CHAPTER FIVE

Summary: Sent to Volterra in order to negotiate terms of an alliance to end the war, Hermione's life is turned upside down as she is brought into the world of the Volturi, better known as the Vampire Kings. There she is made a part of a new kind of family and a most trusted member of the guard, whether she likes it or not, and surprisingly, she does. Rated M for language, violence and sexual content.

Disclaimer: I do not own canon events and characters, they belong to J.K Rowling and Stepenie Myers. I am not making a profit from writing and posting this fanfic. As for the descriptions of appearances for the Twilight characters, all my research is based on the books and not the movies, but I may have changed a few things regarding Alec's height and age.

Page count: 6

Friday 24th April 1998

It was early morning and it can't have been more than a couple of hours since he'd put Hermione to bed and Marcus had left and he'd yet to return. Demetri was bored and so he busied himself with reading through the newspapers once again, in a way, it was as if he was learning the history of the Wizarding World, even if some of it seemed biased, pointless or ridiculous, particularly articles from a reporter named Rita Skeeter.

He found himself snorting at the current article of hers that he was reading as she was supporting Harry Potter's claims of the Dark Lord returning, were a few articles beforehand, she was slandering him beyond belief. He wondered what had happened for her to suddenly change her allegiance.

A sudden scream echoed through the castle and he dropped the newspaper and turned, throwing the door open. It slammed against the wall and he stared in horror as Hermione tossed and turned, arching in the bed and crying. He darted forward, seeing tears falling from her closed eyes and he caught sight of a wet patch on her sleeve and a red stain on the white sheets.

She was dreaming. A nightmare.

He reached out to touch her shoulder and as his fingers brushed her, she bolted upright and he found himself standing on the end of her wand as it was pointed in his face.

He blinked in surprise. Where had that come from?

"Demetri?" She spoke in surprise, her mind clearing from the nightmare induced insanity and fog. He simply nodded but otherwise didn't move.

She lowered her wand and wiped at her eyes, removing the tears from her cheeks and she caught sight of the blood on the covers, she waved her wand, the bloodstain disappearing before she tugged her sleeve up her arm and he stared at the word 'Mudblood' that had clearly been carved into her arm in ugly, jagged lettering.

What was a Mudblood?

She sighed in annoyance before reaching over to the bedside cabinet and picking up the first aid box and a remaining jar of paste. She siphoned away the blood before covering her forearm in the clear paste and she put a gauze on her wound and wound another bandage around it, securing it in place before lowering her sleeve and putting the supplies back on the bedside cabinet.

"How did you get that?" He asked, feeling anger surface that someone had hurt her in such a horrific way. He perched himself on the edge of the bed, angling himself towards her. If she minded she didn't say.

"I was captured, they held and tortured me for three days before I was rescued. That was caused by a magically cursed blade, the wound will never truly heal and it will scar."

Torture? Why would anyone want to torture the woman in front of him? She was soft and delicate and kind. She didn't have hatred for his kind which was a miracle in itself and she didn't fear him. It made him want to track down all those involved and slowly kill them, he had time, he could do it and he could make them suffer.

"I was told it took an entire day to stop the bleeding, I wouldn't know, I was unconscious during my healing after being rescued."

"When did this happen?"

"Including today, seven days ago. Three days after being rescued, I went on another mission to break into an impenetrable Wizarding bank, almost died doing it, too, but we managed to complete the mission. I had a day of helping to make plans for the coming battle and I spent the next two days travelling here," she said tiredly.

She lowered herself to the mattress, seemingly not caring that he was sat beside her as she did so. He could see her eyes drooping and she yawned.

"What were you dreaming of?"

"It wasn't a dream, it was memories. Memories of those that we've lost, memories of my school years, memories of the previous year and memories of my three day torture session. But do you know what? They tortured me for information and they soon realised that I'd die before I revealed anything I may know. They tortured me for fun." Her voice grew quiet and her eyes closed, and before he knew it, her breathing had evened out and she was asleep.

He reached out to push a curl back from her face and just as did so, he heard a throat clearing. He quickly stood to his feet he bowed his head when he saw Aro, Marcus and Caius stood in the corridor.

"Demetri, what are you doing?" Marcus asked, like he had not but a few hours prior.

"Miss. Granger had a nightmare, I was checking to ensure she did not require anything," he replied.

A scary smile stretched across Aro's face, and if he was honest, it worried him; he'd never seen him smile that way before. Marcus' face remained stoic as usual and Caius looked amused.

"Demetri, come, we must talk," Aro said, barely containing his excitement.

"But, Miss. Granger..." He attempted to argue but was interrupted.

"Caius will watch over her until we are done with our discussion."

"But..."

"Miss. Granger will be perfectly safe under Caius' guard."

"Of course, Master, I meant no offence," he bowed his head.

"No offense taken," Caius replied, still looking amused.

"Come, Demetri, we will talk in my office whilst Marcus visits with Alec."

Demetri looked behind him to see Hermione's sleeping form before he left the room, closing the door behind him. Caius took up his post as guard and he left with Aro whilst Marcus continued further down the corridor to Alec's rooms.

~000~000~000~

Mate? Mate? Mate?

The word kept swirling around in his head and he couldn't believe it.

He had a mate. After a thousand years, he had found his mate! And fate would have it be the little witch currently sleeping in the Rosalinda suite. He didn't want to believe it, he thought it was a cruel trick. But then, why would Aro do this?

He had never defied his Masters; he was a loyal member of the coven and Guard. Aro valued his fighting abilities and gift of tracking, he was the best in the world. He hadn't angered his Masters. What reason would they have for lying to him?

Marcus was never wrong regarding the bonds of others and he sensed the bond between himself and Hermione the moment he'd laid eyes on them together in the same room. And the fact he was able to feel it whilst Hermione was human, had Marcus all the more adamant that he was correct and the bond would only grow stronger over time. This meant that he would be forced to turn Hermione. She would resent him for it. No, he couldn't think about that yet.

She was his mate, the one he had been waiting over a millennia for. And to complicate matters, it seemed Alec had also found his mate in Hermione.

But that wasn't possible, never has a vampire shared his mate with another. It went against the very bond. A vampire's true mate is said to be their perfect companion in life and death, as if they were made specifically for each other. And he didn't doubt Marcus' words. So why did they share a mate?

He came to a stop at the Rosalinda suite and the sun was beginning to rise through the windows, lighting up the corridor. Caius smirked at him before gesturing for him to continue down the corridor. He knew why, he wanted him to speak with Alec and he knew he wouldn't be able to put it off much longer, so he might as well get it over with.

He came to a stop at Alec's rooms and he knocked on the door. It opened before he'd fully drawn his hand back. When Alec saw it was him, a look of anger crossed his face, he narrowed his eyes and then stepped back, letting him into his room.

Demetri had never been in his rooms before so he darted a glance around his surroundings. The furniture and its positioning were similar to Hermione's room, yet the walls were covered by bookcases and filled to capacity, and he had two couches rather than one and there was no vanity table and stool.

Alec quietly took a seat on the couch and Demetri crossed to perch on the one opposite him, silently staring at each other, neither knowing what to say.

"She's mine!" Alec snarled suddenly.

Demetri arched an amused eyebrow.

"I think you'll find she's ours," he corrected, leaning back into the couch cushions with his arms resting over the back of the couch.

"I saw her first," he snapped childishly, which just went to show how young Alec had been when he had been turned. Demetri himself had been twenty-three, Alec had only been sixteen.

"You only saw her first as I had only returned from tracking and destroying a newborn an hour after Hermione arrived in Volterra."

"It's rude to refer to her by her given name without her leave to do so."

Demetri smirked. "I have been, in fact, she glares at me when I attempt to call her 'Miss. Granger.' You're not the only one that's spoken with her. In fact, she allowed me to help heal her."

"You could've killed her!" Alec snarled, and if looks could kill, he'd have died a thousand years ago like he should have.

"I wouldn't have hurt her. She was bleeding all over me but I wasn't able to smell her blood, all I could smell was strawberries and vanilla," he shrugged, taking pleasure in Alec's surprised expression. "What? Did you believe you were special in that regard?" Demetri sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together. "Listen, she's the true mate for the both of us and there's nothing either of us can do about it. So, we both vie for her attention and let the best man win, or, we work together."

"You mean we share her?" Alec was scandalised, horrified. If vampires could blush, he'd be the colouring of a tomato and Demetri was wholly enjoying his reaction.

So, his suspicions were confirmed. Despite Alec being two hundred years older than him in death, Demetri was seven years older in life and he'd experienced a lot more than he realised. He had been around Alec for centuries and he had never been seen Alec with a woman. Which meant he was either a very private person or he had never been with a woman at all.

Demetri had the upper hand should Alec decide against working together and Alec seemed to realise this, too. He suspected that if they were able to charm Hermione together, Alec would be the most possessive of her.

"And if she doesn't want the both of us?" Alec asked stoically.

"Then the man she chooses wins and the other bows out gracefully," he shrugged, seeming the perfect picture of ease but there was not a chance in any lifetime he would lose Hermione now that he'd found her.

It explained his uncharacteristic behaviour towards her, his wanting to touch her, to speak with her, why he found her pretty, but once changed, she would be a beauty to make other vampires jealous. He was sure of it.

"So, we've come to an agreement?" Demetri asked. Alec nodded and Demetri reached out with his hand and they shook on it. "Good, now tell me, she mentioned having a battle."

Alec's mouth twitched into a smirk. "Yes, Master Aro wished for her to say the name of the enemy of her war and she refused to do so. Master Aro believed it to be out of fear and he didn't understand that should he say the name, the enemy's followers would be summoned. Miss. Granger engaged them in battle and she disposed of all four of the men in less than seven minutes."

"You timed it?" He replied amusedly and he nodded in response. "How was she in battle?"

"You would approve," Alec stated knowingly. "But I don't believe we got to see what she is truly capable of. She confessed that she often has magical outbursts which are affected by her emotions. It is not normal for an adult witch or wizard to lose control of their magic, which shows her power. I have observed her using magic without speaking, and it is my belief that this is a difficult form of magic most wizarding folk aren't able to do."

Demetri felt his lip twitch. "She's a good fighter. She's powerful. She's pretty for a human and she'll be stunning as a vampire. She's kind and she doesn't hate us," he listed. "It's a miracle we found her."

"If you want to get technical, she was sent to us by her leader," Alec replied.

Demetri shrugged in response before his brow furrowed. "Do you know the term Mudblood?"

"She mentioned the meaning of it, why do you ask?"

"She was tortured," he frowned, his eyes flashing with fury before he contained it. "I woke her from her nightmare and her arm was bleeding. She had the word 'Mudblood' carved into her arm. She said it will never truly heal and it will scar as a cursed blade was used."

He lifted his eyes after noticing that Alec was deadly quiet and he wasn't moving, the human mannerisms they had all adapted to blend in were forgotten. He looked like a statue.

He leaned back into the couch as rage flooded Alec's expression and he stood, the coffee table suddenly and unexpectedly flying across the room until it crashed into the stone wall and fell to the floor in splintered pieces of wood.

Demetri blinked in surprise.

"I'll kill them!" Alec snarled as he paced back and forth at a speed only a vampire would be able to see. Demetri was concerned he'd wear a hole in the stone floor.

"Kill who?" Demetri asked in confusion.

"Those that hurt her!"

"You don't know who's responsible," he pointed out.

"So I'll kill all of them!" Alec snapped.

"The term 'overkill' can be used here," said Demetri. Alec halted in his pacing and turned to him with a murderous glare. "What does it mean?"

"She said it's a slur for someone born of her status, a witch born to non-magical parents. It means dirty blood, as if she's nothing better than something on the bottom of their shoes. An abomination that she doesn't deserve to have her magic. That she should be hunted and killed," he hissed furiously.

Demetri was deadly silent, until the couch he had been sitting on, was thrown across the room and it slammed into the stone wall.

"They branded her!" He snarled before he started pacing. "We kill everyone involved," he vowed and Alec nodded in agreement.

Alec took a calming breath when noticed that the sun had risen.

"I must go and retrieve breakfast for Miss. Granger," Alec spoke, his usually calm expression settling on his face.

"I'll do it, she doesn't want to see your ugly mug first thing in the morning," Demetri smirked.

Alec glared before it morphed into an annoyed sigh and a roll of his eyes as Demetri left out the door.