sorry, but you'll do great. Act like a bitch, and pretend you
can't get enough of me," Draco grinned down at her, "and you'll do fine."
Hermione smiled then took a deep breath and let a mask fall in place. Draco
admired her ability to conceal her thoughts and feelings. It's true she was a
Gryffindor, but she had a commendable capability of playing the Slytherin when
she wanted to. It was almost scary. Brilliant, but scary.
"We're hosting, so we'll be standing in the receiving line for the first
portion. Then there will be dancing and a dinner buffet. At least Mother
decided to forgo the formal dinner this year," Draco explained as the reached
the ballroom and he opened the door for Hermione. Hermione just nodded, her
mask still in place.
Draco grinned at her, "We'll sneak out early, I have something planned."
Hermione's mask fell at that and she gave him a brief, but genuine smile before
they entered the ballroom and greeted Draco's mother.
The receiving line was shorter than it had been in previous years, with all the
cancellations from families that didn't follow the Dark Lord. He was pleased
with Hermione's performance - she was equal parts demure and coquettish. She
fawned and giggled at all the right times and offered her hand when necessary.
He was almost impressed with the pure-bloods' ability to hide their distaste.
Of course, some weren't able to completely hide it. But Fenrir had made it
clear to them that Hermione was under his protection, per the Dark Lord. It
seemed they had listened well.
The last person through the receiving line was the Dark Lord himself. He
greeted Narcissa, who knelt to him. Draco followed with a kiss to his robes.
Hermione bowed her head and curtsied, but did not kneel. Draco's hands shook in
trepidation at her actions, but part of him was also proud of her for doing
what she could to stand up to the madman who wanted people like her dead.
"Hermione Granger," the Dark Lord hissed as Hermione came out of her curtsey.
She kept her gaze down and Draco didn't stand until the Dark Lord flicked his
hand. Draco reached out, still trembling, and gave Hermione's hand a squeeze.
Hoping to give her some courage and maybe get some strength from her in return.
"Lord Voldemort," Hermione nodded to him, keeping her eyes on his chin. Draco
cringed and gripped Hermione's hand tighter. She was playing with fire. Why
didn't he coach her better than this? He made to pull her to him, but then the
Dark Lord chuckled. Draco was just able to stop his jaw from hitting the floor
in shock.
"I would expect nothing lesss from a Gryffindor," the Dark Lord smirked down at
Draco's mate. Draco felt his breath leave his body. Thank Merlin, Circe, Nimue,
and all the gods above that the Dark Lord found her amusing. Please don't say
anything foolish. We're almost through this. Please be smart, come on,
Hermione. Draco closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. He was now clutching
Hermione's hand so tightly his knuckles were white. He felt her tug at him, but
he refused to let go. She was his anchor and he was sure he'd fall to the
ground in terror if he let go.
"How isss Harry?" the Dark Lord asked. He reached out and grasped Hermione's
chin, forcing her to look him in the eye.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, Draco chanted in his head. We're fucking dead. Draco could
only stare and watch as the Dark Lord went through Hermione's head with
Legilimency. He was working hard to keep the wince off his face. His body broke
out in a cold sweat as it went on and on.
For her part, Hermione was staring at the Dark Lord defiantly. Her chin was
tilted at an angle Draco knew well. Her brows were furrowed in concentration.
After a few more agonizing moments, Hermione spoke, "Kindly stay out of my
head, sir. Harry is well. As is Professor Dumbledore, who expects me back to
the school in a few days."
The Dark Lord laughed again, high and shrill, and turned away from them. Draco
almost fainted with the relief that flooded through him. His limbs shivered as
the Dark Lord's gaze moved across the mass of Death Eaters. He took her hand
and roughly tucked her arm under his own, firmly holding her to his body. He
felt her tense, but it was the closest he could get to her and still maintain
formal etiquette. He had been terrified the Dark Lord was going to kill her for
what he saw in her mind. His lips thinned as he pressed them together and
ground his teeth waiting for a moment he could pull her away. He needed to have
several words with her after that stunt.
"Death Eatersss, followersss, friendsss!" The Dark Lord addressed the
gathering. All bowed down to him. "Sssee now, Hermione Granger isss under my
protection. Ssshe is mate to one of our own, Draco Malfoy. Do her no harm.
Let'sss celebrate!" He clapped his hands and banners of the Dark Mark fell from
the ceiling and hung about the room. A cheer went up and the musician-less
instruments began to play in the corner of the room.
As soon as the Dark Lord had moved off, Draco pulled Hermione after him out
into the hallway.
"What in seven hells were you thinking? Are you trying to get us killed?" Draco
shouted at her. He was still shaking as the adrenaline coursed through him.
Hermione glared up at him.
She yanked herself from his grasp and crossed her arms in front of her. Her
chest was heaving with pent up frustration as she lashed out at him.
"Listen here, Draco Malfoy, I may be under that monster's…" Draco slapped a
hand over her mouth and looked over his shoulder. Hermione bit his hand and he
growled at her. He snatched her arm again and dragged her further along the
hallway until they came to a nondescript, almost hidden door. He threw open the
door and pushed Hermione through it before slamming it closed behind him.
"Fuck, you really are trying to get us killed," Draco muttered angrily as he
warded the room. He stowed his wand and turned back to Hermione, but she was
ready for him.
"What do you think he would have done had I knelt before him? Had I shown I was
scared of him? Or deferential? I can tell you what he would have done. He would
have delved so deeply into my mind that I wouldn't have been able to get him
out. He would have instantly suspected a trap. The Dark Lord isn't a fool,
Draco. I played it right, as you can see. We're both alive, aren't we? Your
mother is alive?"
He started to answer her, but she cut him off, "Yes. We're all alive. He was
amused by my defiance. He thinks that only someone arrogant and stupid, or
someone with nothing to hide, would be that brash, that defiant. He sees me as
this tiny bug, this annoyance he has to put up with because of you. That's it.
He doesn't see me as a threat. He might see me as a possible source of
information for Harry. Do you know what I showed him when he was looking into
my mind?" Hermione asked him. She was so angry, sparks flickered in her hair
and her hands were on her hips. Draco couldn't help but feel a wash of love at
her appearance, at her fierceness. Gods above, I love her. He shook his head to
clear his thoughts. He may love the witch, but right now, she was infuriating
"You… you might get see my weaker side sometimes. But my mind is strong. My
magic is strong. I showed him Harry being upset about Sirius. I showed him all
of Harry's anger and sadness from the last few months. I didn't show him Harry
being happy, or Harry having a good day. Or Harry thinking about how to make
things better, how to fight for the people he loves. Don't take me for one of
your idiotic Slytherin's who will protect only their own hide, Draco Malfoy. I
may be bonded to you, but I am still Harry's best friend. I am still fighting
against that, that… that fucking megalomaniac!" she was shouting now.
Draco couldn't help himself he strode forward and gathered her in his arms. He
was kissing her before he realized that was his intention. Fuck, it didn't
matter how mad he was. Not when she looked like that. Her face was flushed and
her eyes sparkled. He felt all the anger drain away as he delved his tongue
into her mouth.
"I know, I know," he murmured over and over again between kisses. She
responded, winding her own arms around his neck and returned his kisses with
equal fervor.
Suddenly, they broke apart, panting. Someone was pounding on the door. His body
was trembling now with lust instead of fear and anger. He leaned his forehead
against hers and took a deep breath. There was more pounding on the door. He
gave her a small smile, whirled around, and flung the door open.
Pansy Parkinson was standing behind the door with her hands on her green clad
hips. She was wearing a slinky ballroom gown in Slytherin green.
"The ball has barely started and you two are hiding out already?" Pansy asked.
Draco gaped at her. Whoever he thought had been knocking, it hadn't been Pansy.
She rolled her eyes and pushed past him. Her silk dress swishing as she strode
into the room.
"Lookin' good, Granger," Pansy told Hermione. Draco turned to look at the pair
and narrowed his eyes as Pansy hooked her arm through Hermione's.
"Thank you, Parkinson. You look lovely," Hermione replied with a sideways
smile. The two witches walked out of the parlor and back to the ballroom,
leaving Draco alone. His best friend just stole his date from him. And Pansy
hadn't been shocked or upset. Draco knew he was going to hear it from her later
about keeping secrets. Pansy hated secrets. Well, in fact, she loved secrets.
She just hated when they were kept from her.
It took him a moment to gather his wits, and when he left the parlor, Pansy and
Hermione were nowhere to be seen. He headed to the ballroom to look for his
mate and his best friend.
When he entered the ballroom, couples were already swirling around the dance
floor giving him the impression of bright splotches of paint moving in harmony
with the music. He gazed around for Hermione and finally spotted her and Pansy
laughing in the corner. Draco smiled faintly at the sight. He was hoped that
meant they were getting along. They were both important to him. He didn't want
to intervene, but he saw Theo Nott approaching the pair. Theo Nott was not a
nice boy.
"Pansy… and Mudblood," Theo sneered. Draco came up behind, lifted his hand, and
slapped Theo on the shoulder harder than was strictly necessary.
"Theo, my man, how are you?" Draco asked as he squeezed Theo's shoulder. Theo
turned and narrowed his eyes up at Draco, who squeezed harder. He smirked down
at Theo, willing him to break. Theo finally winced under the pressure. He
removed his hand at once and then drew Hermione to his side.
"A werewolf and a mudblood. How the Dark Lord can stand the pair of you, I
don't know," Theo mocked. His features were twisted in an ugly sneer and Draco
was about to retort when Hermione beat him to it.
Hermione laughed, "You do know the Dark Lord is a half-blood, don't you Nott?"
Draco smirked and dropped a kiss on the top of Hermione's head. Then he turned
and leveled his gaze at Theo. There had been a time when he and Theo were about
the same height. But Draco's werewolf traits put an end to that. Draco towered
over most people in the room. Pansy took Hermione's other arm. Draco wanted to
smile at the solidarity she showed but kept his cool countenance in place. It
wouldn't do to show too much emotion in public.
"Shoo, Theo, the adults are talking," Pansy grinned as she waved him away from
them. Theo's eyes narrowed into a glare, but he turned and walked back across
the ballroom. Draco watched Theo until he saw the other boy strike up a
conversation with Graham Montague, who had graduated a few years ago.
"Really, Draco. Did you think nobody had figured out your little secret?" Pansy
asked. Her hands were planted on her hips again.
"Which one?" Draco asked as he rubbed the back of his neck in vague
embarrassment. He had been so wrapped up in what was going on in his own life
he had completely neglected his friends and he knew it.
"Both of them. Please, Malfoy. Blaise and I figured out you were a werewolf
back in October. Didn't take a genius to figure out you were 'sick' during full
moons. Blaise assumed you and Granger were just shagging with that stunt in
Defense. You'll have to explain this mate business to me later. And Granger was
basically never in the library anymore? And you couldn't be found either. It
wasn't that hard to piece together if you were looking for it," she paused for
a moment and tapped her bottom lip with one long manicured finger as she eyed
Hermione.
"Do Potter and Weasley know?" Pansy asked.
Draco whooshed out a breath at Pansy's calm acceptance of the facts. He turned
to Hermione and gestured for her to answer. Hermione nodded.
"Harry knows everything. Ron knows that Draco is a werewolf, but we didn't
think he could handle the mate business. And he since he's started dating
Lavender, he's basically never around anymore," Hermione shrugged.
Pansy nodded, "Well, the secret's out now. You'll need to have a plan for when
school resumes." She grinned at them both, "Happy Christmas," then spun away
and walked toward the bar. Draco frowned faintly after her. She was right -
they would need to come up with a plan for when school started again in
January. There was no way that arseholes like Nott would keep quiet after
tonight.
Draco shook himself to clear his thoughts and turned to ask Hermione to dance.
She smiled up at him and nodded. He led her out to the dance floor to a
wizarding waltz. He whirled and twirled her around the floor dance after dance.
Hermione was as good a dancer as Draco, which seemed unfair given that he'd
been in lessons since he was five. They danced for several pieces, enjoying the
time they could spend together as teenagers.
Finally, Hermione's yawns couldn't be hidden anymore and Draco guided them off
the dance floor.
"Are you ready to retire?" Draco asked. Hermione nodded and gave him a sleepy
smile. They said their goodbyes to Draco's mother and Snape. They waved at
Pansy, who was still on the dance floor, this time with one of the Flint
brothers. They moved together away from the ballroom.
Several corridors later, they stopped in front of a pair of large double doors.
Draco hadn't taken Hermione to this part of the Manor before, but he knew he
wanted her to see it before they left for the holidays.
He pulled his arm from Hermione's and reached forward to open both doors at the
same time. The Malfoy Manor library rivaled the Hogwarts' library in sheer size
as well as the breadth of reading material. Pansy wasn't the only one who had
noticed Hermione wasn't in the library very much anymore. He suspected she
missed it. And he knew that this would be one room in the Manor that Hermione
would love.
"Is - is this your library?" Hermione asked as she stepped forward. The awe on
her face made him forget everything else that had happened tonight. Draco
smiled as she walked slowly into the room and then he shut the doors behind
them. He cast a series of wards and called for Tink.
"Bring us two glasses of red wine, and then we are not to be disturbed until
morning, Tink. Make sure nobody comes in," Draco said. She was quick with the
wine, and silently nodded and bowed before popping away.
"This is incredible, Draco! Did you know you have a first edition copy of A
Study_into_the_Possibility_of_Reversing_the_Actual_and_Metaphysical_Effects_of
Natural_Death,_with_Particular_Regard_to_the_Reintegration_of_Essence_and
Matter? I've been looking for this book for ages," Hermione gushed as she took
it down from the shelf and began to leaf through it, letting it fall open on
the nearest table.
"You can have it," Draco said quietly as he stood behind her, setting the
glasses down next to the book.
"I'd love to borrow it," Hermione replied, she was still studying the book.
"I said have, own, keep forever," Draco said as he moved closer to put his
hands on her hips and draw her back into him.
"What?" Hermione asked as she tore her gaze away from the tome and turned in
his arms to look at him.
"You can have it. You can have anything in here you want. Consider it yours,"
Draco said as he bent down to kiss her. Hermione avoided his lips.
"Just what are you saying, Draco?" Hermione asked as she bit her lip.
"I'm saying that whatever of mine you want or need, it's yours. Now let me kiss
you, witch," Draco practically growled. He leaned forward and captured her lips
with his own. The moment they touched, she melted into him. He gathered her
close, he wanted to melt into her embrace and never let go. She opened her
mouth to him and their tongues twirled and tangled. He picked her up and set
her on the edge of the table, then stepped between her legs, all without
breaking the kiss. Draco's veins were burning with his need for his mate. The
full moon was close and he could feel Reule pacing in the back of his mind,
calling for his mate.
Suddenly, Hermione pulled away from him, "What if someone comes in?"
Draco chuckled, "I've warded the room and told Tink. We'll be fine. Come, I
have something else to show you."
Draco pulled her from the table and led her to a roaring fireplace. To the side
of the fireplace was a large Christmas tree overflowing with presents, and a
large fur rug was spread in front of the fireplace. Draco had taken the time to
get this setup before the ball began.
"Our own private Christmas," Draco murmured into Hermione's ear as he pulled
her forward to sit on the rug. Once they were seated, he slowly pulled off
Hermione's shoes and gave her a light foot rub. She sighed in response and soon
Draco was kissing her again. He couldn't seem to get enough of her.
Suddenly, Draco found himself on his back and Hermione was stepping away from
him. He grinned when he saw her intention. She unzipped the back of her dress
and it slide down her body slowly. She was dressed in just a bra, knickers, and
stockings that went up to her thighs. The roaring fire at her back lit up her
features. She looked like a goddess as she performed her strip tease.
"Tease," he smirked at her. His cock twitching in anticipation.
"Only if I don't follow through," Hermione replied with her own smirk.
"You'd better," Draco growled as he reached up and pulled his naked witch down
on top of him. She was straddling him as she began working on his own robes.
Instead of helping her, Draco concentrated on the feel of her silken skin in
his hands. He ran his hands up and down her sides, down to her thighs and up
her back.
"You are overdressed, werewolf," Hermione hissed as Draco teased his thumbs
over her nipples. He twirled and twisted until they were hard buds in his hands
and she was rocking herself along his torso. He cupped her breasts, thumbing
her mate mark, and looked up at her face. She was panting and her eyes were
closed. Her hands had fallen still while attempting to disrobe him.
"Gods," she murmured, "the things you do to me."
He growled low in his throat. And began helping her pull his robes off of him.
He needed to be naked now. He needed to be impaled inside of his sweet witch.
Soon all their clothes were on the floor, and Hermione was straddling his
thighs. His cock was standing proudly, bobbing at his stomach. She was touching
him with such feather light strokes it was driving him mad, his cock twitched
and danced trying to get her to hold him more firmly. He moved to place her on
top of his cock, but she stopped him by pushing a hand against his chest. She
smiled sweetly.
"Do you want your present tonight or tomorrow morning?" Hermione asked. She
raised her eyebrow at him in a challenge and licked her lips. Draco hoped she
was talking about what he thought she was talking about. Oh gods, Merlin,
Circe, and Nimue, please be a blow job.
"Tonight," he grinned at her wolfishly.
"As you wish, mate," Hermione purred as she dipped her head and swirled her
tongue around his cock.
Fuck, Draco thought as he dropped his head back and enjoyed the sensations. He
lifted himself up on one elbow as he reached his other down to place it lightly
on the back of her head. His fingers twisted in her hair as he watched his cock
disappear into her mouth over and over again. She bobbed her head and twisted
her hands on the base of his cock, and he couldn't help but lift his lips a
little in time with her movements. His cock had grown in proportion with his
body and watching her suck it in was almost enough to make him come then and
there. Then she did a swirl with her tongue around his head and he almost
choked from pleasure.
"F-fuck, Hermione," Draco panted as he reached for her.
She pulled off him with a 'pop', "I want you to come down my throat." She
looked gorgeous with her reddened lips and a bit of saliva running from her
mouth to his cock.
Gods above, Draco thought. He nodded and she leaned down and swirled her tongue
around his glans. Then she flashed him a look he didn't understand until she
dipped her tongue into his slit. He groaned in response and tightened the hand
in her hair. She sucked him in again and created a rhythm between her mouth and
her hands, taking him in as far as she could. Her other hand slipped down to
his balls and began to play with them. He was close; he could feel his orgasm
gathering at the base of his spine. Then she stroked his perineum and swallowed
at the same time and Draco suddenly was coming. He couldn't stop himself from
pumping into her mouth, fucking her mouth, as he came. She swallowed it all and
kept sucking unto Draco was dry. It felt so good, and the sight of her wrapped
around him was delicious to behold. He felt that if he kept that picture in his
mind, he'd be ready for round two in a few minutes.
"Gods, 'Mione," Draco whimpered when she pulled away and snuggled up to him.
"Where did you learn that?"
Hermione laughed, "Witch's talk." And she wouldn't tell him anything more.
When Draco awoke the next morning, Hermione was still nestled in his arms
asleep. He leaned back so he could study her face in the early morning light.
She was exquisite, he thought as he counted the freckles on her nose. He swept
a hand down from her shoulder to her left breast and weighed it. Absently
swiping his thumb over her nipple and mate mark. She shivered in her sleep but
didn't wake. Draco grinned to himself. He had a chance to return the gift from
last night. He rolled her gently so she was on her back and then leaned down
and licked each nipple, drawing one and then the other into his mouth, bringing
them both to points. Then he kissed his way down her soft belly, stopping to
swirl in her navel and continuing to her center.
She was slightly sticky like she had been aroused last night and he groaned at
the thought of her being aroused as she sucked him off. He inhaled deeply and
couldn't contain his moan at her scent. His cock hardened at thoughts of his
witch being aroused.
He teased her nether lips with his finger and tongue before delving his tongue
into her quim as far as he could push it. He brought his hand up to swipe at
the button at the top of her sex, while his other hand reached even further up
to play with one of her taut nipples.
"Gods," she moaned. Draco wasn't sure if she was awake or not yet. He breathed
deeply as she released a gush of fluid and kept going, twirling his fingers in
time with each other and diving his tongue in and out of her. Her body was
responding deliciously, and Draco lapped at her juices.
Suddenly, there was a painful grip in his hair and Draco felt her grind her
hips into his face. He grinned, she was awake. Good.
He popped up, "Morning, mate," he grinned at her having stilled his hands. He
was sure his face was covered in her come, but he didn't care.
"D-Draco, don't stop," Hermione moaned as she opened her eyes to him.
"Don't stop what?" Draco asked innocently. He lifted the hand from her clitoris
to his mouth and slowly drew in a finger to lap up the juices there.
Hermione's hand slid down to caress her own nipples and she dipped one further.
Draco could feel his blood pumping at the thought of his mate masturbating, but
now wasn't the time for that. He lightly slapped her hands away.
"Don't make me tie you up," Draco warned with a light growl and narrowed eyes.
"Then fuck me already," Hermione cried out as she reached to pull him down for
a kiss.
Draco complied and snogged her senseless. Her moan at the taste of herself on
his lips had his hips pumping. He aligned himself with her and thrust inside.
She keened when he bottomed out. The feel of her wrapped around him was like
heaven. He'd never get enough of her wet heat.
"Gods, Granger. You're fucking gorgeous like this," he muttered as he pulled
out and pushed back in. He needed a better angle, he knelt and brought her hips
close to his while she wrapped her legs around his waist. She was laid out
across his thighs and Draco brought a hand down to pinch at her nipples.
"Fucking gorgeous being fucked?" Hermione asked with a breathless laugh. Her
hair surrounding her head like an angel.
"Yeah," Draco agreed as he set a sharp rhythm. The angle was good for Hermione
because every time he bottomed out inside her she let loose a little yelp. He
could feel his cock hitting her cervix, he loved fucking her like this. She
lost all control and inhibitions.
"Like that?" Draco growled he could feel the sweat pooling at his lower back.
He was panting from the exertion and watched at Hermione's chest heaved. She
mewed in response and tightened her legs around him. Her hands flung over her
head because she couldn't reach him in this position.
"Fuck, come on, mate. Come for me, gods, mate," Draco chattered as he picked up
his pace. He was slamming into her now and the sound of flesh slapping flesh
reverberated around the library.
Hermione moaned in response and reached a hand down to play with her clit. The
sight was enough to make Draco come and he roared through his orgasm.
Hermione followed shortly after her sob of ecstasy bouncing off the shelves of
the library.
===============================================================================
Draco and Hermione had a pleasant morning opening gifts, and then they spent
the remainder of Christmas day with Draco's mother and Professor Snape. The
conversation was stilted and Draco and Hermione retired early that night to
escape the tension. They spent the next few days with the pack and then it was
the day of the full moon.
Draco was insatiable leading up to the full moon. He took Hermione every way he
could in the days before.
"Gods, Draco, I'm sore," Hermione complained after their most recent bout of
lovemaking in the afternoon before the full moon.
"Sorry, love. Let me get you a potion for that," Draco felt a bit sheepish.
He'd never had such access to Hermione leading up to a full moon and he felt
like he had to take advantage while he could.
He stood from the bed they shared in his tent in the dueling court and rummaged
through his potions. The tents were fully stocked with healing, calming, and
sleeping potions for the werewolves to utilize throughout their cycle. It was
one of the better things that Fenrir did as Alpha. He insisted each of his
wolves had whatever they needed at their disposal.
"Don't feel bad, Draco," Hermione smiled up at him. "I want it just as badly as
you. It's just, I've never had so much sex before."
Draco grinned at her. Gods, he loved this witch.
"I might be ready to go again," he waggled his eyebrows at her as he returned
to their bed with a potion.
Hermione laughed, "I'm not."
Draco chuckled with her, "I really should try to get some sleep before
tonight."
"Good, I could use a nap," Hermione yawned as she snuggled into him. Draco
pulled her close and soon they were both asleep.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Draco woke with a start and almost fell out of the small bed.
"Up and at 'em, Beta! Moon's about to rise," he heard Seff call from the front
of the tent. Draco yawned as he stood up. Hermione mumbled something and
snuggled deeper into the covers. He must have really worn her out if she was
sleeping through the rising clatter Draco outside the tent.
He bent down and kissed her cheek, "I'll be back in the morning, love."
"Be safe," she muttered as she turned over in her sleep. Draco stripped from
his boxers and cast a general warding charm on his tent. He would be allowed to
enter, but nobody else. He left his wand in the tent and went to the center of
the court with the rest of his pack. He greeted the other wolves on the way.
"Good to see you're still alive, pup," Rand commented. Draco managed to beat
down his blush and just raised an eyebrow at him.
"Och, leave 'im 'lone, Rand," Mingan said. "'Tis puppy love!" And the rest of
the pack howled with laughter. Draco tried to keep a straight face and glared
at them all, but soon he was snorting with laughter too.
"All right, enough of that. Let's go!" Fenrir shouted and led the pack out the
doors and to the south wood. It was frigid and the snow on the ground chilled
Draco's feet. His teeth began to chatter and he ran a little faster to keep
warm.
It wasn't long before they were in the wood and warded in. As soon as the moon
was up, the pack was changed. This moon was different. Normally Draco found
himself pushed to the back of his mind, unable to see or hear anything around
him. Either Reule was lessening his control or Draco had finally learned to
accept the werewolf within him. He didn't feel entirely in control all night,
but it was better. He was present and aware of his surroundings. It was the
best full moon he'd ever had.
In the morning, the pack changed back and shuffled off to the dueling court.
Extra heating charms had been placed in the court and the pack enjoyed
breakfast before each of them retired to their tent.
Draco trudged into his own tent to find Hermione drinking tea and reading from
one of the books she'd taken from the library.
She jumped up when she saw him and pulled him close.
"Oh, Draco, come let's lie down. What potions do you need? How bad was the
transformation? Should we double the pain potion?" Hermione fussed as she got
him into bed and cast warming charms over him. She dug through the potions
supplies while she waited for his answer.
"It was brilliant," Draco grinned tiredly at her.
"Brilliant? What do you mean?" Hermione asked the confusion clear on her face.
"I was present for the whole night. Reule didn't shove me to the back. I wasn't
in control, but I was present."
"Oh, that's wonderful! So maybe just a general pain and sleeping potion? I
wonder what has changed?" Hermione mused as she smiled at him. Draco shrugged,
too drowsy to convey his thoughts. He was asleep before his mate had
administered all the potions.
***** Chapter 27 *****
Chapter Notes
     A/N: Beta love to brownlark42! She's like the first day in the fall
     you can turn off your air conditioner and open your windows again.
     Please note that there is a Death Eater Revel in this chapter. It's
     bad, dark, triggery, etc. If that will upset you, please skip over
     it.
     I make a manip for every chapter, you can find them on my tumbler at
     crochetawayhpff.
     As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Enjoy!
Fenrir waited for his pup and his pup's mate in the foyer of Malfoy Manor. He
didn't want to be here, but Narcissa insisted on formal greetings and goodbyes.
The Granger girl was going back to Hogwarts with Snape, but his pup had to stay
here for the New Year's Eve Revel. Fenrir drummed his fingers along his thigh
in anticipation of the revel happening later this evening. The scent of blood
thick in the air and the sound of screams wrenching through the night always
got his heart pumping. He knew he was on thin ice with the pack, and he'd have
to be careful after tonight's revel. The last one was a disaster - he'd almost
had a mutiny on his hands. He shook himself from his revelry when his pup and
mate arrived before him.
"Thank you, Fenrir, for allowing us to stay with the pack. And for answering
all of my questions," the Granger girl said after giving a small curtsy.
"Our pack, girl," Fenrir told her and clapped his Beta on the shoulder. She
grinned up at him and moved on to give her thanks to Narcissa.
Fenrir eyed Narcissa. She was doing something different with her hair these
days, and Fenrir liked it. He wondered if it had something to do with him. He'd
been unable to get her alone in several weeks, but was hoping to do so again.
Maybe he would find her before the revel tonight. Snape had been her watchdog
up until now, but Fenrir did not expect him to return after escorting his
Beta's mate back to Hogwarts.
He watched his Beta whisper something in the girl's ear. She blushed and Fenrir
smiled his approval as Snape ushered the girl out of the house and down the
drive.
"Come, pup," Fenrir said impatiently and began descending the stairs. He didn't
bother to check if his pup was following - he could hear Draco's footsteps
behind him.
"There's a revel tonight," Fenrir began as he led his pup away from the
entrance, to the dungeons and toward the dueling court.
"I'm aware," Draco replied cooly. Fenrir narrowed his eyes and turned back to
his pup. They were in the basement now, far enough away from prying eyes. The
rage that always simmered below the surface these days threatened to spill
over.
"Listen, here, pup," Fenrir growled. "You are my Beta, best not forget it. You
take orders from me. I don't want to see you cloistered away with Rand again."
He attempted to look down on his Beta, but he realized the young wolf was now
slightly taller. When had that happened? He stepped closer, crowding Draco,
until Draco's back was against the wall.
"Woah, Alpha," his pup replied and offered his neck in submission. Fenrir took
a inhaled deeply, catching his Beta's scent and the scent of his Beta's mate.
He felt Draco emanating the collective's calm, and he took a breath and let it
sweep through him. He stepped back toward the center of the corridor.
"I wasn't doing anything with Rand besides catching up," Draco replied with his
hands held up, showing he was unarmed.
"Yeah, well, Rand has been getting ideas," Fenrir muttered. He half turned away
from his Beta to peer down the hallway toward the dueling court. Fenrir tugged
on his beard as he recalled the revel a few weeks before. He'd been high on sex
and murder, and he hadn't cleaned his robes properly.
"If he does, he hasn't shared them with me," his pup told him. "I'm on your
side. I'm your Beta."
Fenrir turned his gaze back to his Beta. Draco still had his head tilted and
his neck offered in submission. His hands were down at his sides, with his
palms facing Fenrir. Fenrir sniffed and rolled his head and neck.
"Let's keep it that way," he growled. "Whatever Rand's planning, you better let
me in on the secret."
"Of course, Alpha. He hasn't told me anything, I can try to get it out of him,
if you'd like?" Draco offered.
Fenrir mulled the idea over. He knew his standing in the pack was precarious
after the last revel. He'd been trying to be the best Alpha he knew how since
then, but he couldn't get himself out of attending this upcoming revel. It was
a requirement for most of the Dark Lord's followers.
Not that he wanted to miss it. He really did relish revels. They brought him
back to his first days as a werewolf when he attacked everyone and everything.
As he gained control over his wolf, that craze died down. Unlike most of the
pack, he missed it those early times. He missed the power and freedom. He
missed the carnage. The revels brought it all back.
He could indulge in his darkest fantasies. And he did. Every time.
Revels were one of the best parts of being a Death Eater. He knew the pack
wouldn't condone his actions, and his Beta clearly didn't have the taste for
it. They were weaklings, all of them.
"Fine, figure out what he's plotting and report it to me. He won't be the first
werewolf stupid enough to cross me," Fenrir scowled as he stalked away from his
Beta and down the hall to the dueling court. He could hear Draco following
behind him as he threw open both doors and strode to his tent and his bottle of
firewhisky.
===============================================================================
Fenrir paced his tent, the half-drank bottle of firewhisky dangling from his
hand. After his confrontation with his Beta, he still felt ready to crawl out
of his skin. He didn't know how to reconcile the Death Eater to the Alpha and
it was making him anxious. He set his teeth and slammed the bottle onto the
table, making a decision that the only thing that would make him feel better
was sex. He needed to find Narcissa and see if he could coax his way back into
her robes.
He stormed out of his tent and past the dueling court half-hoping one of his
pack would get in his way so he could have a proper fight. Nobody did. He knew
his emotions must be bleeding over into the collective, but he didn't care.
Part of him was glad the pack knew to keep away and the other part was aching
for a fight.
Narcissa wasn't in her solar, so he made his way to the family wing. He finally
found her in her personal sitting room, and he barged through the door without
knocking.
"Narcissa," he growled as he strode forward. She was sitting prettily on a
settee sipping tea. Always, with the damned tea.
"Fenrir, what can I do for you?" Narcissa asked. Fenrir narrowed his eyes at
her. She was always so infernally polite. He wanted to knock that courtly look
off her face. He wanted to see her crumpled and in the throes of passion.
"You've been ignoring me," Fenrir scowled as he stood above her.
She raised an eyebrow at him and Fenrir could feel the growl working its way
onto his face.
"Have I? I've been a poor hostess. Please, forgive me," she bowed her head in
false contrition. Fenrir leaned down and grasped her elbow and pulled her to
her feet. He dragged her so she was flush with his body, grinding his hips into
hers, pushing his hard cock into her softness.
"You know what I want," Fenrir said as he leaned down and inhaled her scent. He
was rewarded with a shudder and Narcissa placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Fenrir," she breathed and Fenrir felt his cock twitch in response.
"Tell me you want it," he said between nips to her throat.
"I…"
"What… exactly... is going on here?" a silken voice asked from the doorway.
Fenrir whirled around, shoving Narcissa behind him and drawing his wand at the
same time.
"Snape," he spat out, "this has nothing to do with you. Leave now."
Fucking Snape - how had he gotten back from Hogwarts so quickly? Why was he
back at all? He was one of the few Death Eaters that the Dark Lord had given
permission to skip most revels. Fenrir had certainly not expected him to show
his face any time soon. He was always hiding at the school.
Snape had his wand casually drawn, and he had a bored expression on his face,
"Narcissa?"
Narcissa moved from behind Fenrir to face the interloper. Fenrir hoped she
would dismiss him and they could get on with it. He was painfully hard and
needed a release before the revel tonight.
"Severus, we were just catching up. Fenrir and I haven't spoken for some time,"
Narcissa said as she smoothed her robes and straightened her hair. Fenrir
narrowed his eyes at the witch and leaned down to grasp her wrist, but she
deftly moved out of his range and toward Snape. Fenrir could feel the rage
building inside of him as he watched Narcissa step close to Snape and make a
small comment he couldn't hear. She crossed the room to the door that led
toward the hallway.
"I do have something important to attend to, please excuse me," she told them
both before slipping out into the hallway.
"Gods dammit!" Fenrir raged as he stalked toward Snape. His need for a fight
had just grown and Snape was the perfect target. His blood pulsed in his ears
and his heart hammered against his ribcage.
"Calm down, wolf," Snape sneered at him. Snape was a tall man, but Fenrir still
towered over the other man.
"Don't fucking tell me what to do," Fenrir stormed, clenching his fists and
bringing his wand hand up. He couldn't decide if he wanted hex the bastard or
punch him.
Snape glared up at him and stepped to the side, turning his back on Fenrir as
he moved over to the drinks cart.
"Clearly, Cissy didn't care for your company, wolf. Not that I can blame her,"
Snape commented drily.
Fenrir wasn't having it. He cast a slicing hex at the fucker, but Snape was
ready for him and blocked it as he whirled around.
"Are you sure you want to get into a duel with me?" Snape mocked.
"You might beat me in a duel, you cunt. But I'll beat you bloody with my fists
before I leave here," Fenrir threatened as he cast another slicing hex at
Snape.
Snape smirked at him, "Perhaps. But not, if I leave you trussed up like a pig
for slaughter."
Snape stopped defending and began casting his own offensive magic at Fenrir.
Immediately, a proper duel was taking place, and in almost complete silence as
they cast hexes, curses, and jinxes at each other. Some landed, but most did
not. Fenrir eventually got sick of the byplay and tackled Snape to the floor,
crashing into the settee and the cart as they wrestled and fought. Fenrir took
all his aggression out on Snape, but Snape gave as good as he got back, trading
blow after blow. Fenrir was finally starting to tire when the door burst open
again.
"Oh for Nimue's sake!" Narcissa shouted exasperatedly when she heard the
commotion and opened to door to her sitting room. She petrified them both and
Fenrir suddenly found himself flat on his back staring up at the underside of
an end table.
Fenrir could hear murmuring and assumed Narcissa had freed Snape and sent him
on his way. He felt the spell's hold release. He sat up, wand in his hand and
was met with an irate Narcissa. Her arms were crossed in front of her and her
wand was dangling from one hand as she tapped a foot on the floor. Fenrir was
disheveled, he was bleeding from his lip and an eyebrow. He reached a hand up
and wiped the blood from his vision. His robes were torn in several places.
"Mr. Greyback," she said in an icy tone that made Fenrir flinch. He stood
quickly and bowed deeply.
"My deepest apologies, Narcissa. My behaviour was abhorrent and will never
happen again," he stood and grasped one of her hands, bringing it to his lips
for a kiss. Then he turned and left the sitting room. He half-hoped to find
Snape before he made it back to the dueling court, but he didn't. It was
probably a good thing - the Dark Lord would not take kindly to Fenrir killing a
fellow Death Eater.
===============================================================================
It was almost time for the revel and most of Fenrir's extra energy Fenrir was
still there after his failure with Narcissa and his aborted fight with Snape.
Fenrir returned to the dueling court in a mood blacker than when he had left
it. He stomped to his tent to grab his Death Eater robes and mask and went to
find Draco. Draco was in his own tent playing Exploding Snap with Seff.
"Let's go, Beta," Fenrir snarled as he gestured for Draco to follow him.
They were nearing the edge of the dueling court just as Fenrir's Dark Mark
began to burn. He took a deep breath of the frigid winter air as he put on his
robes and mask and gestured for Draco to do the same. He touched his wand to
his Mark and apparated away. Draco landed behind him and he pushed his way
through the crowd to his spot on the left side of the Dark Lord. Draco stood to
Fenrir's left as the rest of the brotherhood assembled themselves. Fenrir
breathed deeply of the cold air filled with the smell of wood smoke from the
fire at the center of the Death Eater circle. He twitched his toes as he waited
impatiently for things to begin.
"Compatriotsss," the Dark Lord hissed and instantly the collected wizards and
witches quieted.
"I am delighted to proclaim that our plansss with the Minissstry are nearly
complete. We have all of the key playersss in place and will begin the take-
over."
There was a smattering of applause from the assembled group at this news. The
tension in the air was thick and the Death Eaters were eager for something real
to start happening. They wanted to get out of the shadows and begin to wage
war.
"And thanksss to our dear brother Draco, we are nearly ready to invade
Hogwartsss. The meddling old man, Dumbledore, will be dead and trouble usss no
more!"
A huge cheer went up at this pronouncement and Fenrir slapped Draco on the
shoulder in congratulations. He knew they weren't ready to invade yet, but
Draco's work with the vanishing cabinet was going well.
"And now we celebrate the new year. Bring forth the entertainment," the Dark
Lord announced. Fenrir felt his anticipation rise - his favorite part was
coming.
Several junior Death Eaters ushered forward a large group of Muggles, including
men, women and children. Fenrir was already cataloging them and deciding which
one he wanted for himself when he felt Draco tug on his arm.
"Alpha," Draco whispered through his mask.
"Follow me, pup," Fenrir hissed to him. He knew Draco wasn't comfortable with
this. But Fenrir had a plan he thought his pup might quite enjoy. Like how he
enjoyed killing Dolohov all those weeks ago. And if he could get Draco to
murder again, all the better to adhere Draco to him.
Fenrir strode forward and grabbed the nearest adult male Muggle as Draco
followed along behind. Fenrir ignored the raised eyebrows of the few Death
Eaters who paid attention enough to know his usual fare was women. Fenrir
dragged the struggling Muggle behind him until they were in a secluded area,
behind a large copse of trees. The bonfire was still visible, but most of the
other Death Eaters took their own prizes off to secluded areas like predators
dragging their prey into dens.
"Keep him here," Fenrir commanded and stalked off, leaving the struggling
Muggle to Draco. He dimly noted that Draco Stupefied the Muggle. Not what
Fenrir would have done, but it didn't matter for Fenrir's plans. He could
Rennervate the Muggle later.
Fenrir went back to the bonfire in search of his actual prey. The Muggle was
just icing on the cake.
His target liked to wait until all but the last Muggle had been chosen.
Fenrir's quarry always enjoyed watching the terror and fear of the other
Muggles get dragged out of the clearing. Fenrir had chosen his own Muggle
swiftly, so the he could come back to the circle before the end. He was betting
he could follow his victim and safely attack without any of the other Death
Eaters being aware of what was going on. Especially her friends.
He watched and waited as one by one the Muggles disappeared Fenrir's prey
grasped the last Muggle by the hair and began pulling her away. Fenrir stalked
them until they were out of earshot of the group before attacking and bringing
both his fellow Death Eater and the unlucky Muggle back to where Draco was
waiting.
Priceless. Fenrir would have paid galleons for a photo of the look on Draco's
face when he saw his Alpha dragging Bellatrix Lestrange toward him by the hair.
"Your prize, Beta," Fenrir smirked as he dumped Bella at Draco's feet. A proud
feeling welled in Fenrir's chest. He always did like to provide for his pack.
"Wh-what for?" Draco looked bewildered.
"Rodolphus talks too much when he gets drunk. I heard what she tried to do to
you on Christmas Eve," Fenrir shrugged. "I figured you'd want revenge."
"Oh," Draco looked down at his aunt, who was still Stupefied. Fenrir had hoped
for a stronger reaction than this, but maybe once Fenrir got into it, Draco
would join in like he'd done with Dolohov.
"For fucks sake, I'll do it," Fenrir growled. He kicked the male Muggle he'd
originally selected in the ribs until he was awake. Then he Rennervated
Bellatrix and tied her wrists above her head to the nearest tree. She dangled
there, her toes barely able to touch the ground.
"What's the meaning of this? Wolf?! Draco?!" Bellatrix screeched. Fenrir winced
and directed Draco to cast a few silencing wards around them. He released the
Silencio on Bellatrix once he felt the wards drop into place. He smiled when he
realized his Beta had put up one-way silencing wards. Others wouldn't hear
them, but they could hear everything going on around them. Fenrir savored the
sounds during a revel and this one was especially potent. They didn't usually
get this many Muggles. Almost every Death Eater had their own.
"This is punishment, Bellatrix. Don't fuck with my Beta," Fenrir growled when
he turned back to his prey.
"I'll do whatever the fuck I please, wolf! You may stand at the Dark Lord's
left side, but I'm at his right!" Bellatrix snarled ferociously.
She struggled against her bonds, trying to free herself. Fenrir caught Draco
hiding a smirk behind a cough and was pleased that his Beta seemed to find this
amusing. He was doing this for Draco after all. Anything to keep his Beta on
his side and the pack complacent. The proud feeling swelled in his chest again.
This was good and right - he was sure of it.
"Oh, Beta, you're going to like this," Fenrir muttered and then pointed his
wand at the male Muggle. "Imperio."
Fenrir's grin darkened when the male Muggle stood and began pulling off his
clothes. Fenrir didn't often use the Imperius curse. He wasn't very good at
using it against other witches or wizards, but Muggles minds had fewer
barriers.
"What are you doing? What's going on?" Bella shouted as the male Muggle
approached her slowly, jerking erratically as if his movements weren't quite
his own. Fenrir admired the Muggle man he'd chosen. He was rather skinny, but
fit and not overweight.
Fenrir had always wanted to know what it felt like to fuck Bellatrix. He'd
never dip his own wick into it, but he was curious. Now was his chance to find
out. He made the male Muggle masturbate until his dick was hard.
When the Muggle finally got it up, Fenrir was disappointed in the small size of
the other man's cock. He whispered, "Engorgio." And watched as the cock grew to
an enormous size, much larger than Fenrir's own - admittedly - huge cock. It
was almost comical how big it was. Fenrir felt the male Muggle scream
internally and began battering at him in his mind. Fenrir tightened his control
on the Imperius.
"Don't do this, wolf. Don't!" Bella screamed as the Muggle man stood directly
in front of her, still stroking his grotesquely large cock. She wrenched her
wrists so hard, blood started dripping down her arms. Fenrir inhaled deeply. He
had craved the metallic scent of blood since childhood. He opened his mouth as
he breathed in again and he could taste it in the air. His own blood pumped
through his veins faster.
"Mmm, doesn't that look like a pleasant cock to fuck, Bellatrix?" Fenrir mused.
He felt his own cock stirring at the sight and couldn't wait to get his hands
on the Muggle woman Bellatrix had chosen.
"Fuck you!" Bellatrix spat. Her twisting and turning grew more frantic. Fenrir
hadn't yet directed the man to do anything more than wank in front of
Bellatrix, and she was already the most panicked Fenrir had ever seen her. He
grinned at the sight.
Fenrir glanced back at his Beta who was just watching the action and was a
little disappointed to see that the expression on his face was blank, like
someone who'd been shellshocked. He thought for sure his Beta would enjoy this.
Maybe once the actual torture began? He narrowed his eyes at the younger
werewolf and turned back to the action in front of him. He directed the Muggle
to begin tearing the clothing from Bellatrix's body.
Dimly he heard his Beta cough and retch, and Fenrir did have to consider that
his Beta might find it disturbing to look at his aunt's naked body. Bellatrix
may have been a beauty in the past, but her stint in Azkaban did her no favors.
She was pale, almost skeletal, and her breasts were small, saggy, and deflated,
with overly large nipples.
Fenrir turned to the Muggle woman laying on the ground. She was at least twenty
years younger than Bellatrix. He leaned down and ripped her top off of her to
reveal lovely, perky breasts, with small pointed nipples. He felt his shrinking
cock rebound at the vision before him.
"Stay with me Beta," Fenrir murmured over his shoulder once Draco was back on
his feet, still staring blankly. Fenrir wasn't even close to finished.
"Crucio," he whispered and watched as she dangled on the rope. When he let off
the curse, Bellatrix laughed.
"Ooh, do that again, wolf! I love a good Cruciatus. Get's all my juices
flowing," Bellatrix taunted.
Fenrir rolled his eyes. It figured the sick fuck liked the Cruciatus. He
directed the Muggle to get on his knees and to begin licking Bellatrix's slit.
Rape was always so much more meaningful when they enjoyed it, Fenrir thought.
It was amusing to watch Bellatrix struggle to keep the Muggle from touching
her, but the Muggle grabbed a thigh in each arm and yanked them open to access
her cunt. The Muggle gave a few licks and Fenrir decided Bellatrix needed some
help. He made the Muggle's tongue larger as well, so large it didn't fit back
in the Muggle's mouth. Then he added a vibrating spell to it. The internal
screaming started up again, and Fenrir tightened his control on the Imperius
once more. He could feel himself break out in a sweat as he directed as much
mental control as he dared to the Muggle.
This time Bellatrix's shrieks were of a sort of pained pleasure that Fenrir
rather enjoyed. He watched the Muggle eat her out and palmed his own cock
through his robes, trying to relieve some of the pleasure there. He directed
the Muggle to start fucking her with his tongue and was delighted in the
changed pitch of Bellatrix's screams. Then he had the Muggle start putting one
finger into her arsehole, gradually increasing the amount. Without the benefit
of lube, Fenrir knew how painful that would be.
It wasn't long before Bellatrix squealed out an orgasm and hung limp and
sobbing while the Muggle continued fucking her with his engorged, vibrating
tongue and had his entire fist in her arse. Fenrir enjoyed watching the blood
drip down the Muggles arm. He had his hand in his trousers now, fully wanking
at the sight in front of him. Fenrir had never used the Imperius this way
before, but he was now thinking this needed to be part of his arsenal.
He had all but forgotten about his Beta.
"Enough," Draco gasped out.
Fenrir turned and raised an eyebrow. It was disappointing that Draco didn't
appreciate the gift Fenrir had given him.
"I don't think so, Beta," Fenrir replied coldly.
He turned back to the tableau in front of him and had the Muggle man stand up.
He released Bellatrix from her bonds. She was broken and crying, unable to
move. Fenrir directed the Muggle to put her on her hands and knees and began
fucking her from behind with his enormous cock, which was almost the size of a
beater's bat. He had the Muggle increase the pace incrementally and Fenrir's
heart raced at how quickly the Muggle's hips were pumping. Watching the way
that giant cock appeared and disappeared inside Bellatrix made his own cock
strain in response.
He grabbed the Muggle woman by the hair and Rennervated her. Her screams
mingled with Bellatrix's, serving to make Fenrir even harder. The scent of
blood in the air, and the erotic sight in front of him was so good that he
didn't want to waste it on a wank. He stripped the Muggle woman and cast a
Cruciatus to loosen her muscles and take the fight out of her. Then he got down
on top of her and pushed inside. It was heaven. Her pussy clenched his cock and
he grasped her tits, roughly squeezing them as he pounded inside of her. Her
blood mixed with his pre-cum to lubricate her tight channel.
"Crucio her, Beta," Fenrir ordered as his climax approached. "The Dark Lord
checks wands," he gasped out, pumping faster. He was pumping in time with the
Muggle man in front of him.
As soon as Draco cast the Cruciatus, Fenrir was coming. He grunted through his
orgasm. He'd perfected his mid-revel post-orgasm ritual. He stood quickly and
tucked himself in his pants. Then he cast an Avada Kedavra at the Muggle woman,
then paused to relish and relax in his pleasure.
When he looked around, he found the Muggle man lying on the ground Petrified.
Bellatrix and Draco were gone.
***** Chapter 28 *****
Chapter Notes
     A/N: The usual beta love to brownlark42. Siriusly, she's the best.
     Ya'll would not be reading this fic without her because it would be
     terrible. She's like that first sip of coffee in the morning.
     I make a manip for every chapter, find me on tumblr at
     crochetawayhpff.
     As always, I love to know your thoughts!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Draco couldn't believe what he was seeing. Sure, he hated his Aunt Bella. She
was insane, aggressive, and utterly disturbing. That did not mean he wanted to
see her naked, much less brutally raped by a spell-damaged muggle.
He wiped his mouth. He'd just vomited twice while watching the muggle stick his
disgusting beater's bat of a cock inside his aunt's… he couldn't even think the
word. He had to get her out of here.
"Crucio her, Beta" he heard Fenrir say. He turned to look at his Alpha and
realized the wolf was raping the muggle woman. Draco closed his eyes. He didn't
want to be here. Maybe if he wished hard enough, he'd just disappear.
When he opened his eyes he was still in the same small clearing, watching two
rapes happening at the same time. The forest around them was thick with the
sound of screams and grunts. The coppery smell of blood was thick in the air
and Draco felt his stomach roll again. He turned to the side and spat. He'd
emptied his stomach, so there would be no more vomiting this night, but he
still struggled to control the urge to retch. He was suddenly incredibly
grateful for Snape taking Hermione back to Hogwarts that afternoon. He didn't
want her to see him after something like this.
"The Dark Lord checks wands," Fenrir grunted. Draco groaned quietly and rubbed
his face. He drew his wand and pointed it at the muggle woman and whispered
Crucio. He watched as Fenrir came, and Draco wished for a hot shower and the
chance and scrub himself raw as if he could wash away the horror. He never
wanted to watch another man orgasm, especially in an act of violence. The
intimacy was too much, even in Draco's current shocked state.
Then he saw his opportunity. Without thinking, he Petrified the muggle man,
grasped his aunt's arm, and Apparated them away.
"Dear gods!" he heard his mother shout. When he opened his eyes, he realized he
had Apparated them straight into her personal sitting room.
"What happened? Draco? Are you all right?" his mother asked as she crossed the
room to look at him.
"I'm fine, Mother! It's Aunt Bella. We have to do something," Draco was
panicking now. Why had he done this? How was he going to explain this to
Fenrir? Fenrir thought he was doing Draco a favor, but Draco never wanted
something like this to happen. He -
SMACK!
His mother slapped him hard across the face, and all of Draco's thoughts came
screeching to a halt. He blinked and stared at her.
"What happened? What is going on, Draco?" Mother asked.
"It's Fenrir, h-he thought he was doing me a favor," Draco explained, his words
toppling over one another, "That I would like this. But he abducted Aunt Bella
and had a muggle rape her. He used Imperius on the muggle and engorged the
muggles, er, bits. I-I don't know why I brought her here. I just couldn't stand
to watch it anymore. I had to stop it. So when he was, um, distracted, I
grabbed her and blind Apparated," Draco finished in a rush.
"All right, deep breaths. I'll take care of this," his mother said. She guided
Draco to her settee and set him on it. Then she called for Tink and had the elf
bring a fresh pot of tea. Draco sat on his mother's settee drinking tea as his
mother worked on healing her sister. The moment seemed very surreal like it
couldn't actually be happening. He pinched his arm to see if this was a dream,
but he didn't wake up and the pinch hurt.
Finally, his mother managed to get the bleeding to stop and she dressed Aunt
Bella in one of her dressing gowns.
"Mother, what am I going to tell Fenrir? What are we going to tell the Dark
Lord? Bella will have him killed for this," Draco said. He felt numb. He had no
idea how he was going to get himself out of this. He could only hope his mother
had an idea.
After a pause, his mother asked, "Draco what do you know of disco lollies?"
"Disco lollies? What are you talking about?" Draco asked, confused.
"It's a drug... your aunt Bella is quite fond of it. At least she was in her
youth, and judging by her behavior over the last few weeks, I'm guessing she
still takes it. It causes euphoria, disorientation, and sometimes memory loss….
and hallucination, depending on the stability of the mind. It's especially
potent when taken over long periods of time." She gazed at Bella thoughtfully,
"I'm going to very slightly modify Bella's memory. Make it her wish to be tied
up and raped by a muggle. Her wand to cast the spells on the muggle. And make
her feel like she enjoyed it."
"You can do that?" Draco was awed. Memory spells were extraordinarily difficult
and tricky to perform correctly, especially on witches and wizards.
"I can, but I'm hoping that her past and current usage of the drug will help
with this. When she wakes up, we'll tell her a modified version of events to
explain why she is where she is. Then we'll find your Fenrir and explain things
to him. It shouldn't be hard to show him why it is a terrible idea to kidnap
and rape a fellow Death Eater, and how absurd it is to expect the Dark Lord to
support his revenge without first seeking permission. I fear that Greyback has
inflated his ego too much over the last few weeks. We need to remind him of his
place in the world," his mother finished coldly.
Draco could only nod.
"Good, I'm going to wake Bella now," she said. She levitated her sister to the
settee opposite Draco and Rennervated her.
Aunt Bella woke slowly, and when she did, she looked very confused.
"There you are, Bella," Mother said gently. "You gave us a scare."
"What happened? Where am I?" Aunt Bella asked as she slowly sat up and gazed
around the room. She blinked owlishly before focusing on Narcissa, who was
kneeling at her side.
"You overdosed, darling. At the revel. Draco found you convulsing and drooling
on the ground. He was scared for you and brought you here. Can you tell me what
you remember?" Mother prompted. Her hand was resting casually on the settee
next to Aunt Bella, and she held her wand comfortably, with the tip pointed
toward Aunt Bella's head. To the casual observer, it looked like nothing. To
Draco, he could see the tip rotating. His mother was speaking to Aunt Bella and
casting at the same time. Draco was impressed. He knew his mother was powerful,
but this was a potent reminder.
"A muggle, I wanted him to fuck me. He had the largest cock I'd ever seen and I
couldn't wait for it to be inside me. I've never fucked a muggle before… it
was…" Aunt Bella trailed off vaguely.
Draco managed to keep his nausea in check, but it was a near thing. He may need
his mother to cast a memory charm on him, so he could forget this whole night.
Or maybe just get rid of all the bits of his aunt being raped, and seeing her
naked body. He'd have to remember to ask her about it later.
"And, then, it's all blank after that? I don't think I ate any discos…?" she
looked up at them in question.
"Darling, you must have," Mother insisted. "You had all the classic signs. Even
after all these years, I still recognize them."
"I guess," Aunt Bella agreed mistily.
"I'm sure of it. We can chat with Rodolphus and he'll probably tell us the same
thing," Mother assured her.
"Draco - go track down Rodolphus. The revel must be over by now," Mother
commanded.
Draco sat a moment longer, but when his mother turned around to glare at him,
he shook himself and stood up. He left the room and wandered through the Manor.
He felt like a passenger in his own head as he headed toward the Manor grounds.
He couldn't even feel Reule in the back of his mind.
"Draco?" a smooth deep voice questioned. Draco looked around and found Snape
staring at him. For once, he actually had an expression on his face. It almost
looked like worry, but then it was gone.
"Do you know where Rodolphus is?" Draco asked.
"Does this have something to do with Bellatrix?" Snape replied. Draco could
only nod.
"Tell me where she is," he commanded.
Draco complied. He was too stunned and overwhelmed to do anything else.
"Go to your room and stay there," Snape ordered. Draco obeyed, numbly walking
away.
===============================================================================
"BETA!" The roar woke Draco out of a dead sleep. He sat up on his bed as his
bedroom door burst inward and his Alpha stalked through.
"What. The. Fuck. Is going on?" Greyback asked as he strode to the bed and
picked Draco up by the collar of his nightshirt. Draco was taller than
Greyback, so the effect was mitigated, but Draco still felt like pissing his
pants at the look on the other werewolf's face.
"Um…" Draco tried to say.
"Don't even fucking start with me," Greyback growled as he pushed Draco away
from him and turned to pace the room. Draco sprawled on the floor, frozen for a
moment before his brain caught up and he scrambled to his feet.
"Listen, Fenrir, Alpha. I had to -" Draco was cut off again by Greyback's roar.
"HAD TO? HAD TO WHAT?" Greyback flew across the room to get into Draco's face
again.
"Calm down, wolf," a silky voice said from the doorway. Draco looked over
Greyback's shoulder to see Snape standing there with a wand in his hands. He
was fully dressed, despite it being the middle of the night. His mother peered
over Snape's shoulder, and Draco breathed a sigh of relief. Snape and his
mother would explain what happened.
"Fucking Snape. You don't know when to leave it alone, do you?" Greyback
thundered as he prowled toward the Potions Master.
Mother pushed past Snape and entered Draco's room.
"Really, Fenrir. There is an explanation for Draco's actions earlier," Mother
explained calmly. Draco was impressed. She was tiny in comparison to the three
males in the room, and yet she was the calmest power. He could see the tense
line of Snape's shoulders, and Greyback's hands were curled into fists at his
sides.
Greyback flicked his gaze over Draco's mother, then he turned his back on both
her and Snape to address Draco, "Explain, Beta. Now."
"You couldn't kill her. You didn't have permission from the Dark Lord," Draco
began.
"How do you know I didn't have permission?" Greyback menaced.
Snape snorted, "As if the Dark Lord would allow you to torture or kill his most
trusted lieutenant? Bella could kill every one of the other Death Eaters and
the Dark Lord would still elect to keep her alive. Men don't kill the women who
suck their cocks, especially women as twisted as Bella."
Draco grimaced at the mental image that created.
"Go. On." Greyback rumbled.
"You couldn't kill her. And what was your plan if you left her alive? She'd go
right to the Dark Lord and tell him what happened. I thought if I could get her
away to Mother, maybe Mother could talk her down or something," Draco finished
lamely. He had no excuse. He just couldn't bear to see what Greyback's
abomination was doing to her.
"I altered her memory, Fenrir," Mother said. She reached out and placed a hand
on Fenrir's arm as he was passing. The other werewolf stilled instantly and
looked at her hand. Draco didn't like the look in his eyes and he didn't miss
Snape's look darkening either.
"She won't remember any of it? What good is that? It was supposed to teach her
a lesson. To keep her hands off my Beta," Fenrir glared.
"Bella is unstable. She's been unstable most of her life, even before she was
in Azkaban," Draco's mother explained. "I convinced her that she had been
dropping disco lollies and that she overdosed."
"She's resting now, recovering from her overdose," Snape drawled.
"She remembers wanting to fuck the muggle," Mother said. Draco couldn't ever
remember hearing such coarse language from his mother. It was shocking to hear
her say it now. He felt his mouth drop open as he gaped at her Then he caught
Snape's eye and instantly rearranged his features to hide what he was thinking.
"And her kidnap? Did you take those memories away too? Or were you only
concerned with protecting the boy?" Greyback snapped.
"Of course, Fenrir. This was to protect you both. I appreciate that you want
revenge on Bella for her transgressions against Draco. It comforts me to know
you prize his safety as much as I do," Mother demurred. Draco thought he might
be sick. There was an underlying current between the adults in the room that he
didn't fully understand. He wasn't sure he wanted to know. Greyback was visibly
calming under his mother's touch and Snape was getting angrier and angrier the
longer his mother reassured Greyback.
"I want to see her," Greyback stated.
"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Snape replied. Draco could see he was making
an effort to look bored. And maybe Greyback bought it. But Draco had sat in a
crowded classroom with the man for six years, and he could see that Snape was
practically vibrating with suppressed rage.
"Am I just supposed to take your word? I think not. I want to see her,"
Greyback said again.
"Severus, I think it'll be fine if we bring Greyback in for tea in the morning,
don't you?" Draco's mother asked. Draco could hear the steel in her voice.
"As you wish, Cissy," Snape conceded with a small nod.
"Fine, I'll be up again in the morning," Greyback grunted. He pulled his arm
from Draco's mother's grasp and turned back to Draco. "Pup, you're coming with
me."
Draco nodded and followed Greyback as he left his bedroom and headed for the
dueling court. As they left the family wing, Draco looked over his shoulder to
find Snape and his mother arguing quietly as they headed back down the hall
toward his mother's suite. They entered her rooms and the hallway was silent
again.
===============================================================================
"Aunt Bella, how are you?" Draco asked solicitously as he entered the solar
with Greyback.
"Fine, Draco, just fine. Bit of a headache this morning. I gather I got a
little rough at the revel last night," Aunt Bella cackled.
Draco attempted his best to grin at her, but he was sure that it was actually a
grimace.
"You were pretty out of it," Draco said as he sat and began preparing his tea.
"So I heard. Don't quite remember too much. Cissy tells me you found me?" Aunt
Bella asked.
Draco nodded, eager to play along with the memory charms his mother performed,
"Yes, you were just laying there twitching and foaming at the mouth. I didn't
know what was going on, so I brought you to Mother."
Draco leaned back in his chair so he could observe Greyback's reaction to this
information and to Bella.
"I was? I don't remember?" Aunt Bella trailed off.
"You would not remember, Bella," Mother said kindly as she patted Aunt Bella's
shoulder. "It was like the time from your sixth year when you had overdosed on
disco lollies and your dormmate came to get me. What was her name? Carrow? Or
Bulstrode? Or maybe she's a Carrow now? I am not sure. Anyway, the signs are
all the same as then. And after. The memory loss."
Uncle Rodolphus strolled into the room then and Draco felt his throat close. He
never managed to retrieve Uncle Rodolphus last night, because Snape had
intervened. He didn't know if Uncle Rodolphus would play along with the fiction
they had created.
"Cissy, thank you again for your quick actions with Bella last night," Uncle
Rodolphus said as he accepted a cuppa and sat next to his wife. He patted her
on the hand and gave her a small smile. "I worry about you, darling. Don't go
scaring me like that again."
"Of course not, Rodolphus," Aunt Bella said returning his smile. It was the
most loving Draco had ever seen the pair, and he struggled to keep the
surprised look off his face. He shouldn't have been concerned about Uncle
Rodolphus, his mother seemed to have him wrapped around her finger as tightly
as she had Snape and Greyback. Which meant…. No. Absolutely not. Whatever was
going on was a mystery and would stay a mystery. He knew how he was wrapped
around Hermione's finger, and why. And it wasn't all just because she was his
mate. He would not think about his mother in a similar situation.
"Good revel, eh Bella?" Greyback asked as he leaned back into the settee he
shared with Draco. He stirred his tea slightly and took a sip as he watched
Aunt Bella over his teacup.
Draco almost trembled with the fear that Greyback was going to trigger a memory
for his aunt. Or that his aunt would suddenly recover and know exactly what had
been done to her. Did his mother remember to fix all her injuries? Even the
ones to her… Draco shook the next thought from his mind.
"I quite enjoyed the time I spent with the muggle girl I found," Greyback
continued.
Aunt Bella cocked her head to the side as though she were trying to figure out
what Greyback was getting at.
"Well, I do enjoy a good spot of torture. I was going to pick a woman, but I
chose a man this time," Aunt Bella said with a grin. Draco tried to return the
expression, but he wasn't sure he was successful. "But I'm afraid my memory
quite escapes me about last night. I hope I did get at least one Cruciatus in
before falling ill. Have to keep in practice, you know." She directed the last
bit to Draco. He nodded along as though he also enjoyed 'a good spot of
torture.' His family was full of sick fucks. Draco could readily admit that to
himself. He was glad he had Hermione to be his guiding light. She would help
him stay on the right side of this conflict and history. His family certainly
wasn't doing him any favors in that regard.
As the tea continued, Greyback kept pushing on Aunt Bella to talk about events
from the previous night. He asked if she remembered the meeting prior to the
revel. Thankfully, his mother seemed to be skilled enough with memory charms
that there were no plot holes.
"Yes, yes, of course, I remember the Dark Lord's announcements," Aunt Bella
said as she waved her hand. "I remember it all, even wanting the fuck the
Muggle. Why I'd want to fuck him and not torture him I can't recall. Have we
fought recently, Rodolphus?"
"Of course not, my sweet," Rodolphus murmured as he picked up her hand and
kissed the inside of her wrist.
Draco wanted to vomit again at the display between his aunt and uncle. He did
not want to hear about his aunt's sexual urges.
Snape entered the room then, "Cissy, I didn't know you had company," he said as
he stood near the door stiffly.
"Come in, Severus. We've just sat down for tea. Have a cuppa," Draco's mother
invited and patted the arm of the empty chair next to her.
Draco was sure he could hear Greyback growling very low in his throat. He
wanted to cover his ears and sing 'la la la's' at the top of his lungs. He did
not want to be privy to any of the sick rivalry had just flooded the room.
"Snape, when are we due to head back to school?" Draco asked, knowing it was
later that afternoon.
"In a few hours. Do be on time," Snape replied.
Draco nodded, "I best go pack then. I fear I have belongings strewn all over
the house."
Draco took his leave of the room, happy to leave the room and its latent
hostility. He was ready to go back to Hogwarts. Ready to see Hermione again. He
was not ready to face the questions, stares, and insults he was sure to get
when classes resumed the following day.
But he had Hermione, and together they could weather anything that came their
way.
Chapter End Notes
     A/N: Quick note - the term 'disco lollies' was taken from 'disco
     biscuits' which is apparently another name for ecstasy/Molly/MDMA.
     Well, that's what google told me anyway. I loved it and changed it to
     disco lollies for the wizarding version of this drug. Also, I feel
     like I should say I do not condone the use of drugs, they made a good
     plot device for this story, that is all. Hope ya'll liked it!
***** Chapter 29 *****
Hermione took a deep breath as she walked through the doors of the Great Hall;
she briefly squeezed Draco's hand as students began to notice them. It started
with the Hufflepuffs. The table at first fell silent, but then soft, urgent
whispers emerged. The Ravenclaws were next, followed by the Slytherins. The
Gryffindors were last, of course, but their table had the loudest explosion of
whispers. Draco returned the squeeze and dropped a kiss on the top of her head
before releasing her hand and sauntering over to the Slytherin table. Hermione
envied how cool he looked. As they faced the first dinner back after the
Christmas hols, she was sure he felt as much turmoil as she did. He didn't show
it.
Hermione squared her shoulders and headed toward the Gryffindors. She slid into
a seat next to Harry, who patted her back. Ron was across from her and he
didn't look happy. Lavender was nowhere in sight.
"Here, now. What's this?" Ron asked. His face was red and he had his wand
clutched in his hand.
"What's what?" Hermione asked as she grabbed a dinner roll and began tearing it
apart in her hands. She was too nervous to eat. The whispers continued and she
could feel hundreds of eyes on her.
"Don't play dumb, Hermione. You were holding hands with Malfoy. Malfoy!" Ron
exploded.
"Ron!" Hermione hissed. "I know his name, no need to shout it."
"I thought you were gathering information, not holding his bleeding hand! Are
you dating him?" Ron asked. He was redder than Hermione had ever seen him.
"And if I am Ron? What's it to you?" Hermione sighed. They were going to have
it out one way or another. Better to get it over with now than try to placate
Ron and have him blow up again later.
"You can't! You just can't! He's a Slytherin! A fucking Death Eater!" Ron
shouted as he stood from the table. He pushed away violently and looked across
the hall at Malfoy.
"Ron, sit down," Hermione said tiredly and began to stand. She really didn't
want to have this conversation in the Great Hall, but she wasn't looking
forward to forcing Ron to leave. She gestured for Harry to help her get Ron out
of the Great Hall.
"No, Hermione — I'll get him —" Ginny whipped her wand out and hexed Ron with
her infamous bat-bogey. Bats started flying out of his nose as Ron tried to
knock them away with his hands. Hermione gave Ginny a brief smile in thanks.
Ginny nodded back and crossed her arms, looking satisfied with herself.
"Ginny! What'd you do that for?" Ron grumped. Hermione took her opportunity.
She nodded at Harry and the two of them hustled Ron out of the Great Hall, into
the Entrance Hall, and toward the Room of Requirement.
Hermione paced in front of the troll tapestry, trying to focus on Ron and avoid
thinking about Draco. She didn't want her and Draco's room, but something
similar would be good for a private conversation. When the door began appearing
in the bricks, she grabbed Ron's arm and pushed him through in front of her,
while Harry trailed behind. They stepped into what looked like a smaller
version of the Gryffindor common room. Red and gold curtains hung on the walls
and there was a roaring fire in the hearth with a couch and two armchairs
clustered around a coffee table. Hermione dragged Ron to the couch and pushed
him down on it. He was still fighting the bat-bogeys flying out of his nose.
Hermione twirled her wand and whispered the counter-curse. Hermione was one of
the lucky few that Ginny had shared it with.
"Ugh, that is just vile," Ron complained as he cleaned his hands with a
Scourgify.
"Are you ready to listen?" Hermione asked. She hadn't sat, but Harry did. He
had the good sense to sit close enough to Ron that he could grab him if things
got out of hand. Hermione knew Harry wasn't happy about this development
either, but Harry at least knew the rest of the story. Hermione debated how
much she should tell Ron. It wasn't that Ron was untrustworthy, but he did have
a tendency to talk too much. Hermione had heard more than one secret tumble out
of Ron's mouth at an inopportune time, and she didn't want Draco's secret to be
the same.
"What's going on with you and Lavender?" Hermione asked trying to distract Ron
long enough for him to calm down.
"She's bloody insane," Ron said. "Keeps talking of rings and weddings, she
does."
Harry snorted and leaned back on the couch, catching Hermione's eye. Hermione
shrugged. She didn't know what to tell Ron. Maybe she should just start with
the basics?
"So you aren't together anymore?" Hermione asked after Ron fell silent again.
Ron looked up at her horrified, "I'm too young to get married."
Hermione laughed, "Good, at least you recognize that."
"What's going on with Malfoy? I thought you were just talking?" Ron asked. He'd
calmed some. He was getting better at managing himself. His blowups were
shorter and he came around faster. Hermione figured she should be thankful for
that at least.
"Well, we were just talking. But things started to change..." Hermione trailed
off and shrugged again. Ron looked at her thoughtfully.
"What aren't you telling me?" Ron asked.
Hermione thought for a moment.
"He's a werewolf and I'm his mate," she finally said.
"HE'S A WHAT? YOU'RE WHAT?" Ron shouted in confusion and anger, standing from
the couch. Harry grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him back down. Ron
plopped back on the couch in a graceless heap. Hermione quirked a smile at
their antics. She was glad Harry was with her.
"See why she doesn't want to tell you things?" Harry asked. He had slung an arm
over Ron's shoulders, holding him in place.
"But, what? When did this happen? How did this happen? I don't-" Ron sputtered.
Hermione sighed. "It was his punishment. Voldemort decided that Draco was to be
punished because Lucius failed to capture the prophecy last spring."
"That hardly seems fair. Shouldn't be punished for your father's sins. Isn't
that a saying or something?" Ron asked.
Hermione let loose a low chuckle. She was glad that Ron had matured some over
the years.
"Yes, it's barbaric to punish the son for the father's sins. But it's
Voldemort. Anyway, Fenrir Greyback bit him over the summer. So now he's part of
Greyback's pack. His Beta actually. And as strange as it might seem, I'm his
mate. He figured it out on the Hogwarts Express back in September."
"You've been seeing him since September?" Ron asked. He looked at Harry for
confirmation.
"Not really," Hermione admitted. "More like, since the middle of October or so?
I'm not sure when it all happened, but there are a mate bond and pheromones at
play. I - It's hard to explain," Hermione said.
Ron nodded thoughtfully, "Is this why you aren't around anymore? You are always
with Malfoy?"
Hermione hung her head. She knew she had been neglecting her friends. She
didn't realize they had noticed though.
"I'm sorry. I'll try to be around more," Hermione said.
"S'all right. I was a little too involved with Lavender there for a while," Ron
admitted. Hermione grinned at him. This is why they were friends. They might
get angry, but they were always managed to work things out.
===============================================================================
 
The following weekend was a Hogsmeade weekend, and Hermione, Draco, and Harry
had plans to meet with Tonks and Lupin at the back of Madam Puddifoot's again.
The previous week had been fairly unbearable for Hermione. She and Draco had
hardly had a chance to even speak to each other privately. They spent less time
in the Room of Requirement and more time in the library studying. They had
decided if they were going to be out, they shouldn't hide away. There were
whispers and stares every time they were together, but it was still better than
being apart.
Hermione had taken to keeping her wand in her hand at all times and a shield
charm ready to go. The Slytherins were getting downright nasty in their hexes.
Harry and Ron helped where they could, and surprisingly Parkinson did as well.
In Ancient Runes, Nott had tripped Hermione as she walked past him and her bag
split open when it hit the floor. Draco wasn't there yet, but Pansy was. As
Hermione repaired her bag, Pansy distracted Nott by starting an argument and
then used a handy spell — that Hermione was determined to learn from her later
— to help collect her things and file them neatly back into the bag.
Hermione couldn't wait until the next scandal happened. She was sick of being
in the spotlight. She was hoping this weekend would provide a little relief and
next week would be better. At this point, any amount of stress taken off of her
would help. She felt like she couldn't relax for a second or else all the balls
she and Draco were juggling would come tumbling down.
It didn't help that letters from Remus were few and far between. Hermione
suspected he wasn't helping as much as he promised. She knew how much he hated
the werewolf side of himself and that he resented that was always the role he
played for Dumbledore. Token werewolf. But Draco needed the help. And at this
point, Hermione was prepared to do anything she could to help Draco.
"Wotcher, 'Mione, cousin," Tonks said as Draco and Hermione entered the room
they had secured atop Madam Puddifoot's.
Hermione smiled and greeted both Tonks and Remus with a hug. Then they poured
tea and had some small talk while they waited for Harry to arrive.
The door blew open, and then shut again, but nobody was there. Hermione reached
her hand out and grasped the edge of the cloak. As she pulled, Harry appeared
out of thin air.
"Sorry 'bout that. Had to dodge Ron," Harry said as he tried to flatten his
hair.
Once they were all seated, Remus began the meeting, "All right, I've had some
luck in convincing a few wolves to join my pack. I've got three so far -"
"Three is not enough," Draco said as he leaned back in his seat and ran his
hands through his hair. Hermione could feel the tension rolling off of him.
He'd been tense since he returned from Christmas hols, and he had been very
vague about what happened at the revel. She hated that he was still keeping
secrets from her, even if she had a few of her own to keep as well.
"I know, but it takes time to convince wary werewolves to join the pack of
someone who has been a lone wolf his whole life," Remus replied evenly.
Hermione peered at him and could see he was strained as well.
"What would help?" she asked.
"Money," Remus replied. "They're all hungry. None of them can work, and most
don't even have a house to sleep in most of the time."
"That's an easy fix," Draco said as he leaned forward. "Give me your Gringotts
account info and I'll have some money transferred to it. Can you use it to
bribe them?"
"I will try. I'm not…" Remus trailed off and Tonks took his hand.
"This is hard for Remus. Being a werewolf is an absolute curse for him. He
abhors the violence of the lifestyle and given his choice, he would never see
or contact another werewolf for the rest of his life. They're not civilized,
and they do not welcome him either. It's just hard - but he doesn't have a
choice," Tonks explained.
Hermione frowned. She knew it was hard. This was war - it was hard for
everyone. Tonks and Remus were the adults. Why was every adult in Hermione's
life insisting that her generation fight the war? Why was it was her generation
that needed to figure out the problems and take care of them? She was
exasperated; she had had enough.
"Listen, I understand. It's a tough position to be in, and I don't blame you
for hating being a werewolf. But we," she gestured to herself, Draco and Harry,
"can't be the only ones fighting this war. If Volde - the Dark Lord gets wind
that you aren't trying hard enough, Draco is the one who will be punished.
Draco is taking a bigger risk than any of us to help win the war. You're the
adults and you are the ones allegedly leading the Order. You need to suck it up
and deal with it."
Draco and Harry looked at her in awe.
"Damn right, Hermione," Harry said. "I'm sick of all the adults pushing this
war on us."
Remus groaned and dropped his head into his hands, "It's not that simple. We
aren't pushing the war on you. I just am not any good at this Alpha business.
Or at convincing the other wolves to trust me."
"Then get good at it," Hermione snapped. "Draco's going to give you funds.
Merlin, Remus, they don't have to fight for the light, they just have to
promise to not fight for the dark! Just taking the werewolves out of the fight,
in general, will be enough. You aren't trying to save their souls, you are
trying to save lives."
"Fine," Remus snapped back. "Let's move on to Order business."
Suddenly, the door to the room opened again, and Ron Weasley was standing in
the threshold with Lavender Brown hanging on him, kissing his neck. He looked
confused for a moment and then his face darkened.
"Oi! What's going on here?" he asked as he looked back and forth between
Hermione and Harry. Hermione kept her face calm and relaxed, but she glanced at
Harry and he looked guilty. Merlin, he's a terrible liar, she thought.
"Ron," Harry began, but then looked at Hermione as if asking her permission.
She sighed. Of course, this was another mess for her to clean up. And Lavender
was here too. What a disaster. She stood, pulled both Ron and Lavender into the
room, and shut the door. Then she properly warded it, surprised that Remus and
Tonks hadn't already done it. Draco conjured chairs for both newcomers while
Hermione shoved them into the seats.
"Merlin, what are we going to do?" she looked at Draco and Harry, completely
ignoring the rest of the room.
"What in the bloody hell is going on?" Ron shouted.
"For Circe's sake, Ron! Just shut up! For one fucking minute, shut up!"
Hermione shouted as she whirled on him and put her wand in his face. She didn't
know if it was the swearing or the wand, but he shut his mouth.
Hermione took a deep breath as she paced the length of the room for a moment
her wand still in her hand. She was trying to decide what to do when Draco
spoke up.
"Weasley's practically in the Order, we should tell him. If you're worried
he'll blab, let's make him take a wizarding vow. I think Brown should get a
wizarding vow to not speak about what she saw here and then she learns nothing
else," Draco said quietly.
"I won't blab!" Ron shouted. Hermione glared at him, and Harry sighed and cast
a silencing spell over him. Draco nodded his thanks to Harry. Even in the
middle of everything that was going on, Hermione was glad to see this tiny
gesture as proof that Harry and Draco could get along.
Ron's face was growing redder and redder as he sat under the silencing spell.
Lavender just looked around with curious eyes. Too curious in Hermione's
opinion. The Brown's were an old pureblood family, and Hermione had never fully
ascertained where she stood. She could not be allowed to leave here with any
information.
"What about an Obliviate for Lavender instead?" Hermione asked. Ron's chair
bucked like he had attempted to stand, when Hermione looked in his direction,
Harry had a firm hand on his shoulder. Harry looked like he was spoiling for a
fight. He had been so angry this year.
Draco thought for a moment, "I wouldn't trust myself to do one. What's the
concern?"
"She can't be allowed to mention any of this to anyone. I'm worried a vow could
be talked around. Or written around or something," Hermione replied. "I've been
practicing my Obliviate, actually," she admitted.
Draco raised an eyebrow at her, but Hermione looked away. She didn't want to
tell him she was considering Obliviating her parents and sending them away.
They were sitting ducks in the Muggle world, and she didn't want them to be
hurt or killed because of the part she was playing in this war.
"I think a wizarding vow is the way to go. Obliviates are tricky things, and
they can be overridden with enough Veritaserum. Even with Veritaserum, a
wizarding vow will hold if worded correctly."
Hermione nodded. She turned to the group - everyone was now quiet and staring
at her and Draco. Draco grasped her hand and squeezed. Hermione took a deep
breath.
"Ron - we'll tell you everything, on the condition you take a wizarding vow
that you won't repeat or divulge anything you heard or saw here today with
anyone outside this room. Also, Lavender won't be included in the vow, so you
will not be able to discuss with her at a later date," Hermione stated. "Do you
accept our terms?"
Harry canceled the silencing spell sometime during Hermione's proposal.
"And if I don't agree, 'Mione?" Ron asked petulantly.
"I'll Obliviate you," Hermione replied.
"Hermione!" Remus and Harry shouted standing from the table. Tonks was looking
at her with her jaw hanging open in shock.
"I won't have him inadvertently blabbing secrets that will get someone killed.
He's almost as bad as Hagrid in that respect," Hermione snapped.
Ron had the grace to look sheepish, "You're right 'Mione. I just forget. I'll
take the vow."
"Good. Lavender, you can either be Obliviated or you can take the same vow,
except you don't get to learn anything new. It's your choice," Hermione said
her voice like steel.
"I'll take the vow too, Hermione," Lavender said, suitably cowed.
"Good. You first then, Draco will be our bonder," Hermione stood next to
Lavender and grabbed her wrist.
"Will you, Lavender Brown, keep everything you have seen and heard today, from
the moment you stepped foot into Madam Puddifoot's, to the moment you leave, in
confidence?" Draco asked and twirled his wand in a complicated pattern.
"I so vow," Lavender said quietly and a bright blue strand of magic circled
around Hermione and Lavender's wrists. Draco tapped his wand on their joined
hands and the magic sank into their skin, leaving nothing behind.
"You will not disclose any information, whether directly or indirectly -
verbally, symbolically, or in writing - about anything you have seen, heard,
thought, or experienced related to the time you have been in this
establishment," Draco asked with another complicated twirl of his wand.
"I so vow," Lavender replied. Another strand of bright blue magic surrounded
Hermione and Lavender's wrists. With another tap of the wand it too merged with
their skin.
"It's done," Draco said.
"Lavender, what do you think about Draco and I meeting with Professor Lupin?"
Hermione asked.
Lavender's mouth opened, but no words came out. She grabbed her wrist like it
hurt and then closed her mouth.
"Good, it worked," Hermione said. "You can either leave, or I can put you in
the corner and blindfold and muffle your ears. Your choice."
"I'd rather wait for Ron," Lavender said quietly.
Hermione nodded and pulled her chair to the corner. She sat Lavender facing the
wall. Then conjured a blindfold and placed it over the other girl's eyes. Then
she set a Muffliato and a Silencing charm on her. Then she had Draco do the
same.
"Is that really necessary, Hermione?" Ron asked bitterly.
"How do her parents feel about the Dark Lord?" Hermione asked Ron, and he
shrugged. "Then yes, it's necessary."
She and Ron stood and grasped hands to perform Ron's wizarding vow. A vow was
different than an oath. A wizarding oath that was broken was deadly. A vow just
stopped a person from doing whatever it was they vowed they wouldn't do. It was
strong in that it couldn't be broken by Veritaserum, but a powerful Legilimens
could get around it. It wasn't foolproof, but neither was Obliviation.
Foolproof would have been locking the door in the first place.
Once Ron's vow was over, they all took their places at the table and silence
reigned for several moments.
"It's your show, 'Mione," Harry finally said.
Hermione rolled her eyes. It seemed like it was always her show these days. She
began telling Ron everything. How Draco was a reluctant Death Eater, how awful
Fenrir Greyback was, and what their plan was to try to undermine the Dark
Lord's plots with the werewolves. Ron took it all in without saying too much.
He asked a few clarifying questions, but for the most part was silent. Hermione
did want Ron's input - he was a brilliant strategist. Maybe there was something
she was overlooking?
"I don't like it," Ron finally said. "Greyback is an unknown and the Dark Lord
is unpredictable. It feels like you are playing with fire."
Hermione sighed, "None of us like it. But we have to do something. I'm not
going to let Draco become some sick, depraved, Death Eater because nobody in
his life is willing to help him. Think about it, Ron. Not one single person in
his life is willing to help him out of this mess."
"Hey!" Tonks interrupted. "Remus and I are here, aren't we?"
Hermione turned her glare on them. "And what were we discussing before Ron
showed up? How hard it is to be a werewolf? How hard it is to recruit for your
pack? How hard do you think it is for Draco to return home? To leave his mother
in a house full of Death Eaters and the Dark Lord? How about to pretend loyalty
to not one, not two, but three different sides in this war? Both the Dark Lord
and Fenrir's plans line up for now. What happens when that changes? I don't
want to hear your complaining," Hermione snapped.
Tonks looked angry, but Remus looked chastened. Good, Hermione thought, it was
time for some adults to take responsibility in this war.
The meeting broke up with nothing resolved beyond Draco promising to set up the
transfer between his Gringotts account and Remus'. Hermione hoped it would be
enough. She hoped that the next time they met with Remus he would have better
news. She hated to think what would happen if Draco were summoned and he had to
give the Dark Lord a report on how little Remus had been trying. If the Dark
Lord didn't think Remus was trying hard enough, he'd make him take the Dark
Mark or worse - he might kill him.
===============================================================================
The next week flew by and Hermione cornered Professor Snape for another
Fiendfyre lesson. She had to be capable of successfully calling the fire back
several times before she would trust herself to try to destroy Horcruxes with
it. She wished they had a Horcrux or two to destroy with Professor Snape. If
she knew what to expect, she wouldn't be so nervous when she inevitably had to
try it on her own.
The training went well. She was getting better at controlling the fire but
recalling it was another story. Professor Snape had to save her every time she
tried to recall it. The power was there, but her control was lacking. She
finally asked Professor Snape for some good controlling exercises. He sneered
at her, but then told her to try Wingardium Leviosa on several objects of
varying weights. If she could get them to rise and fall at a steady rate, it
would help her control with other spells.
He recommended she start light and work her way to heavy. Very heavy, as in
picking up more than one person at a time. The heavier the object that she was
able to control, the better her control would be. Hermione had returned to the
castle that day and promptly set out for the lake. There were several large
boulders around the lake and she was sure they would make perfect practice.
It was toward the end of January that the tentative peace formed between Harry,
Ron and Draco finally blew up. Hermione had been studying in the library on her
own when she felt her mate bond twinge. Draco was very, very upset about
something. She quickly packed up her things and set out in search of him. The
mate bond was acting as a signal, telling her where to go. She climbed the
stairs all the way to the seventh floor and headed toward the Room of Hidden
Things. The door was wide open and she could hear shouting from inside.
She slipped in the door and quickly spotted Draco's white-blond head standing
near the vanishing cabinet. Harry and Ron were standing opposite of him, and
both had mean mulish expressions on their faces. Hermione shut the door quickly
and wound her way through the aisles to join the boys.
"What is going on here?" Hermione demanded. She had drawn her wand, but held it
to her side. She couldn't believe these three were fighting already. It had
only been a few weeks since the Hogsmeade trip. What could they have gotten in
a fight over?
"We're looking for you-know-what's-it's, 'Mione. And this prat won't leave!"
Ron shouted.
"What?! Here? Of all places? How do you know?" Hermione asked.
"Not now, 'Mione," Harry gritted and flashed his eyes at Draco. Hermione
sighed. This was going to mean another conversation with Draco about things she
was hiding from him. He was hiding things from her too, she knew. She was so
frustrated she wanted to scream and the tension in the room was incredibly
high.
"Draco, can you leave for a while, so they can have a look about the room?"
Hermione asked.
"I can't, Granger. I'm in the middle of a very delicate part right now," Draco
clenched his jaw and his fists.
"Ron, Harry, maybe now isn't the best ti -"
"He's always bleeding in here, though! How are we ever supposed to get a chance
to look if he's always here!" Harry exploded.
Hermione took deep breaths as the tension ratcheted higher.
"Granger, what are you keeping from me?" Draco asked in a low voice as he
gripped her elbow and turned her toward him. She narrowed her eyes at him. He
may bully everyone else with his size and his werewolf intensity. But Hermione
knew better than to be cowed by him.
"It's not your concern at this time," she bit out and wrenched her arm away
from him.
"Harry, Ron -" Hermione began.
"No! I won't leave!" Harry shouted petulantly. Hermione groaned and threw up
her hands.
"Fine, don't leave. Draco you stay here too. I'll leave. If you kill each
other, I'll resurrect you and kill you again. Understood?" Hermione snapped as
she whirled away. They were impossible. First the adults were not taking
responsibility for anything in this war and now her boys fighting over stupid
things.
She left the Room of Hidden Things and slammed the door shut behind her,
smiling at the resounding sound. That felt good. Maybe she just needed to go
destroy a few things. She hustled out of the castle, summoning her cloak at the
same time. She didn't have her apparition license yet, but Hermione wasn't
worried. She knew the spell and the moves by heart. She managed to get to the
first part of the Forbidden Forest and then apparated to the canyon that she
and Professor Snape had been using to practice Fiendfyre.
She knew she oughtn't practice without him, but she had been practicing the
boulder trick for weeks. She was up to controlling some truly massive boulders
and felt sure she would be able to control the Fiendfyre, especially if she
started with just a little and didn't let it grow exponentially as it was wont
to do.
"Ignis pe Fende," she murmured and watched in fascination as the fire leapt
from her wand and began circling the fallen log she was pointing at. She worked
hard on controlling the size, keeping the raging flames small. Sweat beaded her
brow as she fought against the flaming beasts within. When the log was no more
and the flames started seeking a new target, Hermione whispered "Mergit Ignis."
But nothing happened. She said it again. Twice. Three times. The flames were
escaping her and growing larger. The flaming, voracious beasts engulfed a small
tree and then another. She was growing frantic as she lost control of the fire
and it swirled, encircling her. The sweat poured off her face as she worked on
her control, and her hands shook at the power flowing through her wand.
Finally she shouted, "MERGIT IGNIS!"
Suddenly the raging beasts came right for her. She closed her eyes and turned
away from her wand hand. She pointed directly at the fire, bracing herself for
impact from the ravenous creatures within the fire.
Slowly, very slowly, the fire began creeping back into her wand. When she
finally felt the heat die down, there was just one fire beast left. The flaming
wolf seemed to hesitate, resisting her pull as if it didn't want to leave her.
But finally, gradually, she drew it into her wand.
***** Chapter 30 *****
Chapter Notes
     A/N: Thanks as always to the lovely brownlark42. She's like a
     surprisingly warm Friday afternoon in the middle of October.
     I make a manip for every chapter, find me on tumblr at
     crochetawayhpff.
     I love reading your reviews! So let me know what you think! Also! By
     my count, there are 9 chapters left. And I'm ahead and have a
     schedule. I'm hoping to be done with this story right around
     Valentine's day!
Harry couldn't believe Hermione just left him and Ron with the great prat in
the Room of Requirement. Didn't she care about her friends at all anymore? And
wasn't it a good thing if Malfoy couldn't get the vanishing cabinet to work? No
vanishing cabinet, no Death Eaters in Hogwarts. Seemed like a win-win in
Harry's book.
He sighed and scrubbed at his face. Clearly, nothing was going to be resolved
at the moment. It was a showdown and Malfoy was too busy staring after Hermione
to even bother insulting Harry or Ron. What was the world coming to that Malfoy
couldn't be bothered to insult one of them?
"Fine, we'll leave. But just so you know, Malfoy, I need to search this room,"
Harry muttered.
"For what?" Malfoy asked as he tipped his head to the side, clearly curious
about what they were keeping from him.
"None of your fucking business, is it?" Ron spat.
"Listen, Weaselbee, I get it. You're poor and broken and you think all these
things can be put to good use," Malfoy swept his hand around indicating the
huge room full of objects, most of them old and broken. "But this is just
rubbish, better off looking elsewhere. Maybe I can find some castoffs at the
Manor for you?"
Ron immediately turned red and whipped his wand out to point it at Malfoy.
"Fuck off you fucking half-breed!" Ron shouted and took a step closer.
"Calm down, mate," Harry told Ron and grabbed the back of his shirt.
"Temper, temper Weaselbee. The truth hurts, doesn't it?" Malfoy asked with a
smirk.
"Seriously, Malfoy? Shut the fuck up or I won't hold him back," Harry
responded.
Malfoy laughed, "I'm not scared of either of you. I can out duel you any day."
Malfoy brought his own wand up and raised it at Ron.
Harry threw up his hands, "Fine! Fight, I don't give a fuck anymore."
Ron cast the first hex, but Malfoy blocked it. Harry decided he had to stay out
of this. Hermione was angry enough these days, and he didn't want to anger her
further by ganging up on her boyfriend.
Malfoy got Ron's wand and started laughing at the other wizard. Ron ran at
Malfoy and tackled him to the ground. Ron got at least one hit in before Malfoy
overpowered him. Malfoy was grunting and ferocious in his counterattack against
Ron, who was shorter than him by quite a bit. He got three punches into Ron's
face before Harry dragged him off. Malfoy gave Ron one last kick in the
kidney's before Harry managed to get the other two wizards separated entirely.
"You're a fucking psycho!" Ron shouted as blood dripped from his nose and a cut
above his eye. He was a mess of red — red hair, red face, blood everywhere.
"No, I'm a fucking werewolf. Don't you forget it Weaselbee," Malfoy growled. He
had dropped both wands in the scuffle and bent to pick his up. Then he kicked
Ron's wand and it went spinning under a large cabinet. Malfoy wiped his own
face with a handkerchief that he pulled from seemingly nowhere and left the
room.
Harry was pretty sure he heard Malfoy mutter, "Fucking pricks," as he walked
away.
"You alright?" Harry asked Ron as he summoned Ron's wand and handed it to him.
"I think he broke my nose," Ron muttered miserably.
Harry sighed, "Episkey," and tapped Ron's nose. A crack resounded throughout
the room and Ron groaned in pain as the bones in his nose knit back together.
Ron wiped the blood off with the sleeve of his robe and they too left the Room
of Requirement. Harry directed them back to the common room, instead of the
Hospital Wing. It was best not go to Madam Pomfrey unless you had to after a
fight.
"Think he's going to tell Hermione?" Ron asked as they reached the portrait
hole.
"Probably," Harry replied glumly.
"He's a fucking prick," Ron swore.
===============================================================================
"You what?!" Hermione shouted the following day at breakfast. Harry had just
told her about the fight the previous evening in the Room of Requirement.
"Calm down, nobody's hurt. Steam has been blown off, it'll be fine," Harry
said. Hermione glared at him.
"Two versus one is fine? Fighting isn't going to help anything!" Hermione
screeched. Harry rolled his eyes. She clearly didn't know teenage boys.
"I didn't fight. Malfoy and Ron did," Harry reminded her. Hermione's gaze
narrowed further.
"You are both bloody impossible!" she got up and stomped away from the table.
Harry sighed; he really hated fighting with Hermione, but he didn't see how he
and Ron were expected to play happy family with Malfoy. Malfoy was evil — he
was a Death Eater for Merlin's sake. It should be Malfoy who has to accommodate
them. Harry almost told Hermione that, but he was glad he didn't. He didn't
need her to be mad at him about anything else.
Unfortunately for Harry and Ron, Hermione was very mad at them. She didn't
speak to either of them for almost two weeks. It was Valentine's Day before she
even looked their way without glaring.
"Er, Happy Valentine's Day," Ron mumbled as Hermione finally sat with them at
breakfast. She raised her eyebrow at Ron but didn't say anything.
"Any plans for today?" Harry asked. It was a Wednesday, so they did have
classes, but Harry assumed Hermione and Malfoy would find a way to spend some
time together.
"You really want to hear about the date Draco has planned for us later?"
Hermione asked incredulously.
Harry grimaced, "No, but I'm happy you are talking to us," it sounded like a
question and Harry cleared his throat. "So even if it's about that gi— er
Malfoy, I'm just glad you are talking to us."
Hermione nodded and offered a tense smile, "I don't want you fighting.
Actually, it's more important than that. You can't be fighting. Draco is under
a magnifying lens -"
"A what?" Ron asked.
"Muggle thing; he's being watched closely," Harry supplied.
Hermione nodded and continued, "The other Slytherins aren't all his friends. If
he's being watched, you can bet I'm also being watched. I never even told you
what happened on Christmas Eve."
Harry glanced around and while nobody was paying them any particular attention,
he cast a precautionary Muffliato.
"What happened?" Ron prompted.
"I was introduced to Voldemort," Hermione said as she bit her lip.
"W-What?" Harry stammered. "How could you not have told us? Have you told
Dumbledore?"
"I assume Professor Dumbledore is aware already. Professor Snape was there. He
was the one who escorted Draco and me to and from Hogwarts. It's fine, I
managed to not tell him any secrets and he's put me under his protection.
Draco's got some task that he hasn't told me about that Voldemort wants done…
at any cost, it seems."
"You have to find out what that task is, Hermione," Harry implored.
"I know," Hermione groaned and looked down at her plate of toast. "I've been
trying for weeks, but he's been pretty mum about it. Always changes the subject
when I ask."
Harry had a fleeting thought about what sorts of things a girlfriend could do
to him to give up secrets, but he shook his head. Not only was he not going to
suggest to Hermione that she do one of those things, he didn't want to think
about Hermione and Malfoy doing any of those things. He shuddered and tried to
think of something else. Quidditch stats. Charms homework. Anything.
The rest of the week went by as normal until Friday afternoon, when Harry was
summoned to Professor Dumbledore's office.
He arrived at the gargoyle and gave the password. Professor Dumbledore was
standing at the window behind his desk when Harry arrived. He turned and
motioned Harry to take a seat, but didn't say anything. His hands were hidden
in his sleeves so Harry couldn't get a look at the hand that had been
blackened.
"Harry, I have some important information to impart to you. I hadn't planned on
telling you quite so soon, but Professor Snape is concerned that time is
short," Professor Dumbledore said as he turned from the window and settled at
the desk.
"We've been speaking of Horcruxes for several months now. I believe I have
identified them all."
"Really? Which are the last two? Any idea where any of them are?" Harry asked.
This was the information they needed; this was finally progress.
"Ravenclaw's must be the Diadem of Ravenclaw. Alas, it's been lost for years.
Perhaps a conversation with the Grey Lady would prove fruitful?" Professor
Dumbledore suggested.
"And the last one?" Harry asked.
"His snake, Nagini," Professor Dumbledore said.
Harry hissed. Nagini was the snake that had attacked Mr. Weasley last
Christmas. Harry had been wanting it dead ever since then.
"So we still have to find the locket, the cup, and the diadem. Assuming he
keeps the snake with him?" Harry mused. "Anyway Professor Snape can just
accidentally kill Nagini next time Voldemort calls him?" Harry asked.
Professor Dumbledore chuckled, "I don't think Tom would appreciate that. And as
much enmity you have for Professor Snape, we still very much need him. The
snake will have to be last, as all reports state that Tom keeps her close to
him."
"Okay, so concentrate on the locket, the cup, and the diadem. Are there any
photos or drawings of these items? Last known owners?" Harry asked.
"You'll make a fine Auror one day," Professor Dumbledore said as he pulled out
his pensieve.
"I have a few memories for you to look at. They should enlighten you on what
each of these objects looks like. View them as many times as you need,"
Professor Dumbledore said. He stood from his desk and stretched his back.
"I'm going for a walk, my boy," then he left Harry alone in his office. Harry
took a deep breath and plunged headfirst into the first memory.
===============================================================================
"Watch where you're going, Potter," Malfoy spat as he maliciously bumped into
Harry in the hallway. Ever since his fight with Ron, Malfoy had been
antagonizing both Harry and Ron.
"He's such a bellend," Ron grumbled as he steadied Harry with a hand on his
shoulder.
"Don't let Hermione hear you say that," Harry mumbled.
"Say what?" Hermione asked as she caught up with them between classes.
"Nothing," Ron replied and reddened.
"You both are horrible liars," Hermione sniffed.
"Well, makes it easy on you then, doesn't it?" Harry asked with a grin.
Hermione laughed in response and Harry was glad she was talking to them again.
"I have something to tell you both, meet in the Room of Requirement after
dinner, all right?" Harry said as he and Ron headed toward Divination. He
needed to tell his friends what Professor Dumbledore told him. They were a part
of this and as much as Harry hated to admit it, he needed them. There was no
way he was going to be able to figure it all out without Hermione's brains and
Ron's strategies.
===============================================================================
When Harry found himself running late to meet Ron and Hermione in the Room of
Requirement, he at first thought it was lucky. He had stumbled on Malfoy and
Lavender Brown, of all people. Lavender was hanging all over Malfoy and Malfoy
wasn't exactly trying to push her away.
This was the proof Harry needed to take to Hermione. He knew Malfoy had been
playing Hermione from the start. He was playing them all. He was probably loyal
to Voldemort. Harry had taken a wrong turn and ended up in a deserted dead-end
corridor. Malfoy's back was too him, but he could see the love-sick look on
Lavender's face. It was the same look she had every time she was glommed onto
Ron earlier in the year.
"What's going on here, then?" Harry demanded, as he pulled out his wand and
stalked toward the two love-birds. A look of pleased recognition crossed
Lavender's face before she schooled it into one of embarrassment. Harry
narrowed his eyes — he'd have to follow up with Lavender once he was finished
with Malfoy.
He watched as Malfoy's shoulders tensed and he turned around already gripping
his wand, "It's not your business, Potter," he snapped.
"Well, I'm making it my business. You can't do this to Hermione!" Harry shouted
and pointed his wand at Malfoy's chest.
"Don't point that thing at me if you don't plan to use it," Malfoy growled as
he stalked slowly toward Harry.
Harry narrowed his eyes further, "Expelliarmus!"
Malfoy's wand stayed in his hand as he slashed and blocked Harry's spell.
Malfoy sent back a curse that Harry rolled to dodge. Harry tossed a silent
curse at Malfoy's, but Malfoy was able to elude it. Quicker than Malfoy could
recover, Harry shouted the spell he'd been curious about for weeks,
"Sectumsempra!"
Malfoy went down hard and fast. Blood immediately welled up in his chest and
began flowing to the floor. Malfoy shuddered as more and more blood came up.
"Shit! Shit!" Harry said as he ran over to Malfoy. He had no idea what the
spell was. He just knew that it had been in that book by the Half-Blood Prince
and it had been labeled 'for enemies'. Malfoy was an enemy if there ever was
one, but he hadn't meant to kill him. Malfoy was turning blue and the shaking
was slowing, "Fuck! Lavender, go get help!"
Harry heard Lavender scurry away, and just as suddenly he was being pushed
aside by Snape. Harry had no idea where he had come from, but he didn't care.
He was thankful and grateful that the professor was there. He heard Snape
mutter something; he was almost singing, and the blood that was covering the
floor around Malfoy slowly crept back inside the boy's body. The huge,
crisscrossing wounds on Malfoy's chest began to close. Harry was breathing hard
and his hands were shaking. He had almost killed Malfoy. He had almost killed
somebody. He had to get rid of that book. He ran past Malfoy and Snape, and
bolted toward the Gryffindor common room.
He tore into the room and ran for his dorm. He didn't stop even when Ginny
called his name in the common room, or when Neville tried in their dorm. He had
to get rid of the evidence. He was in so much trouble. He ran to the Room of
Requirement and thought about a place to hide the book, but the door wouldn't
open. Why wouldn't the door open? Harry felt panic well up in his chest. He had
to get rid of this damned book.
Suddenly he remembered he had been on his way to see Ron and Hermione. Oh,
Merlin, Hermione, Harry thought. If Snape didn't kill him, she would. He
stopped pacing in front of the room and began to think about finding Ron and
Hermione, then he started pacing again. The door began to appear and Harry dove
for it. He wrenched the door open and found Hermione and Ron in a Gryffindor
common room carbon copy.
"Get out! I need you out!" Harry shouted as he leapt forward and grabbed a hand
of each of his friends, pulling them forward.
"Harry! That hurts!" Hermione said as she tried to pull her wrist from his
grip.
"GET OUT!" Harry roared into her face as he pushed her and pulled Ron out of
the room.
Finally, he was able to get his friends out of the room. Hermione upset and
asking what was going on, and Ron was grumbling about Harry acting like a prat.
He paced the hallway for the third time, thinking again about a place to hide
the book he had stuck in the back of his pants.
When the door appeared, he whirled to his friends, "I'll be right back. Don't
follow me."
He pulled the door open and closed it behind him, all the while thinking he
needed to be alone. He found himself in Malfoy's room, the Room of Hidden
Things. The Room of Junk, more like, Harry thought as he wound through the
aisles. He finally found an old bookshelf and he shoved the potions book onto
the shelf and piled a few other things in front of it. Then he raced out of the
room and to his friends in the hallway.
He was met with Snape standing in the hallway speaking to Hermione, "...
control your friends Miss Granger."
"What did Harry do?" Hermione asked quietly.
Snape turned as Harry tried to quietly close the door behind him, "He found
something that didn't belong to him and used a spell he didn't understand."
Snape glared at Harry and then swept away.
"It was that book, wasn't it, Harry?" Hermione asked. Harry felt sick. She
still didn't know. Snape hadn't told her, not really.
Harry could only nod.
"Oh, Harry, what did you do?" she moaned as she stepped closer and put her hand
on his shoulder.
"I— It— Malfoy was—"
Hermione's eyes got as round as saucers, "You cast an unknown spell on Draco?!"
Harry nodded and Hermione slapped him — hard. Then she spun away and sprinted
toward the Hospital Wing. Harry rubbed his jaw, trying to relieve the ache.
Hermione was small in stature, but she packed quite a punch. Harry couldn't be
upset with her, though. He deserved it. He had been so stupid to cast an
unknown spell at someone.
"Merlin, mate, I hate Malfoy just as much as you do…" Ron trailed off.
"I know, but, he was with Lavender and I thought…" Harry sighed. He didn't know
what he thought. He still was sure Malfoy was playing with Hermione, but his
actions today would not get Hermione out of Malfoy's clutches. Harry feared
they would push her even further into his arms.
Harry turned out to be both right and wrong. He was right that Hermione was no
longer speaking to him. She spent every free moment the rest of the month with
Malfoy. But he found out he was wrong about Malfoy and Lavender. He finally
cornered Lavender in the common room about a week after the incident.
"What is going on with you and Malfoy?" Harry asked. He had sent Ron on a run
to the kitchens, so that he could have this conversation.
"Nothing," Lavender replied in her snottiest voice.
"What happened the other day?" Harry narrowed his eyes at her. He never really
thought about Lavender, but she was being kind of a bitch.
"You mean when you tried to kill him?" Lavender asked.
"For fuck's sake, just tell me what the fuck is going on! Are you fucking him?"
Harry whisper-shouted at her.
"Not for lack of trying," Lavender sighed.
"What?"
"Hermione always gets the decent blokes, she's such a cow. So I took Ron from
her. Turns out she didn't want Ron, she wanted Draco. So I tried to take Draco
too. He wasn't having any of it though," Lavender trailed off.
"You're sick," Harry said. "Stay away from my friends." He stormed off. He was
even madder than before. Apparently, he hadn't accomplished anything. He
interrupted nothing more than Lavender being a jealous slag.
***** Chapter 31 *****
Chapter Notes
     A/N: A day early my lovelies! I have a thing tomorrow night, so I
     figured you all deserved an update.
     Beta love to the incredible brownlark42. She's like going out with
     your girlfriends for the first time in ages.
     I make a manip for every chapter, find me on Tumblr at
     crochetawayhpff.
     I love reading your reviews! So let me know what you think!
Hermione had never been so angry with Harry.
Ron, yes, but not with Harry. They'd had arguments in the past, like during
third year when Harry had the mysterious Firebolt. Yes, she and Harry argued
then. Ron took his side, per the usual. But this time, Hermione didn't even
care whose side Ron took. Harry had tried to kill Draco. Kill him. As in murder
him dead so he was no longer alive.
Hermione wasn't sure that she could forgive him for that.
Harry claimed the whole thing was an accident. He said the spell in the book
didn't explain what it was for. She could not imagine why Harry would be dim
enough to trust anything hand-written in a mysterious book, especially after
the incident with Tom Riddle's diary during their second year. When she thought
about it, she was sincerely surprised that he'd lived through all of his bad
decisions. But then she remembered how many times she, Ron, or someone else had
helped him out of trouble. The Boy Who Lived Despite Himself, she thought.
Hermione brushed thoughts of Harry and their strained friendship aside as she
approached the Room of Hidden Things. She and Draco had completed the
translation of the book Professor Snape had given him, and they were in the
process of linking the spells together in order for the vanishing cabinet to
begin working. The vanishing cabinet made Hermione uneasy. Every time she
thought of Death Eaters like Bellatrix Lestrange slipping through the cabinet
and into the school she felt sick.
Despite the swooping feeling she got in her stomach, she was determined to help
Draco. She knew he couldn't kill Professor Dumbledore. Or if he could, it would
ruin his life. It was bad enough to let Death Eaters into Hogwarts. How hard
would it be for the wizarding world to forgive him for that? How much more
difficult would it be if Draco was the one to kill the professor? No, it had to
be someone else. Hermione just hoped to drive the war to a resolution as soon
as possible. She was sure that her plans would move things along faster than
anything the Headmaster or the Order had come up with.
If she could solve any frustration right now, it would be that one. Why
wouldn't the Order take a more active role? There must things happening in the
Ministry that she wasn't privy to. She, Harry, and Ron may have been
unofficially inducted into the Order, but they weren't real Order members. Mrs.
Weasley and Professor Dumbledore seemed determined to keep them in the role as
"children." They weren't children anymore, and she wanted them to just tell
her, Harry, and Ron what they needed. Dancing around issues wasn't helping
anyone.
"What's got your wand in a knot?" Draco asked as Hermione finally reached him
in the depths of the Room of Hidden Things.
"The Order, Professor Dumbledore, Harry," Hermione muttered.
"Oh, so the usual," Draco smirked at her.
Hermione rolled her eyes. Draco reached out — quicker than Hermione thought
possible — and snaked a hand around her waist to pull her close. Hermione
tilted her head back to look into his ice blue eyes. She watched as his smirk
faded and his look grew serious, then his eyes bounced down to look at her
mouth.
Hermione had her bottom lip tucked between her teeth as she so often did when
she was frustrated or concentrating. Draco bent his head and covered her mouth
with his own and Hermione's eyes slid shut as she wound her hands around his
neck and pulled him closer. He swept his tongue out across her bottom lip and
took it into his own mouth. He soothed it with his tongue, before delving into
her mouth. Hermione shivered at the feel of his tongue winding with hers. She
would never tire of this man; she would never tire of his kisses and the way he
made her heart beat faster.
She let the kiss continue for a few moments before she pulled away. Draco
leaned his forehead on hers and for a moment they stood there, breathing each
other's breath as their panting eased.
"We should get to work," Hermione murmured.
Draco nodded his agreement and stepped back from her, leading her the last few
steps toward the vanishing cabinet.
They worked for several hours, but every combination of spells failed. There
were seven spells that had to be used and they needed to get them in the right
order. Hermione did the math in her head.
"We're going at this the wrong way, Draco. There are 5,040 ways to combine
these spells. We need to do this more systematically, think about probabilities
and strategies," Hermione said. She dug into her bag for a spare bit of
parchment and started working through the calculations.
"How many combinations did we try tonight?" Hermione asked.
"Ten, I think?" Draco replied.
"So ten combinations, in…" Hermione trailed off as she looked at her watch,
"... about two hours means it's going to take us more than a thousand hours to
try them all. That's more than a month if we worked straight through… and we
still need to sleep, attend class, and… you know… " she looked up at him a
slight grin on her face.
"Fuck, we're never going to solve this. It's March already, and we're almost to
the end of the year," Draco complained as he ran his hands through his hair,
almost missing her small flirtation.
"Well, there are a couple of options. I think there are some combinations more
likely to work than others. The two linking charms probably come first and
last, then the movement through space charms and the disappearing charms fall
somewhere in the middle. If we're very systematic in our approach, we will
crack this long before the end of the year," Hermione said.
She ran through the numbers again and began writing down sequences for them to
try.
"We should probably both have a copy of this," Draco pointed to the paper
Hermione was using. "Anytime we have some free time, we come up and try a few
combinations. They don't take that long to do."
"Agreed," Hermione hummed. "This is going to take me a bit if you wanted to
head down to dinner." Hermione grinned up at him.
"I'd rather wait for you," Draco said as he took a seat on the floor next to
her. Once he figured out what she was doing, he pulled out his own piece of
parchment and began writing down the spell sequence starting the opposite
direction Hermione did.
"Thank the gods for you," Draco muttered as he read over their work. They
managed to come up with about two hundred and forty combinations that Hermione
was reasonably sure included the correct one. It was way better than the 5,040
she had originally calculated. She just hoped that one of those two hundred and
forty worked.
===============================================================================
It was the end of March and the Easter holiday break was upon them. Draco had
convinced Hermione to come back to Malfoy Manor with him for the holiday. The
full moon was a few days after the break began, and Greyback wanted the whole
pack together as much as possible. Draco hadn't told Hermione, but she
suspected that the pack was being sent out on missions. They hadn't seemed
active at all since Draco had joined, but judging by what was coming through
the Daily Prophet, the Dark Lord was ramping up his forces.
Hermione was dreading spending the break at Malfoy Manor. Not only would it not
be a break for either her or Draco, the Manor was hardly going to be any more
relaxing than Hogwarts. Not with Death Eaters living there.
And then there was the likelihood of meeting the Dark Lord or Bellatrix
Lestrange again. Bellatrix was downright creepy and somehow more terrifying
than the Dark Lord. Hermione could somewhat predict the Dark Lord's behavior,
but Bellatrix was too volatile. Hermione shuddered when remembering the scene
she had walked in on between Draco and Bellatrix. She was sure that had
something similar happened to her, she would be a mess for weeks. Draco had
buried his thoughts and feelings, in typical teenage boy fashion. Perhaps that
was for the best. He had enough stress these days, and he didn't need to worry
about an aunt he only saw every few months.
Professor Snape once more escorted Hermione and Draco to the Manor, and luckily
this time their only greeting committee was Mrs. Malfoy. Hermione hadn't spent
that much time with Narcissa over Christmas hols. She thought perhaps the
distance was better, because wasn't sure she wanted to know what Draco's mother
thought of her. If Mrs. Malfoy didn't approve? It didn't matter. She and Draco
had a mate bond, there wasn't much to be done about it. Hermione decided it
wasn't something she could spend any mental energy on right now.
Unlike Christmas, there wasn't to be any large celebrations during the Easter
break. Hermione and Draco spent most of their time in the dueling court with
the pack. Hermione quizzed every pack member who would talk to her about what
it was like being a werewolf and what experiences they had in the wizarding
world. She decided she would be writing a book or two after the war was over.
Even more importantly, she wanted to campaign for werewolf rights. Hermione had
long planned to join the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical
Creatures to champion house elf rights. Right now, werewolves were taking
priority. While werewolves were classified as Beings — the same as the rest of
the Wizarding population — they weren't allowed to be educated at Hogwarts and
regularly faced job discrimination. It was a terrible stigma to be a werewolf,
according to the general wizarding public. Hermione was determined to do
something about it.
She stayed up late into the night discussing these thoughts and ideas with
members of the pack, until Draco dragged her to bed. She wasn't doing it to
endear herself to the pack, but that was an excellent side benefit. It was
truly about the injustices she saw in the world and her passion for making the
world a better place for her children.
The full moon had come and gone, and Hermione and Draco were due to have tea
with Mrs. Malfoy in her solar. Draco had left to take care of some business
with Gringotts and the estate earlier in the day, so Professor Snape escorted
Hermione from the dueling court to Mrs. Malfoy's solar. Hermione wasn't sure
she needed an escort, but she appreciated Draco's thoughtfulness. She certainly
didn't want to be left alone with Greyback for any amount of time, and the
thought of getting cornered by the Dark Lord or Bellatrix made the blood in her
veins run cold.
Hermione hadn't seen Bellatrix at all since they arrived at the Manor and she
was quite glad for it. She felt a squirm of uneasiness when she realized that
she didn't really know where Bellatrix was. She wasn't sure if they had avoided
her by hiding away in the dueling court or if Bellatrix was no longer staying
at the Manor.
"Thank you for escorting me, Professor Snape," Hermione said. Maybe if she
buttered him up, he would answer some of her questions.
"Of course, Miss Granger," he drawled without emotion.
"Can you tell me if Mr. and Mrs. Lestrange are still staying at the Manor?"
Hermione asked. Better just get it over with. They had almost a week of break
left and Hermione didn't want to be surprised.
Professor Snape glanced at her from the corner of his eye, "Why do you ask?"
"Just curious."
"Bellatrix and Rodolphus have been living at the Manor since their release from
Azkaban," Professor Snape told her.
"I see," Hermione murmured. "Thank you."
Now she could at least brace herself. Hopefully she wouldn't run into Bellatrix
anytime soon.
They were finally at the solar and Professor Snape pushed open the door without
knocking.
Draco was slouched on the couch, unmoving. Hermione could just see the top of
his head, and Bellatrix was straddling him.
Bellatrix's back was to Hermione, so she couldn't see what was going on, but
Hermione gasped in horror. She knew Draco would be disgusted by the actions of
his aunt. Hermione reached for her wand and went to stride across the room, but
Professor Snape held her back with a firm hand to her shoulder.
"I'll take care of this," he murmured quietly.
Bellatrix either hadn't heard them come in or didn't care. Hermione wasn't sure
which, but she wouldn't be surprised if it was the latter.
"Come to join the party? Severus? Mudblood?" Bellatrix cackled from her
position atop Draco, who wasn't moving. She must have stupefied him.
"Really, Bellatrix. Your husband has pulled you away from your nephew several
times now. Shall I go get him? Or can my suggestion that incest be left in the
past where it belongs suffice?"
Bellatrix cackled again, "Don't be jealous, Sevvy! You can join in. The more
the merrier, I always say. And besides, you've missed the last few revels. Your
bollocks must be positively aching from being around all that teenage cunt and
not being able to satisfy yourself."
Hermione shook her head in disgust. She never wanted to think about Professor
Snape's bollocks. She was sure she was going to have to Obliviate herself after
this.
"Kindly, leave the care and attention of my bollocks to me," Professor Snape
said boredly. With a flick of his wand, Bellatrix flew off Draco and was set
forcefully in an armchair across the room. Ropes snaked out of his wand and
bound her to the chair.
"Severus! Let me go! I have important business with the Dark Lord! He's asked
me to put a very valuable item in my Gringotts Vault," she growled as she
struggled against the ropes. Professor Snape ignored her, and Hermione rushed
forward to rennervate Draco.
"Hi," she said softly as his eyes focussed on hers.
"What happened?" Draco asked. He sat up straighter and took in the room around
him. "Oh, gods, maybe I don't want to know," he said when he saw Bellatrix
struggling in the corner.
"I don't think she did anything besides Stupefy you," Hermione said. She
reached a hand out and threaded her fingers through his.
"Well, third time's a charm I guess. We're leaving," Draco said as he pulled
Hermione with him. He brushed past Professor Snape and started leading Hermione
down to the dueling court.
"What do you mean? What about tea with your mum?" Hermione asked.
"Draco," Professor Snape warned from behind them.
Draco whirled around, startling Hermione.
"I'm not getting sexually assaulted by my aunt for the fourth time. We'll be
leaving the Manor and heading back to Hogwarts. Now."
He turned back around, still gripping Hermione's hand.
"Er, Draco, you don't have our Apparition license yet. How are we going to get
there?" Hermione asked as she jogged to keep up with his long strides.
"We'll fly," Draco said shortly. And Hermione stopped in her tracks, pulling at
his arm.
"Draco," Professor Snape said again as he stalked toward them.
"I'm not getting on a broom," Hermione told him. She hated flying, and wouldn't
fly for anything. "Not by myself, not with you, not with anyone."
Draco stopped and looked back at Hermione. She couldn't quite interpret the
look on his face, but she thought it might be disappointment.
Professor Snape finally caught up with them, "Draco, at least say goodbye to
your mother before you leave."
"I won't fly all the way to Scotland," Hermione told him as she dropped his
hand.
"I'll Apparate you both back if you wait for your mother," Professor Snape
offered.
Draco glared at Professor Snape and Hermione's heart went out to him. Dealing
with his insane aunt was one more thing he didn't have energy for. She reached
back out to him and he pulled away from her. Her stomach dropped, Draco never
pulled away from her. He must be more upset than she realized.
"Where is Mother?" Draco snapped.
"She should be along shortly…"
"Let's go pack, Granger," Draco stalked away from them and Hermione scurried to
catch up with him.
She didn't say anything the entire way to the dueling court. She could feel his
anger pouring off of him in waves and didn't want to risk his temper. She
didn't deserve his anger, just because she didn't want to fly back to Scotland
in March. They packed their things in silence and by the time they were on
their way back to the family wing, Draco's anger seemed to have cooled. He
gripped Hermione's hand tightly as he led the way with both of their bags
shrunk and stuck in his pockets.
They were practically bombarded by Mrs. Malfoy as soon as they entered the
family wing.
"Must you go, Draco?" she asked.
"Mother, I am not staying one more minute in this house with that crazy bitch,"
Draco spat.
"Draco," Hermione gasped. He never cursed at his mother or even about his
mother.
Draco ignored her. He reached down and gave his mother a light hug.
"I'll see you in June," he said. He nodded to Professor Snape and pulled
Hermione back toward the front of the Manor.
Hermione could hear Professor Snape striding behind them and was relieved that
he had agreed to Apparate them back. She had no desire to ever get on a broom.
===============================================================================
Back at the castle, Draco holed himself up in the Slytherin dorm and Hermione
didn't see him for days. Both Harry and Ron were off at the Burrow for the
holiday, and the castle mostly had seventh and fifth years staying who were
busy studying for NEWTs and OWLs. Hermione decided to continue working on the
vanishing cabinet.
They were a quarter of the way through the most likely combinations and
Hermione was determined to get it halfway through by mid-April. This meant she
had about sixty combinations to try in the next two weeks.
She used her work with the vanishing cabinet to distract her from how lonely
she was feeling.
Hermione finally spoke to Harry and Ron both when they came back from the
Burrow. Draco was still avoiding her, and she just wanted someone to talk to.
She knew Harry was sorry for cursing Draco and had realized that she was still
upset about it. She was most disappointed in his stupidity of following unknown
instructions from a book.
Harry just never learned. But when Harry gave her a giant hug, she felt more
weight lift off her shoulders than she could have ever expected.
They'd been back from the Easter holiday for a little over two weeks when Harry
seemed to suddenly remember that he had planned to fill Hermione and Ron in on
the Horcrux information he'd received from Dumbledore. He pulled them into the
Room of Requirement on a rainy Saturday afternoon.
"Listen, I know what all of the Horcruxes are," Harry started off.
"Merlin's pants," Ron breathed. "Any hope of finding anymore? How many are
there again?"
"It's Slytherin's locket. I think I've seen that one before because it looked
very familiar to me. Hufflepuff's cup that I have no clue on. Ravenclaw's
diadem. And then Professor Dumbledore is sure the last one is his snake,
Nagini."
"What's a diadem?" Ron asked.
"Like a crown or tiara. It's been lost for centuries though," Hermione
explained.
"Professor Dumbledore suggested speaking with the Grey Lady," Harry shrugged.
"He thinks Nagini has to be last since Voldemort always keeps her with him."
"Alright, if we ignore the snake for a bit, then we have the locket, the cup,
and the diadem," Hermione mused. "You've seen them all? You'll be able to
recognize them?"
"I think so. Nobody has seen the diadem in hundreds of years, but I looked it
up in the library —"
"You used the library?!" Hermione asked with a mockingly shocked expression on
her face.
"Har, har. I'm not Ron. I do use the library on occasion," Harry replied and
rolled his eyes.
"Hey!" Ron interjected.
Hermione smiled, it was good to have her best friends back. Her smile slipped
as she thought of Draco. She wished he was talking to her. If he didn't speak
to her soon, she'd have to resort to drastic measures.
"So how does a Horcrux get made? Any clues there?" Hermione asked.
"Murder and intent," Harry replied and rubbed his scar.
Hermione looked at his scar and felt as though she had been struck by
lightning. Everything she knew about Dark magic and Horcruxes snapped together
at once.
"Oh, fuck," she breathed.
"Hermione!" Ron said. Hermione hardly ever cursed.
"Oh, no. Oh, Harry, we have a problem. Fuck, why didn't Professor Dumbledore
tell you?"
"Er, tell me what Hermione?"
"It makes so much sense," Hermione ran her hands through her hair and rubbed
her face.
How was she supposed to tell her best friend what she just realized? She
shouldn't have said anything at all. But it had just aligned so perfectly.
Harry was a Horcrux. It all made sense. This was he was getting flashes of
Voldemort, why he saw Mr. Weasley get attacked fifth year, and why his scar
still hurt him. Oh, Merlin, what were they going to do. She looked up at Harry
and felt her eyes fill with tears.
"What's going on Hermione. What should Professor Dumbledore have told me? What
did you realize just now?" Harry asked.
"You're a Horcrux, Harry," she whispered.
***** Chapter 32 *****
Chapter Notes
     A/N: Beta love to the incredible brownlark42. She's like the first
     sip of wine after a long week at work.
     I make a manip for every chapter, find me on Tumblr at
     crochetawayhpff.
     I love reading your reviews! So does my beta! So let US know what you
     think!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
The end of April and most of May slipped away from Hermione with little contact
with Draco. They met a few times in the Room of Hidden Things and slowly worked
on the two hundred and forty best possibilities. Draco refused to talk about
more than getting the vanishing cabinet fixed. She'd tried everything she could
think of, even seduction. While that had worked to a degree, he still wasn't
seeking her out. He wasn't speaking to her in any meaningful way.
She didn't know what else to do. Clearly, he was upset about his aunt and his
mother's failure to protect him. Was he keeping other secrets from her? Or was
he upset because she was keeping secrets from him? She didn't know, but she
couldn't let the end of the year come and go without having some sort of
resolution. Updates from the Daily Prophet were making it clear that she may
not be able to return to Hogwarts next year. It might be better if she, Harry,
and Ron went on the run to find the remaining Horcruxes. The sooner found, the
sooner they could end this war.
Maybe then Draco would start speaking to her again.
Hermione searched the library endlessly, looking for any information she could
find on living Horcruxes. There wasn't much. She desperately wanted to know if
there was a way to remove the Horcrux from Harry without killing him. She
certainly couldn't use Fiendfyre on him. The Fiendfyre might kill the Horcrux,
but it would decimate Harry's body too. The Horcrux somehow had to be extracted
from Harry and put into something else. She didn't know if she could do that or
if it was possible. If it was, it might mean going through the procedure to
make a new Horcrux.
One of her books alluded to that, and she was horrified. In order to make a
Horcrux, you had to kill your target, cut them open, and pull their heart out.
Using blood directly from the heart would seal your ripped soul into the
Horcrux of your choosing. Is this what the Dark Lord had done to Harry's mum?
She'd never heard anything about how the bodies were found, nor had she had
asked or looked for that information. She just didn't know and she didn't know
who to turn to. Professor Dumbledore was clearly raising Harry to be
sacrificed. It all made sense now. Hermione didn't know if she could trust
Professor Snape or Professor McGonagall with this information. She just didn't
know. She was at an impasse.
It was a beautiful Friday evening when Hermione finally ran into Draco again.
She decided to work on the vanishing cabinet since she didn't have anything
better to do. They were about three-quarters of the way through the list and
Hermione was determined to finish before the end of the year. One of them had
to work. She didn't want to think about what would happen to Draco if they
failed. Or what Draco would have to do in order to complete the task given to
him by the Dark Lord. It was going to be better if Fenrir could do his part,
but in order for that to happen, the vanishing cabinet needed to be fixed.
The Room of Hidden Things was dark and quiet when Hermione entered. She sent a
Lumos at a few of the wall sconces as she made her way back to the vanishing
cabinet. She looked at her charmed parchment. Draco had the other copy. She'd
used a variant of the Gemino curse and the Protean charm so that when she
crossed a combination off of the list, it crossed it off on Draco's list too —
and vice versa. She quickly added up how many combinations were left. Fifty-
three. They were so close. She set her bag down and went to work. After three
failed combinations, Hermione took a small break. She cracked her back and
stretched her arms, flinging off her school robes as she rolled up her sleeves.
She was working on the fourth variant when the door to the Room of Hidden
Things opened. She was concentrating so intensely that she didn't notice. The
fourth variant didn't work either, and she immediately began casting on the
fifth. When that one failed too she blew out a big breath. She'd known that the
likelihood of finding the correct combination tonight was slim, but she so
badly wanted to find the solution now. Maybe then Draco would talk to her
again.
"How long have you been here?" he asked, startling her. She jumped and spun
around, her wand pointed in Draco's face. His face was a cold mask and her
shoulders slumped. He'd looked at her like that for weeks. Earlier in the year,
he'd reserved that look only for others.
"Almost an hour," Hermione replied as she turned back to face the cabinet, and
she heard Draco drop his bag behind her. After each variant, they placed an
object in the cabinet to see if it disappeared. Sometimes it did, but when they
closed the door again, it never came back. Most of the time, the object stayed
where it was. This was one of those times. The green apple she'd snagged at
dinner was still in the cabinet. She tuned out Draco and began working on the
sixth combination she'd tried that night.
Something felt different this time. Not off, not right, just different. The
magic combined and flowed in a new way. Draco had worked on about half of the
combinations, so she wasn't sure if this was truly unique. Maybe he had
experienced something similar with this trials. She opened the door to place
the apple inside, and there was a slight sheen, a rippling in the air that
hadn't been there before. She held her breath, trying not to be too hopeful.
She closed the cabinet door softly and there was a very faint whooshing sound.
She'd heard that before and wrenched the door open. The apple was gone. She
smiled, pleased that at least part of this combination was correct. The light
sheen of magic was still in the air as she closed the door. She opened the door
a second time and the apple was back. It had a bite had been taken out of it.
She turned back to Draco with wide eyes.
"Well done, Granger," he told her with a slight smile that softened his
features. She grinned back at him and then looked down at the parchment. It was
the one hundred and ninety-third combination listed.
"Now what?" she asked him. He turned to her and held out his hand. She grasped
it and was relieved when he pulled her into a tight hug. She rested her head on
his chest and wrapped her arms around him as he kissed the top of her head.
"Now, I invite some of my brothers to the castle. And you stay out of the way,"
Draco murmured.
Hermione pulled back to look at him, "You know that's not going to happen,
right?"
Draco smirked, "I can dream, can't I?"
Hermione snorted softly and shook her head, she leaned back into his embrace,
thankful he was talking to her again. She couldn't believe how much she had
missed him.
"What happens after Greyback kills Professor Dumbledore?" Hermione asked
softly. She wasn't sure she wanted to know. She knew it meant she and Draco
would go their separate ways. Hopefully not for long.
"I'll probably be expelled. And you'll be safely at Hogwarts," Draco told her.
She didn't contradict him, even though she didn't think she'd be at Hogwarts
much longer either.
===============================================================================
The attack on Hogwarts didn't happen for several weeks, and Hermione felt as
though she was on tenterhooks the whole time. She was snappy and on edge. Harry
and Ron were avoiding her to some extent because when she wasn't studying for
exams, she was scolding them for not studying.
It was a Saturday evening in mid-June and Harry had been summoned for another
'special' lesson with Professor Dumbledore. Hermione didn't know how much more
Professor Dumbledore had to tell him, but maybe he'd located a Horcrux.
Hermione could only hope. The fewer Horcruxes she and Harry and Ron had to find
next year, the better. She'd found a cracked pensieve in the Room of Hidden
Things and had used it to view Harry's memories of the Horcruxes he'd seen —
the diadem, the locket, and the cup. Harry was right. The locket did look
familiar, but she couldn't place it either. She'd even spent some time
meditating on it, trying to remember where she had seen it before. The diadem
also looked familiar, but again, Hermione couldn't place it.
She was walking along the seventh-floor corridor, toward the Room of
Requirement and a meeting with Draco, when he came tearing toward her.
"It's happening, now," Draco snapped as he paced in front of the tapestry.
The door slowly appeared and he pulled it open. It was the Room of Hidden
Things, not what she'd come to call 'Their Room'.
"Now? Tonight?" Hermione asked with wide eyes. She had known that this was
going to happen and she'd been waiting for it, but she'd thought they had more
time. She assumed they would be more prepared for it. She didn't feel prepared
at all.
"Yes, now. Go back to your common room and stay there," Draco ordered as he
pulled her in for a fierce hug.
"No! I'm coming with you," Hermione told him.
"Fine, but after they are in, you'll go."
Hermione nodded but didn't agree. She'd go and rouse the rest of Dumbledore's
Army. They would put up a fight against the Death Eaters. She could do nothing
else.
Even if it meant fighting against Draco.
She followed him back to the vanishing cabinet and he pushed her behind him as
he waved his wand. The doors opened and Death Eaters came pouring out. They
were unmistakable in their heavy, black robes and intricate silver masks. She
recognized Bellatrix and Rodolphus, but she couldn't place anyone else until
the last person stepped through. Greyback emerged from the cabinet with a
snarl. He wasn't wearing his mask, and he looked as if he'd half-transformed
into a wolf already.
"Beta," Greyback growled.
"Dumbledore is away from the castle. We'll go to the Astronomy Tower and cast
the Morsmordre to draw him back," Draco said.
Hermione was shocked. She didn't know they'd had this planned to this degree,
that they would draw Professor Dumbledore out. She felt her blood run cold.
Professor Dumbledore was out of the castle with Harry.
She peered around Draco's arm at Greyback, "Promise you won't hurt Harry," she
pleaded with her Alpha.
"Beta's Mate, I make no such promises this night." And then Greyback and the
rest of the Death Eaters were gone, striding out of the Room of Hidden Things
and toward the Astronomy Tower.
"They'll be causing chaos along the way. Get to your common room. Now,
Hermione!" Draco pleaded with her.
She nodded dumbly, in shock. The realization that she'd just helped Death
Eaters get into Hogwarts was sinking in. She was as damned as Draco was now.
Draco pulled her in for a fierce, searing kiss before rushing away to follow
his Alpha. Hermione stood for a moment longer, indecision raging through her.
She would fight. She may have been part of this, but she knew where she stood
in this war. Sometimes you had to do bad things for the greater good. It was
something Professor Dumbledore seemed to understand, even if nobody else did.
Something gleamed in the low candlelight as she turned to go.
She scolded herself. She didn't have time to go exploring this room, and yet,
whatever it was was calling to her. She stepped forward and rounded the
backside of the vanishing cabinet. There on the head of a mannequin sat the
Diadem of Ravenclaw. She couldn't believe it. Had it been there the whole time?
She snagged the diadem and tossed it into the beaded bag she'd been working on
in secret. She'd placed an undetectable extension charm and a couple of
lightweight charms on it. She'd taken to carrying around her entire library, as
well as her wardrobe and other necessities. She'd even slowly begun to pack
things for Harry and Ron. She knew this night would change everything.
Hermione raced out of the Room of Hidden Things and by the time she was in the
hallway, the Death Eaters were gone. A false calm had descended, but Hermione
knew better. The storm was coming.
Digging into her pocket, she came up with her fake D.A. galleon and charmed a
short message onto it: 'D. Eaters in Hgwts'. They hadn't been used much this
year, because the D.A. had partially disbanded with Professor Snape now
teaching Defense. She hoped some members still carried theirs with them. She
didn't want to be fighting alone in the corridors, but she was the only person
who knew Harry was with Professor Dumbledore.
She could at least get Ron. Hermione raced off to the Gryffindor common room
and found Ron and Neville immersed in a heated game of wizard's chess.
"We have to go, Ron," Hermione said as she gripped his arm and pulled him up.
"Just got your message, Hermione," Seamus said as he joined them. "How do you
know?"
"Saw them pouring out of the Room of Requirement," Hermione said quietly.
"Wh-" Hermione cut Ron off with an elbow to his ribs.
"I'll explain later, Ron. Right now, we have Death Eaters in the school heading
up to the Astronomy tower, and Harry and Professor Dumbledore are gone."
Ron's eyes widened and he gripped his wand. "Alright, you sent the D.A.
messages?"
Hermione nodded, and Ginny and Dean soon joined them.
"Fine, let's get out there. Any idea where Harry and Dumbledore were going this
time?" Ron asked and Hermione shook her head.
"Dean, Ginny, go to the Ravenclaws. Tell them to pull any fourth years and
below into the dorms. Fifth years and above can come out to fight," Ron
commanded, completely in his element. "Neville, Seamus, do the same for the
Hufflepuffs. I'll make an announcement here. Let the snakes worry about
themselves."
Ron announced to the Gryffindor common room what was going on and directed half
of the seventh years to the library. Curfew wasn't for another couple of hours,
and with exams so close, they could bet the library would be full.
"Guard the common rooms and get the younger years behinds extra wards if you
can," Ron directed. Then he and the rest left the common room. For all of Ron's
faults, he was a good leader, Hermione thought.
They raced through the halls, and Ginny and Dean broke off and headed toward
the Ravenclaw tower. Neville and Seamus left for the Hufflepuff dorm in the
basement. Hermione and Ron ran toward the Headmaster's office, hoping they'd
run into a professor or two along the way. Just outside of the gargoyle that
guarded the headmaster's office, Professor Snape and McGonagall were having a
serious discussion.
"Professor McGonagall!" Ron shouted as they ran up to them.
"Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, what is the meaning of this?"
"Death Eaters are in the school," Hermione blurted out, staring directly at
Professor Snape.
"Merlin," Professor Snape cursed softly.
"Go, Severus," Professor McGonagall ordered. "I'll alert the other professors
and the Order."
Professor Snape, apparently knowing where the Death Eaters planned to go, ran
toward the stairs.
"You two, back to your common room," Professor McGonagall ordered.
"Not a chance," Ron replied as he dragged Hermione in the direction Professor
Snape had gone.
They were the floor below the entrance to the Astronomy Tower when the entire
hallway went black.
"Peruvian Darkness Powder," Ron muttered. "George and Fred sell it."
"I'm going to have to speak to them about who their customers are," Hermione
growled as she and Ron felt along the walls to find the stairs. She was
desperate to get to the top of the Astronomy Tower. She needed to find Draco
and Harry. Her heart pounded in her ears as she and Ron slowly made their way
along the hallway.
They finally reached the stairs and were climbing them when someone rushed
past. Hermione shrank into the wall as much as possible and stopped breathing,
hoping that whoever it was wouldn't notice and move on. When they kept going,
she breathed a sigh of relief.
At the top of the stairs, the hallway was in pandemonium. Teachers and students
were fighting Death Eaters. Draco and Harry were nowhere to be seen, and
Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape were both missing. Hermione worried
about what this meant but resolved to fight her way down the hallway and to the
stairs leading up to the Astronomy Tower.
She and Ron jinxed, hexed, and cursed in tandem, protecting each other as much
as possible. They couldn't stop every spell from landing. They were halfway
down the hallway when Hermione turned and caught a nasty slicing hex directly
in the shoulder. She was bleeding heavily when Ron pulled her into an alcove
behind a tapestry. They were both panting from the exertion.
"Shite, we gotta stop the bleeding," Ron muttered as he pulled Hermione's
jumper up from the waistband to get to the wound.
"Gods," Hermione breathed, as she hunched over and allowed Ron to heal her.
"That hurts!"
Ron muttered a healing charm that Hermione hadn't learned before and was
shocked, "Mum taught me," he said by way of explanation. Hermione could feel
her skin stitching back together.
"When this is over, I'll find Madame Pomfrey and a Blood-Replenishing Potion,"
Hermione promised as Ron lowered her shirt. She was still soaked with blood.
"Fuck, Hermione. The battle isn't slowing," Ron breathed as he peered around
the tapestry. He stepped back, and Hermione felt herself sway from pain and
adrenaline. Ron put his arms around her to steady her, and suddenly they were
so close to each other that Hermione could feel the rapid rise and fall of his
chest against hers.
"I know, but we have to get to the Astronomy Tower," she breathed in and out
slowly to stop her head from spinning.
"What do you know?" Ron asked.
"Too much, not enough."
Suddenly, the tapestry was ripped aside. Fenrir Greyback stood in the entryway.
"What do we have here, Beta's Mate? A lover's tryst? In the heat of battle?
Naughty," Greyback stalked forward and Hermione pushed Ron behind her, despite
his sound of protest. Greyback couldn't be trusted, not like this. He looked
like a half-transformed wolf with the heat of the battle raging through his
veins.
"Alpha," Hermione said and showed him her neck in submission. She hoped and
prayed he wouldn't smell the fear rolling off of her in waves, but she knew too
much about werewolves. Of course, he felt her fear. He also could hear her
heart hammering in her chest and see the blood pumping through the veins in her
neck — the neck she offered to him in submission. She also vaguely registered
that she must reek of blood.
"Beta's Mate," he growled as he leaned in and dragged his nose from the base of
her neck to her ear, inhaling the entire time. "You smell delicious," he
murmured.
Behind her, Ron could hear everything. They were practically standing nose-to-
nose in the small alcove.
"You leave her alone!" Ron shouted and he shoved Hermione aside to confront the
wolf.
"No! Ron!" Hermione screamed and Greyback smirked at her. Smirked.
Then he leaned forward in one smooth movement and ripped Ron's throat out.
Blood and gore sprayed in every direction. Hermione was covered with blood as
Ron made a gurgling sound and his heart beat faster, pumping the blood out more
quickly. He slumped slowly to the ground and Hermione followed him, clinging to
him and cradling him to her body.
"Let this be a lesson, Beta's Mate. You belong to my Beta. You belong to me,"
Fenrir growled before he turned away, not looking back. Hermione huddled in the
dark behind the tapestry, holding Ron in her shaking arms, as his life slipped
away from her.
Chapter End Notes
     #sorrynotsorry... er... don't hate me...
***** Chapter 33 *****
Chapter Notes
     A/N: Whew, that last chapter was intense! That ending tho... This one
     isn't a whole lot better. But maybe?
     Best beta ever is brownlark42. She's hot chocolate on a cold fall
     evening.
     I make a manip for every chapter, find me on Tumblr at
     crochetawayhpff.
     I love reading your reviews! So does my beta! So let US know what you
     think!
The hot rush of blood in Fenrir's mouth excited him in ways he knew he should
try to hide from his Beta's Mate. He growled a warning to the witch and left
her in the alcove, dropping the tapestry behind him.
He hoped that would keep her out of the worst of the fighting. She was pack and
it was the best thing he could do to protect her. He needed to find his Beta
and take care of Dumbledore. Fenrir didn't bother wiping the blood from his
mouth and chin. He savored the taste as he lifted his nose in the air, sniffing
out his Beta.
He followed the trail after attacking a few more humans, not killing any of
them, just maiming. Maybe they'd turn into werewolves, maybe not. Fenrir didn't
much care. He soon found himself climbing the tower stairs. Having not attended
Hogwarts himself, he was disoriented in the large castle and had to rely on his
scent of smell. Mostly he smelt fear and piss. There were three or four people
standing above him in the tower proper. He strained his ears to hear
heartbeats, but it was hard to find them with the chaos of the battle raging
below.
When he emerged at the top of the tower he found Draco, Dumbledore, and Snape.
"Well, the gang's all here. Shall we begin, Beta?" Fenrir asked as he stalked
forward to stand next to Draco. He glared at Snape. The man was always around,
taking the glory from Fenrir and his pack.
"Greyback," Dumbledore said weakly. "How did you get inside the school?"
"Walked right in, actually," Fenrir replied with a grin. He took a look around
the tower — the green light of the Morsmordre hung above them all. He thought
he heard a scuffling in the corner and peered there, but Dumbledore brought his
attention back to him.
"What did you do, Draco?" Dumbledore asked plaintively. The old man was weak as
he propped himself up against the battlements. Fenrir sniffed. It was
Dumbledore's piss he was smelling. If he was so scared, maybe the old man knew
what was coming for him. Everyone was scared of death, even the most powerful
wizards.
"What I had to do to keep my family alive," Draco spat. He held a wand in each
hand, and Fenrir assumed he had already disarmed the headmaster. "And you never
even figured it out did you?" Draco taunted.
Fenrir smirked and clapped his Beta on the shoulder.
"Oh, Draco. You should have come to me," Dumbledore lamented. He slipped, but
caught himself and stood once more.
"Why? So the Dark Lord could kill my whole family? No! You don't have all the
answers, Professor. Some things are beyond even you!"
"I would have helped you. I could still help you. You have options," Dumbledore
pleaded.
"Options? You are behind the times old man. I'm a Death Eater now," his Beta
lifted the sleeve of his left arm, showing his Dark Mark. "And I'm Beta in the
largest werewolf pack in Britain. I have no options. Only the ones set before
me by men better than you."
Dumbledore gasped, "So soon? I thought you were close to Miss Granger… I
thought she would influence you in another direction."
"Do not speak of her! You know nothing about her!" Draco shouted at the
headmaster. Fenrir nodded approvingly. His mate was pack business.
"I know she is against the Death Eaters, Draco. She's against Tom. I can't
speak for Greyback, but I have to assume if she knew what I know about him,
she'd be against him too," Dumbledore replied.
"My mate is quite aware of her Alpha, Dumbledore," Draco growled.
Fenrir smirked at the scene in front of him, gratified that his Beta wasn't so
sensitive after all. He'd been worried after the last few revels that his Beta
couldn't handle violence. Not everyone liked the type of violence that Fenrir
relished, but passivity was a serious problem for a werewolf and a Death Eater.
"There are always options, young Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore coughed and slipped.
He was leaning against the parapet heavily.
"What's wrong with him?" Fenrir asked. It looked like someone had gotten to the
headmaster first, which made Fenrir irrationally angry. It was his Beta's task
to kill the headmaster, and Fenrir had been planning to do the duty for his
Beta. As a gift. He knew that his training had been hard for Draco, and he knew
his Beta had only killed Dolohov because it had been close to a full moon and
Fenrir had goaded him into it. The moon was only about mid-cycle now, and
Fenrir wasn't sure Draco would be able to work up enough anger to kill the old
man.
"I hope you didn't leave a wake of bodies behind you, Greyback," Dumbledore
glared at him, in judgment and sorrow. The glare of a dying man didn't scare
Fenrir.
"Only one," Fenrir promised with a grin. "Well, only one dead confirmed. Who
knows if the others will succumb to their injuries."
Dumbledore gasped and coughed, not taking his eyes off Fenrir.
"This is a war, old man. Casualties happen. I am always happy to supply them,"
Fenrir smirked. Again, he thought he heard a noise in the corner and he turned
his gaze in that direction. Something there moved. He went to step closer, but
Snape caught his arm and shook his head. Fenrir didn't want to defer to the
man, but as he listened closer, he could hear sounds of the battle nearing.
Suddenly, it wasn't the four of them anymore. Bellatrix and the Carrows emerged
on the landing.
"Ooo, ickle Draco kill the big, bad, headmaster yet?" Bellatrix asked in her
babyish voice as she danced around the tower.
The Carrows laughed uproariously like it was the funniest thing they'd ever
heard. Fenrir rolled his eyes. They were hangers-on of the worst kind.
"Come on, my Draco," Bellatrix taunted, standing close behind him and
whispering in his ear.
"Get the fuck off me," Draco growled as he whirled around and pointed his wand
at his aunt.
"Dissension in the ranks already, Draco?" Dumbledore asked, and then began
coughing again. Fenrir was done with this. It was time to go before the
Headmaster's reinforcements arrived.
"Let's get on with it," Fenrir growled as further shouts from below wafted up.
Draco pointed his wand at Dumbledore and Fenrir thought for sure the boy was
going to cast the killing curse.
Dumbledore spoke again, "Draco, please. You aren't a killer."
"You don't know me!" Draco screamed at the old man, his wand arm shaking in his
fury. "You don't care about me! You only care about your precious P-Potter!"
Dumbledore turned to Snape, who had been standing silently this whole time,
"Severus… please."
Shockingly, Snape raised his wand, but Fenrir launched into action. Before
Snape could get a word out, Fenrir ran forward and tackled Dumbledore, lifting
him up and over the parapet. He watched as the old man fell seven stories and
crumpled, unmoving, on the rocks below. He couldn't tell from this height, but
he hoped the wizard made a big splat.
"Time to go," Snape said softly. He grabbed Draco by the back of his robes and
shoved him forward. "Let's go, Greyback. Bellatrix, bring your pets."
Greyback took off after Snape and Draco, while Bellatrix and the Carrows
following closely behind. Snape was pushing Draco, every time Draco tried to
slow and look around, Snape gave him another push forward. They were clear of
the tower when Potter suddenly appeared behind them, sending curses at the
group.
"Death Eaters, out!" Bellatrix cackled as Fenrir exchanged curses with the
Potter boy. Snape came back and started hauling him away, blocking Potter's
curses, but not sending any back.
"Go, Greyback. Get Draco out of here," Snape commanded, shoving Greyback behind
him.
"Fight back you coward!" Potter screamed at Snape.
"You sure?" Greyback didn't care for Snape, but he didn't want to answer to the
Dark Lord for getting the man killed.
"I'm sure," Snape replied as he dodged a Cruciatus Potter threw at him.
"You have to mean it, Potter!" Snape called, blocking another curse.
Greyback turned from the fighting pair to see Bellatrix and the others running
for the entrance of the castle. He followed, pulling Draco behind him and Draco
didn't resist until they came to the hallway. He pulled back and stood sniffing
as if trying to smell his mate. Fenrir knew there was no way that Draco would
be able to parse out her scent with her covered in blood.
"Where is she? Alpha, did you see her?" Draco asked.
"I saw her. She's fine. Left her in an alcove." Fenrir chuckled darkly as he
thought of the dying boy he had left with her. "She won't be leaving anytime
soon."
"She wasn't the one you killed?" Draco demanded.
Fenrir looked at the boy with disgust. Is this what his Beta thought of him?
"Of course not!" Fenrir snapped as he slapped the boy upside the head. "We've
got to go, come on." He tugged at Draco's arm and they sprinted toward the
entrance of the castle with the rest of the fleeing Death Eaters.
They finally made it out onto the grounds with only Potter and a few of the
other fighters pursuing them.
"They've killed Dumbledore!" Potter screamed as he shot hex after hex at Snape.
Greyback didn't envy the man.
Someone was finally holding Potter back, "Let them go," Fenrir heard someone
say over the wind in his ears. The light of the Morsmordre made the lawns a
sickly green as Fenrir pushed Draco forward toward the gates. The sooner they
got to the gates, the sooner they would be back at the Manor. He hoped the Dark
Lord wouldn't punish his Beta for Fenrir's actions. He thought he could spin
things in Draco's favor. He didn't want to lose his Beta, and he would do
anything to protect his pack.
===============================================================================
"The old fool isss dead?" the Dark Lord asked the assembled Death Eaters in
front of him.
"Yes, my Lord," Fenrir replied. They hadn't gone much further than the drawing
room of the Manor before the Dark Lord was upon them and asking questions. The
Dark Lord hadn't even allowed them to stand. They were still all kneeling
before him.
"How did you get into the cassstle?"
"Vanishing cabinet, my Lord. Draco —"
"Sssilence!" the Dark Lord hissed, cutting Fenrir off.
"Your cover, Ssseverusss?"
"Blown, my Lord," Snape answered darkly.
"Unfortunate. But no matter," the Dark Lord muttered and waved his hand. Fenrir
looked down again at his knees.
"Who killed him?"
"I did, my Lord," Fenrir replied.
"Not Draco?"
"No, my Lord. There wasn't time, and the resistance was about to be on us. I
made a decision as the commander of the group," Fenrir lifted his head and
caught the Dark Lord's gaze.
"And what happened with the vanishing cabinet?"
"Draco found it in the school and repaired it. Its counterpart is in Borgin and
Burkes. I purchased it and brought it here to the Manor. Dumbledore knew before
his death, but I don't think anybody else in the castle would be aware."
"Very well done, Draco. The vanishing cabinet isss a nice touch. Not employed
all that often anymore," the Dark Lord praised Draco. "Ssstand, all of you."
They stood as one.
"The Minissstry will fall now. Ssseverusss, you will return to Hogwartsss and
become Headmassster."
"Thank you, my Lord. I am most honored," Snape replied.
"Draco, my faithful ssservant, you will leave ssschool and ssserve me."
"My Lord, I thank you for your favor," Draco said as he bowed his head.
"Fenrir, thank you for your asssissstance, however, Draco wasss directed to
kill Dumbledore. And for that, you ssshall be punissshed. Crucio," the Dark
Lord hissed.
Fenrir fell to his knees and cried out. Fenrir could sustain pain, even a
Cruciatus, but he'd learned that showing it made the Dark Lord give up faster.
Luckily, the Dark Lord was feeling merciful, and he stopped after two short
rounds of the Cruciatus and waved the group away.
Fenrir hauled himself to his feet, and Draco propped himself under his arm. He
was thankful for his Beta's kindness then. Fenrir knew he did the right thing
by killing Dumbledore. The boy wasn't weak, but there was no way he would have
been able to handle the murder this time. His Beta would learn with time.
Together, they limped toward the dueling court to join the rest of the pack.
Fenrir felt happy, despite his recent torture. His Beta was home for good.
***** Chapter 34 *****
Chapter Notes
     A/N: I said this a few chapters ago, that this story is only slated
     for 39 chapters. We're at 34 already, so the end is coming soon!
     Ahhh! I hope you all are as excited as I am! And you all got this
     chapter a day early because I'll be traveling tomorrow. So enjoy! And
     drop me a review to let me know what you think!
     I would be lost without brownlark42 who is the best friend and beta a
     girl could ask for.
     I make a manip for every chapter, find me on Tumblr at
     crochetawayhpff.
Draco dodged a misfired spell as he slipped from the house. He followed his
pack out to the garden and Apparated with them back to the Manor. They filed
through the dueling court and Draco looked at wounds, passing out healing
potions and sleeping draughts as necessary.
"Beta," Seff motioned him over. He was hovering over Bledig, one of the oldest
wolves in the pack.
Draco strode closer as he swiped a few more healing potions from a nearby
table.
Bledig had suffered a major wound to his thigh. It looked as though his femoral
artery was nicked and he was bleeding heavily. Seff has mercifully knocked him
out, but Draco couldn't fathom why he hadn't been alerted through the
collective that someone was so injured.
"Shite," Draco muttered as he siphoned some of the blood away. "Where's your
wand, Seff? I'm going to need your help."
Draco was suddenly thankful that Hermione had been reading so much about
healing magic. He'd taken to reading the books she finished, and he was never
so thankful as he was right now. He knew exactly what needed to happen to heal
Bledig and prevent a pack death.
He worked quickly. Seff helped siphon blood as Draco dug into Bledig's leg for
the torn artery and repaired it. Then he closed the wound in the leg and poured
two doses of Blood Replenishment potion down Bledig's throat. It was a good
thing that Bledig was a werewolf. Had he been human, he probably would have
died long before Draco could have tended him.
The pack was fractured. They were upset at the direction Fenrir was taking them
and threatening to mutiny. He was trying to hold them together the best he
could and was thankful he wouldn't be going back to Hogwarts anytime soon.
Something was wrong with Fenrir, and Draco wasn't sure he knew what it was.
Not only was the pack hanging on by a thread, but Granger, his Mate, the love
of his life had disappeared with Potter and Weasley, and Draco had no idea
where they were. He didn't even know if she was okay. He could just barely feel
her through the mate bond, and he didn't know what that meant. He mentally
kicked himself for shoving her away after Easter hols. How stupid was he?
Hermione was the only one who had consistently shown she was on his side. And
he shoved her away because he was angry she didn't trust him enough to get on a
broom with him? He was a class A idiot. And now he was paying for it.
He finished cleaning the blood off Bledig, himself, and Seff as he looked
around the dueling court. Bledig by far was the most seriously injured. They'd
attacked a Muggle home, and Draco wasn't even sure how the injury happened.
"How did he get this, Seff?" Draco asked. He was beginning to think someone was
purposely sabotaging raids. Every time they came back from a raid at least one
werewolf was seriously injured. More injured than they should have been,
considering they were attacking Muggles.
"I'm not sure, maybe a misfired spell?" Seff suggested.
Draco didn't like this at all. He would have to find a way to talk to Rand.
Maybe he would know what was going on? After Fenrir's warning over Christmas,
Draco didn't want to be seen seeking Rand out. It would have to be done under
Fenrir's nose.
"Seff, we need to chat," Draco said quietly as he directed Bledig back to his
tent to recuperate. They laid Bledig on the bed and left the tent with an alarm
set on Seff's wand to check him in an hour.
"I need to arrange a meeting with Rand that Fenrir doesn't know about," Draco
told Seff.
Seff's eyes widened, "Beta, you don't…"
"Why was Bledig injured? We attacked Muggles, at night, in their beds. They put
up almost no fight. Think, Seff!"
"You think someone is sabotaging us."
"I know it, and I need to figure out who. We all know how unstable Fenrir is.
He cannot be involved."
"Alright. I'll let you know what I can arrange," Seff bowed his head
deferentially and walked away.
Draco ran a hand through his hair, tugging on the long ends that almost swept
his shoulders these days. He didn't have the pressure from school or trying to
get Death Eaters into Hogwarts anymore, but it seemed he had new stressors to
worry about. He may have to take Fenrir out earlier than necessary, but Draco
was worried. There was an unknown element in the pack that he couldn't predict
and he didn't know who was leading it. Was it Rand? Was he playing Draco? Was
it Fenrir himself? Draco didn't think Fenrir was coming unhinged, but he
couldn't completely discount the possibility. And that possibility was
terrifying.
===============================================================================
M,
Meet me at the shack on Thursday at noon.
-YM
Draco stared at the short missive the owl had just dropped in his lap. He knew
who it was from. He would recognize her handwriting anywhere. YM. Your Mate.
Draco took a deep breath and closed his eyes to keep the tears that were
building from spilling. It had been weeks since he'd seen her. It was already
Thursday. He cast a Tempus charm and 11:30 briefly appeared in glowing red
numbers. Either she just sent the owl or the owl had come from a long way.
Draco didn't care. He couldn't wait to see her again.
He had been sitting at the center of the dueling court, reading the Daily
Prophet as he watched some of the pack duel others. Fenrir was nowhere to be
found, which was a relief. The pack always seemed lighter when he wasn't
around.
"Seff," Draco called and the Omega trotted to him from where he'd been speaking
with Rand.
"Tonight," Seff said in greeting. "After midnight."
Draco nodded his head. "I'm going out. I'm meeting Hermione."
Seff grinned at him. "So, maybe I should have Rand reschedule for tomorrow
night?"
Draco chuckled, "I'll be back in time for dinner."
"Reeking of sex…" Seff muttered.
"Don't be jealous," Draco smirked. "It doesn't suit you."
"Get out of here, go see your Mate. Maybe you'll be less of a grouchy bastard
when you get back," Seff shot back.
Draco grinned and clapped Seff on the shoulder before walking out of the
dueling court and heading outside to Apparate to Hogsmeade.
Hogsmeade was warm and sunny and Draco lifted his face to the sun for a few
moments. He stepped into the main thoroughfare from the Apparition site with a
jaunty step. He was brimming with excitement to see his Mate. He could only
hope she came alone and didn't have Potter or Weasley with her. He sneered in
disgust at the thought of the wonder duo. He understood they were her friends,
but that didn't mean he had to like them.
As soon as he cleared the village and the Shrieking Shack was in sight, he
could smell her. Apples, fall trees — despite the late spring sunshine —
cinnamon, and home. It was her. He sniffed again trying to figure out if she
had brought her friends, but he didn't smell any other humans around. He
grinned as he walked around the back of the shack. It was unlikely anyone would
see him breaking into the shack, but still better to enter from the back. As
soon as he rounded the side of the building, he spotted boards neatly stacked
that had been nailed over the door. She'd left him a way in. He could only hope
that meant she was ready to forgive him for being such a colossal prat.
He pulled the door open and suddenly had a wand pointed in his face. He raised
his hands as he stared down Hermione's wand into her face. She looked a mess.
Her eyes were red as if she'd been crying, and her clothes were dirty and she
looked wan and thin as if she hadn't been eating well.
"Where was the first place we kissed?" she demanded, her voice as hard as
steel.
"Tomes and Scrolls. Still the best kiss of my life," Draco replied, smiling
softly.
She lowered the wand slowly, and Draco pulled her into his arms. She was crying
almost immediately.
"Gods, I missed you, Granger," Draco said as he buried his nose into her bushy
hair, inhaling her scent. He had — he'd missed her so much. Not just in the
weeks since the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, but also in the weeks before
school had ended, after their fight at Easter hols.
"Draco," Hermione cried into his chest, her hands fisted into his robes as he
held her close. He soothed her and rocked her. He had no idea why she was so
upset, but he was sure part of it was just stress of not seeing each other in
so long.
"I'm glad you were able to get away from Potter and Weasley," Draco said
quietly into her hair. That set off a new round of sobs that Draco just didn't
understand. Was she fighting with her friends?
"Hermione? What's wrong, love?" Draco pulled back to look at her. Her face was
red from the tears and her nose was snotty. She wiped her face with the back of
her hands.
"You don't know? Greyback didn't tell you?" she asked weakly.
Draco shook his head, "Tell me what?"
"Ron's dead. Greyback ripped out his throat. Right in front of me. The night
Professor Dumbledore died. And… Draco, gods. It's my fault!" Hermione cried as
she slipped from his hands and slumped to the floor.
He hadn't known. Greyback hadn't said anything. He thought back to that night
on the Astronomy Tower. It was one of the worst nights of his life. Greyback
had said something about bodies, but Draco had never asked him anything about
it. Oh, gods, he was fucking stupid. He had no idea.
"Fuck, Hermione. Fuck!" Draco shouted as he whirled away from her and kicked a
ragged kitchen chair. He realized they were standing in what passed for a
kitchen in the Shrieking Shack.
Hermione was still on the floor in tears. She thought it was her fault Weasley
was dead. But it wasn't. It was Draco's. Draco had been the one who let Death
Eaters into Hogwarts, and Weasley had paid the price.
And Hermione thought it was her fault. She had helped him. She wouldn't have
helped him if she wasn't his Mate. If he weren't a werewolf, none of this would
have come to pass. Could he give her up? He looked down at her. Her sobbing had
quieted and he suddenly understood the red-rimmed eyes, the dirty clothes. She
must have gone on the run after the Ministry fell.
It didn't matter. The past was the past. She was his Mate. He would do anything
for her. He would do anything to protect her. He knelt next to her and gathered
her in his arms once more.
"Granger, Hermione, Mate," he crooned as she clung to him. "It's not your
fault. None of this is. Greyback is at fault. And I will kill him. I promise
you," Draco said.
He felt the magic stir around them. He had just vowed to her that he would kill
Greyback, his Alpha. And he would.
Hermione didn't start crying again, but she did cling to him, holding him
tightly. He reveled in the feel of her pressed against him. He had missed her
more than words could say and he wanted to drink her in, to mold himself to her
so they would never be apart again.
When she seemed calm, he spoke again, "Where are you staying?"
"Harry's got a place. It's safe-ish, but it's been a little rough. We didn't
want to go to the Burrow. The Weasley's have enough going on without two of the
most wanted also living in their house."
"Most wanted?" Draco asked. What was she talking about?
Hermione huffed a humorless laugh, "You haven't seen my wanted poster? I rate
25,000 galleons."
"Shite," Draco breathed. He hadn't known, but he had known about the Ministry.
And that the always Dark Lord was after Potter. He'd been questioned
extensively if he could access Potter through Hermione. And Draco hadn't even
needed to lie. He couldn't even access Hermione, let alone Potter. Thank the
gods for a werewolf's natural ability to Occlude.
"You need a better place to stay. Would you stay with me?" Draco asked
hopefully.
Hermione shook her head, "I can't. Harry's got this… this project from
Professor Dumbledore. I have to help him."
"Would you consent to stay at a Malfoy property then? So I know you are safe?"
Hermione looked like she was thinking hard about it. It was clear that wherever
they were staying wasn't safe enough.
"I'm Head of Malfoy family. I have access to properties that nobody else, not
even my mum, has access to. Nobody can access them, even if I were to die.
Mother still wouldn't be able to get to them. You'd be completely safe. And
Potter too, of course. And then there's the library," Draco mentioned trying to
sweeten the deal.
"Library?" Hermione asked, pulling away to look at him. Draco was relieved to
see her eyes brighten at the mention of a library.
"They're linked libraries. Any book that is in a Malfoy library can be
accessed," Draco boasted with a grin.
Hermione's eyes completely lit up and she smiled for the first time since he'd
arrived, "Yes. Let's do it. Can we go now?"
"Yes, I think we can make that happen. Do you want to fetch Potter? Or?"
"It might be best if you don't see each other. He's… he's really upset about
Ron."
Draco wasn't stupid. Potter clearly blamed him for Weasley's death. And he
wasn't wrong. Draco blamed himself too.
"Alright, I'll take you and show you everything. I'll add you to the wards and
then you can bring Potter through," Draco nodded.
"Okay," Hermione smiled at him again and Draco felt lighter. He resolved to
make her smile more. He missed her smile.
===============================================================================
Draco made quick work of adding Hermione to the wards surrounding a thirteenth-
century castle in the Scottish Highlands. He liked the property because it was
small. And it was the Heir's house, Baerston Keep, which he'd received the deed
to two summers ago on his fifteenth birthday. He'd spent most of that summer
fixing the place up and he was fairly proud of how it turned out.
There were only five bedrooms, each with an en-suite, and it was only two
floors. A small square castle guarded by a loch on one side and situated into
the side of a mountain. Quite formidable, despite how small it was.
Draco smirked as Hermione called book after book from the main library at
Malfoy Manor. It was quite simple. There was one directory book in each
library, and they were all linked so that all books would update if one was
updated. Tap your wand against any title in the directory, and it appeared in
front of you in a flash. Draco reveled in Hermione's delight.
"How soon do you need to be back to get Potter?" Draco asked as he stepped
behind her and pulled her close, her back against his chest. She leaned her
head back against him and looked up.
"Not for a bit yet," she said and then bit her lip.
Draco groaned as he spun her around and captured her lips in a heated kiss. He
could never resist when she bit her lip in front of him. He wanted to be the
one biting her lip. So he did, then soothed it over with his tongue, parting
her lips with it, diving into her sweet, warm, mouth. He swallowed her mewls
and moans as he drove his right hand through her curls, pulling her head in the
direction that gave him complete access to her mouth.
He dragged his lips away from hers and kissed down her jaw to nibble on her
earlobe, "Gods, witch. I've missed you." Draco punctuated this by pulling her
close and pressing his hardness into her abdomen.
"I've always wanted to have sex in a library," Hermione hissed into his ear.
"Your wish is my command," Draco smirked.
He backed her up to the table and lifted her on top of it. Then stepped between
her legs as he bent to kiss her again, winding his hands in her curls. She
wrapped her legs around him and pulled him closer, locking her ankles behind
him.
"Draco," she breathed as he kissed down her jaw toward her neck. He marked his
favorite spot where her neck met her shoulder, it had been months since they
were last intimate, and her mark had faded completely. He vowed to himself that
he would never be absent from her as long again.
While he had been kissing her neck, she was making short work of the buttons on
his shirt and began pushing it from his shoulders. He shrugged out of it, and
her fingers traced patterns on his bare skin. It felt electrifying; he'd
forgotten how good it felt to be touched by her. He returned the favor by
pulling her shirt over her head and stepped back to look at her dressed in just
a black lace bra and her denims. She kicked off her shoes and began unbuckling
his belt. Soon she was pushing his trousers and his pants down his hips. He
stepped out of his shoes and kicked his pants off.
Hermione's hands ran down his chest; Draco reveled in her touch. He closed his
eyes as her left hand grasped his cock and gave it a few pumps.
"You are entirely overdressed," he whispered.
Then he pulled her to standing and unbuttoned her denims. She wriggled out of
them, and Draco began working on her bra. Once she was completely nude, he
picked her up and sat her back on the table. Draco planted wet, open-mouthed
kisses down her neck and chest. He nuzzled into her mate mark and licked at the
scar Dolohov had left. When he reached her left nipple, he sucked it into his
mouth and swirled his tongue around it to make it harden into a peak. He
tweaked her right nipple with his fingers. Hermione gasped and held his head in
place with her hands, urging him on.
He slipped his right hand down her waist to the curls at the apex of her
thighs. She was incredibly wet already. He had to taste her. It has been so
long. He kissed his way down her abdomen until he could bury his face into her
core.
"Draco," she breathed after the first lick of her slit.
He grinned, she tasted just as he remembered, sweet like nectar and honey. He
placed his right hand on her abdomen and pushed her to lay back. She sat back
on her elbows and watched him with glittering eyes as he licked her pearl. She
keened and dropped her head back while driving her right hand into his hair and
holding him in place.
"Please," Hermione groaned.
Draco was happy to provide. He set a rhythm, licking, nipping, and sucking.
Driving her mad with need; driving himself mad, she tasted so good, and he was
only getting harder. He slipped a hand down and palmed his cock as he thrust
his tongue inside her quim. With his right hand, he circled her button and
fucked her with his tongue, intent on bringing her to completion.
"Fuck, Draco!" Hermione cried out as she came.
Draco lapped up all of her juices, prolonging her pleasure. When she was still,
he stood and slipped into her wet heat.
"Fuck, Hermione," he groaned with pleasure as her channel gripped him. She felt
like heaven and silk and like she wouldn't give him up.
Hermione wrapped her legs around his hips once more and canted her own hips to
meet his thrusts. He gripped her hips tightly with his hands as he pounded into
her heat. Draco wanted to bury himself inside her and never come back up for
air. His heart was beating erratically as he watched her writhe on the table
before him.
"I want to watch you fall," he rasped and began circling her clit with his
thumb.
"Draco," she cried out her second orgasm.
Draco picked her up, cradling her to him, and sat in one of the chairs at the
table. Hermione collapsed onto his lap in her exhaustion, but Draco was still
hard and buried inside her slick warmth. He flexed his hips, the two orgasms
she'd already had made her tight channel even tighter and more sensitive.
"Gods," she groaned as she sat up fully and looked at him. She wrapped her arms
around his neck and her legs around him and the back of the chair.
"Relax, let me," Draco said as he began to thrust into her steadily, his hands
on her hips, helping her rock.
He loved this position, looking into her deep, chocolate brown eyes as he made
love to her.
"Gods, Granger. I plan to fuck you for the rest of my life," Draco grunted.
Hermione rolled her hips in response, tightening her inner muscles almost to
the point that Draco couldn't even move inside her.
"Yes… like that," he groaned as his eyes slipped closed.
"Open your eyes, Draco," Hermione said as she rolled her hips once more.
"Fuck, Mate," Draco murmured.
"Mate, you're my Mate. I'm your Mate," Hermione husked as she bounced on his
cock.
He was getting close; he could feel his orgasm begin in the base of his spine.
"Always," Draco grunted.
"Always," Hermione promised with another hip roll.
"Can you come again?" Draco asked as he felt sweat roll down his spine.
"Yes," Hermione hissed, and Draco bounced her faster.
"Then come," Draco commanded, and she did. Watching her shatter was the most
beautiful thing Draco had ever seen. Her eyes widened momentarily before
falling closed even as her mouth opened. She made the sweetest sounds.
He grunted his own release, spilling his seed deep inside her still pulsing
channel.
"Always," Hermione muttered as she clung to him.
"Always," Draco promised, holding her tightly.
===============================================================================
Draco left Hermione in the library at Baerston Keep and returned to the dueling
court. He didn't know exactly what his plan was, but he was furious with
Greyback. Not even reconnecting with his mate was enough to calm the fire in
his veins.
"Alpha!" Draco shouted as he stormed into Greyback's tent. Greyback had been
sitting at his table, drinking whisky alone.
"Beta," Greyback responded and lifted an eye. "Something troubling you?"
"You killed her best friend. In front of her! How fucking dare you? You think
she's going to trust you? Trust me? Trust the pack? If she won't trust us, I
can't keep her safe!" Draco railed.
"Calm down, pup," Greyback snorted and took another swallow of his whisky.
"You think this is funny?" Draco asked as he narrowed his eyes at the other
man.
"What's one less Weasley in the world. Thought you'd be happy without the
competition," Greyback slurred.
It took a moment, but then it clicked. Greyback was drunk.
"How long have you been drinking?" Draco asked. He glanced around the tent and
noticed numerous empty bottles of firewhisky.
"Coupla days now," Greyback said and finished his glass. He immediately poured
himself another.
"Leave my mate and her friends alone, Greyback," Draco growled, pointing his
finger at him.
"You should thank me, Beta. Kept her out of the fighting, I did."
"By ripping the throat out of her best friend? That was the best you could come
up with? You are pathetic," Draco told him. The scorn was heavy in his voice,
and Draco didn't care. He was done with Greyback. Draco would call him out now,
if he wasn't under the influence. He didn't want whispers to be spread around
later about him taking out his own Alpha while the Alpha was drunk. Draco had a
few morals left yet.
Fenrir leered at him drunkenly but didn't say anything. He took another swig
from the glass in front of him. Draco sneered at his Alpha and he stormed out
of Greyback's tent and went straight to find Rand. He didn't care who saw him,
If Greyback was too drunk to care, Draco didn't need to care either.
"Rand, we have to do something. The sooner the better," Draco said by way of
greeting.
"Beta, what are you talking about?" Rand said tightly.
Draco narrowed his eyes, "I thought we were on the same page here, Rand."
"Listen, pup, we gotta be —"
Draco cut him off, "Fenrir is drunker than a fucking skunk in his tent right
now. Has been for days. I'm not concerned about his little birdies telling him
anything."
"And if he comes after you?"
"Then I'll kill him and become Alpha. I won't challenge him while he's drunk,
but if he challenges me, he's dead," Draco said coldly.
Rand's eyes widened, "What did he do?"
"He ripped the throat out of Ronald Weasley, best friend to Hermione Granger,
my mate."
"For fuck's sake," Rand muttered.
"And what the fuck is going on with Bledig?" Draco asked. "They were Muggles.
He shouldn't have been hurt that badly. What are your people doing?"
"Wasn't mine. Either Fenrir or someone else is making a play."
"Figure it out and put a stop to it," Draco told him. "This war with the Dark
Lord is coming to a head faster than you think. I won't have dissension in the
ranks after Fenrir's gone. Get them all on board."
Rand sighed heavily and leaned back in the chair, "I'll do what I can."
"You better," Draco threatened as he stormed out of the tent.
***** Chapter 35 *****
Chapter Notes
     A/N: Four chapters to go! Can't believe the end is almost here!
     Brownlark42 is an amazingly awesome person who puts up with my
     fanfiction obsession because she loves me. I love her! And we both
     live for your reviews, so tell us what you think!
     I make a manip for every chapter, find me on Tumblr at
     crochetawayhpff.
"I won't do it, Hermione!" Harry shouted at her for what felt like the
millionth time that evening.
She'd arrived home much calmer than when she'd left. The last few weeks had
been overwhelmed with grief, guilt, and anger. She had put all of her energy
into trying to be strong for Harry and keeping them both safe while they fled.
It was a relief to share her tragedy with her Mate, and Draco's reassuring
presence had been a welcome reminder that she had more to do than hide and
survive. She was excited to show Harry the house Draco had given them to stay
in. It was much safer, and the library itself was going to be incredibly
helpful.
"Harry —" Hermione began.
"He's the reason Ron is fucking dead. You know that, right? It's all his fault!
We needed Ron! I needed Ron. I can't… I won't..." Harry trailed off, furiously
wiping the tears from his eyes.
Hermione gulped. It wasn't all Draco's fault. She blamed herself more than
anyone. She felt a lump begin in her throat and tears pricked at her eyes. She
turned away from Harry and looked out the window of the drawing room. Grimmauld
Place always felt bleak, and the sky outside was no better. London was as grey
and cloudy this summer morning as her heart felt.
Her lip quivered, "It's not really, Harry. I — I'm the one who helped him…. And
if Greyback hadn't seen us in that alcove…" Hermione trailed off as the tears
began streaming down her face.
"It's my fault Ron's dead," Hermione said in a clearer voice after wiping away
her tears.
"All of it is my fault. I helped Draco with the vanishing cabinet. He'd never
have finished it without me. I watched the Death Eaters come into Hogwarts.
Ron's blood is on my hands, Harry, quite literally," she sniffed and continued.
"D-Don't you know how that feels? Or how it felt to watch my best friend bleed
out in my arms… unable to do anything to help him… all the while, knowing,
KNOWING, it was all my fault? If only I hadn't helped Draco; if only I had been
able to protect Ron from Greyback; if only I hadn't been injured, then we
wouldn't have been in that alcove at all! So many things could ha-have ch-ch-
changed…" Hermione trailed off as she broke out into full-blown sobs.
She should be dead. She wished she was. Greyback should have killed her, not
Ron. Not sweet, innocent Ron. He hadn't been doing anything more than healing
his best friend, trying to protect her.
"Oh, gods, Hermione," Harry said, deflating. She soon found herself wrapped in
a familiar pair of arms. "It's not, it's not your fault. Don't cry. You'll just
make…" He murmured.
She cried into Harry's shoulder, as she had so often over the last few weeks
since fleeing Hogwarts. Despite her preparations, being on the run was harder
than she'd expected. It wasn't just hiding out. It was realizing her face was
plastered over the Muggle media. It was trying to call her parents to tell them
not to worry about her, that she was safe. Food was a constant challenge —
Tonks or Remus dropped by when they could with groceries, and that wasn't
often. Hermione had been too scared to find a place to destroy the diadem, and
they still had no idea where to find Slytherin's necklace or Hufflepuff's cup.
The diadem was becoming a problem. It whispered nasty, unspeakable things to
her. At night, when it was dark and she was alone, she found herself wanting to
obey. She felt compelled to do the horrible things the diadem whispered to her.
She shuddered and pulled back from Harry, shoving the diadem out of her mind
once more.
"We have to go, Harry. Yes! We absolutely do!" she shouted over his protest.
"Listen to me! How else am I supposed to get that, that, thing out of your
head? You have a Horcrux inside you and I've checked every blasted book in this
house. Mrs. Weasley got rid of all the dark ones. You know that. I have to
believe there is a way to move the Horcrux out of you without killing you. I… I
can't lose my other best friend. Not if there's something I can do to stop it."
"He killed Ron," Harry emphasized. "I don't care what you say, it's Malfoy's
fault. And I can't forgive him that."
Hermione heard it but felt as if he were talking about her and not Draco. She
understood. She would never forgive herself either. Her chest felt heavy like
there was a boulder sitting on top of her. She took a deep breath and tried to
will away her tears.
"I get it. I do. But the library. Being safe. Not having to spend time looking
for food? All of that will help us. Only Draco can get to the property. Even
if… even if he dies, nobody else will be able to get to the property. We'll be
safe while we figure out what we have to do next. You don't have to forgive
Draco or even trust him. You just have to come with me," Hermione implored her
friend.
She looked into his emerald green eyes, which were red-rimmed. He tried to hide
his tears from her, but she always knew how he was feeling. She felt her own
lip quiver, so she bit it. No more tears, not tonight. Tonight she had to get
Harry to come with her. To be safe. To help her research and figure out how to
get that Horcrux out of his head.
"You feel him, don't you?" Hermione asked. "When he's happy, you feel him
gloating. When he's mad, sometimes you black out, you know?"
Harry looked away, refusing to meet her gaze.
"If we get him out of you, that's one less Horcrux. And you won't
have him living in you anymore. Him seeing your thoughts. You
seeing his. Him giving you false—"
"Fine! I get it," Harry snapped. "I get it," his voice dropping.
"And?" Hermione asked.
"We'll go," Harry said resignation heavy in his voice.
Hermione wrapped her arms tight around Harry, "Thank you," she whispered to him
as she held him close to her.
===============================================================================
Hermione and Harry settled into Baerston Keep with relative ease. Draco had
sent Tink, his own personal house elf, to tend them. Hermione had a lot of
guilt letting Tink provide for them, but it freed up all of her time to
research. It was going to take massive amounts of research to figure out how to
get the Horcrux out of Harry's head, and then figure out where two of the three
remaining Horcruxes were.
Draco had mostly stayed away, per Hermione's request. She wanted to get Harry
used to the new place before introducing Draco to the situation. Harry blamed
Draco for Ron's death, and she blamed herself too. Draco blamed himself. There
was a lot of blame going around. Hermione wanted to focus on the Horcruxes and
not on the emotions regarding Ron.
Hermione couldn't even think about Ron most days. Every time her mind went in
that direction, she forcibly turned it around. She couldn't do the work she
needed to do and grieve for Ron at the same time. She resolved to mourn when
the war was over and the Dark Lord and Greyback were both dead. She couldn't
wait until Draco killed Greyback. If it served any sort of purpose to eliminate
him now, she'd order it done. But it didn't. It would just make the Dark Lord
suspicious of Draco, and that was the last thing they needed. They wanted the
Dark Lord to be lulled into a false sense of security with his werewolves.
Draco showed up almost three weeks after Hermione and Harry moved into the
Keep. Hermione was in the library pouring over yet another book that referenced
Horcruxes. She had yet to find anything that would remove the one residing in
Harry.
"What are you doing?" Draco said.
Hermione yelped. He'd startled her and she looked up to find him leaning
against the bookcase with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Gods, you scared me," she scolded and closed the book in front of her. She
rubbed her eyes with the heel of her hands for a moment. "I'm trying to figure
out a way to get that Horcrux out of Harry and into something else."
"Horcrux?! Potter's got a bloody Horcrux in him? How does that even happen?"
Draco asked with a shocked expression.
Hermione looked up sharply. Shit, she hadn't meant to tell him that. She'd been
so stressed with everything that she forgot Draco didn't know.
"Whose Horcrux?" Draco asked quietly.
Hermione didn't answer. She didn't know what to tell him. She wasn't supposed
to have told him anything in the first place. Harry was going to be furious.
"Whose Horcrux, Hermione?!" Draco shouted at her. His hands were balled into
fists so tight his knuckles were white.
"Voldemort's," Harry responded. Hermione leaned around Draco to see Harry
standing in the doorway of the library.
"What?" Draco hissed as he turned to face Harry.
"Voldemort's Horcrux is stuck in my head. And don't yell at Hermione," Harry
frowned at Draco.
Hermione shook her head. "Harry, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean —"
"This is what you were keeping from me? The Dark Lord had Horcruxes? Is this
the little job Dumbledore gave him?" Draco turned back to her and jerked his
thumb over his shoulder at Harry.
Hermione nodded. She didn't know what else to say. She dropped her head into
her hands. Harry was going to kill her and clearly, Draco was upset with her
too. Now they were both going to hate her. It wasn't long before she felt the
hot rush of tears flood her eyes and spill over onto her cheeks. She swallowed
around the lump in her throat, trying to push down the overwhelming feelings
that engulfed her.
Her relationships were falling apart. And she killed Ron. She tried to bury
that thought, to make it go away, but it didn't. It never did. It was always
right there at the back of her head, reminding her, taunting her. More tears
began to fall and soon she was crying out loud, sobbing into her hands.
"Oh, gods," Draco muttered and she found herself buried in his embrace. She
pressed her face into his chest as she tried to control herself. She didn't
have time to lose control like this. She needed to find out how to move the
Horcrux in Harry. She needed to destroy the rest of them. And Ron was dead. Her
wonderful friend. Murdered and...
"Shhh, there, there," Draco whispered as he began to rock her. She felt another
hand on her shoulder. It squeezed and she looked up to see Harry standing
there.
"It's alright, Hermione. I know you didn't mean to. And, well, maybe he can
help?" Harry said with a shrug.
Hermione burst into a fresh set of tears. Harry was trying to be nice to Draco
for her. And she didn't deserve it. She turned from Draco and threw her arms
around Harry.
"I'm sorry. I'm so bloody sorry," she said over and over into his shoulder.
She didn't see the bewildered look Harry shot Draco as his arms tentatively
held her, patting her back.
"'S'alright," Harry mumbled.
"Come on, Hermione. Calm down," Draco said, running his hand down her back.
Hermione took a big breath and stepped back from Harry. She wiped at her eyes
and face as Draco wrapped his arm around her waist. She was eternally grateful
for the support and leaned into him.
"Maybe you can tell me what's going on then?" Draco asked gently.
Hermione darted her eyes to Harry, and when Harry nodded she smiled at him.
Then she told Draco everything. About the Dark Lord's Horcruxes, how many he
had, how many had been destroyed and how many they thought he had left.
"And you think one's in Potter's head?" Draco asked at the end of it all.
"I know there is," Hermione said. "Harry can hear the Dark Lord when the Dark
Lord's emotions are running high. When he's really happy or really mad about
something, Harry gets flashes of it. And the Dark Lord can implant false
memories into Harry. It happened back in fifth year. The only thing I think
that can cause that is a Horcrux."
"A living Horcrux?" Draco asked. Hermione could hear the skepticism in his
voice.
"We think Nagini is one too," Harry replied.
"Really?" Draco shuddered.
"Yeah," Hermione said. "Back in fifth year, the Order was guarding something in
the Ministry, and Mr. Weasley was attacked by a snake. Harry saw the attack
from Nagini's point of view. That's really what pieced it all together for me.
Harry could feel the Dark Lord's feelings, and he was seeing things from
Nagini's point of view. So it only made sense that there are bits of the Dark
Lord in each of them."
"That's a rather disgusting way to put it, Hermione," Harry said with a curl of
his lip.
Hermione shrugged.
"And you haven't found any way to remove the Horcrux without killing him?"
Draco asked.
"No," Hermione replied. She pointed at the books on the table. They were all
Dark Magic books that mentioned Horcruxes in varying levels of detail.
"Maybe you need to think about it a different way," Draco suggested. He turned
and grabbed the registry book from the podium at the center of the library. He
flipped through it as he walked back toward them, tapping various texts as he
went.
Books began appearing on the table in front of Hermione. But they weren't Dark
Magic books; they were books on making and repairing magical artifacts.
"You are bloody brilliant!" Hermione exclaimed. She stood from the table and
wrapped Draco in a hug, trapping the registry book between them. "Why didn't I
think of that?"
"You can't always be the smartest person in the room," Draco winked at her as
he leaned down to kiss her briefly on the lips.
Hermione halted the kiss before he could take it further. As much as she wanted
to, she had work to do and Harry was in the room. Draco had just given her the
perfect avenue to follow. If she thought about the Horcrux in Harry as a
magical artifact, she might be able to lift the magic from his head as one
piece and place it in another object. These were exactly the steps needed to
repair or replace a magical artifact.
Draco pouted at her as she turned away, but she ignored him and the grossed out
face Harry made to focus on the new books.
"How are you going to destroy the Horcruxes once you have them?" he asked,
sitting next to her.
"You never did tell me your plan on that," Harry chimed in.
Hermione glanced up. She hadn't told either of them about her experiments with
Fiendfyre. Maybe she should show them? Destroy the diadem, get it to stop
whispering to her and show them how Fiendfyre worked. She pursed her lips as
she thought. She had been wanting to destroy the diadem, but it somehow slipped
her mind every time she went to do it. Her eyes fell closed. Of course. There
was a further enchantment on it. The diadem didn't want to be destroyed, so it
would distract her every time she went to do it.
"Is there someplace nearby we could go? Somewhere out of doors, deserted,
unlikely to catch fire?"
Draco's eyebrows raised at that last bit. "There's an island in the loch. You
can't see it from the Keep because it's on the far side."
"That would be perfect. Let's go," Hermione said as she stood from the table.
"What? Now?" Harry asked.
"Yep," Hermione looped her arm through Draco's and they both left the library
with Harry trailing behind them.
Before they reached the front door, Draco dropped Hermione's arm and turned to
Harry. Hermione was confused for a second, but then he extended his right hand
to Harry.
"I'm sorry about Weasley, I-I didn't expect Greyback to kill anyone. I promise,
I will avenge him," Draco said.
Hermione was pleased with Harry's startled look.
"A-Alright," Harry replied and shook Draco's hand. Hermione beamed at them
both.
"Lead the way, Draco," she commanded, grinning like a fool.
Draco led them out of the Keep and down to the loch. There he transfigured a
boat from a large rock and guided them all inside. A quick propelling charm and
they were off, racing across the loch toward the island.
The island was hidden behind a bend in the loch and a bit of the mountain. It
was small and relatively barren, with a few spindly pines that graced the
northern edge. The island was long and skinny and didn't look like it was much
more than a hundred yards across. It was perfect for what Hermione had in mind.
She'd been deliberately not thinking of the diadem. She speculated that if she
didn't think about the diadem and what she wanted to do with it, the charm on
it wouldn't activate and distract her. It seemed to be working.
They landed on the island and clambered out of the boat.
"Keep the boat," Hermione said when Draco went to cancel the spell. "If
something goes wrong, we'll want to be able to retreat."
Draco's eyebrows raised, but he lowered his wand. Hermione walked several paces
forward until she was near the middle of the island. Harry and Draco trailed
her until she turned to face them.
"I need to concentrate. Don't interrupt even if it looks like I'm losing
control. I promise I will tell you if we have to bail. I have done this
before," she assured them with a small smile.
Harry and Draco looked bewildered, but both nodded. Hermione turned back around
and dug into her beaded bag. Still not thinking about the diadem, she reached
her hand into the bag. She was elbow deep before her fingers brushed the cold
metal and Dark Magic. She pulled it out, and not looking at it directly, tossed
it to the ground about a dozen feet in front of her.
"Hermione is that —" Harry started. She heard Draco shush him and smirked.
"Ignes pe Fende," she said quietly while making a large circle with her wand
arm. As she flicked her wrist toward the center of the circle, a huge Phoenix
erupted from her wand. It raced to the diadem, quickly engulfing it in flames.
"Holy…" Draco trailed off behind her.
Hermione concentrated on controlling the flames. The Phoenix had quickly turned
into other beasts that swirled and raged around the diadem. A thick, oily,
smoke was pouring out of the did her best to ignore everything around her and
concentrate on controlling the Fiendfyre.
"Worthless… stupid… Mudblood…" the oily smoke hissed and whispered at her.
Hermione tightened the grip on her wand.
"He doesn't love you… nobody loves you… murderer…" the smoke was getting
thicker and darker, swallowing Hermione.
She closed her eyes as she poured more power into the spell and suddenly heard
a high-pitched scream that quickly rose into an inhuman wail. The wail
continued and grew almost plaintive before it faded and died. She opened her
eyes and the oily smoke was dissipating and rapidly vanished. The fire was
still raging around the diadem, but the relic was contorting and melting in the
heat.
The Horcrux was gone.
Hermione took a deep breath and shouted, "Mergit Ignis!"
The fire did nothing for a moment. Hermione shouted the incantation again and
as if a wind had gusted, the flaming creatures came rushing toward her to be
subsumed by her wand. The last was a wolf, as it had been every time she
successfully ended the spell.
She turned back to Harry and Draco, to find them staring at her with equally
shocked expressions.
"That was…" Harry started.
"...bloody amazing," Draco finished.
Draco swept forward and hugged her, picking her up and twirling her around.
"You bloody, gorgeous, amazing, awe-inspiring, brilliant witch!" he shouted and
then set her back on the earth, covering her lips with his own. Hermione
grinned at him and soon lost herself in his kiss.
"Yoo-hoo!" Harry shouted, breaking them apart. "Oh, thank gods," he muttered
when they both looked at him. "No offense, but I don't really want to ever see
that again."
Hermione laughed as Harry shuddered and went to pick up the diadem. It was now
a melted lump of metal and carried no resemblance to Ravenclaw's once-loved
tiara.
===============================================================================
Two weeks later, Hermione was having a whispered Floo conversation with Remus.
She had Flooed him because she had found the locket and needed help getting to
it. A picture in the Daily Prophet had tipped her off. Dolores Umbridge, of all
people, was wearing it proudly around the Ministry.
"... I don't know," Remus said.
"I don't care," Hermione snapped. "Figure out a way. If you can't do it, have
Tonks steal it or something. But figure it out. We need it."
"Why? What is it?" Remus asked.
Hermione growled under her breath, wishing they were face to face and her head
wasn't stuck in a fireplace.
"It's important. We can't defeat him without it," Hermione said. "I can't tell
you more than that. Just get it!"
"Fine, I'll figure it out," Remus grumbled.
"You're a smart wizard, of course, you will," Hermione assured him. She heard a
scuff behind her and cursed softly. Hopefully, it was Draco or Tink and not
Harry. "I've got to go," she told Remus and broke the connection.
She stood and wiped the Floo powder from her shoulders as she turned around to
see Draco standing in the doorway.
"Oh, thank gods, it's you," she muttered.
"Gee, what a welcome," Draco replied back.
Hermione snorted, "Sorry. I was worried it was Harry for a moment."
"It's fine," Draco said as he strode into the room. "What's going on?"
Hermione smiled at him but didn't say anything for a moment. She wrapped her
arms around his neck and pulled him close for a hug and a peck on the lips.
They hadn't found much time to be intimate since the beginning of the summer.
"Mmm…" Draco responded and deepened the kiss. Hermione wanted to, she really
did. But she had called Draco here for a reason.
"I think there's a Horcrux in the Lestrange Gringotts vault," Hermione said.
"What? Really? How do you know? Which one?" Draco asked as he pulled back from
her.
Hermione stepped away and began rifling through her notes. She'd been taking
extensive notes on everything she'd heard and thought over the last few months.
"Here it is," she muttered and pulled up her diary.
"It was something Bellatrix said at Easter. She mentioned the Dark Lord wanted
her to put something in her vault," Hermione replied. "It's Hufflepuff's cup
for sure. I have a lead on Slytherin's locket."
Draco nodded. "How do we get it?"
"You will have to get it," Hermione said.
Draco shook his head, "How?"
"You'll have to think of a way. What do pure-bloods keep in their vaults?
Anything that's not money? Jewelry? Rare books? I'd appeal to Rodolphus and
leave Bellatrix out of it."
Draco nodded, "I'll see what I can come up with. Maybe Mother can give me an
idea."
Hermione smiled softly, "That's a good idea. See what she knows."
Draco wrapped his arms around her and they stood there for a few moments,
taking comfort in just being with each other.
***** Chapter 36 *****
Chapter Notes
     A/N: Eeee! I'm so excited! There are only three chapters left after
     this one! Technically two chapters and an epilogue. I can't wait to
     see what you all think of this one.
     I know I've been gushing about her for months, but really, I cannot
     say enough nice things about brownlark42. This fic would be nothing
     without her and I am eternally grateful for all the time and hard
     work she has put into it.
     I make a manip for every chapter, find me on Tumblr at
     crochetawayhpff.
"Uncle Rodolphus?" Draco asked as he walked into the small family dining room
that Rodolphus seemed to prefer. It was September, which meant Hermione's
birthday was coming up. It was the perfect time to ask Rodolphus for a favor.
Rodolphus paused and set down his fork full of sausages. He raised his eyebrow
at Draco.
"I was wondering if you could help me with something," Draco began. He was
exceedingly nervous about this, but he felt sure that Rodolphus would help.
He'd helped in the past by protecting Draco's mother and keeping Aunt Bella
away from him. He'd even helped when Greyback went a little crazy and tortured
his Aunt Bella. He'd kept the truth of the matter from both her and the Dark
Lord.
"What is it?" Rodolphus said sharply.
"It's Hermione's birthday. She'll be seventeen. I want to get her some jewelry,
something traditionally given to purebloods on their seventeenth birthday. But
there aren't any jewelers in Diagon Alley anymore…" Draco trailed off, trying
to gauge his uncle's reaction.
"Go on," Rodolphus said impatiently and picked up his fork again, shoving the
food into his mouth.
Draco took a deep breath, "So that means I have to find some family jewelry.
The Malfoys and the Blacks have mostly cursed their jewelry in case it falls
into Muggle hands. I don't think I'll be able to find a piece Hermione can
wear."
"I see," Rodolphus nodded slowly.
"I know the Lestranges historically have been less strict about blood purity,
not that you aren't strict now," Draco said quickly. "I'm just wondering if you
might have pieces that aren't cursed against Muggles."
Rodolphus cocked his head at him and Draco kept his face sincere and slightly
worried. He hoped his uncle bought the act.
"The Lestrange vault is one of the largest and oldest in all of Gringotts. I'm
sure there are plenty of pretty trinkets you could find for your girlfriend.
I'll get you the key," Rodolphus flicked his hand, dismissing Draco.
"Thank you!" Draco said brightly and quickly left the room. He headed back to
the dueling court. That had gone much better than he'd expected. He thought for
sure Rodolphus would either want to accompany him or grill him about it.
===============================================================================
"Merlin's saggy balls!" Draco shouted as he helped Caleb out of the house.
It was another Muggle raid on another gone wrong. Caleb had been hit with an
entrail-expelling curse. Draco knew that this was sabotage. Someone was
deliberately fucking with their raids. And Draco was going to find out who.
"Back to the Manor!" he shouted to his pack as he Apparated himself and Caleb
directly into the dueling court. He called for Tink as soon as he arrived.
"I need blood-replenishing potions and upgraded healing potions, now!" Draco
shouted as soon as Tink had popped into existence.
Tink left immediately and Draco began repairing Caleb's abdomen. The blood
smelled foul and Draco was afraid this was beyond his current skills, despite
his intensive training since healing Bledig. Luckily, none of the intestines
seemed to be pierced. He gathered them back into Caleb's abdomen, muttering
healing spells as he went. Tink popped back into the room just as the rest of
the pack began running in from the Apparition point on the grounds.
"Get over here, Seff!" Draco called his hands wrist deep in Caleb's abdomen.
"WHAT IN THE BLEEDING FUCK HAPPENED TO HIM?" Greyback roared as he stormed
through the pack and toward Draco, Seff, and Caleb.
"Not now, Alpha," Draco growled as he began slowly closing the skin on Caleb.
He muttered capillary and vein mending spells while Seff concentrated on
healing the skin itself.
"Did you get it all back in there right?" Seff asked.
"No idea," Draco admitted. "We need to get him stable. If he doesn't improve,
if the wolf's healing abilities don't take over, we get him to St. Mungo's."
Seff nodded and they soon finished healing Caleb to the best of their ability.
Draco cleaned the blood from his hands and wand and grabbed the potions vials
Tink had left. He began pouring them down Caleb's throat one-by-one.
"Who cast the entrail expelling curse?" Fenrir asked.
Nobody said anything.
"Nobody's going to admit to it, Alpha," Draco said tiredly. He, Rand, and Seff
had been trying for months to figure out who was betraying the pack. They were
lucky that so far they'd been able to keep the worst of it from the Dark Lord's
ears. But Draco thought this one might leak. And what would if someone was
eventually killed? He wasn't sure he and Greyback; could come up with any
explanation that would satisfy the Dark Lord.
Neither of them wanted to admit that their control of the pack was tenuous at
best. Greyback was slipping down a dangerous slope, and while Draco was
fighting hard to keep the pack under his leadership, he knew he didn't have
them all. A lot of wolves were still very loyal to Greyback.
"I'll Priori Incantatem each of their wands," Greyback threatened.
Draco sighed and left Caleb on the table in the center of the dueling court. He
grabbed Greyback's arm and pulled him to the side. Draco felt sixteen pairs of
eyes on him as he conferred quietly with Greyback.
"If we start checking wands, we'll lose them," Draco said quietly.
"I don't care. If we don't find out who it is, he'll end up killing someone,"
Greyback replied, his eyes flashing.
Draco could smell Greyback's breath. Even now he was drunk. Draco rubbed his
face.
"I get that. And I'm working on it. Give me a little more time. Please?" Draco
asked.
"You have a week," Greyback said. Greyback threw one last glare at the pack
huddled around Caleb and stormed off to his tent. Draco sighed and scrubbed his
face again, pushing his hair off his forehead. He had to find out who was
sabotaging them. He was going to kill whoever it was. This was worse than
disloyalty. This was outright rebellion. Draco couldn't afford to let the pack
fall into chaos.
He stalked back toward Caleb and found Seff casting a diagnostic charm.
"How is he?" Draco asked. The pack began to drift away and Draco frowned as he
watched them go.
"Stable enough for the moment," Seff replied. "I think…" Seff trailed off.
Draco looked at him sharply. He cast a warding charm on Caleb, to alert him
when the hurt wolf awoke, and pushed Seff back toward his tent. Once inside, he
cast a silencing charm.
"What do you know?" Draco asked.
"I think it was Rand."
"What?! You think or you know?" Draco asked and narrowed his eyes.
"I saw him cast a sickly orange curse. I didn't hear the words, but that's what
the entrail-expelling curse looks like. We weren't using any other spells that
look that way, I-I don't want it to be him… but I think it is," Seff admitted
quietly.
"Fuck, Merlin's fucking... Fuck!" Draco kicked his table and it clattered
across the floor. Fucking Rand. He was playing Draco. Draco didn't like to be
played. He would have to be dealt with. Immediately.
"Call for a full council tonight, ten P.M.," Draco commanded.
"Yes, Beta," Seff nodded and left his tent.
Draco wished Hermione was here. He wished she could tell him what to do. Or
whether what he was about to do was insane. If he called Rand out, he'd be
expected to deal with him. Could he kill the other wolf? A member of his pack?
That's what Fenrir would expect for a betrayal of this magnitude. And why? Why
would Rand betray the pack this way? Draco couldn't make any sense of it.
"Fuck," he muttered as he left his tent in search of Arnou. He hadn't spent
much time with the older wolf, but he needed his advice badly.
"Pup!" Arnou called out when Draco entered his tent. Draco cast silencing
charms and sat heavily in a chair across from Arnou.
"Wha's got you in a bother?" Arnou asked.
"I've found who's sabotaging our raids," Draco told him. "I need some advice
and… I don't really trust Fenrir at the moment. He's been drinking more and
more, and it's to the point where I can't seem to catch him sober. Not to
mention… "
Arnou nodded sagely, "Our Alpha seems to have found other priorities.
Priorities that don't involve the well-bein' o' tha pack."
Draco huffed a sigh and quirked a half-smile at the older wolf, "His blood lust
seems to be clouding his judgment."
"Aye, 'at's one way o' puttin' it."
Arnou held out his hand, and a bottle of firewhisky and two tumblers flew into
it. "Let's have a drink while you tell me what's botherin' ya."
Draco nodded. It was a slight gamble, but he felt he could trust Arnou to be
neutral and give honest advice. He might be Greyback's Sire, but he wasn't
blind to his faults. And he was pretty much removed from all pack politics.
Arnou poured for them both and Draco took a pensive sip before he spoke.
"Someone has been undermining our missions all summer, you know?" Arnou nodded
his agreement. "I've been trying to figure out who. We've pretty much only been
attacking Muggles, so none of the missions should have caused the injuries
we've seen. I thought at first that it was someone under Fenrir's direction. I
thought that Fenrir was trying to consolidate his power in the pack, that he
felt he was losing control. But now, I've been told that the entrail-expelling
curse was fired from someone else's wand. And I don't know if Fenrir is behind
it, or if this other person is acting of their own accord. But if they are, I
don't know why?"
"Hmmm, I think you oughta call a full council," Arnou replied.
"I have. It's set for tonight at ten."
"Good. It'll all come out then," Arnou nodded and sipped his firewhisky.
"But what if the council votes that this person should die? You know Fenrir
will vote that way," Draco asked. He drained his firewhisky and poured himself
another.
"Then Fenrir will deliver Alpha's Justice," Arnou responded. "If the full
council decrees that this person should be killed for their actions, then
Alpha's Justice is invoked. It's Alpha's Justice for a reason. Alpha's supposed
ta be the one ta do it."
"And you don't think he'll make me do it?" Draco asked.
"This is Fenrir Greyback we're talkin' abou'. Your training has nothin' to do
with this. We jus' said tha' his bloodlust was gettin' outta control. If
Alpha's Justice is invoked, he'll do the death blow," Arnou nodded firmly.
Draco took a deep breath. Arnou was right. Greyback wouldn't make him kill
Rand. He'd do it himself. He felt a little better with that burden removed, but
he was still livid that Rand would betray the pack this way.
"Get some rest, Beta. We gotta long nigh' ahead o' us," Arnou said. He clapped
Draco on the shoulder and ushered him out of his tent.
===============================================================================
"Order!" Draco shouted at the seventeen other wolves. They'd gathered in the
center of the dueling court, with chairs all in a circle as he and Greyback
stood at one end. Every wolf in the pack was present. Caleb was lying on a cot
nearby, drifting in and out of consciousness, but Draco hadn't wanted anyone to
cry foul by leaving him out. The wolves gradually settled until they were quiet
and staring at their Alpha and Beta.
"You called this meeting, Beta," Greyback murmured, his whisky breath washing
over Draco's face. He grimaced, wondering how it could have gotten this bad
without him noticing early on. He shook himself and turned to the group.
"Thank you for coming. I called you here with some news. It appears that we
have a traitor in our midst," Draco stated calmly. He wondered even as he made
that statement if it would startle anyone into giving themselves away. He had
to hand it to Rand, who sat staring at Draco, cool as a cucumber.
"What?" Greyback looked at him, a slightly confused expression on his face.
"Someone has been purposely wounding pack members during the raids the Dark
Lord has sent us on."
"He's a dead man," Fenrir threatened. "Who is it?"
"Rand!" Draco pointed at the wolf and on queue, Udolf and Bledig grabbed his
arms and brought him to the center of the circle, on his knees. Draco cast
an Incarcerous curse at him, preventing any attempt at escape.
"You don't know anything, Pup!" Rand sneered at Draco.
"I know you shot the entrail-expelling curse at Caleb today. You were seen. I
also know that at the time, you were ahead of Caleb in formation. Which meant
you had to turn your back on the Muggles we were attacking to attack one of our
own."
"You can't prove it," Rand spat.
"I don't have to. Omega!"
Seff stood, "I saw you, Rand. I saw you turn around and cast a sickly-orange
curse at Caleb. The same color as the entrail-expelling curse."
"Nobody believe the Omega! He's lying!" Rand shouted.
"Shut up, traitor," Greyback growled
"Does anyone else have any information they'd like to provide? Or anything to
say in defense of this wolf?" Draco asked.
"I saw something when Bledig was injured," Udolf said as he stood.
Draco waved his hand, indicating the Udolf should go on.
"At the time I was sure I saw Rand curse Bledig, but in the heat of the battle,
I thought my eyes were playing a trick on me," Udolf shrugged.
"He's lying too!" Rand shouted.
"I said shut up, traitor!" Greyback screamed and aimed a kick at Rand.
Draco pulled Greyback away from Rand. They had to do this the right way.
"Anyone else?" Draco asked.
"Three raids ago," Dib stood, "I watched as Rand's spells were all weak unless
he was in cross-fire with another wolf."
"What do you mean?" Draco asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Well, when he was casting at the Muggles, his spells would fizzle. Often
before hitting a Muggle. But then if he was casting opposite one of the pack,
his spells would miss their targets. He seemed to be aiming for pack members,"
Dib explained.
"And you didn't say anything, why?" Greyback barked as he stalked toward Dib.
Draco grabbed him by the elbow and pulled him back.
"I didn't recognize what I was seeing at first," Dib admitted. "But when I did
realize, I wasn't sure…" Dib trailed off.
Greyback growled, "Enough. Council vote now. What should be done with the
traitor?"
Shouts of Alpha's Justice went up around the circle, it was almost deafening.
"Alright! Alright!" Draco shouted above the din. "One at a time."
Draco began calling off names. Each person voted for Alpha's Justice. When it
came time, he too voted for Alpha's Justice.
"That's sixteen votes for Alpha's Justice. Caleb abstains, Rand doesn't get a
vote. I, too, vote for Alpha's Justice," Greyback stated.
The collected wolves started cheering and jeering, increasing the wild energy
in the court. Rand's face was contorted with fury.
"Quiet!" Draco shouted once more. "Before any sentence is carried out, I want
to know why. Why, Rand? Why have you done it?"
"Because you are both fools!" Rand spat, "Neither of you deserves to be Death
Eaters. That honor should go to me! I want to do the Dark Lord's bidding! To
follow his power, which is greater than either of yours, greater than this
entire pack. I thought that by joining the Death Eater pack, I'd be in service
to the Dark Lord and be able to follow his vision for a new world. But Fenrir's
too focused on the pack, and you won't admit it, Pup, but you don't even like
being a Death Eater. You're mated to a fucking Mudblood!"
Draco snarled at the wolf kneeling on the floor. "And what did you hope to
accomplish by injuring members of your own pack?"
"I wanted the Dark Lord to see your incompetence for what it was! If he took
both you and Fenrir out, then I'd be Alpha. I would be in his direct line of
service; I would win his favor and become a true Death Eater. Unlike either of
you," Rand grinned maniacally.
Draco turned away in disgust. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had
trusted Rand. And the collective. How could the collective have suppressed this
information from him or Fenrir? Was it because the pack was already divided? A
divided pack was a weak pack, no longer attuned to a singular diverging
personality. If everyone felt traitorous, Rand's solo inner betrayal would go
unnoticed.
"Done asking questions, Beta?" Greyback asked, bringing Draco back to the
present.
Draco nodded and turned back to face Rand. "Rand, by unanimous pack vote, you
are hereby sentenced to Alpha's Justice. May your soul rest in peace."
Greyback stepped forward, "I'm going to enjoy ripping out your throat,
traitor."
Rand's eyes narrowed and he spat in Greyback's face. Greyback roared and
grabbed Rand's throat with his right hand. He squeezed and began sinking his
fingers into the traitor's flesh. At the same time, he slowly transformed his
hand so it was half-werewolf, half-human and ripped his arm backward, taking
Rand's trachea with him. Rand's jugular and carotid arteries severed and began
spurting blood. It spilled down his chest and he slumped to the floor.
Soon, Rand's eyes were staring unseeing. The blood stopped pumping and began to
seep.
===============================================================================
It had been a week since Rand was killed. Draco was sure he'd have nightmares
after seeing what Greyback did to the wolf. Is that how he killed Weasley? Is
that what Hermione had to endure? He didn't know, but Rand's betrayal was
traumatic enough that he felt surprisingly at peace with the way he died.
That thought disturbed Draco more than anything. Was he becoming so
desensitized that he couldn't feel upset about the way Rand died? Or was it the
fact that Rand had betrayed the pack? And in Draco's heart, the pack came first
over any individual member. He didn't know. Not for the first time, he wished
he could see Hermione. He could, of course, leave the Manor and go see her at
Baerston Keep, but the pack was feeling vulnerable and scared. He wanted to
make his presence known, to speak with members and heal the divisions that Rand
and Greyback both created. He couldn't afford to leave the pack weak and
divided.
And he had another increasingly pressing task to do. He needed to get that
Horcrux out of his aunt and uncle's Gringotts vault before it got moved again.
Rodolphus had tracked him down yesterday and given him a key and a note sealed
with Rodolphus' magic to take to Gringotts. Draco decided today was the day. It
was about a week before Hermione's birthday, and it was the perfect excuse to
not only leave the pack but also raid the Lestrange vault.
He was a little shocked the goblins didn't give him a harder time about getting
access to the Lestrange vault. He was even more shocked that the cart didn't go
through Thief's Downfall, even though he was fully planning to take something
from the Lestrange vault. Maybe it was because he had permission? Draco didn't
know.
Gorluk, the goblin escorting Draco, gave him a shifty look as he picked up
clackers and began beating them to scare the old, white, blind dragon that
guarded these vaults. The Malfoy vault was also in this area, so seeing the
dragon was old news to Draco. It still made his heart twinge to see it cower.
Dragons weren't supposed to cower at anything. He straightened his back as
Gorluk stroked his hand on the vault door and opened it for Draco.
"How long?" Gorluk asked.
"I'm not sure," Draco replied. "I'm looking for a piece of jewelry that doesn't
have any nasty Muggle baiting curses on it. It might take a while," he
shrugged.
"Alright, pull the cord when you're ready to go back up," Gorluk said and he
Apparated away.
Draco was shocked. He never thought in a million years that a goblin would just
let him walk around someone else's vault. It didn't seem to be within the
goblins' character. Draco shook his head. He had to find the cup and a piece of
jewelry. Rodolphus would want to know what he took, he was sure. Jewelry first,
then the cup in case he had to make a quick escape with it.
Draco sorted through box after box of jewelry until he finally came upon a
simple gold chain. It was thin, but rather long and had a small wand charm on
it. He checked it three times for curses and it came back clean. He'd follow up
with a Probity Probe when he got home, but he thought it would be good enough
to give to Hermione for her birthday. It was very pretty, and the delicate
chain would look gorgeous around her neck. He suspected it was long enough that
the wand would land between her breasts. He hoped so. He'd like to take her
while she was wearing it, watching her breasts bounce up and down as the charm
glittered between them.
He shook his head once again. He needed to concentrate. He'd spotted the cup as
soon as he walked into the vault, but had ignored it. Now it was time to take
it down. It rested on a high shelf and a mountainous pile of galleons stood
underneath it. It looked rather suspicious. The rest of the vault was
relatively neat, but this corner seemed disorganized as if it was hiding
something. Better to levitate the cup down than risk trying to climb and get
it.
A flick of his wand and the cup rested in a small velvet sack that he'd charmed
with various shielding and muting spells. Growing up around dark magic, he
wasn't dumb enough to touch it directly. He tucked it into an interior pocket
of his robe and exited the vault. He pulled the chain to summon Gorluk and
Draco made it out of Gringotts and back to the dueling court with no problems.
He couldn't believe how easy it all was. Easier than it should have been, he
suspected. He hoped that meant there wouldn't be trouble later. His hope was in
vain.
===============================================================================
Almost a week after the trip to Gringotts, Draco finally had a chance to leave
the pack for longer than a few hours. The full moon had been two days ago and
the pack was resting, on Fenrir's orders. Draco made excuses, claiming he had
business to do on behalf of his mother and Malfoy interests.
Draco stumbled a bit when he arrived at Baerston Keep. The Apparition had felt
strange as if it had lagged. It hadn't ever felt like that before and Draco
didn't know if it was due to some extra wards Hermione had placed around the
Keep or extra wards the Dark Lord had placed around the Manor. Regardless, he
would have to investigate later. He stood in the courtyard of the Keep, looking
around to be sure he was alone. The wind whistled through the battlements. It
was only September, just after Hermione's birthday actually, but it was cold
this far north in the Scottish highlands. When no one emerged, Draco swiftly
made his way inside the Keep.
He'd just closed the large, stubborn doors when he was hit with a spell. His
vision faded and everything went black.
===============================================================================
"Get up!" someone was whispering urgently. Behind that, Draco could hear a
bone-chilling scream. It was high and loud and set Draco's nerves on edge. He
groaned. His head was pounding and the person shaking his shoulder wasn't
helping.
"Come on, Malfoy. Get up! I need your help," the person whispered and Draco
slowly opened his eyes. The screaming stopped for a blissful moment. And then
immediately began again.
"The fuck…" he trailed off as his vision blurred. He thought he saw Potter in
front of him, but he closed his eyes again. He couldn't get that wretched
screaming out of his head. "Stop…" he groaned, trying to cover his ears.
"For fuck's sake, Malfoy! That's Hermione screaming! We have to help her!"
Potter whisper-shouted at him through gritted teeth.
Draco felt as if he'd been doused in freezing cold water. Those were Hermione's
screams. His eyes popped open and he made to get off the floor, but only
managed to sit up before he wobbled again. Potter grabbed his shoulder to
steady him.
"What happened?" Draco asked as he shook his head, trying to clear it. The
screaming was louder, if at all possible, and shriller.
"Bellatrix Lestrange followed you here. I don't know how she did it. She's
torturing Hermione. I need you to get up now and help me," Potter said and
yanked at his arm.
Draco complied and was soon standing, although his knees felt watery and he was
leaning heavily on Potter for support. He looked down at the other man
blearily. When did Potter get so short?
"Why do I feel like I got hit in the head with something?" Draco mumbled as a
wave of nausea ran through him. He tried to tamp it down.
"I suspect you got hit with a Stunner, and then immediately hit your head on
the flagstone floor," Potter explained.
Draco nodded. The longer he stood, the better he was feeling. His head still
pounded and ached, but the nausea seemed to be clearing and his vision had
stopped doubling. Hermione's screaming stopped.
"Fuck," Potter muttered.
"Let's go," Draco said and he strode away from Potter in the direction the
screaming had come from.
He stopped in front of the library's closed had begun screaming again. At least
she was still alive and conscious.
"I-I don't have it…" she was saying.
"Where is it? How did you get in there you filthy Mudblood!?" Aunt Bella
shouted.
Draco's eyes slid closed. She'd discovered that Hufflepuff's cup was missing
from her vault. And now she was torturing Hermione. His Hermione. His Mate.
Hermione didn't even know that Draco had the cup. It was sitting in an inner
pocket of the cloak he was currently wearing.
"I'll handle Aunt Bella. You take care of Hermione," Draco told Potter, who
stood at his elbow. Potter nodded and cast a Disillusionment charm on himself.
He snapped his eyes opened and blasted open the double doors.
"Aunt Bella! I've come for you!" Draco shouted in a sing-song voice, punctuated
by his fierce anger.
Bellatrix whirled around. Her face was crazed. Her hair was standing on end and
her eyes were wide and wild. She cast another Cruciatus curse at Hermione
before sweeping toward him. Draco snapped his wand up and wordlessly put a
shield in place.
"Ooo, Draky-poo. How delightful for you to join us," Bellatrix cackled. She
twirled her wand in her fingers as she approached Draco. He moved to his left,
circling her, forcing her to turn from the doorway where Potter was
Disillusioned.
"I've been having the most wonderful chat with your little Mudblood
girlfriend," Bellatrix taunted.
"Don't you fucking say that word!" Draco shouted. His rage was red-hot in his
chest as he cast a stinging hex at her. She blocked it and sent a dark-violet,
evil looking curse back. Draco stood for a moment, then ducked to let it sail
over his head.
"Oooo, does ickle Draco not like the Mudblood word? Hmmm…. Too bad… I left you
such a nice present on the Mudblood's arm," Bellatrix said.
Draco narrowed his eyes. He desperately wanted to go to Hermione, but he could
see that Potter was tending her. The Disillusionment charm was up, but he could
see the shimmer as Potter moved around his Mate. He had to concentrate on
Bellatrix. He already knew she was not leaving here. Not today. He couldn't
afford to have her telling tales to the Dark Lord. Nor could he afford to have
her as a prisoner. No, she was dying today. Draco was determined.
"How'd you get here, Bella?" Draco asked as he shot another hex at her. He kept
the duel almost relaxed. He wanted to know how he had failed Hermione. Again.
Bellatrix laughed, "It was too easy. A simple tracking charm paired with a
side-along apparition and disillusionment charms. As soon as you left the
Manor, I followed along."
She blocked his hex and sent a cutting curse at Draco. Draco wasn't quite quick
enough to block it and it hit his shoulder. Blood welled up and begin dripping
down his arm.
"Must have been a hell of a tracking charm," Draco grunted. His shoulder hurt,
but luckily it was his left and he still had full range of motion with his wand
arm.
"The Dark Lord created it," Bellatrix supplied.
"Good to know," Draco said, almost conversationally. "Now it's time to end
this." He sent a flurry of hexes and jinxes her way, trying to take down her
shield and keep her busy.
"You betcha," Bellatrix replied as she blocked and parried.
Draco had to admit, Aunt Bella was a skilled duelist. But she'd also been
torturing someone recently, which Draco knew took a lot of focus and magic. He
could see her tiring and watched a bead of sweat slip down her cheek as he
bombarded her as fast and quickly as he could.
Finally, her shield exploded in shards of blue light. Draco shouted,
"Sectumsempra! Sectumsempra! SECTUMSEMPRA!" He slashed his wand back and forth.
Bellatrix collapsed in a heap, blood spurting and oozing out of numerous
crisscrossed gashes. She had a confused, frightened look on her face. One of
the gashes had sliced horizontally across her mouth, leaving it open in a
horrible, garish smile. Her body twitched a few times and eventually lay still.
"Goodbye, Aunt Bella," Draco said. Then he strode out of the room to track down
where Potter had taken his Mate.
***** Chapter 37 *****
Chapter Notes
     A/N: Hi loves! You are getting this early as I have plans tomorrow
     night. We're so close to the end now... I can't wait!
     I didn't celebrate when this fic turned a year (I should have, bad
     author *slaps hand*), but brownlark42 has been with me through it
     all. So thank you, thank you, thank you to her for all her dedication
     and hard work into making this story a reality.
     A second huge, ginormous thank you to all the readers who have stuck
     with me from the beginning! I can't believe this story has gotten so
     much support from the fandom and I want to say how thankful and
     honored I am that you all spend part of your life reading this. So
     thank you, thank you, thank you!
     I make a manip for every chapter, find me on Tumblr at
     crochetawayhpff.
Hermione stretched, feeling her body ache as it had every morning since the
Cruciatus Curse she endured under Bellatrix Lestrange. It was December, months
later, and she was still feeling the pain. She would be lucky if the aches and
shakes went away within the year. Some things were permanent, even in the
wizarding world.
Upon finding Hermione unresponsive, Draco had immediately brought his mother to
Baerston Keep to help heal her. Hermione was inordinately thankful. They
couldn't go to St Mungo's, and neither Harry nor Draco knew enough about the
Cruciatus to know what to do. Hermione made sure Harry stayed hidden while Mrs
Malfoy was there. Hermione was relatively confident that she wouldn't report
her whereabouts to the Dark Lord, but she didn't have the same feeling of
safety for Harry.
Hermione didn't know why she was being pursued, but the wanted poster wasn't
going away. The poster didn't specify whether she'd be taken dead or alive. She
shook her head, knowing it was pointless to try to figure out the Dark Lord's
motives. He was insane. She was just glad they had successfully hidden Harry
from Mrs Malfoy.
She rolled out of bed and stretched again, trying to work all the kinks out of
her back muscles as she walked to the bathroom. Hermione needed to be top of
her game today. They had been planning for weeks, but today was finally the day
they would go to Godric's Hollow. Hermione still thought it was a terrible
idea. But who was she to deny Harry the right to see his parents' home?
So they were all going. She was thankful that Draco had agreed to come. It
wasn't that she didn't trust Harry, but she feared the Dark Lord might have
left a booby trap in the place. She wasn't completely convinced that Harry had
come up with this idea on his own. What if the Dark Lord had left hints,
compulsions, or false desires in Harry's mind, pulling him toward Godric's
Hollow? She wanted to ask Harry about his new interest in Godric's Hollow, but
she was afraid it would alienate him. Neither of them could afford that. Harry
was so raw emotionally lately, and she made every effort to choke down her
emotions so she could be there for Harry.
Padding into the shower, Hermione tried to think of things they might need in
Godric's Hollow. Certainly, the invisibility cloak, if only just for Harry. Her
stash of healing potions. Her beaded bag, in case they had to flee suddenly.
Maybe some Peruvian Darkness Powder as well. She mulled over the small amount
of information she had found about Godric's Hollow and what they would find
there. It was similar to Hogsmeade in that it was a very magical village, but
it wasn't entirely magical because Muggles lived there. So any magic they found
would be hidden. Would it be like Diagon Alley? Hermione didn't know, and she
wasn't able to find any information out about it. She'd asked Draco, but given
his family's aversion to Muggles, he'd never been there. She turned the water
up as hot as she could stand it and let it cascade over her aching muscles. It
helped, a little.
She was glad Harry had conceded to going there at night. If Harry, in his
typical heedless way, would have walked into the village in broad daylight with
his wand blazing. Everyone would have known Harry Potter had arrived. With the
bounty on his head, that wasn't something they could afford.
Not only that, but they still had Horcruxes to destroy. Lupin had called her
via Floo yesterday to tell her he had finally retrieved the locket. Hermione
was risking leaving the Keep this afternoon so that she could get it from him.
Draco had delivered the cup weeks ago. She should have destroyed it then, but
the cup had a similar enchantment as the diadem. She'd locked the cup up in the
library, so it wouldn't affect her like the diadem had. Unfortunately, this
also meant that she couldn't go into the library without hearing the cup's
insidious whispering. Just thinking about it made Hermione shiver even as she
lathered her hair with shampoo and let the steamy water relax her muscles. It
seemed as if the cup was stronger than the diadem.
She wondered why that would be. Did that mean the cup was made into a Horcrux
before the diadem? Or after? Or was the death used for the cup more meaningful
to the Dark Lord than the one used for the diadem? Despite the horror of
Horcruxes and how they were made, Hermione couldn't help being a little
fascinated. If it was possible to have a - safe, objective, academic -
conversation with the Dark Lord about Horcruxes and the magic involved, she
would. She shook her head. She shouldn't think like that. Horcruxes represented
real people and real lives; they could never simply be objects of study. She
worried that the cup was skewing her thoughts, morally desensitizing her. Could
it be reaching her even from the library? She didn't know. She wasn't sure she
wanted to know. The only thing that was certain was that she needed to get rid
of the cup sooner than later.
After Godric's Hollow. When they all came back, alive, and safe, then she would
destroy both the cup and the locket. She hoped she was strong enough to destroy
them together.
She turned off the water, toweled herself dry, and rewrapped the bandage on her
arm. She didn't really need it now. The wound was as healed, but her psyche
still reeled. It was easier if she didn't have to look at it. She knew that
Draco was worried about her and how she was dealing—or not dealing—with
Bellatrix's attack.
She knew that someday soon she'd have to engage with the trauma, but right now
she couldn't afford to break down. Not when they were so close. She had to be
there for Harry. She was all he had, and she was determined to be there for
him. She would help him finish this. Then maybe it would be okay to break down.
Then she could wail and whine over yet another war scar. She'd deserve it then.
Right now, there was work to be done.
She trotted down the stairs to the kitchen and found Harry sipping at a teacup.
"Hey, Hermione," Harry mumbled.
"Didn't sleep well?" Hermione asked as she took in the dark circles under his
eyes. That was something else she had to do. Get that Horcrux out of Harry
before he collapsed from exhaustion.
Harry shook his head, refusing to meet her eyes.
"It's alright Harry. We're getting close now. I can feel it," Hermione
reassured him as she poured for herself.
"What have we got to do today?" Harry asked.
"I have to go out for a bit this afternoon. Draco will come by this evening and
the three of us will go to Godric's Hollow. You'll stay under the invisibility
cloak, and Draco and I will be disguised."
Harry nodded, "Sounds like a good plan."
"Do you know what you're looking for there?" Hermione ventured. She felt like
she had to ask, even though she didn't necessarily want to know.
Harry shook his head, avoiding her eyes.
Hermione sighed. She knew that this was because the Dark Lord had made the
suggestion in Harry's mind. She also knew that he was aware of it, which meant
they were walking into a trap. She only hoped that whatever happened, Draco's
disguise would keep him hidden from the Dark Lord. She did not want to
contemplate the consequences if the Dark Lord recognized Draco and knew he
working against him.
===============================================================================
The meeting with Remus was uneventful. He handed her the locket, made a sullen
comment, and apparated away. She knew Remus loathed being a pack Alpha, but she
was thankful he was doing it. Immensely thankful. It kept the heat off of
Draco, who had been short-tempered since the beginning of autumn. Hermione
wished he would focus more on all the progress they had made. They had two of
the last four Horcruxes in their possession. They were so incredibly close to
being able to end this.
Even the short amount she touched the necklace before tucking it away in her
beaded bag, made her feel slimy and like she needed a shower. It must be at
least the same as the cup in strength, perhaps stronger. She couldn't wait to
lock it in the library with the cup. She struggled to settle her nerves as she
Apparated back to the Keep. It wouldn't do to get jumpy now. Harry needed her
to stay calm and collected. It was going to be difficult enough to buffer Draco
and Harry's suppressed hostility. She didn't need to add her own emotions into
the mix.
She secured the necklace in the library and put up new wards, then went to
prepare for the evening. Draco would be by shortly, but she tried to focus on
the task in front of her. It had been a few weeks since she'd seen Draco and
she was excited, but also knew it wasn't the time for sex. No matter how much
she wanted it. They had a job to do tonight.
It would be no small effort to get Harry to Godric's Hollow and do everything
they could to protect him while he was there. Despite that, she was the most
nervous about springing the trap the Dark Lord had set for them. What would he
have there for them? It was a populated village, so hopefully nothing like an
erumpent or a dragon, but she couldn't totally rule out the possibility. She
would just have to be prepared for any kind of threat.
Hermione sat back in a chair and let her mind play through different scenarios
and situations that they might encounter. At one, she sat up with a grimace.
She hadn't thought about broomsticks. She hated getting on a broom. If it was
their only way out, then it might be necessary. There could be anti-apparition
wards, they had no hope of access to a Floo, and she couldn't risk an illegal
portkey. Brooms would have to be their secondary mode of transport. She sighed
and took one last look at everything in her beaded bag before tying it to a
belt loop of her denims and sticking it in her pocket.
Harry was in the kitchen, eating again because he was a teenage boy. Hermione
found him here often.
"Hi, Harry," she greeted and took a slice of apple from his plate, popping it
into her mouth.
He nodded at her but continued eating. So she rolled her eyes.
"We should pack brooms tonight," Hermione stated.
"Will you get on a broom?" Harry asked.
"To zip around in the sky like a maniac? For fun? No. If it's life or death?
Yes. Besides I trust you or Draco to keep me safe on a broom." She didn't miss
Harry's stoney face when she mentioned Draco.
"Do we really need him to come with us?" Harry asked.
"No, we don't. But I'd like him to. If nothing else, it'll be a third wand
should we run into trouble," Hermione commented lightly. She forced herself to
stay neutral and tactful, despite her impression that Harry hadn't given this
trip much forethought. He'd told her a few days earlier that if she wouldn't go
with him, he'd go by himself. She couldn't risk him going rogue with so many
Horcruxes still unaccounted for. Hermione knew that it would be a suicide
mission if she didn't go with him.
"Fine," Harry grumbled.
"Let's get your Firebolt packed. Draco will be here soon, so maybe he'll have
another broom or two lying around here."
"Like you'd ever get on a broom by yourself," Harry scoffed as he stuffed the
last of his sandwich in his mouth. Hermione ignored him.
===============================================================================
The first part of the journey was surprisingly easy. They arrived at Godric's
Hollow without incident and walked down the main street with no interruption.
Things became unsettling — but not exactly dangerous — when they were lured
into a home by a creepy old woman, Bathilda Bagshot, according to Harry. Still,
Hermione and Draco stood side by side with their wands at the ready, as Harry
followed the woman up the stairs. The house had the small, cramped quality of a
decades-old packrat nest. There was barely any room to walk, and every surface
was covered with an assortment of parchment, newspapers, books, and scrolls,
all topped with a thick layer of brown dust. Hermione had peaked into the
kitchen, where there were piles upon piles of sticky, used dishes towering in
the sink and on the counters. It certainly explained the smell.
Hermione wasn't going to let Harry out of her sight, but Draco held her back.
"This is the trap," Draco muttered into her ear as they watched Harry disappear
to the upper floor of the house.
"How do you know?" Hermione asked.
"Bagshot hasn't said a word. And she smells weird. Like a reptile," Draco
wrinkled his nose.
"Nagini?" Hermione asked.
"Maybe. I can't be sure tho—"
Just then they heard Harry shout. Hermione tore off after him, racing up the
stairs, two at a time. She arrived in an attic like area to see Bathilda
Bagshot's body crumple to the floor and a giant snake explode out of her face.
"Fuck," Harry grunted as he dived to the side to escape the snake as it twisted
toward him.
"Bombarda!" Hermione shouted, pointing her wand at the slithering reptile.
It dodged the spell and went for Harry again.
"That's Nagini!" Draco shouted.
"We have to kill her," Hermione told Harry. "Confringo!" she shouted, tearing
the snake away from Harry once more.
"How?" Harry shouted. "Fiendfyre?"
"I don't think I have time for that," Hermione grunted rolling out of the way
of the serpent's bobbing head.
"Slicing hex," Draco suggested as he threw Nagini against the far wall. She
coiled, recovering quickly, and weaved back toward them.
"I don't know if that would destroy the Horcrux," Hermione panted, as she
dodged a strike from her venomous fangs.
"Dammit, Hermione! What will work?" Harry asked.
"I don't know!" Hermione shouted back. Why the hell was Harry expecting her to
have all the answers?
"Wait! Let me try something," Harry grunted as he rolled out of the way of the
viper. "Cover me!"
Hermione edged toward Harry as he began hissing in Parseltongue. Hermione
didn't know what he was saying, but the eerie snake-like hissing made her
shiver.
And then Nagini stopped moving. She just swayed unsteadily in front of Harry.
"I've got her." Harry said very quietly, very calmly, "I'm going to throw the
killing curse, you two try the slicing hexes. She might lunge when I break
concentration."
Hermione waved Draco forward, making sure they were all clear of each other's
wands.
"Harry on two, Draco on three," Hermione said softly, but clearly. "One, two—"
"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Harry screamed. The serpent writhed and surged forward in the
same instant Harry pointed his wand.
"Three!"
"DIFFINDO!" Hermione and Draco shouted as one. Two bolts of bright blue magic
and one bolt of green descended on the Nagini at once, just behind her head. It
was enough. The head was severed, and the body continued to writhe, throwing
spurting blood everywhere.
A thick, oily substance poured out of the snake's body. Hermione cringed at the
snake's scream before it evaporated.
"Four down, three to go," Harry sighed as he began siphoning blood off of
himself.
Hermione nodded tiredly, "We should get out of here. No telling what sort of
wards and charms the Dark Lord has left on this place."
===============================================================================
The following day Hermione dragged Draco and Harry out to the island on the
loch again. She had two more Horcruxes to destroy, and then it would just be
Harry left. She thought she had a solution for removing the Horcrux from Harry,
but she wanted to get these two pieces out of the Keep at first.
"Can you do two at once?" Harry asked as she set them both on the ground and
stepped away.
"I don't see why not," Hermione shrugged. She actually didn't know, but she
wanted to kill two birds with one stone. They could bail if it didn't work.
Fiendfyre was powerful, but it couldn't cross water. It would extinguish itself
once everything on the island had burnt out.
"Regardless, be ready to flee if I tell you to," Hermione told them both,
ignoring their doubtful expressions.
She stepped back from the two objects. "Ignis pe Fende," she intoned as she
swung her wand arm in a large circle. Then she drew her wand from the bottom of
the circle straight up the middle and with a flick of her wrist, her a fiery
phoenix flew out and hit the cup. Another quick wrist motion and a flaming lion
engulfed the necklace.
Hermione thought she was prepared for this. She should have been, but she
almost swayed when that pernicious voice started up.
"You can't do anything right… you're a failure… never good enough… for anyone…"
the cold voice made the hair stand up on the back of Hermione's neck.
She concentrated her magic, pushing more of it through her wand as the flames
flared higher and the heat radiating against her face. The rage-beasts grew
more ferocious.
"Nobody loves you… swot… bookworm… mudblood…" a second voice emerged, higher
and colder than the first. The two voices weaved together, so Hermione felt
like she was surrounded by the vicious words, overlapping and amplifying. She
closed her eyes and felt her wand arm start to falter. Sweat beaded and slid
down her skin.
She had almost dropped her arm entirely when she felt Draco's hand on her
shoulder. How she knew it was Draco and not Harry, she didn't know. But she
did. It was Draco. She felt a rush through her body as he directed his magic
into her. It twined and twirled around her own before being pushed out of her
wand and directed at the Fiendfyre.
Dual shrieks sounded around the loch, echoing across the water. The greasy,
black mist dissipated.
"Mergit Ignis!" Hermione shouted and for once, it worked the first time. The
rage-beasts turned around and dissolved back into the tip of her wand. As
always, ending with the wolf that padded slowly toward her.
"Merlin, 'Mione," Harry breathed.
"That was… incredible," Draco commented and dropped his hand from her shoulder.
Hermione nodded tiredly, then promptly sat on the ground, too exhausted to hold
herself up. Now she knew. Destroying more than one Horcrux at a time was
dangerously draining. She wouldn't be able to work on Harry's today. Maybe not
even tomorrow.
===============================================================================
"Dammit, Potter," Draco growled.
Hermione sighed. The three of them were in the library. It was almost Christmas
and snow flew hard and fast outside the Keep. The fireplace was roaring,
keeping the library warm and comfortable. But Hermione was frustrated. They had
been at this most of the day, and she wasn't having any success in removing the
Horcrux from Harry.
"You have to hold still, Harry," Hermione said for the tenth time that day.
Hermione had destroyed the two Horcruxes a week ago, and she was finally
feeling well enough to try to extract the one hiding in Harry's head. And it
was in his head. She had determined that it was right behind his lightning bolt
scar.
"It tickles," Harry muttered.
"Oh, get over it Potter," Draco drawled. "You would think you'd want that piece
of the Dark Lord out of your head."
"I do," Harry said angrily.
"Then hold still!" Draco shouted.
"Enough," Hermione said quietly. "Let's start again. Harry hold still. Don't
move no matter what you feel, or I'll have Draco bind you."
"He'd like that, the kinky bastard," Harry muttered and Hermione bit her lip to
keep from laughing.
"Shut it, Potter."
Hermione took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She reached out with her
magic. She could feel Draco's magic behind her, it was blue, feeling warm and
comforting, like coming home. She made herself ignore him and reached out
further. There he was. Harry's magic was red and bright, like a party, but also
disjointed. There was a cacophony in his magic that wasn't in Hermione's or
Draco's.
That was the Horcrux. Hermione had to isolate the Horcrux and say an
incantation to lift it out of Harry and place it in an old dagger Draco had
found. They hoped the symbolism would draw the Horcrux in.
The problem was isolating the Horcrux. It moved around and hid behind Harry's
magic. It didn't want to be found. But Hermione was persistent. At least this
time Harry was holding still. It was easier if he didn't move. His magic was a
part of his physical body and if he moved his body, then his magic also moved.
Just moving a limb jostled his magic around.
Hermione chased the blob of darkness. She was stalking it down like a panther
stalks its prey. Keeping it on the move and slowly cornering it.
Finally, she had it. She surrounded it with her own magic, ensuring that she
had the entire thing enclosed. It wouldn't do to leave fragments of it in
Harry. Small split pieces would be harder to find and isolate when she repeated
the process. She circled her magic around the Horcrux three times. When she was
sure had it completely contained, she whispered the incantation and began to
pull back from Harry.
She was there. She could feel it. She was so close. Hermione exhaled slowly and
pulled harder.
"OW!" Harry gasped in pain, and Hermione squeezed her eyes to keep them shut to
keep her focus on the Horcrux.. It was no use; it slipped away from her grasp
and snapped back into Harry.
"Fuck," she muttered.
"This isn't going to work is it?" Draco asked.
"No, I can make it work," Hermione insisted opening her eyes.
"It's okay, 'Mione," Harry shrugged and rubbed his temples, looking exhausted.
"I've lived with it for this long. I need a break anyway. My head is
throbbing."
"But…" Hermione trailed off. How was she supposed to tell Harry that keeping
the Horcrux in him likely meant his death?
"I understand," Harry told her. He reached forward and grasped her hands.
"Truly I do. The Horcrux in me has to go. So, I have to go."
Hermione wiped a treacherous tear from her right eye.
"You don't have to be so strong all the time, you know?" Harry said and wrapped
his arms around Hermione as she began to cry into his shoulder. How would she
survive without Harry?
"I'm the last Horcrux left," Harry said and pulled back from her. "I think it's
almost time."
"New Year's Eve," Draco said.
"What?" Hermione asked. She wiped her face. She could cry later when she was
alone.
"That's when we should attack. We have about two weeks to get ready, to warn
the Order. All of the Death Eaters will be in attendance that night."
"It's a plan," Harry agreed.
===============================================================================
Hermione huddled under the comforter of her bed, crying softly to herself as
she had since trying to remove Harry's Horcrux. She felt like she had
completely failed her two best friends. She couldn't get the Horcrux out of
Harry. She let Ron die. She didn't even try to stop Greyback.
"Stop it," Draco said from the doorway.
"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked. She sat up and wiped her face. She
didn't want him to see how weak she was. Would he leave her? If he knew what a
failure she was?
"Stop it," Draco said again. He shut the door behind him and strode across the
room, kicking off his boots as he went.
"What?" Hermione asked and furrowed her brow.
"Harry Floo called me," he said by way of explanation. He shrugged off his
shirt and trousers at the foot of the bed.
"What?" Hermione said again. Why would Harry Floo call Draco?
"He hears you, you know. You aren't as quiet or as sneaky as you think you
are," Draco said and crawled into bed in only his pants. He pulled her to him
as he leaned his back against the headboard. Hermione laid her head on his
chest.
"Oh." Her cheeks burned red. She couldn't believe Harry heard her. That was
exactly what she wanted to avoid. She was trying to protect Harry. Another way
she'd failed apparently.
"And I can feel you through the Mate bond," Draco said at last, kissing the top
of her head.
"Oh, gods," Hermione sobbed into his chest. He could feel her. He could feel
her anger, depression, and anguish. He knew what a failure she was. And now she
was blubbering on his chest. She was disgusting.
"Oh, Hermione, love," Draco tightened his arms around her and ran his hand over
her head and shoulders.
"My love, shhh Mate," Draco soothed. "I don't hate you. I don't loathe you. I'm
not disgusted by you. Not one bit."
Hermione tried to get herself together. She didn't want to be the person who
cried at everything. What was wrong with her?
"It's grief. It's natural," Draco told her. "And who knows what effect
destroying those Horcruxes has had on you."
"I'm a failure," Hermione finally choked out. "How could you… I fail
at everything."
Draco laughed, deep full belly laughs. "Oh, gods, you are the least likely
person to fail at anything."
"No, but this afternoon—"
"You couldn't move a Horcrux. You tried to do something that has probably never
been attempted before. You can't consider yourself a failure for that. Maybe
it's not even possible?" He shrugged and Hermione felt the motion with her
head. She refused to look up at him and kept her face buried in his chest. She
couldn't logically argue his point. There was no direct evidence that it was
possible to move a Horcrux once it has been placed, especially from a living
thing. Research was limited, and it had all centered on the mutual destruction
of the Horcrux and the object that housed it.
"What about Ron? I couldn't save him. I couldn't stop Greyback," she whispered.
"Ron is not your fault. That fault lies with Greyback alone," Draco muttered
into her hair.
"What about all the amazing things you have done in the last few months?" Draco
continued. He held up a hand and began ticking them off.
"You walked into my home and greeted my mother as well as any pure-blood
princess. You sassed the Dark Lord. You held your own with my pack and Alpha.
You boss Lupin around like he's your personal employee. You risked Snape's
temper and not just learned, but mastered Fiendfyre. You've destroyed four
Horcruxes. You are fucking amazing."
She pulled back and looked him in the face. He was smirking at her.
"And you had the extreme good fortune to choose me as your Mate. Then you had
the even better luck of falling in love with me," he breathed and leaned down,
covering her mouth with his own.
Hermione sighed into his kiss. She was very lucky to have found him.
***** Chapter 38 *****
Chapter Notes
     A/N: I couldn't wait until Friday night! So bonus surprise! You get
     the final two chapters 2 days earlier than planned! Yay!
     The largest of thanks to brownlark42 for making this chapter what it
     was. Her suggestions really turned this chapter around and I cannot
     thank her enough.
     I'm always delighted to hear what you think, so drop me a line!
     I make a manip for every chapter, find me on Tumblr at
     crochetawayhpff.
In the weeks since Rand's death, Draco had spent a lot of time with the pack.
Greyback had been acting secretive and strange. He seemed to be pulling away
from Draco and attempting to consolidate power with some of the other members
of the pack. Perhaps most surprisingly, he seemed to have stopped drinking.
Draco reached out to Greyback a few times, but he was consistently rebuffed.
Draco focused on the pack, hoping that he made a better impression than
Greyback. Draco capitalized on Greyback's recent erratic behavior by showing
the other wolves that he was reliable. He was always there for them.
Draco now wondered if the drinking problem that Greyback seemed to have
developed over the last several months was a ruse. Had Greyback been pretending
to be a drunkard so that Draco would let his guard down? He worried that
Greyback would succeed in splintering the collective. It was true that Draco
planned to become Alpha, but he wanted to do it for the good of the pack. He
wanted to fight against the Dark Lord and bring a better life for everyone.
Draco knew that wasn't necessarily Greyback's intention. What would happen if
the pack did splinter? What would become of the collective?
It was the last full moon of the year, only a week before New Year's Eve. Draco
had spent the day with the pack in the dueling court. He truly enjoyed being
close to them. Each wolf brought something special and unique, and Draco could
feel his bond to the collective strengthen as he spent more time with them.
Draco spent time meditating while most of the pack slept in the afternoon. He
wanted to explore and understand the collective better. He wondered if he could
feel individuals? He'd never tried before; he'd only ever felt the collective
as a whole, listening to it hum in the back of his mind.
He sat on the floor of his tent, closed his eyes, and searched for Reule for
what seemed like the first time in months. They met during the full moons, and
Draco was gaining more awareness and self-control during these times, but he
otherwise kept Reule separate from himself. He knew he needed to merge with
Reule to fully become one with his werewolf nature, but he also hadn't pushed
himself. Maybe today was a good day to try.
Reule?
I'm here. Reule sounded weaker than he ever had before.
I need to understand the collective, Draco thought to Reule.
We're becoming one. You've almost totally accepted your werewolf nature. Draco
could practically feel the laughter. Come toward the back of your mind. The
collective feels warm and yellow.
Draco concentrated on what Reule was telling him. Near the back of his mind
were two warm areas, like amorphous orbs. One was warm and yellow and seemed
larger than the other. The second was red and blisteringly hot.
That one's your Mate bond, Reule explained, clearly meaning the hot, red one.
What's wrong with it? Draco asked. It didn't seem like his Mate bond should
resemble a childhood fever.
Reule chuckled, Nothing. Mate bonds are like that. Hot, red, reeking of sex,
passion, and love.
Draco nodded. He supposed that made sense. He put the Mate bond out of his mind
for now and turned to the collective.
He reached out with his thoughts and touched the warm, yellow sphere.
Immediately a cacophony of voices, thoughts, and feelings exploded into his
awareness.
Physically, he flinched. Mentally, he moved away from the collective. What was
that?
The collective, Reule answered. The thoughts, feelings, emotions of your pack.
All in one place.
Wow. Draco reached back out to touch the collective again. The cacophony had
quieted. Can I feel an individual through this?
Maybe? Depends on how close you are to them.
Physically or emotionally?
Emotionally.
Draco nodded and concentrated on Seff, his closest ally. And there he was.
Sleeping, and apparently having a dream. Draco stepped away from the collective
to break his connection to Seff. He didn't want to invade anyone's privacy.
Except…
He reached back out to the collective and thought about Greyback. It wasn't
like with Seff at all. Nothing was clear, and there was a jumble of colors and
emotions that Draco couldn't parse out. He already knew that he wasn't as close
to Greyback as he was to Seff, but Draco felt a little disappointed that he
couldn't connect with the Alpha's feelings. It would go a long way in helping
Draco understand what to do in regards to the pack.
I think this is the last one, Reule said.
Last what?
The last full moon I'll be here for.
Draco didn't say anything. He should feel happier than he did, but he suddenly
felt a hollow sense of loss. Reule had been his steady companion through a
dozen and half full moons. Draco realized he would miss him.
Let's make it a good one then.
Reule chuckled and Draco opened his eyes. He checked his watch, still a few
hours before moonrise. He set an alarm and settled down to sleep for a few
hours.
===============================================================================
The full moon was upon them and Draco jogged out to the south wood trailing
behind the pack with Seff. After Draco had taken the Mark and become Beta, he
became responsible for setting wards on the wood to keep the pack safe — and to
keep everyone else safe from the pack. He did so quickly, just as the moon rose
over the horizon. He gazed at it momentarily before the change took place. It
was painful, but more of an aching pain than sharp and acute as it has been
before. The pain disappeared completely once he was transformed into his wolf.
Reule?
I'm still here. I'll be gone by morning.
Draco nodded, Thanks, for everything.
Reule laughed, I'm you, pup. You're me. No thanks necessary.
Draco focused on his pack. Most were through the change and up on their feet.
The collective exploded in his mind and he felt his connection to each of his
packmates solidify in permanence. He began to take in details about them that
he never had before. He should have done this months ago. This was brilliant.
He barked a happy bark and turned to greet Seff, who was tiny compared to him.
He was no larger than a beagle and a dull brown color that looked muddy beside
Draco's shimmering white fur. Draco gave him a sniff and a lick then turned to
greet the rest of the pack.
He gave bowed first to Greyback, a huge thick-furred black wolf, taller than a
Great Dane and as broad as a St. Bernard, and second to Arnou, who was also
large and black but had a glimmer of silver around his snout that showed his
age. When Draco stood from his bow with Greyback, he realized they were the
same size. When had that happened? He pushed it out of his mind.
Caleb tackled him from the side. He was the size of a labrador and had a short,
rough brindle coat. He and Draco played for a few moments, tackling each other
and snapping at anything within reach. Bledig and Udolf joined in and soon
there was just a pile of wolves playing and wrestling with each other. Draco
felt joy and freedom sweep through him and the collective in response.
After an hour or so of romping with his pack, Draco felt distress come through
the collective. Someone in the pack was in danger. He knew it instinctively.
Closing his eyes, he traced to where the distress call was coming from. Udolf
was sending it. Draco raced towards the feeling, heading deep into the south
wood until they were on the far edge. He didn't smell any other pack members
nearby, just Udolf. He stopped for a moment and sniffed the air, trying to
scent out who else was nearby. The wind shifted and changed. There it was:
Greyback.
Draco began running again, toward where he had scented Udolf and Greyback. He
reached the edge of his ward. Wards were generally invisible unless whatever
they were protecting was touching them. Draco's ward lit up the night sky in a
brilliant blue, as bright as lightning. Udolf was backed into it as Greyback
stalked nearer him, growling and threatening. Greyback's hackles were raised,
and Udolf was cowering before him.
Greyback was massive and loomed over Udolf as if he was a puppy. He and Draco
were the biggest wolves in the pack and now that Rand was dead, nobody else was
even close to their size. Draco growled, low and deep in his throat and
barreled straight at Greyback. Greyback must not have realized Draco was there
because he didn't turn before Draco plowed into his flank. He tackled Greyback
to the ground, snapping at his neck.
Greyback rolled out from underneath Draco, and they circled each other. Dimly,
Draco noted that Udolf had run away. Draco wondered if this was going to be the
final showdown between him and Greyback. Greyback lunged at him, but Draco
danced away. Without warning, Arnou suddenly appeared between them. Draco
didn't realize Arnou could move that fast. He effectively shut Greyback down
and Draco backed off. Draco didn't think he was ready for this yet. But
Greyback was intimidating a wolf in his own pack. Greyback had proved tonight
that he was beyond reason. Draco could only assume Greyback was threatening
Udolf because he had become close to Draco after Rand's death.
The rest of the night passed uneventfully. Greyback stayed distant from the
pack after that, and Draco did his best to avoid thinking about it so he
wouldn't disrupt the collective. Just as the moon was about to set and the sun
to rise, Draco let loose his last howl of the night. It was a howl full of
liberty and jubilation in his pack and everything that came with it.
Draco heard Reule's voice in his mind one more time after that last howl.
We've done good, pup.
The howl resonated through the woods and hung in the air for a few more
moments. And then all was quiet.
===============================================================================
Draco took a deep breath and held it in. The night air outside of the Keep was
cold, but at least the snow had stopped. He was glad it was warmer in Wiltshire
— he definitely didn't relish the thought of battling in snow. He also didn't
relish the thought of battling in his childhood home, but it had been his
suggestion. He couldn't go back on it now. In truth, he didn't want to. It was
time to end this.
With one Horcrux left and the Dark Lord weakened, it would be over soon. He
wondered what Hermione had planned for the Dark Lord. Draco knew Potter had to
die, and he certainly didn't delight in that. He would never admit it, but he
felt that he might actually miss Potter. Not for himself necessarily, but for
his Mate. She was already on an edge and Draco didn't want to know what would
happen to her when her best friend died. He would have to do everything he
could to keep her together.
He glanced down at his watch as he waited for Hermione and Potter. They were
Floo calling the Order right now to give them final instructions. Hermione had
somehow become a de facto leader of the Order of the Phoenix. It was just one
more amazing, incredible thing she'd done in the last few months without even
realizing it. He took a deep breath and held it, trying to calm his nerves.
Fenrir had been invited to the ball as an esteemed Death Eater, and he had
extended his invitation to everyone in the pack. He told them that they were to
be honored for everything they had done in service to the Dark Lord in the past
year. Draco planned to use this invitation to his advantage, to bring potential
allies to the battle, but also suspected ulterior motives. Their pack was
impressive. Was it impressive enough to start creating followers among Death
Eaters?
That's what Fenrir had wanted, back before he'd become so unstable. He had
wanted power; and he was going to let the Dark Lord win the war and then take
him out afterward. This seemed like one step more toward that end. Draco felt
ashamed for thinking that Fenrir had truly given up his pursuit of power.
The thought also made him feel guilty. The pack was being pulled in two very
different directions and they were hardly privy to any of it. He'd spoken with
the pack tonight, while Fenrir was out meeting with other Death Eaters. He
hadn't directly stated that he planned to fight against the Dark Lord, but he
had told them to be careful. He told them he had heard rumors of someone
'crashing the party', and that they needed to pay attention to who was winning,
who was truly stronger. He told them to remember that defensive magic was much
more forgivable than offensive magic.
And he reminded them that pack came first. Always first. Afterward, he had
reached out through the collective to each of them, one by one, with one last
touch of solidarity.
He hoped it would be enough. He had to believe that the pack would unite under
him. That he and Hermione would win this thing. That and that the Order would
win — even if it meant Potter had to die.
"Alright, let's go," Hermione said from behind him. He whirled around to see
her and Potter dressed entirely in black Muggle clothes. He nodded at Potter
and pulled Hermione aside. He drew a knife from his pocket and flipped it over,
handing it to her handle-first.
"What's this?" she asked as she fingered the ornately carved handle. It was
made of ebony and had a pure silver blade.
"It's a knife. I want you to put it in your boot," Draco insisted.
"Draco, I'm not going to need a knife. I have a wand," Hermione said as if she
were explaining something to a child.
"It's a silver knife," Draco responded. "It's in case you get in a bad spot
without your wand."
"A silver… Why do you have such a thing?"
Draco swallowed. She hadn't noticed he'd only touched it with his gloves on.
Silver put through a werewolf's heart would kill him every time. Whether he was
in human or wolf form.
"It's just for backup. Please, put it in your boot," he urged her. She frowned
at him for a moment and hesitated, but she transfigured a holster for the knife
and slid it into the outside of her right boot.
Draco breathed easier. He suspected Greyback was unpredictable enough to attack
his Mate. Not to mention that a knife could also do some damage no matter who
attacked — werewolf or not.
"We ready?" Potter asked as he joined them.
"Is the Order meeting us?" Draco asked.
"Yes. Lower the wards when we get to the Manor," Hermione said. "It's better if
they meet us all there."
Draco nodded. "Alright, let's go."
===============================================================================
Nothing could have shocked the Death Eaters more than having their genteel ball
interrupted by fighting and battle magic. Unfortunately, Death Eaters never
stayed surprised long. With political tension running so high, they were
prepared for an unexpected attack. They rallied quickly, ready to fight back.
Draco did his best to stay clear of the Dark Lord. He knew that he and his
mother were the obvious culprits directing the attack. He just hoped his mother
would be able to elude the Dark Lord as well.
The ballroom at Malfoy Manor was large and open, with only a handful of pillars
and a few intact tables to use as cover. Members of the Order had begun
appearing on the grounds as soon as Draco lowered the wards. Draco was
surprised but thrilled at their force. There were many more than he expected.
He directed the Order to the ballroom and as soon as everyone was inside, he
swung the double doors shut and began to seal them. The heavy doors had slammed
closed with a boom, which echoed across the room. Everyone inside paused and
there was a tense, eerie silence as the situation became clear. Nobody would be
leaving until this was over.
Someone in a far corner gave a deafening shriek. Suddenly, the room was in
tumult. The battle had begun in earnest. Spells erupted from wands and the air
was lit with spellfire. Decorations and tables were destroyed in a matter of
moments. Anything that could be used for cover was. The elegantly clad Death
Eaters had murder on their faces. It was a stark juxtaposition with the Order
members in their black Muggle dress or austere wizarding robes, with their
faces full of determination. The shouting of spells was loud, the clash of
magic was deafening as the two sides came together in all-out warfare.
Not long after the battle began, Draco stood back to back with Seff, fighting
off Death Eaters. Seff had caught on early to what Draco was doing, and had
tagged along. Draco didn't stop him. Seff was a big boy and older than Draco,
even though he didn't act it all the time. Seff knew what it meant to
officially go against the Alpha. Draco felt stronger just knowing that the
Omega was at his back. He hoped the rest of his pack was following his lead.
As he fought, he quickly scanned the ballroom in search of Greyback. Draco had
assumed he would be at the front of the room showing off to the Dark Lord, but
he was nowhere to be seen. Draco spotted the rest of the pack first thing. He
quickly checked the collective, nothing alarming was coming through. He watched
Udolf take out one of the Carrow's and he grinned, pleased to see his covert
message seemed to have gotten through to at least some of the pack. He glanced
toward the sealed doors and found they were still shut. Greyback had to be
here, somewhere. Draco wanted to be the first to fight him. He knew that most
of the members of the Order—or even another Alpha like Lupin—would be nearly
defenseless against the wolf's rage and cunning. The Order might bring skill,
but Fenrir brought a unique element of unhinged viciousness. People were going
to die. The sooner Draco found Greyback, the better.
"Traitor!" Rabastan Lestrange screamed at him, lunging toward him from the
right and casting a barrage of spells. Draco smoothly parried the spells and
put Lestrange down with cold efficiency. He couldn't waste time with nuisances
like this. He needed to find Greyback, and he had lost Hermione at some point.
He had last seen her battling Rookwood and now he was desperate to set eyes on
her again. She still felt strong through the mate bond, which meant she hadn't
taken any serious blows. At least not yet.
Draco shook himself and turned to look for his next opponent. He breathed a
sigh of relief when spied his mother across the room standing back to back with
Snape. He knew Snape would keep her safe. He watched for a moment as Snape
conjured a horde of serpents and set them to attack unsuspecting Death Eaters.
Draco could appreciate Snape's creativity. He watched a viper avoid
Shacklebolt, weaving in and out of his footwork, to bite Gibbon's shin. Gibbon
gave a shout and grabbed his leg and the viper snapped again and again on his
hand. Gibbon tumbled to the ground, and the viper whipped around to strike his
face. Shacklebolt looked nonplussed before turning to his next opponent, Goyle
Sr.
One benefit of having attacked during a formal gathering was that none of the
Death Eaters had their masks on. Draco hadn't appreciated that fact until now.
No hiding behind anonymity for the Death Eaters on this night.
Draco turned his attention back to Seff and found McGonagall coming upon them
quickly. She nodded at him and Draco returned the nod warily. He tracked her
progress to watch her transfigure a large chunk of broken pillar into a huge
flying dragon. The dragon flew at the circle of Death Eaters who had surrounded
the Dark Lord in a far corner of the room. The Dark Lord was commanding the
Death Eaters and didn't realize there was a dragon flying straight toward them.
Draco paused to let himself be impressed that the dragon fit so neatly into the
Manor ballroom.
The Dark Lord's protective circle of Death Eaters immediately began firing
spells at the large, green beast. It roared and spat fire at them in response.
McGonagall had moved on and was fighting her own duel, when the dragon was
winged and crashed through two pillars, knocking stone and masonry loose onto
the battle below. The last pillar was enough for the dragon to lose all its
magic and fall to the floor as a piece of rock once more. Draco gritted his
teeth and watched the Dark Lord rally his circle again.
Seff took a slicing curse to the left arm and growled with pain, staggering
sideways and losing grip on his wand. Draco dragged him behind a pillar to give
him time to recover. Seff's arm was bleeding, and he had taken another nasty
hit at his right knee. Draco healed him quickly and they both drank down an
Invigoration Draught. Hermione had been busy while sequestered at the Keep, and
she had brewed all sorts of useful potions to help keep everyone safe.
Draco took a deep breath and slid his head around the pillar to take in the
battle before them. He would go where help was needed the most, but he also
needed to maintain a good vantage point for finding Greyback. Members of the
Order were holding their own, and Draco saw more than one Death Eater disarmed
or cast down.
Then he was struck with horror and froze. Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson
were fighting side by side against Rosier and Travers. Not only had he not
realized his classmates were in attendance, he had no idea they had taken a
side. His side. And they were definitely not prepared for a fight like this.
"Fuck! We gotta go, Seff!" Draco shouted and started pulling the Omega behind
him. He had to save his friends. He felt sick at the idea that they'd been
invited to his home, and he was the one who brought the battle here. They
wouldn't be in danger now if it weren't for him.
He dodged spellfire and cast a shield around Pansy just as Travers, a massive
blond Death Eater wearing blood-red robes, shot an Entrail-Expelling Curse at
her. Draco had seen enough of those to last a lifetime. He never wanted to
stuff someone's guts back in again. Pansy turned to see who had protected her
and flashed him a smirk before turning back to her duel.
Draco raced to the pair as Yaxley joined their opponents.
"Circle Yaxley, Rosier, and Travers, Seff, but don't hit Blaise or Pansy," he
waved toward his friends, as he took off. He sneaked up behind Yaxley, who was
fighting Pansy and shot a Stunner curse straight at the center of the man's
back. Yaxley moved at just the right time, and the spell went wide. Pansy
managed to duck as the Stunner went over her head, and she cast an Incarcerous
that tripped up Yaxley. Draco cast a second Incarcerous and plucked the wand
out of the fallen Death Eater's hand.
"Sorry, mate," Draco mumbled without sincerity and banished the bound Yaxley to
the side of the room. He'd been using this strategy since the battle began and
had established quite the holding area of bound and wandless Death Eaters. He
tucked the confiscated wand into a side pocket on his trousers. Another bit of
brilliance on Hermione's part. She had enlarged and expanded the pocket,
similar to her beaded bag. Draco could stick as many wands as he needed in
there and it would never get full.
"Alright, Pansy?" Draco asked as Seff and Blaise took care of Travers and
Rosier.
"Sure. A little dueling before dinner is a good way to whet the appetite."
She surprised Draco into a laugh and he grinned down at her and pulled her into
a quick hug, "Be careful, yeah?"
She nodded into his chest. "I've got Blaise to look after. I'll be fine."
Draco laughed again and turned toward Blaise.
"Alright, mate?" Blaise asked.
"Of course," Draco said distractedly. He wasn't looking at Blaise, but instead,
he was scanning the room for Hermione. He spun in a slow circle, looking for
his Mate, but he still didn't see her through all of the spellfire and battles
going on. He could still sense her through the mate bond, but the feeling was
weaker.
"Granger will be fine. She's got Potter," Blaise said under his breath.
"Right," Draco nodded.
"Shit. Uh, Beta?" Seff interrupted.
Draco turned toward him and Seff was gesturing wildly toward the other side of
the ballroom. Greyback was headed Draco's way and he had murder in his eyes.
Draco took a deep breath and closed his eyes, concentrating on his connection
to the collective. White, hot, rage flowed through it directly from Greyback.
His Alpha was coming for him.
At least Draco had been warned. He snapped his eyes open and spotted something
that made his blood run cold. Greyback was stalking him, but inexplicably,
Hermione was hot on his trail.
"Let's go, Seff!" Draco shouted as he took off toward his mate. He took a
circuitous route so that Fenrir wouldn't realize that Hermione was stalking
him. He also wanted to draw Fenrir away from the thickest part of the battle.
It would be easier to confront him without others interfering. Or worse,
helping Fenrir win.
He dodged bodies and blocked spells, trying to cross half the room as Hermione
cast a slicing hex at Greyback. Fuck, fuck, fuck, Draco chanted in his head as
he tried to get to his Mate. The hex missed and suddenly Draco found himself
standing just a few paces in front of Greyback. The other wolf was growling,
low and menacing.
"So you want to be Alpha?" Greyback asked. "You will fail. I taught you
everything you know, Malfoy." Greyback spat his last name like it was a curse.
"You can't beat me."
Draco let Greyback's taunts wash over him. He was more concerned with Hermione.
He shook his head at her. This was his fight. He turned his full attention to
Greyback.
"Stand down, Alpha! You won't be able to defeat me any more than you'll be able
to best the Dark Lord. The Order is winning, and guess what,
Greyback? Your pack is fighting on my side. You cannot win this, look around
you," Draco gestured toward the battle. The pack had begun finding their way
toward the confrontation between Alpha and Beta. They were fending off any
Death Eaters who came close. They knew what was about to happen and how this
would affect their lives.
Greybacks face contorted with fury and leapt at Draco, changing into a wolf at
the same time. Draco didn't transform, but he stepped to the side to avoid
Greyback's lunge. The huge black beast shook himself and began circling Draco.
"Come and get me Alpha!" Draco shouted at him as he stood his ground.
"Draco!" Hermione shouted and he took his eyes off of Greyback for a moment to
find her in the crowd. It was enough. Greyback barrelled into him and Draco
landed on the ground hard. Fuck, shite, fuck. Draco swore at the mistake.
Getting taken caught unawares was going to be the death of him.
Greyback reared back to attack and Draco pushed him off and rolled away. He
jumped to his feet in time to see Hermione casting a slicing hex at the wolf.
Greyback caught the hex in his right shoulder and whirled to face her with a
growl. In an instant, he was back to his human shape with his wand in his hand.
Hermione and Greyback began to duel and Draco's breath caught and he made a
strangled sound. What in the bloody shite was she doing? Greyback would kill
her.
Draco surged forward just as Greyback cast the killing curse at his mate. She
summoned a statue from the wall, and wolves ducked out of the way as it came
sailing through the air and into the path of the curse. The statue splintered
apart, but blocked the curse and sent it into the ceiling far above. Draco's
heart raced and he cast the only thing that came to his mind, a knockback jinx.
Greyback stumbled and landed on his arse. Hermione tackled him and lost her
wand in the process.
She pulled the dagger from her boot. It was as if time froze.
Hermione stood above Greyback, who was flat on his back. Her left foot was
squarely on his chest and she was holding the knife steadily over his heart.
"This is for Ron," Hermione hissed. The silver flashed in the candlelit
chandeliers.
Draco couldn't move as he watched her bring it above her head.
Greyback laughed, "You don't have the balls or the strength, little girl," he
whispered, his arrogant confidence unwavering. Draco felt the breath leave his
body as the collective shifted and shattered in the back of his mind. He
shouted wordlessly and was barely aware of Seff and the rest of the pack doing
the same.
Hermione slammed the dagger down straight into Greyback's heart. Blood and
magic exploded out of Greyback, slamming into Hermione. Her body rocked from
the force, but she kept her footing.
Draco felt the shattered collective dissolve outward, like the sea at low tide.
And then the collective came imploding back into his head with a flash of light
behind his eyes. He felt dizzy and unsure of himself as he and Seff both
stumbled. Seff propped him up and Draco took in the scene before him.
Greyback was dead. The Alpha was dead. Killed by Hermione. His Mate.
She turned and found him instantly, her eyes were wide and wild and she was
covered in Greyback's blood.
"Draco…" And then she collapsed on top of the dead werewolf.
"Granger!" Draco shouted and ran the last few feet until he was at her side.
What happened? He checked her over for injuries and couldn't find anything
wrong. "Granger!" he shouted and shook her, willing her to wake up. Her head
lolled and he slapped her cheek. "Granger!" he shouted again and her eyes
fluttered. He pulled her to him, cradling her close.
"Draco," she breathed as she came to, her eyes beginning to focus on him once
more. "I can feel you…"
"What?" Draco asked. He didn't know what she was talking about. Of course, she
could feel him, he was holding her.
"The collective…" she whispered. "I…"
"Shhh, not now," Draco said as he pulled her to standing, his arm wrapped
around her waist.
They had to get out of here. She wasn't fit to fight. Not now. He glanced down
and caught sight of Greyback's dead and bloodied body. Draco felt free. For the
first time in over a year, he felt free. Free of Greyback and soon to be free
of the Dark Lord. The Order was winning, there were more of them standing than
Death Eaters. Although the Dark Lord still battled in a corner and Potter was
nowhere to be found.
"Harry," Hermione said. Her voice was stronger and Draco looked back down at
her. She seemed to rouse herself and was standing under her own power once
more.
"We have to get out of here," Draco said as he glanced around the ballroom
again. They were almost dead center, and it was going to be a fight to get to
one of the doors. Thankfully, the pack was still covering them.
"No, we have to get to Harry," Hermione persisted.
She pulled away from him. How was she so recovered so soon? What was going on?
Draco could feel the collective in the back of his mind. It felt the same, and
yet different. He knew it would change as soon as Greyback was gone, but this
didn't feel like a loss. They had only gained. They had become stronger in a
way that was unfamiliar and complicated. Did that mean he was Alpha? He didn't
feel like Alpha. When he became Beta, the collective seemed to snap into
awareness even brighter and tighter than it was before. But now, it felt the
same. Shouldn't it feel different as Alpha? Draco wanted to think so, but he
wasn't sure.
"Alpha, we should go," Seff said, speaking to Hermione. Draco shook his head in
confusion. Seff was right. Hermione was pulling away toward Potter, who had
just materialized in front of the Dark Lord.
"Alright, let's cover her," Draco directed Seff and the rest of the pack. They
all began fighting through the crowd with Hermione leading them. They blocked
and dodged stray spells, as Hermione made a beeline for Potter and his final
duel with the Dark Lord.
"What have you done with my mossst valuable ssservant, Potter?" the Dark Lord
shouted at him as he sent a curse toward Lupin, who was fighting alongside
Potter. The Dark Lord's protective cloud of Death Eaters smaller, and standing
down per his orders.
"Oh, you mean Bellatrix?" Potter taunted him. Draco's eyes widened. He'd been
neatly dodging the Dark Lord for months, avoiding any talk of Aunt Bella. The
Dark Lord believed she had gotten herself captured by the Order, and Draco had
never contradicted him.
"Of courssse, you imbecile," the Dark Lord hissed.
"Your other very loyal servant killed her," Potter shrugged and cast an
Expelliarmus at the Dark Lord.
Draco felt like banging his head against the wall. He was far enough back that
the Dark Lord hadn't noticed, but if he was going to continue covering Hermione
he would have to step forward soon. Smoke from the spell-fire hung thick in the
air, making visibility low.
"Who?" the Dark Lord growled. He had stopped dueling at this point and was only
deflecting spells that came his way.
"Draco Malfoy, of course," Potter replied nonchalantly. "Bellatrix was
torturing his Mate. The werewolf in him wouldn't stand for that.
"Isss that ssso?" the Dark Lord locked eyes with Draco and raised his wand.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Draco flinched and his jaw dropped when Potter dived in front of him, taking
the spell in the side. He knew Potter had to die, but to save Draco while he
was at it? Draco knew he didn't deserve that. But he was very thankful. He
didn't have time to think much beyond that before the Dark Lord's attention
rested on him.
The Dark Lord's eyes narrowed and Draco gulped. He was in deep shit now. He had
no plans beyond trusting that Hermione would do whatever she needed to do with
the Dark Lord.
He shot a nonverbal Bombarda at the Dark Lord, then ducked and rolled to his
right, away from Potter's body. He'd lost sight of Hermione again, and Seff was
nowhere to be found. Draco was fucked. But he would hold the Dark Lord off for
as long as he could. If he could distract him just long enough to let Hermione
work, it would be worth it. He didn't want to die, but Draco was ready for
anything. If his death also brought about the Dark Lord's death, so be it.
"Have you missed having poor, insane Bella at your beck and call?" Draco asked
the Dark Lord and tossed a handful of Peruvian Darkness Powder at the Dark
Lord's feet. It wouldn't last long, but it didn't need to.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Snape hissed into Draco's ear. Draco had no idea
where he'd come from. He'd lost sight of Snape and his mother ages ago. And at
the moment, he was too worried about staying alive, then keeping track of the
Order.
"Trying to distract the Dark Lord, Godfather," Draco bit back and cast a
knockback jinx toward where Draco assumed the Dark Lord's feet were.
"You have got to be the stupidest—"
"Oh shut it, Snape," Draco hissed. "It's darkness powder, not sound-proof. You
just stay back and protect Mother."
"And where will she be if her only son dies?"
"I'm sure you'll keep her company at night," Draco bit out. He loathed to admit
it, but there was some comfort in the fact that Snape would take care of his
mother if he didn't survive today. "Get back to her. Get yourselves safe."
Draco moved away from Snape and back toward where he'd last seen Hermione. The
darkness powder was clearing and Draco could hear the Dark Lord's enraged
bellows.
And then suddenly, Potter, who was supposed to be dead — Draco had watched the
Avada Kedavra hit his chest — was standing in front of him once more.
"I'm apparently very difficult to kill, Tom!" Harry shouted, directing the Dark
Lord's attention their way.
Draco raised his own wand and started conjuring a shield around himself and
Potter. He couldn't dwell on the impossibility of this right now. He was sure
Hermione would have a million theories. But right now, he had to concentrate on
ending the Dark Lord.
"POTTER!" the Dark Lord raged, sending a Confringo in a wide circle around him.
It hit the shield, and Draco grunted as he was forced more magic into the
shield to keep from being blasted off his feet.
"Now!" Potter yelled, and Draco let the shield drop. The Dark Lord was fast. He
flicked his wand, and Draco was on the ground, bleeding out from a large wound
in his chest.
"Seff…" he called and watched his Omega's eyes widen in horror.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Potter shouted. The brilliant green light shot out of his wand
and hit the Dark Lord square in the chest. A look of stunned surprise crossed
the Dark Lord's face as he fell back with a thud. He lay still. It was done.
Potter had defeated the Dark Lord.
A wave of magic shot out from the Dark Lord's body. Death Eaters all over the
room fell to their knees as the magic in their Dark Marks burned and they were
freed at last. The pain from the Dark Mark was nothing compared to the pain in
Draco's chest. He felt himself lighten with true and complete freedom, just
before the numbness took over.
Draco closed his eyes. He needed his Mate. He needed his Alpha.
His Alpha? His Alpha was dead. Wasn't he? Draco's thoughts burred as he began
to lose consciousness.
"Beta! Draco!" Seff shouted as he waved his wand over Draco's chest. "Stay with
me." He grabbed potions from Draco's belt and poured a few down Draco's throat.
He closed his eyes again and felt a hand slap his cheek.
"No, stay awake, dammit!" Seff shouted. Draco nodded dimly. He had to stay
awake. He had to greet his Mate. His Alpha?
Alpha, hissed through his mind.
Reule? Draco asked.
She's Alpha, Reule replied. His voice full of awe and wonder.
How?
Very ancient magic, he breathed. It's incredible.
Draco nodded, too tired to say anything else.
He opened his eyes and let his head fall to the side. His gaze landed on
Hermione immediately. She was standing back from him. Lupin and Udolf were on
either side of her, looking at her almost worshipfully.
She saw him and gave a little scream before running to him.
"Draco! Are you alright?" She knelt next to him cradling his head.
"I think he's going to live, Alpha. But he needs a Healer," Seff said and bowed
his head.
"Go find one," Hermione commanded.
"Mate," Draco muttered into her lap. "Alpha."
Just having her near him helped. Draco closed his eyes and breathed in her
scent. Apples, trees full of fall leaves, cinnamon, and home.
"Yes," she stroked his hair and held him close. "Beta."
===============================================================================
"But how is it possible?" Hermione asked Arnou.
"Magic?" Arnou shrugged. "It's not like this 'as 'appened all tha' often, ya
know?"
Hermione nodded. Draco frowned. It was illogical, and yet the collective wasn't
wrong. Arnou wasn't wrong. When Hermione had killed Greyback, she had become
Alpha. Alpha over Draco and the rest of his pack.
"What does it mean?" Hermione asked. She'd asked it at least a dozen times
since the final battle. It would take more than three days to become used to
her new role and abilities.
"Well you ain't a werewolf, 'at's fer sure," Arnou said. He sniffed at her
again, "Although you smell like us, you ain't one."
Hermione nodded. "That's what I don't understand. Women don't become
werewolves, and yet, somehow I'm Alpha?"
"If you weren't 'is Mate," Arnou jerked his thumb at Draco, "I don' think it
woulda happened. You were already part of us. Already pack, even though you
ain't a wolf."
"But just because I held the knife? Why wouldn't it have made him Alpha?"
"Don' know. But it didn't. And he ain't ever gonna be Alpha either. Less he
kill you."
Draco shuddered. He tightened his hold on Hermione's hand. They were in Arnou's
tent in the dueling court and he had barely let Hermione out of his sight in
the last few days.
"I'm happy being Beta," Draco said and lifted Hermione's hand to kiss it.
She smiled at him for a moment, then frowned, "You weren't before."
"Before, we had a psychotic, blood-lusting Alpha," Draco shrugged. Honestly, he
didn't care that he wasn't Alpha. He was happy that she was alive. And he was
secretly glad that they were tied together in one more way.
Mate, lover, Alpha, his.
***** Chapter 39 - Epilogue *****
Chapter Notes
     A/N: STOP! Have you read chapter 38 yet? I uploaded two chapters
     tonight. If not, go back and read that one first!
     A few people helped with this fic, twztdwildcat - my first ever beta
     was amazing in helping get this thing into fighting shape the first
     few chapters, brownlark42 - ya'll have heard me go on and on and on
     about how amazing she is, but really, I cannot say enough nice things
     about her, and finally Mahawna guest-beta'd a chapter in there, so
     thank you to her as well!
     This is it! A year and change later and this story is done. It's been
     a wild ride and I've loved every minute of it. Thank you, my readers
     and reviewers, for sticking with it. Hopefully, you enjoyed it and
     will check out some of my other works!
     I make a manip for every chapter, find me on Tumblr at
     crochetawayhpff.
Draco smiled as he watched the Minister for Magic sign the piece of parchment.
It was the law that he and Hermione had been working on for the last fifteen
years. Hermione had probably conceived of some version of the law way back in
Hogwarts, he was sure. It didn't start becoming a reality until after the war
was over. He smirked down at Hermione and wrapped his arm around her waist. He
was glad the law was being passed now, rather than later. In a few short weeks,
he'd be ascending to the Minister's seat and it would look terribly biased if
he passed it while he was Minister.
They were standing on a dais in the middle of the Ministry of Magic's atrium.
Hundreds of witches and wizards were witnessing the law being signed. Hermione
and Draco's pack and every other pack in the British Isles were also in
attendance. Draco couldn't be more proud of his wife for catalyzing the law,
advocating for its principles, and ultimately helping to see it to fruition. It
might never have happened without her hard work and perseverance.
"Chief Alpha Malfoy?" the Minister asked. Hermione smiled up at Draco and
stepped forward.
"Minister Fawley." They shook hands.
"Congratulations Chief Alpha. Werewolves are officially recognized as Beings by
the British Ministry of Magic. Signed into law on this day, August 15, 2018, by
Minister Fawley. We couldn't have done this without the help and support of the
Chief Alpha Malfoy," the Minister stated grandly. The wizards gathered all
applauded politely. The werewolves in attendance were much more raucous,
clapping and cheering.
"All werewolves wishing to receive wolfsbane on a monthly basis will need to
visit the newly created Werewolf Liaison office out of the Department of
Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures on Level 4 for a one-time setup.
Werewolves who need a place to turn safely each month, please see the same
office for directions and guidance to sanctuaries throughout the country."
Minister Fawley grinned widely as he shook Hermione's hand once more.
Flashbulbs popped as the various publications took pictures.
Britain would be the first country to offer free wolfsbane for any werewolf who
wanted it. No questions asked, no registry taken, nothing needed more than an
owl or Floo address. The addition of moonlight sanctuaries and community
wilderness areas for running freely with other werewolves was innovative and
unheard of. Draco felt his chest swell as he remembered that Hermione had been
the one to insist on the sanctuaries. She argued that Wolfsbane was fine and
all, but it suppressed too much of the wolf. It was healthier for werewolves to
live without wolfsbane if at all possible.
Hermione beamed at the assembled, reserving her special smile just for Draco
and their children. It felt good to be recognized as a Being. Other Beings
included wizards, of course, goblins, centaurs, house-elves, Hermione had
pushed that one through a few years ago, and now werewolves.
"You are all invited back to Malfoy Manor for a celebration. The Floo is open,"
Hermione told everyone as the ceremony ended.
"I can't believe I'm finally a Being!" Felan shouted to Accalia. Draco reigned
Accalia in before she could get lost in the crowd. Accalia was their youngest
at four and tended to get lost easily. She was as headstrong as her mother.
Felan was six and as easily pretentious as Draco had ever been at that age.
"I'm pleased as well," Draco told Felan with a wink to Bardou. Bardou was their
oldest at twelve. He reminded Draco of himself at that age. Trying so hard to
be grown up.
Bardou sniffed at his younger brother, "Stop it. Father hasn't been a Being
since he was sixteen. And now he's old. He's been waiting much longer than
you."
"Thanks, Bardou," Draco smiled sardonically and greeted Hermione with a kiss.
"Where's Ulric and Larentia?" Hermione asked, they were the twins and ten. If
Accalia had a habit of getting lost, the twins were positive homebodies. They
stuck close to Draco or Hermione whenever they were out.
"Right here, mum!" Ulric said, and Draco turned around to see that Harry and
Ginny Potter were right behind the twins.
"Can we go home now?" Liekos asked. "I'm hungry."
"Yep, we're all here, let's go," Draco said and began leading his family to the
Floor. Liekos was eight and always hungry. Draco and Hermione had a bet whether
he'd be Alpha material one day because he towered over the twins and was almost
as tall as Bardou. Hermione thought that Liekos was very like his father and
would make an excellent Beta, while Draco contended it he was much more likely
to become an Alpha.
Draco smirked. It was still an inexplicable twist of fate that Hermione had
become Alpha instead of Draco. Not that she didn't deserve it. If Draco was
completely honest with himself, and he always endeavored to be so, being Alpha
was a lot of work. Their pack had quickly become the largest and most
influential pack in the British Isles, and now that she was Chief Alpha over
all the packs in Europe, it was even more work.
Not that Draco was opposed to hard work. Becoming Minister wasn't going to be
easy, but Draco knew that he was going to be able to do so much good for their
world. They had loads of plans for after he took office. Hermione and he both
agreed that Hogwarts needed a curriculum overhaul to make it more inclusive to
Muggleborns and Beings alike.
The atrium was still packed, but most people made room for his family to easily
reach the fireplaces in order to Floo to the Manor. They'd had to set up
additional Floo-networked fireplaces at the Manor once the pack moved in full-
time. That was another thing Hermione had insisted on. Their previous wizarding
tents surrounding the dueling court had been serviceable, but she wanted to
treat the pack like the family they were. They would join the household, no
excuses or exceptions. And truly, she was right. The Manor still had six guest
bedrooms, and each pack member had their own suite. The family wing was still
reserved for the Malfoy family, but Draco had changed the wards as soon as they
were able to after the war.
As he reached the fireplace, he glanced over his shoulder and did a quick count
to make sure all of the children were between him and Hermione. He nodded to
her and turned back to the fireplace. He held Accalia tightly as he stepped
into the Floo and shouted their destination. With a swirl of green flames,
Draco and Accalia arrived in the foyer of Malfoy Manor.
"Grandmama!" Accalia shouted and wiggled down from Draco's grasp, running full
tilt for Draco's mother, Narcissa.
"Grandpapa!" Felan shouted coming through the Floo and heading straight for
Severus. Severus and Narcissa had never married, but Severus had moved into the
Dowager house with Narcissa almost directly after the war.
At the time, Draco had been upset and offended. He'd called Severus out and
asked his intentions. Narcissa put a stop to that quickly, scolding Draco for
interfering in her life in ways she'd never interfered in his. Draco had to
admit she was right and he never said a word about their relationship again.
They were still living happily together and Draco's children called Severus
Grandpapa. The name made Hermione giggle and bite her almost lip every time.
He smiled as Ulric and Larentia came through the fireplace and immediately
changed into their wolf forms. This was one thing that made Draco's family
incredibly unique, and it was something that wouldn't have happened if Hermione
hadn't become Alpha. His children were all werewolves, but they weren't cursed
like he and the rest of the pack were. All other werewolves could only become
wolves by the light of the full moon or if they were talented enough to become
an Animagus. Draco had achieved it, but Seff, unexpectedly, was the only other
member of the pack who had been able to do it. It did take quite a bit of
innate magical ability and concentration.
Hermione had practiced with Draco, determined to learn her Animagus form so she
could run with the pack during full moons. She was unsurprisingly a wolf. She
was a small, sleek wolf with wiry-brown hair and intelligent gold eyes. Draco's
wolf form was as enamored with her as his human side was.
"Don't stay like that for too long!" Hermione shouted after the twins. The rest
of their children dispersed and Draco took Hermione into his arms.
"Any chance we'll be able to duck out of this party for a few minutes," Draco
asked and kissed her neck.
"Not likely, Minister-elect," Hermione grinned and wrapped her arms around his
neck. "Although, if you're good this afternoon, I'll give you a treat tonight,"
she whispered into his ear.
Draco shivered and pulled back far enough to plant a kiss on her lips. He would
be good, no doubt about that. Hermione's treats were always worth it.
Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed
their work!
