Harry Potter led the way to the lost cabin he'd heard about in town. This could be their best adventure yet. All they had to do was set their equipment up in various rooms and then hit play. The cameras would do the rest as they kicked back and relaxed. He'd hit upon the idea while watching a muggle tv show. It didn't look all that hard and half the time it seemed as though they hadn't really found anything besides a few little cracks and pops of sound that was supposed to be ghosts talking to them.
They were supposed to be at a summer camp, 'relaxing and enjoying being kids', as McGonagall had put it. She'd given them strict instructions to keep their minds off the fact that they had only just come out of a war. Harry didn't see how that was possible, considering the fact that half of the Death Eaters captured at the battle had already talked their way out of Azkaban, claiming they'd been coerced into fighting this time. Not only that, but Hermione was especially worried about the fact that Fenrir Greyback had even been released. Harry still recalled the way the werewolf had looked at her all through his trial. He'd never taken his eyes off Hermione, once he'd seen her there.
He knew she'd hoped the werewolf would receive a life sentence in Azkaban, even though the guards themselves had admitted there was no keeping him inside for more than a month or two at the most. He seemed content to stay as long as he was fed adequately but as soon as he was told he had to start taking Wolfsbane Potion, he'd break out less than a week later. Harry, much as he despised Greyback, had to admit he couldn't really blame the wolf there. He'd watched Remus take enough of it to know that Remus also despised it. If it wasn't for the fact that he would otherwise be uncontrollable, Remus himself wouldn't take it.
Hermione walked behind Harry. She wasn't entirely sure about this newly developed craze of Harry's. 'If he wanted to be a ghost hunter so bad, why didn't he just talk to the ghosts at Hogwarts? But no, here they were on yet another 'ghost hunt'! Of course, she knew it was just to take his mind off of their brave new world but still, ghost hunting? This was how he chose to forget?' To top it all off, he'd dragged a whole group of their friends into it.
Harry opened the door. The owner of the cabin watched in amusement as the group of young people carried all their equipment inside. He wasn't sure how they'd convinced themselves that his cabin was haunted but he certainly wasn't going to turn them away, not when they were actually paying him to lock them in for the night! If they wanted to make believe they'd found ghosts in there, he would be more than glad to back them up. He would even come up with a story to suit their purpose.
Harry turned to shake hands with Arthur Mills. The man made sure they didn't need to come back out for any reason, reminded Harry that the only ways out were the windows on the second floor and locked the door behind him. Harry turned around and clapped his hands. "All right, everyone. There are three bedrooms upstairs and two down here. We have several vantage points to set up and then we should be good to go."
Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna, Ginny and Lavender stood facing him. Everyone except for Hermione automatically moved over to their 'ghost buddy'. Hermione looked around and rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me. I get the pleasure of manning the equipment while the rest of you get to go exploring."
"Well, you ARE slightly gun shy, Hermione. We wouldn't want the ghosts scared away before we can talk to them." Ron teased her. Hermione huffed at him playfully. Harry passed out their basic equipment first before he unearthed the goodie bag. He, Ron and Neville each took a flashlight. The girls were given the waterproof notebooks and pens to record anything paranormal they saw or heard. They were also given two-way radios with an earpiece to keep track of each team. They all had their new phones tucked into their pockets. Each of the boys were handed a Night Vision Digital Camcorder.
The next few items were both portable and fixed point. The portable units were all connected to the central piece that Hermione would be monitoring. harry handed each of the girls their own digital audio recorders and EMF meters. They also received a thermal camera. There were three spirit boxes that would be set up and connected to the Kinect camera that Hermione was responsible for. The last two pieces had been unnecessary, but he'd just wanted them just because they were cool. One was the Ovilus ghost box and the other one was the Paranormal music box.
With their equipment in hand, the three teams went off to get everything ready before the sun went down. It was a good thing they'd brought a cooler and box of candles with them as the man Arthur had neglected to both turn on the electricity or stock the refrigerator.
a few days earlier
The Squad had been laying low ever the war ended. They had just barely kept themselves out of Azkaban and it had taken every last connection that Yaxley had left to keep Greyback out of the prison. Not that he couldn't have easily broken out on his own, but Yaxley felt better having him near than separated by prison walls. Especially as they were trying to help him heal.
Not physically of course because werewolves had that insanely fast healing power, but it didn't work as well on his emotions or his mind. And that's where he needed the most healing done. Not only was he having to readjust to life without the constant grips of the Imperio and Cruciatus curses on him, but he was also having to adjust to the fact that he was head over heels in love with Hermione Granger. Thorfinn had promised that he'd help him hook up with her as soon as he was in shape for them to travel back to Britain.
They had traveled to Russia where Antonin's babushka had been overjoyed at the sight of her grandson. They had spent the past few months allowing her to work her grandmotherly magic on Greyback. They hadn't told her he was actually a werewolf, but they hadn't had to. Every month, on the morning they would come back with an exhausted, half asleep Greyback draped between them, she would have his bed turned back and a hot water bottle waiting. She'd run them out so he could sleep uninterrupted for as long as he needed to.
She was really the one who convinced Greyback that if he really loved Hermione, then it really was worth going back to find out how she felt. "After all," said babushka, "All she can say is no. And if she does, you do not worry! We have to plenty of daughters here for you."
Greyback smiled and ducked his head. Antonin laughed and clapped his shoulder. "Oi, Fen. At least she's trying to hook you up and not me."
Babushka turned to face him. "Do not be so sure of yourself, vnuk. I have been keeping an eye out for all of you." Thorfinn and Corban gulped as they realized she meant them as well.
They were all standing on the porch the next morning, looking out at the flowing river, when Greyback told them he was ready to go back and face Hermione. He remembered the look of fear on her face at his trial. At the time, he couldn't have told her that his own cursed behavior was why she was so scared of him. Had he not been under the Imperio and being punished with the Cruciatus every time he stepped wrong, he might not have frightened her as badly. If Corban was right, he'd been so messed up in his own mind, it wouldn't have done him any good to try and talk to her any earlier.
They traveled to the Russian ministry of magic and acquired a Portkey to Britain. They knew they would have to go to the Ministry and let them know they were back in the country. But it would also be the perfect opportunity to eavesdrop and find out the possible location of their target. They knew both Potter and Granger stayed fairly close to the Weasleys. They also knew Arthur Weasley would be an excellent source of information for them. If anyone knew where to locate the girl, it would be Arthur.
Back in Britain, Arthur Weasley was just thinking about Hermione. He and the rest of his family had fully expected her and Ron to announce they were going steady after the war. During the war, they had shown up at the Lovegood place, hand in hand. After their escape from Malfoy manor, they had shown up at Bill's, hand in hand. They had shown up to the final battle, hand in hand. But nothing had come from that situation except for Ron's total fear at the thought of Lavender Brown's death. The girl had almost died from her injuries. Ron had found her after the battle and stayed with her until Madame Pomfrey was able to check her over. They had learned from Bill's wound, and she now kept Phoenix tears in stock in case of werewolf bites. She didn't transform (Greyback hadn't bitten her with the intention of infecting her) but like Bill, she did display wolfish characteristics, especially around the time of the full moon.
Everyone at the battle had known who Greyback's real target was, and they had done their level best to stay between him and Hermione. After learning exactly how and when she had first been scented and targeted, Arthur had begun asking around. Everyone he spoke to seemed to think the same thing: Greyback was on the hunt for a mate and his chosen mate appeared to be one Hermione Granger. As he waited to speak to the Minister, he thought about the two of them. Greyback and Hermione. He had to admit, from a strictly on the surface point of view, they were a good match. She was a pretty girl and he (when his fangs and claws were not on display) was a handsome guy. Of course, under the surface, there was the small matter of Remus, Bill and Lavender, Arthur's friend, son and future daughter-in-law. All of whom wouldn't have lycanthropy if they hadn't been in contact with Greyback.
Suddenly the door to the Minister's office opened. Without thinking why, Arthur walked in and smiled at Kingsley Shacklebolt. He was glad Kingsley had taken over the position of Minister. He had the right amount of leadership to keep everything running smoothly. "Arthur, just who I wanted to see. Tell me, how are the kids enjoying themselves? Is the camp running smoothly for them? Are they still at Hogsmeade?" Kingsley asked.
"They seem to be enjoying it. The last time I heard from Molly, they've taken up muggle ghost hunting. Harry's idea, I believe. Some show he used to watch during his summers at his aunt's house." Arthur answered.
"Thank you, Minister Shacklebolt. That was going to be my next question. We have some unfinished business with someone there. Tell me, Arthur, where exactly is Harry going ghost hunting at?" Arthur froze at the sound of Corban Yaxley's voice. He turned around and sure enough, there was the group everyone had nicknamed "The Squad" during the war. Corban Yaxley, Antonin Dolohov, Thorfinn Rowle and Fenrir Greyback. He stared the longest at Greyback. 'He looked different', Arthur thought, 'calmer, the crazed look was gone from his eyes'.
"Why should I tell you that? How do I know you're not going to kill everyone of them?" He asked defiantly.
Corban had to commend him on his bravery. Then again, that bravery should not be a shock, considering Arthur had been a Gryffindor. They always had been too brave for their own good. "Trust me, Arthur, we're not going to kill her or anyone. Greyback is curious about her. We just want to, um, introduce her, you might say, to allow them to get to know each other."
Arthur instantly knew exactly who they wanted but he deliberately played dumb. "Oh, you mean your pup? Isn't that what you call your 'children'? The pup you made at the battle? You'll have a hard time pulling her away from my son. He's determined to marry her as soon as they finish school."
Greyback stared at him in confusion. 'What pup had he made? He hadn't bitten Hermione. He hadn't even been able to get near her. Who was this guy babbling about?' Arthur saw that look and realized that Greyback might not even have known what he was doing.
"Her name is Lavender Brown. You mauled her at the battle. We just barely managed to save her. You're welcome." He told him, narrowing his eyes at Greyback. The wolf's eyes widened. 'Wait! What! He had a pup? A surviving pup? He'd thought they were all killed when the bridge went down! It was one reason why he'd seen red and started killing everyone, Death Eater, Auror, Order member, student or teacher!' Suddenly he had even more of an interest in finding this camp. Not only did he have a potential mate to meet, but now he had a potential child to meet.' He let that thought soak into his mind. 'A father. That was something he hadn't done yet. All of the little ones he'd bitten and stolen from their families had been given to the mated couples to raise until it was time to train them to fight. This might be fun, especially when she was almost grown.' He wondered how Hermione would feel about two or three little ones of her own. He'd quite happily run around and play with them for as long as she needed a break from them. They could learn how to raise them together.
While Greyback was happily contemplating starting a family with Hermione, Corban was still working on locating the girls. Arthur was being stubborn about saying where they were. "Listen to me closely, Arthur. Fen does not want to hurt Miss Granger. He simply wants to meet her and get to know her. That's all. As for Miss Brown, I'm sure he'll also want to meet and get to know her as well. He's spoken a few times about wanting children since we've known him."
"All the children he's stolen over the years weren't his 'children' already? What about them?" Arthur crossed his arms. Kingsley was smiling as he watched the exchange. 'He'd told Corban he'd ask Arthur about the children and where they were. He hadn't said that Arthur himself would cooperate'. He was enjoying watching the stubborn Gryffindor protect the two girls he'd unofficially adopted as his own.
"I don't know. I never asked him about them. He didn't really think of them as his children. They were all raised by couples in his pack. He didn't have a mate, or he might not have gone after them in the first place. He's talked a lot about finding a mate. Especially lately." Corban said. 'Bloody fuck! How was HE supposed to know what was going on in Greyback's mind? He wasn't a bloody mind reader!
"Why Hermione? That IS who he's thinking about 'mating' with? Why has it taken this long for him to decide he suddenly wants a mate? And why did he decide that Hermione is his chosen one?" Arthur was determined to make them fully explain Greyback's obsession with Hermione before he decided whether it was worth the risk of her wrath to let them find her. Dolohov and Rowle had yet to say anything. They were just waiting to see who won this argument.
"Greyback? Greyback. Grey-hello! Fen!" Corban snapped his fingers in front of the wolf's face. Greyback looked at him, blinking rapidly in confusion. Dolohov and Rowle were holding their hands over their mouths to keep from busting out laughing. "Arthur Weasley wants to speak to you. About Hermione Granger."
Greyback stepped forward as he faced Arthur. "What about her? I'm ready to settle down. I've been fighting for most of the past sixty something years. Those children you're wondering about, they were abused children, for the most part. Remus was the exception there and he wasn't even my intended target. Sure, I bit them, but I made sure to put them with people who wouldn't hurt them anymore. I would have done the same with Remus, had his mother not begged me to let her keep her son. I didn't raise them myself because I didn't have a mate at that time. If I had been mated, the Wizarding world might not have had a reason to fear me. I would have raised pups quietly with my mate and kept my head down, like all good hidden werewolves do. Then the 'notoriously, savage' Fenrir Greyback wouldn't be a thing, would it?"
He sneered at Arthur's stunned expression. "Not what you were expecting to hear, huh? Well, here's something else. I'm impervious to the killing curse but all of you know that. I pretty much proved that at the battle with everyone trying to kill me. But I am susceptible to the other curses. Especially if I don't see them coming. Strong as I am, even my mind can only resist so much. It took them this long since the battle to help me get my mind right again. It was hard to think about a future when I was constantly expecting to be hit with a crucio or imperio at any given time. But now, I'm back and I'm ready to get to know my future mate. As for the pup, I'll let her decide if she wants to get to know me. I'll not force her into it. I made that mistake with Remus, and he still resents me."
Kingsley thought about what Greyback had said. It was all pretty much true. He'd investigated all of those childrens files after he joined the ministry. While a good bit of them were from Wizarding families, he'd been surprised at how many of them had also been muggleborn children. All of them, except for Remus, had indeed been stolen from abusive homes. It really made him wonder if the Wizarding world really would have had a 'notoriously, savage' werewolf if Fenrir HAD been mated when he stole those children.
Arthur gathered his thoughts before he asked the next question. "All right, Greyback. I can certainly understand you wanting to settle down and have a family. But still, you didn't answer my other questions. Why Hermione?"
"Because she smells like home to me." Greyback said simply. Arthur opened his mouth to speak and Greyback waved him back. "Her scent is strawberry and caramel. My favorite fruit growing up and my favorite candy growing up. I was from a poor family. I got work as soon as I was big enough to pass as older. The two things my mum always kept in the house, just because she knew how much I loved them, was strawberries and caramel candy. When I got old enough for Hogwarts, there was as much of both of them as I could have, right there on the dinner table."
He shrugged nonchalantly. "When we fired on your house, and everyone came running out, as soon as she got in range of me, that's the first thing I noticed about her. That scent just hit me! It stopped me dead in my tracks for a minute! That's when I knew, I'd just found my mate. I didn't even know who she was or what she looked, nothing! I got called away as soon as I scented her. I didn't even realize until later that she had any connection to Potter. I figured she was a school chum of your daughter."
Arthur sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. He looked at Kingsley who shrugged and spread his hands. 'What to do, what to do?' He wanted Hermione to be as happy as Ron and Ginny were, but he just wasn't sure that Greyback could give her that happiness. Yaxley walked forward and looked at him. "Well? You got your answers. Now answer our question. Where do we find Hermione?"
"I may be opening myself up for a world of pain, but all right, I'll tell you where she might be. Might as in they were discussing several different locations when I left. They hadn't actually decided where to go yet." Arthur cautioned them. "There are three different cabins they'd heard about. One in Wiltshire. One in Godric's Hollow and the last one was just outside of Hogsmeade."
Yaxley smiled at him as he grabbed Greyback's shoulder. "Thank you for your help, Arthur. Let's go, Fen. We have a muggleborn to track down. Just like the old days." They walked out behind Dolohov and Rowle.
Arthur dropped into the chair in front of the minister's desk. "Merlin! If Hermione doesn't kill me, Molly, Ginny and Lavender might!" Kingsley hummed in sympathy.
Since they had three different locations to scout, the Squad sent Greyback on over to the Forbidden Forest. It was the full moon that night and he'd already been getting snippy with them before they'd gone to the ministry. By the time full moon was gone and he was back to himself, they hoped they'd have the girl located. Yaxley headed to Wiltshire. Dolohov headed to Godric's Hollow and Rowle went to Hogsmeade to check out the possible location of a 'haunted' cabin.
It was Rowle who accidentally discovered where the group was. He was browsing in Tomes and Scrolls when the bell rang signaling a new customer. He looked up and quickly ducked into a recessed wall space. Just in time as it turned out because Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny were coming into the store. As he was at the back, he figured he'd just have to wait it out until they left. It turned out that he was in the perfect position to hear their plans. He listened as Harry told them about the old cabin just outside of Hogsmeade. It was rumored to be one of the first ones built when the village was established.
Thorfinn knew exactly where they were going now. He'd spent many a night in that old cabin with current and ex-girlfriends, hiding out from the press. If it was haunted, he'd never seen or heard any ghosts. Unless, of course, they were too enthralled with him to haunt the place. There was always that possibility. After they left the store, he exited behind them and went to the village owlery. There he sent messages to Yaxley and Dolohov. Then he went to the Hogs Head to wait for them.
Corban Yaxley read the note and smiled. This would greatly please Greyback. He was looking forward to seeing the wolf's reaction when they told him they'd found the girl. Antonin Dolohov read the note and felt nothing but relief. Godric's Hollow was entirely too peopley for his taste. He just needed to get back to somewhere not very crowded. At all!
On his way back to the Hogs Head, Yaxley stopped in at the joke shop and asked about the camp Kingsley had mentioned. He said he'd like to check in on his nephew and dropped Draco's name, crossing his fingers that Draco actually was at the camp. The owner, recognizing him, gulped and quickly told him where the camp could be located. Corban nodded and left. The man let out a relieved breath. He briefly contemplated sending a warning to Remus and Tonks but decided not to. It wasn't worth the risk of getting on the bad side of Corban Yaxley.
As luck would have it, just as he was walking towards the Hogs Head, Draco and some of the Slytherins were going back to camp. He looped his arm around Draco and dragged him off to the side. He asked him about Hermione, if she was attached to anyone or still single. Draco, knowing Yaxley wasn't after her for himself, was glad to let him know Hermione was still single. Yaxley bussed him on the temple and ruffled his hair. "Do me a favor, nephew. Don't let Miss Granger know I was asking about her. If fact, don't let any of your friends let her know we're anywhere around, yeah?"
"Around where? None of us have seen any of you since the end of the war." Draco said, grinning slyly. Corban laughed out loud in delight. He'd always enjoyed conspiring with Draco. The boy was always willing to help him, be it pulling a prank or keeping a secret.
He went to the Hogs Head and found Dolohov, sitting with Rowle at a corner table. The group was still gathering all their equipment and wouldn't be going to the cabin until after Greyback was back with them. They could relax until tomorrow.
Draco felt Pansy taking his hand. "Are you going to warn Granger?" She looked back as the large figure of Yaxley faded behind them.
"Nope. Greyback has been patient long enough. He's been talking about her since we were in sixth year. I think it's well past time for him to meet her." Draco said casually.
"So, he really does like her. He doesn't want to just hook up and run away? He's serious about her?" Pansy tapped a shiny nail on her lip. "Well, then. I suppose she's part of the family now, right? Wasn't Greyback a Slytherin while he was in school?"
"Yes. He was. And he does like her seriously. He doesn't want to hook up. He wants a mate. So that does make her part of the family now." Draco said proudly.
Hermione Granger froze as Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson both smiled and waved at her as they passed. She looked around to see if Ginny, Lavender or Luna had noticed that. None of them had. 'Was she going crazy or had the Slytherin Prince and Princess actually been civil to her?' She suddenly couldn't wait to get out of camp and go on this stupid ghost hunting trip Harry was organizing. He was currently out buying more equipment, as if they didn't already have enough. But he'd seen two pieces that he'd sworn they absolutely needed!
The next day, around sunset, they set off for the cabin, unaware of the company they had. The Squad watched as they all went in and the owner came back out, locking them in. Finn chuckled as he told them the group's only way in or out now was the second-floor windows.
"I overheard everything they were planning to do, in the bookstore. Granger didn't sound too thrilled about the whole thing. I think she's going along with it just to make Potter happy. She'd back out, given half a chance. I'm pretty sure she isn't going to be one of our happy explorers." With a mischievous little grin, he glanced at Greyback and said, "Why don't we climb in the second floor windows and mess with them a bit, just long enough for Fen to find her?"
Greyback's eyes were wide and alert at that thought. Yaxley thought it over and glanced at Dolohov who was already grinning like crazy. "Ok. It's been a while since we've helped you prank anyone. Let Operation Scare the Ghost Hunters commence!"
They jogged over to the window lit up in front. There they could hear Granger grumbling as she set up her equipment. Being the tallest besides Greyback, Rowle risked a glance inside. His thumbs up signaled that she was by herself. Yaxley disappeared a small section of the wall and Dolohov carefully lit up the end of his wand with his custom purple flames. He stuck the wand through the hole and waited. Rowle watched with bared breath as Hermione looked over. He sniggered as she let out a gasp. "She's coming this way!" Yaxley and Dolohov stopped their spells until Finn indicated that she had stopped. Then they did the same thing again as Rowle described her reaction. "Her eyes, they're as big as galleons! She's about to lose it!" He chuckled. Then they pushed at Greyback, motioning at the window. He grinned as he backed away several feet. He could see her plainly right there in the window. He ran up, pushed his face against the window and blew.
Hermione screamed as she ran out of the room. "Harry! It's Greyback! Harry, he's here! He found me! Harry!" Greyback had collapsed laughing as soon as she screamed.
Harry jumped down the stairs and raced her back into the war room as he'd called it. "Where is he? Wait! What? Hermione, there isn't anyone here. Even if he was here, he couldn't get in. The door's locked, remember? It's ok. You're jumpy because of where we are. But he's not here, see?"
"I. Am. Not. Jumpy, Harry Potter!" Hermione gritted her teeth angrily. "I know what I saw! It was Greyback, right there at the window! I'd know him anywhere!" The Squad held their hands over their mouths to keep from bursting into uproarious laughter. Greyback was grinning proudly as he listened. His little witch was a feisty one. Luna and Lavender had followed Harry back down. Lavender had frozen with her eyes fixed on the window. It was then Hermione knew for sure; Greyback WAS here, somewhere close by. Lavender, like Bill and Remus, could sense his presence.
As Ron came and pulled her back out of the room, Lavender looked back at Hermione, mouthing the words, "Be careful." Hermione nodded at her. She was going to have to be on her guard. She had no doubt that Greyback would try every way he could to break into the cabin. She just hoped that he didn't attempt the upstairs windows. Unfortunately, she hadn't counted on him having a friend who already knew about the cabin they were in.
Finn motioned at the trees just down from the window. "Those trees are even of the second floor. We can mess with each group and Fen can slip downstairs and catch Granger." He led the way as he climbed up into the empty bedroom. They decided that Yaxley would have Ron and Lavender. Antonin would have Neville and Ginny. Thorfinn would take Harry and Luna. They slipped off to each room being set up and cast an invisibility spell on themselves.
As soon as Ron and Lavender walked into the first room, Yaxley wandlessly slammed and locked the door behind them. It was all he could do to not laugh at the shocked looks on their faces. They struggled to get the door open, apparently forgetting that all they needed was a simple Alohamora. Once they'd struggled long enough, he unlocked the door. Neither of them expected the door to open and they both fell backwards. Ron scrambled up and helped Lavender to her feet as he tugged her out of the room. Yaxley was on the floor holding his sides as he almost choked to keep himself from laughing out loud.
Neville took Ginny's hand as they went to set up their area. Ginny gasped as they spotted a candlestick, seemingly floating in midair. Then it fell to the floor. They quickly aimed the camera in that direction. There was nothing to indicate a ghostly presence. Neville stepped back and Ginny screamed as the curtains suddenly began flapping with no sign of a breeze. Antonin quietly snorted as they turned tail and ran. 'So much for Gryffindor bravery!'
Harry and Luna could hear screams and scuffling behind them. Whatever was going on back there was apparently more than they'd expected. He knew there was very likely nothing to be found here, but it was a great way to 'keep his mind off the war' as McGonagall had put it. He kept thinking back to Hermione's panic just now. He'd hoped this would actually help her. Of course, he did like iGhost Adventures/i, the ghost hunting show that he'd gotten the idea from. But he'd actually decided to do it more to help Hermione than anything. He didn't like seeing her so scared. And knowing Greyback was loose definitely had her running scared.
He cursed as there was a sudden loud thud in the room they'd just gone into. He aimed the camera and Luna held up the EMF meter. There were no cracks, pops or anything that should have caused that sound. He moved further and a dresser slid across the room, on its own. "Harry? M-maybe we should go back down?" Luna asked nervously. She had a feeling there was something more than ghosts here. And Hermione was by herself, scared to death. Harry frowned at her, and she motioned him closer. "We need to get back to Hermione. She was really scared, Harry." Harry looked around and back at the dresser. He sighed and turned, following Luna out of the room. Finn cursed softly, hoping they'd given Greyback enough time to get downstairs.
Greyback waited until the kids all passed him on the second floor before silently jumping down to the landing. After listening to all the squeaks from the group walking up them, he wasn't about to give himself away walking down them. He'd seen the pup and recognized her now as the little girl he'd attacked at the battle. 'Ironically, it was Hermione helping blast him away from Lavender that had let him know she was close by. She'd given her own self away.' The pup knew he was here. He'd seen her hesitate at the top of the stairs. He silently willed her to not give him away. Thankfully, she followed the ginger down the hall. He recognized the Weasley boy. The older brother was another one of his pups. He wondered how much contact they had with Remus and if Remus had already turned them against him. If things worked out with his little witch, he was once again going to try and reach out to Remus.
He heard her muttering as she finished setting her own equipment up. Upstairs, he could faintly hear screams and scuffling. The Squad was keeping them busy. Seeing as Yaxley and Dolohov were constantly shaking their heads over Thorfinn's antics, he was surprised that they'd agreed to help. He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, laying a hand over her mouth. Hermione let out a muffled scream, knowing whose arms were around her before he ever turned her around. He didn't attempt to talk to her as she tried to push away. He simply held her as she cried and wore herself down. Finally, she stopped struggling as she realized he wasn't going to let her go. "Hello, darling. It's great to see you again. I've missed you. Can we talk now, or you want to keep fighting me?" He asked. She looked up at him. He lowered himself to his knees and held her on his lap, so she wouldn't have to keep looking up. When she was more or less eye to eye with him, she seemed to relax a bit.
Hermione frowned at Greyback. He seemed, different. Calmer, more settled down. She couldn't put her finger on it. He didn't seem to look as crazed, perhaps? His eyes! She suddenly noticed his eyes were blue! 'Hadn't they been amber during the war? She could have sworn that he'd had amber eyes when he caught them and took them to Malfoy manor, hadn't he?' Now that she was calmer, he was letting her push back from him, although he still kept her on his lap. "Didn't you have amber eyes? Are you wearing contacts? Why are your eyes blue?"
He smiled and bit his lip. "My eyes are only amber on full moon night. Otherwise, they're blue. I've never worn contacts. What are those, anyway? They stayed amber during the war because I was constantly under the Imperio and Crucio curses. Curtesy of the Dark Lord." He grimaced at the memory of Voldemort. That was the best thing Potter had done during the entire war. Getting rid of him.
"Contact lenses. Sometimes, doctors will prescribe them instead of glasses. Unless you can't wear them. Some people can't. Harry can't. They made his eyes itchy. Some contacts are colored if you want to change the color of your eyes." She explained. Greyback was half listening as he inspected the equipment behind her. He tipped his head as one of the cameras lit up. His eyes widened as wavy shapes appeared, then disappeared. Then one of the EMF meters started cracking. He patted her gently to get her attention, then turned her around and pointed.
Hermione gasped as she picked up the EMF and pointed it. She swept the room from side to side and aimed it where the cracking seemed loudest. She popped Greyback on the arm, pointing at the Kinect. "Pick it up. Aim it where I'm aiming at." She whispered. He picked up the camera and stood beside her. They both let out a soft sigh as wavy shapes appeared once more. "Is that a person?"
Greyback frowned at the screen. "That's a woman." Hermione looked closer. Then she shook her head. "I'm telling you, that's a woman, Granger. She's holding a baby. Look. You can barely see it."
Hermione carefully inspected the camera again. Now that he'd pointed it out, she could see just a bare outline and it was indeed a woman, holding a baby. She laid the EMF down and went for Harry's 'special' equipment. She picked it up and held it towards the apparition. "What's your name? What's your baby's name? What happened to you and your baby?" She waited to see if she got any answers.
Harry and the rest of the group were coming down the stairs. Behind them were Yaxley, Dolohov and Rowle, as yet unseen. At the sound of voices in the war room, everyone stopped. Lavender gasped as she realized Greyback was now in the room with Hermione. As soon as Harry realized it, he started to jump forward. Ron grabbed him and held his finger to his ear, telling Harry to listen. Lavender wanted to see how Hermione reacted to him being there.
Hermione walked forward. "Please. We don't want to hurt you or scare you. We just want to talk to you. What's your name?" She held out the box again.
There was a crack and pop from the EMF and then a word popped up on the screen. "Lydia." Hermione smiled and turned to Greyback. He kept the Kinect aimed firmly at the apparition.
"What's your baby's name?" She asked next. The image on the camera wavered and faded out. "Lydia, please come back."
The image came back stronger and closer to Hermione. Another word appeared. "Olivia." Hermione took a moment to make sure she was done speaking.
"Thank you, Lydia. What happened to you and Olivia?" She was trying to recall if she'd ever heard and stories about a woman named Lydia around Hogsmeade.
The image began wavering once more. Words began scrolling on the screen. "Cold. So cold. Cold. So cold. Cold. So cold." Then suddenly both the image and the words were gone. Hermione turned to Greyback.
"What do you think she meant by that?" She walked back to him. He cautiously put an arm around her as he still held the camera, fully expecting her to push him away. To his delighted surprise, she leaned against him willingly.
"I think they froze to death. It's the only reason I think she'd keep saying they were cold." He shrugged. Hermione sat on the floor and opened a notebook. She looked up at him.
"We didn't just imagine that whole incident, did we?" She needed to make sure they had both seen the ghost.
"Nope. We sure didn't. She was right there." He sat down beside her. She leaned against him again. He wasn't sure what had caused her to lose her fear of him, but he wasn't about to question it.
Harry whispered furiously at Ron. "How did he get in? The door's locked. He couldn't have known about the windows upstairs!" Ron shrugged, completely mystified. Neville came down the stairs.
"I know how." He pointed back up and they all turned to see the Squad waving at then from the second floor. The three Death Eaters came down.
"Seriously, Potter. You think you're the only one who ever stayed here?" Thorfinn cocked a brow at him. He peered past him into the war room. "Oi, look. He didn't need me to help him after all." He told Yaxley and Dolohov.
They all walked into the room. Greyback tightened his arm as Hermione tried to move away. "Hermione, darling. Tell them what we saw."
"Harry Potter, you and your blasted ghost hunting!" Hermione narrowed her eyes at her best friend. He gulped, expecting her to let loose on him with both barrels. "We saw a ghost! She spoke to us! It worked! The equipment worked! Now we just have to question Mr. Mills tomorrow and see if he knows anything about a woman named Lydia!"
"No way! You really saw a ghost?!" Harry ran over excitedly as Hermione snatched up the Kinect and the Ovilus Box. They chattered like magpies as she showed him the data and her notes.
The Squad sat down on the other side of Greyback. "Did you have any trouble with her?" Yaxley asked. Greyback shook his head.
"No. After I found her, we saw that ghost. She did question me about my eyes. I think my amber eyes scared her." Greyback said.
"Well, good thing you won't have them except at full moon then, aye?" Dolohov asked him. Greyback laughed as he nodded. He was suddenly glad his eyes only turned amber when he transformed.
"Do you think she would enjoy meeting babushka?" He asked Antonin quietly. Dolohov smiled. He was glad his grandmother had taken a liking to the wolf. It gave Greyback a safe place to go if the English wizards ever tried to come after him again.
"She'd better get ready to enjoy meeting her. Babushka gave me strict orders to bring the two of you back with me. She wants to meet her." Antonin told him.
Thorfinn was busy questioning Ginny about their ghost hunting equipment. Neville listened as he jumped in on the conversation ever so often. Since everyone had planned on sleeping in the war room, the addition of an extra four bodies was no problem. Everyone eventually ended up in a huge pile in the middle of the room. Normally, Hermione had to have at least two covers over her, even in the summer. But as she slept wrapped securely in Greyback's arms, she'd never felt warmer. He was like having her own personal heater.
The next morning, she surprised everyone by telling them she and Greyback were going to Hogsmeade to find out more about the history of the cabin. Harry and Ron exchanged resigned glances. As usual, Hermione had been bitten by the curiosity bug and she wasn't going to let this mystery go. Nobody was more surprised by her announcement than Greyback himself. He'd figured, even with no longer being afraid of him, it would still take Hermione a while to warm up to getting to know him. Evidently, meeting an actual ghost with her counted as getting to know him. 'Who knew?' He wouldn't complain about it. As long as she wanted his company, he was happy.
Since the door was still locked and Arthur Mills hadn't shown up yet, they went out the second-floor window. Greyback went first and caught Hermione in his arms. As he started down the path without setting her down, she decided to see just how long he walked before she became too heavy for him to carry. She was mildly shocked when he walked into Hogsmeade not even breathing heavily. They went to the bookstore, and she found a book about the beginnings of Hogsmeade village. She and Greyback found an out of the way spot on the floor and sat down to see if they could find Lydia.
As she leaned back against him, Hermione had to admit that maybe Greyback wasn't as scary as she'd thought. He'd had plenty of time on the walk to attack her if he was going to. It hadn't happened. He'd had plenty of time last night to attack her before the others had come back down. It hadn't happened. Even now, he was still holding her loosely but not touching her all over the way she'd figured he would.
She flipped through the book as he propped his chin on her shoulder. There was a section on the first families to set up in Hogsmeade. She skimmed over it until she saw a familiar name. 'Lydia Mills. She'd been a new bride and new mother. Her husband had kept their stove chock full of wood as the walls were quite thin. He had been called to Hogsmeade for a business meeting. A blizzard had swept through cutting him off from home for three days. By the time he'd made it home, Lydia and Olivia had frozen to death. Lydia had tried to keep a fire, but evidence had shown that her wood had run out and shed been unable to force the door open to get more wood. They had found her with baby Olivia wrapped up in every covering in the house and it hadn't been enough to save them'. Hermione was crying by the time she finished reading about them. 'That poor woman.' It suddenly struck her that Lydia must have been a muggle. 'Why else would she not use magic to keep herself and her baby alive.' Greyback agreed with her there. The woman had to have been a muggle.
They started back to the cabin and just as they came into sight, Hermione decided to get a little bit mischievous herself. There was a creek they had to cross. A patchwork of stones had been put into place for a path. By this time, Arthur Mills had come and gone. They hadn't said anything about their night in the cabin. They'd wanted to wait and see what Hermione found out first. The Squad was out on the porch and in the perfect place to witness the antics of their wolf and the muggleborn witch. Hermione playfully pushed Greyback who gently pushed her back. She pushed him and he pushed her. She giggled as she pushed him one more time. Suddenly the two of them were having a slap fight right there in the middle of the creek. Without warning, she shoved him, and he went down falling into the creek. She looked horrified clearly not having expected him to actually fall. Then she looked alarmed and ran towards the porch. He stood up and walked stiff legged and stiff backed after her.
"Harry!" She screamed as she ran up the steps. The Squad was laughing so hard they could barely keep Greyback from following her. He was shaking his head at her as he tried to wring the water out of his clothes. Then he playfully grabbed her, holding her against him until she was wet, too. She was shrieking with laughter as she wriggled in his arms.