Disclaimer: Neither Harry Potter or Twilight is my property.
Author's note: A small oneshot that popped into mine while I was grumbling about ff . net not letting me update my main story.
This takes place after Bella and Edward marry, but she doesn't get pregnant, have Nessie and the Volturi does not show up. It's three to four years after the Battle of Hogwarts, Hermione is working for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and I've really messed up the time lines to make everything work.
Anything besides this you'll figure out while reading :D
She closed her door with a loud slam and stalked infuriated to the front of her car where smoke were billowing out from the sides. She opened the hood cautiously and eyed the smoking and scorching metal that made up the car's intestines.
Well, wasn't this great!
Growling she left the smoking engine and went to the other side of the car were she crouched down and inspected the flat tire.
At least a nice Reparo could fix this one. Unfortunately the point of reparo was actually knowing the repaired state – no use trying to use it on the stupid, bloody engine.
Hermione had absolutely no idea as to how cars worked or how their engines looked. She just liked the look of the old red Honda and it had been cheap.
She understood why now.
She groaned when she stood and shook her legs to regain complete feeling back. It sometimes surprised her how hard driving was. But it really shouldn't be that surprising – is she knew how to adjust the setting of her chair she wouldn't have to sit on the edge of her seat to be able to reach the steering wheel, but she had of course been to embarrassed to ask the car salesman.
She walked back to the driver's side and withdrew her wand from under the seat. With the tire fixed, she might be able to somehow hex the car to keep driving until she reached Forks. There were only a few miles left.
Whistling The Weird Sister's Cauldron Canoodle she felt her spirits lift and she looked around her, for the first time really noticing her surroundings.
The forest was deep green and made her feel hidden and secure, as if she was the only person in the entire world. The light drizzle made her frizzy hair lay smooth and heavy down her back curling softly but also her skin feel clammy.
She was just about to dry herself when a loud "Hey!" made her look up and quickly throw her wand into the car again.
"Hi," she greeted the young man who cam jogging towards her clad only in a pair of cut-off shorts and pair of shoes. "Can I help you?"
"I think I should be the one asking that," he called back with a grin. "Car broke down?"
"Uh, yeah," Hermione pushed a lock of her wet hair behind her ear and smiled back sheepishly. "I guess. I don't really know anything about cars. Other than how to drive them." She eyed him carefully as he came nearer and her smile grew just a bit. Well, if he wasn't the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. "I've got a flat tire too."
"You got yourself into quite a lot of trouble, Missy. And judging by your accent I'd say quite a long way from home too." His smile was very boyish, and Hermione couldn't seem to summon any cautious feelings when he held his hand out at her. "I'm Seth."
"Hermione. And you're right – I'm British." She noticed the wolfish quality to his grin and couldn't say she was surprised when his burning hot palm met her cool one. "Do you know anything about cars?"
"A bit I guess." He followed her to the front. "My... friend is a mechanic and I've seen him work."
Hermione watched him poke some of the different parts and noted that he almost didn't wince when he accidentally touched some of the hot ones.
She was going to have to write a report twice the length she had planned after this discovery.
Of course a town like Forks wasn't home only to a coven of vampires. They had to have their own tribe of what she guessed was wolf-shaped shape-shifters too.
Which was a title that sounded absolutely ridiculous.
"So?" she asked and looked expectantly at her saviour wolf. "Any idea what caused this?"
"You remember I mentioned my friend was a mechanic?" Hermione nodded and he grinned again. "I'm gonna have to call him. But I can help you fix your flat tire while we wait for him to come."
"That would be lovely," she smiled. She went back to the trunk and made sure that she actually had a spare tire while Seth made the phone call.
"Hey Jake, it's me," he said after a while, and Hermione attempted to get the tire out of the trunk. "... I know, but I came across of this broken down car and damsel in distress, and I have no idea what to do with this smoking mess..." She gave the tall man a dark looked and wondered if he actually was as old as his appearance seemed, she was aware that shape-shifters tended to have different ageing processes and he just seemed so young. "... 8 miles south of Forks... Great – I'll fix her flat tire while we wait..." Hermone gave up trying to lift the tire out of the trunk. It was too heavy for her to handle without magic, and that wasn't exactly a possible right now. "Of course I'm not gonna mess it up! Why do people always expect me to mess everything up?... You didn't have to answer that... Just finish up, and come already!... Right – see ya!"
Hermione leaned against the car and nodded towards the tire when Seth walked up to her, shoving a worn looking mobile in his pocket.
"Jacob's gonna be here in 15 or something. Plenty of time for us to fix that tire of yours." He smiled and lifted the new tire out of the trunk with a single hand, making Hermione smirk.
"Right front tire," she said and pointed over her shoulder. Seth nodded and walked over, Hermione right at his heels. "Is your friend Jacob a shape-shifter too?"
She loved knowing more than people thought she did, and Seth had apparently not had very high thoughts of her, judging by his startled deer in head lights look and gaping mouth.
"How did you know?" he asked in a hushed voice, as if scared that anyone would here them.
"I know the signs," she whispered back and sat on the ground next to the flat tire. "Well – is he?" she asked in her normal voice and leaned against the car.
"Um... yeah..." Seth eyed Hermione cautiously and started the tire-changing process. "He's my Alpha actually."
"Excellent! I would love to chat with him about the vampire population around here. Have you had any mugg-people disappearing lately?"
"No. We and the Cullen's have taken care of all intruding vampires." There was a note of pride in his voice.
"The Cullen's being the residing coven of 'vegetarian' vampires?" She could just feel that something big and possibly historical had happened here. Seth nodded. "Care to share how you took care of 'all intruding vampires'?"
"Um..." The young man looked a bit uncomfortable and Hermione had to fight the urge to just demand that he told her. "I don't think it's up to me to tell you this... Telling outsiders is really not something I'm allowed to do – that's Jacob's job..."
"Because of him being the Alpha?" The fact that the tribe had an Alpha was another clue that they probably turned into wolves.
A bit predictable really.
"Er... yeah..." Seth glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes as he lifted the car a bit so he could get the tire loose.
"Great, I won't ask you more questions then, Seth." Hermione shot him her most charming smile and pushed her hair behind her ear.
Again.
Bloody rain was making it completely uncontrollable.
"Great!" Seth grinned back, instantly regaining his high spirits. "Mind telling me what you're doing here then? And how you know about shape-shifters and leeches?"
"Leeches is really demeaning – would you like it if I called you pup or dog?" Seth had the sense to look embarrassed. "And I'm here to do some observations of the vampire coven. We heard that they gained a new member, and we're all extremely interested in the business of the vegetarian covens."
"That's Bella – the new vampire! She's great. She was turned by her husband while they were on their honeymoon. Jacob was complete broken by it, and he's been terribly moody ever since – he was in love with Bella but she chose Edward over him. It's horrible to listen to really."
"To listen to? What – did he whine?"
"Not exactly. While we're in wolf form we communicate through our thoughts. It's totally easy and stuff, but it also means that we have to hear all of the others thoughts, and that not fun all the time."
"So your Alpha was in love with this new vampire? Before she was turned? How does he feel about it now then?"
"I think he's still in love with her. And he's really bitter and stuff, because she wasn't his imprintee you know..." Seth smiled and dropped the car down as he fastened the last screw. "All done!" he exclaimed and dried his oily fingers off in his shorts.
"Don't do that," she scolded and Seth dropped his hand a slightly hurt look on his face. "I'm not familiar with this imprint thing. Would you mind explaining it to me?"
Seth face lit back up. "It's something genetic! All the shapeshifters apparently have a special someone that we're perfectly matched with, and when we see them it just like BAM! And then everything is about that someone. My old alpha broke up with my sister because he met his imprint. Our cousin. "
"That must have been terrible."
Hermione, I'm so sorry but I just can't be with you any more.
Are you breaking up with me? Why? Did you meet someone else?
I kinda did. I still love you, but there's something about Carabelle! I just can't stop thinking about her. I'm really sorry, Hermione, I am!
"It was – Leah kept bitching and she was absolutely impossible to be around when we were in wolf form." Hermione gaped at the words.
"How can you say that! Imagine how she felt! To be thrown aside in the blink of a moment because he apparently met 'The Only One'! Imagine the pain she was in!"
"But..." Seth was obviously thrown off by her strong reaction. "Emily is Sam's Only One. He imprinted on her. He couldn't help it – and believe me, he tried! The others told me about that and it really didn't sound nice..."
"It sounds horrible."
"I think it sounds amazing. But enough talking about me and the guys. Tell me about you – you're pretty good at avoid doing that." He grinned and Hermione shook her head.
"What do you want to know?"
"Why you're here. Your explanation before was pretty lousy."
"I can't really tell you that much. I'm not allowed to." She gave him a long hard look while Seth looked at her with a thoughtful look.
"Are you some kind of secret agent?" Hermione's eyes widened before she burst into a laugh.
"A secret agent?" she chuckled. "I guess you can say that..." She smiled at the mental picture and wished for a moment that she had a pair of dark glasses and a cotton coat.
"But why are you so far away from Britain then?"
"I was given an opportunity and I took it. There really wasn't anything left for me in London."
"Boy trouble?" Seth apparently knew the look on her face. Surely from his own sister.
"More like man trouble. But I don't think there's that big a difference." She gave him a weak smile which he apparently didn't notice at all as he was staring at something behind her. "Seth?"
A grin grew on his face. "Jacob's coming." He jumped to his feet and held a hand out to help Hermione up too. She watched as Seth walked to meet the old tow truck and she crawled into the car to find her wand.
She was not not going to meet a the Alpha unarmed.
The wand was stuck between the driver's seat and the stick and truck was parked in front of her when she finally got out of the car.
"Her name's Hermione and she English! Like from London! And she knows about us, man – shape-shifters and vampires and shit!" She supposed Seth meant to whisper, but he obviously had a hard time containing his excitement.
"Calm down, Seth. I'll handle her," a deep voice responded. The sound made Hermione's heart skip a beat and tighten her grip on her wand.
She held it partway hidden behind her leg and she heard the sound of feet nearing her.
Time stopped when Seth and his Alpha came around the corner of the tow truck, and all Hermione could see was a set of deep brown eyes drawing her in. She noticed how the eyes widened and the pupils dilated and only one thought were able to form in her head.
Oh, bollocks.