Hermione ignored Carlisle's advance, opting instead to scratch ferociously at the shield Ron had put up before himself. Beneath the ravenous hunger Ron could see the terror in her eyes – fear that she was going to hurt him, horror at what she had become?
Before Ron or Harry could react, Jasper was beside her. "Stand down, Granger," the blond said firmly. He made a show of reaching slowly for her wrist, but Hermione didn't seem to notice, focused as she was on the draw of Ron's blood. The moment his skin touched hers, though, she stopped her clawing and looked at him in rapture and Ron's stomach sank to his feet.
"Who are you?" Her voice was pure golden honey and it looked like Jasper knew it. The other vampire only stared at Hermione for a long moment.
Ron's shield wavered and Harry pulled him back.
Hermione didn't even notice. Her eyes, bloodied crimson, were wide as she took in Jasper's face. His left hand was still wrapped loosely around her wrist and one of her own crept over to grasp it. "Who are you?" she repeated.
Harry placed a hand on Ron's shoulder. Ron let his shield drop, protected as he was by Harry's.
"Jasper Hale, ma'am."
Ron could practically hear him saying Checkmate in that deep, unnervingly beautiful voice yet again.
"Jasper Hale." She tried out the name and it was devastatingly sweet on her lips. "I'm Hermione Granger."
"I know." It was the first time he'd ever seen Jasper smile. It looked good on him, and it looked like Hermione thought so, too.
The smile toying at the edge of her lips was so familiar it hurt and Ron scowled. That was his smile, that was his–
"Jasper, are you going to introduce us to your friend?" Edward asked lightly. Probably trying to spare himself from Ron's bloody internal monologue, but he'd take it if it meant Hermione and Jasper would look away from each other for one second.
The blond placed a hand on Hermione's lower back and Ron almost retched. Harry's grip on his shoulder tightened.
"Miss Granger–" he was looking at her with bloody fucking stars in his eyes– "This is my family."
Was it a bad idea to draw the attention of a newborn vampire? Maybe, but it was Hermione and Ron was not fucking having this. "Your best friends are here, too," he said a bit loudly.
Her eyes met his and went wide. "Ron!" She flinched and Ron realized Jasper had tightened his hold on her to prevent her from lunging.
He couldn't very well demand Jasper let her go since it would probably be the end of him, so he settled for glowering briefly at the man before looking back at Hermione. "It's alright. Right, Harry?"
"Sanguini got to you," said Harry, cutting to the chase. "We brought you to the Cullens. Do you remember Moody telling us about them?"
Faster than Ron could see, her free hand flew to her forehead. Her face was scrunched in thought to the point of looking pained. "Almost? Sort of?" Jasper stroked her back and Ron felt bile rise in his throat.
"Ron," Edward said tersely, "would you mind taking a walk with me?"
Ron exchanged a glance with Harry, who nodded. He looked at Hermione (who was of course looking at Jasper again), then Edward. "We won't be gone long, right?"
"Not too long," Edward promised. Ron squared his shoulders and followed the auburn-haired vampire out of the room. "I think it's best if we go somewhere a little further." Edward led him down the empty hall and towards the lobby.
It was as desolate as the day they'd arrived. Concrete block walls complemented cement flooring and the buzzing ceiling lights granted Edward a more pallid look than the yellow-toned lamps in the suite.
"What do you want to say?" Ron asked bluntly, hands shoved in his pockets and looking away from Edward.
They settled into the overstuffed chairs nearest the emergency stairwell. "Are you familiar with the concept of vampiric mates?"
Ron looked up, jaw dropped. It took him a moment to find words. "You're serious?"
Edward didn't look like he was joking. "You can't be angry with Jasper. He can't help it."
"I can feel whatever I bloody well feel," Ron argued. "That's the love of my life in there making eyes at a vampire!"
"The love of your life is a vampire now," Edward said, as if Ron had somehow missed that. He looked deeply frustrated. "If you didn't miss it, you're doing a poor job taking it into account."
Ron dropped his head into his hands. "Bloody mind reader," he moaned. Everything was wrong, everything was unstable and amorphous and terrible. "Bloody vampires."
Edward politely let him mope for a moment before continuing: "Do you still want Hermione in your life?"
Ron looked up, offended at any implication otherwise. "Of course I do!"
"I wonder, is your loyalty rooted in your love for her?" Edward's eyes, more topaz than gold today, seemed to look into Ron's very soul. "Or will you remain loyal if that love is never to be returned? There's something tragic about you," Edward decided swiftly.
"It was supposed to be the two of us," Ron said in a small voice. "And Harry."
"And Harry," said Edward. He leaned forward and the large lobby felt very small. "Harry has caused you so much anguish and yet you're loyal to him, too."
"It'll get better soon," Ron told both himself and Edward. "It always does." He pointedly turned his thoughts from Hermione, from Fred, from Jasper, and towards the future: seeing the rest of his family again, the rebuilding of the wizarding world.
"Yes, focus on things to come." Edward smiled. "Now, let's get back to the room."
The walk back was silent and almost – somehow – comfortable. Edward was… tolerable.
"Ron and Harry, you should leave soon," said Carlisle when they re-entered. "Hermione is struggling."
He turned to her. She was shaking.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, and Ron fought the urge to wrap her in his arms and tell her it would be alright. Jasper still held her against him, partially for Harry and Ron's safety and partly because of this Merlin-be-damned mate situation.
Ron turned on Jasper. "If you hurt a hair on her bloody head, I'll light you and your entire family on fire," he threatened, hand brushing the end of his wand in its holster. Edward laughed quietly.
Jasper brought Hermione's hand to his lips before replying and Ron almost rolled his eyes at the display. "She's more liable to hurt one of us as things stand."
"You know that's not what he meant," Harry admonished. Jasper bowed his head. "Hermione, we'll leave, we don't want to make things any harder for you than they need to be."
"Thank you." She spoke quietly and still too quickly. "Please write." Her gaze flitted to Ron. "Both of you."
"Of course," said Harry.
"I'll send a letter every day," promised Ron.
After exchanging their goodbyes they Apparated from Los Angeles. Ron wouldn't return to America for over a year.
