A/N: Week #4 Prompt was: a story about three siblings.

I debated and argued and wrung my hands over this one. Should it be the Black sisters before Andromeda marries Ted Tonks? The Marauders, after James is murdered and they're all separate and alone? The Golden Trio? The sticking point for me was always that this is also supposed to be Siremione.

So instead you all get this story, about Hermione adopting three werewolves.

Edit: "What did Sirius & Remus do?" It seems to be bothering a lot of people, but it isn't really necessary to the plot. Still, let's toss out a few ideas. If we have WolfStar then Teddy never happened. Remus doesn't know that it's okay/safe to father children. It's possible that even the discussion of children might upset him-cause him to panic and shut down the idea completely. (Not every person is completely rational and logical 24/7) Both Remus and Sirius have issues upon issues. It is entirely within the realm of possibility that they might worry that their issues might be too much to subject Hermione to. Fear makes people act irrationally. They make poor decisions that they might regret later. That's it

Family wasn't about blood, it was about love. Mum had said it often enough that there were days when Alistair almost believed it. Merlin knew the people related to him by blood hadn't been his family. They had told him so right before they abandoned him in the car park of a Tesco's. Mum's lips got tight every time anyone mentioned it, but then again—Mum was pretty protective of all of them.

Once some arsehole at the Ministry had referred to Alistair as Mum's "half-breed brat" and Mum had punched him right in the face in the middle of the Ministry. Alistair was smart enough to realize that the surprise vacation Mum had dragged them on to Australia was really because she'd been fired. He had been young enough, and his relationship with Mum had been new enough that he had spent a couple of sleepless nights wondering if this would be the moment where Mum would decide that he was too much, and she'd walk away, too.

"Oh, Alistair." Mum's eyes had gone glassy and her lips had tightened. "You're stuck with me, sproglet. We did the adoption spell. Magic binds us together, and even if it didn't… I chose you. You understand that, right?"

Grandma and Grandpa Granger were all right, for the most part, but Alistair could taste their uneasiness… their fear… and it bothered him. He wished that the world were different. That people didn't look at him and automatically assume he was going to maul them.

"I'm sorry," Mum sighed. She looked around Grandma and Grandpa Granger's backyard and frowned. "I should have… this was a bad idea."

"Not as bad as punching Mr. Smith in the face," Alistair muttered.

Mum huffed at that and then her shoulders slumped. "No, I guess not."

"What are we going to do now, Mum?" Alistair asked quietly. A half-smile quirked about her mouth every time he called her Mum—so he made sure to do it often.

"How do you feel about France?" Mum had asked.

"How do they feel about half-breeds?" Alistair had retorted.

Mum had scowled at that. "Bloody Smith," she growled. She ran a hand through Alistair's hair. "They've got a reserve. A… a place that you can run as much as you want."

Alistair could feel his heart race and knew he was hyperventilating. Mum's hands were a warm, steady weight on his shoulders.

"Breathe, Alistair," she demanded. "Damn it, breathe. It's… it's only on the full moons. We'll rent a house nearby. I'm not going to abandon you!"

Finally, Alistair could catch his breath. Mum breathed with him, in and out slowly, counting their breaths together.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"No," Mum countered with a shake of her crazy, curly hair. "You don't have to be sorry for that. It was my fault. I should have explained it better. I've been working on… I spoke to an old Professor, and she's helped with my Animagus form." Here Mum made a face. "It's not exactly the most practical, but I guess it's better than nothing. I won't leave you, Alistair. Not even on the full moon."

It had been difficult for Reggie to believe. In the beginning, Mum had been so patient, but Reggie had been certain that it was another lie. She'd destroyed the pretty bedroom that Mum had led her to that first night, and she had stood in the middle of it all, chest heaving and bitter satisfaction curling in her stomach. Now Reggie would know the truth of it, she was sure. Mum had just flicked her wand and everything had repaired itself and floated back where it belonged.

There was a boy, lurking in the doorway, eyeing Reggie with cool speculation. When he stepped into the room, Reggie's eyes had widened in shock. Scars criss-crossed his face and arms in a very familiar pattern.

"Alistair?" Mum had turned to him and tilted her head. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"It was a bit loud," Alistair had replied with a shrug.

"This is Regina," Mum had said and gestured toward her. "Regina, this is my son, Alistair."

"Reggie," Reggie muttered.

Alistair shrugged again. "If that's what you want."

"Alistair," Mum had sighed.

"Full moon's in a couple of days," Alistair had observed aloud.

"I know," Reggie had growled from between clenched teeth.

"Mum stays with us," Alistair had said calmly.

Reggie had blanched at that and turned to stare at Mum with a look of horror. "You can't!" She had protested.

Mum had smirked at that. "I think you'll find that I can."

It really had been that simple. It hadn't been a lie. Reggie had gained a Mum and a… well, an Alistair anyway. He had taken great delight in telling everyone they met that Reggie was his baby sister, the toe rag. Eventually, Reggie hadn't minded. Eventually, Reggie had been proud to be claimed as family by Alistair and Mum.

Reggie and Alistair liked to claim that Leo had had it easy because he was the last. Leo wasn't quite so sure. When Mum had walked into the French Ministry of Magic with a worried frown—he hadn't known who she was. Just some Ministry employee, he had assumed, roused out of bed and pulled in because of Leo. Then he'd been taken to a cosy little cottage, and introduced to two other young werewolves who had hovered around Mum and postured protectively, until she had sighed and told Alistair and Reggie to knock it off.

For weeks, Leo hadn't known where or how he fit into the family he'd been shoved at by the Ministry. Alistair watched Leo carefully, and Regina mimicked his behaviour. Golden eyes tracked Leo's every move.

It was impossible for Leo to be angry or even insulted by the two werewolves with whom he shared a house. Mum was… Mum was wonderful. She was scary brilliant, impatient with stupidity or sloth, and if she was researching dinner might run a little late. But… Mum treated them like people. When she looked at them there was never fear in her eyes—only love and acceptance.

Before long, Leo knew that he would do anything to keep Mum safe, just like Alistair and Reggie, because Mum had a tendency to think the best of every single werewolf. Merlin knew why.

"Hogwarts?" Mum appeared to be stunned. She stared at Alistair with wide eyes.

"Yeah," Alistair muttered.

"But…" Mum trailed off helplessly. "Wizarding Britain is a festering pool of bigotry and prejudice," she reminded him.

"I remember," Alistair replied.

"Why?" Mum asked with a hint of desperation to her voice.

"You left because of me," Alistair reminded her and avoided her startled gaze. "It wasn't fair."

"It wasn't just because of you," Hermione protested. "There were other reasons."

All three of them understood. Mum would cut off her wand arm before she would do anything that would hurt any of them. Mum loved them so fiercely and with all her heart. Sending any of them off to somewhere where she knew they would be hurt had to be killing her.

"I want to show them," Alistair half-growled. "I'm just as good as they are."

"Better," Mum muttered automatically. She stared from Alistair to the letter that he'd shoved at her over breakfast. "We can probably get all of this in Paris. Is that all right with you, or do you want to thumb your nose down Diagon Alley before school even starts?"

"Paris is fine," Alistair said and rolled his eyes at her.

King's Cross Station with Mum was weird. People kept staring at her. Reggie and her brothers positioned themselves around Mum in a defensive pattern. Leo kept tugging on his ear and Alistair scowled at everyone. Finally Reggie poked him.

"Knock it off, Alistair," Reggie hissed. "You're going to have everyone hating you before you get there."

"Remind me to tell you sometime about the time Uncle Harry did not become friends with Draco Malfoy," Mum murmured absently.

"Why is everyone staring?" Leo asked.

"Oh." Mum glanced around and then looked at the three of them. "Well, it's probably a number of factors. I… I'm rather well known, and, erm, I haven't been back to Wizarding Britain for some time."

"So it's not because we're werewolves?" Leo pressed with a worried frown.

"Of course not," Mum said so hurriedly that none of them believed her. "Come on; let's get you on board, Alistair."

Almost immediately, Alistair had known there was another werewolf in Hogwarts Castle. An older, scarred wizard was sitting at the high table with the professors, and Alistair could only assume he was a professor, too. Alistair eyed him curiously as he waited to be Sorted. Mum had explained the entire thing to him so he ignored the sly taunts of some of the other students who were going on about wrestling dragons or fighting trolls. He glanced up at the charmed ceiling that his Mum had gone on about—he'd have to make sure that he wrote her tonight and told it was just as nice as she'd said.

A round, friendly witch who introduced herself as Professor Sprout called each of them forward to sit on a stool and try on the Sorting Hat. Alistair watched the older werewolf chat with his dinner companion and gesture toward a couple of the students as they were called.

"Granger, Alistair!"

The werewolf professor turned to stare at Professor Sprout in shock, and the professor sitting next to the werewolf appeared to be just as stunned. Suddenly nervous, Alistair edged toward the stool. He could feel the weight of their gaze on him as the Sorting Hat debated his fate.

There had been a very long, very tedious conversation where Mum had expounded upon the virtues of all the Houses at Hogwarts. Alistair suspected that Mum was worried about influencing them, or something. She had nattered on about House Rivalries, and how he should ignore a person's House if he wanted to be friends with them, but Alistair had ignored most of it. There was only one House for him.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat bellowed.

The two professors appeared to be pleased by that and they both exchanged a glance and clapped as Alistair headed toward the red and gold table.

The first full moon was… beyond awkward. When Professor Lupin, as Alistair had learned the older werewolf was called, walked him to the Whomping Willow Mum was waiting with Reggie and Leo. Professor Lupin froze with one hand on Alistair's shoulder.

"Hermione," Professor Lupin murmured.

"Remus," Mum replied with a polite nod.

Automatically, Alistair slipped out from under Professor Lupin's hand and moved toward his Mum.

"You shouldn't be here," Professor Lupin protested.

Mum shrugged as though she hadn't a care in the world as a huge, black dog stepped carefully in the room. She nodded at the dog.

"Hello, Sirius," she greeted him calmly. She turned toward Alistair and smiled fondly at him. "I'm so proud of you, sweetheart. Now, the three of you play nice with Professor Lupin and Professor Black."

Reggie snorted at that. Mum rolled her eyes and then transformed into her Animagus.

"An otter?" Professor Lupin murmured in surprise.

"What's wrong with otters?" Leo demanded with a dark scowl.

"Nothing," Professor Lupin replied. He shook his head. "This is… so unexpected."

Mum chittered at them, and Professor Black barked.

"Mum never leaves us alone at the full moon," Reggie told Professor Lupin with an autocratic sniff. "She certainly wasn't going to let Alistair suffer by himself."

Mum patted Reggie on the foot with one paw and lifted her furry little chin at Professor Lupin.

"No, of course not," Professor Lupin muttered with a strange expression.

What followed was the strangest full moon that Alistair had ever had. The only thing he knew for certain was that Professor Black and Professor Lupin were interested in Mum. His Mum. He exchanged glances with Reggie and Leo after they finished dressing and the other two nodded grimly.

"They'll never know what hit them," Reggie said with dark satisfaction.

Leo nodded. "Nobody messes with our Mum."

Alistair tousled his little brother's hair. "No they don't kiddo."

Somehow, the professors always knew. It was infuriating and baffling. Even worse, they were managing to woo Mum on the full moons. Stupid Professor Black in his stupid Grim form would go get flowers and bring them to Otter-Mum. In the beginning, Mum would eat them, which they all found encouraging, but that didn't last.

Stupid Moony, which was what they called Professor Lupin during the full moon, would try to nuzzle Otter-Mum, but usually the three of them managed to nip that in the bud.

"I appreciate that the three of you are protective," Mum said when she sat the three of them down. "But it's unnecessary."

"We're not stupid, Mum," Reggie had burst out at that point. She pointed an angry finger at both professors. "They hurt you! And you're just… you're letting them in again!"

"Oh, Reggie," Mum said quietly. Her face got all sad and she had pulled Reggie in for a tight hug.

"We did hurt your Mum," Professor Black admitted. All three of them growled at that, and he nodded at them with approval shining in his grey eyes. He glanced at Professor Lupin. "We were sure we were right, and we were pig-headed and stubborn about it."

"But we were wrong," Professor Lupin whispered.

"Really, really, really wrong," Professor Black added.

"Are you gonna hurt her again?" Leo demanded with a frown.

"Not on purpose," Professor Black said carefully, "but we might."

"Why?" Leo asked. "Why would you do that? Mum is the best!"

Professor Lupin smiled softly at that. "Your Mum is the best. Sometimes, Leo, we hurt people even when we love them. Sirius and I wouldn't try to hurt Hermione, but we can't guarantee that it won't ever happen."

"Ultimately, it's your Mum's choice," Professor Black said. He shrugged when they all glared at him. "It is, and we'll abide by her decision."

"I still don't like it," Reggie grumbled.

"Mum seems really happy," Leo pointed out.

"We'll keep an eye on them," Alistair promised Reggie. "Make sure they don't screw it up."

Reggie nodded. "Okay."