Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.
The next day, Hermione woke up earlier than she needed to and started rechecking everything. It helped her keep her mind averted. She had run out of her Dreamless Sleep potion and had woken up screaming. The nightmares hadn't stopped since the night of the war. Sometimes it was her parents being tortured in Malfoy Manor, sometimes Harry and Ron killed by Nagini, once she saw the entire Weasley family lying motionless in the Great Hall like Fred had been when he died. This time she saw her Mum crouched down in front of Bellatrix as if begging for mercy. Fortunately she remembered to put a muffliato spell in the room before going to sleep so as to not wake Charlie. She would have to make some more of the potion soon. She had had two bottles of it left before travelling here but ended up giving them to Harry and Ron; she doubted they could make some on their own.
She transformed her beaded handbag to look like a school bag. It wasn't necessary to take all her things, she knew, but being overly prepared never harmed anyone. After she was sure she had everything, she went and took a quick shower.
In the kitchen, she made herself a cup of herbal tea. Her mother had taught her how to make it; it was strange, when she was younger she couldn't stand the taste of the stuff but now she couldn't go a day without having a cup. She glanced out the window; the day looked gloomy. Charlie had informed her that Forks was one of the rainiest cities in the United States. Growing up in London she was in no way a stranger to rain though sunny weather did always brightened her mood. It made sense really, the Cullens wouldn't have chosen this place if the weather had been mostly sunny.
She could hear Charlie's footsteps coming down the stairs. "Good morning Charlie," she greeted as he came into the kitchen.
"Good morning Hermione," he said kindly, "did you sleep well?"
She gave him what she thought was a reassuring smile, "I did, thank you." Charlie smiled back but didn't comment. Hermione was glad he didn't pry, he seemed to be very perceptive.
"So, I have something for you," he said, changing the subject.
"You do?" Hermione asked, a little astonished. He told her to wait in the kitchen for a second before disappearing up the stairs and coming back with a small box. He took her to the front yard and Hermione instantly spotted the red truck parked in the driveway. She was touched, "you didn't have to do that," she said as Charlie handed her the box containing the car keys.
"You can drive, right? I know most magic families don't really need to".
Hermione assured him that indeed she did. Her dad had started teaching her the summer after she turned fifteen even though the legal driving age in London was seventeen. She remembered what he said before taking her out the first time, "Who knows where you'll be in two years what with that world of yours. It's now or never." She was almost teary eyed.
"Do you like it?" Charlie asked.
"I love it. Thank you." Charlie gave a proud smile and Hermione couldn't help but compare him to her father who would also smiled like that when he got her something she liked. "Where did you get it? I hope it wasn't too much trouble."
"No, no, of-course not. My friend Billy lives in the La Push reservation, he sold it to me for very cheap."
Hermione thanked him again.
"Don't mention it alright, Hermione. Now, do you have the directions for Forks High School?"
"I saw the map yesterday, I'm sure I can find my way."
"Good luck today, okay? Make sure to respond to the name Bella."
"I will." If he saw her hesitate, he didn't say anything. The name Bella only brought her painful memories of the Cruciatus curse.
She took a deep breath, she could do this.
The truck ran better than she expected, the engine sounded healthy enough. It was drizzling outside but not so much rain that she couldn't see the town buildings. Everything looked so small and common, the Wizarding World really spoiled her taste. She missed Diagon Alley, the lively and cheerful Diagon Alley she had fell in love with the first time she went to visit when she was eleven, the Diagon Alley before the Death Eaters had gone and destroyed everything.
Once she pulled over to the school parking lot, she sensed the stares right away. She knew it was a small school so it was expected that people were curious. Once upon a time, people staring at her might have bothered her but being a third of the Golden Trio had made her quite accustomed to these situations now. She looked for an empty parking spot and found one at the very corner in front of the small building labeled Front Office. She gathered her bag, and a small umbrella she had brought with her. It had been a birthday present from her grandmother when she turned fourteen and was decorated with tiny orchids. She brought her hand up to her throat to make sure the charmed owl necklace McGonagall gave her was still with her. She couldn't risk messing up on her American accent.
She entered the front office and was greeted by a red-haired woman who smiled when she spotted Hermione. "Hello, dear. How may I help you?"
"Hello, I'm Isabella Swan," Hermione said making sure not to slip up with the name.
The woman's face lit up with recognition, "Oh yes, of course. Here is your schedule," the woman showed Hermione the schedule and gave her a map of the school campus. She also gave her a paper that all her teachers had to sign and told her to bring it back at the end of the school day. Hermione thanked her and slipped out. She looked around a little before heading to her classroom. The school campus comprised of an array of smaller buildings; after spending so many years at Hogwarts, this school looked boring and lifeless though she could hardly blame them. Not for the first time she wondered what Harry and Ron were doing, both refused to go to Muggle school of course. It would be strange going to school without those two.
Her first class, she noticed, was AP Literature which brought a small smile to her face despite her feeling of loneliness. Starting the school day off with literature seemed like a good idea. She spotted the building labeled 3 and followed the herd of students entering through the arched doorway. Most of the other students were wearing raincoats and they hung them up on hooks attached to the wall of the small classroom. The teacher was named Mr. Mason and he seemed nice enough. He gave Hermione a list of books they would be reading that semester and she was glad to note she had read every one of them. Though she was always looking for excuses to re-read Charlotte Bronte novels or any of the Shakespeare plays.
From then on, the day went by normally enough. She kept an open eye to see if she could spot any of the Cullens but no such luck. A boy named Eric eagerly befriended her and showed her to some of her next classes. Another girl names Jessica seemingly appointed herself Hermione's new friend; Hermione didn't mind though, making new friends might take her mind off some things.
When lunch time came Jessica invited her to sit with her friends which Hermione willingly accepted. Another one of her friends, Angela, came and sat with them. Hermione sensed she was a bit shy but seemed very nice.
She hadn't spotted them right away but once she did, there was no mistaking them. The Cullen clan sat in the corner of the cafeteria distancing themselves from the general student populace. There were three boys and two girls, Hermione noted, and as expected, they were absolutely beautiful. She was also amused by seeing the trays of food in front of them when she knew they couldn't eat them.
"Oh, that's the Cullen family," Jessica quietly said to her when she noticed Hermione watching them, "They were all adopted by Dr. Cullen and his wife. They're all together too as in together together," and then she went to explain how Emmett Cullen was dating Rosalie Hale and how Alice Cullen was dating Jasper Hale. And just then Hermione felt someone jabbing at her mind and her body stiffened. She slammed up a wall in her mind using Occlumency. She glanced at the Cullen table again to see the youngest of the clan looking at her, a mind reader she thought. Why did no one feel the need to inform her? She saw the boy with the reddish-brown hair frown and then whisper something quietly to his siblings. She knew their vampire breed often developed powers beyond the usual super strength and agility but she hadn't given much thought on what theirs might be if they had one. She was grateful she kept up her practice with Occlumency, she would have to thank McGonagall later for encouraging her to do so.
Hermione asked Jessica what his name was but she seemed to have gotten the wrong idea, "That's Edward. Don't get your hopes up though, apparently none of the girls here are good looking enough for him." Hermione smiled a little at that, if only she knew they could hear every word.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Reviews?