This chapter comes with a very big WARNING as it contains mentions of abuse, rape, torture of underage girls. So please if you are offended don't read it.

Chapter Twenty-Five

The six weeks Hermione had spent with Nafeesa were both amazing and frustrating to say the least. And the words Charlie had spoken when describing training a dragon, when he said 'it takes time and a lot of patience as like most animals out there dragons can be unpredictable and dangerous' were completely true.

Even though Hermione and Nafeesa had bonded on that first day, it didn't mean things would go smoothly between them. Since finding Hermione, Nafeesa seemed less angry and dangerous and appeared more playful in nature. And despite this new side to her however, people around her couldn't forget that she was still a dangerous fire breathing dragon.

She did not seem to like Felix and Demetri at all, who couldn't go anywhere near her, not that they really wanted to. And out of all the staff who worked at the Dragon Sanctuary it was only Charlie, thanks to Hermione, who she let near her. So all the other staff had to stay outside the wards to her enclosure, unless they wanted to die a very painful death.

Every day the wards to Nafeesa's enclosure allowed Hermione through, without her even having to do anything. It was like her magic and the power of Nafeesa were instantly drawn to one another, combining and overruling the magic of the others that surrounded her.

After that first day Nafeesa had been in a slight strop with Hermione as she felt her non-human had taken too long to come back to her, and she was letting her know she wasn't happy about that.

With much soothing however, by words and touches, Nafeesa soon forgave Hermione and that's when the dragon soon unleashed her playful side. Every time Hermione spent time with Nafeesa, Charlie, Felix, Demetri and any other curious members of staff sat outside and watched the two interacting with one another, all while the dragonologists took notes and pictures.

For years' people believed dragons were unintelligent creatures, who were dangerous and aggressive and only wanted to kill. They believed that they were cold creatures who had no emotions or feelings. But anyone watching Hermione and Nafeesa together could see that wasn't true.

The way Nafeesa had huffed at Hermione, showed that she had feelings because at that point she was feeling annoyed. But the way Hermione had soothed her so easily, showed that not only did Nafeesa understand but she was also capable of forgiving, as well as show other emotions. Never had any of the dragonologists ever seen such a thing happen before, especially when Hermione had no training whatsoever and had never seen Nafeesa in any way, other than that short time during the Triwizard Tournament. It seemed like Hermione had done what had taken the dragonologists years of training to do, in only a mere day if that.

After spending more time with each other Hermione quickly realised that Nafeesa could not be trained like the other dragons had been. She was her own independent dragon who had a mind of her own and done what she wanted, when she wanted.

Every time Hermione instructed Nafeesa to do something, the dragon would turn her back on her and go and do something else, or sometimes she would even stick her forked tongue out and just blatantly ignore her non-human. When she wasn't in a particular good mood, Nafeesa spat fire towards those who were behind the safety of the wards. She always seemed to know where Hermione was and avoided spitting flames in her direction, almost as if she knew how dangerous fire was for her non-human.

And so Hermione quickly learned not to treat Nafeesa like some kind of pet, but as a sort of equal. Instead of telling Nafeesa to do something, she spoke and asked if she wanted to do it. If Nafeesa didn't want to do anything, Hermione respected that and didn't push.

This only enhanced the bond between them further as trust, respect and a partnership formed between them both. Nafeesa was Hermione's familiar, something sacred in the magical world. But because Hermione was both a vampire and a witch, it meant that she was also Nafeesa's familiar. There was no master and pet relationship between them, they were equals, they were partners and they were friends.

It was because of the equal relationship that they had, that they were able to hunt and fly together. Hermione was able to do things, due to her vampire speed and strength, that others couldn't and this appealed to Nafeesa, making them see some similarities between them both.

So today after six weeks of bonding, Hermione wanted to try something new with Nafeesa, something that would need a lot of trust from both sides for it to be successful. And that was to see if Nafeesa would allow her to fly on her back, for her to possibly become her rider.

Charlie had pre-warned Hermione not to get her hopes up too much, and told her that not every dragonologist got to become a dragonrider. Even though there were five of them at this sanctuary, dragonriders were now rare in the magical world. He also reminded Hermione of how prideful Nafeesa was, and how this might prevent her from achieving her goal.

Phil also went on to explain the history of dragonriders to Hermione, and of course while he was telling her all of the stories that he had heard throughout the years, she sat completely enthralled by them. He even gave her a couple of books to read about the old ways, which didn't take her long to devour.

Now Hermione knew that years ago special tribes of wizards, and sometimes on rarer occasions witches, got dragon eggs passed down in their families. Once hatched, the dragon would bond with one of the members of that family and become what was known as a dragonrider. They were a powerful force that worked on the side of light, but on the odd occasion a dark duo of rider and dragon would emerge.

Hundreds of years ago a dark rider, who proclaimed himself as King of the Dragons, had the biggest fearsome dragon at that time, and used his strength and power to gain control of all the other dragons, becoming what was known as the alpha. With this power he killed all the dragonriders, and used his dragon fleet to kill innocents and ruin villages. So families of the lost riders built a powerful and great army, killing the alpha dragon as well as the King. Once the terrible and bloody battle had ended in their deaths, the power over the dragons was lost. Any dragon that was still alive, was also killed eventually in fear of the same thing happening again. This battle caused the dragons to nearly become extinct and dragon riding became a lost tradition. One that started again only a few years ago when the three large sanctuaries were built. Dragonriders were so few and far between now. Which was why Charlie told Hermione to be careful and to not get her hopes up.

It was also because of the battle that they found out that parts of a dragon, such as blood, heart, and scales could be used in potion making and wand making.

That morning when she entered into the enclosure, she arrived on her own, knowing that Nafeesa wouldn't be pleased if there was an audience watching them. This was something that, if it were to happen, would need to be just between the two of them. Something private and sacred to strengthen their bond.

The moment Hermione had walked through the wards Nafeesa instantly recognised her friend and flew straight towards her, stopping only mere feet away. She looked over her non-human with yellow intelligent eyes, before her long forked tongue licked Hermione's face.

She laughed before closing the gap and nuzzling her head against Nafeesa's strong scaly black skin. She truly was a magnificent creature and Hermione couldn't stop being in awe of her new friend.

"Good morning to you too." She smiled before letting Nafeesa go. "I thought we could do some hunting this morning." Hermione said. For some reason she felt nervous about asking Nafeesa to let her fly on her back. Normally that took years for dragonologists to accomplish and she had only been with Nafeesa for six weeks. She enjoyed her friendship with the dragon and didn't want to ruin that, by hurting or insulting Nafeesa's pride. Sighing deeply, she looked straight into the bright yellow eyes of her friend and said, "Actually there was something I wanted to ask you." Nafeesa tilted her head to the side slightly to show that she was listening, as Hermione continued on before her nerves got the better of her. "I know we haven't been friends long but I feel our partnership has progressed so well. We have a wonderful connection that I cherish, believe me. We have done lots of things together but I was wondering, if you would let me sit on your back to fly?" The yellow eyes of Nafeesa seemed to narrow slightly, but other than that she didn't move. "I know we've flown beside each other but that's different. Would you possibly consider letting me become your rider? I promise not to saddle you up like a horse."

Nafeesa stood still and simply stared at Hermione, her yellow eyes narrowing further in either thought or in anger. Not wanting to further insult the intelligent creature, Hermione took a step backwards and bowed her head, in a submissive manner out of respect.

Before she could open her mouth to apologise, Nafeesa snorted smoke out of her flaring nostrils before lurching forward. She quickly grabbed Hermione and tossed her on her scaly back, before taking to the air.

Hermione was momentarily stunned as she realised what had just happened, she had been so sure that Nafeesa was about to refuse her request. She looked over Nafeesa's scaly black skin and noticed how the bronze spikes dotting her spine were absent in the space between her shoulders and her large black wings, allowing her to sit comfortably without being impaled.

In awe Hermione grinned and stroked Nafeesa as she yelled,

"You did it Nafeesa, you're so amazing."

Nafeesa turned her head slightly to look at Hermione and huffed, as if she was agreeing with what her non-human had just said, before turning her gaze back in front of her. She knew about the wards around her enclosure so knew not to fly too close to them normally. But with Hermione on her back and the combination of the power between them, the magic of the wards seemed to melt away, as if they never even existed.

As they flew above all the other enclosures, the dragons that were in them looked up to Nafeesa and her rider, and howled up at them. They stood and watched but could not fly to join them because of the wards. They may have let Nafeesa and her rider through, but that seemed as far as their combined power went.

In return Nafeesa yowled back down to them, the sound sending vibrations down her body, and huffed causing steam to pour from her slitted nostrils. The other dragons, seemingly listening to Nafeesa lay back down where they were but never once removed their piercing gazes from Nafeesa and her rider.

Hermione wasn't entirely sure what was going on, or what that even meant as she was still far too excited and astonished to even care. She was riding a dragon, something she had never thought possible. She stroked Nafeesa again, who straightened her wings out even more, and just seemed to glide through the air at such a fast pace.

Hermione laughed still not believing that she was actually flying a dragon. If she had been her normal human self, she doubted something like this would ever have happened to her. It wasn't the same thing as the vision she had seen, when she saw herself, Harry and Ron fly on the back of the Gringotts Dragon. That had been out of desperation, a need to save themselves and to escape. Things had changed since then. But this situation with Nafeesa, that was different. Nafeesa was her friend, and she had allowed Hermione to fly on her back out of respect, out of friendship, out of trust and out of loyalty.

As a normal human being Hermione had also been terrified of heights back then and wouldn't even fly a broomstick, never mind a 50ft wide dragon. And now look at her. She could fly, she could soar heights without being sick, and now she could fly on the back of a dragon. It was so much more than anything she could have ever imagined happening to her.

Feeling braver than ever before, she moved her body forward slightly and shouted,

"Nafeesa keep steady I'm going to try something."

With that she sat back down in position, before slowly moving to her knees. She pushed both her arms out to the side and steadied herself, before kneeling with one-foot flat in front of her. Once she was steady she pushed herself up slowly, very slowly not wanting to fall, into a standing position.

She laughed with sheer joy, as she held her arms out for balance and shut her eyes letting the wind flow through her curly locks. She couldn't believe what she was doing at the moment, but the adrenaline had kicked in and she found herself enjoying the feelings that were surging through her. Even if she fell off Nafeesa, she knew she would be safe since she had the ability to fly herself. Never before had Hermione ever felt more powerful or more free than she did at that moment. It was liberating.

She wasn't sure how long they flew for, but eventually Nafeesa made the decision to fly back into her enclosure, after all her non-human did promise to hunt with her. The other dragons still watched Nafeesa and her rider, as they soared through the air until she had safely arrived back into her own enclosure. Only then did they let out a howl in unison when they could no longer see her.

Once they were safely back on the ground Hermione jumped off Nafeesa, looking elegant and regal as if she was well practiced in the movement. Her eyes shone with excitement and warmth as she wrapped her arms around her friend and nuzzled her face into her cool black skin. Hermione wasn't so stupid, she realised how rare and precious the gift she had just received from Nafeesa was, and wanted to show her friend just how much it meant to her.

She moved her head back slightly in order to gaze up into those yellow intelligent eyes that were currently shining brightly down at her. It was the only outward sign that Hermione could see that showed Nafeesa was just as happy as what she was, and this pleased Hermione even more.

"Thank you so much for what you have just given me. I have no idea how I can possibly repay you." Hermione whispered in awe at the dragon.

Nafeesa huffed and moved her head quickly to the side several times. As Hermione's gaze followed the movement, she looked over in the direction that Nafeesa was pointing too before a small happy laugh escaped her mouth.

Turning her attention back to Nafeesa she grinned in understanding then said,

"Well I did promise you after all." She chewed her bottom lip for a moment before saying, "Race you." Then flew into the air across the land to where the cattle were kept for Nafeesa to hunt.

She giggled as she turned her head to look behind her, and there following closely by, with her tongue hanging out from her open mouth, and her razor sharp teeth out on display was Nafeesa gliding elegantly behind. She of course was letting Hermione win, for no matter how quick Hermione's vampire speed was, she could not outfly a dragon however hard she tried too.

The game of chase between Hermione and Nafeesa turned playful, as they moved through the air, twirling and diving, going up and down, as the chaser became the one to chase and vice versa. This was something they had been doing together since they first began to hunt together.

As they got closer to the cattle, things turned serious as they both prepared and maneuvered into their hunter persona. They stopped away from the cattle and Hermione turned to look at Nafeesa and nodded.

Taking her cue Nafeesa flew back up into the air, circled above the panicked animals, who could sense danger but could not see it, before swooping down and letting her claws grip and tear into the flesh of a cow, who cried out in fear and pain.

Seeing and hearing one of the herd members cry out, the other cows began to dart in all different directions. Hermione's eyes narrowed to one cow who was running further away and with her speed she took off, giving it chase. It was of course no match for her. As she closed the distance between them, she pounced, wrapping her long slender arms around its body and squeezing before she heard the sound of a rib breaking. They tumbled on the ground and once her prey was still, she sunk her teeth into its thick neck and drank its sweet tasting blood, until there was nothing left to drink.

Nafeesa who had stopped not that far away, to devour her own meal, waited patiently for Hermione to finish and once she had, dived in and finished off the rest of Hermione's meal. Crunching bones and tearing into the thick flesh.

Once they were both finished and were sated they lay on the long grass, Hermione's head resting against Nafeesa's stomach, as she was lying on her side. They settled and relaxed while Hermione gazed up at the blue sky, her skin sparkling like tiny diamonds because of the morning sun.

It was moments like this when she let her mind race with everything that was going on and what would soon be happening. Despite how happy she was here and in the company of Nafeesa, she couldn't allow herself to forget the real reason why she had come here in the first place. She knew that they only had a short time left, until they had to leave in order to return back to Volterra, and to the War that was going to happen soon.

A small part of her didn't want to leave however, as she had grown incredibly fond of the Dragon Sanctuary and of the people who worked and devoted their time towards the misunderstood creatures. But more than that she had grown a strong attachment towards Nafeesa, and didn't want to leave her.

Hermione would have to leave though, there was no question about that. But what would happen to Nafeesa after she had gone. Would she be alright? Would she be angry or sad? What would happen to her if Hermione's vision did come true and she perished? Would Nafeesa feel that? Would she be in pain?

All these questions rushed through her mind, whenever she had a moment alone. Every time these questions came to the forefront of her mind, she quickly pushed them away again not wanting to dwell on them, but she knew that she could not avoid them any longer. She had to speak with Nafeesa, after all she owed her that much.

Sitting up, she moved to position herself in front of Nafeesa's long slender muzzle, not scared in the slightest about being close to her mouth and sharp teeth, or about the flames that could kill her instantly. She knew that Nafeesa would never hurt her, not on purpose anyway.

Sliding both of her hands over Nafeesa's cool scaly skin, Hermione sighed before saying,

"Thank you for what you did for me today Nafeesa, I hope you know how much I appreciate it. You really are a treasure." She whispered lovingly to her friend and familiar. Nafeesa simply huffed in response before licking Hermione's face with her long forked tongue, something that always made Hermione giggle with delight. Who would ever believe that a fearsome dragon could ever show friendship or kindness by doing this kind of action, it never failed to stop amazing her that she was indeed in the company of a dragon. Taking a moment to ready her next words, she finally sighed and said, "Nafeesa I have come to respect and care for you so much during these past few weeks, that I don't know how I'm going to manage my life without you in it. But we both know that I will be leaving here soon. I have to get back to Volterra, War is upon us and I must fight."

Nafeesa made a mewling noise before tilting her head to look at Hermione, her big round yellow eyes looking sad.

"I don't want to leave you, believe me. But I made a promise and I can't go back on my word." She sighed again and lay her cheek against Nafeesa. "I would take you with me, but there would be no way to hide you from the humans. You are safer here and at least Charlie can look after you."

She pulled away to look at her friend, whose eyes seemed to be glistening. Sensing the sadness and honesty from her non-human, Nafeesa buried her muzzle into Hermione's strong powerful body and took in the scent of her. She of course knew that her non-human wouldn't be able to stay here forever, she in fact knew many things that her non-human didn't. But it didn't make it any less painful, even to her a cold hearted dragon. They had only just found each other and now they would have to part ways. They would meet again, she had no doubt about that, but before they could be together again her non-human had to fulfil her destiny. So far she was only halfway there, she still had so much good left to do in the world. And no matter how much Nafeesa wanted to keep her here, so that they could fly and hunt together, be happy and free, she knew she couldn't.

That was another thing humans didn't seem to understand about dragons, they knew a lot more about the world and what was going on around them, than what the humans did. They didn't know or understand half the things in the world. Dragons did. They had the knowledge of foresight, and since Nafeesa was now bonded in a way to her non-human, she caught a glimpse of her destiny and what was waiting for her. It wasn't going to be easy and it wasn't going to be good, but her non-human was strong and powerful, the magic that radiated from her was testimony to that. And soon, sooner than her non-human even knew, the wheels of her future would turn and the next part of her destiny would begin.

This visit would not only bring her and Hermione together, but it would also bring something else, something precious to her non-human, something that would make the power in her manifest itself at last.

With one last lick to her non-humans face Nafeesa rose to her feet and let out a sad yowl.

Hermione stood up as well before giving Nafeesa one last loving stroke.

"Yes I agree it's getting late and I think it's time we got back, before the others send out a search party for us." She giggled slightly just imagining Nafeesa charging at the others if they tried to interrupt their time together.

A noise in the far distance reached Hermione's ears at once, instantly drawing her attention. Automatically she got into her defensive position as she looked around her, waiting for any signs of attack.

She couldn't see anything but she could sense something, something that wasn't far away from them. Shutting her eyes, she concentrated on the noise, which sounded like terror filled screams, and tried to sense what was causing them. It didn't take long.

Her eyes flew open and she let out a feral growl, as she hissed,

"Vampires." They were not good or familiar vampires that much she knew.

Without even asking and on instinct, she flung herself onto Nafeesa's back, as she flew up into the air towards the sound. The wards around the enclosure melted away and because they were no longer in the safety of the sanctuary, Hermione was able to cast a very strong notice-me-not-spell on them. The last thing she wanted was to draw any attention to themselves, especially if they were headed towards the enemy. Because of that she also cast a silencing charm on herself and Nafeesa, she didn't want the vampires hearing their heartbeats, as they needed to be quiet and stealthy.

It didn't take long for Nafeesa to find the location of where all the noise was coming from, she was after all a superb hunter, and her hearing was just as good as Hermione's. Landing a little bit away, Hermione jumped down from Nafeesa and made her way towards the noise, her eyes growing dark with anger, as she gazed upon the scene before her.

Vampires who were obviously from the Romanian Coven, were destroying a small village. Attacking innocent humans and toying with them. They turned men and women, who they obviously felt would be of some use, then lay their bodies in a line, as they screamed and thrashed about in agony, while the venom coursed through their veins.

Hermione could remember exactly how that felt, and felt incredibly sorry for the poor people who were suffering needlessly. The Romanian vampires didn't seem to care at all. They were barbaric animals with only one intention. They didn't even care about exposing themselves, they were like wild feral animals in what they were doing.

Watching them kill innocent children and rip the elderly humans apart, Hermione vowed then and there to do whatever it took to make sure that these people would never regain power again. The Volturi were many things, but beasts they were not.

Turning to Nafeesa, her body tense with anger, and her power swirling around her body, Hermione gazed into those yellow eyes then said,

"Come let's go. I have to get Felix and Demetri."

Again on instinct, Hermione hoisted herself back on Nafeesa's back, as they flew through the air at such a quick pace. They both knew of the urgency in the matter and had to deal with the situation now, before it was too late.

They both felt the wards as they passed back through into the sanctuary, and Nafeesa accelerated pushing herself more than she had done in a while, she didn't stop in her own sanctuary however, she knew the people Hermione needed were not there. Instead she continued to fly to the office building, yowling at the people inside in acknowledgement. Hermione didn't need to ask Nafeesa what she was doing, she understood immediately, and didn't have time to think about the ramifications.

Charlie and Phil, who had been inside talking to the two male vampires, heard Nafeesa's calls and ran out of the building in fear, not believing what they were seeing.

Nafeesa was landing, just as Hermione propelled herself off of her back. Before they could speak however, they instantly knew something was wrong, as an angry and determined looking Hermione strode quickly towards Felix and Demetri.

Right before their eyes Hermione's outfit instantly changed to one that screamed commander, and for some reason they all knew what that meant. Seeing this gave Charlie an idea, but he pushed it to the back of his mind as the three vampires began to speak.

"What's happened?" Felix asked, with no trace of fun or humour on his face.

"Romanian vampires, destroying a small village about five miles south of the sanctuary. They are turning men and women and are killing the children and elderly, those who are of no use to them." She snarled out. The flames of anger dancing in her dark eyes.

Charlie looked towards Phil and said,

"That's Corbeni."

Phil's face looked pale and sad as he slowly nodded his head.

"Let's go now." Hermione said, her voice sounding firm.

Felix and Demetri nodded in agreement, while Charlie, Phil and Nafeesa all made a move to go with them as well.

"Stop." Hermione said halting everyone's movements. "Only Felix, Demetri and I will go. Charlie and Phil you stay here. Nafeesa you will be safer here, Charlie will make sure of that." She went to touch Nafeesa's muzzle, but the dragon was having none of it. She huffed out her displeasure before turning her back on her non-human. "I won't be long." Hermione whispered, her eyes softening, before they changed back to being angry and determined.

With that the three vampires left the safety of the sanctuary once more, and headed towards the small village. Hermione did not put any spells on them this times, she wanted the enemy vampires to know that they were coming. And they were as mad as hell.

When they reached the small village, the only sounds that could be heard came from the bodies lying lined up on the ground, whimpering and crying out, as fire flowed through the veins. Hermione had no idea how long they had been going through the change for, so didn't know how close they were to becoming newborns. What she did know was that they could not be saved. They appeared too far gone. If they managed to suck out the poison then they would be killed regardless because they had been exposed to the vampires, and wouldn't be allowed to live, knowing what happened here in this small village. The kindest thing the three Volturi vampires could do now, was kill them while they were still going through the change. They would not feel any more pain than what they were currently feeling now. As Hermione looked on at the horrendous scene before her, a scene that looked like it came straight from a horror film, she knew that there was no hope left for this small village. They had come too late.

"Why would they do such a horrible thing?" Demetri asked with so much hate and dislike.

"They are filth, and we must clean that up." Felix replied, just as angry and disgusted as his mate.

"Let's go have some fun." Hermione whispered.

With that the three vampires marched out into the open, with Hermione walking ahead in the middle of Felix and Demetri. Anyone looking at them could see that it was she who was in charge. They didn't have to announce their arrival, as chuckling vampires came wandering out of the small houses, some with feral smiles upon their faces, while others wore malicious grins. Glancing around Hermione could count maybe twenty or more enemies. This, to date, would be their biggest fight.

"Uita-te la ceea ce avem aici. Gunoi Volturi." A tall slender vampire said moving to the front of the group. He had long pepper coloured hair with a thick moustache. He wore black trousers and a leather jacket and had an air of command about him. It seemed he was the leader of this group of vampires.

"I think it's rather ironic that they dare call us scum, after they do this." Felix said indicating the carnage that the enemy group had just caused.

"I agree. If anyone's scum it's them?" Demetri hissed out, never taking his eyes off the group. He obviously didn't trust them one bit.

While the boys chatted Hermione observed the group, noticing who appeared to be the weakest and who appeared to be the strongest out of them. The leader was obviously the strongest of them, so she would keep him until last.

"The lovely little lady is quiet. I wonder what's going through her beautiful mind just now." The leader of the group said in broken English, licking his lips lasciviously towards Hermione.

She heard Demetri snarl and lurch forward at the words, but she held out her arm stopping him from moving any further.

She smiled towards the leader, a smile that managed to look both innocent and dangerous at the same time.

"Oh I'm just thinking which way is better for killing you. Preferably the most painful death possible."

The leader of the Romanian group smiled, showing a perfect toothy grin.

"My, my I do love a feisty woman, I can see me having some fun with you." He sniggered, making his intentions well known.

"Then perhaps we should save each other for last." Hermione replied with a small deadly smile of her own.

"Perhaps we should." He agreed.

Not able to hold Felix or Demetri back, the three Volturi vampires charged towards the Romanians, as a fight once again broke out. This time Hermione was careful in what she did, only doing the basics that she was taught by Jasper, and then again by Caius and Felix. She punched, she kicked, she grabbed, she squeezed, and she even ripped out the throats of those vampires who were exposed to her.

Every time she was flung to the ground she got back up and charged once again, not giving her opponent time to get the better of her. She flew through the air, ripping arms and heads off as she went. Her anger and adrenaline fuelling her this time.

Ripping the head from her latest opponent she looked around noticing that the leader of the group had vanished. With her back turned to the spot he had been, she didn't see him running towards her until his hands were wrapped round her throat and she was unceremoniously thrown to the ground.

Felix and Demetri could do nothing but look on, as they were surrounded by vampires themselves.

The leader pressed himself into Hermione's bottom, letting him feel how excited he was by having her nubile body pinned beneath him. She was trying to buck him off but he was too strong for her, and had her caught. He pulled her head back by the hair and sniffed it, letting a shudder run through his body. Despite the fact he was a vampire, he was also still a man and he loved nothing more than a lovely female body beneath him. He didn't care if they were willing or not, he took his pleasure as he pleased.

"You are a delightful specimen and I would love nothing more than to ravish you right here and now." He let his hands caress over her back and down her rounded bottom before squeezing her none too gently. "You're a bit older than I normally like, but a man has to get some when he can."

While he was talking Hermione had somehow managed to wiggle a hand free. She was able to touch him on the leg and cast a weak cruciatus spell. It was enough to make him loosen his grip on her, but not enough to cause him actual pain.

That was all she needed however, as she pushed her body up and broke free before turning around and punching him square in the jaw.

"Bitch." He cursed out in anger.

She cast the cruciatus on him again, causing him to scream out in sheer pain, as his body rolled about in the dirt. He screamed and thrashed and Hermione took a lot of enjoyment in seeing him get what he deserved.

"What are the Romanians planning for the War?" She asked him. Stopping the spell as she watched his body convulse with the aftershocks

"Nothing. I know nothing." He cried out as she unleashed her spell on him once again, enhancing it slightly and making it stronger than what it was. He roared in pain, flipping his body over so that he was now lying on his front instead of his back.

"Tell me what you know." She yelled out, once again stopping the curse to allow him to answer.

He began to laugh, although the noise was broken and hoarse.

"I will tell you nothing so you may as well kill me now."

She let out an angry growl before turning him back over, and sitting on his stomach to pin him down. He was too weak to do anything but lie there and take what she was giving him.

"Oh don't worry, you will be dead soon. But before I kill you legilimens." She said entering the vampire's mind. She was instantly assaulted by image after image of the fight they just had, about the torture of the village they were in. But as she dug in further it seemed that the memories she wanted to see were surrounded by an iron tight wall, one that she could not penetrate no matter how hard she pushed. It was like someone or something was protecting these memories. She rummaged through the memories that she could see, until one particular one caught her attention.

The moment she began to watch it she felt sick to her stomach with revulsion. She was only half way through the image, when she quickly pulled out of his mind, unable to watch anymore.

She pushed herself away from him, her body shuddering with disgust and anger, as she tried hard not to be sick. He was a monster of the highest kind and she was going to take great pleasure in killing him.

As she tried to compose herself in order to face him once more, his sick laughter filled the air, making her body tense.

"I know what you saw. And I know how it made you feel." He sneered.

Slowly Hermione rose to her feet, her anger and magic crackling around her as they became one. All at once the clouds darkened and thunder could be heard from right above. She had experienced this before, it happened when her anger and emotions rose above a certain point. But at the moment she felt beyond anything she had ever experienced before.

Nothing had ever compared to the anger and the uncontrollable raw power that coursed through her at the moment. Slowly she turned around to face the vampire, who was a mere blur in her vision.

"You disgust me." She said in a voice that sounded nothing like her own. "You will die for what you have done." Once more the thunder roared from above them and the wind picked up, whipping her hair around her hardened face.

"Before I die let me explain one thing." He said with a malicious vile grin. "A female vampire virgin is a delicious gift to own. You know how our bodies re-grow and fix together." He said knowingly.

That was the last thing he ever said, as Hermione's anger erupted. The thunder roared above them, as a bolt of lightning hit the ground violently between them, before a ball of pale blue light burst forth from Hermione's hands, and straight into the chest of the male vampire. At first nothing seemed to happen, except for the male vampire laughing, but soon the smile was wiped off his face. His eyes grew wide with shock and fear, as he opened his mouth to speak. Cracks began to appear over his skin, and the same pale blue light shone through them, until his body smashed open, exploding from the inside out.

Hermione shut her eyes briefly, before looking back at the spot the male vampire had just been, but there was nothing left of him to indicate that he had even been there.

The thunder stopped rumbling and the dark clouds seemed to vanish leaving only clear blue sky, as an eerie calm washed over the small village. Hermione stood stock still, not knowing what had just happened. She looked down at her hands, which still seemed to tingle from the magic and the power she had just wielded. She had never felt anything quite like it before in her life. She felt strong and powerful, she felt as if she could do anything she wanted, and that had scared her. For that small moment she had been uncontrollable and unstoppable, and that thought alone was terrifying yet slightly invigorating.

She tried to conjure another pale blue ball, just to see if she could, but fortunately nothing happened. So lost was she in her thoughts, she didn't see Felix and Demetri stagger over to her, until they each placed a tentative hand on her shoulder.

"What just happened little witchling?" Felix asked, the worry clear in his tone.

Hermione gazed at him, with surprised eyes, almost as if she had forgotten they were even there.

"Honestly I have no idea." She said truthfully in a quiet voice.

"That was some power my little witchling." Demetri said. "Even we could feel it."

Hermione looked around them, noticing for the first time that they were completely alone.

"We need to get rid of all of them." She said indicating the large row of bodies, who were still going through the change.

"Hermione." Demetri said gripping onto his friend shoulders. "Forget about that just now, tell us what just happened to cause that kind of reaction from you?"

She shuddered as she remembered the memories she had seen. That vampire was a monster, he turned young girls purely because they were virgins. He would lock them up, starve them, beat them and rape them over and over and over again until he had enough and wanted something else. Then he would simply kill them, before discarding them like they were rubbish, like they were nothing.

The last words he spoke off were about a young vampire's hymen. A female virgin vampire would have their hymen intact, and because a vampire's body would repair anything that was damaged, meant that after the hymen was torn away, it would grow back every time. This was incredibly painful for a female, both the tearing away and the re-growing of the hymen. And he had used young girls for his own pleasure. Children. It made her angry again just thinking about it.

Then another thought crossed her mind.

"I can't explain just now, but will you two deal with them." She said indicating the bodies once more. "I have something that I need to do."

Without further instructions Hermione set off checking every single house, for signs of life. She finally came to one that looked dark and grubby and before she even walked in, she already knew exactly what she would find.

Taking a moment to prepare herself, she slowly made her way through the door, checking all the rooms as she went, before stopping in one when she heard a scratching noise from above. Looking up at the ceiling of the small dingy house, she slowly made her way up the stairs stopping outside a door. Taking another moment, she squeezed her eyes shut before turning the handle and stepping in.

The room was quiet but she knew she wasn't alone. Letting her gaze sweep around once, she saw there were dirty sheets strewn across the wooden floor and an empty bowl, stained with dry blood, sitting in a faraway corner. The window was boarded up turning the room into darkness and the smell of dampness and dirt assaulted Hermione's senses.

At the other end of the room she saw a post with a metal chain secured around it. Following the chain with her eyes, she caught the sight of movement. Knowing she looked intimidating Hermione crouched down to her knees and lay her hands flat on her legs, showing that she was of no danger.

In a quiet soothing voice, she whispered,

"I know you're in here. You can come out now. I promise no-one is going to hurt you." She waited a moment but when she got no reply, she then said, "My name is Hermione and I'm here to help you. Can you tell me your name?"

This time when she stopped speaking, there was more movement as a small girl crawled out from where she was hiding.

Her hair was dirty and matted, she wore a dirty thin, what used to be, white dress that barely covered her young body. She wore no shoes and every part of her skin that was on display was dirty. She had a crack on her cheek, and dried blood surrounding her mouth. Her eyes were black and she looked both terrified and starving. She had her arms wrapped protectively around her body, as she slowly made her way out from the shadows she had been hiding in.

Hermione felt her heart clench at the sight of the girl who could be no more than eight. It was clear to see just by looking at her, that she had been beaten and abused by the leader of this Romanian group. Every instinct kicked in and she wanted nothing more than to grab the girl and take her away from this place, to take care of her and look after her the way she deserved, but she knew this situation wouldn't be quite that simple. She needed to establish trust between them and so had to act with caution.

Hermione gave the young vampire a soft smile before saying,

"Hello sweetheart can you tell me your name?" The girl recoiled slightly at her words causing Hermione to whisper, "I promise I won't hurt you and neither will that monster. No-one will ever hurt you again sweetheart." She tried not to let her own feelings about the monster show, and hoped that she sounded comforting rather than annoyed. The last thing she wanted to do was frighten the poor girl more than she already was.

In her mind, Hermione heard a small voice say,

"My name is Morvin?"

The child, Morvin, didn't look at her, she didn't even open her mouth to speak, she somehow managed to connect to Hermione's mind and spoke to her there. Stunning Hermione.

"Thank you." Hermione whispered softly. "For trusting me."

The small girl looked up at Hermione and just when she thought they were making progress, Felix and Demetri walked into the room.

Morvin saw the two intimidating figures and began to growl viciously, before running towards the three Volturi vampires baring her teeth at them. As she charged at them, the chain that was wrapped around her neck, yanked her backwards, causing her to cry out in pain as she was flung across the room.

Hermione spun towards Felix and Demetri and told them to go outside and wait. They saw the young girl and didn't want to leave her alone, but somehow she managed to persuade them.

Once they were gone, Hermione slowly made her way to the young girl, who was now curled in on herself in obvious pain. She broke the caller in half and pulled it away from the young girl's neck, before scooping the whimpering child into her arms. Hermione cradled her against her chest tightly, rocking her back and forth as she tried to soothe her, something that her own mother used to do when she was younger.

Her small body seemed so frail in Hermione's arms, and the repugnant smell coming from her clothes and hair, wafted up to greet her as soon as she was moved. But Hermione didn't care. At that moment all she could think of was the small child in her arms, a child who needed her at the moment. She didn't know what would happen to her, but right then and there Hermione made another silent vow to herself. She promised that she would look after Morvin and fight for her any way she could. Even if it meant begging and pleading the three Volturi leaders in order to keep the girl safe, she would do anything.

They only had a week and a half left until they had to leave Romania and go back to Volterra, it wasn't much time but hopefully Hermione could make some progress with Morvin.

Looking down at the whimpering girl, Hermione bent her head and kissed the girls dirty matted hair.

"I won't let anyone hurt you ever again Morvin." I promise.

Not sure if it was just her imagination or the slowly rocking motions of her body, but Hermione was positive that she felt the small girl cling tighter to her in response.

I know this chapter wasn't pleasant, as a mother of two young girls myself that kind of thing disgusts me, but little Morvin was always going to be part of the story and her history was never going to be pleasant. So I hope this chapter didn't offend anyone. She has been saved from that life though and the only question now is, how are the Volturi going to take to her since she is technically classed as an immortal child. She is only 8. Anyway thank you for reading Xx

Translation from Romanian into English

Uita-te la ceea ce avem aici. Gunoi Volturi- Look at what we have here. Volturi scum.