Chapter Seven

The atmosphere in the Palazzo dei Priori was so different compared to what it had been only four days prior. Hermione was back to her normal self since she had fed and was no longer starving herself to prove a point. Her magic could no longer be felt in the air, so it was calm and peaceful and just the way it should be.

Although she had made amends with Marcus and Caius, Hermione still had problems facing Aro. Whenever she had to be in the same room as him, she tried to avoid him as much as possible. The last thing she wanted to see was his smug gloating face, as he looked at her in triumph. Although after what had happened neither of them had won anything, as she had given in and fed without his permission, and she had not succumbed to the temptation of feeding from a human being. So he had not gotten her to be like them. Luckily for Hermione however, she didn't have to see him as much since Marcus had now taken her under his wing.

Since their talk that day, things had changed between their relationship, he reminded her so much of Albus Dumbledore that she couldn't help but like him and feel comfortable around him. He had a calming influence on her, and she felt like she could talk easily with him. There was still a part of her that was wary, that wouldn't quite trust him completely, but things were still early and wouldn't change overnight. Progress had been made however, which was a good start.

She also found that she got on well with Caius but unlike with Marcus, his relationship with Hermione would take a little bit more time and effort. The trust was not quite established between them yet.

As for the Volturi guard, once everything was back to normal and they began to relax more in her presence, she actually found that she got on well with some of them. She enjoyed talking with Chelsea about fashion and more girly things, which had surprised even Hermione. If Ginny had been here to see her so interested in such topics, she would have been so proud of her friend. But she wasn't here. She also got to understand Chelsea's power better and realised just how important she was to the Volturi guard. She kept them bound and loyal to the coven, and to Aro's leadership. Without her, Hermione wondered just how many of the guard members would actually be a member of the Volturi.

Right from the very start she had grown to like Demetri and Felix. They were like two loveable rogues, and reminded her so much of Harry and Ron during their earlier days. They were funny, mischievous and brought out Hermione's more playful side. They taunted and teased her but deep down she knew it was in jest and that they were actually good people. She also got to learn more about their roles in the Volturi.

Felix didn't have any active powers as such, but what he lacked in that he made up for in strength and in his combat skills. He was the most physically powerful of all the vampires and so made for a formidable adversary. His strength made him a high ranking member of the guard and he was undefeated in the vampire world.

Demetri had the power to track other vampires through their minds and so was able to locate enemies of the Volturi quite easily. He was able to track any vampire anywhere around the world, making no-one safe. So usually when Aro was brought information of lawbreakers, it was Demetri and a select few others, who went out to retrieve the guilty vampire bringing them back to stand in front of the Volturi leaders for punishment.

She never really got to spend much time with Aro or Caius's wives for they were either locked up in their tower with Corin, who Hermione hadn't properly met yet, or were standing by their husband's sides. The little interactions they did have were pleasant enough. Both Sulpicia and Athenodora had taken a curious liking to her and asked non-stop questions about her life in the Wizarding world. They were polite in their asking making it seem less like an integration and more like just a curious fascination. She learned that neither of the two wives had a power of their own, unlike Didyme who had been Marcus's wife and Aro's biological sister. She had the power to make others happy. This information had surprised Hermione. She knew that the leaders were not actual brothers, but simply referred to themselves as that. But she had no idea that Aro had a sister and that he had been the one who had turned her.

Other members that she had met were Ashton, who was Chelsea's mate and Heidi. She had of course seen Heidi on that fateful day but didn't have the chance to get to know her then. Now the three of them often spent time together and during that time Hermione had learned all about Heidi's power, which at first left her feeling sick.

Heidi was exceptionally beautiful, more so than anyone Hermione had ever met. She had long wavy mahogany hair, was tall and slender, and always dressed impeccably to heighten her beauty. Her job in the Volturi guard was to attract and lure humans to Volterra, for the Volturi to feed off of.

After learning that piece of information Hermione now understood why it had been Heidi who had escorted the group of tourists into the dome room that day. She had the power to attract others to her, and so was able to leave no blood trail behind. What Hermione hadn't noticed that day was Heidi's eyes. She couldn't possibly go and attract humans when her eyes were an eerie red colour. So she wore a pair of blue contact lenses turning her eyes into a mesmerising violet colour. Humans could not resist her.

Despite her power of attraction and being incredibly beautiful Heidi didn't have a mate. She had a few dalliances with male vampires who couldn't resist her, but hadn't found her one. At least not one who could look beyond her beauty and attraction and see the bright intelligent woman that she was.

When Hermione was told about Heidi's power she felt physically ill, when she thought of all the innocent humans who had been lured here without even knowing it was happening. She tried to push the nauseating feeling down when she thought about what Marcus had said to her. There would be times that she would hear things that she didn't like or understand, but she had to remain open minded. This was their way of life, and the reason they fed this way was so that they weren't exposed to the human world. She could understand that, but that didn't mean she had to like it. So she jokingly said that Heidi was the pied piper in the vampire world.

Despite the fact that she was beginning to get to know everyone better, there were still two people who avoided her like the plague and they were of course Jane and Alec. Hermione found out that not only were they brother and sister, but they were also twins. The other piece of information that Hermione didn't know about them, and found the most interesting thing of all, was that when they were growing up, bad things seemed to happen to those who were rude and unpleasant to them. And good things seemed to happen to those who were nice and considerate. Because of this the people that lived in the same village as them accused them of witchcraft, despite the fact that they were only twelve years old.

Aro had heard all about them and had been keeping an eye on them and when he heard about their execution, he had almost been too late. When the Volturi arrived at the village they had already been tied up and set on fire. So the Volturi had wiped out the whole village and were able to save Jane and Alec but not before they had sustained some agonising burns to their bodies. Luckily Aro had infected them with his venom in time to turn them.

Hermione couldn't help but feel sorry for them, after all in the Wizarding world they all knew about the Witch hunts and all the trials that killed thousands of innocent people. That was why they devised the International Secrecy Law, so that the humans or muggles didn't find out about their world, causing more witch trials. So she understood why Aro didn't want to risk exposure and how this law was so important to him.

No-one knew if the powers Jane and Alec had were magical powers, from what Hermione had been told it didn't sound like the same as her magic. So maybe they were an early manifestation of what their powers were to become. It was understandable that after they had turned they developed the powers that they did.

While Jane had been burning at the stake, she had focused on the pain of burning alive and the anger she felt at those who had decided to take her life. And so when her power had developed it caused an individual to feel agonising pain, it was as if they were burning from the inside out.

Alec's power was the complete opposite to Jane's. It was said that while he was burning on the stake, he was trying to escape the pain. So when his power had developed, it caused the individual's senses to be cut off, making them feel nothing at all.

Hermione found all of this interesting of course, as she soaked up all this new knowledge like a sponge. And it was because of this that made her look more closely at herself and her own powers. So far she still had her abilities as a witch, there was nothing new there, except for her skills had sharpened. The powers that she had now, but didn't have before was the power to absorb another's, to enhance it and use it against them. It was almost as if she was karma, taking what people were throwing at her, but giving it back bigger and badder than before.

During the time she had been bitten she had been engaged in battle with Dolohov. She had been fighting as best as she could, but in the end he had won by cursing her, causing her to become unconscious on the ground. She wondered if that whole situation had influenced her own power. Making sure that when she was engaged in battle and was up against a stronger opponent, she would not be so easily defeated by using her opponent's strength against them and enhancing it. She would save this information for when she next saw Marcus and could ask him his thoughts and opinions on her theory.

Hermione didn't have to wait too long until she saw him. Now that Marcus had fully taken her under his wing, it would be him who taught her the ways of the Volturi instead of Aro, as what had been originally planned. She trusted him more than she did Aro and was glad of this change.

So four days after she had stopped starving herself and had returned back to normal, she had been scheduled in to meet Marcus for her first lesson. Saying that she was excited about this was an understatement. She couldn't wait to be learning and so had packed her beaded bag with pens, instead of ink and quills for she no longer needed to use those, and a fresh new notebook instead of parchment. As much as she loved the smell of parchment there was something special about the smell of an unused notebook. It reminded her so much of being at school, before her time at Hogwarts, when she thought that she was still a normal girl.

Once all her things were packed she headed into the bathroom to shower and dress for the day. Afterwards she was far too excited to sit and read so she paced around her quarters and waited until it was time. Just as scheduled a knock came at her door for her to be escorted to Marcus's own private quarters and not the ones he shared with his brothers.

Opening the door wide she grinned at Demetri who stood in his customary position, leaning against the door frame with a small smile playing at the corners of his lips.

"Hello my little witchling and how are you today?" He teased. For some reason him and Felix decided to give her the nickname of little witchling, not that she minded it. She actually liked it and preferred it better than Mione. She had always hated her name being shortened, to her that was more an insult than a nickname but didn't want to say that to the boys in case she upset them. Little witchling was incredibly cute and fitting, and she could handle that.

She rolled her eyes at him, feigning exasperation, but couldn't hide the smile from him for too long.

"Honestly what are you like?" She laughed.

He grinned at her mischievously as he took her hand placing it on his arm. He waited patiently for her to lock and ward her room like normal before saying,

"I'm tall and devilishly handsome with amazing hair and a great personality, who is also utterly amazing in bed." He grinned again when Hermione chuckled at him, playfully punching his arm.

"I know what you're not and that's modest anyway." She laughed. "And I really don't want to know what you're like in bed thank you very much." She smiled.

He stopped them in their tracks and lifted his eyebrow at her teasingly.

"Are you sure, I could always show you and prove it." He teased.

She huffed playfully and punched his arm again, while at the same time the door to Aro's quarters opened and he stepped out with Sulpicia in tow. It was obvious to her what they had been up to, and was glad that she still had the sense to put up silencing charms.

"Oh good morning to you both I hope you're well." Sulpicia smiled, her gaze darting from Demetri to Hermione, an unasked question shining brightly in her eyes.

"We are thank you." Demetri said with a slight bow of his head. "I am just escorting my little witchling here to Marcus's quarters." He said with a grin.

Hermione nudged him slightly as she looked down at her feet, trying to hide the mischievous smile when she realised what he was up to.

"Your little witchling." Sulpicia said with a genuine smile. "Very suitable name."

Hermione chanced a glance at Aro who would have seemed totally impassive towards the conversation if it wasn't for the stiffness in his back betraying his feelings.

Good Hermione thought almost like a petulant child.

"I was just saying to Hermione how I planned on proving to her just how amazing I am in bed." He teased, causing Hermione to laugh with sheer embarrassment.

Sulpicia burst out laughing while Aro's nostrils flared in anger and jealousy.

"I do not think we need to know about that conversation Demetri." He said with a slight frown, not wanting everyone to know about the rage that was consuming him at the mere thought of Demetri and his mate, indulging in the most carnal of pleasures. "Now I believe you were taking Hermione to Marcus's quarters. You better hurry before she is late. He will not be pleased since this is her first day." With that Aro turned his back on them, instantly dismissing them before bending his head to lay a chaste kiss on his wife's lips. He was not above such petty behaviour when it concerned Hermione, and he wanted her to feel some of what he felt. Even if it was just a small stab of jealousy.

Demetri smiled down at Hermione before leading her away, neither one looking back as they made their way down the corridor. When they were out of sight, Sulpicia turned around to face Aro, a small smile gracing her beautiful face.

"I must say my beloved, I didn't believe Hermione would fit in here at first. But now…" She turned back to look down the hall where the couple had just been and smiled. "I think she will fit in just fine. Maybe she will be able to move on from that wizard, Demetri appears agreeable and if I'm not mistaken Hermione looks like someone who is smitten."

Aro had to stop himself from launching a verbal assault on his wife. He wanted the whole coven to know that Hermione was his and no-one else's. He wanted to claim her and make her his. He wanted her to forget about the dark wizard, forget about Demetri or any other males, but he couldn't. Not yet. Not until she had accepted what they were. Instead he calmed his anger and guided her away from his quarters.

"Perhaps my dear, we can only watch and see what happens."

Meanwhile Hermione and Demetri raced to Marcus's quarters in fits of laughter.

"I can't believe you just said that in front of Aro." Hermione laughed pleased that Demetri had fooled them both.

"It was only some fun my little witchling. No need to worry, these aren't things he hasn't heard before and besides you are safe from my wicked clutches."

Hermione looked at him curiously for a moment but when he didn't elaborate further she nudged him slightly.

"Demetri are you having a secret dalliance with someone." She smiled. She liked Demetri and enjoyed his company but did not think of him in a romantic way. She had enough to think about with Severus and Aro and had no room for anyone else. But she did see him as a friend, perhaps even a brother, the same way she had thought of Ron and Harry at one point.

He looked at her almost shyly then said,

"I do but if you don't mind I am not ready to disclose that piece of information yet. Especially not out here where we may be heard. I haven't told the others yet and I don't know how they will take it." He sighed before saying, "They can be quite funny when it comes to things like this."

Hermione smiled reassuringly at him before taking his hand in hers and giving it an affectionate squeeze.

"Honestly Demetri I promise not to mention anything and I swear if you do decide to tell me, it will be with the strictest of confidence. I see you as my first real friend here in Volterra I won't ruin that."

Demetri felt his whole body relax and was glad that she was so understanding and not pushing him to know more. He knew that she was someone special, someone who he could class as a real friend and not just merely another guard member. And it looked as though his intuition had been right.

"Thank you my little witchling, it means a lot to me. Anyway here is Marcus's quarters, I'm sure he will be eager to know that you have arrived safely and in one piece." He grinned, picking up Hermione's hand to kiss her knuckles gently. "I will hopefully see you later on." With a wink he dropped her hand back down gently before taking off, leaving Hermione standing in the middle of the corridor, a happy smile on her face.

Turning she knocked on the door once, before it opened and she was facing Marcus.

"Hello Hermione, I am pleased that you could make it. Won't you come inside and get settled." He moved back allowing Hermione to enter his quarters, as she did so she couldn't help but look around. His room seemed bigger than hers and more lavish without being garish. He had a large rug in the centre of the room next to a black leather couch and a beautiful pine table. He too had a large desk and chair hidden in the corner of the room. A crystal chandelier hung from the high ceiling, illuminating what would have been a dull room. Books upon books lined three of the four walls, from top to bottom, causing Hermione to gaze longingly at the sight. She would give anything to peruse Marcus's library, but shaking that thought from her head, she turned to face Marcus who simply stood watching her.

"I take it from your reaction that you're a book lover like me." He smiled at her but as always the smile did not reach his eyes. They were dead and unfeeling of any emotion except that of pure anguish. Her heart wanted to reach out to him, but she knew he would shy away from such a gesture.

"Yes I do love my books." She laughed. "Everyone always called me a bookworm back at school. I have what you would call an eidetic memory. I can memorise every word on every page and repeat it from memory."

His eyes widened at her admission as he smiled at her again.

"That is remarkable and you were able to do that before you were a vampire." It was not so much a question but a statement.

"Yeah, my professor or rather Severus always gave me a row for that though. He said not all knowledge came from books and that I lacked imagination." She smiled fondly as she thought of him, the sadness at not having him near paining her.

"Do you miss him?" Marcus asked gently, all too aware of what it felt like to lose the one you love. Although for Hermione it was different, she could always go back to Hogwarts and claim him back. Whereas he would never get Didyme back.

Hermione sat down on Marcus's couch without permission and nodded her head slowly.

"I do miss him, there's not a day that goes by when I don't think of him. But no matter how much it pains me to be away from him I know, deep down it would never have worked between us. Not while he remains a mortal."

Marcus nodded sitting himself beside her.

"Ahh yes I quite understand that. Aro would never let you change him, well unless it benefitted him in some way."

Hermione turned to look at him, a confused look on her face.

"What do you mean by that?" She asked.

Marcus chuckled lightly then said,

"It goes against our laws, turning a magical person. You are the exception of the rule of course. But Aro only made that exception because of your powers." He wanted to add that she was also his mate but refrained, such an admission should not come from him. "If you didn't have any powers or talent I don't think Aro would have spared you."

Hermione frowned again at his words then asked,

"But I thought Aro was scared of the unknown? I thought that the whole reason witches and wizards weren't turned was because they were unpredictable and posed a threat."

Marcus was impressed by her way of thinking and gave her a small smile.

"That is true for everyone else but you. You see we had been watching you for a while and because of how well you were able to control your powers, this added to the reason why you were spared."

"So what has that got to do with Severus benefitting Aro?" She asked her eyebrows suddenly shooting upwards as she answered her own question. "Oh you mean if Severus showed some signs of having power and control of himself Aro wouldn't mind him being changed."

"Exactly. But unfortunately that is something we will never know unless he is changed."

Hermione turned her gaze away and thought his words through. So if Severus showed signs of power and control then he could be turned, but the only way to know that for sure was to turn him first. The positive to that scenario was that they could be together for eternity. The negative was that if he was turned and showed no signs of having any powers or control then his life would end without a moment's hesitation. Was she willing to take that risk, put his life on the line to fulfil her own selfish wants and needs? She had no doubt in her mind that if Severus knew this he wouldn't hesitate in risking himself, if he thought they could be together. He had asked her once before to change him but she had declined then. Would she still decline him now? The answer to that was a simple yes. She could never risk Severus's life on the slim chance that he would fit in with Aro's expectations of being a vampire. He was far too precious to her to risk. Even then knowing how Aro was, she knew he would never allow Severus to be turned anyway. It was an impossible dream and as much as Hermione wanted it to be true, she just couldn't lose Severus completely.

"I would never ask him to change for me. I could never chance that no matter how much our separation pains us both. The thought of being in the world without him, knowing that I had caused his death." She shook her head sadly. "I couldn't bare that."

Marcus studied the girl quietly. While she had been thinking about his words he had sensed the bond that she shared with the wizard. She loved him deeply and shared something unique with him, of that he had no doubts. They reminded him so much of him and Didyme. They too had been deeply in love with each other and shared something, so very special and powerful. But it had all come to a sudden end when she was murdered. His world had ended that day, much like his existence. He was nothing without her by his side. Like Hermione had said being in a world without the one you loved because of death separating them, was the most painful heart wrenching pain he had ever felt. He would not wish to see that happen to anyone else, and could understand Hermione's reasoning. But sooner or later she would have to one day face that reality, as her wizard would not be alive forever.

Clearing his mind of such thoughts he changed the subject finally to the reason why she was here in the first place, to learn all about the Volturi and the coven's history.

"Alright I think that is quite enough of that for one day. Let us begin your lesson." He watched with an amused expression as Hermione delved into her small black bag and pulled out a notebook and several different coloured pens. She was probably one of the most eager and enthusiastic pupils he had ever taught. Suppressing a chuckle he said, "Before we discuss the Volturi's history I think it's important that you first learn should be about our laws." He watched as Hermione opened her book and went to put pen to paper before she could however, he quickly stopped her. She turned wide eyes up to him as he said, "As you know one of our laws is to keep our world a secret from humans, so for that reason our laws must not be written down. To do so would leave evidence of our existence behind."

Hermione quickly put her notebook and pen down on the table before turning her attention back to Marcus.

"How are vampires made aware of the laws then, if there is no written law for them to see?" She asked curiously.

"We have other senses bar our sight Hermione?"

She thought on this for a moment before quickly saying,

"So the laws are passed by word of mouth, down through other vampires. What if some vampires don't have any contact with others, what then?"

Marcus was intrigued by her inquisitive nature and the way her mind worked. It was logical and practical, as she focused on all the different aspects of things.

"Vampires will always come into contact with others but I'm glad you asked this because it moves on to our second law. The creator of a newborn vampire is responsible for teaching them all about our ways including our laws. They must teach a newborn how to act, how to hunt and how to behave without drawing unnecessary attention to themselves. If they fail then both the creator and the newborn shall face death."

Hermione suddenly thought of her creator Sanguini, someone she had thought was her friend. He hadn't even told her it was him who had turned her, not until very near the end. He had left her to her own devices putting herself and others in danger. She should have been angry at him, hell she had been angry at him for a while, but right before his death she had forgiven him.

"Why is there some information on vampires then, even if it is wrong? I mean when I was a little girl, before I even knew about the magical world, I read books on Dracula and vampires and they were always the same. Vampires couldn't stand out in the sunlight or they would turn to ash. They couldn't stand the smell of garlic and Holy water burned their skin. Also the only way to kill a vampire was by driving a stake through their heart. Obviously that's wrong. So if vampires are supposed to stay hidden from view of humans, then how do humans have that information?"

Marcus smiled then said,

"Think about it Hermione obviously some humans have been aware of vampires living amongst them, but don't know all the facts. So they let their imaginations run free and fill in the blanks for themselves."

"That's interesting." She replied truthfully before saying, "So far the laws I have learned are- secrecy in the vampire world is key, and anyone who breaks that faces death. You aren't allowed to document the laws because of the secrecy law. A creator has to take full responsibility of a newborn and teach them the ways of the vampire world before they can go out on their own. And of course no magical person should ever be turned, me being the one exception." She said with a laugh, as she finished recapping everything she had learned so far.

"That is very good." He said, seeing her preen at his praise. "Now from everything you have just told me, can you think of any other possible laws?" He said wanting to see how much she could figure out for herself.

She thought long and hard about his question, letting her mind go over everything they had both just said. When the answer came to her, she had to physically stop her hand from going up in the air. This was not a classroom she was in, so she didn't need to constantly wave her hand in the air to get the teacher's attention. She just imagined what Severus would say to her if she told him of this urge. Some habits die hard, she thought.

"Well an obvious one would be that vampires shouldn't have any contact with humans at all. It is far too dangerous and would risk exposure."

"Good, good." Marcus said once again impressed with her logic. "And what do you think would happen if a human did find out about a vampire?"

She shivered involuntarily suddenly thinking of all those innocent humans who had died.

"Well they would probably be killed in order to silence them."

"That is true but there is also another option as well."

Hermione thought of the human secretaries the Volturi employed. They were beautiful young woman who knew about the Volturi and who wanted to become a vampire themselves. They came here so that they eventually would be changed. From what Demetri had said they had gone through quite a lot of secretaries over the years. It was seen as a test to see how intellectual they were. If Aro deemed them worthy, which was hardly ever, they would be turned and if not then they would become the next meal.

"They would be turned into a vampire as well." She said.

"That's right." Marcus said. "So can you think of anymore possible laws then?"

Hermione knew of a few more laws because of previous conversations she had heard from Caius and the Cullen's. She was rather enjoying being quizzed and had missed the mental stimulation of learning and being taught. During her last year at Hogwarts she had been helping Professor Slughorn as his assistant, and had missed being taught like everyone else in her year.

"Well I remember the Cullen's talking about Renesmee and how the Volturi believed her to be an immortal child. So I guess in order to keep this world a secret they cannot risk making young children into vampires, because they are unruly and will draw attention."

"Well done Hermione that is correct. The reason that law was made was because an immortal child had managed to destroy a whole village in just one short day. This has happened a few times over the years and so the law was passed forbidding anyone from making an immoral child. This law if broken is punishable by death."

Hermione thought of Jane and Alec, they had been mere children when they had been turned by Aro, so didn't that mean he had broken his own law.

"Forgive me for the question Marcus but Jane and Alec were only twelve years old I believe when they were turned. Doesn't that mean they are classed as being an immortal child?"

She was very perceptive and her logic was flawless, to say that Marcus was impressed by the way she thought was an understatement. He was enjoying her intelligent conversation and the way her thoughts were being processed. It was refreshing to him, she was refreshing to him.

"There is no need to forgive you Hermione, it is indeed a valid question. What you say is indeed true, anything under the age of sixteen is classed as being a child, and Aro lowered that age to suit his own needs. Because he had to intervene with Jane and Alec when they will still young he lowered the age to ten instead. They were too powerful for him to simply ignore."

That made sense in a way, but she hated the fact that Aro seemed to take liberties just because he was the main leader of the Volturi. He made the laws and expected everyone else to follow them and yet he was able to break them when it suited him. Moving on from this topic Hermione then said,

"I also know that because of Caius's dislike for children of the moon, any vampires associated with them were seen as committing treason. Me being the exception again. And then there's the law forbidding vampires from hunting in Volterra. I take it this isn't just specifically aimed at Volterra though." She said looking up at Marcus for signs that she was right. "I take it, it means that anywhere vampires reside they shouldn't hunt where they live so they don't draw attention to themselves."

"That is indeed correct, not only that but they must also relocate often so not to draw attention to the fact that they don't age. All of our laws revolve around keeping our world a secret. That is the most important thing to remember."

Everything that they had just spoken about would be filed and locked in her mind. She would adhere to these laws, just as she adhered to the rules back at Hogwarts, well most of the rules anyway. She found that her interest in the vampire world was growing more, and she was enjoying getting to learn about it. This was what she wanted, knowledge about this unknown world, not to be thrown in at the deep end and watch as a group of bloodthirsty vampires had breakfast.

"Marcus I know this isn't relevant to what we are currently discussing but there's something I wanted to ask you, about my powers." She said, her voice sounding quiet almost, as if she was embarrassed about asking.

He nodded for her to go ahead and then listened as she went over her theory with him. It was incredibly fascinating seeing her come to that conclusion. No-one seemed to understand why some vampires had powers while others didn't. It was also unknown as to why vampires had the powers that they had. But listening to Hermione's theory, he realised it was entirely plausible. So he listened until she had finished with her explanation then said,

"How amazing for you to come up with such a plausible example. None of us know how vampires develop these certain powers, but it could be possible that they are influenced by the situations they are in during the time they are bitten. I did of course know about Jane and Alec but never really linked their powers to their situation." He smiled at her again then said, "It is definitely a subject worth looking into."

Hermione could feel herself preening at his praise once again. Despite the fact she had changed a lot since she had turned, some of her was still the same Hermione Granger as before.

"It was just a thought." She said somewhat modestly.

"You truly are fascinating Hermione, your life and history is extraordinary and I would really like to learn more about you. As far as I'm aware, you went to boarding school for witches and wizards, your parents weren't magical and yet you were. They must have been incredibly shocked when they learned about you being a witch and even more shocked about you being turned into a vampire." He watched the pain and hurt flash across her face before she turned her head to look away from him. He heard her sniffle quietly as she struggled with her emotions. "Hermione what's wrong?" He asked careful not to push her if she didn't want to talk.

"I never told my parents about me becoming a vampire." She said quietly.

"Oh so you left to come here without them knowing." He asked.

She shook her head slowly, her glossy curls swaying with the gentle movement.

"No I left them without any knowledge of me whatsoever."

Marcus looked at her intently, not understanding her meaning.

"I'm sorry Hermione but I don't follow what you mean."

She sighed, a shaky noise as she struggled to contain herself.

"We were fighting the Dark Lord, someone who wanted to kill all muggles and because I was friends with the famous Harry Potter, and because of my role in the war it made my parents a target. I was also a coward and didn't want them to see me as a vampire, they had been through so much already that I didn't want to cause them anymore pain. So in order to protect them, I got Severus to obliviate their minds so that they couldn't remember me. They moved to Australia, happy and alive." Turning her head to look at him, her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "You see I didn't need to tell them anything about me because to them I didn't exist."

He frowned for a moment at her words before gently laying his large hand on top of her small one.

"Hermione I don't think you were being cowardly at all. I think that was a very brave and hard decision you had to make. You kept your parents safe despite the cost. It is an admirable thing to do." He squeezed her hand before pulling it away.

"Thank you Marcus. I'm just glad that they can get on with their lives now." She smiled sadly at him.

Marcus sat back against the chair deep in thought. His mind was reeling with all the information that she had just provided him. Curiously he asked,

"So when you say Severus obliviated them I take it you mean it was just their memories of you and not their whole mind."

She looked at him with a slight frown on her face, wondering where this conversation was heading.

"Yes that's right."

He sat rubbing his chin silently for a moment before asking,

"Can you obliviate someone's memory like that?"

"I can but I would need my wand to do that. I wouldn't like to try using wandless magic on the mind in case something went wrong." She said truthfully. Wandless magic, as good as it was, was unpredictable. "Why are you asking that?"

Marcus turned to her, his pain evident in his eyes.

"If I asked you to obliviate me, of all the memories I have of my beloved Didyme would you do it?" His expression was serious, he was not teasing her or joking.

Hermione suddenly sat bolt upright taking in his words.

"Why on earth would you want to do that for? It would leave an empty space in your mind where all her memories would have been. You would know something was missing but wouldn't know what it was. How could that possibly be what you want Marcus? Why would you want to forget about the woman you love?"

He sighed wearily then stood up, with his back turned to her he leaned against the fireplace with his head hung low.

"Didyme was my everything." He said his voice sounding sad and respectful as he thought of her. "From the moment that I saw her I knew she was my true mate. I was lucky to have found her and it didn't take us long to marry. We were so happy and in love and I felt like my world was complete with her by my side." He gave a small laugh then said, "They say that love conquers all but that is a lie. It doesn't. When you have it, it is the greatest thing in the world. But when you lose it." He sighed and shook his head slowly. "It is the hardest pain to live with. Knowing that you will never see their face again, or hear their voice. You will never feel their arms wrapped around you, or hear whispered words of love and devotion from their lips again." He finally turned to face her, suddenly looking so tired. "Every day that passes by is another painful reminder that she is not here. I wanted death to come and claim me after she had departed, but I wasn't good enough for death. And now every day I feel as though I am in purgatory." He sat beside her suddenly and pulled both of her hands in his. "Hermione you can take this pain away from me, you can finally free me from the depths of hell. I cannot miss what I cannot remember. Please I beg of you, at least consider it Hermione. Please." He pleaded.

"I-" She started but was suddenly interrupted by a hurried knocking at the door.

With a muttered curse he moved quickly off the couch to answer the door. Revealing a worried looking Chelsea standing there.

"Quickly Marcus there is an urgent situation that you need to attend too. It is of the utmost importance." Her eyes flickered over his shoulder to Hermione, before turning back to him.

"Very well then." He looked at Hermione then said, "Please stay here until I return, think about what I said and feel free to peruse the books. This hopefully won't take too long."

Without waiting on a reply, Marcus left his quarters and followed Chelsea to the dome room. While Hermione pondered Marcus's request. Could she obliviate his memories of Didyme? She wasn't sure and figured it would be best to write to Dumbledore and find out. Little did she know however, at that very moment, Albus Dumbledore was closer to her than she could have possibly imagined.