He only has one chance to redeem himself. One chance to make amends. One chance to prove he can be the man of her dreams. But it's all on him.
In the years following the war, Hermione had gone back to Hogwarts for her last year of school. She'd passed all her NEWTS with flying colors, as expected. She had also gone back and finished her education in the muggle world. She'd joined the Ministry soon after that, working in the Department of Magical Creatures. Everyone had expected her to reignite her house elf campaign. Instead, she'd launched into a campaign for werewolves rights. Pretty soon it was clear that she'd taken Remus Lupin, his wife Tonks and their son, Teddy Lupin, under her wing.
Remus had long given up the idea of steady employment. Too many employers either fired him for missing work after the full moon or refused to hire him in the first place. It was this very thing that drove Hermione to her latest campaign. "How was he supposed to be able to support his family, if nobody wanted to let him work?" She argued. Once she realized it was always going to be like this for him, she promptly moved his family into the muggle world, into her old muggle house. Knowing his pride would make him refuse, thinking it was charity, she helped him find a job. Then they settled on an amount that he insisted on paying her each month, an amount she promptly invested into a college fund for Teddy Lupin. Of course, she didn't tell Remus about that.
Now that she had Remus settled, it was time she went back and worked on changing the antiquated ways of the wizarding world. Her first stop was the office of the Minister, Kingsley Shacklebolt. She knocked on his door. Hearing him bid her to enter, she opened the door. Seeing several elderly wizards seated across from him, she tried to voice her request. "Hey, Kings-um, MinisterShacklebolt," she hurriedly changed her greeting upon seeing their frowns at her casual use of his first name. "I have several petitions I'll be bringing up to vote on soon. I've tried to only keep it to the most important ones-."
"Miss Granger. Can you not see WE are having a meeting with the Minister? Kindly make your own appointment!" The eldest wizard snapped at her. She stared at him in shock. "Well? Why are you still here? Close the door so we may continue OUR meeting. Then you can have your say." She looked at Shacklebolt, who rolled his eyes in annoyance, but nodded at her. She dipped her head and swung the door shut. Before it closed, she distinctly heard the words 'Marriage law'. She narrowed her eyes and resolved to ask him about it during THEIR scheduled meeting.
She went down to her office. No sooner had she sat down behind her desk than there was a knock on her own door. "Come in." Harry Potter stuck his head in. "Oh, hello Harry. What's going on?"
"Hey. Did you get Remus and family settled in okay?" It was Harry who had clued her in on their friend's difficulties. Hermione had promptly taken charge of the matter. Her parents had no plans to return to England. Much as they loved Hermione, they were completely in love with Australia, especially the little coastal town of Summer Bay. Hermione had called them to make sure it was ok, her moving Remus and family into their old home. Her parents had wholeheartedly agreed to the plan, not wanting the old house to leave the family. They could hear the affection in Hermione's voice and decided, on the spot, that Remus was family.
"Yeah, he's been at his new job for a few weeks and his employer loves his work. We managed to get him the full moon week off every month by explaining he has 'military training' that week. And it can't be ditched unless they want to see him carted off to jail." Hermione told him. Harry relaxed as he smiled. He and Ginny had tried to get the Lupins to move in with them. Remus had refused, both out of fear that it was a pity offer and anger that they thought he couldn't support his own family. "His boss's exact quote, when we told him Remus needed that whole week off each month or else he'd be hauled off to jail, was 'Blimey, Hermione! Of course! I can put up with those other dunderheads for a whole week! Can't have my best mechanic hauled off for refusing his patriotic duty, now can I?' Oh, Harry, you should have seen the look on Remus's face when he said that! He looked so happy!"
"Good. I'm glad everything worked. That's not all I stopped by for. I didn't want you caught off guard and I'm not sure how soon it's happening." He warned. "There's a rumor going around, something about a marriage law. Apparently, some of our lot are dragging their heels about the whole marriage and heirs situation. Not the half-bloods or Muggleborns. The older purebloods are wanting their grandchildren and getting pissy about it. I know I've definitely Lucius and Narcissa both lecturing Draco on 'the importance of securing an heir! Then you can play all you want, Draco!'" Harry was nearly in tears of laughter as he related that. Hermione was covering her mouth and giggling like crazy. Then she remembered the meeting she'd interrupted.
"Actually, I think that might be happening sooner than you think, Harry." She told him about the elderly wizards with Shacklebolt, lambasting her for interrupting THEIR meeting. "I really wanted to talk to him, but I did set a time to meet him so there is that. There's one petition I really need to push through. Getting werewolves the same rights as everyone else, as far as getting employment. That's precisely why Remus is now in the muggle world. Wizards could refuse to hire him for no reason at all and there wasn't anything he could say or do about it. That's the big one, Harry. If I can just get that one passed. That would take a great deal of worry away from the werewolves, especially those afraid to speak up and admit they are werewolves. Right now, they can't even say that or it's an automatic no, in most cases."
"Well, we both know who to blame for that one, don't we?" Harry cocked a brow at her. "Thank Merlin, he's in Azkaban. You would think people would be more flexible now. It's like they think he's going to break out and lead his own rebellion or something. Hermione?"
Hermione had frozen at the mention of that particular werewolf. She remembered the day they were caught. The Snatchers. The chase through the woods. Both him and Scabior taking whiffs of her hair. The feel of his huge hand, with those sharpened claws, gripping her shoulder, all the way to Malfoy Manor. Him holding her tightly against him, whispering everything he'd like to do to her, as Scabior talked to Bellatrix. Him pacing around, eyeing her hungrily as she screamed under the Cruciatus Curse. Him kneeling beside her, reaching for her, just before Harry summoned her to him and Dobby Disapparated. She remembered how it seemed as if he'd almost, almost, looked concerned for her there. 'Surely not!'
Then seeing him again at the battle, just after killing Lavender Brown. She'd screamed in horror, leading him to look up. After seeing her, he'd smiled in satisfaction. He'd raised up and begun stalking her. Harry and Ron had been busy, keeping Dolohov at bay. HE had apparently been intent on finishing what HE'D started in the Ministry all those years ago! Hermione wasn't sure exactly which fate she was more terrified of, becoming a chew toy for a ravenous werewolf or being blasted by more purple flames from Dolohov. Either way, she knew she wouldn't come out alive on the other end. Finally they had managed to subdue Dolohov, just in time to turn and blast Greyback into unconsciousness as well. The wolf had been so intent on Hermione that he'd apparently forgotten they were in a fight!
She blinked and shook her head as Harry gently shook her. "W-what?" Harry was looking at her with concern. Most days, she could control her thoughts when HE was mentioned. Other days, like today, she completely spaced out with memories of him. She never dared to say it out loud, but she'd wondered time and again if he would actually have killed her, like Lavender, or would he have made good on all those whispered threats from that day at the Manor. "Sorry, Harry. I was just-."
"Daydreaming about Greyback again. Hermione, he would have killed you. I don't care how he sounded, at the Manor. If he'd caught you in the fight there, then yeah, he might not have killed you. But, at the battle, he was in the midst of a damn bloodbath, Hermione! There, he would definitely have killed you, maybe not even meaning to. You have got to get over this obsession with him." Harry sighed and rubbed his temples.
He didn't mind admitting that it greatly upset him, this obsession Hermione had with Greyback. He was a stone cold killer, but not in Hermione's eyes. To her, he was the ultimate bad boy, in need of someone to show him the error of his ways. Harry suspected she was getting Remus and Greyback mixed up in her head. She thought that, because Remus had so much self control over himself, surely Greyback did, too! "I didn't want to do this, but maybe it's time to show you exactly who he is. I think we need to pay a visit to Azkaban prison, Hermione. We, YOU, need to see the true face of who you're obsessing over."
There was another knock on Hermione's door. It was Shacklebolt. They were both surprised. It was rare for him to come to the lower levels, even if he did use to work here. Harry wondered what he was doing here. Hermione took one look at him staring at her and guessed almost immediately. "Minister, please. Come in. May I offer you a cup of tea?"
"No, thank you, Hermione. I know you probably heard some of that meeting. And you probably have questions. Before either of you speak, yes, there is going to be a marriage law declared. It's mainly going to be for the purebloods, but it will involve the half bloods and Muggleborns, too. You see, there are quite a few pureblood men and not many women, unless one wants to resort to marrying their cousins, again. Quite a few of these men are Sacred Twenty Eight. They have no legal heirs to inherit their titles, nor their estates. The Wizengamot was not pleased about it. They want these family lines to stay alive. Most of these men are incarcerated. For them, the marriage will mostly be in name only, with a conjugal visit here and there for purposes of producing an heir. You brought yourself onto their radar by coming in like you did. They want you to be included as a potential bride." Shacklebolt told her, visibly cringing.
"Who were they talking about matching me with? If they want me included, then no doubt they have already thrown out some names, too." She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.
"Weeelll." Kingsley said, clearly NOT wanting to answer that particular question. Harry was watching him with an amused expression on his face. For once, it was nice to see someone who was uncomfortable, telling Hermione bad news, someone who wasn't himself or Ron.
"Out with it, Kings. I want to know exactly who they're trying to saddle me with! It's one of the inmates, isn't it? Tell me a name, Kingsley." Hermione demanded to know her fate. Kingsley sighed, clearly not happy about it.
"They gave me basically every family in the Sacred Twenty Eight with a male member, still alive and single. Marcus Flint, Neville Longbottom, Ernie Macmillan, Draco, Malfoy, Theo Nott, Garrick Ollivander, Thorfinn Rowle, myself, Horace Slughorn, Ron, and Corban Yaxley." Throughout the list, Hermione's face had either reddened or paled with each name. At both Garrick and Horace, she looked dangerously close to getting sick. By the time he stopped speaking, she was already shaking her head.
"No. Am I correct in thinking I'm not required to go along with this? They just included me simply for walking into the room? Is that what you're telling me?" She asked incredulously.
Kingsley nodded in relief. He'd been hoping she would say no, especially as he himself was one of her choices. "You are correct. None of the Muggleborns or the half-bloods have to go along with this. These families can easily bring in pureblood witches from other countries."
"I think I do want to be included in this law, Kingsley. I want to be the first one announced with a match. But not with anyone from that list, no offense to you, Neville or Ron. I know someone I will take as a match. Someone who is incarcerated. I want him turned over to my custody. He'll be given one chance and only one chance to redeem himself." Harry's eyes widened in shock. 'No! No, no, no, no, NO! Surely to Merlin, she was NOT going to say THAT name!'
Kingsley eyed her warily, his Slytherin nature warning him to proceed with caution! "And just who would this person be, Miss Granger?" She smiled at his use of her last name.
"Fenrir Greyback." She said simply and sat back, waiting for the explosion.
"No! Hermione! No! Are you bloody mad? He'll kill you the minute he's outside those walls!" Harry yelled angrily. Kingsley waved him to silence. His eyes were narrow with thought.
"Let me get this straight, Hermione." Kingsley said. "You actually WANT me to declare you the first one matched? And you actually WANT me to match you with Fenrir Greyback?"
