CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
Summary: Following the death of Voldemort, for her protection against the fugitive Death Eaters seeking revenge, Hermione is sent into hiding along with Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Forks was said to be the safest place on earth for her, but they didn't plan for a family of vampires or a pack of shape-shifters worming their way into their lives. Or for three of them, in particular, being exactly what Hermione needed to heal and live. Rated M for bad language, violence and sexual content. Poly fic!
Disclaimer: I don't own any canon events or characters, only those that I create. All rights go to J.K Rowling and Stephanie Myers. I don't make a profit writing or 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.
AN
Why the long absence when I didn't intend for it to happen? We've been short-staffed at work and since I'm the only one without families/children or other commitments, I've been covering the workload and working 60+ hour weeks. I'm literally eating three meals a day at work because I spend more time there than I do at home, and I haven't had time to even look at my laptop let alone write anything. I just keep saying to myself 'think of the money' but then I realise I'm going to be taxed to hell and I'm in a mood again.
Thankfully, there's two new members of staff starting and once they've finished their training in a couple of weeks, I'll be returning to 30- 40 hour weeks which means I'll be back to a more consistent update schedule.
On a brighter note, or not, depending on how you look at it, I can now say the ending for this is in sight. There will only be 2-3 chapters left (including the epilogue) depending on the content and chapter length and then this will officially be finished.
P.S...
I forgot to mention, I've started writing a Hermione/Bucky pairing. It won't be posted until it's completed but I'm at the halfway point so far, so keep an eye out for it dropping unexpectedly and without warning because I love to surprise you.
I've also started writing a Hermione/Steve pairing, but that one's a little slower going. You can check my profile for the summaries (if you're interested) to give you a little idea of what they're about and see other future pairings that have been added to the ever-growing list.
Page count: 24
Wednesday 7th December 2006
"What the hell's the matter with you?" Hermione hissed, one hand held against her chest as her heart pounded beneath her palm, the other gripped her wand as she glared daggers at her boyfriend after he'd stepped before her out of nowhere, startling her.
Paul grinned sheepishly. "Sorry," he replied, unable to keep his hands to himself any longer and he reached out, his hand encircling her wrist and tugging her towards him, his arms soon folding around her and holding her against him.
Grumbling in annoyance, she soon snuggled against him and his body heat, her own arms slotting around his back and holding him as tightly as she was able to. Coming in from the freezing cold and the snow coating the ground, she'd only been outside a matter of moments after apparating from the Cullen's to the tent, and she was freezing. She was seriously considering cancelling the training session due to the weather, though, she was positive Remus would argue against it, stating that the below zero temperature would better them. It was alright for him; he had a higher than normal body temperature than she, Sirius and the twins. With the Cullens and Pack remaining unaffected by the cold, it would be the wizarding folk that froze their arses off, and maybe their fingers and toes, too. One thing was for certain, the cold made everything numb but sensitive; being successfully hit during a duel would hurt like hell.
"Everything alright?"
"Hmmm, it's bloody cold out there," she muttered unhappily. "Nothing compared to Hogwarts, but still cold. I can't feel my nose and I was barely out there a few moments between apparating and stepping into the tent."
He laughed. "Cold? I never noticed."
"No, of course you didn't, stop bragging, it's not fair," she chastised, hearing Paul chuckle when she slapped at his shoulder in admonishment, only to cling to him tightly afterwards.
"You're like a koala bear," he remarked.
"It's cold!" She protested. "Currently, you're the only heat source in the tent that's actually helping to fend off the cold."
"How are you feeling?"
"In general?"
"With what happened with me and Jacob? I never had the chance to ask you."
"I'm fine," she assured him. "All healed up by the morning, nothing to worry about."
"And Cullen? I can smell him all over you."
"Ah, so that's why you're hugging me so tightly and refusing to let go," she hummed.
"Me? You're the one trying to suffocate me," he argued.
"I'm cold. What's your excuse?"
"You smell like Cullen."
"So, it is a territorial thing?" Her mouth twitched into a smirk as she tipped her head back to peer up at him.
"No," he denied.
"Liar," she teased.
"Fine," he sighed. "It normally doesn't bother me, but now… You smell different and it's unsettling. I'm used to you carrying the scent of all three of us, but since you've been with Cullen, evidently showered there and are now wearing clothes that clearly aren't yours, it's rattling my wolf a little," he shrugged. "Whose are those anyway?"
"Rosalie's," she offered with a slight shrug. "Apparently, if I'm going to kick everyone's arse, I might as well look good doing it, no matter how tight the clothes are or how cold it is outside. In her words, I need to suck it up."
He snorted. "Sounds like the bitch."
"Hey, behave," she scolded, pointing a threatening finger in his face, only to scowl up at him when he simply raised an eyebrow and he leaned forward, attempting to nip at her finger playfully before she pulled it out of reach.
"What? That is me behaving," he argued. "But you never answered my question."
"What question would that be?"
"How'd it go with Cullen?"
"The bond's complete."
Both eyebrows lifted high on his forehead in surprise. "Really? I mean, I guess I know it happened; you smell like him and you've got that glow, but knowing how stubborn he is, I thought I was just imagining it."
"No, it happened," she confirmed.
"Where? When? I can't imagine Emmet being quiet."
"Last night, in my new car."
"Car?" He echoed, looking confused.
"Hmmm, Edward bought me a damn car for Christmas, can you believe that?"
"I want to say no but I'm not surprised, it seems like something he'd do. I mean, he's got the money for it."
"That doesn't mean I love your gift or Jacob's any less," she assured him. "You know how much I adore Hope and Odin, and I love the thought and care Jacob put into his gift. I don't know why he bought me a car when I don't need one and I apparate everywhere. But he's determined to teach me to drive and that I get my license."
"It's a rite of passage," he nodded slightly.
"Well, he took me for my first driving lesson last night, it was terrifying. And to be honest, I'm not entirely sure who initiated it, but, we're bonded," she shrugged.
"And you're okay?"
"Fine, he didn't hurt me. I was confident he would be too careful to hurt me, but he was adamant that I take my potions anyway, so, no bruises or injuries."
"Should I be offended your dad didn't try to maim him like he did me and Jacob?"
"No," she snorted. "He wanted to but Sirius dragged him out of the room the moment he saw Edward. He'll get over it soon, and well, with training and Edward passing the exam, he's allowed to participate now so I imagine Sirius will be spending his morning trying to keep Remus from killing him."
Hearing a chorus of raucous laughter, she and Paul both peered over to her bedroom door. Seeing Hermione biting at her lip in an attempt to fight off a smile, Paul arched a questioning eyebrow.
"You know what that's about?"
"Maybe," she admitted.
"And?"
"Well," she cleared her throat. "I may have hexed Emmet… More than once."
He blinked slowly before snorting out a laugh.
"He deserved it," she defended.
"Doesn't he always? What'd he do this time?"
"Aside from relentlessly teasing Edward this morning? Rosalie told me he's been placing bets on when I'll get pregnant and who will be the father. And I'm ninety-five percent certain Jared's his partner in crime."
"Ah," he winced. "Yeah, that sounds like something he'd do," he admitted. "You gonna hex him?"
"I haven't got proof. Emmet remained surprisingly tight-lipped, no matter how many hexes I threatened him with, so, although he's super annoying, I can't deny he's loyal. That's admiral, I suppose."
"What exactly did you do to him for them to be laughing like that?" He asked, hearing that the laughter and teasing had yet to die down.
"There's only one way to find out, but you'll have to let me go first."
"Yeah, I think I'd rather stay here."
"Honestly," she rolled her eyes, tugging herself free of his hold, turning and heading for her bedroom door, completely forgetting what it was she'd originally gone in there for.
Paul reached out, pulled her to a stop and then swooped down, stealing a kiss from her that temporarily made her dizzy.
"And what was that for?"
"I missed you," he confessed quietly.
"I was gone one night," she pointed out.
"One night too long. It didn't feel right not having you here. Jacob spent the night at Billy's, and Hope and Odin missed you."
"I never took you for the type to be sappy," she teased. "If the others could see you right now, you'd never hear the end of it."
"Sappy? I'm not sappy," he protested. "I don't even know what that means."
She laughed. "Yes, I suppose that word's not in your vocabulary given your body count," she replied. When she saw his face fall and his brow furrow, she continued with, "Relax, I'm just winding you up, not judging you or being jealous. I don't care about who you slept with in the past, all that matters is that I'm the last. Now, let's go, you're not going to want to miss what I did to Emmet; I'm not certain how long it will last before it wears off."
Taking his hand in hers, she pulled him towards the door and down the corridor, stepping into the loud laughter and relentless teasing Emmet was receiving from not only his family and the pack, but her fathers and brothers were leading the charge. She felt Paul halt to a stop and she peered over her shoulder at him, witnessing the slow blink of surprise and confusion before his eyes moved to her and then back to a pouting Emmet, laughter bursting from him. She couldn't contain it, she grinned evilly.
With Paul's distraction, she pulled him further into the room and once the twins noticed her arrival, they began applauding and whistling over the laughter. Coming to a stop by the lit fireplace, she released Paul's hand and then took a deliberately dramatic bow, rising to full height when some of the others began applauding, too.
"I don't know why you're so upset," remarked Hermione to Emmet, seeing him lifting his bright golden eyes to her, his shoulders slumped and his arms folded over his chest like a disgruntled child. "The colour's doing wonders for your skin tone."
Laughter ensued louder with Emmet scowling at her and rising to his feet, intending to take his exit and escape the teasing, only Alice stepped in front of him, peering up at him with a frighteningly innocent smile. One that had the massive vampire retaking his seat quicker than Hermione could blink and without hesitation, the laughter only growing louder at his fear of the tiny, pixie-like vampire.
"What'd he do to deserve that?" Jared lifted both of his eyebrows in amusement, pointedly looking towards the neon pink hair and the red-pink marks that littered Emmet's exposed skin, peck marks that had yet to fade from the canaries she'd unleashed on him after releasing him from the Bat Bogey Hex.
"I think you know," she responded coolly.
The laughter died down, all eyes darting between her and her boyfriend's best friend curiously.
"No, I don't think I do," he replied innocently.
"Really?" She challenged, "Because I'm positive you do," she narrowed her eyes, folded her arms over her chest and pursed her lips unhappily.
He stared her down unflinchingly.
"Idiot," she heard Paul sigh from behind her before he moved to find himself a seat.
"Definitely a dunderhead," Fred voiced.
"Yeah, I don't think I've seen anyone so stupid since we convinced Crabbe and Goyle that rotten egg and cheese soup with a side of fermented fish was a known Muggle delicacy," added George.
"Wait, what?" Hermione questioned, looking to the grinning redheads. "When did you do that?"
"After they tried to hex you when your back was turned in your fifth year," shrugged George, looking unconcerned. "Thought we'd teach them a lesson. It's not our fault they were so thick they believed us, I mean, we're known to be tricksters."
She blinked slowly. "Well, that explains the week they were absent from lessons," she mused.
"Never seen someone throw up so much," Fred grimaced. "I almost pitied them, but they deserved it. But anyway, is there something going on that we should know about?" He diverted the attention back to her.
"I don't know," she said lightly. "Is there, Jared?"
"No, not that I know of," he shrugged calmly.
"Really?"
"Yep."
She narrowed her eyes into slits and he stared back at her unflinchingly.
"You're brave, stupid, but brave. I'll give you that. But if I find out it is true, I will make your live a living hell."
Jared looked to an amused Paul, comfortably sitting on the couch beside Seth. "You not going to jump in here?"
"Why would I do that? If what she's told me's true, I'll hold you down for her," Paul said to his best friend.
"Thanks," he scoffed.
"She comes first," Paul shrugged.
"And you're frightened of her," Jasper inputted.
"Yeah, that too," he agreed shamelessly, ignoring the knowing sniggers.
Thankfully, they were otherwise distracted when Hope and Odin finally made an appearance and greeted Hermione for the first time since returning home. It seemed that when they were asleep (and they did love to sleep) nothing could disturb them until they were ready to wake.
"There's my babies," Hermione cooed softly, immediately dropping to her knees and receiving an attack of licks and kisses to her face as the boisterous pup excitedly greeted her, his fluffy tail wagging back and forth so fast it was hard to keep up with. "I know, I missed you too," she laughed, running her hands through his soft puppy fur and scratching behind his ears.
Not wanting the pup to accidentally pee on her in his excitement, she gently pushed him off her and then reached for the black kitten that was slower in her approach, taking her into her arms and receiving a soft meow and a gentle head-butt to her chin.
Also scooping Odin into her hold, she rose to her feet, rubbing her cheek against the soft fur on his head before she readjusted her hold on her pets. When she lifted her head, she actually startled when she found both Alice and Rosalie stood before her, and then Hope had been plucked from her hold by Alice as she cooed at the kitten, and Odin was being snuggled in Rosalie's arms as she allowed the pup to lick her cheek whilst she scratched his head.
Taking a moment to recover over the fact the vampires had quite literally just stolen her pets from her arms, she glanced around the room, seeing the pack's collective look of horror at seeing Rosalie being so affectionate with her puppy when the blonde was nick-named 'Ice Queen' and 'Countess Bitch' amongst the pack. She almost laughed and she would've if she weren't so shocked her pets had been taken from her.
"You are so adorable," Alice cooed, receiving a meow in response to the compliment. "When did you get a cat?" She asked Hermione but didn't take her attention from Hope.
"And a puppy?" Added Rosalie as she moved to sit on the couch beside Emmet, the large vampire visibly brightening at both the arrival of her puppy and that all attention and teasing had been diverted away from him and his outrageous hairstyle. She'd been merciful; at one point she'd considered shaving half of his head and being a vampire, it wouldn't grow back.
"Paul adopted them from a shelter and gave them to me for Christmas," Hermione responded, seeing her boyfriend's smug expression when Alice and Rosalie briefly looked to him calculatingly before it morphed into surprise and then approval. "Hope and Odin," she introduced, gesturing to the kitten and then the puppy with a wave of her hand.
"You have a black cat?" Jared injected, his eyebrow arching and his mouth twitching into a smirk.
"Say it, I dare you," she challenged. "You're already walking on thin ice."
"Even you're not that stupid," said Quil, a cushion soon colliding with his face.
"I would appreciate it if you would not ruin my furniture," Hermione set her hands on her hips unhappily.
"You throw cushions at us all the time," argued Jared.
"It's my furniture," she pointed out. "And I am this close," she held her thumb and index finger together with barely an inch between them, "To turning my wand on you. And trust me, it will be far worse than what I did to Emmet."
"Don't push it, mate," warned Fred.
"She's got a devious mind," George continued, "One we'd never willingly go up against without at least six month's preparation and three backup plans that have backup plans."
Her fathers shared a knowing look before they both rose from their seats and to their feet, silently commanding the attention of everyone in the room.
"Okay, now that everyone's here... We have a set date and time frame, a plan, the numbers, but we don't have a lot of time to bring you all up to speed and prepare you for a wizarding fight," began Sirius.
"From this point forward, we take this seriously... Don't say it," Remus cut his eyes to his partner and glowered at his cheeky grin, "More so than usual. There is no time for arguments and silliness when this is a matter of life and death," he said gravely, being sure to look to each member in the room before his gaze shifted to Collin and Brady who were sat on the ground, happily playing with the kitten and puppy that had broken free of Rosalie and Alice's holds. "For those that have passed the written exams, you'll be participating this morning after you've witnessed Fred and George's duelling technique and how different they are to others. Those that haven't yet passed will retake the exam later on in the day. We'll break for lunch and we'll go through the profiles Hermione's put together of the Death Eaters that we are expecting to show up. From there, we'll do the verbal exams and depending on the time, we'll call it a day and pick things up tomorrow morning. For the time being, everyone convene outside and we'll begin."
Once everyone had shared a tense, silent look, they rose to their feet and left out the tent and into the cold and snow, Odin deciding to follow Collin and Brady but Hope opted to curl into a ball before the warm fireplace. Hermione didn't blame her; she wished she could join her.
She headed for the kitchen and decided a mug of hot chocolate was in order, more so for the fact she would have something to keep her hands warm rather than her wishing to actually drink it. After casting a Warming Charm on herself, she gripped the steaming mug in both hands and stepped outside, a shudder racing through her at the immediate temperature difference.
As she trudged through the snow and journeyed the short distance to the training area, she spotted Jacob a little ways ahead; he'd waited behind for her. The moment she approached, he drew her into his side, allowing his body heat to offer her warmth and some protection from the cold.
"Thank you," she sighed, bringing the hot mug up to her mouth and sipping at the liquid, feeling it scold her tongue and throat. "It's too bloody cold for this, but Alpha won't listen. He said it'll benefit us."
"I don't see how freezing your ass off will benefit you," he responded.
"Well, if the weather's still like this when the battle arrives, we'll have grown used to it and adapted our duelling techniques to suit the weather. The Death Eaters won't be expecting it and it might just play in our favour."
"Home court advantage," he mused.
"That's it," she nodded, "Just another way to improve our chances of success. Between constantly training, our numbers, the Pack and Cullens, knowing the area and having the twins and their trap-setting skills, I actually think we're going to win this battle."
"We are," he said confidently.
"But at what cost," she sighed. "If anything happens to you, or Paul and Edward, my family, the Pack and Cullens... I can't..." She swallowed thickly and halted to a stop, feeling him stop with her. "I can't lose anyone else, Jacob. I can't face the pain again. I barely survived the last battle."
"You're not going to lose any of us."
"Don't make promises you can't keep," she whispered, feeling her eyes well up with tears.
"I'm not. You're not going to lose any of us," he repeated. "They're too afraid of you to die. Who knows what you'd do to them?"
"There is going to be fatalities. Death Eaters don't live by the same standards as us, they kill and torture for entertainment because they're bored. They don't care who they hurt; wizards, muggles, men, women, children. They'll target me, Jacob. Me and my fathers and my family."
"No one is getting within twenty feet of you."
"But that's what you don't understand. You've witnessed my duels with my fathers..."
"And you're good," he interrupted.
"But they're better. What you've seen from us, is not what you'll see in battle. The Death Eaters toss around the Unforgivables and dark, deadly curses as easily as they breathe."
"So why not fight fire with fire?"
"And become as bad as they are? I've lost so much and I've come a long way from the naive, bossy little girl that entered the Wizarding World. They've taken too much from me already, I refuse to let them jeopardise who I am as a person, and I refuse to become as vicious and cold as they are. They are monsters, Jacob. Literal monsters. You don't understand the full scale of their crimes or capabilities, not yet. I can give you the profiles and discuss what I know, but it won't truly sink in until you witness it. They're too dangerous to be allowed the opportunity to escape and for that reason, I won't be surprised if a fire to kill order is approved."
"What?" He blurted out, surprised by what she divulged.
"It's not confirmed or guaranteed, but given their crimes and the risk of them potentially escaping the battle or custody once detained, it would be easier should they be killed in battle and it would ensure they are gone for good. My fathers and I, after all the deaths we faced and the lives we took, we promised to not take another life... But when in battle, I don't know if I will be able to keep that promise. Should someone target any of you, I won't be able to control my actions. Regardless, whether intentional or not, there is going to be fatalities; there's going to be so many ricocheting spells, that someone will be hit and lose their life. That's why we must be careful. Thankfully, the Pack and Cullens are less susceptible to most spells and it requires more of an effort to actually affect you, and my father being a werewolf is the same. The twins have this weird sixth sense and telepathy thing between them which should help to keep them safe, as long as they aren't separated... Again," she added, her gaze lowering at the thought of losing one of her brothers when she'd lost several and she'd only just gotten them back. "As for Sirius, Remus won't be too far and although he's useless at taking care of himself in life, during a duel he knows what he's doing; he's lived through two wars and is an ex-Auror."
"And you'll be just fine. We won't be too far away from you and now that the bonds are completed, we'll be there when you need us," Jacob promised, pulling her into a comforting hug and resting his chin atop her head whilst she folded her arms around him, being mindful not to spill the hot liquid in the mug still grasped in her hand. "You and Cullen did it last night, didn't you?" He muttered, changing the subject in hopes of distracting her.
"Did what?" She asked innocently, wondering if he'd actually say it knowing how easily embarrassed he was.
"You know what, completed your bond... You smell different, it's weird."
"I'll try not to take that personally."
"That's not what I meant," he grumbled.
"I know," she felt her mouth pull into a smile. "I suppose that's why you're hugging me? You don't like that I smell like him."
"It's not just him. Whose clothes are you wearing?"
"Rosalie's," she replied, untangling herself from his hold. "We better get a move on, I don't want Alpha to come charging over and dragging me off like a bloody child that's done wrong."
Folding both of her hands around her mug, she walked off, leaving Jacob behind.
"Thank you, Rosalie," she heard Jacob mutter.
Peering over her shoulder, she felt a snigger leave her when she saw that the only thing his eyes were glued to was her arse.
~000~000~000~
"I'm fine, stop fussing," said Paul, batting Hermione's hands away from the wound she was attempting to heal on his stomach.
"You're clearly not fine," she hissed in response, attempting to fight off his attempts at batting her hands away from him.
"We knew this would happen. That's the whole point of us joining in with your training; so we know what to look out for and how things might affect us. I'm fine, it doesn't even hurt that much and it'll be healed in a couple of hours."
"Yes, because I'm going to heal it. Keep bloody still and stop fighting me," she growled. Actually growled like a feral wolf.
"Temper, temper, Miss. Black," he teased, completely unaffected by her bad mood and threatening glare, ignoring the sniggers and shakes of the head from those around them as they watched.
"I'm so close to hexing you."
"And making my injuries worse? You'd never do that."
"I've set Edward on fire. Three times," she argued. "Keep bloody still."
Successfully batting his hands away, she muttered a mild Sticking Charm, pinning his arms to his sides on the couch and he attempted to break free before he rolled his eyes and gave up, allowing her to clean the blood from his stomach and apply the healing pastes and creams to help speed up his body's healing process.
"Stop glaring at me," Fred said from his place in the kitchen, browsing through the cupboards in search of a snack.
"You hit him!" She glared at him over her shoulder.
He turned and leaned back against the counter, folding his arms over his chest and arching an eyebrow.
"He should've gotten out of the way faster."
"You..."
Jacob, sitting beside her, reached out and used his considerable strength to keep her on the couch when she made to stand and storm over to her brother. Glancing down, she saw the burnt skin that ran from his forearm up to his bicep.
"I don't know what you're laughing at," she snapped, her eyes moving to the sniggering George, him being responsible for Jacob's injury.
"What? How is it my fault?" He protested. "Generally, when someone sees a ball of fire heading in their direction, they move out of the way."
"He was in his wolf form, you pillock! He has bloody fur. If I hadn't reacted as quickly as I did and doused him with an Aquamenti, he'd have gone up in flames and would've had full body burns."
"It's fine, it doesn't even hurt," Jacob tried to calm her.
"That's because your nerves have been damaged and it can take weeks to properly heal, even with magic," she told him.
"Why are you so mad? You've set Edward on fire three times," George pointed out.
"I set his coat on fire, there's a difference," she argued.
"Not really," he shrugged. "You're the one that told us not to hold anything back so they'd understand what they're going up against, and you know the spells we use are nothing compared to what will be thrown their way once the Death Eaters get over their shock at being summoned against their will. And the spells you were using were worse than ours. Why's it okay for you to do it but not us?" He arched a challenging eyebrow. Hermione scowled at him. "Exactly," he said smugly. "Don't get mardy with me because they failed to recognise the danger."
"Shut up."
"That's enough," Remus interrupted, stepping into the room along with Sirius, both sporting healing salves and pastes to heal their own injuries. Hermione lowered her gaze and the twins did so out of respect, even if they were on the opposite side of the room. "They're not life-threatening injuries and you've received far worse during our training sessions."
Pursing her lips, Hermione remained quiet and finished tending to Paul's injury and once done, she released him of the Sticking Charm and took the Burn Salve that Sirius offered her before she turned her attention to Jacob, lathering his burnt flesh with the salve.
When her fathers moved to take seats, Hermione directed a silent Stinging Hex towards George, hearing his yelp of pain that was soon followed by sniggers and giggles from those in the room.
"You witch!" He cried, rubbing at his stinging thigh. "You hexed me!"
"It's not my fault you couldn't recognise danger," she snarked.
"Hermione!" Remus warned, pausing in his steps towards Carlisle and holding his hand out towards her expectantly. She looked down at it and then back to him. "Wand, now," he instructed.
"He deserved it," she argued.
"Did he?" He challenged.
"Yes."
"Wand, hand it over."
Scowling, she reluctantly pressed her wand into his hand and then folded her arms over her chest sulkily.
"You can have this back once I know I can trust you with it," he told her before pocketing it. "Children," he muttered with a roll of his eyes, finally taking a seat beside Sirius with a sigh and completely ignoring the wizard's smirk and mischievous twinkle to the eye.
"Ow! She just hexed me, too!" Fred whined unexpectedly, rubbing at his upper arm.
"Hermione!" Remus scolded, resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. He should've known she'd resort to wandless and non-verbal magic. Sirius was a terrible influence on her.
"What?" She looked at him innocently. "They're twins, you can't give one without the other, that's unfair treatment."
Sirius burst into laughter. "I've never met a pettier witch."
"I'm not petty," she denied. "I just believe in equality for all."
"Oh, Godric, no! Don't go on another spew and save the house-elves crusade," said George, covering both of his ears. "I can't be done with the badges and bad knitting."
"It's S.P.E.W," she corrected, glaring at him. "And there's nothing wrong with my knitting, you ungrateful arse!"
"Wow, I thought my family was nuts," Embry interrupted.
"Shut it!" Fred, George and Hermione chorused, glaring at him and he shrunk back into his seat before glowering at the laughing occupants of the room.
"Excuse me! Can we bring the attention back to me now, please?" Emmet's voice rose over the laughter. "Look at me!" He gestured to himself wildly, bringing note to the antlers on his head, his webbed hands and the tail that was curled around him and draped over his thigh. "How is any of this useful in a fight?"
"It's not," the twins chimed. "Just thought it'd be funny," they grinned.
Hermione bit her lip to keep from laughing but the others didn't share the same sentiment.
"Cheer up, at least no one's looking at your hair, or worse, the eyebrows," she told him, being surprised that the spellwork had yet to wear off no matter the fact hours had passed since.
~000~000~000~
Friday 5th January 2007
"So, there's been a change in plans," Hermione said to the occupants of the room that all looked to her expectantly.
The Pack and Cullens had long since returned to school after the Christmas holidays but as Hermione had expected, she hadn't joined them. In order to ensure they were prepared and had every opportunity possible to succeed in winning the battle that was to come, Sirius and Remus had pulled her from school, informing the school that they would be travelling out of the country in order to attend a relative's funeral and see to their affairs. And no matter of the fact that Hermione had already missed so much school in the last couple of months alone, even if Principal Greene wished to advise against it he was too afraid after his last encounter with her fathers.
Whilst everyone was either at school, work or whatever it was they did during the day, she, the twins and her fathers were busy preparing. Her fathers continued to map out the site of the newborn army battle, worked on training preparations for the Cullens and Pack and continued with their research, whilst she and the twins spent most of their time squirrelled away in her potions lab, working to brew as many healing potions, draughts and salves as possible so they might have enough when they were needed. And when they weren't doing that, they were attempting to reverse the magic of the Taboo, and in a couple of days, Hermione would be showing them the newborn army battle site so they might scope the area out and strategically place their booby traps. She, Sirius and Remus had already made a start on the anti-apparition and port-key wards, but the twins were going to add their own magic to strengthen the wards and make it more difficult for the Death Eaters to dismantle them once they realised they were trapped.
"A change of plans?" Sirius echoed, sharing a not so subtle look of concern with Remus.
"Yes," she nodded. "As you know, Fred, George and I have been working on a way to reverse the magic of the Taboo for almost a week, as was our original idea and intention."
"And?" Remus prompted.
"And unfortunately, we've deemed it too difficult. It is possible, however, we don't have the time we need in order to rewrite and rework the runic algorithms."
"What?" Quil said, looking confused.
"Basically, we can't do it. By our calculations, it would take approximately a month, we don't have that time."
"So the plan's screwed. This is all for nothing," Sirius sighed, brushing a hand through his hair and looking very much like he wanted to drown himself in fire-whisky.
"Not necessarily," she replied, looking to Fred and then George on either side of her and they nodded. "You see, we've come up with a much easier way of getting what we want, and I'm a little annoyed that I didn't think of it before."
Her fathers both pinned her with arched eyebrows of question and expectance.
"With the Taboo, we'd require them to speak the word aloud in order for the magic to activate, so it wasn't guaranteed to work. But we've realised that all we need is a port-key, and they can be knocked up within a few minutes."
"That'll work," Remus nodded, "But how can we guarantee they'll come?"
"That's easy," Fred shrugged. "We post out the envelopes as intended and we charm them to have a time delay that will activate at the time and day of our choosing. And with a delayed Sticking Charm, they won't be able to release their hold on the port-key until after they've arrived."
"And how can we guarantee they'll have the port-key with them at the time?"
"We're planning to use a Caterwauling Charm that will activate several minutes before the port-key is expected to activate," George continued. "The only way to shut it off will be by touch, and once they've touched it, they won't be able to let go. Of course, there's no guarantee that they'll keep hold of the envelope for as long as we need them to, but we plan to write an anonymous letter claiming to have information on the whereabouts of the Blacks. We'll instruct them to keep the letter until they are next contacted."
"This way is more likely to succeed in ensuring everyone arrives," Hermione took over. "It's simpler and we can have all of the port-keys made and programmed in a few hours. As for the letter, it can be duplicated easy enough, and the spellwork for the time-delayed Sticking and Caterwauling Charms are simple. We can have it all done by tomorrow afternoon, and we can take the opportunity to show our faces in Wizarding Seattle, grab a few supplies and visit the owl post office so we can post the letters. That crosses our biggest problem off the list and allows us to put our focus onto other matters."
"Well that settles it then," said Sirius. "We've received another letter from the Order," he informed her.
"What did they say?"
"Firstly, they wanted to give us the heads up. They don't believe there to be any moles as everyone's been extensively vetted and interrogated since we left Britain, but with there only being one week until the battle, we should expect Order members to start arriving and pitching up their tents, which means we need to expand the wards. They'll start off by sending the highest-ranking members to reduce the risk of any possible leaks even though there shouldn't be any, and by the time the rest of our numbers arrive, we should be prepared if we are betrayed and ambushed."
Hermione felt her stomach flood with nerves and she shifted on her feet, seeing the glances that were shared around the room at the news of more outsiders arriving. When was the last time she'd seen anyone from the Order, let alone spoken to them? It'd been months. Who would come? She wondered.
"And secondly?" She prompted.
Sirius and Remus shared another glance, one she didn't like the look of.
"We've discussed the possibility of a kill order being issued due to the nature of the crimes committed and the possibility of them potentially escaping once captured and detained," he began, watching for her reaction.
"And?"
"And we've received confirmation."
"Papa, just spit it out."
"We've been given the go-ahead. If possible, capture and detain, otherwise, fire to kill."
A collect gasp sounded at the same time as silence fell and the atmosphere in the room plummeted, the heat of the nearby fireplace not helping in the slightest to help fend off the sudden cold shiver that overtook her.
She was going to have to take more lives? She wasn't certain she had it in her anymore.
Taking a deep breath and feeling the twins slip their hands around hers and offering a squeeze, she said, "We knew that was a possibility," her tone flat and her expression blank, worrying her three bond mates. "There is something we should discuss and we probably should've done it sooner..." She looked towards the vampires. "I don't want to be rude or potentially insult or offend anyone... But there is going to be a lot of bloodshed."
"Don't worry, Dear, we know you mean no offence," Esme assured her with a kind smile. "You say only fifty percent of your people are desirable to vampires? I should like to think we'll be fine, and if we aren't, resisting will be easy."
Hermione didn't miss the way all of the Cullens glanced to Jasper in concern and her eyes followed.
"Trust me, I wouldn't go near them with ten-foot fangs," he vowed, "Even if I did drink human blood. People like that have 'bad blood'. And given their magical nature, I wouldn't be surprised if their blood's physically tainted."
Sirius snorted out a laugh. "Oh please, say that to their faces. Imagine good old cousin Bella, she'll love it so much she might actually die," he said, helping to break the tension as Hermione, Remus and the twins shared a laugh. "But, in all seriousness..."
"What, no pun?" Hermione interrupted.
"There's always a pun intended, Snowflake," he smiled before his expression grew grave, "You leave Bella to me."
"But she..."
"I know what she did," he spoke over her. "And she will pay for daring to harm you. The bitch will get what's coming to her, and it will be by my wand and my hand. But before that, I'm going to gladly inform her she's been officially removed from the Black family tree and she's been stripped of all wealth, titles and the Black name itself."
"I'm her number one target, she's going to come for me."
"Not if I get to her first. She's not getting anywhere near you," he promised, his eyes darting between Edward, Paul and Jacob who all gave a subtle nod in response.
~000~000~000~
Monday 8th January 2007
It was the early hours of the morning when Hermione was woken by a violent shudder that raced down her spine and set her very magic on edge until she could physically feel it buzzing beneath her skin.
Her eyes opening and adjusting to the darkness, she pushed herself into a seating position and automatically reached for her wand beneath her pillow, her eyes locking on her closed bedroom door.
"What's wrong?"
Hermione looked to the left where Edward was perched on the couch, a mountain of books surrounding him with one held in his grasp but she currently held his attention. He looked concerned; it wasn't often she woke so suddenly during the night.
"Something's not right. Can't you feel it?"
"No, should I?" His brow furrowed.
She felt movement on either side of her, the mattress dipping beneath a heavy weight when both Paul and Jacob roused from sleep and just as quickly sat up, looking to her worriedly.
"Do you feel it?" She asked them.
"No, feel what?" Jacob asked, sharing a not so subtle glance with Paul and Edward.
When a second shiver ran through, physically causing her to shudder, she gripped her wand tighter and silently climbed from bed, crossing over to the door and stepping out into the corridor, both hearing and feeling her three boyfriends following behind her.
She wasn't sure if she should be surprised to find that her fathers, Fred and George stepped out of their rooms at the same time, all alert and with their wands at the ready.
"You feel it too?" She asked.
They all nodded silently and after sharing a glance, her fathers took the lead making their way through the tent, Hermione followed behind after instructing her boyfriends to say where they were, and Fred and George followed at the rear.
"We're not seriously going to just wait here, are we?" Jacob asked aloud.
"Obviously not," Paul replied with a roll of his eyes, being the first to follow after the visibly anxious wizards.
They entered the living room the moment the others stepped out of the tent and into the freezing cold night, all somehow now wearing shoes and robes. After retrieving their own shoes and slipping them on, they stepped out of the tent, their eyes searching in the darkness until they found the five wizarding folk stood before the invisible barrier they knew hid their existence. They appeared to be examining it closely, the twins whisper-hissing to each other whilst Remus paced back and forth agitatedly and his eyes flashing amber, and Sirius and Hermione had their heads close together, muttering to each other whilst different coloured streams of light hovered above.
"I told you to stay inside," Hermione glared at them over her shoulder.
Paul arched an eyebrow. "We both know that wasn't going to happen," he responded flatly, folding his arms over his chest. "So you wanna tell us what's going on?"
She pursed her lips. "Someone's trying to alter the wards. The disturbance in the anchors is what woke us. Because our magic is tied into the wards, we felt the breach," she explained, seeing them all suddenly stand taller, more alert and serious.
"You don't know who it is?"
"No, we don't recognise the signature, but it's definitely magical."
"Can they break through?" Jacob asked.
"If they're given the time and opportunity, yes, they can break through. We don't know who it is, but they're very good. More than likely a trained professional. We don't know if it's friend or foe."
"What's the plan?"
"There's only one way to find out who we're dealing with," Sirius answered. "We have a look."
Whilst the magical folk shared a glance, her boyfriends did the same, watching as the five wizards spread evenly out apart with their wands at the ready, and the moment they took a steadying breath and stepped through the wards and out into the open, Edward, Paul and Jacob were only a step behind them.
It was a tense and silent few moments as they all scanned their surroundings in search of the assailant.
"Oh, bloody hell!" Fred cursed suddenly.
"Charlie, you scared the shit out of us," George added.
A laugh sounded before a redhead with shaggy hair stepped out from the cover of the trees and into their line of sight. Compared to the pack, he was short, standing at a height of a little under six foot. His eyes were a deep shade of blue, his skin tanned from working outdoors, and he appeared to have just as many tattoos as Sirius, if not more. His dark t-shirt was tight on his body, showing the well-built physique beneath and his black tactical pants were tucked into his combat boots.
"Merlin's balls, it's cold here. Thanks for the warning," the redhead grinned.
Hermione felt her heart constricting and she swallowed thickly, blinking back the tears.
"Security question," Remus reminded everyone, looking to Charlie suspiciously and refusing to let down his guard until he knew it was safe to do so.
Charlie arched an eyebrow, his mouth twitching into a smirk as he said, "December 2005, what week that was, wouldn't you agree?"
Hermione and the twins both glanced at her fathers, seeing the way they looked to each other, their mouths twitching as if recalling a shared fond memory and silently, they stowed their wands.
"Aye, it certainly was," replied Sirius.
With the confirmation of Charlie passing the security test, Hermione was the first to reach him as she closed the distance between them, receiving a grin in response as he automatically reached out and swept her into a hug, feeling her cling to him tightly as she buried her face against his neck.
"It's good to see you, Kiddo," he muttered, "And I'm glad to see you've still got the strength of a grizzly bear. You mind loosening it a little? I do need my spine to remain fully intact... Seriously, I'm not going anywhere."
She reluctantly drew back from him, giving a little sniffle as she peered up at him, noting the scar on his right cheek that hadn't been there the last time she'd seen him.
"You look good, happy," he remarked after taking a moment to give her the once over, noting the changes in both her appearance and expression.
"I am happy," she confirmed. "I'm happy to see you."
"I'm pretty sure you're not happy 'cause I'm here, although, that would be understandable. I mean, look at me, I'm awesome."
"Prat," the twins rolled their eyes.
Stepping aside, she allowed Sirius and Remus a moment to greet Charlie and she moved over to her boyfriends, happily snuggling against Paul and his body heat.
"Charlie? Your brother."
"Yes, the Dragon Tamer from Romania."
"Great, Emmet's going to be unbearable," Edward sighed. "Even more so than usual."
"Be grateful he didn't bring a dragon with him... Wait... Charlie?" She called, seeing the redhead look towards her, both of his eyebrows shifting upwards as he took in her three boyfriends for the first time. "Please tell me you haven't brought a dragon with you," she said from her place tucked against Paul.
"Nah, not this time. All the dragons on the reserve are too sick, too young or currently nesting. But would you care to explain who these guys are?"
She bit her lip to keep from smiling but ultimately failed. "They're my soul bonds."
"I'm sorry, I could've sworn you just said they're your soul bonds," he replied, blinking slowly.
"I did. This is Jacob, Paul and Edward. Boys, this is my brother, Charlie," she introduced, smiling when they each tipped their heads slightly in greeting.
"Three?" He arched an eyebrow before giving his head a shake and snorting. "'Course you have three soul bonds, why doesn't that surprise me? So, you've got yourself a vampire..."
Hermione giggled at the way Edward's eyes widened and he spluttered in surprise.
"And two...?" He prompted. "I know they're not regular humans, I can feel it."
"Charlie's in tune with auras of magical beings," she explained to her boyfriends. "He can more or less sense when there's one nearby and usually, what they are... As for Jacob and Paul, they're natural-born shape-shifters, they belong to a pack that protects their Tribe from no-mad vampires."
Charlie looked to Edward pointedly.
"Since meeting me, the pack and Edward's family have learned to get along."
"Smart," Charlie nodded. "So, pack? Wolves?" He guessed.
"Giant wolves," she nodded, seeing his arched eyebrow.
"And you? You're an Animagus now, I can feel it."
"Do you want to see?"
"Hell yeah, I want to see."
Stepping away from Paul, she made the quick change into her wolf form, hearing Charlie's slight intake of breath and she held still as he approached, taking a moment to observe her before he ran his hand through the thick, soft fur of her back, having to physically reach up to do so given her height. She towered over him.
"I'm proud of you," he told her once she'd changed back. "And when you say giant wolves?" He looked to Jacob and Paul.
"Me being female, they're actually bigger than me. Of course, the colour of their fur differs from each wolf. There's ten in their pack and only one female. You'll meet them later on today, as well Edward's family when they come by for training. And not that I'm not happy to see you, but what the hell are you doing here at four o'clock in the morning? We thought we were under attack."
"Yeah, sorry about that," he winced. "Forgot about the time difference. We made a pit-stop in London before speaking to Kings to get the coordinates for your safe house."
"We?" She, the twins and her fathers unintentionally chorused.
"Billy-boy! We've been rumbled!" He called out, and a moment later, a much taller redhead made an appearance.
His hair fell just below his shoulders and was tied back from his face, showing the claw-shaped scars and his fanged earring. His eyes were a shade lighter than Charlie's and his skin paler, but they had similar noses. Wearing dark robes and dragonhide boots, he looked the most like someone who'd just come from the Wizarding World.
"Sunflower," he said randomly before anyone had the chance to ask him the security question, regardless of the fact he was with Charlie. And whilst the others appeared confused, Hermione's mouth pulled into a smile and she crossed over to him, being pulled into a hug. "Is it just me, or are you getting smaller every time I see you?"
"I'm not small, I'm average height," she argued quietly. "It's not my fault I'm surrounded by giants."
"Yeah, I can see that," he remarked, looking at her boyfriends over the top of her head. "I heard everything, no need to explain, though a more in-depth explanation would be appreciated. A vampire and two shape-shifters? You don't do things in halves, do you?" He teased.
"You know me, never was one to take the easy option. You were the one tampering with the wards?" She stated. "We didn't recognise the magical signature?"
"That's a long story, and I'll tell you later," he promised. "But would you mind if we get out of the cold?"
"Of course, I'll put the kettle on," she nodded, drawing back from him.
He smiled down at her. "Not gonna lie, I've missed your cuppas."
"I heard about the baby, congratulations. Is Fleur still in Paris?"
"Thank you," he beamed down at her. "Yeah, she wanted to come and help finish it, but you know, the baby," he shrugged. "But everything's going well so far, she's due in a few months, when this is all done, maybe you can come and visit, put that French to good use and teach me a thing or two in the process."
"Couldn't keep me away," she smiled. "But I'm awake now and I won't be able to get back to sleep, so I'll make a start on breakfast. Boys, this is Bill, my eldest brother," she introduced. "Let's get inside before we get frostbite, you can pitch up your tent later."
They all headed back into the tent with Bill and Charlie being escorted through the wards, and once they stepped inside, the fireplace was lit and orbs of lights and candles hovered above whilst they all took seats on the couches and Hermione set to making breakfast.
"As I said to Charlie, we'll introduce you to everyone else when they arrive in a couple of hours for our early morning training session. You can join in if you'd like? They always like seeing something different. But when everyone leaves for school or work, you can pitch your tent up, we'll share with you what we've done so far and then we'll show you the chosen site for the battle so you can familiarise yourselves with it. And now that you're here, Bill, you can reinforce the wards we've already erected. The letters containing port-keys have already been sent out and should've been received, all that's left to do is wait for the others to arrive."
"Now that we're here, the others will start arriving in groups and everyone should be here by Thursday," said Bill.
"We programmed the port-keys to activate at dusk. Not only do we have the advantage of taking them by surprise and forcing them into a battle unprepared, and being comfortable with our surroundings, but they don't know about the Pack and Cullens, and once they realise what they are, it'll be too late," she said from the kitchen. "Not mention, they'll have the cover of darkness, too."
"So, there's ten wolves in this pack?" Charlie looked to Paul and Jacob.
"Eleven with Hermione," Jacob answered.
"And how many in your coven?" He looked to Edward curiously.
"Family," Edward corrected. "We don't think of ourselves as a coven. There's my adoptive parents and my two adoptive brothers and sisters."
"We'll explain later," Hermione promised, seeing his arched eyebrow. "And we'll go into more detail about the Pack, and my relationship with them and the boys."
"Oh?" Bill questioned. "Funny, I could've sworn I saw a bracelet you didn't have before," he said innocently, sharing an amused smile with his brothers. "Care to explain where that came from?"
"Shut up," she grumbled.
"You have a puppy!" Charlie exclaimed suddenly, standing from the couch and moving to greet the pup that trotted into the room with his tail wagging happily. "And a kitten?!" He added, also reaching for the slower to approach kitten.
Hermione giggled when she saw her boyfriends blinking slowly in surprise.
"Remember when I said Emmet reminded me of Charlie?"
"Yeah, I see it," they all responded unintentionally.
~000~000~000~
Thursday 11th January 2007
The battle would be upon them in only one day.
With the arrival of Bill and Charlie brought the arrival of other Order members and Aurors that had volunteered, most of them, Hermione had never met before and even fewer she'd never heard of.
Her tent was surrounded by more than she could count and despite making it clear that the Cullens could be trusted and were completely off-limits, she wasn't blind to the mistrust that surrounded them. For that reason, her family made it a point to ensure that there was always at least one of them nearby when the Cullens were around, just for safety.
Due to the large number of people crowding the warded area, the perimeters had been widened to allow more space and they'd taken to training at the battle site, not only allowing everyone to familiarise themselves with the area, but there was more space and less chance of being seen by a muggle that may wander through the woods.
It was early evening and after their final training session of the day, Hermione and her family had all returned to the tent, piling inside and getting comfortable whilst she made a start on dinner. Esme had offered to help, always enjoying cooking but never having anyone to cook for and Hermione hadn't been able to refuse, not when she had four extra mouths to cook for. Esme hummed to herself whilst she prepared dessert and Hermione had just put the potatoes to boil after using a spell to peel them. The potatoes were soon joined by the vegetables before she added the sausages into several gravy-filled dishes and placed them into the oven to cook.
As she took a moment to clean the counter by hand, she peered over her shoulder, feeling a smile pull at her face at the easy conversation and laughter that come from the living room, her family, the pack and Cullens are getting along like a house on fire, there being no sign that tomorrow would be the day they fought for their lives.
She noticed Bill move first, the tall redhead rising to his feet slowly and he tipped his head ever so slightly as his brow creased in concentration, the light of the fire drawing attention to the scars on his face.
It was only a few days ago that she'd learnt why no one had recognised his magical signature, the twins included. It was due to Greyback. After Bill's attack, they'd just assumed that he'd be completely fine and although he did appear to get a little agitated after the full moon, there had been no signs of there being something wrong. They misjudged the situation. When Greyback attacked Bill the night of Dumbledore's death, the full moon had been but a few days away, and with Greyback being a powerful Alpha, his venom was stronger than most.
The changes came slowly, the venom working to infect Bill's body and magic. And although Bill wasn't a werewolf and he didn't change at the full moon, he had taken on wolf-like qualities, making him part-werewolf. And that was why his magical signature was unrecognisable; because it had mutated, and with Bill moving to France with Fleur, the twins hadn't been around him enough to register the change.
"Bill?" Hermione questioned, the conversations in the room immediately stopping when they noticed her tone of concern and their eyes turned to him.
"Someone's here," he replied, having sensed the disturbance in the wards before anyone else. He was, after all, a Curse Breaker.
"Friend or foe?" Sirius asked, his eyes following Remus who was already making his way towards the tent entrance.
"I don't know."
Sirius, the twins and Hermione were quick to follow with Bill already on the move, the magical folk stepping out of the tent and into the silence, despite the number of people that were occupying the same warded area as them.
When Bill reached the perimeter of the wards, he drew his wand and held the tip against the invisible barrier.
"Whoever it is, they haven't attempted to breach the wards... I think the intention was to let us know that they're here."
"Are we waiting on anyone else?" Fred asked.
"I don't know, I don't think anyone does. Kingsley, despite running things, can't be involved due to his position as Minister. And if ever questioned about the nature of this mission, he'll deny all knowledge. He wants it kept from the public, which is why we're being so careful and secretive. Everyone here was sworn to take a vow of secrecy. Kingsley can't be seen to give or condone a fire to kill order."
"Well, there's only one way to find out who's out there," George injected.
"Everyone, be on guard and be careful," Sirius shared a glance with Remus before they all drew their wands and stepped out of the wards, into sight.
Their eyes searched the darkened and silent area and when the moments ticked by and they saw nothing and no one showed themselves, they all made to turn and head back into the safety of the wards but they paused when they heard a twig snapping under the heel of a boot.
On guard, they each fanned out, preparing to fire or conjure a shield as they each headed in a different direction, intending to surround the area the noise had originated from.
"Stow your wands," a voice drawled from the cover of the trees.
Hermione froze. She'd know that voice anywhere.
She felt her heart pounding in an attempt to escape her chest and she swallowed nervously when she heard approaching footsteps disturb the ground.
And then out he stepped, right into a beam of moonlight that broke through the canopy of the trees.
His eyes locked on her immediately, a perfect white smile showing as he said,
"It's been a while, amora."