Wild Child

A wolfish story


Ch. 9

"When you really trust someone, you have to be okay with not understanding some things."


Remus watched her closely as she answered, but his worry wasn't soothed. The answer itself sounded like a typical Hermione answer. The words sounded like what she'd say and the tone was bright as ever when it came to learning.

But a darkness lurked behind her eyes and spoke of worry, of puzzling. The way she bit her lip after talking spoke of nervousness. Hermione knew something, and she wasn't going to tell him. He only hoped it whatever she worried over was not the truth that he knew. If anything, that thought made him more worried, though.

Surely if she thought the wolf liked her, or even that Remus himself liked her, Hermione would simply come out and say that she didn't feel that way about them. What else could be so bad that she wouldn't tell him? What was so bad that she couldn't even tell him, a man she trusted a million of her secrets to over the years since they met. A man who never told any of her secrets, sometimes even against his better judgment.

"Why did you come out here, anyways? How did you get so far?" Remus found himself asking. Hermione's eyes brightened.

"I love to run. I always run during the summer. It's a good way to lose the pounds I put on during the school year, and a good way to keep off the pounds Mum's cooking tries to add. I've just gotten really good at running. Built up my endurance, like." Hermione replied. Here she paused to gauge his reaction, as she usually did when she told him one of her secrets. She always told him a little bit and waited to see how he would take it before expanding. So Remus waited. A couple minutes passed before she continued this time.

"As to how far I've gotten...I left long before anyone else got up. It's not like I was going at top speed or anything. I just paced myself really well. Or so I though. By the time I reached this tree, I felt so tired! The sound of the stream was so soothing...and it looked like a good place for a small nap. I barely had the energy to sit down instead of collapsing...guess I really overestimated my strength again." She laughed .

"Again?" Remus demanded, slightly horrified to think of Hermione running around England and taking naps in strange places with no protection from whoever might wander by.

"I do that, once in awhile. My parents don't keep track of me very well during the summer. . Long as I'm home by dinner, they don't mind. Usually I'm out running in our yard or with one of the others." Hermione said, smiling somewhat sheepishly. Again Remus found a hole in her story. She seemed to be leaving a lot out today. Of course usually they only talked about the things that happened during the school year, or when she was home.

"Others? What others?" Remus asked, one eyebrow raised. Deep, deep down in his subconscious he realized that he was worried about her having beaus. The conscious part of Remus's mind, however, was extremely curious about who she spent her summer with.

"Uh-huh. One of my brothers or friends. Mostly both. Our neighborhood is fairly close-knit.. We're kinda snobbish that way. Some days I hate it, that we exclude other people, even though it's not a conscious act. But then I remember how wonderful all the people I know are, and all the memories we share. No one else could really understand, you know?" She sighed wistfully. Remus curiosity still wasn't satisfied.

"I don't think you've ever really told me about your family. What're they like? Nobody else ever speaks of them, either...now that I think about it." He mused, wondering why that was.

"Nobody ever asked. Usually so much is going on during the school year that I don't really have too much time to think about them." Hermione answered lightly, but something in her tone caught Remus's attention. She was lying. Remus was willing to bet it really hurt Hermione that no one had asked about her family before, even if they were really busy. Absently Remus wondered why Harry and Ron had never asked. He didn't have long to think about it, however, because Hermione went on to tell him a little bit about her family.

"My mum's name is Emmaline Granger and my da's name is Vance Granger. My parents travel a lot; for their work. So I mostly stay with my Aunt Caroline and Uncle Alfred Granger. I have three brothers, and they can be real terrors when they feel like it. They've always been mostly sweet to me, though. Unfortunately they have a protective streak three hundred kilometers wide...but I love them anyways." Hermione paused, as if deep in thought.

"How come they don't go to Hogwarts? Are they muggles?" He asked, and saw that the question took her by surprise.


"You know...I don't know. Technically they're my God-brothers. I haven't told them I'm a witch. I suppose none of them would tell the others if they were wizards...secrecy of the Wizarding world and all." Hermione replied, being very careful not to lie, but also not telling the whole truth.

She hadn't told them she was a witch, they grew up knowing she would have to work with the Wizarding world. Just like they hadn't told her they were Mages who could change into wolves. It was something they grew up knowing. Even if they didn't all just understand these things, her brothers and other packmates would have been able to read it from her mind. They did share a pack-link, after all.

Sighing, she wondered what they were doing right now. Normally she would know instantly, but she would have to put in effort to read things through their link right now. Not only that, but Hermione was half afraid that Remus and Moony would sense it if she tried while they were together. Earlier she had been to tired to try, so now she just had to wait. Maybe she could owl them when they got back to Headquarters.

"I suppose we aught to get back, if everyone's so worried." She commented briefly, and she knew that her tone told him the subject of her family was closed for now. Wincing, she wished her tone hadn't just made her longing for her family very apparent.

She could tell Remus still had a lot of question about her family. Hoping they were just harmless questions like what her family did for a living, what her brothers names were, or what her house looked like.

Standing up and trying to distance her worries from herself, Hermione made the effort to smile cheerfully at Remus before turning to walk back towards the house. Looking at the distance back Grimmauld place, Hermione groaned. Chuckling, Remus stood as well.

"That's what happens when you run so far." Remus laughed at her. Taking his laughter into stride, Hermione slapped his arm lightly.

"You're supposed to be sympathetic and say that you're tired too, and then offer to apparate us back." She informed him flippantly. Remus grinned and stuck his tongue out at her.

"I'm too tired to apparate us back. I'm afraid you'll just have to walk." He replied innocently, but his mischievous look made her suspicious. Pretending to pout, Hermione made a sneak attack at his side. Poking him mercilessly, Hermione tried to make him tell the truth.

"Hey! That's cheating!" He yelped. She just snickered.

"All's fair in war and persuasion." Hermione retorted, continuing to poke his sides. That mischievous look was still in his eyes, and he started to attack back. Tickling her, Remus made her run from him. He chased her all the way back to Grimmauld place and into the kitchen. Everyone stood up and drew their wands as a shrieking Hermione raced into the kitchen through the back door. When Remus followed behind her and kept chasing her round the table, however, they lowered their wands and someone shut the door.

"Surrender!" He ordered. Both of them had slowed down to a stumbling walk now, ready to drop to the floor. Their pride, however, made them stay standing till the other had given up.

"Never! You can torture me all you like! I'll never surrender!" Hermione cried, before attempting to race from the room. Too bad for her that Tonks got in the way. Falling, Hermione stared incredulously at the approaching floor. Everyone else except Tonks winced when Hermione hit the ground.

"Hello Mr. Floor. I have the feeling we're going to become good friends." Hermione groaned, staying where she was. Remus laughed so hard he fell over onto his bottom. Grinning again, Hermione scrambled through the door and down the hallway. They heard a door slamming, and the people who could see down the hallway like Remus noticed that it was the bathroom door.

"That's...cheating!" Remus panted. Laughter could be heard from inside the bathroom.

"All's fair in war and escape!" Hermione's muffled voice proclaimed. Blinking, Remus thought over what she'd just said.

"I thought it was 'all's fair in war and persuasion'!" Remus retorted.

"That was persuasion, so I can change the quote to fit my meaning!" Hermione retorted, and they could hear the laughter in her voice. Remus shook his head.

"All right, you win!" He laughed, rolling his eyes. The other people in the kitchen stared down at him on the floor, wondering what was going on. Remus looked up at them and shrugged helplessly, wearing an innocent smile.

"She poked me." He explained before standing up and dusting himself off.

"Now, if there aren't any more major crisis, I think I'd like to take a nap." Proclaimed Remus before grabbing a biscuit off the table and trotting from the room.

"Hey! I just made those!" Mrs. Weasely protested, although the others were to busy discussing what had just happened to pay attention and Remus had left the room.


Hey, I checked both the HP Lexicon and JKR's official website, and couldn't find the names of Hermione's original parents (as written by JKR.) So please let me know if you can find them (a reference would be helpful.) Until then, I made up names. Again.

Okay, well, that was a bit on the Moony vrs. Remus dynamics. I hope you laughed sometimes during this chapter (or at least smiled indulgently.) I know I have an odd sense of humor, because my family is constantly tell me so. If I'm lucky some of you might share it. I thought I'd throw a little fluff in this fic, since it's been almost completely serious. Let me know what you think, m'k?

Wingsrookie