Disclaimer: I own my notebook where I write all this down!

A/N: Another smallish chapter. I promise to start making them longer.

Hermione let the foul smelling and even worse tasting potion slide down her throat, her gag reflexes trying their hardest to spit it back out. She really had to test out some things to make it taste better if she was going to have to take it for the rest of her life. She felt a tingling start in her toes and work its way up into her head. This was the fun part. The part where her body hummed and she had no worries. And all too quickly, it drained back out, the restlessness of the moon kicking in full gear.

She was pacing, something she found herself doing more and more as of late. She rubbed her palms together, trying to find something she could do that would take her mind off it. But the problem was, she was too occupied with it she couldn't think. As she moved back and forth, wearing the carpet thin, her body began to break out into a thin sheen of sweat. She went up to her room, carefully rummaging through her stuff before running to the bathroom to change out of her hot clothes and into something more comfortable.

After donning another white spaghetti strap tank top and a snug pair of short pajama shorts that were barely more than underwear, she found herself pacing again, this time on the hardwood floor of the kitchen. She opened the refirgerator, and then promptly closed it. She wasn't thirsty, she wasn't hungry. She just needed something to do, anything would work as long as she didn't think about how much she wanted to crawl out of the confines of her skin and run naked under the full moon.

She was on her way out of the kitchen when she ran straight in to a rather surprised pair of bodies. She looked up into the face of a startled Harry and a drooling Ron. She just gave him an exasperated look before Harry spoke.

"What are you doing down here this late?"

"I was thirsty," she lied. "What about you two? You look like a guilty pair," she said, her eyebrow raised and her arms crossed.

Harry ran his hand through his hair, a sign he was nervous and Hermione knew it. "Well, Fred and George-"

"Enough said," she said, holding her hands up. "If you don't tell me what they're doing, I won't have to tell Mrs. Weasley."

"Thanks Hermione," Ron said with a grin, finally finding his voice. They rushed passed her and to the fireplace where they floo'd to 'Weasley's Wizard Wheezes'. Hermione just stared at the now empty hearth and wondered why she didn't beg them to take her with them. It would have at least been something to do. She sighed, her eyes landing on the Floo Powder.

Chewing her lip in concentration for only a moment, she ran over and tossed some into the dying fire and went rushing to the only person that would be able to help her.

She stepped out of the fireplace, absentmindedly brushing the soot out of her hair. She looked over at the couch, making eye contact with Remus. She just stared at him for a moment, taking in his bare chest and the way the candlelight seemed to dance across his muscles that were already sweating like she was. The only movement he was making was his leg bouncing up and down slightly. She was relieved to see he was as restless as she was.

"I don't know if I can do this," she said quickly, biting her bottom lip again and resisting the urge to be closer to him. The thought alone was enough to send goosebumps all over her barely covered body.

Remus sighed before he stood up and carried his half empty tea cup back in to the kitchen. He returned a moment later and handed a fresh cup to Hermione, who took it carefully, afraid she was shaking so bad it would drop to the floor in a million pieces.

"Drink it, you'll feel better."

"Will it stop this?"

He gave her a sad smile. "No, but it always helps me."

As if that was enough, Hermione brought the cup to her lips. She let the warm liquid travel down her slightly parched throat and spread out as it reached her stomach. She felt the goosebumps slowly fade away and was rewarded with a pleasantly warm feeling in her stomach.

Remus turned and sat back down on the couch, trying to not think of the barely clothed woman standing in his living room. He leaned his head back, closing his eyes so he wouldn't have to see her. But it was just as bad as his mind pictured her just like she was standing in front of him. With a silent groan of protest he opened his eyes again to see her rocking back and forth on her heels, still clutching the mug of tea like it was a lifeline.

She wasn't ready for this. No one should ever be ready for this. Remus wished with all his heart that he could at least undo the damage that had been done to her, but it was no use. There was no cure, and he highly doubted there ever would be. To be plain and simple, it was a disease, bonding with the very DNA that makes up a person. The only known tests killed every single subject painfully as they tried to seperate the Wolf from the Human. And after a while, it's hard to tell how much of you really is human, and how much of you the wolf has taken over.

He wondered that now as he felt the need to pounce the woman standing in front of him. He watched slowly as she set the tea down on the mantle and began to pace back and forth in front of the fireplace. She was wringing her hands and biting her lip. The sudden thought of him biting that same lip brought about another feeling of restlessness that he supressed. It really wasn't a good idea for her to be here.

But as he prepared to tell her she needed to go back to the Burrow, he pictured the hurt look that she would make. He didn't have the heart to tell her to leave. He was the only person she could go to. And as much as he wanted to just take advantage of that, he would never do it.

"Just relax," he said to her. She paused only a moment to look at him before returning to her pacing.

"I can't. I don't know what to do to stop this feeling. I just want to...to..."

"Strip down and go running in the moonlight?"

Hermione laughed lightly before nodding. "Exactly."

"Wouldn't we be a sight," he said with a wider smile. "I can imagine the look on Molly's face if we took a run passed her house as she was making breakfast."

Hermione laughed, her first real laugh in days. "We'd be lucky to make it out of that situation alive."

Her pacing had slowed, and she wasn't wringing her hands to the point of pain anymore. She knew he understood, and that was enough to calm her nerves, but only slightly. The restlessness was still an ever present companion, one she could live without. And it was starting to climb up her spine again. Without paying attention, her pacing picked back up again.

Hermione was only vaguely aware that Remus had gotten off the couch and was walking over to her. She didn't even notice him as she turned around for another lap and ran smack into his chest. She felt herself starting to fall backwards before his strong arms grabbed hers and pulled her back up. She looked up into his face as he took a step back, his hands still grasping her arms.

"You have to learn to control it. Otherwise it will control you."

Hermione nodded, hearing what he said but not comprehending it. Her mind was preoccupied with how very close she was to him. She could see small sweat drops on his forehead, she could almost taste the salt from it. Her senses were overwhelmed, the sight of him, the sound of his breathing, the taste of his muskiness, the smell of his body, and the touch of his hands as they continued to grasp her arms. It was the last one that was causing small tingles down her arms and into her hands.

Her heart started beating fast, her breathing becoming slightly heavier. Her mind began to fuzz as the only thought was to get closer to him. The only thing she could cling to was him and she wanted to cling to him for the rest of her life, be it 10 seconds or 1000 years.

Remus saw her looking straight into him, straight into his thoughts. His eyes darted to her mouth, her very inviting pink lips. He heard his blood rushing through his ears as his body started itching to pull hers close. The only problem with that was it was her, someone who gave him all their trust.

His mind, however, kept taking in the very scantily clad woman still in his grip and it was tantalizing him with suggestive thoughts. He tried to clear his head, but it wouldn't happen. And then he smelled it, smelled her. She was looking at him like he was the main course at a banquet and she hadn't eaten in days.

Any other time, when they were both sane and in control of their thoughts and bodies, he would have welcomed this sudden turn of events. But since she was still struggling to stay sane, and he was her guardian in this matter, this was a problem. But her smell was intoxicating, surrounding him and permeating his skin. He knew even after she was gone, he would still smell her.

Hermione took a step towards him, every intention of pressing her body flat against his and pulling his face down for a kiss. She was halted by the firmer grip on her arms, and she looked rather indignant.

The predatory gleam in her eye is what made Remus remember his hands on her. He moved them quickly and she took a slow step towards him, her gaze on him never waivering.

"Hermione, NO," he said.

Author Babble:

Ohmigosh! That was a HORRIBLE place to stop!