Heydo people! New look. Big time gap. Sort of my thing. But longer chapters! And I have the next few updates ready! So go on and read and quickly tell me what you think of all the development? I'm very excited. And also sorry for such a late late late update, but I guess you'll accept my apology better if it's topped with a good chapter. I promise fortnight updates. XD

This and the previous chapters were Beta-ed by the amazing lavanyalabelle. Read and review coz I'm looking for to hearing from you guys!

Chapter 3

Hermione inhaled deeply – enjoying the sense of familiarity the smell of old books brought her. She was roaming in the history section of the Mystic Falls library the next day – it was located just next to the High School, and she was glad to discover that it was nicely stocked. Especially the History section, though she couldn't figure out where to-

"Oof!"

"Sorry!" she said, stumbling back, having just collided with someone at the turn – she hadn't really been paying attention to where she was going.

"Hermione? What're you doing here?"

She looked up, surprised at the familiar voice, to see Jeremy Gilbert grinning at her.

"Oh, Hi Jeremy. I was just… looking around, I guess." She stumbled a bit on her words, surprised to see him. She hadn't actually been expecting to run into anyone who knew her.

That was stupid of her, actually. She had forgotten that it was a small town and everyone still went to school here. "So how are you? Jenna said you wanted to volunteer for Masquerade Ball preparation." Jeremy said, walking with her towards a table. She followed him, not really knowing how to avoid the conversation, as she had no excuse.

"Ah, yes. I was desperate. I'm kind of regretting it now." She grimaced, and Jeremy chuckled. "I figured. I guess you didn't really have anything else to do, eh?"

"Yes. That, and I wanted to meet some new people. Mingle. Get some hands on information." She shrugged, eyeing him as he nodded at her, taking out a few books from his bag.

"What kind of information? Anything specific you're looking for?" he questioned, looking genuinely ready to help.

She raised an eyebrow, surprised. She hadn't realized that Jeremy Gilbert, out of everyone would help her. What was he again, 16? She pursed her lips, thinking. Well, he surely wouldn't have the kind of information she was looking for.

"Well, this might be weird, but the topic of my research is actually the supernatural history of this town." She said finally, and was surprised to see him smiling knowingly.

"Heh. That's not a first."

Damn. Had she been entirely wrong about this kid.

Jeremy Gilbert was a jackpot. She hadn't known that the boy was smart, and more so, had the exact information that she wanted. They had talked in the library for hours. Hours, and Hermione was glad that she'd brought her notebook with her. They had talked, and she had made notes, her brain working at a furious pace.

The main year that she had been concerned with, 1864, was something Jeremy knew a lot about – The Battle of Willow Creek, the shooting on the church, the numbers of civilians that were sacrificed.

Something was wrong though. She couldn't really place it, but she had a feeling that Jeremy's knowledge was not just bookish. He sounded like he had been speaking from some experience, and when he talked about the firing, there was definitely something off. If she didn't know better, she would have thought he was hiding something.

Anyway, it was afternoon when they were finally done and Hermione had been more excited than ever. Jeremy seemed happy to help her, and offered to meet her at the Grill in the evening. She had rushed home, deciding she would have something quick for lunch. Currently, she was just prepping the pasta and sauce, when there was a knock at the door.

She walked towards the entrance slowly, frowning – no one knew that she lived here, yet. She mentally checked the wards- no warning signals.

She opened the door, to see Jeremy's nervous face. "Hi." She said, surprised. They had just said goodbye, like, an hour ago.

"Hey, listen, I figured you would like to see some original documents from the Founder's time – in 1864. I totally forgot to mention it – Whoa. Big house you got." He exclaimed, an extremely surprised look on his face as he came inside, following her to the kitchen.

She chuckled, amused, and shook her head. "Seriously Jer. You could have waited. But you're welcome here anytime. And thank you."

He smiled, settling down on one of the chairs in the kitchen, "Thanks. I didn't really think and we were getting stuff done and you seemed excited. I didn't think we would have time in the evening, and I would have called but I don't have your number." He smiled apologetically.

"Ah, yes. I completely forgot."

They exchanged numbers, as Hermione stirred the pasta. It was done. "Hey, you didn't have lunch, did you? Want some pasta?" she said, already putting it in two plates.

"Sure, smells good."

"So how'd you find the house?" she said, bustling about the kitchen, getting some tea ready.

"Oh, I remembered you telling Jenna that it was just outside of town – it was easy to find."

She hummed, and they ate for a while in silence, before she decided to resume their academic conversation.

"So what are these original documents you mentioned?"

"So the there were these few founding families that signed the treaty and established the town, and now they have a secret Founder's Council so that they can rub it in everyone's faces?" she said, as they moved further in the row, looking at the old documents.

They were at the small museum-like room of the Lockwood's house – where all the documents were always stored away, taken out when only when they had to be displayed for an event.

"Supposedly secret. And hey, I'm from one of the Founding Families too." Jeremy said, following behind her, "Y'know what? There was this original treaty somewhere here, with the names of all the members."

They moved along a few rows, and they found it. She quietly read off the names, until-

Stefan Salvatore

Damon Salvatore

She tried not to show much surprise, or give Jeremy any notice of what she had just discovered. This confirmed it.

Stefan and Damon had to be same the same brothers from 1864, who had signed the treaty. They were both vampires. Given, she had only met Damon until now, but the brother he had mentioned- that had to be Stefan. She was 90 percent sure now.

Soon after, they headed to the Grill, waving at Matt as they settled at a table.

"You know Matt?" Jeremy asked, surprised, as she looked through the menu for once.

"Yup. I met him the first night I arrived here. Him and Damon." She said, adding the last part as an afterthought, mostly just to see his reaction.

He didn't disappoint. His eyebrows rose high in surprise, and he let out a scoff, "Damon?"

She had half expected it, but it didn't stop her from throwing a sharp look his way, "Yeah. Why?"

"Nothing." He said, avoiding her eyes, and calling over a waitress.

"Seriously, what is it? Even Matt acted weird when I bought him up." She said, looking hard at him, but he still didn't react.

"Two sandwiches please." He said to the waitress, still ignoring her.

"Jer!" she snapped her fingers in front of his face, forcing him to look at her. "Okay, seriously. Spill. Now."

He looked at her quietly for a moment, considering, before apparently deciding something.

"I'm not really supposed to say, and it's better if you don't bring this up with anyone else, ok?" he sighed, lowering his voice, even though there weren't many people around them.

She nodded her confirmation, frowning. She really hoped Damon hadn't done anything much too drastic, especially now that she was almost sure that he was a vampire.

"Stefan and Damon came into town just last year, and in the beginning he dated Caroline. Now, I don't know the details but Elena told me that he was… abusive. Caroline had all these bruises over her body and when they found out, he didn't even deny it. Caroline still doesn't talk to it about anyone and Elena hates him too. I mean, Elena's dating Stefan, so she would know him right?"

Hermione was… confused. Damon hadn't seemed the abusive type. And if Caroline hated him, why was she coming to talk to him that day? And wait…

"Elena's dating Stefan? Stefan Salvatore?" she wondered aloud, thinking fast. And they had arrived in town last year… "How long have they been together?"

Jeremy was frowning at her too, and it didn't take Hermione long to realize that he apparently knew exactly where her thoughts were wandering off to. "Almost six months… maybe." He said slowly, still looking at her with calculating eyes.

She needed to calm down. Elena had to know about Stefan and Damon. But… could it be that Jeremy did too? And how was Caroline involved in all this mess?

"That's… confusing." She said finally, still frowning. She had to take another approach to this. The age old gossip exchange.

"So hit me with the Drama from the beginning. I think I'm missing something here."

Bull's Eye.

Not that she was surprised, to be honest. She had a fair amount of practice with hitting her spells on targets; what were darts compared to that?

And Jeremy was a good competitor – and a sore loser.

"How are you so good at this?" Jeremy almost whined, as she grinned at him.

"It's magic!" she giggled, as Jeremy scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Sure, sure. You just cannot hit the center every time. It's unfair." He said again, and she couldn't help but smile as Matt walked over.

"Jeremy Gilbert's ass being kicked at darts? That's something I never thought I'd see." Matt mocked, and Jeremy made a face at him.

"It's a talent I have. And Jer, I thought you said you were a believer?" Hermione teased, as Matt clapped Jeremy on the back.

Apparently, exchanging gossip like meddling old biddies made one familiar enough to the other for the shortening of Jeremy to Jer. Thank Merlin, he hadn't taken to calling her Herms. She hated that nickname.

"Yeah, in the vampires and werewolf stuff. Not your dart-throwing magic." He replied, trying to throw another, but missing again, causing Matt to laugh aloud.

After the gossiping was over, they had moved to the supernatural stuff, finally. Apparently, Jeremy had seemed so… knowledgeable, because he had read about the Battle in one of his ancestor's journals. He had also mentioned that though he thought his ancestor was insane, there was some truth to the tales of vampires being present in Mystic Falls. He had talked about a paper he had written for Mr. Saltzman last October – the history teacher who was also dating Jenna – in which he had covered the topic of the existence of vampires. He had the records of periodical animal attacks taking place in Mystic Falls, bodies drained of blood, people going missing, the usual jazz.

All the time, he had talked objectively, from the outsider's point of view, but Hermione was almost sure that Jeremy knew everything. The first reason was – his sister dating a vampire for over half a year, and the second – well, Jeremy was too serious and far too knowledgeable about the town's history for a normal 16 year old.

Somewhere along the way, he had reminded her of herself at sixteen. Involved in everything dark, mysterious and dangerous because her best friend needed her help. And Elena was Jeremy's sister; she couldn't imagine him staying away.

"Mione, it's your turn!" she felt Matt shove her a bit, and looked up at him surprised at hearing him say the nickname.

Unbeknownst to her, a smile had formed on her face, reminding her of Harry, Ron, and all the others back home. Merlin, she missed them! Meanwhile, Matt and Jeremy were staring at her like she was a loon, which she probably looked like - smiling at nothing.

"Oh, sorry guys." She said, a yawn escaping her mouth. "I think I should head home. I'm really tired with all the running around we did today."

Matt looked questioningly at her, while Jeremy nodded. "Thank you so much for helping me out, Jer. I'm really really really glad I bumped into you today." She grinned at him and he lightly punched her shoulder.

"No problem Hermione. Thanks for the lunch, and I had fun too. You can call me anytime if you need help with anything." He replied, while she said goodbye to Matt.

"You call me too, Jer ...unless it's divination."she muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Uh-what? Nothing. I was just saying that same goes for you, Matt. See you guys later. Bye!"

That evening, Hermione deduced her way to a few conclusions:

Stefan and Damon were vampires and Jeremy and Elena most probably knew about them.

Matt was innocent in all of this.

Caroline was a grey area, though the girl was pretty messed up.

Stefan and Damon Salvatore had some serious history in this town.

She remembered the part where Jeremy had also shed light on the fact that Damon had been less than happy with Elena and Stefan's relationship and had tried to sabotage it repeatedly – something about a complicated ex. Now, she would give anything to find out what exactly was going on there.

She honestly didn't even know why it interested her so much but it just did. Somehow, she had a feeling that they were more connected to things going on this town than anyone else here. Not to mention the fact, that their story was the only part of the equation that she wasn't able to add up.

Dear Harry, Ron, Lav, Luna, Neville, Ginny, George, Draco, Blaise and Theo (though I doubt he's there),

I hope all of you are okay. I'm fine, thanks for being so concerned. I mean okay, I told you it's a secret mission and all that but at least one of you could have written. Especially, you- Draco, I know you have means other than letters and all. Whatever. Glad to know you guys care.

Things are fine here. The place where I am is dangerous but I'm handling myself well so far. I just wish you guys could have been here. Anyway, I have made a few friends here, I guess. There's Matt – he works at the only restaurant here, and he's pretty much alone in the world. I pity him but he's a great person. There's Jeremy, who is great at history, and horrible at darts, as I just found out today. My work will probably start in another day, though you could say it's already started. I have some separate things to talk about with George and Luna, so if you guys could just take the two letters I'v sent with this, that'd be great.

Harry, I hope you're not getting into much trouble, and don't skiv off work much. Ron, please take care of him, and try to lose some weight while I'm away. Draco, try not to get overwhelmed with anyone's stupidity and kill them. Blaise, I'v written my phone number on the back of this letter – you know what to do. Gin, concentrate on your Quidditch and write to me if you have any international tours coming up. Nev, anything new you got for me? Any progress with that kid Wress? Lavender, I'm really sorry to leave you with all my burden. Feel free to send me some paperwork if you want to. Surprisingly, I'm not that busy. Theo- you're a dick and I hate you. I thought you said a well-maintained house? Not a fucking century old horror house. (Thanks for the car though, ILY)

Burn this letter when you're done.

I really really miss you all. Say Hi to Mrs. Weasley, Mrs. Tonks, Teddy and Bill and Charlie too.

I love you all,

I wish I could see you all soon

Hermione stamped the end of the letter with the seal on her fake galleon ring, and decided that she would send it off later after finding an owl in the woods.

Hermione spent the next day out, exploring the woods, trying to balance her thoughts. She had spent the first half reading, going over her notes, and then picking a few random books, hoping she could find something new. But things had gotten repetitive after the first few books – they all said the same things about vampires – the facts: how to kill one, how to become one, how to identify one, etc. She already knew all of that and what she was looking for now was the history of their making – other than the Originals.

She had already written to Luna for new books; she was hoping she could find out some more details about the history of these things from the wizarding point of view.

She was walking back towards her house – when she heard a twig crack. She whirled around, fingering her wand inside her sleeve, and decided there was something wrong. She couldn't see anyone but the forest was too quiet around her. She stared around for a moment, before speaking.

"Whoever's there please come out. Or this won't end well." She threatened, her wand almost in her hand. There was moment of silence, and then suddenly, a blonde girl was standing behind her.

She had rough, dirty blonde hair, and even from a foot away, Hermione could tell that she had been crying. Her eyes were swollen and puffy, and… and she looked familiar…

"Hi." She whispered, her voice hoarse, and still a bit thick with tears. She had a sudden flash of recognition, remembering her from the Grill on her first night.

"Caroline? What's wrong?" The words were out of her mouth before she could think twice, and she moved a few steps forward out of habit.

"How do you know me? And who are you?" Caroline said, her voice full of surprise, and taking a few steps back.

"Oh, we haven't been introduced I guess. Hermione Granger." She replied, sticking out her hand, which Caroline accepted after a few seconds of hesitation.

"I'm sorry." She said, wiping at her eyes, and trying to give her a faint smile, "I didn't mean to scare you then. I was just… going home."she said, her voice breaking on the last word.

Hermione eyed her beadily, deciding that vampire or not, the girl needed help. "That's alright. You look like you could use some hot chocolate though – my house is just around the corner, would you like to come?" she offered, her heart going out to the blonde, though she had no idea what had made her so sad.

Caroline considered her for a few seconds, blinking, then shrugged.

Caroline knew she shouldn't have accepted Hermione's offer, but things had just been so difficult that she felt completely out of it. She'd been living with Stefan and Damon for two days and she wanted to rip someone's head off. She knew they were only trying to help but their pitying looks only made her want to snap. Plus, the actual issue with her Mom – no wonder hot chocolate had sounded so good.

Hermione had talked all the short way to her house, telling her about how she had met Matt and how he talked so much about her, and still liked her. That had cheered her up a bit.

Meanwhile, they reached the house and Caroline felt herself hesitate – she hadn't been invited in.

"You can come in." She heard Hermione mutter to herself and frowned. Why had she done that? She couldn't… know? She adjusted her expression as Hermione kept walking like she hadn't said anything, and stepped carefully inside the gates. Immediately, she felt a shiver go up her spine, but it was over within a second.

She walked forward then, senses on high alert – something had to be wrong, or was she just being paranoid? Anyway, she kept walking but her eyes strayed from the bushy-haired back to her surroundings.

There was a huge garden on either side – a fountain on the left, with space to sit around it, and a lawn-type garden on the right which stretched towards the back. There was also the garage on their left where a large black SUV was parked.

The building itself looked as big and mysterious as the Salvatore Boarding house – wood paneled walls and floors, a large old-fashioned living room, stairs that lead to at least three rooms on the upper floor, she mentally counted, and a bar which hadn't been cleaned at all- completely unused.

Hermione made a beeline for the kitchen, which was through the living room – which, Caroline noticed had some pretty antique furniture and decoration and – was that silver?

"Wow. So you live here alone?" she asked as they entered the kitchen. She was surprised again – the kitchen was a stark contrast to the rest of the house. It was decked with all kinds of modern equipment and loaded with food. She belatedly wondered how Hermione had decorated her bedroom.

"Yeah. It actually belongs to my friend's ancestors, but no one's used it for centuries, so I'm sure they don't mind." Hermione replied offhandedly, bustling about the kitchen. That was when Caroline noticed an off smell that hung in the air – something itchy…

"Huh. Sure they won't. Don't you feel lonely? Or get bored?" she said distractedly, her mind still trying to figure out that smell.

"I do feel lonely, but I doubt anyone could get bored in this town." Caroline's head snapped towards Hermione – but she was still busy with making the drink, not giving any hint that she had just made an intentional jibe. Caroline frowned at the girl's back – why was she pretending that she hadn't subtly emphasized the word 'this' just now?

"Yeah… but only the history enthusiasts." she replied finally, deciding to play dumb as well – two could play this game.

"So, want to share why you'd been crying while roaming around alone in the woods?" Hermione said, nodding towards her drink, as she settled herself on the small kitchen table.

Her tone was playful, but Caroline could detect the hint of concern in her voice. It made her even more confused about the British girl. What was she playing at? "It's nothing. I'm just being overly emotional." She sighed.

"Is it…" Hermione said tenderly, eyes full of sympathy, "Is it Matt? Because I know he's been worried about you. You really should talk to him once."

Caroline looked up surprised – she hadn't known she was that close to Matt. Whatever the case was, she did seem genuinely concerned. "It's not him. Though I am worried about him too. It's another thing on the List of Things Screwing up my Life." She joked faintly, not really wanting to burden Hermione with her inane drama.

Hermione cracked a faint smile, but didn't say anything, sipping her drink patiently."I don't know if I should be telling you this… it's my Mom." She said finally, giving up under her scrutinizing gaze.

"Is something wrong? Is she alright?" Worry lined Hermione's voice as a frown lined her face. Caroline was hit with a sudden sense of… she didn't know what it was, but what mattered was that Hermione was there – asking her about her mother, while her actual friends hadn't even bothered. Only Elena had talked to her once yesterday - and she was on the outs with both Bonnie and Matt.

"Well, yes. Kind of. I'v been having trouble with her. It's not like we were close before but… things have changed now. It's complicated." She sighed again – what a mess. It wasn't like she could explain anything to Hermione even if she wanted to. Hello? What would she say? My Mom's mad at me coz I'm dead?

Her misery must have shown on her face, because Hermione's hand was suddenly on her shoulder. "I'm not sure I can solve it Caroline, but talking about it might help." She said with a tight smile.

What was the easiest way to say this? There was no way to explain things directly – that much was for sure. "Hermione, have you ever faced a situation where you had to choose between your family and… yourself?"

Caroline was surprised with the reaction her question initiated in the British girl. As soon as the words were out of her mouth - Hermione's face went rigid, tense, before she replied- "What do you mean?"

She blinked for a second - feeling confused weather to continue her story or pry into Hermione's. "Y'know, have you ever had to struggle with what you are- your personality, and... and your family's expectations?"

"I'm familiar with that kind of predicament - yes." Hermione said, nodding a little, and Caroline's ears picked up her heart beat speeding up.

She really really wanted to ask about her at this point, but logically thinking, there would be no person better than Hermione to give her advice her right now. "So, theoretically speaking, if you had a choice, which one would you choose - following your... personality, and keep your loved ones in the dark but safe, or... or..." She couldn't even think about it. This was such a fucked up situation - there was no 'or' for her.

"Or keep going as it is, and put them up for risk." Hermione said, completing her sentence in a hollow voice, and Caroline noticed her heart beating fast, while she clutched the glass in her hand so hard that her knuckles were white.

"Yeah. I... I can't even think about it." She replied, staring at her drink. The idea hadn't struck her till now, and this fact just proved that Hermione had made some decision like this before in her life.

"Just the fact that you haven't even thought of that option makes your answer clear." Hermione said, a final tone to her voice, suggesting that the decision broke no argument. She got up, downed her drink at once, and turned to put it away.

"What option did you choose?" Caroline asked after a few seconds of heavy silence.

Hermione remained quiet, still facing the sink – pretending to put away the glass.

"The first one."