"That was a dirty trick you played on me," accused Hermione, staring at the totem in her hand.
Babjide's image in the floo let out a soft chuckle.
"You must forgive an old man his eccentricities, Ms Granger, especially when he means well. I understand that you are quite motivated to return to England, I only wanted to ensure you would give my suggestion proper consideration."
"You haven't a clue about my motivations," Hermione replied sternly, unaware that her eyes flashed a shade of golden yellow as she stared down at the Supreme Mugwump.
Babjide stared at her, dumbstruck for a moment. He leaned forward trying to get a better look. "You are a curious creature. There are so many questions I would like to—"
"I am not some specimen to be investigated," she warned.
"Come now, Ms Granger, just a few harmless questions. Not like I'm suggesting we cut you open and study your insides," he huffed indignantly, but moved back nevertheless.
"Why not? That's exactly what Voldemort's been doing and you appear to be okay with it because you get an effective fertility potion out of it."
Babjide spluttered.
"What are you even—How dare you—I'd never!"
"What? You didn't think you got your precious potion without some creatures being gutted along the way, did you?"
"Even if there was something unethical going on, you can't just accuse—"
"Oh no, it wasn't an accusation, Your Honour, just resigned acceptance that people will find ways to ignore atrocities so long as they benefit from it."
"Ms Granger, you most decidedly go too far! You cannot—"
Hermione cut him off to calmly state, "Don't tell me what I cannot do."
The Supreme Mugwump could not see how she stood with her arms pinned to her side, fists clenched so tight there was blood dripping from where her claws had pierced her palms. While she was able to keep the she-wolf in check, had the infuriating wizard been present there in person, nothing could have stopped the she-wolf from delivering a life-long lesson on what she could and could not do.
"Ms Granger, as part of a rebel group, I have no doubt that you have been led to believe certain things, however, let me reassure you the ICW has yet to be presented with any kind of evidence to substantiate any of your insinuations. We're aware of the existence of some sort of personal rivalry between Harry Potter and the self-declared Lord Voldemort, but as far as we've been informed their feud is at most some kind of local power struggle—"
"You actually believe this is a local conflict even after Voldemort's Death Eaters attacked the Ministry in Bulgaria last year?" asked Hermione, adding a snarky, 'Your Honour' at the end.
"You've been misinformed, Ms Granger. The attack on the Bulgarian Ministry was committed by a group of rogue werewolves that have no known affiliation to the Death Eaters or Lord Voldemort."
If Babjide was being honest, the Death Eaters had effectively disseminated their propaganda overseas as well.
"Rogue werewolves who were somehow united in the task of attacking a foreign Ministry?"
"Ms Granger, you are yourself a prime example of the gaps in our knowledge of werewolves."
"Voldemort could provide you great insight on the workings of not only werewolves but other magical creatures as well. At their master's command the Death Eaters have butchered Merlin knows how many magical beings, conducting all sorts of horrific experiments on them in their ungodly quest to produce a new generation of powerful-yet-easily-controlled soldiers for Voldemort's evil army."
"We have heard of no wrongdoing—"
"No, of course not. Like so many others in the magical community you probably share the belief that not all beings have the same right to life, liberty and dignity as humans, so there could be no wrongdoing when it comes to nonhumans!"
"Ms Granger, if you would just allow me to finish—"
"But it's foolish of me to expect you to care about the abuse of creatures when you've wilfully ignored the genocide of Muggleborns and the enslavement of Halfbloods in Britain these past few years!"
"Ms Granger," exclaimed Babjide, "These are some serious claims you're making, and it is the first I've heard of such things."
There was a good chance Babjide wasn't just another bureaucrat deliberately ignoring the ugly inconvenient truth. Only one way to be sure.
"What if you had proof?" she asked. "What if I could provide you incontestable proof of their wrongdoings?"
"If any one of those allegations turn out to be true, your little band of rebels would have the full support of the ICW."
"What do you mean by support? If all it involves is your stamp of approval, then it's not going to be worth the risk and trouble."
"What I mean, Ms Granger," said Babjide leaning forward and giving Hermione a pointed look, "is that if you can bring us proof of any of the things you've alleged then Harry Potter would have the backing of all the nations in the ICW and your group would have our resources at your disposal in your fight against Lord Voldemort."
"It's been a war of attrition so far, Your Honour, and our numbers have dwindled greatly. We don't just need wands; we need men and women to wield those wands."
Babjide appeared to contemplate her request.
"How is it, Ms Granger, you did not have the support of the people if what you say is true?"
"It's Hitler and the policy of Appeasement all over again."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Just a Muggle reference," she said dismissively before providing a more direct answer to his question. "People made concessions to Voldemort's aggressive manoeuvres as a way of avoiding conflict, but all it did was let the Death Eaters expand their powers and control over Britain unchecked."
"And you still don't have the support of the people?"
Hermione sighed.
"Everyone thinks they'll do the right thing, when the truth is that most only choose to do the right thing when it's an easy choice."
"So it has been an easy choice for you?"
"I'm a Muggleborn, Your Honour; I didn't get to choose sides in this war."
"We heard about this pure blood ideology but never gave it too much thought. Every community has people who are intolerant of those who are different from them, their reasons may differ, but they exist everywhere. Still, the idea of classifying magic based on parentage, rather than the purpose it was employed for, was so outright ridiculous, I could never imagine anyone taking it too seriously."
"Well, the Death Eaters believe in it firmly enough that they insist only the Purebloods have the right to magic. Muggleborn children and their families now receive an Avada instead of an invite to Hogwarts when they turn eleven. Halfbloods are used as house elves—unless some Death Eater takes a fancy to them, in which case they're condemned to a life where they wish they were dead. And none of this means the Purebloods have it any better if they're found guilty of being a Blood Traitor."
The sympathetic expression on Babjide's face slowly changed to disbelief. She could not fault him for being sceptical of her claims. Five years ago, she too would have found it hard to believe that their society would devolve to the extent it had.
"I don't expect you to take my word for any of this. I will get you your proof, but you better be prepared to deliver on your end."
"Ms Granger, a piece of advice? Do not alienate potential allies by threatening them. May the gods show you favour in your mission," he said and concluded the call before she could respond.
"Stop stupefying me," yelled Draco having observed Oskar raise his hand out of the corner of his eyes. "I'm angry, but that doesn't mean I'm going to rush out of here like a raging hippogriff. I'm willing to hear reason if you're willing to do the same."
Oskar and Cora hesitated a moment but nodded.
"Can't you see? I have to do something. You can't still expect me to wait for the external threat to be neutralised before I go after Fenrir!" insisted Draco. "Not after knowing what we do now."
"I understand—"
"You don't understand anything, Cora," snapped Draco. "You've been the pack's mediwitch for how many years now?" He did not wait for her response. "You've seen what it's like for a new wolf even with a pack. Now imagine what it must be like for Hermione to be stuck in some unknown territory for nearly a month without a pack."
For the love of Luna, even Oskar had stated that Hermione was most likely feral by now. He tried not to think about the mental hell Hermione must have lived through the past month, it would only enrage him further at a time he needed to show his pack he was capable of keeping his wits about himself.
"Don't ask me to abandon my mate in this manner." Draco was nearly pleading even though, as their alpha, he could have easily ordered them to stand down.
"We aren't asking you to abandon her, just don't go after Fenrir yet," expressed Cora.
"It's all one and the same. We all know that there are only two ways I leave Bleidd—either as a rogue or as alpha of the pack, after I've killed Fenrir."
It was only a few days ago that Draco had struggled with the idea of killing Fenrir, not anymore. The alpha had crossed some kind of unspoken line of the werewolf code when he chose to steal Hermione the way he did. Fenrir went as far as using their pups to get Hermione to do Merlin knows what... He could not afford the luxury of waiting until he was ready to deal with Fenrir.
"You know you couldn't just leave Bleidd once you killed Fenrir, you'd have the Death Eaters to deal with..."
"What are you suggesting I do then?"
"There has to be a middle ground," said Oskar, even though he had no suggestions for what that could be.
"No, not anymore. This is it. I'm willing to fight for my pack and do what needs to be done for the good of the pack; but don't ask me to sacrifice the welfare of my mate. Not over Fenrir, damn it!"
He futilely struggled to free himself of the magical bindings. He could've commanded them to release him, but flexing against the restrictive bindings gave him the temporary satisfaction of feeling like he was doing something.
"What are we even waiting for at this point? We know Fenrir plans to leave Bleidd with the pack some time soon. We also know he will most likely get rid of everyone he finds untrustworthy. Why allow ourselves to be forced into a weak defensive position when we can have the advantage of the element of surprise with a pre-emptive strike?" he reasoned.
"But what happens afterwards? How do you protect us from the Dark Lord?" asked Cora.
Restrained as he was by Oskar and Cora, it was hard to remember that they weren't actually opposed to him killing Fenrir. They needed assurance that the pack would be protected from the fallout of Fenrir's death. He could not kill Fenrir without having a plan for what came next.
Staying at Bleidd would no longer be an option. They would be sitting ducks for the Death Eaters and there was no knowing what Fenrir may have already shared with the Dark Lord of the pack's inner workings and the castle's defences. But then, where could they go?
There was no place in Britain safe from the Death Eaters, and that was not taking into account people's bigotry when it came to werewolves. Their partnership with the Order was far too new and fragile to expect the Order to hide the pack. For one the pack was too big and would be a strain on already limited resources, and more importantly, the Order would in all likelihood refuse, believing it to be a ploy by Voldemort to get his wolves into the henhouse.
Even if they did find a place in Britain the pack would be welcomed to stay, Draco could not stick around to ensure their safety, as he was eager to set out on his search for Hermione. As the new alpha of the pack, he could not abandon them to go to Uganda, but he also refused to abandon Hermione.
What if he took the pack with him?
"We could all go to Uganda like Fenrir planned to..." He was still thinking and did not mean to say it out loud, but now that he had, Draco could not see anything wrong with the idea. What reason did they even have to stay in Britain anymore?
"Britain isn't safe while the Death Eaters are in control, but even before the Dark Lord's reign, things were never great for werewolves. Uganda on the other hand is neutral territory. The locals haven't pledged allegiance to any side in the war and based on what I've heard from Theo, they're unlikely to join the Dark Lord. Theo also said the magical community in Uganda is more open-minded about creatures than people are here... No one would think to look for us there and even if they did learn that we were hiding in Uganda, it would be too much trouble for them to come after us. The pack could get a fresh start and I could freely search for my mate."
"Aren't you going to wait for Gunnolf?" asked Cora.
"After what we learnt from Mipsy, I think Gunnolf and Theo must've stumbled upon some evidence of Hermione being held captive at the Death Eater base in Uganda. I hope the reason they haven't returned is that they've found a lead for her... I expect Gunnolf back in time for the full moon tomorrow, no matter where they've reached in their investigation."
"So you're planning to challenge Fenrir during the full moon?" asked Oskar. Draco nodded and Oskar returned the nod with a look of approval. "Yes, it is right that a fight like this take place under the auspices of the goddess."
Draco felt ashamed to have not considered it; he had a more practical reason for wanting to fight Fenrir during the full moon. The Death Eaters knew their routine well enough, they would not expect to see any pack members during the full moon or the day after, when their bodies recovered from the strain of the transformation. Their absence would not be noticed until the pack was long gone from Bleidd.
"I wish to speak with the pack first," said Draco. "I would like them to decide whether they will choose to follow me or stay here. I won't force anyone to bond with me."
"They won't have much of a choice in the matter once you kill Fenrir," Cora pointed out.
"If the pack doesn't wish to leave Bleidd with me, I will leave by myself. Gunnolf can finally ascend to alpha like he was supposed to and lead the pack. I won't challenge him and I'm sure no one would object to Gunnolf being in charge. The pack can decide their fate."
"You'd risk becoming an outcast yourself?" Cora looked visibly shocked.
"My mate has been surviving by herself for nearly a month as an outcast, I'm willing to risk my sanity for however long it takes me to find her," Draco stated matter-of-factly. "I owe her that much."
"Go home?" asked Kalisha, brow furrowed in confusion.
They were walking towards the forest where Hermione planned to spend the evening playing with the children in the hopes of exhausting herself. There was going to be a full moon tonight, her first one since she was turned. As the hour of moonrise drew nearer, Hermione was filled with both excitement and dread over what the night would bring. As a precaution, she was going to spend the night isolated in the cave the children had first found her in. She only needed to make it through the night; her portkey would activate the following day and she could return to Britain, back to the Order.
Kalisha's question surprised Hermione. Their teachers must have discussed her departure with them because they definitely did not hear about it from her. She had hoped to slip away quietly, avoiding the uncomfortable goodbyes. Leaving them was going to be hard enough without also having to deal with the inevitable questions.
Yes," said Hermione with a nod, responding to Kalisha's question, "I have business I need to take care of."
"War?" asked Bokamoso, making the motion of someone firing a gun.
Hermione had learned from Akiki that the young boy's tribe lived in the middle of one of the most conflict-ridden regions of the Congo. Though his village was magically shielded from the activities of Muggles, the people in Bokamoso's tribe had seen enough of guns, and what Muggles did with them, to associate the weapon with war.
"Yes, my little friend," she replied with another nod.
Since the children did not speak English, she tried to use simple words and gestures as much as possible while communicating with them.
"Friend?" confirmed Bokamoso pointing to himself. He grinned widely when she nodded again.
In turn, she pointed at Mpho and Kalisha repeating the word 'friend'. The three children grinned with pride.
"Come back?" Mpho asked after consulting with the translation guide.
"Yes," replied Hermione, "I may even bring back some of my friends who are in need of a safe place. Sanctuary," she said, locating the word for them in their book.
Bokamoso stared at the word and then flipped through the book before he asked, "Home war. Uagadou sanctuary?"
"Yes."
She could not be sure of the current state of the Order, but assumed it was bad if no one had tried to rescue Ginny at the Godric's Hollow revel. If there were too few Order members left, assisted by Akiki, she had spoken with the Headmaster about the possibility of making room for them at Uagadou.
"Hermione," said Kalisha slowly, trying her best to pronounce her name correctly. "Uagadou home."
At first, she wasn't sure what Kalisha meant, but soon all three children were repeating the phrase and bobbing their heads repeatedly until she understood they wanted her to make Uagadou her home. She owed these children more than just her life. Their wholehearted acceptance of her, along with their affection had saved her mind from completely surrendering to the madness of the beast within her.
"Hermione, bring baby?" asked Mpho.
It looked like Akiki and Kwame had spared no details in whatever discussion they had with the children. She wasn't too pleased about it
"Babies," she corrected, holding up two fingers. "I have two sons."
Merlin, why did they have to bring up her children? It hurt too much to think of them. She did not know when, if ever, she would see them again. Yet, now that she had mentioned them, she found it hard to stop.
"I have two little boys. One looks like an adorable little piglet and the other an angry demon," she said with misty eyes. "Martin has a cute little dimple on his left cheek while Wilbur's got one on his right cheek. Everyone else thinks those are the only differences between the boys, but I'm sure that Will's face is just a little longer and Marty's is just a little wider."
There was no way the trio could keep up with what she was saying, but she was no longer talking to them.
"They're bald now, but I have no doubt they'll end up having that same ridiculous shade of hair as Draco. I only hope that by the time they're in school they'll show better sense, in not just their hairstyle, than their father did in his school days—By Godric, he was insufferable back then with his, my father will hear about this, threat for everything. Even though I know it's unlikely to happen, I still shudder at the thought of the twins ending up like some version of Draco during his Hogwarts days."
Hermione winced in pain. Her fangs had abruptly materialised and cut into her tongue and lips. It was a warning from the she-wolf, who did not appreciate the unmistaken tone of longing in her verbal meanderings.
The trio may have struggled to understand her words but they were quick to sense her emotional distress.
"Hermione go. Hermione come back," said Kalisha wrapping her arms around Hermione.
"Hermione bring baby," said Bokamoso holding up two fingers before he too hugged Hermione.
"Uagadou home," asserted Mpho and joined his friends in the group hug.
Draco spent most of the previous night and the morning before the full moon talking to different members of his pack sharing his intentions with them. It would be impossible to have a pack meeting until his confrontation with Fenrir so he was forced to meet them in small groups.
"I will kill Fenrir. The choice isn't between him and me," he had told the pack. "The choice is between trusting me to be your alpha and following me into the unknown or continuing here with Gunnolf as your alpha."
Most had scoffed at the idea of Gunnolf abandoning Draco to become alpha himself.
"If you join me, you join me in my cause as well. Things won't be as easy as they've been at Bleidd. Where we once fought alongside the Death Eaters, we will be fighting against them. Even though we'll be leaving Britain, we will remain involved in the war."
Draco's attempt to scare them off was met with boisterous laughter. Many in the pack were itching to give the Death Eaters a little payback for all the suffering inflicted on them.
"You should know that I'm prompted to act now by my own selfish desire to save my mate."
He did not share all the horrific details, just enough to let the pack know that Hermione had been taken, and possibly turned, by Fenrir. Even so, everyone Draco spoke with expressed a desire to leave Bleidd and help him rescue his mate. As the witch who had given birth to the pack's miracle, Hermione held a special place in their hearts. They were not only disgusted to hear that as alpha Fenrir would try to steal a pack member's mate, they were angered in particular by the fact that it was Hermione Fenrir had hurt and potentially doomed to the life of an outcast.
Now armed with the knowledge that his pack was behind him despite the risks involved, Draco and the betas spend the day making quiet arrangements for their travel the following day. They consolidated anything of value they possessed, which could be used later to purchase necessities once they left Britain.
Hours before moonrise the realness of the moment finally hit Draco. He was going to challenge his alpha. He was going to kill Fenrir. He was going to leave Britain. These were things he was certain would happen within the next twenty-four hours. As for the rest was anybody's guess.
"Come on, we've wasted enough time as it is," Gunnolf scolded Theo.
"What's your rush? It's only been a couple of hours since we got here. Is it that time of the month, dear?" asked Theo with a roll of his eyes.
"As a matter of fact it is," replied Gunnolf, misunderstanding Theo's remark. "It's still a few hours to moonrise back home but we're cutting it close here. I don't want to end up spending the full moon alone in a strange place just because we lingered a little too long."
Theo nearly suggested Gunnolf did not have to spend the night alone, but checked himself just in time. He needed to ease up on his consumption of the cheering potion. It was clearly clouding his judgement if he was thinking of propositioning a werewolf during the full moon.
Theo did not know what he expected to find as he roamed the school grounds. He did not possess the ability to track scents or hear the difference in heartbeats, but when he paid attention, Theo always had a good instinct for knowing when he was being lied to. Right now, he just knew the school was hiding something from him.
They had shown up on the pretext of being clueless tourists eager to catch a glimpse of the fantastic beast living at Uagadou all the locals were yapping about. The staff had politely explained that the only fantastic beasts at their school were the animagi in their Transfiguration class before asking them to leave. At first, Theo chalked it up to good luck that they weren't escorted off the premises. On further thought, he realised Uagadou probably did not need to worry too much about security because, unlike Hogwarts, they did not face the constant threat of attack from one deranged wizard or the other. Still, it felt like there may be something else going on.
Taking advantage of what he had initially assumed to be oversight on the school's part, Theo and Gunnolf discretely explored the school for any signs of Hermione, or whatever beast they were definitely hiding.
"I haven't picked up anything in the area we've covered so far," said Gunnolf. "And I didn't pick up any of the usual signs shown by people when they lie."
Theo could not shake off the feeling of being watched, and the more easily they were able to access different areas of the school, the more it confirmed the feeling that they were deliberately being misled.
"I'm sorry, but I'm leaving now." Gunnolf pointed to the sky. "We may have less than thirty minutes before moonrise."
Theo looked around and just knew they would come to regret leaving without solving this mystery, but he would have greater cause for regret if he did not find shelter before Gunnolf transformed into a beast.