A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I got a new laptop today! Yay! And I think I am all caught up on reviewer responses. Thanks for bearing with me. I am so pleased that we have reached 1,000 reviews - I am so blown away by the response to this story! It means so so much to know that you are all enjoying this story! I know a lot of you are eager for Theo and Hermione to get on with it, and I promise their relationship will continue to progress. I think you will really like this chapter :) 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 twenty-four and be on the lookout for chapter twenty-five soon!

Theo followed behind Hermione, trying to give her a fair distance while still staying close enough that he would be able to protect her. She was stomping around so fast, he knew that he would need to begin to guide her so that they didn't leave the safety of the wards. He wondered what it was that Lupin had said to her to make her so furious. He hadn't been able to hear their words clearly enough while he was getting ready, but he wouldn't ask until she calmed down a bit. His mate was strong-willed and fiesty, but he had no desire to have her ire turned on him.

When they had been walking for half an hour, Hermione began to deflate, looking as if she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked her, knowing that she would feel better if she had someone to shoulder the burden with.

Hermione turned around to face him, looking incredibly beautiful in the sunlight. He could see the smattering of freckles that she had across the bridge of her nose and the flecks of gold in her irises. Her hair was voluminous and wild, making him want to burying his hands in those strands and pull her in for a kiss -

He stopped himself from letting his thoughts run rampant this close to his transformation. He already wanted her more than he'd ever wanted a witch before in his life - holding her close to him every night making him ache - but when it was so close to the Full Moon, he had even less impulse control, more desire to show her that she was his, than normally. But, he knew that he couldn't live with himself if he pushed Hermione into something that she didn't actually want, didn't fully understand.

"Remus is...he's always felt that he is somehow less because he is a werewolf," she said, sounding helpless and annoyed. "He thinks that he doesn't deserve happiness, and with Tonks being pregnant..." she had tears in her eyes when she trailed off. "He wanted to abandon his wife and child to go on the run with Harry and Ron, because he thinks they are better off without them."

Needing to comfort her, Theo crossed the distance between them and pulled her into a hug. "I don't know what to say," he said, letting her cry bitterly against his shoulder.

"You don't feel that way, do you?" she asked timidly, looking up into his eyes, searching for the truth. "You wouldn't try to abandon me because you think I deserve better than a werewolf? Because you know I don't think of it that way."

Theo winced at her question. "That's a difficult question to answer, Hermione," he said, cautiously.

"Remus tried to tell me to be careful with you," she continued on, in a little tirade. "Said that we should stay behind because our relationship is too fragile and too dangerous around Harry and Ron. But I don't see why I should have to-"

"Maybe you should be careful with me," Theo said, cutting her off suddenly. "You are quick to assign devious reasoning to Remus's words, but have you ever considered that he is only looking out for you? Trying to help you make an informed decision about your life?"

"How is that looking out for me?" she countered, nostrils flaring and her hands balling into ineffectual little fists at her side. "You are my mate, Theo. We are pretty much a package deal now, so to ask me to try and put distance between us is abhorrent."

"You say that so confidently," he scoffed. "You are my mate. Do you even know what that means?" he questioned. Remus had spoken to him at length about not pushing Hermione into something that she didn't understand prior to her arrival at the safe house. Theo had to shove aside the feelings of resentment that bubbled up with the realization that Remus didn't trust him one bit, and instead tried to reassure himself that Remus was just looking out for Hermione's best interests.

Still, he'd hit at a large fear that Theo had. That Hermione would grow sick of him someday in the future, once the allure of having someone destined for her wore off, and she would resent him for forcing her into something that she didn't really want. Theo was sure that having had Hermione and then her wanting to leave would be far more painful than never having her in the first place. He'd wanted to give her as much space as possible to make the decision on her own, and so he'd held back on carrying through with the mating this far, even though it grated at his nerves.

Remus suggested that he let Hermione go off with Ron and Harry on her own so that she could make a clear choice if she wanted to be with him in the end. She would come back to him if she wanted to.

But his little Hermione wouldn't let it go. "Of course I don't know all of the particulars, Theo, but I know that we are bound together by this," she said, gesturing to the air between them wildly. "I feel so strongly about you sometimes I feel like I'm drowning and you are the only thing keeping me afloat."

Theo looked at her, wanting nothing more than to pull her into his arms and let her know how intoxicating her words were. Instead, he grit his teeth and forced himself to continue on with this uncomfortable conversation. "That's why Remus is warning you to be careful," he told her, honestly. "So you don't make a decision that you regret. Being unmated is causing a lot of...confusion."

"I don't feel confused," she snarled. "And if it's being unmated...then, I don't see what we are waiting for," she said, her confidence in what she was saying was belied by the bright pink blush on her cheeks at what she suggesting.

"We're so young, Hermione. Don't you ever worry that someday you will wake up and regret that you've thrown your life away on some Slytherin, and not just a Slytherin, but a werewolf at that?" he asked, knowing that he would have some reservations if it was the other way around. "Everything has happened so quickly...don't you ever take a moment to think things through?"

Immediately, Hermione looked hurt. "How can you ask me that?" she questioned softly. "Of course I've thought things through. I know how serious this is, and I thought that you did, too. That's why I've been working so hard to build a relationship with you."

"Don't-" he snarled, unable to bear the thought that she might only be doing everything that she'd been doing for his benefit. That would be even worse...her seeing him like some kind of charity case. "Don't do this if you are feeling sorry for me," he demanded, before closing the distance between them, walking her back until she pressed against a tree trunk, trapped by his considerable height.

"I'm not, Theo, I-"

"I'm a Slytherin, Hermione and I'm very self-serving. I'm not like your noble Remus who will keep trying to push you away once I've had you. So, think long and hard about it, Hermione. Be certain," he instructed her. "Because once we're mated, once you're mine, I am never going to give you up," he whispered, deadly serious, enjoying the way that lust flitted across her face at his promise.

Unwilling to wait to hear her answer, Theo slanted his lips across her's in a kiss, one hand coming down to cup her jaw, holding her at the precise angle that he wanted. Pushing past her lips, he groaned when their tongues slid against one another. Hermione was open to him, surrendering to his unshakeable need to be in control, leading her. She tasted sweet, sweeter than nectar, and before he realized it, he was groaning, the noise rumbling in his chest. She felt so good.

He sighed, feeling her own fingers card through his hair, wrapping greedy arms around his neck, pulling him down to her. The flames of desire that were always burning in his chest were quickly growing into something more like a wildfire, and he could feel his cock throbbing between his legs. Knowing he should be embarrassed, he couldn't stop himself from grinding against her, wanting to show her just what she did to him.

She pushed at his shoulders, breaking away from their kiss with a gasp when she needed the air, but Theo couldn't stop touching her. One hand snaked up under her jumper, cupping her breast and rolling a hardened nipple against his thumb. He watched in awe as her head dropped back, baring her pale neck to him. Did she even know what that did to him? No, of course not. How could she?

Theo watched her face as her eyes settled on him, pupils wide and unfocused, so overcome by the way that he was playing with her body. He both cursed and blessed his enhanced sense of smell, able to tell just how aroused she was growing with each touch and caress. When she finally leveled her gaze on his, he could see more than just lust reflected in the brown depths. "I don't want you to give me up, Theo," she moaned. "Not ever."

His eyes slammed shut, and he dropped his face into the crook of her neck, eagerly nipping at the skin that she was showing off to him so prettily. Salazar, she was really made for him, wasn't she?

He knew that he couldn't mate her, not here and this close to the full moon. While he wouldn't stop pursuing her, he knew that he should give her more time to consider what it all meant. They needed to have a frank discussion about what it would mean for the two of them. Still, he would take her at her word that she wanted more with him.

Even if he wouldn't go all the way with her right now, that didn't mean that he wouldn't touch her at all. Bringing his hand down to the waistband of her jeans, he easily undid the snap and unzipped, having more familiarity now with muggle jeans. Greedily, he pressed his hands inside the fabric, on the inside of her knickers, feeling the hot wetness of her center for the first time. Shuddering, he ran his finger up and down her folds, stopping to pay particular attention to the little button at the top of her sex, before entering her with one finger.

"Oh, Theo," Hermione moaned, her head dropping back against the tree, eyes shut tight in pleasure. He thought that he could watch her this way for the rest of his life. He'd never seen a more enthralling sight. He quickly built up a steady push and pull, delighting in the way that her core clenched at his fingers, feeling himself become painfully hard. Using his other hand, he pressed his palm to the front of his jeans, groaning at how good the friction felt.

Hermione was an eager participant, rocking against his hand again and again, even when her legs began to shake. Theo pressed against her harder, holding her up, but it was quite a feat when he was nearly out of his own mind with desire. He could feel her hot puffs of breath against his ear and her fingers gripping into his shoulders tightly, but he didn't need that to know that she was close. He could already feel her fluttering around his finger and let a second join the first.

"Please," she whispered, begging so prettily for him.

Theo caught her mouth in another possessive kiss, needing her to know that he wanted every inch of her. He pressed his thumb to the top of her sex, circling against her clit in tight circles, swallowing up her moan of satisfaction when she was finally coming around him. He slowed down his movements, but didn't stop, guiding her through her orgasm.

Almost reflexively, he realized that he was grinding himself against her leg, unable to stop at how close he was himself. In another moment, he was coming himself, feeling lighter than a feather, far too gone to think about being embarrassed.

Time seemed to stand still as they stood out in the forest, clutching at one another, but eventually the sounds of the birds and the wind came filtering back. Theo pressed a brief kiss to her forehead, before grabbing his wand to clean the pair of them up.

Hermione was looking up at him with such unfiltered...well, no, love couldn't be the right word...such unfiltered affection, that he felt his heart stutter in his chest. Her face was quickly transformed by a secretive, shy grin that he found himself eagerly returning. He reached out for her hand and took it, captivated by the disparity in their two sizes.

"We aren't done talking about this," she said, lazily. "I don't care how long it takes to convince you that I want to be your mate, Theo. I will keep trying until you understand."

He felt his heart warm at her promise.