Chapter Six

The air in the Palazzo dei Priori was thick and charged, bringing with it the feeling of dread. And the further the vampires walked through the halls and into the deepest bowels of the Palazzo, the thicker the air became until finally they reached a door, a door that lead to a set of private quarters. Her private quarters.

Here the magic energy was at its thickest, as it grew and swirled so that you could feel it rippling against your skin and heard it thrumming through the air like electricity. It was unlike anything the Volturi had ever felt before. And it left them feeling apprehensive about what to do about it. The tension between the Volturi members had grown and unrest had settled amongst them, because of fear of the unknown. They had always felt safe and secure here in their home but now they felt like they were in danger, a danger that they knew nothing about.

This was especially so for the three leaders, who were often found in their private quarters arguing about the situation amongst themselves, away from the restless guard members.

"Aro this needs to end now. Hermione hasn't fed for six weeks and you can feel what it is doing to her magic. You have both proven your points but it needs to stop now before something happens." Marcus said with a long suffering sigh.

He had known six weeks ago after he had tried to change his brother's mind about showing Hermione their eating habits that no good would come from it. But Aro, being the stubborn and determined vampire that he was still went along with his ludicrous plan. Six weeks later and it felt as though they were waiting for an explosion to go off, the air was so thick with raw magical energy.

"Marcus is right brother. Hermione has lasted longer than anyone could have expected, but you can feel what it is doing to her. She is struggling to control her magic, and if you leave it any longer she may not be able to control her basic urges as well."

Both Marcus and Caius watched their brother standing quietly, his back turned to them as he stood in thoughtful contemplation.

"Aro we beg you to end this now. If Hermione loses control then who knows what her magic will do. We already saw the consequences of her anger when she shook the foundations of the building. Next time she might actually tear it down." Marcus said.

Still Aro was quiet.

"Not only that brother-" Caius said jumping in when it was clear Aro wasn't about to speak. "If Hermione loses control of her basic urges, then who will stop her when she breaks free and feeds from the people of Volterra. None of us has the power to stop her, and I can guarantee none of us will want to even try. She is too powerful. Do you dare risk the exposure of our people? Is that not what you have always strived to avoid brother, no matter what the cost?"

Caius and Hermione may not have had the best start in the beginning, but he had genuinely begun to start liking her. She was not at all what he had expected and he rather enjoyed getting to know her a little better. He understood why his brother done what he done. After all to live in Volterra and become a member of the Volturi you had to adapt to their ways. But Hermione was different to any other vampire, she was special. She hadn't been a vampire long and not only that but she was still half witch, and still had a beating heart, although it was an odd sounding one. It was clear that fateful day, that Aro was pushing her too hard and too fast. Caius himself, didn't see any problem in allowing her to feed off of animals if that's what she wanted to do. Maybe over time her views and opinions on the matter would change, the longer she was with them and one of them. But Aro wanted everything to happen now, pushing her that little bit too far.

"And what do you suppose we do brother?" Aro finally asked, his voice sounding strangely void of emotion. Normally he sounded like an excited boy, now he simply sounded weary.

The truth was that at the beginning he had enjoyed goading her, his powerful little enigma. But after a week of her not feeding, of her locking herself in her quarters, not letting anyone in or even near her door, he began to grow worried. For her, for his coven and for his home. He realised that he had taken things too far that he should have put things to an end then and there, but he couldn't. Pride wouldn't let him. That and the fact he wanted to see how far she would push herself. Never did he think after six weeks that this would have happened.

As her mate, which he was now certain of, the pull between them was growing stronger now that they were in such close proximity. Her emotions were now tied to his and he could feel her anguish, he could feel her thirst and her flesh burning, as if it was his own. But still he could not end it.

"Not we brother, you." Marcus said. "You caused this and you must fix this before it is too late. Push your stubborn pride to the side and let her have what she wants."

Aro chuckled, a low cynical chuckle that sounded tired and bitter.

"Again I ask how do you suppose I do that?" He whirled around to face Caius and Marcus, his face set in a stone mask devoid of any expression. "How can I possibly do that when no-one can enter her quarters, when no-one can even get near them without being blasted away?" He knew that from experience when he had tried to gain access to her from both sets of doors that lead into her private quarters. Each time he tried some magical force propelled him away. It was embarrassing that he, the leader of the Volturi, could not reach her, and was glad for the fact he had been alone during these attempts. He thought it might have just been him that she was blocking out, after all he had been the instigator of the situation, so he sent Felix and Demetri, but the same thing happened to both of them as well. There was no way they could get near to her.

Marcus and Caius remained silent in thought, going over Aro's words. Sadly he was right she had completely blocked everyone out, making herself unreachable. They knew that in a way she was fine, for she appeared every now and again in the dome room with Dante the black raven. But then she would blink out of existence and not be seen again. Dante would go off outside and when he returned back to the Palazzo, she would come back for him, although no-one ever saw her.

"How about we wait for her to appear in the dome room, after she disappears we take Dante back here and leave a note for her. We could use the bird as bait and lure her here so that we can talk to her." Caius said with a sly grin on his face.

Both Marcus and Aro nodded their head at the possible solution, with Marcus finding a possible problem.

"The only thing is, she will no doubt be angry at us for taking her bird and luring her here under false pretences. How do we react if she blasts us with her magic?" Marcus asked.

"Good point." Caius agreed. Before turning to look at Aro, knowing his suggestion probably wouldn't be welcome. "We could always write to the wizard and ask him to come."

Aro's back stiffened at the thought of the dark wizard stepping foot into his home and getting close to Hermione. He didn't want that and hated the idea instantly. Caius did not know about Hermione being his mate, only Marcus knew. He thought hard about how he could say no to that idea without sounding pitiful, and then it occurred to him. His eyes widened and that pleased glint was back in his eyes, but only for a brief moment.

"That brother is a good idea but unfortunately it will not work." He sighed, clasping his hands together behind his back.

"Why is that?" Marcus asked, knowing already the reason why Aro did not want the dark wizard here.

"Because brother Hermione once confessed that the dark wizard was her singer. In her heightened state of hunger, it would be too dangerous for the dark wizard to be here. She may not be able to control herself around him." His argument was valid and he was pleased to have thought of it so quickly. But at the same time he thought about what would happen if she came into contact with her singer. She would not be able to resist temptation and would kill him, leaving Aro the victor. As much as he enjoyed the thought of that he still could not risk him being here. Should she manage to control herself around the dark wizard then she may realise her feelings for him were still strong. And Aro did not like that thought at all.

"Fair point brother. I think it would be best for Hermione not to come into contact with any humans not just the dark wizard. I did not give proper thought to that suggestion." Caius said agreeing with Aro.

"So then we go with Caius's first idea then and take the bird to lure her out." Marcus said. "Let's just hope she doesn't blow us up then." He said jokingly, although his voice betrayed the seriousness of his words. "The only question now is who will take the bird?" He looked at both his brothers.

"I think I should handle the bird, after all it did come to me that day. But I think Aro should be the one to make her leave, since it is him she is angry at most of all." He said with a small smile.

"Thank you for that reminder brother. It pleases me to know that I have provided you with some form of entertainment." Aro said sarcastically.

"I think out of the three of us I should be the one to talk to her. I have the voice of reason and have not yet had much interaction with her." Marcus said.

Both Caius and Aro looked at him with wide eyes.

"Are you sure brother, you do realise that she is highly volatile at the moment?" Caius asked with some surprise.

"I'm sure. I think it is about time I made my presence known to her, as I feel it will be of some benefit in the future."

Aro sat down and crossed his leg, letting his arm drape over the side of the chair.

"Do you see something brother?" He asked curiously.

"Nothing yet but there is a potential bond between us. It has not yet been formed. After that day any bonds she did make have been threatened and it will take some time to repair the damage that has been done." He sighed softly then looked at Aro. "Now that we have our plan of action in place I do think that now is the time to tell Caius what you know Aro. It is only fair after all."

Aro frowned at Marcus, unhappy that he wanted Caius to know about the connection between him and Hermione. He knew that Marcus was right but felt like now was not the right time. Especially since things were so hostile.

"I don't think I should say anything at the moment brother. Do you really think it is the right time, considering how things are?"

"I think now is the perfect time Aro. He has to know eventually so why not now?" Marcus replied, his voice sounding slightly sterner than before.

"Would someone please tell me what on earth you are talking about?" Caius said, impatience sounding in his voice.

Aro sighed, knowing when he was outnumbered and turned his head to look at Caius.

"Very well brother but please before you say anything listen to what I have to say first."

Caius slowly nodded his head in agreement before saying,

"Of course." Sitting back against the chair he listened intently to Aro's story.

"Do you remember when that curly haired horrendous witch came to us about Hermione? Well when we saw her torturing that witch-" He said wistfully as he remembered feeling her power for the first time. "I felt something I had never felt before, a strange pull towards her." He held his hand up to Caius and said, "Please brother leave your comments to the end. Anyway where was I? Ahh yes I remember now. That day when I went to investigate her further, I just happened to meet her in the Ministry of Magic. Well the moment I locked eyes on her I felt it again, this magical pull that made me want to go to her. I knew she could sense it as well but somehow she managed to resist. Every time after that I have felt it, only now that she is so close to me it has grown stronger and stronger. So that now I can feel her emotions. I have no doubt in my mind that she is my true mate."

Caius looked at his brother in shock. He wasn't sure what he was expecting to hear but that certainly wasn't it.

"Are you quite sure brother?" Caius said looking from Aro to Marcus then back to Aro for some kind of confirmation.

"It is true Caius. I have seen their potential bond." Marcus said.

"Well that changes everything then. Can't you just tell her the truth and win her loyalty that way?"

Aro frowned and through gritted teeth said,

"Unfortunately it is not as simple as that."

"Why? If she is indeed your true mate she will feel the pull too. And we all know that once two vampires feel that, it cannot be ignored."

Aro sighed sadly and rubbed his hand against his forehead.

"You are forgetting one small problem Caius, the dark wizard." Marcus said quietly.

"Why is that such a problem? She may have feelings for him but if Aro is her mate then-"

"Enough." Aro snapped, cutting his brother off from saying any more. "The problem lies with the fact that she is a witch and shares a unique bond with him. A bond of love that caused her heart to beat once more. A bond like that is unheard of and won't be easy to break."

The truth of the matter was that he wasn't sure what would happen to him if Hermione did not react to their pull. Vampires were fine when they did not know who or where there mates were. But when two mates knew of each other and didn't react to the mating pull, well it could cause future problems for them. He had heard stories of madness and destruction, because the need to be with their mate was too strong. The act of jealous rage had caused some to destroy their potential mate and any lovers they had. It was a dangerous thing to ignore. But with Hermione being who she was, Aro wasn't sure how things would go between them.

"That does cause quite a problem. Does Hermione know what that pull means?" Caius asked.

"If she does then she has not yet acknowledge it to us." Marcus said.

"And if she does react to being your mate and chooses you and not the dark wizard then what about Sulpicia? She is your wife after all and has been in the coven for so long. You can't just abandon her." Caius said.

He knew how important being mates was in the vampire world. He had felt it with Athenodora, his true mate. He had seen what losing a mate could do to a person, for he saw the pain and anguish in Marcus every day, and knew that the only reason he was still here with them today was because of Chelsea's powers. She had to bind his loyalty to the Volturi keeping him here, otherwise he would have broken a rule that was punishable by death, just so that he could be with his beloved Didyme. Caius knew it was an extreme case of desperation but they couldn't lose Marcus. He was far too important to the Volturi.

He had known Sulpicia wasn't Aro's true mate when she had been turned. But Aro did fall in love with her when he had been courting her and wanted her by his side. He had never expected to find his true mate, and wanted to settle with someone who could make him happy. Sulpicia did make him happy but there was always something missing. As Aro's wife she became close to the other two leaders and their wives and so became like a sister to Caius and Marcus. He wouldn't like to see her tossed to the side like that. She was still a part of the family no matter what.

"I would never abandon her Caius, she is my wife and will remain so until I am aware of Hermione's feelings. If she chooses me, then I will get Marcus to dissolve our marriage and will keep her as a low member of the guard like Ashton." Aro said.

Marcus had the power to marry vampires for in his former life he had been a priest. So when he was turned he kept this power and performed all the wedding ceremonies in Volterra for the Volturi members. Since he had the power to marry couples, he also had the power to dissolve marriages as well, but only under certain circumstances however, as marriage was still sacred here after all. For Aro getting his marriage to Sulpicia dissolved would be because of a special circumstance, as it meant he could be with his true mate.

Caius frowned at that suggestion but said nothing. He believed Sulpicia deserved better than to become a low ranking member after having spent years as Aro's wife. So he simply said,

"If you think that is best brother."

"Now back to the task at hand. Have we agreed then that the plan of action is as follows? We will watch for Hermione to come to the dome room with the bird. Aro you will enter the room, hopefully causing Hermione to leave. Caius you will quickly come in and lure the bird away to our quarters. I will leave a note for Hermione telling her where to come and hopefully she will come here where I will be waiting to speak to her. Is that everything then?" Marcus asked spreading his hands out, gesturing that he had finished speaking.

"I believe that is everything." Aro agreed.

"Yes I think so. But let's hope she doesn't shoot off her magic in the meantime." Caius said, a small smile playing on his lips, while he quirked an eyebrow up at his brothers.

Now that the plan was decided they had to find a way to get the other guard members to stay away from the dome room in the meantime, should they interfere with things. Not only that but they had to somehow stake out the room and wait for her to join them, so that they could put this plan into action. It wouldn't be easy but things had to change quickly or else the damage that could be done would no doubt be severe. Things had gone on long enough and they couldn't take anymore chances.


Six weeks had passed. Six weeks since Remus and Dora's wedding. Six weeks since she had left Hogwarts and first came to Volterra. Six long weeks since she had last fed. And it felt like agonizing torture to her.

The first four weeks weren't too bad and at first she felt fine and was sure she could handle things. She thought of everything she had saw and heard that day, the horrified screams of innocents still echoing in her mind. It made her sick to her stomach when she thought of what they must have went through, how terrified they must have been. No matter what happened, she would re-live that moment every day for all of eternity. Guilt crushed her when she thought about how she hadn't helped them, how she hadn't even tried. And every time she looked back and thought what if….What if she acted faster? What if she had tried to save them? But no matter what scenario ran through her mind, she could not change the past. She had failed them.

She hated Aro for bringing her to this world, for making her see the horrors of them feeding. She despised him for being so cold toward the innocent humans. But most of all she despised him because despite what had passed between them he obviously didn't care enough about her or who she was. He hadn't even tried to shield her from those horrors. In fact he wanted her to see them. Anything she may have felt for him, died along beside those humans that night.

It was because of these reasons that she didn't want to give Aro the satisfaction of seeing her give in. She would never join them like that no matter what. So with stubborn determination she refused to feed. It could have been so easy to go out and hunt without any of them ever knowing. But then she would be giving in and he would have won. Even if he never knew, she would.

So after the fourth week of not feeding she began to feel the tell-tale signs of hunger starting. Her throat grew tighter and began to burn, her eyes grew darker until now they were completely black. Her magic was becoming unruly, she was having difficulties in taking her mind off the hunger she was feeling, and found she couldn't concentrate enough on casting basic spells and charms. Her skin began to tingle and now it felt as though it was on fire, burning her alive. Every movement she made intensified the pain even more.

Not only was her entire body in agony, but she felt like she was beginning to lose her mind. She couldn't focus, she was hearing voices in her head, and was seeing things she knew couldn't possibly be there. Like the vision of Severus standing beside her, he had been comforting her saying that she was being foolish and should feed. Hermione had pleaded with him to understand but he didn't listen. Instead he gave her a sad look and told her that he couldn't watch her do this to herself. He couldn't stand by and watch another woman that he loved die. And then he left her, or rather the vision of him simply disappeared. The pain that tore through her body then wasn't just a physical pain, but also the emotional pain of having Severus leave her. But the logical part of her brain, that was still working then taunted her, reminding her that she had done the same thing to him not that long ago.

Severus had not been the only hallucination she had. At one point Aro had been there as well. He had stood with a triumphant smile on his face gloating at her. His eyes sparkling with glee as he teased and taunted her.

"You will not win this battle Hermione. Stop pretending and give in to your needs." He had said.

"No." She had hissed out through clenched teeth. "Never."

The Aro hallucination flung his head back and laughed at her. Something the real Aro would never do. He was too elegant and sophisticated for such an action.

"So proud and so stubborn Hermione, but you must realise this will break you mio caro. The pain will be too much and soon your basic needs will take over. You will kill." The Aro hallucination slowly walked over to her, a feral grin spreading across his face. "Join us now and end this pain. You know you want to. Imagine how it will feel when you clamp your mouth over a human neck, feeling the pulse beneath their skin. Imagine how it will taste when you first begin to suckle. Imagine how it will feel when the warm crimson liquid runs down your throat." Hermione did imagine what it would taste like and felt her throat constrict at the thought. Putting her hands to her neck she felt the burn and shut her eyes imagining all that he had just said. Without thinking, her tongue darted out and licked her top lip as she imagined the taste. The need became all too much then. She needed to taste it. She wanted to taste it. Memories of what Severus had tasted like fuelled this need, making her crave more. "Yes." Aro said with giddy glee. "Give in. Embrace what you are. Join us for it is inevitable."

Just when she went to agree with him, the hallucination version of Severus appeared, standing at the opposite end of the room.

"No Hermione, don't do it. Don't let him win. That is not you." He pleaded.

Hermione shook her head, tears running down her cheeks.

"Maybe it is Severus. Maybe this is me now."

Severus took a step closer to her, his gaze never leaving hers.

"No it's not. Hermione. You saved the Wizarding world from the Dark Lord. You put them before yourself. That is you. Not this."

"He is lying Hermione." The Aro hallucination said. His triumphant smile fading. "You are a vampire now not a witch. Join us, be who you are meant to be. Be mine." He held out his hand to her and for a brief moment Hermione considered taking it.

"Don't." The Severus hallucination said. "You are Hermione Granger, the brightest witch of your time. The one who saved the Wizarding world. The one who saved Harry, Dumbledore, Remus, Dora, me. Remember who you are. Fight this."

Hermione let out an ear piercing scream as confusion and pain engulfed her.

"No, I am not that girl anymore." She said to Severus before turning her gaze to Aro. "And I will never be that kind of vampire." As she spoke those words the two hallucinations began to fade into thin air. And although she still felt as though her body was being tortured by fire, the pain eased off a little making her thoughts more coherent.

So with her thoughts slightly clearer, she had to escape her quarters for a while and so left to go into the dome room with Dante. She was able to write letters to Remus and Dumbledore and send them off, without anyone stopping her. She was quick to leave whenever she saw a member of the guard come close to her. She didn't want to see anyone or speak to anyone. Not while she was weak like this.

These brief moments of respite from her mind were enough at the beginning, but now she knew she needed more. She knew that at some point the hunger and pain was going to drive her to leave the Palazzo and go out hunting. It was only a matter of time. She wouldn't be able to leave during the day, for smelling the scent of a human and hearing the beating of their hearts might prove too much a temptation for her and cause her to snap. She would never forgive herself if she fed from a human, a muggle. So she would leave under the cover of darkness and look for food then. Even though she knew it was giving Aro what he wanted she couldn't last much longer. Her control was slipping, her mind was slipping, and her magic could not be controlled. She was bordering on being dangerous. One small emotional outburst could cause her magic to erupt from her, and despite everything she couldn't let that happen.

So she formulated a plan in her mind. She would use the pretence of letting Dante out, he didn't mind flying in the dark after all. Then when she disappeared instead of going back to her room like she normally did, she would sneak outside and go hunting. Hopefully she wouldn't see anyone in the process. Her levels of control were stretching and she had only one chance at doing this, so she had to do it right.

Hermione was glad that she had a watch otherwise she would have no clue what time of day it was. Her quarters were always dim because of the fact they were situated below ground level. And because she wasn't allowed out of the Palazzo she was slowly forgetting what the bright outside world looked like. Was this how Severus felt living down in the dungeons of Hogwarts for all those years? She wondered, before slowly pushing that thought out of her mind. It wouldn't do well to think of such things at the moment. She needed all her concentration and focus on the task at hand. So she waited for night time to fall, to a time that hopefully most of the vampires would be in their quarters and began to carry out her plan.

"Come Dante let's get you outside where you belong." She stroked his smooth head with two of her fingers and sighed. Dante was lucky he had the freedom to go outside and spread his wings. How she wished she could do that. With that they disappeared landing in the dome room.

The moment they appeared something felt wrong and when she turned to look around, she saw Aro sitting there alone on his throne, as if he had been waiting for her.

"Hello Hermione, I've been wondering when you would show up." His voice was velvety soft, and if she didn't know any better she would have sworn that she could detect a note of concern in his tone.

He didn't have the chance to say anything else as she glowered at him before releasing Dante into the air. Normally she would stand and watch him depart but this time, because of Aro's presence she didn't. Instead she disappeared from sight and silenced herself, but did not head straight back to her room like she usually did.

Hermione had not expected to see Aro tonight, she especially did not expect him to be waiting for her, and so was taken aback by his presence. The moment they had locked eyes her whole body tingled, which had nothing to do with her hunger and everything to do with the connection they shared. In that moment she wanted to be close to him, she wanted to feel his presence and hear his voice. But again stubborn pride would not let her beg, and beg she would have done. She hated the fact that she could not escape that feeling. There was nothing she could do to prevent it.

So she hid herself from sight and watched, expecting him to leave after she had. But he didn't. Instead he called for Caius who appeared, his focus firmly on Dante. She watched curiously as Caius called Dante to him, and then watched as Dante flew above his head once before landing on his shoulder.

"Good boy." Caius said with a smile stroking the bird slowly and carefully.

"Excellent, let's hope our plan works." Aro said leaving the note for Hermione before they departed the room.

Hermione felt her anger bubbling to the surface as she made her way over to the note and read. It told her that Dante would be in the private quarters of the leaders and if she wanted him back she was to go there. It also said that she wasn't to worry only Marcus would be there waiting. Scrunching the note in her fist, she dropped it to the ground then headed to the private quarters of the three Volturi leaders. Not caring that she was giving them exactly what they wanted.

Arriving at the door she didn't quietly knock. No she was far too angry for that. Instead a burst of wandless magic escaped blowing the door open from its hinges, causing a loud bang to echo through the stone halls. Stepping into the room she cancelled both the disillusionment spell and the silencing spell, before letting her glare travel around the room.

True to the little piece of prior knowledge she had overheard before coming here, she was both glad and a little saddened to see that neither Caius nor Aro were there. Then cursed herself for feeling such things. Instead she turned her glare towards Marcus, who simply studied her with an impassive face. Dante sat quiet and still on his shoulders, showing no signs of being affected by the loud bang.

"What they hell do you think you are doing?" Hermione yelled looking from Marcus to Dante then back again.

After having taken in every bit of Hermione, the only things Marcus could see of her struggles, were her darkened eyes that seemed to glow with fire and rage and her slightly unkempt appearance. Apart from that she seemed remarkably well for someone who had not fed in 6 weeks, perhaps even longer for they didn't know exactly when the last time she actually fed was. Her magic, now that he was face to face with her, was intimidating. The air crackled around her, more so now than ever before. Even her hair seemed to come to life with it. She was terrifying to behold in this situation and he knew at once that he had to diffuse it quickly.

"Ahh Hermione I am so glad that you could come at such short notice. I am equally glad that you choose to blow up the door instead of me. I am extremely grateful for that." And he was for things could have gone very wrong very quickly.

"What am I doing here?" She asked, her body looking like it was suddenly going into the defensive position. She looked as if she was in fight or flight mode and if her stance meant anything, it said she would choose to fight. So Marcus had to act with caution. He could not afford to upset her anymore.

"Please Hermione take a seat so that we can talk for a moment. I promise it won't take long." He said, his voice slow and soft. He hoped that he sounded sincere.

Her stance did not change except for the slight relaxing of her shoulders. Good, he thought that was an excellent sign, the fact that she was prepared to listen.

"If you don't mind I would prefer to stand." She replied.

Marcus gave a small smile and nodded his head. Again the fact that she did not refuse to speak or listen, showed that she was prepared to stay.

"Hermione we are incredibly concerned about you. I know how hard it has been these last few weeks, and believe me when I say that we have all noticed the change. But I want to beg you to please reconsider things. Stop this now before they escalate any further."

Hermione smiled, something that looked between a smile and a sneer anyway.

"I think we are well beyond that stage Marcus, and I won't give in. Not to you and certainly not to Aro." She said lifting her head up defiantly to look at him.

He really did admire her strength and passion, she was so unlike anything he had ever seen before, and more terrifying than anything he had seen either.

He sighed wearily then said,

"Please Hermione. This isn't just about you or Aro. The whole coven can feel the charge of your magic, there is fear and unrest amongst the guard members. If you can't end this for you then please end it for their sakes." He rose to his feet and walked towards her, showing no signs of fear or hesitancy. "Ending it does not make you are weak Hermione. We can all see how strong you've been. How strong you still are."

Hermione gazed at him for a moment. There was something in the way that he spoke and moved which reminded her very much of Albus Dumbledore, and for some reason she felt comforted by his words instead of the previous anger she had felt. But still she would not give in so easily.

"So you approve of what Aro done then? You approve of the fact that he showed me that horrendous scene knowing my past? I can't be the vampire he wants me to be, and yet he pushes it. To hell with whatever I want, this is all about him and what he wants." She stood up taller and gazed at him. "Is it not enough that I gave up my life to come here, that I gave up my friends and family. Will he not be content until I give up my soul as well?" Her voice grew quiet as she spoke, the sadness and exhaustion at fighting this battle finally breaking the last of her spirit.

Marcus put a hand gently on her shoulder and watched her flinch slightly. But she did not pull away from his touch.

"Do I agree with what my brother did? The truthful answer to that is no I don't. He should never have put you in that position Hermione, and I regret that he did. But at the same time you must understand that this has been our way of life for thousands of years, it is ingrained in us. There will come a point when you will not always agree with what we do, I can guarantee that this will not be the first or last time you don't like something we do. But you must forgive us these things. If you can't understand them then that's fine, but try to remember this is our way of life. We do these things for a reason. That however does not excuse my brother's behaviour towards you." He sighed again then said. "As for my brother he should not push our ways onto you, and should accept your own views. You are special Hermione, you are unique and the sooner my brother realises that the better, for all of us."

Hermione had been listening intently to his words. He really was a lot like Albus Dumbledore and for that she was incredibly grateful. She studied his eyes and face looking for any signs of dishonesty or to see if he was taunting her, but she saw signs of neither one of these things. Instead all that she saw was honesty and respect. Feeling the last of her resolve crumble, she surprised them both when she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a fierce hug.

Momentarily stunned by her actions, Marcus returned the hug and almost at once felt the air begin to thin with all the pent up tension. Not only that but he saw the shift in their previous relationship. Another bond was forming, as trust had now been established between them.

She pulled away from him, surprising him further when he saw a single tear trickle down her cheek. Vampires did not cry like that, they appeared cold and unfeeling. But then again vampires did not have a beating heart either.

"Thank you so much Marcus. I promise I will do my best to react better in the future." She whispered.

He smiled at her and gently wiped the tear away with the pad of his thumb.

"You truly are amazing Hermione and we are so lucky to have you here. I promise to look out for you better."

Hermione smiled and kissed his cheek fondly.

"I would appreciate that."

Their moment of bonding was suddenly interrupted by someone clearing their throat behind them. Turning to face the intruder, she saw Demetri standing there, that familiar grin on his face.

"Good to have you back." He said, nodding his head towards Hermione.

"Good to be back." She replied and for the first time in weeks, had a genuine smile on her face.

"You know what will be much better though, if I could get rid of this damn beast once and for all." He tugged on a piece of rope that Hermione hadn't noticed before, and watched with a stunned expression as he brought a large cow into the room. "Dinner is served." He smiled and watched Hermione's expression grow hungry at the sight.

She turned to look at Marcus for approval, and when he nodded his head for her to go ahead, she descended on the cow with vigour, moaning with delight at the first taste of the warm metallic liquid.

From outside the room Aro and Caius watched from a safe distance, satisfied smiles upon their faces, as peace and harmony was once again restored in the Palazzo dei Priori.


Back at Hogwarts Albus Dumbledore sat at his large desk, a concerned look upon his weary face as he read the two different letters he had received from Hermione. The first one he received wasn't too bad, but the second one sounded erratic. He was more concerned about the things she didn't say than the things she did say. And he wasn't the only one.

Remus Lupin had also received two letters from Hermione, and had also came to the same conclusion as he did. Remus still considered Hermione as his best friend, so he took his concerns first to Severus, which had been a huge mistake. And then to Dumbledore. Now the three of them were in Dumbledore's office discussing the matters at hand.

He and Remus sat calmly, if a little reserved, at the desk while Severus paced back and forth, a frown on his pale face.

"What do you think we should do about it Albus? Obviously something has happened to cause Hermione to act this way. We can't just leave her like this?" Remus said, his voice full of concern. They all knew Hermione well enough, she was the logical one and was always calm in every situation that she came across. These letters didn't sound like her at all, and that's what had them so concerned.

"I agree Remus we can't leave her like that." Dumbledore said, running his hand over his long beard. "Which is why I am going to Volterra to check on our witch."

Severus instantly stopped pacing as soon as he heard Dumbledore's words, turning on the spot, his robes billowing behind he looked at the Headmaster, his eyes intense with fury and fear.

"If you are going then so am I." He said calmly, almost too calmly.

"Me too." Remus said. To hell with being in a room full of bloodthirsty vampires. Hermione was more important than that.

Dumbledore rose to his feet, having just scribbled a quick note to Kingsley, the Minister of Magic. Tying it on Fawkes leg he said,

"Take this to Kingsley Shacklebolt at once. Quick as you can, and wait for a reply." Opening the window he watched as Fawkes disappeared into the night sky before turning to look at the two men before him. "As much as it pleases me to see your obvious concern for Hermione, I must decline your offers to accompany me. Remus it is far too dangerous for you. We cannot risk your life." He said pointedly, after all in a few months' time he was going to be a father. The risk of him being harmed, because he was a wolf, was too great a risk to take. "And Severus it would not do you well to see Hermione." He was speaking of his emotions clouding his judgement.

Severus slammed his hands against the desk and sneered at the headmaster.

"She is the woman that I love and if she is in trouble then I wish to be there." He said, his voice intense with fury.

"That is exactly why I do not wish you to be there. I will go on my own at that is final." Dumbledore replied, his voice dismissing any more arguments.

"Fine." Severus said before storming out the office, slamming the door behind him and causing several of the portraits to shake.

"Insolence." Phineas Black grumbled, along with several muttered agreements from the other portraits.

Dumbledore sighed as he sat back down at his desk. He wished that Severus could understand why it would do more harm than good him being there. He had to realise that the relationship between him and Hermione would never work. But Severus wouldn't allow himself to see that.

"Don't worry about him Albus, he will come around eventually." Remus said sadly, knowing how much his friend was hurting.

"Let's hope you're right Remus." He said with a heavy sigh.

"In the meantime." Remus said leaning forward. "Go check on our witch."

Dumbledore nodded his head in agreement. He had things to plan before he ventured off to Volterra and hoped that Hermione was alright. She might be living there now, but she was still one of them and this was still her home. He would have no objections in carrying her back here where she belonged, if he felt that she was in any danger.