A/N: Again, I prefer to use bold and italics to denote thoughts and letters/notes. I hope this does not detract from the little story I am attempting to craft. Please let me know if such is the case. Anyway, I tried to control this chapter but it sort of got away from me. *blinks* Trying to write with my usual brevity does not seem to work this time. There will be more notes at the end...

At first, it was small things like the magical lavender bouquet that was always in bloom or a small box of dark chocolate truffles from her favorite muggle confectionary. These things appeared on her desk for a week along with sweet reminders in the form of little notes sent by charmed memos from his office to her own. These small gifts made her smile, the words made her blush.

Theo teased her, daily, but she found that his words were not meant to be rude, only joking, joyful. The pair had conversations, of course, as he picked her brain for new potion ingredients for other mixes but, all in all, their growing relationship was based on mutual trust and hard work. Theo's need to tease was Draco's fault as there was absolutely nothing subtle about the way he courted her.

Hermione didn't mind.

By the second week, the gifts were much more personal and caused blushes, so many blushes. There was the gorgeous lingerie set in emerald green with a lascivious note placed under the satin and lace confection. A bottle of wine came that Wednesday with a note informing her that he wanted to taste it on her skin. By Friday, she'd collected three gorgeous bra and panty sets, the lingerie, and wine as well as a velvet choker with a charm, the letter D. That last gift was for her to wear when they went to dinner on the tenth of February because, in his words, "I want to see you wear my mark."

The notes continued up until the last day of the month with the last romantic missive becoming the one that she kept, tucked away in her old school trunk. It said, simply~

Hermione,

I will think of you when I can but the days flow fast and my temper is short. I choose not to subject you to that until you allow me to mark you as mine. IF I see that letter on your throat, it would calm me.

You will give me that, won't you?

I know that I have not seen you in these past few weeks but work calls constantly, as I am sure you know. With that being said, do not allow yourself to believe that my interest is gone. It will never fade. It will always be here.

You were always meant to be mine.

I await our next interlude. There is absolutely nothing that I need more.

You are my beloved, whether you will it or not.

Remember that.

Draco

P.S. After some thought, I've decided to also take part in your trials. I will send my assistant for the week's worth of Wolfsbane. How do you plan on going about getting the information on day to day effects from the others?

A single white rose accompanied his missive and for the first time since her slight flirtation with Blaise, she felt truly desired. With a smile, Hermione spent a few minutes crafting her response, at first being afraid to broach the more intimate aspects of his note. Finally, she put quill to parchment and allowed her own thoughts to flow forth.

Draco,

I will wear the choker and I do understand. I have not truly dealt with a werewolf since Remus and he told me then that each wolf handles the week leading up to the change differently. For him, the week was filled with snappishness and illness. Remember his paleness every month when he taught DADA?

Maybe it's different for Alpha wolves?

By the by, I do want to thank you for the notes and presents. They have made me feel thought of, wanted. It is breathtaking. I too look forward to our next interlude with a sense of longing. That is not due to the gifts, however. Instead, it is a case of absence making the heart grow fonder.

Did you have that in mind when you stayed away?

As for the trials? Each wolf will come in at the same time through the seventh, to pick up their daily supply and let me know how they feel. In this case, I believe daily reporting will help me figure out the dosage based on the changes I've made.

For you, each daily dose will be the same measure unless you inform me otherwise. I figure you will know by the third day if I need to change anything. It is my intention to bring the volunteers to your home on the evening of the seventh so that they can be assigned cells.

Do you need me you help prepare them?

Hermione

He soon replied, keeping the memo wholly professional and lauding her decisions for reporting. He also said he understood about the wanted early arrival and granted her permission to bring the group through the floo that ended in the east drawing room of the manor. Tobias would be the one to meet her as he had much better control of his emotions and urges, being natural born.

With a sigh, Hermione began portioning out Draco's weekly dosage and bottling the first eight doses for her volunteers. She left the rest of the voluminous cauldrons under a stasis spell. After all, she was sure that fresh potions each day would be a better way to keep track of doses and such; pre-dosing would not work as well. When everything was prepared, she left for the day. She knew that she'd be on premises all weekend with no real break, better to leave early while she could.

The next week was filled with meetings and reports. As far as the wolves could tell, a slight increase of the potion's daily dose had the same effects as the original wolfsbane and tasted slightly better as well. She'd also had to increase Draco's portions but by day three he had sent her a memo to tell her that all was fine. However, the true test would be on the actual night of the full moon which was the eighth.

On the evening of the seventh, all eight werewolves had set themselves to rights and were ready to floo to the Manor. Tobias had greeted each one courteously and by the time those men and women were led to the dungeons, each felt as if they would survive the actual change with their human minds intact.

She was hopeful.

Draco had left a bouquet for her comprised of yellow and orange roses, asters, red carnations, and white clover. The whole of it was tucked against baby's breath and the scent of the conglomeration made her tear up. She knew what those particular colors and flowers represented and that, more than anything, showed her that Draco was serious about his intentions.

"Tobias, let him know that I can't wait to see him, please. Tell him to be safe. I would offer you a hug but my scent on you would be a bad thing, I think."

The young man nodded and then smiled. "You know him so well already but worry no more. I will make sure that he knows your thoughts."

Hermione flooed home then and spent the next two nights worried. By the morning of the ninth, she had returned to the office. She thrummed with pent-up emotion, her body trembling. Eventually, the group of volunteers trickled in and each one pronounced her potion a success, as long as the dose was increased by an eighth, an extra jigger.

Her happiness knew no bounds and when Theo saw all of the final reports, his smile rivaled her own.

"Merlin, you did it, Hermione! The price to produce this version is far below industry standards and the recipe and timing is perfect! Most poorer wolves will be able to buy special ingredients from us." He paused to consider something and then carried on. "We will definitely have to buy into a decent apothecary. I should let Draco know."

She nodded. "Please. I am not sure if he is ready to see me yet and we do have a date tomorrow. I'd rather he not have to focus on work while he is with me. Maybe you could ask him if his change remained the same as previous months? I need his final word on the matter."

Theo nodded. "Sure. I will have him send you a memo if anything was different. No word means all went well."

Just then, Draco's white owl swooped into her office and dropped a small package onto her desk. With nary a pause, the gorgeous bird turned and flew away. Hermione smiled, a soft, sweet expression settling upon her face like a lover's kiss and reached for the small box. Within it was a ring in rose gold, again a wolf which twisted through the band, his head adorning the apex with glittering emerald eyes.

A note folded so small that she had almost missed it was included.

Wear this for me tomorrow

Along with the choker.

Yours~

Draco

She could only smile. After all, the necklace he'd first given her had adorned her throat since the Sunday they'd spent together. The ring would do the same, of that she was positive. She had no reason not to allow his small claiming nor did she want to stop the path they were now on, together. Wearing the things that he'd picked and designed for her would show that his interest was returned.

She could be honest with herself, at least, and admit that his interest was definitely reciprocated.

By seven that evening, she'd decided to leave the huge stone and concrete building behind. As she used the lift and strolled across the beautiful marble floors in the atrium, she gave a moment's thought to the dinner she would attend tomorrow. She was unsure of their destination but was loathe to send him an owl. She figured that he would warn her on the morrow as to what she should wear.

After all, he'd already chosen her jewelry.

Once the young woman had returned to her apartment, fixed her tea, taken a shower and dressed for bed, she settled in her library, a small dark leather bound book held reverently in her hands. It was a new addition, one she'd searched far and wide for and once located, she had paid a pretty penny for it. The book was written by an Omega female and dated from the late sixteenth century. The title? Am I Alone In This or How to survive an Alpha authored by Justinia Moreau. Of course, the doths and thous took some getting used to but all in all, Hermione was quite intrigued by what she'd learned.

For instance, on page 22, she found a passage which plainly stated that any Alpha male would call to an Omega yet the mate gland would only appear on the nape if the right Alpha, a werewolf, had cause to court.

There was an entire chapter dedicated to mating a werewolf and a frank (for the time) discussion about knotting. In the case of the human form, the penis would grow longer, thicker, making it impossible to withdraw until the swelling had gone down, thus ensuring that the female would be impregnated. This chapter also underlined that a wolf would always know the most opportune times for his mate to be receptive and that regular contraceptive potions and spells would not work during that time of the month. Instead, a spell, which could be cast wordlessly and wandlessly with practice, had to be used.

The precise wording was Lupus Prohibere Graviditatem and could be used on the first day of the woman's fertile period. This incantation would last for the entirety and could only be cast by the female of the couple thus stopping any intended pregnancy. Simple instruction for the wand motions and a break down of the proper enunciation was also included.

By the time she'd finished including annotations and notes in her journal, it was well past midnight. The tired woman placed everything on a nearby table and made her way to the bed. Sleep found her easily, yet when she slept, she dreamy of the mating, of his touch, his body, his scent. She awakened in the morning with a need she was hard-pressed to ignore.

Yet she did.

In her mind, he had caused the issue and so he should handle it...when she was ready.

By noon, the owl, (who she'd finally learned the name of~Archimedes) had made his appearance and delivered a large flat box. This time, he held still long enough for a scratch and a treat before he left through her open living room window. To say that Hermione stared at the box as if it were a deadly snake would be an understatement. In fact, she left the gift-wrapped package exactly where it had landed until close to four in the afternoon.

Eventually, her curiosity forced her to open it.

Inside, on a bed of tissue paper, was a dress. She pulled it out to gaze at the silken sheath which was dyed in shades of gold and blood red. The front of the dress held a modest vee neck and thin straps framed her collarbone and continued downward, to crisscross her back, leaving most of that expanse, bare. The dress would reach the floor, yet there was a modest slit which ended mid-thigh on the left.

It took her breath away. Of course, he'd included a letter and she read it with a faint blush and a quiet smile.

Hermione,

I would like you to wear this for me. I do believe the ring will not accent it properly so, for tonight, you can leave it at home. The choker would be the perfect accompaniment, don't you agree?

I know I did not ask and I know you may feel this is entirely too risque. In my defense, I thought you would wear it perfectly and the colors would only bring out the golden hue of your soft skin, the honey of your bright eyes, the almost dark cherry wood highlights of your hair.

I would not have bought it had I thought any differently. I also ask that you put your hair up tonight. I want to gaze at the sweet length of your neck, the indentation at your collar, the rapid pulse that beats beneath the delicate flesh.

You will give me this?

You are flame and I want to warm myself in with your presence. Even if it burns, it will be well worth the cost. After all, I've missed you and the thought of you calls me home.

Wear this for me and I will be with you by eight.

Yours,

Draco

His words, oh his words.

With a sigh, she understood that she could not return his gift to her. The cost meant nothing to him and he wanted to see her in it. He wanted her to be his flame, his home, his resting place. She knew this, instinctively. Who was she to deny him? For that matter, why would she deny herself...

He would be her ever after, soon enough.

A/N2: Notes on the flower bouquet meanings from The Language of Flowers

yellow roses: joy and the promise of new beginnings

orange: desire and enthusiasm

aster: a symbol of love

red carnation: my heart aches

white clover: think of me.

baby's breath: everlasting love

Also, my invented spell/charm, Lupus Prohibere Graviditatem, simply means Stop Wolf Pregnancy in Latin courtesy of Google Translate cuz um Latin.

Okay, til next time...