The End of Sixth Year, 2006

Remus stood under the whomping willow, waiting for Hermione to meet him. She had owled him earlier last night asking to see him, having intended to head to the burrow shortly after. The potion vial was in his hand, and the idea of tricking her was causing his stomach to turn.

Remus rolled the vial between his fingers, causing the liquid to warm as Severus had instructed two nights before. Severus had explained everything to him meticulously, wanting to ensure that Remus knew what he was getting himself into. It relieved him to know that the memory loss caused by the potion would be temporary, but he was sure that she wouldn't stand him after she remembered.

She was beautiful, he thought as she started walking up the hill towards the tree. She was wearing a pair of muggle jeans, and a white top. Her only accessory was the wild hair she had stopped trying to tame years ago. The simplicity of the outfit caused him to smile, as it fit her personality perfectly.

"You look sad" she mentioned to him when she saw him. He gave her a timid smile, plucking a stray curl of hers and twirled it around his finger.

"I'm just going to miss you."

The comment made her smile brightly, his words music to her ears, but it didn't explain the depth of sadness that was written on his features, or the worry that accompanied it.

The vision of Remus at this moment did not match the view of their surroundings, Hermione surmised. However the scenery outside was the opposite of how Remus felt it should be. The sun was shining brightly, and the air was crisp with the hint of heat that would come with the summer. The sky should be dark, the thunder rumbling around them as he contemplated his actions. The Gods should be angry with him, as angry as he is with the Gods for putting him in this situation. Oden himself should strike him down with lightning at the mere thought of leaving her. Alas, this wasn't fiction nor was this a Norse tale like the one's his mum would read him when he was young. This was his life and this was Hermione's life.

They would have to make due with the cards given to them.

"Just talk to me" she asked him, her own hand reaching up to take his, her fingertips touching the vial.

"There's going to be a war, Hermione." Remus knew he was being redundant, but he couldn't allow his emotions to cloud his senses, she could not afford to have him change his mind.

The sweetness of her voice was enough to bring him to his knees. "I know."

"I won't be able to see you until it's over, 'kitten."

What? That was absurd she thought, shaking her head in disagreement with his statement. "No."

"You don't understand me Hermione. It's not a choice."

"No." she repeated, her stubbornness showing its head while she tried to think of an argument to present to him. "That doesn't make sense. We are fighting for the same outcome."

It was not a secret to her that he was on the order as she had known for a while. With her at the burrow for the summer they wouldn't be able to avoid each other.

"Hermione, you wanted me to guess your secret the other night?"

She looked at him, confusion and tears brimming her eyes. Why was he bringing this up now?

"I told you, I love you."

He disagreed with her, letting his hand drop from her hair. "No, Hermione."

"That was my only secret, Remus."

"It's a secret you yourself are unaware of. One that only I know."

She peered up at him, focusing her attention on his words. She hoped that his words would heal this heartbreak she was feeling, "You are my mate."

"Excuse me?"

"My soul mate, my wolf mate, my mate."

She began to laugh, confusion etched on her features. "That would be lovely Remus but we won't know that for a year or two."

"I know." he rebutted, the seriousness of his tone causing an odd sensation to settle into the pit of her stomach. "With the lycan gene comes a bit of a loophole to the soulmate trait."

Hermione had taken a step back as he spoke, needing to take a seat on a patch of grass next to him. "What exactly is the loophole?"

Remus moved to sit next to her, stretching his legs out in front of him. "With the added benefit of aging slowly, I know who my mate is almost instantly, before you are of age."

"What do you mean, aging slowly?"

"There is something specific about the lycan gene that causes us to age at a slower rate. Where the soulmate bond causes you to stop aging until you meet your mate, leaving you unable to die before you do, the lycan gene doesn't allow you to become invincible, you will just progress slower."

"So you'll stay handsome as ever while I'm an old woman?" she asked, thinking there wasn't anything fair about that. She was not going to disagree with Remus that she was his mate. She felt it, somewhere in her magic, in her bones she knew he was hers.

Remus was laughing, "No. The mate of a werewolf will adapt to the wolf's aging process, so you can grow old together."

The studious side of her brain began working overtime, choosing to focus on the new information she was hearing instead of the blooming ache in her chest.

"Will the mate inherit any other traits, such as the ability to turn?"

He shook his head, "Not that I'm aware of. Only if they are infected with the gene themselves." A pregnant silence sat between the two, a stark difference from the easy playfulness they had grown used to.

"So what does this mean?" Her voice was small and fragile, "If I'm your mate is that not a good thing?" She turned her face towards his "Should I not be with you?"

Remus looked down at the vial in his hand, taking a deep breath as he decided to come clean with her. He wouldn't make this decision without her, he couldn't take her free will away. "We don't know how long the war will take to end."

"Exactly, you're proposing that we waste years apart from each other."

Remus turned to face her, never breaking eye contact "You're not understanding, 'Mione."

Hermione's eyes narrowed, she didn't like being told she didn't understand something and he has now implied that statement twice "You don't know how long this war will take. You are seventeen, your eighteenth birthday is months away. You will turn nineteen before you know it."

"Okaaay" she answered slowly, following along with his explanation.

"When you turn nineteen, if I am around we will be recognised as mates. If someone aims a killing curse at you it won't be a little sting, it will take your life."

It clicked in Hermione's mind what he was telling her, but she still didn't agree. "I am willing to take that risk. I don't want to be without you."

Remus stood up, losing his patience with her stubbornness "I'm not!" he yelled, turning to face her once more "Do you not understand Hermione? I am in love with you. You are mine" as he spoke, his eyes began to turn a shade of gold that Hermione had begun to recognise were the eyes of his wolf.

"I refuse to put you in a position where you could die. I hate that you are risking your neck to follow Harry and Ron to begin with." Her mouth opened to protest but he held his hand up, silencing her.

"I understand that you need to go. I'm not arguing with you about that, but if you think that you being somewhere where I cannot protect you doesn't almost kill me when I imagine you in that position? You are not using your intellect."

Hermione huffed in anger, rising to her feet; but as she took in his look of defeat and his words sank in she deflated, looking as exhausted as her emotions felt. "I won't be able to be far from you, knowing I'm your mate and you are mine. I can't."

A single tear slid onto Hermione's cheek and Remus walked over to swipe the offending moisture away with his thumb. "I know… I know." He was quiet as he took a short moment to memorise the features of her face "I have a suggestion."

Hermione's brow raised in question and Remus answered "Severus created a potion, a memory potion." A what?! Alarm was written across her features but she stayed quiet, allowing him to explain.

"It will not last forever, however I am unaware of how long it will last. It could take years." As she took a moment to gather her thoughts and digest the information he was giving her, Remus felt as if time was standing still.

After what felt like minutes which was actually the span of a few seconds, she looked up at him."This does not mean I am agreeing" Hermione began, "but for curiosity sake what is special about this potion, will I forget my entire life?"

"No, this has my blood in it. You will remember everything up to today,-" as he paused, Hermione knew he was debating on what to say next, "-Everything that you have experienced just.. without me in it."

Hermione shook her head in protest, not trusting her voice to answer.

Remus placed the vial in her hand and closed her fist around it. "Consider it Hermione. I will never be far from you, but I cannot lose you. I will not put you in danger. We will win this war and I will find you." Her tears began to flow more freely, and she bit her lip to stop the onslaught.

She wiped her tears away and lifted her head, standing up tall "Promise me that this is temporary, and that I will remember you, that you will return to me."

Remus leaned down and grasped her chin, lifting her lips towards his. His lips lowered to hers and he kissed her slowly, trying to savour the feel of her lips, memorise the taste of her kiss.

"I promise, you will remember me, you will remember us, and I will be there. I promise to allow you to live a life that is safe." she nodded, her forehead having rested against his once he pulled away.

"Okay." Her voice was so light that Remus was sure without the wolf helping him hear he wouldn't have caught it.

"Okay?" He parroted back, pulling away to look at her.

"I'll take it."