Disclaimer: Chickens will race; they may eat my face, but never will I own this story!

Chapter 3: Unusual Nights and Extraordinary Mornings

Hermione wasn't sure whether it was minutes or hours later when she finally regained consciousness. The only thing that became clear to her was Lupin's smiling, yet tired-looking face. Hermione's mishap topped of with the fact that his transformation was so near left him more wearied then usual.

She glanced around quickly only to find that she was presently displayed across Lupin's desk- papers and quills jumbled to the side. Obviously, they couldn't have arrived there too long ago.

He gently laid a hand on her forehead and whispered to her comfortingly.

"It's alright now. You're safe in my office and your body has finally resumed its normal temperature, but I suggest you don't make any attempt to move for a few minutes."

Hermione tried to respond, but her mouth couldn't seem to find the energy to form a coherent sentence, "Deed Shnaype may nu mo poeshun?"

Lupin raised an eyebrow and laughed softly.

"Here, drink this."

He tilted her head just enough so the fluid easily slid down her throat, giving her a warm, soothing sensation. She smiled gratefully as her dreariness and fatigue vanished instantly, letting her finally be able to think clearly.

Before Hermione could say anything more, he sat next to her and apologized.

"I'm very sorry for what happened. I really…"

"Oh, don't be, professor. If anything, I should be thanking you for saving me. Besides, it was mainly Snape's fault anyway."

He grinned at her attempt to reassure him, wondering how he would have ever managed life without her.

If only she knew… if only she remembered… he thought, dwelling on certain memories from so long ago.

"Well, I suppose he was mostly at fault, but I shouldn't have pursued the fight. It was very inappropriate of me and I need to control my anger," he said, taking a sudden interest in an empty Grindylow tank.

Hermione could feel him tense and tried to show him he wasn't in the wrong.

"You were defending me."

"Yes, but…"

"Everyone gets mad."

"I'm different," he said, his voice just above a whisper.

"How? How are you different! Are you inhuman!" she raised her voice defiantly, almost unaware that she was speaking to a teacher. But… then again, she had seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

"Yes! As a matter of fact, I am!" Lupin rose, placing his hands on his hips with a pained look on his face.

"You're wrong. Being a werewolf is only one part of you. It's not who you are. You are a wonderful, caring person who feels and thinks no differently than the rest of us!" Hermione stood up as well with a challenging glare upon her face, daring him to pursue on.

"I wish that could be true. I really do, Hermione, but it is who I am. Every time my emotions become too strong or overwhelming, I feel the wolf in me begin to take over. People have every reason to fear me. You wouldn't understand... "

"But I want to!" Hermione took a few steps closer to him. "Please, Remus, help me to understand."

Now she was so close that he could breathe in her scent.

Her smell never ceased to captivate him. Her eyes bore into his soul, silently informing him all was well- his secrets kept, his solitude misplaced, her empathy present. He knew she offered him compassion and concern without sympathy… never sympathy, for it only degraded him further… revealing his loses and bringing them down upon him.

She offered an open ear and advice from a willing friend, but he could not give what she wanted. How could he? He longed to… he longed to so badly, the thought brought tears to his eyes, but he would simply not put himself in such a vulnerable position again. He had done it once only to find that what he received was only temporary. And that was not enough.

Hermione saw a single tear slid down his cheek. It broke her heart to see such a strong man so forlorn. Without thinking, she laced her arms around his waist, laying her head on his chest.

At first he felt shock and wasn't sure how to respond, but then he relaxed, placing his chin against her forehead. They stood there in contented peace for a few blissful moments. That is, until they were unpleasantly interrupted by the one person they least wanted to see- Severus Snape.

"Well, I'm sorry to intrude upon you two love birds, but I'd think you would like to take your potion before full moon, Lupin." he smirked nefariously.

They both blushed feverishly and broke apart. Lupin glared at Snape, fully aware of Snape's knowledge, and took the potion forcefully, downing it in a few gulps.

However, he couldn't stop himself from making a face.

Snape grinned a bit wider and took the flask back.

"I suggest you go back to your dorms now, Granger, for you are sure to have a busy morning tomorrow. You can be certain of that."

With that being said, he spun around, robes billowing behind him, as he made his exit.

Hermione groaned and folded her arms, leaning against a wall.

"I'm not surprised he's doing this. In fact, if he were any other teacher, he would have every right to after what I said. Although, I can't help but pout over how miserable my life is going to become over the next few weeks. Or who knows? It might be for the rest of my time at Hogwarts!"

"And so, I'm guessing you're aware that you've brought this upon yourself." Lupin remarked. But seeing her negative reaction to his words, he suddenly changed his tone. "But you should also know that I have to say that as a teacher. As a friend, I will tell you that I wish I could have been there when you supposedly tore the man to shreds."

She laughed and nudged him playfully in the side.

"Do I have to go back?"

"If you want to sleep," he answered. "Besides, I would think it was highly inappropriate for you to remain in my office during the night, especially when I'm to resume my werewolf state."

"Oh, but I had no intention of staying here anyway. I was hoping we could have a bit of fun on the grounds! After all, you're completely harmless when you drink Wolfsbane. If anything, you could protect me!"

Hermione gazed at him hopefully, eyes filled with excitement.

He looked at her uncertainly.

"I… don't think that's a good idea."

"Please! Don't you trust me?"

"Hermione, I could get fired!" He countered, folding his arms.

"For what? Putting me in danger?" She replied sardonically. "For all the others know, I snuck out."

Lupin took a couple minutes to think about it, but was still a little hesitant about her staying out all hours of the night with a werewolf. If anyone found out he was responsible, there would be hell to pay.

"What about Harry and Ron? Won't they notice your absence?"

"Oh… them!" Hermione laughed. "They're probably fast asleep by now! Even if they were awake, I bet they'd think I was just studying or something anyway."

Lupin turned around to look at her fully and saw how it would be nearly impossible to refuse those most adorable honey-brown eyes. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed.

"Alright, Hermione, you can come with me."

She cried with happiness and hugged him once again.

"Oh, thank you!"

In the next half hour, Hermione found herself giggling uncontrollably as Lupin romped about, rolling in the grass and chasing her playfully. Although she almost couldn't bear to watch him transform and felt helpless when she found there was nothing she could do to help, Hermione knew things were definitely worse the last time she witnessed this.

He pawed at her robes, bringing her to the ground and began licking her face.

For a moment, she thought she saw him actually smile.

"You know you'd never be able to do that any other time, right?" She told him, running her fingers through his fuzzy ears.

Then, he gave what seemed to be a teasing growl and leaped over her, running towards the edge of the forest.

Hermione guessed he was asking her to follow and tried her best to keep up. At first, he began to guide her to the exact path leading up to her secret place, but she figured he couldn't possibly have known about it and would turn a different way eventually.

Finally, he slowed to a walk, letting Hermione catch her breath. Nonetheless, he still kept at least one pace ahead of her, and looked back at her cautiously every few seconds.

After about twenty minutes of keeping a steady pace, they turned a little off course and continued for a while longer. Hermione wasn't exactly sure how to get back to the castle from here, but she was at least comforted by the fact that Lupin probably knew this place like the back of his hand.

The werewolf's ears remained perked, alert to any human or creature that decided to take a midnight stroll.

As Hermione grew more frightened by small noises created by their foot steps and the occasional forest sounds, she would ask him, "Do you see anything out there?"

Lupin, however, did not respond, and whether it was because he couldn't, or was distracted otherwise, he stayed focused on an especially dark spot in a nearby clearing.

Just when Hermione began to follow as he crept towards it, he glanced at her warningly and she knew he meant for her to wait.

By now, she was terrified. As long as she could see whatever decided to make enemies with her, she was fine, but strange, dark enemies in a strange, dark forest was not something she handled very well.

Just as Lupin reached the clearing, someone or something leaped onto his back, ripping and tearing at his fur. Hermione stumbled backwards as the two rolled around viciously, unsure of whether to help him or run.

A branch cracked under her foot, bringing her to the other thing's attention. If it continued to chase her or Lupin got to it in time, she never knew because just after she was beginning to gain speed, she found herself on familiar ground.

The rocks, the trees, the smell… she was safe.

She pressed her back against a smooth tree and slid down, taking deep breaths.

"Well, that was enough adventure for me," she said softly to herself. "I certainly hope Professor Lupin is alright."

Closing her eyes in relief, she put both hands behind her, but instead of feeling the expected gentle, mushiness of grass, she felt the granular, harshness of… sand?

Hermione swung around to watch as the golden particles seeped through her fingers. She was shocked that this had come by her unnoticed until now. The sand was so bright, even in the dark. She was drawn to it, eager to feel it gush between her toes.

Then it occurred to her that this sand might be dangerous and unlike other sand you'd find on the beach, especially as it was found in such a magical place. However, this was a very minor thought, quickly pushed to the back of her mind partly because the air was once again causing her mind to take a carefree, dream-like state and partly because nothing bad had ever become of her in this place.

Hermione removed her shoes and stepped further into the pool of warm, golden specks, kneeling down to cover her feet with it. She laughed to herself, flinging it into the air like a five-year-old, but when she tried to move her feet so she could sit properly, she discovered her feet to be stuck.

A wave of panic ran through her body as her feet sunk deeper.

"Sinking sand!" she gasped, thinking very hard to find a spell that might assist her in any way. It was then that she realized her wand wouldn't do any good as it was now at her waist and her wand was inaccessible. There was no one to scream for. No one to help or even guess what might have happened to her. Her death would be a mystery to all.

She couldn't help but cry silently and hope Harry and Ron would give her a lovely funeral. As she took in what might have been her last breath, a strange, yet familiar pulling sensation dragged her under.

As this happened, her whole life flashed before her… literally.

Instead of suffocating in never-ending sand, she felt like she was being dragged through midair, not a solid object in sight. Memories from before she knew she could have memories replayed all around her.

Then, it dawned on her… this wasn't sinking sand. It was, in fact, the same sand used in a time turner. This explained why the place was kept so well hidden. She was being sunk back through time!

Hermione frantically racked her brain, and did the only thing she could think of… try and swim into one of the memories, but by now she wasn't even watching her own past anymore. She was looking at four extremely familiar boys lounging by the lake around about midmorning as she plunged into the past and came falling from the exact distance she had seen them from.

Her robes served as a parachute as she fell from the sky, screaming in both terror and excitement. It would have been a nasty fall if one of the boys hadn't been sitting in just the right place for his lap to serve as a cushion.

Her fall was, in fact, the most graceful fall that could have possibly have been managed, considering the height and shock at which she came.

Hermione landed with an "Oomf" and peered around at her surroundings as the revelation of her arrival sunk in. The handsome sandy-haired boy gaped at the strange, angel-like girl fallen from Heaven into his lap or so he would have described it. The other three exchanged expressions, all feeling the same surprise and amusement.

Hermione recognized them almost immediately, thinking through her situation and all possible solutions.

At least Dumbledore's here, she thought hopefully, If anyone can help me, he will. I know he's still Headmaster in the Marauder's time!

"Well, now you can't say it never rained beautiful women," joked the gorgeous, dark-haired boy, whom she assumed to be Sirius, as beside him, the replica of Harry joined in on the laughter.

She smiled and shook her head.

This was definitely a most extraordinary night… or should she say morning?

A/N: I told you this chapter wouldn't take so long! Hope you all liked it. It was fun to write! And don't worry… there'll be plenty of fun and jokes in store when she spends a little more time with the Marauders!

Now onto the personal thanks:

Moony's Mate: So close, yet so far, my friend! Actually, it hadn't even crossed my mind that the spill would give her lycanthropy… good idea though! ; D

FaNfIcTiOnFrEaK16: I really hope this chapter fulfilled your expectations. Thank you SO much for reviewing! I really appreciate your input and encouragement!

Dracula5555: Yes, they were a bit out of character, weren't they? But you know… that's the beauty of fanfiction! However, my intention was to keep them as in character as possible. Sorry if they slip sometimes. Thanx for reviewing: )

The TRUE Angel of Music: I hope this was soon enough for you, Dem Dem! By the way, you were right on the dot with the "bonding" thing. That was what I was going for! Plus, I wanted to add some of Remus' own thoughts referring to his past incidents with Hermione that you will discover in later chapters. Thank you so much for correcting this since I wanted to get it posted asap! Luv ya lots, mi amiga!