And so it begins
The Avengers make threats, Natasha gives advice, Greyback states his terms, Kingsley warns of a possible problem. Hermione tries to bypass her fear, Greyback knows better.
After turning away from the screen, Fenrir immediately found himself staring into the unfriendly faces and weapons of the Avengers. He smirked as he slowly raised his hands in surrender. "I'll just see myself back into my cell, yeah?"
Hermione leaned against Nick, trying to rally her courage. "Are you absolutely positive you don't want us to stay, too? You know we will and it'll be no bother at all." Nick told her.
"I know but I have to try this on my own first. If I think it's not working, then I'll let you know." Hermione promised him.
Nick nodded, resolving to keep a close eye on that,, wolf! Eyeing the wolf as he was now back in the cell, he hugged his goddaughter and motioned the rest of the team out. "I'll be leaving various lights on both above and below this level. Just so he thinks we're all still here. That'll help keep him on his toes!"
Hermione smiled gratefully. "Any help is much appreciated. I think you mentioned a workout room somewhere on this level? That might help as well, give him a place to work out his anger and frustration." Nick nodded, reminding himself to free up Captain America's workout room for the wolf.
Steve Rogers walked over. "Let me know if he hurts you. I'll be happy to beat the daylights out of him," speaking loud enough for Fenrir to hear him. Hawkeye was next, "I have perfect aim. He could use an arrow through the eye, you know." Hermione laughed, sneaking a glance at Fenrir. Thor came next. "Let me assure you, Lady Hermione, if he lays one unfriendly finger on you, I shall call the lightning down on him and Mjolnir shall knock some sense into his hard head!" Tony told her, "Let me know if I need to come over and laser beam his ass." She hugged him and thanked him for the offer. Bruce came up with a dead serious look on his face. "Just a reminder, the big guy knocked Thor out a couple times and also rag dolled Loki. This beater gives you any trouble at all, it's been a while since the big guy got to give any villains a touch of whiplash." Hermione giggled at the thought of Fenrir Greyback getting rag dolled.
Nick hugged her softly. The girl was skin and bones. He knew the past several months had been rough on her. Maybe she could take a deep breath and relax for a brief moment. This time of isolation might be as good for her as she was hoping it would be for the wolf. Nick still didn't like the thought of her by herself with this guy. But short of forcing her to let him and the team stay, there was not a lot he could do about it.
As he walked past the cell, he eyed the man inside. The man who had yet to look away from Hermione even with all the other people walking around the room. He paused at the door. He waited for Greyback to look at HIM. Then he spoke. "That girl is my goddaughter and very dear to me. I know you've heard all the other threats and I'm going to add my own threat. I'll be checking in on both of you every single day. Several times a day. If I should see so much as a tiny scratch or bruise on her, I'll slice and dice you so finely, your body will never be recovered! You hear me?" Fenrir simply nodded. Nick walked out without another word. Hermione thought everyone was gone until Natasha stopped beside her. She didn't say a word to Fenrir, she simply aimed her gun between his eyes. It was enough to get her point across.
She linked arms with Hermione and pulled her out of the room. "Nome of your people seemed too worried about this but I know that Nick will be pacing the floors. He said your job was to persuade this guy over to your side?" Hermione nodded, shivering slightly. "Exactly how far are you supposed to go, persuading him?" Hermione ducked her head as she refused to look Natasha in the eye. Nat sighed. "That's what I was afraid of. Did they at least put you on birth control before throwing you and this guy together?"
Hermione's face was red as she answered. "Yes, before I came back over here, Professor Snape gave me some potions. He must have known who they'd captured before I knew. He wasn't happy about it himself. He said these were exceptionally strong potions because regular potions wouldn't be effective enough. I have a month's supply and he's already told me to let him know if I'm going to need more." She sighed. "Honestly, I'm lost. I don't have the first clue to how I'm supposed to hold his interest. I know how to awkwardly flirt with guys my own age. He's full grown and more than experienced, I'm sure."
Natasha smiled. "Well, for starters, do you have any skimpy clothes with you. Crop tops, boy shorts? Don't wear them together but every day put on either a crop top or a pair of boy shorts. See which one he shows the most interest in, your boobs or your legs. Then start wearing something every day that displays the view. Touch him as often as you can, even though getting near him terrifies you. Show him that you are willing to touch and be touched in return. Even if it's as simple as brushing his hair back from his eyes, it will get your point across. Does he have a wand?" Hermione nodded. "The bracelet doesn't shut off his magic. It simply shocks him if he starts having violent urges or tries to hurt you. Giving him back his weapon will really be a good show of trust, to start with."
"Now, are you really sure that you don't want us staying here?" Natasha looked at her seriously. Hermione took a deep breath and nodded. "All right, then I'll check in with you every day. We'll go over your progress and discuss any concerns, all right?" Nat hugged her and followed the rest of the team. Hermione smiled and waved goodbye to them. After they were gone, she sagged against the wall again.
Then she straightened up. 'She was Hermione Granger, Gryffindor, by Merlin and she had a job to do!' she marched back into the room and headed for the glass cell. As soon as she'd made her entrance, his eyes were on her again. She stood at the door before stepping in. He was laid on the bunk, wearing nothing but his traditional trench coat, ripped blue jeans and combat boots. His hands were under his head and his ankles were crossed. He looked, for all the world, as if he was laying there taking a nap. She crossed over to him.
As he stared up at her, she produced his wand. She laid it on his bare chest and stroked his hair back off his forehead. "You might need this. Whenever you're ready to leave this cell, we have living quarters across the way. Simply go down the steps outside this room and cross to the other side. There should be a supply of clothes waiting for you. I'll be in the kitchen. We have a workout room also, if you're into working out. I'll see you downstairs. I hope to not have to use this cell for much more than your transformations." With that said, Hermione turned and left.
Greyback had frozen as soon as the little witch touched him. 'He knew she was terrified of him, that much was obvious in her scent but she had still touched him!' Maybe this little jaunt wouldn't so bad after all. He'd had to restrain himself from pulling her down on top of him. Remembering that Scabior liked this one helped him calm down. He would leave the most important part to him but he would have fun with the rest of her in the meantime. As for changing sides, well, that would take some serious consideration. IF he did decide that he was on the wrong side, there would have to be terms and conditions; they would have to sweeten the pot to get him to trust them more than the Dark Lord.
He watched her leave the cell, then the room. The cell door remained open. He sat up and frowned. He stood and walked over to the door. Cautiously he stuck his hand through, expecting a trap. When it didn't slam shut, he took a step out, then another until he was by the door. He reached out and opened it, stepping into the hallway. Still clear, still no traps. He saw the steps and followed them down. At the crossover, he looked down then up. There were levels below and above them, lights on here and there. Those other people, he assumed. It was too much to hope that he would have the girl all to himself for a while before turning her over to Scabior. He finally crossed the rickety little metal bridge as fast as he could.
He walked into the first open door he saw. It was fairly good sized sleeping quarters. As promised, there was a short stack of clothes. Holding them against himself showed whoever had provided them was a good judge of size or roughly the same size as him. He picked out an outfit and walked over to what he hoped was a connecting bathroom. He was pleased to see that it had everything he needed to get cleaned up. After a long shower that had him feeling much better, he tied his hair back into a tight ponytail and decided it was time to give his beard a good close trim.
He saw a hamper and dropped his dirty clothes in it. He put on the jeans and boots. He almost decided not to wear the shirt. Then he figured it might put her more at ease if she wasn't constantly staring at his chest. She wasn't very experienced, unless his instincts about her were wrong. He left his room and went in search of her. Passing another open door, he took a minute to peer in. He smiled as he saw the same small beaded bag she'd had that night, sitting on her night stand. He continued down the hall. Hearing a sizzle led him into a room where she was standing at a stove frying bacon. He quietly strode over and sat down at the table.
Hermione turned around to put the bacon on the table and startled back as she saw Fenrir sitting there. "Hi. I figured you might be hungry. I ate before the meeting. I hope you like bacon and eggs. It's pretty much the only two breakfast foods I don't scorch."
Fenrir smiled at her. "You should have said something. I'm a pretty good cook."
"Yeah?" Hermione tentatively smiled back. "Well, we have a pretty well stocked pantry. And we can always get more stuff, too."
She thought it was a pretty good start, considering she wasn't screaming and running away from him. He seemed to be in a good enough mood right now for them to at least be civil to one another.
Remembering what Natasha said, she'd gone to her room and changed into a crop top. Unless she was missing something, he hadn't really taken any notice. At least, not yet. They sat and ate quietly. She hadn't realized how nervous she was earlier until she saw the amount of food she ended up putting on the table. He was smiling in amusement.
"Sorry. I didn't eat but a bite or two earlier." She apologized.
"No worries, sweetheart. I'm a big eater and you need to eat more, anyway." He saw what Nick had seen, that Hermione was skin and bones. He wondered if it had all been the year she'd spent running around with the two boys or if she'd always been a light eater. He didn't know if she'd talk about herself or not. He picked a topic that he'd been considering since the conference earlier.
"So, Remus has a pup. Does he transform?" Fenrir asked.
"Teddy? I don't think so. If he does, they've never mentioned it." Hermione was startled at the topic he chose to talk about.
"I count him, his mum and Remus as members of my pack, you know. Remus is, after all, one of my pups." Fenrir regarded her seriously.
"Yes, I'm aware. I also know Remus doesn't think of himself as a wolf." Hermione reminded him.
"Shame. He could be one of my best warriors. Instead, he drinks that poison every month and kills himself more, denying his wolf." Fenrir carefully avoided looking at her.
"Kills himself or keeps himself in control?" Hermione frowned. She stood and nervously began clearing the table and running hot water to wash their dishes.
"Kills himself, girly, make no mistake about that! Look at me, then look at him. I'm older but you can't tell it. Why? Because I've chosen to become one with my wolf, not just for the full moon, but all the time. If he would, just once, let his wolf go wild, just for one moon week, he'd look and feel much better!" Fenrir rose and came around to the sink, taking the frying pan out of her hands before placing it in the sink.
She put her back to the sink, staring up at him. "Maybe he doesn't want to let his wolf go wild. Maybe he's afraid he'll hurt someone, family or friends."
"The only thing he's scared of is himself and that's because of his tyrant of a father! Oh, yeah, girly, I knew Lyall Lupin! He's the one and only reason Remus was bit! I was aiming for him, not Remus! All those laws persecuting werewolves, all his work!" Fenrir laid both hands on either side of Hermione, trapping her between him and the sink.
"The only thing I want for my people, the only thing I've EVER wanted for them is to find a safe haven. Keep us secluded from the world! No hunting us for sport, no killing us in fear of the full moon! I just want my people to be SAFE, girly! THAT'S what he promised us. If you really, seriously want us on your side, THAT is what I want in return! When your people can guarantee me that you will NOT hunt or kill MY PEOPLE, you will let us disappear and never try to find or follow us, then we might have a deal. You wanted my thoughts? There you go. Take that to your precious Order and Ministry." He suddenly seemed to realize how close they were. Taking her by surprise, he leaned down and kissed her, then walked out of the kitchen.
Hermione stood there, wide eyed and with a hand smoothing over her mouth. After she processed that unexpected kiss, she finished washing the dishes. She went to her room and called headquarters. Harry and Kingsley were the only ones in sight. She quickly filled them in on everything except the kiss. Kingsley promised to start trying to work out a deal that Greyback might agree to. Harry was just happy to see her still in one piece.
"We might have a problem working anything out past Moody. Even though he's the one who pointed out Greyback for us to capture, I'm not sure he did it purely for the war. He seems to have a personal grudge against Greyback. We might have to do a little bit of fiddling the plan in order to succeed this time, Hermione." Kingsley said.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, Kingsley. I'm just thrilled that Greyback actually told me a solid plan to work towards. Worst comes to worst, I'll pull both Harry and the wolves out of the equation!" Hermione smiled at the thought of Harry on the helicarrier with her. Harry looked thrilled at the thought of possibly joining her.
"How is he when he's not telling you his terms?" Kingsley asked. Harry watched her closely.
"He's actually civil right now. We haven't gotten to the point of doing each other's hair and nails yet. But he's not bad to talk to, right now. He did tell me he's pretty good cook." Hermione told them. Just then, a second screen flipped on. It was Nick, with Tony Stark and Bruce Banner in the background. As promised, he was checking in on her. She filled him in on her progress with the werewolf.
"I'm not sure where he is at the moment. I was actually going to go see if I could find him after our conference. He told me what our side needed to do if we wanted him to side with us this time. I was just letting Kingsley know so he could start working up a preliminary agreement." Hermione told Nick.
"He's in the workout room." Bruce informed them. He was watching another screen. "Looks like he's beating the hell out of one of Cap's punching bags." Hermione nodded. He'd seemed tense when he walked out of the kitchen earlier.
"Oh. I just thought." Hermione gasped. "Full moon is in three more days, of course he's looking to blow off steam!" she shivered as she thought of trying to coax him back into the cage.
Nick looked at her from the screen. "Remember, Hermione, if you don't think he'll go back in the cage for you, let me know. Between me and the Avengers, we'll get his ass back in there!"
Hermione smiled gratefully at Nick. "I'm hoping that I've started making enough of a connection that he will go back in. But, I promise, if I don't think he will, you'll be the first ones I call!"
Nick nodded, that was as good as it was going to get, until he finally convinced her to let him and the Avengers stay onboard, too. After all the screens went blank, Hermione stood a moment longer. Deciding that she would like to work out as well, she changed into jogging pants but left the crop top on. She put her hair up and stuck her wand through it.
She walked down to the workout room and stood at the door, watching Greyback. As Bruce had said, he was trying to beat the hell out of a punching bag. She stepped inside and went to a treadmill. He grabbed the bag and watched her adjust the controls. As soon as she started walking, he started punching again. They worked out for at least thirty minutes. When Hermione felt like she couldn't take another step, she stopped the machine and started cooling down. He had stopped punching again to watch her.
"I'm going to get a bottle of water, want one?" she asked him breathlessly. They walked out of the mini gym together and headed to the kitchen. She grabbed two bottles of water out of the refrigerator and turned to him. He took the bottle but laid it against her face. "You're not scared of me anymore?"
"I'm scared of who you were the night you dragged us to Malfoy Manor. Since then you've shown me glimpses of a different Greyback, one who isn't a monster. Someone who cares about his people. I'd like to get to know that Greyback better." Hermione spoke softly, she had a feeling he'd spooked himself earlier, kissing her. One wrong word might spook him again.
"I'm still that same monster, Hermione. I proved that yesterday morning, trying to grab you and disappear! That monster is a part of me. Just because I can't hurt you right now doesn't mean anything. That's the only reason you're seeing a different me. If there was the slightest chance of escaping here, taking you with me, I'd be gone in an instant. Only difference is, I'd take you back home to the pack, not to him. If it had just been you, that night, we would never have taken you to the Manor. You'd have gone straight into the wolf pack." Hermione's eyes were huge as he stopped speaking. He leaned over, pulling her close. "And that look, sweetheart, proves that you are still very much afraid of me." He kissed her again and walked out of the kitchen for the second time.