A/N: I know I said you'd have to wait more than two days for this, but I lied. I can't stop writing this story. And since I updated one of the other two I'm currently working on I rewarded myself by letting myself write another chapter for this story. I admit this one is a little more info, a little less dialogue, but I wanted to introduce Hermione's new 'addiction'. Hope you like it, please review.

Her eyelids fluttered open, and she looked around the empty room not feeling as if she had just woken up. She placed the small phial that had contained the potent sleeping potion back up on a shelf to await refilling. She had downed enough to keep a normal human out for the better part of a day, she had barely been asleep two hours.

Her dream had brought her back to the giant Wizards Chess set far below Hogwarts in her first year. She watched Ron orchestrate pieces around the board perfectly, the whole time she stood where she was told and watched him in amazement and adoration. He had gone out of his way to make sure she and Harry were safe, and she watched in horror as he sacrificed himself for them. She then moved on to the potions room, where she was able to figure out the potions. Just as the potion to help her move back slid down her throat she woke up.

She had been taking the sleeping potion for several days. She wanted the dreams. She needed them. She tried to remember everything from that first year, but the memories were fuzzy. She knew that she had remembered everything about the riddle in the potions room before becoming a vampire, but she couldn't remember the order of the bottles anymore, and it frustrated her. She needed the dreams because she needed the memories. She didn't want to be 'vampire', she wanted to be Hermione.

She had picked when she took the potion carefully, making sure Edward was out of the house each time. She couldn't keep Occlumency up in a potion-induced sleep, and she was afraid he would never understand.

"What did I do this time?" Harry asked as he looked in shock at the note Dean Thomas had just handed him. The acting Headmistress, McGonagall, wanted to see him in his office that night at five, before dinner.

"Don't know. Just said I'd deliver it to you."

Harry looked around at his friends in his Herbology class. Dean and Neville had returned to Hogwarts, Dean because he never had been able to go for his seventh year, Neville because he had spent much of his final year hiding out. Several muggle-born students who had been hiding had returned to make up the year they missed. Luna had returned as a sixth year, Ginny was getting private tutoring in some subjects as a mix between sixth and seventh year. Most of the teachers were sympathetic to all their students, and several were being a little more lenient towards those who were making up for lost time.

Harry sighed. He had wanted to see Ginny alone for a few minutes before going to dinner. But he wasn't going to stand his Professor up. He was having fun having a relatively safe year, he didn't want to make it any different by angering McGonagall.

"I've got enough time to send a letter before I got to go up there," Harry muttered to Ron.

"The Owlery is on the other side of the building," Ron replied, looking at Harry as if he couldn't forget the layout of the castle in the year they had been gone.

"Siri has taken a liking to Hagrid. She stays by his hut whenever she can."

They started shuffling out of class. The sun was bright, and they all shed their robes to keep from overheating. Neville, Dean, and Seamus followed them towards Hagrid's, he had Buckbeak sitting out back and they loved to watch him feed. Harry called Siri down and handed her a small note. "The usual place," he said. Siri nipped him affectionately before flying off into the woods.

"You've been getting a lot of use out of that bird," Seamus noted. "Where do you keep sending her to? A secret girlfriend?"

"No," Harry laughed, hoping it didn't sound fake. "Just a friend."

Ron kicked the dirt. Harry had never told him who he was writing to, or even who gave him the bird, and Ron was getting worried on his sister's behalf. Harry had stuck by his story of 'it's just a friend' the whole time.

"What's that?" Neville asked, pointing into the woods. Harry's stomach dropped. Two or three spots of brilliant white, almost sparkling, were moving quickly in the farthest part of the woods they could see. Almost before he could spot them they disappeared.

"Whatever it is, it's heading right for the spiders," Ron said with a shudder. "Hope it turns around before it meets a sticky end."

"Probably unicorns," Harry said as Dean tossed a dead rat at Buckbeak, who chomped it happily. No one seemed to question the explanation, and the mystery creature or creatures were quickly forgotten. The group discussed their latest lessons as they fed Buckbeak a few more rats, then started off towards the castle. As they reached the front doors Harry could have sworn he heard a very faint laugh echoing from the woods.

He bid his friends goodbye and started towards the Headmistresses' office. He said the password ('Severus') and went up the spiral stone staircase.

"Good evening, Potter," McGonagall motioned for him to come in and take a seat.

"Whatever it is that I'm supposed to have done, I'm pretty sure I didn't do it."

McGonagall raised an eyebrow, but chuckled. "Relax, Potter. It's nothing you've done. I've been getting some pressure by some Order members that a bit of a celebration is in order for those who fought in the final battle. Since we didn't have much to celebrate right after."

Harry nodded, but didn't feel like going to a giant party.

"I'm trying to do in in such a way that all those who fought who are still with us can attend."

Harry looked at her. He knew what she was saying, but he couldn't believe she was saying it.

"I daresay you've been in touch."

"Of course I have."

"Have you seen her recently?"

Harry nodded.

"Is she adjusting alright to her new lifestyle?"

"She has gone 'vegetarian'. Ginny and I met up with her and Edward right before term started."

"And she did well around you?"

"We actually ventured into Diagon Alley. She did fine."

"So you think she'd be able to attend a party?"

"Able, yes. Willing, no. She still doesn't want to be known as a vampire quite yet."

McGonagall pondered this for a while. "If we were able to make it so most of the people didn't know she was who she was, do you think she'd come?"

"Professor?"

"What if we held a masquerade ball? That way everyone would be wearing masks or costumes and she wouldn't look out of place hiding her face. We could make up a fake identity, say she was spying abroad and no one will look twice at her."

"Have you seen her recently? It would be quite difficult not to look twice at her."

"I've heard tales about vampire beauty, and Edward pretty much confirmed what I've heard. How is he, by the way?"

"He's Edward."

"If we plan on having Hermione there I would feel safest if he accompanied her. Just in case."

"I don't think she'd have a problem with that," Harry said, trying to keep bitterness from his voice as he remembered Edward kissing Hermione's forehead as they wrapped their arms around each other.

McGonagall nodded. "I do think a maquerade ball would be a fine way to include Hermione and Edward in the nights events."

Harry groaned, but this time it wasn't on Hermione's behalf. "That means we have to look all formal and everything, doesn't it? Dress robes and dancing and all that."

McGonagall smiled at him. "Yes, Potter. The consensus seems to be that we should do some sort of formal event, which would mean dressing the part."

Harry sighed. "I guess if we're doing it that way it would help Hermione be able to come if she wants, I'm just not going to guarantee she'll come."

"When I have the details can I trust you to pass them along to her?"

"Of course, Professor." He tried not to get his hopes up. If Hermione could get through a ball, she might be closer than he thought to being able to return to living as normal of a life as she could with them.

Once her personal Potions lab had been set up Hermione had gotten immediately to work brewing several different potions. She quickly discovered that a blood-replenishing potion allowed them to spend more time between hunts. Emmett turned it down, he was having too much fun with the Acromantulas, but Carlisle thought it was wonderful. She brewed a couple potions for her own stocks, but focused on finding her antivenin. So far she had difficulty with the vampire venom, it was so potent it dissolved most anything she tried on it. She worked on this for hours on end, often just sitting and staring at her collection of vampire venom hoping for a breakthrough.

Many of the family had taken to sitting with her. They spoke if she spoke to them first, but mostly they just watched her with quiet optimism. Even Rosalie, who had a cold relationship with Hermione, would come in to watch her test certain things on the venom. She had even been in the room when Hermione, in frustration, threw a bezoar into the small dish and watched it dissolve in minutes.

Rosalie, like the rest of the family, had hope in what Hermione was doing. They all hoped that she would find her antivenin, and the unspoken hope was that she would find a way to free them from their hell. To find a way to make them human again. Hermione warned them against their hope, that there was a good chance that even if she found an antivenin it wouldn't help them, only those who had been bitten but not changed, but there was still the ripple of anticipation through the family.

Edward's new favorite pastime was to watch Hermione bent over her potions cauldron, hands moving perfectly in sync with each other, eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she carefully added this ingredient or that. They would never talk as she was working, and he liked it that way. He was fascinated by her motions, like an actress in a one-woman play. She brewed exotic potions with no explanation of why she was adding this or stirring in a particular way. Once she brewed a potion that filled the room with the scent of her blood, old books, and living plants. "An Elixir to Induce Euphoria," she said as she finished. Emmett had dared to taste this one and afterwards he and Rosalie had disappeared for three days. Hermione was quite interested to see how the potions effected vampires, she thought it crucial to how the antivenin might effect them.

Edward had just returned from a trip to the nearest town to pick up some new CDs. Hermione had declined going hunting with Carlisle and Jasper, as was her custom. She preferred to hunt only with Edward, though she had tagged along with Jasper as they taught Emmett to hunt the Acromantulas. She had also declined to go with him, saying she wanted to work on some potions. As he walked down the hall towards her room, Edward was suddenly aware that he was in tune with Hermione's thoughts.

He slowly approached her room. She was thinking of a dark woods, and sadness was overwhelming her. He opened the door and found her laid across the lounger that Alice had bought, fast asleep. A phial of what looked to be a sleeping potion was sitting next to her. For the first time in his immortal life he was gazing upon a sleeping vampire. In her dream she was fighting to stay awake. Something heavy, much too heavy for it's small size, was hanging around her neck, and it took all her strength not to throw the thing as far as she could into the woods.

Something moved in the trees, and her head snapped up. She craned her neck, hoping to hear footsteps, hoping to see him walking towards her. She needed to see him. She needed him to return to her. But it wasn't him. It hadn't been the couple of dozen times before. And even if it was him he wouldn't be able to find them. Their enchantments were too great.

She could almost feel her heart breaking. The more they moved, the farther they got away from him. She should be angry. She should want to curse him into next week for leaving them to do this task alone. And all she wanted was for him to come and console her. To tell her that they would succeed. That all the pain and heartache was not going to be in vain. She wanted his arms around him, as he had placed them around her so many times as a friendly gesture. She wanted him. And she couldn't help but feel bitterness and that she was trapped with someone she didn't want to be around at the moment.

Edward tore himself from her mind and walked out of the room. He knew that she was still conflicted, but they had kissed several more times since their first in the mountaintop clearing. He couldn't help but feel slightly jealous. She was still pining for Ron. Harry had been sending notes twice a week or more begging her to meet up with them, to have a reunion for the 'Golden Trio', and she had been consistently telling him 'no' for Ron's sake. But what if it was for her sake? What if it was because it was easier to make the choice between him and Ron if she thought she was never going to see the latter again?

He sat out by the waterfall in the back yard and stared at the falling water, trying to clear his mind.

"Penny for your thoughts," Carlisle muttered, sitting next to him.

"Hermione took a sleeping potion..."

"She's a vampire, it probably wouldn't..."

"She's in there, dreaming, right now."

Carlisle looked stunned.

"She's dreaming about missing Ron," Edward muttered bitterly.

"How so?"

"They're in the woods somewhere, she's standing guard over that little tent, and she's missing him. It sounded like he left her."

"That sounds like more of a memory than a dream."

"Then why is she taking a sleeping potion to dream about missing him?"

"Maybe she's not. Maybe she's taking a sleeping potion to have the dreams so she doesn't forget."

Edward looked up at his father.

"How much of your human life do you remember?"

"Not much."

"Has she asked you about that?"

"Yes, but she didn't push it when I told her I don't remember."

"And maybe that scared her. She's had so much happen in her life. She might be afraid of losing those memories, and she's sleeping so she doesn't forget."

"But why does it have to involve Ron?"

"I don't see how it couldn't, if she was dreaming about that part of her life. She was very entwined with Ron, seeing more of him than her own parents since she was eleven. She probably couldn't even control which of the memories came back in her dream."

Edward continued to look bitter.

"Remember, when I first met her, how you asked if I felt anything different when I held her hand."

"Yes."

"I've heard of that before. With the one other Vampire with Magic that I've seen. His wife couldn't bear to keep her hand out of his, she lived for the feeling. Almost like you're alive again, right?"

He nodded.

"It might be part of being magic, I'm not sure. Maybe it's just one of those things that happens with very few vampires, and she just happens to have it on top of being magic. But it only happens when she is with someone who is completely compatible with her, someone that can be her perfect match. She probably doesn't notice a difference, but Aro believes it might be because it's somewhat of a trap to keep you with her. Of course, he didn't trust Adrian himself."

"Adrian would be the other Vampire with Magic?"

"Yes. And a power-hungry one at that. Eventually we had to team up with Those with Magic to get him down. He decided one day that that Volturi should not have more power than he, and he got a few followers. At first the Volturi didn't mind, they at least claim that they aren't in the business of telling other vampires how to run their lives. But Adrian wouldn't stop, he hunted humans, vampires, and Those with Magic. He thought he was going to be ruler of the world, because he thought that neither the vampires nor Those with Magic could stop him.

"Eventually the Volturi had to team up with the Italian Ministry of Magic to bring Adrian down, and it was a fight to even get them to join together. Each thought that it was the other who needed to do that majority of the work, to put their brethren in the line of fire so to speak. Eventually they agreed to fight side by side. Many died, but eventually Adrian and all his followers were torn apart and burned. But the damage had been done to us. The Ministry of Magic in Italy knew about the Volturi, and they've been under watch as possible 'problem vampires' since."

Edward winced. He knew that once Those with Magic labeled a blood-drinker as a 'problem vampire' they were taken care of permanently.

"The Ministry lets them be because they don't want an all-out vampire war on their hands, and the Volturi agreed that they would discourage creating any new vampires from Magic folk."

"But Hermione isn't anything like Adrian. She's fought someone like that. She nearly died fighting him."

"You don't need to tell me."

"I know. It's just that..." he trailed off.

"You love her."

"I'm starting to."

Carlisle's supporting hand came to rest on his shoulder. "I wouldn't worry about the dreams. I wouldn't worry about the Volturi. If I were you I'd just worry about Hermione at the moment. She's still young, she still needs the support of someone she can trust, and she's placed her trust in you."

Inside the house Hermione dreamed on. This time she was sure she heard the footsteps. She stood and raised her wand. It couldn't be him, and if it wasn't it was someone else who wanted to find her, and chances were it wasn't good news. She breathed heavily, listening to the footfalls come closer and closer. Her eyes strained in the darkness looking for the first sight of the intruder. The steps were louder and louder, and she still couldn't see anyone. They would be in front of her at any moment...

As she stared, unblinking, into the darkness, but gasped in shock as it wasn't Ron who emerged from the woods. She gazed in amazement as Edward started towards her, a broad smile across his face.

She awoke with a start.