the_debt_of_time

"Me?!" Hermione shook her head emphatically. "You put too much faith in me,
Remus. I'm not anywhere near talented enough to brew such an advanced potion. I'd be
terrified of hurting you."
He smiled sweetly at her, remembering the first time that Mia had ever given him
the potion. She had appeared confident, but her heart rate betrayed her.
"I won't put that pressure on you. It's not your responsibility. But, for the record, I
don't put too much faith in you, I just have confidence in you and your talents, Hermione."
He stepped closer to her, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder but stopping himself
and, instead, running the hand through his greying hair. "I'll be fine, though. It won't be
the first full moon I've gone without the potion."
"Will Tonks make it easier?"
Remus's eyes widened. "What?"
"I'm sorry. I don't mean to pry, but after the umm.. ."
He raised an unamused brow. "Spectacle in the hospital wing?"
She nodded, looking embarrassed. "Well, I assume she's your mate?"
"How would you know that?" he asked, surprised. Mia, of course, had known, and
Remus figured that one day Hermione would discover it for herself, but he assumed that
it would be a long way off.
"Books?" She shrugged her shoulders and laughed softly. "I once wrote a very
interesting essay about werewolves, you see, and only in my third year. Two rolls of
parchment worth."
"Three," Remus smirked, correcting her. "I read every word. I imagine, then, in
addition to being able to recognise a werewolf, you learnt how a werewolf recognises its
mate?"
Her smile faded. "You told Tonks that you were too dangerous for her."
"Also that I was too old and too poor," he reminded her.
"Excuses. You're not a very good liar, you know."
Remus chuckled. "Not many Gryffindors are."
"The safety of a mate is a werewolf's primary instinct," she said. "It goes above and
beyond that of the need to hunt, even."