A/N: I do not own Harry Potter or any characters/locations related to the franchise. That all belongs to J.K. Rowling. I hope you enjoy the only thing I do own...the plot. Also M rating for language and possible sexually explicit scenes (really just wanted to be safe with the rating).

Also, as noted in my previous chapter, I am taking some liberties with wolves and their life/how they work. Please remember this is a fanfiction and may not tie directly with the cannon

A/N 2: Edited for continuity

Draco took a second to remind himself where he was. Took a deep breath, tried to calm down. The thought of a threat though was unbearable. His resolve was shaking. He took another deep breath. If he wanted to keep his mate safe he would have to play by their rules for a second. His mind began to run through scenarios, relying on his Slytherin cunning to make sure they both remained safe. His eyes were beginning to glow, in the midst of the threat surrounding him and Hermione. He could feel the wolf push his power out of his magical core, back towards the man, showing their strength and trying to make them seem as if they were too dangerous of a target to threaten. The universal growl that echoed through the room told Draco it was the wrong choice, as wolves moved to more attack ready positions, surrounding him and Hermione.

"Seamus," The confident voice behind him broke him from his tactical planning. Hermione peaked around Draco's shoulder, standing tall and staring at who Draco now recognized as both Seamus Finnigan, a Gryffindor from Hogwarts, and as the Alpha for at least 8 other people in the room. "Malfoy is just nervous about being in a room of werewolves. He didn't mean any disrespect." She pushed on Draco lightly. The gentle pressure was barely anything, and Draco could have resisted it if he wanted, but he moved slightly to the side, "Did you?" She nudged him with her elbow, the tiny bone digging into his ribs until he coughed, clearing his throat. The wolf slowly slipped back into its cage.

With the power struggle that had surrounded everyone in the room slightly broken, a few people began to relax, "Of course not," Draco relented, although his jaw remained clenched and legs stayed tense in anticipation of a fight that wasn't to come.

"'Course, sorry about that 'Mione," Seamus smiled, the Alpha's wolf retreating as well. His Irish brogue made it difficult to understand him. He waved his arms and those who were prepared to fight Draco in the name of their alpha relaxed. They resumed grabbing chairs and arranging them in a circle. Draco took this moment to analyze his old schoolmate. It soon became obvious why Draco didn't recognize him immediately.

His eyes were a deep sapphire blue, when not reflecting his wolf, and they were the most similar to the old Seamus. His hair was longer than he used to keep it, falling down in his face every few moments, only to be tucked behind his ears yet again. He had a few scrapes and cuts down his face, as evidence of the last full moon. His beard was short and had stray strands standing out like tiny branches reaching out into the sky. Other than that he had filled out well around his shoulders, but was still much shorter than Hermione. The main difference was the way his presence made Draco tense. It was obvious that this was another predator, a strong predator, and it was making both Draco and his wolf pulse with nervous energy as they watched him around Hermione.

"I'm going to help Carmine set out the chairs," Hermione stated, flipping her hair as she turned and headed towards the back of the room.

Seamus made to follow Hermione. The simple movement made Draco tense, reflexively reaching out his hand to stop the other man from following her. Not missing the reaction of a possible rival wolf, Seamus hesitated before leaning slowly towards Draco. Draco, unsure what the alpha was doing, stayed perfectly still as the Irishman scented the air. Draco took a steadying breath, watching Seamus' reaction. His blue eyes went wide as he smelled Draco, his nose apparently picking up what Draco knew it would. Seamus glanced quickly between Hermione-who was now chatting with a thin girl with dark pixie cut hair-and Draco, before stopping on the blond, a dark eyebrow raised slightly in question.

"How long?" Seamus smirked slightly, nodding his head towards his old housemate and shoving his hands roughly in the pockets of his faded denim trousers.

"Since I was turned or since I found out she was my mate?"

"Both?" Seamus shrugged, moving to lean against the wall, raising both eyebrows when Draco hesitated to respond.

Draco, seeing that his secret was not necessarily a secret to this room of people-with one curly haired exception-sighed before responding, "Seven years, give or take a few months." Seamus nodded.

"Found out during the war?"

"Yeah."

"Does she know any of it?"

"No."

"Ok," Seamus moved forward, slapping Draco on the shoulder. "Then that's the way it will stay. We're not in the business of outing other wolves." He made eye contact with a man standing on the opposite side of the room. Taking the chance to observe other wolves, Draco watched them both intently. Seamus' eyes reflected for one brief moment iridescent green before falling back into their regular blue.

"Is he an old classmate as well?" Draco queried, crossing his arms over his chest.

"No, Gabriel is a Yank wizard who got caught up in the middle of the wrong forest doing research on Devil's Snare. When the moon came up, it wasn't the plants that got him. Makes one hell of a beta for my pack though.`` The man was currently flitting around the room from wolf to wolf whispering in their ear. Each one then glanced at Seamus before nodding and going back to their conversation as if nothing had happened.

When he got to the wolf Hermione was talking to he smiled politely, dimples showing on his cheeks and revealing perfectly white teeth. Dirty blond hair fell in the man's face as he leaned down and whispered in her ear, causing Hermione to blush. Seeing this, Draco growled. "Hold up, Malfoy." Seamus whispered, pushing himself from the wall. Hermione nodded before going back to a table and busying herself with making a couple drinks. The beta whispered to the wolf Hermione was previously talking to-the girl with a pixie cut-waiting for the thin girl to get a serious look on her face, before gaining eye contact with Seamus and nodding in affirmation.

"You know," Seamus intoned, "Hermione is beautiful, but she doesn't smell right to us." Draco looked at Seamus incredulously. He didn't know who Seamus was trying to play but he knew that Hermione smelled like the most delectable thing. "No really? We knew she was destined for someone else the moment she met with us." Seamus chuckled. When Draco remained unconvinced Seamus rolled his eyes, "Alright, hold on. Beth, come here will you?" Draco watched as the blond woman he first saw from the fireplace walked towards them smoothly.

Seeing her again, Draco realized she wasn't really a woman, but a young girl. Maybe 18 years old. She moved slowly, her bright blue eyes evaluated him as she approached. "How are you doing, luv? Feelin alright?"

"Yeah, thanks." She stood awkwardly next to Seamus, keeping him between her and Draco. "I'm sorry I growled at you earlier, I am-"

"No. Don't apologize," Seamus interrupted, "It's a natural defense and reaction. You are still learning how Kanna reacts to different scenarios. There is nothing to apologize for." The girl nodded, her blond hair falling in her face.

She shrugged before looking up towards Draco, though she had still not made eye contact with him. "Still, I'm sorry Kanna reacted to you that way, we have just never smelled another alpha before."

"Still haven't," Draco shook his head, uncrossing his arms to make himself seem less defensive in hopes of making the girl a little more comfortable, "I don't have a pack."

"Not having a pack doesn't mean you are not an alpha, Malfoy, but that's not the discussion we are having. Give her a sniff." Draco looked at the man as if he had grown a second head.

"Are you barmy? I am not just going to go around sniffing women, besides she smells…" Draco stopped himself from saying something that would be conceived as rude, settling on, "different." Seamus laughed heartily, his hands wrapping around his stomach, drawing the attention of a few wolves standing nearby.

"No," Seamus started, before another round of guffaws took over him, "she smells like old lunch meat." Seamus finally sputtered after a second. Laughs still occasionally shaking the smaller man's body.

"I think I prefer when Caleb tells me I smell like crushed carnations, or cardamom," the girl, Beth, said with a small grin. She positioned herself beside her Alpha, as Seamus gained control of his laughter.

"Do you know why she smells like that?" Seamus asked smoothly, pushing his hair out of his eyes, the long strands having fallen in his face yet again in his laughter. "Because she is not ours," Seamus explained. "She is not ours, can never be ours, and doesn't want to be ours." He pointed to a wolf in the corner currently munching on a crisp and watching the interaction intently. The same wolf who had pulled the girl to his side earlier, when Draco had first arrived.

The man was taller than Draco, with dark black hair and dark brown eyes. He was in his early twenties, but seemed older as he stared at the three with a seemingly bored expression. Draco, however, could see the tense set of his jaw, and the way he seemed to fight blinking in order to maintain a view on the three. Seamus continued, making sure to keep his body in between Draco's and Beth's, "She is his. And he is hers. It's that simple. She's his-"

"Mate." Draco breathed. Realization dawned on him. Beth smiled at him, glancing over at the man in the corner, giving him a shy wave. He relaxed slightly in his place against the wall before smiling back at her. "And Kanna? You said she was the reason you growled at me. Is that like your daughter, or sister-" Draco stopped talking when he noticed the way they both looked at him, something akin to pity filling Seamus' blue eyes.

"Kanna-" Seamus began softly, looking at Beth before back at Draco, "That's Beth's wolf."

"You named it?" Draco balked, his lip curling unconsciously in disgust, "Like a dog that followed you home?"

"No," Beth snapped, baring her teeth. "She told me her name. And I told her mine. We know each other as well as Caleb knows me. We are one." Seamus moved again, with gentle, but firm hands, he began pushing Beth back towards who Draco assumed was Caleb.

"Go on now. I will keep talking to Malfoy. Go keep Caleb from eating all the crisps, alright." The woman responded to the warm soft cadence of Seamus' voice, turning and walking back towards the other side of the room.

"You didn't know?" Seamus hesitatingly asked. When Draco didn't respond Seamus motioned for them to take a seat. Draco sat down in a chair next to Seamus, before the former Gryffindor elaborated further, "Our wolves have names. They are the part of us that craves to be wild, to run. Don't get me wrong, they're dangerous. They can't help themselves and have a desire to create more like them...to create a pack. That being said, Ossory- that's my wolf-is relatively peaceful during the full moon. He likes to swim," Seamus smiled, accepting a cup of water brought to him by another member of the pack.

Draco watched as Hermione moved around the room, a small notebook open in her hands as she asked questions while he listened to Seamus speak. "But it's not always peaceful, is it?" Draco turned back to Seamus, noticing the man was staring at him in confusion, "The wolf had control over you for a second earlier."

"He doesn't control me outside of the full moon. At least not so much anymore."

"Anymore?"

"There was a time when we fought for control, during those first few months." Seamus whispered to Draco, leaning close to him, "But once I started talking to him and listening, he became more understanding and doesn't try to take control anymore. He helps me sometimes, and will take ahold of my body if he needs to protect the pack. Other than that he is able to communicate with his beta wolf outside of the full moon." Seamus paused, smirking up at Draco, "A useful tool if we need to communicate a threat to the rest of the pack. During those moments, he reflects through my eyes. Another alpha entering his territory was something that he considered a significant threat. He wanted to make sure I could borrow from his power if necessary, but I was in control."

"Ok, now you have to explain that one. Alpha? Me? Honestly?" Draco scoffed, folding his hands together as he rested his forearms on his legs.

"Honestly. I find it hard to believe you didn't know. We all have different degrees of personalities. I didn't really believe it when I went through the change. I was always under the impression I was more of a follower, or a lone wolf. Ossory came out that first night...and I just knew that I was an alpha. We were strong. A few years later, I found Gabriel and eventually the rest of the pack just came together. A family. I never had any brother's or sister's. But, I have them." He took a second and looked fondly over the rest of the room.

"You should have sensed your power when you first turned, and from there you should have been able to tell when around other wolves." Draco's mind flashed back to that first meeting he had with Lupin. The way the other wolf held hands up, placatingly when Draco had growled. Had that been a submissive gesture. Maybe? It was so many years ago he couldn't be sure.

"Seamus," Gabriel had moved over to them and stood in front of his alpha expectantly. "The last few have made it. We can begin whenever you're ready." Seamus nodded. He stood from his chair, and stretched before motioning for people to begin taking the seats.

The meeting after that was relatively normal. They took turns speaking, each talking about how their full moon went. If there was anything unexpected. How to cope with going from the wolf and back to human. The struggles. It was mentioned that Beth was the youngest wolf in the circle. This was only her second full moon, and she was still getting her legs underneath her. Draco and Hermione watched from the back of the room, not feeling as if they belonged, but not really wanting to leave.

Before Draco knew it, Seamus was clearing his throat before standing amongst the wolves, now totaling about twenty. "It's not easy, being what we are. I have struggled with who I am, but eventually I came to the same realization that all wolves do. Our instincts, wants, and desires are not different from our wolves. They are extensions of ourselves.

"As wolves we desire company. Being in a pack will help curb our need to create more. As I do with every meeting, I offer everyone in this room a place in my pack. Feel free to stay after and we can discuss the Code of my pack, and what you need to do to become part of the bond."

"He seems to be a good public speaker," Draco whispered to Hermione, leaning down to her ear. He ignored the goosebumps that speckled her skin, blooming from her neck and across her arms. She had long ago discarded her jumper as the room gained in temperature due to the bodies that were all crammed inside, but now she shivered.

"Yeah, he really seems to be in his element." She looked up at him, her eyes cinnamon flecked with specks of copper and filled with trust. There was something else there too, something unmistakeable. The way she angled her body towards him, the way she leaned her head to one side slightly exposing her delicate throat.

Draco coughed, hoping she didn't notice the way his ears were burning, or the way he subconsciously moved his hand until it touched her hip...ever so slightly. He wasn't sure she even knew what she was doing, but to a wolf, her body language was unmistakable. He turned back to the man in question, just as he finished what appeared to be a poor joke judging by the few chuckles in the crowd.

Seamus took a deep breath, the smile from the joke still on his face. The smile fell a little, as the brunette turned and looked at a few faces in the crowd. Finally, his sapphire eyes locked with pewter, and he spoke as if he and Draco were the only two in the room. "Lying either to yourself, or to the people you love does not help anyone. If there is one thing I have found in being a wolf, it's that the truth...no matter how brutal or unwanted is always better than hiding. It's not wrong to keep things to yourself, but if your secret is hurting someone you care about...then it's time to let it go." The Irishman took a second, his eyes never leaving Draco's before finally turning to the rest of the group.

"Other than that, I hope everyone is safe, and as always be free and remember howl at the moon." His sign off got a couple of laughs through the crowd, but eventually people began lining up at the floo, or finding a corner to apparate out.

"You ready, Granger?" Draco asked. He noticed her body had shifted away from him, and her arms were now wrapped tightly around her chest, wand in hand.

Ignoring the rest of the dispersing crowd, she reached up and grabbed his arm gently. "I-I have something I need to show you. If you don't mind." She looked up at him, her brown eyes pleading, her lip tucked tightly in between her teeth which were currently chewing on the plump flesh. The sharp scent of iron hit Draco's nose, as she bit slightly too hard and broke through the flesh.

Draco, not really thinking about the action, reached up and placed the pad of his thumb lightly on her lower lip, tugging it gently until it slid free. He gave her a small nod, his eyes searching her face for any sign of what caused her change in behavior. At his confirmation she raised her wand, and spun on her heel. Apparating them out of the Moonstone Recovery Center.

When they reappeared, the cold wind cut through Draco like a sharp potions knife sliced through sopophorous beans. Draco looked over at the small witch next to him. He couldn't help but notice she had forgotten her jumper back at the recovery center. She gave no indication that she was cold, other than a slight tremble over her body.

Draco took the time to unclasp his cloak, and wrapped it around her shoulders to keep her warm. It was at that moment, when even his action of giving her his cloak did not shake her from her reverie, that Draco took a look around.

The sky had become grey over the day, and now as the sun rose high, thick slate clouds blew in over the sky, draping the English countryside in a bulky blanket. The clouds made the afternoon light appear as though it was near dusk. A freezing dreary mist had begun falling around them in a haze of dense water droplets.

Draco took a sharp breath inward as he realized they stood in an old cemetery. The headstones seemed to add to the desolate mood that enveloped the pair, and the lack of songbirds or animal chatter made Draco's nerves even more on end. There was a mausoleum, standing like an ivory castle a few hundred feet off to the right of them, the empty vines of ivy still reaching across its surface, and a small lake stood down the hill of the cemetery. The lake's glassy surface reflected the clouds that seemed to carry the somber mood with them, creating a mirror copy of the miserable scene before them. Even the trees flanking the sacred area appeared to understand the sanctity of the area. The large branches rose and broke away from the colossal trunks that thrust through the earth, but made not even a whisper as the wind twisted through the limbs.

Hermione, however, was not looking at the lake, the trees, or the crisp white mausoleum. Her eyes were trained on a large headstone in front of her. Carved on the surface of the headstone, in thick black impersonal lettering read the following 'Monica and Wendell Wilkins Died June 21, 1997 Together in Life and Death'.

A/N 3: Here are some responses to reviews!

Lena2244: Maybe Hermione didnt know Seamus was alpha, but i think more likely she didnt realize what all she would need to warn him about.

Generic Lego Guy: I dont know how well that would work lol

Guest: You are very welcome

Ardina Falconhurst: I hope this answers your questions! Maybe she knows what's going on and maybe she doesnt. I will say that I never write Hermione as stupid, maybe naiive...or even too trusting, but never stupid!