A/N:

Firstly, so sorry that this chapter is late... I honestly thought that yesterday was last Thursday (I don't know where my head was!)

Secondly, a massive thank you to Charl (drarrymehome on AO3 and tumblr) for beta-ing this chapter when I was really struggling to put myself in the frame of mind for Wolf Hermione. It was a massive help and probably the only reason I've managed to post this chapter today.

Thirdly, I hope you like this chapter exploring Harry and Ron's first moon with Hermione. It's a little longer than usual but I had a few things I wanted to fit into it :)

Thank you all for reading FIWYMI and if you want to see more from me, you can always find me on tumblr at mxstyassasxin. If not, I'll see you next week!

Much love xx

Chapter 20 – Preparation

Mid-morning on the day of the full moon, Hermione inched slowly down the stairs, making each step as light as possible so she didn't send jolts of searing pain through her knees and up her spine. The stiffness in her joints had eased a bit since she woke up because she had spent close to an hour stretching out her limbs and twisting some of the agony from her muscles.

She hadn't bothered trying to tie her hair up, having learnt by now that such motion would jar her shoulders in a way that left her panting with the taste of bile in her throat. The other inhabitants of the Burrow were quite used to the dishevelment Hermione descended into a few days prior to the full moon and didn't look twice when she finally dropped into her chair at the head of the breakfast table.

"Hermione, dear! I could have brought breakfast up to you," Mrs Weasley began fussing over her.

"No, it's alright, Mrs Weasley," Hermione waved her off, providing the matriarch with what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "Bill's coming over this morning so I have to be on my feet anyway."

Speak of the devil, she thought as the floo flared to life in the next room. Usually he would just come to escort her through the floo to Hogwarts, but Ron and Harry would be joining them tonight and needed some idea of what would happen later.

"Hermione! I was going to help you up," her Beta tutted and Hermione glared daggers at him.

She was perfectly capable of getting herself out of bed and he knew that, as evidenced by the playful grin spreading across his face. His mother on the other hand, did not pick up on her eldest son's teasing.

"I wish you would let us help you more, Hermione. We're all here and we all care for you. You just need to let us."

"I am fine," she enunciated each word, placing a hand over Mrs Weasley's. "It is nothing I can't handle but thank you. I know you all care about me."

Mrs Weasley smiled down at her then turned her attention to her son.

"You," she snapped like the fierce mother hen Hermione knew she was. "You can get her some coffee since you're the reason she's out of bed in the first place."

"Yes, ma'am," Bill cheekily saluted his mother which earned him a smack with the tea towel and had Hermione choking back her laughter.

Mrs Weasley, knowing that Hermione's appetite wasn't the greatest close to the full moon, placed a plate of buttered toast down in front of her and left her the option of adding lightly seasoned scrambled eggs or fried tomatoes. When Bill returned, he carried in his calloused hands not a coffee mug, but a delicate cup of Earl Grey tea.

"I know she said coffee," he whispered in Hermione's ear, glancing towards Mrs Weasley, "but I know the amount of caffeine in the tea is enough for you right now."

He disappeared into the pantry again after a brief inspection of her breakfast and checked that the coast was clear before reappearing with a bowl of fruit and some croissants. Sitting down on her right, Bill pulled the plates of savoury food towards himself and set the fruit and croissants down in their place.

Hermione met his eyes and smiled, mouthing her thanks to him. How he knew that it was sweeter food rather than savoury that settled her stomach, she had no idea. But she was grateful he did.

"You're welcome," he whispered back, spooning some of the egg onto a slice of toast and then taking a large bite.

They ate in silence for a while, Hermione rolling the tension out of her shoulders every so often before Bill brought up his reason for being there earlier than usual.

"Where are the other two then?"

"They were at the ministry late. One of Greyback's lot was on trial and Harry told me he was going to stay until he found out everything he could."

Hermione pushed her bowl away and met Bill's eyes.

"I know we want Greyback caught but he's obsessed, Bill. After seeing Lavender at the Battle and now this happening to me, Harry's got this vendetta that will drive him mad. He won't let it go and just let the proper authorities handle it."

"Greyback will slip up eventually," Bill rested a hand over hers on the table. "Harry and Ron are joining the Aurors so it'll be their job too, soon enough and you will need to let them chase Greyback down. You can't protect them from their job."

Hermione sighed, knowing that Bill was right. Despite the war being over, Harry was continuing to put himself at risk to help others and he would keep doing so as long as he thought it was right. She couldn't stop him when that was just who he was.

X - X - X

"The two of you are ready to do this, yes?" Bill looked pointedly from Ron to Harry and back again where they sat on the sofa. "It's a walk in the park but only if you do not, and I repeat, do not piss her off."

Harry nodded enthusiastically and smiled at Hermione, but Ron rolled his eyes at his brother's instruction which earned him a smack upside the head that Bill delivered so quickly, even Hermione had missed him standing up.

"Hey! That hurt!"

"Yeah? Well she will do a lot worse than that if you show her similar attitude later," Bill pointed his finger in Ron's face. "Just because her bite won't affect you in your animagus forms, doesn't mean you can be complacent."

"I know from Sirius and Remus what it was like for my dad and them. Sirius made it sound like fun."

"Remus was terrified about hurting people, Harry. Even with the rest of the Marauders there," Hermione looked at him sheepishly. "I've been alright so far, but we need to get used to our dynamic tonight so that there's one less thing to worry about on my first moon with a full school."

"And from what I understand," Bill chimed in, "the relationship that Remus had with his friends was on an equal footing. He wasn't an Alpha. Hermione is, and that changes things slightly. You've got to make sure she can trust you in everything. Even with me she gets snappy when I try to impose on her will, and she'll be less inclined to listen to you two."

The two of them, but particularly Ron, blanched at the prospect of making a version of Hermione with sharp claws and teeth actually listen to them.

"It's alright," Hermione tried to reassure them. "Look, you're my pack and my best friends. My Wolf won't hurt you because your protection is everything to her. To me. I just need you to keep me company and make sure I don't get too close to the castle.

"All my moons so far I've just ran through the forest a bit before heading to the Shack. Right, Bill?" She looked to her Beta for confirmation, silently pleading with him to start taking a gentler tone with Harry and Ron.

"Right, that's another thing," he leant his elbows on his knees and steepled his hands beneath his chin. "The reasonable Hermione you know disappears during full moons."

Hermione scoffed indignantly and smacked his shoulder with the back of her hand.

"I do not!"

"Yes, you do," Bill raised an eyebrow at her before turning his attention back to the boys. "Ron, you'll have to get to the Whomping Willow before she does to stand on the knot, otherwise she'll just run right through it."

"She what?" Harry exclaimed. "Hermione, are you mad?"

"Apparently so. Just, please make sure I don't break any ribs," she smiled sheepishly at Harry.

"Bloody hell," Ron muttered, eliciting a gruff chuckle from Bill.

"Don't worry little brother. I'll be there this time to help you out."

X - X - X

Oh the freedom.

She stretched her spine, feeling the final few vertebrae click into place properly, then threw her head back to howl ecstatically at the moon which had taken away her pain; had released her from the confines of her human skin.

Once she had expressed her gratitude, she turned with her teeth bared in a grin, her tongue lolling out from between the sharp canines, to rejoice with her companions. She cocked her large head to one side and perked her ears up, watching with interest as her Beta spoke reassuringly to the stag who stood frozen, staring at her.

Eventually the stag blinked his wide eyes and moved forwards, stopping right in front of her for a second until she bumped her wet nose against his dry one. He took a stumbling step backwards on gangly legs but she grinned at him, letting out a playful whine. At the sound he relaxed and pressed his nose back against hers briefly before turning to grunt softly at the dog crouched in the long grass at the edge of the trees.

The dog kept its head lowered as it moved slowly towards her and she lowered her own head to rub her jaw against its much smaller shoulder. Catching the dog's familiar scent, an image of eyes the same colour as Bill's flashed into her consciousness.

Related.

Brothers.

Pack.

She nudged him gently in the side then drew her head back to let out another howl before dashing off into the trees. She could sense the other three on her tail, following as closely as possible, but every so often she looked back to check they were still with her. The instinct she had to protect them was nudging at her to stop and wait until they were in front of her, but it felt too good to run after a long month. And anyways, she knew Bill would be bringing up the rear. That, as her Beta, he would make sure they stayed within sight and didn't stray from her path.

On one occasion she glanced back to find that the three of them had stopped just past a fallen tree. She could see the stag kicking his front legs out into the empty space in front of him while the dog whined and paced in a figure of eight below him.

She couldn't sense any panic from the stag, just annoyance, so she trotted leisurely back to them. As she drew closer, Bill's voice, gravelly from a shortness of breath reached her ears.

"No, Ron. You can't transfigure back. I know you want to help, but Mum would kill me if you put yourself at risk like that."

The dog - Ron, she supposed - whined again and sank down onto his belly in acceptance.

"Harry, would you hold still!"

When she was close enough to see the problem that the stag - Harry, Bill had supplied - found himself in, a barked laughter escaped her throat and Ron jumped up to add to the cacophony, requesting her assistance.

The stag's antlers were tangled in the ivy hanging off the branches above the fallen tree he must have jumped over. He grunted in annoyance at her laughter and kicked again into the empty space with his front legs which couldn't quite reach the ground.

"Hold. Still." Bill was gritting his teeth as he tried to reach the ivy around Harry's antlers to see which pieces to sever.

Wandering over to him, she nudged Bill in the back of his knees with her snout and met his eyes as she lowered her shoulders pointedly. He huffed and rolled his eyes but clambered obediently onto her back between her shoulder blades, twisting her soft chestnut fur in his fist while she moved so he could stand beside Harry's head.

She planted her paws firmly while Bill found his balance and began casting diffindo at the vines now at eye level.

"Ready, Harry? Last one," he warned before releasing him from the final vine.

The stag's front legs fell to the forest floor and his knees shook a moment but he remained upright. Ron started barking excitedly and one of Harry's wide, black eyes swivelled to meet her gaze before nodding his thanks. In return, she butted him in the side with the flat of her head and the movement caused Bill to slide down from her shoulder.

"Come on," he patted her, "shall we keep moving?"

She glanced upwards at the moonlight filtering through the trees then turned her head between the depths of the forest and the way they had come. Making her decision, she huffed expectantly at her companions and set off back towards the rolling grounds of the castle.

When they reached the open space, she stopped on the hillside to let the pale moonlight wash over her as she looked down on the twisted tree that was her destination. Bursting out of the forest behind her, Ron carried on running past her and down the hill. She set off to follow him but Harry blocked her path and moved when she went to step around him.

A grumble formed in her chest and she butted him again with her forehead, yet he stood his ground and pressed their noses together in apology.

"We need to give him a head start to the tree, 'Mione," Bill uttered, slightly breathlessly, from where he'd come to stand by her left shoulder.

She ignored her Beta and tried to move past Harry again, growling at him when he wouldn't let her. As she paced and was matched by the stag, she tracked the golden streak moving across the grounds with her piercing gaze. When he was halfway to the tree, she snapped her jaws at Harry and set off loping after Ron, stretching her strides as much as possible until her muscles burned pleasantly.

He had already stepped on the knot at the base of the trunk when she reached it so she whined at him in thanks and dove straight into the tunnel and all its comforting scents.

X - X - X

When they woke sprawled all over each other in the old blankets, Bill showed Harry and Ron which potions to give Hermione and they helped her get dressed. Initially, they tried to keep their eyes averted but when Hermione snapped at them, they got over their immaturity - although the shade of red that Ron's face flushed, clashed dramatically with his hair. Once Hermione was feeling more herself again and the potions were taking the edge of the stiffness away, Ron distracted them from his embarrassment by bringing up the antler incident and all four of them collapsed into laughter.

"Back to the Burrow?" Ron asked, wiping the mirth from his eyes. "I'm sure Mum's done an amazing breakfast this morning."

"Do you think of nothing but food, Ronald?" Hermione laughed, leaning on his shoulder to pull herself to her feet.

Harry laughed along with her and wrapped an arm around her waist to provide a bit of support while they made their way down the stairs to the entrance of the tunnel.

"Actually, 'Mione," Harry whispered to her. "I think I'd like to head to Dromeda's this morning. I did tell her that I might be stopping by, so I'll just grab Gin and head there. Is that okay?"

"Of course, Harry," she smiled tiredly at him. "You don't have to ask me to go and see them. Teddy is your godson."

Hermione herself felt the need to visit the peaceful home that Andromeda kept after a full moon and have some Teddy cuddles, but she knew that after breakfast she would sleep most of the day away. Her own visit would just have to wait a few days.

She leant her head wearily on Harry's shoulder and watched through bleary eyes as Ron shifted into his Golden Labrador again to halt the Whomping Willow.

"You two were wonderful last night. Thank you," she murmured softly before Harry pushed her up towards Bill's waiting hand.