"Did you see that Prongs?" Sirius said flabbergasted. Remus and Hermione parted to look at them red in face, only to notice the golden string that floated around them in circle. Everyone was looking at them, their jaw hanging until the string wrapped around their fingers and then disappeared, their presence only evident by the golden glint that was now visible on their skin of ring finger, where a ring ought to be.

"What the hell just happened?" Hermione asked utterly confused. Her expression was mirrored on the faces around her. It was Severus who came forward and took her hand to examine the band around her ring finger. This action resulted a growl from Remus which made the werewolf instantly look guilty. Severus ignored it.

"Do you know what it is?" Lily asked.

"Werewolf magic." Severus said.

"How would you know that?" Sirius asked arrogantly, bitter that Severus knew something that he didn't but a glare from the Ex-Death Eater silenced him.

"It seems like Lupin had found his true mate." He said.

"No way. Those are just stories." Remus exclaimed. When he was in Hogwarts, some books said that werewolves had mates. However, he had researched and found out there was no written account of any werewolf having mate. As a child, he thought that they ate up their mates. As an insecure teenager he realized, no one would have loved a werewolf and a while later he had dismissed it all as stories.

"So are wizards and werewolves and vampires." Severus countered. "Finding a mate is rare, not usually necessary but not unheard of."

"Wow." James said looking almost jealous. "That means Mione and Moony are just made for each other."

"That can explain why her presence helps me calm down and makes the full moon bearable." He said thoughtfully and then added , "before the potion."

"Lupin and his wolf had agreed for the first time for something they want and which happens to a witch that is also his mate. Therefore, the werewolf magic took it upon itself to work on your declarations of love for each other and bound you two together."

"That means we are engaged?" Hermione asked.

"Can be said so. However it depends on the two of you if you want it to accept the magical bond or reject it."

A few days later, Hermione sat around the table in Dumbledore's office in Hogwarts. She was eyeing the small mark on her finger. It had been there on her finger ever since the day they admitted their love for each other. Hermione was surprised to know she was his mate but it made sense. Their presence calmed each other. Of course, there was more than one force in the universe which brought them together. She traced her finger over the ring mark. Remus was initially guilty of having tied the witch to himself , however got over it sooner that she had anticipated. She had a doubt that a certain dog and stag had something to do with it.

The last couple of days hadn't been so blissful for others as it had been for them. Her actions had caused many ripples along the timeline. Many things weren't supposed to happen and yet she caused them and since all of them were against the dark agendas of Voldemort, he was angry. He had already lost quite a few Death Eaters, his spy caught and two of them turned. Moody had been successful in capturing and imprisoning Crabbe and Rookwood. And the lack of actions from the Order and Dumbledore, along with all of this, was telltale of something brewing against him. So, with an aim to strike the Order, many families of the order were attacked, the Prewetts brothers were cornered in an alley by seven death eaters, the Longbottom estate attacked and the house of McKinnons burnt down. Everyone had managed to escape unharmed except for Mrs. Mckinnon, and it brought a need for an retaliation. The Order members wanted to give them a proper answer by attacking the death eaters in similar manner.

"It is not merely enough to get rid of Voldemort. Someone of his follower may rise to take his place if we don't serve the proper justice to them." Moody had said and it was agreed that it was indeed true.

"And what do you suppose we do, Alastor?" Mcgonagall asked.

"Give the bastard a taste of their own medicine. We go and attack their headquarters."

"We could be walking into a suicide mission." Lily countered which many agreed.

"Isn't just going out of our houses a suicide mission these days?" Sirius asked. "We could be dead any moment then why not die doing something better. At least dying on battle field sounds better than being murdered while being asleep."

His words were supported by most of the Order and Hermione realized , if desired, Sirius could become a leader to everyone. He knew how to make people listen to him. Of course he was the heir of the House of Black and was brought up to lead. In the end it was agreed that there will be two attacks simultaneously at the Nott Manor and Malfoy Manor.

"The first group will be led by Alastor and second I suggest by Frank Longbottom." Dumbledore said. "We need fourteen volunteers, seven for each group."

As predicted many hands rose up. Sirius, James, Remus, Hermione, Marlene, Dorcas, Hestia , Benjy Fenwick , Fabian and some others. Lily and Alice didn't even volunteer being reluctant to risk their babies. It was clear they didn't want their husbands to go either but it was not possible to ask them to sit in the safety of their home while the others risk themselves. Similarly, Severus were held back despite their offer to go as still some Order members were not eager to have them around. The three of them along with Poppy and Mary McDonald stayed back for taking care of injured if someone get hurt. Regulus and Dumbledore were going to fetch an important artifact from a cave on an island. It was a clear thought out plan. Just like Voldemort have striked them thrice, they would do the same but at the same time.

"Mione." Remus cornered her after the meeting in their garden.

She looked up at him from her place on ground where she was harvesting some ingredients for different potions that Severus would need.

"Come her Rem, Give me a hand." She said.

He knelt down next to her helping her pick some herbs. After a long silence in which they simply gathered the ingredients, she said, having sensed the turmoil inside his head, "Something giving you hard time?"

He got up and dusted his clothes smoothing it, then he extended his hand to her and pulled her to her feet bumping her to his chest. He held her close, keeping his hold on her.

"I don't want you to go."

"You are going." She pointed out her voice a whisper.

"You can't go back to that place Hermione. It might not have happened yet, but it was the same house you were tortured in. Please just stay here. Help Lily and Alice and Snape." He pleaded. It was dangerous Remus knew , almost a suicide mission and he couldn't have Hermione in midst of it because in there , he couldn't prioritize her even if he wanted.

She lifted her hand to his cheek caressing his skin.

"I am not going to stay here , love. I am a soldier to this war as much as all of you are. I can't sit back and let everyone fight. Will you sit back with me while Sirius and James endanger their lives?" She asked him and was met with a silence. He could never leave his brother for anything. They had vowed to stand beside each other and even without the vow, he wouldn't let them do such threatening thing himself.

"See, You won't. I won't ever expect you to." she said having interpreted his silence correctly. In that moment he was conflicted whether to be happy that she understood him so well or be angry that she knew how to win an argument. She continued, "I will not be a peace knowing that I could have helped and didn't. What if I were to do something that would prevent the death of someone. What if a Death eater who would have otherwise occupied with duelling me , doubled up on any of you." She planted a soft kiss on his cheek.

"But…" he wanted to say many things in attempt to change her mind. He had no idea what and was quiet sure that if he opened his mouth he would embarrass himself with lame excuses.

She saved him the trouble. "You can't change my mind." She gave him an apologetic smile and went inside, leaving him standing there alone in the garden surrounded by her smell that lingered in the air as well as on him.

"What do I do?" he asked James as they sat around in his kitchen sipping the firewhiskey. He wanted to talk to someone and Sirius wasn't an option in this discussion, besides he was visiting Regulus in his flat.

"You don't do anything." James said giving him a sympathic pat on his shoulder. "You have a fiery witch Moony and she isn't wrong, she is a soldier. She has seen things worse than you me or Padfoot. Witches like that, you can't control. Can't tell them what to do or not to do."

"I am not trying to control her. Hell I never even questioned her any action before. Just this time. For once , I want her to listen to me. I can't lose her. I want to protect her." He said defensively and sighed in his cup.

"Then do that. But not how you are trying. Watch her back in there. Make sure that you don't let her out of you sight and she is paired with you. That's the most we could do." James said. "It was same with Lily but I realized after few hexes that trying to protect them makes them feel we think them weaker because they are women." He chuckled at the memory. "Don't try that mate. These muggleborn witches can be terrifying, Trust me on it."

He smiled at his friend weakly.

"I so wish we could just go somewhere away where there is no war. Just us, living peacefully." His shoulder sagged.

"If only brother." James shrugged sadly, "If only."

A/N: Hey guys. Here is the new chapter. Though I had a hell of a problem. Every time I try to open Doc/Manage stories sections I am facing "Error 503" and it was really difficult to go around it update the chapter. If any of you know, how to get of rid , please tell me.

James Birdsong

Thanks a lot. I am glad that you liked it. Keep reading and reviewing.

daichisjuicythighs

As always, thanks love. Keep reading.