A/N: remember that one time my husband broke our only computer on accident? And I couldn't freaking update my story forever. Sot hen I had to do it on my iPhone? Yeah...that was NOT a good time. here is an adorable flash back. I promise to update again later this next week.

-Sierra Emilie

disclosure: i own nothing. JK is queeeeeen.

Hermione was trying her absolute best to live in the now. It all felt like a giant joke considering her "now" was the past. She had plenty of things she should be worrying about, like how to get home for example. Yet here she was, the brightest witch of her age, fretting over a school dance. She knew who she wanted to go with. Unfortunately, said person was being absolutely awkward whenever she was around. Hermione had doubts about that kiss. did he even like her like that? Was it just a moment of weakness? Perhaps he was just having trouble coming to terms with everything. She couldn't blame Remus, but the other boys were handling the time travel thing pretty well. This Remus was so different and yet so similar to the Future version. He often looked at her with uncertainty, or as if she were another creature. Oh the irony of it all.

So Hermione did what she does best. Distract herself with schoolwork and reading while ignoring conversation on the nerve wracking subject. Apparently school functions such as this were reoccurring in the late 70's. Hermione remembered her fourth year Yule Ball. She truly felt beautiful that night. That is, until Ronald butchered her happy feelings with his own insecurities. Viktor was...interesting. He was also her first kiss. But with the dance a week from that Friday, she had the feeling of Dejavu. Remus had yet to ask her and frankly she wasn't sure if he would. She was going to Hogsmead with Alice and Lilly, her door mates to pick out dresses. That was the extent she was allowing herself to think about the dance. If she was honest with herself, she was seriously disappointed. She was going dateless. Lilly accepted Severus's invitation and Alice had Frank Longbottom. She hated all these girly feelings and planned on drinking lots of butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks to drown her angst.

"Can you please tell me what your problem is? If you don't ask her, someone else will." Sirius scolded his sandy haired friend.

"yeah Mate! We've all got dates! Even Peter! Your first choice might even say yes!" James said a little bitterly. Evans turned him down, and was going with some Ravenclaw muggle born.
Remus raked his fingers thru his hair over and over again. He wanted to ask her. She was beautiful, so smart and incredibly kind. She was also from the future and he would be lying if he said that didn't bother him some. She knew everything about everyone, and it had sort of out a damper on their friendship. His three best friends didn't feel bothered by it. The wolf inside was making things even worse. Moony had decided that Hermione was their mate. Mate!No choice in the situation whatsoever for the both of them. He couldn't get close because once he fell for her like he knew he would, he wouldn't be able to let go. The possessiveness he felt for her scared him. He fought the feeling and that made Moony livid. His best mates had no idea of this internal battle. He hadn't even told them about the kiss.
"I don't think she'd say yes." Was his answer every time this conversation was brought up. It was lame and he knew it but his friends didn't press any further.

Hermione walked to dinner with her nose in a book? She had mastered walking and reading around her second year. She expertly avoided missing steps on the staircases while she remained lost in the world of a handsome Mr. Darcy. She didn't notice the 7th year Gryffindor hiding behind a tapestry on the third floor. Nor did she notice when he jumped out in front of her. That is, until she ran straight into his surprisingly hard chest. Hermione yelped back in surprise and would have called to the floor had the boy not caught her around the waist. Slowly, she looked into his face. She fought the urge to jump again. Standing in front of her was the exact replica of Cormac McLaggen, fiercely handsome and smirking at her. She realized she had sort of been gawking at him and finally spoke.

"uhm. Sorry for running into you." She said shyly.

"Not to worry. You're Hermione right?" He asked. She noticed straight away that Calum lacked the cockiness his son had. That was refreshing.

"I am. I'm sorry, but I don't know your name." She held her book closely to her chest.

"Names Calum McLaggen." He said as he reached out a hand to shake her hand. He gave her a warm smile that made her insides squirm.

"Anyway, I was wondering if a pretty Lass like yourself had a date to the dance? I'm sorry I'm asking so late, but it's taken me awhile to get the nerve to ask ye."

"I don't have a date." Hermione said. She bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from smiling like an idiot.

"Did ye want to go with me?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck in what she assumed was a nervous habit of his.

Hermione tried to play off like this was no big deal He was asking, but her rapid heartbeat said otherwise.

"yes. That would be nice." She said with a small smile.
Calum grinned like the Cheshire Cat. He gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek before walking with her to the Great Hall. Hermione was blushing uncontrollably, feeling much better than she had that morning.

Remus knew she entered the Great Hall when he caught a whiff of her vanilla scent. He almost chocked on his dinner roll when he saw her with McLaggen. She was giggling and blushing at something he said. Suddenly his appetite was lost and he pushed his plate away with a little too much force. Hermione came skipping over to the table and sat across from him. He must have had a fierce look in his eyes because she turned away quickly. She sat there chatting up the other Mauraders about their dates. Laughing that stupid laugh he loved so much. Refusing to meet his gaze again, but played with her hair nervously. She ate in a rush saying she was meeting someone in the Library.

"See you later Remus." She said sadly, making him feel extremely guilty. Remus gave her a forced smile, but it seemed to cheer her up.

The girls successfully found their dresses, indulged in girl talk, and stumbled happily back to the castle. The week flew by quickly, filled with the latest gossip about Calum and Hermione. It wasn't every day the hottest, popular Gryffindor Quidditch captain asks the nerdy bookworm to a dance. It was just like the beginning of the year when everyone talked about the new girl. Three out of four Marauders teased playfully about her date. The fourth one continued to be extremely cold towards her and she couldn't help but feel angry towards him. Remus had no right to be acting so...jealous. He never made his feelings known and that wasn't her fault. She woke up early that Friday morning feeling excited. Her dress was sort of sexier than she intended it to be but she felt gorgeous and confident in it. It was a vibrant red number that hugged her hips, ended just above her knee. It had a sweetheart neckline and thick straps. She paired the dress with simple black heels. Her hair was left in a faux bob with soft, vintage finger waves. She felt glamorous. Lilly wore a flowery green dress that matched her eyes and Alice went with a simple yet elegant, little black dress. When the girls walked down the stairs to the Great Hall, they were met with stares. Every head turned. That sort of thing does wonders for a girl's confidence. The Mauraders were standing very close to Calum, who was gaping at her like a fish. He seemed to catch himself, and offered her a warm smile. James was ogling Lilly, completely lost for words and Hermione saw her blush for a minute before looking for her date. Frank and Alice ran off somewhere, probably to snog. Hermione couldn't help but feel a bit awkward with her four boys standing so close to her date.

"Mione! You look foxy!" Sirius said with a whistle. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Don't you boys have dates waiting?" She asked, hoping they would take the hint to leave. It was only then did she notice the fierce gaze coming from Remus. She shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably.

"Yes well first we had to have a talk with McLaggen here." James said in a warning tone as he smacked Calum on the back roughly.

"Have her home by 10." Sirius said with a wink.

"Oh honestly..." Hermione grumbled.

"Alright. 10:30. Have funny kids. And behave!" James said as he dragged his friends away from the couple. Remus needing a little more force than the other two.

"Sorry about them." Hermione said, a blush creeping up to her cheeks.

"Not a problem. I think it's kind of sweet that they look out for you. I didn't get to say it's yet, but you look beautiful." Calum offered her his arm and they made their way inside the hall. The theme was autumn and the enchanted ceiling had colored leaves falling overhead. A wizard funk band was playing and Hermione had to stifle a giggle when she saw Dumbledore dancing.

McLaggen was a goofy dancer and it made him all the more endearing. Especially when he didn't seem self conscious about his lack of moves. They danced the majaority of the night. When she went to sit down, Calum gave her a quick peck on the lips before running off to get drinks. Hermione was smiling like an idiot but stopped when she turned her gaze to the doors of the hall. Remus was being physically held back by both Sirius and James. He was staring right at her with a look of fury, lips curled into a snarl. The two teens managed to pull Remus from the hall and at that point Calum returned.

"You okay Lass?" He said close to her ear.

Hermione shook the look of worry from her face. She took his hand and led him back out onto the dance floor.

"Remus! What the fuck is your problem!" Sirius said as he locked the abandoned classroom door.
Remus literally growled, stopping James and Sirius from hurling any other insults at him. They took a look into his eyes and saw them shift quickly from blue to bright amber.
Sirius timidly stepped closer to his friend, as if he was trying not to scare a wild creature.

"Moony ol sport? That you?" he asked nervously. The wolf had taken over the human body of Remus once before.

"I won't hurt you Padfoot." Moony said in a deep, raspy voice. His eyes started to turn lighter until they finally shifted back to blue. Remus hung his head in shame.

"Remus. What happened out there? You've been acting strange all week." James said.

"She's my mate." He said quietly. A lump in his throat made it difficult to swallow.
Sirius and James's eyes widened. When the Mauraders discovered Remus was a warewolf, they read up every book in the library on the subject. They knew a wolf finding their mate was once in a lifetime experience. They always hoped Remus would find his but they didn't expect it to be so soon.

"like, mate for life mate?" Sirius asked, sitting next to Remus on a table. He pulled out a flask of firewiskey from his dress robes and handed it to his friend.

"Yep." Remus took a big swig of the whiskey, enjoying the burn.

"But she's with McLaggen..."James could relate to Remus's jealousy and anger. Sure, him and Lilly weren't cosmically connected like are us and Hermione, but they might as well be.

"I can't explain it. I know she's mine. i want her to be mine, but she also deserves a choice. She deserves better. Moony is getting angry that I won't let us claim her." Remus attempted to explain.

"You can't ignore this forever. It's just going to get worse for you and Moony..."

"Don't you think I know that Prongs? I never expected to find a mate! I planned on living life alone. Then, she literally appeared into our lives. i accepted it until she told us the truth. The possessiveness kicked in as soon as I saw her with McLaggen." The anguish on Remus's face made his friends uncomfortable. They had never seen him this way before.

"She knows about me in the future. About all of us. I can't help but feel a bit awkward around her. What if my older-self told her and she chose not to accept this bond?"

"Honestly Remus, does it seem like she knows?"

Remus sighed. "No."

"Well, maybe the first step is to work on your friendship. That way you can still be protective of her, get close to her, but not, well, you know. Get it on." Sirius snickered.

"Oh for fucks sake Paddy. Grow up. You know this is more than just sex. But you're right. I suppose I can do this. Doesn't mean I'm happy about McLaggen. In fact, conversation centering around that prick is banned when I'm near okay?"

"Deal! But I have a feeling Mione is going to want some sort of apology and explanation for the way you've been acting." James pointed out.

Remus was tipsy by the time the boys returned to the common room under the cloak. He found Hermione laying across the couch. She was still in her dress, legs hanging off the arm rest, nose in a book. The fireplace light made her glow and left far to many inappropriate mental images in his brain.

He cleared his throat and stumbled to the chair clumsily.

"Remus! You scared me. Are you okay?" Hermione noticed his eyes were a little glossed over. She could smell the whiskey from the couch.

"Uhm. Yes. Pfine. I just came to apologize."

"Maybe we should wait till your sober Remus."

"No! I mean. hear me out. I've been a completed assface asshole monster."

Hermione covered up the giggle escaping her lips.

"Yes I'd say that an excellent description" she gave him a smile that made him relax a little more.

"You are magnificent and I have no excuse for my behavior. I was hoping we could start over?"

"I'm Hermione Granger. Insufferable know it all. It's lovely to meet you." She playfully shook his hand.

"Remus Lupin. Occasionally a tosser. It's a pleasure."

They held hands for a minute longer than they should have. He enjoyed how soft her hands were and how right they looked in his own. He saw her cheeks begin to blush and could hear her heart rate pick up. They finally dropped hands and she stood up to leave. She turned and looked at him for a minute. Direct eye contact. He didn't realize she saw the flash of Amber in his gaze.

"Goodnight Moony."

Remus watched her leave for her dorm and jumped when his three friends materialized before him.

"She called you Moony." Sirius pointed out in a sing song voice.

"Oh, shut up!" Remus threw a pillow at Sirius. Perhaps there was hope.