pThe final battle was over. Shacklebolt had been promoted from Auror to interim Minister of Magic. It was only supposed to be temporary. Just to give the Wizarding world a leader until the next elections. The DMLE began rounding up all the captured Death Eaters and Snatchers who had actually managed to avoid the blown up bridge. When it was all said and done, there were four men missing from the list. Fenrir Greyback, Corban Yaxley, Antonin Dolohov and Thorfinn Rowle were all gone. They were nowhere to be found in the castle, the path leading to it or in Hogsmeade. It was like they'd vanished into thin air. /p
pThey had been Voldemort's top death squad. If a person of importance disappeared during the war, you could bet these four were behind that disappearance. As such, Shacklebolt was sure they wouldn't stay out of sight forever. They were too used to being the center of attention. But as the days and weeks passed with no mentions, he started thinking that maybe he'd been wrong. These men had been in the middle of the worst fighting that day. It was very possible that maybe the four had been so wounded in the fighting, that maybe they had gone somewhere to die. They certainly weren't around anymore or he would have heard about it. /p
pSoon five years had passed and the Wizarding world had forgotten about the mysterious disappearance of those four men. Harry and Ron had decided to go ahead with their Auror training. Hermione had finished school and joined the Ministry, working in the Department of Magical Creatures. She'd never given up on her dream of freedom, or at least equal rights, for house elves. She and Ron had attempted to make a go at marriage, but after one birth that ended in the death of her child and losing three more children, Hermione divorced him after telling him he needed a witch who was able to give him more children. It broke her heart but she walked away and didn't look back. Ron protested but was unable to change her mind. /p
pShe gladly welcomed the news of his marriage to Lavender Brown. Worried about her reaction but anxious to keep her in their lives, they hesitantly told her they were going to be parents. After the birth of a healthy child, she wondered if it was just something about her that rendered her unable to have children. She, Ron and Lavender went to a Muggle gynecologist on the pretense of her being a surrogate. Their blood was all tested. Ron and Lavender came back Rh+. She came back Rh-. Ron and Lavender held her as she cried, especially after the doctor told her there was a shot that could have saved her babies lives. She was absolutely gleeful when Lavender told Ron she'd very much like to have Hermione named godmother to their babies. They had two beautiful children, a boy and a girl, both of whom were the godchildren of Hermione Granger. /p
pShe, on the other hand, simply dated men who were not ready for the family life. She couldn't handle the thought of even trying for any more children. The doctor had assured her that two shots, one during and one after, would protect the lives of any more Rh+ babies she carried. She just wasn't ready to take any more chances. Every time her latest boyfriend started hinting at something more, she quickly found a reason to end the relationship. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. Other times, she ended the relationship for different reasons. Such as cheating. She might not want to marry and have children with them, but she definitely wanted to be the only witch in their bed. Therefore, she immediately dumped Michael Corner after finding him in bed, their bed, with another woman./p
pHermione drove until she couldn't see any more. The snow was literally clogging up on her windshield faster than her wipers could clean it off. There was no choice about it. She had to pull over. She sat there almost in tears. She knew she had to be close because her GPS had said it wasn't much further. Whoever had sent her to this remote cabin in the woods had better hope she found it soon. /p
pShe had needed time away from work for a while now. She was getting nowhere with her reform work. She might be a War Heroine but it didn't seem to faze her bosses. She stared at the display on her dashboard. One and a half miles. That was all that stood between her and her destination. There were no more turnoffs. It was just a straight shot. She made up her mind and climbed out of her car. Putting on her heaviest coat, she grabbed her backpack and slung it over her shoulders. Locking her car, she pocketed the keys and began walking down the road. /p
pAs she walked, she was constantly battered by the wind and snow. She tried her best to stay on the road, but pretty soon she was wading through knee deep snow with no idea if she was even in the road anymore. Just as she was about to give up and go back to her car, she saw a faint light in the distance. Praying that it wasn't just her eyes playing tricks on her, Hermione headed for it. She almost cried as she got closer and saw that it was a cabin. /p
pShe was so exhausted and glad to see it, she never considered that it might not be the cabin she was aiming for. Nor did she give a second thought to the fact that there were lights shining in a 'supposedly' empty cabin. She struggled up the steps and stuck the key into the lock. It opened easily under her hand. She quickly opened the door, got inside and closed it back on the wind and flying snow. She dropped the backpack and staggered over to the couch. She had to rest, just for a moment. She could vaguely head something that sounded like running water. She fell onto the couch and went to asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow./p
pBeing a movie star was hard work and don't let anyone tell you any different! It was even worse when you were a movie star who did his own stunts. You had to travel to where the work was. Even if it meant getting there in the middle of a snowstorm. But Ferric Grayson had made his deadline, done his stunts, filmed his scenes and now he could relax and wait to see if he was going to need to reshoot any of his work. As yet in his career, he had yet to redo any work but there was always that first time. Right now, he was just going to enjoy this nice, hot, steaming shower! It felt good on his aching body. He might be 6'6 of pure hard muscle but it still hurt when he had to do the same stunt ten times in a row before the director actually liked it enough to stop resetting the scene!'/p
pAt last, Grayson decided he'd been in there long enough. His stomach was rumbling. He'd bought food but had only taken the time to throw it in the frig before he headed for the shower. He stood in front of the bathroom mirror as he carefully trimmed his beard and moustache. He didn't really care for them but until he was done with this movie, he couldn't go back to his usual clean cut appearance. He wrapped a towel around his waist and left his bedroom. The cabin was the perfect size and had only one bed. He didn't have to worry about a girlfriend at the moment and he didn't have to worry about any of his friends showing up unexpectedly. He was all by himself for once and he was going to enjoy it./p
pOn his way to the kitchen, he casually glanced into the living room. He froze at the sight of a snow-covered backpack laying in the floor beside the front door. He eased back to the bedroom and grabbed his trusty Louisville Slugger. He never went anywhere with his bat. Hefting it, he cautiously walked into the living room. At first glance, he thought he must have imagined an intruder. But then he heard a rustle from the couch. He slipped over and peered over the back. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened. There was a woman asleep on his couch! He cocked his head as he considered her. 'Hmmm, she didn't look half bad! Not bad at all! She looked like she'd be quite a handful in bed!' He wondered how much she'd had to pay to bribe someone into giving up his location. He decided to go ahead with his original plan and eat. Then he'd worry about how to get rid of his fan girl. 'Much as he hated to disappoint her, this WAS a mini vacation for him after all.' /p
pAfter thinking about it some more, he fixed enough food for both of them. She might not like being kicked out into a snowstorm but at least she couldn't accuse him of starving her! After eating, he went to the living room with a bowl of food for her. Since he was going to bed soon, he didn't bother changing out of the towel. He sat the bowl on the coffee table and sank down beside her on the couch. He reached out and gently shook her shoulder. "Wakey, wakey! Come on, sweetheart! I'm tired, I want to go to bed and you need to leave!"/p
pHermione felt a hand shaking her awake. She sleepily opened her eyes. To her absolute shock, there was a nearly naked man sitting beside her. All he had on was a towel! She didn't think twice before she acted instinctively. She screamed at the top of her lungs. The man jerked back, wincing as he covered his ears. "Bloody fucking hell, girl! Calm the fuck down! I'm not attacking you! I just need you to eat and leave, damn it!"/p
p"W-who are you? W-what are y-you doing here? H-how did you get in? T-there's not supposed to be anyone here but me!" she yelled as she shoved at him. Being much bigger than her, he didn't move much more than an inch away from her./p
p"Listen, girl! I don't know who you are or how you got in but you need to leave! This is my cabin!" he told her firmly. She looked around desperately for a weapon. /p
p"No! This is My cabin! I rented it for the whole weekend! YOU are the one who needs to leave. I don't know who hired you but I don't need a Strip-A-Gram, thank you very much." she snapped back at him. Grayson gaped at her in disbelief./p
p"S-strip? A Strip-A-Gram?! You think I'm a bloody fucking Strip-A-Gram? You seriously don't know who I am?" he was astounded, to say the least. It was extremely rare for him to meet any women who honestly had no clue who he was! /p
pHermione looked closer at him and curled her lip. If she had to venture a guess as to who this man was, she'd guess a Muggle professional bodybuilder or a Quidditch player. Exactly the type who thought they were Merlin's gift to women. She'd had enough of that type dealing with her cheating ex-boyfriend, Michael Corner! She didn't need any more experience with them. "Who do you play for, Puddlemere United or the Ballycastle Bats? Maybe the Appleby Arrows? Oh, wait, ha ha! I know! You're in the big, big league! You play for the Irish! You're badly mistaken if you think I'm just going to fall into your arms, just because there's only us here! Think again, big guy! I don't want any company and I don't need any company! So YOU can just get packing and leave!"/p
p"Excuse me! Did you not hear me? This is MY cabin! You need to leave! I don't know who you bribed to get here but you damn well need to get your money back from them! I can only assume those are team names you're reeling off there but I've never heard of any of them!" Grayson growled as he frowned at her. 'The women did tend to fall into his arms but only when he wanted them to.' He picked up the bowl and shoved it into her hands. "There! Eat! Then you're leaving!"/p
p"W-wait! You can't tell me to leave, just like that! I rented this cabin. Cabin 315. I have it for the whole weekend." Hermione stammered as she almost dropped the bowel. /p
p"Cabin 315, eh? Well, Miss. Apparently you need glasses. This is NOT cabin 315. This is 314. You missed it by a mile. Eat up, doll! You got some more walking to do! I assume that's how you got here. I didn't hear a car stop." he said. It was her turn to gape at him in disbelief./p
p"You can't make me go back out there! Its freezing cold out there! I barely made it to this cabin!" she gasped in shock. He rubbed his hands over his face. /p
p"Damn!" he swore. 'If only mama hadn't raised me to be such a gentleman!' He looked at his unexpected guest. "Ok. You don't have to leave but you do have to be quiet. I'm tired. I've been busting my ass at work and I need to sleep! Understand?"/p
p"Thank you! But, um, where will you be sleeping? I don't share my bed with strangers." she told him primly. He laughed in her face. /p
p"Oh, baby girl! No, no, no! You don't understand! My cabin, I get the bed! You can sleep right here on the couch,, or you're more than welcome to join me." he smiled at her teasingly. /p
p"Why do you get the bed, just because its your cabin!" she crossed her arms. "If you were a gentleman, you'd give ME the bed and you'd sleep on the couch." Hermione frowned at him./p
p"Uh, no! I'm being enough of a gentleman just letting you stay when I should be kicking your cute little ass to the curb! Making you find your own cabin! Don't push it, girl!" he warned her. "Besides, I've slept on this couch too many times before. Its not long enough for me. Its the perfect size for you. Don't worry, it sleeps very comfortably."/p
pShe huffed at him in annoyance. "Well," looking at his still damp hair, "Could I at least take a quick shower before you lay down? I promise I'll be quick." she said hurriedly as he seemed ready to object. Greyback flopped back down on the couch, towel hanging precariously off his hips./p
p"Be quick about it. I have to be up early in the morning!" he narrowed his eyes at her. She nodded, jumped up and ran to grab her backpack. She dashed down the hall into the bathroom before he could change his mind. Grayson rolled his eyes and sat back, picking up a magazine off of the coffee table. /p
pIn the bathroom, Hermione had her phone out and was trying to look him up. Unfortunately, she was looking at athletes, not actors. After scrolling through five pages, she was about to give up when she recognized a player who had turned actor. She clicked on that picture out of sheer curiosity and boom! The first picture underneath his was her mystery man. 'So! He was an action hero!" Now that she'd seen his face both in person and on her phone, she remembered watching a few of his movies. No wonder he hadn't recognized the Quidditch team names! He was a Muggle, Ferric Grayson! Hopefully he wouldn't remember that! She couldn't believe how close she'd just come to breaking the International Code of Secrecy. If Harry were here, he'd be laughing his arse off at her. /p
pAccording to Google, Ferric Grayson had roared into the limelight five years ago. There wasn't anything known about his early years. It was as if he hadn't existed until his first movie. Of course, he'd very likely changed his name to something more attention worthy. He had his own entourage who traveled with him. She wondered where they were now because he appeared to be on his own. He had two handlers, Tory Rowley and Anthony Dawson. His manager was Colson Yardley. There was a picture of all four men. She frowned as she stared at that photograph. There was something niggling at the back of her mind but she couldn't put her finger on it./p
pShe quickly jumped in the shower and washed off the grime of her trip. She savored the steaming hot water after the extreme cold she'd experienced earlier. After leaving the shower, she pulled on a long nightgown and housecoat. She wrapped her hair up in the towel to keep it from dripping all over the floor. As she brushed her teeth, she found herself looking at his picture more and more. Remembering his teasing offer to join him in the bed, she wondered what it would be like with him. He certainly couldn't be any worse than some of her previous boyfriends. /p
pShe went back to the living room. He was sitting there, reading a magazine. He seemed to have no problem wearing only a towel in front of her. She sat her backpack down at the end of the couch as she rejoined him. She picked up the bowl of food and thanked him quietly. Ferric observed her as she ate. Her hair, which had been gloriously spread out earlier, was now tamed inside a towel. Her trim curves were more noticeable now than in the baggy clothing she'd been bundled in before. He found himself hoping she would actually take him up on his offer. He'd love to find out if she was as feisty as she'd acted earlier. /p
pHermione got up and took her bowl to the kitchen after she finished eating. Her heart was pounding like crazy. She'd seen the sideways looks he kept sending her way. Before she was done rinsing the bowl, two arms circled her from behind and she felt his breath against her ear. She closed her eyes, smiled and leaned into his chest. He started at her shoulder blade and kissed his way up to her chin. He turned her around, boosted her up onto the counter and kissed her as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She held onto his shoulders and found herself almost laying down by the time he ended the kiss. /p
p"Please tell me that kiss meant what I'm hoping it did!" he nibbled he ear as he waited for her answer. Hermione thought back to the words of her doctor after her last miscarriage and decided to throw caution to the wind. /p
p"What that kiss meant was, take me to bed, pretty please." she smiled as she stroked the neatly shaved beard. He picked her up bridal fashion and carried her out of the kitchen and down the hall as he kissed her the whole way. /p
pThey made it to his bed without any mishaps and he sat her on the edge. Somehow the towel was still hanging loosely around his hips. She reached out and tugged on the end of it. "I don't think we need this, do we?" She giggled as he looked slightly shocked. Either he was used to calling all the shots or he just wasn't ready to drop the towel yet. Looking her fill, she decided that he had no reason to be modest. He was very well built. /p
pShe scooted backward and laid back against his pillows as she crooked a playful finger at him. He growled softly as he climbed onto the bed, prowling toward her. As he reached her ankles, he started pushing her gown and housecoat up, uncovering her for his hungry eyes. Once it was above her hips, she leaned forward and kissed him. She pulled him down and savored his weight on her. He clasped his hands around her knees and pushed them up. As she ran her fingers through his hair, he kissed his way down her throat. He paused for a bare moment at the base of her neck before going lower. She could actually feel him scraping his teeth against her skin. For a brief moment, she felt a tinge of unease but then it faded out of her mind. She moaned happily as he rubbed his face between her breasts. /p
pFerric couldn't believe that she was actually ready and willing to share his bed. He sure as hell wasn't going to complain about it, though. He intended to give her as much pleasure as she would allow. With that in mind, he gave his full attention to teasing her peaks into hard pebbles. After he had her crying out in pleasure, he went lower still. He traced an invisible path of nerves down her abdomen and paused as he glanced up at her mischievously. He blew against her skin as he asked her. "More?'/p
p"Oh, you better not stop! Please don't stop!" she ordered breathlessly. He laughed as he went on down. Her hips rose involuntarily at the first swipe of his tongue. Her hands gripped his hair tightly as she dug her heels into the bed, pushing up against his face. He held her legs open as he satisfied his need for the taste of her. When she was screaming incoherently, he slid up, latched onto the tender skin of her throat and pushed inside her. She clamped her legs against his hips as she rose to meet him. /p
pShe gasped at the fullness of him. He was astounded by how tight she was. Almost as if they were controlling themselves, his hands and hers reached out and grasped tightly above their heads. They quickly discovered a rhythm that suited them and proceeded to drive each other out of their mind. Hermione was the first one to start keening as she neared the edge. Ferric was close behind her as they toppled into a plateau of stunned wonder. They lay there panting as their breathing very slowly deepened into exhausted sleep./p
pThe next morning, Ferric was awakened by a pounding. He thought at first that he was hung over, until he realized he hadn't drunk anything last night. That's when he realized the pounding was coming from his front door. He sat up as he looked around sleepily. Suddenly he remembered what had happened last night. He realized he was alone in the bed. He got up and checked the bathroom before he put on a pair of sweat pants to go rescue his front door. He glanced into the kitchen and the living room on the way. She was nowhere to be seen. 'Had she been a dream?' There was no backpack, no heavy jacket, nothing to indicate that a woman had even been here last night./p
p"Ferric! Bloody fucking hell! Open this fucking door, now! Are you even alive in there?!" he heard his manager yell. He quickly unlocked the door and yanked it open, revealing Colson Yardley standing on his porch. "Its about bloody time! Damn, I've been beating on that door twenty minutes! How did you not hear me?"/p
p"I was asleep and it was a hard day yesterday. You know how hard it is for me to wake up the next day or you should by now!" Ferric growled at him. Colson ignored him as he turned to yell again. /p
p"Oi, Tory! Anthony! Come on back around! He's awake now!" Ferric watched as his two handlers came wading through the knee deep snow from both sides of the cabin. Evidently they had been searching for a second entrance. He noted a trail heading away from his cabin that looked too small to have been made by Cole, Tory or Anthony. It was evidently a return trail as it was side by side with a trail coming to his cabin. If he was a betting man, he would lay money that both those trails had been made by his little guest. The little vixen had surely hightailed it before his entourage arrived. He wasn't sure if he was happy about that or not. /p
pColson had been eyeing him speculatively. There was something going on with Ferric. He was never this quiet even when he woke up with a hangover. He looked at the same trail that his actor was staring at. "Someone you know?" he nodded at it. Ferric blinked as he stared blankly at Cole./p
p"Nope." he said blandly. He stood to the side as Cole, Tory and Tony walked in, kicking off the snowing before crossing the threshold. He wondered why he hadn't thought to even ask her name. /p
p"Bloody hell, mate! You just had to choose a movie filming right in the middle of a bloody snowstorm, didn't you?" Tory snorted at him. The big blond was tightly hugging himself, not liking the cold weather at all! Anthony, on the other hand, looked as though he didn't even feel the cold. Colson looked about halfway between the moods of the other men. /p
p"You know me, Tor! I like to make it difficult!" Ferric laughed at him. Tory gave him a quick sneer and flipped him off. Colson dropped onto the couch as he pulled off his gloves. /p
p"Ok, Ferric. Sit down and start talking. What's going on? You're never this quiet. Out with it!" he commanded. Ferric sighed. He should have known Colson would see right through him. The man had an uncanny knack of reading his moods perfectly. /p
p"Ok, ok. That trail out there was made by a woman last night. She stayed with me. We, uh." he held up his hands. Colson waved at him. Anthony and Tory were gaping at him in disbelief./p
p"Yeah, you don't have to say it. So who was she? Where is she from? Will you be seeing her again?" he grilled him, needing to know if they were dealing with a gold digger or not. /p
pFerric cleared his throat, knowing that Colson was about to go off the deep end. "Funny thing, that. We, uh, we never got around to exchanging names. I think she's English, at least she speaks like us without any kind of accent. Uh, probably won't be seeing her again, just because I didn't get her name." Ferric cringed as he watched Cole's face darken with anger. Tory had face palmed as Anthony shook his head in shock. /p
p"Ferric! Bloody hell! At least, say you used protection last night!" he watched as Ferric looked down, tapping his fingers nervously. "You didn't! Oh, that's great! That's just bloody lovely! Do you realize what you've done? In three months, she can have you splattered across every gossip rag across the world. She could claim abuse, harassment or abandonment! Put you over the barrel and take every last dime for child support, emotional distress, what have you. Damn it!" Colson ran his fingers through his hair, trying to figure out some kind of damage control./p
pAnthony and Tory were watching Ferric. Somehow he didn't seem as,,, uneasy as he probably should have been. They wondered aloud why he wasn't more upset. He glanced at Colson before he answered them. "You know, in my, uh, old culture, what we did last night would have created a bonding between us." Colson sat up alerty and stared at him speculatively. /p
p"So what does that mean exactly? Like a common law marriage or what?" he asked. Then he remembered what the 'old culture' was. "Oh! You mean, a mating bond?"/p
pFerric nodded. "Yeah, we entered a mating bond. She accepted my offers of food and shelter. She also slept with me. I didn't force her into any of it. Of course, I didn't realize it myself until just now. If she does start trying to create trouble, I'll just meet with her and tell her what we did." He rubbed his hands over his face as he looked at Colson seriously. "I think she's the one."/p
p"You mean, 'THE one'? That's why you've never slept with any of those starlets! Isn't it?" Colson began grinning widely at him. Ferric shrugged sheepishly. /p
p"I guess. All I know is the last time I felt this way was five years ago. You know what happened then." he said quietly. Tory and Anthony were regarding him thoughtfully. /p
p"You'd caught that girl everyone was after." Tory said. "The one we all heard about." Ferric nodded silently. /p
p"Well, then. I guess we have a runaway bride to find, don't we?" Colson sat forward. "Is there anything at all, besides the fact that she's probably English, to tell us where to start looking?"/p
p"Yeah." Ferric took a deep breath. "I think she's a witch. She knows about Quidditch. Even named some teams."/p
p"Bloody FUCKING hell! When you take a dive, you seriously dive off the deep end, mate!" Tory exclaimed. It was Colson's turn to stare at Ferric openmouthed. /p
p"In the middle of bloody fucking NOWHERE, only you, ONLY you could happen up on a witch! Damn it! Do you think she recognized you?" Colson ran his fingers through his hair worriedly. /p
p"If she did, the girl had a damn good poker face. Even when we were right in the middle of,,,, she never let on. I think she might have something against Quidditch players." Ferric slanted a look at Tory. /p
p"There's any number of girls from back then who probably hated Quidditch. Although, I have to say, I've only heard of one in particular." Tory snorted. /p
p"Well, I vote we wait until this film is over and done with. There's nothing else coming up immediately so we'll have a bit of breathing room. That will give us a month to narrow it down. Then we can start looking, yeah?" Colson suggested. /p
pFerric agreed with the plan. It would also give him time to get all his arguments in a row. He was bound and determined that she wasn't getting away from him this easily. Last night had been the happiest night of his life since holding on onto the little witch five years ago. Now that they knew what was what, the men settled down and broke out whiskey and a pack of poker cards. They played until they got the happy call that Ferric didn't need to reshoot any of his scenes. He just needed to hang out until it was time for the première. /p
pThey packed Ferric up and left the cabin a few hours later. For the past five years, they had lived in the States, but now they were ready to come back to Britain. There was no place better to start searching for their actor's witch besides London./p
pOne month later/p
pHermione sat on the side of her bed. Her hands were clamped over her mouth to muffle her sobs. She stared at the test strip with a variety of emotions coursing through her. Fear was the main one. 'No, no! She couldn't do this again, she couldn't!' Outside her bedroom, she could hear Harry and Ginny, Ron and Lavender talking in the living room. Just then there was a knock on her door.
/p
p"Hermione, luv, are you ok?" Ginny was outside, along with Lavender. They opened the door and rushed in. "Hermione! What's wrong?"
/p
pLavender was the one who stopped the test strip first. "Ginny." she picked it up. "It's positive. Hermione's pregnant." she said quietly. They sat down with her.
/p
p"Hermione? It's going to be ok. You'll get through this. We'll be beside you even step of the way, you know that." Ginny and Lavender hugged her from both sides as she cried.
/p
p"So, I guess the big question right now is whose the daddy? You haven't been spotted with anyone since you left or came back from vacation. Which you cut short, by the way. Is this why you came back early?" Ginny suddenly had a horrifying thought. "Hermione, were you raped? Did someone attack you? Do we need to tell Harry and Ron?"
/p
p"No! No, it, I wasn't raped! It was nothing like that! I promise. He, I wanted him to. I just wanted to feel special, for just a little while. He was so gentle. He didn't try to rush me. It was,, well, the first word that comes to mind is mind-blowing, actually." Hermione giggled, still slightly hysterical. Lavender and Ginny smiled in relief. /p
p"So why are you crying then?" Lavender asked. Hermione rubbed her eyes as she tried to put her thoughts together. She hadn't told Harry and Ginny about the trip to the Muggle doctor but Ron had. He'd known it was still too raw of a subject for Hermione to talk about. "All we have to do is let your doctor know. You ARE going back to him, right? He can test the baby's blood and see if there's an Rh factor to worry about. If there is, he already told you about the RhoGAM shots, remember?"/p
p"Then we can send the bloodhounds out for looking for daddy. You know Harry and Ron are going to want to have a little 'talk' with him." Ginny told her. Hermione shook her head./p
p"There's no need to set the bloodhounds on him. I already know how to get hold of him. I just don't know if he'd want anything to do with a child or me." She almost whispered. She looked at them seriously. "I'm going to tell the two of you something. You HAVE to PROMISE me. You will NOT tell Harry and Ron until I say you can. Promise me!"/p
pLavender and Ginny looked at each other. 'For Hermione to demand a promise like that, this had to be something she knew would upset Harry and Ron.' They nodded at her. "We promise." they said in unison. Hermione pulled her phone out and then four sheets of paper. With wide eyes, Ginny noticed the sheets were actually wanted posters, specifically moving wanted posters. Lavender gasped as she looked at one in particular. /p
pHermione showed them two pictures she had saved on her phone. The first one was a man with dark, grey streaked hair and blue eyes. The next shot was him and three other men. All four were tall, broad and intimidating. Two blonds and two brunettes. At first glance, neither girl recognized any of them, until Hermione held the wanted posters up to the phone. Ginny was the first to spot the resemblances. "Oh. My. Merlin! Hermione! Which one was it?"/p
p"Greyback. According to this, he's been Ferric Grayson for the past five years. I can only assume all four of them have assumed names but he's the one I was with. I somehow missed my cabin and ended up at his. We, we,," she shrugged and hid her eyes as they realized Fenrir Greyback was the father of her child. They stared at each other in shock. 'No wonder Hermione was so upset! Not only did she have to worry about her baby's possible Rh factor but its father was a wanted, known criminal in their world!'/p
p"Ok. First things first. We'll get you to the doctor and get the baby's blood tested. That's the only thing we're going to worry about right now. Once we know the baby's status, THEN we can worry about the baby daddy. All right?" Lavender took charge of the situation. Ginny nodded in agreement. /p
p"How soon can we get her in for testing, Lavender?" Ginny asked as they made Hermione sit quietly on the bed. They chose an outfit for her and sent her to her bathroom to shower./p
pHermione was so relieved that she didn't try to fight them. It had taken her a week to actually get brave enough to use the kit. She stood under the hot water and cried some more. She wanted to contact him so bad that it hurt but she was afraid he would reject her. He'd not made any promises to her nor she to him, after all. It had just been a night for fun and games. Now that night had caught up to her. She got out, wrapped her hair up and went back to her room./p
pShe found that they had already begun taking charge of her pregnancy. Lavender had called her doctor who told them to bring her in that afternoon. Ginny had gone to tell Harry and Ron to take the children to the Burrow. They would meet them later. Right now, it was girls time. They hadn't argued, just picked up the children and headed out. As Hermione finished dressing, she suddenly had a hard cramp rip through her stomach. She screamed as Lavender came running in. Lavender took one look at her and grabbed the phone. "Ginny, we need to get her to a muggle hospital! I'm calling her doctor! He can meet us there! Hurry!"/p
pThey got her out of her house and into a taxi. They were rushed to the hospital and the driver, a father himself, carried her into the emergency room. "Doctor!" he yelled loudly. "We need a doctor! She's losing a baby here! We need a doctor!" Nurses came running from every direction. Hermione was placed on a gurney and wheeled away to an exam room. Lavender had picked up her phone and was scrolling through the contacts. She stopped as she found a number for HIM! She showed the number to Ginny. "Should I call? At least try to get him here? She wants him here, you know that, too."/p
pGinny stared at the phone. "Yeah, she does want him here. Let's call it. All he can do is deny knowing her and say no. At least we'll know we tried to get him here." Lavender tapped in the number and hit dial. She put the phone on speaker as it started ringing. Five times, it rang before there was a beep and a message. "I'm not home at the moment. Leave me a message and I'll call you back."/p
p"Greyback. Fenrir Greyback. You're needed at St Rivers hospital. Now. Hermione Granger needs you!" Ginny left a message and they hung up. 'If THAT didn't get his attention, nothing would!' Ginny went to the restroom where she sent two Patronus messages to Harry and Ron./p
p Grayson felt his phone vibrate against his leg. He, Dawson, Rowley and Yardley were disguised as they sat in a corner of the Leaky Cauldron. They had begun staking the tavern out as the most likely place to start looking for his witch. Every witch and wizard, pureblood, half blood and muggleborn, passed through here. He got up, went to the lavatory and played the message. His eyes widened as he heard his real name spoken. They widened even more at that name from so long ago. He hurriedly went back to collect his friends, swearing softly the entire time. /p
pHarry and Ron had just gotten there and were hugging Hermione when they heard a wave of noise in the hallway. "He's here! I didn't know he was going to be here. Where are the children? Get the children ready to meet him!" a nurse called hastily. /p
pRon went out to investigate. At first glance, he saw nothing going on. Just a huge bundle of people all gathered around. Then he watched the group walk his way. He frowned at the sight of the four tall men in the center of them. They looked strangely familiar to him. They were diverted into what he understood to be a children's playroom. Then he understood. 'Actors. Here to visit the sick children. The Make-A-Wish foundation.' He returned to Hermione's side. She was sobbing in fear and he hugged her again. "Its going to be all right, Hermione. We're right here with you. Shhh. Calm down. The medicine is working. See. The contractions have stopped. The baby still has a heartbeat."/p
p"But for how long? I can't lose another baby, Ron, I just can't!" she cried. Ginny and Lavender had slipped out after Ron came back. They walked down the hall and peered cautiously into the playroom. There they saw the same four men from the picture. They were sitting at tables and in the floor, talking and playing with the children. Well, three of them were. The fourth, the one they were interested in, was seated and posing for pictures with the children. After all the pictures were taken, he looked up and caught their eyes. Clearly, he knew they were waiting for him to see them. He talked to a few more of the children, then made his way to them. /p
pLavender stared at Greyback. It had been five years and he did look different. He no longer had his hair wildly tangled. It was tied back neatly into a ponytail. His clothes were impeccably clean and neat as opposed to ripped and riddled with holes. Neither his fangs, nor his claws were on display and without them he looked like a totally different person. It was easy to see why Hermione had failed to recognize him. "Greyback. It's,,, nice to see you again. You've calmed down and cleaned up your act, I take it?" Ginny asked with narrowed eyes. He barely glanced at her.
/p
p"Mr. Grayson? I've been told that you are the father of Miss Granger's child. Have they told you why she's here yet?" he asked Greyback who shook his head. "Well, then I need to test your blood and see where we are as far as her next treatment. We've managed to get the contractions stopped. Once I know your blood type, I'll know whether she'll need to receive the RhoGAM shots or not." Greyback nodded, not understanding a word the man was saying. 'RhoGAM? Blood type? What the bloody fucking hell was going on with his witch?' He held his hand out, allowing the man to draw some blood. "There we go. Now, I'll let you get back to Miss Granger. I'll be up in a few minutes with the results. Then we'll talk about the next step."/p
pGinny and Lavender had stood by, watching him closely. Other than slight confusion, he showed no signs of opposition as far as Hermione was concerned. He turned back to them and cocked a brow, clearly waiting for them to take him to her. They led the way back, glancing into the playroom as they passed it. He stopped in to talk to the children some more, took another round of pictures and then they ended the visit as the children needed to rest. His companions silently followed them back to Hermione's hospital room. As soon as he walked in, the boys looked up. Ron jumped forward as Harry immediately pulled his wand. "Harry! No! No! Put the wand down! I think I know why he's here. He needed to be here!"
/p
pHarry stared at Ron. "He what? How do you figure that? He's a criminal, Ron! We have to take him in!" Ron shook his head vehemently. He'd seen Lavender leave and he knew there was only one reason she'd be brave enough to approach the man she called Alpha. She never referred to him by name but anytime she and Bill were both at the Burrow, they would always discuss the man. He looked at her, motioning to Greyback. She tapped her finger on her muggle watch. He nodded and looked at Greyback.
/p
p"Just for the record, I still don't like you. You helped burn down my family's home, disfigured one of my brothers and almost killed my wife at Hogwarts. But if you get the results I'm hoping like bloody hell you get, then I can look past all that, for Hermione's sake." he stood to the side and allowed Greyback to finally see the woman he'd slept with a month ago./p
pHermione sat there in the middle of the hospital bed, looking as small as a child. Her hands were laid protectively over her lower abdomen and she was staring at him like he was a ghost or a figment of her imagination. He cautiously approached and sat on the edge of the bed. His hand lifted and cupped the side of her face. "Hello, sweetheart. It is so good to see you again."/p
pBehind him, there was a loud exclamation from Rowle. "Bloody, fucking hell! It really is Granger! Way to go, Fen! Hermione Granger, up the duff!" Then came two loud smacks as both Yaxley and Dolohov groaned and slapped him upside the head. "Bloody hell, mates! What was that for? You nearly knocked my brains out!" Hermione wasn't sure whether she wanted to laugh or cry as she peered around Greyback. Greyback's eyes were closed and his shoulders were shaking as he fought to keep from laughing. 'Only Rowle would be that bold!' Rowle was rubbing both sides of his head as he winced in pain. /p
p"Respect the wolf's mate!" Dolohov admonished him sternly. Rowle made a face at him, causing Ginny and Lavender both to giggle. /p
p"Watch your language, boy. We have a child in the room!" Yaxley scolded him. Rowle frowned at him in confusion until both older Death Eaters pointed at Hermione's stomach. /p
p"Oi! Sorry, Granger!" he apologized. "Mates, there's vending machines down the hall. Come on. I'm starving!" he said. Yaxley rolled his eyes. Dolohov chuckled at him./p
p"You're always starving. Where do you put it all?" Dolohov asked him. Rowle shrugged, anxious to get to the machine. Yaxley waved them out as he leaned back on the wall, keeping an eye on Greyback and Hermione. Harry and Ron joined him. He knew now was the only chance he would get to convince them to let him and the others go free. He waited for them to start grilling him. /p
p"So, where have you lot been for the past five years?" Harry asked. Yaxley shrugged. He'd always known it would be only a matter of time before they came back to the Wizarding world. He just hoped that they were allowed to remain free. /p
p"Here, there and everywhere, Potter. Mainly keeping Greyback in line. That was our job during the war, you know. It was why he was always with us. The Dark Lord kept him strung out so badly on the cruciatus curse it practically drove him insane. Once we saw our chance to grab him and go at the battle, we took it. It took weeks for him to get over the aftermath of that curse but he did it. Then we had to find a way to support ourselves without being forced back to the Wizarding world. We cleaned ourselves and him up and started finding work. Manual, at first. Then he was spotted by an agent for a muggle film and given a job. We kept him on track and grounded. At first, we only intended to stay until he could get along by himself. He told us he didn't have that much self control, he needed us there with him. So, I'm his manager, Dolohov is his handler and Rowle is a handler but also his workout partner."/p
p"We can't let you go without some punishment. You know that right?" Harry asked him. Yaxley remained silent. /p
p"Why not? They haven't been causing any ruckus anywhere. They weren't even that active during the war. He said it himself. Their only job was keeping Greyback under control. It seems to me like they did their job and they're still doing their job. Besides, we can't lock Greyback up, Harry. Hermione needs him." Ron told him as Lavender kept an eye on her watch. He knew he had to convince Harry to allow Greyback to go free. Greyback wouldn't be happy or comfortable without his friends. /p
p"So we just ignore the fact that they're all criminals? Just let them off scot free? I'd have thought you'd be the first one wanting them locked up, Ron." Harry argued./p
p"Listen, Harry. I might be hot tempered sometimes but I can be reasonable, too. I know they are all criminals but I also know they weren't that active then or since then. We would have heard about it if they were. And this is for Hermione. She needs Greyback. That's his kid she's carrying. If his blood test comes back and he's not a match, she's going to need him to support her. I'm not going to be heartless enough to lock the father of her child up and throw away the key, Harry. She needs him. This is for Hermione." Ron crossed his arms and stared at Harry. /p
pHarry tapped his wand on his hand. "Ok. Ok. Maybe Shacklebolt can put them on house arrest, like he did with the Malfoys. Would that work?" Yaxley gave a slight smile as he nodded. /p
pAfter Greyback had his laughter under control, he opened his eyes and looked at his witch. She was watching him closely. He cupped her face again and pulled her closer to him. "I'm sorry. I should have gotten your name that night. I didn't want to let you go. That was the only time I've been that happy since the war." he leaned his forehead against hers. "I'm hoping I still have a chance with you. I want us to be a family." /p
pHermione's eyes were streaming tears at his soft words. "I didn't want to leave but I was scared you wouldn't want me there. Especially if I told you I couldn't have any more children. I'm so scared. I want this baby so badly but I don't know if I'll be able to go full term. I can't lose another baby! I just can't! It'll kill me if I lose another one!" /p
p"You won't. That doctor, the one who took my blood, he mentioned shots? Would that help or hurt?" he asked. /p
p"The RhoGAM shots. If the baby's blood type is positive, I'll get a shot during my pregnancy. It's supposed to protect my immune system from being exposed to the baby's Rh- positive blood. After the baby is born, I'd get another shot. That would protect future babies also." she told him. At that moment, the doctor walked into her room. He smiled at seeing Greyback beside her. /p
p"Mr. Grayson. Miss Granger. I have some excellent news for you. First I must tell you, Miss Granger, your baby is healthy, in fact the healthiest fetus I've seen in a long time. Your contractions were, I'm thinking, extremely strong Braxton-Hicks contractions. Possibly caused from too much stress on your body. Now, I have the results of Mr Grayson's blood test. Before I tell you his results, you have had four previous pregnancies with no treatment?" Dr. Wakefield asked her. "How is it that you didn't already have these shots?"/p
p"I was unaware that I was Rh-. My previous doctors were completely baffled by my miscarriages. They assumed that I just wasn't capable of carrying a living child. My ex husband had a child with his new wife. It puzzled me and we came here to get tested. That's when we found out he was Rh positive and I was Rh negative. After that, I just didn't try anymore. I would make sure it wasn't a problem in my relationships from then on. Then I went on vacation a month ago and took a walk on the wild side. Now here we are." Hermione looked down as Greyback took her hand in his. /p
p"It wasn't all her fault. I never thought to use any kind of protection either. I was too stunned to even remember my own name at that point." he told the doctor. Dr. Wakefield smiled at them. 'Ah, to be their age, so young and carefree!' He was completely unaware that the man was very likely around his own age of 60 or older due to his lycanthropy. /p
p"Well, while I wouldn't recommend doing that anymore, I think we can get this baby taken care of. I do think it might be best, just because of the previous history, to still have the shots. Now, as far as Mr Grayson's result go, I'm very pleased to inform you that he is also Rh-. Which means after this pregnancy, should you decide to have more children, you would not need the shots anymore." Dr. Wakefield was always happy to deliver good news. He shook ands with them, arranged for Hermione to relieve her first shot and left them to talk to Lavender and Ginny. /p
p"She'll need to be kept overnight. I'd really like to put her on bed rest for a while. I sense that I'd lose that argument, however. So all I'm going to ask, for now, is that she try to keep herself as stress free as possible. I'd also really like to see her have a bit of a weight gain. I know that not all women can retain weight. Others can find it almost impossible to put on weight. A gain of 5-10 pounds would be a good thing." he looked around to see Hermione wrapped in Greyback's arms. "I hope he will be here for her throughout the pregnancy. It seems to me that, as frightened as she was earlier, she's calmed down a great deal and its because he is here. They might have had a little tiff, maybe? But I really think they need each other." Lavender and Ginny nodded as they watched them. They looked at each other with sly grins and one thought. 'Shotgun wedding!'/p
pAs soon as the doctor left them, Fenrir took Hermione into his arms. He'd waited long enough. He had to have her against him. He buried his face in her hair, inhaling deeply. His eyes slid shut in contentment. "Hermione, what would you say if I asked you to bond with me?" he whispered. Hermione looked up at him. /p
p"Are you sure you want to bond with me? I'm still very much a risk factor as far as having kids. I'm still not sure if this baby is safe." she whispered back./p
p"This might come as a shock to you but I'm not really worried about kids. They're simply a bonus for me. I'm more worried about their mum. The only mum I want in my life is you. If we get through this with a living child, that will be great. But we don't have to have kids this way. There are plenty of children out there who need parents. We can adopt a blue dozen or more if you want more children. I just want you." he kissed her and pulled back. "You didn't answer my question."/p
p"I'd be thrilled to bond with you." Hermione told him as tears shined brightly in her eyes./p