10,000 miles
My own true love
10,000 miles or more
The rocks may melt
And the seas may burn
If I should not return
Oh come ye back
My own true love
And stay a while with me
If I had a friend
All on this earth
You've been a friend to me!

Mary Carpenter "10,000 Miles"


"You're a bit of a nutter," Hermione informed George as she climbed up on his lap, "but I love you anyway."

"There's no accounting for taste." George mumbled as Hermione started to kiss him. She grinned against his lips and deepened the kiss, feasting on his lips more or less. They had less than an hour till the full moon, but they couldn't leave until the others arrived. She didn't see any reason not to try and distract him from the approaching moon.

Hermione rotated her hips, sending a clear message and invitation. They hadn't had this conversation in a month… Maybe George wouldn't object this time.

Then again.

"Hermione," he mumbled, not willing to break away from their kiss.

"George," Hermione mumbled right back at him.

"You know how I-feel-about th-this." Hermione would have felt victorious about his stuttering speech if she wasn't so annoyed.

"George" Hermione growled, breaking the kiss and sitting back. "What is the problem? We're dating. I'm consenting. We're of age. You bloody asked me to marry you a few weeks ago."

George sighed and dropped his head before shaking it and groaning. She would be the death of him. "Werewolves can't have casual sex. You know that."

"It. Wouldn't. Be. Casual!" Hermione emphasized each word with a poke to his chest before forcing his chin up with a single finger. She stared down at him for a moment before pressing her lips against his in a quick kiss. "I know how werewolves work. I obviously researched it all before we started dating. Why do you think I reacted so badly when you asked to date me? I had no idea about how werewolf relationships worked! You know I need to research and plan to feel comfortable." Hermione lay back on the couch and tugged George on top of her by the collar of his unbuttoned shirt. "I am very comfortable, and very aware. I'm okay with it." She paused and bit her lip. "Actually, I'm happy with it."

She gave her head a little shake and smiled at him. It was very hard to stay angry at George-even when he was an utter nutter. "I wasn't going to initiate anything like that right now anyway, we don't even have a full hour till the full moon." She leaned up so her face was right against his ear. "And I will need a lot longer than that. I intend to make a very thorough study of you."

George opened his mouth to make a reply when the fireplace roared to life. Fred stepped into the room and grinned, eyeing George and Hermione mischievously. "Honestly," he said, dropping a duffel bag on the floor and going towards the kitchen, "you should at least put the wards up. Who knows who could just walk in here and find the two of you 'getting it on' on the couch." He grabbed a vial out of their fridge and gave it the shakes.

George pushed himself up off Hermione, who tugged her shirt down quickly, and looked at his twin. "You're early." Fred grinned and raised his eyebrows, giving them a pointed look over.

"Actually, I'm rather late." Hermione blushed and tried not to laugh at the eyebrow wiggle he gave. "Anyway, we need to hurry up. Everyone else is already there. Neville is taking care of the wards this time. He has a few new spells to check out so we're not terribly late, but..." He took the vial of potion and handed it George who eyed it skeptically.

"Don't worry," Hermione said, "I made it. It's not a prank, and it shouldn't have any side-effects. I think I've finally honed in on the element of animagus that make their transitions painless." George nodded his head and downed the potion. He handed the vial back to Fred and shuddered.

"Blimey, that taste a bit like moldy socks."

Hermione stuck her tongue out. "I'll work on the flavor later." She fixed her robe and looked at all the items laying in front of her. She was fairly certain she'd gathered all the items they'd need. "Are we going to France tonight?"

"Is that the plan? Thought we were trying London this time?" Hermione frowned and crinkled her nose.

"France is better." The door to the flat opened and Harry, Ron, and an owl swooped in.

"This little guy was sitting in front of the door," Ron explained as the bird flew towards the counter. "I think he didn't know how doors work."

"Bit like Pig then?" Harry commented, earning him a shove. The owl deposited a package and bowed importantly before flying back through the door. George stood up and brushed his robes off, only a little shakily.

"Hello," He greeted to Harry and Ron. They had both asked to watch the pack. They had animagus forms and George knew their scent. They would be able to make sure that no one tried to hurt the pack and they were excellent witnesses to the pack's innocence. "So why France?" George asked Hermione causally as he crossed the dining room to the counter where the owl had left the package.

"Well it's better than the forest of Dean." Hermione explained, smiling happily. "I spent nearly a month hiding there. If I never have to sleep in a tree again, I'll be fine."

George laughed and picked the package up. He gave it a perfunctory shake before flipping it over and breaking the string that held it closed. He flipped it back right side up and opened the flap. A pop sounded and glittering dust surrounded his face. George coughed twice and Hermione shot up out of her chair.

George stumbled back a step and waved his hand around the air. His eyes widened in utter shock and he dropped the package, staring at it in horror. He looked up, met Hermione's eyes and disapparated with a loud resounding crack.

Fred dropped the vial of potion he'd been holding and it shattered against the floor as loudly as a gunshot. It startled Hermione into action. She spun on her heel to face the other three people in the room.

"Where did he go?" She asked Fred. It came out as a snap, which wasn't what she'd intended but it was too late to do anything about that now.

Fred shook his head. "I don't know… But I'm feeling Rover. It was that rage potion, I think." He stared at Hermione imploringly. She swallowed and looked at Harry and Ron. They looked just as clueless as Fred.

She had only one idea. "Fred, you check with the pack. I'm going to check the forest of Dean. It was the last thing we were talking about before he disappeared." She gripped her wand, closed her eyes, and disapparated.

She landed and heard two more cracks echo beside her. It took her a moment for her eyes to adjust but she noticed that a tree was directly in front of her. She stepped around it and looked around.

About a hundred feet in front of her a figure was crouched on the ground with his hands fisted in his hair. Hermione rushed forward. She ducked around the tree and into the clearing. She ran until she was in front of him and allowed herself to meet George's eyes. The potion was kicking in and he was moments from the rage that it inevitably induced. Who knew how much of the powder he'd inhaled

Hermione knelt by George's side, ignoring the whimpering 'no' he kept repeating and helped him up. He was still swaying. He didn't look like he quite understood that she was with him. Once she had him fully standing she took two steps back to survey his body for any obvious injuries.

"NO!"

The scream came from behind her and she was pushed aside before she could even register that there was another person with them. The figure-a man- didn't stop until he was in front of George.

"Kill me! You know who I am. Do the deed. Drink my blood."

Hermione knew the voice, and she hated it with a passion unlike anything else. Dosenger.

George made an inhuman sound that went straight through Hermione. It was the sound that made her feel a deep and personal connection with any being that had found out it was marked as prey in the grand scheme of things.

She looked up to see George close his hands around Dosenger's throat.

-o-o-o-

"George," He froze at the sound of his name. He knew the voice, but he'd never heard it said like that. Low, commanding, and so passionate. It broke through all his guards and seized his very consciousness with one word and thought.

Hermione.

He'd thought she was a dream. For her to have actually been in front of him, to try and free him from the potion. He would hurt her, damage her. Destroy her.

Devoured her.

He would devour Dosenger. He would drink his blood and shred his flesh. He would be soft and tender. So puny against George's enhanced-superior-strength.

"Don't let him do it. Don't give him the satisfaction of proving himself right. You're better than him, prove it. Let him see his life's work was in vain. Let the entire world know that you're so much better than anyone ever thought." Hermione whispered while she rushed to him again. It was a terrible idea. She needed to run, she needed to kill him. To stun him at the very least.

Wolf… Beast… Monster…

The thoughts were flitting, fast and uncatchable as they coursed through his mind. He was an animal, a wolf unhindered by mere human morals. He was a monster, a creature designed to kill and destroy everything.

Human.

It was the key. The thought that didn't whizz by. It stuck and ground itself in his mind.

"George…" Hermione whispered, her scent drawing nearer. George inhaled sharply and relaxed his grip around Dosenger's throat. The man fell to the ground choking. Harry surged forward from the trees and bound him in cuffs.

"Take him in, Ron " Hermione quietly ordered. Ron nodded his head with a significant look at Harry. He disapparated with a crack. "Harry, go help him. George and I are fine."

"You sure, Hermione?" Harry asked. George fisted his hands at the voice. The rage was coming back. His human half was losing. Badly.

"Yes, Harry. I'm sure. George won't hurt me. Ron's going to need your help to process Dosenger. I'm not sure how Rover will react to your presence either." Harry hesitated a moment longer before the boy who lived disapparted. They were alone. Hermione walked in front of him and smiled up at him.

"The-the moon." George managed to growl out. Rover was flooding all his sense, regardless of how hard the wolf fought it. The potion had taken over.

"Isn't full yet. You still have a few minutes. It'll be alright." Hermione reassured George. She pressed a kiss to his unresponsive lips before stepping back. "You'd never hurt me. I-you won't hurt me." She smiled, her large brown eyes flooding with tears but there wasn't a scent of sadness on her. "You rescue me. You always do. Whether it's from a fight or from a broken heart." She leaned forward and brushed her lips against his ear as if she was sharing a secret. "I trust you, George."

It was for nothing. The mention, even the inadvertent, mention of Ron, sent Rover seething over the edge and into the black pit of rage that always took over with the potions use.

George threw his head back and hollered at the moon. He raged against the skin he was trapped in and the unfairness of life. He raged at the men that had had Hermione before him (even if they hadn't had her like he would) and at the fact that she had loved others.

Still loved others. She'd go to Ron's aid if he asked. She loved him. Would always love him. Would always choose him.

"George!" Hermione shouted but George could barely hear it. The potion was winning. George was going to hurt her!

Hermione placed herself directly in front of him and kissed him hard. She teased his lips like she had during their first kiss before quickly invading his mouth with her tongue. She took complete control and allowed a sliver of Rover's mind to free from the effects of the potion. She slipped her hands around to the front of his shirt and tore it open before slipping her hands inside and around to his back. She scratched at the skin there with her long nails, digging into the muscle and leaving marks that would undoubtedly be there in the morning.

Rover reeled, shock and pure lust shaking him out of the potion induced hate. He could still feel the palpable rage but he wasn't its slave. He could fight it now. He could think.

Hermione pulled back, her eyes too wide and too bright. "George, come with me." She freed herself from his arms (when had he wrapped her up?) and dropped to the ground. She stretched herself out, showing off her sinfully long legs. She regarded him for a long moment before finally speaking again.

"George? Lay down beside me." George's entire body was shaking with the effort not to. He couldn't not yet. Not when he wasn't in control. Rover might-no. It was simply impossible to even think about. George wouldn't risk it. It was as simple as that.

Hermione watched George tremble and sighed before hanging her head. Then she said what was worrying him. She, as always, knew exactly what was at the heart of his problems. "I don't love Ron, George. It's you. Only ever you."

"But it would be easier with him." George's traitorous mouth mumbled. He wasn't sure where that had even come from, and they really didn't have the time to get into all of his issues. They were wasting time as it was. The moon had less than ten minutes before it was full.

Hermione shook her head, her eyes soft and so inviting. "Things were always tough with Ron. Nothing I ever said was right, nothing I ever did was right." She dropped her gaze to the ground and pulled up a fist full of grass. "Ron felt the same about me. There were a lot of sparks and it was fun, but I'm too intelligent to think that sparks were anywhere near being worth feeling like I was subpar for the rest of my life." She sprinkled the grass to the ground. George could only watch as the wind caught it and carried each piece away. They were each free, but they were alone and unconnected to anything.

To anyone.

"Because, in the last few years of my life, I've figured out that I really am not subpar. I'm smart, nice, and ambitious; I deserve someone that I can just be happy with without all the drama." Hermione let the last piece of grass drop and raised her gaze back up to George.

"If you worked it out-" He started. Hermione, as always, didn't let him get very far.

"Then we'd have been different people. That's the only way we'd ever work it out. I would still want someone I could be happy with without all the drama. I've seen love, countless times, and it's just not as difficult as that. It's simple. And that's what I want." She gave George a piercing look. "I have that with you." She stood up slowly, with a grace that George envied. Her thin hand reached out for his. She clasped it gently and twined their fingers together. "It's this. It's you. It's real, and easy, and… safe. It doesn't need the drama or assurances. It just is and that won't change."

She stepped closer finding his other hand and clasping it as well. George once again found himself surprised at how well they just fit together. "With you I have someone that I can talk to about obscure arithmacy formulas. Someone who cares about mistreated creatures and giving them a better life because he's been mistreated. Someone who doesn't mind that I don't always wear makeup or wear dresses. Someone that doesn't mind that I'll work past dinner and talk about book characters as if they actually exist. Someone that is as excited as I am to figure out something new and put it to use. Someone that can make me laugh when I really just want to punch a wall. Someone who is okay with just sitting in silence beside me while I read. Someone who understands that after a nightmare tea is all I want. Someone I can respect and be proud of."

The wolf was struggling valiantly to keep still. He had control, so much of it, and it would be so easy to take all he wanted from the beautiful witch. He wanted to fully merge with her, to take her in every way and truly make her his mate. Magically, physically, mentally, he wanted the woman that smelled so incredible, that always knew what to say, that was never scared of him, that loved him.

The woman that he loved so dearly he would die for.

And damn if George didn't want it too. But he had to be responsible. Hermione didn't understand, she couldn't. Wouldn't. George intended to just tell her that she was mistaken, that she could never have that with him, but his mouth went a completely different direction. Thanks to Rover. He decided it was time to be honest. After all, Hermione trusted him enough to be honest, they could trust her enough to be honest in return.

"It scares me. If you make that decision, you can't ever come back from it."

Hermione's brow furrowed in confusion as George had a mental freak-out session. The wolf was relaxing inside him. The potion was still raging inside him, but he was content with his choice of a mate. Hermione would keep their heart safe.

George firmly told Rover to shut up. Not that it really mattered since the wolf still had control. Understanding flooded the gentle brown eyes that George had so come to love and trust. That was quite possibly the most honest thing he had ever said to her.

Because, when it came down to it, George never got to choose. He never got to regret or defend the decision to become a werewolf. He gave up a lot-further education, any job other than WWW, privacy, running his own life-and he never got to make the decision. Someone else had made a decision that changed everything in his life. So much of George's life had been out of his control-whether from a war or from a 'curse' he could never cure-and he would never inflict that on someone else. Neither would his wolf. Neither of them had gotten a choice.

Because, if he slept with her-no, he wouldn't sleep, he'd make love with her, as ridiculous as that term was-with Hermione, he'd never let her go. He wouldn't be able to. The wolf would always see her as his. Something to protect if she ever needed it, or destroy if she ever betrayed him.

No. Never hurt. Die before hurt.

George was a little surprised by how tenderly Rover had thought the words, but he didn't have time to think about it, because Hermione inched closer.

She gave him the softest smile he'd ever seen on her lips, her eyes filled with so much warmth and love that it made his insides feel like they were melting. Literally, something warm and liquid was filling his chest. "Oh, George." She whispered, her breath warm against his skin. "It's a decision I've already made. One I could never go back on."

George would never really remember what happened next. At one moment he'd been swooning at what was without doubt the most romantic thing anyone had ever said to him, the next moment he was drowning in Hermione's scent as he hugged her as tight as he could, his head buried in her neck with her soft, ridiculous curls falling all around his face.

They ended up on the ground. He wasn't sure how.

"I want it, I love you, please stay, so much." He mumbled the words in her neck, unable to stop himself or make them make any actual sense. Hermione hugged him back fiercely and whispered softly in his ears.

"I won't, I'll stay. For you, George. Anything and everything for you." She squeezed him as tightly as she could. "And you're quite wrong."

"Hmm?" George mumbled from where he had his head against her lips. He felt safe, loved, and warm. It was heaven. Hermione pulled back a bit so she could look at him. Her eyes were still soft and caring.

"I think you're wrong about the moon." Hermione whispered after a few long moments as she brushed a lock of hair out of George's eyes. He leaned into the touch and tried not to let his eyes flutter too much.

"How so?" Hermione smiled the soft smile that never failed to make George stomach swop dramatically.

"You always blame her for your anger. I don't think she's the reason." She brushed her fingers down his cheek. "She isn't your jailer or master." George shook his head because, really? "She's your guardian. She ensures that you can release your beast so that you don't go mad. She shows you her full self, and allows you to do the same. It's honestly a beautiful love story." She brought her other hand up to his face and cupped both his cheeks in them. "And you look so beautiful in the moonlight." She moved her head and the light from the full moon poured over his body. He waited for the pain to come but it didn't.

His legs elongated, he could hear the cracks of his bone, the shattering of his throat, but there wasn't any pain. Rover's conscious surged forward, taking over George's quickly changing body and marveled at the actual feeling of changing. Now that the pain was gone, George had to agree, it felt like a release-not a curse.

"You are the most beautiful wolf." Hermione whispered. Rover started and turned his head. She was lying beside him on her side. He rolled over and pushed himself up. He stepped over until he was over her. She looked up at him, perfectly trusting and unafraid. He could feel the potion that still flowed through his system, the rage, the hate, but it didn't matter.

Hermione was his mate.


A/N: And that's the last chapter other than the epilogue. This monster took me FOREVER to write. Still, I'm quite happy with it. I think I wrapped most everything up. So, if you have any remaining questions, or a scene you'd like to see in the epilogue, now is the time to let me know them!