Wolfblood

CHAPTER TWENTY

Page count: 12

"What's up?" Derek asked her the moment he stepped into the cottage, quickly picking up on the fact that not only had Hermione been crying, but that there was a second unidentifiable scent in the room.

He unclipped the lead from Magic's collar, placed their lunch on the coffee table and then moved to sit beside Hermione on the couch and she moved closer to him, leaning against him and pressing her ear over his chest as he wrapped an arm around her.

"While you were gone I got a surprise visit from Andy," she told him. "She came through the floo and she's the only one to have access."

"That explains the second scent in the room," he mused. "What did she want? To visit?"

"No," she shook her head. "She'll ill, Derek," she said quietly. "She was cursed during the war by Bellatrix, she's Andy's sister and when Andy married a Muggleborn wizard, she was blasted off the family tree and disowned. When Bellatrix found out that her Half-blood niece married a werewolf, she sent Andy a cursed package. The healers have been able to stop it from spreading for years but now treatment's failing. The curse is attacking her magic, not only weakening it, but her body, too. She's losing her magic, Derek, and within a year or two she'll be a Squib, that's if she survives it. Magic's what keeps us alive so it could very well kill her. She never told me, she's kept it a secret from everyone for years," she spoke and he felt her tears hitting his t-shirt and leaving damp spots behind and he hugged her tighter to him. "She gave me this," she said, lifting a letter up for him to see.

The front of the envelope said, 'Hermione, my fierce cub,' and he just knew it was from her Alpha.

"It was the last thing he wrote before he died. Remus' and Tonks' last wish is that I be granted custody of Teddy should anything happen to them or Andy."

"And she may be dying?" He said softly.

She nodded. "Please don't be mad at me," she whispered, pulling back from him slightly to see his questioning gaze. "Andy told me Teddy's not been doing well, he's not the same since I left, and Harry told her that Ginny's pregnant with their first child. He all but told Andy he wouldn't be visiting Teddy because he had to look after Ginny," she said. A growl rumbled in his chest at the news. "Teddy's too young to understand anything that's happening, he needs me; they both do. Andy told me that she was thinking of moving to Beacon Hills, she wants me to be close by should anything happen to her."

"And you told her that they could stay here," he stated knowingly.

She nodded, sniffled and wiped at her face with her sleeve. "Are you mad at me?"

"No," he said sincerely. "That kid's all you have left of your old pack; I understand your need to want him close by, especially if you're to be his guardian should anything happen to his Grandmother. I imagine it'll take a little getting used to, but they're still your family."

"Thank you," she told him, snuggling up to him again. "We'll have to move your stuff into my room, I said Andy could have your old room and Teddy's moving into the room beside the nursery. When the time comes and it's needed, I'll just call the contractors back to see what they can do for us."

"When are they coming?"

"Today, Andy's gone home to pack and then she's coming back with Teddy. She's already gotten her affairs in order, so I expect them to be here in an hour or two. Given the time difference Teddy'll be exhausted so he'll have to go straight to bed."

"Come on, then, let's have lunch and get this place sorted for its new residents."

~000~000~000~

Hermione heard the floo roar to life and after she put the last of Derek's t-shirts away, she left her bedroom and made her way to the living room with Derek following behind her after he'd told Magic to stay where he was until he was called for.