Hermione fiddled with her backpack, as she nervously sat and waited on a street bench for her ride. She was currently waiting for her escort from the Volturi to pick her up. She had been excited before arriving. Happy to be free of her dreaded desk and away from the people who thought they had the right to judge her, though they hid under a rock when the time came to stand up.
She had been in Italy for a week already and had spent that time at the Italian Ministry of Magic learning what she could about their interactions with the large coven of vampires in their country. They seemed to operate on a fine line of imaginary truce. Magical citizens of Italy were instructed to not enter Volterra. The vampires were not to be found in or around any of the magical cities in Italy. Those were the current laws and yet she'd heard from the employees and some citizens of the fights that broke out between the two. Words said with hatred, reports of buildings destroyed, the large number of deaths or missing persons.
She was more wary now. Her magic putting her on high alert, making sure she was aware of that in the corner of her eyes that one might normally dismiss. Her occlumency shields were a godsend. She wanted to learn, to see the world. She was determined to do this job right and get as much as she could out of this opportunity. She took the time while waiting to organize her thoughts and compartmentalize them, allowing herself to be able to aware of her magic and surroundings, but not letting it overwhelm her.
She was pulled from her thoughts as a sleek black car pulled up before her. Having spent most of her time in the wizarding world, she was unfamiliar with the make and model of the car, but could clearly see that it must have cost a very pretty penny. The tint on the windows was very dark and she could not make out the driver. The passenger window facing her lowered just a few inches and a voice called out to her.
"Miss Hermione Granger?" A man asked.
"Yes." She confirmed, standing up and moving closer.
"My name is Felix. I am here to take you to take you into Volterra." Felix said.
Hermione climbed into the fancy car and put on her seatbelt before taking a quick look at the driver. He was pale and his red eyes were bright in the dark of the car. She did her best not to let her surprise show. She had known she would be meeting with vampires, but she didn't quite expect to be spending her first moments with one inside a car in close quarters.
"Do not have any other bags?" He asked.
She shook her head. "No, I've got everything I need right here." She said indicating her small backpack. She had retired her old beaded bag in favor of something that was a little easier to carry and didn't stand out as much when out and about in everyday clothes.
They quietly made their way to their destination until Felix pulled into an underground garage. Parking the car, they got out and she followed him behind him taking in the other cars in the garage. Some were SUVs, but many were expensive sport cars. "Are all the fancy cars a necessity?" She asked with humor.
Felix turned his bright eyes to her and smirked. "We like to drive fast."
"Men and their toys." She muttered under her breath while rolling her eyes. Her cheeks flushed at the sound of Felix's laugh. She had forgotten about their enhanced hearing capabilities.
He eventually led through the building before they came to a set of intricately designed double doors. So far, she had been amazed about the architecture and the various pieces of art that they had passed by. Her eyes took in the symbol of the Volturi marked on the doors, and her nerves reignited. Felix pushed open the doors and moved to the side and indicated with his arm that she should go first. Taking a deep breath, she strengthened her occlumency shields to help hide and get control of her emotions and stepped forward into the room.
The room was a large one. There were many hooded figures wearing black cloaks that lined the walls to her left. Glancing at them, she could see them watching her carefully. If it had not for the bright red eyes that seemed to glow under the dark hoods and tracked her progress across the room, following her every step, she might have thought them to be statues. Her eyes moved forward to the three vampires that sat on a set of thrones at the front center of the room. Their eyes also studied her carefully. When she finally arrived directly before them, she gave a small curtsy in greeting. Standing back up she greeted them.
"Hello, my name is Hermione Granger." She said, thankful that her voice sounded confident.
"Welcome to Volterra Miss Granger." The vampire in the middle answered. Had dark hair and smile that made her uneasy. "This is Caius and Marcus." He said indicating first the blonde vampire and then the other dark haired one. In a flash he was in front of and held his hand out in greeting. "And I am Aro."
She placed her hand into his to shake it when he placed his other hand over hers holding it in place. She shivered at the cold.
"Very interesting my dear." He said, before placing a brief kiss upon her hand and releasing her.
Seeing the confused expression on her face, he explained. "It seems I am unable to read your mind."
Hers eyes widened in shock. She had heard rumors that there were some vampires that had special abilities, but she had not expected to encounter them so soon much less for one of the kings to have one. "You can read minds?" She asked.
"I can… to an extent." He confirmed. "Though it feels like a wall blocking me out of yours, a barrier of some kind."
"I do have my occlumency shields up so that may be why." She said offered. "Occlumency is the practice of mind arts to protect from outside intrusion or influence. They also help me to remain in control of my thoughts and feelings." She explained.
"Are there others you've encountered that can read minds?" He asked her curiously.
"Not many, but yes. We call it legilimency. It is not a widely practiced ability as it requires rigorous discipline and training." She answered.
Aro moved swiftly back to his throne. He had so wanted to read her mind but knew that it was not wise to push the tiny witch. He knew they would benefit from having her support and assistance, and from the information he had acquired, he knew she could cause quite a bit of damage if they were to anger her.
"Please tell us what it is you need and how we can help you." He indicated for her to speak.
"Both the International Confederation of Wizards and the British Ministry of Magic have decided to reevaluate some of the current laws and regulations regarding those who fall under the Department of Regulation of Magical Creatures. I've been requested to do some in depth research of your laws and way of life so that I may present it to them to aide in their decision making." She introduced hoping they would not be offended by the term magical creatures.
The blonde vampire, Caius, looked her over. "You seem quite young to be given such a task of great importance." He stated.
"I have some experience with a similar task." She answered carefully. "My last project like this was in regard to those who suffer from lycanthropy."
She stiffened and had to refrain herself from taking a step backwards at the sudden vicious snarl that escaped from Caius. Her hand slipped into her pocket and she gripped her wand tightly, just barely refraining from pulling it out, not wanting to present herself as a threat.
"Calm yourself, Caius." Aro told him. "You must excuse his reaction, my dear. He had an unfortunate interaction with werewolves that leaves him with a less than pleasant feelings for them."
Hermione took a breath but did not remove her hand from her pocket holding her wand. "I fully understand. I, myself, have had less than ideal interactions with some werewolves that have left me wary of some of them."
"Yet you were able to complete your previous research with them?" Aro asked intrigued.
"Yes, as with witches and wizards, even muggles or those without magic, there are both good and bad ones. I would have been unfair of me to base all my interactions on those who have harmed me or my friends when there were also others who did just the opposite. This is also why I was chosen, as I make it a point to try my best in not letting any biases affect my research."
"My intentions are to learn what I can and hopefully use that knowledge to help bridge any gaps we may have so that any amendments made can benefits all parties involved." She answered.
"Wonderful." Aro said happily. His eyes flickered behind to somewhere behind her. "I think perhaps we can have Felix show you to your rooms while we discuss a few things, but I think I can say for all of that we hope to be able to assist you with your goals."
"Thank you." She said sincerely. She turned to see Felix opening the door back to the hallway they came from and turned to follow him.
Felix delivered her to her new residence and left her to inspect the suite she was given on her own. It was certainly a beautiful set of rooms with French doors that opened to a balcony overlooking the sights of Italy. Now that she was alone, she took out her wand a placed some wards on the room to alert her of anyone arriving and protect against those with intent to cause her harm.
Once done, she stepped out onto the balcony to take in the sights before her while she had the time alone. Her magic was even more on edge, which did not a surprise her considering she was surrounded by vampires in close proximity and tried to relax knowing it wasn't going to ease up any time soon. These vampires were different than she had originally imagined though. Definitely sneaky, she thought, remembering Aro's attempt to read her mind. She let out a sigh before turning back into her room to look over her notes and prepared questions while she waited for them to be available again to meet with her.
It was early evening when she finally heard a knock on her door. Opening it she found Felix and a vampire she had briefly seen early but had not yet met.
"Good evening," She greeted.
"Good evening Miss. Granger. My name is Dimitri." The new vampire introduced. He was shorter and his build was smaller than Felix's. "The masters have asked us to bring you to them as they are ready for you once more."
Hermione nodded and quickly grabbed her journal and pens before following the two of them. She had expected to be taken back to the throne room she had been in before and was instead surprised to find herself in a smaller more intimate room. Each of the kings were seated when she arrived, but Aro stood when she walked into the room in greeting.
"Miss. Granger, thank you for coming and for your patience." Aro said.
"Please, call me Hermione." She said. "And no apologies necessary. I am here to learn what you will allow me to and realize you still have other duties that require your attention."
Aro gave her a smile. "Please, have a seat." He said indicating the couch across from where he and Marcus were sitting with a small coffee table between them. Caius remained seated in a chair farther back as he watched her with unwavering eyes.
Feeling his attention, she double checked her occlumency shields while taking her seat. She opened her journal to prepare. "I have explained my purpose or goals here, but would like to know if there is anything you are hoping to achieve through assisting me?"
Aro stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Our utmost concern is the safety of our kind. Most of our actions and own laws are to protect us from outside threats."
"Do you have examples of some what you consider a threat?" She asked making notes in her journal.
"Just as s your world does, maintaining the secret of our kind is at the top of the list." He answered. "We do not allow humans to know about our existence, for reasons I believe you understand."
"Yes, we have the statute of secrecy in place which forbids those with magic of speaking about it to those who are either not magical or not directly related to those who are." She confirmed. "When you say humans, do you mean all humans?"
"Those in your magical world already know of us, and as you have mentioned you have your own laws in place for protection. This seems to work in our favor as for a witch or wizard to reveal information about us would be in violation of your owns laws." He answered.
At Hermione's nod of confirmation, he continued. "Another concern is an attack from others. We are aware that in some countries, wizards have a 'kill on sight' order. Our own relations with the wizards here in Italy are not the best. I'm sure you can see why we find that so concerning."
Hermione nodded again, still taking careful notes. "Is there anything else.?" She asked.
"Yes." He spoke. "We would like to remain free from outside influences." At her questioning glance he further explained. "Although, you have your own governing body, we feel that as we do not possess magic in the same sense that you do nor have the capabilities of your own kind, we should remain a separate entity and to maintain the ruling of our kind as we have done so for thousands of years."
"I understand your concerns. While I am unable to make any decisions of my own regarding the laws in place, I will also submit any recommendations that I feel will benefit both of our worlds along with my research." Hermione said.
Aro nodded his acceptance. They spent the next couple hours discussing the vampires and each of the three kings allowed her to sit with them individually for more in-depth interviews. Before long, night had fallen, and it had gotten quite late. Felix was called and escorted Hermione back to her rooms.
"Do you have any special abilities?" She asked curiously to the tall vampire who was always escorting her.
"Abilities such as Master Aro?" He asked. He let her catch up to beside him instead of trailing behind him as they continued to her rooms.
She nodded.
"Not in the same way. When we go through the change it enhances everything about ourselves. When I was human, I was strong and an expert in combat. As a vampire those traits have only increased." He explained.
That explained why he was the one escorting her, she thought. A possible threat residing as a guest in your home, and she'd want the best fighter she had to keep an eye on them and be near by to stop them if needed. She looked up at him as they walked and waited until he glanced down to meet her eyes before she gave him a bold smirk.
"I could take you on."
His answering laugh echoed in the hall around them.
They had bantered the remaining way to her rooms, and he left her there to retire for the evening. Hermione was exhausted yet still excited at what she had learned, and so she went through her notes from that day, taking the time to reorganize them and to prep for the following day. Once finished she took a quick shower before climbing into the bed her eyes falling shut almost immediately.
Her sleep was soon disturbed with memories of the war filling her nightmares. Tears fell from her closed eyes as a knife cut into her arm, not only cutting her open but pouring liquid fire into every letter it carved. She tried to turn away at the feel of the hot breath of the werewolf as he whispered filthy words in her ears and licked the blood from her open wounds. She screamed at the cruciatus as it burned through her veins in a never-ending assault.
She gasped and woke suddenly at the cold that brushed her forehead pulling her from her nightmares. In reflex, she bolted upright wand in hand pointed at the threat. She could feel her heart pounding and the ragged breathes that left her mouth as she tried to get a grip on her surroundings. Lumos she whispered, her wand lighting up the room.
Aro stood beside the bed, his hand frozen in outreach. Caius and Marcus stood farther back but watched her warily. At the door were Felix, Dimitri, and a few others she did not recognize. A loud snarl filled the room and she jumped out of the bed and away from the vampires. Realizing she had her wand pointed at Aro, she lowered it, hoping to ease the thick tension in the room and to not appear threatening. Attacking one of the kings in their own territory would not end well for her.
"My apologies." She said, her voice hoarse and cracking.
"Leave." Aro ordered.
Her heart dropped. She scrambled to find something to say, but her mind was still racing from her nightmare unable to articulate the words she needed to defend herself or try to explain.
Aro turned his head away from her to the vampires in the room. "Now." He said, the tone harsh. She realized he wasn't referring to her.
"Master-" A small feminine voice spoke in pleading.
Hermione did not hear any other words spoken and assumed they must have seen something in his expression as they had all disappeared in less than a second, gone from the room. Aro turned back to look at her, his eyes scrutinizing her appearance.
"We heard screaming." He explained. "We were concerned that someone had harmed you against our orders."
"I'm sorry." She said softly. "I was so tired I didn't think to put up any silencing spells. I won't forget again so as not to disturb anyone."
His gaze softened. "Do you have these nightmares often?" He asked softly.
She felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment and reluctantly nodded. "They aren't always so vocal." She hated admitting her weakness. "I will ensure I do not disturb you again."
"Let us know if you need anything." He said. "Rest now." He looked her over once more before he too was gone in a flash, leaving her along again.
"Calm yourself brother." Aro ordered.
He let out another angry snarl. "She threatened you." He said through gritted teeth. "She threatened all of us."
"Have peace, brother." He said as he moved to take a seat. "She was just taken by surprise. She did not attack anyone."
"She had her wand pointed at you!" He argued.
Aro rolled his eyes. "She was in shock and preparing to defend herself if needed. You would have been less composed if you had seen what her nightmares entailed."
A surprised look crossed Marcus's face. "You've seen?" He asked.
"I have." Aro answered. "The shields she mentioned, must have fallen in her sleep."
Caius threw himself into a chair petulantly. "At least tell us what you learned."
"There is definitely more to her than meets the eye. She intrigues me more than the Cullens did at their most recent visit. She's intelligent and is quite strong. I almost wish I could see her in action rather than through her past memories." He said almost fondly. He then frowned. "She has suffered much."
Hermione stared at the suddenly empty room. Slowly she walked to the door and shut it gently, leaning against it and sighed as she slipped to the floor. Her eyes filled with tears in frustration and embarrassment. Although there were only a few of the vampires in her room, she knew most if not all had heard her nightmares echo through the halls. Roughly wiping her eyes, she got up and placed a silencing spell on her room and another to magically lock the door. They would have to break the door down if they wanted to enter through it now.
Climbing back into the bed she curled herself up under the covers, trying to find comfort to ease the soreness of her body and calm her shaking limbs. She buried her face into the pillow as she softly cried herself back to sleep. The war might have been over and won, but she felt like she was still fighting a battle every night in her mind, body, and soul. It left her exhausted and empty.
