She was sitting at her counter in front of a redhead and her children in transfigured chairs eating lunch. Hermione felt awkward as Ginny was the quietest she could be as they ate. Hermione could tell that Ginny was more than a little hesitant to start the conversation.
"So," the redhead mumbled with a head tilt.
Hermione shoved her chips with a finger, not looking up. "So."
"Are you really dating him or is it something else?" Ginny asked, and Hermione groaned.
"Would it be the end of the world if I really was dating him?" Hermione retorted with a frown.
Ginny smirked and shrugged her shoulders. "If he looks as into you as Harry said he did, then no."
Hermione's blush increased, and she huffed. "What if I told you he had a large secret and he could only tell me?"
"Then that would make more sense on why you haven't told me about shagging him. You haven't, have you? Harry said he was sporting a grin worthy of Sirius while you were rocking on his lap."
"Mum's the word?" Hermione whispered and cast a muffling charm around them.
"Mum's the word, Hermione. Please just tell me you're pregnant and he can't tell his parents yet." Ginny snickered, causing Hermione to bloom magenta in her cheeks.
"Draco got turned, and he needs my help," Hermione hissed with a frown.
Ginny's mouth fell open, and she made an awful sound of surprise. "Merlin! Is that why he was over there this morning? Was it last full moon?"
Hermione bobbed her head slowly. "So, we haven't even hit the start of his true symptoms yet. He was clawing at me like I was liquid gold. I don't even know how he's going to respond after he meets his true instincts yet," she murmured and covered her cheeks. "I'm not a werewolf so I wouldn't know the first thing of stopping him from his instinctual drives. I haven't had to assist someone so much more mature by myself. The last time I had to handle a wizard, McGonagall helped me because he was nearly dry humping me."
Ginny grinned wickedly. "Hermione, did you ever think maybe it's just your animal magnetism?"
"Gin, this is severe. I promised him I would help him," Hermione said with a stern tone.
The redhead cackled and clapped her hands. "Then shag him! Oh, the babies you both could have would shove Lucius's face through a hippogriff stampede."
"Ginny, his parents can't ever find out about his condition. If they did, they would disown Draco and keep his son. The bylaws don't protect against disowning of Pureblood houses. He would still receive his inheritance, but he and his son would be outcasts. He wouldn't make his son leave the only home that boy has known…" Hermione trailed off.
The bell above the door chimed, and Hermione flicked her wand, releasing the spell. However, her face dropped when she saw Draco and a small mirror image of him as a boy. The child seemed rather upbeat in comparison to the man who was eyeing the redhead with skepticism.
"Malfoy! Come join us; we have plenty," Ginny offered and waved at the fish and chips.
Draco waved bashfully and turned to the boy. "Are you hungry?" he questioned, and the child nodded.
Draco walked around the large counter with his son and hemmed. "Scorpius, this is Hermione and her friend Ginny," he announced and the boy waved with a shy smile.
"Hello," Scorpius murmured.
Hermione melted; Ginny knew it was going to happen before it did because Hermione couldn't help herself around the children. "Hello, Scorpius. Welcome to my bookstore," Hermione murmured as she bent in front of the boy.
"It's pretty," he mumbled, tugging on his dad's shirt for security.
"How old are you?" Hermione asked warmly.
Scorpius held up his hand with open fingers. "Five. You have pretty hair. It's different than the way mummy's hair was," Scorpius declared, now growing bolder. "I like it a lot."
Hermione grinned and shook her head, so her hair went wild. "It is everywhere!" she exclaimed with exaggeration, and the boy giggled. "Come on, let's get you seated next to some new friends. They have some books they want to share with you."
Draco watched fondly as the witch helped his son sit next to the Potter children who were murmuring happily at the newcomer. Soon James and Albus were engaged with Scorpius, and all trepidation was gone from the blond child. Ginny hemmed as she tapped the counter in front of her in rhythm. "Malfoy," Ginny murmured.
Draco shook from his leering and shrugged his shoulders. "Potter."
Hermione was murmuring with the children to get them settled, and Ginny smirked up at the blond wizard. "You know, I can see why she thinks you look handsome now. You aren't as dreadful looking as you were before."
He tilted his head with an arched eyebrow. "She said I was handsome?"
"Mhm, in a hot mess sort of way. I can see it now," Ginny baited further with a grin.
Draco leaned forward, and his smile stretched to a toothy curve. "Oh, I make up for it in the bedroom I am sure she has told you."
"Just so we're clear, if you hurt her or disrespect her. I am the first to know and know just how to hex your ballocks purple with pain for days, understood? For whatever reason," Ginny said with a dark stare.
"Understood," Draco replied with a bob of his head.
Hermione bounced over and smirked. "So, your son is adorable. I can't figure out where he got it from, Draco," she teased and his nose flared as he turned to her.
Her emotions have been a wild ride for him and this playfulness smelt so similar to arousal. He wasn't sure if he was ever going to get used to it. Draco scooped her close and planted a kiss on her unsuspecting lips. She squealed in surprise, trying to push him away, but that only gave him more leverage as he tongued her mouth viciously. It was hot and sensuous. It was enough to rev his motors. Ginny cleared her throat, and Hermione managed to pull the passionate werewolf from her mouth.
"Draco! Not in front of the children," she hissed and shoved him.
Draco hemmed, straightening his shirt and glancing over at his curious son. "My apologies," he huffed.
Ginny just rested her hands on her chin and sighed. "I wish Harry still kissed me like that," she snickered, causing Hermione to glower at her.
The curly-haired witch slumped back in her seat with a huff. "I'm going to ignore you both," she grumbled.
Draco leaned over her shoulder and was chuckling. "Oh, Potter, we're going to drive her batty."
"Most certainly, Malfoy!" Ginny piped in with a giggle.
Hermione wanted to be annoyed, but she was glad her friend was there. Somehow this seemed to be a better plan. Hopefully.
Two days before the full moon…
"Merlin of fuck! Granger, can you please hurry," Draco spat as he was dusting the room with magic.
Hermione sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Patience has not been her strength today. He was slinging curses and foul language the whole day they had been working on Grimmauld Place. Draco was getting too potent to be home and too coped up at her flat, so she took him to the run down house.
It had been a chore she wasn't intending on, but at least he could scream all he wanted here and not scare her customers. She finished freshening the bed in the spare room, and Draco glared at her.
"Granger," he snapped and groaned. "Please," he implored.
"Draco, I am not shagging you, for the last time," she hissed as she tucked away her wand. "Now, you have plenty of food. I cleaned the lower half of the house so you could enjoy reading. The bathroom is flawless. I will be off of work tomorrow evening and help you with the second to last dose, and then we will do the finally one before sunset on Saturday."
He slumped on the bed and brooded. "I'm running on fumes and either need to fuck something or bite into something."
"Chocolate helps from what Moony always said. I left a giant stash of it in the kitchen. Make yourself at home. Tons of books in the library, but most are pureblood prattle and dark things. However, I will bring over some of those muggle crime dramas you like tomorrow."
Draco was utterly destroyed she was leaving him. He felt like the only being who could somewhat relate was gone and never coming back. Hermione approached the sulking werewolf and patted his chest. "Draco, please don't give me that look," she lamented and tucked some of his hair from his forehead.
"I'm sorry, I'm just so lonely without you," he grumbled.
"Sleep. I promise it will be so much better in the morning. I have a remarkable amount of pain draughts, dreamless sleep potions and chocolate for you in the house. Just last without me for one day. Fridays are always a big day for my shop, and I don't have any help to run it. I will hire someone to help me part time so we can deal with this." She finished and kissed his lips gently.
It was chaste and fizzled before it even flamed as she pulled away and ran a thumb over his cheek. "You promise?"
"I promise. Now, I'm going to go. Try to relax," Hermione assured him and left the room.
He listened for her to leave the house and huffed as the door sounded. He was alone for the first time and felt horrible. He felt this need to whine and howl into the air but quenched it with a shake of his body. Hermione was right, of course. He knew he was supplementing his need for kinship and belonging within the woman… regardless of how much he wanted to pin her to the ground and fuck her until she was screaming his name.
Draco rolled out of bed and decided to explore the house. He had never been to Grimmauld but heard stories from his mother. The resting place of the Mighty House of Black. Climbing up the stairs, his nose caught something as he went to the top. The door marked 'Regulus,' he had little regard for, but the door plaque, 'Sirius,' did. He sniffed deeply. Wolf?
His nose was working overtime as he entered the room and sneered. Muggle women littered the walls. This was Sirius Black's childhood room. He sniffed and nosed and inhaled until he found the source. Under the bed rested a small bit of string and he tugged it gingerly. A hidden cubby in the floorboards… how muggle.
Draco scooted further under the bed until he could peer into the space and took his lit wand to the hole. There in the hole rested a large box. Now the smell was potent. He took the box out from its hiding spot, anxious to dig through it. Pressing the heavy object on his lap as he sat up, he opened it. There inside were items and bobbles of a time since past.
Sweaters. Knickknacks. Pictures of young boys at Hogwarts. "So these were the infamous Marauders Granger was telling me about," Draco snickered as he glanced at the picture.
The boys were jostling about say one. The scarred young wizard had a book on his lap was just grinned. "Remus Lupin?" he asked himself and took the sweater to his nose. Wolf. Yes, this was his.
He felt shame for not having the werewolf here now. His life would have been so much more comfortable with the bookish professor and his affliction. Salazar knows that Hermione tries, but she's no werewolf. Dark magic. The blond werewolf froze at the insane idea developing. Never in his life did he think that he would attempt something so outlandish as his mind was contemplating, holding the sweater in front of his face.
Draco glanced at the object in front of him and saw hair… Hair of Remus! Nearly tripping himself up the and snatching the large box, he bolted down the stairs in a start. The library was typical, and Hermione had spoken to him about it as they dusted and made it cozy. Tossing the box unceremoniously on the sofa, he scanned the room.
"If Orion was anything like my father," he murmured, his heartbeat racing in his ears.
The shelves were organized but misplaced since the Black patron was alive. His eyes caught an odd statue on the shelve that seemed to be stuck there. Anyone would chop it up to a permanent stick charm, but Draco knew. He saw the symbol of the raven and knew. Blacks and their ways, his mother would always chatter on about how proud her family was.
The werewolf padded over to it and ran his fingers over it. "Toujours Pur," he murmured, and the bookshelves creaked.
Draco jumped back in alarm until he saw an opening… now, that was where the real books were hidden. A horribly sick idea came to mind as he glanced back at the box. A horrible, but possibly reasonable approach given the circumstance.