CHAPTER SEVEN


Summary: Hermione Granger, one of the brightest minds of her generation, makes a decision that will ultimately change her future plans. At twenty-three, she finds herself moving to a strange town that's a hell-mouth for supernatural beings, pregnant, and in way over her head. And the father of her unborn child? The tall, dark and handsome werewolf, Derek Hale. Rated M for a reason.

Disclaimer: I do not own canon events and characters, they belong to J.K Rowling and the creators of Teen Wolf and MTV. This is purely for entertainment purposes and I am not making a profit from the posting of this. This is set after Season 3, and everything from season 4 onwards doesn't happen; so no deadpool, Beast, Dread Doctors, Wild Hunt or Hunters. Allison still died, Liam will still be appearing, and there is no Kira or Malia. Derek is 22 and Hermione is 23. I'm fudging the time line a bit, too.


Page count: 12


Hermione had been walking around the town of Beacon Hills for a little over an hour. She'd already completed the errands she'd needed to and now she was walking down the street, enjoying the sun as she leisurely did some window shopping with Magic pulling her along.

He'd stopped her a few times for him to sniff at a fire hydrant or a bin, and even when a mother and a small child walked past because he wanted kisses and cuddles. It was fair to say, Magic had made the crying child's day when he bestowed licks to the little toddler's cheeks and the mother had looked grateful that her son had finally stopped crying.

Hermione had managed to pull Magic away and allowed the mother and son to go about their business and they continued with their exploration. It was a little after lunch when hunger struck Hermione and she found that she was craving some ice-cream, it was actually the first craving she'd had through her pregnancy, despite her nearly being finished with the first trimester which she was grateful for. She didn't know how much longer she could put up the morning sickness.

They came to diner and the smell of the food hitting Hermione's nose had her mouth watering, and she all but squealed when she saw the sign in the window saying 'dogs are welcome.' That was a first; she certainly couldn't remember seeing such a food establishment in London allowing dogs entrance.

She bent down and picked Magic up in her arms so he wouldn't disturb the customers whilst they were eating, and she entered into the diner, seeing the bright colours and feeling the welcoming atmosphere. Hermione happily made her way to the counter and perched herself on a stool. Magic was too big to sit on her lap so she placed him on the ground and he sat beside her obediently whilst she read through the menu.

After a few minutes, a kind old woman took her order and returned moments later with the chocolate milkshake she'd ordered and she happily took a sip, sighing as the wonderful taste helped to satisfy her craving.

"Miss. Granger?"

Hermione turned around with a slight frown, before she caught sight of Scott McCall sat at a booth all but one down from her. A smile pulled at her mouth and she picked up her milkshake and hopped off her stool, walking over to the booth with Magic following beside her.

"Hello, Scott," she smiled kindly. "And do I really look old enough to be referred to as 'Miss. Granger?'" She asked.

"I, er..." He said nervously, worried he'd offended her.

"Relax, I'm just messing with you, however, in my experience, those younger than me tend to call me 'Miss. Granger' and on other occasions it's when I've done something I shouldn't have in school and I was being told off," she chuckled.

He stared at her and she noticed that he wasn't alone as he was sat beside another boy. This one gave off no aura whatsoever so she assumed he was human. He was slightly taller than Scott though not by much. He had short black hair that was spiked up at the front, light brown eyes and pale skin. He had a few freckles dotted about his face, a small mole on his left cheek and a slight upturn in his nose that actually made him look adorable, and he was watching her curiously.

"You may call me Hermione," she said, and he looked relieved that he hadn't offended her. "Say, shouldn't you boys be at school?" She said with a raised eyebrow.

"Free period," Scott shrugged.

"Are you allowed to leave school grounds during a free period?" She asked amused.

"Sure," both teenagers answered and she chuckled at them.

"Unfortunately, I don't believe that, but I'll take your word for it and should anyone ask, I haven't seen you."

"What are you doing here?" Scott asked her.

Just as she was about to answer, her stomach gave a loud growl. She smiled sheepishly and placed a hand against her stomach. "I'm here to feed the little monster I have inside of me," she replied and they both snorted.

"Do you want to sit with us?" Scott asked.

"Oh no, I wouldn't want to interrupt," she smiled at them.

"No, it's fine, please sit with us," the other teen said, his eyes staring at her in a way as though he'd met his idol and she got the feeling that maybe Scott's friend has a little crush on her. She felt herself feeling flattered by it.

"If you insist," she smiled, placing her milkshake down on the table and she slid into the bench opposite them, and much to Hermione's embarrassment, Magic jumped up at Scott and barked in his face with his paws resting on his thigh. "Magic, get down," she scolded him.

Scott chuckled and lifted his hand to scratch at the friendly puppy's head while said puppy licked his face. "It's alright," he told her, and his laughter grew louder when Magic jumped onto his side of the bench, climbed over Scott's lap and sat himself down on the bench in-between Scott and his friend.

Hermione scowled at her puppy and Scott laughed as he petted him. Seeing his friend leaning away from Magic slightly, Hermione unfolded her arms and turned her attention to him.

"He's not going to hurt you, he's a big softie," she told the other teen.

"Right, it's just animals aren't really my thing," he told her, eyeing the pup warily despite him all but licking Scott's face to death.

"Seriously, Stiles, he's the most playful and affectionate pup I've seen come into the clinic," Scott said.

So that was his name, Stiles.

Hermione smiled when she saw the older woman approaching with the food she'd ordered and she thanked her when she placed it on the table and walked off. The two teens stared at the amount of food in surprise, before looking down at their own half eaten dishes.

Unable to decide on what she wanted, she went for a little bit of everything and she was sure she'd be able to eat it all given her increase in appetite. She'd ordered a cheese burger, fries, onion rings, a side of bacon, a small portion of macaroni and cheese and some ice-cream and jelly.

"It's not all for me," she told them being amused by their shocked expressions, and she removed the meat dish she'd ordered for Magic and placed it in front of him and he dug in straight away, as did Hermione.

"Why'd you move to Beacon Hills?" Stiles asked her, seemingly having relaxed now that her puppy was too busy eating to pay anyone attention and he picked at his own food.

"My job, I was headhunted and transferred here."

"What is it you do?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?" He all but pouted and she snorted at him.

"I'd get in a lot of trouble if I did. All you need to know is that I work for my government."

"Your government?" Scott picked up on.

"My government," she confirmed.

"Are you a spy?" Stiles asked.

"Even if I were I wouldn't be able to answer that question, but no, I'm not a spy," she chuckled.

The questions continued in the same fashion and Hermione answered as honestly as she could while still being vague, and before they knew it and much to the teen's surprise, Hermione had eaten everything.

"Right, do one of you want to explain the whole tipping thing to me because I don't quite understand it?"

"I've got it," Stiles said to Scott as he stood to use the bathroom.

Stiles took the receipt and the pen and began explaining the math behind it by using a napkin to show her how he'd worked it out, before totalling up the final bill.

"There, got it?" He asked.

She frowned down at the receipt. "Not really, no," she admitted. She didn't remember math being that hard in school.

He chuckled at her. "You'll get the hang of it, and once you do, always make sure you check the math. It's not unheard of for people to try and take advantage of you by giving themselves a large tip."

"Okay, thank you," she nodded, before she stood and made her way to the counter to pay her bill.

By the time she returned Scott was sat at the booth and once more being licked to death by her puppy, and they agreed to watch him for her whilst she used the bathroom. When she returned, it was to see Scott on the phone and Stiles leaning close to him, trying to hear what was being said.

Hermione sat herself down on the bench and she frowned in confusion when Scott pulled the phone from his ear and held it out to her.

"It's for you," he said.

"Excuse me?" She questioned in surprise.

"It's for you, Derek Hale," he sounded just as surprised as she felt.

She frowned and took the phone from him, placing it against her ear as the two teens watched her carefully.

"Hello?" She said.

"Hermione, do I even want to know what you're doing with Scott and that idiot, Stiles?" His voice came over the line.

"Name calling already, Mr. Hale? I happen to quite like Stiles and should I need to, I'll happily defend him against your uncreative insults," she replied, noticing the way Stiles sat up straighter and Scott looked amused, but still confused.

He snorted. "I'm not surprised, didn't you say something about being unable to help taking in strays."

"I did, but I'd hardly call Stiles a stray, you're a better fit to that category than he is," she teased.

"I supposed you're right," he said so quietly so suspected he hadn't meant for her to hear him.

"Anyway, I stopped by a diner for lunch and happened to bump into Scott and Stiles, that's why I'm with them. Now, what's going on?"

"I needed to contact you and the only way I could think of was by having Scott deliver a message, as it turns out, I no longer need him to."

"So what's this message?" She questioned, picking up her milkshake and taking a sip before sitting back against the back rest.

"I'm going to be gone longer than I thought."

"Meaning?" She questioned, before sliding out of the booth and walking away from the table, subtly casting a Silencio around herself to keep their conversation private.

He sighed. "I don't like the thought of leaving you alone for so long, but this problem, it's bad and it's going to take a few days to fix, possibly longer."

"Do you want to tell me what it is?" She asked him, and she was more than surprised when he did.

"My friend, three of his cousins have gone missing and one's turned up dead. There's a hunter targeting his family and he needs my help to track them down, stop them and find the others before it's too late."

Hermione gasped. "Merlin, that's awful," she whispered. "Do you need my help?"

"Help?"

"Yes, Derek, we don't just keep tabs on supernatural beings, but we also have a system for known hunters. Am I to assume this hunter is going after a family of werewolves that hasn't caused harm to a human?"

"As far as we're aware," he replied.

"That means that your friend's family is likely to be on the protection list, and if they're being targeted it's a crime. If I contact The Ministry, they'll send someone out to investigate, they'll find the hunters responsible and they'll be thrown in prison for the rest of their lives."

"Just how many prisons do you people have?" He asked surprised.

"Several, one for magical creatures, one for wizarding folk, and one for hunters who break the peace treaty we work hard to maintain. They can hunt guilty supernatural beings all they like, but the moment they go after the innocent is the moment they forfeit their freedom and the hunter becomes the hunted."

"You know, I'm starting to like your people."

"Thanks, I think," she snorted. "But do you want my help?"

"Let me deal with this first and if I don't have anything in a few days, then you can bring your people in."

"Okay, I understand you and your friend wanting to deal with this yourselves. Just promise me you'll be careful."

"Worried about me?" She heard the teasing in his voice.

"Yes, I am, very," she admitted and she knew she'd surprised him by the silence on the other end of the phone. "These hunters have no problems harming innocents, so they won't care if you get hurt either, and I'm not on my own anymore. We have to think about the baby, so be careful and come home to us."

She heard the slight hitch in his breathing. "I will, I promise."

"Good, I'll make you a deal. I'll meet you at a time and location of your choice in three day's time, regardless if you've made progress or not. Having me on your side is one hell of an advantage, and if needs be, I've got Tracking Magic on my side."

She knew by the silence that he was warring with himself. "Okay," he said, surprising her that he'd actually agreed to it. "Three o'clock at Laurel's Cafe on Friday."

"Alright, I'll see you then, and I mean it, be careful. I'm not above hexing you."

He snorted at her. "That doesn't surprise me, and please, stay away from the woods."

"I will," she promised, and he hung the phone up.

She removed the Silencing Charm from around herself and then walked back over to the teens and she handed the phone back to Scott.

"What was that about?" Stiles asked curiously.

"None of your business," she replied. He scowled and Scott snorted.

"How do you know Derek?" Scott asked.

"That's a long story, and to be honest, I haven't known him long, but we've sort of been thrown together by circumstances neither of us saw coming," she answered. "Anyway, I'm in a bit of a pickle and in a few days time I need to leave town for a short absence. I don't suppose one of you would mind dog sitting for me, of course I'll pay you, money's no object."

They both stared at her in surprise but Scott seemed happy to look after Magic, and she smiled in thanks.

"What about Snowball?" He asked, knowing the name she'd given the owl.

"Ah," she said with a thoughtful frown. "I'd forgotten about him and my cat, too. Well, I shouldn't be gone longer than a night. I can leave the window open for my cat, he's fat but he can easily make the jump should he need to go out. I'll just have to leave plenty of food out for them both. They'll be fine, it's Magic I'm worried about. Anyway, I best get going, so, it was nice to you again Scott, and it was nice to meet you, Stiles." He gave her a goofy looking half smile and she shook her head at him. "Come on then, Magic, let's go home and check on the zoo."

~000~000~000~

The three days passed agonisingly slow for Hermione. She'd barely left the cottage, if only to allow Magic out to use the bathroom, and she'd spent most of her time cooped up in the library working on a little side project to get keep herself distracted.

When Friday rolled around, she was so full of nerves she could hardly sit still, she hadn't been able to keep her food down but she wasn't sure if that was the morning sickness or the anxiety and the worrying about Derek. She hadn't realised how much she'd missed him, how much she'd miss his presence in the cottage, how much she'd miss his overbearing, pain in the arse self always following her around and annoying her.

She'd come to terms with the fact she actually liked him. He was different to other men she'd met, and he was certainly different from Ron, and she was glad she'd dodged a bullet with that one. Derek didn't get angry when she teased and made fun of him, unlike Ron who always lost his temper and it would end in an argument, when Hermione had only been in a playful mood and wanted someone to spar with. Ron didn't understand that.

Derek was smart, he picked things up quickly and he absorbed anything she told him or he'd read in her books like a sponge. He seemed to have a permanent broody look on his face, so when he laughed or smiled it was more genuine and his dark eyes lit up. He was protective of her, overly so in fact, but she knew it came from a place of worry for her and the baby, unlike Ron who was more possessive than he was protective.

Derek was calmer, she thought. He had a calming presence about him and she couldn't help feel safe and cared for when he was around. It didn't matter that it'd only been a few weeks since they met again, she couldn't help the way she felt. Now, she just had to hide her feelings from Derek as she didn't want to embarrass herself or make things awkward between them.

She shook her head when she heard her name being called and she looked up from the ground to see Scott and Stiles stepping out of a rather poor looking jeep, that had parts held together by duct tape.

A bubble of amusement flittered through her when she saw Stiles scowling at the car, before he slammed the door shut and then quickly apologised as if the car was alive and had feelings.

Hermione turned back to her own car, opened the door and Magic jumped out as she held his lead and retrieved the bag of essentials Scott would need, and then she met Scott halfway. They were meeting at the side of the road that was close to the woods where her cottage was located.

"Thank you again for doing this," Hermione said.

"It's no problem," Scott replied with a chuckle when Magic jumped up at him, demanding attention. Hermione thought it funny how much Magic seemed to like the teen, but then again, she put it down to him being a werewolf.

"Alright, here's everything you should need," she told him, handing over the back pack and Scott took it and slung it over his shoulder. "He's already toilet trained, he's fed three times a day and you'll find his food in the bag, along with his favourite blanket, chew toy and one of my jumpers which should calm him if he gets anxious." Scott nodded. "He's quite obedient and loves to explore the woods but we haven't been out much the last few days. If you decide to take him for a walk, you can let him off his lead and he won't go too far from you unless he sees a rabbit or a squirrel, or he finds a muddy puddle, and trust me, he's an expert at that," she sighed.

Scott snorted at her. "Don't worry, we'll be fine," he said.

Hermione nodded. "I should be back by tomorrow evening but if I'm held up, I'll have Derek let you know. As a precaution there's more than enough food to last a few days. And with that, I better go."

She thanked Scott once more, before calling out to Stiles and giving him a wave as he still seemed to be having an argument with the car, before she climbed into her own and drove to the local library. She quickly found herself a computer and searched for Laurel's Cafe on the internet. Several results were found but she assumed it would be the one closest to Beacon Hills, and by the looks of it that was a little in under two hours away. After printing a copy of a photograph taken of Laurel's Cafe, Hermione left the library and returned to her cottage.

After making sure she'd left plenty of food and water for Crookshanks and Snowball, and she cracked open a window so her cat could leave if he wanted to, Hermione held the photograph in her hand and spun on her heel.

~000~000~000~

She landed on her feet and thankfully no one noticed her appearing out of nowhere in the car park. She looked around, not seeing Derek's car and she frowned slightly knowing that it was almost three o'clock, their agreed upon meeting time.

Her eyes searched her surroundings in case he was waiting for her and he didn't want to risk being spotted or followed, after all, his car wasn't exactly the type to go unnoticed. She walked over to the cafe and stepped inside, the smell of coffee and food instantly hitting her nose and she had to hold her breath as a wave of nausea hit her, but it soon passed.

She waited in line at the counter with her eyes never lingering on one spot or person for too long and when she finally reached the counter, she ordered a tea to go, as well as two coffees.

"Name?" The older looking brunette asked her, his green eyes trailing the features of her face.

"Hermione," she said.

"Hermione Granger?" He questioned.

Hermione's body stiffened, how did he know who she was? He had no aura surrounding him, he was human.

"Yes," she answered warily.

"Someone called earlier and left a message," he said, before he dug under the counter and removed a slip of paper which he handed to her.

Hermione stepped off to the side to allow someone else to order and she flipped open the note.

Change of plans. Room 6, Maybelle Motel

Hermione frowned, why had he changed the meeting place without getting word to her sooner? Was something wrong? Had something happened? Was he worried he'd be followed? Anxiety rose in Hermione, her stomach fluttered and she brought a hand up to rest against her stomach and she took a breath to calm herself.

Well, now she just had to find a way to get to the motel. Her eyes scanned the cafe, seeing there to be several computers but they were all in use, and then her eyes landed on that of what looked to be a young college student, probably in their first year, sat at a table and working on a laptop.

'Perfect,' she thought.

Hermione put on a kind smile and approached the student, clearing her throat to get his attention. He looked up from his laptop, his blue eyes widening behind his glasses and his pale cheeks pinking. He licked his lips nervously and lifted a hand to push his black hair out of his eyes.

"Hello, I'm Hermione," she smiled.

"Tom," he replied, still staring at her.

"It's nice to meet you Tom, I was wondering if you'd be able to help me."

He sat up straighter in his chair and turned his body to face her. "What do you need help with?"

"You see, I'm new to town and a friend's asked me to meet them at the Maybelle Motel, but I don't know how to get there, and I don't have the address to put into the GPS system on my car. I would do it myself, but I'm useless when it comes to technology. Do you think you may be able to help me?" She asked, giving him a friendly smile.

"Shouldn't be a problem," he nodded and he turned back to his laptop, closed the document he'd been working on and brought up a search engine. Within minutes the Maybelle Motel was up on the screen and Hermione leaned closer to make sure she got a good look and she committed it to memory.

"Do you need me to write down the address?" He asked.

"Oh, that won't be necessary, I've quite a good memory. Thank you very much for your help, you're a life saver and I would've gotten terribly lost if it weren't for you." Hermione gave him a bright smile and his cheeks darkened. "Oh, that's me, I better go. Thank you," she said, after hearing her name being called.

She quickly retrieved her order and left the cafe with a little wave to the student whose eyes followed her out of the door. She walked a little further until she was out of sight and then spun on her heel, landing in front of the Maybelle Motel.

She slowly walked across the car park, squinting her eyes to better see the numbers on the doors and it took her a few moments to find room six, but once she did she approached the door and knocked. She heard footsteps shuffling inside before the door opened and Hermione stared up at the taller, unfamiliar man who she assumed was Derek's friend.

She admitted he was handsome with his shaggy blonde hair and bright blue eyes, but she much preferred Derek's dark, penetrating gaze and his comforting aura.

"You must be Hermione," he spoke, and for some reason Hermione couldn't explain, an amused smirk pulled at his mouth as his eyes travelled her body, lingering on her stomach for a moment before returning to her face.

"I am, yes. I assume you're the one Derek came to meet," she replied.

"Hell, he never said you were British," he said, his eyes widening slightly before a chuckle left him and he shook his head. "No wonder he's so hung up over you."

"Excuse me?" She questioned with a confused frown.

"Never mind, I'm James."

He held his hand out and Hermione hesitantly shook it with the hand that wasn't currently holding the tray of hot beverages. Hermione removed her hand from his and looked at him with an arched eyebrow.

"Right, sorry," he said, stepping aside and giving her access to the room.

Hermione's eyes searched her surroundings, seeing the plain beige walls and the cream coloured carpet. The door on the opposite side of the room was left open, revealing the bathroom. A table and two chairs sat in front of the window and there was a chest of drawers on the wall with a TV sat on top, with the double bed on the opposite wall, the headboard pressed up against the wall.

When her eyes landed on the bed, a gasp of horror left her and she almost dropped the tea and coffees, but she managed to place them on the table before slowly making her way over to the bed.

"What the hell happened?" She demanded, briefly sparing the werewolf a glace before turning her eyes back to the bed.

She perched herself on the side of it and her eyes trailed the handsome, bloodied and bruised face of Derek. He had cuts –looking more like claw marks- on his forehead, one on his cheek and his lip was split. He had a nasty looking bruise on his jaw, and when she looked further down his body it was to see that blood had soaked through the white t-shirt in several places and it looked to have dried, but there was also tears in the fabric, looking as though it had been done by sharp claws. If he had any more injuries on the rest of his body she couldn't tell, the blanket was pulled up to his waist.

She reached over and gently brushed the tips of her fingers over Derek's cheek, feeling tears welling up in her eyes when he didn't once move or acknowledge her presence. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down and helping to settle her magic lest she have an accidental outburst. Her hand dropped from his cheek and she moved to wrap her smaller hand around his larger one that lay on top of the blanket.

She turned her head to look over her shoulder, seeing that the werewolf was watching her with curious eyes and they moved to her stomach when she felt her other hand settling over her t-shirt. That was the second time he'd done that. Did he know? Had Derek told him? Judging by the way he was looking at her, she guessed he had.

"What happened?" She asked again. "And don't lie to me, I'm trying very hard to control my emotions right now and the tiniest thing can set me off and trust me when I say, I'm very unstable at the moment."

He blinked slowly, a frown pulling at his face at her words. "We found who we were looking for," he spoke.

"And?" She prompted.

"And it ended in a fight."

"Then why are you not injured?" She questioned and she'd done her best to hide her anger, but some of it pushed through. James wisely took a step back further away from her.

"We split up, I went after the hunter and Derek went after the..."

"The what?" She said through gritted teeth.

"Well, it turns out the hunter's got a partner, another werewolf who hates what he is and he's using his lycanthropy to help kill other werewolves, innocent or not. Derek fought the werewolf, he was a lot stronger than we anticipated and he got a bit banged up."

"Banged up!" She growled, and he took another step back at the animalist sound coming from the human.

He knew she wasn't a werewolf, which just made what she'd done all the more frightening. God, he could see why Derek liked her so much. She was a feisty little thing, terrifying, too. Despite her being human, he could feel her presence of power and strength. Something he would usually feel with an Alpha, which intrigued him.

"He's not banged up! For the love of Merlin he's bloody unconscious!" At hearing the anger in her tone, Hermione forced herself to take a few deep breaths and listed the uses of dragon's blood before opening her eyes again. "Tell me you at least caught the bastards."

His eyes widened at her use of language. "No, they got away. When I heard the howl I gave up the chase on the hunter to return to Derek. By the time I got there they'd both gone. He's been out since last night."

"And he hasn't woken once?" He shook his head. "Shouldn't he have healed by now?" She questioned.

"He's healing, just slowly. The wounds were quite bad and with the way he's going, he should be fine in a few days."

"That's not good enough," she spoke. "I need you to leave for a little while."

"What? Why?" He questioned suspiciously.

"So I can tend to his wounds and help him, that's why."

"Then why can't I stay?"

"Because I said so, that's why." He frowned at her, a retort ready but she beat him to it. "Look, I don't care if your families are allies, that won't stop me from putting the fear of God in you, and every time you look at me, you'll feel the urge to run away with your tail between your legs."

And there it was; the werewolf reference he'd been waiting to hear from her.

"Fine, how long do you need?"

"An hour, maybe a little longer."

"I'll be back by four-thirty," he said, his eyes watching her as he made for the door and stepped out of the room.

Hermione waited a few minutes before pulling her wand and sending a Locking Charm to the door. She then dug into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out her beaded bag, being glad of the fact the habit of carrying it with her hadn't vanished.

She summoned all the healing supplies she had with her before she magicked off Derek's shirt and her breath hitched seeing the open, large wounds that had stopped bleeding but had a long way to go before they'd heal. She could easily tell they'd been caused by sharp claws and by someone with considerable strength.

Taking a breath to centre herself, Hermione quickly set to work cleaning and disinfecting the wounds one at a time before applying the correct healing pastes and sealing salves to close up the wounds. When she was done with his torso, she moved to his face and with them not being as bad as the others, they all but healed within minutes, her magic working with his body's healing to quicken the process.

When she was sure she'd done everything she could for him, she banished the empty vials of salves, pastes and potions before getting herself comfortable with sitting on the edge of the bed and holding his hand in hers.