Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, I'm borrowing.

The next day Hermione was awoken by small knocks on her window. She hurried to let the small barn owl in. She didn't recognize it; so much for being in hiding if anyone could track her with an owl. She quickly glanced out the window praying the owl was being inconspicuous. Pig had also woken up and the barn owl flew over to the other owl probably needing some avian company. Hermione noted with amusement that the small owl started pecking Pig who stood there looking mildly annoyed. Hermione examined the letter addressed to her and immediately recognized the handwriting.

Hermione,

There's so much to tell you. I hope you are well. We are doing as well as can be expected as of now. There's so much happening right now, I don't know how to go about it. George is still not doing very well unfortunately. But we did get him to eat those dishes of potatoes Ron keeps sending us. Surprisingly enough, Percy has been the one holding us together.

Harry arrived at the Burrow yesterday and he's alright; I know you're worried about him. I'll take care of him for the both of us for now. I want to see you soon Hermione if it can be arranged.

Take care of yourself. We all miss you.

Love, Ginny

Hermione smiled sadly while neatly re-folding the letter. She missed the Weasleys too and a big part of her wished she could be there helping them. But she also knew they needed to heal as a family first before anything. She was glad Ginny and Harry were reunited again be it for only two days. She was feeling nostalgic and not for the first time.

She sent a quick letter to Ginny asking if she would like to meet in two weeks. They could meet at Seattle. It was close enough that Hermione could reach it quickly even without magic if need be and crowded enough that even if someone Magical saw her, she would be hard to recognize in the midst of others. She gave the letter to the barn owl who seemed reluctant to be separated from its new owl friend. Pig on the other hand looked wildly relieved.

Charlie had already left for work. Hermione quickly ate a bowl of cereal. It was getting late so she made her cup of tea with magic and enchanted her cup to keep it warm so she could drink it on the way to school.

Outside, she found their driveway and her truck completely covered in hard ice. She hurried over to the truck before memories of snow flooded her again as it did the day before. She was accustomed to walking on ice but she almost slipped a few times. Hmm… she thought… maybe there was something different about American ice. Okay, now she was just being ridiculous.

She charmed her tires to be steady on the road; the last thing she needed was a car accident. As she pulled up at the parking lot, her usual parking spot had been taken so she instead parked towards the end of the middle row. Stepping out of the truck, she remembered she hadn't finished her tea yet. Hating to waste food, she turned back around to get the cup out of the small dispenser of the truck.

At that exact moment, she heard a high-pitched screech getting louder by the minute. She snapped around to see a blue van skidding towards her at full speed. In those few seconds she noticed the horror written in the faces of the others around her, including the Cullens who were a few cars down from her. Pulling her wand out in front of all the muggles would cause some serious trouble. She made a split second decision of using wandless magic to turn the tires around of the van just to the side of her so it would look natural. Before she had a chance to do so, however, she was hit hard from the side and a solid figure pinned her to the ground.

"Bloody hell," she muttered under her breath trying to sit up with no avail. Edward Cullen held her down, and as Hermione noticed with dismay, the van was skidding towards them again. Hermione was about to try and cast a charm on the tires again when Edward shot his hand up and stopped the truck with his hand. Hermione looked to him in a frustrated manner which seemed to confuse him. Then she lolled her head back to the ground. That dent was going to require one hell of an explanation. Seems like trouble always followed more than just Harry Potter.

A brief glance at the Cullens told her they were not entirely pleased with what happened either. Hermione could fix the dent but that would also require a great deal of explaining. And some people had already seen it, she couldn't just Obliviate them all.

She cursed the vampire in her mind. Why was it that everyone she associated with had some sort of hero-complex? Though admittedly, a small part of her was flattered he thought saving her was worth the trouble.

Hermione thought it would be easier for the both of them if she just pretended to have fainted. An ambulance arrived soon and loaded her into the back on a stretcher. Edward got to ride in the front with the driver.

Once in the hospital, they put her in the emergency bed. Seeing that it was a very small town, she was the lone occupant. At least until Tyler, the guy who was driving the blue van, was brought into the room. He seemed to be very injured but the first thing he did was apologize.

"I'm so sorry, Bella."

"It wasn't your fault, Tyler. Are you alright?"

"I thought you were going to die, I was going too fast and the car started slipping…"

"Seriously Tyler, I'm alright. Edward Cullen was standing close and pushed me out of the way," she assured him.

"Oh, I didn't even see him," he said, "good thing he was there."

Hermione nodded which seemed to put him at peace. On the other hand, her life just got even more complicated. She closed his eyes wondering how she should break the news to poor Charlie. But then again, he was the sheriff; he might have already been informed.

"Is she sleeping?" Edward's voice rang through the door.

Hermione opened her eyes and sent him a glare. "When can I leave?" she asked.

"Soon enough, Miss Swan," another voice said from behind Edward in a beautiful voice. Dr. Cullen walked into the room closer to her. He looked very young and looked absolutely striking. So this was the vampire doctor she had heard about. She was very impressed by him, and Edward for that matter, to stand so close to a bloodied Tyler and act completely normal. "How are you feeling?"

Hermione gave him what she hoped looked like a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, really," she said.

Dr. Cullen examined the X-Rays on the far side of the wall and decided she didn't have a concussion. He then probed lightly on Hermione's skull in case the scans missed something.

"Does it feel tender?" he asked.

"No," Hermione said. She'd been through a lot worse.

"Well, your father is in the waiting room. You can go home with him now but come back if you feel nauseated or have trouble with your vision."

Hermione felt guilty for poor Charlie now; she was intending on not being any extra hassle to him.

"You were extremely lucky," Dr. Cullen said, smiling.

Hermione smiled back, "I'm glad your son was standing right there as well," she said, then glanced at Edward whose stance stiffened.

"Oh, yes, you're right," Dr. Cullen said looking down at some papers, avoiding eye contact. It would've been funny if she didn't feel bad for his dilemma. If Tyler hadn't been there, she was sure she would have told them the truth right then. Telling them sooner would have avoided this whole mess.

She looked at Edward, "Can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked quietly. She wasn't sure herself what she wanted to tell him.

"Your father is waiting for you," he whispered back.

"It won't take long," she said.

He glared at her coolly and started walking out the room and into a small hallway.

"What do you want?" he sounded annoyed.

Hermione thought nothing of the misdemeanor; she understood how unsettling this must be for him. She racked her mind trying to come up with what she should say. She looked up at him, at his bronze eyes, and she saw his eyes soften. And for the first time in a long while, Hermione felt butterflies in the pit of her stomach. Butterflies? Really? Oh, bloody hell, she cursed for the second time that day.

"Bella?" Edward looked at her, worried now; his cold heartedness seemed to vanish.

Hermione let out a deep breath. She couldn't tell him. Not yet. "Thanks," she said.

Edward looked perplexed, he was most likely anticipating an argument or her demanding an explanation. He nodded, "No problem." He turned around and walked out.

Hermione stood there, staring at the receding silhouette. She couldn't believe herself. Did she actually fancy a vampire? Hermione Jean Granger, the smartest witch of her age, a third of the Golden Trio, fancied a vampire. Now that was a Daily Prophet headline for you. It would never work out. It just wouldn't.

It took Hermione a few more moments until she composed herself enough to confront Charlie.