CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Summary: Hermione Granger, one of the brightest minds of her generation, makes a decision that will ultimately change her future plans. At twenty-three, she finds herself moving to a strange town that's a hell-mouth for supernatural beings, pregnant, and in way over her head. And the father of her unborn child? The tall, dark and handsome werewolf, Derek Hale. Rated M for a reason.
Disclaimer: I do not own canon events and characters, they belong to J.K Rowling and the creators of Teen Wolf and MTV. This is purely for entertainment purposes and I am not making a profit from the posting of this. This is set after Season 3, and everything from season 4 onwards doesn't happen; so no deadpool, Beast, Dread Doctors, Wild Hunt or Hunters. Allison still died, Liam will still be appearing, and there is no Kira or Malia. Derek is 22 and Hermione is 23. I'm fudging the time line a bit, too.
Page count: 11
The next day flew by for them both, Derek accompanying Hermione and Magic on a hike through the woods and when they returned to the cottage, he kept Magic company while Hermione locked herself away in her library refusing to let Derek see what she was working on until it was completed.
The sun had not long since set and the stars came out for the night, and Hermione's plans were to have dinner, get changed into her pyjamas and snuggle up in front of the fire with a book, but Derek had other ideas.
"Derek, I don't want to," she all but whined as he pulled her through the cottage and to the door by her hands.
"Come on, let's go,"
"I don't want to," she repeated. "I'm hungry and tired, I just want to relax."
"I promise you'll change your mind when we get there." She pouted at him. "Do you trust me?" He asked her.
She sighed. "Yes, I trust you," she answered honestly and a small smile pulled at his face at her admission.
"Then trust me now, I have something I want to show you, but you'll need a coat."
Her eyes searched his hopeful expression before she sighed, giving in. "Fine," she muttered, pulling her hand from him and turning to go to her bedroom.
After she slipped on a warm woollen cardigan and a jacket over the top, she put on her knee length boots and returned the living room, where Derek was stood by the door with his hands held behind his back. When she approached he smiled at her and showed her his hands, revealing a blind fold. She eyed him warily.
"You're definitely not a serial killer?" She questioned.
He snorted at her. "I don't want you seeing anything until we get there," he told her. "And so we get there quicker, you can do your teleportation thing to my car."
"Fine, let's go," she sighed.
~000~000~000~
"You better not let me fall over," Hermione spoke.
After apparating to Derek's car, he'd quickly tied the blindfold around her eyes and helped her into her seat, buckling her seat belt for her before he started the engine and they were off. After fifteen minutes the car came to a stop, Derek exited and returned a few minutes later and he put something into the boot of the car, before he restarted the engine and continued driving.
After twenty minutes the car came to a stop and despite her constant questions, Derek had been tight lipped about their intended destination. He helped her out of the car, retrieved something from the boot and with his arm wrapped around her waist, he guided her in her movements.
"I'm not going to let you fall," he spoke. "We're almost there."
"You've been saying that for the last ten minutes," she replied.
"This time I mean it, now watch your step, there's a bit of a slope coming up."
She let out a noise of impatience but one hand came up to grip at his hand on her hip and she allowed him to direct her in their steps. She had no idea where they were, if only that they were outside. She could feel the cool evening air on her skin and the ground beneath her feet was uneven.
"We're here, just give me a minute and don't move," he told her, halting her to a stop and she felt him step away from her.
It was a few minutes later when the sound of shuffling and things being moved ended and she felt Derek's presence once more. He came up behind her, pressing his chest to her back and his arms encircling her, his hands coming to a stop on her stomach.
"Thank you for trusting me," he said into her ear, his nose moving to nuzzle at her neck. "You can take it off."
Hermione's hands lifted to the blindfold where she untied the knot and pulled it away from her eyes. She blinked a few times to clear her vision until a gasp of surprise left her lips and she felt her eyes tearing up at the sight in front of her.
They were standing on the edge of a cliff and before them was one of the most beautiful sights she'd ever seen. The stars were filling the dark, cloudless night sky and shining brightly and the moon was bigger than she'd ever seen. Below them was the view of Beacon Hills in all its glory, thousands of lights glowing in the dark and from so high up, there wasn't a single sound to be heard, making it as though the entire county was sleeping peacefully. Even her fear of heights couldn't ruin the beauty in front of her.
"Merlin!" She whispered. "It's beautiful."
She felt him smile against the skin of her neck and a pleased hum left him. "I thought you'd like it."
"I love it, but what are we doing here?" She asked, turning her head to look at him over her shoulder. She felt him shrug and his arms tightened around her as he took a deep inhale of her scent.
"I thought it about time I treated you right."
She frowned in confusion. "You haven't done anything wrong, in fact, you've actually been amazing, you're still a pain in the arse, but I can overlook it giving how supportive you've been," she told him and he snorted at her comment before nuzzling at her neck again.
"Look," he sighed. "I like you," he admitted. "And not just as a friend, not just as the mother of my baby, but I like you as a person, as a potential partner. And if you're up for it I want to see how things between us could go. We want the best for the baby and while we don't necessarily need to be a couple to do that, I'd like for us to try and see if it could work out. Given how we've been the last few weeks, I think we actually have a chance."
She blinked in surprise at his confession and shook her head. "Is this why you're so protective of me? It's not just because of the baby?"
"It's not just the baby I care about," he muttered into her neck. "I don't want anything to happen to you, you're too important to me. And no, I'm not always smelling you because of the baby. It's because you're calming, my wolf's taken a liking to you and I can confidently say he's never done that before. I imagine you're the one person I could never hurt, the thought alone is horrifying."
Her mouth dropped open in surprise and it took her a few attempts to scramble her words together. "So you really want to what...Date?"
"We could give it a go," he shrugged his shoulders. "If you wanted to, it's your decision."
"You really want to be with me?" She questioned.
He heard the confusion in her voice so he pulled back from her and turned her around to face him, seeing the utter befuddled look on her face.
"Yes, why wouldn't I?" He questioned.
She frowned. "Because I'm bossy and moody, and boring and inconsiderate and..."
"Alright, I'm stopping you there," he interrupted. "You're not moody, you just don't like to be interrupted when you're so clearly busy or in the middle of something important. You're not boring, you're the most interesting person I've met and the only woman I've known to actually poke fun at me without fear of upsetting me. You're very considerate, you check in with me regularly to ensue I have everything I need while being at the cottage with you, you adopted a stray dog and are nursing an injured owl back to health. And bossy, well, you are," he admitted.
"But it's a good thing, particularly with me. You don't let me get away with anything you disagree with and you keep me in line. I don't know why you think those things about yourself, but you're wrong," he said softly and he brought his hands up to cup her face, tilting her head slightly with his eyes boring into hers. "You're kind and selfless and smart. And you're beautiful and if I'm being honest, I much prefer this you to the one I met at the bar. You looked stunning that night, but I prefer seeing you with messy hair, mud covered knees and ink stained fingers and clothing. Even when you're devouring chocolate milkshakes as if they're about to vanish from existence." He chuckled at her scowl. "You're an amazing woman, an amazing witch, and I'd be stupid if I let you walk away from me without even trying to convince you to give us a chance."
She sniffled and her eyes were swimming with unshed tears, before she gave a little laugh. "You know, I don't even know if this is me wanting to cry or if it's my hormones acting up again."
He chuckled at her, softly brushing his thumbs over her cheek bones. "Hermione Granger, will you be my girlfriend?"
She bit her lip and his eyes fell to watch the movement before they returned to her eyes.
"Before I can give you my answer, I need something from you."
"I've literally just bared my soul to you," he spoke. She shrugged her shoulders. "What do you need?"
"For you to stop hiding yourself from me," she answered and he frowned in confusion. "I haven't met many supernatural werewolves like yourself, but I'm aware you're able to change with or without the full moon. You've seen all of me, now I need to see you, too. I need you to show me every part of you, like I did for you." He eyed her cautiously. "You asked me to trust you and now you need to trust me," she said, knowing why he was so cautious in showing her the other side of him; he didn't want to scare her away.
He kept his eyes locked on hers as he dropped his hands from her face and he took several steps back from her, putting space between them. She watched him as he closed his eyes, bowed his head and his hands clenched into tight fists as he pulled the other side of him forward.
The seconds ticked by and what felt like hours was barely even a minute, before his head slowly lifted and his eyes immediately locked on hers. She felt her eyes widen at seeing him for who he truly was for the first time, but her heart beat didn't increase and adrenaline didn't fill her because she wasn't afraid of him, she believed him when he said she was the only person he wouldn't be able to hurt.
His side burns had grown quite a lot of hair, looking as though someone had actually just stuck wigs to his cheeks and she felt a giggle ready to bubble out of her at the thought, but she pushed it down. His face seemed to have become more muscled, his fangs had lengthened and sharpened, his nails had grown into claws and his eyes, Hermione thought she'd never seen a pair more beautiful. They were the brightest blue and she was sure she'd just discovered her new favourite colour.
He was watching her carefully, likely expecting her to turn and apparate away and a snort slipped out and she shook her head.
"Merlin, Derek!" She whispered. He looked down in shame. "You really need a shave."
His head snapped up, his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open in complete disbelief, and she couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled out of her. He stared at her, rooted to the spot as she shook with her laughter and she reached up to wipe a fallen tear from her eye before calming herself down.
"Sorry, I couldn't resist," she chuckled. "You're not nearly as frightening as you think you are," she told him, slowly making her way over to him until she stopped right in front of him, tilting her head up so she could look into his eyes. "I've faced things far more frightening than you, you know? I did fight in a war with giant, man eating spiders, remember?" She chuckled at his gobsmacked expression.
She reached out for his hand, gently lifting it up to her line of sight and she tilted her head this way and that as she stared at each claw individually. With the other hand she pressed the pad of her index finger to the tip of one of his claws and pulled it back to see the smallest blood drop seeping through.
"Well that answers my question," she mused to herself, sucking her finger into her mouth until it stopped bleeding, and she splayed her hand against his, pressing their palms together. His eyes moved from her face to their hands, seeing the size difference between them.
She then lifted the thumb of her other hand and gently pressed the pad of it to one of his fangs, pulling it back to see there was no blood, just a slight indentation.
"And that question's been answered, too," she spoke. "I wonder...If I were to give you a shave, would the hair grow back?"
He blinked dumbly at her question and she giggled at his reaction, before he shook his head. "You really don't fear me?" He frowned.
"I really don't fear you, you'd be able to tell by my heart rate, which hasn't slowed, increased or skipped a single beat. Like I said, I've faced far scarier things than you; remind me to show you a magical werewolf, now they are frightening. In fact, you're like a cuddly teddy bear. And you didn't answer my question, would your hair grow back if I shaved you?"
"I don't know, I've never thought to try," he replied, his eyes trailing her face and watching her as though she was angel that had been sent to earth specifically for him.
"We'll have to experiment," she nodded to herself. "My forte's magical creatures and not the supernatural, so it'll be exciting to see what I can learn."
"You could just ask me, you know?"
"I could, but where's the fun in that? I'm going to enjoy poking and prodding at you," she grinned.
"So I'm just some experiment to you?" He asked, but he actually sounded amused rather than hurt.
"Of course," she said, looking at him as though he were an idiot. "And I've already got a lab at home, Merlin, this is going to be so much fun," her grin widened. "Tell me, do you prefer chains or ropes as a measure of restraint?"
"My God," he chuckled in surprise at her question, shaking his head at her.
"What? Who said I was asking for experimental purposes and not for a more pleasurable reason?" She said. His mouth dropped opened and he spluttered in surprise, unable to find the words to reply. "I admit, now I can't get the imagery out of my head and I can't help but wonder if you'll enjoy it as much as you did with the chocolate sauce yesterday."
He gaped at her and she decided to take pity on him, stopping in her teasing, at least for now. She stepped closer to him so their chests were almost touching and his eyes locked onto hers as she reached up to wrap her arms around his neck and she rose onto her tiptoes. Her eyes fluttered closed and she closed the distance between them, pressing a soft, chaste kiss to his mouth.
When she pulled back from him it was to see his fangs retreating, his facial structure returning to normal and the hair disappearing from his face. He was smiling down at her softly, still with his blue eyes watching her and one hand slipped around her waist and the other came up to cup her cheek, noting from the corner of her eye that his claws had retreated, too.
"I love your eyes," she told him with a sigh. "But I've got to say, Hale, I'm not impressed." He raised an eyebrow in question and she brought one hand down to his face to trail her fingers over his jaw. "After seeing your wolf side I'm afraid I have to tell you, if you're trying to grow a beard you're doing a rubbish job of it."
A snort of amusement left him and his hand slipped from her face and to the back of her neck. "I've honestly never met a woman like you before. You're one of a kind," he told her.
She shrugged her shoulders. "I think other women are a lot smarter than I am, I don't bother trying to hide how strange I am, and as a result I always seem to attract the weirdos. You're proof of that."
"Thanks," he scoffed and she smiled in response. "You know, you haven't answered my question yet, though after that comment I'm thinking about retracting it," he spoke.
Her mouth twitched and she smacked at his arm before she brought her mouth closer to his, her lips brushing his as she spoke. "I suppose I didn't. So, yes, Derek Hale, I'll be your girlfriend and we'll see if we can maintain a relationship without screwing up our baby."
Even as the tension seemed to leave his body a snort of amusement left him, and as he kissed her, he had a smile on his face, something she didn't see often. She pulled back from him when her stomach gave a loud rumble and she gave him a sheepish look.
"I suppose I better feed you," he said amused, his blue eyes returning to dark brown.
He took her hand in his and pulled her off to the side where he'd set up a blanket and a series of small dishes on plates, as well as there being a chocolate milkshake which had probably melted by that point.
"I know how indecisive you are when it comes to food, so I got a bit of everything," he told her when he saw her wide eyed expression.
"Where'd you get all this?"
"The owner of Howard's Diner owed me a favour and I called it in. Like I said, it's about time I started treating you right, and given that I knocked you up before taking you on an actual date, I thought I'd rectify that. This is our official first date."
"And how do you plan to top this?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I'll think of something," he shrugged.
The both took seats on the blanket and as they ate their food they chatted casually until they'd had their fill and Derek packed it all away, and then he pulled Hermione to sit between his legs, her back to his chest and he wrapped his arms around her, burying his nose against her neck as she looked out at the view of Beacon Hills.
"You know, this has got to be the best date I've been on," she commented.
"Really, a picnic and a bit of star gazing?" He asked sceptically.
"Hmm," she hummed. "I'm not a materialistic person and I prefer the simpler things in life. I'll take a picnic in the woods over a fancy restaurant any day of the week. But my ex-boyfriend, our first date was him taking me to a pub and it wasn't too bad, until his friends showed up and it turned out he'd been the one to invite them," she sighed.
"Are you ever going to tell me about him? I know you said you were together for five years, there's got to be a reason you broke up with him after being together for so long."
"I'm not ready to open that can of worms just yet, but when I am I'll tell you, and I hope you'll do the same."
"Meaning?"
"I'm not stupid, Derek. When I heard James mention the name Paige and I saw your reaction of wanting to keep it from me, it wasn't hard to put the pieces together and understand she's likely an ex-girlfriend of yours and I'm guessing someone you really cared for, too."
"You really are smart," he muttered.
She shrugged. "It's your choice if you wish to tell me or not, I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to."
They fell silent for a short while with Hermione looking out at the view and Derek nuzzling at her neck, before he spoke.
"I have something for you." He removed one arm from being wrapped around her to dig into his pocket, before he held something out to her.
She took it from him, lifting it to her line of sight to better see it in the darkness. It looked to be a metal disk with the imprint of a triskelion on it, the same one she knew to be tattooed in between Derek's shoulder blades. The metal disk was tied to a leather cord, leading her to believe it was to be worn as a necklace.
"The marking of your pack," she said.
"Yes, I want you to wear it all times, never take it off. There's always werewolves passing through Beacon Hills and if they see you with the mark of The Hale Pack, they won't come anywhere near you. I want you safe and it'll give you protection. We're a pack, you, me and the baby; I just want to protect you."
"It's been a long time since I've had a pack," she told him.
"Are you ever going to tell me how you became part of a pack? It's not a common occurrence for humans to be part of a wolf pack unless they're related by blood but don't possess the lycanthropic gene."
"I suppose there's no harm in telling you," she mused, and he smiled when she slipped the leather cord over her neck and tucked the disc under the collar of her t-shirt. "My Alpha's name was Remus Lupin and he was one of the most kindest, smartest people I'd ever met. His father was a known hater of werewolves and he campaigned for each one of them to be rounded up and killed. Fenrir Greyback was an Alpha werewolf and he was a literal monster. He killed and raped and mauled and ate his victims whether he was a human or a wolf."
His arms tightened around her and a noise of disgust left him.
"He's the reason all werewolves suffered. Wizarding folk allowed the actions of one to speak for all werewolves, but not all of them were evil. Anyway, as revenge against Remus' father, Fenrir Greyback broke into their house and bit Remus on the night of the full moon; he was only four years old. He suffered for three decades and during the time of the first war, his best friends, his pack, was taken away from him. I didn't actually meet Remus until I was thirteen, and he was the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, I believe he was thirty-six at the time. Within two months I'd figured out his secret and once I did, I made sure no one else did and I sent him anonymous gift baskets to help him through the full moon."
He shook his head; that sounded exactly like something she'd do.
"By the time the end of the school year neared, there was the incident in which Remus changed during the full moon and he came after my friends and I, we managed to escape but not before he accidentally caught me with his claws."
She brought her hand up to the back of her neck, despite him knowing there was nothing there.
"As we were forced to go back in time..."
"Which I still don't believe is possible," he interrupted.
"I called out to Remus," she continued as if he hadn't interrupted. "A werewolf will always answer a call from its own kind, and that should've been my first clue that something about me was different. I was human, yet he answered and tried to find me. The next day he was horrified by what'd happened and he wouldn't speak to me. We met again a year later and I finally corned him and forced him to have a sit down with me. I explained that I'd been experiencing some strange urges and feelings and I thought he was going to faint."
She lifted her right leg and bent it so her ankle was resting against her left knee, and she pulled the leg of her jean up to show him the inner side of her ankle. She pulled her wand and tapped it to her ankle, a slight shimmer happening before a faded marking of a crescent moon and a paw print appeared just above her ankle, but it was so faded it was barely visible.
"This is the marking of Remus' pack, and his friend Sirius had one, too, which is how we knew I was a member of his pack and I had been since the full moon incident; when he scratched me he marked me as belonging to the pack. Remus had always been kind to me, but when we discovered the news and we knew there was nothing we could do about it, Remus became very protective of me, like a father, actually. Although he wasn't marked, Harry being the Godson of Sirius made him pack, and through me and Harry, Ron was made part of the pack, too, despite him also not being marked. That year Sirius died at the Department of Mysteries and Remus was a mess, not only had his best friend, his brother and pack mate died, but he'd almost lost me, too. When Remus married Tonks, she was marked and then she fell pregnant with Teddy and he was born and marked as pack. But when Remus died the pack bond was severed and I was the only one that could feel it. Tonks was dead, Teddy only a newborn and Harry and Ron hadn't been marked. I felt as though someone had ripped out my heart and then put it back in my chest, only there were pieces missing."
"After the war I barely slept, I barely ate, I barely spoke and people just assumed I was grieving like everyone else was. They were grieving the loss of family members and friends and peers, but I was grieving the loss of my pack." She reached up to her face when she felt something run down her cheeks, only to find herself crying and she wiped away her tears. "Andromeda is Tonks' mother and Teddy's Grandmother and while she had custody of him and Harry was made Teddy's Godfather, it's a little known fact that through the bond I was Teddy's family, his sister, his Aunt, his Godmother, but she knew and she understood, and because of that she let me stay with her for a few months. I needed to be with Teddy, to heal, and make sure he was safe and protected from anyone seeking revenge. And I swear, I love that little boy more than magic itself and should anyone ever try to harm a hair on his head, there won't be a body left to find."
He gave her a squeeze and he pressed a kiss to her neck, comforting her. "You miss him, don't you?"
She nodded. "More than you know. He's all I have left of Remus, of my old pack. I made it a point to visit him at least once a week no matter how busy I was or if I was out of the country on a mission. He's too young to understand why I'm not around anymore, all he knows is that his Aunt 'Mione had to go away," she spoke, wiping away another fallen tear.
"Anyway, it's why I got the job I did, protecting magical creatures and supernatural beings. I know what it's like to be different and to be hated for something you can't control, and they shouldn't have to suffer because people are too stupid to learn from their mistakes or to show kindness. And now, I've helped to ensure werewolves have better, safer lives. They now have the right to own their own property and to get married and receive medical treatment, to have bank accounts and find employment. I just wish Remus were here to see it," she said quietly.
"I'm sure he knows and that he's proud of you," he said softly.
She sniffled and wiped at her face. "It's possible, the after life's real."
"I don't believe you."
She gave a snort-sniffle and shook her head. "That might be why I was drawn to you specifically at the bar. In the back of my mind I knew there was something there and when I caught you watching me, I sensed that your aura was different but it wasn't until we parted ways that I understood you were a werewolf. I've always felt like there's a part of me missing, I've always felt lost and lonely, no matter how many people there were around me, but since meeting you, I don't feel that anymore, and it's because I've found my pack," she said, her hand coming up to grip at her new necklace over her t-shirt.
He held her against him impossibly tight but she didn't complain at the slight pain of it and she melted into him when he placed another kiss to her neck.
"I won't let anything happen to you. I won't let anyone take you away from me."
"I believe you," she sighed, turning her head so she could nuzzle at his throat with her nose and a purr erupted from him, making her giggle. "You know, you're a lot cuddlier than I thought you'd be," she commented.
"I'm not cuddly," he denied, but even as he said this he tightened his grip on her and nuzzled at her neck.
"You're a rubbish liar," she snorted. "There's something I want to talk to you about."
"And that is?"
"I'm going back to England." She felt his entire body stiffen and he stilled in his nuzzling at her neck. She sat herself up and turned to look at him over her shoulder, seeing his face being a blank canvas, no emotion showing. "For a visit," she added, and he visibly relaxed. "When I reach the four month mark of my pregnancy it's too dangerous for me to apparate or port key, and it's too much hassle to get an international floo license, and when I reach that point I'll be grounded and I won't be able to visit. I could always take a plane but I hate flying. I need to tell Harry about the pregnancy and be careful about it, too. I don't want the wrong people finding out about it or it'll be splashed across the papers of Wizarding Europe for everyone to see and I don't have the energy to deal with the mail I'll receive when that happens. And I need to see Teddy, too."
He looked conflicted, obviously not wanting her to be so far away from him but also knowing she needed to see those she left behind.
"How long will you be gone? When do you plan to leave? Where will you stay?" He asked.
"I only plan on being gone five days, a week at most. I sold my flat in London and usually I would've stayed with Harry, but his wife's my ex-boyfriend's sister and she hates me for breaking up with him, so I'll stay with Andromeda and Teddy. Merlin knows that woman can do with a break from Teddy. And I was thinking about leaving on Wednesday."
"Not Wednesday," he shook his head.
"Why not?"
"It's the full moon," he answered and she frowned, having forgotten. "My wolf's already telling me to lock you up to stop you from leaving, but there's no chance I can let you be in another country, another continent at that, during the full moon. I've usually got good control over myself but if you were to leave that would change. I need to know where you are and that you're safe."
"I understand that," she nodded. "And I don't want to do anything that'll make you uncomfortable or upset the wolf. So I'll go Thursday instead?"
"You might have to sneak out or my wolf will have me locking you in while you're sleeping."
She snorted at him. "Like you could take me," she said, pushing a stray curl from her face.
"Probably not," he agreed, before pulling her back against him, wrapping her up in his arms and staring out at Beacon Hills.