Pack Mother

by tessmarie9

Summary:

Four years after the Battle of Hogwarts Hermione and her adoptive son, Teddy Lupin, move to Beacon Hills. At first she thinks it’s the perfect small town for her to settle down in. Then bodies start showing up every other night and teenagers are disappearing left and right. She wants to leave but she sort-of kidnapped an abused teenager and this is his home. Isaac won’t leave his friends.

Hermione and Teddy quickly fall into the world of supernatural beings. The witch is unable to turn her back on the group of teenagers scrambling to keep each other alive. One handsome, broody werewolf reluctantly helps.

Chapter 1

It’s a pleasantly warm spring afternoon. As Hermione and Teddy are leaving the park the ice cream truck drives by. Teddy’s eyes light up as soon as he hears the music and Hermione’s willing to indulge in a few treats for the walk home. 

The brunette has no idea which flavor the teenager would appreciate but after a moment of debate she settles for a plain chocolate popsicle. Her time at Hogwarts taught her most teenage boys hardly ever turn down food. After the truck pulls away she casts a wandless cooling charm to keep the treats from melting. 

The cemetery is two streets over from the park and perhaps it’s odd to stop by every few days but Teddy practically vibrates with excitement every time he sees the excavator. 

The first time, Hermione had been slightly embarrassed to approach the young boy working but she’d do anything for her little man. To her great relief the teenager, Isaac, was incredibly sweet and showed Teddy the differing parts and answered all his questions.

The witch was halfway distracted the entire meeting. She could hear his thoughts and while Hermione desperately tried to ignore it, they were practically screaming at her. 

She felt momentarily apologetic towards Draco Malfoy. When he told her during their Eighth Year that she needed to practice occlumency because he was getting a migraine from how loud her thoughts were she nearly punched him in the face again. There was no possible way her thoughts echoed as he suggested. Even if they did, he should politely ignore them.

However, after a few days of deliberation the witch accosted him in the library to inform him he’d be teaching her if he wanted her silence. In his precarious position, he reluctantly agreed. It was far more complicated than she anticipated but by graduation she was well practiced in Occlumency and Legilimency. 

Hermione thought Isaac would be annoyed that Teddy and her interrupted his shift but even his thoughts were kind. She’d been able to sense great fear of someone but in all the following visits she hadn’t been able to figure out who. The brunette refused to further violate his privacy by purposely infiltrating his mind without his consent.

The witch internally panicked when she discovered he knew about werewolves. Apparently he was offered the bite and it took everything to keep her mouth shut that day. Whatever fear he felt was driving him towards acceptance.

Isaac reminded her a little of Harry. His desire to help and care about others. The boy’s bone deep desire for a family bond like her and her godson shared. Both young men had striking green eyes. 

After a few weeks of sporadic visits, Hermione almost stopped allowing Teddy to see the teenager on the way home. She worried that eventually he’d grow tired of entertaining them. But his thoughts were always happy when he was with them. Something about their company brought him a sense of safety and peace. It was the deciding factor that before he agreed to anything supernatural she would reveal her secret. The boy deserved to know he had more options if he was in need.

The Statue of Secrecy could be damned if a child she cared for needed help. Besides, worse case scenario a simple Oblivate could fix the problem. Not that she enjoyed altering people’s minds, but time has proven she’s especially gifted with those spells. 

The woman is completely unprepared to see Issac step out of the excavator with a black eye and blue and yellow bruises littered across his cheekbone and jaw.

The blonde’s delighted smile falters as her jaw drops open with a sharp gasp.

Hermione’s hand automatically lifts to inspect his injured face. Her movement causes the boy to flinch backwards a step. The witch’s heart hammers hard against her ribs as she fights to remain calm. Fury and concern war so fiercely in her chest she has to force her arms to remain still at her side.

“You’re hurt.” Teddy says before he walks forward to hug Isaac’s legs. “Hugs make you feel better.”

Isaac’s lips twitch. “You’re right, buddy. Thank you. I feel much better.”

“What happened?” Hermione asks. It’s more of a croak than words but she’s completely thrown by the sight in front of her.

“Nothing.” The teen answers too quickly. “Lacrosse accident.” 

But his mind races with thoughts of an older man. A man that was supposed to care for him but didn’t. A man that harmed his own son, regularly. 

Gods, Hermione wants to go to this boy’s home and rip his father apart. But Isaac needs her more. Needs someone to protect and care for him before anything else. She wonders distantly how afraid he must have been to unknowingly bury that knowledge so deep he hasn’t even hinted towards the truth in his thoughts until now.

Isaac’s earthy eyes shift nervously between her whiskey ones and the ground in her silence. His hands clench and stretch over and over at his sides. Eventually his gaze pauses on the item in her hand. “You didn’t eat your ice cream?”

“I got it for you.” She whispers while holding it out for him.

“For me?”

The suspicious disbelief in his tone breaks her heart. 

“It’s a little warm today and you work outside. I wasn’t sure what flavor you like but I figure almost no one turns down chocolate.” Her smile is sad but earnest. 

Isaac swallows thickly before accepting the sweet. “Chocolate is great, thanks.”

Teddy, never one to be left out of the conversation long, interrupts, “I had a superhero popsicle!”

The blonde teen laughs as the little boy holds up his hands to display the red, sticky evidence. Despite the tension he still sounds genuine.

Hermione can’t send Isaac home to be abused. She’d rather face his father herself without a wand before subjecting the sweet boy to that fate another night. As much as she’d like to, she can’t just bring him home and not allow him to see his father again. That feels too much like kidnapping. Turning his father in, which knowing Harry she doubts Isaac would do if he hasn’t already, would place him in someone else’s care who doesn’t know about the supernatural or magical worlds. She is the best option for him. Plus, the brunette sees the way Teddy adores him. If adding another lost soul to their family benefits everyone, it’s a really easy decision to make despite it being such a life-altering one. 

“Teddy, do you want to see if you can find any grasshoppers?” Hermione asks, knowing her little bear is in a massive bug phase.

“Yes!” The toddler squeals in excitement before squatting down in the grass to begin looking.

Hermione pulls her wand out of her sleeve and verbally cast a Muffliato charm. Isaac, who had been staring at his ice cream, glances up to watch anxiously.

“I hadn’t planned on telling you like this. But I’m afraid it’s time.” She watches in a mixture of horror and awe as the teens face instantly becomes blank. “I know you were offered a werewolf bite.” Isaac looks around like he’s about to bolt but Hermione grips his hand loosely to keep him from escaping.

“It’s okay! I’ve met a werewolf before. He was one of the greatest men I’ve ever known. If it’s a choice you want to make then I’ll support you - always.” The witch continues determined. “But I don’t want you to accept it thinking it’s your only choice. I knew you were afraid of something but I swear I never knew you were being harmed or I absolutely would’ve done something sooner. I wish there was a way I could ease you into this but, I have magic. I’m a witch. The good kind. Not the kind you see on the telly. I can protect you. I want to protect you!”

Isaac looks only mildly disbelieving. After all, if he’s aware of werewolves surely witches aren’t that far of a stretch.

“Magic?”

Hermione uses her wand to conjure her favorite bluebell flames. Once the magical fire lights in her palms she holds them out expectantly, “These are a favorite of mine. Fire that’s warm, waterproof, and you can touch it.” 

The blonde gapes before reaching out a hand. As his fingertips graze the flames without burning a surprised and joyful sounds bursts from his lips. 

“Can you do more?”

“Yes. Much more.” Hermione warms from seeing the same sense of wonder she felt as a child reflected on his face. “I have spells that can ensure the man that hurt you will never be able to harm you again.” The brunette bites her lower lip before continuing nervously, “Admittedly, in this situation I’d prefer to use the kind of magic that’ll never let him find you again.”

Isaac stares at her for a long while. The witch doesn’t fidget but she does check on Teddy who is holding up a plucked flower for her to see. She smiles at the little boy then turns back to the teen. 

“He’s my dad.” He says in some undeserved form of loyalty.

Hermione steps closer and Isaac stiffens but doesn’t retreat. “A parent should never, under any circumstance, hurt their child.”

The blonde looks unseeingly over her shoulder and Hermione begs, “Please let me help you.” 

Gritting his teeth he bitterly responds, “I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

Slowly, as not to spook him, she rests a hand on his bicep. “Teddy and I have a spare room. If you’re willing, I’d love for you to stay with us.”

“You trust a teenager you barely know to move in with you and your son?” 

The fact that he’s considering it already makes Hermione’s stomach churn. If it’s this simple to convince him, how bad was it for him at home?

“I know you well enough. I know you’d never intentionally harm myself or Teddy. Everything else we can learn together.” 

Isaac nods in confirmation. Then he asks pointedly, “And if I decide to take the bite?”

“It’s completely your decision. Either way we can make it work.” Hermione shrugs nonchalantly.

“I have questions. About you, the things you know, everything.” 

“I’d be more concerned if you didn’t.” Hermione laughs slightly strained. “I’ll answer any question you have. Do you have to work much longer or can we head to your house so I can handle your dad?” 

“I can leave early. Are you going to hurt him?”

“No. As much as I might want to, I only use my magic against others if it’s completely necessary.” Hermione cancels the muffling charm. “Teddy, let’s go love. We are going to help Issac pack up his stuff.” 

The toddler jumps up in excitement and runs to take the teen by the hand.

“Oh, darling let me clean your hands before you grab him!” Hermione speaks frazzled.

Teddy expectantly holds up his messy limbs and Hermione charms them clean before stashing her wand in her sleeve. The toddler looks at the shocked teen then scolds, “We’re not supposed to do magic in front of muggles, Mimi.” 

The witch raises a brow at his sass, “Isaac wants to learn about magic so it’s okay. But no one else unless I say so!”

The little boy nods and bounces over to take Isaac’s hand. The young man holds the popsicle between his teeth so he can use his free one to ruffle Teddy’s shaggy hair. Hermione smiles at the sight before admitting her plan.

“Fair warning, I am going to use magic to persuade your father to release his parental rights and sign over guardianship to me. I’m going to use additional magic at the courthouse tomorrow morning on anyone necessary to ensure it sticks.”

For the first time, Isaac seems appropriately alarmed but also oddly accepting. “Right. Okay.”

Notes:

Hello, if you follow my other works you might be noticing a theme. I started reading cross over fics about two weeks ago and was super disappointed to discover the limited amount of stories written with the pairings I was craving. So I’ve been in creation mode since then. Fair warning, I also have the first chapter of a TVD/HP story (Kol/Hermione) that’s going to be uploaded in the next few days. None of my works are abandoned, some are just slow flowing 💛

Chapter 2

It takes the trio less than ten minutes to walk to a surprisingly wealthy neighborhood. Teddy chatters about every car, flower, or streetlight that they pass. Hermione can’t help but notice that Isaac seems to slow as they inevitably grow closer to their destination.

Before long, Isaac stops in front of a brick house. It’s perfectly ordinary. A little bigger than her cottage, though by far the smallest house on the street. She’d consider it pretty if it weren’t for the horrors that she suspected took place inside. 

“Nevermind, we shouldn’t do this.” The blonde huffs as he skittishly searches their surroundings.

Hermione really doesn’t want to force Isaac. But it’s almost six. They only have a couple hours of sunlight left and while she’s not sure if the Laheys have some sort of unspoken agreement about Isaac staying elsewhere, they can’t delay this. If his father were to call the cops or come searching himself it allows for more people to be involved in this process than she wants. MACUSA would likely be informed if she has to Oblivate an entire police force and hack into the computers to delete all the accompanying files. The witch doesn’t wish to deal with all the questions and paperwork that investigation would invoke, best not to risk it.

“We can wait until you’re ready. But whatever happens today, know that it’s the end.” She wraps her arms around his own to steady him as she lowers her voice into something she hopes is soothing. “After today, our home will be yours. You’ll have a little brother figure to drive you endlessly crazy whom you’ll adore anyways. You’ll have me, too. And I vow that I will protect you as if you’ve always been a part of our family.” 

When the brunette finally tears her gaze away from the house she finds him studying her. His jaw is tight from restraint. 

She leans forward, like she’s bestowing a secret. The effect is slightly ruined considering he’s nearly a foot taller than her and she has tilt her head up to continue to face him. “This is the hard part. The beginning of the end. Depending on the memories, it may not always be easy for you. But it’ll get better.” 

The air around them is nearly as tense as Isaac’s shoulders. Teddy is using his hand to spin in circles. The toddler growing bored from the stillness but seeming to understand not to break it anyways. Isaac nods once before leading them to the door.

Hermione lifts Teddy into a playful twirl before following. Hoping to give Isaac a moment to collect himself. The witch points up at a few different clouds, drawing the toddler’s attention away, when the teen drops his keys at the door due to his shaky limbs. 

With the door unlocked, she is utterly unimpressed with the interior. It just isn’t - homey. The walls are mostly bare; a singular too small frame of a young woman with two boys on a wall over the couch, a lone clock by the table, and a calendar by the staircase.

There are no pillows or blankets on the older brown sofa. A respectable sized TV hangs over the fireplace to the right. A large wooden dining table sits with only four chairs to the left. A large door with a lock stands next to the table, she assumes it’s for the basement. Next to the door there’s a cut out in the wall allowing her to see the full outdated kitchen. And just before them is a staircase.

Isaac anxiously rubs the back of his neck as he checks the time.

“My dad should be home in 15 minutes or so.”

Hermione sets Teddy down and conjures two large boxes, which she hands to Isaac. A playful smile forms as he accepts them with an overstated amount of wariness.

“Teddy, can you go with Isaac to help him pack up his room?” Passing her purse to the boy she adds, “Anything that won’t fit in the box you can put in my bag. If it needs to be shrunk just set it by the door.”

“Yes ma’am. Is he staying with us long?”

Teddy had been overjoyed to learn Isaac was going to be moving in. During the walk  over he mentioned every toy in his room he was going to show the older boy. Not that she thinks Isaac heard much in his panic. But he nodded his head enough for Teddy to assume he’d been listening. 

From her peripheral, Hermione sees the teen’s head jerk from the window to them.

She brushes the chestnut curls from her little man’s eyes and pours as much affection into her words as possible, “For as long as he wants.”

Isaac is facing the window again when she stands. But his breathing has calmed considerably and his thoughts have quieted.

“Go pack up your room. If there’s anything you want in the house at all - any family heirlooms, your mother’s jewelry, any equipment or holiday supplies from the basement or attic, furniture, photo albums - anything at all, grab them. Even if you don’t end up using it, I’d prefer not to have to come back. But don’t take what you think you need if you don’t like it, we’ll buy you something new.”

“I can just take the boxes.” He assures. “We don’t have a car or anyway to get everything back. I don’t mind.”

“Magic can handle it.” Teddy responds with complete confidence as he starts for the stairs. “Is your room up here?”

Her boy disappears up the steps without a response and the teen looks to Hermione. It takes her a second to realize he’s nonverbally asking for permission. Her arms sweep out in a frenzied motion as she tries to keep her face from grimacing. 

“I’ll wait for your dad. Go on. Get anything you want.”

He steps around her but she’s surprised the boxes aren’t crushing under his white knuckled grip.

Isaac pauses with a foot on the first step. His mumbled thank you barely reaches her ears. Before she can respond he adds, “I’ll be fast. I can’t see why I’d need anything of my parents so it should only take me a minute to grab everything.” 

“Think long term, Isaac.” She wisely states as he starts to ascend the stairs with a hop only teenagers tend to possess, “What if you want to give a girl some family jewelry or ornaments one day?”

Hermione can’t stop the snort as his foot misses a stair and he stumbles. He barely manages to avoid fully crashing down by righting himself last minute with the railing. But it turns into a full bark of laughter as he glances back at her with wide-eyed horror. The teen flushes bright pink as he hurriedly picks up the boxes and rushes off to his room.

Boys, the witch thinks as she chuckles, muggle, wizard or werewolf they’re all the bloody same.

By the time Hermione gathers herself she hears the door creak open. The curly haired woman is entirely ill-prepared for the grey haired man to enter the house.

“Excuse me, who are you?”

Notes:

I’m back! So sorry for my long disappearance. The few opportunities I had to write just would not cooperate. I couldn’t find the proper words for any of the chapters I was trying to work on.

Just a reminder, none of my works are abandoned. I am hopefully going to send out another update on a couple different stories soon.

Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays!