She was beautiful, blending into the night except when her coat glinted or her gold eyes flashed. Beautiful but potentially very dangerous. Teddy had never been around another werewolf that hadn't been using one type of potion or another. Was her first instinct to attack him? Or would she find comfort in the presence of another of her species?
Her eyes skimmed over him. Teddy shifted uncomfortably. He was a little skinny for a werewolf, his legs long and gangly. Still, he wasn't really sure what a female wolf might approve of. Even more, he wasn't sure what this female wolf would think of him. When her eyes flicked back up to his face after their perusal, he couldn't ascertain her thoughts on him or anything else. However, there seemed to be no challenge in her body language. So, that was good, he thought. Probably.
She hopped down from the bed and came towards him with easy strides. Since it didn't seem aggressive Teddy held still. She thrust her snout into his side and began to nose his fur. He could feel his fur twitch with each sniff near his skin. It might not be a sexual advance in wolf language, but Teddy's mindset was not that of a wolf. He had to control his breathing so he wouldn't jerk in response every time she moved.
He knew from experience that the wolf carried the scents from their human lives as well as what they picked up as wolves. Lilith had told him he usually smelled like the straw of the training fields and his grandmother's cooking. Tonight, there was probably also the potions that Draco had brewed and the Ministry's scrolls. Would her human side recognize these smells or was she buried too deep underneath the wolf instincts?
He held himself mostly still but wasn't able to completely turn his back on her. As she circled him, his head swiveled to follow. She seemed friendly enough, but he had no idea what was actually going on, did he? Why had he never tried to figure out actual wolf body language or flirting or whatever? Because he never thought he would be in this situation before, that's why.
Finally, she sat back. Figuring it was good manners, Teddy hesitantly returned the perusal. She watched with her strangely human eyes but didn't make any other move. There wasn't much to find in her fur but potions and magic. There was a faint stench of Harry, Ron, Draco and probably Teddy. Teddy had never been able to pick out his own scent signature.
When Teddy was done he backed away from her. Still, she watched him. Unsure what she was expecting, he stepped back and showed her the table he had set on its side as a barrier between him and the bed. She wandered behind it, nosing his clothes that he had stowed there for after the change. She looked from the clothes to Teddy again and then sneezed gently before smelling his clothes again.
Teddy wasn't sure whether to be offended or not. They were clean when he had put them on right before coming here. It wasn't like he was a complete slob.
She moved on, jumping up onto her hind legs to look out the window. Below them, London was still busy with cabs and people. The streets wouldn't reach the 'quiet' of the night for a few more hours yet.
They wandered through the rest of the room, Hermione exploring and Teddy following. There wasn't much of it other than the bed, a bedside table, the upturned table, and a potions cart. Hermione avoided the potions. She didn't seem enamored with the bed either, sneezing several times after she explored the sheets and pillow. Finally, she returned to the sideways table and curled up on top of Teddy's clothes.
Was this a challenge? Teddy wasn't sure what to do with that sort of behavior. Usually, the other wolves didn't camp out on their clothing stashes in the forest. Besides, he would be needing those in a couple of hours.
She stuck her nose into his clothing again and closed her eyes. Why would she want to smell his shirt? It was the only foreign object in this whole room. Thinking about it, Teddy realized that was probably exactly why she liked it. Hoping he was right, he went to the bedside table. With his teeth, he caught and pulled down the grocery bag that had been placed there. Ginny had filled it with Hermione's old clothing for after the change.
When he brought it back to where she still lay, she looked at it with disinterest. He broke the plastic with his teeth and shook the bag until all her clothes scattered onto the floor: jeans, a red jumper, and underthings. No longer stifled by the plastic bag, there was a gentle waft of smells that were all foreign to Teddy: old book pages, a kneazle, and some combination of teas and cleaning supplies.
Hermione perked up as the smell hit her and she left Teddy's clothes to explore her own. Teddy quickly grabbed his own clothes in his teeth and dragged them away to the other side of the table. He sat on them with a huff, happy to have them back.