CHAPTER TWELVE
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: 7
Another week had passed and they had still yet to find anything remotely useful towards the case, they'd resorted to starting at the beginning, once more going over reports for the second and third time, just to make sure they hadn't missed anything the first time. They both knew it was useless but they had no other options available to them.
Over the last week Parrish had noticed some changes in Hermione and it was her behaviour towards him that stood out the most. It was subtle, it would barely even be noticeable to someone else, but he was a very observant person and he noticed everything.
She was more attentive towards him, making sure he was never hungry or thirsty, when he was getting frustrated with the case, she made him take a break, she'd take him out of the office and they'd go for a stroll around Diagon Alley and stop at a cafe for a coffee, before returning to the office.
She'd taken to sitting next to him more often than she sat at her own desk, her excuse being that her neck and back were hurting from sitting up straight for too long, where she could lounge back on the couch if she wanted to.
She seemed to have taken an interest in his life back in America, she had done so before, but now it was more often she'd ask him questions about his life, usually to distract him from the headache he had forming from reading through the reports again.
But the most noticeable change he'd witnessed the morning after he'd learned her secret. When Camden had arrived throwing insults at her and he'd been taken away by security, Norton had flirted with her as usual and much to his surprise, rather than her flirting back as she normally would, she'd flat out denied his attempts to ask her on her date, there was no smile, twinkle in her eye or softness about it.
He just assumed she was in a bit of a mood and hadn't slept well the night before; after all, they'd both woken up on the couch slumped over with her head on his shoulder and his head tilted and resting against the top of hers, and they'd both woken with a headache from the amount of fire whiskey they'd drank. It wasn't a stretch that she'd be a bit grouchy, but then it had happened again. The next morning she hadn't flirted with Norton and she'd denied him again, and it continued day after day, and that brought them to now.
Camden arrived later than he usually did and Parrish had learned to control his dislike of the old man, no longer needing to fight off the hellhound as they'd both come to realise that the old man was harmless. He'd seen Hermione defend herself against him several times, all with a bored look on her face, a lazy flick of her wand and leaning back into her chair looking relaxed and unthreatened.
They'd just finished lunch and had barely turned their attention back to the reports in front of them, when the old man charged into the room, hurling insults that Hermione only responded to with indifference, calmness and sometimes with a witty comment that had him biting his lip to stop himself from laughing. He couldn't deny she wasn't fast on her feet. She was one of the wittiest people he'd ever met, he'd put her on par with Stiles and no one could out-wit or out-talk that boy.
Not five minutes after Camden arrived, security arrived and he'd been restrained and escorted out of Hermione's office, this time without a single spell being thrown her way which he thought was progress. As usual, Norton stayed behind, not yet having given up on his attempts to get Hermione to go on a date with him. Despite him disliking the man, and his hellhound certainly didn't like him either, he couldn't help feel a little admiration for the man's tenacity, and he couldn't help wonder what it was that gave the blonde the impression that Hermione would give in to him if he just kept asking. Sooner or later he could see the blonde being on the receiving end of Hermione's wand.
"Well if it isn't the prettiest trollop in Britain," Norton spoke leaning against the door frame. Parrish turned his eyes to Hermione, waiting for her response.
She was diligently looking down at the paper work on her desk, he knew she wasn't looking over a report, earlier that morning one of the division heads had dropped off something they needed her approval on and it had kept her attention for the last hour.
"Thank you, Norton, but you better get yourself back to your department, I've heard there's been a raid on a warehouse suspected of housing a few fugitive Death Eaters and their new recruits, they're going to need all hands on deck."
"Alright, I can't take it anymore, what's gotten your wand in a knot? You've been off with me for days now."
"I told you, Norton, I don't see our relationship going further than friendship and some harmless flirting. You'll get burned and I don't wish to hurt you."
"Something's happened, you're different," he scowled. "I'm not sure I like it."
"I don't need your permission to experience change in my life," she replied coolly.
Norton's eyes narrowed and they darted over to him sitting on the couch and he quickly put his attention on the report he held in his hand, pretending to be hard at work and not paying attention to anything but the papers in front him.
"You won't burn me; you're not nearly as frightening as you think you are."
Hermione looked up from her desk and Parrish darted his eyes to her and the way a thoughtful frowned appeared on her face.
"Norton, wait for me outside, and close the door after you leave," she instructed.
A slow, victorious smile crept on to his face and he turned around and left the office, shutting the door after him.
Parrish put the report on the coffee table and looked to Hermione when he heard her standing from her chair and her footsteps approaching him. Much to his confusion, she perched herself on the edge of the coffee table right in front of him, her knees brushing his own and she leaned closer to him, catching him in her gaze. He was helpless to look away from her beautiful eyes.
"I need to speak with the hellhound."
"What? Why?" He frowned in confusion.
"Norton's not going to give up, the reason he wants me is because I've been turning him down for years. He wants what he can't have. I need to speak with the hellhound as I'm going to do something I don't think he's going to like and I wish to warn him first. You don't have to go full hellhound, I just need you to bring him forward so I may speak with him and you don't need a flame for that."
"I don't?"
"No, you don't." She held her hands out to him and his eyes fell down to them before he wrapped his larger hands around her smaller ones, feeling them beginning to heat up under his touch. "Just close your eyes for me and I'll guide you through it."
He took a deep breath and then slowly closed his eyes, feeling Hermione give his hands a squeeze of encouragement.
"I want you to block out all sounds except for any I make. Focus on my voice, on the calmness it offers you. Listen to my words, listen to my heart beat, listen to my breathing. It's steady and controlled, mimic my breathing and slow down your own to match mine. Good," she praised him. "Now, clear your mind of all thoughts but for one, think of your hellhound and only your hellhound. Tell him what you wish, tell him you only wish for him to listen to me, tell him that there is no danger and we are safe, we don't need his protection. We only need for him to listen." She felt his hands grip hers tighter. "Is he responding to you, has he agreed? If he has, open your eyes."
It was a few moments before his eyes slowly opened, revealing the fiery amber of the hellhound and a smile pulled at her mouth at the sight. His hands tightened around hers and she looked down at them and then back to his eyes.
"Can you hear me?" She asked.
"Yes, my Goddess, I can," he spoke, his voice deep and soft, the sign that it was the hellhound and not the deputy. "I have missed you."
"I have barely left your line of sight," she replied.
"It is different, we are not yet one, he feels things I cannot. He can feel your presence but I cannot, he can feel your touch, it is barely noticeable to me."
"I'll work with him as soon as I can," she promised.
"You already are, he spoke me, he brought me forward without the need for fire. That is more progress than I could have expected. It will not be long before we are one."
"I'll make sure it happens," she said. "Now, I wish to speak to you regarding Norton."
"He is stupid," he commented.
Hermione snorted at him. "He's not stupid, he just wants what he can't have and that means he wants me. I'm going to do something you're not going to like but it's necessary."
"What are you going to do?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?" She asked with a guilty tone to her voice, and he picked up on it, his eyes narrowing.
"No,"
"Yes, it has to be done. I need to show him that I'll burn him, only then will he leave me alone. I'll be gone no more than ten minutes and I'll come straight back."
"You are mine," he said, a protective and possessive look entering his amber orbs. "I will rid him of your life for you."
"That's sweet of you, but we're trying to keep you a secret. You are the last of your kind, you must be protected; I won't allow any harm to come to you. You're special, a one of a kind," she said softly. "I don't like the thought of seeing you hurt. And you are not a murderer. I have to do this."
"I don't like it."
"I didn't think you would, which is why I thought it best to tell you of my intentions first. Once this is done, he won't bother me again."
His hands released hers in favour of coming up to the back of her neck, his thumbs running over her jaw softly, much like he'd done the previous week. Her eyes fluttered closed at the soft caress and the heat that surrounded her.
His hot lips pressed to hers in a gentle kiss and heat and fire travelled straight to her stomach and a little sigh left her as he pulled back from her. She opened her eyes to be caught by his heated gaze.
"I still don't like it," he said. "But I will trust you, my little warrior Goddess."
"Thank you, now, do you mind giving me back the deputy?"
"I'll see you again," he promised, before removing his hands from her neck and moving to take a hold of her hands once more.
His eyes closed and his breathing slowed to match hers, he titled his head slightly, as if listening for something and a smile pulled at his mouth. A few moments later his eyes opened once more to show light brown, only she noticed a single fleck of amber that hadn't been there before and a smile pulled at her mouth.
"Did it work?" he asked.
"It did, it worked," she confirmed. "And you've just taken your first step in becoming one with your hellhound. Your eyes have changed; you've got a fleck of amber in them that wasn't there before." Before he could question her she released his hands and stood up. "I better deal with Norton, I'll be back in a few minutes."
"Was he happy?" He asked, referring to his hellhound.
"Not really, but we've sorted it," she replied as she headed for the door and stepped out of her office, closing the door behind her so no one would disturb him in her absence.
Norton immediately came into her sight, leaning against the wall and his mouth pulled into a smirk when he saw her.
"Follow me," she instructed, before walking away and not giving him chance to reply.
She walked past Kara's empty desk as Hermione had given her the afternoon off to go to St. Mungo's with her husband, and she made her way past the many cubicles, nodding in greeting to those that noticed her presence, before stopping and waiting for the elevator to arrive.
Norton tried to speak several times but she shushed him until he got the message, and once the doors dinged open, they stepped into the elevator which was thankfully empty. Hermione only let it travel two floors before she pressed the emergency stop button, preventing anyone else from using it.
Norton eyed her curiously as she turned to face him, her expression serious and no sign of teasing.
"You think you can handle me?" She asked him.
"I don't doubt it," he replied cockily, crossing his arms over his chest and smirking at her.
"We'll see," she muttered.
She lunged forward, twisting her hands into his Auror robes and pulling him closer to her. His eyes widened in surprise when she leaned up and without warning, pressed her mouth against his. He made a noise of surprise as she pushed him up against the wall, but his arms wrapped around her, pulling her further against him. She allowed one hand to move up his body until it sunk into his hair at the nape of his neck, tugging on it hard and she bit at his lip, he winced against the pain before she pulled a groan from him when she swiped her tongue over the bite to soothe it.
His mouth parted, allowing her to flick her tongue against his own, but she pulled back from him slightly. He tried to mutter something but her mouth covered his once more, this time she didn't control herself and she gripped his hair tighter and the other hand curled around the back of his neck. She knew her body temperature was rising and soon, Norton would notice and if he didn't pull away from her he would get burned.
She felt him stiffen but he didn't release her from his hold, so she nipped at his lip again and allowed her body temperature to climb a little higher and soon enough, a pained hissed tore from him and he pulled back from her, staring at her with wide eyes and heavy breathing, bringing his hand up to the back of his neck and wincing against the sting when he touched the hot skin. She hadn't burned him enough to actually hurt him, it would sting for a little while but otherwise it wouldn't leave a mark.
"I told you, Norton, I'll burn you. That's nothing compared to what may have happened. I don't want to hurt you. You don't want anything from me other than a quick shag, you should know I'm not that type of witch despite what Camden may say about me. You should find yourself another witch and shag her silly until neither of you can walk, you'll soon forget about me."
She turned away from him and reactivated the elevator, directing it back up to her department. She stood with her arms crossed and as far away from him as she could get, as he stared at her in the silence.
"It's that guy, isn't it? The one in your office?" He said.
"No, it's not."
"Bullshit! You never had a problem with me before, and all of sudden now that he's here, you've changed."
"It's got nothing to do with him," she lied, but her voice was steady and calm so you wouldn't know she was lying. "I've just grown tired of the game, I told you I didn't mind a little harmless flirting, but you've been pushing the boundaries lately and I can't take it any longer. As much as I welcome the little distraction you bring, you're still a distraction. You can't handle me as I've just proved. You'll only get hurt."
The elevator dinged and opened on to her department, and without another word, she strode out and back to her office, shutting the door behind her after she entered.
"Everything taken care of?" Parrish asked.
She sighed and leaned back against the door, tipping her head back and looking up at the ceiling.
"Everything is taken care of, he won't bother me again and if he does, I'll hex him."
He snorted at her as she walked across the room and flopped down onto the couch beside him.
"I suppose this is wishful thinking, but have you found anything?"
"No," he replied and she sighed and brought both hands up to rub at her temples.
"Between Prodigium, Camden and Norton, this day is turning out to be awful," she muttered. "What's next, someone barging into my office saying there's been a strike for workplace benefits?"
He chuckled at her. "I hope not, I can't imagine that being pretty."
"It's not, it happened two years ago and it took two months to get everything back to normal," she sighed.
"Well, I've been thinking." She hummed in response, telling him to continue. "I've read most of these reports twice, some of them more, I've gone over every witness account and piece of evidence there is, and I was looking at the map," they both looked over their shoulders at the large map on the wall. "I was thinking, you can't track this creature, but I was able to track The Beast, and this creature is similar so maybe I can track it."
"Except we don't have anything for you to use to track it with. We don't have anything with its scent or DNA, and we've got no pattern as it seems to be choosing its locations and victims at random," she pointed out.
"Right, but maybe if I visited the sites of the killings I could pick up on something you missed, maybe a scent or a feeling, and it could lead us to the creature."
She bit her lip and frowned thoughtfully. "I hadn't thought of that. That's actually a really good idea," she nodded. "I'll speak to Kingsley and have him get us a temporary pass on port keying. He could get it to us by the end of the day and I'll program the co-ordinates into the port keys. We can start in the morning. Well done, Deputy," she praised, patting him on the knee and then standing to move to her desk, missing his smug smile.