Chapter Twenty-Six
Hermione knew that taking on a little girl who was mentally, physically and emotionally scarred after being so badly abused wouldn't be easy, but nothing could have ever prepared her for this.
At times she felt completely out of her depth handling such a vulnerable child, but no matter how difficult situations got, she channeled her own mum, Molly Weasley and Minerva McGonagall, three strong amazing women who had shaped Hermione's own life.
After that first day, Hermione had sent Felix and Demetri back to the Dragon Sanctuary while she stayed with Morvin. It was clear from the beginning that the little girl didn't trust being around men, who could blame her really for thinking that way, after everything she had just been through.
Once Morvin had recovered after being hurt by the chain around her throat, she relaxed a little more around Hermione, but her eyes always showed the wariness in them. Her body also revealed that the little girl was constantly on high alert, as her eyes kept darting towards the door, as if she was expecting that monster to come walking in at any moment.
Her arms were still wrapped around her upper body protectively, and she sat with her knees up, as if she was ready to curl into a ball at any given moment. The sight of the little girl looking so lost, scared and vulnerable hit Hermione hard and she wanted nothing more than to wrap her own arms around her in a protective hug. But she didn't want to frighten the girl away, so instead waited patiently for Morvin to open up on her own terms.
Before Hermione made a move to do anything however, she sat in the middle of the room and spoke softly and calmly to Morvin. Hoping to gather any information about her and about how she got here. It took a while but soon Morvin began to slowly open up. The most worrying thing Hermione found however, was the fact that the little girl avoided all eye contact with her, and when she spoke she choose to do it by engaging the mind rather than verbalize her words. Under any other circumstances she would have tried to find out how Morvin was able to do that, but now was not the time. She had to focus her attention on the little girl beside her first and foremost.
Hermione wasn't sure why Morvin choose to communicate this way, whether it was because she was so traumatized by everything that had happened to her, or whether it was because she was repeatedly told to be quiet by the monster. But she wasn't going to say anything and risk spoiling the small amount of trust she had established with the girl.
Morvin spoke of how her family were threatened by the monster and his comrades, as they now dubbed him. And how he had asked for her life in order to spare their own. Her family were poor with five other children to look after, but it was she who had roused the disgusting monster's attention.
Her family relented easily enough and flung her down at the monster's feet thinking that was it, that they were safe. But they were so terribly wrong. The monster simply laughed at their gullibility before ordering his group to kill them all, not even changing the two adults for their own army.
So Morvin had watched helplessly on as her family were killed before her eyes, not able to do anything as the monster held her tightly against his strong powerful body. The next thing she remembered was pain at her throat before darkness and burning engulfed both her mind and her body. Hermione understood what had happened for she too had gone through the same process herself. But she couldn't imagine how awful it must have been for an eight-year-old to go through it. She must have felt so scared and alone and afterwards she knew, she wouldn't have gotten any sympathy from the monster.
While Morvin spoke, Hermione noticed how the little girl slowly moved closer and closer to her, until finally she was sitting in Hermione's lap, her head gently resting against her odd sounding heart.
Morvin hadn't noticed the sound before, but when she did she grew curious and began to ask Hermione questions of her own. Hermione had to suppress a small smile, as Morvin quickly reminded her of herself at that age.
So Hermione told Morvin all about her own story, how she started life as a normal child, how she found out she was a witch, how after she was embroiled in a fight she too was turned into a vampire against her wishes. She skipped out parts of her story, only telling Morvin about the important facts and things she needed to know. She also told Morvin about how she now lived with the Volturi, as a vampire witch, and how she had come to Romania with her friends Felix and Demetri to meet with a couple of her friends from the magical world. She didn't want to scare the little girl by telling her about the battles she had endured along the way, or how they were so close to a second vampire War, so again she skipped out those parts.
The moment she had mentioned Felix and Demetri however, she noticed how the little girl stiffened instantly and how her eyes darted to the door half expecting them to come walking back through, at the mention of their names.
Hermione instantly began to reassure her, telling her how her friends could be trusted and would never hurt her. She didn't want to tell the terrified girl that before, when she took them outside and told them to go back to the sanctuary, how they had argued about the little girl before they relented. They told Hermione that the three leaders of the Volturi would never allow an immortal child to live, especially not amongst them out of fear of being exposed. It would also mean that they would be breaking their own law, which could damage any possible associations with the other covens, especially since they were so close to the War.
They both tried to make Hermione see sense and convince her that the best thing for her to do, would be to end the little girl's life now. But Hermione would not hear any of their reasonings. She would not let them hurt her, she would not let any of them hurt her again for she had been through too much already.
She was determined to take the little girl back to Volterra with her, and was prepared to beg the three leaders to allow her to keep the little girl as her charge. She was ready and willing to do anything it took to make sure that happened. Even though she hardly knew Morvin, she knew that the little girl needed this chance, and she knew that she would be the one to make it happen. She wasn't sure if it was her natural instincts, or the side of her that was still half witch, half human, but all she knew was that she wanted to look after the little girl and to protect her from any more harm. Morvin had no-one else and Hermione was willing to fit the role of mentor and protector, if the little girl wanted her.
Once their conversation came to a head, Hermione sat in the middle of the dark, damp room, hugging the little girl close to her chest. Wondering what she should do next in order to help her. They couldn't stay here that was for sure, as it held bad memories for Morvin and filled Hermione with disgust knowing what went on in this very room.
Letting her eyes slide over the little girl's form, Hermione made a mental note of all the things Morvin needed. She was dirty and smelly, so she clearly needed a bath and some clean clothes. Her hair would be a nightmare to wash and then brush, as there was so much dirt and grime in her matted locks. Simply looking at it now Hermione wasn't even sure what color her hair actually was, but judging by her dark prominent eyebrows she guessed it to be dark brown or even black.
Her small frail body still shuddered and shook in her arms, and Hermione could tell that she needed to feed. Remembering the color of her eyes, she thought of how dark they were and how hungry Morvin must have been. The dried crusty bowl in the corner showed that she had not fed in days possibly even a week or more, and that the amount she did have wasn't enough to sustain her for very long. It was no wonder the poor girl was so aggressive, remembering her own madness at being starved.
Wondering how to broach the subject, Hermione smoothed down a lock of Morvin's hair, moving it away from her face, so she could see her clearly. The little girl flinched at such a tender touch but Hermione simply held her tightly against her, as she softly asked,
"Morvin sweetie can you tell me the last time you fed?"
As expected the little girl tensed, her small dirty hand automatically going to her dry throat, as she let out a small noise that sounded between a snarl and a whimper.
Hermione held her tighter against her body and rubbed her nose gently in the girl's hair trying to calm her down, relieved to notice that it was working.
"I don't know." Her small voice answered in Hermione's mind.
Guessing that would be the answer, Hermione told the little girl that she drank animal blood instead of human and asked what she would prefer. But Morvin was so hungry that it didn't matter to her. Hermione then asked if she knew how to hunt, to which Morvin simply shook her head no.
Hermione promised that in time and if she wanted too, she would teach her how to hunt, but for now the important thing was for her to feed.
Gently she lifted Morvin from her lap and stood her on the ground. Slowly, not wanting to rush her movements in case they scared her even more, Hermione got to her feet and took Morvin's small hand in her own.
"We can't stay here sweetie and if you want to feed it means we have to go outside." At her words the little girl recoiled and held onto Hermione's side, while burying her head in her stomach.
"I-I'm scared." Morvin's small voice stammered in her mind. "What if he's out there?" She asked.
Hermione gently pushed the girl away from her and cupped her chin, to tilt her head up in order to look into her eyes. They were downcast not wanting to look at Hermione, too embarrassed and ashamed.
"Look at me Morvin." Hermione whispered in a gentle voice.
Morvin shook her head no, too scared to look at her, so instead Hermione crouched down onto her knees becoming the same height as Morvin, and was able to gain eye contact with her that way.
"Listen to me sweetie, that monster is never going to hurt you again. None of those vile beasts will. I promise."
"How do you know they won't come after me?" Her small voice asked.
Hermione wanted to look away from the small girls scared eyes, but didn't want to break eye contact with her. She could lie to Morvin and tell her things that she wanted to hear, but somehow she knew that wouldn't relieve her fears. So instead she sighed slowly and said,
"Because sweetie he's dead. I-I saw his memories, I saw what he did to you, what he did to other girls just like you, and I got mad. So mad that I couldn't let him hurt anyone else ever again."
The implication of her actions hung between them and she wasn't sure how Morvin was going to react to that, knowing that she was a killer, but Hermione didn't need to worry. Morvin gasped before flinging her arms around Hermione's neck, hugging her in a way that screamed of her appreciation.
"Thank you." Was all the little girl said.
Hermione could feel herself reciprocating Morvin's hug, and couldn't help the swell of happiness that flooded through her.
Remembering what needed to be done however, Hermione once again pushed the little girl away from her, without breaking the hug, so that she could look back into her eyes.
"Are you ready to leave here and come back with me?" She asked again.
Morvin looked away briefly, as if weighing up all of her options, before turning back to Hermione and nodding her head in silent agreement.
It took some gentle coaxing and persuading but once they were outside, and Morvin's eyes had adjusted to the sunlight, Hermione lifted her up onto her back and began to run, ignoring the small pit of burning bodies.
Morvin held tightly onto Hermione, her arms wrapped around her neck, and her legs locked around her waist, as Hermione ran. Her eyes were squeezed shut, never having experienced this kind of thing before. Whenever the monster wanted to go anywhere she was always attached to a metal chain that he held. If she walked too slowly he would yank on the chain making her trip over her feet, or was whipped or slapped as punishment, to the laughter of the others. She never once felt safe with him, unlike how she felt on Hermione's back.
Almost on instinct now, Hermione made her way through the wards of the Dragon Sanctuary to where she knew the cattle of cows were. She needed to find food for Morvin quickly, without spending too much time on the hunt itself and this was the perfect place.
Sitting the small girl down in the long grass, Hermione turned to Morvin and smiled warmly at her.
"Wait here, I promise I won't be long."
Before the small girl could protest, Hermione was off with a steely determination, with only one thought in her mind, and that was to find food for her girl. She picked the fattest cow in sight, before jumping and squeezing its body, breaking numerous bones until it was on the brink of death.
When it couldn't fight her off, she easily picked it up before taking its almost dead body over to Morvin.
The girl watched as Hermione came back, carrying the cow with awkward ease. She flung it down on the ground and tore more of its throat open, letting the blood trickle over its skin so that the coppery smell could entice the girl out from hiding.
Hermione crouched down and beckoned a reluctant Morvin over. She could see the fear and hunger etched on the girl's face and noticed how she darted a wary look to her then back to the animal on the ground.
"It's all right sweetie, she's all yours." She said encouragingly.
With that Morvin's own instincts kicked in as she let out a timid growl and jumped over to the cow, putting her small mouth over the tear Hermione had made so she could easily feed.
Hermione sat down in the long grass and watched the young starving girl, looking as if she was having her first and last meal. She never moved far from Morvin, as the young girl had managed to position herself so that Hermione was always in her line of sight.
Taking a moment to think, Hermione imagined herself teaching the young girl how to hunt. She suspected that Morvin never had the chance to feed like this before, and wondered how she would take to hunting by herself. The dirty bowl that had been in the corner of the room had obviously had blood in it at one point, but she couldn't help but wonder where that blood came from, whether it was from humans or animals. If it was the latter then that would help in time for Morvin to get used to this diet, if it was the former, she wondered how hard it would be for her to wean Morvin off of human blood and onto animal.
The smell of human blood alone would entice Morvin, which brought Hermione to her biggest problem yet. How could she keep Morvin here at the sanctuary while Charlie and his colleagues were there? It was bad enough that she couldn't be near men, but also human men, it was perhaps asking the girl too much, too soon.
Her thoughts were soon interrupted as a now full Morvin crawled over to her, and sat herself snugly in Hermione's lap. Without thinking, Hermione automatically pulled her little body closer into her own, wrapping her arm protectively around her. She sighed before planting a small kiss onto the top of the girl's head before saying,
"Sweetie I need to take you to the office building, so that we can get you all clean and dressed. But I need to warn you that there are men there, not just men but male vampires and wizards. Do you think you can face them yet?"
Morvin went tense in her arms and buried her face into Hermione's chest, just under her chin, as she vigorously shook her head no. It was the reaction that Hermione expected but it didn't stop the soft sigh escaping from her mouth. "I promise sweetie that no-one will hurt you. I'll be there and I promise none of them will get near you. But you have to trust me. Do you think you can do that sweetie?"
Morvin stilled in Hermione's arms, but it wasn't because of the same feeling of fear. It was so that she could stop and think about the question that Hermione had just asked.
In the small amount of time that they had been together Hermione had managed to comfort her, she had been honest and nice. She had gotten rid of the two male vampires when she saw she was scared, she had killed the monster and promised to look after her, she had hunted a cow and let her feed, without feeding first and giving her only the leftovers. No-one, since she had turned into a vampire, had been so nice to her and Hermione was nice. She was full of cuddles, she spoke kindly to her, she even called her sweetie, which normally she would have hated but coming from Hermione she seemed to like. But the question was could she trust her? She wanted to believe she could but it was too soon for her to say. Trust was such a big word and after everything that had happened to her, she found it so hard to do.
With a resigned sigh she looked up at Hermione timidly and through their minds said,
"I can't trust you yet. But I could try?"
Expecting to be scolded or slapped for being so disrespectful, Morvin flinched and waited for her punishment, which never came. Taking a chance, she looked up at Hermione, who was smiling softly down at her.
"That sweetie was a perfect answer and it's good enough for me." She squeezed Morvin against her again, before laying a gentle kiss on top of her head. She had seen the fear in the small girls face, and knew what she was waiting for. But truthfully she didn't expect a better answer than what she had just received. Trust took time and patience, and just the fact that Morvin had said she would try was enough for her. In fact, it was more than what she could have wished for if she was honest.
Before any more could be said, loud yowling could be heard and Hermione smiled upon seeing Nafeesa land gracefully in front of them. It wasn't until she felt Morvin's body trembling violently in her arms, and heard her scared whimpers that panic suddenly flooded through her.
Standing to her feet she swung Morvin onto her back, shielding her away from Nafeesa. She loved Nafeesa, she really did, but she would not let the fearsome dragon hurt the girl in any way.
Standing stoic and composed, she looked deep into Nafeesa's eyes and when she spoke, she noticed that her voice was harsher than normal.
"Nafeesa I want you to meet Morvin. She is a vampire like me. Morvin I want you to meet Nafeesa, she is my friend and partner and as you can see she is a dragon. I promise she won't hurt you."
The promise she made wasn't a lie as such. She would do anything it took to protect Morvin, even if it meant disappearing away from Nafeesa. She didn't want to hurt her friend and would do anything in her power to prevent that from happening. Friend or not however, she would not stand by idly and watch Nafeesa attack her girl.
Nafeesa was not worried however, unlike her non-human. She had long ago foreseen the small girl her non-human protected and shielded behind her now. She could also sense the change in her magic and power, knowing the young child had been the key to her unleashing it. She was happy with these changes, as this was how things were supposed to be. She didn't take offense to her non-human being wary of her reaction, as she knew how fiercely a mother would protect her child. And although her non-human didn't realize it yet, this was only just the beginning of their bond together.
So in order to show the frightened child and her non-human that she was of no threat, Nafeesa lay on the ground and rolled onto her side, showing that she was submissive and vulnerable. Then her long forked tongue flicked out licking first Hermione, who as always giggled, then the small child. This was her own method of showing her acceptance.
Carefully slipping Morvin from her back, Hermione moved to Nafeesa and began to stroke her black scales lovingly, smiling broadly as she did so. Nafeesa never failed to amaze her, and although for a moment she had her doubts, the relief washed through her body at the fact her friend had fully accepted her new charge.
"Forgive me for doubting you Nafeesa I just had to make sure." She said truthfully, as there was no point lying or trying to hide the truth from such an intelligent creature.
Nafeesa tilted her head slightly and huffed, accepting Hermione's apology.
"Oh and I'm also sorry for leaving you earlier. I just thought it would be safer for you that's all." Hermione said. Nafeesa huffed again, but this time she tilted her head to the side in order to look away from Hermione. It was obvious from her response that she had not yet forgiven her non-human for that little mishap, and that it would take more than an apology to get her forgiveness. Hermione sighed, managing to hide the small smile that wanted to appear. Nafeesa could be so stubborn at times, but that was one of the things that she loved about her. "I promise I will make it up to you. Also before I forget there's a dead cow over there if you want it." She said pointing over Nafeesa's large winged shoulder to the dead carcass.
Without any more being said Nafeesa shot up and went over to the lying carcass before feasting on the leftover meat of the cow. While she was occupied Hermione turned to look at Morvin who was sitting staring at her with a mixture of awe, fear and wonder on her face.
"That is Nafeesa, we only met six weeks ago but she has become a best friend to me. There is no reason for you to be scared of her. She won't hurt you and now that she's accepted you, she will probably look after you just like she does with me." She smiled again as she shot a glance towards Nafeesa, who was now finishing her meal. "And don't let her size or the fact that she's a dragon fool you. She's a pussycat really." She said with a laugh, just as Nafeesa came walking over.
Hearing her non-humans' words, she huffed in indignation before nudging her large muzzle into Hermione, who simply laughed even more. Her yellow eyes moved to gaze at the little girl by her non-humans' side. Despite the fact that curiosity burned in her still dark eyes, her little body trembled still with fear and trepidation. Knowing that the little girl was far too nervous and scared to make any moves towards her, Nafeesa did it for them both instead.
She moved down to lie on her stomach, making herself look smaller and less intimidating before slowly inching forward. The little girl stiffened at seeing her move closer, so Nafeesa stopped and waited for a moment, before moving forward again.
Hermione watched with some amusement, seeing how Nafeesa was acting towards Morvin. The sight before her warmed her heart and knowing that Morvin had nothing to be scared of she sat back and simply watched, as Nafeesa tried to gain the frightened girl's trust. Of course if she had too, she would intervene if Morvin got too scared.
Once she felt she was close enough Nafeesa rolled onto her side, never breaking eye contact with the little girl and began to make little mewling noises.
Morvin glanced from the dragon in front of her to Hermione, her hand outstretched and hovering above Nafeesa's black skin, as if she was asking Hermione permission to touch her friend.
Hermione smiled sweetly and nodded her head.
"Go ahead sweetie it's alright." She said encouragingly.
Morvin turned to look back at the dragon, before moving a shaking hand onto the black scaly skin in front of her. She paused a moment before closing the gap between them. Her touch was hesitant to begin with, and she quickly pulled her hand away as if she was afraid Nafeesa would bite. Seeing Morvin's hesitancy, Nafeesa simply made another mewling noise of encouragement.
A small timid smile appeared on the little girl's face as once again she stretched a nervous hand out. This time when she touched Nafeesa, she did not pull back. Her touch was gentle and wary, but she had a determined glint shining in her dark eyes. The more she caressed and stroked Nafeesa, the braver she became. Until the smile on her face was almost blinding. For that short period of time while Morvin was lost in petting Nafeesa, all her worries, all her problems, and all her thoughts were forgotten about, and for the first time since Hermione had found her, she actually looked like a happy little girl. It warmed Hermione's heart seeing her like that, and she made another silent vow to see that smile on her face again repeatedly.
Nafeesa's forked tongue flicked out and licked the little girl on the face, and just like her non-human she simply giggled and tried to move her face away from the onslaught.
The three of them spent a pleasant afternoon sitting there for hours simply lost in their own little world. Nafeesa's large body was wrapped protectively around Hermione, who sat on the ground with her back against Nafeesa's large stomach. Morvin kept switching between sitting on Hermione's lap and lying on top of Nafeesa to stroke and cuddle her. It seemed the two of them had quickly become friends too, which in return made Hermione happy.
But sadly they couldn't stay in their own little bubble like that all day, despite how much all three wanted too. Hermione had to get back to the center and speak to Demetri and Felix. Plus, she needed to get Morvin bathed and changed.
With a reluctant sigh she looked at Nafeesa, who seemed to understand at once.
"Well Nafeesa I think we should head back now. I will take Morvin with me, as I don't want to scare her if we were to fly on your back."
Hearing her name being mentioned, Morvin sat up and looked at Hermione, while Nafeesa rose up to her feet.
"How do you feel about flying?" Hermione asked her with a small smile.
"I've never flown before." Morvin's timid little voice said in Hermione's mind.
Hermione got to her feet and held out her hand to Morvin.
"I need you to trust me." She said as she waited for Morvin's reply.
With a nervous nod of her head, she placed a trusting hand in Hermione's before she was hoisted onto her back. Not knowing what was happening she squeezed her eyes shut tightly as Hermione took to the air. She could feel the wind whipping across her body, and could hear Nafeesa's large wings flapping behind them, but fear gripped her causing her to hold onto Hermione tighter. While she buried her face into her long curls.
"Nafeesa I'll see you tomorrow." Hermione yelled through the air as she passed the wards leading out of Nafeesa's enclosure. She heard Nafeesa yowl in response before the sound of her wings shifted to the side and grew quieter.
It didn't take long for them to arrive back at the office building, and once they had landed Hermione had to pry Morvin's grip from around her throat. Although she was little she was still a newborn vampire, so was much stronger than Hermione, even if she didn't realize it.
"Are you alright?" Hermione asked, concern laced in her voice as Morvin still had her eyes shut tight.
Feeling the ground beneath her feet and realizing that she was alright, that Hermione had kept her safe just like she had promised, Morvin flung herself into Hermione's arms and held onto her tightly.
Hermione wasn't sure what brought this on but she didn't care. This simple show of affection warmed her heart more than anything else ever had. She scooped Morvin up into her arms and carried her into the building, glad that she didn't bump into anyone along the way. She didn't think Morvin was ready to meet anyone yet, and she wasn't quite ready to break this moment between them.
She walked briskly into the large bathroom Charlie had showed them when they first arrived, and quickly sat Morvin down on the toilet seat.
"I'm going to put the shower on, so that we can get rid of all the dirt first, then I will run you a nice bubble bath."
At Hermione's words, Morvin instantly tensed up. She wanted to go in the bath and scrub herself clean, to rid herself of all the dirt and grime that covered her body, but she didn't want to get naked. She was terrified of being hurt like she was before. Wrapping her arms around her body protectively, she began to rock as panic welled up inside of her. She wanted to trust Hermione but this was too much for her.
Seeing the change in the little girl, Hermione crouched down in front of her and placed her hands on Morvin's cheeks, before gently tilting her face up so that she could look into her eyes. But she had them shut again.
"Morvin sweetie look at me." She asked. After a moment, the little girl done what was asked and Hermione gave her a small pleased smile. "Thank you sweetie. Now trust me when I say that I don't want you to do anything that you're not comfortable with. I know how scared you are and I know what you have gone through, and I promise never to push you into doing something that you don't want to do. But maybe if you tell me what you're worried about I can help." She cupped the little girl's cheek, brushing away a tangled piece of hair from her eyes, so that she could look at her.
Feeling soothed by Hermione's actions she sighed deeply, trying to make herself brave before speaking through her mind.
"I don't-" She stammered before saying, "I don't want to get undressed." She finally said, relieved to get the words out.
"Oh sweetie." Hermione whispered sadly, before kissing Morvin's small forehead, fully understanding her fears. "I promise that you will never have to go through any of that again. You do need a bath though, but if it helps I can give you a swimming suit to put on. I can leave the room while you get undressed and then you will be covered. Is that alright? Can you do that for me?" Hermione asked.
Morvin thought over Hermione's words. She wanted a bath desperately, as she wanted nothing more than to be clean again, but she didn't want to be naked. The monster always liked her best when she wore no clothes. He used to always sit and leer at her when she didn't have her dress on. She shivered as the memories came back. But Hermione was different. She wasn't like the monster and didn't treat her badly like what he did. Hermione wanted to look after her and she really wanted to be looked after. If she wore a swimming suit, then she could go in a bath without her body being on display. That sounded good to her, except she didn't want to be on her own. She didn't want Hermione to leave.
With her mind made up, she unwrapped her arms from around her body and looked into Hermione's kind eyes.
"Can you stay in here while I get my swimming suit on? I don't want to be on my own."
She felt shy asking Hermione that, and didn't want to seem like a big baby. But the thought of being on her own, even with Hermione just standing outside the door, scared her.
Hermione brushed her fingers down Morvin's cheek and smiled reassuringly at her.
"Of course I will sweetie. How about if I stand at the door with my back turned to you. Will that be alright?" She asked.
Morvin gave Hermione a timid smile and nodded her head happily until a thought suddenly struck her. Causing her smile to fade and her eyes to turn lost and sad once more.
"What's the matter sweetie?" Hermione asked, her voice full of concern at seeing the sudden change in her.
Morvin sighed again then said,
"I don't have a swimming suit." The truth was, a part from the dirty white dress she wore, she had nothing to call her own. No family, no friends and no possessions.
Hermione smiled again before looking around the room. Finding a face cloth at the sink she picked it up and lay it on the floor before turning to a confused looking Morvin. Giving her a smile she said,
"Remember when I told you that I'm also a witch?" Hermione asked, causing Morvin to nod her head in reply. "Well watch this." She said, before waving her hand over the face cloth and transfiguring it into a red swimming suit. Turning to look at a stunned looking Morvin she asked, "Is that alright for you?"
Morvin looked at the beautiful red swimming suit that glittered and sparkled, and felt excitement build inside of her. She had never seen something so pretty before, never mind owning something like that. And Hermione had made it just for her and no-one else.
"I love it." Her voice said in Hermione's mind again, this time sounding even more quiet and timid than before. Morvin found herself completely in awe of Hermione at the moment, and she wanted nothing more than to keep her. For the first time in her life, she actually felt special.
"Go and put it on. I promise I will be right here, alright." Hermione picked up the swimming suit and handed it to Morvin, before moving to stand at the door with her back turned just as she promised.
She waited patiently while Morvin changed, listening as she moved and took her small dress off. She heard more movements, as Morvin put on her swimming suit then once she was done, tugged at Hermione's hand to let her know she was ready.
Hermione smiled warmly down at Morvin, while trying to hide the pity that she felt at the self-conscious, painfully thin child in front of her.
She said no words as she moved to turn on the shower, before beckoning Morvin over to her.
Taking the shower head down from the wall, she told Morvin to close her eyes, before pulling her dirty frayed bauble from her hair. Morvin winced and hissed, as the bauble pulled and tugged at her head.
Once she had finally gotten it loose, Hermione tried to separate her hair, but couldn't because of the dirt and grease. With a sad sigh, she began to rinse Morvin off, taking the time to try and run her fingers through her matted locks. The water that fell off her body and down into the drain was filthy brown, and it broke Hermione's heart further, seeing the neglect she had suffered.
With the aid of a thick brush, Hermione done her best to brush out as many of the knots as she could, but some were just so bad that the brush nearly broke.
"Morvin sweetie I'm going to have to cut some of your hair off. Do you trust me?" Hermione whispered sadly.
At Hermione's words, Morvin's hands automatically reached for her long damp hair, and running her fingers through it she could feel the tough knots for herself.
With a resigned sigh, she nodded her head in agreement, and waited for the sound of the scissors to announce her hair had been chopped off. The sound never came however. Instead Hermione used a cutting charm that she used to use on Ron and Harry, but had never used on herself. She watched in fascination as Morvin's hair went from down her back to just below her shoulders. It was sad to see her hair go, but it was for the best.
"That's it all done sweetie." Hermione said gently.
Just like before Morvin's hand went straight to her hair as she felt the length of it, gasping in shock when she realized how much had gone.
If she could cry she would have, as she always loved her hair growing up as a child. It was long and slightly curly and had been the envy of all the other girls she knew. Now it was gone.
"Don't worry sweetie, it will grow back." Hermione promised, when she saw Morvin's response. So much was changing for the little girl and it broke Hermione's heart. She wanted to help her as much as she could, but knew she couldn't take all of her pain away. She could only ease it bit by bit.
She grabbed a bottle of shampoo and put some on her hands before saying,
"I'm just going to wash your hair now sweetie. It might need to be done a couple of times alright." She said before lathering the shampoo into her hair.
She ended up washing Morvin's hair four times before the water finally began to run clear. It had taken some time but it was finally done. Next Hermione put some soap on a sponge and gave it to Morvin to wash herself with. She didn't think the little girl would feel comfortable if she did it for her.
Once she was all washed and clean Hermione then rinsed out all the dirt in the bath, before using a charm to freshen it up. She then set about running Morvin a bubble bath. It didn't matter if the water was hot or not, as they couldn't feel the temperature, she just wanted Morvin to relax and settle some more.
While Morvin lay her head back, Hermione told her some stories about growing up as a witch. She made sure that they were light hearted funny ones, rather than the more serious ones. She spoke fondly of Neville and how he used to blow up his cauldron all the time, and how Seamus used to always somehow manage to set everything on fire. She spoke of Hagrid and his love of making rock cakes that were hard enough to break your teeth. And about Dumbledore and all the strange multicolored outfits he used to wear.
Just like she hoped she would, the more Hermione spoke, the more Morvin seemed to relax and unwind, letting her guard drop a little. Her body was less tense and her eyes were less wary, as she gave Hermione small smiles and timid giggles. Again seeing Morvin look like that was so much more than she could have asked for.
All that quickly changed however, as Demetri came barging into the bathroom, causing Hermione to curse herself for not putting up wards or even locking the door.
"Hermione we need to talk. Now." He said, looking from her to the girl.
Before Hermione could even reply to him, Morvin began to scream at the top of her lungs, turning on her side and rolling into a tight ball, as she splashed water around the room.
Glaring at Demetri she forced him out of the room, knowing that this was her fault and not his.
"We'll speak later." She hissed out before slamming the door shut and locking it. She turned her attention back to Morvin, who was curled up tight, screaming and rocking from side to side in obvious fear. Without even thinking, Hermione jumped into the bath fully clothed and pulled Morvin onto her lap. She stroked her wet hair and rocked in time with her body, all the while making soothing noises.
Morvin's voice sounded in her head as she kept chanting,
"I'm a good girl. I'm a good girl." Over and over again.
This made Hermione hold on tighter to Morvin. She wasn't sure how long they stayed like that for, but Hermione never once let go or loosened her grip until Morvin had stilled in her arms, and the screaming had stopped. Her small little hand had gripped on tightly to Hermione's and she placed it on top of Hermione's beating heart, as the sound and vibration it made brought comfort to her.
"I am so sorry sweetie I didn't know anyone would come in and I forgot to lock the door. I am so so sorry." Hermione whispered apologetically.
After that Morvin reluctantly let Hermione brush and dry her hair. She transfigured some clothes for her using items she found in the room, and when she was finally dressed, she looked into the mirror and saw a completely different girl looking back at her. She was clean and looked pretty. Her hair curled in soft ringlets, sitting just above her shoulders. The dress she wore was floaty and soft and in a lovely shade of yellow. She wore white leather shoes with frilly white ankle socks. To finish off the look Hermione tied a matching yellow ribbon in her almost black curly hair.
"You look lovely sweetie." Hermione whispered coming to stand behind the girl as she gazed into the mirror. Wrapping her arm around her shoulder, Morvin willingly melted into her side and stared longingly at their reflection. Seeing the two of them standing there together, looked right somehow. They could pass as family, sisters even and she wanted that. She would make Hermione see that she was a good girl, so that she wouldn't leave her. She would try her hardest anyway.
Unfortunately for both of them that was harder said than done. After that day as much as Morvin tried she struggled in vain to be near any of the men at the sanctuary. She would go from being violent and aggressive to utterly terrified that she curled up into a tight little ball. Hermione always tried her best to help and calm her down, but even she felt like her best wasn't good enough. She didn't know how else to help. The days were passing by so quickly and soon they would be leaving here. But she didn't think Morvin would cope. Which left Hermione feeling confused and hopeless.
"Hermione you know you can't take Morvin back to Volterra with us. She isn't ready and is too dangerous. You know what the Volturi will do to her." Demetri said to her one night as they stood outside on the balcony. Gazing up at the night stars as Christmas came and went.
She sighed and leaned back against his chest, feeling her heart clench at his words.
"I know but how can I leave her." She whispered sadly.
Demetri sighed and wrapped his arms around her.
"You know there is only one way to deal with her Hermione. It is the kindest option for her." He said quietly.
Hermione tensed immediately, before tearing herself out of Demetri's arms.
"The kindest option." She hissed out, glaring at her friend. "How can you say that? She has been through so much and deserves a chance just like the rest of us. I will not take that away from her. And I will not let you or anyone else take that away from her either."
Demetri sighed, hating seeing Hermione look so lost and upset. But there was nothing else he could do or say that would make this situation any easier.
"Hermione, she needs time and time is not something we have. We will be leaving here in a couple of days. I'm sorry Hermione but we cannot risk taking her with us. That is my final decision." He squeezed her shoulder gently but she instantly moved away.
There had to be something she could do, there had to be another way to help Morvin. There just had to be. Then suddenly a memory flashed in her mind and she knew what she had to do. She just hoped it would work.
"Demetri give me a couple of days. Aro said that we had the end of the first week in January. Give me until then, please." She begged.
Demetri stopped walking and sighed but he didn't turn to look at her.
"Hermione I love you, and I want you to be happy and if Morvin makes you happy then so be it. But you only have until then, otherwise Felix and I will take care of her ourselves." With that he left, hoping that he would not come to regret this decision later.
Hermione smiled brightly before heading to one of Charlie's offices. Morvin was currently in one of the spare bedrooms reading, as she was too nervous to venture outside the room on her own. That was another problem she had developed. Because she was getting closer to Hermione, she was becoming clingy and possessive not willing to share her with anyone except for Nafeesa. So the only time Hermione had to herself, was when she left for a few minutes to speak to her friends.
Grabbing a quill and a piece of parchment, she wrote a simple urgent message before sending one of Charlie's eagles to deliver it.
"Hogwarts please, as quickly as you can." She said, as the large bird took off into the night sky.
She stood and watched it fly over the land until it became a small dot before finally vanishing. Sighing she could only hope that her plan would work. If it didn't then she didn't know what else to do, as this was her and Morvin's last chance. With one last sigh, she walked back into the bedroom where Morvin currently lay reading on the bed. She gave her a small smile as she sat down beside her and opened up her own book. There were so many thoughts going around in her mind that the words in front of her swam around the pages.
It wasn't until she felt a small hand clasp her own that she finally thought maybe, just maybe things would be alright for them.