AN: Soooo Exam-Phase is over, I got sick right after, but now I am back and okay again. So being sick also gave me the idea for the next chapter. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 20: Time for big brothers

The Shopping-trip with Alice was more fun than Hermione wanted to admit, but there was no hiding such thoughts with Edward and Jasper around. So the following days they were picking on the topic. Things like "No worries Bella, Alice got her true Shopping-Mate!" or "What you are still here, I thought you are out Style-hunting again!" were thrown around constantly. But after a little while Hermione just laughed with the boys, because it annoyed Alice more than anyone else.

The little witch still couldn't get a connection to Bella or Edward, since they kind of stuck to themselves. Also Emmett was a tricky case. He and Rose were out hunting, at least that's what they told the rest of the family, but telling by the looks everyone was shooting, when they said good bye, they were out for more naughty reasons. Hermione shook her head she didn't want to think about such things. Anyway she was a little shocked, that all the Cullens skipped school the following week, because it was too sunny. What kind of reason was that?

And then something happened, that didn't happen ever since Hermione stayed with her new family. Nearly all of them went hunting. On Sunday, after their Shopping tour, Jasper and Edward left together with Rose and Emmett. But while the Couple planned on staying away longer, the boys returned on Tuesday. And that was the day, the rest of the family prepared for leaving. And Hermione was nervous. She just found her new family and now she was somehow worried that this could be dangerous, that they would not return. Of course this was nonsense, she knew what kind of abilities they possessed, but it still scared her. And there was no hiding those thoughts either.

She sat in her room, waiting for Carlisle to show up and tell her that they were ready for leaving. It was already past nine and dark outside. She was staring into one of her books, but to say she was reading, would have been a lie. But it wasn't Carlisle who approached her after a while. A somewhat shy knock on the door, revealed two insecure looking young men to her attention. Jasper and Edward. They looked a lot better than when they first arrived back at home a few hours ago. Both were showered and wore a new set of clothes. "Ah…Mind if we talk a minute?" Edward spoke. Hermione was confused but also a little relieved that she can stop pretending to read while her thoughts were running circles, so she invited them in.

"What is it?" she couldn't think of anything they wanted from her. She interacted little with Jasper and even less with Edward. Not because she avoided them it just didn't happen. They still felt like half-strangers to her.

"You know, we can't help but notice your worry to be alone with us." Hermione's face showed some understanding, that's why they wanted to talk to her! "You should keep in mind, that we are both more than 100 years old….we can manage to keep you alive for a few days" Edward chuckled with a sarcastic, smug, smile on his lips.

"Oh no!" Hermione threw a pillow at him, with no success he caught it without any afford. "No, you got that all wrong" she complained a little to enthusiastic. "I am not worried to be alone with YOU. I am worried that something will happen to them, while they are gone." Hermione's face turned into an annoyed grimace. Stupid vampired….!

Jasper was the one who laughed, while edward just stared at her blankly. "Why do you laugh?" she asked even more annoyed now.

"You are worried that something will happen to your vampire family? For real?" the laugher rumbled in his chest. And Edwards confusion grew "Why are you worried that something will happen to them? You weren't so worried about us leaving earlier this week." The question made him sound like a detective questioning a criminal.

And that's exactly how the witch felt. She didn't notice that before, but he was right, she was not so concerned when they left earlier. "Well….uh…" she stuttered, unsure what to say. "You are young and all….well vampiric…..Carlisle and Esme aren't like you." She pouted, because she didn't really want to say those words out loud. But it was true. Their adoptive parents seemed a lot more human than her new vampiric siblings. But now both men were laughing.

"What is so funny?" Carlisle entered the room, closing the last button on his cardigan. "They laugh about me, because I worry" Hermione hissed, more like a Slytherin than a Gryffindor.

"She is worried, that you will get hurt, because you and Esme are so human" Edward explained with this smug grin again, and Hermione wished she could actually hit him with something harder than a pillow. The glare she shot at him, could have burned a hole into his forehead.

A compassioned smile played around Carlisle's lips. "Edward…." He somehow managed to sound scolding and amused at once. It was beyond Hermione how he managed that. "Would you wait downstairs please? The girls want to say goodbye to you." He tried to word in a tactful and nice way, that he wanted to speak to Hermione in private. Not that privacy ever was a big truth in this house. And obviously everyone involved knew what Carlisle wanted, so no one complained and the boys left the room less amused than before.

Then the doctor faced her and suddenly she felt uncomfortable. He had this soft, calming smile on his face and somehow it made her stomach flip. He sat down next to her. "So what was this about?" he asked with the usual smooth voice.

Hermione's cheeks heat up. She didn't want to repeat her word. She was somewhat convinced that her earlier openness was partly Jaspers fault.

But he didn't let the topic slip so easy. "What did Edward mean?" he put an arm around her shoulders. His hand was as cold as usual but somehow she came to like this, because it was a part of him. Of them all. "If you were able to tell them, you surely can tell me." He joked, but this truth was undeniable.

Hermione bit her lip before she spoke "I am just…..you and Esme are so….normal….i mean." She took a deep breath. "the others constantly make use of their vampiric abilities….i even saw Emmet using his speed to knot Jaspers shoe-laces together!" she changed her approach to the topic. "You and Esme are different, you could be mistaken for a human anytime….I am just worried that you get hurt while being out there". So it was out and she felt a lot lighter instantly.

Within a split second, she suddenly was spun around and two very hard and very cold arms were wrapped around her. His hands stroke slow circles over her back and he could feel his chest rumble as he spoke, chin resting on her hair "As you can see, I can be just as fast as them…..even faster, this young folk doesn't know what they are doing." He laughed softly. "And Esme is no less capable of keeping herself safe" Now he pushed her away a little, to look into her eyes. "There is absolutely no reason to be afraid of us getting hurt by a few animals. And before you know it we are all back home."

Hermione nodded a little in awe. She had no time to react at all before he had her pulled into a hug and neither could she resist his firm hand, when he pushed her away and held her in place to look at her. How could she ever get this wrong impression, that he was human? Suddenly something Professor Snape once said rang in her ears: "Once you face a vampire you will underestimate it, if you don't remind yourself constantly of the danger". Though Hermione didn't feel any danger, quite the opposite. Suddenly she realized, that not only her adoptive Parents would be safe out there, but she would be safe here, no matter what. She just could not imagine, that any troll or poltergeist, not even the dark lord himself, could get to her here.

"Come, the others are waiting." He pulled her out of the memory and placed a soft kiss on her head. A wide smile spread on her lips. Everything would be alright.

…

Their departure was rather quick. Everyone already said their goodbyes when Carlisle and Hermione joined the group. She hugged him once more and then repeated the same thing with Esme and Alice. Then they all were gone and she was alone with Jasper and Edward.

This was a little to awkward to deal with so she hurried to get some sleep and get into bed right after that. Not that she didn't like them, but she never was alone with them before.

Once she was ready and snuggled up under her covers, sleep didn't come easy. Somehow weird thoughts found their way into her head, thoughts that made her nervous. How are Harry and Ron? Was anyone else missing her in Hogwarts? What would her Parents say about her new living situation? Did Dumbledore ever think about his decision, to sent her here? Why did Snape of all people get involved? When would finally someone contact her, to set her up for Ilvermorny?

With all those questions attacking her, she was tossing and turning and even though she fell asleep on some point it didn't felt like sleep. It felt exhausting and somehow she was aware the whole time that she should have a deeper sleep.

She didn't wake up as early as usual and certainly no on her own. What woke her was a cool hand on her cheek and when she opened her eyes the first thing she saw was her window and the clear blue, sunny sky behind it. It must have been already past 8am. Then she turned her head to the owner of this hand. Her head felt like there was too much pressure in it, as she turned around. Her throat felt equally scratchy and thick. And then she looked into Jaspers golden eyes. He wore a worried frown.

"Good Morning" Hermione tried to say, but it was voiceless and hurt. "I am sick, aren't I?" she stated and had to smile, despite her pain, when she saw Jaspers confusion about her statement.

"No shit sherlock." He said. "I wondered why you didn't wake up and felt your uncomfortableness. So I wanted to check on you" he explained as if it was a crime to be in her room. "Edward" he said a little louder, no need to yell. Seconds later he passed the door too. "She is sick." Jasper said in a matter-of-fact voice. Somehow Hermione found this funny and wanted to keep the personal joke going. "I am sick" she repeated in the same voice and tried to sit up in her bed. Her head hurt even more and the world was spinning for a moment. The need to have a warm scarf wrapped around her throat was growing.

"And what am I supposed to do?" Edward asked. A little confused, but his face showed the same worried frown, jasper wore earlier.

"You are the one with the medicine study." Was Jaspers smart-ass answer. It only caused a quirked eyebrow from the bronze-haired vampire. He felt her forehead as well. "No fever" he mumbled. "It's just a cold, no medicine-degree needed here. We can't do much but sit it out". Hermione nodded approvingly, that's what her Dad used to say too, whenever anyone had a cold.

"Well I will prepare some breakfast for you. Put some clean and comfortable clothes on." Then he stepped on her bed carefully to open the window above slightly. "Fresh air, and clean covers will help"

Then he disappeared on his way downstairs while Hermione climbed out of her bed a little clumsy. "Go, get dressed and all. I will take care of the covers." Jasper offered. Nice as always, Hermione thought. She never felt a bad vibe coming from him ever.

When she returned from her bathroom adventure, that took way longer than usual, her bed had fresh covers and some music came from the kitchen. She went downstairs, holding her head, because the pressure in it turned worse every time her feet hit the ground.

"You need a scarf" was the first sentence that greeted her, when she entered the kitchen space. Hermione had an excuse for that though. "I have one….but I couldn't find it. Alice rearranged my whole wardrobe." Her voice was stronger now but it sounded nosey.

Jasper disappeared and was back in no time, with a thick wool scarf. He twisted it around her neck gently and wrapped the ends around it. "There you go, little one". Hermione coughed a giggle.

Meanwhile Edward placed a cup of Tea on the counter, placed a spoon full of honey in it and added a bowl with fruits and Yoghurt to the picture. "You can rest in the living room a little, as long as you aren't too tired." He allowed her and Hermione wasn't sure if he was supposed to tell her what to do. Sure they were the older ones…..by far! But they weren't Carlisle. But then again she agreed with him, so why argue?

While she was munching on her food, they were talking. "You know it will get worse before it gets better?" Edward asked in a warning tone. Hermione nodded, it wasn't her first cold after all. "If I could brew a pepper up potion, it would be fine within a few hours." She explained but the doubt in her voice was obvious for anyone, she knew she didn't have the necessary ingredients and wasn't in the condition to brew.

"What the heck is a pepper up potion?" Jasper asked his head rested on his arms as he half sat, half laid on the counter. "Are you even allowed to brew stuff, when Mom and Dad aren't home?".

There it was…..they called them mom and Dad. That didn't happen around her before and it hit her somehow. Sure they were their parents in some way….but Dad was her Dad…..not Carlisle. Obviously Edward couldn't keep his nose out of her head, because he responded to the unspoken thought.

"You know….we all have our own families. Somewhere in the past." He started and Jasper couldn't really pick up where the topic change came from, until he realized. Such half-unspoken conversations were nothing unusual in their household and one got used to it at some point. He continued "but after 30, 40 or maybe even 60 years of being the persons we can got to with all out worries and problems, Carlisle just becomes a father for every single one of us, more than our real fathers ever had a chance to. And Esme had more time to be a mother to each of us, than any of our real mothers had the chance to." He explained carefully. "it is no disrespect to out biological parents, when we call them Mom and Dad, its an expression of our love for them."

Hermione thought about it. This was a point of view she couldn't access before. "Eat up and I get you a thicker blanket for the living room." Obviously the topic was done for Edward.

"Don't worry too much about it. Take it at your pace or just don't. No one forces you to do anything." Jasper nudged her side with his elbow. "You want some company while you rest?….And with rest I mean watch TV until our eyes hurt." He asked with a wide grin. She was so happy, that he was so sensitive to the feeling of others, so she rarely had to explain what she needed. She wasn't sure if Alice told him to be nice to her or if that's just how he was, but she was thankful none the less. She nodded happily.

….

Snuggled up on the Couch while watching TV was nice for a while, but around noon her nose started to get stuffy. She kept switching the sides she laid on, sitting sometimes for a while until she got too tired again. "What are you doing?" Jasper got a little annoyed by her constant moving. He wasn't mad but he actually was watching the show in the tv.

"I can't breathe when I lay down, but I am too tired to sit" she complained. With a sight the blonde vampire got up and disappeared in the kitchen when he came back he looked unhappy. "We have no tissues in this house…..we just don't need them" he admitted frustrated. "Edward? Can you pick up some tissue-boxes when u get Bella?" This time he was yelling, but more out of frustration rather than the need for it. A little annoyed Edward agreed. He didn't plan on coming back home with Bella but changed his plans in favor for Family-Matters, as he called it.

Jasper helped Hermione out with some kitchen-papers, until the tissue delivery would show up. Before Edward got read to leave he stopped by in Carlisle's study. He knew that their father kept a few meds in storage for Bella. So he decided to search through it, there had to be something against colds. Something that would help Hermione sleep or breath or at least lesson the headache. After a little while his search kame to success. He took the little bottle and rushed downstairs. "jas, catch" he warned the same second he entered the last stair and threw the bottle towards his brother, who just settled on the couch next to Hermione. He had no problems reacting in time, and red the label. "Whats that?" they both asked at the same time. Edward already shrugged into his jacket, not that he needed it, it just looked more normal. "Make sure she takes one now and one before bed" and then he already was through the door, to the garage. "That was no answer" Hermione complained, to tired to argue or yell anything. "No it wasn't" jasper agreed. "I have no clue about those things, though" he excused himself and just pulled on of the small pills out of it. He handed her the Waterbottle, that was standing untouched next to the couch-table. As he saw that it still was full he frowned. He should have watched out that she drank something, he simply forgot that she needs to drink. "Here " he handed her the pill and opened the bottle for her. "You should drink more". This statement didn't solve his guilty feelings, but better now than never.

Once she was done and put the bottle down, jasper offered an open arm and a warm smile. Confused the witch stared at him. "You can rest at my side, so you can breath AND sleep" he explained. She felt dumb for not understanding, but also wasn't sure if they were close enough for such interactions. Sure Brother or not, he still was somewhat of a stranger to her. But the yawn and the headache protesting against her sitting position, convinced her to accept the offer. He wasn't exactly comfy as a pillow. He was cold and rock-hard. But her head was high enough to be able to breath, and this was a lot easier than holder herself up sitting. She got as comfortable as possible and pulled the blanket up to her chin. "So Edward has a degree in medicine , huh?" she tried to Smalltalk her awkwardness away, but soon noticed that there was no need for that effort, as a wave of comfortableness washed over her. "Yeah, among others. But he's the only one of us who ever followed Carlisle into this field. Even though we all change our Study-Subjects each time we enroll" he explained in a low voice, clearly wanting her to sleep.

This was impressive Hermione thought. Impressive, but a topic to dive in another time. She watched, as Jasper switched through the channels and even before he decided on one, she was drifting off into dreamland.