CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE:

Hermione's POV:

I saw Bella's face pale as she realized where Jasper and Bree's stories had been going. I was pretty sure my own face was a similar shade. "An army," Bree said, her eyes locking with Jasper's, "why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought I was interpreting the signs incorrectly." Jasper answered, "Because where is the motive? Why would someone create an army in Seattle? There is no history there, no vendetta. It makes no sense from a conquest standpoint, either, no one claims it. Nomads pass through, but there's no one to fight for it. No one to defend it from. But I've seen this before, and there's no other explanation. There is an army of newborn vampires in Seattle. Fewer then twenty, I'd guess. They are completely untrained, whoever made them just set them loose. It will only get worse."

A realization struck me, and I was surprised none of the others had thought of it yet. What threat was there in or near Seattle… except for the Cullens? I was about to speak up, voice my idea, when the others started speaking again, so I bit my tongue, waiting to see if someone else would come to the same conclusion as I had.

"What can we do?" Carlisle asked the others, looking distressed.

"If we want to avoid the Volturi's involvement, we will have to detroy the newborns and we will have to do it very soon." Bree spoke up, her face hard. Knowing her story, along with Jasper's, I knew how much this evaluation must disturb her.

"We can teach you how," Jasper murmured, "It won't be easy in the city. The young ones aren't concerned about secrecy, but we will have to be. It will limit us in ways that they are not. Maybe we can lure them out."

I watched them deliberate, amazed that no one had voiced it yet. "Um guys," I said, directing all attention to me, "I don't think you'll have to lure the newborns here." Eight sets of golden eyes turned to face me, as well as a set of chocolate brown ones, identical to my own.

"What do you mean?" Edward frowned.

"I mean, hasn't it occurred to any of you that the only possible threat in this area that could possibly call for the creation of a newborn army is this coven?" I explain, gently but firmly. Jasper and Bree narrowed their eyes in deliberation, while Carlisle's and Esme's widened in surprise and shock.

"Tanya's family is also near," Esme said, her voice trembling, unwilling to accept my words.

"The newborns aren't ravaging Anchorage, Esme," Jasper told his adoptive 'mother' gently. "I think… I think Hermione is right. I think we have to consider the idea that we are the targets."

"They're not coming after us!" Alice insisted, and then she froze. "Or… they don't know they are. Not yet."

"Indecision." I whispered, turning to face my girlfriend. Her face was shocked, as she reached the same conclusion as I had.

"Someone who knows I can't see anything until the decision is made. Someone who is hiding from me, playing with the holes in my visions." She explained to the others, distressed. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her towards me. She rested her head against my chest, snuggling into the embrace.

"Who would know how to do that?" Esme asked, distressed. Edward turned to her, eyes hard as ice.

"Aro. He knows Alice as well as she knows herself." Aro… a member of the Volturi. I did an essay on the Volturi in History of Magic. Aro is one of the three founding parties, a 2000 year old vampire with a 'Gift' where with a single touch he can know someone's mind- every memory, every thought they ever had. And Aro had read Alice.

"That's why they haven't come yet," Rosalie spoke up, for the first time, "Someone in the South, someone who already had trouble with the rules. Someone who should have been destroyed and offered a second chance."

"No," Jasper disagreed, "this is too sloppy. This… person, this threat- they have no idea what they're doing. A first-timer, I'd swear to it. The Volturi… they're not involved, not yet anyway. But they will be."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Emmett almost roared, "let's go!" The vampires all exchanged looks, worry clear on their perfect faces.

"We…. We will need you to teach us, Jasper, Bree," Carlisle spoke up, finally, the pain in his eyes clearing expressing how much he hated this idea.

My legs were getting tired from standing up for so long, and I moved over the couch, Alice moving with me. Time seemed to speed by as Carlisle rang the Denalis asking for help, but was then denied because the Alaskan coven wanted to destroy the wolves because it turned out Laurent had been one of their coven member's mates.

"This isn't good," Jasper said, his face creased with worry, as he looked around the room. I agreed with him. I knew War, I knew battles, I knew strategy. It was a too even fight. The Cullens might have the upper hand in skill, but not numbers.

There was me, I could help, but not much. One or two vampires at a time I could face, but they were quicker then me, stronger. My wards would only hold them in place for so long, and I could only destroy them so quickly. And with the fight, chances were I'd hit one of the Cullens instead.

We'd most likely win the fight, but at what price?

Bella's face was white as snow as she looked around the room at the faces of the vampires she loved, and I'd grown rather fond of over time. Not all of us would survive this.

Which ones of us would die?

Basically the second Bella and I had driven far enough from the Cullen mansion, away from the vampires so we wouldn't be heard, she turned to me, her face frantic. "You need to tell them!" She all but screamed at me, "you can help! You can use your magic to help!

"Bells, I swear to Merlin I will tell them," I tell her, "I will help fight. But Bells… my magic is good for one on one, maybe two on one, with a vampire. But an army? I'm not sure how useful I can really be."

Tears welled up in her eyes and began splashing down her cheeks. "You… you can get your friends to come help us!" Bella begged me, desperately. I was already shaking my head.

"I can't ask for their help, Bella," I tell her, my voice cracking slightly. "It wouldn't be fair of me. Harry will help, and maybe Ginny, but… I can't ask them to risk their lives again, not after they've already sacrificed so much. They're just beginning to heal… Bells, not everyone in the Wizarding world likes vampires. I'm not saying the Order is prejudiced, but I'm not sure how many of them would be willing to risk their lives for a vampire."

"It's not fair!" Bella wailed, breaking down into hysterical sobbing. I crawled out of my seat, over into hers, and pulled her onto my lap, hugging her, letting her tears soak into my shirt. "It's just not fair! Why can't everyone just leave us alone!" she demanded, mid sob.

"I don't know, Bella, I don't know." I whispered.

Why did life have to be so goddamned complicated?

"We're still going to the wedding?" Bella asked, her face shocked, a few hours later, "but the first training session is tonight! We… we were going to go watch! You were going to tell everyone that you're a witch!"

I sighed, running a hand through my hair as I looked over at my distressed twin. "Bella, it's one night. The army isn't coming yet, and if they are then a single phone call and we're back, ready to fight."

Bella huffed, crossing her arms. "I don't want to go!" She whined. I rolled my eyes.

"You already promised." I reminded her, and she groaned, flopping back on her seat. "We're apparating tonight, so make sure you tell Edward that we're going to England, otherwise he'll probably go nuts trying to figure out where you are."

I'd only remembered Percy and Audrey's Friday afternoon wedding at the last minute, which was very unlike me, but I'd been wrapped up in the whole 'oh my god I'm dating a vampire and I'm her soul mate' thing.

I could hear Bella on the phone reassuring Edward that everything was going to be okay, blah, blah, blah, and I wondered if I should ring Alice. It would probably be the right thing to do, I decided, after all… we were dating now.

I summoned the cell phone she gave me, from wherever it was, ignoring Bella's slightly bug-eyed look as she watched it soar across the room into my hand. I'd put Alice on speed dial #3 and I held down the digit and waited for her to answer.

"Hi 'Mione!" She chirped up, excitedly, "what's up?"

"Hey Ally," I can't help but smile hearing her voice, "I know this is a really last minute notification, but Bella and I have to cancel attending tonight's training session. I completely forgot about my friend's wedding in all the drama and stuff that's been going on, but we need to head out tonight to catch the plane if we're going to get there in time."

"Oh, okay then." Alice says, her voice tinged with disappointment.

"When we get back, I'll ring you. I've got a surprise for you." I tell her, wanting to cheer her up. I was pretty sure I knew what she was disappointed about- me not inviting her to be my date to the wedding. "I'm sorry I couldn't invite you as my plus one," I tell her, softly, "but it's a small family wedding, and I'd already asked Bella to come with me."

"That's okay," Alice reassures me, her voice brightening a touch, reassured, "I want photos. And I'm looking forward to my surprise." I can basically hear her grinning over the phone.

"Bye Al." I laugh.

"Bye 'Mi."

I help Bella dress in the dress robes we bought at Diagon Alley. She seems a bit weirded out by them, and keeps staring at herself in the mirror. She looks beautiful, though, her chestnut hair pulled into a loose chignon and the pale blue dress robes draped over her curves.

I wore the same dress-robes I'd worn to Bill and Fleur's wedding, slinky red with short butterfly sleeves. My wild curls, with the aid of sleekeazy and magic, were tightly braided, with the braid coiled and pinned at the base of my neck.

"This is just bizarre." Bella said, for the thousandth time.

"I agree." I told her, checking my own reflection to make sure I didn't have any lipstick on my teeth. "Are you ready to go?" It was nearly nine o'clock pm here, which meant with the time difference, we would be arriving at around one in the afternoon in England, just in time for the wedding at half past.

Bella gulped slightly, obviously not pleased with the idea of side-along apparation. "I'm gonna be sick." She sighed. I made a face, and cast a quick repelling charm on her robes and mine to make sure if she did hurl, none of it would land on our dresses.

I hold her hand tightly and spin. We arrive in the Weasley's back garden, and I'm hit with a strong sense of déjà vu. I'd only ever seen the Burrow this tidy once before, with all the rusty cauldrons and boots gone and replaced by flutterby bushes, the chickens were shut away, and the garden fully pruned and degnomed, and that was for Fleur and Bill's wedding.

Harry, dressed in bottle-green robes that looked incredibly similar to the ones he'd worn to the Yule Ball, hurried over to greet us. "Hey guys!"

"Hey Harry," I greeted him, "how's Molly?" Harry rolls his eyes.

"Someone should have put a full body-bind on her. She's freaking out." He says, and I laugh, softly. Bella keeps gasping, wide-eyed, as Harry escorts us towards the giant white marquee where the wedding's been held. The entrance to the marquee revealed rows and rows of fragile golden chairs set on either side of a long purple carpet. The supporting poles were entwined with white and gold flowers.

"This is unbelievable!" Bella whispered, as we were directed to our seats. I chatted with Harry about his Healer training while Bella kind of gaped at everything, until the guests quietened and the music started.

Percy was looking surprisingly handsome at the end of the aisle, and next to him George was looking thin but presentable, and more alive then I'd seen him in months.

Ginny looked stunning as a bridesmaid, dressed in silver, and holding a bouquet of red roses as she walked down the aisle, followed by a woman I didn't recognize, and then Audrey. Audrey looked radiant, dressed in white silk, her face glowing. A pang of sadness hit me as I realized she had no one to escort her down the aisle and give her away, and I had to blink away tears.

The vows started, and the guests all watched entranced as the wizard presiding over the ceremony declared them bonded for life. He then waved his wand and a shower of stars surrounded the couple.

After the vows the chairs all vanished and a dance floor was formed. Bella sidled over to me, as couples spun around the floor, and champagne bottles floated through the crowd.

"What was with the whole bonded for life thing?" she whispered.

"Magical weddings are quite different from muggle weddings," I explain to her, "it's a very permanent ceremony, a promise of forever. When the couple says I do, then the 'minister' for want of a better word casts the binding spell, and the couple is literally bond in magic, mind and soul."

I read all about Wizarding marriage ceremonies before Bill and Fleur's wedding, and was very surprised by the permanency of the ceremony.

"What about arranged marriages?" Bella frowns, "Aren't there a lot of them in the pureblood circles?"

"They use a different type of binding ritual," I explain to her, "it's more about tying the couple together to insure loyalty and service, then love."

"So, does the bride and groom have to be magical?" Bella asks, and I shake my head.

"Only one of them has to be a witch or wizard, the other can be a veela, a muggle, a squib," I shrug, "you get my drift." Bella suddenly shoots me a cheeky smile.

"Or a vampire." She adds, and my cheeks go bright red and my mind immediately turns to Alice, and I can't help but picture her in a white dress. She'd look beautiful.

"They're about to cut the cake!" Harry says, appearing, "Bella definitely doesn't want to miss this!" He then pauses as he takes in my bright red cheeks, and an evil looking smirk crossed his face. "Oh dear, what happened?"

"Nothing." I snap, grabbing Bella's hand and tugging her over to where everyone is gathered. The wedding cake was simple, yet elegant, a three tiered cake topped with two model phoenixes, as was custom. As Percy and Audrey cut the cake together Bella gasped as the two phoenixes took flight.

"Oh my god!" She whispered, watching them wide-eyed, as they flew up into the sky. "That's just… wow!"

I think I'm cursed never to be able to stay till the end of a wedding, because as Harry walked over to find Ginny and grab some cake and Bella went to investigate some of the stranger looking appetizers, my magic started buzzing, wildly, warning me that someone had set off the wards I'd placed weeks ago- there was a vampire trying to get into our house!

I instantly made my way over to Bella and closed my fingers around her arm like a vice and began dragging her away from the festivities. "Hey! What are you... Hermione, what is it?" she asked, eyes wide.

"There's a vampire trying to get into our house." I tell her, and her voice goes white.

"Charlie!" She gasps, and I pull out my wand and, holding Bella tightly, apparate back to Forks. The trip is nauseating, and Bella collapses, vomiting, as we arrive, but I manage to stay on my feet, sprinting towards the front door.

A growling vampire was crouched there, his blood red eyes regarding me and the house he couldn't get into with a mixture of confusion, apprehension and anger. Like all vampires, he was one of the hottest boy I'd ever seen, tall and blond and perfect in every feature. He lunged at me at the same time as I shouted, "Incacerous!"

Thick ropes, of shining light, flew out of the end of my wand, wrapping around the vampire's limbs, binding them tightly to his sides. He fell from midair, his body hitting the ground with a dull booming noise.

He thrashed around, trying to use his enormous strength to free himself, but the magical restraints kept him bound in place. I swept my gaze around, making sure that nobody had seen anything- thankfully, the street was blissfully clear.

"You bitch!" The vampire screamed at me, and I glared at him and intoned,

"Silencio." effectively gagging him.

Bella peeked out the front door, her eyes wide in shock and fear. "Ch-Charlie's at work, I rang the station and checked... he's doing the nightshift. Can... can he get free?" she asked, her voice nervous.

"No," I assured her, as I levitated the vampire into the air, and into the house. The wards tingled as he passed through, making me shiver. Bella was staring at Riley with something akin to a horrified fascination.

"So this is a newborn." She said, her voice a touch on the breathless side.

"Actually, I'd say he's nearly a year old," I correct her, lowering Riley onto the ground and examining his eyes. "A newborn's irises are a shocking red, his are more diluted." Bella shudders, wrapping her arms around herself.

"What... what are you going to do with him?" She asked, in a soft voice.

"We need to ask him some questions." I tell her, somewhat reluctantly. I cast a few silencing charms around so that nobody will hear his screams. What I'm about to do already sickens me, but I need answers.

I lift the silencing charm, and the vampire immediately starts screaming obscenities at me. "Shut up!" I yell, over his screams. When he doesn't listen, I point at the floor beside him and shout, "incendio!" Brilliant flames explode beside him, and the vampire screams in true fear. I let him squirm for a few seconds, his terrified eyes fixed on the flames, before letting them die out. "I've got some questions, and I want you to answer them truthfully." I say, in the coldest, iciest voice I can muster.

The vampire bares his teeth at me, but doesn't say anything. "Well, that's a start," I say, dryly, "now let's go with the easy question first- what's your name?"

"Riley." Spits the vampire. "Riley Biers."

"Okay, Riley Biers, what were you doing here?" I ask. He snarls at me, but doesn't say anything, and I sigh. "You made me do this." I tell him. "Crucio!" Riley's screams are ear-splitting, and he thrashes wildly in his constraints. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Bella cringing, and backing into the corner of the room. I wonder what she's more scared of- the vampire, or the cold monster I've become.

I lift the curse, and Riley moans and curls up on the ground. "Let's try again," I tell him, coldly, "what were you doing here?"

"I was told to get some clothes with her scent on them." Riley croaked, twitching his head in Bella's direction.

"Why?" I asked. He hesitated, but I raised my wand and he cringed away, and began blabbering.

"Because sh-she wanted something for the newborns to track!" he gasps, "please! Please don't hurt me!" he begs.

"Who is 'she'?" I demand, even as my stomach sinks. I can tell from Bella's sharp inhale, she has a pretty good idea who this 'she' is too.

"Her name is V-Victoria!" Riley wails. Bella lets out a sharp cry, and tears begin streaming down her face as she slumps down.

"Oh god!" she sobs, "oh god!"

"What is the purpose of the army?" I demand Riley, and he shudders.

"To destroy the yellow-eyes!" He wails, "please let me go!" I sigh and run a hand through my once-neat hair, which is now in a state of somewhat disarray.

"How many newborns?" I ask, wearily.

"Sixteen, maybe seventeen!" Riley pleads, "they keep killing each other, so we keep having to replace them!"

"Okay. And where are they been kept?"

"We keep moving them around, I'm not sure right now," he answers, still cringing on the floor. "Can you... can you let me go now? Please? I swear I won't tell anyone!"

"No, I can't Riley. I'm sorry." I tell him, feeling my heart sink.

"No! NOO!" He screams as I point my wand at him.

"Bombarda! Incendio!" I intone, and the vampire explodes into thousands of pieces before me, and those pieces catch on fire. Thick, violet smoke fills the living room, and Bella makes a choking noise, beating a hasty retreat from the room. I wait until Riley is reverted to nothing but ashes, making sure that the fire stays concentrated on the vampire, not spreading through the room. Once the flames flicker out, a few minutes later, I collect the ashes in a jar, scourgify the floor and vanish the thick, heavy incense like smell in the room.

Pocketing the jar of ashes, I begin looking for Bella. I find her up in her room, curled up on her bed, a steady stream of tears rolling down her cheeks. I sigh and sit next to her, threading my fingers through hers. "I'm sorry you had to see that." I told her, my voice heavy with regret. She sniffs, and shakes her head.

"I'm not upset about that, 'Mi. You did what you had to. I'm upset because so many lives have been ruined and it's all my fault! And now there's a newborn army after me, endangering everyone I love!"

I run my free hand through her hair, trying to make my movements soothing, and methodical. "It's not your fault, Bella, it's James' fault and Victoria's fault." I tell her, sternly. "I won't let anyone get hurt, Bella, I swear to god!" I promise, and she sniffs, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

"Shall we go back to the wedding?" She asks, in a voice still thick with tears. I shake my head.

"Why don't we just stay here. Ring Edward once you've calmed down a bit. Ask for him to come over, tell him our flight was delayed and we didn't end up going to the wedding, because we would have ended up missing it. With the time difference, that should work. And maybe tell him that some of your shirts are missing. He'll be able to smell Riley outside, and from there you can let slip your idea that maybe Victoria is the creator of the newborn army."

"I thought... I thought you were going to tell them what you are?" Bella said, softly, "so you can help defeat the newborns." I sigh, looking down at our entwined hands, and shaking my head.

"I will but it's not... it's not the right time." I tell her.

"When will it be, 'Mione? When will it suddenly be the right time?" She demands, gently.

"Bella, just... just drop it." I tell her, my chest panging in an uncomfortable way. I pull our hands apart and stand up. "I'll be in my room." I tell her, my face carefully wiped clean of emotion.

I stride out of her room, and into my own, barely resisting the urge to slam my door, instead managing to close it gently. The wave of emotion that I've managed to keep tightly under control rises free, and I have time to cast a quick silencing charm, before dissolving into a mess of tears on the floor.

I'm a monster.

I tortured something.

I killed something.

I'm a monster.

Just like Them.

Sure, I can justify what I did, easily so. I didn't have a choice- I needed to find the answers to keep my sister, my bio-dad, my girlfriend and her family safe. I had to do it!

But it doesn't make it any easier to stomach. It doesn't make my heart hurt any less. It doesn't make the tears gushing down my cheeks slow or stop.

I'm not sure how long I remain huddled on the ground. I just remember crying and crying. The pain in my chest grew and grew, and memories filled my head, while Riley's screams echoed around my skull, mixing with my own.

I was a monster.

I was a monster.

I was a monster.