Chapter 6

March 26th, 1998

Go to her. How can you just stand here? She needs us. Must. Go. I can't.

Need. We need.

*Break*

Hermione's head jerked up from where is sat in her hands. Her brain only just noticing the light scent that the breeze brought to her. He's here. Stay calm, this is part of the plan. She turned her head, scanning the tree line but she didn't see anything. She took a deep breath, letting his scent wash over her and trying to figure out where he was. Something stirred inside of her, that foreign feeling that had taken over just a few nights ago. She tried to acknowledge the feeling, what Remus had called her wolf, but also tried not to let it take over.

There.

Hermione stood and started walking in the direction she was being drawn to. She knew he could see her, even if she couldn't see him. I don't understand why he keeps showing up, but not talking to me. Need. The thought flitted into her mind from an unfamiliar area. Her steps faltered and she shook her head lightly, feeling off from the unfamiliar presence in her mind.

"She's talking to you?" she heard a gruff voice question, hidden somewhere in the dark tree line towards her right.

"She?" Hermione questioned.

"Your wolf."

"Oh…is that what this feeling is?"

"Likely."

"Won't you come out?" Hermione prompted.

"No, little dove. I shouldn't even be talking to you." Hermione whipped her head to her left. He must be moving around in the tree line; she felt dizzy trying to keep up with his movements.

"Please; I'd like…I'd like to see you."

Go. I will not. We shouldn't be here as it is. Go. Must. See.

She felt him before she saw him. It was like someone had dumped water on her, the heaviness seeping into her muscles, and the coolness causing gooseflesh to rise across her body.

"Sure this is still what you want?" he asked as his eyes connected with hers. He watched with interest as the girl's eyes roved over him. Noted as her breath sped up, how her pupils dilated, and her nostrils flared. His decades as a werewolf meant that he had significantly more control over the instinctual drive of his wolf. He and his wolf were one; but this girl was just feeling her wolf for the first time and he could tell she was struggling to understand the control that the wolf had over her. If he were honest, he was also intrigued. He'd never seen a woman survive after a bite this long; he'd never known of a woman who had made it to the point where her wolf would begin to mesh with her mind.

"I don't…" she started, but struggled to find the words. He stepped closer and she audibly gulped. "I don't…"

"You don't what, little dove?" he was standing directly in front of her now. All she had to do was reach out to touch him. He wouldn't move, if she wanted to move closer he would let her make that choice. I shouldn't even be here. I should leave right now. This is a terrible idea. Stay.

"Why do I feel this?" she finally asked, after what felt like a century of looking over the man standing before her. Her head barely came to his shoulder, so she had to tilt her head to look him in the face. Her fingers itched to reach out and touch his face, to run her finger down the scar that marred the right side of his face just beneath his eye, to feel the peppered stubble beneath her finger's tips, and run her thumb across his lips. She shook her head in a vain attempt to shake the thoughts from her head.

His chuckle was deep and gruff, and sending a wave of warmth straight to Hermione's core. "Your wolf calls to me and she is apart of you, so you call to me as well."

She sputtered, trying to find the words, "I think calling to you is a bit of an exaggeration."

He leaned into her space, bringing his face down to her level and hovering only inches from her face. "That's not what you scent is saying." He said with a smirk. Her mouth dropped open slight as she felt her face flare and she dropped her gaze down. A piece of her mind was urging her to take the step forward to close the gap, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She didn't know if she could follow through with this. She should be terrified of him; this man, this beast in front of her had likely killed dozens of people.

"Why are you here?" she asked softly.

"As much as your wolf calls to me, mine is calling for you. I cannot ignore that part of me as well as I had hoped." At his answer she tilted her head back up to look at him curiously.

"Why did you save me when you know I'm dead anyway?"

"We could not let our mate die."

"Then why not keep me? Why did you wipe my memories?"

"I did not wipe them, I merely altered them. I believed this would be easier. I believed I would simply stay away and let you live out the last weeks of your life with your family."

"I know you work for Voldemort. You could lose your life for letting us escape, for killing those men, for delivering me back here."

"I know." He said, offering no other comment. Hermione stared at him and as she opened her mouth to say something, she heard her name called some distance away, clearly coming from the burrow. She turned to back, intending to ask him to come back that night so they could talk, but she heard a crack of apparition and he was gone.

*Break*

"Alright there 'Mione?" Ron asked a few hours late from his seat next to her at the dinner table.

"Yes, just drifting off in thought."

"Hermione dear, Remus said he'd be coming by after dinner. Said he had the information about the packs that we discussed at the meeting." Molly shared and Hermione nodded he had in acknowledgement, her mouth filled with food as she chewed. Ms. Weasley was certainly outdoing herself. She looked around the table, both of her boys seated on either side of her, Arthur at the end of the table, Fred and George seated across, with an empty seat where Ginny usually sat. She felt her eyes warm with the threat of tears and cleared her throat, trying to push back the invasive thoughts.

"So tomorrow is it Hermione?" Fred said. "Course it's not it! Our Hermione will be back just in time to be the heroine of this story!" George finished

She laughed, the twins comments bringing a much needed smile to her face.

"I think so. I'll know for sure once I talk to Remus and then of course, I have to convince Greyback."

*Break*

His hand was warm against hers, long and slender fingers wrapped tightly around hers, as if he knew once he let go, the spell would be broken.

"I don't know if I can do this without you 'Mione." Ron whispered, tears falling down his cheeks.

"Of course, you can. You've always been there for Harry and you're going to keep being there, right next to him. And then, when this is all over, you'll both take the time to heal and move on with your lives." She wiped his tears away with her thumb, trying to keep a brave face for him.

"I can't. You've been the one keeping us alive this whole time, Hermione. We'd probably have been killed ten times over it weren't for you. Look, even now, and you're just focused on how you can end this. Fifteen days Hermione…there are only fifteen days until the next full moon and you're going to spend it trying to make a difference in the war. I couldn't do that. I'm not strong like you. I can't do this without you."

"Oh Ron." She sighed, pulling his body towards her to embrace him in a tight hug. "You've got me up on this pedestal but I'm not perfect. I've made plenty of mistakes, I may even be making one right now. All that matters is that you figure out what matters most, and you fight for it. Fight for it like it's the last thing you'll ever fight for."

He kissed her and she allowed her body to relax into him, shushing the feeling in her find that howled at the wrongness. All they had left together was tonight.

*End Chapter*