CHAPTER ONE
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"Bloody hell! Harry, I'll be fine!" Cried an irate young girl with curly brown hair. Bags were at her feet and although the weather outside was nice she was bundled in a peacoat and thick leggings. "I'm just Portkeying home, You're literally a floo call away."
"Well forgive me for being worried. You never even told me you were from America!" Her bespeckled friend ran his hands through his hair, clearly upset. Sighing she wrapped him into a hug and kissed his cheek.
"I love that you care so much about me but I'm going to be ok. I swear. More than likely I'll be grounded for life for going MIA if I know my parents, but otherwise safe." She grabbed his hands and looked at him pleadingly. "Please don't worry too much. I need this Harry, I need to see my sister and brother, My mom and my dad. I never told them about the war. Last they heard from me was I was taking a summer program at school over a year and a half ago. But with my Cousins…. I didn't know the Deatheaters would be able to find them. My last name is Gilbert, having the different last name of Granger should have protected them. And the police would have undoubtedly reported their deaths and my being missing for a year. Voldermort is gone, I need to go home and let my family know I'm safe." Harry nodded and pushed a curl behind her ear.
"Please be careful Hermione, I almost lost you before, I won't make it if something happens to you, you are my best friend, my rock."
"I will be, after Auror training you get a two week break before working, maybe you can come visit." He nodded and backed up as she grabbed a rope on the ground and her bags. Tapping the portkey with her wand she soon disappeared in a twist. After several minutes of horrible nausea she soon reappeared in a backyard. Stepping forward she smiled as she took in the sight of her house. "Hello Mystic Falls." She whispered as she unlocked the back door and stepped into the house. It was late so she was surprised to hear movement coming from the kitchen so she put her bags down and followed the noise. At the sink washing something was a tall woman with long wavy dirty blonde hair. "Aunt Jenna?" She asked. The tall woman jumped around screaming with her hand on her heart before taking a close look at the one who scared her.
"Hermione?" Hermione watched as her Aunt stepped towards her with shaking hands. "Oh my god. HERMIONE!" She pulled her into a hug before breaking into heartbreaking sobs. Hermione relaxed into her arms soaking in the familiar feeling of family. When her aunt was able to settle down she pulled her into the living room and sat with her on the couch in front of the fireplace. "There is a lot you need to know but first I need to know what happened to you, and where you've been this past year." Seeing that her Aunt wasn't going to take no for an answer she sighed and told her what she was doing the past few years and what happened to her. Her aunt already knew that she attended school in England for magic, just as her parents and siblings knew. But Hermione had not told any of them about the brewing war, or her involvement. As she finished telling her about the final battle and how they finally won the war, the front door opened. Hermione sat frozen as she heard a feminine laugh that she had desperately missed. Seeing her niece freeze, Jenna called out to the group coming in the door. "Elena, Jer, come here please." The first person to enter the room was a young boy with long dark brown hair that fell in front of his face. Her baby brother had gotten so big she hardly recognised him. Behind him was a young woman with dark brown doe-eyes, and long dark brown hair that fell straight behind her back. Hermione couldn't hold it in anymore, she immediately began crying.
"Elly." She whispered as tears fell from her eyes. The young girl stood frozen as her brother moved closer. "Little bear." She smiled seeing how much her brother grew. When she called him his childhood nickname he ran to her and pulled her into a hug. She tightened her arms around him when she felt wet tears on her neck and began to rub his back as he shook slightly. "Shh, baby it's ok, I'm here, shh." She hadn't expected such a strong reaction from her brother and looked worryingly towards her aunt before once again turning to face her sister.
"Minnie, is it really you, are you really here?" Elena asked shakingly before joining her siblings in a group hug at her sister's nod of yes. After a few minutes of enjoying the comfort of each other they pulled apart.
"I'm so happy to see you guys, I've missed you all so much." she said.
"Then where were you, what happened?"Elena asked.
"I'll tell you everything, but I want to do it all at once, I already told Aunt Jenna. Where's Mom and Dad?" the three of them shared a look before turning towards her sadly. "Guys? I really want to see Mom right now, please can someone get her?" her gut clenched when Elena opened and closed her mouth before looking down at her hand. A few tears hit her hand before she once more looked up to face Hermione. "Elena, please tell me they're ok…Elena PLEASE." She begged desperately.
"There was a horrible car crash, Minnie, they didn't make it." Hermione started to hyperventilate and stood up quickly.
"I need air, I need- um, is my room still like it was?" When Jenna nodded she looked briefly at Jeremy and Elena before running up stairs. She opened her room and closed the door before sliding down and crying into her arms.
.~~.~~.~~.~~.
"Did that just happen Aunt Jenna?" Jeremy questioned in shock. "What happened to her? She's so tiny."
"She has bruises too, on her face and neck." Elena added. Jenna sighed and proceeded to tell them what Hermione told her.
"So she's been fighting a magical war for the past 6 years and we never knew!? They let kids fight in a WAR! Are you fucking kidding me?"
"Jeremy language!" Elena cried before facing Jenna. "You said she was held captive and tortured, did, did she say for how long, and what they did to her?"
"No you guys came in shortly after. But I doubt it's good, all you have to do is look at her and you can tell something bad happened to her. Look, I think you kids should head to bed, tomorrow is Friday. I'm calling the school to let them know you won't be in, that'll give you time to spend together and talk. Night you two, I need to call Sheriff Forbes and let her know that she is back." Jenna stood up and walked towards the doorway before turning back. "Look take it easy on her, you guys have had many months to process your parents death, she just found out, and not only has she lost them but also your Cousin'se that where murdered because of this war she fought. She's going to need us all right now." They watched their aunt walk away before heading up to bed. Elena watched Jeremy go into his room before going past hers and opening her sister's door. They didn't change anything in her sister's room when she went missing, it hadn't been touched in almost two years. The last time Hermione had been home was the summer that they turned 15. She was laying on her side curled into a ball on her large queen sized green bed. Elena could see that she was crying and climbed into bed next to her. She pulled her into her arms and held her as she cried to sleep. Elena kissed her forehead before following her into slumber, relieved to finally have her home.
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Hermione woke quickly to a heavy weight on her shoulder and relaxed when she noticed it was her twin sister's arm around her shoulders. She slowly shifted her arm off so she could sit up to face her. Her dark brown hair fell straight and blocked half of her face, she looked so very similar to when she last saw her but also so very different. She had lost the baby fat in her face and looked more feminine. Her skin, unlike Hermiones, had nary a blemish. She frowned and wondered what she might have looked like if she didn't have to fight a war. Her own body was muscular from running constantly and exercising her magic daily, but she was severely malnourished from lack of food. Due to the lack of sustenance her face lost all the baby fat and then some. Her ribs were visible under her tight nightshirt and her hair, which usually fell in crazy wild curls down her back, was frizzy with a lot of breakage. She stared down at her arm, at the red puffy marks left by Bellatrix and debated about covering it with a glamour. Looking once more at her sister she decided against it. She didn't want to be ashamed of the proof of her strength. She didn't cave into Bellatrix's torture, that scar was the physical representation of it. She traced the lines with her fingers and jumped in surprise when she heard a gasp from Elena.
"What happened Minnie?" Elena asked as she sat up and grabbed her arm.
"We got caught by Snatchers, mercenaries hired by the dark wizard we were fighting against, and they dragged us to one of his followers' homes. I was able to disguise Harry but didn't think about myself or my other friend Ron. They knew who it was and were going to summon their leader. But Bellatrix, his 2nd in command, saw something she believed we stole. She… she locked the boys in the cellar and dragged me to the middle of the room, hoping to get information out of me." Hermione paused to take a deep breath and leaned into Elena when she wrapped her arms around her to comfort her, like she did when they were younger. " There is a curse, one of three, that is so unforgivable it is a one way ticket to prison. Crucio… It needs such an immense amount of hatred to fuel it, the more you hate the victim, the worse it feels. Bellatrix was known for the worst Crucio's, they'd drive you to literal insanity. A normal one feels like hot knives slicing you all over and fire burning your skin. But her curse felt like hell fire trying to escape, it felt like your skin was being ripped from your body and acid being poured on the open wounds. She had me under it for almost 30 mins. After 5 you lose your mind, I don't know how I was able to keep mine. She tired of it soon enough and started carving up my skin. Mudblood is the dirtiest slur a person like me, muggleborn, can be called. Similar to if someone called Bonnie the N word. After she was done, and she realized that physical and mental pain wasn't working to get information from me, she gave me to Greyback." As Hermione spoke she started shaking, she didn't know that Elena was crying silent tears, and neither knew Jeremy was listening at the door, clenching his fists so tightly his knuckles were near translucent. "She told him to do what he wished, to get me to talk. He's known for liking younger girls. I was terrified but I couldn't give them the information they wanted, I couldn't betray my friends, my family and I lost the little bit of innocence I had left. I fell into a waking coma, I was awake but I buried myself so deep in my mind, even after the boys were able to get free and save me… it took several days for me to come back. After I came back to my senses a week later we had to leave to finish the war, I had no time to rest, to pull myself together, I had to fight…. When we won, I waited a few months before I had to leave, mostly due to my injuries. I only told Harry where I was going…I…I needed to come home, I needed to see you, Jeremy and Mom and Dad." She looked at Elena for the first time since she started to share what happened, tears in her eyes. "Elly I want Mom!" She cried, falling into her sister's lap sobbing. Outside the doors Jeremy stood and walked away, he had to calm down before seeing her again. He went to his room to shed the tears he had been holding back since she came home. Elena tried to hold her tears back, she missed her sister so much and it killed her so much seeing her this hurt. She held her as long as she allowed and pulled her arms away when Hermione leaned back and wiped her eyes. Hermione took a minute to breath before giving Elena a smile.
"I'm ok, it's just that being home, I don't have to worry about being strong for anyone. That's why I wanted to come back now instead of waiting. I needed my family, and I needed to be able to breathe. Now tell me, what's going on with you, I need something positive to take my mind off things." Elena chuckled and shook her head before going into detail about everything that's occurred this past year, including that they were adopted. "Ok… so… thats alot, I guess the whole being adopted thing makes sense, maybe magic runs in our biological family, I know the Gilberts don't have a lick of magic in them. How's Matty doing? Poor Vicki, I remember how close they were, what with their mom never being around he practically raised her."
"He's having a hard time, he's kinda pulled away from everyone, it doesn't help that his moms even more of a mess than before?"
"Yeah, so about this vampire boyfriend and his brother and their crazy ex that looks like you." Hermione gave her a look that made Elena flinch slightly.
"Don't look at me like that Minnie, He's really nice, He drinks animal blood instead of human blood, and he loves me for me, not just because I look like Katherine. We've had that argument before and he's proven to me that he does really love me." Hermione held up her hands in defense and smiled.
"Look I'm happy you're happy, I'm a witch, vampires aren't new information for me, in fact we learn about them in school and live amongst them in the wizarding world. Whether he drank human blood or animal, it doesn't bother me, as long as the human ones are left alive, that is. No, I'm just worried about the fact that an almost 200 year old vampire fell in love with a teenager, identical to his ex-vampire lover. I don't want you to get hurt, or god forbid pull a Bella Swan before thinking things through." Elena scrunched her nose at the comparison and shook her head.
"Don't worry I'm not planning on sporting fangs, and honestly I'm just taking this day by day." Hermione nodded and gave a mischievous smirk.
"So is his brother hot?" Elena gagged jokingly and swung a pillow at Hermione's head good naturedly. There was a knock at the door and the giggling girls smiled at their aunt when she stepped into the room.
"Well you two look like you're having fun." She commented as she smiled down at them.
"Yeah, What's up Aunt Jenna?" Hermione asked. She saw that Jenna shared a look with Elena and sighed. "Look whatever it is you can tell me."
"I didn't know how to tell you but…You and Elena are adopted, Elena just found out recently and I didn't want you to be surprised." Hermione froze before sagging her shoulders and looking at Elena sadly.
"Elena told me earlier, I guess it makes sense, our biological parents must have had magic in their bloodline somewhere. How's Jer taking it?" She noticed their faces and glared at them. "You didn't tell him, did you?"
"Elena asked me not to and I respected her decision, however much I disagree with it, I'll let you two talk, I also wanted to let you know I needed to head out to get some books for my thesis.'' She leaned forward and kissed both their foreheads before walking out the room and closing the door, effectively escaping her niece's glare. Hermione stared her sister down and crossed her arms.
"Now why wouldn't you tell our brother that we were adopted?" She tilted her head to the side and back before sighing. "Elena what else haven't you told him?"
"I-I didn't want him to get hurt, he's been through so much, you missing, our parents dying. He started doing drugs and drinking. I didn't know what to do. When Vicki became a vampire she tried to attack him, I got in the middle and she went into a frenzy and bit me, and would have killed me if Stefan didn't step in and kill her first. Jeremy saw everything. I begged Damon to compel him to forget everything and to take away his suffering." She jumped up and ran her hands through her hair. "Dammit Minni, don't look at me like that!" She said when looked at her sister's disappointed face. Hermione stood off the bed before waving her arm to silence the room from anyone who may walk by.
"I will look however I bloody please Elena Marie Gilbert!" Hermione cried. "You are endangering our brother's life! How can Aunt Jenna even support this?" Seeing Elena flinch made Hermione explode. "Are you BLOODY KIDDING ME!" She yelled, scarring Elena who had never seen her so mad before. Hermione's hair rose as her magic began to build up. "What the hell is your problem?! Do you not realize that if this town is crawling with bloody vampires that Jeremy and Aunt Jenna are in danger if they don't know what to look for? How do you expect them to protect themselves?!"
"I will protect them!" Elena cried. "He's just a kid, he shouldn't know about this, and Aunt Jenna deserves a normal life!" Hermione froze and looked at Elena oddly.
"Are you an idiot? I'm a bloody witch that was tortured to near insanity because the adults didn't perpare us properly. If you don't tell them what to look for they can walk right into danger. And not only that but they will hate you for not telling them the truth. They can die because of your ignorant belief that if they don't know what's happening that they'll be safe. Besides, they are aware of magical beings, after all I am one. You need to tell them the truth, and if you don't do it by the end of the night then I will. I will not lose anymore people that I care about due to misinformation and secrets. Now get OUT of my room before my magic attacks you!" Elena jumped up and ran out of the room but not before all the windows and mirrors in her room exploded. Hermione clenched her fists and cast a silent Reparo on the room before laying back in bed and falling into a fitful sleep.
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A few hours later she woke up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She sat up and looked around her room. It looked no different than the day she left, though she could tell it had been regularly dusted, swept and the bedspread washed. She felt guilty for what her parents must have felt before their death. A few tears rolled down her face as she thought about the fact that her last memory of them would remain the very last. Sighing, she stood up and looked around her room. The walls were white with mint green trim and her furniture was a light gray color. She remembered helping her dad paint her room and walked towards the entrance of her bathroom, lightly running her fingers along the fingerprint hearts she and her father made on the door frame when she asked if they could sign their 'masterpiece'. Looking into her bathroom she realized she would need new towels and toilet paper. She remembered how she managed to get the only other room than the master with its own bathroom. Her mother had told the three of them, when the twins were 10 and Jeremy was 8, that whoever had straight A's all year would win the room, desperately wanting her own space from her messing siblings Hermione studied constantly, barely leaving her books. Hermione won by a huge margin and moved in that summer. She wondered if anyone had taken her parents' room or if they left it the way it was last. Did Jenna stay in that room or did she take one of the guest rooms? Not including their own rooms and their parents, they had two other bedrooms in the house so it was possible that she chose to move into a guest room. She went into the linen closet in the hallway and grabbed a few rolls of toilet paper and some towels and washcloths. After relieving herself she turned the hot water on and added some essential oils and slipped into the bath. It had been so long since she was able to just relax, she dunked her head under water and held her breath as she embraced the feeling of nothingness. When she couldn't hold her breath anymore she sat up and scrubbed her body clean. There were slashes on her torso and her inner thighs from Greyback and Bellatrix that were done by the cursed blade, like her arm they would never fully heal. And bruises covered her body and took longer than usual to go away due to her malnourishment. Sighing in contentment when she was done she unstoppered the tub with her toe and stepped out of the bath to get dressed. She stepped into her small walk-in closet and noticed that all her clothes were still there, though they would be small due to her no longer being 15. She removed her wand from her nightstand and charmed her clothes to automatically alter when worn enabling her to fit into her younger selves clothes for now until she could update her wardrobe. She chose a dark red V-cut t-shirt, black jeans and a pair of white combat boots. She brushed out her hair and twisted it into a bun on the top of her head. She stuck her wand into the bun to look like a styled hair stick and hold her hair up. Smiling at her reflection she decided to head downstairs and make breakfast. Looking at the clock on the wall she noticed it was 8:00 in the morning and that her siblings would be waking up in an hour or two if they still slept in like they used to. She decided to make a full English breakfast for everyone and walked over to the stereo to listen to music as she cooked.
"I hide my pain like the rest of them
That's why I'm always laughing
I'm troubled, I'm brilliant and miserable too
That's why I am so funny
I swallow down all my fears
With a bottle made of silver
I've only been here for 27 years
But already my life is over
And I need to unwind, yeah, and I
I need to unwind, yeah, and I
Want all the time
To be loved, to unwind." Elena came down just as she was finishing up the sausage, but stayed back as she watched Hermione sing as she set the plates up. She smiled at her sister's carefree movements.
"My life is like a fairytale
That nobody believes in
I can't remember anything
Not the people, not the places I've been
Just one more day you can make it, babe
That's what I tell myself
And everything that I love in life
It is killing me, 'cause it's bad for my health." Elena shushed Jeremy as he came down the stairs and he leaned on the wall arms crossed as he watched his older sister make breakfast.
"Need to unwind, yes, and I
Need to unwind, yes, and I
Want all the time
To be loved, to unwind
Somebody comfort me
S-Southern comfort me
Oh oh, somebody comfort me, oh oh
Somebody, hey, somebody
Need to unwind
I need to unwind, yes, and I
Want all the time, oh
To be loved, to unwind, yes and I
Need to unwind, yes, and I
Need to unwind
And I want all the time
To be loved, to unwind, and I
Need to unwind, yes, and I
Need to unwind, oh, and I
Want all the time
To be loved, to unwind." Hermione made each of their plates and began to pour some orange juice into three glass cups as she shook her hip to the music..
"Somebody comfort me, oh
Hey, s-southern comfort me
Somebody comfort me
Southern Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah." She spun around at the end of the song to put the juice in the fridge and screamed in surprise when both Elena and Jeremy started clapping, dropping it on the floor. After she regained her breath she waved her hand and all the juice that spilled floated to the sink, the container heading towards the garbage pail. "Not cool guys," she said as she glared at the both of them. "Anyway I made you all a full english breakfast, come on, grab your plates." She turned the music off and sat at the table with her plate. She looked at her brother and sister and laughed at their faces. They had been surprised at her magicing the mess away and she realized this was the first time they got to witness her perform magic intentionally. She smiled and waved at them to grab their food and sit at the table with her.
"I thought you couldn't do magic outside of school?" Jeremy asked.
"Usually you can't but since the war ended, everyone from my year of school that was in hiding or actively fighting against Voldermort and his Deatheaters were given the choice to return or test out early. I tested out early at the ministry, I couldn't go back after everything we went through. I stayed at the burrow while I attended funerals, but afterwards I chose to test out and come home."
"Well I'm glad you're home, we really missed you." Jeremy said. Hermione beamed at her brother.
"Well tuck in guys." She ordered. They finished eating in a comfortable silence, just enjoying being together again. When Elena ate the last of her food Hermione grabbed all the plates and brought them to the sink, she cast a household charm to wash them and faced her siblings. "So what are we doing today?" she asked.
"Well there is a party tonight at the Lockwoods. Tomorrow is Miss Mystic Falls so they are having a Founders day party. And …um… I was thinking, what's a better way to celebrate than the returning prodigal daughter!" Hermione's eyes widened in panic as she faced her excited sister, she backed away slightly waving her hands back and forth.
"No,no,no,no, I hated these things when I was little, why would you think I'd want to go now?" she glared as Jeremy laughed.
"Come on, if I have to go to this stupid thing than so do you Minni." Hermione placed her hands on her hips ready to argue when she noticed how disgustingly pitiful her siblings looked begging her. She sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Fine, Fine, I'll go." She sighed dramatically as Elena squealed and grabbed her arm to drag her upstairs and find a dress. When they were half way up the stairs the door opened and Jenna stepped through. "Aunt Jenna I made brunch, it's on the counter. Wish me luck, Elena's using me as a dress-up toy." This earned her a laugh from their aunt and a sharp jab from her sister. She was dragged into her room, the door closing behind their brother. She was pushed onto her bed and watched dejectedly as her sister ripped apart her closet. "Why would you join this demon in my torture."
"Eh, it's something to do." He tried to sound nonchalant but Hermione knew the truth, she could see the worry in his eye and how he would zone in on any visible scar when he thought she wasn't watching. She wanted to get up and give him a reassuring hug, let him know he wasn't going to lose her again. But she knew he wouldn't accept it, and would probably leave. She gave him a shrug and turned back to the destroyed closet. Clothes were thrown everywhere and her sister was holding up several dresses that made hermione wrinkled her nose in distaste.
"No bloody way, there's a reason I had those in the back of the closet Elena." Elena was about to argue with her so she cut her off first. "Look I have a lot of scars, I'm not ashamed of them but they may bring up some questions that I'm not really ready yet to discuss with people so soon. Some I can't hide but there is no need to show everything just yet. Okay?" Elena nodded and after a moment to hang the clothes back she spoke.
"Okay, what are you uncomfortable showing?" Hermione smiled in appreciation.
"My upper legs, my stomach and my back." Elena nodded and turned back to the closet. Hermione was playing tic tac toe on her bed with jeremy on a loose scrap of paper after losing horrifically at rock paper scissors when they heard Elena shout out in excitement. They turned and watched as she carried out a few pieces of clothes.
"Here go try this on while I look for some shoes." Hermione shook her head at her bossy tone and meandered into the bathroom to change. She heard a knock from downstairs and was told by Elena and Jeremy that they were going to see who it was while she was dressing. She was now wearing a white off the shoulder peasant shirt with long sleeves, the waist was a corset that laces in the front and would accentuate her now thinner had paired this off with black leather pants, from when she dressed up as Sandy for Halloween, and a black choker necklace that had a small pentagram with a quartz crystal hanging from it. How the choker ended up in her closet she couldn't remember but she held it tightly to her heart before placing it around her neck. When they had found out she was a witch her mother had got this for her as a congratulatory gift for being accepted at Hogwarts. She looked in the mirror and decided that if she was going to go to a party she might as well go all out. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, focusing on the image that she wanted. She tapped her face lightly with her fingers and felt the coolness of her make up charm settle. She still had her wand but she no longer needed she snapped the elder wand at Harry's request she had been hit full force with a backlash of its magical power. Neither she nor Harry knew what the side effects would be, but one, Hermione found, was wandless and wordless magic. They had sequestered themselves up in the headmaster's office after the battle to speak with their previous Headmaster Albus Dumbledore about it. He was surprised that Hermione was even able to damage the wand, he had told them how many times before he had tried the same thing but that the wand would always protect itself. The wand was the physical embodiment of an omnipotent being, a portion of a god's magic. And though many no longer believed in the old gods, that did not diminish their capabilities and power. He theorized that the power held within the wand saw something in her and allowed her to snap its container, enabling it to transfer to her. He did tell them that he was not sure what that would mean for her but that they could assume she would be extremely powerful and need to learn to control it. What Harry didn't know was that Hermione had come back afterwards to speak to the headmaster alone. She knew he had more information that he didn't tell them, someone who spent the majority of their life hunting something would have to learn more than what he had told them.
~~FLASHBACK START~~
"Sir, please tell me what you know. Someone who has studied the Hallows for so long must know more than you told us before." Hermione was seated in a red plush chair that she had pushed in front of his portrait. The other painting watched curiously as she had requested Headmistress McGonagall to block them from hearing her conversation.
"There is much I know and much I still do not." She huffed and crossed her arms.
"Please! I don't understand what's happening to me. I feel on fire, like I'm burning up with too much energy and I am afraid of what can happen if I explode."
"Please do not fret. I will offer you what I know, but in return I ask you for a favor." She crossed her arms and glared at him before nodding. "Take a copy of my portrait with you, I have a strong feeling you will not wish to remain in England, and I do so miss traveling to the continent. This way I can switch between the two portraits and assist you with controlling your abilities as they come and still watch over the school." Hermione was partially tempted to tell him to sod off, after everything that happened to them in his care. But she couldn't turn him down. He may only be a portrait but he still had decades of knowledge that could help her, and boy did she need help. She nodded and was soon casting the spell on a small blank frame that she had in her small beaded bag. She had several random ones from when she packed her 'parents' house away after their deaths. Looking around she decided to pull out another blank frame for the one Headmaster who had yet to make an Appearance in his frame. She cast the spell one more time and left a note on the Headmistress's desk to inform Snape that he could visit her if he ever wanted to escape the castle full of dunderheads. She waited for Headmaster Dumbledore to jump to her small frame and back before nodding once more and leaving the office. She
Wanted to speak to him without worrying about being interrupted so decided to head back to the room she was staying in at the Leaky. When she was settled she enlarged the frame and leaned it against the wall and sat cross legged on the floor facing it with an open notebook in hand. She was going to grab her wand and tap the frame when he suddenly walked into it.
"H-how I didn't summon you with my wand yet?" She asked. He smiled and waved his hand.
"You did summon me, but you did so unintentionally, a side effect of the wand I am sure." He looked around his frame and waved his wand, she noticed it was not the elder wand, to conjure a high raised red chair.
"I wasn't aware portraits could perform magic in their frames."
"Most cannot, but I enchanted my portrait before having my image commissioned. At the time I was using the elder wand so my portrait has a bit more sentience than normal."
"Interesting , so the elder wand strengthened your spells?" She leaned further back in the bed behind her, tired from all the stress.
"Yes but the Elder wand also strengthened me as a whole and as it absorbs the strength from its previous hosts it shares that strength with the current wielder."
"So what does that mean for me?" He smiled gently but he spoke with a hint of sadness as he responded.
"No one has ever been in the situation you have found yourself in. The elder wand is not just a powerful wand, it is a gift bestowed to a human by the god of death, imbued with his power."
"You mentioned the Old religion to Harry and I earlier, but what does it mean to receive a gift from an old one?" she asked.
"The god of death, Arawn, rules the realm of Annwn, also called the Underworld. Annwn is believed to be a haven of the dead, where the wrongdoers are punished for their crimes and the good live peacefully. It is also believed to be the home of the gods. Now this changes culture to culture, and religion to religion, but the closest I have come to finding the true angel of death if you will, is the Welsh Arawn. He is often labeled as The Provider, the Virtuous, and the true Guardian of Lost Souls. He is the Old one whom I believe gifted the Elder wand to Antioch Peverell in the year 1292." He paused so she could finish writing the note she had begun to take. "That would make the wand over 700 years old. Now Arawn would have had to imbue the wand with some of his essence to ensure it survived so long with nary a scratch, I believe that he gave it some of his grace, or immortality." He paused long enough for her to look him in the eyes warily before continuing. "You absorbed all the power of the Elder wand, all its accumulated magic, abilities and knowledge. With this you absorbed the godly essence he placed in that wand. You would not have been able to do so if the wand did not find you a worthy host. My dear, you are essentially a demi-goddess." He watched as she dropped her quill and fainted, thankfully backwards against the bed she was leaning on.
~~FLASHBACK END~~
She remembered how she felt waking up and how many days and nights she spent going over all they knew about the elder wand as possible. They were able to determine that she had been granted some form of immortality when Hermione tested her blood and realized it was more similar to that of a vampire than a human. They had also discovered that she had control of magic that was unheard of, if she really focused she could just will the magic to work, no spells, words or wand necessary. When Ron had got into a fight with her she had found she had some control over the elements, she was so angry that on a perfect sunny day a bolt of lightning struck a tree by her friend.
She shook her head at the memories and examined her work in the mirror. The smokey eye and dark red lipstick made her feel sexy and she knew she looked it. The sunkenness that showed how malnourished she was, was hidden by the charm on her face and the outfit Elena chose complimented her thin shape but didn't showcase it in an obvious way. She heard loud voices coming by her door and stuck her head out in time to see Elena bring a tall dark haired male into her room. She shrugged her shoulders assuming it was her vampire boyfriend and closed her door. She decided to redecorate her room now that she was back for the long term. She took out her bag and removed the two frames she had and hung them in her room, one on each side of the room but diagonal from each other. She knew they weren't alarm systems and Severus Snape would scoff at the idea but she felt safer with Albus Dumbledore having a perfect view to the window side of her room and Severus Snape to the only door. The only two entry points of her room. She emptied less than half of her books onto her bed, this rounded up to approximately 200 books left in her bag and 100 to be shelved. Waving her arm she sent all the books in alphabetical order, to the bookshelf that formed the headboard of her bed, it was deep so she had no fear of any of them falling onto her in the night. All her dark books she kept in her bag, which was spelled to only open upon her request and only to those with permission. She took some pictures and placed them on her nightstand and dresser vanity. The one on her night stand was of her, Harry and Ron. They were relaxing under a large tree by the black lake, Harry's head was in her lap and she had one hand running through his hair while reading a book in the other. Ron was leaning against her reading a quidditch book and twirling his wand in his hand. The moving picture had a small amount of sentience and the mini harry waved at her as she placed the picture on the table. The two pictures she had on her vanity were of the members of Dumbledore's army and the Order of the Phoenix. She took out some parchment and ink and placed them on her desk next to her pens and notebooks. She'd only use this to send out letters to her wizarding friends. She sat on the bed and grabbed the communication mirror that she and Harry had fixed and called for her friend. It was currently 4 in the afternoon, she had spent several hours arranging her room, so it would have been 9pm in the UK.
"Harry Potter, Mirror one." She called. After a minute the glass seemed to ripple and she found the smiling face of her best friend. "Hey."
"Hermione!" He turned away from the mirror to call over his shoulder. "Hermione's on the mirror guys!" She laughed when several redheads came running to see her.
"Guys it's only been a day since I left." She laughed as Ginny shoved Ron away from the mirror.
"Yeah but a day is just too much with these two you left me with. I have no clue how you survived so long with these Git's." She commented as she kicked her brother in the knee.
"Hey! Lemme see my friend, stop hogging the mirror. Hermione I miss you, also I'm still miffed that you didn't join Harry and I in Auror training, who will color code my training schedule." Ron gave her a goofy grin causing her to laugh.
"Sorry Ron but if you want to owl me and I'll do it from here." he shook his head and handed the mirror to Harry before he and Ginny started wrestling for some reason she couldn't tell. Harry stepped away from the redheads and sat in the library of Grimmauld place.
"How was seeing everyone again?" He asked. She propped the mirror against her pillow as she
Laid on the bed.
"My Mum and Dad passed away last summer in a car accident." She felt a few tears fall as her friend comforted her, she told him about the Vampires and finding out she was adopted.
"So it must be genetic then," he said.
"What's genetic Harry?"
'`Well you became friends with the person who summoned danger at every corner in school and your sister is dating one of the most dangerous beings we know.' She couldn't help but smile at her friend's assessment.
"Yeah I guess you're right. Oh I have to go, Elena's dragging me to some founders day party. I'll call you later."
"Ok, have fun. Oh and myself and Ginny are free next week to come for an overnight visit, Ron's helping George get the shop started again before we start training"
"Sweet I'll let aunt Jenna know. Good night Harry."
"Night Mione, Mirror off."
"Mirror off." She put her mirror in her bag and shrunk the bag small enough that she could wear it on her wrist. The shape of the bag dangled just enough that it resembled a small charm bracelet. She looked at the time and decided to take a small nap before having to leave for the party at 6.
She heard knocking on her door and got up to answer. She opened her door to see her sister waiting for her. She was wearing a cute black dress and some light makeup.
"Hey, are you ready to go?" she asked. Hermione took a look in the mirror on her vanity and saw that she would need to fix her hair.
"Sorry I fell asleep, look how bout you guys go ahead and i'll meet you there, it's at the Founder's Hall place right." Elena sighed before nodding.
"Yeah, ok we'll meet you there if you're sure. Also Uncle John's here and with everything else I have a feeling it's not just a social call." Hermione nodded and went to the bathroom to start curling her hair before pinning it into a half up- half down style. She wondered why Uncle John came back, she barely remembered him but what she did remember was that he always talked about the supernatural when he visited. As kids they thought they were just stories, but knowing what she did now, she knew they were true. She also remembered her mother and father specifically telling them not to tell him about her magic, only telling Aunt Jenna. 30 minutes later she finally had her hair the way she liked it, she reapplied the make-up charm and grabbed the spare set of keys she's had since she was 10. She went downstairs and locked the door, she could have apparated directly to the Founders hall but decided that she would rather walk. It only took 15 to 20 minutes to get there by foot and she wasn't really in the mood to spend too long there anyway, this way she could leave with Elena.
Eventually she was walking up the entryway of the large Mansion-like building, she had many memories of playing here with Tyler and while their parents attended council meetings. She was always closer to Matt and Tyler whereas Elena was closer to Caroline and Bonnie, though they were all good friends before she left for school. She passed the foyer and saw Matt and Elena, she smiled and waved at her sister as she got closer. She would recognize those baby blue eyes and that crooked smile anywhere. Though Matt had definitely filled out since she last saw him. She waited until they were done talking before clearing her throat.
"Hey guys." Matt faced her and took a minute before he gave her the biggest smile she'd ever seen.
"Oh my god! Minnie Mouse! I can't believe it. When Elena told me you were back I was so relieved. I almost came rushing over to the house but she told me you were coming here." She gave him a hug before slapping his shoulder slightly.
"I still hate that nickname Matt." He gave her a goofy grin and shrugged.
"And I still don't care. Elena didn't tell me what happened to you, you'll tell me?"
"Yeah but not tonight, I just got back and it- it's not good Matty." he nodded and gave her shoulder a squeeze. "I'm going to grab something to drink. I'll catch you guys later." Elena nodded, told her to keep an eye out for Caroline and continued to talk to Matt as they walked away. She went towards the drinks and leaned against the wall watching everyone, her enhanced hearing letting her listen in on multiple conversations at normal gossip of who's sleeping with who and the upcoming Miss Mystic flowing around her. She heard her Aunt Jenna flirting with an older man to her right and noticed how he quickly left the room when Elena called for help with a fight that broke out. She was going to follow him when she spotted two men by the drinks that gave her an odd feeling, cold and warm at the same time and a small spark of energy. She realized that they had to be vampires, possibly one of the men Elena was dating. Curiosity peaked Hermione leaned back further into the wall to avoid attention and focused on the two dark haired beings. The taller of the two had a slightly more intense aura around him, darker somehow. They were both much taller than her 5 foot 5 height, closer to six feet, but the one with a darker aura was slightly taller than his companion. He had short dark blond hair that was spiked up. He was pale with vivid forest green eyes and had a strong angular jawline. All-in-all he was very handsome. This was more than likely Elena's boyfriend as he fit the description she gave earlier. That meant that his companion was more than likely the 'bad boy' brother Damon. Focusing on the brother, Hermione's breath hitched slightly. He was very handsome, and although Elena shared his bloody past, his aura was lighter than Stefans. More inviting, almost siren-like. He looked in her direction briefly and she gasped at how striking his eyes were, blue as the ocean. He had high cheekbones and dark hair, nearly black, that hung loosely by his ears. She could find herself in some trouble with this one if she wasn't careful. She was so distracted that she missed what was said and had to shake herself from her slightly inappropriate thoughts when she noticed them walk away. She wandered around greeting a few people she used to know, before long it was time for the mayor to give his speech. It shouldn't have surprised her that Tyler's dad was Mayor, she did feel bad for her old friend though. It wasn't easy for him to live up to his fathers demands before, she could just imagine what his expectations for his family were now.
"Thank you all, thank you very much, thank you. Thank you all for joining us tonight. In just a few moments we will officially begin the countdown to our upcoming Founders' Day celebration and it's a very special one this year. The one hundred and fiftieth birthday of our town." She watched as a bell on a table was wheeled next to him. And...and I would like to welcome back one of our town favorite's sons to do the honors of ringing our official charter bell. John Gilbert, would you please join me up here?" Hermione clapped as John Gilbert joined the mayor, they may not have been close but he was still family and she had to show her support, especially at event's like these.
"One hundred and fifty years of community, prosperity, family. We take care of each other, we look after each other, and protect each 's good to be home tonight though the Gilberts have something else to celebrate on this great day." He gave a dramatic pause and smiled down at the crowd before waving an arm in Hermione's direction. She blanched and tried to back away but there were too many people around her. "Our dearest Hermione has returned! Just last night my beautiful niece found herself home after having escaped the captivity of the ones that killed my cousins, the Grangers in a terrorist attack. We are extremely lucky to have her back after so long." Hermione blushed deeply at the attention but kept her chin up in a show of confidence she did not necessarily feel. All around her people were applauding and some even crying, such as who daintily dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief from her husband. Thankfully the mayor reclaimed the podium to speak.
"Yes it is a great joy to have her back safe and sound, but let us respect her privacy for she has had a difficult ordeal returning to us. Now on to…" She walked away from the crowd and went out towards a large tree she could lean against. Ever since the merge, as she started to call it, she felt calmer outside in the woods. Maybe it was that she absorbed power from the elderwood in the wand or maybe just the silence of nature soothed her chaotic thoughts. She leaned her head back, eyes closed, her arms crossed and her one booted foot flat against the tree as her other leg held her weight up. She heard a snap and smirked as she opened her eyes to stare defiantly into the blue ones mere inches from her.
"I wondered when one of you Salvatore brothers would introduce yourselves to me. You both are far too interested in Elena, near obsessive if the gossip around town is to be believed." She pushed off the tree to circle the vampire that followed her. "Hmm. So, which one are you?" She asked. He grinned and looked her up and down before leaning one shoulder on the tree she recently vacated.
"Damon Salvatore at your service, and who exactly are you Miss Gilbert? Elena has told me nothing about someone named Hermione and yet the whole town cheered at your return."
"The town would cheer on a hotdog if the mayor told them, a bunch of bloody hypocrites, the lot of them. That would make the other one Stefan Salvatore, Elena's boyfriend." She took two steps backwards before double checking that they were alone. "I'm surprised you didn't Compel one of the many guests here today to tell you." He flew forward grabbing her by the neck and throwing her against a nearby tree.
"There are far too many returning Gilberts that seem to know about me for my taste. Now you're going to tell me who you are before I snap your pretty little neck.." She sniggered at him and leaned forward slightly to look into his eyes.
"If Elena hasn't told you or your brother who I am, then you don't know her in the least, that or she doesn't trust your brother as much as he'd like. Which seeing as you are vampires, is a good thing." she licked her lips which were slightly tingly from the pressure around her neck. "Your detective skills are sorely in need of an update luv, if you never found out that she has a twin sister." He loosened his grip slightly in surprise. "Now." She glared at him and sent a blast of magic his way causing him to fly backwards into a tree. "I. DO." She stepped closer and raised her arm clenching her fist. "NOT. LIKE." He gasped in pain as she magically squeezed his heart. She released him long enough to twist her wrist and summon a ring of fires around him and the tree, the ring getting smaller and smaller until he was unable to move even a foot away from the tree. "BEING. THREATENED." She walked into the fire, the extreme heat not even burning her clothes. She tucked her finger under his chin and leaned into his chest to whisper in his ear. "If you threaten or hurt my family in any way I will burn you to a crisp." She walked away not looking back once, when she was a foot away from the entrance she flicked her wrist and banished the fire, letting Damon free. Once she was inside she rushed to the bathroom and splashed water on her face to cool down. Her heart was racing from the adrenaline and she needed to take a deep gulp of air. When he grabbed her she flashed back to Malfoy Manor, She reacted on instinct when she pushed him away. But something about him set her off, made her feel both threatened and aroused, slightly out of control. She didn't like it and needed to put him in his place. She knew she put a target on her back, but she also knew he couldn't hurt her, she just needed to make sure he couldn't hurt her family either. She was liking her sister dating a vampire less and less by the minute. Some more experienced vampires were ok, she met a few during Slughorn's Slug Parties, but this one was slightly unhinged and his brother's aura was darker than his. She looked in the mirror, noting that her charm was still perfectly in place even though she used a decent amount of magic on Damon, and turned the water off. She exited the bathroom and was going to head out, the party had simmered down and the last of the guests had departed out the front door. She was about to follow them when she heard noise coming from one of the main rooms. Curious, she leaned against the wall as she listened to the raised voice coming from the room.
" Let's go." She recognised the deep voice as Mayor Lockwood. He sounded angry.
"Dad, I'm sorry. I don't even know what happened. I was drinking and...I lost control. I can't explain it." she covered her mouth when she heard a loud slap echo through the room.
"That is the last time you ever embarrass this family, you can walk home alone tonight as a lesson." He stormed out of the room, not noticing Hermione by the door. She waited a minute before sneaking into the room to comfort the friend she missed the most from Mystic Falls. He didn't notice her as she came in which gave her a moment to see how much he changed in the last two years. He filled out a lot, similar to Matt and more than likely due to being a football player. He was wearing a suit which complemented his tan skin. His black hair was shorter than she remembered he used to style it and his dark brown eyes looked almost gold in the light. He was hunched over on the small loved seat, his head in his hands, she could see red on the right side of his face and clenched her hands in anger. She sat next to him, causing him to jump in surprise, having not heard her come in. He faced her in confusion and bushed in embarrassment when he realized she had to have heard his father hit him. She had always disliked his father, he was a brute who encouraged Tyler to bully those weaker than him and treated others with such an air of superiority it sickened her. Tyler and he always butted heads because Tyler had a natural inclination to defend those with less, he always wanted to help others, but his father would try to beat his kind nature out of him. Yes he had a hot temper but he always meant well. She and Tyler had always been close, even when no one else except for Matt liked him. Elena much preferred Matt and would often ignore the Lockwood heir. But for some reason, Hermione and Tyler defied the odds and stayed close and true friends. Even after she started attending Hogwarts they remained close, though she could tell he started behaving differently as they got older, with her he was able to take his walls down.
"Do you remember when you ran away from home for three days and I hid you in my room under my bed and fed you granola bars?" She ran her hand down the side of his face as she spoke, healing his injury slightly so he wouldn't feel the sting as much but not too much that he would suspect anything. She smiled when she noticed that he recognised her. His eyes lit up and he rushed to give her a large hug. She felt her heart clench when she noticed her shirt was dampening with tears. "Hey, it's ok Ty, I'm back, it's ok." She patted and rubbed his back for a few minutes before his pride kicked in and he hastily wiped his eye's before facing her again. His eye's scanned her over as though he couldn't believe she was there.
"How? Everyone was so worried about you, and when your cousins were found, Mia I thought you were dead." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, wondering briefly if she should cut it as her finger got stuck in a knot.
"There are some things i can't tell you just yet, i will but some things, i'm not ready to talk about yet. Please understand."
"I do, just, tell me what you can for now." He grabbed her hand and linked his fingers through hers.
"I hate that your father hits you, you know that." He nodded and squeezed her hand in encouragement to share her story. "Ok, we'll instead of coming home for christmas break like I usually did I stayed with my cousins, some friends had invited me to a few social functions I couldn't really turn down. But at the beginning of the break a group of cloaked men broke into the house and killed Dan and Emma. They were tortured in front of me before being killed. These men where apart of a group of terrorists that had targeted one of my close friends, Harry, in England because of his parents and their involvement in a special branch of government. Because I am one of his best friends I was targeted. They wanted information and were going to use me as bait. They kidnapped me and held me captive for a month before I was rescued. The police thought it was safe enough for me to return to school, everyone thought the Grangers were my adoptive parents and I didn't tell anyone the truth because I was scared that the terrorist group would come here." Even though she was not telling him the full truth, reliving the memories of her capture was difficult. She started to shake and he pulled her into his arms as she spoke. "When summer came they still had not caught the group that attacked me. I stayed over at the Weasleys, the family of Harry and my other friend Ron, and was helping them plan a wedding of their eldest son Bill. At his wedding we had been attacked again and the three of us ended up in hiding. We moved so much to stay safe and we couldn't speak to anyone, friends or family. Eventually we were able to come out of hiding, we were used as bait to get the leader of the group to come out in the open. We were stuck in the middle of a bloody battle. So many died on both sides and I had to do unthinkable things to survive." She wiped the tears that fell as she cried. "I needed a few months to heal physically and get everything together so I could come home."
"Wow, I don't know how to react to that. You've gone through so much, but-but you're here now and to me that's all that matters. I missed you so much." She smiled and gave him a hug before standing and holding her hand out for him to take.
"Come on, it wouldn't be the first time I walked you home after your dad got mad at you." He shook his head and followed her out. "Plus who's going to protect you from the monsters." She said cheekily.
"You probably weigh less than my football gear, I'll be the one protecting you." he said as he threw his arm over her shoulders and left with her out the door.
"We'll see Lockwood, we'll see."