The Beginning

(AN: Hello my lovelies. I am back. I am sorry that I haven't been writing much. It has been a crazy few months. I've been trying to handle work and watching my niece on top of trying to start a family with my husband. It isn't an excuse, and I am not trying to make any for my very erratic postings and updates. But hopefully this new story will make you all happy. I will still be finishing all my other stories, but this one wiggled into my brain and wouldn't let go. I am still hoping to start a Twilight/Harry Potter crossover version of Hermione Granger and..., so I would appreciate any ideas that you may have for pairings. Anyways, enough of my blabbing, here is the first chapter of The Vampire Sorceress. And as always, I don't own Harry Potter or Twilight. J.K Rowling and Stephanie Meyers do. (But my Vampires don't sparkle.) Please read, review and enjoy!)

She was running through the forest, on a well-worn path, on her usual run, the snow crunching under her feet and the cold air, sharp against her face. She didn't expect anything bad to happen, it never had before. She had done this run a million times. And nothing bad had ever happened to her before on her run. Ever since she had come here, from England, after the Blood War had ended, to get away from the publicity, and the notoriety of being part of the damn Golden Trio, she had had a peaceful life. All the Death Eaters had been captured, and any other Voldemort Sympathizers had been rounded up and 'tagged' so to speak, to monitor their behavior in a Post-War Magical Britain. Those who had been branded with the Dark Mark not of their own free will had been captured, questioned, and when found innocent, released. Those included Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, and Theodore Nott. Draco and Theo's fathers had threatened the lives of their mothers to get them to cooperate, and Blaise's stepfather had threatened the lives of his mother and three younger sisters if he didn't join up. They had each done what they had to, to protect their family members.

In the end, 93 Death Eaters had been caught, put on trial, and sentenced to the Veil. Since the destruction of the Dementors by Harry during the Battle of Diagon Alley, they could no longer sentence the Death Eaters to the Dementor's Kiss. The Death Veil was the only punishment left for them.

The fame that came with being one of the Golden Trio was more than she or Harry ever wanted. Harry had moved to an undisclosed location that only she and the Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, knew. Their godson Teddy, lived with him. Ron, Ginny and Molly hadn't taken that well. Ginny had believed that she would marry the Man-Who-Won, and that she would become the next Lady Potter-Black. She wanted the fame and money that came with the title of Lady Potter-Black. She didn't understand that Harry hadn't wanted the fame, and he was only famous and wealthy because his parents and Godfather had died and left everything to him. Ron relished the fame and wealth of being a 'war hero,' and believed that being the brother-in-law of the Man-Who-Won would give him even more money and fame. He kept pushing Harry to get back together with Ginny while he (Ron) himself was attempting to woo Hermione into a relationship with him.

But after four years of pining after Ronald, and then feeling the betrayal of having him leave in the middle of the war because he didn't think Harry was doing anything to end the war quicker, she had lost any feeling but apathy towards Ronald. And his acceptance and relishing of the fame that came from being another member of the Golden Trio, made Hermione not want anything to do with him all the more. But Ron hadn't understood that until Hermione, with the help of the Twins, had rather forcefully, spelled it out for him. He wouldn't take no for an answer until Hermione had verbally, and physically slapped him down before threatening to slap him with a restraining order, and then let the Twins loose on their brother. After being turned into a pig, and then a donkey, for a week, he finally started to get the picture. Hermione didn't want to be with him.

And Molly didn't like the fact that Harry and Hermione didn't want to be with her two youngest children. And she also didn't believe that a teenager should be the caretaker to a baby. She had tried coaxing and cajoling Harry and Hermione to hand over custody of Teddy to her, since she herself had raised seven children. When Hermione had pointed out that as soon as her five oldest sons had come of age, they had bolted from their home, then she couldn't be that good of a mother in the first place, Molly had snapped and outright threatened the two that if they didn't hand over custody of the infant to her, then she would take them to court.

The night that she threatened them with legal action, Hermione and Harry had met at Grimmauld Place, and after packing up everything they could, with Dobby and Winky's help, they had then met with Kingsley.

A Year Ago

Harry and Hermione were sitting in the Minister for Magic's office, speaking to Kingsley Shacklebolt. Teddy was sitting on Hermione's lap, playing with her necklace.

"Are you sure that you want to do this Harry?" Kingsley asked.

"Molly threatened to take away the last link I have to the family I lost in the war. I promised Remus and Dora that I would take care of Teddy and not let anyone interfere with raising him if it came down to it and they or Andromeda weren't there to do it themselves. And Ginny and Ron refuse to accept the fact that Hermione and I want nothing to do with them. Hermione is planning on leaving as well. She doesn't want to stay here without me and Teddy, and she knows that I need to get away to heal after all I have lost. She and I think it would be best if we split up and go to separate places. As much as I love Hermione, she's the sister I never had, we both need time to heal. We will of course visit each other and you Shack, but we both need to get our shit together before we decide where to go next." Harry said.

"Well, you have many places in the world to choose from, Harry and Hermione, and with the vast amount of money between the two of you, you can choose wherever tickles your fancy. And your locations will be known only to me. and those you chose of course. Both locations will be kept under the Fidelus and you can choose who your Secret Keeper will be and then we will cast the Fidelus when you choose your location and a home there." Kingsley said.

Both Harry and Hermione chose Kingsley to be their Secret Keeper. He was honored to say the least. Harry had chosen to live in a remote Wizarding Village in Quebec, Canada. He had found a large piece of land and had a two-story log cabin built for himself and Teddy, and of course a room for Hermione as well. And Hermione had chosen an even more remote spot in Denali, Alaska. There wasn't a magical person within miles of her home. Hell, there wasn't another actually person within miles of her home. Her home was also a cabin, with two floors, rooms for guests to stay, and of course rooms for Harry and Teddy. Hermione and Harry had paid for the best wards to be placed on their homes and then had said goodbye to Kingsley, their friends in England, and had gone their separate ways.

Back to Present

That had been a year ago, and Hermione had fallen in love with her new home. She and Harry visited each other all the time, as well as had their friends to each of their homes. Hermione had had nightmares for the first few months; of the war, of losing her parents, of losing some of her friends, of every bad thing that had happened to her. So, she had taken up running the trails around her home. Even though she now felt safe, or as safe as she could feel, she still took her wand with her. And so far, nothing and no one had ever bothered her.

That all ended when she felt something cold, solid, and very hard slam into her. She felt her ribs snap under the weight of whatever was on top of her, and before she could get her wand out, a sharp pain sheared her neck. She let out a scream of agony as she fell to the ground, writhing in pain. Her vision blurred and her body felt like it was on fire. She felt the weight on top of her suddenly disappear, and suddenly wished she could cover her ears as a loud, screeching sound of what sounded like metal on metal, ripped through the clearing. Then it was over almost as soon as it started. Hermione smelt smoke and then felt someone lifting her up and the pain reached a painful pinnacle before blessed darkness took over.

A Few Minutes Earlier

Edward and Carlisle had been on their way home from hunting when the smell of blood reached them, and then a scream ripped through the air. They changed course and followed the scent of blood. They found a woman being attacked by a vampire, and was attempting to fight him off. Edward didn't even think, he let out a roar and launched himself at the other vampire and started tearing him to pieces. Carlisle knelt beside the young woman and saw that the savage bite mark on the side of her neck, along with a good amount of blood staining the pristine, white snow on the ground. When he smelt smoke, he picked the writhing girl up and with a pained cry, she passed out.

"Edward, we need to get her back to the house. Alice has probably seen what has happened and will have sent Jasper away." Carlisle said.

Edward nodded and the two vampires made their way back to their family home. Carlisle didn't even stop at the open door. He made his way to the medical room he had set up in the back of the house. He placed the girl on the table and was surprised to find that the wound had already sealed itself. It was then that he realized that her blood didn't smell like any he had ever smelled before. At least not that he could recall.

He called Esme into the room after he finished examining the young woman.

"Edward said you found her out in Denali National Forest." Esme said.

"We did. She had lost too much blood to try and suck the venom out and clean what blood she had left. So, we brought her back here so she would have somewhere comfortable to make her transition. By the time we got back here, the bite mark had already sealed over. I need you too change her into something more comfortable for when she wakes. She is going to be scared and confused and I don't want her to think she had some man pawing at her while she was unconscious." Carlisle said.

"Of course, love. You go and check on Edward. I am sure that he is still pacing downstairs." Esme said and she shooed her husband downstairs.

Carlisle chuckled and left the room. But not before he heard his wife whisper to the young woman.

"Welcome to the family, lovey." She murmured.

A Few Days Later

Hermione awoke with a gasp and shot straight up from the bed she was lying in. Her hand flew up to her neck and she felt only pristine flesh. She looked around and realized with a start that she could see colors like never before. And when she took a deep breath, she could smell and taste nearly everything in the air. She caught sight of a mirror in the corner of the room, and she was in front of it before she realized she had moved. She caught sight of her reflection and barely managed to hold in a scream. She was staring at what you could call the 'perfect,' version of herself. Her hair was no longer bushy and she looked like every male's wet dream come true. The only thing wrong with this picture, was the blood red eyes staring back at her from the mirror.

Her head whipped around when the door of the room opened, and she dropped down into a crouch. An inhumanly beautiful man with peroxide blonde hair stepped into the room warily.

"Where am I? Who are you? What happened to me?" Hermione asked.

She flinched. Even her voice sounded different. Seductive, you could even say.

"My name is Carlisle Cullen. I am a doctor. You are currently in mine and my family's home. My son and I came upon you after you had been attacked. We brought you back here." The man said.

"You saved me." Hermione said.

"In a manner of speaking. You are technically alive, yes, but you are no longer human." The man said.

Hermione could feel herself panicking and her magic began to bubble beneath her skin. She then realized she couldn't feel her heart beating, or a pulse beneath her skin. And when she thought about the blood that should be flowing through her veins, her throat began to burn, painfully.

"Vampire?" Hermione asked.

"Yes." The man said.

Hermione felt her world collapsing in on her. She had been changed into a vampire. She would never be able to see Harry, Teddy, or her friends again, without wanting to drain them dry. She might still have her magic, but what was magic worth when she didn't have what remained of her family? She looked at the man standing in the doorway of the room she was currently in and noticed that his eyes, unlike hers, were a molten gold color.

"Why are your eyes gold?" She asked.

"May I know your name before I answer any more of your questions?" He asked.

"Hermione Granger." She said.

"Well Hermione, my eyes are gold, because I have never consumed human blood. I loathed myself when I was turned, and I tried to end my life by starving myself, but one night, when I was mad with thirst, I took down the first animal I came across and realized that I could survive on animal blood just as well as if I consumed human blood. I didn't want to be a monster. I learned to control my instincts to hunt humans and about 50 years after I was changed, I became a doctor, and did everything in my power to be a good vampire, if you could call any vampire good. I never wanted this fate for anyone else, but Edward, my son, was dying of the Spanish Flu and his mother, who somehow knew what I was, begged me to save her son. I did so, and then a few years later, I changed my wife, to give her a second chance at life. And, well, the rest of the family can tell you their stories when they feel up to it. All of my family are 'vegetarians' so to speak. We only hunt animals. And we can help you transition into that diet as well, if that is what you want." Carlisle said.

The thought of blood, any blood, made Hermione's throat burn horribly. She was thirsty.

"I need to speak to my friends. They are probably worried about me. If I don't contact them, they could send out a search party for me. And they are the kind of friends that are very, 'shoot first, ask questions later.'" Hermione said.

"You can contact them after you hunt, Hermione. The thirst is the worst after you first wake up, so to speak." Carlisle said.

Hermione nodded, as the pain spiked again.

"My wife and I will be going with you on your first hunt. Edward, Alice, Rosalie and Emmett are all out in town, making sure that no humans wander out this far. Esme! You can come in now." Carlisle said.

A woman, who clearly, like Carlisle, looked to be in her early 20's, walked into the room. She had a lovely, heart shaped face, and immediately put Hermione at ease.

"Hello Hermione, I am Esme." The woman said.

"Hello Esme." Hermione said.

"Are we ready to go?" Carlisle asked.

Hermione nodded vigorously. The pain really was getting unbearable.

"Alright, follow us and when we stop, you stop." Carlisle said.

Without any further stalling, he took a flying leap out of one of the open, floor-to-ceiling windows. Hermione looked at Esme and she gestured for Hermione to follow Carlisle. Hermione took an unnecessary breath and followed Carlisle out the window. She landed with nary a sound on the balls of her feet. She looked around and if she could cry, tears would be flowing at the beauty of the scene before her. Snow was falling in a wooded glen and she could now see each individual snowflake as it swirled around her. She could see each frozen pine needle on each branch of every tree in the glen. Since her body temperature now matched the temperature outside, it felt comfortable to her. She could smell wood smoke, the freshness of the crisp, winter air around her, hear birds and other small woodland animals from miles around, and she could see every star in the navy-blue sky above her. In short, it was breathtaking.

"Let's head this way. There is an overabundance of bears deep in the mountains. A few won't be missed." Carlisle said.

Hermione nodded and watched as Carlisle took off to the south. Hermione followed and she let out a shriek of joy as she felt the world practically flying beneath her feet. Even though she was running faster than she ever thought possible, the world itself was standing still, or so it seemed. She slid to a stop when she noticed Carlisle had stopped.

"Alright, I want you to close your eyes. Close your eyes and listen carefully. When you hear what you are looking for, take a deep breath, and then let yourself follow the scent." Carlisle said.

Hermione nodded and then did as she was told. She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds around her. She heard rushing water, smaller animals chittering in the trees, birds chirping and flying around in the air. She heard each animal breathing and each animal's heartbeat. One by one, she shut out all the sounds, until all she heard was the heartbeat of a bigger animal. She took a deep breath and her eyes shot open once she caught the strongest scent. Her feet were moving before she even knew what was happening. Carlisle and Esme followed behind. They stayed farther back so that Hermione wouldn't think they were trying to 'poach' her kill, and they came upon her crouching among a bush, watching a bear as it stalked a smaller animal. The predator didn't know it was about to become something else's prey.

Hermione watched the bear as it poised to strike at the deer it was hunting. She let instinct take over once again and leapt off the short cliff before landing on the bear's back. The bear roared, sending birds to wing and the smaller, insignificant woodland creatures scurrying from their hidey holes. The bear put up a fight, but never stood a chance. Hermione was the stronger, faster, and more deadly predator. She sank her teeth into the bear's jugular and nearly cried out with relief as the warm lifeblood of the animal splashed down her throat and soothed the burning ache caused by her thirst. The bear continued to weakly fight until it finally slumped in her grip and she dropped the now bloodless bear to the forest floor.

"Do you need another, or are you satisfied for now?" Carlisle asked.

Hermione had forgotten that she had company and turned to face Carlisle and Esme. Both looked extremely proud of her.

"I think I am okay. The burning has subsided for now." Hermione said.

"Alright, let's get back to the house and you can contact your friends. I don't know if you will be able to tell them what happened to you. They probably wouldn't believe you if you did." Carlisle said.

"Oh, I think you will find that they will believe me Carlisle. You see, you aren't the only mythical creatures in the world." Hermione said.

"What do you mean?" Carlisle asked.

"I mean, I am a witch!" Hermione chuckled.