"I know what's going on, father," Renesmee said the minute they were alone.
Edward immediately took a step back. He was afraid of his daughter. Not because she was stronger than him, but because he actually cared what she thought. She could hurt him in a way Bella couldn't. Not anymore. His feelings had been muted after years of being inhuman, but there was still something there. Vanity. An understandably large ego. And somewhere, deep inside, the need to be loved by his impossibly perfect offspring. He could no more give Renesmee a reason to reject him than go back to feeding on humans. In spite of what Jacob did to him in bed, his ego couldn't take it.
Renesmee placed a hand on his wrist and Edward tried not to jump out of his skin.
"You're unhappy," she said.
He didn't know how she could tell. He'd perfected his brooding face long before she was a possibility.
"Mother smiled when she saw me, but you seem...distraught about something. More than being asked to come to the school." Edward looked across the empty classroom to avoid her gaze. "You've been fighting with Jacob again, haven't you?"
Edward shoved his hands into his pockets, suddenly thankful his daughter would never have the unfortunate chance to accidentally look at the front of his pants. He'd be hard-pressed to explain what she saw. Just the sound of Jacob's name brought to mind what they'd been up to the night before. If it was possible for Edward to bruise, he would've developed a permanent limp from Jacob's attentions. He might still. As it was, he had to repress the urge to beg his daughter to cut off all ties with the shapeshifter. It was bad enough they were involved. He couldn't break Renesmee's heart like that.
"There are some things going on," Edward stated quietly. "I don't want you to worry about it."
"But I do," Renesmee said. "I love you both and I don't want you to fight."
But then we could have make up sex, Edward thought. Hot, sweaty, violent— He shook his head as if to clear it. "You don't have to worry about us fighting," Edward said. "Those days are behind us." He finally became brave enough to look his daughter in the eye. "Really. We've learned to resolve our differences in the past few weeks. You'll see that firsthand when you come to visit."
Renesmee nodded. Edward's stomach unclenched. There was still nothing to be done about his tight pants.
"Promise me you'll let me know if there's anything I can do."
Edward placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "You can focus on school and try to minimize everyone's obsession with you." And break up with Jacob, he thought, suddenly wishing he could hypnotize his child. A measure of guilt assailed him as the thought passed. He walked away, knowing deep down this was the last time he would be able to talk to his daughter without her knowing the truth.
More than an hour passed after dinner before Hermione became aware that Renesmee had returned to Gryffindor Tower. There was a collective sigh from downstairs, noticable as far away as the sixth year girls' dorm. It didn't hurt that even the portraits had taken to giggling when they knew she was coming. Hermione closed the copy of Advanced Potion Making on her bed and sat up, prepared for the onslaught of worshippers who would inevitably follow her roommate to their shared room and make it impossible for her to study. When Renesmee entered the room alone, the startled seventeen-year-old blurted, "Where is everyone?"
Renesmee smiled and glanced over shoulder briefly before closing the door. "Downstairs still, getting an early start on their sleep for the night." She motioned to her left sleeve where Hermione knew she kept her wand. "Thanks for demonstrating that Stupefy spell in class earlier. Learning that has done me a world of good."
"No prob...it was...s-sure," Hermione finally stuttered out. There was something odd about the way Renesmee was smiling at her. It didn't make her uncomfortable, exactly. Just tingly and a bit warm and, quite possibly, a little wet. But none of it was unpleasant. Far from it.
"I like being around you too," she said.
"I never said—" Hermione stopped, frowning. There was no point in denying the truth of it. She'd become helpless in the face of her own growing fixation. She just didn't know how Renesmee knew. "I mean, it's not that I don't like you, but—are you psychic?" That was not how she'd meant to end that, not at all, but the question had come out just the same.
"No, but my father reads minds." She shrugged. "I get the impression he sometimes reads body language. I got that gift from him." Renesmee paused. "I suppose he doesn't realize that."
She smiled again and Hermione felt a little dizzy. She was suddenly glad she was still on her bed.
"You may have heard a rumor about me today. That I'm half-vampire." Renesmee's smile widened; her sharp teeth gleamed in the light. "It doesn't make me dangerous. And, unlike my parents, I can't really hypnotize anyone, so I don't want you to feel like I'm influencing you against your will."
Against all reason, Hermione thought. She nodded and stood from the bed. "There's something about you," Hermione said, taking a few steps. "You're a mystery. That's why I..." She blushed and let her sentence end there. She couldn't say it anyway. Not with Renesmee looking at her as if she might feel the same.
"I shouldn't be doing this," Renesmee said after a long moment of silence. "I have someone, you know. He's waiting for me." She looked down at her hands. "But this isn't really cheating. He and I are friends right now. We could always remain as friends, but he'll love me any way I want him to." She looked up again. Her eyes had turned a startling coal black. Hermione found the change arousing. Frightening, but sexy. "But I can have whatever, whomever I want until I'm ready to make that decision."
"You can," Hermione whispered, providing her permission, her willingness, abandoning even the slightest urge to say no. In a flash, Renesmee had bridged the space between them. Her arms went around the other girl as Hermione stumbled back a step. "Could we..."
"I can do things to you you've probably never imagined could be done with a wand," Renesmee said, interrupting. "But I don't want to cause trouble with you and your friends. Harry—"
"Harry can stuff it," Hermione said as she leaned closer. Her lips brushed Renesmee's tentatively. Instantly, her nipples stiffened and her knees weakened. She inhaled deeply. Even her breath was sweet.
"Speaking of stuffing," Renesmee reached into her pocket and pulled out a giant cucumber she'd stolen from the Hogwarts kitchens. "I've got a little game I want to play."
When the rest of Gryffindor woke later that evening, several things were immediately apparent. Several of them had little to no bladder control when in a deep sleep. When several of the boys woke before the girls, they had no problem relieving their female classmates of their school robes and clothes. Lastly, everyone had an overwhelming craving for the taste of cucumbers. Only Renesmee Cullen was able to satisfy hers.
