AN: Thank you to all the readers who have taken the time to review. I have already have incorporated one reader's wish to have Draco Malfoy in the story but he is a good guy this time! Clumsy!
So in this chapter Hermione comes face to face with Jacob and I just want you all to understand this story is going to be from Hermione's point of view unless it's absolutely necessary to have another POV like with Harry when he was stressing over her safety. I wanted to do this without the wolfy POV, how a girl sees it from the outside; so there won't be a Jacob POV for the meeting!
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Hermione woke to a warm breeze blowing through the open window just above her head and another open window just above her left hip. It was a good feeling to see the sun coming through those windows and listen to the birds chirping.
She sat up with a soft sigh and headed to the little bathroom attached to the guest room that would be hers for the summer. She had a very relaxing hot shower and then did her hair and put on some mascara and lip balm and then went to get dressed. While she was choosing a pink tank to go with her khaki Capri's and black Croc flip flops she decided to go hunt down Sam and solve the magical mystery.
He wasn't anywhere in the house so she headed out the front door to have a look around outside. She finally found him in the garage with Seth Clearwater with his head stuck under the hood of his truck.
"Fuck it all, I wish Jake would hurry his ass back here. I don't know one end of the engine from the other!" Sam growled.
Seth cleared his throat and started laughing which made Sam turn around quickly.
"Sorry Hermione, I wasn't trying to be crude. Jake usually handles all our vehicle issues and since he's out of town at the moment I'm a little screwed." Sam apologized.
"No worries, what seems to be the problem?" She asked.
"It's rattling and it jerks when I put my foot on the gas pedal." He informed her.
"Well I know this is going to sound like an odd request but if I fix your truck for you, will you answer a question for me in private?" Hermione offered. She didn't have to worry about hiding what she was because they all knew before she got there. Last night at dinner they kept asking her to do magic and talk about her school years and the hunt for Horcruxes.
"I think I can handle that deal!" Sam said with relief clear in his voice.
Hermione whipped out her wand and pointed it at the engine and muttered, "Reparo." When she was finished she pocketed her wand, "It should have no problems now Sam."
He got in the car and started the engine and sure enough it ran like it was fresh out of the factory.
"Thanks Hermione; that magic comes in quite handy doesn't it?" He laughed.
Seth left discreetly so that she could speak in privacy with Sam so she cleared her throat and shocked him with what she asked.
"You are absolutely correct when you say my magic comes in handy and that's what I wanted to speak with you about actually." She said to break the silence after Seth's departure.
"You wanted to talk to me about your magic?" Sam was truly confused as to the reason her magic had anything to do with him.
"No, I want to know about your magic; the magic that surrounds all the boys that were here last night for dinner. I noticed it when you walked up to me and Emily at the airport and also it increased again when the jerk walked up. So I want you to tell me about that because the magic feels different from my magic or other wizards and witches I've been around. Magic has an aura or flavor if you will and each person's aura is different and yet similar among witches and wizards and the magic I feel here is off or different from what I'm used to. Will you tell me about it please?" Hermione explained what she had felt the past 24 hours whenever she was around one of them.
As Hermione spoke she watched a wall go up and Sam's eyes became unreadable much like Malfoy's did when Voldemort hugged him or after Ron fell. She shivered at the idea of Ron.
"Hermione, I'm not sure you really want to know. I know you're curious; that's not what I meant," he said and held up a hand when she started to protest. "I only meant that the price of knowing our secret is a heavy responsibility and it isn't always easy or comfortable to know the secret."
She answered though, "I do know the cost of magic Sam. I also have to preserve the secret of my magic it was part of accepting my place in the Wizarding world at 11 years old."
"I tell you what I can do; I will speak with the elders and get their opinions for allowing you to know. If they say no then I won't be able to reveal that to you Hermione, I hope you understand and it doesn't cause a problem for you and Em; she's so excited and happy that you are here." The thought of problems making Emily sad hurt him and he didn't want to be the reason for it.
"I guess I have to accept that. Sorry Sam I just have a very inquisitive nature; I like to know and understand what is going on around me." Hermione clarified.
They stood there talking about other things and getting to know each other for the next half hour and then Emily called out that Sam needed to head to the Clearwater's because Seth had gotten 'THE CALL', whatever that meant so she went back in to help Emily clean for a while and enjoy her friend.
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Hermione was helping make dinner but it was a dish she'd never made before so Emily was teaching her when the phone rang.
"Hello?" Emily answered.
Hermione could hear an excited voice on the line but not the words. Emily hung up with smile lighting up her entire face, so happy in fact that you could almost overlook the scars on her face.
"'Mione I need to run out to the backyard real quick; can you keep an eye on that gravy? It needs constant stirring until it gets thick okay? Thanks!" After that she took off without waiting for an answer through the screen door to the backyard.
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She was now past frustrated and headed to freak out! Emily said to stir the gravy so it thickens but she didn't say how long and Hermione was pretty sure that it wasn't supposed to be as thick as the paste she used in primary school. Give a potion to make and she was a wiz, no pun intended, but put her in front of a stove and she went straight into meltdown. She could burn water!
With no other option left to her she stepped away from the gravy and took it off the burner and then stuck her head out the back door not wanting to walk out and stick her nose in whatever was going on.
"Em!" She hollered. "It's important, I am pretty sure I just turned the gravy into cement!" She looked at the group for the first time and her jaw dropped to the ground and she was relatively sure there was a puddle of drool forming around her feet.
Standing in the center of all the guys and a couple girls was a beautiful, gorgeous, sexy and all other adjective's describing stunning looks! This had to be Jacob Black because Sam was right this guy stood a whole head taller than Sam who was the biggest guy she'd ever seen not counting Hagrid who was half giant. She didn't believe there was part giant there however just looking. Wow he was hot; and she lost all ability to speak once she looked into those eyes; eyes that were staring just as intently at her.
Emily broke the gaze as she cleared her throat with a giggle since Hermione hadn't noticed her walk up. She followed Emily through to the kitchen.
Not knowing that every guy in that backyard had super hearing she felt safe to voice her thoughts to Emily as they fixed the mess Hermione had made of the gravy.
"Whoa! Who the hell is THAT? Did you see how stupid I looked just staring! He's definitely not hard to look at! He's hot!" Hermione jabbered excitedly.
"THAT is Jake, the one I told you about in my last letter. I honestly think that the two of you can help each other heal; he's been through a really rough couple years now. He could use a friend that can understand I guess is what I'm trying to say." Emily explained.
"I will definitely try if you say I can help but Emily; tell me how I'm supposed to help him when I will just be staring like a damn idiot?" She got out just as the door opened and all the boys came strolling in with secret smiles and laughing eyes.
Hermione missed the smiles and eyes because HE came in the room; and she felt the magic go through the roof. It was just leaking out of every one of his pores and his magical aura was pulsating excitedly. She could do nothing but smile shyly and stare at him. He was staring just as blatantly she noticed.
Emily stepped up since nobody else bothered. "Hermione, this is Jacob Black just call him Jake. Jake this is Hermione Granger but she goes by 'Mione usually."
Jake took her hand to shake it and Hermione gasped out loud. The shock that ran through her body when their skin met almost had her falling over. "It's a real pleasure to meet you 'Mione."
Then he sent her a flirty, cocky wink! Hermione honestly couldn't figure out what Emily thought could be wrong with the guy because he seemed perfectly fine to her. Still, it wouldn't cause her any pain to get to know him, right?
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AN: Alright, time to send those reviews and let me know if you like it. I hope you could figure out Jake's reaction from Hermione's. Next chapter we find out about Jakes reaction to meeting Hermione!