Author's Note: This story starts the summer after 6th year. The war is over and Harry Potter came out victorious, with most of the events from the war in the 7th book happening at the end of their 6th year. Dumbledore had been destroying the horocruxes in secret throughout their 6th year. The biggest differences, for the point of my story, is that Remus and Tonks didn't die and they didn't get married or have Teddy.

Furthermore, I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters in this story, only the plot, which I hope you enjoy.

Happy reading!
AliceLupin

Chapter 1 – The Bite

Hermione's favorite place to read was on top of the hill behind the Burrow. There was a gorgeous willow tree whose branches swept the ground, almost completely blocking her from view. It had one branch that was about three feet off the ground and made for a wonderful seat when one leaned against the trunk. Everyone knew she went there to be alone and it came as no surprise when she fell asleep.

Harry wandered out to check on her one night in July and found her fast asleep, her book laying open on the ground. He cast a heating charm and a protection charm around her and let her sleep, wandering back to the house.

"Where is she?" Ginny asked as he came through the front door.

"Fast asleep out in her tree." He replied. "She should be okay, I cast a light heating charm to keep her warm." Ginny nodded and they headed up to bed, passing Ron and George in the living room as they went upstairs.

Harry shot up and out of his bed the instant the piercing scream reached his ears. He grabbed his wand from under his pillow and tore out of the room, down the stairs and out of the house, most of the Weasley's right behind him, wands in hand. Once outside the house, they could see a scuffle of sorts coming from the tree Hermione was sleeping in. Harry bolted towards it, blasting the branches out of the way.

Ginny screamed as she caught sight of the very large reddish wolf, the wolf that currently had its jaws clamped tightly around Hermione's ankle. Harry froze momentarily, not knowing a single spell to fight off a werewolf, before throwing every curse he could think of at it. The wolf dropped Hermione and quickly turned towards them. Arthur, Ron and George quickly jumped into the battle, throwing spell after spell at the animal while Ginny and Molly inched around the battle, trying to go to Hermione.

The wolf finally had enough. He growled, his eyes glinting under full moon before howling and taking off into the forest. They all rushed to Hermione's side as the wolf disappeared. She was sweating and groaning, seemingly unconscious. The bite on her ankle was deep and already she was turning pale from the loss of blood. Without a word, Harry lifted her carefully and brought her down the hill and into the house.

"It's all my fault." Harry groaned into his hands. They were all sitting in the living room, Hermione sleeping on the couch. Molly came in with a tray of tea and set it on the coffee table.

"It's not. We all thought she'd be ok out there." Ginny assured him. "How many times has she fallen asleep out there?"

"We shouldn't be pointing fingers." Arthur insisted. "We need to figure out what to do to help Hermione when she wakes up." They all glanced over at her as she shifted and started mumbling in her sleep. Molly had cleaned and bandaged her ankle as best as she could. Being a werewolf bite, it couldn't be healed with magic.

"Remus." George said suddenly. He quickly accio'd a piece of parchment, a quill and an ink pot. "Remus is the only one that can help her." He glanced around to see everyone agreeing with him. He quickly scrawled out a note to their old professor.

Remus,

Sorry for the inconvenience, I'm sure last night was rough but we have a very serious matter that needs your… experienced help. Please come at the soonest possible moment. Mum will have breakfast ready by 8am and plenty of pepper-up and pain relief potion.

George W.

He quickly passed the note around and everyone nodded in agreement before he attached the letter to Errol and sent him off.

Remus Lupin stretched out on the creaky old bed before getting up, wincing with every movement. He pulled his jeans on and paused when he noticed the owl sitting in the corner, waiting patiently for him.

"Errol? What have you got for me?" He asked the bird. He quickly buttoned and zipped his jeans before going over and taking the letter from the owl, who immediately took off. He read through the letter and frowned. His experienced help? Oh Merlin, his heart stopped for a moment, what if someone was bitten? He looked over at the old clock hanging on the wall. Seven thirty. He had time to apperate home and get cleaned up. He did so quickly before flooing over to the Burrow.

As promised, he smelt bacon, eggs and sausage coming from the kitchen. He walked into the room quickly.

"Remus!" Molly cried as he stepped into the kitchen. She handed him two potion vials and he smiled gratefully.

"Thank you, Molly." He tossed them both back into his mouth, ignoring the disgusting taste, and immediately felt the tension from last nights transformation fade. "So," He started, sitting down at the kitchen table. "What is it that you need my help with?"

"That can wait until after breakfast, I think." Molly said quickly, placing a full plate infront of him. Ron and George were already shoveling food into their mouths and Ginny had just come down the stairs. "Ginny, dear, would you please take this up to Hermione since she won't come downstairs?"

"Sure, Mum." She carefully took the tray of food and potions and headed upstairs. Remus paused, a forkful of eggs halfway to his mouth, and frowned. Molly had given him the same potions. He tried to push his thoughts aside and focus on his breakfast but completely failed when Ginny came back down the stairs, smelling distinctly like a werewolf.

Remus' fork clattered to the floor and everyone looked up at him. He was staring at Ginny in horror.

"Remus?" George asked, trying to get his attention. But Remus wasn't listening. He quickly got up from the table, half eaten breakfast forgotten, and bounded up the stairs, ignoring the Weasley's calling for him to come back. Being a werewolf increased his senses drastically and he was easily able to follow the scent up to the third floor and into Percy's old room. He pushed the door open slowly, seeing that it wasn't closed all the way, to reveal a very pale looking Hermione trying to eat her breakfast. Harry sat on the bed beside her, looking pained.

"Hermione?" He breathed. Her head shot up and she stiffened slightly while Harry looked up looking relieved.

"I'll just…" He began, starting to get up from the bed. Hermione shook her head violently and grabbed his arm.

"Don't leave me, Harry." He heard her whisper. Harry nodded and lowered himself back down. Remus tentatively stepped into the room, knowing how emotional she was right now.

"What happened?" He finally asked. Harry looked to Hermione, as if asking permission.

Hermione considered the situation quickly. If anyone knew what she was going through right now, it would be Remus. But could she trust him? She mentally shook her head. Of course she could. He was Remus, well-known Order of the Pheonix member, her former professor and a good friend. Finally, Hermione nodded to Harry and he quickly described last night's events.

Remus listened intently and by the time Harry was done, he was frowning deeply. He took a deep breath and turned towards Hermione.

"You're a werewolf." He said. She looked at him like he was dumb for a moment.

"Yes. I think we've already figured that out." She replied in a slightly snotty voice. Remus, ignoring her tone, held his hand up for a moment, wondering how to continue.

"Tell me what you know about the symptoms of having lycanthropy." He said finally. "And anything you don't know or have questions about I will explain when you're finished."

"Well, there's the obvious symptom of turning into a giant wolf once a month." She started sarcastically. "And, of course, there's-"

"Hermione, don't be rude." Harry said, cutting her off. Her head whipped to the side and she glared at him. "He's only trying to help." He said gently. Hermione glared at him for a moment more before sighing and scrubbing her hands over her face. Remus smiled gently, trying to reassure her, though not missing the gesture that Harry had inherited from his father that had obviously rubbed off on Hermione. He couldn't count how many times he'd seen James rub his hands over his face in frustration, knocking his glasses askew.

"I'm sorry, Remus." She said finally. "I just-"

"It's fine, Hermione." He said with a smile. "I understand perfectly. I'm sure your emotions are pretty much uncontrollable at the moment and probably will be somewhat chaotic until your first transformation." She looked at him in shock.

"You mean I'll be like this for the whole month?" She cried.

"Probably not. It will settle down quite a bit in the next few days but you may have some random anger and sadness spikes throughout the month." She nodded.

"I know most of the symptoms only show up around the time of the full moon." She said quietly. He nodded.

"About three days before the full moon the symptoms will start appearing." He started. "You'll start craving slightly raw meat, your senses will increase almost tenfold, your emotions will be slightly chaotic. Even now you should be able to faintly hear mine and Harry's heartbeats." He paused as if for confirmation and she nodded slowly. "If today were a few days before the full moon, you would be able to hear everyone downstairs' heartbeats as well." She looked slightly shocked at that. "It's important to know that the wolf will probably have a completely different personality, which will show it's self around the full moon. Also, if you're" He paused, trying not to blush. "Romantically involved with anyone, the wolf will have it's own opinion of that person. It can go either way. If the wolf likes them as well you become very… protective of them. However, if the wolf decides that she doesn't like this person, she will do everything possible to end it." He blushed deeply again. "You will probably also have feelings of sexual frustration almost constantly before the moon."

"What should I expect afterwards?" She asked after a moment. She seemed to be digesting all this information quite well. But then again, she usually did, no matter what the information was about.

"The morning after is pretty bad. Your first transformation will be the worst. When you wake up the next morning it will be almost excruciating. It's pretty much mandatory that you keep a constant supply of pain relieving and pepper-up potion. The wolf will still be present but more in the background than before the moon." He paused. "Actually, after your first transformation you will constantly have a feeling of the wolf in the back of your mind, no matter what time of the month it is. She'll get easier to ignore though as time passes. Your senses will be much like before the moon, mellowing out within a few days. Your emotions however… Will simply be gone."

"What do you mean gone?" Harry asked, his eyebrows knitting together.

"Well, maybe gone is the wrong word… more like muted. You'll have a sense of how you should be feeling in a particular moment, and you'll probably act correctly to how you should be feeling, such as looking surprised when you should be, but most of the time you'll feel… numb, I suppose is a good word for it." Remus explained. Hermione nodded, pretty sure she understood. "Do you have any questions?" He asked.

"How long will it take for the bite to heal?" She asked after a moment.

"Only a few days." She nodded and when it was obvious she didn't have any more questions he continued. "Well, if you come up with any don't be afraid to ask." He said.

"How long will you be here?" She asked as he stood up. He shrugged.

"As long as you'd like me to, I suppose." She smiled.

"You don't have to stay for me. I can owl you just as easily." He nodded before bidding them a good day and heading back down stairs.

Hermione woke the next morning feeling slightly better but still exhausted. She had spent all of the day before in bed. There was a gentle knock on the door.

"Come in Harry." She said. The door opened and he peeked inside, looking surprised.

"How'd you know it was me?" He asked.

"I've differentiated smells by now." She replied, struggling to sit up in bed. He quickly crossed the room to help her and she smiled at him. "You smell like warmth and comfort, with a hint of sugar." His nose crinkled a bit.

"How can someone smell like warmth?" He asked. "What does warmth even smell like?" She shrugged. "What do Ron and Ginny smell like?" He asked curiously. She grinned.

"Ginny smells like syrup and pancakes most of the time and Ron usually smells like grass." Harry chuckled before holding out a book for her.

"Remus sent this for you." She took it from him excitedly. "Said it should help explain things that he's not too sure about. It's apparently specifically for female werewolves."

"Thanks, Harry." She replied. He rubbed the back of his neck and she sighed. "What? Come on, spit it out. I want to start reading."

"I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to join us in the living room. I could help you down the stairs." She shook her head immediately.

"When I woke up in the living room the morning after… Well, it was overwhelming. All the smells and noises." She shook her head again. "I want to get used to all of them separately before I take them on all at once."

"Is that why you won't allow more than two people in the room at once?" He asked. She nodded. "What will you do when we go back to Hogwarts?"

"I'll just have to be used to it by then." She replied. He left then, giving her time to read.

Hermione shifted from foot to foot nervously, waiting for Remus to get to the Burrow. She tried to block out all the smells and noises around her but being the day before the full moon made things even more difficult. The last month had been spent mostly in her room reading as many werewolf books as she could. Remus had agreed last week to accompany her during her first full moon and she had been waiting patiently for him all day.

Sighing, she decided she had to get out of the house. She had been restless all day, something Remus had told her about. She started in her room and began cleaning when she couldn't sit and read any longer. After the room was spotless, she sat and tried to read once more, giving up after about ten minutes. She wandered downstairs where Harry and Ron had dragged her into a game of exploding snap. They quickly realized this was a bad idea however as the cards exploded and Hermione began screaming at them about all the noise they were making.

Hermione had then attempted to help Molly make lunch but quickly gave up realizing that she found the task incredibly boring. So that is why Harry found her, an hour later, laying in the field behind the Burrow staring up at the cloudless blue sky.

"Hey, I've been looking for you." He said, sitting next to her. "Are you alright?" He asked. She nodded wordlessly. "Are you sure?"

"I'm fine, I suppose." She replied. "Just incredibly restless. The house was giving me a migraine. The sound of the scrubber on the pans that Molly charmed sounds like nails on a chalkboard to me. And I've noticed this incredibly annoying whinning tone to Ron's voice. I'm not sure if it's always there and I'm just noticing it now because of the moon or if I'm imagining things because he pissed me off with-" She froze and sat up quickly catching a new scent in the air.

"Hermione?" Harry asked. She held up a hand to silence him before closing her eyes and inhaling deeply. She calmed herself with a few breaths and listened as well. Something smelled absolutely amazing. It was like… leather and rain… fresh cut wood… and something distinctly male… dominant male at that. She was surprised to find her body responding so strongly to this new scent. She felt a heat begin to pool in her lower stomach. Her eyes shot open when she heard soft footsteps coming towards them.

"Someone's coming." She said, turning towards the house. She felt something stir inside her as she saw Remus walking towards them. She frowned. What the bloody hell was this? As he got closer, the smell became more prominent and she couldn't get her mind off it. Remus said something but she was too busy staring at him like an idiot to listen. Until Harry nudged her with his elbow. "What?" She snapped at him, angry that he had interrupted her scent investigation. He immediately held up his hands.

"I was just trying to get your attention. Remus was talking to you." He said quickly, looking confused.

"Are you ready to go, Hermione?" Remus asked again. Her head whipped around to look at him again in shock. His voice was lovely. Wrapping around her like silk. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. What in Merlin's name was this? "Best go say goodbye to the Weasley's and grab anything you'll need." She nodded once more and hurried off to the house. Once she had said good-bye to everyone and packed a small bag her and Remus headed outside again, walking towards the edge of the apperation boundaries.

Remus glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. He wondered if she realized that he could smell just as well as her. Her smell had always been slightly distracting for him. She usually smelled like strawberries and vanilla and heaven. But currently it had a slight… No, more than slight, darker smell to it that was making his jeans a bit uncomfortable.

Hermione nearly tripped and fell on her face when his scent changed and a musky smell invaded her senses. Was he… aroused? She quickly pushed the thought from her mind as she felt the warmth pool in her stomach once more. And then her stomach dropped as she realized that if she could smell his arousal, there was no doubt that he could smell hers.

And oh, he could smell it. He stopped as they reached the edge of the barrier.

"Are you ready?" He asked, trying to sound normal. She picked up on the husky tone to it immediately though. She nodded and then tensed as he wrapped an arm around her waist, his smell completely surrounding her. He gripped his wand tightly, focusing with all his might to block out her smell and the feeling of her in his arms, and apperated them to the Shrieking Shack.

Author's Note: I have a feeling this story is going to be quite fun to write. What do you guys think so far? Am I going to fast? I'm kind of going for instant animal attraction, if you couldn't tell.

R&R! Thanks!
AliceLupin