"Did you have a nice time?" Jayce asked as the beta lycan walked through the door soaking wet from the rain. He was sitting in a recliner watching a muggle television eating pizza. "I hope you don't mind, I ordered food while you were out. I didn't know how long you'd be gone.
"I don't mind." She sighed as she . "It was a good information, but now we have to get back to business." Jade hung her wet cloak near the furnace in the living room and sat on the couch adjacent from her protégé. "So did you find any useful information tonight?"
"I did actually." He took out a stack of papers from the floor next to him and threw them on the coffee table. "All witches and wizards who are willing to house us if we ever have to flee America, and…" Jayce paused as he pulled out a smaller piece of paper from his pocket.
"Some…man or half werewolf…or something, named Infir Greyback wants to aid us." Jade had heard the surname before, in the papers maybe? The Greyback she had heard of had aided Voldemort in his conquest to try and dominate the wizarding world. If that was the case with this whelp, she didn't want him anywhere near her or the pack.
"We will see about him." Jade answered flatly. "I'll have to speak with him personally if I decide to pursue him. Good work Jayce, tomorrow we are going to be traveling out of London an hour or so to search for a clan that's made up of wandering omega wolves. So be on your guard and make sure to get some sleep."
The young lycan nodded and headed into his room after bidding his companion good night. Jade stayed up another hour scanning over the finformation Jayce had gathered for her. She finally got to bed around two in the morning, oddly with thoughts of Hermione floating in her mind. The woman shrugged the thoughts off as she rolled over and fell asleep.
x—x
When Hermione awoke the next morning she was about to get ready for work when she realized it was Saturday and she didn't need to be on the office. She quickly entered her adjoined bathroom and prepared to shower. The scenes from last night were lingering in her mind and she was trying her best to not dwell on them. As she stood under the massaging streams of water, she kept thinking about how Jade had seen the brooch and hadn't seemed to be affected by it. She felt another pull in her chest as she thought about Jade never regaining her memories.
"Hermione?" hermione jumped when she heard her name being called from somewhere in her flat.
"Fleur?" Hermione yelled out of surprise. "What are you doing here so early?"
"Hermione, it's ten o'clock in the morning." The French witch quipped as she cracked the door slightly so she could hear better. "We are supposed to be meeting Harry and Ginny for brunch soon." Oh right, how could she have forgotten? Hermione cursed herself mentally and rushed the rest of her shower before running out and throwing her bathrobe around her slim body.
"Sorry, Fleur." The hunter apologized as she ran to her closet and grabbed some clothes. "I will be ready in a few moments, just let me get dressed."
"There is no rush." The blonde sat down leisurely on Hermione's bed and waited patiently for the younger witch to get dressed. "How was your night?" The brunette froze momentarily at the query before charming her hair dry and running a brush through it.
"Oh well, it was fine." She answered hastily, hoping her friend wouldn't notice the hesitation. "Just had a drink with a friend."
"A good friend from what I hear." There was giggle and Hermione could imagine the Veela smirking. "Harry told me after you left the office. He was listening outside your door." The brunette exited the bathroom dressed in jeans and a black off the shoulder sweater. "Well?"
"Well what?" Hermione asked as she pulled on her tennis shoes. She was trying hard to get the blonde to drop it, but she should've known better with Fleur.
"How was it?" Fleur sat up slightly showing she was very interested in what the Gryffindor had to say. "Did she remember anything at all?"
"Not really." Hermione sighed as she tied her shoes and stood up. "She didn't remember me at all. It felt like she was drawn to me, but it's not the same." A slight frown appeared on the blonde's face as she stood and put a reassuring hand on Hermione's shoulder.
"Give it time, mon amie." The older witch hummed. "She will come back if you spend more time with her." Hermione was trying hard not think about everything that was happening. Just because Jade was back, that didn't actually mean much of anything. Fleur was really the only friend that had been giving her enough hope not to give up on Jade after all these years.
Ginny and Ron had tried hard to set her up with other people (Ron included) and help her move on, but it was no use. No one she had met the past four years was comparable to Jade in Hermione's eyes. Harry had supported her for a little while, but soon he too was trying to get her mind off of the lycan, in more subtle ways like work and going out, which was more appreciated by the brunette, but Fleur was always telling her not to give up, that there was hope for Jade to come back to her.
Because of that, they had grown very close where Hermione considered Fleur as an older sister, which seemed to make Ron even more jealous than he already was. It was ridiculous really, since he had been dating Romilda Vane for almost two years now. Poor girl was blinded by the infatuation she had for him.
"Thanks for everything, Fleur." Hermione said as they walked out the door into the dim sunlight that was trying hard to break through the cloud cover in the sky. "I really do appreciate your support."
A bright toothy smiled flashed across the blonde's face as they walked to the small diner just down the block. Ginny and Harry were cuddled in a booth in the back as they entered the establishment and waved once they spotted their friends. They all ordered coffee and made small talk while their food was being prepared.
"So, 'Mione." Ginny's tone was already telling Hermione where this conversation was headed. "How was your date last night?"
"Oh merlin, Gin," The brunette sighed as she rubbed her temples. "It wasn't a date, it was a meeting more than anything."
"Well she asked you out didn't she?" The red head pressed, sipping on her coffee.
"Yes but-"
"That means it was a date!" Hermione was getting mildly irritated with her friend's insinuations.
"No." The brunette answered calmly while dropping a cube of sugar in her cup. "All we talked about really was work. I think it was more of a networking opportunity for her."
Ginny snorted and gave her friend the 'I know you know that's not what it meant' look. Hermione rolled her brown eyes and thankfully, their food arrived so there wasn't much more conversation about the drinks she had shared with her former lover. It instead took a turn to talking, or gossiping really, about Ron and Romilda and how Ginny couldn't stand how the girl acted, fawning over him like some fanatic.
"He finally got the kind of girl he's always wanted." Hermione said as she bit into a piece of toast. "Clearly she doesn't have too many wits about her if she's with Ronald." Fleur choked back a laugh as her mouth was full of eggs and Harry just rolled his eyes. They all knew Romilda was a horrible fame chaser, she didn't even really try to hide it. When she couldn't bag Harry she moved on to the next best thing, which was Ron.
"I feel sorry for him sometimes." Ginny said thoughtfully as she poked her salad. "He doesn't even see that she doesn't really like him. She just likes the attention he gets and some of the tiny privileges that come with his sort of fame.
"I seem to think they are the perfect match." Fleur said stirring her coffee slowly. "Both slightly daft and wanting the same thing." As the group finished their meals, Fleur's silver bracelet began to glow and she stepped out to contact the ministry.
"I feel like Fleur and I will have a job to do today." Hermione said as she laid some sickles on the table by her check. "Let's hope it's not going to be too difficult." The three remaining adults stepped outside and chatted for a bit before Fleur rounded the corner with what Hermione called her 'work face'. The brunette sighed heavily and bid her friends farewell before meeting the blonde half way down the sidewalk.
"Amos just called and said there is a situation with some rogue lycans in the north." The blonde's words hit Hermione and all she could think about was if Jade was in the middle of this 'situation'. "We are to report to King's Lynn, northeast of Petersborough." Hermione nodded as Fleur held out her arm. The brunette placed her hand on it and they apparated with a soft crack.
x—x
Jade and her companion were standing on a cliff overlooking a shallow valley that led to the beach and the ocean. Below them, was a rag-tag group of omega lycans wreaking havoc on a small village.
"Well so much for trying to get them to join us." Jayce sighed as he looked down his nose at the unruly beasts. "They obviously can't be controlled and have no sense of direction."
Jade stood there for a moment, the sea breeze blowing gently through her hair and for a moment, she closed her eyes and it reminded her of home by the ocean. Her eyes snapped open again when a lycan had pinned down a young girl. Without hesitation she slid down the bank of rock and sprinted towards the animal.
"Wait a minute!" The boy's voice was caught in the wind and blown in the opposite direction of Jade's ears. The brown beast in front of her raised its clawed hand, ready to bring it down on the child. Jade slammed her body into the burly body and it went flying away from its victim.
"Get going." Jade said firmly to the young girl at her feet. She nodded quickly and ran past Jade to join the surviving villagers. The brown wolf stood and growled menacingly at her, angered that his kill had been interrupted by this stranger. Jade's eyes stayed glued to the wolf in front of her and they narrowed as he dug his claws into the sand getting ready to charge.
"You have two options here, either stand down and let me speak with all of you, or leave." The lycan growled at her loudly which caught the attention of the rest of his make shift pack and they gathered around her slowly. Before they encircled her completely, Jayce was there with his back against hers. He was crouched slightly with his claws out in mid shift.
"You're all about to make a big mistake if you don't back off." The brunette boy growled as he shifted quickly into his lycan form. His hazel eyes being the only indication that he wasn't truly a monster. Jade tried to stay calm as the six wolves closed in. Suddenly, there was a loud crack and two figures appeared a few yards away. Eight pairs of eyes shot in their direction and one lycan broke off and lunged towards them. Fleur easily dispatched of the beast with a swift flick of her wand and stunned the monster as he fell in a heap at her feet.
"Who is in charge here?" The blonde asked dangerously as she pointed her wand at the group of lycans. This only succeeded in angering the other wolves and they all charged the two hunters. Hermione raised her wand and stunned a couple of the beasts headed her way. Jade took the opportunity to tackle the brown wolf in front of her to the ground and pinned his arms down. Her gold eyes were glowing angrily as she spoke softly to the lycan.
"Give up now and I'll make sure you go free." She hissed quietly while the wolf under her struggled. "Or I can let these hunters take you." The lycan's eyes widened slightly, no one knew what happened when you were dragged back the Department of Regulation of Magical Creatures because no magical creature got out after they were taken in usually. He relaxed under her slightly as she got up and stunned the remaining lycans around her.
"What happened here?" The Veela asked with anger in her eyes, her wand still pointed at Jade who raised her hands defensively as Jayce returned to normal.
"They were attacking the village." Jayce said quietly. Hermione came and stood next to the blonde witch not making eye contact with Jade.
"We…intervened before it got worse." Gold eyes trailed to the young brunette witch standing next to the Veela. "Hello, Hermione." The girl instantly blushed and finally locked eyes with the half lycan.
"I hope you had nothing to do with this, Jade." Hermione had to retain her professionalism since she was on the job. The dark haired woman smirked and waved her hand dismissively.
"Of course not." Her gold eyes locked with Hermione's and the brunette cleared her throat. "I'd be a fool to break any laws of the Ministry while I'm here. I just stopped them from causing any more damage to these people." Fleur's eyes glanced at the group of villagers that were standing behind Jade and her protégé.
"It's true, miss." The young girl was hiding slightly behind a large man whom Jade assumed was her father. "She-she helped me. They were attacking, and she stopped them." The girl gave a weak smile and Jade returned it. Fleur's eyes softened slightly and she lowered her wand.
"We still have to do something about these rogue lycans." Hermione said to her partner as she too lowered her wand. Both hunters looked down at the now humans as they sat and awaited their punishment. "Should we take them back to the Ministry?" Several of the lycans there tensed visibly at the word 'ministry', Jade figured their fate at the Ministry was about as grim as any other criminal's would be.
"You hunters." The lycan that had attacked the young girl spoke loudly to the women in front of him. "Ministry dogs, you think you can control how we live our lives like we are part of your law." He stood and turned his dark gray eyes to Jade. "We have our own ways of dealing with things, you have no right to try and pretend like you have any authority here!"
Two others stood up to face them, and before Fleur could raise her wand, they attacked. The brown lycan was obviously their makeshirt leader and as he was in mid shift, he howled loudly. A lycan shifted hastily and attacked the women, but Hermione's reflexes were honed and she easily knocked the wolf back. Four more were advancing and Jade knew the two witches wouldn't be able to handle them on their own for very long.
"Jayce, help the hunters." Jade commanded calmly as she stepped in between Hermione and three of the oncoming lycans. Jayce easily dispatched of a black wolf that had tried to sneak up on Fleur. "I gave you the chance to redeem yourselves." Her voice was powerful yet quiet as she spoke to the advancing beasts. "Now I have no choice." With a wave of her hand a great wall of fire set ablaze in front of her taking down the two lesser wolves. The leader stopped before his fur could be singed and snarled angrily at the fire.
"You protect these hunters?!" He snarled as he broke through the flames and advanced on Jade. "They think they can control who we are and what we do!" As he neared he swung a giant clawed hand at the half lycan's head and she dodged swiftly.
"They take us and torture our kind in the Ministry dungeons while they go home and sleep soundly in their beds like we are nothing more than animals!" Another swing, a bite, a kick…all finding air where Jade once stood.
As fast as Jade dodged, her hand found the lycan's throat and pushed him back onto the ground. A low growl erupted from her throat as the gold began to glow in her eyes and fangs began to extend when she clenched her teeth. She tried hard to hold back her change, if it could be avoided, she would never shift. Only a percentage of her lycan blood was tapped when she was fighting and she had never fully changed in front of many except her father and Rayna. That had been years ago.
"You lack the diplomatic logic of a leader." She spat at him as he began to change back to his human self. "Stay down and I could possibly keep you from being taken." Her voice was a sharp whisper and the man below her had an equally sharp glare. "Fight me, and I will finish you myself." She flexed her hand making the man choke and gasp for air. Her message being sent, she stood and dusted off her clothes before turning back to the people behind her. Jayce had a smug smile on his face, while Hermione and Fleur stood in shock at how easily the beast was apprehended by the woman who hadn't even began to shift once throughout the ordeal.
"We still need to take him with us, Jade." Hermione's voice was determined to maintain her composure. As the teenage boy walked over to his superior he glanced down at the man on the ground and scowled.
"Maybe we should let them take him." He whispered keeping his hazel eyes on the man. "He's a disgrace to our blood."
"Everyone deserves a chance to change." She replied back as she passed him. "Let me have a word with the hunters. He could prove to be an asset to us in the future." Jade languidly walked over to the two witches and smiled. Hermione was still amazed how much danger her gold eyes could hold, but now there was no sign of any malcontent, just Jade's gentle gaze. "Please, this is a lycan matter. Allow me to handle it myself."
"That isn't possible." Fleur spoke keeping her guard up with the half lycan. "He has broken the law and must be taken back with us. Obviously he is the leader, so he is the only one we need to take. You can handle the others if you wish. This man has been wanted in our department for years."
"Be that as it may." Jade continued calmly. "If you let me take him, I promise he will be punished to the full extent of our law. And he won't ever be a problem for the Ministry again." She closed her eyes for a moment and took a breath. "Attacking innocent people is one of the highest crimes you can commit in our society. Let me take him." Fleur faltered for a moment as she turned to her Hermione for her opinion on the matter. "Take another back so you won't get in trouble with your department, but that man is mine." There was resolve in her gold eyes when she opened them again.
"I'm sorry, Jade." Hermione said finally after a wordless discussion with her partner. "We must take him back with us." Jade sighed as she backed slowly, appearing to give them access to the fallen man whose eyes were filled with fear now. Jayce stayed close to her as she stopped next to the fallen wolf.
"Believe me, Miss Granger," Her voice was soft when she spoke and her eyes were smiling. "When I say I am truly sorry for what I am about to do, and hope it doesn't change your opinion of me." Without warning Jade grabbed Jayce's arm and stepped on the man's leg before apparating away. Hermione and Fleur ran to the spot where Jade once stood.
"Damn it." Hermione cursed as she looked around at the other unconscious lycans around her. "Mr. Diggory is going to have a conniption." She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed heavily as she looked around.
"Well," Fleur said coming to stand next to her. "We still have a mess to clean up here. We can deal with Jade later." Hermione knew her friend was right as they started binding the remaining lycans and sending them off to the Ministry for questioning.
"What do you think she wants with him?" Hermione asked absentmindedly as they helped repair the village buildings and homes. "That lycan, we've been after him for years and we only had the chance because of Jade and then she snatches him." Fleur finished putting the roof back onto a house and turned to her friend.
"I'm not sure, Hermione." She whispered as they started back towards the beach where they appeared. "I feel like we should keep a close eye on her though. Perhaps she has some hidden agenda that goes along with her business she has here." Hermione nodded. Jade had been very vague on her purpose here. Business she had said, but what kind of business. Public relations…but what did that mean?
x—x
The three lycans appeared in a forest full of sunlight, Jade's foot still on the man's leg while he was on the ground. He grunted as Jade lifted her foot off him and headed towards a large tent that was set up a mere few feet away.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" The man spat as she stood up and dusted off his pants. Jayce growled at him threateningly as he tried to approach Jade.
"I'm the one who just saved your hide." Jade said without turning around as she combed her fingers through her hair. "Reluctantly so, as well. I might have severed a great opportunity for me by saving your life, but you must understand, disobey me and I will quickly end your existence. Do you understand?" Her eyes glowed eerily as she turned to face the man in front of her. He swallowed hard and nodded. "Now, what's your name?"
"Aiden." The gray eyed man said. He couldn't have been more than thirty years old with his dark brown hair thinning slightly. "Aiden Cunningham. I've been on the run from the hunters for about two years now."
"Well if you've been running around killing innocent people," Jayce spat as he crossed his arms. "I don't blame them for wanting your head on a pike."
"Careful, whelp." Aiden snarled as he glared at the younger man. "You don't even look like you have the skin of a warrior and you speak to me that way." The brunette boy growled at the taller man who stood his ground and bared his teeth.
"Enough." Jade snapped flipping her hair over her shoulder. "This is no time to be quarreling amongst ourselves. The task at hand is to make sure Aiden doesn't get seen or found by the Ministry. You and I will have to stay under the radar as well Jayce, hopefully my ties with Miss Granger will keep us that way. No doubt she is rather cross with me." The male lycans gave each other one last glare before turning their backs. Jade walked into the tent and sat down at the table to write her father with the details of their 'trip' so far. Jayce entered after and flopped down on his cot to take a nap.
"So, what exactly are you guys up to?" Aiden asked as he sat down across from the she lycan. "Obviously you are planning something, and you're no alpha."
"We are just looking for people like you." Jade answered, not lifting her gaze away from the paper and pen. "Rogues or omegas that don't have a pack, to join ours. My father, our alpha, wants to try and rid the world of its laws on us lycans and magical creatures. To achieve that, he thinks an uprising is needed. And for that, we need numbers." Aiden's eyes widened slightly as he listened to the plans and missions past. The lycan smirked as he closed his eyes and chuckled.
"That sounds great." Aiden said more to himself than Jade. "It's about time we get our rights heard." Jade nodded as she folded the paper and stuffed it in an envelope. She whistled loudly and a hawk flew into the tent. After the envelope was securely attached to the bird's leg, Jade whispered something to it and it was off again in a streak of feathers. Jade sat on her own cot and laid down before addressing the lycans again.
"We will stay in Manchester for a while and set up a camp here." She closed her eyes and sighed softly. "Hopefully the tension with the Ministry will be diffused in a few days. We will head back to London after setting up a safe house for Aiden and any other omegas we find on the way."
Aiden grunted as he took a spare cot and Jayce nodded before rolling over. Jade hoped she hadn't caused too much trouble, she wanted to keep as low a profile as possible and taking a wanted man from the Ministry wasn't the best way to stay out of their sights. As she thought about Hermione, she couldn't help but smile at the confused look that adorned the girl's face before she had apparated away. It had been curiously satisfying.
x—x
Hermione had a pile of paper work to finish after explaining what had happened with the lycans in King's Lynn. Fleur and the brunette had decided to conveniently leave Jade out of the situation and told Amos Diggory that Cunningham had gotten away in the struggle. After a stern talking to, Hermione and Fleur were sent to their respective offices to file a report. As her hand started to cramp, the brunette finally signed her name on the last page and put the stack in her out box. She sighed and started massaging her wrist as she sat back in her chair before Harry came through her door.
"Good evening, 'Mione!" He greeted as he sat in the leather chair across from her desk. "How did that situation go?" Hermione smiled and groaned as she put her head in her hands.
"Well we had Cunningham in our grasp." She said quietly rubbing her temples. "And then…well, Harry you have to promise not to tell anyone, especially Ron, ok?" The green eyed man nodded and sat up to listen to what his friend had to say. "Well, Jade was there."
"Was she the start of the raid?" Harry asked eagerly.
"No," The brunette continued as she sighed again. "She actually helped, until she took Cunningham and apparated away." She looked her friend in the eyes and gave a weak smile. The events of the past twenty-four hours were weighing on her. "Jade said it was lycan law to deal with a criminal in lycan society and she wanted him to go with her. Fleur and I said no, and when we did she took him and we have no idea where she is."
"Did you tell Mr. Diggory?" Harry asked quietly as he glanced behind him to make sure the door was shut enough so no one passing would hear. "I mean, she could get in a lot of trouble couldn't she? Abducting a fugitive."
"We…we didn't tell him about Jade." She watched as shock crossed her friend's face. "I didn't want to involve her, I know…I know she's not herself, but I also know she didn't want to be on the Ministry's bad side. So I assume she's taken to her word and we won't see Cunningham again." Harry sat back in his chair and processed what Hermione had told him. Although they all worked for the Ministry, they hadn't really let go of breaking the rules every now and again.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Hermione." He said quietly running a hand through his black hair. "She loves you I know, but for your sake and hers, I hope Jade doesn't do anything else to draw the Ministry eye to her." The brunette nodded as Fleur came into her office.
"Are you ready to go, Hermione?" The Veela had changed her clothes and was dressed in casual jeans and a dress shirt. "Hello, Harry! We are meeting Bill at the new Italian restaurant down the street, would you like to join us?" The bespectacled auror smiled and stood up.
"That sounds lovely." He smiled brightly and turned to Hermione who was grabbing her cloak. "Ready?" The brunette nodded and stepped out her door, followed by Harry and Fleur. She hoped the rest of her weekend would go by without any more distractions. As the cool air hit her skin, she took a deep breath and sighed heavily as the trio walked down the street. She looked up to see a waning moon rising in the sky, and found her mind wandering back to the dark haired woman she had encountered again today. Hopefully she wasn't going to be a problem in the future.