A/N:

Once again thank you to drarrymehome for the beta work on this chapter. You're a life saver 3

As always, thank you for following Hermione's journey as an Alpha werewolf with me and you're all welcome to come and find me on Tumblr at mxstyassasxin :)

Much love xx

Chapter 21 – Contrition

It was after two days of rest that Hermione finally made her way to Andromeda's. With the trials only a blip on her consciousness, she could allow herself that much time to recuperate, grateful of Mrs Weasley's care and the space that Ginny had ensured the boys gave her to relax. Hermione chuckled to herself as she remembered the wink her friend had given her as she pushed a complaining Harry and Ron from the Burrow's living room where she had been curled up quietly with a book.

Holding on tightly to her shopping bags so that she didn't drop them and break any of the eggs or bust the bag of flour, Hermione whirled away through the floo and stepped out of it as carefully as she could into the homely living room. Hermione knew how house-proud Andromeda was and she wasn't about to make a mess of her carpet.

"Good morning, Hermione," Andromeda greeted her, appearing from the kitchen wiping her hands on a tea towel. It seemed that Teddy was down for a nap and Andromeda was taking the opportunity to get the house clean again.

"What's this?" she motioned to the bags that Hermione had set carefully down on the coffee table.

"I don't want to interrupt if you had plans for the day," Hermione began, twisting her fingers together behind her back. "But I was hoping you might be able to show me how to bake one of your lemon cakes for Ginny's birthday tomorrow."

"It would be my pleasure," Andromeda's face split into a grin and she strode elegantly across the room to collect the ingredients that Hermione had brought with her. "I can always clean later with you here to occupy Teddy."

They managed to get the mixture done and in the oven before Teddy woke up screaming. Andromeda made to go and check on him despite Hermione's protests at being left in charge.

"But, the cake! I..."

"We've just put it in, Hermione. It'll be fine for twenty minutes or so," the older witch spoke over her shoulder as she left the kitchen.

Hermione sank down to the floor cross-legged in front of the oven and watched the cake seemingly doing nothing besides filling the kitchen with a delicious smell of citrus and sugar. She closed her eyes and breathed the relaxing scents in deeply, hearing the hum of the oven and the soft murmurs of Andromeda to Teddy from upstairs, and a sharp crack.

A crack of apparition.

She twisted her neck to look towards the door, her eyes narrowing as she tried to focus on any new scents, but she couldn't shake that of the lemon cake. An apprehensive grumble formed in her chest and she jumped up to crouch on the balls of her feet, moving slowly towards the door. The grumble grew louder when there was a knock at the door, but it didn't deter the visitor who, frustratingly, she still couldn't smell.

"Oh for Salazar's sake, Granger," the visitor muttered against the wood. "It's just me and I'm opening the door, so try not to pounce, won't you."

Draco's sarcastic drawl registered with her and she stood up straight, readjusting the strap of her vest top which had slipped off her shoulder. As he pushed the door open a crack, the scent of freshly cut grass washed over her and Hermione shuddered, relishing in the comforting smell that was so purely summer in the countryside. She thought briefly that it would be a good day to enjoy some of Andromeda's elderflower lemonade in the garden if the farmers nearby were cutting their fields in the nice weather.

"Hello, Draco. Back again?"

She saw the moment he recognised that she wouldn't attack him because he relaxed his shoulders and stepped fully into the kitchen, closing the door behind him; the scent of freshly cut grass lingering and mixing pleasantly with the smell of the lemon cake.

Oh shoot! The cake. She held a hand up to silence whatever Draco had been about to say and sat down in front of the oven again.

"What are you doing?" he bent down and hissed into her ear, making her jump.

"Prat," she narrowed her eyes at him while he chuckled. "I'm making sure the cake doesn't burn."

"Then set a timer," he suggested so casually while he pulled out a chair behind her and straddled it, resting his chin on his arms that were folded on top of the backrest.

"I don't know for how long," she admitted quietly. "I don't really do baking or cooking. Just ask Ron and Harry about camping."

"Ah. But then that would mean talking about the war, and I'd rather not do that."

Hermione grimaced at her own tactlessness and turned her head to look up at him apologetically.

"It's alright, Granger. I actually saw Potter and She-Weasley here the other day."

"You did?" she raised her eyebrows enquiringly.

"Tried asking them about that titbit of information you left me with," he smirked at her, "but they just said I needed to ask you if I wanted to know any more than what you'd already told me."

Hermione chuckled softly and spun herself around on the floor so that she was facing him properly.

"Oh, Draco," she shook her head grinning to herself. "My pack would never give that information away without my express permission and they definitely wouldn't if they thought it might endanger me."

She cocked her head to one side and set a piercing gaze on him, inviting him to challenge her with a coy smile. He glared back, for how long Hermione couldn't be sure, but it was long enough for Andromeda to return down the stairs with Teddy in her arms.

"Okay," she drew out, freezing in the kitchen doorway upon spotting them both there. "Nephew, you should probably back down."

"From Granger?" Draco scoffed without removing his glare. "Please, she doesn't scare me. You don't scare me, Granger." He said it pointedly to her and Hermione's smile drew wider, showing her teeth while keeping her own eyes trained on his scowling face which she was pleased to see had filled out a bit more again.

"It's alright, Dromeda. I want to see what he does."

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Andromeda move to sit at the table and start burping Teddy over her cloth covered shoulder.

"I'm not a bloody experiment!" Draco snapped, leaning further over the back of the chair. "I said I wanted a fresh start, Granger, so why in Merlin's name would I endanger you."

"I don't think you would," Hermione leant forwards herself, steepling her fingers beneath her chin, "but I can't control what my pack think."

"And that. That 'pack' thing. What's that all about?"

"She's an Alpha." "I'm an Alpha," Andromeda and Hermione spoke at the same time and Draco blinked out of his glare to look between the two witches.

"An Alpha?" he checked slowly, and Hermione nodded.

"Anyone I consider my family is now part of my pack and therefore falls under my protection. I'd do anything to ensure their safety and that they're cared for, just as they care for me in turn."

"And you?" Draco turned his head to look at his Aunt. "Where do you fit into this?"

Hermione bit down on a smile, feeling a sudden smugness at Draco's intuition. She knew that he would have been able to piece together what happened during his first visit and had been incredibly pleased when the Prophet remained ignorant about her situation.

"Simply? I'm Teddy's grandmother so I'm an extension of Hermione's link with him." Andromeda shrugged as much as she could with her grandson on her shoulder.

"You're more than that, Dromeda," Hermione exclaimed, needing the other witch to know that. "You've become one of my closest confidants and I truly value your company."

"I'm glad you think so, Hermione. I must admit, it was quite a shock when you showed up here demanding to take care of us, but now I'm so pleased when you choose to come to me for comfort and advice. I couldn't do without your presence in mine and Teddy's lives and my trust in you is unequivocal. So, yes, it's more complex, but let's not pretend that it wasn't your link to Teddy that brought it all about."

"Hold on a second," Draco interrupted. "What link to Teddy? It's Potter who's godfather here, as much as I'm loath to admit it."

"I have a particular affinity with others in my pack who were bitten by Greyback," Hermione sighed, standing from the floor and leaning her hip against the counter-top, folding her bare arms across her chest.

"Bill Weasley is my second - he was attacked by Greyback at the Astron... During the war," she adjusted, seeing Draco begin to curl in on himself. "He didn't turn and only has slightly wolfish tendencies. My protection extends to Teddy because Remus - Professor Lupin - was also a victim of Greyback."

"Yet you don't feel any notion of joining him?"

"Joining Greyback? Christ, no! That would most definitely not be protecting my pack, and I'm still me despite and besides being an Alpha."

Draco looked away from her and stared, his brow furrowing, at Teddy who was gurgling away happily over Andromeda's shoulder.

"I'll always keep him safe, Draco. He's part of my pack and we'll all protect him," Hermione said kindly, noting the worry in his pale features.

"But if you've felt that link with him, with Teddy, then Greyback..."

"Greyback will never lay a claw on him," Hermione interrupted that particular train of thought, staring resolutely at Draco until he turned from Teddy and met her eyes, nodding his acceptance of her resolve.

"I just, he's so young and his life... His life has already been affected by... Oh, Merlin." Draco dropped his head into his hands and Hermione could hear him begin to take deep breaths.

She exchanged a worried glance with Andromeda and then stepped forwards to set a hesitant hand on his shoulder, switching to her right hand at the last minute so that Bellatrix's scar wouldn't be the first thing he saw if he suddenly opened his eyes. Yet he shuddered anyway under her touch and his breaths became shaky.

"Draco?" He shook his head without looking up from his hands. "Draco, look at me, please," she tried again.

"You mean it?" The question was muffled into his hands, but Hermione still managed to catch it. "Tell me you mean it, Granger."

Hermione peeled Draco's hands away from his face and he finally looked up at her again. She nodded, meeting his shining eyes.

"Yes, Draco, I mean it. Nothing will happen to Teddy and... and I understand," his gaze turned curious. "But you can't feel guilty for everything that happened during the war. You're here now, making the effort with your family. Focus on that and your future, not the past."

"It's not your fault, Draco," Andromeda said softly. "Losing my Dora and Remus and Ted, none of that is your fault and it hasn't left Teddy all alone. What Hermione says you did, preventing them from killing Harry, that has allowed all of us to be here with him, alive."

Draco looked away from them again and bunched the cuffs of his shirt sleeves in his fists, twisting in his chair to bring his long legs up against his torso, curling himself around his knees with his heels resting on the edge of the seat.

"Hermione," Andromeda stood from her chair without taking her eyes off Draco. "Take Teddy into the living room, would you? I'll keep an eye on the cake, but I think we need to have a Black conversation."

Hermione looked between aunt and nephew, her heart sinking at the blank look on Draco's face, but took Teddy into the living room to give them time to talk privately. She hoped that Andromeda had enough of an insight into Draco's thoughts to help him out of whatever dark hole he was sinking into inside his mind.

It took about twenty minutes of softly singing to Teddy and rocking the babbling baby before anyone joined her in the living room. Draco sat next to her on the sofa when she was in the middle of You'll Be In My Heart, and reached his arms out, silently requesting he be able to hold his cousin. She stopped singing, smiled at him and passed Teddy over, making sure his head was nestled securely in the crook of Draco's elbow.

"The war isn't over for me," he said quietly after a moment. "I know everyone is finding ways to move on and make the wizarding world a better place while remembering those they fought with. But I don't ever want to remember them, those people who invaded my home, my life. I can make a start at moving on with Andromeda and Teddy, and you and Potter, but there's a lot that the rest of the world won't let me move on from. I dread returning to Hogwarts. I dread having to walk down Diagon Alley. I dread being forced from the stores I need, the looks on people's faces. Mother can't go with me, but I wouldn't want her to either, knowing what we would face."

He grew silent but Hermione could tell it was contemplative this time. He hadn't become lost in his mind. She watched for a moment as he looked down into Teddy's smiling face and let him play with the rings on his fingers - both silver, one the Malfoy crest, one the Slytherin.

"I'll go for you," she said suddenly, almost without thinking.

"What?" he blinked slowly, wrapping his head around her words after being mesmerised in playing with Teddy.

"Diagon Alley. I can get you your things when I go with Ginny, if you'd like?"

He stared at her slack jawed for a beat too long and Hermione looked down at her lap, plucking at the denim fraying around her jean pockets.

"I'd be very grateful, Granger," Draco replied slowly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she smiled at him again and the two of them went back to watching Teddy play, unaware of the devastation he had been born amongst.