CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
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: 7
Saturday 16th May 1998
"I'm sorry?" Hermione's eyebrows shot up and almost disappeared into her hairline.
"You're the next Sorceress, Hermione," she said gently.
Hermione blinked dumbly.
"No, I'm not. That's not possible, I'm Muggleborn," she protested.
"Sorcery has no connotation to blood, My Dear, Rowena herself was a Muggleborn."
Hermione was surprised by the news, having never heard of or read about such a huge piece of information before.
"But I can't be; I'm nowhere near Dumbledore's or Voldermort's magical potential."
"Not yet you're not, but you will be. You are still young, a witch gains her full magical potential when she becomes of age, for a Sorceress your magical potential is unknown and therefore your power grows as you age as it does with your knowledge and experiences. Do you believe Albus to be at his most powerful when he was a seventeen-year-old boy, fresh out of Hogwarts?" Hermione shook her head. "Your magic is still young."
"How do you know I'm a Sorceress? Is there a test?"
"No, My Dear, it was Albus that recognised you for who you were." Hermione frowned. "From the moment you entered the great hall for your first Sorting Feast, he was able to detect the magical aura that identifies you as a Sorceress. From that day, he made sure that you were safe but with your choice in friends, it was rather difficult but you had to survive as much as Harry did. As awful as it sounds, Sorcerers and Sorceress are born to change the world, sometimes they change it for the worst, and other times it's for the better. When they are born, it's because a higher power has decided that the world needs a new lease of life."
"From the moment Albus met you, he quickly understood that you are to change the world for the better. Just think, Hermione, your unparalleled compassion and kindness, your need for equal rights for all and justice for those that deserve it. You are kind, caring, compassionate, vengeful, smart, all of this is because you are to make the world better and for that, you had to survive."
Teddy shifted in his sleep and Hermione pulled her attention away from McGonagall to look down at the little child in her arms, and she had come to recognise the signs of him waking for his bottle. At that, she summoned everything from the baby bag she had inside her beaded bag and magically prepared his bottle, ready for when Teddy woke.
"But surely that can't be the only reason I am believed to be a Sorceress," her brow furrowed.
"You are a Sorceress," McGonagall corrected. "And it's not. Over the years, Albus kept watch over you and your intelligence and the quality of your work factor into your classification. There's a reason he allowed you to loan his books, there's a reason why he asked that I help you become an Animagus and there's a reason to why Severus helped you with your Occlumency." Hermione frowned. "A Sorceress covets knowledge, and I'm well aware of your dislike for being limited in your magical potential and knowledge, just as we knew you were practising non-verbal and wandless magic, and you have progressed remarkably in doing so," she praised, "But there is one final factor that confirmed your classification."
"And that is?" Hermione whispered, almost too afraid to ask.
"Well, it's two but they're connected. The first is that you have a remarkable number of accidental magical outbursts, which occurs as your magic is volatile and powerful and you are still learning to control and contain it. This will come with experience but it doesn't mean that you will always be able to control it, particularly if you are feeling an emotion too strongly. Albus would sometimes have difficulty with controlling his magic, even at his age."
"And the other?"
"You have an affinity for the element of fire. Each Sorcerer and Sorceress has one. Godric's was fire, Salazar's was earth, Rowena's was water and Helga's was air. Albus' element was fire, just as yours is, Grindlewald's was air and Riddle's was earth. Your affinity appears during your magical outbursts and your Fire Magic is powerful, it comes to you easily as it's your element, it is instinctual. You are not yet fully matured in your magic, and yet I have witnessed your actions during the battle, defeating thirty members of Riddle's army with your Fire Magics."
Hermione looked down at the ground at her words.
"I killed people, I don't even know how many, I never stopped to check if they were alive or dead."
"That is not your doing, Sorcerers and Sorceresses battle for change, your magic is instinctual and in times of great stress and fear it will act when it feels it needs to."
"No one will look at me the same way again, everyone in the Order looks at me as though I was the one that wanted to take over the world. They're never going to treat me the same as before; not only did I take a life, I took several and they don't agree with killing, no matter the circumstances."
"What they fail to realise is they likely took lives, too, especially with the rebounding curses that ricocheted around the battlefield. I was watching you, My Dear, you were casting magics even I couldn't recall and you didn't appear to be yourself, particularly after the Fire Magics incident."
"I don't know what happened," Hermione admitted, her gaze trailing the stone floor beneath her feet. "When I saw that Harry was dead, everything came crashing down. I couldn't hear those around me, I wasn't aware of what was happening, I was too busy trying to sort through the voices in my head and the anger within me kept building and I couldn't stop it. Afterwards, everything seemed easier. Things I didn't understand before I now do and although wandless and non-verbal magic is still difficult, it's a lot easier than it used to be."
"Hermione, you are a Sorceress," she said softly. "There is nothing you can do to change that."
Teddy woke with a cry and Hermione quickly shifted him in her arms and began feeding him his bottle, not seeing McGonagall's small smile as she did so.
"What happens now?" Hermione sighed tiredly.
"You go to Volterra."
"But, you..."
"You said you feel you need to be there?" McGonagall asked. Hermione nodded. "Then you need to be there. Your magic is taking you to where you need to be."
"And being a Sorceress?"
"There is nothing you can do to change who you are and there is nothing wrong with who you are. Just go about life as you would have. Don't let others dictate your decisions. Follow your heart, allow your magic to lead you to where you need to be as it will never steer you wrong. Continue to expand your magical knowledge, continue to show compassion and kindness and helping those less fortunate. Just be aware that your actions and decisions may have consequences. Be aware that you are powerful and your magic will continue to flourish for as long as you allow it to. Be aware that you must do your best to keep yourself balanced. If you commit a 'dark' act, it is fine as long as you don't allow it to take control of you entirely. Exercise your magic daily as it will help to reduce the risk of magical outbursts, and most importantly..."
"Yes?" Hermione whispered.
"Be the wonderful mother I know you can be," she said softly and Hermione looked down at Teddy.
"Thank you, Professor," she replied. "Are there any books or tomes I may read to gather more knowledge about myself?"
"I'm afraid not, Dear, they were all destroyed in a fire decades ago, everything I have told you I learnt from Albus."
"Do I tell Harry and Ron about this?"
"That is your decision to make and no one can stop you if you so wish to, but please be aware that if the wrong people were to discover your secret, they would covet you. They would seek to control and manipulate you so they can use you to shape the world into whatever they wish. Be careful with those you entrust this information to."
"I will, I may give out my compassion freely, but I do not give out my trust so easily."
"I wish you well in your future, Miss. Granger, and I hope I am given the chance to see the differences you make to the world. And please, don't hesitate to owl if there is anything you require assistance with."
"Thank you, Professor," Hermione gave a small smile and with Teddy having finished his bottle, she shifted him in her hands before standing along with McGonagall.
"And before I forget, Albus would like me to give you something," she said.
As Hermione packed away her things and burped the baby, she watched as McGonagall disappeared through a tunnel in the wall that she didn't even know was there. Hermione's eyes briefly flickered up the portrait of Dumbledore; he had remained remarkably quiet throughout their meeting, yet he watched her with his twinkling blue eyes.
"Here were go."
Hermione turned her attention back to McGonagall as she reappeared, levitating a wooden chest behind her.
"It is Albus' wish that you receive these."
"What is it?"
"The entirety of his personal library," she responded.
Hermione made a sound of surprise and then pulled a face, as during her distraction, Teddy spit up on her jumper. She cleaned it up with a wave of her wand and turned back to McGonagall.
"But surely he'd want you to have it."
"You are the Sorceress, not I, and you have a long life ahead of you, you can put them to far greater use than I ever could. He was very insistent that you be the recipient."
"Why wasn't it in the will reading?"
"To prevent the Ministry from discovering he had a personal library that can rival Hogwarts' library and prevent sticky fingers."
"Hogwarts' library?"
"Or so he says, he's always been one to over-exaggerate," McGonagall rolled her eyes and Hermione's lip twitched.
"Thank you, Professor," she said and she turned her eyes to Dumbledore and nodded at him, he nodded back.
She didn't forgive him for his actions but she now understood.
~000~000~000~
"Hey," she greeted the two vampires as they entered her bedroom and took seats in their chairs. "How'd it go?".
"We caught another six today," Demetri answered.
She smiled at him, it didn't reach her eyes like it used to but with time he knew she would be herself again, he just had to be patient and she had already made a lot of progress in the last week alone.
"That's brilliant," she praised. "That only leaves nine and they can deal with the rest once we leave. I want you to know that I am grateful for what you have done for my world, the others may not be, but I am."
They smiled at her. "Your appreciation is good enough for us."
"I'm glad to hear that, as I truly do appreciate everything you have done for both myself and Teddy, and the Wizarding World." She looked down at the sleeping baby beside her with a small smile on her face. "Can I trust you?" She asked them quietly.
Her question took them by surprise and they darted a glance to each other.
"Implicitly," Alec said without hesitation. "We will not allow any harm to come to you or Teddy."
"That wasn't my intention of the question. I already know you'll protect us if we should need it."
"Then what was your intention?"
"Can I trust you to keep a secret?"
"Yes," Demetri nodded, "But you have to take into account Master Aro, anything you may tell us he will discover when he reads our thoughts upon our return. Unlike you, we are unable to shield our mind from him."
She nodded. "I know, that's why I plan to tell you only the bare minimum, but I need to share this secret with someone, I need someone in Volterra to understand. It's too much of a burden for only one person to know."
"If you don't wish to tell us, then don't feel as though you have to. If this secret is something that could affect your position in Volterra, it is best it is kept from even us."
She shook her head. "I trust you to not tell anyone, and I don't know what Aro has planned for me but there's a reason he was so adamant that I return, and I think he may already suspect what I'm about to tell you." She looked up from Teddy and caught their gazes; they were watching her intently, giving her their full attention. "I'm sure by now, that after reading from my books, you know I'm not an average witch."
"Yes, we've seen you perform forms of magic that are said to be very difficult," started Alec, "And what you did at the battle didn't seem to be normal either, if we go by the looks on the faces of everyone on both sides of the war. In fact, we could smell fear coming from Voldemort, the moment he saw what you did to his followers."
"There's a reason for that. This morning I was asked to attend a meeting with Professor McGonagall, the Headmistress of Hogwarts. She wished to inform me of a few things regarding my magical potential. When a witch reaches maturity at the age of seventeen, her magic is at its full potential, and although you continue to grow, learn and experience, the chances of your magical potential growing in power is slim. I am able to do forms of magic that are very difficult, some I am able to do effortlessly, others require a little more focus and practice. I'm now eighteen, and my magical potential should've ceased in growing."
"But it hasn't?" Alec asked knowingly.
"No, it hasn't," she confirmed. "Witches and wizards are not the only magical beings to possess magic, there is another classification and this is known as Sorcery, Sorcerers and Sorceresses. The most famous Sorcerer was Merlin, and since him, there have been another five known Sorcerers, the last two being Albus Dumbledore and Voldemort. For there to be a Sorcerer is not a common occurrence. They are born when a higher power decides there needs to be change in the world, and they are granted the power to make those changes. Whether they are good or bad depends on the Sorcerer."
"A Sorcerer's power is said to be all but limitless, but they are still human and they have to follow the rules of nature, so no resurrection and inventing ways of immortality. Due to the power that is within a Sorcerer, there is darkness inside of them, a darkness that sometimes shines through but if left unbalanced, it will consume them, hence the differences between Dumbledore and Voldemort, one succumbed to the darkness and the other was balanced."
"How does Sorcery pertain to you, as well as Voldemort's fear of you?" Demetri asked in confusion, tipping his head in a way that made him look like an adorable, bemused puppy.
"Where there is a Sorcerer there is a Sorceress, there must be a balance of power between witch and wizard. The last known Sorceresses were a millennia ago, and the next wasn't born until two decades ago." They both frowned and she took a deep breath. "I am a Sorceress, the third of my kind, in Europe, at lease."
Their eyes widened and mouths dropped open. It was the most reactive she had ever seen them.
"How do you know?" Alec asked, after closing his mouth and clearing his throat.
"Professor McGonagall informed me that Dumbledore has known since my first day of Hogwarts. It was why he allowed me to loan books from him, why Professor McGonagall taught me how to become an Animagus, and it's why Professor Snape taught me Occlumency. He asked them to. A Sorceress covets knowledge so we can allow our magic to flourish. I have all the traits of a Sorceress that is to change the world for the better. I'm smart, I'm compassionate, I seek justice, and I fight for what I believe in. So maybe, I was meant to change the world for magical beings and creatures, to better their lives."
"How will this affect your life?"
"As far as I've been made aware, I will continue my life as I would a regular witch, only my magical potential will continue to grow as I age and as I continue to obtain knowledge and experiences. I allow my magic to guide me in my life as it won't fail me. I return to Volterra with you and continue to do what I had planned, all the while, bettering the world from inside the walls of the castle and raising Teddy as I do so."
"Why must this be kept secret?" Alec asked. "Don't you want people to know of your power?"
"If I am revealed to the world as being a Sorceress, I will never be free. I will be coveted. I will have people seeking me out, wishing to befriend me, to manipulate me into changing the world in the way they want it to be changed. I will never be safe. I just want to have a peaceful life, I've had my fair share of traumatic experiences and battles, I don't wish to have to fight for my right to privacy, too."
"We won't tell anyone," promised Demetri. "But we can't guarantee Master Aro will do the same."
"I know that, but knowing that it won't be you that betrays my trust is enough for me."
"We would never betray you," Alec spoke sincerely. Hermione believed him. She couldn't explain why, but she trusted Alec and Demetri just as much as she did Harry and Ron, possibly more so.