A/N: thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! Now the chapter you have finally been waiting for! Fenrir loses his patience you can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions
please let me know what you thought of chapter four and be on the lookedout for chapter five soon!
Remus was walking home from the Ministry of Magic when Fenrir finally tracked him down. In the back of his mind, Remus had been hoping that the older werewolf might have given up or forgotten about the promise that he'd made. But, that would have been too good to hope for that Fenrir would forget about something so special and unique as a mate.
"Lupin, I think you've had enough time, haven't you?" Fenrir asked, his grin showing off sharp canines. Remus had always been frightened by how wolf life Fenrir seemed even outside of the full moon. "Take me to my mate."
Remus sighed, running his hand through his steadily graying hair. He knew that there was going to be no more putting it off. But he wasn't about to just hand Hermione over to the other man - he wasn't stupid enough to think that that would go well at all.
"Greyback, let's slow down for a minute. I agree you've been very patient." Remus said, trying to placate the other man, though privately, he didn't think that a month was long enough to mourn the love of his life and the mother of his child. Still, he could understand that Fenrir wanted to be with the woman who could be the love of his life.
He could practically feel the annoyance from Fenrir rolling off him in waves. "Yes, so that is why you must give Hermione to me."
Remus put a hand on Fenrir's shoulder. "Look, Fenrir. Hermione isn't a werewolf. She's just a witch and she is going to need time to understand what having a mate means. Let me explain it to her, and then I will arrange a meeting."
The other man snarled, pulling his shoulder away from Lupin's hand. Obviously, waiting for his mate had not mellowed the other man in any capacity. He was clearly on edge having waited so long, and it put Remus on edge too. Hermione was his friend first, and he wanted to make sure that she would be safe and happy, even if it meant...he would die.
"Fine, but I will be waiting." Fenrir said, taking a deep breath and rolling his shoulders, a false serenity coming over his body.
Nodding, Remus hurried back to Grimmauld Place, where he'd been staying with Harry Potter and Hermione after the war. The pair had been great with helping him watch Teddy, when Andromeda was unavailable. As soon as he walked through the front door, he was greeted by Hermione carrying a tiny Teddy in her arms.
"Teddy! Look, daddy is home!" She cooed into the laughing boy's ear, who's hair was rapidly shifting through a sandy blond and bright pink. "Did you have a good day, Remus?" Hermione said, before handing the baby over.
While Remus had been working with Kingsley at the Ministry, working to get werewolves some representation as beings, Hermione had been working on completing her NEWTs by correspondence. He had been surprised when Hermione declined to return to Hogwarts, wanting to get into the job market as quickly as possible to begin making changes for the better.
She stopped when she noticed his concerned face, she immediately looked on edge. "What's wrong?"
"I have to tell you something." Remus said, not wanting to put it off any longer. "We should sit down."
Hermione was concerned, but agreed, before leading the way to the library, where she always felt more comfortable. She knew that whatever it was he had to tell her was going to be hard to hear, and she could tell that it had something to do with her.
He cleared his throat after they'd sat in silence for a few minutes, Teddy snuggling into Remus's chest to nap. "Hermione, during the war, Dumbledore told me that getting the werewolves on our side was necessary - no matter what he requested."
"Yes, I had wondered about that." Hermione said, her voice already beginning to waiver. "What did Greyback want?"
"Well, you see, Hermione, Greyback revealed to me that he had a mate. A mate in werewolf culture is almost a fairytale. Not everyone finds their mate, but when they do, it's a sacred relationship - they are ideally suited to one another. Mates are personally, emotionally, sexually compatible." Remus said, his face looking down at Teddy.
"Was Tonks your mate?" Hermione asked quietly, wondering if Remus had personal experience with the situation.
"No, like I said, finding your mate is incredibly rare." Remus said looking into his lap. "Right before Dumbledore died, he made me promise that I would get the werewolf packs on our side, and so, I agreed to help Fenrir get his mate."
Hermione wanted to laugh. "Who is she? I can't imagine that someone who is so compatible with Fenrir Greyback is an upstanding citizen." She couldn't see why it would be difficult to track her down, but obviously she was, if Remus was coming to her for help.
Remus cleared his throat again, unable to speak. His eyes darted up to her face, guilty, and he watched as understanding slowly came on her face. "I'm so sorry, Hermione." He said.
"No, no!" Hermione cried, in disbelief that she could possibly be the mate of fearsome werewolf Fenrir Greyback. It didn't seem possible. She was a muggleborn. "I don't care that you made a promise, I won't do it! I don't even know what he wants with me."
She stood up and began pacing immediately, tears rolling down her cheeks, though she wasn't outright sobbing. He was sure that would come later, once it had truly sunk in. Remus sighed, feeling like the worst friend in the whole world. "I didn't know that it was you when I made the promise, I swear, Hermione."
"As if that makes it any better?" Hermione snarled, hands on her hips. "You would just pawn off any young girl to Fenrir Greyback. The man - if you can even call him that - is a savage." Remus winced at her words, but really, he couldn't expect Hermione to keep her cool at a time like this.
"I know now that I never should have done it, but even you can't deny that the werewolves didn't help us during the war." Remus said, knowing how much they had sacrificed, and helped the side of the Order.
"Sure, but I am not about to passed off to their leader, like some kind of war prize." Hermione reasoned. Remus thought that was quite astute, given that Fenrir was quite insistent on referring to Hermione as his prize. He could imagine that it would be a point of contention for the new couple. "Well, I don't care that you made a promise. I am not beholden to it."
Remus kissed the top of Teddy's head, glad that he was able to have a little while with the small boy at least. He had tried of course, but the Unbreakable Vow didn't give you points for trying. "I didn't just make a promise, Hermione. We made an Unbreakable Vow." He said, quietly.
Hermione looked absolutely horrified for a moment, as she thought through the implications of his words. "Why would you do that?" She demanded, sitting down in the chair.
"Dumbledore had just died, I was distraught!" Remus said, finally letting his own anger with himself bubble up. "I never thought that I would survive the war or that Greyback would survive the war. If either one of us had died, none of this would be an issue right now." He tried to explain what his rationale had been, but now, after the battle was over and the dust had settled, it all seemed so hollow.
Hermione clearly didn't think care, though, at this point. Standing up and squeezing her hands together, she made a strangled little noise of anger, before stomping out of the library. Rushing after her, Remus tried to stop her. "Wait, Hermione where are you going?"
"Out, I need to clear my thoughts." Hermione said, wrenching on her light jacket, as it was just starting to drizzle.
"Hermione, I don't think that's a great idea right now. Fenrir doesn't need your permission to claim you as his mate, perhaps you should stay inside." Remus stood in front of the door, wanting to keep her safe.
She drew her wand and pressed it up against his throat. "I think I know how to handle myself with a wand, don't you Remus?" She asked, motioning for him to move aside of the door. Once she was in the fresh evening air, she slammed the door behind her.
"Fuck." Remus whispered, knowing he needed to follow Hermione, but he couldn't take Teddy with him. "Harry? Harry, I need you to watch Teddy for a moment."
Hermione had barely made it around the block from the old townhouse when she felt someone grabbing on her arm. "Remus, I told you to leave off." She said, trying to pull her arm back from him. The grip on her arm was like a vice, though, and she couldn't shake it off. Spinning around, she gasped when she saw that it wasn't Remus at all. It was none other than Fenrir Greyback.
He looked better than the last time she'd seen him, she could admit, with his dark hair pulled back from his face. He wasn't nearly as dirty as usual, but he was still wearing raggedy clothes, as though the fabric couldn't contain the bunching muscle he had under tan skin. He was a large, imposing man, that was undeniable.
But what really frightened Hermione were his eyes. They were clear blue had filled with such heat, such promise, that it sent a thrill down her spine at what that could possibly mean for her.
He pulled her tight against his body, and Hermione gasped at how hard he felt, her fingers pressed against his chest. He was so much taller than her, and his presence was physically dominating. She could feel herself shrinking and relaxing into him. At least she knew that he wouldn't hurt her. She was his mate, after all, his once in a lifetime chance of something more than happiness.
But, just because he wasn't going to hurt her didn't mean that he was going to keep her against her will. Picking her up, Fenrir threw Hermione over his shoulder as though she were a sack of flour, holding her tight against him. He only walked a short distance, down to a narrow alleyway, before he was drawing out his own wand, and apparating the pair of them away.
Being upside down whilst apparating had Hermione's stomach turning. "Please put me down, Greyback, or I'm going to be sick." Even if she had no intention of being his mate, she didn't think throwing up on him was a good way to start the relationship.
When he set her down in front of him, he just smiled at her with that feral grin of his. She'd seen it more than once since the first time she'd come face to face with the man in her sixth year. Had he known then that she was his mate?
"I see that you know the truth now." He said, his voice deep and gravely.
Hermione wanted to whimper at his words, but if it was in fear or anticipation she couldn't quite be sure. Her heart was beating so fast, but she felt better being closer to him. Was this biology at play or something more?
"I've waited a long time for you, mate." He continued, closing the distance in between them once again. The way that he said the word mate, like a lover's caress, like sinful promise, had her clenching her legs together, only to be confused about why she would be feeling this rush of...
Grabbing at her neck, gently, but with enough pressure to get her to move how he wanted, he used his thumb to press her jaw up, until she was looking at him, mouth presented and lips parted in surprise. He pressed her lips against his in a kiss that was anything but gentle and sweet.