Wolf Daughter

by Kendianna

Daughter of Fenrir Greyback and his late wife, Hermione is destined to be the next alpha one day with her adopted brother Harry as her loyal beta. When she accidentally claims the lordship of the house of Black, her family’s situation radically changes. Werewolves aren’t allowed at Hogwarts, but who would dare keep the head of a noble house from their rightful magical education?

1. Prologue (birth to eleven)

A baby is born, she's smart as all hell, she makes a friend, and she takes him home to keep. Certain people are curious about that

Birth of the Baby

Fen had gotten his pups on many women, muggle and wizard alike. He'd even taken in and helped whelp the few whose mothers had actually sought him out. The number of children he'd fathered paled in comparison to the sheer amount of wolves he'd sired. Every one was offered a place in his pack, and whether they took it or not he'd never turned one away. Needless to say, he wasn't a stranger to a certain sense of paternal or familial responsibility.

Yet that instinct had never before struck him quite as hard as when his mate had birthed their pup. He'd never been present for the battle of the birthing bed before, and hadn't that been an unpleasantly messy shock. He'd wiped the sweat and tears from his mate's face, panicked at the scent of her blood on their bedsheets, held her hands as she clenched and heaved and struggled. He was pretty sure some of the bones in his fingers were at the very least sprained if not fractured. He'd watched as the ancient pack midwife pulled his child into the world, and then as she'd inspected the afterbirth to make sure it was intact. Later he would bury it somewhere in the woods as tradition demanded. His hands had been the second set that held his daughter, and he'd brought her to his mate's chest and watched in awe as they cried in unison.

The little person they had created together was something new and incredible. As he stared down at her scrunched newborn face and smelled her sweet downy curls, he felt a powerful connection awaken between them unlike anything else he'd known other than the bond he and her mother shared. This child was his heir, her wolf was innate like his had been, and she would be the alpha after him.

He brushed a dark sweat drenched knot of curls off of his mate's forehead, "What do you want to call her, my heart?" he asked as he pressed his nose into her neck.

She sighed and hummed, her eyes fluttering between closed and open as she fought to stay awake "My family would have insisted on a celestial name, I suppose. Some wretched constellation a half dozen other blacks have been named after. But I've always preferred Greek names. How do you feel about Iphigenia, or Clytemnestra. Maybe Hermione?" Her voice tapered off slightly in her exhaustion.

He perked up thoughtfully and mulled her words over, looking down over her shoulder to where their baby grizzled at her breast "I've never named one of my children before. I always thought when the time came I'd choose something like Ragnar or Freya. But Hermione honors the god Hermes, a trickster who oversees cunning and wit. I like it, it feels right for her"

Half a snore escaped his mate's nose and mouth before her eyes flew back open "yeah? That's good, Hermione. Her mother was Helen of Troy, you know - In the Iliad. Hermione Elena Greyback. We can call her Nene when it's just the three of us if you like" she muttered as her eyes started to fall shut again. This time he didn't wake her, he only grinned happily and monstrously, as he pulled the blanket up to cover them and began to plan her future training.

First Moon

Their first moon with her was a revelation unto itself. It was the youngest and most seamless shift he'd ever seen in his decades of life as a wolf and pack leader. For the first time he could remember, Fenrir held back his shift as long as he could to stay with his girls and see just what exactly would happen. He gritted his teeth as they elongated in his mouth, and his nails lengthened to claws where they clenched by his sides. His mate's eyes glowed unexpectedly silver and he heard a whimper escape her throat helplessly. She wasn't a wolf, but she was bound to him so tightly she might as well have been, and she had nothing to fear from his transformed state.

One moment their three week old baby wriggled in anticipation in her onesie in her little crib, and the next second with a green shimmer flickering over her form, the smallest wolf pup he'd ever seen was in her place, eyes alert and snout high with her nose sniffing the air. It looked like they'd snatched a pup from a true wolf bitch's litter in the forrest. She sneezed and yipped and they looked at each other and breathlessly laughed in shock and joy. She was perfect.

As she lifted herself up onto her little paws and began to tumble around inside her crib, Fenrir relaxed and staggered to his knees, letting his own shift wash roughly over him. It took slightly longer than hers had, but was equally painless as he had spent nearly his entire life making peace with his wolf and embracing it as his other half. His mate rubbed one of his soft floppy ears and then picked Hermione up out of her crib, bringing her towards where he could sniff and lick her sweet puppy face. Snout to snout for the first time, it was clear she recognized her father, and both their tails wagged excitedly.

His mate's heartbeat ticked up briefly and two sets of intense eyes, one silver and one gold, swung around to glance at her in concern. She laughed and covered her face with her free hand in embarrassment "Stop! Gods, but that's unnerving when you do it at the same time. It's nothing I'm just… seeing the two of you together like this is making me emotional" and she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

She grinned at him, "Seeing you with her makes me want to give you another. Maybe even two or three more" she said flirtatiously, even though a slight flush rose to the apples of her cheeks. He let out a sharp whine and panted, his tongue lolling out of his mouth very wolfishly indeed.

Unable to comprehend their discussion but wanting to be included, Hermione yipped and jumped into her mother's lap, spinning around before laying down and yawning hugely. His mate ran her fingers ever so lightly up the top of her snout along the weft of her fur, what would have been the bridge of her nose in her human form. He laid his heavy head down on her leg next to their pup and she laughed and patted him as well.

"What a tremendous blessing the gods and goddesses have bestowed upon us, my love" she whispered, and he huffed in agreement. He had felt the rest of his pack successfully shift through their bonds, and he would have to make rounds around the compound checking on everyone eventually, but for the moment he enjoyed where he was with his girls peacefully while he could.

Losing Love

The time they had together was shorter than he'd ever have been able to predict, even with how chaotic and cruel the world around them had become.

Members of her family were going missing or being killed left and right, with both her father in his grave and her closest cousin mysteriously disappearing within a few months of each other. Another two cousins and a spinster aunt had been blasted off the family tree and were in the wind, only the gods knew where. Everyone was starting to seriously suspect her aunt of slowly poisoning her uncle over the last decade, and though they hadn't been particularly stable to begin with it was very apparent that her and their elf had both gone all the way round the bend.

All the blame for that devastation to her ancestral house she had lay squarely at the hands of the dark lord. Where his vitriolic blood purist rhetoric had taken root, it had poisoned her already zealous family and radicalized them to yet unseen feverish heights. Poor Bella had been irrevocably seduced and was one of his most devoted lieutenants. Her known crimes were gruesome, and the fear that she'd have to eventually be put down like a rabid creature was as palpable as it was ironic.

Yet strangely and incongruously enough, their daily lives felt somehow untouched by the darkness and the raging war. Hidden away in a lovely little cottage in the woods, on a heavily fortified compound with lots of other homes and meeting houses and dormitories sprinkled here and there where the tree lines gave way to clearings, their child began to grow and blossom and things felt suspended in a sort of syrupy golden stasis. They were the parents of a newborn. They only slept a few hours a night, but it was bliss. They were in love and they were enraptured by the family the three of them made.

Fenrir's beta was doing a lot of the heavy lifting running the pack, and every day wolves would stop by their alpha's house to greet the new baby, to wish them well, to offer to do any chores they needed done, and to leave gifts and food for the exhausted parents. He'd never felt more secure and proud in his role as the alpha of his pack than in seeing the way his wolves paid back his leadership and guidance with their clear appreciation and support.

However, as removed as they were from the horrors of the wizarding world, his mate still desperately feared the dark lord's reach and his wrath. As the life they had built together was torn apart, it occurred to Fenrir that she had been right to worry. He had been grievously mistaken in dismissing her fear and underestimating their opponent, and his wolf told him that it made him ultimately responsible for her fate.

Their child would grow up motherless, and the possibility of ever having any trueborn siblings had been stolen from her. The dark lord may have killed his mate, but he might as well have done it himself for having failed to protect her. Now he feared only the day he'd have to explain to his poor daughter the true reason she had no mother. He only hoped that she could one day forgive her father his foolish willful ignorance and the terrible cost it had forced them both to pay.

Grieving and Honesty

He wasn't sure just how aware she was of the gaping hole that existed at the heart of their pack, but he knew she felt it. She had been so very young when they lost her mother, but she had been startlingly aware and alert nearly from birth. The transformation of her first moon had seemed to awaken the consciousness in her that didn't appear until later in normal babies and toddlers. He was sure she at least remembered her, and he had put off talking about it for as long as he possibly could. The grief and the guilt were still too overwhelming for him to break them back open, and he feared if he did the wounds would never fully heal. Like always, she managed to surprise him.

On a dreary rainy day his three year old gave him the shock of his life when she crawled into his lap and tugged on his long scraggly hair (hair she'd have scolded him for not cutting and brushing, fuck) "Why you so sad daddy? When you smile you smell sad" her innocent words cut to the core of him and he struggled not to sob.

For the fraction of a second that he had considered placating her, her eyes shifted from grey to silver and the least threatening snarl he'd ever heard ripped out of his baby girl's throat "Why?" She insisted.

Slack-jawed and nearly choking on nothing, he snapped his mouth closed and raggedly sucked in a deep breath "I miss your mummy, little wolf. She was my mate and she brought you into the world and now she's gone. And I have you and I love you but there's something empty here that should still be here with us and I don't know how to live without it" he said softly, as tears started to run down his cheeks. He took her little hand and placed it over his heart "Here, where you live in me. She was here with us too and she isn't anymore"

His strong girl nodded and nuzzled her head into his chest "I 'member. Can mummy come back? Where she go?"

He pressed his nose into her hair as the tears kept coming and bathed in her sticky warm toddler smell "Mummy is gone forever, she can't come back. And the reason I can't stop feeling sad is because if I had listened to her she might still be with us. She was scared of a very bad man, who she knew was dangerous. I thought we would be fine, and I was wrong. He hurt her, and took her away from us, and that's why we're always so careful now. The bad man is gone too, but some of his bad friends might still be out there, so I'm sad but also scared for you my little wolf. I'm scared that they might hurt you and take you away from me like he did to your mummy if I don't protect you"

"Is the bad man a woof like us?" She asked nervously

"No, he's just a human… And his bad friends are all humans too"

She tilted her head in confusion "They jus' humans? Why you scared, daddy? That's silly" her easy dismissal was childlike, but not incorrect he realized. He shook his head lightly "Well, they do have magic like us. But you're right little wolf, it is silly" his yellow eyes flashed gold as he his thoughts churned "It's very silly"

For all he'd feared being discovered by the dark lord or his death eaters, he had physical abilities beyond their wildest dreams. Their magic may be dark and powerful, but without their wands none of them could hold their weight in a real fight. There was no removing magic from the equation, but there were certainly ways that the odds could be evened in his favor.

Curiouser and Curiouser

Hermione was growing up to be one of the cleverest pups he'd ever whelped. She listened to stories told to her with a hilariously serious air, and she practically taught herself her numbers and letters. So desperate was she to learn and so curious was she about everything around her, that he found himself often unsure as how to provide good stimulus for her with the limited library they had on their little werewolf compound in the woods.

He'd wracked his brain and told her nearly every myth and legend he knew that was appropriate for tiny ears, and he was beginning to draw a blank when she asked for new stories. He'd started foisting her off on older pack members when she got antsy and curious, pumping them for interesting or amusing anecdotes and life stories that she might be entertained by. Secretly he often hoped she might be pacified or put to sleep by the rambling of the elderly.

The pack as a whole could sense his frustrations mounting, they all knew how hard he was trying and what a good father he was. No one wanted to be the messenger that got clawed. The solution came from a place none of them had expected. He was visited one evening by his 19 year old son Matthias somewhat nervously standing outside his door, and he invited him in and lead him into the kitchen.

As he gestured for his son to take a seat at the kitchen table, he took the lid off of a simmering pot of beef stew "Have you had dinner?" He asked as the rich scent wafted out, stirring the bottom and turning off the heat.

"No father, not yet"

He nodded towards the cupboard, silently instructing the lad to set the table "Eat with us then, Hermione come greet your brother" and he immediately heard little feet slap loudly across the living room floor. She barreled into the room and burrowed into his side taking in big whiffs of the fragrant aroma.

Turning around to see who one had come by, she climbed up and took her seat at the table, her tiny legs swinging joyfully "Hi Matty" she said, and her chest rumbled gratefully as her brother placed her bowl and spoon in front of her.

Matthias ran his fingers gently through her wild hair and set a small cup of milk down next to her "Hello Nene, did you learn anything interesting today?" He asked as their father brought the stewpot and a loaf of crusty bread to the table, rolling his eyes wearily. He loved his girl but gods could she talk.

That was all the invitation she needed to shoot out words from her mouth almost too fast for them to hear "Nana Miriam said that she didn't become a wolf til she was old, and she told me that she got to go to a magic school on a train! But she said daddy wasn't allowed to go because of his wolf even though he has magic, and I might not be either if they find out I'm like him. But that's not fair, I want to learn about my magic too! And daddy should have got to learn about his!" Her cheeks were red and her big grey eyes were starting to well up when Fenrir came over and kneeled down next to her, letting her press her face into his shoulder. He sighed quietly, and pressed her face up with a finger under her chin.

"She shouldn't have said that little wolf. It's too late for me to go to school, and I wouldn't have wanted to anyways. I learned what I needed at home from my mum. And it might be hard to make it happen, but if you want to go to school then you're going to go to school, and no one is stopping you" he said, feeling achingly like he was making a promise he couldn't keep. Her eyes brightened and her little brows shot up to her hairline.

"Really daddy? I can go on a train to school like Miriam?" The hope in her voice reminded him so much of his mate, and he could deny her nothing. He tried to mean it when he smiled at her, even though the grief still cut to the bone.

"Of course little wolf, if it's what you really want. You have to leave here to go there though, and stay there for almost a whole year at a time. You might decide you miss us too much and want to come home"

She let out a little gasp "A whole year? That's such a long time to be away from you and the pack" as she started counting nonsense out on her teeny pudgy fingers he laughed and manipulated her hands so that all her fingers were up except for one pinky that was folded down. He held up nine of his own fingers so they matched.

He nodded, still chuckling at her antics "It is, it's this many moons. But as you get bigger it won't feel as long. And no matter how far apart we are or for how long, I'll always be with you" he pressed a kiss to her forehead and got up to fetch a ladle and serve them their dinner. He was glad to have his back to them, as he fought to hold back tears of his own.

Sensing a natural lull in conversation, Matthias eagerly cut back in "Father I wanted to talk to you about an idea I had for Hermione…" and he gulped as father and daughter both turned their intense alpha eyes on him in unintended synchronicity. It was quite intimidating when they did that.

"Go on son" Fenrir encouraged, while his sister merely titled her head very pup-like.

He cleared his throat and began what felt like a sales pitch "You know my mother raised me without magic before I came to you. Have you ever been to a muggle library?"

Their father's eyes wandered a bit in thought as he sat back down at the table and nodded slowly "I've seen them, and stayed in their lobbies a few times on cold nights. They smell like books?" And Matthias perked up in response, nodding enthusiastically.

"Yes precisely. In the same way that their markets have more food because there are simply more of them than there are of us, they have more books as well, and from all over the planet. So much so that in their world there are lots of public places called libraries where anyone can go to read and borrow as many books as they please for free. I remember mother taking me to a library as a child that had a section for children's books larger than the entire stock at Flourish and Blotts. I can't imagine little sister being bored ever again if she could go spend an afternoon in a place like that once in a while"

Both father and daughter again looked at each other and then him with their intense alpha gaze, but he was contemplative while she had begun to practically vibrate out of her seat "And this is a safe place to take her?" Fenrir asked hesitantly.

"Yes father, absolutely. The librarians who work there are like professors, they encourage learning and reading in children, and help them find books best suited to them. She would love it there" he responded confidently. Libraries had been his own safe haven as a strange child in the muggle world.

Unable to contain herself any longer Hermione stood up on her chair and bounced in place "I wanna go! I wanna go to the library! Daddy can we go get some books?" A single growl from him had her realizing she had almost spilled her bowl, and she obediently sat back down and stuffed her mouth full of stew while turning up the pleading puppy eyes to their maximum setting.

Fenrir looked at Matthias completely deadpan and raised an eyebrow, and the lad had the decency to at least look sheepish for the frenzied excitement he'd caused "Hmmm, we'll all go together the first time so I can get a feel for the place, and if it seems alright to me then Matthias can take you once a week after that as long as you're good, how does that sound?"

Ignoring his little sisters beastly shrieks of delight he smiled and nodded "That's fantastic, it would be my pleasure father" he responded, a bit taken aback that his pitch had been so successful but thoroughly delighted in spite of himself.

He'd been wanting to prove he could be trusted with more responsibility taking care of pack duties, and this was his chance. He might be one of the alphas sons, but there were plenty of those to go around, and it afforded him relatively little social standing in the overall scheme of things. The alpha only had one trueborn heir, and being entrusted with her care was an honor and an opportunity for upward movement in the pack. A shot to both earn his father's favor, and get to know the little sister that had been kept relatively sheltered so far.

She chose that moment to pounce, rocketing herself into his side and wrapping her little arms right around his neck "YESSS! We get to go every week? New books every week! Yay, thank you Matty, thank you!"

At the Library

Hermione had waited all week as well and as patiently as could possibly be expected of a high strung little wolf her age, crossing off each day excitedly on her calendar in red pen. With the day of their first library visit finally upon them her energy was at a level Fenrir had never quite seen it approach before. He was starting to genuinely worry she might have a burst of accidental magic in front of the muggles that he would have to cover up to avoid the attention of obliviators. He considered putting a few drops of calming draught in her tea, but doubted it would have much affect with her already so worked up.

He called her to the mudroom to pull on her boots and coat and little backpack, and she shrieked joyfully making him wince. He took her hand and led them across the compound to the dormitory Matthias lived in, who was waiting outside for them and smiled when Hermione waved and ran towards him. He didn't tune her babbling out exactly, but rather he knew that she was mostly just yammering to let out nerves and so he let her ramble without interruption the whole way.

He was glad his pup was getting to know one of her brothers, and one he was fond of at that. It would help as she grew to be both part of the pack and also prepare to be its leader someday if she had family she could trust among her wolves. He nodded approval at his son for being ready and meeting them, and they headed to the heavily warded apparition point just inside the main gates.

They passed two burly warriors standing guard who respectfully inclined their heads and intoned "Alpha" Hermione grumbled at his side and one of the guards looked down at her with a very tender grin and bowed flamboyantly, "Heiress" he called out, to which she giggled and lifted her chin regally, giving her best princess wave with hand cupped.

Fenrir stopped to inform the guards that they shouldn't be gone more than a few hours tops, and where backup could be sent to if they were out any longer. Matthias hesitated "Do you really think there's that kind of risk, alpha?" He asked quietly, not daring to address his father so familiarly in front of high ranking warriors. All three older men turned an eye to the younger male, but the guards looked away as their alpha's gaze softened on his son.

"No, not particularly. I don't think we'll end up fighting for our lives in a muggle book house. But it's always better to be safe than sorry, especially with your sister's life on the line" His tone brokered no room for argument, even though his eyes were kind, and Matthias fought the urge to cower, instead nodding and softly responding "of course, alpha"

As they reached the apparition point they agreed that Matthias would side along Fenrir first so he could get eyes on the location, and then wait there briefly while their father came back to side along Hermione with him.

They were gone and Fenrir was back before she'd even had time to give it a second thought, and like that they were in an alley behind a tidy brick library in Surrey with pretty wisteria vines growing above the windows. As her tummy settled from the sudden transportation, Hermione took in the sights sounds and smells of the muggle city around her. Her father knelt beside her and put his hands on her tiny shoulders, ducking his head down low to make her eyes meet his stern gaze.

"I know we've gone over this again and again, but humor me little wolf. What are our rules for being out today and getting to come back a second time next week? Say them for me one more time so I know you remember"

She nodded militarily and stood tall, puffing out her little cheeks, counting on her fingers and reciting from memory verbatim;

"No talking about magic or doing magic, no talking about wolf stuff, no sniffing people and no growling, no talking to strangers older than me who aren't the librarians, no telling anyone our real names, no running away even if I get excited or scared, come right back here to the alley if we get separated, stay with either daddy or Matty, if daddy isn't here I'm not the boss Matty is, no books thicker than my wrist is wide, no books on the dark arts until I'm 12, be polite and quiet in the library, no forgetting the rules on purpose, and no crying if we have to leave early… did I get everything?"

"Yes you did, well done my smart girl"

To Fenrir's amusement and her great dismay, while she had been reciting her list Matthias had pulled out a laminated card with a copy of their rules. She hissed and tried to squirm away from him but got only a firm grip on her shoulder and a light swat to her bum "This is to help you not forget the rules on purpose. You can either wear it pinned to your shirt or on a band around your wrist, which sounds better?" She grumbled terribly, but ultimately chose to have it pinned upside down to the neck of her shirt so she could read it while having her hands free for carrying books and turning pages.

Their father snorted at the display, with approval on his face "You have a way with the young ones, son. Keep up like this and you might just be on little wolf duty more often than you signed up for" Matthias smiled and ducked his head low, quietly touched.

They headed around the building, entered, and signed Hermione up for a library card so she could bring books home with her. They were warned by a kind looking older woman that they would have to pay 2 whole pounds to replace her card if she lost it. Hermione, unfamiliar with having or using muggle money and appropriately horrified, promised she'd keep it safe.

As they finished up, Matthias caught the attention of another librarian roaming the stacks and asked her to guide them to the children's section. With a grin she greeted Hermione and lead her over to a section of the building the size of their cottage or larger, where everything was soft and bright and colorful. The paint on the walls, the rugs on the floor, the toys and games, the shelves and shelves and shelves of books as far as the eye could see. She was in heaven.

The first thing that really caught her eye and drew her attention however was the furniture "Daddy the tables and chairs are my size! Look, it's perfect for me! You're so big can you even fit in it?" She dashed over to a Montessori set that was exactly child sized, sitting and looking just like a little adult. Her father and brother laughed at her antics and both chose to squat next to her table instead of awkwardly cramming themselves into baby chairs.

Fenrir tousled her hair and shook his head with smiling eyes "You were so excited to come read books, and now we're surrounded by them. So let's go find some that catch your interest, eh my girl?" She shot back to her feet "Yes!"

Later back at home that evening as he was tidying up from their exciting day, Fenrir startled to see an adult book in Hermione's backpack with a little yellow note on it that said it was for him. He couldn't help but laugh, his girl always did manage to surprise him. He cracked the spine of Bearing The Unbearable: It's OK That You're Not Okay, and settled down on the sofa in front of the fireplace to read.

New Old Friends

Fenrir's heart nearly stopped in his chest one morning about three months later when Hermione asked him to clarify the exact verbiage of their personal honesty policy "I sincerely hope you aren't trying to negotiate it little wolf! I'll admit, sometimes there are things the pack doesn't need to know, but I'm your father and your alpha. We're a team you and me, we always tell the truth 100% and we don't leave out important details" he growled sub-vocally, trying to reign in his temper.

Cooling off a bit and feeling guilty as he saw anxiety on her little face, he redirected "If there's something I need to know, I'd always rather you tell me yourself than have to hear it from somebody else. You can tell me anything and I'll never be upset with you for being honest" he started to feel anxious himself when she came around and climbed up into his lap at the breakfast table.

"What is it my girl" he pressed as he pulled her head to his chest and brushed a few errant curls off of her velvety little forehead. She hemmed and hawed, before dropping a statement on him that felt like a bomb "My new library friend smells like family" She had only gone a dozen times and he suddenly wanted to never let her leave the compound again until she was thirty. He shoved down the panic that had started to build in his chest.

"Okay I need a bit more information than that little wolf. Does he smell like he's supposed to be pack? Do you feel like biting him? If you're starting to have those urges already it might not be safe for you to be around human children yet" he began but she cut him off with a whine and started to wiggle around to face him.

"NO daddy, we don't bite. I know the rules. He smells like he's pack already. Like Matty but not as strong" and that left him calmer but truly bewildered, and scrambling for what it could possibly mean that the first little human friend his daughter had made at the muggle library smelled like pack to her.

"Okay I'm listening, I'm very glad you told me this. Now I need you to focus and tell me everything you know about your friend. We'll figure out what this means together, and what we're going to do about it" she hugged him tight, her arms wrapped snug around his neck "Okay good, thank you daddy"

"Well my friend is my age, and he has black hair and green eyes and he's so skinny, all his clothes are too big and smell like someone else wore them first. He's nice and he's shy, and we were having fun reading together until his family came and then he smelled so scared daddy! He said he lives with his auntie and uncle but that they hate him! And the lady that came to get him yelled and was mean to him! She dragged him out by his ear, it made mine hurt just seeing it. And his cousin came too when his mean auntie showed up and he was the fattest boy I've ever seen, and he tore up the book we were reading and called us freaks! Can you believe he ripped a book on purpose? Matty fixed it after they left but I couldn't believe it. I've never seen someone act like that, and my poor friend just went with them like it was normal! Can we rescue him from his mean family daddy?"

Fenrir barely knew where to begin unpacking what his daughter had told him "And you're sure he smells like he's already pack and not that you want to make him pack?"

She frowned and bared her soft little milk teeth at him "I already said so daddy! He smells like family, like Matty"

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry little wolf. Speaking of Matthias, where was he for all of this? You said he fixed the book after the boy ripped it" her silence spoke volumes. Her eyes turned sad and pleading again "Don't be mad at Matty, daddy. He was right there, he was just talking to the pretty librarian. I could tell he was bored and I told him he could go flirt with her if he wanted" it took everything he had to calm himself from that one, hearing that the son he trusted to watch his daughter had allowed himself to be distracted while she was out in the muggle world. Fucking anything could have happened to her.

"He and I will talk about that later. When he takes you out it's his job to keep you safe, even if it's boring to him. He's not in trouble but I'm going to let him know that I'm very disappointed in him" she looked devastated, but his expression and tone made it clear he wasn't open to debate about it.

"Alright anyways, where were we? Your little friend gets treated poorly by the people who are supposed to be taking care of him. Now that sounds like the type of child I'd usually be willing to offer my bite to. Were you able to tell if he was a normal muggle?"

"I'm not sure, he definitely smelled a lot more like a human than like a wolf, but he only smelled a little bit more like magic than like muggle. It was confusing"

"That's probably why he smells like Matthias, I would bet anything he's a muggleborn. Sometimes muggles have children that are magic, and because they are raised in the muggle world the only magic they smell like is the core that's deep inside them. He probably doesn't even know he has magic. There are dangerous people in the magic world who hate people like him who don't have ties to magical families. They call themselves purebloods and think they're better than the rest of us because they were raised knowing about magic and using it for every little thing. They fought a war over blood. We lost your mother because of it"

Hermione was stunned "Was mummy raised by muggles? Is that why the bad man took her away?" And though they were heavy and loaded questions Fenrir knew she deserved to hear the truth from him, just as he had demanded it from her earlier.

"If only it were that simple, little wolf. Your mummy came from one of those families that hated muggleborns, but she knew they were wrong and she ran away from them. The bad man took her away from us to punish her family for having a member who didn't agree with him. He hurt lots of people who didn't agree with him. But her family were so set in their ways that they didn't care, they were just glad she was gone so no one would know that one of their own thought they were wrong. The bad man didn't know we were your mummy's real family, that we were the ones who were hurt when she was gone. No one knew but us"

Her little eyes were as wide and as watery as he'd ever seen them, and his own tears threatened to spill in response "That's so sad daddy, how could mummy's family not care that she was gone? What about her mummy and daddy?"

"Well I never knew your mummy's mother, but her father was a good man and he would have cared, but he was also taken away by the bad man. After that there weren't many other people in her family your mummy was close with. Distant relations like aunts and uncles and cousins. Your mummy was an adult when her daddy died, she didn't have to live with mean relatives like your little friend does. It's a shame he's in such a bad situation"

As their talk returned to her friend he could see a certain arithmetic going on behind her eyes "If the bad man's friends are still out there and they hate muggleborns like my friend, is he in danger like mummy was? Do we need to rescue him from his family and the bad people?"

"It's certainly possible that he could become a target if he shows early signs of magic. I don't know what the wizard it government has done to protect muggleborn children since the war ended. He might be perfectly safe behind wards. But that doesn't mean he's safe in his home if his family is cruel to him. Is there anything else he told you or that you noticed that might help us get a better idea of his situation? And what's the lad's name, all this time you haven't mentioned it?"

"His name is Harry. He said his aunt and cousin were Dursleys but that he was a Potter, and he lives just a few blocks from the library in a house with hedgerows"

For the first time in nearly seven years of involved hands-on parenting, he dropped his child.

Back at the Library (A Light Bit of Kidnapping)

The following week found both Fenrir and Hermione anxious for the time to pass until they could return to the library again. She was excited to see her friend, and he was unsure of how to explain to his child that he believed she had befriended the savior of the wizarding world. His mind had spun with the opportunities that information had presented as soon as she'd told him of the boy's identity.

He didn't want to have to tell her his somewhat selfish ulterior motive for bringing the child into their fold; Harry Potter would be attending Hogwarts come hell or high water, and if he happened to be a werewolf that might make it significantly easier for other werewolves who wanted a good magical education to get in with him. He wasn't going to steal a child, but he would do everything he could to convince the lad to become a part of their pack.

He planned to join them at the library that afternoon, and Matthias was happily surprised to see him head to the gates with them. He mumbled something inane about meeting the little friend she wouldn't stop telling him about, but made significant eye contact with his son over her head, trying to impress upon him to stay alert. At the apparition point he told one of the guards to side along with them and wait outside the library as backup just in case, and Matthias' posture stiffened "Alpha?"

"I don't think we have anything to worry about, but it never hurts to be cautious. We might be coming home with another pup today if we play this right" Matthias and the guard with them both startled and looked at him askance, but Hermione started chanting "yes!" and bouncing in place where she stood.

The boy was already there reading quietly at the tiny table by the nonfiction children's books when they arrived. His face was close to the page, his little nose nearly pressed flat to it. When he looked up and saw them heading towards him he seemed to panic at first until Hermione rushed over to greet him. He waved at her then and smiled, but Fenrir noticed his eyes flicker towards him uneasily and his scent turned slightly sour with fear.

He hurried to get into a low and unthreatening position on the floor next to them, and told his daughter to introduce them, which she did enthusiastically. He dismissed Matthias with a silent gesture, and the lad took off obediently to do a lap of the video section.

"Daddy, this is my friend Harry. Harry, this is my daddy Fen- erm… Fred" she supplied a bit awkwardly, but with a large and genuine smile. He struggled not to laugh at his child, accepting that he was to be Fred for the time being. Unbeknownst to him, the fondness on his face and the tenderness in his gaze did much to put the boy at ease in his presence.

He mustered up all his courage "Hello sir, it's very nice to meet you" he said politely in his teeny voice. It trembled ever so slightly, but he held out his hand to shake, and Fenrir did so, nodding in approval at the boy.

"Hello Harry, my girl has told me about you. All she talks about are the books at the library and the new friend she's made. What are you reading?"

A delicate flush rose to the boy's cheeks, and he held up his book so Fenrir could see the bright and colorful pictures of reptiles on the front "I like snakes, sometimes I find friendly little ones in the garden at my aunt and uncle's house" he said a bit shyly.

"I've heard they make good… pets" he said, just barely catching himself from referring to them as familiars "we live a bit closer to nature than you do here, and we see them often in the forest. They don't bother us if we don't bother them"

Harry's eyes widened, and he exclaimed at how lovely it would be to see them in the wild. Fenrir placed his hand on his daughter's and they made prolonged eye contact for a moment before turning both their gazes back to Harry in unison. It startled him how intense they looked and his voice died in his throat with the weight of it.

Hermione charged in like the little bludger she so often was "Harry, I told daddy about your aunt and uncle" at the panic that immediately flooded the other child's face and scent her brows furrowed and her words continued out of her like floodwaters as she reached out to clasp his hand in hers "I'm sorry, I know it's private but he promised we can help! We can rescue you away from them if you let us" she looked pleading desperate eyes up at her father who nodded and reached out to put a calming hand on the boy's shoulder.

He regretted it when the child flinched away from his and pushed his seat out to stand "No, you can't!" He cried wretchedly, a touch of anger making its way into his voice. He stomped a little foot against the ground.

"People have said they'd help me and no one ever does. I always have to go back. The Dursleys always trick them and lie. They tell everyone I'm bad and they end up believing it. The preschool teacher did, and so did the kindergarten teacher" his voice became thick as his eyes watered and tears began to fall. A bubble of snot dripped and he roughly wiped it away onto his sleeve. Hermione's face had fallen and though he stiffly resisted at first he soon melted into the hug she pulled him into.

He made hesitant eye contact with Fenrir and sniffled pathetically "Please don't try and do anything, I finally have a friend and I don't want to lose her" he said as he hugged her back in earnest. The man sighed and ran a hand through his hair, this was going to be more difficult than he had thought. There were clearly forces working behind the scenes to keep him where he was. However, he was not without his own magic and power.

"What you need to understand lad, is that I hate seeing children treated wrongly, and that I'm very strong. Your aunt and uncle are cruel to you because they are weak. The people who have tried to help you failed because they were weak. I'm not. If you want to be free, I can take you away from them. No one will stop me because I won't be asking anyone's permission but yours"

A strange light came over the boys eyes as he contemplated this. He eyed his friend and she nodded "Daddy's strong, he's our leader"

"Our?" The boy asked.

She grinned "There's lots of us. We live in the woods and we run and play. You can come be one of us. If you take daddy's bite you can even be the same as us" and she flashed her eyes at him silver, causing Fenrir to let out a sub vocal growl scolding her for such a public display. She shrugged sheepishly and he rolled his eyes at her, huffing "Not the place, little wolf"

Harry stared at his friend breathlessly, for a moment she had looked just like- he glanced towards the other animal books and remembered her favorite, the one with the wolves on the front, whose bright eyes hers had resembled for a split second. Without another thought, he found himself confessing to them, wanting them to know he was different too "Sometimes weird things happen around me. My hair all grew back overnight, and I was suddenly on a roof when I was getting chased by my cousin!"

Fenrir was unsurprised, but Hermione gasped with delight and her voice dropped low "Harry, you are like us! You have magic too! Daddy said you might but I wasn't sure" she clapped and bounced excitedly "Daddy we have to help him don't we?" She turned her eyes on him again.

"Magic-" Harry whispered reverently "is that what it is? Is that what you are?" He asked looking between the both of them with an openly hungry curiosity.

"Yes lad, you and Hermione and I all have magic. There's a whole world of magic hidden in plain sight behind the one you know." And he flashed his own eyes so that they glowed golden like hers had, making Harry gasp with wonder "But Hermione and I aren't just magic, we are also werewolves. We can transform and run and howl at the moon. We can smell and hear things that regular folk can't. And my girl recognized you by scent as someone who would be important in our lives. She was born like this, but most people are bitten to become like us. It's a gift I've given to many others like you. Do you wish to take my bite and become a wolf?"

The boy was looking at his own hands as if imagining claws sprouting from the ends of his fingers "Will it hurt?" He asked timidly. Fenrir considered this and knew he had to be straightforward with the child "I won't lie, there are some who experience terrible pain when they are bitten and every time they transform for their entire lives" he nearly kicked himself when he saw how dramatically the child blanched at his words, and hurried to finish his thought.

"But these people also reject their wolf, and fight and fear what they become. They see themselves as monsters and the wolf as a mindless beast, so that is how they act. They are the reason our kind is hated by many. But I will tell you this - I have never known a free wolf who chose to accept the gift of my bite and later regretted it. When you embrace your wolf and you accept them as part of you, the transformation is smooth and easy and nearly painless. There are gifts and abilities that come to wolves who are at peace that the fearful ones could never imagine in their wildest dreams"

He was relieved to see the color come back to the boys face "That doesn't sound bad" he said thoughtfully "it really won't hurt if I want it enough?"

"Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back!" Hermione crowed, and the boy guffawed at her, breaking some of the tension the serious conversation had built up. He snorted and ruffled her curls "where on earth did you hear that little wolf?"

She grinned toothily up at him "There must be old people at the closest nearby house cause they keep their telly running loud all day long" she snarked. Meanwhile Harry gawked at her in disbelief "You can hear someone's telly going from outside their house and in another building?"

"Yes, they're two houses that way" she pointed over her left shoulder "they like to listen to game shows and funny commercials for mobility tools and cooking pans" she replied very matter-of-factly "I wasn't sure what I was hearing at first but you talked so much about the shows your cousin watches that I got enough context to have a grasp of it. I was worried you'd miss it if you came with us because we don't have one, but you said you've never been allowed to watch anyways" and she shrugged apologetically.

He nodded, still somewhat thunderstruck "Yeah, I suppose I wouldn't. You'd really take me in and let me become a-" he lowered his voice to barely above a breath "a werewolf? I really don't have to go back to that house?"

"Not if you don't want to, is there really nothing for you there? We can get you anything you might need of course, but are there any clothes or important belongings you'd like to go back for?" Fenrir encouraged lightly. He didn't want to send a child back into a house where they'd been abused, but he didn't want him to be without anything but the clothes on his back.

Harry blushed again, and looked down at himself "All of my clothes used to belong to my cousin and none of them fit. I don't have any toys. I guess there's my blanket, it's what I was wrapped in when they found me on their doorstep. It's in my cupb- erm, it's where I sleep"

Fenrir's eyes narrowed, and he fought to hold in a snarl "And where exactly do you sleep, lad?" The child avoided his gaze stubbornly "In a cupboard under the stairs" he let out an angry breath, and called Matthias back with a sub-vocal command. He scooted forward on his knees and pressed the boy's chin up to meet his eyes.

"Alright, we're going to walk you back to their house and wait outside while you go get your blanket. Then you're going to come back out and leave with us. Then you're never going to have to see them again. How does that sound, my boy?" Fenrir wasn't prepared for the hug that came, but he was glad for it and returned it readily.

As Matthias returned Hermione introduced him to Harry, who had seen him in passing and known he was her guardian but was surprised to learn he was her older brother. He glanced between the two of them and wasn't going to say anything but the man caught his confusion and grinned "It's alright, I know we look nothing alike. We have different mothers" his eyebrows shot up. None of them looked fussed or bothered, but he had heard aunt Petunia say very unkind things about such scandalous family situations. He astutely kept his mouth shut.

The walk back to the house he had lived in his whole life was longer than it had ever been before, but he also felt lighter and full of hope in a way he never had been to head in that direction. They spoke little until they were stood on the sidewalk out front, and Fenrir put a hand on Harry's shoulder and crouched down next to him "We're going to be right here waiting for you to come back out. All you have to do is go in and get your blanket. You don't have to talk to them or even look at them. I'll be able to hear you the whole time, even if you only whisper"

It cut at his Fenrir's chest the clear and immediate relief his words brought to the boy, how frightened he had been just to go into his own home and collect his things. He knew this was the right decision, no matter what consequences might follow.

His daughter was nodding along with what he'd said "It's true, we can hear even better than dogs. Right now your auntie is in the kitchen telling your cousin how cross she is with the neighbors across the way for planting the wrong color pansies and not trimming their roses properly" she wrinkled her nose in distaste of the bossy woman's bad attitude.

Harry was stunned yet again by her abilities, but quickly caught up to what she'd actually said "Alright, if they're in the kitchen then now's my chance. She's probably distracted starting dinner and he's never met a meal that couldn't keep his attention. They might not even notice me come in" he eyed his first friend warily, not wanting to air his fears but not wanting to risk not saying goodbye. She knowingly placed one of her small hands on his shoulder and squeezed supportively.

Mustering all of his courage, he headed towards the house. Keeping his feet light, he eased open the door and left it cracked behind him so as to not risk drawing attention to the noise. He crept to the wall and stayed along it rather than taking the most direct path through the hall and living room to his cupboard. He hardly dared to breathe as he held the knob in both hands so it wouldn't rattle as it turned.

Opening his door only exactly as much as he needed to squeeze a single arm through, he grabbed the edge of his blanket and pulled it towards him at glacial speed. It made no noise as it dragged through the door, and he slowly and silently let out the air that had begun to burn his little lungs. The blanket fully in his arms, he shoved it under the front of his shirt, and reached his arm in once more to grab his green toy soldier, shoving it deep into his pocket.

Not even bothering to close his door again, he turned around and snuck back out the way he'd come in, moving as fast as his legs would carry him. Racing back through the front door and towards his new family, he couldn't believe he'd done it. He was finally going to escape and be free. He ran into his friend's arms. This was the best day of his life!

As they waited nervously for Harry to return, straining to listen intently for any conflict from inside the house, Fenrir felt a tug on his sleeve and looked down into his daughter's face. It had an emotion he couldn't quite decipher on it, as if focusing her senses keenly to detect something. They were fine where they stood on the sidewalk, but as she went to set her foot on the path up to the house, she was repelled and knocked back several feet. He was instantly at her side checking for injuries. She seemed dazed but otherwise unharmed.

She shook herself, stood, and marched back up to the path. This time she held her hand out and pushed it slowly forward out in front of her. Her hand started to tremble, and her face and body tensed. She looked at him with glowing eyes "Do you feel it daddy? Something is trying to keep us out, like the wards around the compound" she said astutely.

He came up next to her and took out his wand, connecting it to the ward scheme and pulling up a diagnostic array. His eyebrows shot up to his hairline. There was an old and highly degraded blood ward that was limited in its capacity to do much else other than repel what looked like one single specific target, most likely the Dark Lord if he had to guess. The only other thing present were three gleaming anti-werewolf anti-animagus and anti-house elf wards that all looked like they were regularly re-applied and maintained.

He was honestly baffled. This was the supposed savior of the wizarding world, the boy-who-lived. He would have expected to see a set of the strongest goblin war wards galleons could buy. Things weren't adding up - why was no one protecting this child? There should have been people at the ministry invested in his well-being, but when the boy had panicked he'd revealed that no one had helped him despite people saying they would. Something wasn't right.

He looked back down at his daughter, and wasn't sure what to tell her. Her life had been so sheltered until now. Why had someone thought to specifically keep werewolves and animagi and house elves away from Harry Potter, but not do anything about his family beating him? He nodded down at her expectant little face "You're right little wolf, stay back from the ward line. I don't want to see what happens if you try to breach it a second time. Hopefully he won't need us after all" he said nervously, reaching out to hold her hand.

She tugged on his arm again a moment later, looked back down at her and raised an eyebrow in a way that always made her giggle "Daddy, does my bite give the gift too? It feels like I should be the one who bites Harry" She whispered strangely, sounding as confused by her own incongruous statement as he was. He simply didn't have the brainpower for that additional train of thought on top of all they'd already done and seen today. It took a sincere effort not to laugh at her, not unkindly but hysterically.

"Noted, but that's a conversation for another day I'm afraid. One thing at a time, little wolf" she was clearly unsatisfied by this, and he didn't blame her. This was simply yet another of her endless questions that he didn't have a good answer for. But he had never once lied to his child and he wasn't going to start now - better to admit he was out of his depth and figure it out together when he was on steadier ground.

He hummed and rubbed his chin thoughtfully "I appreciate you telling me though. We'll talk about it later, I promise"

Settling In and Choosing Family

Harry took to pack life like a duck to water.

Even if the people hadn't been so kind and welcoming, it was clear that just being away from the house he'd grown up in had taken a massive weight off of his chest. He smiled brighter, he laughed louder, he spoke without walking on eggshells or flinching from memories of the strikes that used to follow such behavior. No one hit him and no one said cruel things to him here.

Just that difference alone would have been enough for him to come out of his shell of the frightened and anxious child he'd been, but they were friendly too. He had been so desperately lonely before, and there were people everywhere now who smiled at him and talked to him. Who cared about his thoughts and feelings. Who wanted to make sure he was warm and fed. He blossomed like a little bulb finally given water and dirt.

He had never been asked what he wanted to eat for meals before, and it was a novelty to respond and have it result in something tangible. If he asked for a sandwich he got one, and if he asked for soup he got it. It was like one of his magic powers, but this he could perform on demand. Sometimes he was even given things he needed before he could think to ask for them.

On a cold afternoon one of the half dozen older people who took turns watching him and Hermione noticed that he was shivering, went to the the house next door and came back with a sweater that was just his size. He was so touched that he could hardly get out the words to thank them. The elderly man brushed them aside when he did "Was nothing me lad, their boy just had a growth spurt and I figured they'd still have some of his old things from when he was your size" the man eyed what he was wearing and added "in fact, you stop by on your way home this evening and I'm sure she'll have some more clothes that should fit you"

There was a strange hierarchy to the pack interactions he observed that he could sense but not fully comprehend yet. Hermione reassured him it was a wolf thing he'd immediately understand when he'd taken the bite. Her behavior here was different in a way that puzzled him as well. She treated him the same, and she certainly wasn't spoiled like his horrid cousin had been, but she carried an air of authority that he wasn't used to seeing on another child, and more surprising was the way even the adult pack members seemed to defer to his friend.

She was still treated like a child, just an important one. He didn't dare say that she acted like a little princess, but she didn't hesitate to give requests that carried the weight of an order at times. She didn't seem to notice she was doing it, and no one mentioned it.

When he'd been at the compound for nearly a fortnight, he finally worked up the courage to ask her about it. As they ate their breakfast he broached the topic "Is there a reason most of the adults let you be in charge?" He asked somewhat timidly, not wanting to hurt his friend's feelings.

She turned to him brows furrowed in surprise "Huh? What are you talking about Harry?" She asked in confusion, but the older lady who was watching them for the morning seemed amused.

She cooed at her and patted the top of Hermione's curly head kindly "It's only natural duckie, you're not doing anything wrong" she turned to Harry to answer his question "you see my love, her father Fenrir is our alpha. His wolf is the strongest of us all, and watches over and protects us. He guides us through our change, and most of the younger ones have been given their gift from him directly. She's his heir, and she'll be our next alpha someday. It's an important job that she needs to be ready for when the time comes. In a way we let her practice for her role, taking little orders here and there and letting her decide small matters"

Hermione seemed unsure of how to take this "So I've been bossing everyone about and no one's said anything?" She uttered quietly, and the woman's heart melted.

She tutted and shook her head "My darling girl, is it bossing about when the alpha or his beta tell us what to do? Their job is to lead and ours is to follow. Like the father and children of a family" a grin came to her wrinkly face then "that being said we're no sheep, we're wolves. I can guarantee duckie, if you tried to get us to do something we really didn't want to you'd be hard pressed to find even the most submissive omega who'd blindly obey"

Hermione's face bloomed into a beaming smile, and she hugged the woman tightly "Thanks for explaining Miriam. I don't feel bad now" her head tilted as a thought came to her "how did daddy choose Ófnir to be his beta?"

She glanced between the two children knowingly, and Hermione made sure Harry wasn't looking when she tipped her head in his direction and raised her brows back at the older lady. Miriam huffed out a chuckle "Well now isn't that a question. You may want to ask your da that yourself duckie, it was a bit before my time here. But as far as I know he was simply the best choice out of the stronger wolves. Someone your da liked that he knew he could trust. A good friend, you could say" she replied, with a twinkle in her eye.

Harry, clueless about their little interaction, turned to Hermione sheepishly "I hope you don't think I was calling you bossy. I've just never seen adults listen to other kids before" he swung his legs a bit and was surprised when his friend reached out to take hold of his hand.

"Harry, I'm not mad. It's good to ask questions when you don't understand something. It's a sign of leadership to not just accept what you're told, but to find out more" she hesitated, uncertain of whether it was the right time and place to say what had been weighing on her little shoulders. She looked into his eyes and he smiled in encouragement.

"I hope this doesn't upset you Harry, but I've been starting to think you're supposed to be my beta when I'm grown up and the alpha! I tried to tell daddy it feels like I should be the one to bite you to give you our gift. I don't know if I can give it yet though or what'll happen if I try," at this her smile melted away and she looked concerned "my senses get confused around you. When I met you at the library you smelled like you were already pack, but now the wolf and magic and pack smells and feelings are all too close together for me to tell them apart"

Miriam nearly choked on her tea, and stood abruptly. She shuffled across the kitchen "This is becoming a conversation Fen needs to be here for" she told the children. At the garden door, she addressed the warrior that was standing guard "It's not an emergency, but we need alpha and beta here if they're not busy, Ephraim. Can you send a message off? My lungs aren't what they used to be" he nodded and tossed his head back to let out a piercing yipping howl that caught the attention of everyone in the vicinity before they placidly went back to what they were doing.

A few minutes later both men emerged from the tree line, long strides eating up the distance to her door quickly. They were a study in opposites, with Fenrir standing tall and broad, face still showing traces of youth but serious in affect, hair long and beard thick. His beta next to him was short but lean and rangy, with a sharply lined and angular but somehow mischievous face, his hair no longer than his ears and swept back elegantly. They hurried past the guard and into the house, meeting the children in the sitting room where Miriam had shuffled them.

Fenrir narrowed his eyes at them in suspicion of hijinks "I don't smell blood or see broken bones. What's going on, I only just brought you here for the day a bit ago?"

Miriam tipped her head to the side delicately, showing her neck in deference and looking down at the floor, "An important conversation the children were having alpha. They have questions I don't have the answers to and we need your guidance"

He *tsked* at her and muttered for her to lift her head, and turned to his daughter expectantly. She eyed her friend who he shrugged cluelessly, so she inhaled and began "Daddy, do you remember how after we brought Harry here we were supposed to talk about the way he smells and how I feel about it?" The man groaned and rubbed his forehead "Never got around to that did we, little wolf? And it has to happen now?"

She steeled herself "Yeah, daddy. It's important. I know I won't be alpha until you're gone, but I think Harry is supposed to be my beta, and I think I'm supposed to be the one who gives him our gift. But I don't know if it's possible. Does my bite even work yet?" She wrung her tiny hands and avoided his eyes, a rosy flush rising to the apples of her cheeks. "Miriam was explaining how everyone helps me practice to be in charge someday, but I don't want to be for a long time. I don't want anything to happen to you sooner than it has to. We already lost mummy, I don't want to lose you too" and as she looked up at him with big wet eyes, he surged towards her and wrapped her in his arms.

"Oh my sweet little wolf, this has been heavy on your mind hasn't it?" She sobbed into his chest and nodded meekly. Her voice came out sounding muffled and congested "If something happens to you I'll be all alone. I'm not ready to be by myself" he looked down at her in shock, not prepared for the depths of her worries. He held her at arms length "Hermione my darling girl, even if something happened to me there is a whole pack of wolves in these woods who love you and would never let you be alone. I swear it by the old gods" he grinned at her "and besides that, your dad is a strong one. Don't count me out just yet. I'm not going anywhere while you still need me"

He pulled her into his lap and settled where she had been on the sofa, eyeing Harry where the boy sat silent and stiff next to them as if trying to blend into the scenery. With his free hand he ruffled the boy's hair and tugged him into their hug "I suspected that there was some latent bond between the two of you. I'm still not sure where it came from or why, but unless some other complications arise when he becomes one of us then I don't see any reason why Harry can't be your beta one day. A beta is an important role in the pack, someone who has to complement our strength with their own, make up for the places where we're lacking. Remind us of hard truths when we might not want to hear them"

He glanced over towards his own beta, who had been watching with silent but attentive eyes "Anything you'd like to add, as the one with relevant experience?"

Ófnir stroked his chin, and pondered this for long moments before speaking, his voice honey rich and buttery smooth "Any transformed wolf can technically bite a human and turn them into a werewolf. It is why our kind are feared. But your father is nearly as true a wolf as you, dear girl. He's embraced and become one with his wolf. His bite, when given with intention, bestows our gift without unnecessary pain or torment, and inducts a wolf into our pack. As you were born of him, and are a truer wolf yet than even he, I see no reason why your bite could not give the same gift as his. The true question here is the matter of pack. You are not yet our alpha, but you are still an alpha in your own right, even if you have not yet matured into the role and circumstance has not yet called for you to do so. My concern is that if you bite your friend, you may accidentally create your own sub-pack within our pack. Although I suppose this could be easily solved by Fenrir assisting and immediately claiming him into our pack once you've bitten him, it brings up questions of loyalty. A wolf must obey their alpha first and foremost, but they must also obey their sire. This is usually the same person, as myths and legends of wolves biting and turning people at will are mostly baseless. You are children now, but having divided loyalties among pack may lead to devastation in our future if we are not careful"

"You've given this quite a bit of consideration then, my friend" Fenrir rasped out from where he sat under a small pile of children. His beta smirked like the wolf he was "Oh indeed, from the moment I caught wind of the situation brewing between these two scamps"

Hermione turned around to face her father's beta "But what does it mean Offy? If I bite Harry am I stealing him from daddy and the pack?" She laid her head back against Fenrir's shoulder and took her friend's hand in her own "It's what my wolf says I should do… but I don't want to be bad" she said in a tremulous little voice.

Fen grumbled in his chest and it shook her whole body like a miniature earthquake "You were honest, and you told the truth even though it felt scary. You came to an adult with your problem instead of hiding it or lying about it, or going off on your own and doing something foolish. You've never been bad and you never could be, little wolf. Even in your confusion you act in the best interest of our pack. It tells me you'll be a good leader someday, that you already are one"

"And your little problem may not be as complicated as all that, either" his beta offered tenderly "if a ritual element is added to the gifting ceremony where your father adopts Harry as his son and your brother, then you biting him to join our pack may not have any of the worrisome effects I predicted. But that's a family matter, and I'll let the three of you discuss that" he rose from his armchair across from them, and led Miriam out of the room to give them privacy.

Harry sat nervously, and regretted the direction the conversation had taken. He was already beyond grateful that these good people had rescued him from his awful relatives, and he didn't want to make things even more complicated for them. He looked down at the little trainers on his feet "I can't ask that, you've already done so much for me" he whispered. He had hoped his voice would come out brave and strong but it had sounded more like a whimper.

Hermione and Fenrir heard the unspoken pleading in his voice and the stutter of a lie in his heartbeat. They didn't need their enhanced hearing to know that he had meant the very opposite of what he'd said. Fenrir placed a big warm hand on the back of the boy's head and pulled him into his side, and Hermione threw her arms around his shoulders "Lad, you don't have to ask. We've wanted to bring you into our family since the day we brought you here, we just wanted to give you time to adjust so you wouldn't feel overwhelmed, or like you had to say yes out of gratitude"

His face transformed to shock and joy "Really? You want me? No one's ever wanted me before" Hermione started to cry again, and though he fought valiantly to keep them at bay hearing a child say those words made Fenrir's eyes feel wet as well "Yes, lad. You're a good boy, kind and smart. We'd be proud to make you a Greyback"

"Would I-" he stumbled over the thought and his brow furrowed "Would I not be a Potter anymore then?"

Fen shook his head "You'll always be a Potter, they're your family of birth and no one can take that from you. But even as a member of this pack, you could still be vulnerable to others trying to take over your guardianship without parents to protect you. Wizarding adoption isn't just paperwork like the muggles file with their government. It's a spell, well a ritual really like Ófnir said, that binds you together and makes you blood"

Though still clearly delighted, the boy gulped "Is it like being bitten? Does it hurt?"

Fen went to shake his head but stopped and tilted it thoughtfully "It shouldn't hurt, the only thing we have to do that could cause you any pain is a small cut on your hand. That being said, it is a bit like the gifting ceremony - it can change you in unexpected ways. You might end up looking a bit more like us, but you also might not. It depends. My mate, Hermione's mother, she had very dark hair like you do, so yours might stay the same. She was pale as the moon itself though, and I'm not much darker than she was. You might end up a few shades lighter? It's hard to say, and it has a lot to do with intent. If you don't want to lose what you were given by your parents then there's a good chance you won't"

The children both breathed a sigh of relief, and he continued "Ultimately it's up to you Harry. We brought you here to get you away from the Dursleys, and we've done that. You'd be just as welcome here with us as my daughter's friend if you chose to never become a werewolf or a member of our family. It's offered, but not required, do you understand?"

The boy nodded and grinned "Thank you for giving me a choice. I do want to - I want to be a wolf and a family and… and everything!" He rushed out and the two children giggled and hugged each other, and he pulled them both into his enormous embrace. What a blessing, he thought, what an unbelievable blessing. And he wondered if wherever she was now, his mate was watching and smiling.

-FIVE YEARS LATER-

The Book of Names

At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the 1990 academic year had just gotten underway. Students had arrived on the first of the month, some new but mostly returning, and had more or less begun getting settled in and focused on their studies by the end of the first few weeks. There were always stragglers here and there who took longer to find their footing, but none yet had given the staff any real cause for concern.

Classes throughout the school had finished with syllabi and introductions and busywork, and had begun to get into the real meat-and-potatoes of their content. Wands were out, and textbooks were cracked open wide. The library's doors were open, and the students found within were as industrious as busy little bees.

On the evening of the 18th, in a tower near the headmaster's office, the book of names and the quill of acceptance began their work writing out the very first letter to be sent off for the following school year. A magical child would be turning eleven years old tomorrow, and their invitation would leave in the morning via one of the school owls. An early birthday indeed, they'd be one of the oldest in their year as the cutoff for the current year had been August 30th, and there had been no others in the days since.

As the deputy headmistress approached the pedestal that the book sat upon she grimaced miserably, not having expected to see two letters instead of one. She'd had quite her fill already with magical twins, and she didn't know how for the life of her she'd handle another pair if they were anything like those Weasley boys. Mischievous didn't even begin to describe them, they were like James Potter and Sirius Black born again in this generation. She shuddered at the very thought of them teaming up with these two new up-and-coming youngsters.

Though she greatly enjoyed carrying out the responsibilities of the deputy head, particularly visiting the muggleborn students and introducing them to their magic for the first time, there were certain jobs she felt could really have been automated. Or, in her professional opinion, at the very least done by a house elf or even a particularly competent matching spell. Really it was grunt work, and though she didn't mind it too terribly she was quite busy.

Standard procedure was that the auto-quill that was linked with the book of names would fill in the form letters with the children's names, and write their addresses on the corresponding envelopes. Different colored ink pots were used for muggleborns and children from established magical homes, and it was therefore easy to differentiate who needed orientations and who did not. When the quill finished its work, there would be a filled in letter and an addressed envelope, and her job would be to stuff one inside of the other and send it off on its way.

For how early in the year it was there were only the two letters, so it really wasn't much work at all. Statistically the most children were born around October to November, and there were always lots of letters to send off in those months. She was a bit chuffed at first to see that the siblings names both started with an H, she thought that was a fine naming convention for twins, much better than rhyming. Though they were some of the worst sort of people, she still thought that the Carrows naming their twin girls Flora and Fauna had been nothing short of inspired.

As she really took in the names on the letters, however, she wondered for the first time ever if the book was somehow playing some sort of sick joke on her, and slowly started to feel as if the room was spinning.

Hermione Greyback

Left Upstairs Bedroom

Alpha House

Greyback Pack Compound

Snowdonia National Park

Gwynedd, Wales

Harry Potter Greyback

Right Upstairs Bedroom

Alpha House

Greyback Pack Compound

Snowdonia National Park

Gwynedd, Wales

Feeling as though the life had been drained out of her, she clutched the two letters to her chest, and staggered over to the desk in the corner of the tower. She tossed her spectacles onto it and ran a shaking hand over her face. James and Lilly's boy… How could this have happened? She moaned into her hands. What could she possibly- but there was an address!

She put her specs back on and peered at the address on one of the envelopes. Snowdonia, all the way in Wales. It was early enough, there was still time - nearly a year of it. She could go and she could try and get some answers. The wild thought occurred to her that if she was visiting a magical family she should really owl first.

Their names had been written in emerald green ink, which meant they weren't muggleborns so they must know about magic. She shook her head at her own stubborn sense of manners and propriety. Was it ruder to show up at a werewolf's lair merely uninvited, or explicitly unwelcome? Better to ask forgiveness than be denied permission. She had to get to the bottom of this.

Realizing that there was in fact a person she could ask who might be able to advise her, she sent a desperate note to her former student, not truly expecting to hear back from him since his disappearance after the war. She resolved to wait until she heard back from him to take a single step in any definitive direction, even if she had to delay getting the children their letters on the exact date of their birthday. This was too important to bungle.

As she had not expected to even hear back from him in the first place, she was shocked when she ran into Remus Lupin while in Hogsmeade three days later. He stopped her outside of Scrivenshaft's and practically dragged her to the Hogshead, and there was a wild look in his eyes bordering on paranoia as he cast furtive glances and thick muffling spells around them.

As they sat he turned to her and saw her sharply raised brow, he withered slightly under it "I'm sorry professor, but if Greyback is truly involved I'd rather be safe than sorry. Please, tell me everything you know" her eyebrows shot up and she narrowed her eyes at him peevishly.

"Hello to you too, Remus" she said dry as a cab sav in her accented drawl "it's a lovely afternoon. I'm fine thank you, the students keep me young and well"

He flushed and ducked his head "Yes, hello professor. It's lovely to see you too, and I'm glad to hear you're well. I'm… well I'm as good as I can be, I suppose. Things have been better. But there isn't time for pleasantries. Please, you said he has Harry? I thought Dumbledore had him hidden? I tried everything to get the old man to let me take him, or visit him even. I begged just to see him or know he was well, but he's refused to tell me anything" he sounded absolutely gutted and Minerva saw red.

She flagged down Aberforth and signaled to him that it was that kind of afternoon. He rolled his eyes and brought over a bottle and glasses. After tossing back two fingers, and with her glass refilled, she turned back to Remus.

"You mean to tell me you specifically asked for custody and were refused?" She snarled through clenched teeth "I had to watch as Albus placed the boy with those monstrous muggles - the worst sort. Lilly's foolish sister and her great lump of a husband. I told him it was a mistake, and he told me there was no one else, that it was absolutely necessary. Necessary my behind!"

Remus exhaled harshly and had to grip the edge of the table to keep his claws from manifesting. He still left slices on the edge of it. As he panted and waited for his fangs to slide back into their normal shape and length, he dared to look back up at Minerva, who gasped to see his normally mossy green eyes glowed as if from on fire from within.

"Please tell me you're joking. That little Harry wasn't raised by those vicious magic hating cunts. How could this have happened?" He tugged at his hair and looked a fright "I was a witness to their will signing myself, they were nowhere on the list of acceptable guardians for him! He was supposed to go to me or Sirius, and if not us then Alice and Frank, and if not them then to you or Amelia, and if not you then other family James had back in India. You mean to tell me I've been chasing loose ends and looking for my boy for a decade and he's been here this whole time under my nose staying with people who hate him?"

His eyes flashed and then dulled, and tears rolled down his cheeks "And now a monster has him. At least he was physically safe with his godawful relatives, who know's what's happened to him since he was taken by that beast. How could this have possibly happened?" He moaned. She sympathized, but this was neither the time nor the place.

"I'm sorry Remus, Albus told me it was sorted. If it makes you feel better this is fresh news to me as well. News I wouldn't have been privy to without having seen it myself in the book of names. The letters never lie" she reached out and placed a hand over his where it rested clenched into a tight fist on the table "And now I must investigate, and so you my boy must tell me everything I need to know about how to safely approach him. This isn't just about Harry, there is yet another student who shares the same address and last name" she pulled out the two letters to show him, and after wiping his face messily with the sleeve of his shirt, he took them and inspected them.

"I didn't know he was settled" was his first thought "Around the time he bit me, it seemed like he was all over the place. Dumbledore wanted me to try and join him during the war to get information, but I could never track him down. Has he been there on that compound the whole time? Has he been playing house and acting like a father all these years? I can't imagine the state of the poor children. The very thought of it all is incongruous with what I know of the creature who destroyed my life. Honestly, I haven't the foggiest idea of what might appeal to him, professor. I've never been a real member of his pack"

She sighed and resigned herself to going into the wolves den unprepared, and Remus waffled briefly "I can't let you go alone, professor. Greyback is incredibly dangerous. You could be killed just for showing up in his territory for all I know"

She raised herself to her full sitting height "Mr Lupin! I appreciate your concern, but I am perfectly capable of defending myself. I've been liaising with unruly parents longer than you've been alive, young man. This one just has… bigger teeth than most. If you've no relationship with the man himself, it may be even more dangerous to show up on his doorstep with you in tow. Now you may not be part of a pack but you've been a-" she dropped her voice to a hush and glanced around them "a werewolf nearly your entire life. Surely there are things you can tell me that might help?"

He whined subvocally and scratched at the scraggly scruff growing on his chin "I suppose so. And I'm sorry, I just hate the thought of you walking in there. It could so easily be a trap"

"An incredibly elaborate one if it is" she replied snarkily.

He chuckled "Yes, well. I don't know how well it will translate to whatever backwoods nightmare they've got going on out there, but I've always been very sensitive to sharp smells. I'd recommend that you wash thoroughly with the plainest soap you can find, as well as avoid any perfumes or potions for at least two days before going if possible. Keep the foods you eat mild for at least the same amount of time as well. It doesn't exactly bother me but I can smell that you've had haggis yesterday for dinner and a snifter of Glenfiddich before bed"

"Goodness me!" She exclaimed, and battled the immediate instinct to bring a hand up and try and get a whiff of her own breath.

"Loud noises are difficult as well. Keep your voice low and level. No matter how frustrated you may become, you must do your best to keep yourself calm. I can hear your heartbeat from two blocks away, and I can tell the instant it changes speed, meaning that if I'm paying attention I can figure out if you're lying or becoming angry"

"Two blocks!?" She piped up, alarmed, nearly falling from her chair.

"Yes, for the most part I can block those types of noises out. But it made dorming with six boys for nearly a decade unbearable"

"Merlin's beard, you poor lad"

"…Quite. What I really don't understand about this professor is why the book of names thinks him and this girl are twins? He was born in July - I was there. He shouldn't have gotten his letter until next summer!" He asked, to which she had no real answer "I've honestly not the foggiest, my boy. The only explanation I can think of is magical adoption, but even that shouldn't have changed his birthdate" she said, just as baffled by that point as him.

"But as for the advice you've given me, thank you Remus. I'll wash, I'll stay calm. I'll get us both as many answers as I can. And I'll ask him if you can come and see Harry, dear boy" she smiled at him and his heart swelled with affection for the woman

"Thank you professor. It would mean everything to me just to know he's well. I can't imagine how he could be given who he's with in that place, but… stranger things have happened"