Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the intellectual property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer and JK Rowling. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Chapter note:
Sorry, this is not a new chapter. I've only realised after reading a review that I've posted an incomplete chapter. I've changed that but there's not much that's been added. Only a few lines at the end of the chapter and a completed end note.
By the way, I'm thinking of putting up a poll for my new project stories at the end of the month. For your information, there are twelve stories; three Hermione/Cedric, one Hermione/Carlisle, one Hermione/Emmett and seven Edward/Hermione. Sorry, no wolves for now. You'll be given as a Christmas gift the first chapter of the one finishing at the top by the end of the poll on the fifteenth December. And, the first chapter of the story at second place on New Year's Eve. So, don't forget to vote by then (an author note will be sent) or you can also leave your ideas in a review (there's a not updated list on my profile page. Anyway, kudos to everyone.
A Story Shared
"Ha, you're having fun at my expense, ain't it?" asked Emmett a few seconds later.
"Us?" replied Edward, in a falsely shocked voice. "We would never dare do such an horrendous thing, Emmett." The delighted grin on Edward's face however betrayed the latter.
"Yeah, I can see how serious you are," quipped Emmett, in response.
"Anyway, –" Emmett turned to Hermione with a Slytherin-worthy smirk "– tell us, my dear Penelope Clearwater. Why the fake name?"
Edward also had turned to Hermione when he heard Emmett's question. Hermione stayed silent contemplating her options before her gaze fell on Edward. In retrospect, it would only be a fair example of reciprocity towards the vampires who'd shared their own stories with her. But, Hermione could only ask herself if she felt ready to relive the last few years. The darkest hours of the war were still lingering in her mind. It might be too painful to through that yet.
Her eyes again flicked on Edward. The vampire had been so open to her and the Cullens had been so pleasantly accommodating despite the unusual circumstances of her arrival. She knew what she had to do.
"It's a relatively long story," began Hermione, "and I'd rather recount it only once, Emmett."
"Aren't you in luck then?" said Emmett, a pleased smile spreading on his face. "Our dear doctor Cullen is home now and if I'm not mistaken, he isn't due until tomorrow at his beloved hospital. We are all here to listen to your long story."
"I think it would however be better for everyone if we did this in the living room instead of crowding Edward's room," suggested Hermione, receiving a nod in response from the latter.
"Story time," announced Emmett—rather loudly—calling the family even though it wasn't necessary.
The Cullens and Hermione seated themselves around the white couches before she launched full speed into recounting the fantastic story of her life as a witch.
"First off, I was born on the nineteenth September 1987 to Richard and Helen Granger—dentists by profession—ordinary Muggles for wizards." Hermione figured that if she were to tell her story she might as well start from the beginning.
"What's a Muggle?" asked Carlisle, intrigued by the foreign word.
"It's the term used by wizards for the ordinary people, those born without magic from no wizarding parents. That makes me a Muggleborn or a Mudblood –" she spat the word "– in the Wizarding world. There's a bigger picture behind that simple explanation and we might as well get this done."
"Wizards and witches have existed through time. Circe, Morgana Le Fay or Merlin have really existed. Somewhere, probably at the end of the tenth or the beginning of the eleventh century, two wizards and two witches—the four of them were exceptionally talented and unmatched in magical prowess—vowed their lives to the education of the young wizards and witches. It was necessary since the uneducated masses of the time were very superstitious and any mention of magic or suspicion of practice of it was likely to have the designated guilty sent to the pyre."
"That's what would have happened to Alec and Jane had Aro not intervened," interjected Alice. "Their powers had scared the village folks so much that they'd been condemned to the pyre."
"That's probably because the twins were magical, right?" asked Jasper.
Hermione nodded in response. "Most probably. So, this merry group of four, Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin, founded the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
She ignored the sniggers and the chuckles of the Cullens at hearing the names. It wasn't as though she hadn't thought the same when Professor McGonagall had told them the name of the school.
"They built the school from scratch. Walls, the undergrounds, towers, courtyards, etc. It was an eclectic style that blended in to create the massive castle that houses the school. It sits on a hillside in the highlands of Scotland hidden from prying eyes by a fantastic array of concealment charms. You wouldn't know it was there even if you happened to be peering through the castle gates. To the Muggles, the castle is nearly impossible to find and even if one managed to come near, they'd see an old castle in ruins. Once done, the four scoured Great Britain to look for young students. It wasn't always easy. They'd often encounter resistance from Muggleborns and their parents. It was a whole other story with Purebloods—those born from wizarding families—their children were guaranteed a place in Hogwarts from their births onwards."
"How so?" asked Carlisle. "If the school was newly started, it would be impossible for those children to have such a place,"
"That's thanks to the Quill of Acceptance and the Book of Admittance," replied Hermione. At the blank looks she received, Hermione elaborated, "The Quill of Acceptance and the Book of Admittance are two powerful artefacts that were created by the founders shortly before the school's completion. The quill is used to detect the births of all magical children and wrote their names down in a big, parchment book. The book was most probably created by Slytherin because it served as a regulatory system, only allowing the quill to write in it when sufficient magical ability was displayed, thus preventing entry to Squibs. Squibs are children born to magical parents but displaying very little or no magical ability."
"Anyway, the four founders worked together for long years and decades without problems before a rift eventually began to grow between Slytherin and the other three. Slytherin despised those he considered unworthy –"
"Let me guess; the muggleborns," interrupted Rosalie.
"Exactly," agreed Hermione. "Anyway, there's this big falling out between Slytherin and the rest of the founders. The history books are divided on the happenstance but it is generally agreed that Gryffindor and Slytherin—former BFFs—dueled but Slytherin was defeated. He left Hogwarts but before leaving, he'd built a secret chamber under the massive castle and hid a monster inside. He prophesized that his descendant would one day open the chamber and release the terror within to purge the school of those deemed unworthy."
"And the Chamber was opened?" asked Emmett.
"Unfortunately, yes and it was opened twice," replied Hermione, shivering as she remembered the glowing yellow eyes of the Basilisk.
Hermione saw Jasper followed by Edward glance at her. They did not comment.
"Who opened the Chamber?" asked Emmett, eagerly.
"It was a descendant of Slytherin, Emmett," answered Alice in her place. "That's what he prophesized."
"Yeah, that," Emmett replied, abashed.
"So," continued Hermione, "we'll get back to that later. Anyway, with the departure of Slytherin, the school prospered. Nevertheless, the damage was already done. A majority of the Purebloods agreed with Slytherin's motto. Magic should be kept among the purebloods. Luckily for a few centuries, there was no consensus. However, the witch-hunts grew even fiercer, wizarding families began to live double lives, using charms of concealment to protect themselves and their families. And, by the seventeenth century, wizard-Muggle relations were at their worst."
"So, they hid themselves," concluded Carlisle.
"Yes, in 1689, the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy is a law laid down by the International Confederation of Wizards," said Hermione.
"You have your own government?" asked Alice, surprised.
"Vampires have their own government, why couldn't we have ours?" replied Hermione.
"I'm just surprised, that's all," said Alice.
"Are you also going to tell us what business you had in breaking into that Ministry of yours?" asked Emmett.
"Yes, Emmett. It actually happened twice but we'll get to that although that's going to be much later. The Statute was enforced worldwide three years later by every Ministry of Magic. So, magical beasts, beings, and spirits were concealed, taken care of and controlled."
"What kind of beasts?" asked Emmett, eagerly.
"Just the usual; fairies, gnomes, owls, leprechauns, pixies, winged –"
"There's nothing really dangerous," interrupted Emmett, in a disappointed tone.
"I was getting there, Emmett," said Hermione. "So, winged horses, centaurs, trolls, griffins, merpeople, phoenix, sphinxes, unicorns, yetis. If those weren't enough, there's also the highly dangerous types like acromantulas, basilisks, chimaeras, dragons, manticores, lethifold, nundus, quintapeds, and werewolves."
"Werewolves? Real ones?" asked Alice. At Hermione's nod, Alice burst out laughing. "Caius thinks he's gotten rid of them and all the while, they were hidden from him."
"Can I have a dragon?" asked Emmett, curiously.
"It would be unwise of you to try that as real dragons breathe fire and all things considered ..."
"Yeah, that would be kind of bothersome to be incinerated by your pet dragon," sighed Emmett.
That was followed by a snort from Hermione who'd thought of Hagrid and his pet dragon, Norbert. Although, Norbert turned out to be a Norberta.
"What kind of animal can I keep as a pet, Hermione?" asked Emmett.
"Don't even think about it, Emmett!" snapped Rosalie.
"But, Rosie," sniffed Emmett.
"No, Emmett," said Rosalie, with finality.
The big vampire hung his head in defeat. "Do you have a pet, yourself?" he questioned, curiosity shining in his eyes.
"I have Crookshanks –" started Hermione, before she was interruped again by Emmett.
"What's a Crookshanks?"
"Will you let the girl talk instead of the constant interruptions?" asked Rosalie, a hint of her irritation at her Husband showing in her voice.
"I'm just curious, Rosie. There's no need to bite my head off," defended the large vampire.
"Crookshanks is my cat. He's a half-Kneazle. A Kneazle is a magical race of cats," explained Hermione.
Sensing no further interruptions coming, a smiling Hermione ploughed on. "Anyway, the magical world went into hiding but it did not stop madmen from rising. Once and again, a dark wizard reared his ugly head and tried to break the law. But none were as more dangerous than the last one; Voldemort."
"What a strange name," said Esme. "It makes it sound as if ... did he do something to escape his own death?" questioned the Cullen matriarch.
"Yes, unfortunately," confirmed Hermione. "Sadly, just like his name foretold, Lord Voldemort found a way to flee from death,"
"But, how can someone cheat death?" asked Carlisle.
"You're really asking this, Carlisle?" asked Jasper. "We're vampires."
"There are certain ways to cheat death, Carlisle," replied Hermione. "Voldemort simply found the worst possible way to achieve that."
"How did he do it?" asked Emmett.
"He killed. He killed people, didn't he?" suggested Esme.
"Yes," confimed Hermione, sadly. "He was so ambitious in his quest for power that he was unscrupulous. He killed whoever fought him or dared stand in his way. He didn't mind killing his own followers if he thought he'd get more powerful with that dreadful dead."
Of course, the memory of Snape's murder still lingered in the back of her mind and Hermione wasn't the least bit surprised when she saw Edward's eyes widen from witnessing the vivid and gory memory playing in her head. He, however, didn't comment. Hermione was really surprised thas Edward hadn't shared a thing since she'd started telling her story. However, she figured that he was taking this opportunity to learn more about her.
It wasn't that much surprising, at least to Edward, that Hermione's story was captivating her audience. It was why the family interrupted the story at regular intervals with questions about whatsits and whatnots. The Cullens were all very curious and fascinated with this story of a parallel world to theirs. Carlisle was the epitome of curiosity. He was listening with rapt attention to Hermione and was burning with curiosity as was Esme, Alice and Rosalie. Jasper, like the other members of the family was fascinated with everything he was hearing.
Emmett was unsurprisingly the best audience. Emmett looked like a kid waiting eagerly for a new story hanging on every word he heard. He was even sprawled over one couch, his head resting on the armrest and his feet dangling over the other side. He cheered, ooh-ed, aah-ed, laughed, snickered, booed, and growled at all the right places.
And, yet, like Hermione had observed, Edward interrupted her or shared his thoughts. He hadn't uttered a single word since Hermione started her story and from hearing the thought lingering in Hermione's mind, Edward smiled. Hermione had been very astute in her reading of him. It was true.
It was a unique opportunity ro Edward to learn more of and about Hemione. It was what had defined and shaped Hermione into the fantastic woman he had only glanced before. It was her story. The magical world was her life.
He watched her, observed her, analyzed her. He memorised what made her smile; her friends and parents, what made her sad; the fallen friends and her memory-less parents. He decrypted the little mannerisms that defined Hermione. It was her. It was Hermione.
He'd understood from hearing her story that Hermione held her friends' opinions in high esteem. None more than Ron and Harry. Mostly Harry. And if he wasn't mistaken, Hermione would never agree to marry him if her two best friends disapproved of him. And Edward being a vampire, he was already at a disadvantage.
Later, after Hermione's dinner and a quick hunt, Edward asked Hermione a question that had been bugging him since the end of the story.
"What do you like to do when you're not worrying about your friends?" he asked, as she was settling herself in a couch.
"I thought we've already covered that in the last hours," said Hermione, perplexed.
"What I've learned is that Hermione has spent her last years worrying herself to death for her friends. I don't disapprove actually, it's humbling to know that you could burn my sparkling bum with a wave pinky finger," he explained before ploughing on. "What I'd actually want to know is what the mighty Hermione Granger likes to do in her free time? And I'm not talking about books. There must have been something you liked before going to Hogwarts?"
It was true that, from Edward's perspective or anyone else for that matter, one would think that Hermione's life was centred around her friends. It was admirable how loyal she was to her friends and everything but there must have been something else. Even in her childhood.
From the look on Hermione's face, Edward surmised that it had been a long time that someone had actually bothered to ask Hermione that question. Thus, he was pleased when Hermione smiled brightly back at him.
"Well, –" she started.
Author note:
I'll end this here. I'm awfully sorry for the short chapter. I'll over-compensate everyone with the next chapter. It should be a longer one and for teaser purpose, it will be titled: A First Date.
I wanted the chapter to be longer with Hermione recalling all her years at Hogwarts with the Cullens analysing everything in between. But, that's been done and redone in almost all crossovers, so I've changed my mind. Half of the reason for that was motivated by the lengthiness that would have resulted from that. The other half was plain laziness on my part, I'm afraid.
Thanks to all reviewers: Gimana Nanti51, Alfath Rosier, Superpotterwho, Crotia, LeonaMasha, Babynora1983, NorthernLights25, Lisa Francis 96780, Grovek26, Amata0221, Vepattinson, Desi-Pari Always, Flyingberry, Random yet lovable, Montara, VampireWitch456, Luvudramione, Sampdoria, xXBelieverXx, Ana, Guest11313, BelvaRoze, Beautiful-Tyrant77, HarryHermioneEdwardBella, Guest71113, Maiannaise, Roula, GrangerDanger Lol, Fanatic-ism, Guest101213, Angelofheaven001, AshLiz, Gabriella651, KaylahPeta, LostInASeaOfPeople, Pyra Sanada, Klein, Grace, Silent12reader, Meldz, Deanna4403, Pianomouse, MissMiaPotter-AshSun19680, Free-wall-e, Purple sky always, Hermione24, Twztdwildcat & Jallison099
As usual, I wish to end this chapter by saying that the response to this story is above my highest expectations. I take the opportunity to thank everyone that have reviewed, listed it as one of their favourites or put a story alert for it.
As always, take care of yourselves and have a great day.
Love,
Ludo