A/N: I've added a poll to my profile. It seems like I've gotten a few suggestions (or a few 'how could you?'s) saying that there was some support for this to go Jacob/Hermione. I have no intentions of changing this story to go that way, but with enough support I might consider doing a spin off where Hermione ditches Edward and Jacob ditches Bella and they go make a try for it together. So if you feel strongly like you want to see that, go tell me, or if you feel strongly against it, tell me as well. I'll leave the poll open until I'm completed with this story, and if there's enough support I'll write the spin-off.
And to answer Edward'sGirl's question: I'd imagine that had the antivenin turned Hermione human I know Edward would have taken it. Carlisle probably would, too, as would Esme. And I have no doubts about Rosalie taking it, and Emmett would probably follow her. And I imagine these latter two couples would get right down to trying to make babies. And as for Alice and Jasper, well, I think Jasper would take it because he would realize that all those who kept him in check so to speak are now human, and Alice would take it if Jasper took it because she'd be afraid of hurting him.
Thanks for all the reviews. I had this chapter done (T chapter, BTW) yesterday, but the site wouldn't let me update. Sorry to keep you waiting.
As always, enjoy and please review!
She peeked around the corner into the Great Hall. It was about half as full as normal, but there were still several students finishing dinner or exchanging notes from class. She spotted Ron's red hair halfway down the Gryffindor table, talking to Harry, Ginny, Dean, and Neville. They were laughing about something, if there wasn't so much chatter around the hall she would have been able to eavesdrop. A quick glance a the Slytherin table made her stomach drop slightly. Draco Malfoy was sitting there, next to Goyle, neither talking and both looking exceptionally surly.
She took a deep breath and walked into the hall. Several students stopped their conversations and stared at her, but she didn't care. She walked through with a purpose, striding quickly to where her friends were. As she reached them she noticed that the students in the hall had one of two reactions. Either they gathered their things and hurried out, or at the very least scooted as far away from her as they could, or they nervously moved towards her, hoping to get a better look, or possibly an autograph.
"....then Flitwick says 'at least you're not causing lightning, since no one can outrun that,'" Neville blushed as the table laughed.
"No one?" Hermione raised an eyebrow.
"'Mione!" Ginny launched herself at Hermione, who didn't even need to brace herself against the now expected onslaught. Ron was next, planting a kiss on her cheek despite the fact that he still had a full mouth of Shepherd's Pie in his mouth. She wiped her cheek off in amused disgust before hugging the whole group quickly, then sat down to avoid anyone else noticing her sudden reappearance.
"What are you doing back?" Harry asked, looking excitedly at her.
"I wanted to come visit you guys," she smiled back. "Where's Luna?"
"She's off studying for the NEWTs. The Ravenclaws all seem to be in panic mode. There's still three months!" Ron smiled.
"You mean you aren't studying yet?" she asked in shock.
"Now you've done it," Harry muttered.
"NEWTs are the most important tests you take while at Hogwarts. You should have started studying for them at the beginning of the year!" she chastised.
"We are. We're just not panicking," Ron backpedaled.
"How many hours a day are you studying?" she asked, eyebrow raised.
"Maybe two..." he admitted in a quiet voice.
"Two!" she shouted, looking horrified. "How can you possibly...?"
"How's Forks?" Ginny interrupted loudly.
Hermione shot Harry and Ron another look, but calmed down quickly. "Wet," she admitted. "Just how we like it."
"We? Is Edward here, too?" Ron looked around.
"No. He stayed. We have to be a little more cautious in the Muggle world. They think vampires exist on screen and in books and that's it. Don't want them learning too much."
"I don't get that," Ron grumbled. "Wouldn't you want to warn them? Let them know what's out there?"
"Because it would cause mass panic," she rolled her eyes. "If they knew everything that was out there, witches, wizards, vampires, dragons, they'd never leave their houses."
"Not like that could stop anything that wanted to get at them."
"Precisely my point, Ron. They're happier not living in fear of some red-eyed terror breaking into their house. The chances of them being killed by something they don't know exists is very small, it's better that they don't get worked up about all of it."
"How is your antivenin coming along?" Neville cut in for another quick change of subject. He and Ginny seemed to realize that getting someone who needed no rest on a roll would not be the best idea.
"I've completed it," she said tentatively. "I tested it on myself with some promising results," she started, then gave a quick explanation of her development and testing, but left out the part about how much pain she was in. She didn't need to hear Harry and Ron make a big deal about it.
"So you're just waiting for Edward to finish school?" Harry asked, eager for his friend to move back permanently.
"And Alice. She came, and decided to finish school so she could stay around Forks. I think she misses Bella. And Charlie, too." She gave another quick explanation to a confused looking Neville and Ginny about Bella and the werewolves. She told them how she had started making friends with some of Bella's school friends, trying to get over the negative feeling towards the Cullens around Forks.
"Why do you have to make friends if you're going to be leaving soon?"
"Because we'd like to be able to visit."
"Can't keep your hands off that Jacob bloke, can you?" Ron muttered. She slapped him in the back of the head, and he yelped in pain. "You forget how strong you are, 'Mione," he grumbled, rubbing his head.
"Sorry. I guess I do forget. You guys just treat me like Hermione first, not a vampire, so sometimes I forget..."
"Forget you're a vampire, Granger?" a drawling voice came from behind them. She sighed and stood up to face Draco and Goyle.
"Malfoy, why don't you just turn around and get out of here before you get into a fight you can't win," she hissed.
"Are you making insinuations into my skills as a wizard?" he looked furious.
"Yeah. I am," she said confidently, and she didn't flinch as he drew his wand.
"I'm going to make you eat those words, Mudblood," he growled.
"I've told you before, no blood here," she smirked. She didn't make a move for her wand, she stood her ground, glaring down Draco.
He raised his wand and started muttering an incantation when a voice cut across him.
"Mr. Malfoy!" McGonagall's shrill voice caused half the students to jump. She was striding across the Great Hall coming at them. "What in the world were you thinking? Attempting to hex an unarmed person? And a newborn vampire no less! March. Right to my office. Slughorn will join us shortly."
Malfoy shot a death glare at a smug looking Hermione as he was dragged from the Great Hall by the sleeve of his robes. She chuckled as she sat back down.
"Have I ever told you that I love you, 'Mione?" Ron muttered. "Back for ten minutes and you're getting the ferret into what is probably going to be a month's detentions."
"You know what we should do?" Harry said, lighting up.
"What?"
"There's someone else I know wants to see you," he muttered. He gave Ginny a quick kiss goodbye, grabbed Hermione's hand, and pulled her out of the hall. A couple students tried to ask her for her autograph, but she didn't stop. She was in no mood for celebrity.
"Aren't you going to get in trouble for being out here so late?" she asked nervously as they pulled her across the grounds.
"Ron and I have gotten a few privileges that the other students don't have. Something about the fact that we've proved we can take care of ourselves," Harry shrugged as if this was something that happened all the time at Hogwarts.
They reached the hut and Harry pounded on the door.
"I'm comin', I'm comin'," a voice grumbled inside. The door flew open, and a large blur suddenly enveloped Hermione. "Hermione," Hagrid sobbed, lifting her up in a giant bear hug. "I knew yer were alive, but I ne'er though I'd see yer again!"
"I'm sorry, Hagrid," she muttered, wrapping her arms around him. "I never meant to make you upset."
"I know," he finally lowered her to the ground. "I jus' wish ya would have told me. I was devastated..."
"I'm very sorry, Hagrid," she said, remorse thick in her voice. "It was for my safety."
"Speakin' o which, is that you n' yer family gettin' at the Acromantulas?"
"Yes. We have to eat, and they're one of the better options," she explained calmly, knowing Hagrid's affections to things giant, hairy, and scary.
He looked somewhat conflicted, then nodded once. "Do what yer have ter, Hermione," he muttered. It's not like they're acting right friendly at the moment. Some o' the other species are thrivin' with less o' the spiders out there."
"And who would actually miss those monsters?" Ron muttered under his breath.
"Where's this new beau o' yours?" Hagrid asked her. "I want ter meet 'im."
"He's back in America," Hermione smiled to herself. Hagrid was acting like the protective father figure, something she never really saw him as, but it was nice to have someone other than Carlisle looking out for her best interests. Not that she didn't like Carlisle, he just looked out for all his children, including Edward.
Hagrid then launched into a talk about his new crop of students, and how his lessons were going, and the new species he was looking after.
"No more blast-ended skrewts, Hagrid," Hermione managed to contain her moan.
"No, they were a bad idea bred only for the Triwizard Tournament. The res' o' them were destroyed by the Ministry afterwards," he didn't look sad.
"Thank Merlin," Harry breathed.
"Goodness, look at the time," Hermione had glanced at her watch. "You might not have curfew anymore, but you are going to need your sleep. I'll work on drawing up study schedules for the rest of your year tonight, working around Quidditch and everything. Give me your schedules, I'll have them ready by the time you're done with lessons tomorrow."
"Oh, no, 'Mione," Ron groaned. "Can't you just leave well enough alone?"
"No, Ronald," she sounded matronly. "This is important. I can't believe you're slacking off!"
Harry and Ron exchanged looks as Harry handed her a piece of paper with his class and Quidditch schedule on it. She folded it tightly and put in in her pocket. They bid Hagrid goodbye and Hermione promised that as long as the Cullens lived on the other side of the woods she wouldn't be a stranger.
"Are you coming to the Burrow for Easter?" Ron asked as they stood outside the hut.
"If I'm invited," she smiled.
"I'll talk to Mum," Ron smiled. "I guess we'll be going. You're about to be kidnapped."
"Kidnapped?" she turned around and saw two figures moving through the woods towards them.
"Bye, 'Mione," Harry muttered as he and Ron hugged her.
"Blimey, he's huge!" Ron muttered as Emmett and Carlisle emerged from the forest.
"See you tomorrow," she smiled as they ran towards the castle.
"Little Sis," Emmett smiled, moving forward to give her a bear hug. "How long have you been back?"
"Got back a couple hours ago," she said. "How'd you know I'd be here?"
"Your scent," Carlisle smiled warmly. "We could smell you as we were coming back from the spider nest. Are you alone?"
She nodded. "Edward, Alice, and Jasper stayed back in Forks. This was a spur of the moment trip, I traveled magically."
"It's nice to have you home," he smiled and moved forward to place an arm around her shoulders.
"It's nice to be home," she returned, smiling.
"Alice driving you insane with wedding planning yet?"
"How did you know?"
Emmett laughed. "She was driving us insane before she left. You better watch out or this thing is going to be the affair of the century."
She groaned and threw her head back.
"It's your entrance to the official world of the Cullens," he pointed out.
"She's already one of us," Carlisle corrected.
Hermione smiled. If there was any proof the vampires had souls, it was the blonde haired man walking beside her.
She dialed his number one last time, and swore when it went straight to the generic voicemail message. She hadn't been able to get a hold of him for weeks. She had called her other contact, who said he hadn't returned to Seattle. There was a good chance those damn wolves had gotten to him. He had been warned, but he was too cocky to think that they were a real threat.
"Victoria?" a voice called, and she rose with a small knot in her stomach. "This way," the woman led her into a room where Aro stood, smiling at her. Jane was looking irritated next to him.
"My dear girl," he said, not using her name because she was probably too insignificant to remember. Her mate had been quite a skilled tracker, but too rash for his own good. Going up against a coven of seven alone? Idiotic.
"Aro, I bring you big news," she bowed in respect.
"You don't like messing with the pleasantries, do you?" he chuckled.
"I thought this would be of the utmost importance," she returned.
"Then, may I?" he extended his hand and made his way towards her without permission. She flinched as he touched her skin and forced every thought she ever had to go flowing through her again.
"How interesting," he hissed, red eyes wide with excitement. "You are quite sure of what you saw?"
"You saw everything I saw," she stayed as noncommittal as possible. She wanted an out in case she was feeding him false information.
"Indeed I did," he chuckled again. "And I admit it sure looks like what you're suspicious of. Jane, could you get Caius and Marcus in here? They would love to hear this information."
Jane nodded, then shot a glance at Victoria, who fidgeted uncomfortably. Jane's power was widely known, and just as widely feared. Marcus and Caius were entering the chamber within moments.
"Heidi not back yet?" Marcus muttered.
"She's on her way. We have some very interesting news from our charming new visitor," Aro indicated Victoria, who tried not to look as nervous as she felt.
"Well, Victoria? What news do you bring us?" Marcus smiled at her, making her feel more ill at ease.
"The Cullens," she spat. "Edward has a new mate."
"And what significance is that to us?" Caius sounded irritated.
"She has magic," she informed them.
Caius growled. "Are you sure?"
Victoria nodded.
"She has very vivid memories of the new one performing a spell in front of her," Aro never stopped smiling.
"This is disturbing indeed," Caius was looking angry.
"Now, Caius, don't you see the possibility? Carlisle is a friend, he..."
"He will convince her she wants nothing to do with us!"
"You think so poorly of our old friend."
"I propose," Marcus cut in. "That we send someone out to gather information on the newborn. Find out what we can about her."
"A brilliant idea!" Aro smiled wider. "Tell me, dear girl, where is this new one?"
"The last I know they were in Forks, Washington. I sent a friend to keep an eye on her, but he has, unfortunately, been out of contact since."
"I saw that you feel he is probably no longer with us. No matter. We have more skilled members to do our work," Aro waved off Laurent's probable death with an uninterested air.
"Ah," Marcus smiled as the receptionist poked her head into the room to nod. "Heidi is back." He nodded to the woman, who disappeared again.
"Dear Victoria, would you like to dine with us?" Aro smiled.
"It would be an honor," she smiled as the doors opened and a group of people started filing in.