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

A/N- I apologize for being absent for so long. I started this story mostly on a whim during summer vacation and now with school back up, I don't know how often I will be able to update. I also don't know if I'll write everything that is in the book but I'll try to give this a concrete conclusion. Thank you for sticking with this.

Hermione smiled fondly at Charlie who would not stop fondling over her. Charlie had ordered chicken soup from a nearby restaurant for her and told her, in a very parental manner, to finish off the entire bowl. He had also ordered her to stay in bed for the day, bringing her food up to her room. "Honestly Charlie, I have handled much worse," she continuously told him.

"None of that, Hermione, you are supposed to be on a quiet vacation here, not be crushed by cars. Now what would McGonagall say if something happened to you on my watch?"

Hermione shook her head, "there wasn't any chance of me getting hurt," she reassured him, "I always have my wand with me."

"I don't care if you have a cavalry with you, right now you're my responsibility."

Hermione relented and finished the soup off; it was quite good.

"Oh, and your two friends have been fire messaging the living room every half hour asking how you're doing."

Hermione sighed. It was going to be a long day.

It took her over an hour to convince Harry and Ron that she did not need to go to St. Mungo's. And another hour to convince them they did not need to come to Forks to see to her well-being. "I wasn't even hurt!"

In the end, she disconnected, telling them she will call soon.

The next day at school, the accident was what everyone was talking about. Almost everyone in school came up to Hermione and asked how she was doing; she tried to answer them politely but eventually she was starting to be irritated. She was used to attention but that didn't mean she liked it. Why people chose to be celebrities, she had no idea.

She let Tyler, who insisted on following her around that day, walk her to Biology filling the conversation with mindless chatter. Truth was, she was starting to dread seeing Edward again. What if what she felt before was not an anomaly? She couldn't get mixed up in emotions here; she didn't know how much longer she would be staying. She was planning on starting the search for her parents as soon as McGonagall gave her the go.

"Bella? We're here, you know," Hermione's mind snapped back to reality as she processed Tyler's word. They were standing in front of her Biology class, for quite some time now as it would seem.

"Oh, sorry," she said, "I was just thinking about something."

"Sure, no problem."

Edward was already sitting there, staring ahead at the whiteboard. He didn't move a muscle as Hermione sat down next to him. "Hello, Edward," she greeted politely.

He turned towards her and said hello back. He turned back as quickly to the whiteboard just as quickly. Hermione noted how he stopped breathing for a few moments before realizing what he had done and starting back up. She wondered if he still wasn't used to her smell; she could try to disguise it with a spell but that would only seem suspicious now.

The next few days continued with the same routine. Edward and her would only exchange a greeting at the beginning of class and sometimes, a goodbye at the end. She didn't push him.

Much to her dilemma, their brief conversations seemed to encourage Mike to pursue her more adamantly. He was always trying to catch her attention in the morning or in between classes. As much as she hated to admit it, it was almost flattering in a way. She never received this much attention at Hogwarts, but that probably had to do more with the fact that she only ever spent time with Harry and Ron or alone.

The girls' choice spring dance was to be held two weeks later. That little factoid popped into her brain in Biology as she saw Mike making his way towards her, looking uncomfortable. She remembered Jessica telling her she was going to ask him to the dance, he must have said no. Her theory was confirmed when he asked her himself.

Hermione smiled at him sadly, "Mike, I think you should say yes to Jessica."

"Did you already ask someone?" he asked. Hermione noticed Edward turning his head slightly. Someone's enjoying this, Hermione thought.

"No actually, I'm going to Seattle that weekend. I'm sorry." She told him. It was true, she had agreed to meet Ginny at Seattle that Saturday. Mike trotted back to his seat, disappointed. She felt rather guilty after that. Edward on the other hand seemed more curious than anything.

After class, Hermione heard a soft, "Bella?"

Hermione glanced at the young vampire, "Are we speaking again?" she raised her eyebrow.

He gave her half a smile, "No, not really," he said.

"Then?" Hermione asked, curious.

"I'm sorry. I know I'm being rude but this it's better this way. Really." Oh, so that's why he wasn't speaking to her. He thought he was saving her, in a more metaphoric sense. "It's better if we're not friends," he continued.

Hermione didn't let her amusement show; the words of an angst-ridden teenager, because he really was a teenager at heart, wasn't he? In many ways, Hermione was a lot older than him. "I think you're wrong," she told him honestly.