Chapter Twenty-Nine

Aro strode through the halls of the Palazzo quickly and silently with purpose, wanting nothing more than to get as far away from Hermione as he possibly could. Just now he couldn't stand to be in the same room as her and wanted to put some distance between them. He also needed to speak to Demetri, which was his only priority at the moment.

His face was a mask of perfect calmness despite the fact that he was seething with anger inside. He made his way further down into the bowels of the Palazzo to Demetri's quarters, determined to get some answers.

He knocked on the door quickly and waited patiently for Demetri to open the door to him, which didn't take long. Once inside he turned to the male vampire and watched as he shut the door behind them.

"You wished to see me Master Aro?" Demetri asked quietly, unaware of the mood that Aro was in.

"Yes I did Demetri." Aro replied, his voice the normal velvety smoothness it usually was. Aro didn't take his eyes off the other vampire as he reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket to pull out a folded piece of paper. "While the three of you were away on your mission this arrived for me along with a gift." He handed it over to Demetri, carefully watching the other males' expression as he did so. "What do you know about this?" He asked.

Demetri opened up the piece of paper and read the writing, his brows furrowing together as a frown fell upon his face.

"I don't know anything about this Master Aro. Have you any idea who sent it?" Demetri asked.

Before he knew what was happening Aro had Demetri by the throat, quickly pinning him up against the door. His perfectly calm face turning to one of burning anger.

"Do not lie to me Demetri, for I have no time for liars at the moment. This letter was written by someone who knows, and the only people who know are the three Volturi leaders, you and Hermione. Since it is about Hermione, I doubt she would write such a thing. And since the envelope was postmarked Romania, that leaves only you. Did you send it hmm, is it some kind of joke or warning?" Aro hissed out in anger.

Demetri didn't dare try to struggle from Aro's grasp knowing that if he did, he would automatically be sentenced to death for going against a Volturi leader, and not just any leader but Aro. So he just stood there wincing in pain.

"Of course I didn't send it Master Aro. Hermione is like family to me, I would never do or say such a thing I swear."

Aro gazed into Demetri's face, seeing only honesty in his features. He was just as worried and unsure as the Volturi leader himself. Because of that, Aro slackened his grip around Demetri's throat and leered at the other male.

"Then if it wasn't you then perhaps it was your lover hmm. No doubt you told him about what has been going on."

Demetri's eyes widened and he tried to shake his head, but was stopped by Aro tightening his grip on him once again.

"No I promise you, Felix would never do something like that. He loves Hermione just as much as I do. He does know but that's only because both me and Hermione trust him. Please Master Aro you must believe me, I know Felix better than anyone else and he wouldn't do such a thing."

Once again Aro searched the other male's face for any sign of dishonesty but saw none. He wanted to believe that neither Felix nor Demetri had anything to do with the letter, as they were two loyal members of the Volturi and were powerful allies to have. He needed them especially now since they were so close to War.

"I want to believe you Demetri." He said, letting go of the male's' throat to run his hand down his cheek instead. "But I need to see everything that happened while you were away. Maybe if I'm satisfied I will not go and pay a visit to your lover." Aro took a couple of steps backwards and held out his hands, waiting for Demetri to do the same.

"Of course Master Aro I have nothing to hide." He whispered, stretching out his own shaky hands to grasp Aro's.

Aro wrapped his hands over Demetri's and shut his eyes, waiting for his power to come forth so that he could see all of Demetri's thoughts and memories. Image after image flashed through his mind, as he witnessed everything the trio had gotten up to since they had been away. Including the dragon, which Hermione had managed to keep secret from him.

Once he had seen everything that he needed to see, Aro pulled back feeling dizzy and nauseous, as he leaned against a chair for support, while his thoughts ran freely through his mind.

"What have you done?" He whispered sadly, squeezing his eyes shut in contemplation.

Demetri stood where he was, making no sudden movements in case Aro should turn on him again. But seeing the Volturi leader looking so stricken and hearing him whisper out a question, he asked,

"What do you mean Master Aro?"

Forgetting the other male was in the room Aro stood up, not wanting to show any signs of weakness in front of his guard. He lifted his chin and looked straight into Demetri's eyes.

"The night of the ball Alice showed me a vision that she and Hermione shared. In this vision during the battle Hermione died surrounded by a wall of flames. Don't you think it's curious that while you three were in Romania she befriends a fire breathing dragon?"

Demetri's eyes widened in horror as Aro's words sank in and realization dawned on him.

"You think the dragon has something to do with that vision. I saw Nafeesa and Hermione interact, she would never do anything to hurt her."

Aro raised his eyebrow at the other vampire's use of the dragons' name. He sounded almost as if he cared for the wild beast.

"Maybe the beast would not hurt her intentionally but I know what I saw from the vision I seen."

Demetri sighed and knew what he was about to say wouldn't go down well with the Volturi leader but he had to say it anyway. He was there, he saw Nafeesa and knew without a doubt that she would never hurt Hermione unintentionally or not.

"I apologize for sounding rude Master Aro but I can assure you that Nafeesa would never hurt Hermione. They share such a unique bond and Nafeesa is so protective of her. There is just no way she would ever cause the death of her rider."

Aro's mind was already made up on the matter and it would not be swayed. He had already gotten Hermione to promise that she would never leave Volterra or the Palazzo.

"Even so, she will never be with that beast again. We have come to an arrangement of sorts that will prohibit her from returning to the Dragon Sanctuary. That is my final say on the matter."

Demetri had to stop himself from frowning at his Master's words, not liking the sound of them at all. He wanted to ask what he meant by that, but knew the leader of the Volturi would not divulge that kind information to him. He would just have to wait and ask Hermione about it himself. So instead Demetri said,

"Master Aro just a suggestion but couldn't Hermione use the dragon to help us win the War against the Romanians? With our collective powers and the dragon, we would be able to take them all out. The War would be quick and painless for us."

Aro frowned and glared at the vampire before him.

"Did you not just hear a single word I just said Demetri. For Hermione's safety she must stay away from that beast. She is going to die at the battle surrounded by a wall of flames otherwise. Maybe that happens because she rides the dragon into battle. Do you honestly want to take that chance? Do you really want to risk her life?" Aro said, with the last question asked in barely a whisper.

Now that he had heard Aro's reasons for not wanting Hermione to have any contact with Nafeesa, he understood it better. He could not fault Aro's reasons, even if he didn't like them. He would never risk Hermione's life. He would rather die himself than see her hurt.

"I agree Master Aro." Demetri whispered, feeling like he was somehow betraying both Nafeesa and Hermione.

"Good. Now about the letter. I believe that you didn't write or send it, and I believe that Felix didn't either. But since I don't know who did, I will be watching you both. Do not discuss what you have read with anyone including Felix and Hermione, especially not Hermione. Am I clear?" Aro asked, although it was more a demand than an actual question.

"Yes of course I promise not to tell anyone. And I will keep an eye out for anything suspicious as well." Demetri said, his head held high as he took his responsibility over Hermione's safety seriously.

"Good, now one more thing before I leave. I must ask what happened in one of the memories I saw. Hermione was standing in front of one of the Romanians, there was thunder and lighting and then she hit him with a ball of light. What exactly happened and what was that?" Aro asked, still intrigued by what he had seen now that his anger had dissipated slightly.

Demetri shook his head slowly then said,

"Honestly I don't know what that was. One minute they were fighting and the next she was looking straight into his eyes doing that mind reading thing that she does. She let him go and became incredibly upset and angry. The wind picked up and it turned dark, then the thunder and lightning started and a bolt hit the ground in front of her. The next thing to happen was a blue-white light appearing in Hermione's hands, before she let it go straight into him. Nothing happened at first but then you saw what happened to him. It was fast acting and painful, turning him into ash. I've never seen anything like it before in my life." Demetri admitted. "I did hear the old wizards' explanation when he spoke to Charlie later on. He said that she always had this power it had just never manifested before. Not until Morvin came along and evoked strong emotions in her." Demetri admitted.

Aro stood listening as he stroked his chin absentmindedly. So Hermione had developed a new power and the young girl seemed to be the key to releasing it. With her power they could easily win the War against the Romanians quickly and efficiently without loss of lives on their side. He just needed to figure out how he could use this knowledge to his advantage.

Finally, after being lost in his thoughts for a moment, he turned to Demetri and smiled that charming boyish smile, as if nothing had just occurred between them. He wanted to believe that neither Felix nor Demetri had written the letter, but that didn't mean he did. From now on he would be keeping a watchful eye on them. Aro was a suspicious person by nature and even though he was no closer to finding out who the perpetrator was, it still begged the question if it wasn't Felix or Demetri, then who was it?

"Thank you for all of your help Demetri I appreciate it. I will go and speak to Felix but I promise not to harass him. Remember though do not speak to anyone about the letter and keep an eye out for anything suspicious. If you find out anything unusual then report it to me only. Do I make myself clear?"

Demetri nodded and stepped away from the door allowing Aro to pass through.

"Perfectly clear Master Aro."

With a nod of his head Aro left Demetri's quarters and headed next door to Felix's. Shutting the door behind him, Demetri slumped down into the chair and sat bent over, his head in his hands as he went over everything that Aro had just told him. The letter was bad enough but then so was the vision Hermione had of her death. Why had she not told him or Felix? Why did she keep it a secret? Did she not trust them like she said she did? So many unanswered questions ran through his head, as Demetri just sat thinking everything through feeling helpless and not knowing what he could do to help her.

Meanwhile elsewhere in the Palazzo as Aro interrogated Felix and Demetri sat in contemplation, Hermione had left the dome room and walked back to her quarters using the longer route, as she tried to get her feelings under control.

At first she had been distraught at the way Aro had treated her, and at the deal she was forced to make with him. She let her human emotions get the better of her but now that she was away from him and alone with her thoughts and feelings, all she felt now was an angry determination.

She would not let Aro treat her like that ever again, and as for the deal she would not be honoring it. She knew that she could not leave Volterra just now. There were too many people in the Volturi that she cared for, and leaving them just before a War was cowardly. If they lost because of her she would never forgive herself. It wasn't just about the Volturi either, if the Romanians came to power then muggles would be threatened then the magical world. No she couldn't let that happen. So she would stay and fight alongside the Volturi and her friends, then once it was all over she would take Morvin and just disappear.

She knew that the Volturi guard would be able to track her down, but she would fight them if it came down to it. She would protect Morvin and her friends in the wizarding world no matter the cost. She wasn't as weak or as stupid as Aro seemingly believed her to be, and if it wasn't for his little ultimatum she would never have thought of turning her back on the Volturi. But he had pushed her into this and so therefore he must deal with the consequences.

Now that Hermione had everything figured out in her head, she felt a lot calmer as she prepared to see Morvin. The last thing the little girl needed was to see Hermione so upset and angry, as she didn't want to frighten her after everything.

So now that she was more settled Hermione made her way back to her quarters. As she approached Aro's quarters, which were before her own, she had to push back the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her again. She couldn't think of him anymore, so looking straight ahead she went to walk passed his door, knowing that he was not there, until suddenly the door to his rooms opened wide, showing Sulpicia standing looking beautiful with a serene smile on her face.

"Hermione I'm so glad to see you, I thought I would have missed you. Could you come into my rooms for a moment, so that I could have a quick word with you?" Hermione looked from Sulpicia to her own door, worried about how Morvin was faring being all alone in her quarters. Sensing her hesitation Sulpicia put her hand on Hermione's arm and smiled sweetly. "Please, it will only take a moment."

Knowing that if they didn't speak now, Sulpicia would only try and catch her again later. So wanting it over and done with quickly so that she could get back to Morvin, she nodded her head in agreement and followed Sulpicia into Aro's quarters.

She tried not to look around the familiar room, but a couple of Sulpicia's things caught her attention. Obviously the married couple were sharing them again, causing Hermione to become annoyed once more. Aro had played her for a fool and she had fallen for it, despite her hesitancy in the beginning. She should have followed her instincts back then, but she didn't and she was an idiot for it.

"What would you like to discuss Sulpicia?" Hermione asked, turning to look at the other female.

Sulpicia smiled at Hermione, but it was not a warm or inviting smile, it was one of smug victory.

"I just want to apologize for my husband's behavior towards you. But you see he always comes back to me in the end."

Hermione tried not to blanch at the other woman's words, as she looked at her in surprised confusion.

"Excuse me." She muttered, as Sulpicia let out a small chuckle.

"You heard me Hermione. I know that before you left to go to Romania there was something going on between you and my husband. You aren't the first and you certainly won't be the last." Hermione's eyes widened in shock at the other woman's words, causing her to laugh again. "Please tell me you knew about my husband's wandering ways." When Hermione said nothing Sulpicia grinned maliciously. "What, did you think you were special or something? That was a very foolish thing for you to do."

Hermione frowned, not willing to stand and be insulted.

"I don't know what you think happened between Aro and me but we were most certainly not having an affair. I don't care what has happened between the two of you before, but whatever it was does not include me." Hermione said quietly, a tone which if Ron or Harry were there, would be able to say meant danger.

"I'm sure that's what you believe but I am not stupid. I have seen it happen too many times before. Aro finds a beautiful woman with powers irresistible. He seduces them and manipulates them to join the Volturi, he may sleep with them or whisper sweet nothings in their ear, in order to get what he wants. Once he does, he forgets all about them and returns to me, the person that matters to him the most. We are married and we love each other. Nothing will ever come between that." The smile had gone from Sulpicia's beautiful face, as she stood looking at Hermione with a small degree of hostility. "As I said before you are not the first nor will you be the last. So how did he seduce you, did he sleep with you, or was it stolen kisses and touches. Perhaps it was whispered words of love and devotion. Or perhaps he used the 'you are my mate card.'" At the look on Hermione's face Sulpicia let out a mocking laugh. "Oh my poor dear, he certainly gave you the full force of his charm. You must have been playing hard to get for him to do that. And let me guess you believed everything he said." Sulpicia shook her head and sneered. "You are more foolish than I thought. Perhaps you should have stayed with your wizard."

At the mention of Severus, Hermione instantly tensed up. Although they weren't together she knew that he loved her. She had been so swept up by Aro and his words, that she had completely disregarded Severus's feelings for her. She had disregarded her own feelings for him as well, like they were nothing. She knew what he had been through in the past with Lily and James, and only now thanks to Sulpicia did she realize that she was no better than what they were.

"Thank you for clearing a few things up for me. I can't tell you how helpful you have been." Hermione said truthfully, feeling suddenly ashamed of her actions. "Believe me I will not make such a mistake again." With that she turned on her heel, and left Sulpicia standing there.

Once the door to their quarters was shut firmly behind, Hermione leaned back against the wall and squeezed her eyes shut. What had she done? Sulpicia was right, she truly was a bigger fool than she realized. And she had no-one to blame but herself.

"Hermione what were you doing in there? Are you alright?" A voice said, breaking her out of her thoughts.

Opening her eyes, she saw Marcus looking at her, his face full of worry and concern.

She smiled slightly at him and nodded.

"I was just talking to Sulpicia and she helped me clear up a couple of things. I'm fine honestly." She moved away from the wall and wrapped her arms around Marcus, glad of his calm reassuring presence.

He gently stroked the curls on her head, knowing that she was lying. He looked at the door to Aro's quarters and frowned, knowing that whatever vile jealous things Sulpicia had just said, had hurt Hermione. He wasn't sure what was going on but knew something was. He would speak to Aro and see what he knew.

"Perhaps we should move into your quarters so that we can talk in private. I have missed you so much while you have been away."

Hermione's body tensed once again as she looked at the door to where Morvin was waiting for her. Although she loved and trusted Marcus, she was still incredibly nervous about how he was going to react to seeing Morvin. She hoped that he would be just as accepting of the small girl as he was with her.

Looking both ways down the corridor, she cast a discreet silencing charm around them, knowing that nosey ears were always listening. Once satisfied she turned a serious gaze onto Marcus then said,

"Before we go into my quarters there's something I must tell you first."

Marcus gazed at his surrogate daughter, worry and fear etched across his face. Since the trio had returned the atmosphere in the Palazzo had changed, and he didn't like this change. Something was happening that he didn't know about, and seeing the way Hermione was acting now, didn't ease his worries.

"You know you can tell me anything mio angelo. I am here for you always." He whispered, taking her hand in his.

She smiled warmly up at him and sighed contently.

"I know you are and I really do appreciate it. Honestly I don't know what I would do without you in my life." She whispered truthfully. With a small shake of her head, she rid herself of the maudlin thoughts and gazed up at him once more. "I digress sorry. While we were in Romania we came across some of their coven members killing a whole village. To cut a long story short the leader of this group was sexually and physically abusing young female children, turning them for his own twisted pleasure. One small child called Morvin was chained up in a room, she was treated no better than an animal. She was filthy, smelly, starving and scared. I-I couldn't just leave her like that. So I took her away from that place. But she was so mentally scarred by what had happened, I thought I might lose her. So I wrote to Dumbledore for help and he came and performed a memory charm on her. Although she can't remember what happened, she still shows physical signs such as being shy and nervous, especially around men. She doesn't talk to people out loud and speaks through the mind instead. She is an amazing child and deserves a better life than what she had. So I brought her back here to Volterra with me, and right now she is waiting inside for me to come back to her."

She looked nervously from Marcus to the door and then back again, as she waited for a reply. His eyebrows furrowed and he frowned, not out of anger but out of consideration.

"You brought her back here, to the Palazzo. Does Aro know?" He asked quietly.

"Yes. At first he wasn't happy and wanted her destroyed but then we made a deal." She looked away from Marcus not wanting to meet his gaze afraid of what he might see, but he had already caught the simpering anger boiling to the surface.

Placing a finger on her chin, he gently tilted her head so that she was looking at him once again.

"What was the deal Hermione?" He asked softly, knowing what his brother was like.

She sighed, knowing that she could not hide the truth from him.

"In exchange for keeping Morvin with me, I promised to never leave the Palazzo or Volterra. I promised to never go back into the magical world and see my friends again."

Marcus shut his eyes and sighed, he definitely would be having words with Aro soon.

"Hermione." He whispered sadly.

"I know what I did but please understand, I had to do it. I need to protect my girl." Hermione said with determination.

Marcus couldn't help but admire Hermione and understood exactly how she felt. After all he thought of her as a daughter and knew the feeling of loving and protecting a child. Hermione was his girl and he would have done the same thing in her shoes. Perhaps he would gain not only a daughter but also a granddaughter as well, something he would have never dared to hope for.

"I know mio angelo, I would do the same thing for you.' He said with a small smile. "So would you allow me to meet Morvin?" He asked, accepting the situation completely.

She gave him a bright smile and hugged him tightly to her.

"Thank you." She whispered, before cancelling the silencing charm and the wards to her room.

With a steady hand she opened the door to her quarters and stepped inside with Marcus following closely behind.

Morvin was sitting on the couch reading a book on her lap, and when she saw Hermione she greeted her with a wide smile before running into her arms.

Hermione scooped her up and held her close, relishing in the feel of the small body against her. There was no doubt in her mind, this was her girl, she felt it in her heart.

"Hello sweetie I missed you too." She said with a smile.

Pulling away Morvin looked up at the pleasant face of Marcus, and suddenly felt nervous and scared. Nuzzling her face into the side of Hermione's neck she asked,

"Who is that?"

Aware of the other body in the room, Hermione pulled away from Morvin and stood up, with Morvin wrapping herself tightly around her body.

"This sweetie is my father Marcus. When I first came here I didn't know anyone. I was all alone and sad, but Marcus adopted me as his daughter. He is a very nice and kind man, and he means a lot to me. So it would be nice if my two favorite people could get on well together."

Morvin turned a curious gaze onto the tall man and took in the sight of him. He was tall and slightly forbidding, but he had a kind face and soft eyes. He had long wavy hair but no beard like Dumbledore. If what Hermione said was true, then Marcus was a good person who Morvin wouldn't mind getting to know better. So with that she stuck out a small nervous hand and said,

"Hello Marcus, it's very nice to meet you."

Although Marcus had been told about Morvin speaking through the mind, he had not expected to hear such a sweet innocent voice so clearly in his mind, the way that he did. He gave her a small smile and took her delicate hand in his, and shook it.

"Hello Morvin it is very nice to meet you too. Hermione was telling me lots of lovely things about you, and I am so very happy in finally get to meet the wonderful girl from all those stories."

With that the ice between Marcus and Morvin had broken, and the three of them spent a comfortable evening together. Whether it was because of what Hermione had told Morvin, or whether it was simply Marcus's relaxed and kind personality, Morvin seemed to take to him quicker than she did Dumbledore, which was surprising since she adored the old wizard.

All Hermione had to do was sit back and relax with a content smile on her face, as the two people she cared most about interacted and got to know each other better. Everything else that happened that day, everything that she had been thinking and feeling previously left as she basked in the comfort of being with Marcus and Morvin.

How could she have ever worried about Marcus's reaction to her, he was unlike anyone she had ever known. Having him on their side made things a lot easier and brought comfort in knowing that she and Morvin had his support, along with Felix and Demetri's. It was only the rest of the Volturi and the vampire world that she still had to convince.


Meanwhile back at Hogwarts Dumbledore had arrived safely back at the castle, just in time for dinner being served. He went back to his chambers and freshened himself up before heading down to the Great Hall.

Since the students wouldn't be arriving for another couple of days, the hall was still empty with only a handful of students and Professors sitting.

Moving across the hall, he sat down on his normal chair between Minerva and Severus, and tried not to smile when he felt the eyes of Severus immediately upon him. He knew that both he and Remus would be badgering him with questions, but right now he didn't want to answer any in front of the small amount of students there were at the table. Plus, he wanted to eat first since he was famished from his travels.

So turning to look pointedly at both the wizards on his right hand side, he held up his hand to them before either one could speak then said,

"I am happy to answer any questions you might have, but not here and not now. It is neither the time nor the place for this conversation. Also I wish to eat first."

With that he turned away and began to fill his plate up before beginning to eat and chat to Minerva on his left. All the while he could feel Severus tense and frustrated sitting next to him. The young wizard had to learn that patience was a virtue, something that he seemed to lack.

Once dinner was over and all the students had left the Great Hall, the moment Dumbledore rose from his chair, the two wizards on his right also got to their feet, following him like two faithful puppies. They walked in silence to the gargoyle protecting the Headmaster's office, and climbed the spiral staircase in an awkward fashion.

The moment the door to the office had closed, Severus turned his attention to the Headmaster, while Dumbledore and Remus took a seat.

"Well what did Hermione need you for? Is she alright?" He began to ask.

Dumbledore chuckled and shook his head in dismay causing the young wizard to sneer.

"Really Severus if something was wrong do you honestly believe that I would be so calm now. Hermione is fine, in fact she is better than I have ever seen her. She is content and dare I say it, settled."

Severus frowned at the Headmaster's words. It wasn't that he didn't believe the old man, it was just Dumbledore had been away a lot longer than expected. And he had read Hermione's letter beforehand seeing the desperation in her written words for himself.

"If that is the case then why did she want to see you so desperately Albus? Something must have happened to cause such a reaction from her?"

Dumbledore thought over everything he had witnessed during his time away and let out a hearty chuckle, to the bewilderment of Remus and Severus.

"Oh I dare say some things did happen to Hermione but none of it was bad, I can assure you of that. Please Severus take a seat so that I can talk to you properly, without you burning a hole in my floor."

Grudgingly Severus took the seat next to Remus and folded his arms in a huff like a petulant child.

"Two things happened to Hermione." He lied, missing out the story of Morvin. He promised her that he would keep Morvin's existence a secret and was determined to do so, until she was ready to tell everyone herself. "The first is, do you remember the first challenge for the Triwizard Tournament when Harry was in it." He asked, his baby blue eyes twinkling madly.

Both Remus and Severus were staring at the Headmaster as if he was a crazy old man, not knowing what that had to do with Hermione.

"Yes." Remus finally said giving Dumbledore a curious look.

"Well do you remember the dragon Harry had during the tournament?"

Remus frowned then said,

"I wasn't at Hogwarts during that time but I remember Harry writing to Sirius to say that he had to steal an egg from a Hungarian Horntail."

Severus frowned at both men then said,

"I remember seeing it but what on earth has that got to do with Hermione."

Dumbledore chuckled again at Severus's impatience, as he wanted nothing more than to get straight to the point.

"Well my dear fellow, that dragon is still at the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary."

Both of Severus's eyebrows rose to his hairline as he asked,

"Did it attack her?"

Remus suddenly went pale at that thought, until Dumbledore chuckled once again.

"Far from it my boy. Hermione and Nafeesa, that's what she called the dragon, became friends, familiars even. They have a very strong and unique bond with each other, so much so that Hermione is now Nafeesa's rider." He sighed wistfully then said, "I saw it all for myself and it was such a magnificent sight to behold. Not only that but Nafeesa is the alpha, and Charlie gave Hermione the circlet of the alpha to wear, although she doesn't know what it means yet. She will find out in due time, but now is not that time."

Both wizards stared at him in stunned silence, contemplating what Dumbledore had just told them.

"Hermione is a vampire witch dragonrider. Bloody hell." Remus said running his hand through his sandy colored hair.

Dumbledore smiled and nodded his head.

"She is indeed Remus."

"And you say that you saw her riding this dragon." Severus inquired.

"I did indeed see her." Dumbledore said proudly, already knowing where Severus was going with this.

"Then would you show us your memories in the pensieve."

Dumbledore would have to tweak them first so that none of the memories showed Morvin in them. It would take time but it wasn't hard to do.

"Yes but I will show you them tomorrow, as tonight I am far too tired after travelling, and you know how exhausting it is removing memories from one's head."

Severus didn't look at all pleased with this, but knew that he had no other option if he wanted to see the memories for himself. To be honest if what Dumbledore said was true then he was worried and anxious about it.

"Albus have you considered the possibility that the prophecy Trelawney had is because of that dragon." He asked solemnly.

Dumbledore frowned as he became lost in thought. Honestly he had never linked the dragon to the prophecy before, but now that Severus had pointed it out, it somehow seemed glaringly obvious.

"Don't worry Severus I will speak to Charlie regarding Nafeesa. Besides Hermione knows what she's doing, if she knows about the prophecy, which I'm sure she does, she will have something planned. Have faith in her my dear friend." He said, not sure who he was trying to convince.

Severus sat there and frowned despite hearing Dumbledore's words. Hermione was reckless when it came to her life, he had seen that many times before. Even if she did know about the prophecy, he knew she would still do whatever it took, despite the consequences. It was something he both loved and hated about her.

"And what was the other thing that happened Albus." Remus asked breaking the silence that had fallen on the room.

Dumbledore turned to look at the wizard and gave him a small smile.

"It seems that Hermione's main power has finally manifested itself at last. Felix, Demetri and Hermione were fighting a group of vampires. She became angry and the change in her emotions impacted on her abilities. She flung this ball of light at one of the vampires and basically caused him to explode from the inside out turning him into ash. If she uses her power during the battle in Romania she will annihilate the enemy quickly. Hermione is incredibly powerful and when she developed this new power she panicked, fearing that she would turn into the next Dark Lord. I told her that as long as she still loved, and as long as her heart still beat in her chest then she would never become dark."

This statement intrigued Severus, not the part about Hermione's new power but the part about Hermione still being able love. Hearing Dumbledore's words filled him with hope. Could she still love him he wondered? Could he dare let himself hope only to be crushed once more by her?

"Severus my boy you have to let Hermione go. She is not like us anymore and is what she is." Dumbledore said sadly, knowing what was going through his mind.

"Is she happy though?" Severus asked.

Looking at the young wizard thoughtfully Dumbledore knew that he had to break the information Charlie had told him, gently. He needed to know before he was hurt again.

Sighing Dumbledore nodded his head.

"Yes she is happy Severus, and I have it on good authority that Aro the Volturi leader is her mate. Despite what bond she may have had with you, it is nothing compared to the bond that she has with him? I'm sorry my boy, but you really must let her go."

Severus could feel the cold icy vice like grip squeezing his heart at Dumbledore's words. Despite the pain that he felt, he was determined to make damn sure that he wouldn't show his feelings in front of the two sympathetic looking wizards. All he wanted was the sanctuary of his chambers and a bottle of Ogden's finest to numb the pain. He always knew that he might lose her to the vampire world, but never did he imagine losing her to that sneaky bastard.

"Thank you Albus." Severus said rising to his feet, while avoiding all eye contact with the old wizard. "If you don't mind I will take my leave." With that he turned on his heels and stormed out of the Headmasters office, slamming the door closed behind him as he went.

Remus went to move from the chair in order to follow Severus, but was quickly stopped by Dumbledore who shook his head sadly.

"Let him be Remus. He needs some time alone."

Remus sighed and once again ran his hand through his hair.

"Will he be alright though?" He asked with genuine sympathy and concern, for the man he now considered to be a friend.

Dumbledore sighed heavily before slumping down into his chair and summoning two empty glasses and a bottle of firewhisky. Pouring them a good amount each, he took a sip, relishing in the burning sensation going down his throat.

"I hope so I really do."

With another sigh the two men sat in a solemn silence sipping on their firewhisky, while down in the Dungeons Severus Snape was doing the exact same thing. All three wizards were thinking about the same subject but in a different context. The only thing that all three knew for sure was that sooner, rather than later things would finally come to a head for Hermione, and important decisions would have to be made.