The days flew by and before they knew it, it was the week of the full moon. Everytime Remus caught Hermione's scent he would start to shake and sweat. It was getting almost impossible to hold back the werewolf, who kept wanting to emerge. He could smell his mate. Lily had been brought up to date on everything and was helping Hermione out. It took a combined effort of everyone to keep Remus and Hermione from being alone together. Hermione started sleeping in Lily's room and Sirius, James and Peter, who had returned, stayed with Remus.

The day of the full moon Professor Dumbledore moved Hermione to a location that no one knew of but him. Remus paced the hospital wing all day and when night fell the four friends headed for the Shrieking Shack. Remus was even more agitated than usual.

"Moony, you have got to calm down; you're making me antsy."

"I can't; it feels like my insides are going to crawl out. It's like I have millions of fire ants under my skin."

"Isn't that the usual feeling you get right before you transform?"

"Yes, Peter, but this time I feel like I'm going crazy." Remus ran his fingers through his hair and yelled out, "GODS, I can't stand this. I'm going to loose it. I can't control this feeling. I've gotta get out of here." He started for the door when his other three friends jumped on him and held him down. He fought against them and soon they found themselves in a losing battle.

"We're going to have to restrain him."

"I don't want to do that to him, we have never had to before."

"I know, but he doesn't seem to be calming down." James quickly grabbed some shackles they kept there, just for that purpose. It was the first time they ever had to use them. Remus fought his restraints and at the same time started to transform. Within a few seconds his transformation was over and left on the ground was a shackled werewolf howling pitifully. The other three quickly changed into their animagus forms and laid down with their friend. They knew they wouldn't be able to sleep because despite being shackled, Remus was still a wild and very powerful beast. Remus tried several times during the night to break free, but the bonds held. When morning came, Remus jumped up in his human form, still shackled.

"Let me out of here, quick. I need to get dressed. Hurry!"

"What?" Srius was still in his Padfoot form, so he quickly changed back and looked at Remus. He was just waking up and trying to figure out what had Remus all jumpy. James came into the room, having just been out for a run as Prongs. Remus was still pulling at the shackles. They were used to seeing their friend without clothing as it happened each full moon.

"Let me out, NOW!"

"Time to take you outside Remus? Hold on, we'll let you go to the loo soon enough."

"It's not that, imbicile, " Remus never got to finish the sentence. Hermione entered the room and looked at Remus' naked form. She ran up and hugged him and released his shackles. He immediately grabbed her and started to sniff her and look her over, not missing an inch of her body. Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall came into the shack and Professor McGonagall gasped at seeing a very naked Remus feeling all over Hermione.

"MR.LUPIN, GET YOUR CLOTHING ON THIS INSTANT!"

James, Sirius and Peter were all laughing at their shocked head of house. She went over to pull Hermione away from Remus so he could change when he lashed out at her. He pulled Hermione towards him and pushed her behind him to protect her. He stood growling at all the occupants in the room. Professor McGonagall was shocked.

"Albus, aren't you going to do something? Poor Miss Granger, what if he hurts her? You must do something, he is not thinking rationally."

"Minerva, he is only doing what is natural to him. I have no intention of separating the two of them. She is safer with him than anywhere else. I think we should leave the two of them alone."

"Bu... but Professor," Peter stuttered out, "Hermione has been hurt!" Everyone looked to where Peter was pointing and noticed Hermione holding her arm. There was blood running down it and a large piece of wood sticking out. When Remus had pushed her behind him, he pushed her into part of a broken table and one of the large chunks got embedded into her arm. Remus had smelled the blood, but his first instinct was to protect her and keep her with him. He turned around and saw she was injured. He cradled her and tried to soothe her. He was making cooing noises and light affectionate grunts and growls.

Professor Dumbledore carefully approached the couple to see if he could heal Hermione's wound, when suddenly Remus jumped up and swung at the older wizard. Professor Dumbledore fell onto his butt and Remus stood in front of Hermione growling loudly and staring down all of the males in the room.

"Albus, are you alright?"

"I am perfectly fine, Minerva. I do believe I was just very stupid. I should know better than to approach a werewolf's mate when it is injured, especially if it is the opposite sex as myself."

"Professor, maybe one of us could try and help her. We are Remus' best friends. after all."

"I wouldn't recommend it. Right now he only recognizes Hermione. She is his mate and she is injured. You would be considered a threat and competition. I believe it is best if we get Poppy."

"Sir, why is he still acting like Moony, like an animal, but he looks like Remus?"

"I'm not exactly sure, but I do have a very strong theory. I don't think it was a good idea to keep them apart for the full moon. He isn't going to be appeased until he knows that she is perfectly fine and he will not know that until he mates with her. I would have preferred they did this in more acceptable terms, but we are at a point now where we don't have a choice."

"Albus, you don't mean!"

"What are you talking about, sir?"

"I'm afraid that Mr.Lupin will have to mate with my granddaughter before he will resume his normal human state."

"You mean that Moony will, well you know, with Hermione, the way he is right now? He'll kill her if he mates with her as an animal. Can't we wait until he calms down?"

"No, Mr. Black. He will not calm down until he has done this and in fact I feel he will only get more protective of her for as long as this goes on. The faster it is done, the better for us all."

"What do you mean better; Hermione is going to be killed by him!"

"That is the last thing that he will do to her, but she will have to endure some pain in mating with a werewolf."

"He isn't in his werewolf form though, sir."

"No, he isn't, but all of his instincts concerning her are. His human form will have no control of his werewolf form when he is mating with her, therefore it will be rough and animalistic." Dumbledore looked at his granddaughter through sad and concerned eyes.

"I am sorry, my dear."

"It's alright. I know Remus will never hurt me. I think maybe after my arm is fixed, we should be left alone."

Madame Pomfrey came in and after convincing Remus she was going to help Hermione, quickly fixed her arm.

Everyone left and as Professor Dumbledore was leaving, Hermione asked him to ward, silence and seal the shack. She also asked him that if anything were to happen and Remus escaped while still in his werewolf mentality, that he was to make sure he couldn't hurt anybody. Albus knew what the girl was asking him and he knew he would need to take Remus down if it came to that, but would he be able to kill one of his students, especially one that the girl he considered his granddaughter had come to lov?. He knew that it almost killed her to ask him this, but it may just need to be done. If only his students could have normal teenage lives.