JPOV
Aro is coming tomorrow, and Hermione is barely even well enough to sit up in a wheelchair for more than an hour. He'll see her how she is, and then he'll go through me the second he even tries to touch her. At least she's downstairs now, at least for an hour each lunchtime. Carlisle doesn't want her to over-do it, so she's allowed to feed herself but not allowed to do anything else for herself. Alice and Hermione are really starting to bond as a result, as Hermione relies on Alice, Esme and Rosalie to dress her, take her to the toilet, change her dressings and get her in and out of bed. She doesn't like to bother Carlisle after he's done a full day at the hospital, so the girls help her out. She's still very raw and pink-skinned, and doesn't have any hair yet, and she still complains of pain if she stays in the same position for very long. The remedy's she had ready to Heal her seem to have taken care of the major damage and the internal stuff, but she makes it very clear that most of her healing needs to be as natural as possible. I can hear Esme fussing around Hermione now, getting her dressed and making light conversation.
"How are you feeling? Any pain anywhere?"
"No, the morphine's working. What have you been doing today?"
"Well, we've been working on your get well present, and I've been working on a colour scheme for somebody's library."
"I've always wanted a library," Hermione sighs. I exchange glances with Alice and she nods happily.
"We can build a little annexe onto the back of the house. Don't worry, it'll look exactly like part of the original buildings. You two can have a nice little library, with an open fireplace, central heating tastefully hidden, and then we can put a shared study back there too."
"In a separate room?"
"Of course. We can link it through the kitchen." I smile at her and go back to casually eavesdropping on the conversation.
"So, what do you want for lunch? There's ham, cheese, sausages if you'd like, you could have a cheese toastie?"
"Cheese toastie, please."
"Jasper, can you make Hermione a cheese toastie?" Esme calls down.
"Sure thing."
She carries Hermione down carefully about five minutes later, and I put the toastie into the machine. I get her a drink and tuck her blanket around her a little more.
"Comfortable?" I ask. Alice and Esme have gone off to discuss Hermione's library, so I'm looking after her. Emmett is lounging on the sofa watching some football game, and Rosalie is working on her latest university thesis, this time in Ancient and Medieval British History.
"Emmett, turn that down, honey, I'm trying to argue why the Tudor reign was the best in English history."
"Sorry babe. Hermione, this game isn't going anywhere, you got anything you want to watch?"
"What's on?"
"I don't know." He starts scrolling through channels, but there's nothing on that really appeals to any of us.
"Ah, just turn it off, Emmett."
"Fair enough. I'll go for a hunt. Rose, do you want to come to?"
"May as well, it's been a few days and I've got a couple of full days at college coming up. Jasper, what about you?"
"I'll go tonight when Carlisle goes. Hermione, do you need another drink or anything?"
"No, thank you, I'm fine for now. We need to talk about tomorrow, however."
"Don't worry about that now." She looks at me sternly.
"We need to worry about that now. He's coming tomorrow, and I need to explain as effectively as possible. I need to be able to stand - or at the very least, I need full range to use my wand."
"Can't it be done sitting?"
"I've actually never tried. Normally most of my attack spells mean I move around a lot. I guess it could be done sitting. I mean, none of the books actually say it's necessary. I think we all just got used to showboating. I'll have to practice. Do be a dear and go and fetch my wand."
"I thought you never let go of it."
"And where the hell am I meant to be keeping it. My clothing is bandages and blankets."
"Fair point. Alright, give me a second. Oh, and here is your toastie, just the way you like it."
"Thanks." I come back with her wand before she's finished the first bite, and put it beside her so it's ready when she's finished with her lunch.
"That smells funny."
"I'll introduce you to the wonders of it when you're human."
"Alright." She takes up her wand and sighs.
"I've missed you," she murmurs to it, then blushes when she realises I would have heard that. "A witch's wand is a part of her. It's not an instrument, it's another limb. The wand chooses you, not the other way around."
"I see."
"Shut up. Now, would you mind terribly if I practiced on you?"
"Excuse me?"
"I won't do anything dangerous," she says, laughing. "Stunning Spells, which you've had done to you before and Immobilization, that's all I want to do."
"Fine, but only because I trust you."
"Thank you. Now, I'll just ward the windows. Don't want you to go through them again. There. Now, are you ready?"
"Do I have to do anything?"
"No, just stand there and look pretty." She takes very careful aim. "We'll start with a Stunning Spell, alright? Let me know at any point if you're uncomfortable with this."
"Just do it."
"Stupefy!" I don't remember anything else after that until she revives me. I get back up immediately.
"It's such a weird sensation."
"I know, I've been Stunned a fair few times myself. It's more the fact that you don't remember anything than the actual act itself."
"I know. OK, we know you can do that one sitting down. What was the other one you want to try?"
"Immobilization spell. You'll be able to think, and you'll be conscious, you just won't be able to move."
"Understood."
"Prefiticus Totalus!" I can still think, I find, from my position on the floor, but no matter how much a try, I just can't move a millimetre. It's just as disorientating as the Stunner, but in a different way. I can even hear her giggling. And then - horror of horrors - I hear Edward and Emmett come in.
"Hermione, what have you done to Jasper?"
"Immobilised him. I needed somebody to practice on, he very kindly agreed. He can still think, and he knows what's going on, so I wouldn't advise winding him up too much." She lets me out, and I get back up again.
"Could you do that one without pain?"
"Oh yes, it was fine. The rest of them I'm pretty confident about. Now, do you want to see something clever?"
"Go on then."
"Can we make this room darker? It'll look prettier in the dark."
"We can." Edward lowers the shutters and it's instantly dark.
"Why are we all sitting here in the dark?" Alice asks, from the door.
"Hermione's going to show us something clever and pretty," I say.
"Stand well back, you people. Now. Expecto Patronum." A beautiful silver eagle erupts from her wand, and takes flight. It looks so real, so solid, apart from the unearthly glow coming from it's wings. "Don't touch it, Emmett, I can see you itching to do so. It'll vanish, and you'll ruin people's fun."
"Hermione, what is that?" Carlisle says, coming in from work.
"It's called a Patronus. The form they take is different for everyone - of course, some other people will have an eagle Patronus, but what I mean is they're unique to the person casting it. Harry's was a stag, Ron's was a Jack Russell terrier and Ginny's is a horse."
"Do you get to pick?"
"No, like wands, the Patronus chooses the wizard. They can't change, either, except in exceptional circumstances."
"Like what?"
"If you fall in love, the Patronus can change."
"Cute. What's it for?"
"Defence, as the first and primary use, but it won't work in this situation. Wrong creatures, but I'm not talking about those. And there's another use. They can be used to communicate messages." She drops her wand, and the eagle fades away.
"Hermione, why is yours an eagle? Your animagus form is one, this Patronus is one, but you say you're scared of flying."
"I am. I can't explain these, I figure it's just because it's a powerful, independent animal."
"Right, well, back to bed you go, miss," Carlisle orders, gently. "Alice, what time tomorrow?"
"Midday."
"Then, Hermione, it'll mean an early-ish beginning tomorrow, to change your dressings and see how you're doing under there."
"I should be back to normal by the end of the month."
"You never fail to amaze me." Alice gets up from the sofa and wraps Hermione in her blanket.
"You're comfortable? I'm going to lift you up."
"I'm ready." But before Alice can lift her, I step forward.
"Hermione, can I carry you today?"
"If you want," she says, sounding amused. I carry her slowly upstairs, and hear Edward hustle everyone out the house. Subtle. Hermione hears them too, and giggles softly.
"You wanted me to yourself."
"Who wouldn't? I just wanted to spend some time, just us, you know."
"I know. Before Aro."
"Before Aro." I put her gently into bed, and then lie down beside her, taking her very gently in my arms, being careful not to hurt her. "I'm not going to let him go anywhere near you, Hermione."
"I have no plans to do so either. But I only have one thing to ask you."
"Anything," I say promptly. She laughs.
"Never promise the word 'anything.' I can take that into a million areas. None of them are good, all result in humiliation. But seriously. You can't let Aro touch you tomorrow."
"Why?"
"He can't know about the Potion. Nobody can. We'd never get any peace and quiet, we'd never be alone, there would always be people looking for us. I don't want that in our lives."
"In our lives?"
"Jasper, I don't understand myself, so for God's sake, don't ask me to explain it - but I think I'm falling for you." I smile at her, and she smiles back. And she's suddenly the most beautiful she's ever been. So, because I can't think of anything else to do, I lean over her and kiss her smile. And I would have left it there, but she's somehow managed to lift her arms all the way up, tangle her hands in my hair, and is actually being pretty forceful with me. So we both get a little carried away, and suddenly my shirt has been ripped off.
"OK, you're meant to be in recovery."
"Sorry," she says, blushing a bit. "It's been building for a while."
"Well, that's nice. Didn't any of that cause you pain?"
"Not really. Didn't notice if it did. You're a very good painkiller."
"Thank you."
"What shall we do now?"
"Nothing. Just stay with me until I fall asleep. Which Carlisle will ensure I have done when she get back." She falls asleep pretty soon, and I just watch her for a little while. She looks peaceful, and I run my hand very gently over her head, feeling the soft downy fuzz that's growing on her head. I felt a baby's head once - once when I was still human, my sister's son. He was so soft and so warm, and so trusting. Her hair reminds me of that moment, and now, I close my own eyes, and let myself imagine what it would be like to hold my own babies.