CHAPTER EIGHT

Summary: Hermione Granger, an accomplished witch is working a particularly trying case and is in need of help. Deputy Sheriff Jordan Parrish is a hellhound and just the one she needs. When a fiery witch and a fire-proof supernatural being work together, sparks are sure to fly and Hermione and the Deputy find that they need each other for more than one reason. 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 The Wild Hunt but disregards everything afterwards, so there was no war between the supernatural and humans, there is no Monroe or Gerard and there are no hunters. At least for now! Also, Parrish is 23 and Hermione is 24. Oh, and I'm fudging the time line a bit, too. This will be written mostly in Parrish's POV.

Page count: 8

"You alright?" She spoke, startling him.

"Sorry?"

"I said are you alright?"

He took another breath and slowly uncurled his fists and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm alright, I just didn't appreciate the way that man was speaking to you," he said honestly.

She stopped what she was doing and looked up at him, a curious look entering her eyes.

"Really?"

"Yes, no woman should be spoken to in such a degrading way, particularly someone who's worked hard to get to where they are."

A smiled pulled at her mouth. "You continue to surprise me, Deputy," she said softly, and it looked as though she planned to say more but there was a knock on the door.

His head turned to see a redheaded woman entering the room and carrying a white plastic bag and from the smell, he guessed it to contain food.

"I've brought lunch," she said and Hermione smiled at the woman and he sat back down on the couch, quietly watching them interact.

"Thank you, Kara, I honestly don't know what I'd do without you," Hermione said.

"Good thing you can't get rid of me then. Thank you for giving me the morning off," she said, sitting herself down in the chair opposite Hermione without a care in the world.

"Of course, what did the healers say?"

"Nothing has changed and the experimental treatment they're giving Jon doesn't appear to be working, but they wish to give his body more time to properly absorb the medication before they make any decisions."

Hermione nodded. "If there's anything you need just ask."

"Well, there is something." Hermione raised an eyebrow. "You know Hogwarts has the new stipulation that students are unable to graduate unless they've done one hundred hours in a professional work place, in order to better prepare them for life outside of the castle?" Hermione nodded. "Well, Daniel is set to graduate next year and he hasn't yet found a placement, and Nathan graduates the following year and he needs a placement also. Daniel wishes to become an Auror and Nathan's got his sights set on the Spirits Division, I was hoping you'd put in a good word and help them get a placement."

"I don't have to put in a good word, being Head of Department I'm the one that has to sign off on the application, my word overrules Stanpick's, and as for Daniel, I'll mention it to Harry and he'll see about getting him a placement in the Auror Department, Head Auror Howard seems to like him so it shouldn't be a problem."

"Thank you," she said with a wide smile.

"You're the reason I haven't yet died from starvation and dehydration, it's the least I can do."

Kara turned her head towards Parrish and he shifted uncomfortably when her eyes slowly trailed over him before a smirk appeared on her face and she turned her eyes back to Hermione.

"Remember what I said about your fire?" Hermione frowned, but nodded. "Just remember, Seer blood," she said with a knowing smirk and Hermione eyed her strangely as the older woman stood. "Is there anything else you need?"

"Yes, actually," Hermione answered and she turned to Parrish. "Deputy, do you have that list?"

He nodded and removed it from his jean pocket, moving over to her desk to hand it to her. Her eyes briefly scanned the items on the list. Razors, shaving foam, soap, she rolled her eyes, before handing it over to Kara.

"When I asked if there was anything you needed, I was referring to things such as preferred beverages and snacks, maybe books or research materials," she said to him and he shrugged in response. "You better get him some clothes, too, I reckon he only packed enough for a week and he may be here longer," she said to Kara and when he didn't correct her, she knew she was right.

Kara nodded, before removing a quill from her pocket and she had it poised and ready to write on the paper in her hand.

"Size?"

"We have different size dimensions to the US," Hermione said.

Before Parrish could blink, he had a wand pointed at him and he started glowing different shades of blues and reds, before the colours disappeared and Kara was muttering to herself as she scribbled on the paper.

"She used to be a seamstress," Hermione explained with a shrug, to his confused face.

"Alright," Kara spoke. "Do you prefer boxers or briefs?"

"Excuse me?" He spluttered in surprise.

Hermione sniggered at him. "You might as well tell her, she's not going to leave until you do."

"I don't mind either," he muttered.

"I'll get both then. Do you want me to get him some robes?" She turned to Hermione.

She frowned in thought and then nodded. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt, it'll help him to better blend in, too. We'll say three black and one navy blue, go to Twilfitt and Tattings."

"Still punishing Madam Malkin I see," she said amused.

Hermione shrugged. "The horrid woman not only called me fat, but she refused to serve Andy because she had little Teddy with her. She's not only lost me as a customer, causing her to lose almost two thousand galleons a year from me alone, but people have already begun to notice I'm no longer shopping there."

"The power of being a celebrity," the redhead smirked and Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "Okay, I'll head out now and get everything. I'll see you later," she spoke as she turned and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Hermione began removing the food from the bag, smiling when she knew Kara had gone to her favourite fish and chips shop. She gestured for Parrish to sit in the chair and she passed him his food over.

"Fish and chips," she shrugged.

He eyed the food in front of him before cautiously picking up a chip which had been covered in salt and vinegar and popping it into his a mouth, a look of surprise surfacing on his face before he nodded to himself and went back for another chip, apparently deciding he liked it.

"What did this woman do?" He asked curiously.

"Madam Malkin, she owns one of the clothing shops in the busiest magical shopping town in Britain. She's one of the cheaper businesses and her quality of work isn't bad. She mainly makes her money through the children's school robes and uniforms. Remus Lupin was a very good friend of mine and he died in the war along with his wife, Tonks, they left behind a newborn baby," she spoke, sadness entering her voice before she shook it off. "Remus was a Class A werewolf and back in those times, werewolves were despised by most and they didn't even have basic human rights, which has now all changed, thankfully. Now, Teddy is a Class D werewolf, his father being a known werewolf and his mother a witch. Andromeda was Tonks' mother and she took custody of Teddy. Since everyone knew of Remus, they knew of Teddy too and when Andy visited Malkin's, she refused to serve her as she had Teddy with her. He's the most adorable child you'll ever meet. I love the bones off that little boy and I sure as hell won't allow him to be treated in such a way. He's as innocent as anyone could possibly be and to treat a child the way she had, I'm not going to allow her to get away with it scot-free. Malkin needs to learn there's always consequences to your actions and if she doesn't her business will suffer."

His mind thought over her words and he felt a smile pull at his mouth at her clear protectiveness over the small child. It was evident that she cared for the boy and if he'd read her character correctly after knowing her for only a couple of days, he got the feeling she'd turn the world upside down to ensure no child should be treated in such a way. She was very much a mamma bear.

"And Kara? She seems a bit strange," he commented.

She snorted at him. "No, she's a lot strange," she corrected. "She's my PA and she's been with me for just over a year. I went through six PA's in two years, five quit and one I had to fire because I caught her stealing from other's bags. Actually, one of my PA's only lasted two days before she quit. Kara had no experience, but both her sons were at Hogwarts and her husband was paralysed from the waist down during the war. She's a strong woman and she needed a job to pay the bills and I just knew she was the right one for the job. She's not afraid of me, and she knows me so well that half the time she does things for me that I haven't even asked her to do, but she seems to know I was going to. Apparently her family has Seer blood."

"Seer blood?"

"Basically like a psychic, but they're legitimate and quite rare. She seems to just know things, I can't really explain it," she shrugged.

"Why do you want me to blend in?" He asked.

"To keep you safe, that's the main reason behind you staying with me."

"But why do I need to be kept safe?"

"I've told you, Deputy. You have no idea how special you are, hellhounds were powerful creatures back in the day and they were worshiped and coveted for their abilities. A lot of people tried to hunt and catch them so they could say they owned a hellhound and it would increase their social standing within the world. After so long, hellhounds became extinct and they were rare to begin with anyway. On record there hasn't been a living hellhound seen since the late 1600's."

He shifted in his chair and his hellhound squirmed inside of him, making him feel nauseous. "But hellhounds can't be killed," he said.

"You've been misinformed. Hellhounds can be killed it's just not easy to do so. You'll have a long life span, I'm unsure if you'll be able to die of old age, but I do know you most certainly can be killed." He was surprised by the news. "When I discovered your existence I could hardly believe it, and I wish to prevent past events from reoccurring and to protect you from such a fate. There is only one other that knows of your existence and I trust him with my life. He's known me since I was a child and we fought in battle together during the war, he's now The Minister of Magic, the magical President, and he's the one that gave me the go ahead to find you and ask for your help. We're not going to tell anyone who you are, we're going to ensure that your status is kept secret and that you are kept safe and that's why I haven't actively introduced you to anyone."

"You don't wish to draw attention to me," he nodded in understanding.

"Exactly, and I wish to help you."

"Help me? How?"

She leaned forward and moved her food off to the side. "Are you and the hellhound as one?"

"As in?"

"As in when your hellhound comes forward, do you have control over your actions? Do you remember what happened? Are you able to bring your hellhound forward by will?"

He frowned slightly. "No, when I'm the hellhound I don't remember anything afterwards and as far as I can tell, everything that happens is based on instinct. And my hellhound is only able to come forward when I'm near an open flame."

"If I could help you, would you accept?"

"How can you help me?" He asked intrigued.

"By ensuring that you and your hellhound are one cohesive entity, when you are the hellhound, I can make it so that you remember everything and that you have control over your own actions and decisions. And I can teach you how to bring the hellhound forward without the need to be in the presence of fire."

"That's impossible," he frowned.

She gave him a soft smile. "I assure you, Deputy, it's not. There is so much that you are capable of, you just don't know it. You're incredibly powerful and your hellhound will protect you and keep you safe if you allow it to."

He seemed to be lost in thought, judging by the way he had a crease in his forehead and his teeth sunk into his bottom lip.

"I'll let you help me if I'm allowed to ask you any question I wish to and you have to answer honestly."

"So let me get this straight, in order to for me to help you better understand yourself and your abilities, which I am doing for your benefit, I have to answer any question you pose?"

"Exactly," he nodded.

"That makes perfect sense," she quipped and rolled her eyes. "I only want what's best for you and if that means I have to undergo the Spanish inquisition then I suppose I will do so."

He opened his mouth, likely to ask the question he wished to but the office door was suddenly flung open and an angry looking wizard stormed into the room, his pale face had flushed cheeks, his blue eyes glittered with annoyance and his thin lips were pressed into a tight line.

Hermione's soft, caring look disappeared from her eyes and was replaced by annoyance, she pursed her lips in anger and her eyes narrowed dangerously as she sat up straight in her chair.

"Exactly what do you think you are doing barging into my office and so rudely at that?" She demanded, her voice crisp and clear and her irritation unmistakable.

"Your door was closed," the middle-aged man said gruffly, his wand tightly gripped in his hand and his own eyes narrowed into slits.

"I am aware of that, Martin, when my door is closed it means I am in a meeting and I do not wish to be disturbed."

"Some meeting," he spat, his eyes moving between Hermione, Parrish and the food on the desk.

Parrish had gripped the arm rests tightly in his hands, trying to fight back the hellhound that was raging within him at the threat the man posed to Hermione, more so than it had with the old wizard that had dementia and the flirty blonde.

"This is a lunch meeting, Martin. If you wish to see me you know fine well you must inform Kara so she may fit you into my schedule at a time that is suitable for the both of us. I have to supervise eight divisions; I cannot spend all of my time watching over you. It is your job to handle the Beasts Division and mine to ensure you are doing so to a standard that is acceptable."

"Well you're doing a grand job," he sneered.

"Thank you," Hermione spoke, knowing fine well it wasn't a compliment but she knew it would only infuriate him more that she wasn't rising to the bait.

His face was slowly turning redder and he gripped his wand so tightly his knuckles were turning white.

"And seeing as you've so rudely interrupted, I'm to assume this is a matter of life and death. So out with it, what's the emergency?"

"There's a back log of field work and we haven't the staff to send out and tend to it. Several of the workers are complaining about their working hours, and duels have been breaking out in the office. I've been forced to step in several times whilst you're in here charming your nails and looking pretty."

Something was wrong, and Parrish could feel it. Hermione had stiffened in her chair and her hands gripped the arm rests much like his own. She was quiet, barely breathing and her pale skin flushed pink as her eyes flashed amber and fire danced in her beautiful orbs. This wasn't cold anger, this was white hot fury. He thought she looked stunning. The atmosphere in the room grew stuffy and hot, and he could see a bead of sweat on Martin's forehead.

"Listen, you egotistical, sexist pig," Hermione hissed, standing up from her chair and placing her hands on her desk as she leaned forward. "You know fine well why I was promoted over you and you know fine well I'm the only reason you've still got your job. The Minister has seen your annual performance reviews and he wished to fire you on the spot for your incompetence to do the simplest of things correctly. You're already on your last warning and you're walking on very, very thin ice."

Parrish would swear to every deity there was that he saw little sparks of fire flying from her hair and raining down to the ground and her desk.

"Even someone with intelligence such as yours should easily be able to handle those minor issues, especially since it's your division, all my other Division Heads seem to be handling things rather well. So as usual, I'm going to have to do your job for you when my attention should be on something else. You see that map on the wall, all those red dots, that's the amount of people that have been murdered and rather than spending my time trying to find the creature responsible, I'm babysitting you! Maybe I should tell The Minister that you're ready for retirement after all, you know he's handed me several files of those that he wishes for me to consider in taking over your position."

Martin finally seemed to realise the danger he was in and he took a step backwards towards the door.

"So, you haven't the staff and you've got a back log of field work? Why not work alongside the Spirits Division and ask if Maggie is able to spare a few of her agents, from what I've been told, they're fairly quiet with their field work at the moment and are focusing their attention on completing paperwork. Some of the workers are complaining of their work hours? The simple action to take would be to speak with them and see what their problem is, if they want less hours, then give them so, if another wants more hours, then swap the shift patterns. And as for the duellers, you either move them to opposite sides of your room section or you warn them that such behaviour is not permitted in the work place and if it continues to so, say they will face disciplinary action which may lead to the loss of their job. Simple, no?"

He nodded silently, watching her with wide eyes. It was work place gossip that Hermione Granger had fire in her but it wasn't often that she showed it, and when she did, you were lucky if you made it out alive.

"Wonderful, now, get out of my office, don't you ever come in here unannounced or without my permission to do so and don't you ever disturb me if my door is closed. What would you have done if The Minister had been in here? We are good friends after all and we have tea together once a week."

Martin paled dramatically and a look of horror crossed his face.

"Exactly, you'd have lost your job on the spot. This is my last and final warning and next time I won't be so lenient. Get out and do your job to the standard that I expect of you. The RCMC Department has one of the best annual performance reviews in the entire Ministry and I am not going to let you be the one that jeopardises our chances of earning a bonus at the end of the year."

The older man all but ran from the room and pulled the door closed behind him, leaving the room in silence. Hermione took a deep breath and then sat down, calmness replacing her anger.

He released his grip on the arm rests of his chair when he was sure the hellhound had settled down and his eyes fell to her desk, seeing black soot in the shape of her hands.

"I am sorry you had to see that," she spoke, drawing his attention.

When he looked to her she looked exhausted as she rubbed at her temples and then ran a hand through her hair, pushing it back from her face.

"I'm not," he shrugged. She raised an eyebrow. "It allowed me to see the type of person you are."

"A cold hearted bitch?"

"No, from what I gathered, you saved that man's job despite that he doesn't appear to be able to handle the responsibility he is given. You are under pressure from your boss to have him replaced and when he gives you the perfect opportunity to do so by being rude and insulting you, you allowed him another chance despite already being on his last warning. When he entered your office unannounced you remained calm and collected and you only showed your anger when he insulted your work ethic with his sexist comments. You're the exact opposite of a cold hearted bitch and if I worked in a place such as this, I'd be more than happy to have you as my superior."

"You're the first, Deputy," she snorted.

"You know you can call me Jordan, right?"

"I know, but Deputy suits you and I quite like a man in uniform."

She winked at him and he felt his mouth drop open as she turned away and looked into one of the drawers of her desk.