Lunar Love
Chapter 2
Pairing: Jacob x Hermione's
…
"Well this is really unexpected." said Bella slowly moving aside to allow her baby cousin in the house.
"Mum said she would call Charlie before sending me off." the girl spoke full of anxiety now, "If you guys weren't expecting me I could always stay at a hotel or something?" offered Hermione as she looked at her older cousin for an answer.
Bella contemplated her cousin for a moment and with a deep breath pulled the younger into a tight hold, her nerves relaxing when instead of a cold, hard, marble exterior, soft human curves and skin reacted to her touch and a soft fluttering of a heartbeat was felt.
"You are most definitely one hundred percent staying in this house Hermione Jean Granger. How else will I be able to drive you to school." said a smirking Bella
"Actually I already graduated. This June was my last year." said Hermione turning to look at her elder cousin once more, her magical core reacting quite violently to her cousin's touch, shocking her. Bella, for all intents and purposes appeared completely and without a doubt human.
"Bu-but that's not fair I'm eighteen and still a senior." said Bella pouting a little bit and pointing an accusatory finger at Hermione before grabbing one of the bags left on the front porch. When Hermione did the same with her remaining bags she closed the door behind them, walking in front of the younger girl to lead her to her room.
"Hey there's my other favorite girl." said Charlie walking up to Hermione with his arms open waiting for a hug. Hermione did not disappoint, her bags were soon forgotten on the inside of the door as she welcomed Charlie quite desperately. A much more warming greeting than the one she bestowed upon Bella, but Charlie … her magic never questioned him. In fact a familiar warming surrounded her before it too surrounded her uncle, the familiar cocoon she remembered, but never recognized it for what it was, enveloping the both of them.
"It's good to see you too, Uncle Charlie. How have you been?" asked Hermione stepping away from her uncle and his sorely missed hugs, she watched almost nostalgically as her magic once more receded into herself.
"I've been good, but what about you? When your mother called it sounded like a maniac was after you." said Charlie with a smile
"C'mon Uncle Charlie that's absolutely ridiculous. There's no homicidal maniac after me, or for that matter any of my friends." said Hermione returning the smile
'At least not anymore, I'll just keep that part to myself though.'
"Well then if that's the case and you're just looking for a change of scenery and a visit I guess it's alright." said Charlie already going back to finish his meal in the kitchen "I'll just go back and finish eating that way you girls can catch up."
"Thanks Dad!" yelled Bella already dragging Hermione up the stairs to their now shared room. The electric shock, from Bella's touch was like a warning beacon for the young witch and she briefly wondered why this was happening from the older girl's presence. She hadn't recalled her magic doing this when they were children.
Bella's room hadn't changed much from the previous year. It was still that same green color with low hanging lights dangling from random places on the many walls. The only main difference in her room that could be seen was the second bed on the other side of the room; which Charlie must have put there while Bella was with the Cullens.
"Wow. This is great Bells!" said Hermione truly meaning it. It wasn't overly luxurious like the newly renovated Grimmauld Place, nor was it teeming with clutter everywhere, it was rather homey if she could call it, and she found, while not the same colors, had an air resembling that of the Gryffindor Common Room.
"Really are you sure? I could always sleep on the couch, or clear out one of the other rooms." Bella quickly said not seeing the content look on her cousin's face.
'After sleeping on the cold forest floor, I won't complain..' thought Hermione to herself but smiling at her older cousin anyway, "It's brilliant! Unless you don't miss me as much as you say you do and would rather me sleep in the living room… on the cold hard couch... in the lonely desolated main floor of the house." trailed off Hermione as Bella began squeezing the life out of her in a hug. It was obvious by now that Hermione was the only one feeling anything towards their shared touches with the older girl. Her mind racing quickly trying to come up with an answer to why it would continuously be happening. The only thing for almost certainty though was her scars. That's when things like that began to happen anyway.
"No. Absolutely not. I am perfectly fine if you are." stated Bella happily letting go of her cousin and offered her a small smile.
"So tell me all about this magical school you've been too, that has kept you from writing me the past seven years?" questioned Bella to Hermione
"Magical?" asked Hermione shocked.
"Yeah." nodded Bella, "You know magical, extravagant, awesome. Enough so, that you can never write or call us." said Bella confused by her cousin's reaction and decided to store it away for later use.
"Oh, that." said Hermione as she let out a relieved sigh, "Well the school isn't in England; it's in Scotland and they have very strange transportation methods. Plus one of the first rules is that there's no kinds of electronics in the castle."
'Oh bugger.' thought Hermione as Bella jumped up and down in excitement.
"What do you mean a castle?" she questioned
"The boarding school is a castle. Look I have pictures but could we wait until tomorrow to show them. I'm dreadfully tired." conceded Hermione quietly, she truly hated lying to the other girl, they were practically sisters growing up, but for her magic to clash so dangerously against Bella was completely confusing to her and while a small part of her wished to catch up, an even bigger part of her wanted the bloody hell away from the girl.
"Oh alright." said Bella sighing in defeat, "But tell me, did you meet any friends while you were at this school?" asked Bella
"Yeah." said Hermione quietly as she changed into her night clothes a short lavender two piece that had flowers imprinted on the breast, with shorts stopping just under her butt, "I had a lot of friends. I was very close to two though, over the year they became like my brothers, Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter." finished Hermione subconsciously flinching waiting for the yell and squeal but remembering that Bella was a muggle turned around looking at her cousin.
"Looks like seven years don't have anything on us huh?" said Bella as she was dressed in almost the exact same thing only the flowers on her one pieced nightgown were on the straps not the breast and stopped right where Hermione's did. Just under her butt.
"Yea I guess so." said Hermione looking back at her cousin then at the same time both busted into fits of laughter.
"Girls. I love you both but if you don't shut up you'll both be sleeping in the woods!" yelled Charlie from downstairs
"Yes Charlie!" yelled back the two girls as Bella went over and turned out the light and made her way to her bed across from the one Hermione was already occupying.
"Night 'Mione." whispered Bella into the dark saying her cousin's old nickname as well
"Night Bells." replied back Hermione but all she got back was Bella's even breathing, then muttering one last time before drifting into oblivion as well "Night Bells."
…
"Wake up! Wake Up! Hermione!" yelled Bella as she jumped on her cousin's bed who shot up like she dreamt about her red-haired friend's eating habits
"I'm up. I'm up." said Hermione causing Bella to smile even wider and remove herself from her bed.
'Coast is clear. It's time for bed…' thought Hermione drifting off once more then falling back on her temporary bed.
"Hermione." whined out Bella this time pulling the sheets off her cousin's body who merely ignored her elder cousin and curled in on herself trying to drift back asleep.
It didn't work.
"Hermione…" whined Bella once more, "you have to get up to drive me to school."
"Why? Didn't Charlie get you a truck?" questioned Hermione burying her head in her pillow to drown out her elder cousin's voice.
"Well yea but if you don't bring me to school you won't be able to meet my friends." said Bella now with a pout on her face.
"Yeah, well. What happens if I say I don't wanna meet your friends?" muffled out the witch stubbornly, the Weasley boys obviously having corrupted her sleeping habits, a thought to deal with when she was actually conscious though.
"Then I'll cry." said Bella still with her pout only now crossing her arms, an act the younger girl refused to look at.
"So cry." said Hermione rolling over hoping that that would be the end of the conversation, but sensing the angry flair of her aura spoke once more, "Besides I don't know how to drive standard."
"I'll teach you." said Bella happy again.
"This morning?" asked Hermione lifting her head from her pillow, facing Bella and raising one of her eyebrows.
"Of course not silly, maybe later this week if you want." said Bella happy she got her cousin at least sitting up, "Charlie felt like you might want to hang around people your own age so he decided to rent you a car, silly." stated Bella mater-of-factly.
"No he didn't," Hermione spoke hoping to call the girl on the accusation, "I can't let him do that." fully awake and alert, sleep having been officially lost to her for the remainder of the day.
"Really but it's such a nice car? Besides he used it with the money your mom sent over for a reason such as that. You still have like $5,000 left over." said Bella in her motherly tone pointed finger and all.
"I don't need a vehicle." pouted Hermione standing up and walking to her trunk to pick out her outfit of the day.
"Going to walk everywhere?." said Bella sarcastically, launching herself onto her cousin.
"Alright, alright. Just get out so I can get dressed." said Hermione as she pushed her elder cousin out of their room before she could protest and locked her out finally able to change.
"I'd rather face Bellatrix again than go through that torture." said Hermione softly then shaking her head to rid herself of those depressing thoughts and pulled out a pair of blue jeans, a double skinny studded belt, and a regular white t-shirt.
She gently slid off the top of her silk p.j.'s and examined her scarred stomach and shoulder. Dolohov's curse did a number on her in fifth year, but the scar she knew was on her back was the worst. That was the one she had never been able to look at for too long if at all.
'Damn that woman. I hope she's rotting in hell for all the pain she's caused.' thought Hermione but stopped her train of thoughts shocked that she could sound so hateful.
'I guess it's true, war really does change a person.' she thought bitterly.
"Hermione are you almost ready? I'm gonna be late!" exclaimed Bella
"Coming!" yelled back Hermione as she finished dressing and walked out the door.
"Finally. Now come on or we're gonna be late." said Bella dragging her cousin
"We?" asked Hermione with a smirk
"Oh shut up. Lucky son of a-…" Bella trailed off with a smile on her face as soon as she heard her baby cousin laugh again
"So what kind of crappy rental car has Charlie gotten me?" asked Hermione
"I heard him muttering something about a Honda. So who knows." said Bella letting go of Hermione's hand and skipping down the stairs to grab both her and Hermione a slice of toast.
"Bye Charlie. We love you!" screamed Bella rushing back to where she came, grabbed Hermione hand and shoved her into the drivers seat of her temporary Ridgeline.
"Love you too. Good luck Hermione." he muttered quietly to himself.
…
"You sure you don't want to get out?" asked Bella as she got out of the truck.
"Nope. I don't think I will." replied Hermione tensely, muggle kids were absolutely awful and teenagers tended to be ruthless. "I agreed to drive you to school." corrected Hermione pointedly.
"Yeah, so you can meet some of my friends." spoke Bella in her patronizing voice again.
"I don't remember that part." muttered Hermione turning her head away from her cousin, adjusting the sunglasses she didn't need on her face.
"I won't push then …" agreed Bella just as five kids walked up to her truck. The bronze haired boy and the others sent that same shocking sensation through her body just as she got every time her cousin touched her.
"Causing quite a scene today. Aren't we Bella?" questioned Edward as he came from behind her and placed his arm around her shoulders
"Hey Edward." replied Bella with a smile as she wrapped her own arm around his waist, "And it's not my fault. The kids here are nosy." stated Bella pointing to her Lauren and her click.
"I'm Hermione Granger-" started Hermione only to be interrupted by Bella jumping on her, indirectly causing a painful shock to travel through her shoulder and spine. She barely reigned in her magic from striking back at the defenseless girl.
"My baby cousin. Who decided she would graduate school before me." said Bella only muttering the last part forgetting that her boyfriend's family would hear her.
"You graduated already?" asked Alice jumping up to Hermione, causing the shock to grow even more intensely.
"Yes. I've always been very studious." replied Hermione with a raised eyebrow, "Anyway I should be going if I want to get all my shopping done before tonight. Will you need a ride home Bells?" asked Hermione
"No we can drop her off if she wants." spoke Edward as Bella tightened her grip on her beaux.
"Alright. I'll see you later then. It was nice to meet you all."
"Oh Hermione!" yelled Bella as Hermione backed up her temporary truck, then looked out her window
"Dad wanted me to tell you we're going to the Rez tomorrow night you might wanna pick up some more jeans. We usually get pretty dirty over there. Those boys like their tantrums." said Bella loudly once more gaining the attention of the school parking lot.
Hermione nodded happily, before entering her truck and driving away from the school. She felt a sudden ounce of guilt for the amount of relief she suddenly felt. That same relief far outweighed the guilt though so she just chose to ignore the fact that the further from her cousin and her boyfriend's family she got, the less she received the strange pain that spontaneously doused her body from being in their presence.
Those eyes though, the cold that seemed far too unnatural than was allowed in this rural environment, and the epitome of perfection that was the Cullens explained everything to Hermione. Her old scars caused by the cursed blade of Bellatrix Lestrange and the claw and fangs of a not fully transformed werewolf reacted violently to those people because they were not people at all, merely ghosts and hard shells of the beings they once were, all that remained were vampires. And if Bella reacted similarly towards her magic lashing out at these creatures it could only mean that the girl was being fed on by one of them. Whether willingly or not though, was the only question Hermione had unanswered.
…
Edited: 04/24/2020