CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
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 Stephenie 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
Tuesday 19th May 1998
The first couple of days at Volterra flew by for Hermione. She didn't leave her rooms as she busied herself taking care of Teddy and making a start on reading through the vampire legislation to better understand them before she even thought about altering them. She hadn't missed a meal as the food was brought to her at the same times every day but she did notice the portions were smaller than her last visit, meaning Demetri had listened to her regarding her eating habits, and although he hadn't budged on the number of meals she consumed, he had compromised on the portion sizes and she was grateful for it.
She hadn't seen much of Alec and Demetri during the last couple of days as they were carrying out their duties to the Coven, but when she woke during the night due to her nightmares, they were both there with her and once the light was streaming through the windows and she woke for the day, they were gone. She missed their presence but she knew she couldn't become dependent on them, she had her own responsibilities to take care of and it wouldn't be fair to them to expect them to care for her. She was a big witch, a Sorceress, and she could take care of herself.
She hadn't seen much of anyone, to be honest, and despite her being introduced to everyone at the ball, no one had approached her and she wasn't going to be the one to make the first move. If they were uncomfortable with her presence, she didn't wish to make matters worse, and so she was waiting patiently for each Coven member to introduce themselves to her.
It was just after lunch when there was a knock on her door and after placing Teddy in his crib, she approached and answered it, coming face to face with Marcus and Aro, and she blinked in surprise before bowing her head in respect.
"My Lords, to do what do I owe the pleasure of a visit to my rooms?"
"Always so polite," Aro commented amusedly.
"She has manners, which can't be said for others," Marcus drawled, pointedly looking at Aro and Hermione held in her snigger at the affronted look Aro sent Marcus.
Aro turned his attention back to Hermione before removing his hands from behind his back and holding them out. Hermione looked down to see a large gift box complete with a red bow on top. How had she not noticed him hiding it?
"A gift for you, My Dear," he said.
She blinked in surprise.
"Thank you, My Lord," she replied, taking it from his hands. "Would you like to come in?" She asked politely.
"Only if you are comfortable in allowing us into your private chambers," he replied.
She magicked the gift box onto the bed before holding out her hands and they looked at her curiously.
"We have to be in contact in order for you to be able to pass through the safety wards unharmed."
"And what if someone were to gain access through your touch with the intent to cause you harm," he asked curiously, as they both took Hermione's hands and stepped into the room, feeling a pulse of magic wash over them.
"If you are referring to my escorting someone into my rooms against my will, it will not work. It's all about intent, if my wards sense that I am being coerced, they will allow myself access but no one else."
"An incredible piece of magic."
"Yes, it is," she agreed.
They took seats on the couches and when Aro asked if she were going to open her gift, she retrieved it before setting it on her lap and opening up the box. What she pulled out she hadn't been expecting. It was a thick cloak made of the softest material she had ever felt and it was a deep maroon colour with gold fastenings and lining.
She looked at him surprised and his mouth twitched in amusement.
"You are now a member of the Volturi, and although we wear our cloaks as a way of showing the hierarchy within the Coven, it seems you are going to need one that will suit an actual purpose. The temperature in the castle is not suitable for a human even in the summer months and the winter months will prove to be worse."
"Thank you," she replied, genuinely surprised and touched by the gesture. "And may I inquire about the colouring? I've seen others wearing different shades of grey, whereas yourselves wear black."
"The darker the shading, the more you are valued. You, My Dear, are a treasure and as such, you are valued as equally as the best of our Guards, but in your thoughts, I came across these colours more than once and I assumed they had some significance to you."
She nodded. "Yes, they are my house colours. The last seven years I've been surrounded by maroon and gold, as they are the colours of Godric Gryffindor, a Founder of Hogwarts and a Sorcerer."
"And what determines which house you are assigned to?" Marcus asked curiously.
"There are four houses as there were Four founders, two Sorcerers and two Sorceresses, and your assigned house is the one that is best suited to your personality traits, therefore you'll be sharing accommodations and classes and surrounded by those that are similar in personality to you. Rowena Ravenclaw was known for her intelligence, her thirst for knowledge and her wit. Salazar Slytherin was known for his cunning, ambitiousness and resourcefulness. Helga Hufflepuff was known for her kindness and loyalty and for being hard-working, and Godric Gryffindor was known for his bravery, his chivalrousness, daring and distinct lack of self-preservation and danger."
They chuckled at her.
"You possess many of the traits you have just described, why were you assigned to your house, when the others are just as suitable?" Marcus tipped his head.
"Preferences are taken into account during the Sorting Feast once you arrive at Hogwarts in your first year. Due to the blood prejudice of Slytherin house and my being a Muggleborn, I would not have been safe, regardless of the fact I was the top student in my year. I value knowledge, but I also value compassion and friendship. Gryffindor house appealed to me the most and so I was placed there. So, I thank you for the gift, these colours are significant to me, as they remind me of who I am and where I come from. They remind me of my childhood, which may have been tainted by war but there were good times, too."
"You are welcome," Aro nodded.
Hermione's eyes caught sight of one of the kittens sat on the couch armrest as she staring at Marcus intensely, her head tipped slightly.
"Midnight, what are you doing?" She asked.
The black kitten turned to look at Hermione before turning her attention back to staring at Marcus and she frowned at it. Marcus lifted his hand and much to his surprise, Midnight rubbed her head against it affectionately and she purred. Hermione hummed in thought, as she watched the two of them interact and a smile pulled at Marcus' mouth.
"We did not come to solely offer you a gift," Aro spoke drawing her attention. "We believe we have found appropriate rooms that will be suitable for their purposes." Hermione's eyes lit up. "And if you are not preoccupied, we would like to escort you to those rooms so you may check their suitability."
"Of course," Hermione said excitedly before she stood from her seat, fastened the cloak around herself and retrieved Teddy.
"The cloak suits you," Aro commented.
"Thank you," she replied before they left her rooms and much to her amusement, Midnight followed at Marcus' heels.
It was a bit of a walk but once Hermione could visualise the rooms, she would be able to apparate to them whenever she needed to.
They stopped at a door and allowed Hermione to enter first. She looked around and it was bigger than she'd expected it to be. It reminded her very much of the dungeons at Hogwarts, the only difference being the ceiling was higher and there were several windows in the room. The room was covered in dust and cobwebs, so she knew it hadn't had visitors in a long time, and to make things better, there were four large tables already in the room with thick layers of dust covering them and they would be more than suitable for workbenches with a little bit of magic. She spied a sink in the corner of the room and there were two cabinets beside it.
"Is this suitable for your needs?" Aro asked.
Hermione turned and smiled widely and it was a true smile with her eyes lighting up.
"It's perfect for a potions lab," she beamed. She pulled her wand and then looked down at Teddy with a slight frown as she would need both hands for the next part.
Seeing her conundrum, Marcus stepped forward.
"Would you like for me to watch him?" He offered, and Hermione looked to him, her eyes softening when she saw the slight hint of hope in his expression.
"If it's not too much trouble, I don't want to burden you."
"I assure you, it would not be a burden," he replied and Hermione passed him over, noticing how Marcus' face softened as his eyes fell to Teddy's face, as he stared up at him with his green eyes.
"Bit of an odd question but are there any technological items nearby?"
"There is on the other side of the castle," Aro answered, and Hermione was surprised by that answer and he chuckled at her. "Just because we are vampires, does not mean we don't enjoy the same things as humans do to keep us entertained. We have to adapt to the times in order to blend in, for that reason, we know how to use the internet and televisions. We often keep track of the news as it allows us to monitor possible newborn attacks. I believe several of the women enjoy online shopping in order to keep up with the fashion trends of the times, many of the Coven enjoy spending their free time playing video games. We adapt and we survive."
"Sorry, it's just in the Wizarding World there is no such thing as muggle technology," she said and it took him by surprise. "The magic affects the technological items and it will either render them useless or cause them to short circuit and explode. It's the same with radars and radio waves, they won't work when around magic. I haven't watched the TV since I was a young child of eleven, and I've never needed a mobile phone or computer, and if I wanted one, it wouldn't be worth the purchase. Any technological items that come into contact with my magic may malfunction until it's out of my vicinity, but I am more concerned about an entire room filled with magic, such as my lab or library, which will be the rooms my magic will be most potent in."
"All of the technological items are on the other side of the castle, which is where we had several of the rooms modernised for tourists."
"That should be fine, the distance difference should allow for magic and technology to be in the same building."
She then turned around and his eyes lit up as Hermione began banishing the cobwebs and dusting away the dust before altering the tables into workbenches and setting them up in the centre of the room with space to allow for movement between them without obstruction. She moved the two cabinets onto the back wall and after cleaning them, she placed Enlargement Charms on the inside to better hold more ingredients and potions vials.
She then pulled out the four new cauldrons from her beaded bag and placed one on each table before summoning the already completed potions she had stored and she put them in one of the cabinets, organizing them by alphabetical order and then expiry date, and she did the same for her potions ingredients, placing them in the other cabinet. All that was left to do was place some Ventilation Charms in the room, and she did so rather quickly.
"Done," she grinned, looking around at her new lab with excitement.
"Very well, shall we move onto the next room?" Aro suggested and Hermione nodded.
They left the room with Hermione placing a few security wards around it an Aro raised an eyebrow.
"Security measures, I don't wish for there to be any injuries or accidents should someone go snooping around. Many of my potion ingredients are volatile if they are exposed to the wrong elements."
There was a short walk before they came to another room and when she stepped inside, it was a decently-sized room that consisted of a few windows and torches lining the walls. It would be perfect for exercising her magic after a few security wards were placed on the room for when she was inside, to prevent someone from walking in during her training.
They left for the final room and it was the biggest yet. It was clear that it had once been a library as it was lined with empty bookcases, there was a large fireplace on the back wall, several windows, a chandelier hanging above and a large table sat in the centre of the room. Once again, the room was covered in dust and cobwebs but Hermione had that cleared up without incidence. She placed Enlargement Charms on the bookcases before adding in several more of her own until all of the walls were covered.
She then removed the chest and boxes from her beaded bag and proceeded to spell the books and guide them to the bookcase of her choice. She had a bookcase for each topic or subject, of which she alphabetised, and when it came to the more risqué and questionable books, she made sure to ward that bookcase securely. As the books continued sorting themselves away, she pulled out some furniture that had been salvaged from her parents' house and repaired afterwards.
She placed the couch and matching armchair near the fireplace along with the coffee table. She then transfigured a storage unit from one of the boxes and filled it with parchment, ink and quills for when she needed them.
She slowly turned in a circle, her eyes alight with happiness at seeing her personal library slowly coming together, even as the books continued to sort themselves and she knew they would be at it for a while given the sheer number in her possession.
"Truly magnificent," Aro observed.
When she looked at him, he had a smile on his face, his eyes flittering about taking in the sight of the magic happening around him. When she looked at Marcus, he had barely lifted his gaze from Teddy's face.
"Yes, it is," she agreed.
"May we have access to your collection?" He asked, sounding hopeful.
"Of course, but you'll have to be careful with which books you choose to read."
"Why?" he asked curiously.
"Magical books are not the same as muggle books, most are relatively harmless and include only moving photographs, but some are able to make sound, some may move, some are able to bite, some may injure, and some may kill from simply touching them, the more dangerous and illegal books have been warded for safety. I'll give you an example."
She reached out and plucked the first book out of the air that past her before looking at the title.
"This book is based on weather magic," she said.
She opened it up to a random page and as she did so, water began pouring from the pages before she forced the book closed and the water stream stopped. Both Aro and Marcus were stood staring, their mouths slightly ajar and she only just managed to contain her giggles at their reactions.
"I believe that particular page was the top of tsunamis, we are lucky it wasn't a tornado or hurricane, or worse, volcanoes. Several of the books I have that are based on dragons breathe fire, so I would stay clear of those, too."
They blinked slowly, eyeing the book in her hand cautiously and this time she did laugh.
"I think it will be best if we speak to you before selecting a book," Aro mused.
She laughed. "Yes, I am in agreement with you on that one."
~000~000~000~
Hermione had remained in her library for the rest of the day, once Aro and Marcus excused themselves. She sat on the armchair, watching as the books continued to sort themselves away and whilst she fed Teddy his bottle, she levitated one of the documents containing the vampire legislation in front of her so she could continue with her research. Multitasking was something she'd become very good at.
She had missed dinner but it hadn't been on purpose, she'd been too engrossed in her tasks to remember that she was to eat and she wasn't hungry anyway.
She didn't know how long she'd been in the library but the sky had long since darkened and she had lit the fire in the fireplace, and Hermione had fallen asleep in the armchair with Teddy asleep on her chest and covered with her cloak.
Hermione's eyes fluttered when she felt the weight that had been on her chest disappear before she was lifted from the armchair and held against a chest with an arm under her legs and the other around her back. In her sleepy state, she managed to lift her arms to wrap around Alec's neck. She didn't have to look to know it was him.
She had come to recognise Alec and Demetri by scent and she could tell them apart with her eyes closed. Alec smelled like sandalwood with an odd combination of citrus, but they worked well together, whereas Demetri smelled of pine and outdoors with a hint of apple. Both scents were comforting to her, they were calming and familiar.
"I'll tend to Teddy," she heard Demetri say and she felt Alec nodding.
She felt herself being placed onto her bed, her shoes were removed as was her cloak before she was covered with the blanket.
"Thank you," she mumbled tiredly.
She opened her eyes, seeing Alec crouched beside the bed. She leaned over and placed a kiss to his cheek before she rolled over in the bed, and knowing Teddy was safe and in good hands, she fell back to sleep.