Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, Twilight, or the Southern Vampire Series...I'm just playing with the characters.
AN: Hi all! So sorry for the delay on getting this out – as I've said in my other AN's on my other fics, we've been battling constant illnesses in my house since the twins started daycare full time…but, they are doing better this week, so hurrah! I can finally crank out some chapters to get these stories updated! I hope you all are still enjoying this, I am totally in love with this story…I mean, what's not to love? Vampires, Tom, Sex…oh, and did I mention TOM? Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think! xo
"We need to go, now…right now." Hermione said as she reached the table where Viktor, Edward and Bella sat waiting.
"Vhat happened? Vhat did he say?" Viktor asked in alarm.
"It's not so much what he said, as what I did." Hermione said cryptically over her shoulder to Viktor as she made a bee-line for the exit.
Once they reached the car, Viktor asked Edward to join them, just in case Tom sent someone after Hermione. Edward opened the door for Bella, and climbed in beside her, giving her a reassuring smile that everything was alright.
"Tell me vhat happened!" Viktor asked again once they were in the car and on their way back to Bon Temps.
"I showed him the photo and asked him if he recognized Jess or Cho, and he said that he had seen them both, but found them 'too pathetic for his attention'. Well, that pissed me right off; they were good people, you know? So I may have been a little rude in my response, but then he grabbed me and tried to invade my mind of something. I was concentrating so hard on keeping him out of my head, and next thing I know, he was thrown back away from me…except I never touched him. He was looking at me in shock, like he couldn't figure out how I had done it. He said he'd be seeing me again soon, and it kind of sounded like a threat…so I ran. I couldn't have done that, could I?" Hermione rambled as her words all came out in a rush.
"Maybe you did, love. Has anything like that ever happened before?" Viktor asked, using a soothing tone to calm her.
"I don't know, I mean, sure things have happened over the years, but I always chalked it up as coincidence. Like that one summer when I was eight, and it was so hot. Our air conditioner had broken, and I just wished so hard that it would rain, and as soon as I closed my eyes and wished for it, it started to pour. But that had to be a coincidence, right?" Hermione said biting her lip nervously.
Viktor looked in the rearview mirror and shared a look with Edward.
"Maybe not a coincidence. What else?" Viktor prompted.
Hermione furrowed her brows as she thought back, "There was another time, when Harry and I were kids, I must've been about eleven, and he and Dean had built this tree house in Dean's backyard. Gran sent me over there to tell Harry to come home for dinner, and when I got there, they wouldn't let me in. I remember I kept thinking that it would serve them right if the tree house fell apart, and it did; just like that. Harry and Dean both fell, and Harry ended up with a broken arm. I was so scared it was my fault, until Dean's father had assured me that Harry and Dean just hadn't properly secured it, and that it was just one of those things that happened." Hermione said feeling anxiety flood her. What if it really had been her fault?
The rest of the ride back was in silence, and Hermione lost herself in her thoughts. When Viktor pulled into his driveway, and parked the car, he turned to her, and brought her attention back to him, "Love, I'd like to test a theory, if it's alright vith you."
Hermione nodded and followed Viktor into his house, followed by Bella and Edward.
Viktor walked into his living room, and sat Hermione down on the couch in front of the fireplace, before he picked up a few logs of firewood and tossed them onto the grate with ease.
"I vant you to light a fire." Viktor said standing next to her with his arms crossed over his chest. Bella and Edward stood silently behind the couch, watching with interest.
She looked at him in confusion, and stood to move over to the fireplace before he stopped her.
"No, Love, do it vith your mind." He clarified and her eyes widened. She sat back on the sofa, and looked up at Bella, who merely nodded for her to give it a try. She turned back towards the fireplace, focused her gaze on the firewood that sat inside. After a few minutes of nothing happening, she shook her head.
"This is silly, I can't do it." She said frustrated.
"Try again. Remember how you felt those other times. Concentrate." Viktor encouraged.
She turned her eyes back to the wood, and pictured the fire blazing bright and warm, chanting in her mind over and over
Burn…Burn…Burn…
When the fire flared to life suddenly, Bella gasped and her hands flew to her mouth.
Hermione let go of the breath that she had been holding, and looked at Viktor in wonder, "I did it!" she said in shock.
"Try something else…something more difficult." Viktor said as he looked around for a moment, and then snatched an empty wine glass off of the table.
"Here, shatter this wine glass. If you can shatter it, try to make it whole again." He said as he set the wine glass down on the table in front of her.
Hermione took a deep breath and once again focused all of her energy on the wine glass, imagining the glass cracking, and the shattering on the table. The sound of breaking glass echoed through the room, as they all watched in stunned silence. She looked up at Viktor again in surprise, and he nodded for her to keep going. She turned her focus back to the shards of glass that had once been a pristine wine glass, and they all watched as the shards floated off the table and reassembled themselves back together on their own, as if they were puzzle pieces. The cracks were still visible, but every shard was in place.
"Holy shit. I can do magic." Hermione said in wonder and then laughed as she took in their shocked expressions.
~~{0}~~
Two bottles of wine later, Hermione and Bella finally fell asleep in Viktor's bedroom after Bella called her father to assure them they were alright, while Edward and Viktor sat talking quietly in the living room.
"This changes everything. He's not going to leave her alone now, you know that." Edward was saying as he sipped the bottle of Elixir he held in his hands
Viktor's jaw tensed as he stared down at his hands that were balled into fists on the table.
"I vill not allow him to have her. She is mine." Viktor said angrily as his crimson eyes met Edward's.
"And she will remain so, as long as she doesn't drink from him." Edward said placing a calming hand on his shoulder, "Besides, it seems Hermione is a lot stronger than she looks. Did you see the look on his face when she shoved him out of her head? Priceless!" Edward said smirking.
"Indeed, she is strong. But he can be very persuasive." Viktor admitted, running a hand through his hair nervously.
"All we can do is wait. Let him make the first move." Edward said.
Viktor nodded, taking a sip of his Elixir, "Vhat about you? I saw the vay you vere looking at Bella."
Edward laughed mirthlessly, "Yeah, well, things didn't work out so well for the last human I was involved with."
"She is the Police chief's daughter." Viktor said laughing
"All the more reason to stay away." Edward said as he took another sip of the synthetic blood drink.
"Vell, maybe she doesn't vant you to stay away." Viktor said raising his eyebrow at Edward, who groaned at the implication.
"Don't tell me that. It isn't helping, you know." Edward said glancing toward the room where Bella was sleeping.
"Vell, vhatever you decide, they vill need protecting. Vill you stick around? I have plenty of room here." Viktor asked knowing that two vampires would be better than one until they knew what Tom was planning, not to mention that there was still a killer on the loose.
"I suppose Carlisle won't miss me too much." Edward sighed as he finished his Elixir.
"Have you told Hermione about Victoria yet?" Edward asked Viktor as he leaned back on the couch.
Viktor sighed, "No." He admitted.
"What have you told her?" he asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"I told her that I vas turned many years ago during the var; that I had been injured, and vas turned by vampire." Viktor said glancing over at Edward.
"I'm guessing that not only didn't you tell her that the vampire was a woman, but you haven't told her about the relationship a vampire has with their maker, am I right?" Edward asked giving Viktor a pointed look.
Viktor nodded, and walked over to the fireplace, staring into the flames.
"You have to tell her." Edward told him.
"I know. You have no idea how lucky you are to be bound to someone like Carlise." Viktor answered bitterly.
Edward smiled, "Believe me, I do know."
"I haven't heard from Victoria in nearly a hundred years; it is only matter of time before she finds me." Viktor said quietly.
"All the more reason to tell Hermione." Edward said giving his friend a sympathetic look.
~~{0}~~
The next morning, Hermione rolled over and shook Bella's shoulder.
"Mmm…I don't want to go to school, Dad." Bella murmured in her sleep.
Hermione chuckled and shook her again, "You're not going to school, and it's time to get up." Hermione said laughing, "We need to head back over to my place before your dad gets there."
Bella's eyes snapped open at that, "I'm up!"
Hermione swung her legs over the side of the bed, and pulled on a pair of jeans and a tank top.
"Did last night really happen?" Bella asked giving Hermione a look over her shoulder.
The corner of Hermione's lips turned up in a smirk as she focused on Bella's long dark hair.
Bella froze as she felt her hair being lifted and twisted, and watched in surprise as it twisted itself into two neat buns on either side of her head.
"Very funny." Bella said shooting Hermione a glare, "I'm not even going to explain to you how creepy that was."
"Fine, Princess Leia, I'll warn you next time." Hermione said chuckling as Bella shook her hair out and pulled it into a loose ponytail as she glared at Hermione.
"I still can't believe that you can do magic. I mean, how is that even possible? But then again, vampires exist, so…" Bella trailed off shaking her head as she pulled on her jeans and slipped on her flip flops.
"Bella, you can't tell anyone, alright? I don't want people to start thinking I am some sort of freak." Hermione said as she turned Bella to face her.
"I promise, I won't tell anyone." Bella said giving her a reassuring smile, "Besides, maybe you can use it to find out who's behind these murders." Bella said absently as she went back to shoving her things into her backpack.
Hermione froze, "What did you say?"
"I said maybe you could use your powers to find out who's behind the murders." Bella said shrugging, "You know, maybe try to look inside people's minds to see what they are thinking."
Hermione swallowed thickly. Bella was right, if she could access people's thoughts, surely she would find clues as to who was behind the murders…the only problem is that she had no idea how to go about reading someone's mind. Making things happen was one thing, but invading someone's mind was on a whole other level.
"I'm not sure I can do that." Hermione said uncertainly.
"I bet you can. Try it at Black's. There are plenty of people that come and go in there, and I'm sure no one would be the wiser." Bella said.
Hermione nodded, feeling slightly guilty at the thought of invading someone's privacy like that, but she supposed it was the best chance she had at finding Jess and Cho's killer.
"I'll give it a try." Hermione agreed.
~~{0}~~
Chief Swan had arrived just as Bella and Hermione were finishing up a hearty breakfast that Effy had made for them. Hermione had convinced her grandmother to keep quiet about them spending the night at Viktor's, and she had grudgingly agreed, after lecturing Hermione on the dangers of lying to a police officer.
After Bella left with her dad, Hermione went upstairs to shower and practice her new found abilities until it was time to get ready for her shift at Black's. She had managed to change her hair color from Dark brown to Blond, and back again, and also to rearrange her bedroom furniture without touching it. That had taken quite a bit more concentration and energy, but in the end, she was pleased with the results. Before long, she looked at the clock, and realized she had to get moving. She quickly changed into her uniform, and grabbed her car keys off of her bureau before she headed downstairs. Effy was on the phone, so Hermione gave her a quick wave and blew her a kiss before she walked out the door and hopped in her car. When she pulled into Black's, there were already a few cars in the parking lot. She was relieved to see two new waitresses that were standing by the bar when she walked in, so she tied her apron around her waist and made her way over to introduce herself.
"Hi, I'm Hermione" she said warmly as she held her hand out towards the girl closest to her. She had long red hair and pale skin with a cluster of freckles over her nose. She gave Hermione a small smile, and reached out to shake Hermione's offered hand.
"Hi, I'm Ginny, but you can call me 'Gin', and this here is Pavarti." She said nodding towards the girl who stood beside her.
"It's nice to meet you both. Is Sirius in?" she asked tucking her pad and pen into her apron pocket.
"Yeah, he should be in his office." Ginny said as she pointed in the direction of where Hermione knew Sirius' office was.
"Thanks, I'll be back in a few minutes." Hermione said excusing herself so that she could speak with Sirius.
She poked her head in his office, and he looked up from his computer and smiled, gesturing for her to come in.
"How are you holding up?" He asked walking over to her and brushing his hand over her cheek.
Hermione blushed at his familiarity, and took a small step back, and met his eyes, "I'm alright, I suppose. I just want the police to catch whoever did this." She said giving him a tight smile.
He nodded, letting his hand fall limply to his side.
"I see you've managed to hire a few new waitresses." Hermione said quickly changing the subject.
"Yes, luckily for you, I expect once they get the hang of things you won't need to work double shifts. Have you been introduced yet?" He asked
"Yes, Ginny and Pavarti. They both seem nice." Hermione said crossing her arms over her chest awkwardly.
"Yeah, they're good kids. You wouldn't expect someone like Ginny to come from a family like the Weasley's, now would you." Sirius said giving Hermione a grin.
"She's a Weasley?" Hermione asked in surprise, "That family is horrid. Her parents are nutty evangelicals, and her brothers have all been in and out of jail; did I mention her brother Ron ran me down with his truck the night I met Viktor?" Hermione scoffed.
Sirius raised his eyebrows in surprise, "You neglected to mention that." he said as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Yes, well, he did. It was Viktor that saved my life that night." Hermione said lifting her chin and meeting Sirius eyes defiantly. She was tired of everyone assuming the worst about Viktor, and she wanted to make sure Sirius knew it.
"Well, it seems I owe a Viktor my gratitude." Sirius said giving Hermione a small smile, "Besides, you'll be relieved to know that Ginny resents her family just as much as everyone else in this town seems to."
"Well, I'll be sure to give her the benefit of the doubt then." Hermione said returning his smile and heading back into the dining room, ready to get to work.
The lunch shift on a Wednesday was never very busy, so Sirius had asked Ginny and Pavarti to shadow Hermione to learn the ropes and help her out with whatever she needed. The evening shift was a bit busier, and Hermione was relieved to see that both girls seemed to be fast learners. By an hour into the dinner shift, Ginny and Pavarti each had their own table, which allowed Hermione and Bella to focus on the rest. Around seven, as the dinner crowd was filtering out, Harry, Dean, and Mike all came in heading over to their usual spot at the pool tables. Hermione watched her brother walk in, and noted that his eyes looked a bit red. She was sure Dean and Mike dragged him out to try and get his mind off Cho.
Ginny was just clearing her table when Hermione approached her, "You're doing great tonight, Gin. Say, would you mind helping Bella out for a bit? She's working the far section."
"Sure" Ginny nodded, "That was your brother that came in just now, wasn't it?" Ginny asked biting her lip.
"Yeah, Harry. Do you know him?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Oh, no, not directly anyway. I was a grade behind you in school. I think he kicked my brother's ass a time or two." Ginny chuckled and then added, "I'm sure he deserved it though."
Hermione snorted, "Knowing your brother, I'm sure he did."
She watched Ginny walk over to see if Bella needed any help, and then headed over to the kitchen.
"So how's the Bulgarian Bonbon? Is he everything you imagined he would be?" Draco asked wagging his eyebrows at her.
She slapped him playfully on the arm, "Actually, he's better than I imagined." Hermione said biting her lip and Draco burst out laughing.
"You whore! Tell me everything." Draco said resting his chin on his arms as he looked at her through the order window.
"Sorry, Draco, I don't kiss and tell." Hermione said smirking at him as she grabbed the plate of food that he had just put up and walked back into the dining room chuckling.
After she delivered the food, and checked on her other customers, she had a few minutes to herself, which was the perfect time to try Bella's suggestion, to see if she could see into anyone's mind.
Her eyes roamed over the dining room, and fell on an older couple who sat across from each other eating quietly. She focused on the man first, and willed herself to see into his mind, but it was no use. She tried with a few more customers, but was disappointed when she was met with nothing each time. It had to be possible, since Tom had tried to get into her mind
Tom.
A shiver went down her spine when she thought about him. He was as deadly as he was beautiful; a dangerous combination to be sure. The question was, would he be willing to teach her?
She thought about asking Viktor to take her back to Fangtasia, but she knew he would never agree. Her eyes drifted over to Bella, and a plan began to form in her mind. If Viktor wouldn't take her, maybe Edward would.