Chapter Five

December 1998
Bulgaria

The last time Hermione had felt genuine warmth, she was secure inside Bulgaria, long before they were forced to return to Britain. Before they had lost more friends to Voldemort's war. The last truly warm sleep she could remember was the night before it all went to hell. Werewolves in Bulgaria were restless, and not even the Krums could keep everyone safe. The full moon was high, and Ginny had crawled into the bed that Hermione usually shared with Viktor, saying that she could hear Draco and Harry shouting at one another through the walls.

The Malfoys showing up had been a surprise indeed. On the run from Voldemort thanks to Narcissa's lies, Lucius bartered every last Knut he owned in exchange for his wife and son's safety. Then, in an act that the surviving Order found surprising of the Death Eater, he returned to Britain in hopes of leading his former comrades in the opposite direction of where he had placed his family. Narcissa had taken up lodgings with Andromeda and Teddy, and Draco was asked to room with Harry and Ron. Ron, however, had vacated the bedroom weeks earlier when even he grew tired of the other two bickering.

"What's it like sleeping with a werewolf?" Ginny asked quietly.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Go to sleep."

"Can't. I need sexy thoughts of a ravishing Viktor Krum to lull me into a happy slumber." She giggled when Hermione hit her with a small pillow. "Come on. I want details. I'll tell you about my sex life in exchange."

Making a face, Hermione shook her head. "I don't want to know what you and Harry—"

"Oh please," Ginny said, scoffing. "Harry and I haven't . . . That all ended sixth year."

"I was talking about sixth year," Hermione said. "I might have an aneurysm if you tell me that you defiled the common room or, Merlin forbid, the library."

"Hogwarts had a library?" Hermione hit her with a pillow, causing Ginny to laugh louder. "Never much more than snogging, I swear it. I'd meant Dean, actually. If you'd like to know about Harry's sex life, I am not the one to be asking—"

"Stop," Hermione groaned, putting her pillow over her own face.

"Tell me then."

Sighing, she tilted her head to the side so that she could get a good look at Ginny, who was peeking at her mischievously. "It's nice.". When Ginny snorted, unsatisfied, Hermione went on. "I mean . . . It's good. Really good. But there's just . . . something missing. I feel like we're puzzle pieces. The pieces fit together, but we don't belong to the same puzzle. Does that make sense?"

"No." Snuggling closer for warmth, Ginny sighed. "But I think you should enjoy fitting together while you can. Do you think my brothers will make it back?"

Hermione frowned. What Weasleys were left alive had gone on a covert mission, leaving behind only Ginny and Molly. She and Harry had both protested Ron leaving without them, but he had been attached at George's hip since Hogwarts—and Fred—had fallen, and he would not be swayed.

They had never made it back, of course, and a group of renegade Bulgarian werewolves had decided to switch allegiances the following morning. Viktor did not return after sunrise. The remaining Order members escaped back to their home country in search of the missing Weasleys, only to find that the ones that had not been killed were thrown in Azkaban—Ron amongst them.

Every night after that had felt cold, even with the strongest of Warming Charms.

July 19th, 1981
Forest of Dean

Hermione opened her eyes to the feel of comfortable heat pressed against her back. Skin on skin that sent a rush of pleasure through her veins. She was warm and comfortable and, despite the circumstances, felt safe. She had found her missing puzzle piece. When Remus snuggled closer to her, the stubble on his chin brushed against the freshly bitten—and magically healed—mark on her shoulder. The touch sent a shiver down her body, and she unconsciously pressed her arse back against him, seeking friction. Even in sleep, he reacted, pushing forward. Her eyes fluttered at the feel and the remembrance of what it was like when he was inside her.

Not wanting to get carried away, especially since she did not remember falling asleep, Hermione took note of her surroundings. While no Muggle or Wizarding tents were used for the werewolves to sleep in, someone had constructed a shelter of sorts out of branches, leaves, and clothing. The makeshift wall faced Hermione, but she could feel a breeze coming from behind. Craning her neck, she could see that they were exposed on the other side, facing a long row of trees on the side of a large hill. Remus had made himself the protective wall at her back, sheltering her.

"How long have you been awake?" A fluttering instinct in the back of her mind told her that she was being watched and listened to, even if his eyes were closed.

"A few minutes," he replied. The hand around her waist gently pulled her closer to him as though even the smallest space between them caused him agony. His hand travelled up between her breasts, and Hermione clutched it to her chest as though it were a lifeline.

"Are you all right?"

Remus took a while to answer, but eventually, he pressed his nose against the back of her neck and exhaled, the warm breath bathing the top of her spine like silky water. "What do you remember?"

"You claimed me," she said, instinctively tilting her head to the side. She shivered pleasantly when she felt his lips press against the scar he had left behind. "It feels good. It felt good. I wasn't . . . You did what you had to do. I mean . . . with the other wolf."

"Is it bad that I don't feel guilty?" he asked her. "I've spent my whole life trying to not be a monster. Trying to be better. But he didn't want you. He wanted to hurt you."

"He tried and failed," she said, squeezing his arm tighter. "Had you not killed him, I would have tried. I travelled from one war into another, and I'm done with it. I'll do anything to bring it all to an end, Remus. You're not a murderer; you're a soldier." She pulled back and rolled over onto her side to face him. Tracing the scars on his chest, she whispered, "I would have done the same for you."

Exhaling again, Hermione could feel the way the tension rolled off of him as he pressed his forehead against hers and muttered, "Mine."

Letting herself bask in the sound of his voice, she bit her lower lip before echoing his sentiments. "Mine."

The moment was broken when the bit of darkness they had with the wall blocking out the sunrise was interrupted by light coming from the foot of their makeshift shelter. Remus tensed and then jolted upright, searching for his wand that was in the midst of a pile of clothing near his head. Green eyes widened when he saw what stood before him.

"Prongs?"

Hermione smiled, relief flooding her senses at the sight of the stag Patronus scraping at the ground with its front hoof. The ferret between its legs stared at Hermione—if it was possible—with a condescending smirk on its twitchy little face. "Not quite," she told Remus.

Both Patronuses opened their mouths and said, "Safe."

Hermione grabbed Remus's hand and grinned as the silver spectrals vanished. "They're alive. They made it back with me, and they're safe. My friends. Harry made it back safely." She sat up, looking for clothes, only to find that she was still missing everything she owned. "Remus, I need your wand."

Only with slight hesitation did he hand it over to her, watching with interest as she swirled it in the air with ease, the magic submitting to her as though the wood had been given to her by Ollivander himself. A tiny, silver otter emerged from the end of the wand, swimming on its back midair as easily as if it had been water. "Safe." The otter, like the others, vanished.

"What's going on?" Remus asked as he moved to stand, reaching for his trousers. He tucked the wand back into the pocket when she handed it back.

"Harry will be in Godric's Hollow," she said. "That's where he had planned to go for the Summoning Spell we had planned. If he's safe, that means he's likely with his parents. I love him, I do, but I would not put it past him to take this chance to see them face to face. Besides, that's where we were planning to go, right?"

"Go?" Remus blinked rapidly. "Hermione, I . . ." He swallowed nervously, looking down at her, and a pink tinge touched his cheeks. At the same time, Hermione lifted her arms to cover her breasts.

She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Strange, isn't it? Even after everything, we're basically strangers."

He nodded in agreement. "Had the umm . . . mate thing not been a factor, I would have been a bit slower with you. Might have asked you for ice cream."

"I like strawberry."

He grinned until he recalled her earlier words. "After the claiming, you blacked out. It happens sometimes when a connection is strong. Greyback told me to get you rested up because we're leaving today. He has plans to raid a village that's going to be a few days away. He'll want me at the front with the others. If we plan on Disapparating . . . It's going to be a close call. There's a chance that someone could grab either of us and go along for the ride. That's not something we can risk. We'll need a distraction."

Hermione nodded and chewed on her bottom lip, deep in thought. "I have an idea. Do you know if they still have my things? They took my clothes, but I also had a bag. It was purple and had beads all over it."

"It's likely. We never really leave anything behind if it could be useful. Sometimes Greyback sends the children into the more populated towns to steal purses and wallets. What's in the bag?"

She grinned. "A lot. Thankfully, I have it charmed so that it will only open to me. I'd been organising it the night that I travelled. Luckily, things that would place me as from the future weren't in the bag. Mostly travelling equipment, clothing, and older books that I'd been collecting. I rarely had any editions later than 1950, and all of the books on darker subjects had been removed because I was working through them before the Time-Turner went off."

Remus lifted a curious brow as he listened, trying not to focus on the way that her voice was possibly the loveliest thing he had ever heard. "And how will this help?" he asked as he buckled his belt.

Hermione looked up at him with a smirk. "I'm going to give Greyback and the others some supplies."

"I hope she hasn't lost all of her spark," Greyback said with a grin as he examined Hermione.

She had been offered clothes in order to be paraded around the camp, no longer a piece of flesh to be auctioned off; she was now the mate of one of Greyback's own. Among other females and children, that made her special. Among the other male wolves in Greyback's personal group, that made her nothing, especially since none of them cared much for Remus to begin with and did not believe he was worthy of being given a mate.

In response to Greyback's appraisal, Hermione narrowed her eyes and bared her teeth at him, growling low in her throat. It was hardly all she wanted to do to the monster, but she and Remus had planned her actions carefully. At the sign of aggression, Remus yanked on the back of her hair, baring her throat to Greyback in a show of forced submission. She whimpered and struggled until Remus opened his mouth, pressing his teeth against the mark on her shoulder.

The way she shivered as her knees fought to buckle was not feigned, but she did purposely fight back the urge to strike out when Greyback laughed in approval.

"If I knew this was all you needed, boy, I would have gone in search of a feisty female for you." Remus kept a grip on Hermione's hair, even as he took his mouth from her shoulder. Greyback clapped him on the back in approval before taking Remus's face in his hands. "Do you see now? Do you see what a gift I've given you?"

Remus, knowing that a full change of attitude would seem suspicious, frowned and looked away for a moment. His gaze raked over Hermione's body, watching as her pulse beat against the skin of her throat. Swallowing hard, he let out a heavy exhale and muttered, "I'm beginning to . . . grasp the benefits."

Seff scoffed loudly in disbelief, and Remus bared his teeth in response.

Greyback looked like Christmas had come early.

"Let. Go," Hermione said through clenched teeth.

Remus pulled her hair tighter. "Never."

"Your female needs shoes," Greyback said, looking down and seeing the woman was barefoot. "The trip is long, and she'll already slow us down since she's new and still adjusting."

"I can carry her," Remus argued.

Greyback snorted. "Someone give the girl her shoes."

"I want my own things," Hermione ground out. Acting as though it were out of his control—as though the pure primal drive of the wolf had taken over—Remus put his teeth back on her shoulder, and she let out a whimper that was humiliatingly loud, though purposely so. She closed her eyes, pretending as though she was disgusted by the noises she made. "P-Please . . . I have . . . I have supplies."

Suddenly interested, Greyback physically pulled Remus off of her shoulder. "Ease up. What's that, girly? Supplies you say?"

Hermione nodded. "Money. I have money in my bag. It was taken from me along with my clothes."

Remus watched carefully as Greyback towered over her, looking for that still-defiant spark he expected to see in her eyes. When he found it, he grinned, and Remus held back the sigh of relief that fought to escape him. Glancing over his shoulder, he made eye contact with Rollo and Susi in silent farewell. His friends nodded in understanding, looking away faster than they would have liked to in order to prevent suspicions.

"Bring the girl her things."

"Fenrir," Seff muttered, "her clothes were destroyed. Poor thing." His eyes met Remus's and the two glared at one another. "The bag is locked. Couldn't open the bloody thing."

Greyback pressed his forehead against Hermione's and snarled. "Trying to trick me, girl? What's really in the bag?"

"My belongings," she said. "And that bag will only open for me."

"Don't let her touch it. Maybe after walking ten kilometres or so will change her attitude. Remus, you're forbidden to carry her." When Greyback made eye contact, Remus appropriately lowered his gaze. "When we make camp again tonight, I expect to hear you teaching her a lesson in respect. Is that understood?"

Remus swallowed hesitantly. Greyback let out a ferocious growl and took Hermione by the hair. "Maybe I'll do it myself!"

"No! I'll . . . I'll do it," Remus said, hands up as he reached for Hermione without touching her, knowing better than to take something directly out of Greyback's hand. When she was released back into his arms, he ran his nose against her jawline, letting everyone watch as he let his inner wolf take over, rubbing his own scent back along her skin. Many of the wolves watched in absolute shock, seeing that Remus had been the most human of them all; Seff and Anthony continued to glower at the newly mated couple. Greyback, however, was momentarily appeased.

"Keep her bag, Seff. All right, let's take down the wards and get a move on."

Everyone watched Hermione closely as the magical security was taken down preventing anyone from Disapparating. Despite the fact that she did not have a wand, she was clearly not to be trusted. She looked tempted to move, but Remus fisted her hair once again, and Hermione forced out a single tear, turning her head to make absolutely sure that Greyback watched her cry in defeat.

Remus held her hand as they walked over the rough terrain for two kilometres. She purposely allowed herself to trip twice, skinning her knee once and letting out a yelp of pain. Greyback and the others laughed. Remus stared on, guilty, as he watched her perform to the best of her ability, forcing himself to appear as unaffected as possible.

When she fell the third time, Remus knelt down, trying to gently pull her back to her feet. He impatiently muttered, "Hurry. You can't keep us back. Do you want Greyback to take you from me?"

The pack kept moving ahead, giving Hermione and Remus a wide berth.

"Can you move?" Remus anxiously asked, waiting for her signal.

Hermione exhaled as she felt him slip his wand into her palm. "I solemnly swear."

Standing upright, Remus yelled, "Seff!"

Pivoting quickly, the other werewolf set eyes on Remus, not knowing that he should have looked at Hermione. She aimed the wand, adrenaline pumping through her veins, and yelled, "Finite Incantantum!"

The purple beaded bag in Seff's hands exploded, the contents shooting up into the air like a geyser. A vast array of clothing blocked Greyback and Seff's view, and a tent pole shot out of the little purse, striking Anthony square in the forehead and knocking him swiftly to the ground. Kettles, pots, and pans rained down from the sky, and Hermione was able to smile once in victory before Remus pulled his wand from her hand, hugged her tightly against his chest, and Disapparated them both safely away.