Chapter 4

After the Grangers' initial discovery of Hermione's magical abilities, the rate at which the odd bursts of magic occurred grew exponentially. Finally, after Hermione had sent a pile of her favourite picture books sailing through the house in the middle of her second birthday party. Her grandmother, oblivious to the toddler's unique abilities, had made the mistake of asking Hermione if she'd like to read a few books together after she opened her gifts. Hermione obviously did, and her books quickly made their way down the stairs to the living room.

Everyone, except for Helen and Richard, had flown into a state of panic as the books landed in a neat pile on the coffee table. Hermione glanced around, pleased with herself but curious as to why all the adults were behaving so strangely.

Moments later, the front door burst open. The Grangers' various friends and family members were all trying to talk over each other, so none of them noticed the robed strangers who marched into the room, waving wooden sticks around and muttering things under their breath.

Helen and Richard, however, had stayed calm during the upheaval. They stood, holding Hermione between them like two parental shields, and gawked at the two men in dark red robes as they went about their work. The yelling quickly subsided as the partygoers slowly sat down, as if floating to the ground, and falling asleep. The Grangers couldn't help but be afraid of whatever was going on, but they were also curious about these men and their connection to Hermione's powers.

Their questions were soon answered.

"Dr and Dr Granger, I presume?" the taller man asked. His auburn hair clashed horribly with the deep red of his robes, and Helen found herself stifling a laugh when her thoughts got stuck on that fact in the midst of such a worrisome situation.

Richard was paying better attention to the man's words and nodded, saying, "Yes, sir. And you are?"

The other man, a shorter bloke with blond hair, came up to shake Richard's hand. "I'm Kentworthy, and this is my partner, Vance. We are here to investigate a case of underage magic."

Helen's brain was still a bit caught up on how ridiculous Vance looked in that shade of red, but she shook her head a bit to bring her attention back to the conversation at hand. The first thing that popped out of her mouth was, "Why hasn't anyone come before?"

Kentworthy turned to her and inclined his head. "Bouts of accidental magic are common for young witches and wizards, ma'am. When family members are the only ones who see them happen, and no one is in danger, we usually let it slide." He paused and gestured to the room of slumbering guests. "We can't have this many Muggles finding out about magic, though, I'm afraid."

Helen nodded, her curiosity somewhat appeased.

The other bloke, Vance, added, "We understand that you probably have a lot of questions since this is the first recorded visit you've had from the magical community. We will be putting you in contact with the proper authorities to help you with that." He flicked his finger to point at himself and his partner then said, "We're just Obliviators. Our job is to change the memories of everyone else here to keep your daughter, and the rest of the wizarding world, safe."

Helen and Richard were both shocked speechless at the revelations that the men's nonchalant little speeches had brought to light. They stood silently as the men went around the room, removing the incident from the minds of all their sleeping friends and family members. When they were finished with their work, they both gave a brief nod and let themselves out the front door.

The lock clicked shut behind them, of its own accord.

As the deadbolt clicked into place, the party sprang back to life. Everyone was back on their feet and chatting as if nothing had happened. Helen and Richard continued to stand in the back of the room, near the window, staring at the front door.

XxxX

Later that same day, Minerva McGonagall, a professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, came to visit. She answered every question the Grangers threw at her - and they had put together quite a list. It calmed them to be reassured that Hermione was happy, healthy, and normal in her very own special way.

They knew that things would likely not be easy for their daughter in what the Scottish witch called "the Muggle world." It broke their hearts a little bit to realise that magic was one thing they would never be able to share with their daughter or truly understand, but they vowed to support her and help her prepare for her future in the wizarding world.

The Grangers' talk with McGonagall sparked a renewed desire in Helen's heart to contact the sperm donor who was Hermione's biological father. She had a niggling feeling that he was the reason Hermione was a witch, though she kept her suspicions to herself. She didn't want to get anyone in trouble, and Richard seemed oblivious to her thoughts, too enthralled with all he was learning about magic.

She didn't waste much time in writing a letter and convincing the clinic to contact their donor. It wasn't common practice, but they decided to allow it if the communication stayed strictly anonymous.

The letter was off before they knew it, and Helen hoped that her thanks would be well-received.

XxxX

Remus bit back a groan when the owl headed right towards him, swooping down to drop a letter into his outstretched hand. It was gone as fast as it had come, anxious to get away from the predatory vibes that fairly radiated off the pack. Remus only had enough time to read the words penned on the front and back of the envelope before a clawed hand tore it from his grasp. The front had held a return address from a suburb of Muggle London that seemed vaguely familiar, but there was no name. The back was covered in Sirius' tidy scrawl, a byproduct of his despised Pureblood upbringing that wouldn't go away, despite his best efforts.

M-

This came by Muggle post. Not sure what it is, but I thought I'd best send it on in case it's important. Take care of yourself.

-P

The note had been benign enough, Remus was relieved to see. It shouldn't raise the alpha's suspicions. The envelope's contents might be another matter. Greyback turned the letter over in his hands, reading both sides before slicing it open with one clawed finger. He pulled out the sheet of lined paper within, flicking it open with a twitch of his wrist. His eyes scanned down the letter at a crawl, a manic smile curving his lips enough to show the sharp teeth hidden within. That couldn't be good.

When Greyback had finished reading the letter, he crumpled it into a ball and threw it in Remus' direction.

"Seems you have a pup out there in the big, bad world, Lupin," he said with a dark chuckle.

Remus' stomach dropped to his toes. His eyes went wide as the alpha added, "Maybe we should pay her a visit. The pack could use some new blood."

Moony came to the front of his mind, taking control long enough growl at the other werewolf's implications. He thought the words, Over. My. Dead. Body, but he didn't let them slip past his lips. Instead, he attempted to derail the alpha's plans as quickly as possible.

"London is huge. There's no way we would ever find...the baby…"

Greyback's grin went positively feral. "That's where you're wrong, Remus," he said. "I am very good at finding things. I found you, didn't I?"

With that, he turned and made his way back towards the fire where a group of wolves sat. They were far away enough that Remus couldn't hear what was said, but he could see Greyback round up a couple of pack members before casting a warning glance in Remus' direction and apparating away.

Panic flared through the younger werewolf's veins, and Moony's instincts screamed to run and protect his 'pup.'" Resisting the urge, he paused to reach down and grab the crumpled letter the alpha had thrown at him before. He smoothed the pages of thin, lined paper with shaking fingers and took in the words as quickly as his scattered thoughts would allow.

Dear Sir,

I'm afraid I don't really know how to begin this letter, but I have thought long and hard about sending it and feel it is the right thing to do. I have wondered how I might thank you for over two years now, and I find that the only answer that keeps coming back to me is to put the words in writing. This way we may both stay anonymous while allowing me to express my heartfelt gratitude.

This is starting to look like rambling, so I will get to the point. You have given us the greatest gift we have ever received. I don't know the circumstances surrounding your donation at the fertility clinic, but we have a beautiful baby girl thanks to you, and I would be remiss if I did not at least try to say thank you. Thank you for our beautiful baby girl. She is everything we'd ever dreamed of and more. Her presence has brought a hint of magic to our lives that was missing before.

Thank you.

Remus' hands shook even harder as he read the short missive again. And a third time. "A hint of magic…"

"What have I done?"

It hadn't even occurred to Remus that he would possibly be fathering a "Muggle-born" with his donation. He had been so focused on his lack of funds and the knowledge that he wouldn't pass on his Lycanthropy that he had been a complete dunce and forgotten to factor in magic.

He didn't have time to worry about such things, unfortunately. Greyback and the others were already on their way to find his...daughter...and destroy her life the way Greyback had destroyed Remus' own.

The full moon was only an hour or two away.

Remus felt sick.

He had to find her.

With a flick of his wand, he twisted on his heel and disapparated, appearing a couple blocks away from the fertility clinic he'd visited years before. He walked the remaining distance quickly, trying not to look as panicked as he felt. The wolf was just below the surface this close to the full moon, and Remus struggled to keep control of his instincts as he rounded the corner of the clinic and carefully peered through the windows, trying to suss out the situation.

He wanted to run. Fight. Hide. Do something other than keep his head and figure this out.

The sight that met his eyes made his empty stomach clench.

The office had been ransacked. Files were strewn everywhere. Two men lay dead, sprawled at awkward angles across the floor. They looked like guards sent by the security company after Greyback and his minions had come searching, setting off the clinic's alarms.

Remus choked down the bile that sought to rise in his throat, tearing his eyes away from the empty gazes of the corpses to continue looking for whatever Greyback had found. Luckily (and how he could think anything about this situation was lucky was beyond him), Greyback wasn't as brilliant as he was cruel, and the pertinent file lay face up on the nearest filing cabinet. Remus' name was tidily printed across the edge of the file, and the contents held the names, address, and details for Dr and Dr Granger, and their young daughter, Hermione.

He turned on the spot, hoping he wasn't too late.

A/N: Thanks for all the lovely reviews! They make the muse happy, which means more chapters for you all. ;) As always, thanks to my fantastic beta, Synoir. She rocks my socks. :)