Another Death Eater hunt
A new name is added to the list. The Avengers come to call. A real Death Eater is brought into the mix.
Hermione stared at him. "Rowle? Thorfinn Rowle? As if he isn't dangerous enough right now, you want to give him werewolf strength! Are you mad? He'll go barmy and kill us all, Greyback!" he noted that she didn't seem upset at hearing her own name, only that of Rowle.
"Those are my demands, Granger, take it or leave it!" he leaned against the wall. Scabior was watching her with interest as they debated over Rowle. Alex was too busy healing Scabior's smaller wounds to pay attention.
"Listen to me. Rowle is too dangerous! He can wield Fiendfyre! One blast of that and he could kill half a dozen of your other wolves! You call Alex a dark horse, but Rowle is even more so. The year they infiltrated Hogwarts, some of my friends and I were hidden, trying to keep an eye on Draco. They came out of the room of requirement and I HEARD Bellatrix specifically tell him, 'No. Fires. Inside!' he agreed, then set the Great Hall aflame as they were running out of the school. He forgot his orders, like Alex, but HE did it intentionally!" She argued, trying to get him to change his mind. He simply stared at her, raised a brow and crossed his arms stubbornly. She crossed her own arms and glared at him.
Harry and Kingsley were sniggering quietly as they waited to see who would win this stare down, the brilliant witch or the notoriously savage werewolf. "Ten galleons on Greyback." Harry whispered to Kingsley. Scabior's eyes were glued to the screen as he waited to see what they decided.
Alex finally looked up and joined the audience. "What's going on there?" he nodded at the screen.
"Greyback just told her his last two conditions. She's arguing with him over one of them." Harry told him.
"Which one?" he asked curiously. He cocked his head at the screen.
"He told her he also wanted Rowle for the wolf pack. She's trying to dissuade him." Kingsley said.
"I know where Rowle hangs out, if we need to contact him." Alex offered. He liked the idea of having Rowle in the pack with them. Rowle was the one who had taught him how cast and control Fiendfyre. "He doesn't like being a Death Eater, takes too much time away from Quidditch. He only joined because he's allowed to cast Fiendfyre every time they need a distraction." He shrugged as Hermione turned to raise a disbelieving brow at him.
"Is he still actively playing Quidditch? If so, he DEFINITELY isn't going to be a happy camper! He'll burn the entire helicarrier down! And he would have to be brought here because I AM NOT trusting him to not burn down Grimmauld Place to escape!" she gritted angrily. Greyback smiled triumphantly.
"Alex, if you know how to get in touch with him, do it. I seem to recall hearing him asking about the pack at one point." He told Alex. He didn't worry about whether Rowle was still an active player or not. His being a wolf would only affect that scenario once a month for just a few nights. His fan base would never need to know he was a wolf.
"Ok, Alpha. Do I, uh, bring him here or just talk to him?" Alex wondered.
"Just tell him I'm looking for new members, see if he knows anyone interested. If he volunteers, then we'll let little Miss Hermione decide when he needs to be retrieved." He chuckled as she glared at him again.
Harry and Kingsley were laughing heartily. It wasn't often they saw Hermione getting outmaneuvered like this. Kingsley made a vow to himself. If there was any way to get Greyback's conditions pushed through, he would personally see to it. It was much better to have Greyback on their side! Especially since he was now gunning for Voldemort's strongest, most dangerous follower!
Alex reluctantly left Scabior in Kingsley's custody. Kingsley and Harry got the young Snatcher to his feet and over to the couch. While Harry kept an eye on his wounds, Kingsley put up barriers around the couch. Ron came strolling in right then. As soon as he laid eyes on the young man, he yelled angrily, drew his wand and ran at him. Kingsley watched interestedly as Ron launched himself at the couch, only to bounce off the barrier and hit the floor.
Hermione face palmed as she watched. Greyback threw his head back and laughed, watching the dazed ginger sit up and shake his head. The Snatcher watched curiously with his head cocked. Harry bit his lip and struggled to contain his laughter.
"Harry, who the devil is this? Why's HE here?" Ron demanded. Harry stood up and stepped away from the couch.
"This is Scabior, Beta to the wolf pack we're HOPING to persuade over to our side this time. I'm sure you remember him from just the other day? Surely even you haven't forgotten him that fast, Ron! He was injured tonight. He'll be staying with us for a while, he and Alex both. And we might have another guest in a day or so, depending on how he answers Alex." Harry answered calmly.
"Staying here? Why not St Mungos? If he's injured, that's where he needs to be!" Ron argued.
"No, he stays here! If he goes there, they'll be trying to chuck him into Azkaban for supporting HIM! I'm sure you know that!" Harry glared at Ron. "This is all part of Hermione's plan. She knows what she's doing and how it needs to work out."
"He wasn't supposed to live here and neither was the other one. I heard her plan the other day, too!" Ron argued.
"Plans change, Ronald. I'm sure you know that! For every plan I've made, I have to be prepared with at least one or more backup plans." Hermione said, still not happy with the new plan, but knowing Greyback could back out of their deal, if she didn't at least TRY to get Rowle for him.
At that moment, Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner and Thor Odinson walked into the room. "Hermione, sweetheart! Fangs, good to see you're still alive! How's it going?"
Hermione turned to Stark with a smile. "Hello, Tony. It's going good. We're just doing a bit of renegotiating." She walked into his arms. He hugged her and kissed her forehead. "We might be getting a few more guests soon. I need to run it by Nick, though."
"Don't worry about extra guests. If Nick won't let them stay here, I'll reinforce some floors in Avengers Tower and we'll put them over there, ok?" he tapped her chin playfully.
"Ok. I might need to keep a couple of you on standby. A couple of our extra guests might need to be rag dolled in order to beat some sense into their stubborn heads." She turned and glared at Greyback, who threw his head back and laughed.
"That's you, big guy." Tony said to Bruce. "Any chance they might need a laser beam aimed at them?" he asked hopefully.
"Oh, definitely. They might also need a beat down and some lightning rained down on them." Hermione told them. Steve and Thor both smiled menacingly at Greyback. Banner, who had been wandering around the room, came back and laid an arm across Hermione's shoulder. Greyback had the feeling, if he made even the slightest wrong move right now, he'd gladly be beaten and thrown off the side of the airship.
"I have no problems here, darling. I've stated my case, named my conditions and now I'm just waiting to see how many of them are going to be filled." Greyback answered casually.
"So tell me, what are you going to do if Alex comes back and says Rowle wasn't interested? Is the whole deal off or what?" Hermione asked, needing to know if she needed to totally rework her plan. If the wolves weren't going to cooperate with her, she was going to grab Harry and disappear! Let the Wizarding world solve its own problems!
"Rowle will cooperate, darling, he's already shown interest. If he hadn't, Alex would not know where to contact him. Not even the Dark Lord can get hold of him by any means except his Dark Mark. That man stays hidden away except for playing Quidditch." Greyback assured her.
"Maybe he will, maybe he won't. We'll see." Hermione was going to reserve judgment until they heard anything for sure about Rowle. "IF he does join you, how do you expect to keep any better control of him than Bellatrix?"
"Ah, but you see, sweetie," Greyback walked over and leaned down to her. "Bellatrix NEVER had control of him. He just barely even listened to the Dark Lord. The wolf pack has a hierarchy. Once he's a wolf, he WILL listen to the Alpha wolf and that, darling, is ME!"
"Speaking of which?" Hermione started. Greyback held his finger against her mouth and shook his head.
"THAT can wait until after the battle, after Potter wins. Until then, HE needs you more." He told her. Since she hadn't raised a fuss about him naming her as one of his conditions, he knew she wasn't going to back out of their deal either. He could wait for her, Scabior wouldn't be able to be around her at full moons until the battle was over, but he wouldn't mind waiting either. As long as they knew she would be one of them, eventually.
Steve, Tony, Bruce and Thor all narrowed their eyes suspiciously at them. They sensed there was more to that exchange than they knew. Hermione turned to them, asking if they'd like to stay for lunch. Tony and Thor immediately refused, citing a double date with Pepper Potts and Jane Foster. Bruce tried to back out, citing a new experiment he had to keep an eye on but she immediately overruled him. Bruce figured, since he got roped in, the more the merrier so he immediately roped Steve into the meal as well.
She told Harry, Kingsley and Ron she'd talk to them later, waved at Scabior who waved back weakly and closed the connection. She led the way out of the room into the kitchen. She and Bruce fell into an easy pattern of ducking and weaving as they made sandwiches for everyone.
Steve, who had been quietly contemplating him as he sketched on a drawing pad, suddenly spoke to Fenrir. "So, are you and Hermione making any headway on your negotiations?"
Fenrir looked at the super soldier. "As I stated earlier, I've made my conditions clear. Now we play a waiting game. If her side agrees to my conditions, my pack will be firmly on her side. If they don't, well, SHE might still be able to keep my pack on her side." He met Hermione's eyes. She suddenly remembered he'd named HER as one of his conditions! She looked away as Steve looked at her.
"Like I said, Fenrir, Kingsley is the one I chose to negotiate with the Ministry. If there's any way possible for your conditions to be met, he will find it! I trust Kingsley. In the meantime, let's talk about Rowle and Scabior. If the Ministry refuses to agree to this truce between us, how would you feel about missing the battle entirely? Because if it comes right down to it, I'm pulling both Harry and your wolf pack out of the picture! If we can't get you on our side, damned if he's still going to have you on his side! I'll have every one of your members kidnapped and brought here, if necessary! Rowle and Scabior can be brought here, you can turn them and we'll use the cell for all of you to transform for full moon." She tilted her chin at him defiantly.
Fenrir chuckled as he shook his head. "My people are safe and hidden, for now. The only ones I have with me are my warriors. Alex, Scabior and Rowle as soon as I turn them. Rowle has been hanging with us much more than the Death Eaters. It's how I know he will agree! The rest I've turned are Death Eaters he was displeased with and had punished with lycanthropy. I haven't bonded with them, not like my three boys! They will still follow HIM! My boys will follow ME. Even Rowle! Don't you worry your pretty head about that!"
Both Steve and Bruce noticed that she was still nervously tapping her fingers, even as Greyback attempted to reassure her of his and the packs loyalty. They absorbed every word and action, knowing that both Nick and Tony would be grilling them later for every single detail. After lunch, they all retreated to the game room. To Hermione's amusement, Steve and Bruce challenged her and Greyback to a game of pool. After several games they switched partners to Steve and Greyback, Bruce and Hermione. Then they switched again to Steve and Hermione, Bruce and Greyback. As their final game was winding down, with much amusement, Nick, Natasha, Clint, Tony and Thor walked in.
"Hey, Tony, may I suggest you never play pool against this one? He turned into quite the hustler once he figured out the game." Bruce laughed, pointing at Greyback. Greyback shrugged and smiled modestly. Tony eyed him with interest. He was always up for a challenging game of pool.
"Actually we came to check on you two. We were afraid Fangs might have shredded you and absconded with our girl. Nice to see that's not the case. No offense, Fangs, you're still a stranger to us." He walked by Greyback and tapped his arm. Fenrir wasn't offended, he knew this whole group was still very wary of him, especially around Hermione.
Natasha pulled Hermione out of the room and pointed Thor towards the pool table in her stead. She took her down the hall to her room and sat her down. "So, we saw you playing pool this morning, the two of you are still getting along? How are things going privately?"
"We are getting along, surprisingly. Of course, he still knows I am scared of him, he can smell it. But, um, how, how long were you watching us?" Hermione turned pink, wondering if they'd seen him lay her down on the table.
"Not too long and I'm guessing we turned the monitor off just in time, judging by the blush. So the crop top worked?" she gently teased the young witch.
Hermione smiled. "Oh, he liked the crop top! Tomorrow, I'm still going to see how he reacts to me in boy shorts. But, yes, he most definitely liked the top!"
"Good. Just remember, if he starts getting rough, you don't have to put up with it. Call us in. We'll have a little 'come to Jesus' talk with him, straighten him out on a few matters!" Natasha told her. They stood and went to rejoin the men, who were cheering on the new teams of Steve and Thor vs Clint and Tony. Greyback was actually standing between Nick and Thor, both of whom were every bit as big as he was. He and Nick were eye to eye and Thor was still about half a head taller than him. He saw her come back with the woman and wondered what that had been about.
The Avengers stayed for another few hours and had supper with them. Hermione had spoken to both Nick and Tony about additional guests. They both agreed that the wolves would stay on the airship for now, just until they were all turned. Tony would begin preparing three floors of Avengers Tower to move them all to. After hearing that two of them had magical destructive fire, he made a note to make all three floors especially fire retardant. Not that he was sure that would work, but it was worth a try anyway.
Just before they left, they heard a voice from the monitor. "Alpha." It was Alex. Exchanging glances, Hermione and Greyback both went to the screen. To Hermione's complete surprise, not only was Alex already back but Thorfinn Rowle was there as well, a backpack slung over his shoulder. Harry, Ron and Kingsley were there as well as the rest of the Order, most of whom had wands pointed at Alex and Thorfinn. Scabior was sitting up on the couch, wide eyed with alarm, his wand in hand.
"Every one of you, wands down, now!" yelled Hermione. She looked at Greyback. "Ok, you wanted him, there he is, he's your responsibility now."
"Thorfinn, good to see you." Greyback watched as Thorfinn jerked in surprise at seeing him onscreen. He watched as the big blond looked at everyone in the room with himself. Then he checked out the screen and saw Hermione and the Avengers behind Greyback.
"Bloody fucking hell, Fenrir! Where are you? What's going on? Was this a bloody trap?" Thorfinn was looking distinctly panicked and already had flames jumping on his right palm.
"No trap, Finn. I'm currently somewhere on an airship, I don't even know. So I take it this means you were serious about wanting to join the pack. You know what this means, of course." He waited for an answer.
"I have to be bitten. If not, I'll have to stay away during the full moon. If I wanted to stay away, I'd not be here. I'd just hang out with the Death Eaters you've already turned. They aren't a family, you are. I want to be part of a family, mot a group. I'm ready, Fenrir. When you turn Scabior, I want to be turned next." Thorfinn told him slowly, warily watching the members of the Order.
"All right, would you like to meet the one who organized this whole plan or wait?" having seen Hermione's reaction to Rowle's name, he wanted to see Rowle's reaction to Hermione.
"Who is it?" Thorfinn asked curiously. Alex hadn't been very forthcoming with details. He looked past Greyback again and saw the petite witch. He smiled, savoring the image of her. "Ah! Princess! Gryffindors little angel!" he laughed as she gritted her teeth in anger.
"Rowle. Good to see you, too." she forced herself to be polite. It wouldn't do to be rude, run him off and cause Greyback to back out of their deal. For the sake of their truce, she WOULD get along with this big brute or die trying!