CHAPTER TWENTY
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: 12
"What's up?" Derek asked her the moment he stepped into the cottage, quickly picking up on the fact that not only had Hermione been crying, but that there was a second unidentifiable scent in the room.
He unclipped the lead from Magic's collar, placed their lunch on the coffee table and then moved to sit beside Hermione on the couch and she moved closer to him, leaning against him and pressing her ear over his chest as he wrapped an arm around her.
"While you were gone I got a surprise visit from Andy," she told him. "She came through the floo and she's the only one to have access."
"That explains the second scent in the room," he mused. "What did she want? To visit?"
"No," she shook her head. "She'll ill, Derek," she said quietly. "She was cursed during the war by Bellatrix, she's Andy's sister and when Andy married a Muggleborn wizard, she was blasted off the family tree and disowned. When Bellatrix found out that her Half-blood niece married a werewolf, she sent Andy a cursed package. The healers have been able to stop it from spreading for years but now treatment's failing. The curse is attacking her magic, not only weakening it, but her body, too. She's losing her magic, Derek, and within a year or two she'll be a Squib, that's if she survives it. Magic's what keeps us alive so it could very well kill her. She never told me, she's kept it a secret from everyone for years," she spoke and he felt her tears hitting his t-shirt and leaving damp spots behind and he hugged her tighter to him. "She gave me this," she said, lifting a letter up for him to see.
The front of the envelope said, 'Hermione, my fierce cub,' and he just knew it was from her Alpha.
"It was the last thing he wrote before he died. Remus' and Tonks' last wish is that I be granted custody of Teddy should anything happen to them or Andy."
"And she may be dying?" He said softly.
She nodded. "Please don't be mad at me," she whispered, pulling back from him slightly to see his questioning gaze. "Andy told me Teddy's not been doing well, he's not the same since I left, and Harry told her that Ginny's pregnant with their first child. He all but told Andy he wouldn't be visiting Teddy because he had to look after Ginny," she said. A growl rumbled in his chest at the news. "Teddy's too young to understand anything that's happening, he needs me; they both do. Andy told me that she was thinking of moving to Beacon Hills, she wants me to be close by should anything happen to her."
"And you told her that they could stay here," he stated knowingly.
She nodded, sniffled and wiped at her face with her sleeve. "Are you mad at me?"
"No," he said sincerely. "That kid's all you have left of your old pack; I understand your need to want him close by, especially if you're to be his guardian should anything happen to his Grandmother. I imagine it'll take a little getting used to, but they're still your family."
"Thank you," she told him, snuggling up to him again. "We'll have to move your stuff into my room, I said Andy could have your old room and Teddy's moving into the room beside the nursery. When the time comes and it's needed, I'll just call the contractors back to see what they can do for us."
"When are they coming?"
"Today, Andy's gone home to pack and then she's coming back with Teddy. She's already gotten her affairs in order, so I expect them to be here in an hour or two. Given the time difference Teddy'll be exhausted so he'll have to go straight to bed."
"Come on, then, let's have lunch and get this place sorted for its new residents."
~000~000~000~
Hermione heard the floo roar to life and after she put the last of Derek's t-shirts away, she left her bedroom and made her way to the living room with Derek following behind her after he'd told Magic to stay where he was until he was called for.
"Gran, where are we?" She heard Teddy's confused voice say and her face pulled into the largest smile Derek had ever seen on her.
Hermione stepped into the living room and caught sight of Teddy's dull blue hair, making her heart ache for the little child.
"Teddy Bear!" Hermione called.
Teddy's head whipped around at the sound of her voice, a large smile pulled at his face and his dull blue hair turned vibrant as she was used to seeing it.
"AUNT 'MIONE!" He cried, and he darted across the room and almost knocked her off her feet before she caught balance and she laughed as he wrapped his arms around her and hugged himself to her tightly. "I missed you."
"I've missed you, too," she replied, smiling down at him, prying him off her and moving to sit on the arm chair and he moved to perch himself on her lap, despite it being difficult with her baby bump being in the way.
"Aunt 'Mione, why's your tummy so big?" He asked confused.
Hermione smiled at him. "Because I've got babies in my tummy."
"Like Fleur did?"
"Yes, like Fleur did. My tummy's very big because I'm having two babies at the same time, Fleur only had one."
A fascinated look crossed his face and he pressed his hands against her stomach, making Derek raise an eyebrow as he leaned against the wall as he gave Hermione space to greet her family, and Andromeda let out a chuckle.
"Is this your house?" Teddy asked, pulling his eyes from her stomach and looking around in wonder.
"Yes, and now it's your house, too."
"I don't get it," he frowned at her.
She smiled. "Teddy Bear, you and your Grandmother are going to be living with me."
"Really?" He asked excitedly.
"Really," she chuckled. "There's lots of things to do here, remember how went looking for worms and tried to catch butterflies?"
"That was fun," he nodded.
"Well I live in the middle of the woods, so we can go looking for lots of animals, and I know there's a play ground in the town and you're going to love it."
"I really get to see you all the time?"
"Yes, you do."
He let out an excited sound before reaching up to wrap his arms around her neck and he hugged her tightly, a smile pulled at Derek's mouth at seeing Hermione so happy, though he was surprised to see that the kid actually did have blue hair and he'd seen it change colour, too. It was one thing to hear about it, it was another to see it. He knew that was going to take some getting used to.
Teddy pulled back from Hermione with a frown on his face.
"What's wrong, Teddy?" She asked the child.
"You smell different," he told her, leaning in closer to her to sniff at her neck again, before he jumped off Hermione's lap and bent over to sniff at her stomach. "The babies smell funny," he commented.
Derek raised an eyebrow. Well, that was certainly interesting, he thought. He knew Hermione had said Teddy could sense other werewolves being nearby and that his senses were stronger than a human's, but he never thought the child would be able to pick up on his scent being on Hermione, or the babies for that matter, especially when Scott couldn't.
Teddy stood up and visibly sniffed at the air before he turned around and his green eyes landed on Derek, who was surprised when he saw the little child's eyes narrowing slightly.
"Aunt 'Mione, there's a werewolf here," he spoke.
Derek admitted that the child impressed him.
"I know, Teddy Bear," she replied. "This is Derek."
"Is he a good werewolf or a bad one?" Teddy asked. Teddy was a lot smarter than Derek thought he'd be.
"A good one," Hermione said, and she gently pushed Teddy aside as he'd been standing in front of her protectively –much to Derek's surprise and amusement- and she stood from the arm chair and crossed over to Derek, taking his hand in hers and she tugged him forward, forcing him to move closer to Teddy before she and Derek sat on the couch.
"Andromeda, Teddy, this is Derek, my boyfriend," she introduced.
Teddy seemed to have relaxed at the news of Derek not being a bad werewolf and he stepped closer to Derek.
"Like Uncle Harry and Ginny?"
Hermione pulled a face and Derek let out a growl, Teddy didn't flinch.
"Kind of," she said.
"I don't like Ginny, she smells bad," he said.
Hermione snorted and Derek raised an eyebrow, so Hermione leaned over to whisper in his ear. "Magical werewolves can pick up on emotions, but Teddy can do the same with a person's aura. He can effectively tell a bad egg from a good one, so he's a very good judge of character," she muttered, before pulling back from him.
Teddy was sizing Derek up and Hermione tried to hold back her giggles but failed, especially when Teddy held out his hand for a handshake. Derek raised an eyebrow once more before taking the little boy's hand and shaking it, a look of surprise pulling at his face when Teddy bent over to sniff at Derek's hand, then dropping it and stepping back.
"You smell different," he said, titling his head to the side in confusion.
"Derek's a supernatural werewolf; he doesn't need the full moon to change," Hermione grinned.
"That's awesome," Teddy grinned excitedly. "I like you," he told Derek.
"I think I'm going to like you, too, Pup," Derek replied.
Teddy's grin widened. "You talk funny," he said and Hermione snorted at him. "You're the daddy of the babies, I can smell it."
"Then your nose would be right," Derek said.
Teddy turned to look at Hermione. "Does he live here?"
"Yes, he does," she answered.
"I've never lived with a werewolf. My daddy was a werewolf," he told Derek.
"I know, a very good one from what I've been told," Derek answered and Teddy beamed in pride.
"I'm like my mummy, watch," Teddy instructed, before he turned his hair and eye colour to match Derek's. Derek blinked in surprise before shaking his head.
"That's cool," he commented and Teddy's impossibly large smile widened to the point that it must've hurt.
"Come on, then, Teddy Bear, I know it's past your bed time and you must be tired, so let's get your room sorted and get you ready for bed," Hermione spoke, pushing herself off the couch. Teddy scowled even as he took the hand she held out for him and followed her out of the room.
"Aunt 'Mione, you said you had a dog," Teddy said.
"I do, he's waiting to meet you," they heard Hermione say before barking and Teddy's laughs of joy were heard throughout the cottage.
Andromeda stepped forward, finally having chance to greet Derek properly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Dear. Hermione has spoken of you fondly," she said.
Derek stood from the couch and made to shake her hand but much to his surprise the older woman pulled him into a hug, his eyes widening at the gesture. She chuckled as she pulled back from him.
"Hermione's told me about you, too," he replied, feeling slightly uncomfortable at the way she was giving him a once over with her dark eyes, before a knowing smile pulled at her face.
"I hope we're not intruding," she said.
Derek shrugged. "Even if you were, which you're not, it's Hermione's house, not mine. She has the say on who can and can't enter, but I understand her need for you both to be close by."
"Yes, I imagine you do," she smiled at him. "And thank you,"
"For?" He asked confused.
"For being the reason she's smiling again, I have never seen her so happy in her life. Thank you for giving her a pack once again."
~000~000~000~
One week later...
The first week of Andromeda and Teddy living at the cottage flew by a lot quicker than anyone realised and they'd both settled in quickly. Hermione loved having Andromeda to talk to about her pregnancy as she'd gone through it herself, and she loved having Teddy close by and Magic loved following him around, too. Those two were best buddies, even more so than Derek and Magic which Hermione thought adorable.
She would spend time with Andromeda in her library and Teddy would accompany her, Derek and Magic on their daily trek through the woods, running around with Magic and looking for rabbits and birds. Teddy had taken an immediate shine to Derek, often talking to him about magical werewolves and asking questions about supernatural werewolves. Teddy would ask Derek to read to him whether he understood what was being said or not, or he'd snuggle up against Derek's side and watch TV, something he'd been amazed by since Andromeda didn't have it in the Wizarding World.
Teddy had even convinced Derek to go walking through the woods when Hermione and Andromeda where in the library and he was bored. Hermione wasn't surprised to see that Derek seemed to take a liking to the blue haired child either, seeing little Teddy as a nephew and he'd become very protective of him, almost as much as he was of Hermione.
Teddy had fallen once in the woods and Derek had returned in a foul mood and it hadn't vanished until Hermione had healed the small cut on the child's knee. Derek had taken Teddy for his first glimpse of the town, taking him to the park in his car and while Teddy had been nervous having never been in a car before, he'd also been excited and he'd loved being in Derek's car with him. Hermione had yet to see Derek refuse Teddy anything and if his behaviour with Teddy was anything to go by, she knew he'd be a good father to their babies, too. It was rare to see the two apart but Hermione and Andromeda both thought it adorable. Teddy had a male role model in his life who not only understood him, but was there for him, unlike some she refused to think of.
That day Derek had a meeting with an allied pack member and Teddy had wanted to go with him but Hermione wouldn't allow it, seeing as Derek had a three hour drive to the meeting point and she didn't want Teddy being too far away from her and she didn't want Derek to be distracted by Teddy's questions or his need to stop for the toilet. To placate the child, Hermione had taken Teddy to the park in town allowing Andromeda a day of relaxation and quiet.
They'd spent just over an hour at the park before they'd wandered through the town, Hermione allowing Teddy to choose one toy from the toy shop and then they stopped for lunch at Hermione's favourite diner, where Teddy tried his first cheese burger and banana milkshake.
"How is it?" Hermione asked Teddy, laughing when he looked up to her with tomato sauce smudged across his face, and she reached over to wipe it with a napkin.
"It's my new favourite food," the little boy told her.
"What about ice-cream?"
He frowned. "Second favourite," he amended.
"And cake?" She asked amused. His frowned deepened and she chuckled at him, reaching over to ruffle his sandy blonde hair.
She was proud of Teddy for his control over his shifting. They'd already told him the first day he'd been with them that they were in the Muggle World and he wouldn't be able to use his shifting or talk about magic in front of the muggles, and so far, he was doing really well.
"Hermione?"
Hermione looked up from Teddy and smiled when she spotted Scott and Stiles making their way over to her table. It was the first time she'd seen them since they learned she was dating Derek, pregnant and that she knew about the supernatural and by the looks of things, they didn't seem to be acting any differently with her.
"Scott, Stiles, free period?"
"Yes," they both answered and she snorted at them.
"Well, boys, this handsome bear is Teddy," she said, when she saw the teens eyeing Teddy curiously. "Teddy, this is Scott and Stiles." They both offered him a smile and wave. "Do you boys want to join us?"
"Will you answer my questions?" Stiles asked.
"No," she replied.
He scowled before sliding himself in beside Teddy. "Then maybe Teddy will," he said, turning to give Teddy an innocent smile. Scott snorted when Teddy looked at Stiles like he was an idiot and he slid himself in beside Hermione. "Teddy, do you know what Hermione can do?"
"I'm five," he replied. Stiles blinked at him and Hermione snorted.
"That's nearly older than me," Stile said. "So, can you tell me Hermione's secret?"
"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," he replied.
Hermione sat back and crossed her arms over her chest while Scott looked at her amused and she shrugged at him.
"I'm not a stranger, I'm Hermione's friend. So can you can tell me?" He smiled at Teddy.
"You're weird," Teddy frowned, leaning away from Stiles slightly. Scott burst out laughing and Hermione chuckled.
"Ah, can't argue with that," Stiles shrugged. "So?"
"I like cheese burgers, do you?"
Stiles blinked slowly before shaking his head. "Yes, who doesn't like cheese burgers? If you tell me what I want to know, I'll buy you an entire stack of them."
"You're silly," Teddy replied. Both Hermione and Scott were thoroughly enjoying Stiles' failed attempts to get information out of Teddy.
"I'm not silly, I'm smart," Stiles said.
Teddy looked at him like he was two sickles short of a galleon. "You're silly,"
Stiles made a whine-like noise. "Please, please, tell me Hermione's secret," he begged the five year old.
Scott turned to smirk at Hermione. He honestly couldn't remember the last time Stiles had been given the run around like the little boy was doing right now. He'd never seen anything like it.
"I'm not allowed to tell you, Aunt 'Mione said bad things will happen if people find out about us."
"Us? So you're like her? Different?" Stiles asked, a triumphant smile crossing his face.
Teddy frowned. "Aunt 'Mione's not different, my mummy and daddy were."
"Now I'm confused," Stiles frowned, reaching up to scratch his forehead.
"You can't interrogate me and you can't interrogate Teddy, he's too smart for it," Hermione said proudly.
"Aunt 'Mione?"
Hermione turned to look at Teddy. "Yes, Teddy Bear?" She questioned with a smile.
He visibly sniffed at the air and looked to Scott with a narrowed gaze; she knew where this was going.
"He's a werewolf," he said, pointing to Scott. Both teens' eyes widened and Hermione snorted before casting a subtle Silencio so no one walking past could hear.
"Yes, Teddy, he is, but he's a good werewolf like Derek."
"Okay," he said nodding, before picking up some fries and going to dip them in the tomato sauce, but he'd eaten it all.
"It's on the counter, Teddy Bear, go and ask the nice lady to give it to you, and remember to say please and thank you," she told the little boy.
Without thought, he stood up on the bench and climbed over Stiles before jumping down and running over to the counter. The minute he did so both teens turned to look at her.
"How the hell does he know that? Did you tell him?" Scott asked.
"Of course I didn't, I don't need to," she replied.
"Then how does he know?" Stiles spoke.
"Teddy's father was a werewolf and while he wasn't born with lycanthropy himself, he does have better senses and he can tell when other werewolves are nearby, which is how he knew you're a werewolf. He can also feel if a person's good or bad, he's a really good judge of character. There isn't much you can get past that child. He'd only been with me a few minutes when he told me my babies smelled funny and that he could smell that Derek was the father."
They both blinked at her in surprise. "How, I can't smell anything?" Scott said.
She shrugged. "You're the only one. I've met one of Derek's friends and even he told me I smell like Derek. Derek himself says that me and the twins are smelling more like him each day, which is how I'm surprised you never picked up on the fact that I'm pregnant before you found out, but he says it's because you haven't been a werewolf long so you're still not able to pick up on such scents."
"Aunt 'Mione?"
"Yes, Teddy Bear," she spoke, looking to the little boy as he stood at the end of the table.
"I need the toilet,"
"It's just over there," she pointed out the door. "Do you need me to come with you?"
He shook his head, put the bottle of tomato sauce on the table and then walked over to the toilets and through the men's door.
"Where are his parents?" Stiles asked. "He said 'were' not 'are'."
Hermione sighed and pushed her hair back from her face. "They both died when Teddy was only a few weeks old. His Grandmother got custody of him but she's not well so they've moved from Britain over to here to be with me, they're living with me now. If anything happens I'm to be his guardian, hopefully that doesn't happen for a long time."
"Why does he call you Aunt?"
She shrugged. "When I was younger I was a part of his father's pack despite being human. His father was the Alpha and one of the smartest, kindest people I'd ever met. When his father died the pack bond between us was severed, but Teddy and I can still feel remnants of the bond. Through the pack I'm his sister, friend, Aunt, Godmother, whatever he needs me to be." She looked up when she saw Teddy approaching. "Did you wash your hands?"
"Yes, Aunt 'Mione," he replied, once more climbing over Stiles to get back to his seat and he poured himself some more tomato sauce onto his plate.
"You have to eat all of it if you want to get ice-cream for dessert."
"Uncle Derek doesn't make me eat it all," he frowned, and the two teens shared looks at Teddy's reference of the older, broody werewolf.
"Well I'm not Uncle Derek," she replied.
"Why couldn't I go with him?"
"Because what he's doing is dangerous, if the meeting goes bad I don't want you nearby otherwise you might get hurt."
"Uncle Derek would protect me," the child argued.
"He would," she agreed. "But he'd be so focused on protecting you that he might get hurt himself. Now, eat up all your lunch, we'll have some ice-cream and this evening we'll bake some cookies."
"Chocolate?"
"Of course, that's the best kind of cookie," she replied.
Teddy grinned before picking up his burger, dipping it in the sauce and taking a large bite, once more covering his face with the tomato sauce.
~000~000~000~
One week later...
Another week past the same as before, and that afternoon Hermione and Teddy had gone into town to do a bit of shopping. Hermione had picked up a few groceries and before heading home, Hermione allowed Teddy loose in the sweet shop. She'd been in there for a few minutes before her nose couldn't take the smell of the sugar anymore and she moved to stand outside, watching Teddy through the window as one of the shop keepers helped him choose his own sweets. Hermione had already given the young woman the money and told her Teddy could have whatever he could get for the budget he had. Hermione was sure the little bundle of joy would emerge with his pockets over flowing as she'd been quite generous with the amount she'd allowed him to spend.
Hermione chuckled when Teddy darted across the other side of the shop and the young woman struggled to keep up with him as she carried a small basket which was already half-full of sweets.
Feeling a strange presence nearby, Hermione turned her head to search the street, looking for the cause of the presence and she knew she had her answer when she saw a man approaching her from the other side of the street.
He had dark hair and eyes, his nose straight, his goatee was cut short and tidy and his skin pale. She'd say he was around five-foot-eleven height wise and he was wearing a pair of dark jeans, a t-shirt and a brown leather jacket over the top.
When he saw her watching him he put a charming smile on and once he stepped onto her side of the street, he continued walking until he came to a stop in front of her. She knew what he was, a werewolf.
"Can I help you?" She frowned.
He raised an eyebrow at her accent but his charming smile stayed on his face. His eyes lowered to her stomach, widening slightly at her baby bump before they lifted back up, landing on the metal disc that hung around her neck and had shifted into view. He visibly sniffed at the air and his eyes sparked gold for all but a second and his smile grew wider, which honestly frightened her, so she took the smallest step back and shifted her hand into the pocket of her cardigan where her wand was kept.
"I'm sorry; I just saw your necklace from across the street. Do you know Derek Hale?"
"Why do you ask?"
He tilted his head to the side slightly. "I just recognise that marking. You are protected by the Hale Pack?"
"I'm not even going to pretend like I have no idea what you're talking about, so yes, I know Derek's a werewolf and I know you're one, too." He looked at her curiously. "Why do you wish to know if I know Derek?"
"Forgive me, I'm Jonathon Pierce," he said, holding his hand out to her and reluctantly she shook his hand and quickly pulled it back from him.
"Hermione Granger," she replied.
"Pretty name," he complimented with a smile. "I'm sorry to be so forward, but I can smell..." He gestured down to her stomach and she felt her hand come up to it protectively.
"That's because Derek's the father, I'm his girlfriend, and yes, I'm protected by the pack."
"You must be important to him, I've known Derek since he was born and he's never given a woman the protection of the Hale Pack," he smiled at her.
"Are you from an allied pack?"
"Of course, I believe Derek and I will be meeting shortly," he said, but their attention was pulled when Teddy bounded out of the shop excitedly carrying a bag of sweets.
"Aunt 'Mione, I got lots of chocolate. Does Uncle Derek like sour things?"
"Loves it," she smiled down at Teddy.
"I bought him lots."
"I'm sure he'll appreciate that," she told him and Teddy's smile dropped off his face and he sniffed at the air, narrowing his eyes on the man in front of him.
"Aunt 'Mione, he's a werewolf," Teddy said, reaching up to take her hand and he pressed himself against her side. The strange man raised a curious eyebrow.
"I know he is, Teddy Bear. He said he knows Derek."
"Is he a bad werewolf or a good one?" Teddy asked.
"I'm not sure," she answered honestly. "Which are you?" She asked the man.
"That depends on who you ask," he replied. "But I better be going."
"I'll be sure to tell Derek you're in town."
"Oh, don't bother, I'm only visiting for the day, I'll see him soon enough. Have a good day, Hermione, and meeting you was very enlightening," he smiled at her, before he turned and left them alone.
"Aunt 'Mione?"
"Yes, Teddy?" She spoke, watching as the man rounded the corner and disappeared from view.
"I don't like that man."
"I'm not sure I do either," she said, before shaking her head. "Come on then, let's get home."
"Do you think Uncle Derek will go looking for rabbits with me?"
"I'm sure he will, Teddy Bear, now let's go. We need to see if Magic's drove your Grandmother crazy."