Chapter 8: Full Moon Rising

For the next month, Hermione practiced her animagus transformation until she could transform into her wolf form as easily as taking the next breath, and when the transformation was effortless and instantaneous, she practiced holding the form. Each day saw marked improvement in her ability to hold her animagus form. Remus commented more than once on her progress.

She practiced moving like a wolf because it is quite different than moving like a human. Four legs are apparently more difficult to coordinate than two. Her movements, even in her human form, became fluid and graceful. She barely made a sound in either form as she moved from one room to another, often accidentally scaring Remus by sneaking up on him so quietly that even his acute hearing could not detect her movements.

Hermione found that she could run farther and faster in her seemingly tireless alternate form and spent her restless summer nights running through the forest following trails, sometimes running for the sheer joy of it. The speed of her new form continuously amazed her heightened senses let her know everything about her surroundings. She rarely stumbled and never fell, and in her human form, her feet were always placed deliberately and she walked with confidence, knowing she would not stumble on an unseen root.

She practiced using those amazing wolf senses and had Remus hide from her so she could smell him out. Sometimes, she had him hide somewhere in the dark, so she could use her keen eyesight to find him. She soon found that loud noises hurt her human ears as they would in her other form. She and Remus found themselves spending quiet evenings together in front of the fire, reading books in the library.

The night before the full moon, she spent the night in her room, curled up on her bed in her wolf form just to see if she could hold the form all night without conscious effort. When she woke and realized that she was still in her wolf form, Hermione felt like jumping for joy! Now, instead of waiting inside while Remus roamed free as a werewolf, as she had the last full moon, she could be out there with him and not be in any danger! Now she would be able to share the part of his life that she had dreamed about the month before.

Suddenly full of energy, Hermione leapt off of her bed and ran out the door to find Remus. Starting at his bedroom door, she took in the scent of him. Pine forest and wolfish musk filled her sensitive nostrils and she followed the scent that was uniquely him. Down the stairs, past the Library and into the Kitchen she followed his trail. With her nose to the ground, she didn't notice him right in front of her until his bare feet came into her line of sight.

Looking up at him and giving him a wolfish smile with her lounge lolling out of her mouth, she wagged her tail at him. He smiled at her, not knowing why she was in her animagus form so early in the morning or why she was in such a good mood.

"Good morning, Hermione." He laughed at her wolfish behavior. "I don't know what has you so playful this morning." A shadow slowly passed over his face as he was reminded of the approaching full moon.

Seeing his good mood evaporate, and instinctively knowing the cause, Hermione gave in to a sudden, wolf-like urge, she raised up on her hind legs and placed her front paws carefully on his shoulders. She looked into his eyes solemnly for a few moments then with an evil look in her eyes, she gave his cheek a big sloppy lick!

"Ack! Hermione!" Remus made a show of wiping off the wolf drool, but he was smiling as he did it. "Thank goodness you're already house trained."

Suddenly a human Hermione was standing in front of Remus. Keeping his face impassive so she wouldn't now how impressed he was with her rapid progress, he took in the sight of her. Her hands were on her hips and he thought she looked like a goddess.

"House trained, huh?" She raised an eyebrow at him. Unable to keep the look on her face for long, she let her wonderful mood take over and grinned up at him.

"I did it!" she exclaimed. "I stayed in wolf form all night!"

Remus stared at the young woman in wonder. She had already mastered her animagus form and that in itself was a testament to her dedication. It had taken Padfoot and Prongs over three years to master their forms. She truly was the most intelligent and hardworking witch of her age.

"So," she said, "are you up for some company tonight?"

Remus's shocked expression was priceless and she almost couldn't hold back the laughter that bubbled up from her chest.

"Er- I mean..." he stuttered.

"Remus, if you don't want me to go, I don't have to. I just thought you'd like some company." Sadness began to creep into Hermione's eyes.

Seeing the change come over her, he felt like kicking himself for making the joyous light leave her eyes. He rushed to reassure her, saying, "I would love for you to accompany me."

Her gorgeous smile beamed up at him and he felt as if he had just finished running a race. His heart felt like it was trying to break out of his chest and his breath caught in his throat. She was so beautiful. And she was going to spend the night with him ... in his wolf form.

That night, Remus and Hermione ran and played in the forest near the chateau. It had been so long since Remus had been able to run free on full moon nights. Hermione's wolfsbane potion had worked perfectly and he kept his mind the whole night as he chased after her. He hadn't felt so free since his Hogwarts days.

'She's amazing. I wish we could be together. But what would she want with an old man like me? Nothing that's what.'

Like Remus, Hermione had never felt so free. The moist forest floor beneath her paws and the scent of the trees, earth and wolf filling her nose and the sound of her companion closing in on her. All of it combined to give her a heady feeling of rightness.

'I wish we could be like this forever. I wish we could spend the rest of our lives together, running through the forests on full moon nights, teaching the young ones to be animagi so they could join us. But why would he want me? I'm so much more inexperienced than he is. He couldn't possibly want to saddle himself with some teenager.'

Their thoughts continued like that through the night, eerily echoing one another, and all too soon, they had exhausted their energy and laid down together near the pond. Within moments they were both asleep, curled around each other for warmth.

When Hermione woke up, the sun was streaming down on them and her arm had fallen asleep under something heavy. She blearily opened her eyes and found herself staring at a naked Remus Lupin! Closing her eyes quickly, she tried to still the frantic beating of her heart.

'Okay, Hermione, now don't panic!' She quickly glanced at him once more to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her then looked down at herself to make sure she was still clothed. 'Oh, God! He's still naked! He must have shredded his clothes when he transformed! I suppose that's one of the main differences between animagi and

She opened her eyes slowly to make sure Remus was still sleeping. When he didn't react to her waving her hand in front of his face, she relaxed and realized that he wasn't going to wake up any time soon. The night had been tiring for both of them.

Sighing heavily and thanking her lucky stars that she woke up before he did, she began trying to wiggle her arm out from under him. Remus groaned a couple of times and she froze, afraid he was waking up. When he didn't, she kept at it until she was free.

Breathing heavily, she sat back on her heels and just looked at him. She couldn't resist the temptation to study his unclothed body in the early morning light. She took in his broad shoulders and his nearly hairless chest, criss crossed with thin white scars. His stomach was flat with rippling muscles under his tanned skin and her fingers itched to caress the smoothness she saw there.

Her eyes traveled lower to trim hips and finely chiseled thighs. She blushed when she realized that she had been staring at his 'package' for over a minute. She had never seen a fully grown man and she was for a moment captivated by the new sight. Still blushing furiously, she tore her eyes away from the sight of her former professor. It wasn't long before she was studying him again, though she made sure not to look below his waist.

Acting on impulse, she leaned over his sleeping form and reached for the errant lock of hair hanging in his peaceful face. Just as she began to brush it aside, blue eyes, the color of the sky, opened and locked with hers.

Hermione froze with her hand still touching his face and Remus didn't move. Time just seemed to slow down until it practically stood still. In the distance the sound of birds could be heard if the beating of their hearts weren't so loud in their ears.

After what seemed like an eternity to them, Hermione blushed for a second time in the last fifteen minutes and began to withdraw her hand. Remus, however, would have none of that. He captured her retreating hand in his and continued to stare deep into her eyes.

No words needed to be spoken and neither of them tried to put words to what they were feeling. With a single smoldering gaze, and a raised eyebrow to make sure she wanted what he wanted, he pulled her to him and covered her lips with his in a searing first kiss.

Author's Note:

Hey everyone! Spring Break is finally here!!! I have been working on this chapter for a while and there's lots happening. I'm trying to wrap up this part of the story up so we can get to the time travel part :D... yes, it is coming. I promise. I hope you enjoyed this extra long post. See you soon.

AF Marauder