A/N: I know I have other stories going on, but this has been tickling my brain for far too long. I love Remus/Hermione stories and just had to create this story. This is an AU, rating M for suicidal thoughts, language, and sexual content.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, thank you to JK Rowling for creating such fun characters to play with.

A Passenger in Time

Part I

September 27th, 1977

Remus walked alone to the Shrieking Shack as he watched the sun set around him. He knew within hours the moon would be high and he would be stuck in the body of a monster. Moony let out a growl, and Remus tried to take control back of his mind. It became harder to be in control this close to the moon. His mind felt split; one part being a man trying to control the beast, and the other part being the beast trying to convince the man to accept him. Remus bitterly promised himself that he would never accept who–no, what he became once a month.

He looked up at the sky and stuck his middle finger up, hoping that the Gods would see how he felt about the curse thrust upon him at only four years old. He woke up month after month with no memories after the excruciating pain of the transformation. He woke up battered and bruised; always with new scars covering his skin. He couldn't help the guilt he felt when he would leave the Hospital Wing the following day and see his own friends covered with cuts; a sign of his- Moony's, aggression.

He approached the deranged tree and mobilized the twisting branches from harming him. After pressing the hidden button and entering into his own personal haven, he sat on the dust-covered bed dejectedly. He threaded his fingers through his sandy blond hair and wondered if it was worth it. How could he possibly continue on with his life living in constant agony? For crying out loud, he was only a seventeen year old but his body ached as if he were old and greying.

Sometimes Remus wondered how much more he could take. Yes, he had great friends. Friends that spent years finding a way to keep him company during the Full Moons. He had a mother who loved him unconditionally, and even a surrogate wizarding mother who doted on him. But would he be doomed to live life as a lonely old wolf? Would he have to watch as his friends fall in love, marry, and even have kids while only ever being "Uncle Moony?"

He couldn't see himself finding someone to spend a life with. Who would even want to tie their lives to a werewolf? Who would want to be with someone who could easily kill another being by snapping his fangs around their neck and not even remembering it the next day?

No, he would never marry. He would never allow himself to have children for fear of passing on his Lycanthropy. Sure, he would live happily in the shadows of his friends' happiness for a while, but how long until he could no longer take it? How long could he live a miserable existence without wanting to end it all?

Dumbledore previously recruited him for Order missions once he graduated Hogwarts. He couldn't tell him anything more then he would be gone for months and would be in contact with other werewolves. While he didn't know what for, Remus knew it would be for a good cause. If his life were to end early, hopefully, he could at least try to provide any useful information. He knew he would be no match against another wolf if he were challenged.

Remus snapped his head up as he heard a rustling outside the Shack. He knew that that meant his friends were outside in their Animagus forms and ready to 'play' with Moony. It was almost time.

He closed his eyes tightly, hoping to get through the blinding pain as fast as possible. He always thought it would get better, but each time it became more painful. He had one last fleeting thought of ending his tormented life once and for all, and then everything went black.

. . . . .

September 17th, 1997

Remus groaned as he flipped onto his back and stretched his aching muscles. As his arms descended from the air, his hands came into concrete and his eyes shot open. Did he get out of the Shack last night? He always woke up on the cold, hard, wooden floors. Not concrete.

He looked around the pitch black room and allowed his eyes to adjust to the lighting. He immediately jerked his hands around to see if he could find his wand, feeling desperate. When his hands came into contact with the familiar Cypress and Unicorn hair, he allowed himself a small sigh of relief. But where was everyone?

Usually, James or Sirius helped him to the Hospital wing to have Madam Pomfrey heal any open wounds. Peter usually left earlier, not strong enough to be able to support any of Remus's dead weight. They wouldn't let Moony roam alone, so where could he be?

He cast a silent Lumos, hoping that the light would give him a clue as to his location. He felt his heartbeat quicken as he realized that he looked to be in a cellar. Certainly not the Shrieking Shack. Certainly not Hogwarts.

He found a pair of unfamiliar trousers and a vest nearby, however, they smelled of him. With his curiosity peaked, he headed towards the stairs leading to a door. He halted immediately when a scent consumed him. No, it wasn't the smell of cooking meat that assaulted his nasal cavity, but a sweet aroma he most certainly never smelled before.

It intoxicated him. He wanted to bathe in the crisp honeysuckle and lavender that effectively made Remus feel dazed. He opened the door to follow the scent, pausing briefly to raise his hand and block some of the blinding sunlight from his eyes. When he finally focused his eyesight, he noticed his hands did not look like his own. They were covered in unrecognizable scars and calluses.

Panicking, he brought the foreign hands to his face to wipe away the sweat dripping down his forehead.

Looking up, he noticed a mirror on the wall not far away. He quickly made his way towards his reflection to make some sense of the situation. An inaudible gasp hung in the air as he stared at his face. His own face. His hands came into contact with facial hair and he laughed breathlessly. Impossible. Unbelievable.

He looked to be in his forties by the way age lines covered his face. His eyes looked more tired and ... almost haunted. He had a large scar covering his face, one that most certainly he never had before. It couldn't be a fresh wound; while it looked raised and angry, it still seemed completely healed. His hair, the one and only feature Remus liked about himself, was now peppered with grey strands. He looked old.

Thinking quickly, he cast a quick Tempus charm. September 1997? His eyes widened, it wasn't possible. He couldn't transport to the future, especially with no concrete evidence of time travel to begin with. And how would he have transported into his own future self? He had nowhere near enough power for that sort of magic at only seventeen. It had to be a dream.

His trance broke when he heard an angelic humming in the distance. His ears twitched as he made out a soft tune of muggle music his mother use to dance to while cooking. The sound made his heart swell and beat out of his chest. He continued his quest to find the delectable scent and now, the delightful sound.

He finally made his way towards the end of a hallway and into a kitchen. He watched as a woman with riotous curls and an oversized sweater work her way around the room. Her bare feet kept to the beat of the music and her hips swung enticingly. His took a deep inhale and realized that the new scent came in waves off of the stranger.

Yet, she did not feel like a stranger. Moony felt oddly content in her presence, especially considering he still tried to fight Remus for control. His rampage of the month over far too soon for him.

Her scent reminded him of home.

And that's when it hit him. This angel, whoever it could be, is his mate. Moony's mate. She had to be. His mouth dropped opened and he shut it quickly with an audible click. She jerked at the sudden sound and turned around, wand raised.

Remus expected to be stunned. To be yelled at. He expected anything other than the way she actually greeted with.

She smiled at him and his heart stopped. "Remus." He purred at the way his name sounded coming from her lips. Sweet, innocent, and full of emotion. She had one hand wrapped around a spatula and another pointing towards the table. "Sit. I'll have breakfast ready for you in a moment, then you need to get some rest," she ordered and he laughed. A bossy little thing too, he knew he had to be dreaming now.

If the Fates were actually letting him have a glimpse at his future, he may die of happiness. Finding a mate seemed to be a thing of legend. Rare, and even he felt tempted to allow nature to take its course. While he proclaimed he never would allow anyone to attach themselves to him, this is his soulmate. His other half. If anyone were to understand his beast, wouldn't it be her?

And here she stood, doting on him after the moon. Taking care of him like everything was normal. Like he was normal. By the way he heard her heartbeat quicken when she saw him, and the rush of warmth that flooded her cheeks, and the way her eyes looked at him so full of love, he knew she cared for him intensely. Could he deny himself this? Would he deny himself the possibility of a happy life?

A light caught on her hand and he noticed an engagement ring. He let happiness wash over him. He had never felt so energetic after a full moon before. Instead of sitting down, he walked right up behind her as she watched a pan and wrapped his hands around his waist while bringing his nose to her neck. He felt content. That everything would be alright. That he finally came home. He didn't know her name, but he didn't need to know that she was it for him.

She giggled, "Moony, I know you tend to be cuddly after the Moon, but if you don't sit down to eat I won't give you your special hot chocolate along with your Full English breakfast."

An uncontrollable whine escaped his throat, and his mouth watered at the mention of chocolate. She laughed again and lightly patted his cheek. "Go along now," she stood on her tippy toes to give him a kiss on the cheek, but at the last moment he turned his face and allowed his lips to come down on her.

Her warmth enveloped him as she melted into the kiss and he allowed his fingers to spread across the expanse of her back. When his pinky fingers grazed the dip of her waist and brushed the beginning of her backside, she put her arms on his chest and pulled away. She looked at him with wide eyes as she slowly stepped away from him. He thought he saw her eyes glisten, and his heart broke as she shook her head.

"Remus," her voice sounded like a mixture of a sob and a plea.

"What's wrong?" His voice sounded more gravely than what he was used to. His own deep emotion-filled voice startled him. He didn't even know the witch's name but knew she held his heart in her hands.

"Remus, you know what," it came out short, rushed, and filled with anger. Perhaps sadness? He had no idea what made the witch so angry to take that tone with him.

"I'm sorry?" It came out as a question and she leaned her head back and let out a humourless laugh.

"You can't keep doing this to me, Remus. I put myself out there to you. I told you how I felt about you. I told you I wanted to be with you. But what did you do? You pushed me away. You chose her. I try so goddamn hard to act normal around you since we live together. I try to be friends with you, but you can't keep flirting with me or ... keep using me to get back at Tonks everytime you fight with her."

Tonks?

"Don't look at me like that, Remus. You know exactly what I'm talking about. I'm with Ron now, you know that. You made it clear exactly how you felt about me. You made it painfully obvious that you didn't want me. I-I think I need some time away from here."

She hurriedly threw the plate of food on the table and exited the room. He felt torn; did he go after her like he wanted to, or did he let her be? She was his mate. She was his. How could he have messed this up for himself? Did he resent himself that much in the future that he would allow himself to live unhappily? How could he allow himself to deny the only woman that fully completed him?

He heard her talking in another room and the sound of another male chuckled. Remus felt impossibly jealous that she went to someone else. Mine, Moony growled and raged within him.

The floo roared then and everything fell silent. He felt confused since he didn't smell anyone else in the house. He found himself tracking her scent to a library filled wall to wall with books. If he wasn't wallowing in misery, he may have felt overjoyed to be surrounded by so many texts.

"You always did know how to scare off the ladies, Moony."

Remus stilled at the somewhat recognizable voice. His lips quirked slightly, "Padfoot?"

He jumped around to maul his best friend, happy to finally have someone to talk to about the insanity of his life and to chastise him for not being there when he woke. But instead of a living, breathing, Sirius Black, he came face to face with a grinning portrait.

A/N: Please read and review. Let me know your first thoughts. Chapter two is almost complete and will be up shortly, it will feature backstory for the AU future. If you follow my other WIP's, then as promised the next chapter of Captivation will come out by Sunday since reaching 200 reviews.