CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Summary: Sent to Volterra in order to negotiate terms of an alliance to end the war, Hermione's life is turned upside down as she is brought into the world of The Volturi, better known as The Vampire Kings. There she is made a part of a new kind of family and a most trusted member of the guard, whether she likes it or not, and surprisingly, she does.
Disclaimer: I do not own canon events and characters, they belong to J.K Rowling and Stepenie Myers. I am not making a profit from writing and posting this fanfic. As for the descriptions of appearances for the Twilight characters, all my research is based on the books and not the movies, but I may have changed a few things regarding Alec's height and age.
AN
Since it's taken me so long to get this chapter to you, I've made it extra, extra long. That, and I couldn't find a good place to split it into two. It seemed to flow much better as one large chapter.
Q&A
Let's see if your theories are correct.
c. karen09 – very soon, I promise. Like next chapter soon.
Sunday 2nd August 1998
"Miss. Granger, Alec, Demetri," Aro greeted as she stepped through the doors and into the large training room, not much bigger than the chamber she so often saw him in.
Hermione and her vampires titled their heads in greeting and Hermione's eyes swept the room, seeing that it was completely empty of everything but the stone walls, flooring and windows.
"My Lords," she acknowledged.
"I am sure you wish to know why you are here," Aro spoke and she nodded.
"We believe that is it time that you are tested against The Guard, and that we see how you perform in battle," Caius spoke, folding his arms behind him and titling his head slightly. "I confess; I am curious of your talents."
Hermione slowly let out a deep breath, feeling relieved that it wasn't as bad as she thought it would have been.
"The Guards?" she questioned.
"Yes, I, myself, know that you are immune to my gift should you wish to be, and I have been informed that you are immune to both Alec and Demetri's gifts also, yet you are not immune against Marcus'," Aro spoke.
He watched as Demetri closed the distance between himself and Marcus, and he handed Teddy off to him. Aro gave Marcus an amused look as his attention turned to the giggling child in his arms, not paying any mind to anyone else and Aro turned his eyes back to Hermione, seeing both Alec and Demetri stood on either side of her and holding her hands in theirs.
"There are other members of The Guard who also possess gifts, and we wish to see your reactions to each of them."
Hermione nodded slowly. "That is understandable," she bit her lip in thought.
"Do not worry, My Dear, no harm will come to you, you are after all, are a treasure and must be protected at all costs," he said.
Hermione didn't believe him entirely. She knew he wouldn't allow her to die, as for getting injured, that was entirely a different matter. If she were going to be going up against The Guard, it was inevitable that she would get injured and she knew her vampires would be difficult to console afterwards.
"Very well," she agreed.
Before she could blink, the room was suddenly filled with every vampire that resided at Volterra, members of The Guard, coven and otherwise and she felt herself fill with nerves. Demetri gave her hand a gentle squeeze of encouragement, as if sensing her nerves. She looked up at him and he smiled down at her, before leaning down to place a kiss to her forehead and stepping away from her, moving to stand against the wall beside Felix, knowing it was his duty to keep Demetri from interfering should Hermione get injured. Alec nodded at her and placed a kiss to her cheek, before moving over to stand beside his sister, as it was her responsibility to keep him from interfering, and surprisingly, she placed a hand on his shoulder, offering him support.
"First we will start with Jane," Aro spoke.
The little blonde vampire stepped into the centre of the room, standing opposite Hermione. Hermione attempted a smile but it showed as a grimace in her nervousness. Jane gave a nod in greeting, before clasping her hands in front of her.
Hermione looked to Teddy, seeing him tugging at Marcus' robes and giggling and she pulled her wand and sent a Silencing Charm at him, not wishing for him to hear anything that may happen. She pocketed her wand and then gave Jane a nod, letting her know she was ready.
"Pain," Jane spoke softly.
Hermione flinched, but nothing happened. She opened her eyes seeing that Jane looked to be surprised, annoyed and accepting all at once. They really had come a long way since she had arrived at Volterra. And that's when Hermione remembered what Alec had told her all those weeks ago, Jane's ability worked in a similar way to Alec's, it was psychological, not physical. Her occlumency shields were firmly in place and had protected her from Jane's gift.
"As I expected, you are immune to Jane's gift," Aro spoke, pulling their attention.
Hermione heard the buzzing in the room, knowing that the vampires present were speaking so quickly she wouldn't be able to understand, but she looked around, seeing that they were all staring at her in various forms of surprise, concern and disbelief. She caught Felix's stare and he winked at her, making her mouth twitch into a smile, especially when Demetri elbowed him in the side. She forced back a giggle at his less than pleased look at his best friend flirting with her.
Hermione and Jane nodded to each other before she stepped back into place beside Alec.
"Next, Afton," Aro spoke.
Hermione watched as the vampire stepped forward. His eyes just as red and his skin just as pale as the others, he had dark blonde hair that was cut short, he stood taller than her, maybe at five-foot-eleven, and if she had to guess, she'd say he'd been changed when he was in his late twenties. As usual, he was unnaturally beautiful and his eyes were trained on her, watching her carefully.
"When you are ready," Hermione spoke softly.
The vampire blinked in surprise. "I am using my gift on you now," he muttered, but it was loud enough that she was able to hear.
She frowned, before remembering back to her time spent with Alec and Demetri, of the hours they spent informing her of every coven member and guard that had a gift. Afton had the gift of making himself appear invisible to others.
"You can see him, Miss. Granger?" Caius asked.
"Yes, you cannot?"
He shook his head, before nodding to the vampire. He nodded in return and bowed his head towards Hermione, as a show of respect, and then stepped back. His gift was also psychological, she realised.
"Reneta," Aro called and she stepped forward.
Hermione had seen her around the castle a few times. She had red eyes and pale skin, her black hair was tied back in an elegant bun. She was smaller than her, she would say around five foot, and she guessed her age to be not much older than herself, maybe twenty.
When Aro stepped forward Hermione blinked in surprise and confusion.
"Reneta is my personal body guard," he explained, but did not tell her of the vampire's gift.
Hermione nodded and frowned, trying to recall what her vampires had told her and she bit her lip in thought. Reneta had the ability to manipulate a person's thoughts or memories in order to protect against attack, using her ability as a shield. Hermione had come to think of it as it being similar to a Muggle Repellent Charm, in which you would get the feeling you needed to be somewhere else and leave. Reneta's gift was psychological; it would be ineffective against her.
Hermione's wand appeared in her hand and she levelled it at Aro. He raised an eyebrow but didn't appear to be worried that Reneta's gift wouldn't work and that she could potentially hurt him.
"Rictumsempra," she said softly, the purple light shooting from her wand and hitting Aro in the chest.
There were noises of surprise as they not only saw that she was able to raise her wand, but that she was able to cast a spell with ease. Aro burst into laughter as the Tickling Charm did its job, and the sound made her head go fuzzy until she shook it off and raised her wand to cast the counter.
His laughter stopped immediately.
"Tickling Charm," she explained with a shrug and a sheepish smile on her face.
He gave her an amused look and tilted his head, before returning to stand beside his co-rulers, Reneta, his body guard, stared at her, unmoving and looking like a statue. Hermione cleared her throat and pushed her hair out of her face nervously and her wand disappeared from her hand and out of sight.
"Heidi," Caius spoke.
Reneta gave her a strange look before stepping back into place with her coven members and another woman took her previous spot. Hermione admitted to herself that this was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen, vampire and otherwise. Her red eyes were large and sparkled, her pale skin contrasted against the black tights that she wore beneath a red, form fitting dress. Her mahogany coloured hair was straight and flowed down to the middle of her back. She was taller than her, but only due to the black heels she was wearing and she was older than her, mid twenties, Hermione thought.
Hermione tried to remember what Alec and Demetri had told her, when she felt a strange hazy feeling over take her. Hermione shook her head, feeling it retreat before coming back thicker and heavier.
Heidi, she was the one that got them the humans that provided the blood for feeding for the coven. Hermione felt her breathing pick up and felt her heart beating faster. She opened her eyes, not realising she had closed them, and she was surprised to see the beautiful vampire standing in front of her, looking down at her with soft eyes and she slowly brought her head closer to hers.
Something didn't feel right and Hermione shook her head. The haze retreated a little, allowing her the opportunity to think and she recalled the memory of Alec and Demetri telling her about Heidi. Her gift was her beauty; she could convince people to do as she wished by making them physically attracted to her.
But Hermione wasn't attracted to her. She was attracted to Alec and Demetri, her dreams and thoughts about them could make a drunk prostitute blush. She wanted them and only them. She loved them so much it hurt to be away from them.
She opened her eyes once more, seeing that Heidi was staring at her. Her red eyes were moving between her eyes and her mouth. Heidi's tongue darted out to lick at her lips and she moved forward.
It felt wrong and Hermione frowned, filling her thoughts of Alec and Demetri. She shook her head and felt the haze leave, her mind once again being her own and she took several steps away from the beautiful vampire.
"No," Hermione spoke with a shake of her head. "It's not right. I don't want you. I don't love you."
The beautiful vampire stood up straight and looked to Hermione in surprise, turning her head to look at Aro, Marcus and Caius, before stepping away from her and moving back to her coven mates.
"Chelsea," Aro spoke.
Hermione frowned when the vampire stepped forward. Red eyes watching her carefully, pale skin contrasting against the black dress she wore under her grey robes. Her light brown hair was left down to rest just below her shoulders, even in heels she was shorter than Hermione and she looked to be in her late twenties when she was changed. She knew her gift without having to call a memory forward. This vampire's gift was the one that scared her the most, she was able to manipulate, break and form relationship between people. Alec and Demetri had explained that several members of The Guard were only loyal to The Volturi because of her. Reneta had belonged to another coven before Chelsea has severed her ties to them, the coven had been killed and she'd been forced into The Volturi.
The smaller vampire held her gaze and tilted her head to the side slightly. Hermione felt her insides twisting, her thoughts and memories concerning her vampires being filled with hatred, disgust and fear.
She knew it was wrong. She loved her vampires, just as much as she loved Teddy. Her love for the little child was infinite, as was her love for her vampires. She couldn't hate them; she couldn't be disgusted by them even if someone was messing with her feelings and memories.
They were sweet and kind, protective, loyal, caring and loving. They took care of her. They made sure she was sleeping and eating, they made sure she was safe and that she felt loved and appreciated. And they adored Teddy, treated him as if he were their own son and not the product of a werewolf, who they had a natural hatred for.
She didn't hate them; she couldn't. She loved them.
"No!" she spoke, her voice loud and clear.
The twisting inside of her grew painful, so much so that her head pounded and her stomach cramped tightly; she dropped to the ground on her knees. One arm wrapped around her stomach and the other she used to bring her hand up to her head, a whimper leaving her. She vaguely heard Alec and Demetri being restrained and the reminder of them gave her the strength to stand up. She pushed herself up on shaking limbs, breathing deeply through the pain.
"I said no!" she spoke, her voice rising to a shout, and the pain suddenly stopped. "I don't hate them and you can't make me. I love them too much for you to try and use them to hurt me."
The smaller vampire blinked at her, a startled look on her face and she turned to look at the three lords, and Hermione turned her head too. Marcus looked at her proudly, Caius curiously and Aro looked both worried and pleased. It didn't take a genius to understand why.
He was worried, as Chelsea's gift didn't work against her so her loyalty couldn't be forced or maintained. She was bound by contract to remain with The Volturi but she'd drafted it, she was sure she could easily create a loop hole should she need to. His pleased expression came from the fact that she could be controlled through Alec and Demetri. Her loyalty couldn't be forced, but theirs could and she would do anything to protect them, including staying and doing anything Aro asked her too. She had to be careful.
The vampire eyed Hermione and the way her wand was suddenly gripped tightly in her hand in warning.
"Thank you, Chelsea," Aro finally spoke and the vampire gave Hermione a strange look before stepping away from her. "Miss. Granger, you truly are a priceless gem," he spoke, his voice soft and reverent. "You are immune to the gifts of every single member of The Guard, as well as having gifts of your own. Will you please show our friends and family what lies underneath your human facade."
Hermione's wand disappeared from her hand before she slowly bent forward; lowering herself to the ground and no longer was she a witch, but a tigress. The mutters and noises of surprise weren't hard to miss this time, as she took in the startled and surprised looks of the coven members. She stretched herself out, feeling her muscles being pulled and she heard something click, before she stood up, returning to her human form.
"A true gem, wouldn't you agree?" Aro said softly, looking out at the others and the nods and mutters were his reply. "Santiago?"
The vampire stepped forward and Hermione's eyes swept over him, she hadn't seen him around the castle but she recognised the name. He had red eyes and unlike his coven mates, dark skin and jet black dreadlocks that fell down his back. He appeared older than the others, Hermione guessed mid thirties, and he was taller than her, maybe five-foot-ten.
Santiago, this vampire didn't have a gift as the others did, but he did have strength and speed, more so than a regular vampire, though Hermione knew that his strength did not match Felix's.
"Begin."
Hermione was so unprepared that she was unable to protect herself. Before she could blink, she found herself being flung across the room until she smacked into the stone wall, her head cracking against the stone, feeling a dull ache in her back and skull and warm blood running down the back of her neck.
She groaned and brought both hands up to her head, taking deep breaths and trying to will the pain away. She become aware of deadly snarls and knew that without a doubt it was her vampires. She turned her eyes to Demetri and through her blurry vision she saw him looking murderous, similar to when the werewolf had threatened her at the Final Battle and even Felix looked to be struggling to hold him back.
Her eyes then moved to Alec, seeing that he was snarling and struggling against the hold of two other vampires, he forced to kneel on the ground and Jane stood behind him with her hands on his shoulders, likely trying to calm him. She had a grimace on her face, knowing that it wasn't working and he would only stop when Hermione was no longer in danger.
Hermione groaned and pulled her eyes forward, seeing Santiago crouched on the ground and watching her carefully, waiting for her next move. She knew that he could've easily killed her; he had only used enough of his strength to hurt her, not to kill her so she knew he was holding back. She turned her eyes to the three lords. Aro raised an eyebrow when he caught her stare, Caius looked bored as if he were expecting her to put up more of a fight, and Marcus turned his eyes to the vampire and then gave her a nod, letting her know she shouldn't hold back.
She pushed herself up of the ground and leaned against the wall, her eyes watching the vampire in front of her carefully.
She took a step forward and she knew she wouldn't be able to see him due to his speed, so she needed to give herself a way to defeat him. Relying on her magic, listening to her instincts, her wand appeared in her hand.
"Obice Corporis," she spoke, seeing no sign that the spell had worked.
She had read about it in one of the books Dumbledore had given her. She had learned the wand movements and the incantation, but this was the first time she was able to cast it, to test it. She was worried that it hadn't worked and she would find herself with another injury, until the vampire's speed was suddenly thrown off as he slammed into the invisible barrier.
She breathed a sigh of relief and once again thanked her instincts and magic for not letting her down. He gave a snarl before lunging at her, only he was unable to reach her as he slammed into the invisible barrier once more. The barrier shield was powerful but it didn't last long so she pointed her wand at herself, casting a Masking Spell so he wouldn't be able to find her by scent and she followed that with a Silencing Charm, so he wouldn't be able to hear her breathing, her heart beat or her footsteps. And just as he lunged for her once more and the barrier finally gave way, she cast a Disillusionment Charm on herself. She heard the noises of surprise as she suddenly disappeared from view.
She ducked out of the way, seeing the vampire stumble into the wall in surprise at her disappearance. She could see him clearly, his eyes darted about the room and he crouched low, ready for an attack. He visibly sniffed at the air but she knew it would be useless. Her spells would make her untraceable to anyone in the room.
She had a thought of walking out the room and going back to her rooms so she could heal herself and take a short nap, before later reappearing in the room. The imagery of their reactions brought to her imagination made her giggle, and she shook her head. As funny as it would be, it wasn't why she was there.
She slowly walked about the room, doing her best to stay as far away from Santiago as possible, as he slowly stood and walked the perimeter of the room. Hermione chanced a look at her vampires, seeing they were both still restrained, but their snarls had stopped and they had proud smirks on their faces.
She darted off to the side as Santiago had almost walked into her in her distraction. She now had the advantage and she had to use it wisely. Should could speak a spell as it wouldn't be heard, but should she use her wand, the light that identified the spell could be seen and would give away her position. She pocketed her wand, knowing she would have to do any magic wandlessly.
She bit her lip in thought, recalling any spell powerful enough to use against a vampire but that was also simple that she could do it wandlessly.
"Fantoche," she spoke, lifting her hand and pointing towards Santiago, who looked to be getting irritated with his inability to find her.
He let out a snarl as his feet and legs were suddenly wrenched out from beneath him and he lifted off the ground, being hung upside in the air by an invisible force. With a little wiggle of her fingers, he was flung from side to side, he spun around in the air, and he was bobbed up and down, the entire time she did her best to contain her laughter, while Alec and Demetri were less controlled with proud looks on their faces. Marcus' look mirrored theirs, Caius looked impressed and Aro looked amused.
The spell she'd used she had found in a book given to her by Dumbledore. Fontoche was French for 'puppet,' and the spell allowed for Hermione to be a puppet master, whilst Santiago was the puppet under her complete control.
He was snarling viciously and wriggling about in the air, trying to break free, but he couldn't and she was getting bored. She released him of the spell and his speed stopped him from crashing into the ground head first, but he did leave an indentation in the stone floor when he landed on his feet.
"Marius, Nikoli, Soran," Aro spoke, drawing her attention and seeing the look of challenge on his face.
Three vampires stepped out of the gathered crowd. And she watched them carefully, her eyes scanning each of them in turn. They were members of The Guard but they didn't possess any gifts, they were members solely based on their fighting abilities.
They all looked to have been changed in their mid twenties and they all had red eyes and pale skin. Nikoli was the tallest of the three of them, standing at six foot, with dark brown hair cut short. Soran had copper coloured hair that was shaggy and fell over his forehead, and he stood at five-foot-eleven. The last one, Marius, he had red hair to rival The Weasleys and stood at five-foot-ten, making him the smallest of the three.
They had unknowingly surrounded her, circling her slowly as if they were hunters and she were their prey. But what they didn't realise was she was a hunter too. She felt a glare form on her face as it was now four against one, and she knew her spells would soon be wearing off and she couldn't recast them without giving herself away. She made a note to learn the Silencing Charm, Masking Spell and Disillusionment Charm both non-verbally and wandlessly, it would make her life so much easier.
She didn't have much time so she came up with a plan.
'Dis,' she thought, pushing her hands out and away from her body.
Nikoli and Santiago had been on either side of her and without warning they were sent flying away from her and they slammed into the stone walls, making craters beneath them, and she quickly followed that with a Sticking Charm, keeping them against the walls. They struggled to break free and seeing the charm had been effective, she turned her attention to the final two vampires, Marius and Soran.
Marius was getting too close for comfort and he suddenly found himself being propelled into the air until he was pressed against the ceiling, a strong pressure against his chest keeping him in place despite his snarls and struggling.
She could feel the Disillusionment beginning to wash away from her and she panicked. Her magic acted out of instinct to the threat of danger and without thinking or speaking, Soran was slammed into by an invisible force, propelled backwards and he skidded against the floor until his back hit the wall.
She hit him with a Sticking Charm, before she wandlessly conjured up an arm chair and foot stool, and she sat down herself down, sinking into the soft cushions. She rested her feet on the foot stool and her arm dangled over the arm rest lazily, just as the Disillusionment Charm faded and she was revealed to the eyes of everyone present.
Aro caught her gaze as she raised an eyebrow at him and his mouth pulled into smirk. Caius drew her attention when he slowly started applauding with an amused and pleased look on his face. Aro nodded and mirrored his co-leading, applauding her and the rest of the vampires slowly joined in, watching her with wide eyes. Marcus gave her a look of pride and Alec and Demetri were finally released from their captures, and they were beside her before she could blink.
"I'm fine," she promised them.
"You're bleeding," Alec spoke, sending a murderous glare to Santiago.
"We heard how hard you hit that wall," Demetri spoke, looking at her worriedly.
She gave him a small smile, before she winced, the pain in her back and head making an appearance now that the adrenaline was wearing off.
"You're hurt," Alec spoke, bringing his hand up to the back of her head and she whimpered as his cold fingers touched against the head wound. He pulled his hand back to show her that it was covered in blood. "Don't say you're fine, you're not," he spoke, cutting her off before she could protest.
She sighed, giving in. "Alright, I'm a little banged up. I just need some dittany, Essence of Murtlap, a Pain Potion, a Blood Replenisher, an Invigoration Draught and some gauze and bandages. They're all clearly labelled," she said.
Demetri disappeared from her side and was back within minutes with everything she had asked for. She smiled softly before using her wand to siphon off the blood and she sat forward and titled her head to give them better access.
"Place two drops of dittany onto the wound and then lather it in the Essence of Murtlap," she instructed, wincing when Alec did so. "Now, just put the gauze over the wound and wrap my head in a bandage, I should be healed in a little while. These potions are more potent than the ones I've previously bought as I've brewed them myself."
She gave them a smile when the bandage was in place and she placed a Sticking Charm on it to keep it from unravelling. She then drank the three potions and felt much better in doing so, before she stood and banished the potion vials, arm chair and foot stool.
"Miss. Granger?"
She looked up to Aro, and he looked at the four struggling vampires pointedly. She eyed them distrustfully.
"They are not going to harm you," he spoke.
She hesitated before giving her hand a wave, two vampires landed on their feet smoothly, one had a longer fall from the ceiling and left an indentation in the ground, and the other stood up and brushed down his robes. The four vampires all kept their eyes on her as they made their way back to the gathered coven members. They tilted their heads at her as a sign of respect and she sighed in relief, titling her own head in response.
"Is that all, My Lord?" she asked hopeful, she just wanted to go back to her rooms and snuggle with her favourite vampires and Godson.
"Not quite," he replied and she sighed. "Something has come to our attention and we thought it best that we let you be the one to decide on the next course of action."
She frowned in confusion, looking up at Alec and Demetri who looked just as confused as she did. Aro nodded and Hermione's eyes darted to the other side of the room were a vampire was snarling, talking so fast she couldn't hear anything but buzzing noises, and he was being dragged over to her by Felix and Santiago, the two strongest vampires in the coven.
This vampire looked to be young; he was no older than she was when he'd been changed. His red eyes and pale skin were usual for vampires, he had ash blonde hair that was cut short and he was void of any robes, pinpointing him as neither a coven member nor a guard. He must've been one of the vampires that were forced to stay with The Volturi as punishment for their crimes.
He was forced onto his knees and Alec caught Aro's gaze and with that he had his instructions. He released his gift and the shimming hazy mist slowly surrounded the struggling vampire until he went still, as if he'd been hit by a Petrificus Totalus. Felix and Santiago stepped out of the way and made their way back to their places.
Hermione looked back up at Aro, the questioning look on her face unmistakable.
"This is Lucian," Aro informed her. "He has been serving his punishment for his crimes for the last thirty-six years. It has been brought to my attention that Lucian has plotted to harm you, and that he has attempted to harm darling Teddy twice since your welcoming to Volterra."
Hermione took a deep breath and forced down the panic and anger, it wouldn't do any good to have her magic acting out due to her lack of control over her emotions.
"Thankfully, Jane and Felix were nearby and were able to protect him, preventing Teddy from coming to any harm. Lucian was punished and his sentence with The Volturi was lengthened by a further one hundred years, but it would seem he did not take his punishment to heart and he forgot the warnings. His second attempt to harm Teddy was almost successful and if it had not been for Felix, Teddy would no longer be here."
Her anger escaped from the tight restraint she had and it congregated to her stomach, swirling about.
"We wish to offer you the opportunity to punish him as you see fit. Not only did disobey orders, he intended to harm your Godson and yourself."
Hermione took a deep breath in through the nose and out through the mouth. She was angry, yes, but she couldn't punish him, her magic was too volatile, she'd probably kill him.
Aro seemed to know this as he spoke again.
"Miss. Granger, are you aware of what Lucian did as a profession before he was bitten and changed?"
"No," she spoke through clenched teeth.
"I assume you have heard tale of Jack the Ripper?" She nodded silently. "He was never caught, correct?"
She nodded. "Yes, he was never identified and his five victims were left without justice," she spoke.
"Twenty-three, there were twenty-three victims, the remaining eighteen were never found," he corrected, looking to the vampire pointedly and she suddenly caught on to the implications of his words. "They were sexually assaulted before their deaths and later dismembered."
The anger and disgust within her only doubled and it was getting harder to control her emotions. She took a deep breath before she walked away from the vampire and over to Marcus, who handed her Teddy. Teddy immediately snuggled into her and took a fistful of her hair in his hand.
"Since becoming a vampire, he found his blood in young woman, some as young as twelve."
Hermione took another deep breath.
"He had planned on sexually harming you before killing you."
Hermione heard the snarls from her vampires and she moved to stand between them, feeling Alec move until his arm was pressed against her side –his attention still on keeping the vampire contained- and Demetri wrapped an arm around her protectively.
"He has heard of you speak of your family, he was going to find them and tell them of your demise before killing them, too."
Her vision clouded with her fury and no matter how much she tried to, she was unable to squash it down, and her magic was in agreement. She could feel it flaring up within her, swarming her body until she shook and her head went fuzzy.
She wanted him punished.
For all the women and young girls he had harmed. For the attempts on Teddy's life. For his intentions towards her family. He was a rapist. A murderer. He was just like Fenrir Greyback and she wanted him punished.
She felt something taking over her, something she had only felt that night when Greyback was killed. She placed a kiss to Teddy's forehead and placed a Silencing Charm around him, before she untangled her hair from his hold and handed him over to Demetri. The look he held in his eyes showed that he understood what she was going to do and he didn't look disappointed or surprised, he looked as though he agreed with her.
She turned her eyes to Alec and held his gaze. His understanding matched Demetri's and without asking, he released the vampire from his gift and wrapped an arm around her waist protectively. Before the vampire could fully recover, Hermione struck.
"Crucio," she whispered softly.
Snarls and screams filled the room as the vampire fell to the floor on his back, his body writhing and twisting unnaturally. As Hermione's anger intensified, her features grew colder, harder and the vampire's screams grew louder until it hurt her ears, but she didn't release him from the spell.
"He sexually assaulted those young women he fed on," Aro spoke up.
She twisted her wand sharply and the vampire let out on ungodly scream as his body arched off the ground and Hermione felt a growl rip from the back of her throat, her animalistic characteristics coming through slightly.
If he had been human, he'd have lost his sanity by now, he'd be begging for death, but that thought didn't affect her. She didn't care; he deserved his punishment.
"He had planned on killing Teddy in front of you, making you watch and suffer helplessly. He spoke of wishing to harm Alec and Demetri."
That was the final straw and Hermione was helpless to stop it.
She heard more than felt her wand clattering to the floor and the sound echoed in the room along with the screams which were slowly dying down, and before the vampire had the chance to flee or kill her, he burst into flames, similar to the night she had been attacked in her rooms. Only this time the flames burned hotter, thicker, brighter, as they devoured him alive. The screams filled the room until it stopped and all that was left was silence and a pile of ash.
Caius applauding brought her eyes away from the ground and up to him.
"I didn't think you had it in you, you continue to surprise and entertain me," the blonde vampire spoke.
She blinked, unable to reply to him.
"Now you all understand why Miss. Granger is a treasured member of The Guard. She must be protected at all costs as she is one of a kind." He was met with silence.
"Is that all, My Lord, I would like to rid myself at the smell of smoke?" Hermione spoke, sounding tired even to her own ears.
"That is all, Miss. Granger," he confirmed. "Welcome to The Guard."
She nodded at him before turning around and making her way out of the room and down the corridor, vaguely being aware of Aro informing Demetri that he wished to see him later in the evening. By the time she rounded the corner, she stumbled and went head first towards the ground, but Alec caught her and lifted her into his arms before she could. She sighed tiredly and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head against his shoulder.
She felt exhausted, magically, emotionally and mentally. The accidental conjured flames had been the straw that broke the camel's back and it drained her. Hearing all that the vampire had done and what he had planned to do, to her, to Teddy, to her family, to Alec and Demetri, it was draining.
She was placed down on a soft surface and realised that it was her bed. She fell asleep before Alec had even laid down beside her
Hermione awoke to a dark room lit only by the flickering flames in the fireplace. Looking to the window she saw the dark night sky and she was suddenly reminded of the day's past events.
She slowly pushed herself up and saw that she was alone, but she could hear Alec reading to Teddy in the nursery and she saw the shadows from the lit fireplace dancing across the floor. Deciding she wanted a bath, she headed into the bathroom, shut the door over and magically filled the bath with hot water. She summoned a Muscle Relaxant and a Calming Draught before tipping them into the hot water and she quickly stripped of her clothing and stepped into the bathtub, hissing against the temperature.
She removed the bandages from her head and checked the wound, feeling no tenderness or pain and she sighed, laying back against the tub and allowing her memories of the day to rush through her mind before being sorted and filed away appropriately.
Despite what she'd done, used an Unforgivable and killed a vampire, she couldn't seem to be angry with herself, disappointed or disgusted either. She strangely felt peaceful, as if what she'd done was justified and had been the right thing to do. He could no longer hurt anyone again. The world was one less rapist and murderer down.
She heard Alec shutting Teddy's nursery door and she bit her lip, thoughts of her vampire running through her mind and she felt a smile pull at her mouth. She'd be lying if she said she didn't think of sex and what it would be like with her vampires. She knew they'd have to be careful and she'd need to ingest a few potions beforehand to be sure they wouldn't accidentally injure her, but still, she couldn't stop thinking about it. Especially since she'd been away from them and she'd missed them terribly. It had been a couple of years since her last sexual partner and as much as she loved her vampires and their lives together, she couldn't help but wanting more from them. But what would they say? Would they not give her what she wanted for fear of hurting her? Did they even want to further their relationship?
She sighed before holding her breath and ducking her head under water, wetting her hair and feeling weightless. She stayed as long as she could before the need to breathe was too great and she broke through the surface, pushing her hair back and out of her face. She leaned back against the tub and closed her eyes.
"Hermione, are you alright?" Alec spoke softly.
She opened her eyes and turned her head, seeing his shadow on the floor as he stood behind the door.
She bit her lip in thought.
"I'm fine, Alec," she replied softly. "If you do not believe me, you may come and check for yourself."
He hesitated before the door was slowly pushed open and he stepped into the bathroom, his eyes widening slightly when they landed on her. He was unable to see anything but her head due to the sides of the bath tub and the water she was immersed in.
"See, perfectly fine," she spoke, her gaze locked on his. He didn't respond, at a loss of words he just stared at her. "Do you want to join me?" she asked bravely.
His eyes widened further and he spluttered, unable to find words.
"I don't bite, Alec, that's your forte," she said amused, holding back a giggle when he spluttered once more, before clearing his throat.
"Are you challenging me?" he finally spoke, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.
She shifted in the bath tub, moving so that her arms were folded on the side of the tub and she rested her chin upon her arms, her gaze locked with his. He was doing a very good job of keeping his eyes above her neck, even if he wasn't able to see anything due to the angle she was sitting at.
"I don't know, am I?" she replied. "And if I was, are you willing to accept that challenge?"
He held her gaze, and he seemed to be mulling over her words, making a decision. His mouth was twitching into a smirk, before he removed his dark grey robes and hung them up on one of the hooks on the back of the bathroom door. This left him in a white shirt and black trousers.
She blinked, her eyes slowly taking in his form. It wasn't often she saw him without his robes, in fact, the last time had been when they had returned to England for the battle and he'd had to wear muggle clothing to blend in. She sighed, remembering how handsome and angelic he had looked.
When her eyes returned to his, he was watching her with an amused smile on his face and she felt her shoulders shrug in reply. He took a slow, calculated step towards her.
Well, that certainly had gone a lot better than she had planned, she thought, anticipation and excitement welling up inside of her as she watched Alec slowly approach her like the hunter he was, and she found herself thinking that she absolutely wouldn't mind being his prey.
AN
I had debated having Hermione and Demetri progressing their relationship further first, but the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea of it being Alec first. And now I want your opinion.
Should Hermione and Alec have a first nervous sexual encounter, or should we skip all of that and take it straight to full blown sex? Which would you prefer? Do you think we've waited long enough and it's time?
Please let me know through reviews or PM's. The quicker the votes come in, the quicker I can have the chapter written and posted.