Chapter 5

The Grangers' house was full of werewolves, and they didn't even know.

They strove to get to bed at a reasonable time. That way they could wake up early and enjoy their mornings together before they dropped Hermione off at the sitter's and went to work.

This meant that everyone was in bed when Greyback and the others arrived in the Grangers' tiny, fenced backyard. He instructed the others to go back to the pack, more interested in turning one little girl than risking the exposure of the magical community and his packmates.

He'd been doing this for years - picking a specimen to turn and putting himself in their vicinity just before the moon rose. It was his own little game, and it had long been his favorite way to punish those he felt had wronged him. Greyback's desire for revenge against Remus' father was the reason the younger Lupin had been targeted.

Now he would punish Remus for the way he despised the gift Greyback had given him all those years ago.

He stalked silently through the house, reveling in the heightened senses that allowed him to see clearly in the dark. The alpha could already feel his eyes glowing amber, a sign of his impending transformation.

He found the girl's room just as he heard a pop of apparition from outside.

It didn't matter. He could already feel the tingling pull of the full moon urging his body to transform.

Greyback took pleasure in the change. Unlike Remus, who was just down the stairs suffering his own transformation, he loved the power and raw brutality that his wolf form afforded him. He pushed into the agony, urging bones to break and reform, fur to grow, and teeth and claws to emerge. The pain was over quickly enough, and his steel-grey muzzle fairly grinned as he pounced on his young prey, relishing the coppery tang of her blood.

Remus, for the first time in his life, didn't fight the change.

He willed it to go faster, struggling towards the stairs, first on two feet, then four. When the last bone snapped into place, Remus, as Moony, raced up the stairs as fast as his large, wiry wolf body would carry him. He was being driven almost mad with the need to protect his pup, his child. The screams of a young toddler rang through the house, and Moony shot into the room with the open door.

Greyback had gotten a few good bites in before Moony's arrival, and the alpha turned to snarl at Moony with bloodied teeth. Under normal circumstances, Moony would never challenge an alpha.

Apparently, these weren't normal circumstances.

The sandy brown wolf leapt through the doorway, barrelling into the larger alpha wolf's chest and sending them both crashing to the floor. He was instantly back on his feet, putting himself between Greyback and his pup. The power of his desire to protect the crying toddler in the nearby cot thrummed through his veins, and he gnashed his teeth, unwilling to bare his neck and submit to the alpha as he normally would. Bounding forward, he bit, kicked, and clawed at the silver-grey wolf, maiming in every way he could, until they were both out the door and tumbling down the stairs. They were both on their feet in a flash, circling each other on the landing.

Greyback must have seen the murder in Moony's eyes because he decided it wasn't worth the fight and ran off through the open front door.

Moony felt torn between protecting his pup and needing to go after her attacker, his own alpha, but he eventually followed Greyback out the door and down the street into the night.

XxxX

Remus wanted to die.

He had struggled with self-esteem his entire life, but he had never felt as worthless as he did upon waking the next morning.

His daughter, who he only remembered as a tiny, screaming, wounded person with lots of curly hair, was going to be a werewolf. The one thing that he wouldn't wish on anyone had been thrust upon his daughter.

Because of him.

Greyback had continued to run and fight with him throughout the night, and the alpha had risen that morning in great spirits. He may not have snagged the girl for the pack, but he had succeeded in turning her. Apparently, that was enough.

He even ignored Moony's transgressions of the night before; he was nearly giddy over his petty revenge on the younger wolf over Remus' desire to be anything but the werewolf he was.

Remus choked on the remorse and bile building in his throat. He had to do something to help. Try to make this right.

He waited only until Greyback and a few others left to raid a local town for supplies. Knowing he was risking his mission for the Order - again - he turned on the spot and was gone.

XxxX

"Sirius?" the hoarse, familiar voice called through the flat.

The wizard in question tumbled out of his bed, leaving the thoroughly-shagged bird in his bed to sleep off their activities of the previous night. He shut the door and made his way into the living room, a concerned frown marring his features.

"Moony?" Sirius asked as the werewolf came into sight. Remus was covered in new claw and bite marks, something that usually didn't happen when he was with the rest of the Marauders or a werewolf pack during the full moon. Sirius' frown turned into a scowl as he whispered, "Who did this to you?"

Remus opened his mouth to answer before changing his mind, changing the subject instead. "It doesn't matter. I have so much to tell you, and you're going to hate that I kept a secret from you, and I don't have time for your dramatics," he finally snapped with an angry slash of his hands. He strode to the couch and sat, immediately putting his head in his hands. After a pause, he muttered, "I need help."

Sirius, shocked speechless for the first time in as long as Remus could remember, took a moment to let both of them breathe before quietly asking, "What's wrong, Moony? You know I'll always help any way I can." He waited another minute before adding, "Talk to me."

Lifting his head from his hands, Remus swallowed thickly. He almost felt like having this conversation would cement the events of the past 24 hours as if they were all just a horribly bad dream until the moment he spoke the words.

Clearing his throat, he finally allowed the words to spill out of him. "I have a daughter, Pads."

Sirius squawked, and Remus held up a hand to silence him before Remus lost the nerve to continue. "Not with anyone we know. When money was really tight a couple years back, I ended up becoming a sperm donor," at this, his cheeks flushed, making his acute embarrassment clear. "I didn't know until yesterday that anything had come of it, but the family who used my...erm...donation...wrote me a letter to say 'thank you.' That was the Muggle letter you sent on to me."

The Animagus' eyes brightened with understanding, widening in anticipation of what Remus was about to say next.

"I've been with Greyback's pack since I left on this mission for the Order."

Remus could tell his friend had something to say about that, based on the look of righteous indignation on Sirius' face, so he quickly continued, "No, Pads. It's not up for discussion. This was the best way for me to help the Order, and I'm happy to do it. Well, I was - " he stopped abruptly, the weight of what he was about to say crashing down on him once again.

Pushing forward, willing himself to finish the conversation so he could get Sirius' help with the situation, he said, "Greyback read the letter. He hates how I feel about being a werewolf, and he is always giving me a hard time about it." He huffed a humourless laugh. "Guess he thought it would be funny to turn my only child into one, too. Sick bastard," he added under his breath.

"You mean…?" Sirius breathed the question.

Remus nodded, measuring the distance to the bathroom out of the corner of his eye in case he needed to be sick. "He turned her. Last night."

"Shit." Sirius wasn't known for his eloquence in difficult situations.

"Yeah." Remus didn't know what to say now that his confession was out. Help, he reminded himself. He needed help.

"She's being raised as a Muggle, Sirius. They won't know what to do." His eyes were getting misty, remembering his own childhood full of his mother's love, his father's regret, and his own painful transformations in the cellar of their family home.

He returned his head to his trembling hands. "What have I done?"

Sirius came to sit next to him on the couch. "This is my fault. If I hadn't sent that letter…"

Remus scoffed. "How could you have known it was anything more than a bill or answer to an old job application?" He looked up to glare at the ceiling, running his hands through his hair in frustration. "It was probably the only piece of mail that could possibly have come from the Muggle world that Greyback would have cared about. He always reads our mail, but usually, it's just a short note from you lot, so it doesn't mean anything to him."

The look on Sirius' face made it clear that he still blamed himself for what had happened. He knew he wouldn't win a game of self-loathing against his best friend, however, so he went back to the original subject. "You said you need help. What can I do?"

A/N: You guys absolutely made my week with all your amazing reviews! This little story is almost up to 100 reviews and 200 followers, and I'm just floored by the response! Hopefully you'll forgive me for last chapter's cliffhanger now that you know what happens. Don't hate me for making baby Hermione a werewolf. It's all for the good of the story, I promise. I am so freaking excited about where it's headed! Some people have expressed concerns about where this story is going or what the pairings will be. I have the plot planned out through the end of the war, and both Remus and Hermione will have relationships. :) I don't really want to give away who their love interests are just yet, though. ;)

A big plate of virtual beta brownies for Synoir and Mahawna. Love these two!