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Hermione nibbled on her lower lip as she held Teddy in her arms. The little boy had his head buried into the crook of her shoulder, the loud noises around them, not bothering the snoozing youngster.
"I'm really worried about him," Hermione whispered as her gaze moved from across the backyard of the Burrow to the wizard standing next to her.
Remus wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I am too," he whispered in reply.
They both turned to face the wizard in question as Bill stood next to his father, barely participating in Arthur's nearly one-sided conversation.
"If he keeps withdrawing in on himself," Hermione muttered with a frown, "pretty soon, we'll never see him."
"I know."
"We need to do something."
"I know."
Hermione turned to face Remus again. "I want to do something to help him."
Remus smiled down at her. "I know you do, love."
"No, Remus. I mean now."
"We can't right now," Remus sighed.
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "And why not?"
"Because it's your best friend's birthday party and only three days after the full moon." Remus leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "I've been thinking about some conversations I've had with Bill recently, along with some observations, and I think I've figured out what's going on. If I'm right, and I'm pretty sure I am, then I have an idea, but we'll discuss it later."
Hermione opened her mouth to argue, but Remus placed a finger against her lips. "I promise," he told her. "It's been almost a year since the last of the funerals from the war ended, and it's Harry's nineteenth birthday today, so it's a happy occasion. Now, let's enjoy the rest of the party."
Hermione smiled, her lips shifting against his finger. "Okay."
Bill was restless. He had been ever since the attack by Greyback two years ago at Hogwarts. And tonight his agitation was at its peak.
Once the shock of the attack wore off, Bill learned that he didn't turn into a werewolf as Remus or Ron's girlfriend Lavender did, but instead he only had some of the traits of those that fully turned. After a lengthy discussion with Remus, Bill learned that the restlessness that those that turned dealt with was usually only felt right before and after the full moon. Bill, on the other hand, experienced it all the time.
He had hoped that by marrying Fleur, his inner wolf wouldn't feel so agitated and could settle down. Unfortunately, he was wrong. Just weeks after the end of the war, Bill and Fleur split amicably as his marriage with the beautiful Veela was not enough to appease the wolf that was now within him. Once she was gone, he realised that her Veela pheromones were masking the scents of those around him and making everything more difficult on his wolf.
Stepping out into the warm late August evening, Bill yanked his t-shirt over his head and tossed it onto the hall table. He closed the front door of Shell Cottage, the lock sliding into place silently. Waving his wand, he secured his home and started down the few steps that lead to the beach.
Even though he and Fleur had bought this place together, he hadn't wanted to sell it after she left. Not only was it a beautiful building, but it provided the solitude he'd been craving recently. Plus, it was his home. He could easily visit his parents at the Burrow or any of his siblings via the Floo Network or even a short Apparition trip, but even then, those visits were few and far between.
Those visits were becoming fewer and fewer as the months wore on.
Bill shook his head to clear away that train of thought. He hurried down the handful of steps that led to the beach before quickly removing his shoes and socks and then stuffing them underneath the stairs.
One thing he had learned over the years was that physical exercise helped give him a reprieve from the restlessness even if it was only for a few hours. And with his uneasiness always at its peak on the full moon, Bill would spend hours jogging up and down the coastline until he nearly passed out. He would then head home and collapse into bed.
Tonight he planned to run along a route he hadn't been on in months, and he was looking forward to the path.
When he first started running, he quickly learned that the feeling of sand in his shoes and socks was not the most pleasant of sensations, so he ran barefoot. The feeling of his feet pounding against the earth also made his inner wolf happier.
As he continued along his route, Bill was able to feel his mind shift focus. Or rather shift back to what he had been thinking about earlier. His reluctance to visit the Burrow when he knew they would be there.
After Fleur's pheromones left his system, Bill quickly realised he had a problem on his hands. He had assumed that because he wasn't a full werewolf that he wouldn't be affected by the pull that many that were turned experienced. Some people called them mates, but Bill didn't see it that way as there wasn't one specific person for each wolf.
It was a little more complicated than that. For many werewolves, there were certain people out there that they would be drawn to that would relieve some of the tension. It's almost like they were there to balance the afflicted person's inner beast.
And that's where his problems started; it was months ago that he realised who it was that he was drawn to. He had been ready to approach them when he realised something that no one else knew. Hermione and Remus were closer than anyone suspected. While he knew nothing more than healing and moving on had been happening between them, he didn't want to come between the two of them. Especially if what they had could provide Teddy with a mum in the future. So he kept his distance as much as possible without drawing attention to his absence.
Hermione sat quietly on the stairs of Shell Cottage, waiting for Bill's return. She had just arrived at the edge of his wards when she watched him take off up the coastline. Knowing that he would likely be a while, Hermione had settled down to wait. After all, she was a witch on a mission.
Over the past year that she had spent with Remus healing from the war, she learned quite a bit about what he dealt with not only every month but on a daily basis too.
When Hermione had returned from Australia weeks after the war ended empty-handed, Remus was the first person to offer her a place to stay for as long as she needed. At first, the Weasleys had been shocked by her acceptance, but when she reminded them that not only would Teddy be there, but Andromeda lived with her son-in-law and grandson too.
The decision was one of the best she ever made in her life. The time she spent with Andromeda and Remus really helped the young which to put things into perspective. She no longer had her parents as the memory charm she placed on them could not be reversed, and her other friends we're dealing with their own grief in their own way. As was how her parents taught her, Hermione made sure to be there for anyone that she could, but Andromeda and Remus provided the balm for her soul to recover from what she'd done.
And then there was Teddy. The joy that the adorable baby brought to their lives helped them to deal with the survivor's guilt the three adults felt. Remus had watched as his wife's own aunt slaughtered the mother of I'm his infant son. He too had been nearly taken out by the same wizard that gave Hermione the scar that shimmered an unnatural shade of purple along her collarbone. Andromeda lost her beloved Ted less than two months before she lost her only child.
Even now, they still struggled with their inner demons, but every day was a little bit better than the day before.
Now was the time for Hermione and Remus to complete the path they started on upon her return. The day after Harry's party, Remus explained what he had been able to figure out about Bill. Realising he was probably right, Hermione was eager to see if it was true.
Remus had explained what he knew, along with what his own inner wolf had been telling him. That admission alone got Hermione on board with Remus' idea. She could remember how the older wizard used to think of himself and the wolf within him, and now, the two existed much better. Remus didn't try to fight the wolf, and the wolf learned to tolerate the man he inhabited.
When she asked him what had happened, he explained the phenomenon that he called soul healers. She found the subject absolutely fascinating as outside of werewolves, not many people knew about it. To know that there were people out there that could help heal the rift between man and beast made her happy. Especially when she learned that she was one of Remus'. Tonks had been his first, and it was the Hufflepuff witch who made such a change in him.
After Remus told her his thoughts on Bill, she was pretty sure that he was right, the eldest Weasley son was missing that person. When Remus told her who he thought it was, she had been shocked, but at the same time, she hoped he was right.
To be a soul healer for two different werewolves was an honour.
The faint sound of feet pounding against the sand below, pulled Hermione from her thoughts. Suddenly, they stopped. She looked up but didn't see anyone.
"I can smell you," Bill's voice called from the side of his home, "what do you want, Hermione?"
He slowly stepped out, the rising sun highlighting the scars on his face and emphasising the weary look on his face.
Standing up, Hermione turned to face him. "I come with an offer, from Remus and me."
"Oh? And what's that?"
"You, of course, know about the so-called werewolf mate, but have you ever heard of a werewolf having more than one?"
He stared at bet for a few moments, and when she didn't back down, Bill finally said, "I have heard of a werewolf being drawn to more than one person, which is why I don't call them a mate. Why?"
"Remus and I think we're yours, and you and I are his. Or at least two more of Remus', because he said Tonks was one of his too. He calls them soul healers, which I think is more appropriate, don't you?"
Bill stared at her in confusion. "What are you trying to say?"
Hermione stepped closer to him and grasped his hands. Looking into his eyes, she added, "You belong with Remus and I."
His confusion morphed into shock. "What?"
"We want to be a triad with you," Remus said as he joined them now that his transformation was over. "What do you say?"
Hermione and Remus watched as emotions flickered across Bill's face as he processed what they said.
"Soul healers, you say?"
At Remus' nod, Bill looked down at Hermione, and he gave the only answer that he knew was right for him, and his inner wolf, "Yes."