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?

2. Visitors at the door

First Minerva comes to see them, and then Remus

Minerva McGonagall stood at the front gates of what she was certain was the Greyback compound. She'd hated that she'd had to wait an additional day until the weekend when she could finally get away from the castle. Letters were supposed to go out on the child's eleventh birthday, not four days later. It was embarrassing, and she figured it made the school look rather bumbling.

She'd scoured the surrounding area of the forest around the small town of Gwynedd, and this large spot had caught her attention only because of its invisibility. It was a like a void where there should at least have been signs of animal life here and there. It was several hundred acres if she had to guess, and it had to be what she was looking for. She was rather impressed by how far out it was from anything else, a national park was quite a genius place to hide a werewolf clan if one had to hide one somewhere.

Holding the palm of her hand out tentatively, she pressed it slowly against what she was certain were heavy wards. It tingled familiarly, zipping an electric pulse up her arm that made her spine shiver. It felt much like Hogwarts or Diagon alley. There was definitely something hidden there, close enough in front of her to bite her on the nose.

Summoning every ounce of her Gryffindor courage, she conjured her tabby cat patronus "Send this to Fenrir Greyback; Hello sir, I am the deputy headmistress of Hogwarts School, and I am here on official business to discuss admission of your children for the 1991 fall academic year. May I please be allowed entrance to your home to conduct this conversation? Thank you and good day"

It wound itself tightly around her legs before bounding off, disappearing as it crossed the ward in front of her, and she prepared herself to wait as long as it might take to receive a response. She transformed a nearby fallen log into a squashy armchair, and had herself a good sit. It was a very pretty area, dense forest and little streams and waterfalls every which way.

Roughly five minutes later, a tall stone wall appeared before her eyes and a few minutes after that, an exceptionally tall young man tromped out of the woods and came up to her. She stood to greet him as he came closer, but he seemed unsure of himself, starting to stick out his hand to shake but then halting and half bowing awkwardly. As he straightened his ears flushed pink with mortification.

"I uh- sorry, I'm Matthias. Welcome. Please follow me, professor" and he turned on the spot and headed back the way he came. She pressed her lips into a thin line to keep from chuckling at him. No need to make enemies right away, but oh how all young men were the same. This she was familiar with, any educator worth their salt knew a nervous teenage boy when they saw one.

After a few minutes march on a well kept trail alongside the wall, during which she noticed his much longer legs had kept perfectly to the pace she'd set, they came to a stone gatehouse. The two men standing guard were impossibly large and burly, gruff and unfriendly looks upon their faces. It was hard not to mentally compare them to a pair of Rottweilers or Dobermans, and she scolded herself for stereotyping them thusly.

The young man conferred with them briefly, and they passed through and onto the compound. From the moment she stepped inside Minerva could tell that the air was different. The breeze that had tickled her skirts and dragged a wisp of hair from her bun was gone, the air was still. She could suddenly hear people talking softly and children laughing and shouting nearby. From outside the walls it had appeared as if the tall trees of the forest continued uninterrupted beyond on the other side, but now that she was inside it was more like a meadow clearing. There were lots of little cabins and larger cottages, and even a few bigger buildings.

She followed the lad to one of the larger houses that was fairly centrally located. She stood a bit behind him as he knocked at the door. He turned to look back at her "You don't have to be afraid. You're more welcome than you realize. He had a feeling you'd be coming, he just didn't know when" She swore mildly under her breath and tried to settle her nerves. No one should be able to tell how fast her heart was beating! The latch clicked and the door opened, and the largest and most well-built man she'd ever seen stood before them. His size alone left her speechless, and she wondered how on earth he moved comfortably through doorways.

A rakish grin lit up his face and she realized he was actually quite handsome "Thank you for bringing her, son. Please come in, both of you" there was a very slight Scandinavian dip to his accent, and she wondered where he was from. Sweden or Norway maybe? She nodded and followed him into the house, and was rather shell shocked upon arriving at the sitting room to see a dear friend there "Miriam Bones is that you?" She asked in disbelief.

"Minerva McGonagall, as I live and breath!" Said the other woman, rising from where she had been sat between two children on the sofa. She came over with a glowing smile on her face and made to hug her, but Minerva held her at arms length with narrowed eyes "I haven't seen you in decades, where have you been and what are you doing here? We thought you'd died, you cow. I attended your memorial service!"

The pleasant smile fell away from Miriam's face and she looked absolutely distraught "A memorial service? For me? I suppose that makes sense, but I'd really hoped-" she cut herself off with a heavy sigh and raised a hand to her brow, massaging it lightly. When she spoke again her voice was soft, and sad.

"I was bitten Minnie, and my family told me I was dead to them. I could hardly believe it, but they asked me to leave and so I did. I was certain that if I simply waited long enough I'd be welcomed back, but then I'd heard how many other Bones had died by the time the war was finally over and I figured there was nothing to go back to. Alpha Greyback found me and took me into his pack, gave me a home and a place to belong. I've helped him raise his children, and they've finally brought some peace back into my life"

Minerva hesitated, wondering if this was the right time and place, but couldn't bear to hear the heartbreak in her friend's voice "There's a child due to arrive at the school this fall - Susan Bones, raised by Amelia after Edgar passed. Her niece I believe. You're not the last Bones, Miri. I don't know how warmly they'd welcome you, but Amelia is the head of the DMLE and she'd definitely want to know that you're still with us" she said softly.

Miriam's hand fell to her mouth and her eyes were visibly wet, and Minerva finally pulled her in for a hug to help give her some semblance of privacy "Oh Min, thank you. Thank you for letting me know. I can't tell you how much it warms me to find out I'm not the only one left" she sniffed, and wiped discreetly at her eyes, and straightened "Goodness me, but we'll certainly be talking more about that later. You're here for far more important matters"

Taking her friend's hand, she tugged her across the room and drew her over to the sofa she'd been sitting on, where Mr Greyback had settled into the spot she left. She held her other hand out, gesturing at the small family "My dears it gives me great pleasure to introduce my dear friend Minerva McGonagall, transfiguration professor and deputy headmistress of Hogwarts. Minnie, this is alpha Fenrir Greyback and his children Hermione and Harry. I'm sure that all of you have questions for each other, I'll just go and put the kettle on and get out of your hair" she said, bustling away to the kitchen.

Gesturing to the chair across from them with his chin, Mr Greyback settled his arms around the backs of each of his children's shoulders, pulling them in closer to him "Thank you for coming, professor. Please sit and make yourself comfortable"

She did so, removing her hat and setting it and her handbag on the floor at her feet "Thank you for taking Miriam in when you did. I wish she'd thought to come to me, but I'm glad she had somewhere to go. I can see that the circumstances here are nothing like what I may have been lead to expect. I'm honestly not sure what I thought I'd find now, but I can say I'm beyond pleased to see her again after all these years and know she's well" she said, feeling lighthearted and hopeful.

"I can safely say that neither of us expected that, and all of us are most pleased at your reunion" he responded smoothly, but he seemed displeased "Although if you came here with negative expectations, I'd like to know where you heard them from. Who warned you away from us?" his voice vibrated strangely as his gaze on her turned steely, and she felt the urge to answer fully and truthfully.

Her eyes narrowed and her lips curled down into a harsh scowl "Mr Greyback have you cast a compulsion charm on me? I am here on official school business, and have made significant efforts to come here unbiased and impartial!" She said sternly.

He raised his own brows and held a hand up apologetically as if soothing a startled horse "You have my word that no magic was done upon you except for allowing you access through our ward scheme. My alpha voice is strong, please forgive me. Its effect that you felt was unintentional. I forget how powerfully it works on non-wolves. I'll make an effort to use it less, but I would appreciate if you answered my question all the same. We've worked extremely hard to stay neutral and hidden since the last war ended, and I'd like to know who has undermined that"

Her temper cooled, and she settled back into her seat "Alright then, please see that you do. I have to admit I'm a bit surprised that you seem to be unaware of your reputation" she hesitated, and clasped her hands together tightly on her lap. How could he not know, and would his decision regarding his children's education be influenced if he saw her as the messenger of such bad news?

"I don't know how to say this Mr Greyback, but the wizarding population at large is terrified of you - it's rumored that you were under he-who-must-not-be-named's control, and there were stories coming out near the end of the war left and right of your… savage attacks on children all across the isles. When I saw the letters with their names on them, I feared the worst and I reached out to a former student of mine who happens to be a werewolf. You may remember him, as he was bitten by you as a child. His name is Remus Lupin. He was supposed to have been Harry Potter's guardian after his parents died, but was denied custody of the boy. He asked me to find answers if I could"

She looked at the boy where he sat on the sofa next to his current guardian and wondered how much he knew about his own history. If he knew how worshipped he was still by their community at large, and how curious the wizarding world had been about his whereabouts for the last decade. She was surprised but glad to see that both children had taken one of their father's hands in their own and were trying to comfort the man.

The girl looked over at Harry and her eyes flashed from grey to silver "There may have been a time when you belonged with this Lupin, but he missed his chance. No one can take you from us. I'd like to see them try" she scoffed confidently. Minerva thought this was a bit frighteningly possessive, but the boy seemed to take great relief from her statement, and she forced herself to try and rethink her preconceived notions yet again as she'd already been forced to do several times today. The girl must simply have known that was something the boy would worry about. She could understand how a life with a great deal of sudden changes might lead to one being afraid of it being disrupted once one was somewhere stable and comfortable.

Mr Greyback seemed very pleased with what the girl had said, and praised her "Well said, little wolf. Our family can never be torn asunder, not by any human's fear or any wizard's magic. Not even by a lone wolf's claws"

He turned a much more serious mien back towards Minerva "If what you say is true I find it highly disturbing indeed, and I tell you now in sincerity that the rumors are patently false. I remember biting Remus Lupin, and I'm not proud of my actions looking back on them. His father was a bigot who worked tirelessly to restrict our rights and have us classified as non-sentient beasts. I bit his child to try and teach him the error of his ways. To make him see from another perspective. I don't know what else has happened in the boy's life, but I clearly failed him if he has grown to hate and fear his own kind,"

"I can understand how people might believe that I bite children, I sometimes do, but Lupin is the only one I haven't inducted into my pack afterwards, which I now can see the mistake in. I left a wolf child in the home of a man who hated our kind, and I did him terribly wrong in doing so. I take in lots of people who are in difficult situations, and the children are no different. I took in Harry because he was abused by his family. Ask anyone else here and they'll tell you the same. Other than my daughter who was born here, and my many sons who have found their way to me one way or another, our pack is made up of broken people who have come to me to escape and heal."

"I have no idea how the rumor about me being under the dark lord's control came about. It is unthinkable to me. I hope you will keep this in your own confidence professor, but truth be told there is no one on this earth I hate more than him and his loathsome followers, and I would never have knelt for him for any reason. He killed my wife, my true mate, the mother of my only daughter. I considered him my mortal enemy before his was killed, and my entire pack celebrated his death richly" he said passionately.

She gave this several long moments of consideration, mentally connecting dots and putting together pieces that suddenly clicked into place seamlessly. She turned a fresh eye back to him, feeling as if she was seeing things more clearly than she had in years.

"Although the student body was never made aware of his condition, Remus Lupin was the only known werewolf to have ever attended Hogwarts, Mr Greyback. I've never heard of or seen record of another. Miriam certainly wasn't a werewolf when she and I attended together. And that lad of yours who brought me in was as magical as can be, yet I never once saw his face at our school. You're a wizard and I know I didn't teach you. I've never seen another letter addressed to this place despite all the children I saw coming in. Yet there are two werewolf children here with Hogwarts letters, offering them admission to learn magic at our school…" she trailed off, looking at the little ones on either side of him who had been absolutely glued to every word she said.

"Do you know and you want me to confirm, or are you still putting it together?" He asked, with the closest thing to a sneer as she'd seen on his face so far. The only comfort was that she sensed his distaste wasn't directed at her. "My suspicion is that it's entirely political, of course" she huffed "I can only guess your wife must have also been a member of the sacred 28 if Miss Greyback's invitation of admission is anything to go by"

"You really are a sharp one, professor" he muttered before pausing, and for the first time since she'd arrived seemed uncertain. He looked down at his daughter and pressed a kiss into her hair. What he said next sent Minerva reeling.

"My mate was Hydra Leonida Black, daughter of Alphard Black. Our union wasn't exactly a secret even before we went underground here, but my father-in-law was the only member of her family who was aware of it and supported us. The war wreaked havoc among them, and as far as I know Hermione is the last living Black scion. Her cousin Narcissa had a child, but he would be the Malfoy heir and not able to claim both titles. As for what you suggest, I think you're onto something. Whoever it is up the ladder who hates werewolves enough to systematically deny us an education for generations, happens to love purebloods more, and isn't willing to lose their access to two of them just because they're not human. The last Potter and Black can't not go to Hogwarts"

The children in question made eye contact and had an entirely silent conversation before turning back to her. The girl seemed to be the little leader, and she spoke up passionately "So we do get to go to school, but only because we're important? That's not fair! And is it really too late for Matty?" Minerva considered whether to give the most diplomatic response or the kindest. She settled for the truth.

"If you mean the young man who brought me from the gates, then I'm afraid so Miss Greyback. We take in students who are eleven or sometimes twelve years of age as first years, and educate them until they've reached their age of majority as seventh years. We only accept transfers from other countries, and we don't educate students over the age of 20. I'm sorry, my dear. It's wrong that there are magical children being denied an education, and I'm going to do everything in my power to get to the bottom of it and change this" she said very seriously.

"You're right that it's not fair little wolf, but Matthias loves you and I'm sure he will be happy for you to have the opportunity he never had to go to school and learn. This is what you wanted, remember? Ever since Miriam told you about the school you've been excited to go" She shook her head and her ringlet curls bounced to and fro "But what about Rainy and Tim and Patrick and Keely? They're all our age, they should be going to school too! Where are their letters? Can they go to a school in a different country like the professor said?"

Minerva was shocked to hear that there were so many Hogwarts age children living on the compound, but Greyback cut in with an amused tone "Keely and Tim would never get letters to begin with, little wolf. They may be wolves like us but they don't have magic like we do. They wouldn't even know about magic if they weren't part of our pack. They can learn just like muggles do at any regular school, or be homeschooled by their parents here. Rainy and Patrick on the other hand though…" his face and tone darkened "You're right, they should be going to school with you. We're going to have to do our best to teach them what they need to know here. We can get extra copies of your school books and follow along with what their lessons would be. We'll do our best to make sure they're not left behind, my girl"

Her inner lioness roared at the thought of magical children having to try and teach themselves, and for the first time in a long time Minerva found herself speaking without thinking "All of the subject professors have to submit their yearly plans to me for review. I can send you our official curriculum and lesson plans to use with them. Are there other magical children here as well? Older or younger ones?"

His brows rose and he looked touched by her willingness to help them "Yes, quite a few. Our pack isn't small, but children are rare and precious. There are roughly fifteen under seventeens, ten of whom we're pretty sure are magical. There's a fourteen year old and a sixteen year old who are magic, and the rest are under eleven. There are several babies and toddlers we aren't sure about, none of them have displayed any accidental magic yet. The rest are muggle"

She was floored by the numbers, and her face told him so "Mr Greyback, that's not by any means an insignificant amount of magical children. I don't know how familiar you are with our school seeing as you didn't attend it, but each new class of first years for the last decade has gotten smaller and smaller. What the war did to our magical population was horrific. Before it we would regularly see anywhere from between seventy to eighty new students each year. We suspect this year will be the smallest yet, as they were born at the height of the war. There are only forty of them. There should clearly be more, and I'm starting to wonder if there aren't pockets of magical children like this one who've been overlooked rather than just the low number theory we've been working with. Do you know if there are other werewolf packs across the isles that could have children with magic?"

The man visibly tensed, and when a grimace lined his face Minerva was afraid she'd miss-stepped terribly "I know you ask that in good faith professor, but our children are more valuable to us than gold. Being questioned about where they might be hidden is uncomfortable no matter how well intentioned. That being said, I can say for certain that we're the only pack of this size in the isles. What smaller groups of loners might be hidden here and there, I couldn't begin to estimate."

"I will say this though; people seem to have gotten it into their heads that a wolf pack is all about rigid hierarchy and competitions of dominance. In reality, our structure is much more similar to a family, with the alpha as the father figure. Loners can be dangerous, not because they present an inherent risk of aggression, but rather because there aren't any others around to keep their behavior in check. Imagine a young man off on his own at university for the first time, he's going to behave differently than he would have were he still with his parents at home."

His children laughed at this and his face transformed into fond affection, and Minerva was taken aback by how much kindness she saw in the man whom she had been so terrified of before today. She allowed herself a wry smile "I'm sure Mr Lupin will be best pleased to hear himself referred to as a naughty fraternity lad" she snarked. This prompted Harry to speak up for the first time since she'd arrived. She had started to wonder if she would hear his voice at all while she was here "Professor, if Mr Lupin was supposed to be my guardian, does that mean that he knew my parents?" He asked softly. Her heart felt heavy in her chest at the question.

"Why yes indeed, Mr Potter. In fact, he and your father James met at our school and were both sorted into Gryffindor, the house I am in charge of. They were the closest of friends. They got up to such shenanigans the likes of which Hogwarts has hardly seen before or since. Incurable pranksters, they were" she said with a beaming grin, remembering the marauders whom she had loved so dearly "Those boys aged me more in their seven years than the entire war, I swear!"

His laugh was like a bright little wind chime, and it filled her with joy to have been the cause of it. His next question was innocent and lighthearted but filled her veins with ice "Do you happen to have any pictures of them professor? I wish I knew what my parents had looked like"

"You don't- oh my dear boy" she moaned "Yes. Not with me, but… I know I have pictures of them, and I can contact some of their friends for you. I'm sure Remus has plenty enough to spare some. Your mother! She was my student as well. Lilly Evans was one of the brightest young witches I ever had the pleasure to teach. I don't know if anyone's ever told you this but you have her green eyes, bright like emeralds they were. The rest of you though is pure James. Merlin's beard but you do look just the spit image of him, you've got the Potter hair. Euphemia agonized over your father's hair. That's- She was your grandmother. Her and I were close friends. Distant cousins actually. Goodness, forgive me, I can't seem to turn my mouth off" she said, pressing the back of her hand to her mouth in embarrassment.

"No, please!" He cried "I didn't know any of that, no one's ever told me. When I was with… My aunt and uncle told me they were drunks who got themselves killed in a car accident. I know that's not true now, they were just cruel to me because they could be. But I don't know anything that was true about them other than the story everyone knows. I really look like him?" It took her a painful moment to try and ignore the first part of what he'd said. She'd known those wretched muggles couldn't be trusted with him! She forced a tight smile onto her lips "Yes my boy, you look just like your father did at your age, but his eyes were hazel. He wore specs though, he had terrible eyesight"

Hermione seemed to deflate next to him, and he reached over instinctually to grab her hand tight "Before I was given the gift I always had trouble seeing too, but I'm glad I don't anymore. It wouldn't have been worth having terrible vision my entire life just to be a little bit more like my birth father" he said pointedly, which cheered the girl. "Do you think he'd want to meet me? Mr Lupin I mean" the boy asked her timidly, as if expecting rejection.

"Of course he would, Mr Potter. He begged me to bring back news of your wellbeing. He's been searching for you since you were a baby. Actually," she said moving her gaze to Mr Greyback "He specifically asked me to request visitation rights from your guardian. He wants to be in your life in whatever capacity he can be"

"He can see Harry whenever he likes as long as he's willing to come here to do so, and respect that he is my son. I blood adopted him through the old rituals and we will not be parted" The man replied instantly, with a very final air. He would not be moved from his edict. She nodded "We can work with that, I'm more than certain he'll be willing to brave the wolves den to see you, lad" the boy's grin was radiant.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Although she was greatly enjoying herself with the tea spread Miriam had set out and telling stories about James and Lilly's time at school, the afternoon light was fading and Minerva had more business to attend to for the day elsewhere. "Now I fear I've nearly overstayed my welcome, but there is still the official Hogwarts business that I came for. I see two magical children before me, and I need confirmation that they will be attending our school in September of next year" she said with a small wry smile.

"Yes! Yes yes yes" The girl said quite a bit louder than was necessary, and her father stared at her unimpressed until she apologized at a much more appropriate volume. He nodded at his daughter in approval, but when he turned back to Minerva, he hesitated. "Is there any way for them to attend under different names? If my reputation is truly as gruesome as you say, I don't want it to stain my children the moment they enter your world. Can they attend under the names Potter and Black?" He asked with shame clearly visible on his face, it had clearly cost him a great deal of pride to even have to consider them doing so.

Minerva winced "They could, but it might not make things any better for Hermione. If she goes by the Black name, people will almost certainly assume Sirius was her father, and it could make things very difficult for her" her eyes met Harry's apprehensively "You said you know your parents' story, I assume you're aware of his crimes?"

The boy's body sprung tight like a coil, his face full of rage "I know exactly what he did. He was their friend and he betrayed them!" Fenrir shushed him and ran his enormous hand in circles down his boy's back "Let her finish, son. I imagine you have something to tell us about him, as well? I knew Sirius, he was one of the few Blacks Hydra and I thought we could rely on. I was furious when I heard about what he'd done, and I may have killed him myself if he hadn't been dragged away to Azkaban"

She pursed her lips "That's just the thing. Like yourself, Sirius has a reputation in wizarding Britain as a cold blooded killer. Yet when I tell you that your father was good friends with Remus Lupin, he was nothing short of blood brothers with Sirius Black. I've never seen two boys closer, or who loved each other more dearly. When his own mother beat him and disowned him and left him for dead, the Potters took Sirius in. You could always find them together, working towards the same mischievous ends. I tried to be as stern as I could as their head of house, but gods be good I adored those boys" to her horror she felt a burning in her nose and eyes, and fought stubbornly to keep tears at bay.

"I couldn't believe it when I heard what he'd done, and frankly I'm still not sure I do. Other people said the same thing, and people who didn't even know them repeated it like bloody parrots, but it was genuinely unimaginable to me that Sirius Black would do anything to harm a hair on James Potter's head, or yours and your mother's. He was your godfather, you know. I saw him hold you in his arms on the day of your christening, and there was a love in his eyes that moved me to tears. I tried to find out more when he was taken by the aurors, but every file was sealed and I was turned away every time I tried to see him. I can't help but feel that I failed him terribly for things to have turned out the way they did. I'd have taken him in myself if the Potters hadn't gotten there first"

She felt raw like the edges of a torn silk garment, suddenly deeply vulnerable, and hoped she wouldn't have reason to regret her transparency. She couldn't believe she'd revealed so much of her personal life in front of two future students! Even if he'd tried not to press it upon her, she suspected there was still at the very least a mild compulsion upon her to be open, and she resented it for a moment before admitting to herself that it was probably for the best. She'd gotten a lot off of her chest. Ultimately, this was a delicate situation and she figured it would be valuable in the long run to have his trust and cooperation. If having to bare her heart was the price of doing business, well. Easily said, easily done.

Greyback seemed very aware of and respectful of just how much of herself she had laid bare, and he didn't respond for a few moments. He ran a hand over the scruffy beard on his face, and hummed thoughtfully. With his other hand on his knee, he turned to Harry "What do you think, my son? Would it bring you great pain for people to think your sister is the child of your parents killer? It sounds like things are even more complicated than we believed"

"Do you think people really won't believe that Nene's mum was who we say she is? Or say that she's not really my sister? I don't want them to think she's a liar or an imposter. Even if it's dangerous I think we should just be ourselves, dad. I'm just as proud to be a Greyback as I am to be a Potter" he said with gusto, and Minerva felt a whisper of instinct that this brave boy would belong to her house one day soon. "Yeah!" his sister chimed in next to him a bit viciously "we're not sheep, we're wolves. We've got nothing to fear from frightened people's talk. Let them say what they will" she finished imperiously, and Minerva got the sense that there were two little lions in the room with her. She couldn't help but grin, and everyone joined in with her.

Then she remembered the very real problem that still remained despite her many assuaged concerns this visit had resolved "Now there is another important matter, and unfortunately I truly don't know how to address it tactfully, so please excuse me, but if Harry and Hermione will be openly attending Hogwarts as werewolves we must have an official plan in place for how and where they will transform. Whatever we decide upon can be part of their educational records, documented and approved, but it must be very clear and there must be safety protocols"

Greyback eyed his children and gave this some thought, "What did you do for Lupin when he was at your school?" Minerva winced, "When Mr Lupin was a student with us the wolfsbane potion had not yet been invented, and so he had to be fully constrained to a locked and warded location off campus every full moon for his seven years of schooling. We used the shrieking shack in Hogsmeade, as there is a secret passage from the grounds leading directly into its basement. We do have an exceptionally gifted potions master on staff who is fully capable of brewing wolfsbane, and if your children are willing to take the potion we may have more less-restrictive options available to us"

All three members of the little family before her seemed outraged by this, but Hermione passionately spoke up first "Locked up? Every full moon? No wonder he hates being a werewolf! He's kept his wolf in jail its whole life!" She shook her head, disgust clear on her face.

Her father *tsk*ed in agreement with a nearly identical look of contempt "I appreciate the spirit of your offer professor, but what you don't understand is that the wolfsbane potion is the magical equivalent of… of chemical castration essentially. It's not the sedative or relaxant it appears to be, it is a deadly poison to the essence of what we are. Damocles Belby had good intentions when he created it, but didn't fully understand what effects his potion would truly have on us. I would sooner they not go to school at all then have them destroy their wolf in such a way. I will never consent for my children to be given it, for any reason" he said, leaving absolutely no room for argument.

Again Minerva found herself shocked, and was uncertain as to how to proceed "Alright," she said mildly "No wolfsbane. It's expensive and time consuming anyways. However, I'm afraid that if they don't have it then we're limited to the most restrictive methods to prevent them from attacking anyone. We can use the shrieking shack again I suppose, but Miss Greyback seemed mightily opposed" she raised an eyebrow at the girl, who bared her teeth and flashed her eyes back in anger. She leaned back, startled at the show of aggression, and Greyback placed a firm hand on his daughter's shoulder "Easy little wolf, easy. Forgive her, she's been blessed to grow up with a great deal of freedom" he chuckled.

He shook his daughter's shoulder lightly, and she snapped to attention, immediately hanging her head low "I'm sorry ma'am, but we're good wolves, we've never attacked anybody but rabbits! When our wolves get to run free and happy they never go crazy or hurt people like the lone wolves do. It's because they're scared and angry, they don't trust their own wolves and so their wolves don't take good care of them while they're in control" The girl got a funny look in her eye, and as if he knew she was about to do something she shouldn't Greyback reached for the back of her neck but she ducked to avoid him and grinned at Minerva. Her canines were sharp and her eyes flashed silver as she said "Look, professor, I'll show you just how safe it is!"

And she slid from her seat on the sofa onto the floor, and with a shimmer and a whooshing wave of emerald green sparks, there was a little brown wolf pup sitting demurely at Minerva's feet with a very doggy smile on her face. Her fur was the exact same color as the girl's curly hair, and her eyes were silver. She was roughly the size of a Labrador retriever, and to Minerva's continued shock she shortly began going through a few standard dog tricks.

She stood on her back legs and spun around, then laid down, then rolled over. She handed Minerva a paw that the woman mechanically took and shook up and down in disbelief. She chased her tail in a circle for a few moments, chomping the end of it in her mouth happily. Finally, she rose to her hind legs, lifted a paw to her chest, and dramatically fell down slumped as if dead with her other paw over her eyes. "Bloody showoff" muttered her brother from the sofa, and Minerva couldn't help the laugh that barked out of her. Greyback rolled his eyes but was clearly very amused by his daughter's display "You've given the professor quite the fright little wolf, that wasn't very polite" The wolf yipped softly in response, before laying her head down on Minerva's lap and angling big wet puppy eyes up at her quite manipulatively.

She laughed again, still thoroughly shaken and with a sense of wonderment and awe, and gently stroked two fingers up the silky bridge of her snout and down over the top of her soft furry head. She glanced back at the girl's father who had a very fondly tender expression on his face, and couldn't help herself "This- Well, I'm no expert Mr Greyback, but this isn't exactly standard is it?" She breathed out, hardly believing her own gumption.

"No professor, it absolutely isn't" he said with a great deal of pride in his voice "My girl is a trueborn wolf, the first one in generations. She was born to an alpha and his true mate, and since the very first full moon after her birth she's been able to transform completely at will. She's a rare anomaly of our kind. The rest of us have similar control when transformed because of our lifestyle and how we connect with our inner wolves, but she's the only one who can shift outside of the three days of the full moon. Even I'm not capable of such a feat, other than small partial transformations of my hands and teeth" he practically crowed with fatherly adoration.

"How absolutely remarkable" she whispered back, almost afraid to speak for fear of spooking away the incredible creature whose attention she had captured. She rubbed her thumb along the satiny soft ear and the girl lolled her tongue out and panted. Harry laughed from the sofa and came over and sat on the floor next to her. He looked up at her with a smirk "She promised when we're bigger I can ride her like a horse, but only once and there can't be any witnesses" he proclaimed, and the girl lifted her head from Minerva's lap to yowl at him and nip at his toes.

"Like a horse?" She replied foolishly, still caught up in the moment. Greyback hummed from the sofa "Yes, adult wolves are quite large. Anatomically indistinguishable from them at a glance, but much bigger than true wolves. I think she probably won't actually ever get quite that big, but she's convinced herself that she's going to be even bigger than I am one day-"

"And he's the size of a pony!" Harry cut in. Minerva's jaw dropped "A p- a pony!?" She cried, to the boy's delight. He giggled away on the floor as his sister head butted him and tried to push him over. She glanced between the three of them "You're having me on" she said sharpish, and they all shook their heads impishly "You're not?" She rose a hand to her forehead and fought a wave of lightheadedness "Gods be good" she mumbled.

The girl transformed back in another shimmer and wave of sparks, and dragged herself and her brother back to the sofa with their father, who returned his gaze to her seriously "If the only options at the school are to be locked up or poisoned, then I have to insist that they come home for the evening of the full moon to transform here. We've tried to stay very isolated, but I suppose we can install a floo connection if that will make getting them here and back more convenient"

"Miriam said there's a huge forest, I still think we should be able to transform there" Hermione muttered grouchily, but to Minerva's great relief her father waved his hand at her in clear dismissal. "Ignore her" he chuckled "Would that be acceptable, professor? Flooing or portkeying them home one night a month?" She considered this thoughtfully "I don't see why not. We've made bigger accommodations for other medical conditions. This seems like a perfectly reasonable solution. I'll reach out to our contact at the Department of Magical Transportation and tell them we need a secure two-way floo connection established. They'll be able to come and go from my office, or their head of house if they're sorted elsewhere" she said with a mischievous little smirk "But I think it'll probably be my office they end up using."

A bright spark of an idea suddenly came to life at the edge of Minerva's mental landscape, one she couldn't help but feel would solve several matters at once. She turned her attention back to the other adult in the room with a twinkle in her eye "Now that that's all sorted Mr Greyback, it occurs to me that you may find yourself needing help educating the magical children that you have here. Inviting Mr Lupin to visit Harry might also double as a job interview; he was one of my very best students, he received ten OWLs and seven NEWTs, and although I don't believe he finished it I know he pursued and began a history of magic mastery before his mother passed away. His lycanthropy has made it difficult for him to hold a job in the wizarding world, but I know he's worked as a tutor for muggle schools and families off and on over the years. He's incredibly bright and well read. If the two of you can successfully reconcile when you meet again, I'm sure an arrangement could be made that would be very beneficial to you both"

He raised a brow at her in mild exasperation, but shook his head and smirked "You sell your student well, professor. I'll keep it in mind, give it some thought. I can't help but feel as if I owe him for the difficult life he's had. Please tell him what I've told you, and let him know he's welcome here"

She smiled at the man, happily agreeing to do so. She was feeling warm and glad for herself that she had been so wrong in what she thought she might find here in his home, and yet sad for Remus that he had been missing out on being a part of this community for so long. Thinking of him made her remember something he'd asked her to find out about. Looking between the two children, she considered how to ask delicately "Mr Greyback," she began, and when she had his attention again she pulled the two Hogwarts letters out of her handbag and handed them to him.

"The book of names and the quill of acceptance automatically generate invitations of admission to be mailed out to students the day before their eleventh birthday. This is how it's been done since the founders created them. Even magical households with multiple children in the same school year don't get sent together unless they share the same birthdate. When I saw two letters printed on the same day I assumed your children were twins until I saw their names. Remus was particularly puzzled, seeing as he was there when Harry was born and distinctly remembers it occurring in July and not September. Do you know what might have caused the school's magic to recognize them as magical twins if they're really only adopted siblings?"

The two children looked both confused and intrigued, though she swore she caught a hint of a smug smirk cross the girl's face. That little lassie was shaping up to be a hard one for her to read. Greyback hummed and nodded, scratching at his scruff "I can't say I was aware exactly, but I'm not surprised to hear it. Wolf magic and family magic were combined in ceremonial blood ritual the night he joined with us. Both are powerful, and when used together in tandem they can do great and wonderful things. I first adopted him into our pack and family in blood and in magic. He physically changed, his hair and skin both lightened a bit, and his hair took on a bit of curl it hadn't had before. Then as the family magic was still settling around him my daughter bit him and gave him our gift, her wolf spirit awakening his own within him. It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen…"

He shook his head and thought for a moment "Twins, though… I suppose as the alpha heir, her wolf may have tried to make it's claim on him take precedence over mine by making my son her twin. Purely subconsciously of course, I don't think it would have been intentional" he said, but then noticed his daughter's smirk had grown more pronounced "What am I saying, look at you. You planned this?"

"Of course I did, I'm just surprised it took anyone this long to notice" she crowed, and both children laughed.

---

Remus Lupin wasn't necessarily a skeptical man by nature. He was a wizard, and a werewolf on top of that. He knew the world was full of wonders, many of which he couldn't even begin to imagine. He tried to keep himself receptive to new information and ideas. This however, seemed a bridge too far even for him.

As he listened to his favorite former professor report on what she'd seen and heard in Greyback's home, he found himself for the first time ever doubting her credibility, questioning whether he could really trust what was coming out of her mouth. He believed that she believed every word she was saying, but he sincerely doubted its actual veracity. What she told him simply couldn't be true, it challenged too many of the unshakeable pillars he upheld in his life as absolute fact, no matter how much pain they had caused him and how many times he himself had wished they weren't.

"Is it possible he targeted Harry intentionally, to ensure his own daughter's Hogwarts admission? Perhaps on the supposition that she wouldn't be allowed to attend, he assumed she wouldn't be turned away if she had an important enough sibling. Even if he weren't a member of the sacred 28, no one would turn Harry Potter away from Hogwarts. Not even for being a werewolf. It's diabolical, but brilliant" His old professor looked at him with tremendous disappointment clear in her eyes, and the heart of him that would always be a Gryffindor wilted in the face of her wrath. So much of who she was had shaped who he had grown up to be, and he still pathetically craved her approval.

He opened his mouth to try and backpedal but she held up her hand and it was enough to stop him in his tracks "Have you even listened to a word I've said young man? What we thought we knew about him was wrong. That man loves those children, and when you see him with them you'll understand. You begged me for any news of the boy - I swear now on my magic as a witch of clan McGonagall that I've seen him with my own eyes and he looked happy and well! You begged me to find out if you could see the boy, meet with him somehow - I tell you again by the same vow that you can see him if only you can bring yourself to accept that he has been adopted in the old ways by blood rite and is that man's son by magic and by law! Those rituals are sacred, Remus. They aren't done for schemes and plots. Family magic is ancient and true, and the repercussions for abusing it would have made themselves apparent by now if he had violated it"

A tingle came over them both and lingered in the air as the weight of her oath swirled and settled around them. She looked surprised but unbothered, she clearly hadn't meant to make it binding, but it was enough to give him pause. Her face softened, "You've lost so many people you love, lad. And you've lost so much time with him already. Why not take this opportunity to be a part of his life while he's still young? He wants to know you, he's desperate for knowledge about his parents. Greyback didn't know anything and Petunia actively lied to him. All he knows are their names, he's never even seen pictures of them" she said miserably, her face pained.

That cut at Remus so severely he nearly doubled over in grief. For all he'd lost he still had pictures and stories. A lifetime of memories with his friends before having lost them. it broke his heart to image their son knowing nothing about them, not even their faces. For all the pain he'd weathered this was too much, and he simply couldn't bear it "Alright," he choked out, already regretting it "I- I'll… try to keep an open mind. For Harry"

"Good. That was his only condition, that if you respect their family you can see the boy whenever you want for as a long as you like. Take him up on it, go see for yourself. I can tell you're having a hard time believing me, and I don't fault you. It's not something I'd have ever taken someone else's word for if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes" she encouraged gently.

Her open acknowledgment of the sheer unbelievability of the situation somehow made it ring ever so slightly more true to his ears, and the tiny seed of unbearable hope he'd tried to quash suddenly blossomed in his chest. He didn't want to get his hopes up only to have them dashed yet again, but the buoyancy of a sliver of hope made it impossible for him to brace for devastation in quite the way he normally would.

She hesitated, but added on "You should know that there are other werewolf children there too Remus, magical ones that need an education because they haven't or won't get letters to go to Hogwarts. They didn't have a father in politics or an important pureblood house, and so their names were never listed in the book. They need a teacher and I recommended you highly, my boy. This might be an opportunity for you not just to reunite with Harry, but to reconcile with your own condition and become part of a community. Like you promised, keep an open mind. I think this could be very good for you"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Remus showed up in the woods in Snowdonia not sure what to expect. His own dark fears told him he was headed into a monster's lair, where he would ultimately be killed. But he kept coming back to professors words that lifted his spirits like a life raft, and told him he would find nothing but good things here.

As he was preparing to send off a patronus requesting entry and she had advised him to do, a gangly young man materialized in front of him and welcomed him warmly. He shook his hand and smiled with all his teeth "You must be Mr Lupin, the kids are very excited you've come. The professor made it seem like we might be waiting a while, so thanks for deciding not to wait! I'm Matthias, you can follow me in"

And just as she had described, he was lead along the wall, through the gate, and into the compound. The wolves standing guard were enormous, and extremely intimidating, but they hadn't said a word despite surely being able to hear the rabbit-quick beat of his terrified heart. He hiked along behind the lad to the biggest of the houses, where he saw that two children were taking turns pushing each other on a large sturdy swing-set in the garden. A few houses away other children were doing some kind of bar climbing game. He could smell that they were all wolves, but they seemed fed and clean and happy.

He was so distracted by the joyful noise and the presence of such spirited werewolf children that he almost didn't notice the man sitting in the shade of the house on a wooden garden bench keeping an eye on them all. He jumped slightly, and scolded himself for not being more alert. He huffed and walked over to the man, remembering all the things he'd always promised he'd say to him if he ever met him face-to-face, and putting those in the past. He didn't need the rage here, this was clearly a sanctuary, the nature of which he hadn't fully discovered yet, but a sanctuary nonetheless.

"Greyback" he bit out, barely holding back a snarl.

"…Lupin" the other man said completely calmly. Infuriatingly calmly.

From across the yard he heard the girl cry "Be nice to him daddy! He's nervous" and the tips of his ears heated. Greyback smirked "Thank you for reminding me, little wolf. Harry, come over here my boy. Though there's clearly much he and I have to say to each other, this visitor is for you, my son" he didn't bother to raise his voice, he didn't need to. Both little wolves perked up and the girl grabbed the swing chain to drag it to a stop so the boy could clamber down. He hardly waited for it to slow down before launching himself off of it and across the yard to where the men were.

He climbed onto the bench next to Greyback and turned his gaze to Remus, who felt cut to the bone by how bottle green his eyes were and how familiar his features were "Merlin's beard, but you look just like your dad" he muttered, pressing a hand to his chest "and you've your mothers eyes" he whispered, near tears. He fumbled with his pockets, pulling out and expanding the book he'd brought with him.

Taking in a deep breath and trying to calm himself, he held it out to the boy "Hello Harry, I'm Remus. I was friends with your parents, and they would have wanted you to have this. It's a photo album from our time together in school. I'd love to go through it with you and answer any questions you might have" he said, plastering on his best pleasant face in spite of how anxious he was.

The boy looked at the book like it was a priceless treasure, and took it carefully from him with both hands "Thank you so much, this has got to be the best present anyone's ever given me" From across the yard he heard the girl cheekily mutter "Liar, that's what you said when I bit you" and the boy sputtered as a pink blush rose hotly to his cheeks "Okay yes, thank you again for the blessing of being a werewolf Nene, but please shut up" he glared at her "this is the best physical gift I've ever gotten" he corrected smugly

From across the yard she scoffed "The bite is physical" she said as she started pumping her legs on the swing to give herself air. Remus couldn't help but laugh awkwardly in amused confusion. He'd never heard anyone in his entire life refer to a werewolf's bite with anything other than horror and revulsion and these two children were joking about it so cavalierly. He almost couldn't believe what he was hearing, briefly wondering if this was a dream or hallucination.

He turned to Greyback a split second later when his brain made the delayed connection "Hang on, did you not bite Harry?" The man grumbled low "I would've, but my girl got there first. Some things are just meant to be" he shrugged. Remus saw red, and though he'd promised to control his temper he felt it slipping "How irresponsible could you be? Minerva told me you weren't as bad as the rumors said but not only are you going around biting children, but then you're letting them bite people as well?"

Without having heard her get off her swings or move across the yard, the girl was suddenly standing between him and her father, with a finger pointed at his chest "Don't speak to my dad that way! You have no idea what you're talking about, loner. You've never been a part of a pack before, and if you want to learn then you've got to forget what you think you know, because I guarantee that almost all of it is lies" she flattened her palm and gave him what looked like a light shove, but to his shock the strength in it was enough to send him skidding backwards several feet. She snarled at him and flashed her eyes silver, and he felt quite intimidated by the child, and also a bit pathetic when he realized that.

"Well said, little wolf" her father praised her with amusement in his voice "but let's all try to get along for now. Lupin, come sit and show us the pictures. Hermione, go have a cuppa with Miriam. You can come back when you've calmed down some" and she snarled once more, but nodded and trotted off to one of the other nearby cottages. Remus hesitantly sat and started reliving some of the best years of his life. It felt like whiplash.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Harry was beyond thrilled with his photo album, it was incredible to see pictures of his parents. His father had been handsome, and his mother beautiful. He could see himself in both of their faces. He quickly noticed something that confused him though "Why are they never together in any of these?" He asked Remus, and was surprised to see the man blush fiercely and avoid eye contact with him.

"Remus?" He asked again. The man sighed, and crossed his arms "It's a bit awkward for me to have to explain, and I'm sure if they were still around they'd have found a funny way to tell you, but it took quite a long time for your parents to… warm up to each other, I suppose. Your dad liked your mum right away from our very first year at school, he was always trying to get your mother's attention. But he was… a bit of a prankster, and so your mum didn't exactly like him at first. He played a lot of jokes and tricks on one of her friends, and she thought he was a bully. It took a long time of your dad pining after her for your mum to notice him and like him back"

Harry narrowed his eyes, and Remus must have somehow forgotten that he was surrounded by other people who could also hear his heart rate and smell his sweat, and he cursed mildly under his breath. The boy groaned "There's something you're trying to avoid saying… My dad was a huge prick wasn't he?" Remus let out a nearly sub-vocal whine, and that told Harry all he needed to hear.

"Listen, I loved James like a brother. Don't get me wrong for the most part he was a very kind and friendly man, but he could definitely be a prick at times. He made an arse of himself going after Slytherins in particular. We tried to excuse it as house rivalry, but back then it was also a response to the very real blood prejudice that the snakes didn't bother trying to hide. Your mother was a muggleborn, and your father often tried to impress her and defend her honor by acting out against particularly bigoted purebloods, most of whom were in Slytherin house"

They boy thought this over, scrunching his brows "I know the Potters were purebloods, did he only start hating blood prejudice when he met my mum?" The boy asked disapprovingly. "No! No," Remus hurried to correct the misunderstanding "the Potters had been considered blood traitors in pureblood society for a long time before your dad ever showed any interest in your mum"

"Blood traitors!?" Harry muttered to his father in utter bafflement, to which the man made a sound of disgust and shook his head vehemently "only inbred fucking cunts could think marrying outside the family is a crime" and he giggled at the coarse language. Next to him, Remus made a poor effort to disguise a snort as a sniffle.

"It's exactly as your father says. The Ancient and Noble house of Potter had long since been struck from the sacred 28 houses for being willing to brush elbows with muggleborns. Although no one outside of Slytherin would have cared about such a thing. The Potters were good and kind, and they took in me and several other friends of your fathers with open arms and hearts. Your grandparents Fleamont and Euphemia Potter were two of the most welcoming people I've ever met. They both died of dragon pox just after we all graduated in '78, before the war had reached its height, and your father was absolutely gutted by their loss. They'd have cherished you, they always wanted more children but James was an only child. I think that must have been why they were always willing to take in so many poor strays" he said with a sad smile on his face.

Harry felt for the man, and remembered how painful it was to be so vulnerable, and he leaned his head onto his shoulder "I'm glad they took good enough care of you that you're here to tell me about them. Thank you Remus, I really appreciate it"

The man sounded choked up as he responded "That's very kind of you to say Harry. Your dad- ah, well your birth father, he would be very proud of the young man you've become" and he laid a big warm hand on the top of Harry's head. It was nice "I've missed you terribly over the years, I looked everywhere I could think of trying to find out who you'd been placed with. I never in a million years would have guessed that you'd been left with Petunia, your mother and her sister hated each other. She's the last person your parents would have wanted you to even stay the weekend with, I know it can't have been what they planned for you"

Harry closed his eyes in resignation as finally a confirmation of his father's suspicions washed over him, and he took a moment to process the grief that came with knowing how different his life should have been "It took a long time with my new family to help me realize that what the Dursleys told me had to be mostly lies, and it's still hard to forget sometimes. They always said such horrible things about my parents, it's honestly a bit pathetic that they went to such extremes when they could have just said nothing at all. The years of being away from them and healing have changed me so much, but I can't tell you how grateful I am to hear the truth from someone who knew them and was there"

He was no mind reader, he knew only what his senses told him, but his ears and his eyes screamed at him that the man next to him was truly devastated by what he'd said. As Remus flexed his hands to keep his claws from coming out, Harry looked up at him seriously "It wouldn't help either of us for me to say what kind of lies they told me. It's in the past now, and it's enough to know the real truth. You were there, right? When I was a baby I mean"

The man grabbed onto that conversational thread like it was a life raft, and hurried to answer "Yes, of course! I was there in the room at St Mungo's the day you were born, I saw your father place you in your mother's arms. I wasn't always around, there was a mission Dumbledore sent me on that had me away for long stretches of time, but I was there enough to see how much they adored you. They loved you, anyone with eyes could see that you were their entire world. After your grandparents passed, they couldn't bring themselves to stay in Potter Manor anymore, and so they settled into a cottage your family owned in a small wizarding village called Godric's Hollow. That's where you lived for the first year and a half of your life. It was such a lovely home, there were always flowers everywhere; from the garden to the window boxes to the kitchen table. I can't recall its name, but your mother had a calico kitten she'd gotten as a graduation present, and you loved to crawl around after the thing"

All three of them had tears in their eyes. Remus coughed lightly to clear his throat and continued "The house was seized by the ministry after the end of the war, and has been turned into a public memorial now. There's a statue of your parents too, it's across the road and there's a bench and a fountain. Every time I see it I imagine your mum telling your dad what a big head he must have had to have a likeness of himself made in bronze. The nearby churchyard cemetery is where they're buried, they share a gravestone. If you didn't know anything about them I doubt anyone's ever taken you there, although that's probably for the best. It's a crying shame, James and Lily would have absolutely hated to see their home the way it is now. It's still half destroyed from you-know-who's attack, and it looks a fright" the man said in an attempt at some levity, but the depth of his pain still rang clear in his voice.

"That is a shame" mumbled his father on the other side of him "I'd have taken you to see their graves before now if I'd known. We can go and pay our respects if you feel like it. Anytime you want to, my son" he could see his father visibly rise in the other man's esteem as he said that, and he approved heartily. He desperately wanted these two important parts of his life reconciled, and the people at peace with one another. He considered how to proceed to get the most answers and cause the least clashing between his father and the man before them. There were so many more questions he wanted to ask, but the man seemed practically on the brink of spiraling into a depression right in front of them.

Briefly, he wished his sister had stayed for this conversation as she was far better at carefully thinking things like this through than him. Nearly smacking his own forehead, he concentrated his hearing and realized she was still well within his range, only a house away having tea with Miriam, so he must still be within hers. Letting out a nearly sub-vocal whine and yip, their private signal for each other's attention and help, he heard her startle and immediately bid the woman goodbye and head their way. He grinned slyly, she had a head start on him and therefore often remembered their abilities and used them more instinctively and naturally, but he was catching up.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Hermione was peeved with the ratty old man who had dared to come into her territory and insult her father, and she was doubly peeved that she'd been sent away from what promised to be an extremely interesting conversation about her brother's birth parents.

Her temper simmered and cooled as she quickly realized that her father never truly intended to leave her out, and that from Miriam's kitchen she was still well within range to hear them loud and clear. She supposed she'd have to have him show her the pictures later, but they were ultimately less important than the stories, and she was grateful to be able to at least overhear those.

She grinned at Miriam's exasperated eye roll. The woman thought it was rude to listen past one's walls even if you didn't exactly mean to, but never denied Hermione the pleasure of a good eavesdrop. She often asked her to repeat things she'd overheard as her own ears were starting to fail her, claiming she preferred to hear gossip at her table if she had to entertain it at all. They quietly sipped tea and chewed biscuits, and Hermione commentated for her friend like a sports broadcaster "Wow, apparently Harry's dad was an arsehole when they were our age!" To which Miriam replied "Language, my dear girl - and be more specific!"

With a laugh she pretended to be a court stenographer reading back what they said as they were saying it, until things suddenly took a heavy turn and she wasn't sure if she should be breaking their confidence the way she was. She awkwardly went back to paraphrasing, and Miriam laid a soft and wrinkly sympathetic hand over her own with a knowing look in her eye.

"You're a good girl, duckie" the woman whispered to her, and her heart felt warm and squishy. She let silence fall back around the two of them again, mentioning only the important things here and there, until she heard her brother give their special call for her to come bail him out of trouble. She startled as she wondered if something had actually happened, but upon thinking back to the last few things they'd said she realized that he was probably just starting to feel a little socially drained. He had likely gone back to being the emotionally award boy he usually reverted to after moments of being particularly charming or insightful.

She snorted. Like clockwork, she thought, and went to go rescue him. She kissed Miriam's papery cheek "Sorry Nana M, boy wonder needs me" and after putting her cup in the sink she headed off.

She passed Matthias, who had been waiting for her and guarding the front door, and rolled her eyes at him "You should have come in and had a cuppa with us, Matty. It makes me sad when you wait outside like a puppy in the rain" he sputtered indignantly as he followed her through the garden "Nene please, I'm trying to do my job while we have a guest" he hissed at her, comically aggrieved, and she carelessly shrugged like a little emperor "I know, but you're family. It just makes it kinda weird when you act so serious"

He sighed and muttered "Clearly someone has to" under his breath, causing her to flash her eyes at him with a glare. He grinned and ducked his head submissively "There's the little alpha, glad she decided to join us"

She huffed at her brother "I can be serious when I need to! This whole business with the lone wolf just has me unsure of how to act. You'd think he'd be a savage, but he seems more scared and sad than anything else. Did you hear what he said about dad? I know they have a difficult history, but if he's gonna be coming here someone needs to teach him some respect" she said gruffly, trying to emulate the way her father often left no room for argument.

"Wise words, little lady" she heard her father chuckle from the garden next door. She smirked and rushed towards the little picket fence between the cottages and vaulted it, somersaulting into a smooth roll on the other side. From where he sat on the bench in between the two men, Harry held up both arms like he was holding a sign "She sticks the landing! Ten out of ten" he started to cheer and her father let out a low rumble imitating the roar of a crowd. Hamming it up, she bowed and waved "Thank you, thank you!"

Meanwhile Matthias was very slowly and emphatically opening and walking through the gate "What was that about being able to be serious?" He said sarcastically, which she promptly ignored. She dashed over to her family, and sat on the arm of the bench closest to her father "Do they look like you imagined?" She asked Harry excitedly, and he passed his photo album over to her to see. She cried out and cooed "Is that you as a baby? You were so cute, what happened?"

He shoved her backwards off the bench and she tumbled down laughing. Her father and the loner had both snorted at her jab as well, and she knew she had them exactly where she wanted them. She scrambled back up and sat on her father's lap this time, and pulled the book over again "Sorry sorry, you're officially the cutest little brother that ever there was. Now let me take a real look this time" she said primly.

"Wow, so that must be your dad, then. The professor wasn't having us on, you really look just like him" she said, removing one of the close-up photographs of James Potter from the album and holding it next to his face, comparing them intently. "Yeah?" He asked with more emotion in his voice than he probably meant to let show, and she softened to him instantly "Yeah, bro. I definitely see it, plain as day" she replied as kindly as she could. In her peripheral she saw the lone wolf next to them press the back of his hand to his mouth, and blink away a tear.

She made eye contact with Harry, her best friend and brother, and communicated with him without words. She could tell when he called her over that he needed her help socially, but now in the environment with him she could easily intuit the exact nature of his frustration. He didn't want to push the man too fast or too far and risk not getting the answers he was desperate for. She could handle that, and she steeled herself to be a little bit more manipulative than she was usually comfortable with.

Hermione put on her best innocently curious face "Say Mr Lupin, who's this handsome bloke here? He's in nearly all of these photos" she asked as guilelessly as a newborn babe. She didn't miss his sharp inhalation, and she tilted her head at him like a puppy to further reduce any suspicion.

He cleared his throat noisily, and ran his hand over his messy scruff "Goodness I'd hoped to avoid this, but… well that's Sirius Black, he was Harry's godfather. Minerva told me you children are aware of what he did, or what we think he did anyways. I didn't want to believe he could have done it either, he loved James like a brother. But there was just never any other explanation for what happened" he said brokenheartedly, and she almost would have felt bad for making him relive such a horrible memory if it weren't for the cause of finding out what her brother needed to know.

"He would've been my uncle, right dad?" She asked as if butter wouldn't melt in her mouth, to which the man whipped his head around to her with a slack jaw. Her father hummed "Not exactly, little wolf, more like cousin I think. Your grandfather Alphard was his uncle, and he and your mother were cousins" he answered, quickly picking up on and playing along with her little game.

"You're joking" the wolf looked between the two of them "You're a black?" He asked looking at her, then turned to her father "and you were married to a black?" He stood up from the bench and paced in a circle in front of them before facing them again with his hands on his hips "I don't understand, I thought Alphard left everything to Sirius because he didn't have any children. I lived with him in the flat he inherited from the man!"

Her father growled at that, and she was none too happy herself to hear that territory that should have been theirs had gone to another. She held her tongue though, knowing that wizarding matters outside their little compound were often needlessly complicated, and trusting her father to respond appropriately to something she didn't fully understand.

"My mate had a compassionate heart." Her father rumbled, and she settled in closer to him as he spoke about her mother "Alphard Black was a good man, and he was supportive of our relationship. He originally planned to leave Hydra everything he had, it would have been her birthright as his only child. Instead she encouraged him to give her inheritance to her poor cousin who had been disowned by his parents. She thought he'd need it more than she did, even with the Potters taking him in. She made sure he left something for Andromeda as well, even though she was older than Sirius and had already established her own family. She hated her family's cruelty towards their own children. She knew I would provide for her, that she would want for nothing by my side, so she made sure all of the black sheep of the Black family were taken care of before taking a single knut for herself" he paused and pressed his nose into her hair like he used to do more often when she was small. She nuzzled into his shoulder and they scented each other tenderly.

"It's been such a long time that it's easier to talk about her now, but the pain never truly goes away. We share that in common, Lupin" he finally said solemnly to the other man, who still looked quite shocked where he was standing. He seemed to deflate before them, and came back over to sit again, his head in his hands "There's the answer to a mystery we didn't know we had" he snarked, and her father chuckled. The man's eyes ran over her features and as she stared him down fearlessly he furrowed his brows "I don't know how I didn't see it until now but you have the look, alright. The curly hair, the grey eyes. If you weren't a brunette I'm sure I'd have spotted it immediately. You could be Sirius' little double" he said wistfully, with a shake of his head.

As the two men went back to talking, Hermione made eyes with her brother again, raising her eyebrows as if to say good enough or keep digging? He smiled and barely suppressed a giggle, but then shook his head and gestured with his eyebrows back towards the man. She sighed and nodded, and waited for the right moment to interject. "Mr Lupin, if everyone was so shocked that he betrayed his best friends and no one could believe he'd done it, what grounds did they actually put Sirius away on?" She asked, with a great deal of effort to make the question sound casual and not sharply pointed.

The man ran a hand through his short sandy hair, and sighed deeply. His face was a renaissance masterpiece of grief "The thing is, I don't know that he did betray Harry's parents. There was never any evidence to prove it other than the fact that he had been their secret keeper. He should have been the only person able to reveal their location. I don't know how You-know-who found out where your parents were hiding Harry, but I'd bet my life that he didn't find out from Sirius" he shook his head sadly.

Hermione was stunned at his conviction in his friend's innocence "Then why is he in prison if he didn't actually do it?" She asked quietly, with the genuine innocent curiosity of her age.

He smiled at her wryly "The real reason he sits in Azkaban is that there were witnesses to him murdering our friend Peter that same night after the Potters were killed by you-know-who, and over a dozen nearby muggles were killed as well in the blast that took Pete out. He is inarguably guilty of that, whether he was in his right mind at the time or not. They say he was laughing like a madman when the aurors brought him in, loudly confessing to the crime to anyone who would listen. What I believe is much more likely than him ever actually having betrayed James and Lilly is that the Black madness must have finally overtaken him when he realized they were gone, and he turned on our friend mistakenly or in confusion. I wish I'd been there, maybe I could have helped him, maybe Peter would still be alive, maybe we'd have answers"

She had nothing else clever or prying that she could think of to say to that, and let the silence settle around them. Harry nudged her leg with his foot, and she jolted at the light impact "What does it mean that Sirius was their secret keeper? Is that an official title?" She rushed out, not taking the time to couch her question as casual conversation like before, and he looked over at her amused and fond. A hearty belly laugh bubbled up out of him "You are a devious little Black after all aren't you, far too curious for your own good" and she scowled, equally peeved at him for being perceptive and herself for blowing her own cover. He shook his head and took his wand out, drawing glowing pictures in the air in front of them of a house and a man and then animating them.

"The spell that was used to hide Harry's parents is called the fidelius charm, and the way it works is that the knowledge of a location is removed from the mind and memory of anyone who has ever known it except for a single person. No one can speak it, or write it, or even read it if it's right in front of them except for that person. That person is the only one who can in any way communicate where the location is, and they have to willingly reveal it. It can't be forced or tortured from them, and they can't be tricked into telling it. The secret keeper hides all knowledge of it in their very soul. Sirius was the secret keeper for the location of their house in Godric's Hollow during the last few years of the war, when we found out that You-Know-Who was targeting your parents. The only possible explanation for how he found out where you were is that Sirius told him, but like I said, it doesn't make sense. He'd have died before he betrayed his friends. Something must have happened, or changed. I don't know what"

She sat back and pondered this with fascination, with a fuller picture of events it really was quite the pickle. A man desperate to find a secret and a man who swore not to give it to him; an immovable force and an unstoppable object "There has to be another variable" she found herself whispering as the thought came to her. The man looked at her sharply "What did you say?" He demanded harshly, to which her father grumbled low at him for his tone.

She shrugged her shoulders up to her ears, suddenly shy "Well there has to have been another factor at play. It's just simple logic, like the kind you use in maths or physics if you will. If Sirius wouldn't have given up the secret, and you-know-who had the secret, then someone else must have been able to give it away. He can't have been the only person who had it" she argued defensively. Another thought occurred to her "Did anyone ever ask him why he went after your friend Peter? Maybe that's why, maybe he had the secret too and was the one who really gave it away. Can a single place have two secret keepers?"

All three of them looked at her with different types of surprise on their faces. Her brother looked at her wide-eyed and awed like she was a genius, which was fair and correct. Her father looked at her with contemplative approval, as if to say that he found her reasoning sound and had reached a similar conclusion, which delighted her. The loner however, looked at her with such an intensely resonant desperation she was taken aback "Yes, that's exactly what I tried to tell people for years and no one listened to me!" He nearly bellowed, and she growled in response to his unwelcome energy, causing him to back up and raise his hands in submission.

He swallowed roughly and looked away "Sorry, I just… everything I've done for the last decade has been to either try and find Harry or try and figure out what really happened with Sirius. Every single time I expressed doubt, people told me I was seeing the boy I knew instead of the man he'd become, that I was blinded by our years of friendship. Even others who didn't think he could have done it told me I was wasting my time!" He was on the verge of tears, and she felt cruel for having pushed him the way she had.

"I'm sorry Mr Lupin, that sounds very frustrating" she turned wild overwhelmed eyes towards her father, begging him to carry the conversation somewhere less fraught and he nodded subtly at her before pushing her off his lap and onto the bench next to him. He rose and passed around her to kneel in front of the man, placing a hand on the back of his neck and pushing their foreheads together. He resisted at first, but gave in limply with a shudder. Her father's voice was gentle when he spoke.

"You've been alone for a long time Remus, but you don't have to be anymore. What I did to you was wrong, I bit you to teach your father a lesson that he refused to learn, and it instead became a punishment that fell solely on your shoulders. Although I consider the wolf to be a gift, I know you see it as a curse, and I owe you a debt of honor for burdening you with it. Come stay here with us, help our magical children learn and in return let me teach you how to make peace with your wolf. I see your scars, I know how hard your transformations must be and I grieve for you, because they don't have to be. They shouldn't be. A balanced wolf at peace with themself transforms as easily as breathing, and needs no poison to keep their own mind under the moon"

Huge wet tears rolled down the man's face, and he keened lowly, and her father shushed him and continued softly "Let the past be behind us, and you can have a home here. Lay your burdens down and rest, heal the wounds that the war between your man and your wolf have ravaged on your heart"

Hermione took her brother's hand and squeezed it tight, and they scampered away to give the two men some privacy.