Hunter and Prey

Hermione had her week off and thanked the Fates every day that she was a witch. How women managed newborns without magic she did not know. The triplets made a fiercesome amount of laundry. One parent would need as many arms as Devi to manage. On Day Four of her rest, after she had sent out every Malfoy owl with correspondence, Hermione geared up to go into London.

This caused some conflict as Draco was informed he was not required. Hermione was informed she was mistaken. The dispute was resolved with a compromise. She would pick and pay for what she liked in Muggle London. He would do the same in Diagon Alley. Neither would protest beyond a raised eyebrow the other’s purchases. The system worked though seeing Draco swank around grinning when wizards she hardly knew congratulated them made Hermione want to roll her eyes.

True to herself, Hermione went back to work at the end of the week. She fed the babies and not without a pang flooed to Carlisle. Constantin Vlahoc, the Acting Acting Lead Researcher, greeted her at the door and kissed her hand. Everything had been filed then refiled after the Aurors had finished fossicking. They had sealed Basingly’s office during the investigation and had only allowed access again yesterday.

The field teams were all checked in and the researchers had been reading journals for the past fortnight. Hermione called a really big meeting. Except for confirmed sightings, all SMS field personnel were relocating to Scotland for Project Hound. Aerial sweeps in a grid pattern so they could maintain integrity for night flying. It was time to test Scotia team’s tandem technique; one flying, one wand ready. There would be a refresher seminar on GPS and location charms.

Hermione emphasised there would be no pursuit closer than rifle range and any contact even a suspicious noise would be called in immediately. This was a high risk capture. Anyone who wished to refuse to go into the field would be temporarily reassigned to coordination without prejudice.

With the roster sorted, Hermione called all the qualified shooters into her office for a briefing on the darts Neville had made for the SMS. They were toxic and would not be used on anything other than Fenrir Greyback. Any doubt, no shot. The aconite tincture was painful and debilitating; if their target had not been so dangerous she would not have issued the compound.

The Department for Scientific Magical Studies got to work. Hermione had assigned the shooters with the most war experience to the night shifts, herself included. Werewolves were largely nocturnal and as Greyback knew he was being hunted he would be particularly wary. She did not expect to find him quickly but they would only need to find him once.

The penultimate full moon of the year approached quickly. Hermione had the lunar phases noted closely. Her routine did not change. She got up early to nurse the babies, who were much healthier than fully human infants would be at their age. They were feeding about every two hours with mum providing the drinks four times a day. Madam Pomfrey had popped in to help a few days after the birth and again a few days before the full moon so she was as prepared as she could be.

Alek changed first, twitching and crying. His siblings were not far behind him. Hermione asked the house elves to put the triplets in the same cot for the three nights and she watched anxiously as the little ones trembled. She had seen Fenrir Greyback change and Remus as well. It had been quite different for Professor Lupin than the werewolf who had bitten him. For her children, it looked like they were having a seizure as they metamorphosed gradually into wolf cubs.

For no sensible reason, Hermione started to cry. Draco put his arms around her and helped her bottle feed the fuzzy bundles before taking her to bed. The next night she was more composed, taking notes so she could learn to read the changes. She petted them. It was much easier to tell them apart in cub form. Alexander was chocolate brown, Rosalind was bronze and Jonas was sandy furred. All had their eyes tight closed and cute stubby ears.

They changed back with the same amount of fuss before dropping into sleep. They did not seem distressed by the change and Hermione had hopes none of them would experience the transitions as trauma. She would like to have a cure before they were old enough to understand they were different but that might not happen. All she could do was ensure they were properly socialised. Definitely need to think about buying a house with a bigger back yard, the witch thought.

The third night of the full moon was the easiest. The babies barely noticed the change. She was almost certain Jonas slept through his metamorphosis. Once her youngest woke up, they all fed strongly. Teething was going to be a nightmare. Granny Granger’s method of a brandy soaked sock was not going to suit.

Feeling much more in command, Hermione spent the night in Draco’s bed before returning to her own suite to get ready for work. She could handle this, she told herself with confidence. It would not be easy but it was doable. Once Greyback was in custody and she was back in her own home she would need to hire help. That would be a problem but maybe Dobby would like some work. He was trustworthy. For the rest of the moon, an ordinary mother’s helper would do fine. Her positive attitude lasted the whole day right up to her night shift.