Chapter Eleven

Hermione, Demetri and Felix entered the Chateau quickly and in silence. They had tried to speak to Hermione, to make some sense about what had just happened but she was having none on if it. Whatever she had seen left her feeling deeply troubled. So with a serious determination she packed her little beaded bag, not that she had much to pack in the first place, then quickly cast a cleansing charm on herself, before changing her clothes.

"What are you doing?" Felix asked as he watched Hermione pull out a piece of paper and a pen from her bag.

She looked up at him with irritation written all over her face, as if he had just asked her the most obvious question then said,

"I'm leaving them a note; I don't want to wake them up again." She felt guilty at abandoning her friends but she had no time to spare, not after the vision she had just seen.

"Hermione you can't just leave them a note, they are your friends and deserve better than that. Besides if you just leave without saying anything they will come to Volterra to find you. Is that what you really want?" He replied, the implication of his words evident in the look that he gave her.

"Felix is right my little witchling you can't just leave without saying anything first. Also, what if those two vampires come back, your friends won't be able to defend themselves against such an attack."

Hermione sighed knowing that they were right, if she left and anything happened to them she would never forgive herself. And Dora would never forgive her either if something happened to her beloved husband.

"Alright then." With a wave of her hand she produced her bat patronus then said, "Wake up and come to the living-room now. I need to speak to you, it's urgent." Once the message was recorded she told the patronus to go to all three wizards.

Felix and Demetri watched the brilliant white light fly through the Chateau, totally mesmerised and in awe of the things Hermione could do with her magic.

She stood pacing back and forth in front of the fire as she waited on the three wizards to join them, trying to make sense of the images she had just seen. She was restless and needed to get back to Volterra as quickly as she could, but felt guilty at cutting the surprise visit short.

Movement and noise broke her thoughts, as a sleepy looking Remus and Dumbledore walked into the living room. Severus on the other hand looked just as he normally did, although his face was slightly paler than usual. He looked bewildered as he saw the other two other wizards join him, and refused to look directly at Hermione.

Normally she would have felt a pang of hurt and regret at his actions but at the moment she couldn't think about him or what happened between them, just a mere couple of hours ago.

"What is the meaning of this Hermione?" Dumbledore asked his voice still gravelly from sleep and irritation at being woken up yet again.

Hermione still paced back and forth before she said,

"I must return to Volterra immediately. I-I had a vision and honestly I know it isn't a good one, but I can't make sense of it. I need to show it to Aro as quickly as possible."

Dumbledore sat up abruptly and looked at Hermione, and felt dread wash over him. Whatever had her so riled up wasn't good at all, which meant that the vision she saw was serious and therefore couldn't be ignored.

"Very well then, give me an hour and I will come back to Volterra with you." He replied calmly.

"I will come too." Remus added, not liking the fact that his best friend was obviously upset.

Hermione finally stopped pacing and turned to Remus, wide eyed with shock. She shook her head no then said,

"Remus are you insane, have you any idea what the Volturi would do to you if you show up at their home." She couldn't believe what he had just suggested. How could he even think of doing something so foolish?

"Hermione's right Remus, if you show up at the Palazzo you risk your life. It's not worth it. We can take Hermione back with us; I promise you she will be fine and safe." Demetri said.

He had been a member of the Volturi for hundreds of years and knew their ways inside out. Normally he wouldn't hesitate in destroying one of those savage beasts, he even took enjoyment from it, but Remus Lupin was different. He was shy and timid, he was friendly and courteous. He accepted Hermione for who she was and loved her unconditionally, despite the fact that they were supposed to be mortal enemies. He even accepted Demetri and Felix and didn't appear prejudiced against them. In fact, he spoke and treated them like they were old friends. He didn't even take offence when they had mentioned how bad he smelled to them; joining in and making a joke about it himself.

The truth was that even though they hadn't known each other long, Demetri found that he rather liked the werewolf and even respected him to a point. Remus wasn't like any other werewolf he had ever met; he wasn't savage or beastly. And because of that he wouldn't like to see Remus hurt in any way. The others in the Volturi didn't know him and if he just showed up amidst their coven they wouldn't hesitate in destroying him. Remus would never stand a chance against them.

"So how do you suppose on getting back to Volterra then Hermione?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

She turned her attention to him and thought for a moment before saying,

"I think I could apparate me, Demetri and Felix back at once. I need to get back there as quickly as possible. It means you will be left here though."

Severus who had thus far stayed quiet, simply listening to the conversation that was going on around him finally spoke up.

"And what about the Marcus situation? What are you going to tell him?" Although he was hurting by their earlier confrontation, the thought of leaving Hermione again pained him even more. He thought he would get the chance to change her mind later in the day, he knew she loved him, he just had to get her to realise how much. But now that things had changed, so did his last chance, and he wasn't quite ready to admit defeat. Not yet anyway.

"I'm sorry but I don't follow what you mean." Hermione said unable to look into his eyes. She didn't want to see any of the emotions that they held.

Severus sighed, as if he was bored at her question.

"Well you cannot possibly carry out the task that Marcus wants you to perform." He stated as if it was the most obvious answer. "Not without the use of your wand anyway. You are adept a wandless magic but it is dangerous and unpredictable against the mind."

She frowned in confusion and asked,

"So what are you suggesting then Severus?"

He shrugged his shoulders and sat back against the chair.

"Well I am the best person to perform such a task, I think it might be best that I come to Volterra with you." His voice sounded calm but he felt nervous, hoping that she would take the bait so that he could spend some extra time with her. He wasn't ready to say goodbye to her.

Hermione tensed at his words. What he said was the truth, out of everyone he was the best at altering people's memories; after all he was the one who altered her parent's memories. But like with Remus she didn't like the idea of Severus being in Volterra, it was far too dangerous for him and she couldn't risk it. She was torn now because she wanted to help Marcus, but not at the expense of Severus. She nervously began to chew on her bottom lip as she thought over his words.

"You know Severus is right Hermione. He is far better at it than I. So may I also make a suggestion?" Dumbledore said running his hand through his long beard.

"Go ahead." Hermione replied unable to believe that Dumbledore would be so accepting of Severus going to Volterra with her, knowing the hassle that he himself had to endure to see her.

"How about this then, I shall apparate Demetri and Felix back with me, I think my magic is stronger for apparition than what yours is at the moment. And you can apparate Severus for he doesn't know what the Palazzo looks like." He gave Remus an apologetic smile then said, "I do believe it will be best if you remained here Remus. If anyone should come, you can simply activate your portkey and escape. Severus and I can return back to Hogwarts using mine."

Remus didn't look at all happy by this but didn't say anything. He knew why they were so concerned and why they didn't want him to go to Volterra with them, but still. It irked him that he couldn't help in some way and had to be left behind yet again.

Hermione's gaze briefly moved to Severus, she wanted to see how he would react to Dumbledore's suggestion, but just like the Professor she knew back in her schooldays, he appeared indifferent. She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed by his lack of reaction at apparating with her.

"Alright then I guess that's the plan. You and Severus can get washed and dressed and have something to eat. We will meet back here in an hours' time, as I'm going to go and feed before we leave for Volterra." Things had changed back in Volterra with regards to her feeding habits. She was now allowed to keep feeding from animals instead of humans after the last debacle. But she thought she would take this opportunity while she could to go hunting for her meal.

"Very well then, we shall all meet back here in an hour, for it would be better if we all left at the same time." He looked at the two male vampires who grinned and nodded their heads enthusiastically, then to Severus who simply got up and headed to his room.

"We will come with you little witchling." Felix said smiling at her.

"Yes we don't want you getting into any more trouble now do we?" Demetri said grinning wildly at her.

"Funny." She replied unable to hide her own smile from them.

Just as they were leaving the Chateau she heard Demetri say to Felix,

"Honestly wait until you apparate, it's the strangest feeling." He was incredibly excited about trying this again.

"What exactly does it feel like?"

Demetri paused for a minute as he thought about the best way to answer Felix then said,

"Imagine being pulled through a tunnel and spinning uncontrollably. That's what it feels like. It's such a strange feeling and it makes you feel like you're going to vomit." He laughed at the look on Felix's face.

"I'm not sure I really want to apparate back. Maybe I should just hit the road and get to Volterra first." He patted his stomach as he thought of what could happen when apparating.

"Oh stop being a little baby." Hermione grinned at him. "If I can do it then so can you."

Felix frowned at her words then said,

"You've had more experience than what we have though. So you're used to it by now."

Hermione laughed then said,

"Maybe so, but even I had to learn how to do it at one point. I used to have the world's worst travel sickness and believe me the first few times I apparated I did actually vomit everywhere." She grimaced at the memory. It really hadn't been pleasant the first time she had apparated. Not only was she sick on herself but she was also sick on the instructor and three other students, she had been utterly mortified by the experience. It was safe to say that apparating hadn't come naturally to her and she had been disappointed by that, so worked harder than anyone else to finally pass her test. "We've all got to start somewhere. Demetri was brave enough to try it, so you're not going to tell me that he can do it and you can't." She said teasing him, by striking at his male ego.

Felix, as she expected, puffed out his chest and stood taller. He would not be beaten by Demetri it seemed.

"If he can do it then so can I."

She shook her head while walking away from them, stifling her laughter. Men were so predictable, she thought. Well some men were. The only exception to that rule was Severus; he was never predictable he was always different, which made him utterly fascinating and the most interesting person that she knew. She scolded herself at the sudden change in thoughts. Now was not the time to be thinking of Severus Snape. She had more pressing matters to worry about at the moment.

She sniffed the air looking for her prey and once she had caught the animal's scent she took off into a sprint. She missed the freedom of being able to run and hunt for her food. She missed being able to use her natural instincts and enhanced senses for this kind of thing. In Volterra they did the same thing with her food as they done with their own. They simply brought her a live animal to feed on. There was no hunting, no running, and no freedom.

She quickly scaled a tall tree and began to jump from branch to branch. It felt so good being able to use her whole body again. She could feel that Demetri and Felix weren't too far away from her, remaining behind at a safe distance, allowing her to hunt for her prey in peace. She knew that they too were probably enjoying this freedom as well.

They basically said as much, after Hermione had fed and they were making their way back to the Chateau to the three wizards. Their eyes shone brightly with giddy happiness, as they were just as exhilarated by the experience as what she was.

"You know I actually can't remember the last time we done anything like that." Demetri said.

"The closest thing we've come to having that much fun, is when we're out looking for lawbreakers." Felix replied.

"Yeah and even then it's not as fun as what that was." Demetri grinned.

Felix turned to Hermione and grimaced, although the twinkle in his eyes rivalled that of Dumbledore's.

"It was rather disgusting seeing you feeding from an animal though. That is just not natural." Felix said jokingly.

Hermione laughed at the irony of the situation, being a vampire wasn't natural, neither was being a witch she supposed.

"Oh and seeing you feed from human beings was a picnic for me as well." She replied jokingly, although she was trying hard not to picture what she had witnessed that day.

The three vampires were silent as they stepped into the Chateau to see all three wizards sitting drinking tea, after having washed, dressed and eaten breakfast. The smell of soap and cooked food was evident the moment they stepped inside the room.

Sitting in the corner of the room were their packed bags. Hermione felt her heart sink at the sight knowing that once they had been to Volterra, Dumbledore and Severus would come back here to meet Remus before heading back to Hogwarts. Once they left her at the Palazzo she wouldn't know if or when she would be able to see them again and this thought made her heart feel heavy in her chest. Maybe it would be for the best, having a fresh start away from them. She shook the thoughts from her head then turned to look at the bizarre group of people.

She tried not to laugh as she thought of the most powerful wizard in the world sitting with two Volturi vampires, a werewolf, a powerful wizard and a vampire witch. It was just so surreal. She could never have imagined anything like this in her life.

"Are we ready?" She suddenly said.

"I believe so." Dumbledore nodded walking to the center of the room where the two vampires were currently standing.

Hermione turned her attention to Remus, who had stood up from his chair to embrace her in a tight hug.

"You take care of yourself you hear me and don't be afraid to write. I am your best friend blood sucker and no matter what, I will always be here for you." He squeezed her again before pulling away to look at her.

"Thanks Remus, you take care as well. Feel free to write to me and let me know when that beautiful little boy of yours is born. Tell Dora I was asking for her."

"I will do. Right you need to get going." Remus said with a sigh.

Hermione walked towards Severus, suddenly feeling nervous about where to put her hands. He made it easier for her by wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into his body slightly, just like he had done when they shared that kiss earlier on.

For the first time since she had walked away from him saying goodbye and breaking his heart, she finally looked up into his eyes. Instead of seeing hurt or pain she saw a fiery determination blazing in their depths. She was completely lost in them as Dumbledore began to speak.

"Alright on the count of three Hermione we apparate together. Ready?" Dumbledore said.

"Yes." Her voice was barely a whisper as she gazed up at Severus, once again feeling like she was losing her resolve. The more time she spent with him the harder it was to say goodbye, or deny her feelings.

"One." Dumbledore began. "Two." He continued. "Three."

What happened next happened so fast that Hermione barely had time to react. Just as Dumbledore counted down to three, she had been so lost in Severus at that moment, that when she apparated away she hadn't realised Remus had moved and was holding on to her. She jumped and when they entered the dome room the three of them all crashed onto the floor.

Dumbledore, Felix and Demetri all stood gazing at the three tangled bodies on the ground, in shock and confusion. None of them believing what had just happened.

Severus pulled himself to his feet, while Hermione rolled over angrily pinning Remus to the ground.

"What the hell do you think you are doing? You could have bloody splinched us." She yelled, watching as his face turned a deep shade of red.

"I-I don't know what I was thinking, it was a spur of the moment thing." He said sheepishly.

"A spur of the moment thing. Remus have you any idea what you have just done." She hissed out. Getting to her feet she helped him stand before a familiar voice made her stomach clench.

"What is that disgusting stench?" Jane said, in her sickly sweet voice. Hermione spun around to face her, only to see her eyes beaming with joy as they landed on Remus. "You dare bring a werewolf here." She said triumphantly. "My Masters may have excused your earlier misdeeds but they will not excuse you this time." Her eyes gleamed as she turned her gaze towards Hermione. "Move aside the wolf is mine."

Hermione was fast, as she pushed Severus beside Remus and Dumbledore casting a protective shield around them before moving to stand in front of the shocked wizards. She immediately moved into the defensive position, while glaring at the young vampire who dared threaten the ones she loved.

"I have already destroyed two vampires today so believe me Jane when I say, that if you come anywhere near them I will add number three to that list." Her voice was calm and steady but the anger she felt radiated from every part of her body.

"You think I am scared of you." Jane sneered, although the flicker of fear in her eyes betrayed her bravado. "We will see what my Masters have to say about this. But believe me Hermione when I say, that the wolf will be mine and I will take great pleasure in destroying the foul smelling beast." She smiled smugly at Hermione, but the smile was soon wiped of her pretty little face.

Hermione's wandless magic burst forth from her hands, causing Jane to be lifted up into the air kicking and scrabbling at her neck. It felt as though an invisible force was squeezing hard against her throat.

"I will destroy you first before you ever get that chance." Hermione growled out.

Just then the three leaders walked into the dome room having just been alerted to what was going on. Aro's eyes glowed brilliantly when he saw Hermione in all of her glory using her magic against Jane. She was magnificent in her splendour. Then he caught the stench of a werewolf. Looking behind Hermione he saw, to his surprise the old wizard first, then he caught sight of the wolf and finally, his eyes narrowing he saw the dark wizard.

His own anger boiled to the surface as he saw his rival, reach out to touch Hermione. There was some kind of bubble over them acting like a barrier to stop him reaching her.

Good, Aro thought with bitter jealousy. He would not tolerate the dark wizard touching his mate in any manner.

"Hermione what a surprise." He said his voice sounding overly cheery as he tried to control his jealous rage. "And I see you have brought us guests." The three Volturi leaders sat down on their thrones not wanting to get close to the powerful wrath of Hermione. "Please let Jane down so that we may discuss the problem at hand."

Hermione's eyes flickered over to Aro and she felt her anger begin to simmer down. This caused Jane to slowly drift back to the ground and the feeling of her throat being constricted lessoned.

The moment she was free from Hermione's magic, she growled at Hermione before charging at her. Hermione disappeared in a blink of an eye before reappearing behind Jane. She grabbed the other female vampire before tossing her along the floor and pinning her to the ground.

"Give up now and stop trying my patience." Hermione yelled, trapping Jane with a furious glare. Demetri came over then and pulled Hermione off; she went willingly as he spoke soothing words of comfort in her ear.

"Hermione calm down, this is not the time for violence. Remember why we are here."

She turned to see the shocked faces of the three wizards and then turned her attention to the three leaders. Marcus looked worried, Caius looked disgusted and Aro simply looked intrigued.

"Now Hermione, as much as it pleases me to see that you have returned home," Aro said, pleased to note the furious scowl on the dark wizard's face at his use of the word 'home'. "I must ask what all this is about and why these wizards are here."

Hermione felt herself relaxing slightly at the sound of his voice, for some reason his tone always made her feel comfortable, despite her better judgement.

"First of all I want everyone apart from the leaders, Demetri and Felix out of this room now. Second of all my friends brought me back here quickly because I have something important to share with you. And thirdly if anyone dares threatens my friends again, then we will apparate back where we came from and I will leave here and not return. Do I make myself clear?"

Aro tried in vain to hide the thrill of pleasure that ran through his body at hearing her sound so commanding and domineering. If he had his way, she would make a wonderful extra addition to the Volturi leaders, not only as his mate but as his equal in every possible way.

His opinion was not shared by his younger brother however, who took offence at what she had just said.

"You dare issue us with an ultimatum." Caius hissed out. "While you bring one of those beasts into our home? If you expect us to just sit back and allow this to happen then you are very much mistaken. I will not tolerate this law breaking, not from you or from anyone." To say that Caius was shocked by her sudden change in behaviour was an understatement. He knew that she could sometimes be uncontrollable with her magic, but never did he expect her to be so defiant in her behaviour.

"If that's what you want then fine, but before you decide how about I tell you why I rushed all the way here wanting to speak to the three of you." She held her head up confidently and gazed at the three of them before saying, "I had a vision regarding the Volturi but I cannot explain it until everyone has left the room."

Aro was intrigued as he gazed at his two brothers looking for answers. Caius didn't appear happy about it, but Marcus seemed concerned.

"Very well. Everyone except from Felix and Demetri may leave." Marcus finally said, making the decision for the three of them.

Jane looked positively furious as she left the dome room. She hated the fact that once again Hermione had bested her and she had gotten her own way.

Once the room was empty except for the people she had mentioned, Hermione cast a silencing spell on the room, so that anyone who tried to listen in wouldn't be able to hear anything. Once that was done she turned back to the three leaders.

Aro, who had been watching her intently, decided to take this opportunity and find out some information for himself.

"Since we are complying with your wishes how about you comply with one of mines. You have brought the dark wizard and the wolf here into our home. How do I know this isn't a trick or that they're not a threat to us?" He smiled sweetly standing up and walking over to the group, his hands clasped together as he looked from the wolf to the dark wizard. "I will not harm your friends if the two newcomers will let me see their thoughts. I will let them go if I deem them to be of no threat to us." He smiled smugly towards Hermione then said, "I think that is pretty generous don't you agree Hermione. Since technically the wolf should be punished by death."

Her body instantly stiffened at the hidden threat. If they didn't comply then he would kill them. She wouldn't let that happen.

"And how do I know you won't kill them anyway." She growled out.

Aro smiled at her sweetly then said,

"Mio caro Hermione would I ever lie to you." He said, almost able to hide the sincere pleading in his voice.

She snorted at his words before saying,

"There's every possibility." She sighed before turning to Remus and Severus. "If you agree then I will have to cancel the protection spell, but know I am right here."

They nodded in agreement, although Severus did not look at all pleased as he eyed Aro up.

"Excellent." Aro grinned clapping his hands together in joyous excitement.

Hermione cancelled the spell and watched closely as Remus stepped forward to Aro nervously. His face was pale as he stood in front of the intimidating vampire.

"You know, never has a werewolf stepped foot in the Palazzo dei Priori before and lived. You should feel honoured that you're getting that chance now." Aro smiled, a smile that could not be trusted.

Remus gulped but held Aro's penetrating gaze.

"I would be more honoured at leaving here in one piece." Remus said, wondering why he had stupidly jumped on Hermione when they were apparating. He must be insane, was the conclusion that he eventually came up with.

Aro smirked as he held out his hands to Remus, who turned to get Hermione's approval. When she slowly nodded her head, her body tensed just in case she had to jump in. Remus placed his hands in Aro's cold ones. Unlike with Hermione, he didn't hide his flinch at feeling just how cold the vampire was.

Aro covered Remus's hand with his own and closed his eyes, as image after image flashed through his mind. It was so interesting seeing the life of a werewolf, their enemy. The experience was both thrilling and exciting.

After a few moments he finally opened his eyes and let go of the werewolf's hands, a small smile spreading across his face.

"How extraordinary." He turned to his brothers and said, "This wizard may be a werewolf but he is unlike any we have ever met before." Caius snorted and Aro instantly turned to glare at him. "You doubt my words brother." He said with some annoyance.

"Of course not brother, but I was of the belief that all werewolves were savage beasts."

"This one is not. You see he was bitten as a small boy and grew up hating the wolf inside of him. He sees it as a curse not a blessing. He doesn't run with other wolfs although he has the potential to be an alpha one day. He appears to be a good caring person and believe it or not is Hermione's best friend." He turned to look at the wolf in question, whose face had turned a great shade of red. "He hates the wolf so much that every month during the full moon he takes a potion to stop his wolf side taking full control. Honestly it is remarkable. He does not take any pleasure from killing or attacking innocents, only those who threatens the ones he loves." He smiled at Remus, who wasn't sure if the vampire was admiring him or mocking him in what he was saying. "There is nothing savage or beastly about you mio amico, you would make a fine guard dog."

Remus blushed heavily and stood back, he couldn't believe Aro had gotten all that information from just one simple touch. It was amazing. While Hermione stood glaring at the vampire for insulting her friend.

Aro's eye moved greedily over to Severus, he was the one whose thoughts he was most excited about seeing. He wanted to know everything about the relationship he had with Hermione. Maybe then, once Aro knew all the facts, he could turn that information and use it to his own advantage.

"I believe you're next." Aro said smiling at Severus.

Severus was not a coward, but he did not like the idea of this vampire seeing his thoughts. So he made sure that he had occluded his mind, not knowing if his occlumency would hold or not. Even if it didn't he was determined not to make things easy for the vampire.

Stepping forward briskly, he held his hands out and made no move when Aro wrapped his hands around his own. As a skilled Occlumens he knew what it felt like when someone entered your mind. If they were gentle it felt like a small tingle probing into your mind. That was the way Dumbledore used to do it. Voldemort had been much more aggressive in his pursuit of information. He tore through your mind until he had found the right memories and when he left your mind, he would leave you with a thumping sore head, your nose bleeding and sometimes he would leave you conscious, if he was being nice.

But what Severus felt when Aro tried to see his memories was completely different. It almost felt like his thoughts were being pulled involuntarily to the front of his mind, it was gentle and almost like an encouraging caress. Aro wasn't looking for one single memory he was looking for all of them. The moment Aro got close to seeing Severus's thoughts, his was automatically shut down, stopping the vampire from prying.

Aro let go of Severus's hands and glared at him.

"You resist me." He simply said.

Severus smirked, glad that he was able to beat the vampire at his own game.

"I apologise it's a force of habit." He replied holding out his hands once more. This time when Aro took his hands, Severus did not shut down the walls to his mind. Aro was more aggressive in his pursuit as he looked through Severus's every thought and memory, almost as if he was flicking through the pages of a book very quickly. He only slowed down when the wizard's memories turned to Hermione. He saw their first kiss, the first time they made love and the recent confrontation they had just had where Hermione had ended it once and for all.

Severus felt his anger well up as these private images flashed through his mind, and all at once he pushed Aro from his thoughts so quickly and so hard, that Aro was thrown to the ground.

"Those are private." Severus hissed. "Let's see how you like it." Unable to stop himself he cast Legilimens on Aro whose eyes widened in shock, as Severus delved into his mind aggressively. Tearing through his memories until he had seen the ones he had of Hermione, he saw and felt everything and feeling repulsed he left the vampire's mind immediately.

He stood glaring at the Volturi leader who looked furious at just having had his mind invaded.

"Tell me why I should not kill you right here on the spot." Aro said, his boyish charming voice gone.

Severus grinned smugly and moved closer to the vampire and whispered,

"Because if you done that, she would never forgive you and you would have lost."

Aro's eyes flickered briefly to Hermione and he knew that the words the wizard spoke were the truth.

"That may be true. But from what I could see from your own memories it seems that you have already lost. Am I wrong." Aro tried hard not to show his triumph as he saw the dark wizard visibly tense, and the warning sneer appear on his face. Still not satisfied however, he pressed on. "From what I could gather this would not be the first time you lost either. Who was the beautiful red haired girl with the vibrant green eyes, the one who captured your heart a long time ago. Who still holds your heart now?"

Unable to hide his anger, Severus pulled out his wand and pointed it directly towards Aro's forehead.

In a quiet deadly voice, he simply said,

"Do not speak of her to me, you have no right."

Aro smiled smugly and stepped closer to the dark wizard, so that the tip of the dark wizard's wand pressed into his skin.

"It appears that I have hit a nerve." Aro's eyes briefly flickered over to Hermione, who was watching the scene unfold with some curiosity. While Felix held onto her arm preventing her from stepping in. Returning to look back at the dark wizard Aro said, "Not only do I see your memories I also feel what you feel. You love the redhead girl, you always have and always will despite how much you protest. Your heart can't let her go. Isn't that right?"

Severus looked down his nose at the Volturi vampire and felt his anger flare. How dare he talk about such things, things that he had no right to speak of.

"You know nothing of how I feel." Severus seethed.

"On the contrary, I know everything."

Before the situation could escalate any further, Hermione was finally able to pull out of Felix's grip and move between the two arguing men. Pushing them apart she stood in the middle with annoyance written over her face. Partly because of their childish behaviour but also because she wondered if what Aro said was true. Did Severus still love Lily?

"Will you two shut up and concentrate on what's important here. I came back to Volterra because I had a vision, not for you to get into a sparring match."

"Hermione is right brother." Marcus said walking up behind Aro and placing a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder. Just as Dumbledore came up and done the same thing to Severus.

"Let us hear what Hermione has to say." He said.

Neither Aro nor Severus made to move, causing Hermione to roll her eyes at the display. Using wandless magic, she was able to push Aro back towards his throne, then pushed Severus back next to Remus. So shocked was he at her magic he simply turned a seething glare onto her.

Hermione put her hands on her hips and glared right back at him.

"Well you would act like a bloody dunderhead." Her words caused several sniggers to sound in the room. "Anyway." She said steering the conversation into a new direction. "The vision I had was not a normal one, instead of it being a full vision like it normally is, it was like several images put together. I saw the Romanian flag and a letter being delivered to the Romanian Coven with the Volturi seal on it. I saw a clock and a large army gathering in wait ready to fight against you. And I saw the Volturi crest fall broken to the ground."

Aro, at hearing the Romanians being mentioned, suddenly felt curious and wanted to see the image for himself.

"May I see it." He asked walking towards Hermione. He stretched his hands out to her and watched as her gaze flickered from his face, to them, then back to his face.

Not wanting to touch him, she stepped closer towards him and looked straight into his eyes, trying hard not to let her mind focus on the pull she felt, or the thrill of being this close to him.

"Legilimens." She whispered before showing him the vision that she had seen.

No matter how often she used that spell, Aro could not get over his excitement at the way she could so easily enter someone's mind to look at or to show memories, without the need to touch them. To him it was astonishing.

Once he had seen it all, he turned his back on her and sat on this throne, rubbing his chin thoughtfully and contemplating everything that he had just seen.

"Well brother, what does it mean." Caius asked curiously.

Before Aro had the chance to speak, Hermione suddenly said,

"I think it means that someone told the Romanian coven about me and now War is coming to the Volturi." At her quietly spoken words, a contemplative silence fell over the group, as each person became lost in their own thoughts.

Here is the Italian-English translation-

* Mio caro- my dear

* Mio amico- my friend

If you have read TVWOH previously, then this chapter may seem a little different. That is because when I came to edit it, I noticed that half the chapter was gone and this was the only copy (thank god I had my notes lol). Xx