CHAPTER NINE
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 not yet! Also, Parrish is 23 and Hermione is 24. Oh, and I'm fudging the time line a bit, too.
Page count: 8
It had been a week since his arrival in Britain and the days had flew by. He would wake early in the morning to the smell of coffee and breakfast being cooked. He'd shower and dress for the day and chat comfortably with Hermione as they ate breakfast, before leaving for her office. They were always the first ones there and the last ones to leave. They'd spend most of their time going over the reports and evidence, trying their best to come up viable options for a next course of action.
They'd break for lunch, Parrish trying his best to ignore Kara's knowing smirks as she dropped off their food before leaving them alone. They'd continue with their work with Parrish eaves dropping whenever someone would drop by wishing for Hermione's approval on a certain matter or wishing for her help.
They'd eat dinner in the office and continue on with their tasks until they called it a night, usually around eleven o'clock. They'd return to Hermione's apartment and part ways to their rooms before repeating the process the following day.
Over the week, he'd spend a lot time of time observing Hermione's behaviour and mannerisms, and in doing so he'd better understood her in a way he didn't think was possible. He knew that when she ran a hand through her hair, she was frustrated. He knew that when she sighed, she was dejected. He knew that when she closed her eyes tightly, she couldn't take anymore of reading about the person that had died in the report she was looking over. He knew that when she leaned forward in her chair with her head bowed, she'd bring her hands up to her temples soon after to try and relieve the pressure in her head.
When he saw her eyes flash amber he knew she was annoyed, when her hands clenched into fists she was angry, when her eyes sparkled she was amused, when she nibbled at her lip she was pensive. He knew her habits far better than anyone realised.
And she hadn't been joking about Camden turning up at her office to harass and insult her, he'd done so every day so far and each time, Parrish had been forced to sit himself on the couch and to remain silent with his fists clenched tightly as he tried to calm the hellhound, but nothing did until she was out of harm's way. It was even worse when the blonde, Norton, would show up and flirt with her, continuing to push his luck despite the fact she'd told him in clear terms that she wanted nothing to do with him other than friendship. Parrish wondered what was wrong with the man since he couldn't seem to grasp the concept that she didn't want him.
"Found anything yet?" Hermione's voice cut through the silence.
He pushed the report across the coffee table and leaned back into the couch.
"No, and I've only got a dozen reports left to go through before I've finished the lot," he replied.
"The reports for the deaths in Dublin are currently being sent over, they should be here within the hour," she informed him.
He turned to look over his shoulder at the map on the wall, another six red dots being added to the total.
"Hermione?"
He turned towards the door, seeing Kara stood in the door way.
"Yes, Kara," she replied.
"You've got a visitor."
"A visitor?" She frowned in confusion, obviously not expecting anyone. "Very well, send them in."
Kara disappeared and barely a minute later Parrish felt himself startling at a sudden loud laugh, and much to his surprise, a little boy bounded into the room, almost falling over in the process. He'd have guessed him to be no older than six years old, and he'd have said he'd come up to his hip in height. He had tanned skin with freckles on his cheeks and nose, and bright green eyes, but the most surprising characteristic was his blue hair.
"Aunt 'Mione!" The boy shouted.
Hermione looked up from her desk and the largest smile had ever seen graced her face, making her more beautiful than his brain could deal with.
"Teddy!" She said happily, pushing away from her desk and quickly moving around it, meeting the boy halfway as he suddenly barrelled into her, almost knocking her down to the ground.
A smile pulled at his mouth when he heard her laughter as she hugged the little boy against her tightly, and then picking him up and settling him on her hip despite his size.
"Merlin, Teddy, what are you doing here, where's your Grandmother?" She questioned the grinning child and Parrish felt his head spinning when the child's hair suddenly turned mahogany and curly to match Hermione's and his eyes turned chocolate brown, making him look as though he were her son.
"Gran's outside with Kara," the boy grinned. "I missed you, Aunt 'Mione, I haven't seen you in forever," he sounded both happy and sad as he spoke.
A look of guilt flittered across her face before she replaced it with a smile.
"I'm very sorry, Teddy, I didn't mean to stay away for so long, I've been very busy at work."
The little boy nodded. "Gran said you're looking for a very bad person that's hurting people. Have you found them yet?"
"Not yet, Sweetie, but we will," she replied.
"Who's' that?" The child pointed towards him and he felt himself shuffle in his seat nervously.
"Oh, this is my friend," Hermione answered, allowing the boy to slip back to his feet and she took his hand and led him over to the couch, stopping next to him.
"I'm Teddy," the little boy introduced himself and Parrish felt a smile forming on his face at the way the child held his hand out expectantly.
"It's nice to meet you, Teddy, I'm Jordan," he replied, taking the child's hand and shaking it gently.
He was surprised when the child seemed to eye him in such a way he felt as if he was trying to look into his very soul. He looked at him in such a way that it was almost challenging, and certainly not an expression you'd expect from a young child.
"You talk funny," he commented, releasing his hand before he stepped closer to Hermione, pressing himself up against her side.
"That's because I'm from America," he said with a smile.
"Is that far?"
"Very, very far, Teddy," Hermione said.
"Like Hogwarts far?"
"Further," she chuckled when his eyes widened.
"Hermione?" She turned and her face once more held a smile as she stepped away from Teddy and over towards the older woman.
She had dark black hair that was greying, grey coloured eyes and pale skin. She had high cheek bones and a straight nose and her beauty was evident, Parrish was sure she'd been well sought after when she was younger.
"Andy, how are you? What are you doing here?" Hermione said, being pulled into a hug by the older woman who smiled kindly.
"I'm doing much better, thank you, Dear. And today is the 19th," the woman replied and Hermione frowned in confusion. "You've forgotten haven't you?"
"I'm really sorry, Andy, I've had a lot on my plate recently."
"I understand, Dear, there's no need to apologise. I must visit St. Mungo's this afternoon."
Hermione's eyes widened. "Right, I said I'd watch Teddy for a few hours, well don't worry about it, I'll make sure he doesn't get into trouble."
"I know, that's why I asked you over Harry, the things those two get up to," she replied with an amused smile and a shake of her head.
"I'm not surprised, they've both got Marauders blood," Hermione chuckled. "Well, not to worry, he'll be fine, you should get to the hospital, I'll return him to the house for dinner."
"Thank you," the older woman said, before kissing Hermione on the cheek and leaving out the office with a quick hug from her Grandson, she hadn't even noticed his presence.
"Come on then, Teddy," Hermione spoke, nodding to her desk.
She moved over to her desk and removed the items that cluttered the surface to make some space. She patted the chair and Teddy ran to the chair, before shrugging off his coat and happily jumping onto the seat, laughing when Hermione altered the height so he could reach the desk. She then removed some parchment from a drawer as well as some coloured crayons and gave them to him. With a ruffle of his hair, she picked up her work and left Teddy at the desk and she moved to sit on the couch beside him.
"That's the kid you told me about?" He asked quietly, not wanting the little boy to hear.
"Yes, and as you can see, he's adorable, the idea that anyone could treat him with anything but kindness is sickening to me," she answered, rearranging the files on her lap.
"And the hair?" He asked cautiously.
She turned to look at him and a smirk pulled at her mouth. "You don't have to worry; I'm not going to hex you for asking." He relaxed at her words. "Teddy's special, whilst his father was a werewolf, his mother had a special, rare ability of her own. She was a Metamorphmagus and they are able to change their appearances at will, as you've seen Teddy do."
"But why was his hair blue?"
She chuckled. "His hair will change colour based on his mood, his mother always had bubblegum pink hair signalling that she was happy, Teddy's colour for happiness is blue."
"Aunt 'Mione?"
They both looked to the little boy sat at her desk.
"Yes, Teddy?"
"Is Gran going to be okay?" He asked quietly.
"Of course she is; why wouldn't she be?" She frowned.
Teddy frowned and his hair turned from mahogany to black. "She sees the healers a lot."
A sad look crossed Hermione's face and he had the urge to take her hand in his to offer her some comfort, but he pushed it away.
"Teddy, your Gran is not as young as she used to be and because of this the bones in her body are starting to hurt her. The healers give her potions to make her better, that's why she has to see them. You have nothing to worry about, she'll be alright."
He nodded slowly and turned his attention back to his drawing.
"Is she going to be alright?" Parrish asked Hermione gently.
She sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "We hope so," she muttered. "She's been having a lot of joint pain, we're hoping it's nothing serious, but lately she's been complaining about her back and shoulders, so we're not sure."
She turned away from him and started flicking through the files in front of her and he took the hint that she didn't wish to discuss it anymore, so he returned to his own task.
They were both interrupted when they heard Teddy slide off the chair and rush over to them, holding a piece of parchment out to each of them.
Parrish briefly caught sight of Hermione's, it was a drawing of a woman and a little boy and they looked to be playing in a park together. His eyes then feel to his own parchment which he took from the child and he was surprised to see he'd been given a drawing also. This one showed a man, obviously him, fighting off a dragon with a wand and different coloured sparks surrounded him which he supposed were spells he was casting. A second, smaller figure stood in the background and looked to be cheering him on during the fight with the dragon.
"Thank you, Teddy," he said sincerely, feeling touched that the little boy had thought to draw him a picture also, despite the fact they'd only met less than an hour ago.
"Do you like it?" The little boy asked, shuffling on his feet slightly and looking nervous.
"I love it, it's one of the best drawings I've ever seen," he replied and Teddy grinned widely in response. He turned his head to see Hermione smiling softly, her eyes darting between him and Teddy.
"Right, Teddy, are you hungry?" She asked, and he nodded. "Then let's break for lunch, I think we've earned it. What would you like?"
"Ice-cream," he said without missing a beat and Parrish snorted.
"Nice try, Teddy, you can't have ice-cream for lunch, but I'll make you a deal, if you eat everything on your plate, we can get ice-cream for dessert. Okay?"
"Okay," he agreed.
"Good, now get your coat, we'll go to The Cauldron Cafe in Diagon Alley."
"We're going out?" Parrish said in surprise. Since arriving they'd taken their meals in her office or at her apartment, he hadn't seen any of Wizarding Britain but for The Ministry.
"We're going out, I think it about time we took some time away from this case and give you the chance to see the Wizarding World a little more. When we return we'll have fresh eyes and should be able to better concentrate."
She stood to retrieve his leather jacket and she slipped on her navy blue blazer that matched the tight and form fitting trousers she wore, along with the white blouse and white heels.
Teddy had slipped on his own coat and he ran over to Hermione and took her hand when she held it out to him, and they left her office together as he closed the door behind them.
"Kara, I'm taking the afternoon off, if you haven't anything to do you may leave for the day," she spoke as they reached Kara's desk.
"Alright, I'll alert the division heads so they know not to come looking for you and then head out myself. I'll see you in the morning."
"You will, have a good day," Hermione responded.
Before he knew it they'd already reached the atrium and Hermione directed them towards an empty fireplace and they all squeezed in together, with Parrish's hand wrapped around Hermione's smaller one and Teddy burying his face against Hermione to protect his eyes.
~000~000~000~
They stepped out into what appeared to be a grimy and dingy looking pub, and he expected Hermione to release his hand but she didn't, if anything she gripped it tighter and it soon became clear as to why when they stepped out of the pub and into the sunlight.
His eyes widened at his surroundings, seeing hundreds of people milling around the little town, talking, laughing and shopping with shopping bags levitating behind them as they walked. Hermione walked slowly towards their intended destination, allowing him time to see and take in everything from the loud noises, strange smells, bright colours and magical window displays that moved. He'd ask her questions, gesturing towards a particular shop that caught his interest and she'd answer him the best she could. He couldn't believe some of the things he was seeing.
They arrived at the cafe a lot quicker than he'd have liked to and Hermione pulled him inside and guided Teddy towards a small booth at the back of the cafe, away from everyone and their prying eyes. He sat on the bench opposite Hermione and Teddy and he picked up a menu, his eyebrows rising at some of the food items available for purchase.
In the end he'd allowed Hermione to order for him, trusting her judgement in that she wouldn't order him something awful. They ate together with Teddy leading the conversation, asking far too many questions about America than he could keep up with. Once lunch was eaten, they left and Hermione took them to an ice-cream parlour where some of the flavours actually glowed in the dark, and once Teddy had his fill, they slowly walked around Diagon Alley together, stepping into some shops so he could better browse their products and gain a better understanding of just how wizarding folk lived.
Much to Hermione's amusement, he seemed to be taken with Flourish and Blotts almost as much as she had been when she was younger and she had to drag him out of the shop, promising him that she already had most of the titles that were for sale back at the apartment.
"Aunt 'Mione, can we see George?"
"Sure, we'll have a quick pop in and then how about we go to the park?"
Teddy nodded eagerly and Hermione once more slipped her hand into Parrish's, ensuring to keep hold of him so he wouldn't get lost. His mouth had dropped when he saw the bright orange and magenta colour scheme of the building, by far the most eye catching and the loudest of all the businesses in the alley. And the large man sat above the building pulling a rabbit out of a hat had been almost too much for him to take, until Hermione pulled him inside the building and they got swept up by the bustling crowd.
There were too many noises, colours and smells to take in all at once and he'd nearly jumped a foot in the air when a cannon ball was sent flying over his head and across the room.
"Oi, Granger, up here!"
The little group all lifted their heads to see a man grinning at them from the balcony and he waved them over to him. It took them some time to fight through the crowd but they were able to make it to the stairs and climb them without hassle.
"Hiya, Teddy," the redhead grinned, sharing a high-five of greeting with the little boy. "I've got something for you."
"No, you haven't, George Weasley!" Hermione spoke with her eyes narrowed into slits.
He recognised the name; he was one of the brothers of her friend, Ron, who she'd gone to school with. From what he'd learned, she'd practically been raised by their family.
"Relax, Granger," he snorted, pulling out what looked to be a wand from his robe pocket and handing it to Teddy. "It's only a fake wand, I wouldn't dare give him anything else, between you and Andy you'd kill me and hide the body."
"There wouldn't be a body to hide," Hermione replied and Parrish had to fight back a laugh, not only at her reply, but at the way the redhead laughed nervously and took a step back.
"I take it you're watching him?"
"Yes, Andy's at the hospital, we came to Diagon Alley for lunch and Teddy wanted to pop in and see you."
George grinned at Teddy and ruffled his hair. "Who's the guy, Granger?"
"Oh right, George, this is Jordan, he's helping me with one of my cases."
Parrish shook his hand, feeling uncomfortable at the way the redhead eyed him carefully, before his eyes swung back and forth between him and Hermione and his mouth twitched.
"I haven't seen you 'round the alley before," he commented.
"I'm not from here," Parrish replied.
"American, I see," was all he said before releasing his hand.
"Well, now that you've been introduced and Teddy's gotten his free gift, we better go," Hermione spoke.
"I'll see you around, Granger," George said, giving her a quick hug and sharing another high-five with Teddy, before Hermione dragged them out of the building.
She kept hold of both him and Teddy as she made her way back towards the pub they'd arrived at and much to his surprise, when she walked out of the door at the other end of the pub, they stepped out onto a bustling street that was completely normal.
"The Leaky Cauldron's a gateway between both worlds," she explained with a shrug, before dragging him and Teddy towards a nearby park, where they sat on a bench and watched as Teddy played.