A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I am so glad that you are enjoying the story so far. Don't worry, Hermione will definitely get Theo around to her way of thinking. Alright, so I think I have this fully plotted now, and I believe it will end up being around thirty-six chapters in total. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter seventeen and be on the lookout for chapter eighteen soon!

Hermione had spent the remaining week of her winter break searching the air of the Great Hall for her return owl from Remus. But, no matter how much she willed it, he hadn't written back to her. When she wasn't at mealtimes, she wandered the halls aimlessly, hoping to find Theo once again, so they could talk about what had happened again. She hadn't been able to sleep without him visiting her in her dreams and she ached to have him in her arms once again. But, no matter how much she willed bumping into him randomly, Theo remained just out of her grasp. She was sure that he was trying to avoid her.

When Yule break was finally over, Hermione was happy, if only because it meant that she would no longer be so lonely. Harry had pulled her into a quick hug as soon as he found her, telling her how much he had missed her while he was at the Burrow. Lavender and Dean had come by one day, leaving Harry as the odd man out.

Hermione had thanked him for the present he'd sent her and filled him in on what she'd done while he was away. She kept the details of her and Theo's midnight tryst to herself as promised, even though she was dying to tell someone.

The first dinner back, Hermione finally received post from Remus. Her eyes widened comically when she read the return address, and she clutched the parchment to her chest happily. Ron had noticed that she had received the letter and treated it with suspicion. "What's got you so happy?" he asked with a sneer. "Krum writing to you again?"

"No," Hermione said sternly, hating that Ron would only engage with her when it suited his needs to put her down. "And it's none of your business."

Harry was quick to read the name on the outside of the letter though, and announced it. "Remus is writing to you?" he asked, with his eyebrows drawn together in confusion. "What does he want to talk to you about?"

Hermione barely resisted telling him how terrible that had sounded, as though she wasn't worth writing too. Instead, she gave him a tight smile. "I just asked Remus for some help with some Defense Against the Dark Arts theory, Harry," she lied easily enough. "It's just a bit of outside research to help with an essay."

"But we haven't even been assigned an essay, yet," Harry complained. Defense Against the Dark Arts was no longer his favorite class now that Professor Snape had taken over as their professor.

"There goes Hermione. She can't stand not being the first in the class so she has to go out of her way to score extra points," Ron snarked, his mouth half full of mashed potatoes. "Can't you just let Harry do better than you for once?"

She had to bite her tongue to stop from countering that that rather sounded like Ron's modus operandi. Then, she remembered that he wouldn't even know what those words meant. "Harry, Professor Snape gave us the whole syllabus at the beginning of the year. We've known about the essay since September, even if we haven't started the subject matter yet." She stood from the table, eager to read the missive in private, away from any prying eyes. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll just go take this to the library."

Hermione was so determined to read what was inside Remus's note that she didn't even react when she heard Ron telling Harry to let her go, how he'd forgotten how annoying she was while they'd been at the Burrow.

Tearing into the note, Hermione lapped up Remus's words. There was almost no academic research on werewolves, mostly because werewolves were such secretive creatures. They certainly wouldn't share something as precious as details of a werewolf mate with an outsider.

Hermione,

Your message fills me with a lot of questions, but I will wait for a time in which I can speak with you personally. Your secret about your classmate is safe with me and I won't tell Harry or Ron what you revealed to me. The question about the veracity of a werewolf mate intrigues me. I am hoping that you are acting in good faith and not as a messenger for Tonks.

You've asked if werewolves can have mates. The answer is yes. While not every werewolf has a mate, they are exceedingly rare to find in a werewolf's lifetime. Still, it is seen as a precious gift to find your mate, and a werewolf would find it nearly impossible to stay away from its mate for long. A werewolf would do everything in its power to protect its mate. Hermione, I do hope that you are being careful with what you are asking about.

We should talk about this more when I see you next.

Remus

She felt her heart stutter in joy to learn that it was real...to learn that she really was Theo's mate. She knew that she had a terrible crush on the tall Slytherin, and she knew that it could grow into something much deeper, especially now that she knew the chemistry that they shared. Now that she knew he wouldn't be able to keep pushing her away for long, Hermione was more determined than ever to speak to Theo about it.

Marching over to his area of the library, she was surprised to find him sitting at his usual desk. "You didn't run away from me this time," Hermione said proudly, before slipping into the chair next to him.

Theo's cheeks turned pink. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said, stiffly, as if he didn't even believe his own words.

Hermione smirked at him. "Don't pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about," she countered. "You've been avoiding me ever since...Christmas Eve. But, Theo, I'm not going to be able to let go of what happened between us. I haven't stopped thinking about it since you left. Don't you think about it too?"

"Of course I do, Hermione," he answered softly. "You are the first thing I think of when I wake up, and the last thing I think of before I go to sleep. Your scent clings to me and the way that you felt in my arms haunts my dreams."

She felt herself go warm all over. She shared his sentiments completely, but it was another thing to learn that he felt that way at all. There was nothing she'd like more than to spend the rest of the evening with him, kissing him again and again. "I know that you are just trying to keep me safe by trying to push me away," she said. She wasn't sure what he was trying to protect her from, but Voldemort and the Death Eaters seemed the most likely. "But it isn't going to work. I can't let you go, Theo."

He looked like he was going to argue with her again, so she leaned forward, pressing her lips against his in a chaste kiss. Breaking away, she nearly smirked at the disappointed look on his face. "Here, read this," she said, sliding the letter across the table.

Theo read in silence, only to look hurt when he finally looked up. "You told someone about me?" he asked.

Hermione shook her head quickly, giving Theo's hand a squeeze. "I didn't mention your name...nothing that could come back to you, but...I just needed some answers," Hermione explained, wetting her lower lip. "Professor Lupin is a werewolf, too, as I am sure you are already aware, and I couldn't think of anyone else who'd be able to help me."

For a moment, it seemed like Theo was going to argue with her once again. But then, his shoulders slumped in defeat. "I didn't have anyone else to ask either. It's not as if I can go to Greyback about something like this," he said with a frown, anger bubbling up inside of him. "But now you know. I was telling the truth."

"I wasn't doubting you, Theo," she countered. "I just...needed more answers."

That seemed to be the limit of discussion that Theo was able to have in that moment. His eyes grew lidded and his whole being seemed to focus in on her lips. The brief peck she'd given him before was no longer enough. Surging forward, he tangled his hand in her hair, pulling her against him.

His lips were insistent on hers, as though he were trying to dominate her with just one kiss. He deepened it immediately, his tongue pressing against hers, sending a fizzle of warmth shooting down her spine to rest in her center. Theo was no longer frantic and needy like he'd been before the moonrise. This time, she was sure that she had the full attention of Theo Nott, the man. He was slow and determined, commiting each movement, each moan that he wrought from her, to memory.

Hermione felt like she was burning. She wrapped her own arms around him, happily letting him pull her into his lap. The library had all but faded away, not worried about anyone stumbling upon them there. It was too early into the new term for anyone to be there but them. Her fingers played with the skin on the back of his neck, wishing that she could pull the jumper he wore over his head, wanting to know what he looked like under his uniform. She wanted to feel the heat of his bare skin against hers.

His other hand was left firmly on her waist, gripping her tight against him. The warmth that had settled between her legs had grown to an intense heat, her center wet and aching. She squeezed her legs together tightly, hoping to find some relief, only to find herself disappointed. Hermione wondered if he was just as affected as she was. The wild beating of his heart against her breast made her own heart flutter in excitement, desire.

She wasn't sure how long they had stayed there, kissing lazily in the library, wishing desperately for more, but eventually it was Theo who broke the kiss. He pressed his forehead against her shoulder, groaning, as if he wished to never be parted from her.

"What, what is it?" Hermione questioned, feeling an odd sense of deja vu. She hoped that he wasn't going to tell her to forget this, too.

"Madam Pince is coming this way," he whispered, urging her to find her own seat once again.

Hermione was about to protest, but then she heard the distinctive footsteps of the library matron coming their way. Madam Pince rounded the corner, sneering at the pair of students. "What are the two of you doing here?" she demanded.

"Studying, Madam Pince," Hermione said, unable to hide the lingering lust in her voice. "Just trying to get off to a good start for the new school year."

"Surely we weren't being too loud, Madam Pince," Theo added, his voice sounding gravely and rough. Hermione was certain she would be imagining him saying her name in that exact voice later.

Madam Pince looked as if she really did not believe them, not even a little bit. But, she had no evidence to the contrary. "No, of course not," she said finally, looking back and forth between Hermione and Theo. "You should clear out, though. It's nearly curfew."

Checking her watch, Hermione realized that it was about time for her to head back to Gryffindor tower. She couldn't believe that she had spent the entire evening with Theo, but couldn't think of anything she'd rather be doing. Biding Theo goodnight under the watchful eye of Madam Pince, Hermione gave the Slytherin a look to let him know that their discussion was far from over.